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Exit LurkMode, enter ChallengeMode! My awesome spouse has been kicking butt on her challenges, so she has motivated me to join. A couple brief things about me: I'm a civil engineer, so legit nerdBeen running since high school, with 75% on and 25% off (slacked off during school, etc.)Struggle with eating, but currently doing Weight Watchers which seems to work wellMain Quest: Qualify for the Boston Marathon. I'm 37, so I need to run a 3:10 marathon. Trouble is, Boston is a big goal for a lot of people, so I really need around a 3:08 as the times come down with the number of entrants. At that point, why not go full crazy and go sub-3:00. But a BQ is the goal at the Lehigh Marathon on 9/13/15. Goal #1: Run every day. I have been doing great with that, but the heat of summer is coming on and I need to stay vigilent. Next week will be week 7 of this program and it gets nothing but more tough as time goes on. I've signed up or will sign up for races on my long run days as I've found this is almost 100% guaranteed to get my miles in for that day. A = 7 days per week, B = 6 days per week, C = 5 days per week, F = <5 days per week Goal #2: Track my food intake daily. If I've learned nothing (quite possible) I have learned that keeping track of my food intake is critical to losing weight. I wish I could eat what I want after a 60 mile week, but that has proven to be unrealistic. WW is great for me, and I need to stick with it. A = 7 days per week, B = 6 days per week, C = 5 days per week, F = <5 days per week Goal #3: Strength training 3 days per week. I recognize that I need to build my core, upper body, etc to aid in my running, so I've download the Just 6 Weeks app which is a 3 day per week, progressive training program. In 6 weeks, it's supposed to get you to: • 100 push-ups • 200 sit-ups • 150 dips • 200 squats • 20 pull-ups I'll be doing the NF Spartan Plank routine instead of the sit-ups, though. A = 3 days per week, B = 2 days per week, C = 1 day per week, F = 0 days per week Side Quest: I need to get back on my nightly flossing with my Water Pik. That's just general good health and I've fallen off the wagon. It only takes 2 damn minutes anyway! I look forward to chatting with folks on the forums and maybe I'll see some of you at some races on the East Coast! -Jay

I'm Meg! I have had a life long "weight loss journey". I was a very inactive and shy kid. I Shunned any physical exercise for most of my life since I had many years of traumatizing P.E. classes. Long story short, I hit my rock bottom at age 19 when I hit 200lbs (I am 5’4). I hit my lowest/ goal weight at 21 at 125lbs. I am just about to turn 26, and the weight is slowly creeping back on… I am currently 138lbs and 30% body fat. I kinda exercise here and there, but its time to get serious…I want to lose the last few pounds and keep it off! Age 19 before---Age 24 after Currently, I am lifting heavy with a trainer 2X a week and cardio another 2X a week. I have gone from 140lbs to my current 138lbs in the last few weeks, but I have a long way to go. Hopefully I’ll see much improvement in these next 6 weeks! Main Quest: Reach 26% body fat (I am 30% currently) Quest 1: Level Up my diet! I will limit my bread intake to one meal a day. “bread†includes foods such as toast, or tortillas. The focus will be to get most of my daily carb intake (150 grams) from freggies, legumes, and quinoa. Bonus: Brown rice is permitted on heavy lifting/gym days A=100% B=75% C=50% D=25% F=0 Quest 2: Move it like the energizer bunny! Be more active! I need to be active at least 20 min every day (other than my regular gym routine). OK, I am working hard in the gym for one our each day (well, most days…). The other 12 + hours that I’m awake are spent sitting in front of my tv, computer etc. I need an additional 20 min or more of walking or light jogging. To complete this mini quest, I can choose from different activities such as walking around the block, fasted morning cardio/ walk, or use my Run,Zombies app to complete one chapter. It can be split up throughout the day or all at once. A= 30-42 days B=20 -29 C= 10-19 D= 5-9 F=0-4 Quest 3: Strength Train 3X a week! I must do at least 30 min each session. It can be with my trainer, solo at the gym, or with dumbbells at home or the hotel gym Bonus: Steady state cardio for another 30 min after each session. A= 3 times + B= 2.5-3 times C= 1.5-2 times D= 0.5- 1 times F=0 Quest 4: Eat Well, Fly Right! I am a flight attendant and I am on the road at least 2 nights a week in a hotel room. I will pack my food bag and only eat my packed meals for at least 2 of the days away. If it is a 3-4 day trip, I may buy food from the airport (as long as it fits my macros). I am allowed only ONE cheat snack (less than 400 calories) on red eyes or duty days over 8 hours. ***I need help on the grading scale for this one. My schedule is so different each week. One week I’m spending 4 nights away, some only 2. Any suggestions? or should I do it by meal?*** Boss Challenge: Star Wars 10k at Disneyland January 16th! Sign ups are June 16, so thats my first step

Let's try this again. Last time life got crazy and I fell off the wagon. While its summer vacation let's see if I can do it now! Main Goal: Be able to run y 5k on July 17th in under 35 minutes as a prep for my half marathon in December. Sub 1: Finish the C25K app completely. This means running 3 times a week. Sub 2: Stop eating junk food. Being on break has made my habit of bored eating return in full strength. I will conquer it. Sub 3: Do cross training 3 times a week as well. Running needs to be mixed with some strength training for best results. Life Goal: Finish my 5 cosplays. 2 and half are done, but I need to finish the others before July 4th! Motivation: I want to be able to do more cosplays and be healthier. I would like to do Jinx at some point in the future.

After my successful finish to my first challenge I thought I would take a look at another goal for my second challenge, but I realized if I take away from my running to much my marathon goals later this year might be cut short. So although I not only kicked my goal's butt with a 1:42:27 half marathon time, which was also a PR, I am going for faster and better running in my second challenge. Main Quest: To reach a 1:40:00 Half Marathon time. Until I can do the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs there is always the need to get faster. I am planning on running the Narragansett Half Marathon on July 12th for now. Side Quest #1: To get faster I need to run more and better. I will be running 4-5 days a week and totaling 27-40 miles each week. I should top 200 miles by the time the challenge is done. Side Quest #2: I have completely dropped my body weight work after the last challenge and find the r/bodyweight routine not my type of work. I will be doing some body weight work 3 x week, but have not set what one yet. It must work push ups, pull ups and planks. Side Quest #3: I'm in the ballpark of my goal weight now at around 170-171 pounds, but I am keeping my MFP goal set at losing 0.5 lbs/week to keep from creeping back up. My goal is to not only keep to my calories each day, but also make sure I eat 2-3 servings of vegetables a week. I have no problem getting enough proteins and fruit, but vegetables often get forgotten as the week drags on. Life Quest: A scout is worth nothing if he can't do a bit of spying on the enemy. To improve my Charisma I need to work on my skills. I will require myself to talk for longer than 10 minutes with someone not in my family and preferably not a close friend (coworker or acquaintance counts) each day. Also I am working on learning Spanish and will require 30 XP of duolingo each day (up from 20 XP goal). Lastly I will try a service like Mixxer once or twice a week to gain confidence to speak with others in Spanish. I've set the bar pretty high this time and will rely on HabitRPG to track these goals daily as well as weekly. I also prefer to update my post here daily on weekdays so I have some accountability. With a week to go I plan on using the time to refine my body weight plan and test the Mixxer system for finding a good partner.

Main quest: Get ready for travelling and volunteering overseas in less than two years' time. Ideally this involves losing 30kg, running a 5k race, and lifting heavy things on a regular basis. Going to focus on running right now because I like it, there's very little prep (no excuses) and the most important thing right now is momentum, but I consider strength to be a priority overall. 6-week challenge goals: 1. Run with Zombies, Run! 3 days a week Approximately 30min per episode. Possibility this will aggravate an old injury - if so, I will switch to bike riding or bodyweight strength exercises. May need to take extra 2 day breaks without losing grades to avoid injury or when goal number 3 has kicked my ass. A: Average 0 days missed per week B: Average 1 or less days missed per week C: Average 2 or less days missed per week F: Average more than 2 days missed per week Edit: Out of curiosity I started measuring how long I can run without stopping during the middle of a session, so I'll be doing this to track progress but it won't affect grades. 2. Stick to my paleo-LCHF diet and limit calories. Not going to set a specific weight loss goal because it's frustrating when I stick to it and don't see the predicted loss. The main thing is to make it enjoyable and sustainable in the long run, and the losses will come in their own time. Not sure how to grade this as I don't need to log my food every day - once I have my meals portioned out I can count it in my head well enough. 3. A longer walk once a week in a nature area 2h+, preferably take supplies and stay out most of the day if time permits. If it's too wet the walk can be made up the next week. If car troubles/lack of time, a nearby nature reserve will do. A: 6 walks B: 4-5 walks C: 3 walks F: 2 walks or less Life goal Study German once a week, minimum 45 minutes, Duolingo or from a textbook (or both). A: 6 sessions B: 4-5 sessions C: 3 sessions F: 2 sessions or less Motivation: These are all working towards a major travel plan which requires fitness, and two years is by no means a long time to achieve it. However I also find I'm best motivated by positivity, by thinking about how fun it's going to be to be able to move more freely and see progress in strength. Eta: I may be in a bad place fitness-wise and I can count the things in my genes and life that have contributed to that, but I've also been blessed with working legs, lungs, joints and nerves, which some people with disabilities don't have, so I'm going to do everything I can to make good use of them. Reward: Buying myself some Zombies, Run! merch. Maybe getting a gym membership at the university gym for next semester, depending on whether I'm bored with homegrown exercise and how many cobwebs are in my bank account. Let's do this! Week 1: 3/3 runs; starting 136kg; hike 2.5h; Timed runs 1:00, 1:15. German done. Week 2: 3/3 runs, starting 135.6kg; hike 2.5h; Timed runs 0:55, 1:10, 1:15. German done. Week 3: 3/3 runs, starting 135.9kg; caught up 5km hike; intervals 30/2:30. German missed. Week 4: 3/3 runs, starting 135.4kg, hike 5km; intervals 30/2:30. Week 5: 2/3 runs, starting 135.2kg, hike 10km; intervals 30/2:30. German done. Week 6: 2/3 runs, starting 134.4kg, hike 5km; intervals 30/2:30. German missed. Final weight: 134.2kg

Hi all! I'm Emma. I'm a uni student who looooves music, TV shows and movies (too much), and playing WoW with the husband. Fitness and healthy eating habits were never a priority for me or my family growing up; DH has been trying to encourage me to be healthier for a while, but it has taken me a few years to find my own reasons for wanting to make some changes to my lifestyle. I joined NF for motivation/encouragement - DH and I will both be finishing school in the next few years, and plan to move home and settle down. We both want kids, and I am worried that my current state of fitness or lack thereof will make pregnancy and raising kids a lot more difficult. Apparently, kids have a lot of energy. I also want to teach my future children by example that eating right and exercising is really important. So...I'm starting now. Here goes! Main Quest I would love to eventually participate in a triathlon at some point in my life, but I'm going to start by working up to a 5K run in November. I am going to accomplish this by: 1) Being in bed, lights out, trying to sleep by 10:30 every night. This will allow me to get up earlier and have the time to exercise, meal plan, etc. This means I will have to be done dishes, tidying, and morning prep by 10pm. Dishes must be started by 9:00!! I am going to create some sort of calendar to put a check mark on the days when I do this, and keep it on my bedside table. 2) Stick with a walk/run program for the full 6 weeks. I've been trying to do this forever, and I'd like to actually accomplish it! The one I've picked is a 13-week program, but I think the Challenge will be helpful in setting me on a course for success. I will run Monday, Thursday and Saturday mornings at 8am, and I've already added this to my Google calendar. I usually stretch on either end on my run, so on alternate days, I will continue to stretch. Maybe I'll even watch some videos and learn a few new stretches... 3) I am already registered with the MyFitnessPal app, so I'm going to continue logging my calories on there and actually complete the entries at the end of the day so the app can track my progress. I want to stay within the calorie limits, and make sure I meet my calcium goals each day (lactose intolerance makes that hard sometimes). I will accomplish this by only eating dessert once per week, and limiting my snacking to a small, healthy snack like almonds, fruit or (lactose-free) yogurt once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Side Quest I want to level up my spiritual life, too, so I've finally got my hands on a book I want to read. It's pretty long, and I have to read it slowly to absorb the information, so I would like to be halfway through it in 6 weeks (done chapter 7). I will accomplish this by emailing my mentor with my progress (I'm going to share this post with her, too, which will also help with accountability) and reading it for 20 minutes a day. This shouldn't be hard to do because I'm so excited to read it! Thanks for reading. I hope you all reach your goals, too!

Ok, I'll be honest, the title is pure click-bait... This is my first 6 week challenge on here, so here goes: Main Quest Run a Marathon A friend and I (slightly drunkenly) put our names into the ballot for the London Marathon next year. We won't find out until October if we're successful, however as a backup plan we've identified a marathon in Poland around the same time, with the agreement that if we don't get London we'll do Lodz. I'm currently a 5k in ~28min runner, and the furthest I've run in a race was a 10k off road event a few years ago. Obviously I can't just turn up on the day and wing it, so it'll take some quite sizeable changes to my training and lifestyle, which segues nicely onto... Side-Quests As this is my first 6 week quest, these are going to be more about getting myself set up for the long haul. I won't be tracking measurements, or aiming for set results, it's more about getting myself into the right frame of mind for the journey ahead. Replace Coffee with Water Coffee to me is like the One Ring to Bilbo in LotR. It's always there tempting me, and I'm not strong enough to leave it in my pocket. And trying to give it up usually turns me into the snarling creature that Frodo sees when Bilbo is forced to hand it over. It also affects my training quite significantly, I find that regardless of how much I have and what time of day, if there's caffeine in my system I'll struggle to fall asleep, which then affects my exercise and diet choices. But it's so damn good. Prepare lunches every day, including weekends I'm quite bad at just nipping to the local shops/supermarket, and picking up a meal deal rather than preparing and taking lunch to work. I'm actually worse at weekends, despite having plenty of free time. Long term I'm planning on cleaning up my diet completely, but in the spirit of taking small steps I'll start here. Complete Richard Hittleman's 28 Day Yoga course I tend to suffer with cramp in my calf muscles quite frequently, even after a good stretch before and after exercise. I've started this course before but didn't see it through, life got in the way at around day 6 (even after 6 days I felt amazing, anyone looking to get into Yoga should definitely look up this book), so this time I'll get to the end. The book apparently has a section on setting your own routine after you complete the course, if I finish in plenty of time I'll either do this or simply start the course again! Life Quest Play More Guitar I'd like to play the guitar better, and the only way I'll do that is by practising. I tend to play for a few hours in a block, which is fun but doesn't help with progression. Ideally I'd find 30 mins a day to practise, rather than 3 hours at a weekend. With gym, food prep, work, sleep etc. it can be a pain to fit it in, and if I'm not in the mood then my fingers don't co-operate. This might be a step too far, I've tried to force this in the past and failed, but maybe putting it here will motivate me? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So there we go, that's my next 6 weeks planned out. I'll no doubt slip and stumble along the way, but I'll try and be as honest as I can (I'm drinking coffee whilst typing this...). Oh, and I'm off on holiday for a week from tomorrow, so it'll be a real shock to the system when I return!

Introduction: I'm MoodyBeth. I've lived through so much bad (husband in the war and coming back wounded, a brain tumor, 7 major surgeries and painful recoveries) and so much good (a good marriage, a loving family, a great career, travel from the Great Wall to the Pyramids, and so much more) that the 35 pounds of squish is really hurting my life. The surgeries and recoveries have me watching TV hours a day. It's time to move so I can move on. Main Quest: Participate in the Disney Half Princess February 2016, Backpack on Hiking Tour du Mont Blanc, August 2016, Backpack Appalachian Trail and/or Northwestern Trail, 1017 Quest 1: Get Ready for 5K, July 11 by: Walking 4x a week for at least 40 minutes. General full body resistance traing 3x a week. Yoga and/or Physical Therapy on alternate days from resistance training. Measurement: A= Walk + resistance/yoga+ dog walks, B+ walking 0r r/y and dog walking, C= just dog Walking, F= none .Reward: A=+3Stam & str or DEx, B=+2 Stam or Str or Dex, C=+1 Stam, F+ -3 Stam, Str, and Dex Quest 2: Continue Whole 30 into Whole 75 (I'm on day 17 right now).If you are unfamiliar with the Whole 30, its a detox paleo program. I was never hungry. If you are doing it, and its one of your goals I've created a accountabilitby group,http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/66644-whole-30/. If you interested in learning about it check it out at Whole30.com. Measurement: A= clean eating day, F= not Reward: A = +3Con or F= -3Con Life Quest: Get out of bed early and work out body, mind, or spirit. Measurement: A = Out of bed without reading, B =reading for 20 minutes , C = sleeping in, F+ hanging out reading Reward: A = +3 Wis, B = +2Wis, C = +2 Wis, -F=-3 Wis Motivation: Better Sex- That's it. There's a lot of other health benefits from these quests that will happen but let's face it, sex means a lot, it's a primary motivator for me.. It means that I feel attractive, it means that my husband thinks so to. It means that I'm fit , and it means that am vibrant, loved, and loving. so, Better sex...yeah. Attributes: Strength: 0 Dexterity: 0 Stamina: 0 Constitution: 0 Wisdom: 0 Charisma: 0

Main goal: lose 30 lbs, never find it again. i have been hovering at 330 for some time i want to break 300. i know pounds don't mean everything but it's an important goal for myself so i can feel accomplished. Supporting goals: 1) jog around my block every morning at 6am. i spend most mornings playing games with people in japan so getting a good start on my metabolism and blowing the cobwebs out of my brain would be a great change. 2) Drop energy drinks out of my diet, and as much sugar as i can do realistically (anyone know how to make coffee taste better?). 3) Plan my meals better. been setting an alarm off and on so i eat every three hours, i am going to make that a permenant thing. also i want to get meat set aside, 30g of protein and some veggies/fruit prepared ahead of time. Life Quest: Get to initial conversation level japanese, been trying off and on to become bilingual. i really want to achieve this goal and stop the decay of my mind from miss use. 1) joined a website for it. 2) find more japanese people to play games with who will practice with me. 3) practice every day speech, reading, and writing. 4) even trying to switch all forms of entertainment to japanese, watching densha otoku, it looks like a good tv show even though i don't have nearly enough experience to watch it like english tv. also listening to japanese music though alot of the bands suck XD Guild: recruit since it's my first challenge, going for ranger since it's more of what i want to be and can realisticly attain. the only thing i would like more is assassin, freerunning/parkour is amazing! but with my bleeding disorder and i'm scared of heights (also 6'6) i think that qualifies as ironic. Other exercises i plan to do mild weight lifting every other day. i want to make swimming into a frequent activity for myself but i don't currently have all the muscles for that strong enough nor do i have the money to support the habit right now. so maybe towards the second half of the challenge i can throw swimming between weight lifting days. probably doing three days lifting, three days swimming, one day full rest. couple people in my life were worried about my goal being to much weight in six weeks, to put peoples mind at ease.... maybe.. i have hemophilia and i hate hospitals. i will not be overloading myself with weight or repetitions because i'll end up in the hospital again then about a week of recovery. not worth the trouble, so instead of high intensity push the limits i'm going to try and do a lot of little work outs daily with resting of anything that seems painful or stiff. nor will i starve myself, my plan involves my diet being spread out more and probably fulfilling my dietary needs alot better then what i have been doing.

Just in case there's a zombie apocalypse, I'm making my plans. I reckon that my first plan of action is to outrun them. I remember failing one particular part on Resident Evil numerous times because I kept trying fight. When I finally decided to make a run for it I made it. Same plan now. I need to be faster, stronger and have greater stamina to do it! So my first 6 week challenge is focused on outrunning the zombies Goal 1: is to start to run outdoors. I will run outdoors three times a week. I will spend 30 minutes outdoors and gradually increase the running to walking ratio. I've signed up to beginners running group for motivation. Goal 2: is to go to the gym twice a week. At each visit I will aim to do at least two of the following, the treadmill Couch to 5k, 45 minute gym programme, 20 length swim or a fitness class, only doing is ok though. I won't always have time for two activities. Goal 3: is to keep myself well hydrated. I don't drink enough water and I drink diet drinks instead. For the duration of the challenge I will limit myself to one fizzy drink a day and drink two litres of water. Side quest: is to encourage my family to get fitter. No specific goals but I will get one of them to do something that makes a positive difference everyday. I hope these are ok for a recruit. I will add statistics on the first day of the challenge and my scoring before then. Please give me some support and feel free to offer advice! I can't handle a sword like Michonne so I need to run to survive!

Introduction: Hi! I'm Teffie! I am still trying to find activities that I can afford and also enjoy. I joined NerdFitness because I am a total geek, and I really need to lose some weight! Main Quest: Lose 50lbs in 1,001 days. Quest 1: Move every day. More specifically...three days a week I must use by Zombies!5K app. The other four days I must go for at least one walk that is at least half an hour long. Measurement: A = 35+ days, B = 25 days, C = 15 days Reward: A = +3 STA, +2 STR, B = +2 STA, +1 STR, C = +1 STA Quest 2: Eat no fast food for the whole challenge. I eat fast food at least 4 times a week. Measurement: A = 0 fast food meals, B = 2 fast food meals, C = 4 fast food meals Reward: A = +3 CON, B = +2CON, C = +1 CON Quest 3: Do yoga five days a week. I have a DVD that I can use, and I really need to improve my flexibility. Measurement: A = 30 days; B = 25 days C = 20 days Reward: A = +3CON, +2 DEX, B = +2CON, +1 DEX, C = +1CON Life Quest: Go to bed with a clean house every day. I always feel more energized when I wake up to a clean house. However, with three kids this is something I often feel I just don't have the energy to deal with. Measurement: A = 42 days, B = 36 days, C = 30 days Reward: A = +2 WIS, B = +1WIS, C = +0.5 WIS Motivation: I am married and have 3 kids. I am concerned about my health, and I feel that these concerns are tied to my weight. Losing weight = healthier me = happier mom = happier family!

Goals: I now weigh 253 pounds. I will loose 23 pounds by July 19. On July 4, 2014 I ran 8 miles in 1 hour 45 minutes. This July 4 I will run it in under 1 hour 30 minutes. Each week I will clean the bathrooms (including the tubs and shower curtains).

Main Quest: I want to create a healthier lifestyle. Background: I've dabbled in fitness before, trying to eat healthy and exercise sporadically, but I've never committed to fitness before. Goal 1: Lose 20 pounds by college move in day August 19. Goal 2: Run a 5k on July 31 1) Run 3 days a week for 30 minutes to prepare Goal 3: Eat healthier 1) Eat less calories than I use 2) Eat high protein, high fat, high complex carbs 3) Do not eat sugar, grains, or processed foods Goal 4: Perform body weight exercises 6 days a week for 45 minutes Side Quest: Spend intentional time with God every day in prayer and study

Hey, I am newish to nerd fitness and am pretty pumped about starting this challenge! I'm not really new to fitness but I've been on a hiatus for a while and have developed some pretty horrible eating habits. I used to run but I stopped and I want to get back into it along with some strength training. Honestly, I just want to feel better. I eat so much sugar and crap that I am sluggish and feel hyped up all the time. Anyways, here is my quest starting in June! Quest: Clean up my diet by creating healthy long term eating habits. Challenge Goals: 1. Stop Eating Dairy Entirely Why? This is a good place to start for me because I'm motivated by ethics and my health. Although dairy can be a good source of calcium and protein I usually eat the unhealthy versions and so by cutting out dairy I will be cutting out a lot of my sugar intake too. How? I didn't want to eliminate all the dairy from my life at once so I've already been slowly cutting out the times I'm allowed to eat dairy. By the time this challenge starts it's my goal to stay dairy free unless someone cooks me food with it (I feel bad telling people I can't eat the food they make for me especially because I'm a celiac and I already have to be super picky about what I can eat). 2. Add a healthy alternative ( Fruit or Vegetable) Why? If I am subtracting something I enjoy I want to be able to add something I enjoy that is also healthy. How? I am going to eat at least two servings of fruit and two servings of veggies a day. I already eat a banana for breakfast and at least one veggie for dinner so it's not an insane amount of change. 3. Run 3 times a week Why? I used to run a lot and stopped a year ago because I was really restricted by my quirky need to only run at night. I started working at a job that needed me to be there at 4:30 a.m (Starbucks) and that meant I had to be in bed around 8 p.m and there really isn't a lot of darkness at that time. I miss running and I know it's good for my heart and makes me feel healthier. How? On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays I will wake up at 430 am and run any amount. I just want to get back into the habit of running and want to ease into it. Side Quest: Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night. Although it's still slightly fitness related, if I get this down, I will feel so much better. I am soooo over 3 hours of sleep (even if I do work in the land of espresso). I need to make a commitment to myself to go to sleep at 8 p.m every night. Even if at first all I am doing is reading. I also need to limit my night time screen time and caffeine and stimulants after 2 pm. I think that will help a lot.

Hi, I'm Breanna, I'm super new to fitness and I hate talking about myself, but here I am. Main goal: Reach 130lbs by my 24th birthday (Sept. 20) Fitness/Nutrition goals: 1. Add a workout class on Fridays (I already take a PiYo class on Monday and a spin class on Wednesday) to get myself in the gym three times a week. 2. Replace 3 glasses of sweet tea a day with water (I'm attempting to cut down my sugar intake. I usually have 5 or 6 glasses just in the hours after dinner. Southern girl problems...) 3. Eat one serving of vegetables a day (This is really unimpressive, but I'm a very picky eater and I hate cooked vegetables so this is actually my biggest challenge) Life goals: 1. Learn 2 new Russian phrases a week. (My husband and I are planning to go to the 2018 World Cup and we're trying to learn Russian before then) 2. Get up at 7:15 every morning (I don't NEED to be up until 7:30, but I always feel rushed and have no time for breakfast) Finding a workout routine that works for me has been a long process. I can't do impact workouts because I have issues with my spine. So I'm in love with my PiYo and spin class because they don't require jumping or running or anything of the sort. Eating healthy has been a little more difficult because my husband and I are really picky eaters. So getting in the one serving of vegetables a day is going to be pretty hard. But I'm hoping that after six weeks that will just feel natural to me.

My name is Lauren, I'm a 25 year old Bostonian living in San Diego. I have always hated running, with a passionate fervor people usually reserved for supervillans. But with my move to San Diego and escaping the frigidity of New England winters I've found myself compelled to be outside as often as possible. There is this great place to walk near my work where I usually go to avoid traffic before heading home. I see people of every age, size, and athletic ability walking, running, biking, and rollerbladding around this large pond. These people and the beauty of the area has really inspired me to take on this challenge. So in six weeks I am going to conquer my nemisis! Or more like give it a swift kick to the shin and see if it kills me. My Quest: Be able to run a 5K without walking in six weeks. Q1: Walk/run 3 miles every other day increasing my speed, including going the full 5 miles once a week to increase endurance and stamina. Q2: Actually stretch and roll out my muscles after running so I am better prepared for the next run. Q3: Eat healthier and lighter lunches so I am not weighed down for my runs. LG: I want to incorporate running into my workouts so I can truly appreciate living in a warm climate where being outside all year long is possible. Motivation: My mom and I have signed up for a 10k in October. Our goal is to be able to run at least half of it, if not the whole thing. I know this will be hard for her and if she can do it, so can I! Also I'd like to be able to go for a run with my friends rather than shying away and feeling inadequately fit.

Hey everyone! This is my first challenge and my first NF post! I'm a little apprehensive about starting this now because it's the normal madness that is the last few weeks of school, but I figure life will always have a little bit of crazy so I may as well start now. My goals are this: Main Quest - To leave college in better shape than I started (more knowledge, better grasp on life, running a faster mile, and weighing less). 6 Week Goals - To run twice a week (rather than my current none) and obtain more knowledge on strength training. To eat vegetables I actually like once a day. Life Side Quest - Keeping my grades up! Thanks so much for the support guys! I know I'm starting small but this is pretty big for me. Also, I wanted to make sure I could actually accomplish my goals, particularly when finals roll around and I start my 9-5 internship for the summer.

Hello fellow rebels. I'm in the Academy since September - so much much has shifted for myself regarding diet and fitness but this is my first 6WC. It comes at the right time for me, because I'm a little lost at the moment, having lost track of my goals for a few weeks. I really would appreciate advice concerning my goals, because in this moment, I feel a little insecure. My main quest is weight loss. I decided beginning of this year, that I would loose 30 kgs (after having lost 6 already) I was very good on track loosing 6,5 kgs more! It would be great to be able to loose them till end of the year - Ok, so I changed a lot in my diet. I'm able to live on 80 % paleo (got a bit off the road since our honeymoon though). I already tracked my calories 60 days and completed my workouts for 2 months. Hmmm, but motivation has gone - this 6WC gives me new energy ... so this is, what I decided that my 3 fotness/diet goals should be: 1.: Getting used to meal planning While writing this I have no idea how I will exactly plan this quest (this is where I would love to exchange experiences) - but I find this to be so important for me at the moment, because always shopping without planning more than 2 days - especially fresh ingredients - is stressful, expensive and is a thread to my willpower. I will read any article I can find to start this. I'll check out the mealplans in the Academy for a start? 2.: Biking I love biking but I rarely do. I will go biking 3 times per week. I will track the km I made here. If I should be stuck with lots of dogs to watch, so I can't take the bike, I'll at least go for a walk with them. 3.: Calorie deficit I had much resistance in writing this down, but I know I already could do that so there is no excuse not to do it. I will track again on MFP. 6/7 days a week minimum. Ok, so now for the side quest ... hmmm ... so many ideas come to me. Make a point with my health insurance to clear lots of chaos regarding my monthly sum I have to pay and get my tax declaration done early. For now, I will choose a reward for the end of this challenge to motivate me. A new WACOM graphic tablet (may be changed - I'm tired now and I'm running out of ideas, but this would really motivate me). So far, I will finish this post for today and reflect everything till tomorrow morning. As I said, any suggestions are welcome!!! Thank you Nerd Fitness for being there for us! Jaana

Hi all, I'm sharktoast (it's a reference to the show Psych) and this is my first challenge and post on NF. From January to early March I was doing a group C25K program through one of the running stores here in Seattle, but I sprained my ankle pretty badly and haven't been able to run since. I've managed to keep up my yoga practice for all but 2 weeks since January, though. I'm planning to do a 5k at the end of May and am really hoping to be able to run at least part of that. My PT is going to evaluate how I do with running on a treadmill this week and we'll see if I'm ready to try again. I'm doing this challenge because I joined NF quite a few months ago but have been really lazy, and I need a little (big) push to move forward. Also I'm a full-time nursing student set to graduate in December and I'd like to be stronger when I enter the workforce in order to make it through 12-hour shifts. Main Quest: Complete the Big Backyard 5k on May 31st in less than 45 minutes, running at least 20 of those minutes. Quest #1: Go for a 20 minute walk at least 2x per week. I haven't been walking, let alone running, since I messed up my ankle, but my PT and I both know I can walk just fine for a little while. Quest #2: I will start taking the stairs up to my classroom at school. All three steep flights! Quest #3: I will stop buying iced mochas every day. I love them but I know regular coffee is better for me. Life Quest!: Keep up with my school reading for the whole quarter. Usually I keep up with it for the first couple of weeks and then let myself get too far behind to keep up. Motivation: I want to eventually be able to answer a call bell without getting winded.

Hi everyone! This is my first foray into the forums (I thought you had to be a NF Academy member to use them, and I'm still working on saving up the funds for that). I'm at what feels like a "transitional" point in my life and I think I could use the accountability of a public challenge to get myself on track. I have been actively working out for about five years when I decided I was sick of being overweight and tired and ill all the time; I have done 5 marathons, did the Dopey Challenge in January and did a half-Ironman last August. At the same time I don't "feel" like an athlete because I am SLOW and I don't workout constantly; even though I can do this stuff I still am dismissive about it sometimes - which is ridiculous when I go back and read the previous sentence!! So part of my goal is definitely to really focus on what I've already accomplished and how impressive it is, and allow myself to BE impressed with what I've done. I am typically pretty good at getting workouts in but I recently changed my job schedule and I go into work an hour earlier now, so it's harder to get up and get a workout in beforehand (and it's dark, so it's not safe for a lady to go running at such an hour). So, it's been about two weeks and I haven't gotten ANY workouts in because with my schedule switched around I just don't get it done. This morning I finally got the motivation to get a 15-minute swim in before work, and then lo and behold, I get an email about a NF challenge! It must be a sign! Quest - Get some manner of workout in 6 days a week. Even if it's just a 20-minute walk with my dogs or a 15-minute swim at the gym on my way home from work. Maybe even just doing some pushups and squats in the morning when I know I've got a long busy day ahead of me. But DO SOMETHING each day to feel like I earned a little muscle! Not-so-SMART goal - I want to get to sub-10 minute miles. Not just one, but as my standard race pace for half marathons, etc. Right now when I'm going pretty fast, in my own mind, I'm right around 12-minute miles. I'm not sure where to set a six-week goal that is realistic; any runners have advice in that area? Obviously the 10-minute pace, maintained for distance, is not six weeks away. What kind of goal should I set for speed? Life goal - I am trying to get a side business off the ground (cross stitch patterns & kits that I design myself) and hoping to be able to quit my job and do that full time in approx. 1.5 years (or less!). So I set a goal to work on that, either making patterns or stitching or working on marketing, etc. for at least an hour a day. Also to get a new pattern up in my store every week, or two if possible. I've been using HabitRPG for a lot of daily things for about a year now, so I'm going to add these goals to that and hopefully that will help also. Good luck everyone!

HI! I read the emails of nerdfitness every single week, yet I've never participated. NOW, I'm going to join in and do my first 6 week challenge. Main Fitness Goals -Run a 10K -Run less than a 9 minute mile -Be more strict about my paleo eating lifestyle (the hardest part of fitness) -Hit the 157 weight mark. Last year I weighed 200 pounds and now I weigh 170. I've completely changed my lifestyle and have come a long way but I feel as if I'm starting to plateau. I'm going to use this challenge for myself to push myself harder than I ever have. Other goals -Build up my savings account with not spending money on going out and sticking to my budget -Make my meals at home -Only eat out once a week It seems like I have a lot of things I want to accomplish over the next 6 weeks but it really is all the things I already do... I just need to "level up" and do them better. good luck everyone!

Hello Everyone! I was/am a running who fell off the bandwagon about a year ago since then I have put on about 25 pounds but more importantly I have been getting little to no exercise (the occasional jog or class but nothing consistent). This challenge aligns perfectly with a new training run program I am doing in ATL area. (In Training for Peachtree (which is our big 10k race every July 4th)) so here I go! Main Quest - Weight loss of 6-12 pounds over 6 weeks. Follow Training Program working out 5-6x a weekOne Coke a dayIncreased Water intakeAchievements Work on during Vacation Cruise (4/22-4/27)One Dessert a day on Cruise5k outdoors in 30 min or less.

Hello fellow recruits, I'm Jason! I'm a 38 year old geek who grew up on Transformers, Star Wars & all of the great nerdy things of the early 80's & beyond. Over the past several years, I've let my health, weight, and overall life kinda spiral downward. I'm working on changing that right now. Currently, I'm 6'5", I weigh 300 lbs and I'm dramatically out of shape. My quest is to lose 50 lbs by the end of the year, and another 50 before I turn 40. I want to get back to the 200 lbs I weighed after I got out of the Navy at 25. Goals to help me complete this quest: Give up the Ice Cream. Drink a pitcher of water every day at my desk, more with dinner. Eat a small but healthy breakfast every morning before heading to work. Follow Along with the 30 Days of Change program. More fruit, more veggies, less candy.I've already started by working on the Couch to 5K program and I'm signed up for the Beat the Blerch 10K in September, but that's a little beyond our 6-week challenge here. Also, every Sunday I've started attending "Church". It's a 4 block set of stairs that goes from 10th & Howe (here in Seattle), down to Franklin Street underneath I-5. It's crazy steep & intense. I've only been able to go down & up twice. I jog the mile & a half from my apartment to the stairs, then run up & down. If you happen to be in the Seattle area & would like to "attend church services" with me, please let me know. *laugh* I think this should do it for a first post. Let's kick this 6-week's ass.

I jumped in to the last challenge two weeks late, participated for two weeks and then everyone in my house got the zombie virus (also known as sinus infections). So I decided at that point to just reload from a checkpoint with the next challenge. So, here I am. I am a full-time work outside the home mom of two crazy energetic little girls (almost 4 and 1 1/2). I joined the rebellion because I'm tired of using "I don't have enough time" as an excuse to stay lazy and out of shape. My long-term goal is to get to 18% body fat, and I am currently sitting at 29.5%. Quest #1: Couch to 8k - interval training 3x a week. I registered for the new 8k course at the Rock n Roll Seattle on 6/13. It's far enough away that I can actually train for it, but close enough to scare me into actually training. Measurement: A = 18x trainings, B = 14x trainings, C = 9x trainings Reward: 5 STA - probably my most difficult quest, so I'm weighting the stats in hopes of motivating myself to finish it Quest #2: Drink 64oz of water a day. I have been working up this goal since the beginning of the year, using a 32oz water bottle, so this works out to two waterbottles per day. Measurement: A = 42 days, B = 32 days, C = 21 days Reward: 3 CON Quest #3: Take my lunch to work twice a week. Currently, I am buying lunch everyday, which is terrible for my health and my wallet. Measurement: A = 12x lunches, B = 9x lunches, C = 6x lunches Reward: 2 CON + 2 WIS Life Quest: Spend 30 minutes each day tidying up my house, broken into two 15 minute sprints (hopefully each one in a different room, unless one room really needs the full 30 minutes). Measurement: A = 42 days, B = 32 days, C = 21 days Reward: 3 CHA - since the main motivation for this is to be able to entertain friends and host game nights Motivation: Short-term - get back into my "skinny" jeans, Long-term - Show my girls how to balance life & work in such a way that you can still take care of your health.

My name is Ailova. I'm almost 32 and I am tired of not being as fit and full of stamina as I used to be. So I am doing this. Main Quest: To be fit and healthy and not be tired all the time. Goal 1: Cut down on the sugar. Cut out all soda and juice and limit sweets to once or twice a week. Goal 2: Cycle 5km every other day. Goal 3: Find other exercises I enjoy for the days I am not cycling. Life Quest: Get serious about my Hindi lessons and be more confident in speaking the Hindi I do know.