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Hey, everyone! I'm not really new to NF at this point, but I am new to the Ranger guild. I was previously training with the Assassins, but decided to migrate here for this Challenge in hopes that it might give me the kick in the pants that I need. I've provided the links to my previous Challenges for a little context... My First Challenge My Second Challenge Background Info (pasted from previous challenges): By day I'm a 23 year old husband and graduate student, studying to become a Family Therapist. By night I am working to grow the world's coolest beard and to become a better me. I have been hindered in the past by chronic lung illness (Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia - I have the lung function of an 85 year old). This will always be an issue, but it can no longer define who I am or what I do. It's time to break free from my sickness. It's time to become on the outside who I've always been on the inside. Check out this post for more info on PCD, the chronic lung disease I have. ... ... ... Fitness Goal #1 - Weigh in at 145 lbs once. (+2 CON, +2 STR) I've been underweight my entire life, so getting these last few pounds is important to me. The more muscle I have, the better my body can utilize oxygen, and the better I can breathe. I'll be using MyFitnessPal to track my caloric intake on a daily basis and will weigh in every Friday. I've had this goal in both of my previous challenges. It's kicked me in the face both times, so we'll see how it goes. Any and all advice/encouragement with gaining weight is appreciated! Fitness Goal #2 - Complete my assigned interval training schedule 3x/week. (+2 STA, +2 DEX) I am using this running schedule. I'm on Week 2, so in theory, I should be on Week 7 by the end of the Challenge, but I know not to push myself too much - it can be unhealthy for my lungs & immune system. I'll be using iSmoothRun on my iPhone to encourage me and keep track of my running along the way. Fitness Goal #3 - Complete a workout in the free weights section of the gym. (+1 CHA, +1 WIS, +1 STR) This scares the crap out of me, for whatever reason. I took a weights class in high school and have a decent idea of how to use free weights. I think they could really help push me over the 145 lb. mark (my first goal). However, I'm scared to death to use them. It's mostly the social aspect of it that brings up a lot of anxiety in me. So only doing one workout may seem too easy, but it terrifies me. This will likely be my most difficult goal to achieve. I'm not completely sure what my plan of attack for this goal will be, then, so any and all feedback would be appreciated! Life Goal #1 - Read 5 non-school books. (+4 WIS) This sounds psychotic, especially considering we have weeks in grad school where we read 400-500 pages, but it's a goal I've accomplished before and one I'd love to do again. I'll be reading 5 fiction books from my GoodReads to-read list, checking one book out from the library every 8 days (or so). I'm hoping to make the Rangers proud in my first Challenge with them. Thanks for reading and for your support!

Hello fellow rangers!!! My name is Annavi and I am a beginner ranger I just joined yesterday and realized today that there is a challenge going on! Although it's a few days late, I'm pumped and excited to join in on the action Here's my starting point: Height - 5' Weight - 130 lb Body Fat - 25% My goals: 1. Cut out "diet" beverages completely and replace them with water (CON +3) 2. Work out at least four days of the week (STR +2, STA +2, DEX +2) 3. Cook meals instead of snack all day long (CHA +3) 4. Put $500 dollars in savings towards paying off a student loan (WIS +3) My Plans: 1. If anyone offers me soda or a "diet" beverage I will politely say, "no, thank you" and be prepared by carrying a waterbottle (That I will go buy at the store) with me at all times. 2. I will have a workout routine planned for 4 days of the week and mark a day off on my calendar for each day I work out. 3. I will give myself a peptalk and cook myself meals, and allow myself a piece of fruit in between meals if I am hungry. 4. I will put most of my next paychecks in my savings account. Grading: 1. No Diet Soda/beverage = A; 1-2 Diet Soda/beverage = B; 3-4 Diet Soda/beverage = C; 5 diet beverages = D; 6+ diet beverages = F 2. All 4 Days every week of challenge = A; Miss 1 exercise = B; Miss 2 exercises = C; Miss 3 exercises = D; Miss 4+ exercises = F 3. Cook all meals through all of challenge = A 100%-90%; B= 89%-80%; C=; 79%-70%; D= 69%-60%; F= ,59% 4. Payed off $500 = A; Payed off $450 = B; Payed off $400 = C; Payed $350 off = D; >$350 = F ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I'm excited to join you all in this challenge! Knowing that we're a team and we're working together to become healthier will definitely help me to stay motivated!

Final five pounds that is, not Cylons. I am more or less around 5 pounds away from my target weight, and by the end of the challenge I hope consistently weight in under 185. I am going to my first Con in March, and I want to look good! So here is the idea... 1. Spartan Discipline! Completing the spartan sprint last challenge was quite good for morale. I am hoping to keep up the pace with my workouts. Three sets of the following: 50 jump-ropes 30 Body weight Squats 20 Push ups 5 Chin Ups 20 Tricep Extensions (W/20 pound dumbbell) 1 Minute Plank 10 Shoulder Presses (W/20 pound dumbbell) This workout is pretty much the same one I have been doing for the past couple of challenges. I have been upping the difficulty a little at a time. But being boring is all good as long as it gets results right? 18+=A 15-17=B 11-14=C 7-10=D <7=F Rewards: +2 STR, +2 CON 2. Revenge of the Run I failed at my running challenge last challenge, mostly just out of laziness. But the time for excuses is over! I saw quite a bit of benefit from my running last challenge even though I ran less than half as much as I planned to. The plan is to run 5 days a week until the end of the challenge. 30+=A 27-29=B 24-26=C 20-23=D <20=F Rewards: +2 DEX, +2 STA 3. Culinary Experiments I've gotten better about my diet, but I am starting to get bored of my unoriginal cooking. (Mostly some sort of grilled meat, canned vegetables/salad, sometimes with a dairy side) so I am going to try and cook one new meal a week for the rest of the challenge. Pass/Fail for +2 CON and +2 CHA 4. Life Goal: Look to the Empty Tomb Already in progress! As part of my Lenten reflection, I am trying to read as much of the New Testament as possible before Easter. The plan is no less than 5 nights a week. I already sort of have a rhythm going since I started earlier in the month. +3 WIS. My biggest enemy, as always, is lack of consistency. I have been inching forward on this, but I still find it waaay too easy to make excuses. Still, every challenge is a chance to do better. Now bring me that horizon...

So, I'm jumping into this a bit late, but I figure it's better late than never! I fell off the bandwagon a few weeks ago with what I was doing, but I need to stop wallowing and just DO. IT. My challenge fitness/health goals are: 1) Workout at least 5 times a week (yoga, walking, jogging, BBW - I'm not being picky, as long as it's at least 30 minutes of sustained activity that gets my heart pumping a little faster). 2) Transition to fully paleo by the end of the challenge (I'm going to break this up into smaller steps along the way). 3) Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. 4) Be able to run (without stopping) for 30 minutes. Level Up My Life Goal: 5) Stop procrastinating on my graduate program's capstone project and work on it daily (even if it's just for 15 minutes). Alright, self, LET'S DO THIS! I'm going to figure out points later.....brain is a bit Stata-fried ATM.

Salutations and greetings fellow adventurers! I'm quite excited to be a part of this intrepid group and make some lasting changes! Goals: 1 - Eat Paleo (and track meals on Paleo Trail) (Sta+1 Con+3) I was planning on doing Whole30, but I decided that would probably be setting myself up for failure if I jumped right into masters level paleoification! Thus, I will adhere to a more "traditional" paleo diet, consisting of as much organic meat and produce I can afford while eliminating grains (I work at a pizza place, sigh) legumes, sugars, starches, and dairy. However, if I do feel like I'm doing well in the first 2 weeks of paleo, I may still do the last 4 weeks Whole30! I am primarily doing this to lose weight (I think I'm creeping up on 290lbs on a 6'3" frame) I also kind of have a mini goal of losing an appreciable amount of weight by the beginning of the summer (my favorite person in the whole world is visiting for half the summer. I haven't seen her (except for a brief 3 hour stint a couple years ago) for almost 6 years) I'd love to be strong, confident, and be able to take her hiking on all the amazing mountain trails here in Utah while she is here. A - Eat paleo 90% of the time (3 meals a day x 42 days = 126 meals * .9) 114 paleo meals logged and eaten. B - Eat paleo 85% (107 meals logged and eaten.) C - Eat paleo 80% (101 meals logged and eaten.) D - Eat paleo 75% (95 meals logged and eaten.) F - Below any of the above (heh) 2 - Move my body (Str+2 Dex+2) I've become an absolute couch potato (or whatever tuber the computer chair variety happens to be) At least in the spring and summer I was out hiking or gardening. I've also got to focus on strengthening my knees (a couple years ago, I was in an accident which shredded my right knee and it is likely there is still glass embedded in there, so I've been taking it easy just in case. I'm not going to do that anymore - no excuses) I'm leaving this fairly open simply because anything would be an improvement over what I do now - it will include body-weight and resistance band exercises, along with walking and "lifting heavy things" (I just happen to be moving this next week score!) A - Make an active effort to exercise 3 hours a week B - Make an active effort to exercise 2.5 hours a week C - Make an active effort to exercise 2 hours a week D - Make an active effort to exercise 1.5 hours a week F - Sit down at my computer instead of exercising 3 - Sleep better (Wis+2 Sta+2) Not too much to say here, my sleep schedule is just not good. I'm going to make an active effort to go to bed earlier, and turn off the computer (instead of falling asleep to tv shows) along with find something to block out extraneous light (especially after I move, as there are way too many streetlamps out there) I plan on making 10pm my bedtime, except on days where I am at work later, in which case I will simply go to bed as early as I can. I won't grade myself on whether I actually fall asleep at a certain time or wake up at a certain time. This is simply focused on getting a sleep schedule going. A - Get to bed by 10pm 35 nights (barring nights I work later than that, shifting schedules) B - Get to bed by 10pm 30 nights (barring nights I work later than that, shifting schedules) C - Get to bed by 10pm 25 nights (barring nights I work later than that, shifting schedules) D - Get to bed by 10pm 20 nights (barring nights I work later than that, shifting schedules) F - Anything less than that 4 - Play an instrument (Cha+3) I played the Viola from 6th grade to HS graduation, and I was pretty good (our school won state in my sophomore and jr years.) I really miss playing an instrument and the creative outlet it gives. I've been focusing on playing guitar (thank you, Rocksmith) Bass (thank you again, Rocksmith) and I also have a keyboard just languishing away (Hey, Ubisoft, maybe get your act together and release a keysmith, yes?) With guitar I just need to get over the hump of being able to play chords consistently (7 years of playing viola trained my fingers to play single notes and very occasionally two notes, muscle memory is strong in this one.) I'll be grading this one on time played across the instrument spectrum, not on improvement. A - 3 hours a week played B - 2.5 hours a week played C - 2 hours a week played D - 1.5 hours a week played F - anything less than that I'm looking forward to sharing and supporting everyone else in this! I actually usually do better as kind of a lone wolf, but I wouldn't mind seeing if I can change that about myself here. I find people tedious, but nerds...well - I like me some nerds! I'll try to post in my weight and measurements soon, as weight loss is my leading goal at this time. Thanks for reading and support! *edited for formatting*

1/7- 2/18 GOALS 1. Fitness : Limber Up - Work on flexibility (1 focus a day: 2 Breathing/Meditation Sessions, 3 Light Yoga, 2 Yoga DVDs) This also includes staying hydrated. Flexibility Test 1/6 Test 1. 8 1/2 Difference (Poor) 2. 8 1/2 Difference (Poor) 3. Top of Knee (Fair) 4. Higher than knee (Poor) 5. Hands reach past toes (Good) 6 - 9. Fair 10. 7 1/2-8 inches (Fair) 11. 1 Inch (Fair) 12. 1 Inch (Fair) RESULTS : It's a stretch GRADE: A:7 - B:6 - C:5 - D:4-1 - F:0 WORTH: +3 DEX 2. Fitness : Endurance - Start week 3 and follow the Couch 2 5k program (Possible days M - W - F/S/S) Week 1 - C25K Wk 3 Week 2 - C25K Wk 4 Week 3 - C25K Wk 5 Week 4 - etc... GRADE: A:3 - B:2 - C:1 - F:0 (per week) WORTH: +3 DEX , +3 STA & +2 CON 3. Fitness : Might - 2-3 Strength sessions (Possible days T - Th - S/S) GRADE: A:3 - B:2 - C:1 - F:0 (per week) WORTH: +3 STR 4. Lifestyle : Work on cleaning - Spend 10 mins a day cleaning something/anything Tasks : Basic clean, Dust, deep clean (scrub/mop/vacuum), garbage every week, & Keep it clean GRADE: A:7 - B:6 - C:5 - D:4-2 - F:0 (Per week) WORTH: + 1 CHA STATS WEIGHT : 276 Lbs WAIST : 50 HIPS : 54 3/4 MILE TIME : 18.44 Mins

I'll be doing the 6 week challenge which starts on February 25th. Plan to share pictures as it goes. My story so far: I'm a big geek/nerd, I play games at home and with others. Never liked to just sit around all day, but I've never had a structured diet or fitness routine. I tried hiking the Appalacian Trail once and failed not due to my body but just finances and equipment breaking. Two weeks of hiking did me good though and I'd like to go back. I've reached the upper limits of what I'd like to weigh and I'd just like to build some muscle/get a better looking stomach area. I've been slowly building myself up for a challenge like this. End of last year I realized I was eating a chocolate bar nearly daily, so I cut out almost all chocolate. Last month I cut out soda, I've indulged in just a couple since then. Lately I've been starting to cut out juice and all process sugars, as well as eating less grains. As of this coming Monday, the 25th, I'll be cutting out all grains and starting on Paleo. My goals are: Follow the Paleo Diet Start with beginner's body weight routine and keep pushing myself to do a little more with each work out, Wed, Fri and Sun of each week plus time on the eliptical any time I'm watching TV. Lose 20 pounds or be able to do 25 pullups by the end of the 6 weeks. (buying a pull-up bar next week) Currently I am 28 years old, about 5'10", weigh in at 225. I was over 230 before I started cutting things out of my diet. Edited pretty much all of this since I originally posted it on the 11th.

Like all good RPG players, I'm going to spend this time, running around in circles fighting random monsters and gaining experience to reach the next level, translated into NF, this means that I will try to perform exercises that require much more effort than what I'm already used to, building strength and endurance, during this challenge. I've seen the New Assassin's PR chart (Here) so it'll be my guide as to the next step in what's the next test will be, all using the Advanced Body Weight routine, Steve put. So without further ado... Goals: Arms (Push-ups) - To increase my arm strength, I'm currently at Diamond Push-ups, so the next step here would be to try 1-Arm Push-ups. During the challenge, I'll research and try to do 1-Arm Push-ups, and at the end, try to do as many as I can. Str +3 Legs (Squats) - This particular goal involves both balance as well as strength, as I will try to do 1-legged Shrimp Squats, I'm currently at Pistols, and I will need more leg strength and balance to try to make this transition. Str +2 Dex +2 Core (Plank) - Mainly focused on Stamina, I will try to have as long a time as possible on the 1-leg, 1-arm Plank, currently on the standard. Dex +2 Sta +3 Life - Reading! I've always been fascinated with trying to pick this up as a hobby, and now I'm going to do it! Using Goodreads.com, I'm going to try to read for 30 mins without any distraction, a rather daunting task on my part, but I believe that it'll be beneficial to me. I haven't decided on a book yet, but I've got a whole list on Goodreads, so I can simply pick one and get started. Wis +3 Book chosen: Macbeth

I have set out on a challenge to fulfill my dream of becoming an Assassin. To this, I have set my first three goals. 1.) I want to be able to 3 Star the Angry Birds Level 3 Routine. -- +3 Str, +2 Sta, +2 Cha 2.) Eating very healthy hasn't been my forte. Although I love cooking and veggies, sometimes laziness gets the better of me... also I love soda too much.. therefore: No eating fast food and no soda. Also, cutting down on my grains and milk by 70% -- +4 Wis, +2 Con 3.) To be able to Jog from here to work without stopping (approx. 1 mile) at a reasonable pace. -- +2 Sta I'm a little late on the challenge, but it's never too late to start! I'm 6'1" and 165 lbs. The only weight I'm really looking to lose is what's started in around the midsection. My ultimate goal is to build up my muscle and dexterity and follow the path of the Assassin.

Hi All, I'm a 27, 5'4", 180lbs. and this is my first challenge. I spent the last year of my life running like it was a second job. While I still enjoy running, I'm a little burnt out on pounding pavement and I've lost my drive to stick with things... I'd like to expand my horizons so I've decided to join the Adventurer's guild. Jan 7 (starting on the 28th) - Feb 18th Challenge Diet/Fitness: Transition to 80% Paleo by the end of the challenge [+5 CON] (to be evaluated at the end of the challenge)Diet/Fitness: Workout 6x/week [+2 STR, +3 STA]Diet/Fitness: Perform 20 Pushup Jacks in one set [+2 STR]Life: Take time each day to meditate & remind myself that the past should remain in the past and burying oneself in excess weight is not a safety measure [+1 WIS, +1 CHA, +1CON]

So I haven't been so good about the challenges, in the past. Or rather, I haven't been so good at tracking my progress and checking back in. Last challenge I set nebulous goals and by the end, wasn't sure how far I had come. I think I could have done a lot better if I had kept up on the forums! Hopefully having this thread will help me get better. My theme for 2013 is overcoming fear. A lot of aspects of my life have been hamstrung by my fear of failure, and my fear of people's judgement. That's no way to live, so I am trying to ask myself "what would I do if I weren't scared" every morning. It is pinned to my inspiration board at my work table I also read The Happiness Project last fall, which has motivated me to think of myself as more of a work-in-progress (rather than an abysmal failure). It is an interesting read, and while I did not identify with the author's particular set of concerns very much, it was inspiring to follow someone's year-long leveling-up journey. So anyway. On to business. Format shamelessly stolen from livinggroovy. Beginning Stats: Level 1 Half-Elf Druid Height: 5'10" Weight: ~140lbs [sTR] - 1 // [DEX] - 3 // [sTA] - 1 // [CON] - 3 // [WIS] - 4 // [CHA] - 3 Goals: 1. I am a yogaholic. The challenge: Spend at least 3 hours a week doing yoga, plus five minutes daily meditation Grade yoga: A= >3 h/w B= 3 h/w C= 2 h/w D= 1 h/w F= less than 1 h/w Grade meditation: A= 40+ Days. B= 35-39 Days. C= 30-34 Days. D= 25-29 Days. F= 24 or less days. +1 [sTR], +4 [DEX] 2. I eat clean. The challenge: 2 paleo clean (preferably vegetarian) meals per day, no soda, no silly coffee drinks. Grade: A= 40+ Days. B= 35-39 Days. C= 30-34 Days. D= 25-29 Days. F= 24 or less days. +3 [CON] *So I needed to update this. No grains or legumes is impossible for me, without adding meat. I know from a weight loss standpoint, adding meat and subtracting the grains and legumes would be the more expedient choice, but I'm not really doing this for weight loss anyway. I'm doing it to feel better, and I feel crappy when I eat meat. Only whole grains though, and legumes without added sodium! 3. I am strong and balanced. The challenge: 5 full push-ups and 5 unassisted pull-ups Grade: A= >5 push-ups, >5 pull-ups B= 4 push-ups, 4 pull-ups C= 3 push-ups, 3 pull-ups D= 2 push-ups, 2 pull-ups F = 1 or less **I may need to edit this one. I was setting a low goal because upper body and core strength has always been a huge problem for me, especially considering recent injuries to my back. But if I reach this goal quickly, I will modify it to be more ambitious. (I have never been able to do a "real" push-up or pull-up in my life so this will be huge for me!) +4 [sTR], +1 [sTA] 4. I am a writer. The challenge: Complete 30 pages of my book, read 1000 pages. Writing Grade: A= 30 pages. B= 20 pages C= 10 pages D= 5 pages F= 0 pagesReading Grade: A= 1000 pages. B= 750 pages C= 500 pages D= 250 pages F= <250 pages **Reasoning: The writing is the hard part of this challenge, as I already read voraciously. But THE FEAR gets me every time I try to work on my book. So, no more of that! Eff you, fear! +2 [WIS] 5. Extra Bonus Awesomepants goals (accumulated along the way)- Post to this thread. Weekly Tracking! Week 1: Yoga: 2/3 Meditation: 5/7 Clean Meals: 10/14 Pages Written: 0... Pages Read: 336 Week 2: Yoga: 2/3 Meditation: 3/7 Clean Meals: 8/14 Pages Written: 0....!!! Pages Read: 768 Week 3: Yoga: 1/3 Meditation: 3/7 Clean Meals: 1/14 (giving myself a pass, due to illness) Pages Written: 5 Pages Read: 288 Week 4: Yoga: 2/3 Meditation: 4/7 Clean Meals: 12/14 Week 5: Yoga: 2/3 Meditation: 5/7 Clean Meals: 17/14 Pages Written: 3 Week 6: Yoga: 2/3 Meditation: 3/7 Clean Meals: 12/14 TOTALS: Yoga: 11/15 B- Meditation: 23/35 C Clean Meals: 60/70 B Push-Ups: 1/5 D Pull-Ups: 0/5 F Pages Written: 10/30 C Pages Read: 1440/1000 A

Hi everyone. I am Linda Tappen and I am brand new to NF and the Rangers. I am sooo pumped up to get started with this 6 week challenge. I have been on a personal journey to lose weight for the past year. I have managed to lose 20lbs, but I need a change. I found Nerd Fitness by accident and it seems like the perfect fit! Here goes: Fitness Goals: 1. do the body weight workout, modified to make it more challenging, 3 times per week 2. do interval training on the treadmill or outside 3 times per week 3. be able to do at least 5 "real" push-ups Diet Goal: 1. go Paleo at least 90% of the time (allowing for 10% or less cheats) Life Goal: 1. have a "date night" with my hubby at least twice a month

Hi everyone, My name is Ange and I'm an adventurer with some inklings to be a warrior, but as I'm an overweight and unfit full time cook who hasn't lifted weights in months if not years, I have a long way to go. I also want to be a regular runner and even have the goal of the Great Wall of China half-marathon in May to work towards, but I still need the kick in the butt that I'm hoping this six week challenge will bring. My three goals are meant to be easy as one-two-three: Eat only vegetarian stuff for one day a week. Go to the gym (either a group fitness class or a weights session) two times a week. Go for a run (either on a treadmill or outdoors) three times a week.Of course, any more than this will be awesome. If I don't keep up with my goals in a given week, I will try to make up for them in the following week. The plan to achieve these goals is pretty straightforward: I'm a cook by trade, so if I make myself a vegetarian meal whilst on shift I can eat it then and there or take the leftovers home. I will be shopping for mostly vegetarian foods and snacks to fill my pantry/fridge at home. It should be easy enough to designate one of my days off as a vegetarian-only day. My housemate regularly attends an outdoor boot camp, a work colleague is a member of a civilian gym that runs group fitness classes, and I have access to a free gym. I will be designing my own basic weights program to follow if I can't make it to the aforementioned classes within a given week. I want to get used to running outdoors and in relatively hot/humid conditions, but if the going gets tough I will use a treadmill instead. I have signed up to a half-marathon training program on RunKeeper so that three runs a week are scheduled in my iPhone. I am also using the Zombies, Run! 5K and regular game for additional motivation to run outdoors.I'll be blogging at stuficionado.net and you can follow me at @angeftw on twitter if you're feeling so inclined. I look forward to updating you on my progress, hearing about yours, and generally cheering you guys on! -- Ange (forthewin )

I know this is a double post, butt he first post didnt register that it came from me as a member of the forums. sorry for that. This is my first 6 week challenge ever. My focus: I started practicing vinyasa yoga a little under a year ago (shortly after my 39th birthday.) I wanted to give myself a year to get back into shape and honestly it has worked wonders. Now that I am close to completing that year "deadline" I have added some new goals. In this 6 week challenge id like to hit a target waist size of 30in ( I am currently a 31) while mainitaing my current weight of 148. I dont want to lose any more. and Id like to increase my strength a little more. Diet Goal: Eat a healthy breakfast everyday. Im trying to adhere to a primal diet 80% of the time, but i find breakfast to be the hardest. Its easy to eat 2 hardboiled eggs everymorning but It gets darn boring. I find myself looking at the cinnemon raisin englishmuffins and almond butter more often that id like. During this 6 week challenge Id like to eat primal every morning. Grading: 100% A+| 90% A | 80% B | 70% C | 50% D | Below 50% F CON +4 Exercise Goals: Yoga at least 2 times a week in the studio and a couple times a week at home While id love to get some in every day, I've found it to be logisitcally impossible. As a father of 3 my mornings are filed with getting kids fed and ready and out the door. Evenings arent much better. This challenge would have me almost doubling my normal yoga practice time. My hope is that it increases my strength Grading: 100% A+| 90% A | 80% B | 70% C | 50% D | Below 50% F STR + 3 DEX + 2 Strength Goal: Work on my handstand. I can hold a handstand for quite a while up against the wall but, I dont do very well without the assitance of said wall. Grading: 100% (no wall needed) A+ |90% (can pull away from the wall and hold a handstand for 5 breaths) A | 80% (can pull away from the wall and hold the handstand for 3 breaths) B | 70% (can pull away from the wall) C | Below 70% Fail Str +3

"Try again," urged the professor, "Just once more and then we'll finish for the day." Veritate had been invited to study privately with her mentor and they were wrapping up the final gestures of the spell. Private lessons were not the norm, but she had fallen behind earlier in the year. Her battle with the stone golem had set her back nearly three months. The winter moon had come into fullness before she could resume her studies. So here she was, catching up while her fellow students took a couple weeks off for winter festival. She took her place and prepared her mind for the rhythmic pounding of the drum. One. Two. Three. Four. Undulate. Circle, circle. The thing about enchanting magic is that it is about more than potions or illusions. It is about honing body, mind and soul to capture the subject's hearts. It is also about being sleek and graceful. No easy task for an Orc. The lesson ended and as she packed to leave, her instructor reminded her once again of the academy demonstration coming up. "Your new spell. I'll have to see it by end of First Month. I'm so excited to see what you have prepared!" Every spring, the Enchantress Academy had put on a demonstration for the village. Each time, she had learned the spells and been complemented on her execution. She had even written new spells and performed them with much acclaim, especially from the other Spellweavers in attendance. This would be her seventh spring performing in the demo. That evening, glowing with residual effects of her lessons, Veritate's heart glimmered with what could only be described as desire. It is one thing to successfully enchant the local Spellweavers. It is another thing to become renouned for your skill and invited to festivals in other villages by ordinary townspeople. This was her desire; to weave her magic and cast her spells among scores of onlookers, bringing light and joy across the land. But when it came to Orcish Enchantresses, there were doubts. To look at her, one wouldn't imagine her to be an Enchantress. Sight unseen, a festival organizer would be dismayed to find the Enchantress he'd hired was a hulking Orc, rather than a lithe Elven maiden. And that's when the burning coal within her heart ignited and she knew what she had to do. Firstly, she would pour all of her knowledge into this new spell. She would spend time every single day, weaving it through colour, light, music and movement, until it became a masterpiece of delight. And for the next six weeks, she would be disciplined in her sleep and diet, so as to bring out the best strains of magic within her, and she would take her daily tincture of health to ensure steady progress. "Today is the day," she said to herself as she climbed into bed, "Today I begin to lay the foundation for magic so powerful, they forget I'm an Orc." I promise to fill in the blanks below as far as measurement and initial pics this week. For now, I just wanted to get something posted as a declaration of my goals. Starting Stats LEVEL 1 ORC ADVENTURER/ENCHANTRESS Strength (STR): 2 Dexterity (DEX): 3 Stamina (STA): 2 Constitution (CON): 3 Wisdom (WIS): 3 Charisma (CHA): 2 Weight: 246 lbs (still down 9 lbs since my first challenge in Sept. 2012) Height: 5' 7" Neck: ____ Shoulder: ____ Chest: ____ Upper Arm: ____ Waist: ____ Hips: ____ Thigh: ____ Calf: ____ Clothing size: 2XL or 18/20 What brought me here I participated in the August/September challenge and got through three weeks, losing nine pounds. Midway through, I caught a bad cold. Spent a week just trying to breathe and sleep. Then caught a plane to New York for a week. I was active but not in a way that would bring me towards my strength and diet goals. Upon returning from NY, I developed a kidney stone. They performed an extraction and that would have been only a three-day setback but as part of my surgery, they inserted a kidney stent. "No running, dancing or bike riding until they remove it in four weeks," the nurse said casually. I was devastated. Couldn't perform with my belly dance troupe that weekend. Couldn't ride my bike to work. Couldn't do strength training. Watched my bus drive by several mornings each week, because I couldn't run to catch it. Watched the golden autumn turn into dreary winter. Missed four weeks of dance classes. Admittedly slumped into a funk. But now I have the "all clear" from my urologist and it's time to get back at it. My Goals Fitness - Learn a new spell (choreograph my new belly dance solo for my show in May) = +1 to STA, +1 to CHAR, +1 to DEX I need to premiere my new choreography for my instructor by the end of January. This is a rather intricate piece, including a new prop (veil poi). I will need to work every day on mastering this prop and choreographing my music. This will mean hours of rehearsal every week, strengtheing arms and drilling technique. Diet 2 = Take daily health potions (fish oil and multivitamin every day). +2 to CON Baby steps. Optimus Prime. Make it seem almost TOO easy. Diet 3 - Eat junk food no more than 12 times (i.e., twice a week). = +5 to CON My belly is made up of burgers, fries, Doritos and Pepsi slurpees. I have a serious (daily) junk food habit. If I were to say I was going cold turkey, I don't think I could be successful. So I'm going to set a realistic goal here and give myself a break. This was a big challenge for me last time but I saw decent results when I was working on it. I was able to keep it to 2 times each week, so let's aim for that again. Life - In bed by 11:30 on "school nights" = +2 CHA +2 CON +1 WIS Again, this was one I was doing last time and saw a lot of good results but I have gotten off the track so I'm back on it now. I will aim for earlier, but 11:30 is my absolute deadline.

Super goal: The 4 Hour Chef Cooking has always been an intimidating and daunting task to me. I’ve learned a little bit here and there, mostly very simple things that just about anyone could cook. I would like to gain some confidence in cooking and perhaps become comfortable and actually enjoy cooking. Not to mention the book is a blueprint to developing other skillz. Twenty birds with one boulder? Yes please! Also, the book focuses on the Slow Carb diet, which is just another notch in the rope of pulling this weight off (maybe I should work on a better metaphor?) Life- Read the book at least through Dom (get number of pages so I can grade how far I got). +3 wis Diet- Cook 12 of the meals in Dom (there are a total of 14 meals, so there are two i won't do for this challenge) +3 wis, +1 dex, +1 sta osso buko: attempted 1/8/13. didn't turn out great. scrambled eggs: attempted 1/15/13 coconut cauliflower curry mash: attempted 1/17/13 union square zucchini: success 1/22/13 harissa crab cakes bittman chinese chicken arugula, avocado, and roma salad sexy-time steak dinner party roasted garlic and gazpacho immersion sauces rock n eel Diet- Start incorporating meals from Dom into eating schedule. IE, cooking the meal outside of cooking it for the lesson. +4 con Week 1: Freebie, we’re just starting out Week 2: 1 meal Week 3: 2 meals Week 4: 2 meals Week 5: 3 meals Week 6: 3 meals Fitness: Give yoga a try two days a week, Friday and Sunday. +3 dex I’m still searching to find what all things fitness I enjoy. I’ve tried some yoga before and it was ok, but I haven’t given it a very serious go. I’ve incorporated some movements when I stretch out my back sometimes when it’s stiff, so it’s about time to go full bore and see how things go. It also seems that yoga would be a good companion with my weight lifting to help develop a good range of motion.

Announcement: I, Reboundstudent, shall set out to conquer and annihilate those who seek to bring me down (including myself.) The true spirit of the Monk accepts the 6 Week Challenge with stillness of soul and precision striking to the heart of failure! Let us go forth with conviction in our hearts and raw determination in our blades! Diet: Cook 1 new Paleo-oriented meal a week Week 1: Roasted Red Pepper and Avocado Soup with SausageWeek 2: Parsley Chicken NuggetsWeek 3: Modified Greek Chicken BreastWeek 4: Deconstructed Gyro SaladDiet: Have only 1 can of pop a day, reduce down to 1 can every other day by Week 4 Possibly lame, but I am a huge pop addict, so this will be a big change for meFitness: Increase upper body strength CURRENT STATS: 7 push-ups, 7-9 with bar on Bench Press Week 1: 8 push-ups for 3 sets, 8 reps (BAR) for 3 setsWeek 2: 9 push-ups for 3 sets, 10 reps (BAR) for 3 setsWeek 3: 10 push-ups for 3 sets, 12 reps (BAR) for 3 setsWeek 4: 12 push-ups for 3 sets, 8 reps (+10 weight) for 3 setsWeek 5: 14 push-ups for 3 sets, 10 reps (+10) for 3 setsWeek 6: 16 push-ups for 3 sets, 12 reps (+10) for 3 setsLife: Update my brand-new Sewing Blog once a week with a new project Week 1: Hemming Pants/ Begin Boxers' Sew-Along Week 2: Fabric mouse pad/Week 2 BoxersWeek 3: Quilted Wallet/Week 3 BoxersWeek 4: Bias Tape/Finish Boxers

We're on an adventure! This is my first challenge-so obviously I have no idea what I'm doing, But I do like setting goals-its the adhering to said goals that I have problems with! I've discovered a long time ago that I enjoy working out-I feel great when I do, crappy when I don't. I also know that I feel better when I eat healthy, and -shocker- crappy when I don't- this was just reinforced over the holidays with my steady diet of cookies and eggnog! Back on track with the diet thing and feeling oh so much better- so here is my starting point: weight: 168.2 Hips: 44.5 Waist: 34 chest: 38.5 BMI 26.3 per the standard calculator-I haven't had anyone measure the fat at the gym or anything My ultimate weight loss goal is 148-even if just for a day so I can say I lost 100 pounds. One of my fitness goals is to complete Tough Mudder with little difficulty (I sighed up for the Boston event on Sunday May 12th if anyone is interested- we could use more Sexy Mudder Foockers!) But for the purposes of this challenge my goals are as follows: Weight loss: 10 pounds- or in the alternative fit into a size 8 (regular fit not relaxed fit) pair of jeans -through proper diet and exercise and maintaining my M-F weight loss through the weekend, and adding an outdoor running session on the weekend Diet:Shop the perimeter of the grocery store- start transitioning into a paleo diet-which seems to be a common theme from what I've read Fitness: Hold a plank for 90 seconds-2 minutes (I get typically squirmy around 45 seconds in-though I have eeked out a minute on a couple of occasions), and perform 10 full military style push-ups with proper form Life Improvement-Spend more time in my "reading room" reading and writing- I will accomplish this by first cleaning out said room, which was starting to look like a hoarder took over! so what's next? do I post my updates to this same thread? I haven't posted in public forums before I saw the spread sheet with the accountability groups, it seems like I just toss my name on a list-Is this a requirement? whats a side challenge? did i even tag this thing right? (welcome to my dork side)

My Goals: Go to Church every Sunday: I did this one last time and the accountability really helped (I missed the week after the challenge was over ) . Since I am just continuing it, I am not counting it towards my 4 goals. 1) Be Aware of Spending: I would like to start investing next year. I am not sure how practical that is right now, so I want to start paying more attention to my money. Over the next 6 weeks, I want to track all the money I spend, where I spend it, and why I spend it (i.e. Did I eat out because I was moody or did I simply leave my lunch sit on the kitchen table?). 2) Go Primal + Legumes: I am working towards being more Paleo-ish. This is a step in that direction. 3) Learn New Stuff: This is another carry over from the last challenge. I really love learning and that includes new workouts / sports. Each week I need to do 150 minutes of exercise. I will be attempting to make it something new or nostalgic. I also love doing mini-challenges, and seeing what I can pull off. you may occasionally see those pop up here as well. Would love some ideas of things to do. I have a list started here. 4) Take on So my mother decided she wanted to play through one of my favorite Zelda games this Christmas, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (For those curious, yes we broke out the N64 just for this). Since nerd fitness is all about being in a real life role playing game, I decided to use this as inspiration for my 6 week challenge. I will be switching between using the game play as themed workout routines and steps towards accomplishing my other goals. I am using ZeldaDugeon.net as a reference. No clue how this is going to work out, but I figure it is worth a shot. On a side note, if you are a grammar or spelling Nazi be prepared to send me editing notes (I would gladly accept them). Let the journey begin... http://youtu.be/rmWUxgzf_Yw The Boy Without a Fairy Awakening from a nightmare, the boy without a fairy opens his eyes. Navi, an annoying fairy, has been sent to summon young Link to the Great Deku Tree. Hurrying to the guardian spirit of Kokiri Village, Link leaps down from his tree house and races off only to encounter his rival, Mido. Mido refuses to let Link pass until he has properly equipped himself with the basic essentials: a sword and a shield. At the start of every great journey preparations must be made. Link needed a sword and shield; Gandalf established the Fellowship (granted Frodo ditched them pretty quickly); and Iron Man built his suit. To complete this part of the quest, I also need to make some preparations. Clean out the crap foodGet the good stuffOutline my routine: include shopping for groceries, preping food, & working outSign up for lessonsPurchase any items that I know I will need in the coming weeks Side Note about Goals: I am not setting my grading system or where my attribute points will be distributed. My grades will depend on how much of an effort I put forward rather than whether or not I simply accomplish them. I will base how many attribute points I receive by times my average score by 15 and then distribute them how I see fit at the end of the challenge.

Hey folks. This is my (Sprene) second attempt at a 6 week challenge, but right after the second day last go-round I injured my back while working. I am doing better now, so for now I plan to get back on the horse and go for it! Many of my goals will be similar to before, with a few tweaks. My goals! 1.) I will be following a workout routine 5 days a week of either my Zumba DVD's or my PINK Method. I know this seems ambitious, but the workouts are only between 20-40 minutes depending on which I do. I hope to actually up it to 6 days a week, but I am starting with 5. 2.) I will lose 8-10 lbs. I know that this is possible if I am very dedicated. I gained weight (like most of us) back over the holidays, and weight loss is a priority. 3.) I want to eat less processed foods, and begin getting my body properly fueled to get healthy. I plan to follow a primarily paleo diet 5 out of 7 days a week. I will not be entirely cutting out dairy, (ie: butter and cheese) so if this isn't entirely paleo I can edit this. I hope to maintain it even on off days, but I think if I have at least 1 day a week where I can maybe eat some toast or breakfast pancakes, the rest of the week will be much more attainable for me. My Life Goal for this challenge is to finish reading the book Starting Strength. I do want to start weight training, and if I get to that during this challenge, sweet! If not, I want to at least finish the book and get a game plan going. Staci's Story seriously had been my inspiration for over 6 months, and I want to look like her, so I figure it makes sense to try to get to a point that I can train like her. My starting Point: I am currently 165lbs and 5'9" and have no real "workout" experience such as lifts, etc. Chest: 42" Waist: 30" Hip: 42" Thigh: 23" Here's to 6 Weeks! (Also if anyone can answer, when I update, do I just reply to my own post, or do I start a new thread for every update?)

Hey there guys, So most of my life i have been reasonably healthy and active but i have decided this year i really want to make a change.... so what did i do i set up some new years resolutions... you know the kind harder, better faster, stronger. I failed day 2. So i decided to stop lurking on NF and actually do something about it, so here are my goals for the 6 week challenge. Ranger 6 week challenge Fitness goal/Diet goal 1.Run the "bay run" comforatbly (7km) (dex +1) (STA +4) 2.Stretch for 10 min every week day morning (Dex +2) (Con +1) 3.Cut out Chips,soft drink & ice cream (Con +2) Life Goal Keep my mind and room tidy. ( Wis +5) I truly believe that a clean desk reflects a clean and organised mind….mine desk however is not clean so my goal is to make sure my desk and room is tidy and organised before i go to bed every night. Then i can take 2 min every morning to meditate in my newly cleaned room to organise my mind.. I intend to complete these goals to the best of my ability by taking baby steps thereby incorporating them within my daily life. Any suggestions on tips on how to hit the 7km goal would be amazing as this is the hardest goal for me. Im happy to be here and i'm determined to stay. SheriT.

For detailed information about my starting point, see this thread. tl;dr version: 23, M, ~135lbs This is my first challenge, so I'm going to do things by the book. 2 Exercise goals, 1 diet goal, 1 life goal. Goal One: The Muscle-Up (+3 STR) The first part of this challenge is going to be procuring equipment. I have a doorframe chin-up/pull-up bar, but I don't think there's headroom in this house for muscle-ups. This section will be updated when I figure out the best way to get my hands on some rings. Tentative goal: three muscle-ups - either 1 x 3 or 3 x 1 - by the end of the challenge. Goal Two: Legwork (+2 STR, +2 STA, +1 DEX) My fitness profile fits the Assassin class well enough, but the sweet parkour moves elude me still. To that end, it's time to lay the groundwork by building some leg strength and vertical jump height. At least to begin with, my goal is three good leg workouts per week. Full-credit exercises: My sister's Ultimate Frisbee plyometric workout (for vertical jump)5 x 20 bodyweight Squats + 5 x 20 jump squats + pistol squats until failure5 x 10 burpees + 5 x 20 bulgarian split squats (10 each leg) + 5 x 20 lunges (10 each leg)Stair workouts, if I find myself in a sufficiently tall building Half-credit exercises: X-country skiing for one hour or moreIce skating for one hour or more Goal Three: Cookin' Up a Storm (+2 CON, +1 WIS, +1 CHA) I will cook one new meal per week. Full credit for something I've never cooked or eaten before OR something I've eaten but never cooked. Half-credit for interesting new techniques that put a new spin on old favourites.I will replace sugary/carb-loaded snacks with a protein shakeWhere not prevented by circumstances beyond my control, I will invite guests over for dinner (that I cook) once per week. This can overlap with sub-goal 1. Goal Four: Level Up! (+2 WIS +1 CHA) Autodidactic learning takes a back seat to getting a job this time around. If, by luck, this happens too early/easily, I have plenty more life goals to take its place! Send out at least 10 applications per week (for 25% completion)Get at least one job interview (one interview for 50% completion, 2 or more for 75%)Land the job (for 100% completion)If this looks too easy, too hard, too [fill in the blank], please by all means let me know!

First time I have done one of these challenges. I recently bought the Brian Mackenzie's CrossFit Endurance book Power Speed Endurance. I am new to CrossFit, so there is a 6 week progression into CrossFit Endurance program. Perfect fit for this challenge. Also, I want to be doing daily mobility exercises. I have some areas that need work. Also, I have been moving my diet towards the Paleo diet. I have seen some results and overall I feel better. I still am not completely Gluten free, so I want to accomplish that too. Goals: 1.Complete the 6 week progression into CrossFit Endurance program 2.Complete a daily Mobility WOD(minimum 10 minutes) using mobility exercises from Power Speed Endurance 3.Become completely Gluten Free

Normally I'd attempt a creative sort of post, but that's nearly impossible on a Sunday, with my 5 year old son bouncing on the sofa next to me and saying "Look at that!" every 20 seconds. He will get my undivided attention once again after I get my goals typed up. I'll post more details tomorrow. This is my first challenge, despite having lurked here off and on since last summer! Shocking, I know. My goals: Fitness goal- do the Beginner Body Weight workout 3 times per week. (+4 Strength, +1 Endurance) Most points go to this, because it’s my main goal. Need to get stronger! Try one new Paleo recipe per week. I tend to go back to certain recipes, because they’re easy and I love them so. Must shake things up a bit.(+2 Constitution, +1 Wisdom) Eat Paleo for at least 80% of my meals, focusing especially on cutting out dairy and wheat to see if that clears up my perpetual post-nasal drip. Sorry if that’s TMI. (+4 Con) Life goal: Declutter and spiffy up the house. More on this later. (+1 Dex, +2 Wisdom)Starting stats: Weight is 108 kilos, and unless I've shrunk over the past 6 months (which could've happened, I AM getting up there in age), I'm 179.5 cm tall. Bust: 118 Waist: 103.5 Hips: 122 Neck: 38.5 Upper arm (left): 14 Calf (left): 44 (edit to add measurements)

Hello all, I'm signing up for my first 6 week challenge. My goals are:- Diet Eat a Slow Carb Diet for the full 6 weeksNo caffeine after 3pmHave vegies with EVERY meal Exercise Do 80 Pushups in 2 sets maxDo 10 Assisted Pull Ups using the largest of my three giant rubber bandsLose 2 inches off my gut (currently 37")Workout 4 times a week, NEVER missing a workout Details Workouts are a mix of Bodyweight training, Sandbag lifting, and Running, chosen at random each week using a Dice Workout matrix I've createdAll Strength workouts are Crossfit Style I have taken measurements and photos, but those get posted when I'm done! Let's do this thing....