Search the Community

I have had many ups and downs recently. I went zip-lining! I had to unfriend and block my closest friend in town because, long story short, she's crazy. I saw the Grand Canyon and stuck my toes in the Pacific! My boyfriend dumped me with no explanation or apparent motivation. Good times! But I'm focused on keeping a positive attitude and getting back on track. Thus I've popped back up on Nerd Fitness to give this another go. But this time I have a secret weapon.... My Motive-ca-tion Jar! In this jar, I shall deposit funds earned by completing my goals. All funds earned during the course of the challenge will be deposited into a new savings account devoted to funding my next amazing trip. I'm thinking either Italy or Glacier National Park - two places that I really want to visit. Goal 1 - Don't Half-Ass Tracking I'm a member of Weight Watchers and have been for quite some time, but I kinda suck at tracking. As a result my weight has been moving in the wrong direction lately. To remedy that situation, I really need to start tracking again. Track all foods and beverages consumed - 20 days = $10.00 - Each day above = $1 Goal 2 - Fake It Till I Make It at the Gym I had a membership at one place - but first of all it kind of smells there and the locker rooms are gross, and second of all my ex-friend goes there and I don't want to run into her. To avoid drama and to get a fresh start, I quit the old place and joined a new gym, both done this evening after work. Xperience Fitness is my new hangout, and I think i want to try some classes and whatnot. I do a lot of walking on my own, but I actually want to get stronger so I can hike and go rock-climbing, and lose weight so I can hike and go rock climbing. I think I can find a combination of activities there that will help me. Probably. I'll figure it out. Workout at the gym - 10 days = $10.00 - Each day above = $1 Goal 3 - Sleep! I've been trying to get to bed earlier so I can get that seven hours minimum and still have enough time to shower and dress in the morning. Snooze alarms are my curse. If I'm lights out by 11:15 I should be semi-asleep by 11:30-ish, awake by 6:35-ish. This a plan, I think it can work. I'd better go to bed soon or tonight won't count! Lights out by 11:15 p.m. - 20 days = $10.00 - Each day above = $1 Goal 4 - Share with the Group I'm going to keep posting in this thread, even if nobody else pays much attention. The thing is, somebody might pay attention to this thread every once in a while, so I want to be able to share with that somebody how awesome I'm doing on a regular basis. Hopefully. Accountability check-in - 20 days = $10.00 - Each day above = $1 But Wait! There's More! Because I'm motivated to earn funds for this trip to either Italy or Glacier Park - whichever I land on first - I've thought of some other ways to earn money for the Motiva-ca-tion Jar. No penalty for failure, but the more I succeed, the greater the rewards. Other ways to earn $1: - Try a new recipe - Explore a new location - Eat 5 fruits and veggies in one day - Plank for 10 minutes cumlative - Resist a serious temptation - Floss five days in a row - Remove 50 things from the apartment (trash/give away/sell) - Drink 64 oz of water 5 days in a row. It's lights out in a few minutes and I still have to brush and floss. I'll check in with weight and measurements tomorrow. I'm glad to be back. Goodnight!

Are you ready for this? This is a tandem challenge. @deftona and I both had an abysmal challenge last go around. It was supposed to be the one where we each got back into the groove and made some progress. Rather than an improvement from the challenges before, it got worse, like, super off the rails worse. Our current levels of accountability don’t seem to be enough. We’ve been accountable to ourselves, to the Doodlies, to the entire NF community but for some reason, right now, this doesn’t seem to be enough. Before we can get back to waging war, we need to get our shit together. And what do you do when you can’t do something on your own? You get back up, you phone a friend, and you potentially risk your friendships by causing unnecessary punishments if you fuck up. So that’s what we’ve done. For this challenge we are in this together. We’ve tried challenges with rewards for hitting our goals. We’ve tried challenges with punishments for not hitting our goals and both methods have come up a little short. In order for this reset to work we need more accountability than ever before, accountability2 (patent pending). For this challenge, if either of us misses a goal, we both pay the price. The deets: We each have our own goals but they boil down to 5 workouts a week and following a sensible calorie limit. The calorie limits are tiered so that there is a specified amount that we can go over without incurring any punishment, going over more than that is either a minor or a major infraction, depending on how much over the limit we go or how we go over that limit (depending on whose challenge we’re talking about). Dietary punishments are to be completed the following day. Each missed workout incurs a penalty as well. Training penalties are cumulative and should be completed by the end of the following week. The sexy part everyone’s here for: PUNISHMENTS: 1st Dietary Minor Infraction: Add extra sets or miles on top of whatever we had planned for our next workouts 2nd Dietary Minor Infraction: Do the Darebee daily workout (in addition to our normal workouts) 3rd Dietary Minor Infraction: The same as a major infraction Major Dietary Infraction: 1 dairy-free meal and only cold showers the following day 1st missed workout: Darebee Daily Dare, with extra credit if possible, or do it twice Any subsequent missed workout: 50 burpees per missed workout My Boring Backstory My goals for this challenge are basically the same as the last. I’m quite sure they are attainable and will help me achieve success if I actually follow them, which I am much more likely to do this challenge. The only change is that once the 5K is done after week 2 of the challenge, my focus will change to training for the HammerRace*. I’ll still be training the same number of days and doing the same things but trying to incorporate my hammer, The Negotiator. *I still have not signed up for the HammerRace. As I described at the end of my last challenge, I’ve lost a lot of passion for training. I would feel much better about forking over the money for this race if I actually had some passion for it and was a bit excited. Training goal is to work out 5 times a week, preferable 3 runs and 2 lifting sessions but I’m allowing for some substitutions. I’m likely to be joining a weight loss challenge at my gym. My trainer has mentioned some training session for his ‘team’ on Saturdays’. I’m not really sure what that entails but it may mess up my schedule a wee bit and I want to be able to account for that. In addition to the required 5 workout days, I’d like 1 active rest day. That can be just about anything, going for a walk, catching Pokémon, splashing about at the pool with the kids, but ideally it would include a sledgehammer. Food goal will follow the same varied calorie goal schedule that I started last challenge. I’m allowing for a bit higher calories on weekends and then a few lower calorie days during the week. All the while not restricting myself, particularly on recovery days when I am the hungriest. I have really struggled with food choices recently but I don’t think it is due to being too restrictive. I have just been really lax about snacking when I don’t need to be. I need to break that habit. Since my calorie goal is varied, I have set up tiers for the purposes of determining punishment. For a 1450 calorie day I have a 100 calorie leeway. Anything over 1550 calories is a minor infraction, over 1650 a major infraction. For a 1600 calorie day it’s a 90 calorie leeway. Anything over 1690 calories is a minor infraction, over 1780 a major infraction. For a 1900 calorie day it’s 80. Anything over 1980 calories is a minor infraction, over 2060 a major infraction. Exceptions: I will be on my annual trip to the Minnesota State Fair for 6 days during the challenge. During those days the goals were be turned upside down a bit. I'll still have tentative goals and I'll attempt to track calories but no punishments will be incurred from those goals. Rather, I will set a daily goal. Fail to meet that goal and Deftona has to be punished. Well, me too. Weekly Mantras This challenge is all about a reset and I need to address some of my past behaviors with challenges. Each week will have a specific mantra that captures the ideal I need to exemplify in order to succeed for that week. Week 1: Way of PainTM - This is to kick start the reset Week 2: Prepare and Enjoy - I leave mid week for vacation to the MN State Fair. I need to plan and prep things that will help me succeed while on vacation but I am also just going to enjoy my vacation with some lenient goals for each day. Week 3: Reset and Excel - I'll likely need a mini reset after stuffing my face with foods on a stick. This week will focus on resetting and jumping right back into my challenge goals and being awesome. Week 4: Destroy - this is a full week with no trips, vacations, or excuses to go off the rails. I plan on totally destroying week 4 Week 5: Persevere - I have a tendency to treat Week 5 like a Week 0. That's not entirely bad except I'm pretty sure Def doesn't want to pay the price. I'd like to keep my friendship intact and finish the challenge off strong.

It is good to be back! Life happened so I haven't been on in about a year or so. I am at 309 lbs now and I am looking at Bariatric Surgery. However, I can't meet certain program requirements (meetings) due to my work schedule so I am going to give the diet a go again. I am trying something new now. A 2 hour challenge. I eat small meals every two hours. These are my only restrictions: No junk food, no coffee, no soda. Everything else is fair game. I am trying to eat as many veggies and as much protein as possible. Here is what I ate yesterday. 2PM, Mettwurst with mustard 4:20PM Greek Yogurt, Cherry 6:30PM 2 celery stalks with peanut butter and a veggie burger with mustard 8:30PM two celery stalks with peanut butter and Greek Yogurt, cherry 10:25PM Carrots with Ranch dressing 2AM 6 oz Salmon, 2 Mettwurst, Japanese potato salad I felt hungry after the 6:30 meal, but not any of the others.

I am a middle school math teacher looking to my fitness my new career. I currently have a USAW level 1 coaching cert as well as a personal training certification from ACTION. I am currently studying to get my personal training certification from ACE so I am more hirable, as well as get my StrongFirst kettlebell certification. I have just put myself back on the autoimmune protocol as I have hypothyroidism and celiac's disease and have been run down and prone to the cold the past couple of months. Of course I have some pounds that I would like to drop, but I am more concerned with my goal of getting the kettlebell certification. If there is a fellow AIPer or KB swinger looking for an accountability partner, let me know.

LIFTS for the workout all reps were in this order 30, 12, 10, 08, 06. Posting weight lifted in place of the rep for each individual movement Bench press reps: 95, 115, 115, 135, 135 Incline bench: 65, 85, 85, 95, 95 Dumbell flyes & Pullover (superset): 25, 30, 30, 35, 35 Chin up (wide grip 4 sets x max effort @30lbs off on assist machine): 15, 10, 08, 10 Bent over barbell & two dumbbell row (superset): 95, 115, 115, 135, 135 leg lifts on back (arm over head): 25 x 5

"It is time to stop lurking" - Tippeh, 6/9/16 at 9:53pm Well okay I said that a few times before but this time, I mean it I'm tired of being tired. I'm tired of recording my "progress" on scraps of paper I end up losing anyways. I'm tired of starting over multiple times and being just as confused as before. I used to do full body HIIT workouts mainly doing calisthenics 2-3 times a week during the start of my college years and I remember just how AMAZING I felt and looked everyday. Then family issues, changing majors, not eating enough, and life happened. Therefore I fell of that luxurious wagon. So it is time! In fact what really helps is that my fiancee will be gone for most of the week for the next 2 months on business so that leaves less temptation for me to eat out/grab fast food with her. Therefore I'm hoping to establish a pretty solid habit of eating clean and working out regularly before I start my last semester of school this fall (will still miss you hunny!) Long-term Goals: To bulid a habit of working out 3 times a week (minimum) To eliminate processed foods out of my overall diet and instead fuel myself with wholesome foods To feel more energized and full of life for every waking moment To be stronger, especially in my upper body and hamstrings To someday be able to squat double my bodyweight To someday be able to do 10 pullups with relative ease Lastly when I succeed at the above, I know I will look much more lean, "toned", and strong. So my last goal is to look aesthetically awesome! Like Wonder Woman awesome! Short-term Goals (now until Sept. 1): Go to the gym 4-6 times a week Lower body twice a week Upper body twice a week HIIT 1-2 times a week Have 3 meals and 2-3 snacks everyday. No counting calories, just going to listen to my body when its hungry and when its satisfied Rotate between chicken, beef, pork, and fish for variety For example have chicken every other lunch and pork chops on the alternate days, etc. 1-2 servings of veggies per meal (whatever is in my fridge) 1 serving fruit per meal Fruits and nuts for snacks Be able to squat 100 pounds comfortably (hopefully more but we'll see!) Be able to 2 pull ups Be able to do 20 pushups in 1 minute Get a part time summer job (hopefully Rita's will call me in the next few days)! Wow it is cool seeing my goals written out so neatly. In a way, I hope it's not too much, too soon for me but I have a feeling it'll be okay. I'm definitely open to your guys' thoughts and tips though. Otherwise, creep away

In school? Studying for an exam? Super-huge thing coming up that you need to prepare for? Need support? Someone to hold you accountable? Then this is for you Trying to be healthy (work out, eat right, get enough sleep) juggle schoolwork, and work/family/social stress is tough...we can't promise to help you pass advanced accounting, but at least you're among others that understand what you're going through, and maybe pick up a few tips along the way

Starting a log here! Definitely need the accountability help - my willpower stats are pitifully low. [Peer pressure works - I'll take all the encouragement I can get, please!!] So, joined NF Academy yesterday. (Been on the email list for a while now, finally decided to join up - cheaper than re-upping with a personal trainer and there's a community involved.) Today: - Did drink some of my calories (splurged on a sugared, canned coffee from the local Japanese market - worth it), started the day with a protein shake, and had grand plans for a healthy lunch. - ... Learned the *hard* way that aliums (onion, garlic, etc) can't go raw into a slow cooker. Makes the chicken taste nasty a.f. -- So my chicken-beans-avo lunch became a spinach salad with dressing, eggs, avocado, walnuts and as much cooked chicken as I could manage after hiding the flavor with bbq sauce. NOT the win I'd hoped for (sugars/corn syrups in the dressing and sauces), but still better than throwing in the towel and going to the cafe downstairs for an overpriced sandwich. I've clocked 120g of protein by 5pm, anyway. Pretty certain the added sugar spike is partly to blame for this afternoon's headache (the other parts being hot weather and lady issues). I've been better about cutting sugary out overall in the last few weeks, or at least consciously choosing to consume them. [Can't totally overhaul the pantry - I share the kitchen with Mom, who is NOT working toward clean eating/primal diets and you can pry the tortilla chips and salsa con queso from her cold, dead hands. Also, the office is packed with free junk food on any given day.] Now, if only I didn't have another pound of nasty chicken left to choke down. ;_; Meal prep, y u no tasty? OTL - Walked before work (polling place), at lunch for 40 minutes (hot outside!) and will be meeting a friend at the gym tonight for some light resistance work and hopefully a Zumba class. If I round way down on MyFitnessPal's calorie estimates, that's about 400-ish burned if I survive the Zumba class. [ETA: No, MFP was probably closer to the mark. Oy. That was exhausting! Also, the Zumba instructor is my new 'goal' look: tall, lean, ripped *and* coordinated. Holy fitspo, Batman! (Also hot. Definitely hot.)] - Forgot to take my meds this a.m., which I realized halfway through the day. (And if I take them late, I'll never sleep. @_@) So... day one of this log isn't exactly festooned with successes, but I didn't fall completely off the wagon right out of the gate, either. Now, if only my knees would cooperate with these new bodyweight routines. Owowowowowouch.

Well, well, here I am yet again, I was seriously not going to do another Challenge, they were becoming frustrating, repetitive and just an excuse to suck and fail! However, not this time Zurg! I am taking this in a different direction. I lift, I know that, I eat, I know that too, but one of these things is not getting me to where I want to, or need to be. Healthy weight for height and off BP meds. I will give you a hint............*whispers* it's not lifting. I have figured that I am not an emotional eater, proved last week. I am not a bored eater, proved because you know life gets that way every now and then, my problem with food is I LIKE IT! My portion size control panel has a glitch! I do admit to grazing during the day, then boom, meals are gonna be worth the effort I put into cooking them. Unlike many, eating out in country Australia is not an option, so home cooked is the norm for me and the Lads. So if I put all the effort in I am going to enjoy it. So my excuse for eating this way..........my pregnancies. I shit you not. Before falling pregnant with Son1, I had a diet of cigarettes and alcohol and hard work rousing in the shearing sheds, think Third World Squats 8 hours a day with weight between 2-15kg, running (HIIT) the board between 5-12metres. It's what we did, how I lived for years, 175cm tall and weighing about 57-60kg, not a good look unless you were going for the heroin chic of the day. My first pregnancy, young, stupid and still in an era of "Eat for 2"........alright! Son1 *9lbs12oz*, lost the weight, because he was a hungry little sucker and milk production was a must, eating did not slow down! Second pregnancy, twins! Fuck yeah eat for 3! Son2 *7lbs4oz*, Son3 *6lbs11oz*, plus all the goop that goes with growing babies, over 16lbs of babies and stuffs! My body did not bounce back, there was a flap of skin/fat (apron) that has been with me ever since, I lost the weight and was a healthy 80kg again, and EATING everything! Feeding 2 babies for 14 months was a great way to lose weight! Plus running around after a energetic 2 year old and no help as Roly was still working away as he had done since Son1 was born. Son4 hit *10lbs11oz* he was big! So was my appetite. The skin fold was now worse, lost baby weight with a bit more effort than last time, but his appetite was voracious so keeping up supply was more important than stupid skinny jeans that were all the rage! The Dr's tested for Gestational Diabetes but I dodged that bullet............this time. Son5 *9lbs12oz*, gestational diabetes and strict diet plan, managed to settle down after his birth but now the weight was there and stuck and gross. I still liked my food and feeding my babies and he was not letting go until he was ready, 14 months worth of nursing! I began swimming again and trying to be good, but I was eating carb laden foods, easy and cheap for a growing family. Son6 *9lbs12oz* but wanted to come out bum first. My first cesarean. It wrecked me! I had always been up and about within hours of my other births, but this shut me down, gestational diabetes again, overweight to start with, moderately healthy but pretty much only because I had kids to run after! Homeschooling was now in full swing so we didn't even need to leave the house at all. I could hide away and just be with the kids and cook and eat and cook! Son7 *9lbs6oz* my second cesarean and I didn't even care. Bloated, fat, ugly, gross, diabetic and I couldn't even birth my own kid........too "high risk" was now my status! Just fucking great! I hated myself and what I was and how I looked and all I could do was cry for 5 days while in hospital with my boy, who was under lights because of severe jaundice......... Fast forward and a move to a new town, Lads growing up and being wonderful kids, and I found New Rules of Lifting for Women! I was instantly hooked! But food was still an issue, I tried pills, diets, pills and diets, shakes, pills/diets/shakes.........nothing. Then like a bright light Nerd Fitness and Paleo entered my life and fuck yeah my Holy Grail was found. This Challenge is not strength based, got that covered. I have already mentioned in past posts about my stupid Dr and me wanting to show him..........well now it is time to get a fucking serious on and do this! My motivator into this challenge was reading @SpecialSundae tally for her competition on the weekend. I looked at the weight class I would be in, 2 competitors and I seriously think I could have a go, but then the 83kg (?) class! Smaller, stronger and just fucking awesome! I want to be an 83kg lifter. No more fatty videos I won't post or photos because you know ugh!!! This is it guys, I need to do this. No more dicking around like in the past Challenges, just hanging about and posting boring non committal shit. Time has come the walrus said.

Hello everyone. I just signed up for the Academy and I just started Crossfit a month ago here in Fort Myers, FL. All my recent reading has lead me to believe that Crossfit is a great way to start back on the road to getting into excellent overall physical condition but that it can sometimes be unbalanced as well as using what could be some dangerous workouts and/or combinations of workouts. I would like to see if anyone live in or near Fort Myers that would like to start a small Nerd Fitness group to help keep each other accountable and talk about fitness, etc. in an effort to keep each other balanced and on track.

Hi I'm Dave and I'm looking to carpool to a gym in my town of Lincoln, NE. I also would like a spotter/motivator, and I'm sure I can provide the same. PM me if you think this could work out

Let's try this again. I guess two years ago when I wrote my first introduction I wasn't ready to commit. After losing some weight through a very physical job, I'm feeling better and more confident in myself and getting fit again. Here's my back story that hasn't changed since I typed it 2 years ago, well a few minor details but hey.... Now some background info.....I'm no stranger to fitness. In high school I was on the swim team (I was a sprinter, freestyle and butterfly) kept me in great shape. After highschool I joined the United States Marine Corps where I spent the next 6 years, running, rolling, hanging, and in general doing Marine things, I was probably at the peak of my fitness at that time in my life. I was able to do 20 dead hang pull ups, 100 crunches in 2 minutes, and had a 19 minute 3 mile run time. Well I guess the years of doing that took it's toll on my knees, I developed arthritis in my left knee at a young age (25) my surgeon (former Phoenix Cardinals team surgeon) very strongly urged me to no longer run, an activity I used to love. After that surgery I started putting on more weight, I had a sedentry job and not being able to run really took it's toll on me mentally and physically. So in around 2008 I decided to take my life back, I came across a book that I owned and actually used sucessfully to lose weight ( back in 2000 when I got out of the USMC), Body for Life by Bill Phillips. Over the next few years I participated in a group online and did back to back BFL challenges, after losing probably 30 or more pounds I started slacking off and trying different lifting programs like Chris Waterbury's Summer Program, I started putting on some mass and went from about 180ish to 190ish but with visible muscle mass added. Now somewhere in there I somehow hurt my lower back.......this was a game killer....I've never expereinced so much pain in my life. I found out that I have severly herniated discs, L4,L5,S1.......I've been told the surgery is 50/50 on pain relief and that my best bet is to lose weight. I have been dealing with this for about 3 years now, I just found out about 6 months ago that I have really bad venous reflux (vericose veins) in my legs with my right leg being the worst of the two. Needless to say I now have to wear the super cool medical style compression stockings, or have surgery, which even after I would have to wear the compression stockings. With these health problems I'm limited in what exercises I can do, which is part of the reason I'm here. I need some accountability and some advice, because I am going to give 110% of my dedication to losing weight. I absolutely need to start losing weight, it's impacting my life in more ways than one. I have six kids, I can't do squat with them, because I'm either in pain or too tired because I'm in pain....make sense? I don't feel like I'm guiding my kids into healthy decisions because I don't eat the best and I don't exercise. Right now I'm the heaviest I've ever been in my life at 235 lbs, I carry it around my middle like a tractor tire. My goals for right now are to change my eating habbits to become more Paleo like (sorry gotta have my coffee and kombucha). I already drink a ton of water, at least 96 oz daily, if not more. And just be more active, I am going to start doing the body weight exercises I saw in an article here, I'm pretty sure I can do most of them. I want to start walking with my wife, but I don't know how far I can go without my legs killing me. So that's another goal to get out and walk with my wife. **Sorry for the run-ons and wierdness, I was just trying to get the bulk of it down.**

In school? Studying for an exam? Super-huge thing coming up that you need to prepare for? Need support? Someone to hold you accountable? Then this is for you Trying to be healthy (work out, eat right, get enough sleep) juggle schoolwork, and work/family/social stress is tough...we can't promise to help you pass advanced accounting, but at least you're among others that understand what you're going through, and maybe pick up a few tips along the way

Greetings all! I am a newbie who has just completed my first challenge. To identify goals publicly, to name my efforts daily (which I came to find helpful), admitting falling down as well as getting up...all good. I am grateful for companions on the way, for a good word, advice, or a course correction Now that I've read more about the different classes, there is a great resonance with Druids. Meditation/Contemplative Prayer (practitioner and teacher of Centering Prayer), balance (exploring with a life coach), nature (of which I have been developing a growing appreciation over the last several years). And so, the next weeks beginning tomorrow... Diet - Track by My Fitness Pal Fast Food reduced by 50% Keep to calorie goal. Fitness - Track by Fitbit and My Fitness Pal 3 periods of weight work (body or gym) per week 30 min cardio 6 days per week Sundays off Life 10 min meditation daily - Track by Insight Timer 10 min outside per day, which can coincide with other daily goals Listerine daily Reduce electronic consumption: no AM lingering, less frequent email checking Looking forward to living the Druid life with you for the next month! Flaneur (aka sshussett25)

In school? Studying for an exam? Super-huge thing coming up that you need to prepare for? Need support? Someone to hold you accountable? Then this is for you Trying to be healthy (work out, eat right, get enough sleep) juggle schoolwork, and work/family/social stress is tough...we can't promise to help you pass advanced accounting, but at least you're among others that understand what you're going through, and maybe pick up a few tips along the way

I'm Bipolar and Manic-depressive. I was also born without feelings. Probably Aspergers. So on somje days I will be your greatest asset, the greatest motivator you've ever seen. And some days I'll be thinking about removing your skin and using it as a cape. Skinman. No powers, just a lot of explaining to do. So we should probably keep this online and safe. So take the mace out of your purse, (Wow it's an actual mace, is that a morning star?) +3 to awesome. I need an equally evil but fair taskmaster to keep me on the straight and narrow. For example, I ate an entire family-sized bag of peanut butter M&M's last night. Feeling lethargic today. So if you haven't already called the police and went to the panic room, let's talk.

In school? Studying for an exam? Super-huge thing coming up that you need to prepare for? Need support? Someone to hold you accountable? Then this is for you Trying to be healthy (work out, eat right, get enough sleep) juggle schoolwork, and work/family/social stress is tough...we can't promise to help you pass advanced accounting, but at least you're among others that understand what you're going through, and maybe pick up a few tips along the way

Smell that? It's new challenge time! This is the thread for all things nutty. Here is the sign up sheet Here is the link for our Bingo PvP challenge! Unfortunately, the Doodlies are a closed group, only people in the attached list are able to sign up at this time. The good news is that Def is the keeper of the waiting list! If you are interested in becoming a Doodlie and haven't talked to her yet, please send a PM and she will be happy to add you to the list. Until then

Welcome back my sweet doodlies <4 We're ready for a new challenge and we are going to be awesome yet again! Do you want to be a doodlie? I understand, we are awesome. If you are on this list, you are free to join us here in the griddle: This list isn't for the nuthouse doodlies! They have their own thread and their own rules. You can find the nuthouse here.

Bards, Paladins, Innkeepers, Clerics, Healers (and more?) of All Guilds... TAG! You're IT! A tag matching system to help nerds find other nerds of the same role-play occupation... Our primary objective for this round is to encourage others to apply the tags we developed last challenge, by spreading the word and teaching others how to apply the tags to their challenge threads. To Dos for Challenge #2 of 2016: 1) Create a short guide for how to apply tags to your challenge 2) Develop a message template with links back to the tagging guides and spread word on all guild general chat forums and to individuals across the boards 3) Refine the tag categories and names from last time, with feedback from users ------- In which we continue the work we began last challenge: With the new changes on Nerd Fitness, the old questions of "Why don't we have a Bard's guild?" or "How can I best find other nerds with the same 'class/occupation/interests'?" have surfaced again. After reading people's ideas on the CHALLENGE AND CLASS CHANGES AND UPDATES thread, I realized we don't need any new features or additional guilds. We have the necessary tool already at hand! All it will take is for a few good nerds to band together and teach people to hack the existing tag system to good advantage. The beauty of this approach (beyond the fact that it means no extra work for the hard-working NF admins and site team!) is that it is totally configurable, readily available, and should be able to adapt to any of the new features and changes that will appear on Nerd Fitness in the coming months. Are you with me? What I'd like to do is start a sort of "meta-accountability group" team that would help connect nerds that want to play "tag" to be more accountable to each other. What I see this group doing is to make up a list of suggested tags, and then fanning out across the forums to let people know that there is a way to connect with others of similar interests, whatever their guild affiliations may (or may not) be. This approach to tagging can work independently of the guilds, as the occupations that are most mentioned/requested cross guild lines, much like most of the regular accountability groups. And I believe that once a little coordination is in place, it could encourage "tag" groups to form their own accountability groups as well, thus strengthening the entire system. My hope is that this method will help people feel more at home in their guilds, appreciating the camaraderie and help system already there, and also fulfill the concurrent need to connect with others of similar interests across guild lines. Who wants to play "TAG"? You can sign up to be a guild-focused flagger and/or an occupation-focused tagger. Both roles are needed, but have slightly different responsibilities. Everything below is really just a simple perception shift from "class" or guild-based thinking, to "occupation" based thinking. Guild Flaggers are nerds who know one guild well and have connections to many individuals within it. They work within their existing guild to let those they see looking for like-minded people know that there is a way to connect with people of similar "occupation" outside of or across guilds. This can be done via challenge threads, posts in guild chat threads, or PMs, by providing links to the tag spreadsheet we will create as part of this group and by providing instructions on how to tag a topic post. Occupation Taggers are people who know quite a few people in more than one guild and most likely have connections to a number of individuals with similar interests, regardless of their guild affiliation. They work with anyone they see looking for like-minded people and let them know that there is a way to connect with people of similar "occupation" whatever their guild affiliation. This can be done via challenge threads, posts in interest-related forums (general forums, accountability groups, PVPs, battle logs, etc.), or PMs, by providing links to the tag spreadsheet we will create as part of this group and by providing instructions on how to tag a topic post. As a "meta-accountability group," I expect most people interested in doing this will be rebels of some experience who find that giving something back to the NF community is fulfilling and helpful to their own challenges. That said, you don't have to many challenges behind you or know a lot of people to do this. The only pre-requisite is to be willing to reach out when you see the opportunity. GUILD FLAGGERS ShadowLion OCCUPATION TAGGERS Introduce yourself below and let me know if you want to be a tagger or a flagger.

In school? Studying for an exam? Super-huge thing coming up that you need to prepare for? Need support? Someone to hold you accountable? Then this is for you Trying to be healthy (work out, eat right, get enough sleep) juggle schoolwork, and work/family/social stress is tough...we can't promise to help you pass advanced accounting, but at least you're among others that understand what you're going through, and maybe pick up a few tips along the way

Me over the holidays: Me in my head, going forward: I'm so lazy that I am a week late to a 4 week challenge. But at least I'm here at last! Goal One: Eat Healthy and Lose Weight Create good habits.Make it easier to make healthy choices.Track all food. Goal Two: Be More Active Get back to twice weekly gym visitsGo hiking every weekendPersonal Goal: Read constantly. My goal for the year is 50 books. I intend to surpass my goal. Right now I am re-reading the Anita Blake series. While I was off work after Christmas, I read a book per day. Now that I am back to work, it takes me about 3-4 days per book. Should still get done the 26-book series pretty quickly. One of the reasons I chose this as my first series of the year is that Anita Blake is a strong, ass-kicking necromancer who's got a black belt in Judo and lifts heavy, runs, and takes absolutely no one's bull. She's also 5'3", just like me, but WAY less Hobbitish. Day One Food so far: Breakfast was a wrap with ground beef, mozza, hummus, lettuce, yellow peppers and spring onions. On the side I had the rest of the yellow pepper and some cucumber. Tea with a tiny bit of honey and milk. I will be refraining from honey in my tea going forward, unless I have a sore throat. I have an apple on my desk in case I need a snack before lunch. Lunch will be a sandwich with ham, sharp aged cheddar and hummus. Another apple on the side. Dinner I haven't decided on completely yet. Chicken drumsticks with a large veggie side. TBD. My goal today is to not have any snacks that aren't fruit/veggies.

"You refer to the prophecy of The One who will bring balance to the Force..." "You were the chosen one... You were to bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!" Ever since reading this article, I have wanted to be part of the type of Jedi council it describes. I simply never acted on it until now. I will be taking it quite literal with a Jedi theme. All Star Wars fans welcome. Onto the lore. There exists a recon special ops team within the Resistance. They were simply referred to over radio as "Vision squad," or Vision for short, and the name stuck.They work closely with the Alpha squad on the front line, relaying information and providing support via stealth missions as needed.Recently, the Force has awakened in the galaxy, and a certain number of the Vision squad have found new power.Unsure of what to do with it, they have decided to keep it to themselves, and have grown even closer because of it. I would like this council to be tight-knit and consist of 8 members. Ideally, 4 mentors and 4 mentees, all working together to complete their missions. I have created a Discord server (alternative to Skype) for us to use for meetings and hangouts: Vision Discord server It can be used in your web browser (limited features) or in a full-featured, low resource client. It also has a mobile app.

Bards, Paladins, Innkeepers, Clerics, Healers (and more?) of All Guilds... TAG! You're IT! A tag matching system to help nerds find other nerds of the same role-play occupation... With the new changes on Nerd Fitness, the old questions of "Why don't we have a Bard's guild?" or "How can I best find other nerds with the same 'class/occupation/interests'?" have surfaced again. After reading people's ideas on the CHALLENGE AND CLASS CHANGES AND UPDATES thread, I realized we don't need any new features or additional guilds. We have the necessary tool already at hand! All it will take is for a few good nerds to band together and teach people to hack the existing tag system to good advantage. The beauty of this approach (beyond the fact that it means no extra work for the hard-working NF admins and site team!) is that it is totally configurable, readily available, and should be able to adapt to any of the new features and changes that will appear on Nerd Fitness in the coming months. Are you with me? What I'd like to do is start a sort of "meta-accountability group" team that would help connect nerds that want to play "tag" to be more accountable to each other. What I see this group doing is to make up a list of suggested tags, and then fanning out across the forums to let people know that there is a way to connect with others of similar interests, whatever their guild affiliations may (or may not) be. This approach to tagging can work independently of the guilds, as the occupations that are most mentioned/requested cross guild lines, much like most of the regular accountability groups. And I believe that once a little coordination is in place, it could encourage "tag" groups to form their own accountability groups as well, thus strengthening the entire system. My hope is that this method will help people feel more at home in their guilds, appreciating the camaraderie and help system already there, and also fulfill the concurrent need to connect with others of similar interests across guild lines. Who wants to play "TAG"? You can sign up to be a guild-focused flagger and/or an occupation-focused tagger. Both roles are needed, but have slightly different responsibilities. Everything below is really just a simple perception shift from "class" or guild-based thinking, to "occupation" based thinking. Guild Flaggers are nerds who know one guild well and have connections to many individuals within it. They work within their existing guild to let those they see looking for like-minded people know that there is a way to connect with people of similar "occupation" outside of or across guilds. This can be done via challenge threads, posts in guild chat threads, or PMs, by providing links to the tag spreadsheet we will create as part of this group and by providing instructions on how to tag a topic post. Occupation Taggers are people who know quite a few people in more than one guild and most likely have connections to a number of individuals with similar interests, regardless of their guild affiliation. They work with anyone they see looking for like-minded people and let them know that there is a way to connect with people of similar "occupation" whatever their guild affiliation. This can be done via challenge threads, posts in interest-related forums (general forums, accountability groups, PVPs, battle logs, etc.), or PMs, by providing links to the tag spreadsheet we will create as part of this group and by providing instructions on how to tag a topic post. As a "meta-accountability group," I expect most people interested in doing this will be rebels of some experience who find that giving something back to the NF community is fulfilling and helpful to their own challenges. That said, you don't have to many challenges behind you or know a lot of people to do this. The only pre-requisite is to be willing to reach out when you see the opportunity. GUILD FLAGGERS DarK_Raider Raxie Rurik the Ranger shaarawy ShadowLion OCCUPATION TAGGERS darkfoxx LadyShello mr_willes NeverThatBored SkiBlue Introduce yourself below and let me know if you want to be a tagger or a flagger.

In school? Studying for an exam? Super-huge thing coming up that you need to prepare for? Need support? Someone to hold you accountable? Then this is for you Trying to be healthy (work out, eat right, get enough sleep) juggle schoolwork, and work/family/social stress is tough...we can't promise to help you pass advanced accounting, but at least you're among others that understand what you're going through, and maybe pick up a few tips along the way