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1) Candy Land Escape from Holiday Treats*Every year, the holidays start to feel like a gauntlet of poor food choices combined with a big helping of guilt masquerading as holiday cheer. You can't avoid "opportunities" to eat calorie-laden, low-nutrient foods unless you crawl into a hole and pull it in after you. And trying to say "No, thank you" to friends, family, and random strangers proffering these items becomes an exercise in extreme diplomacy. I usually feel like Scrooge crossed with the Grinch before Thanksgiving is done. Forget the wreath on the door ..... this should go up as a fair warning to neighbors: (Maybe I should tattoo it on my forehead ....???) So, this year, I'm embracing the challenge!!!! Bring on the gauntlet!!! We'll have some fun framing the holiday season as the battle ground that it often seems to be, populated with sugar monsters, office party swamps, and little devils pushing caramel corn and cookies at us whenever we are weakest. For fun, people may join in the game - pop over to the accountability group (which I will create shortly ....) and have some fun with me. (Keep in mind that this is NOT a well-constructed game ... just somewhat of gallows humor designed to raise a laugh as we try to avoid gaining the traditional 5 pounds that Americans put on ---- and do not lose ---- each holiday season.) *Thanks, Beaucastle for the name!!! At stake for me: 1 CON, 1 WIS, 1 CHA, 1 STA, 1 STR - if I escape (i.e. get to the end of the game board) 2) Apprentice to the Black Widow Yeap, I'm back among the Assassins to work on changing body composition and redevelop the ability to do a pullup (among other bodyweight workout goals)!! I refuse to give up on this goal and will be working hard at reducing the amount of assistance I need on the pullup machine at the gym. By the end of the challenge, I want to be able to do 3 x 8 at 100 pounds of assistance or less. At stake: 1 STR, 1 DEX 3) Comfortable in any SettingSince I work at home, it's way too easy to get stuck inside as winter descends upon us. I can become a hermit, sitting at the computer, getting all my social interaction online. I live in the 5th coldest city in the United States .... I love it, but it can become a challenge to get outside in the winter. So ... gotta fight that trend and get reacquainted with people and my favorite city. Besides .... assassins have to blend in everywhere, right? My goal is to get out and do some adventuring every day!!! The list of possible adventures will keep growing as I think of things. Some will be planned, but some will be random (dice roll or picking a card). At stake: 2 CHA, 1 WIS 4) Outrun the Ghost of Christmas PastRunning is good for my spirits and usually kicks S.A.D right in the teeth too. So, finish C25K and run the http://gobblegallop.com/ and the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis with take place on Thanksgiving and then a week later. Let's hope for no ice! I can handle cold air, but I don't want to risk messing up my ankle again. At stake: 1 DEX, 2 STA 5) DestressMeditate daily. At stake: 2 WIS The goal is to NOT go over 165 pounds (losing weight would be even better), to hold BF% steady or even reduce a little, and to emerge at the end of the challenge filled with health and holiday spirit!!!

Welcome!! This accountability group is a little different - we're playing a game together in the hopes of getting through the upcoming holiday season with both our waistlines and our good spirits intact. You are welcome to join us!! This is a cross-guild group, and even Level 1's may join in if you like. The game is modeled on several easy kid's games, such as Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders. No copyright infringement is intended. Also, it is NOT a well-designed or carefully constructed game. I was going to play this by myself, but the idea intrigued other people; so let's give it a whirl. There are no winners or losers. I hope that everyone gets to the end of the board by the end of the challenge!! We're here to cheer each other on. Maybe engage in a little good-natured ribbing. But I hope to see everyone in the Celebration Square at the end of the challenge!!! Most of the activities you'll undertake to play the game will be decided by YOU. I'll share my lists of adventures, rewards, forfeits (ugh!), and challenges, but I really want this game to be customized to your needs and circumstances. I'm creating some resources that you can download and print out, but those are optional and the game can be played by using dice or rolling random numbers any way that you can (such as using a random number generator on your smart phone). You will need a Google account in order to access the online board. So, if you are interested, read the (yes, rather long) rules post and add your name to the game board. We'll start the game when the challenge begins!

October 19th (West Rocks Crag, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada) sleep (prev night): 10hrs climb, top rope 5.8, two repeats 5.6 5.8 Climbed with girlfriend and another friend who led these routes trad style ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_climbing ). The weather was a very pleasant surprise, cool but dry after the previous day's chilling misty drizzle (Saturday's weather had been nasty enough that even a pumpkin chucking festival [ http://www.kemblepumpkinchuckin.com/ ] was not much fun ... and this from someone who usually believes "There is no such thing as bad weather, just improper clothing" http://www.pinterest.com/pin/285908276314294274/ ! ). West Rocks is a small disused quarry tucked in very close to residential areas and a high school - a great easy to access treat that can be included into relatively short breaks in daily chores and tasks by Owen Sound-ites who are willing to find a way. I've done a little bit of leading on trad, but considerably easier grades (5.1 - 5.3) and was mostly out to get my blood flowing and joints moving after a gym strength session a couple of days earlier when I did too much deadlifting too early in my current come-back process.

So, I didn't discover this forum until this past weekend, so I'm starting this challenge late. I've already been working out with my husband for over a year now, and I've been really getting into the strength training, but I haven't had a lot of success sticking to the nutrition I know I need so I'm hoping I can push myself more through these challenges. So, here goes nothing! (*NOTE* Editing Quest on 12/5/14, as I was able to take the time to work out some more specifics. This may also be due to the fact that I actually just read the Level 1 Guidebook in detail only yesterday... Oh well, I'm glad I posted my initial, though incomplete, challenge notes when I did as I knew if I didn't do it I would eventually convince myself to wait until the next challenge started in January.) Main Quest Improve myself - and my body - physically. I didn't want to make too specific goals here, like weight or clothes size because I don't want to obsess over details like that. But I know I want to be strong - I know I want to get my body fat percentage down to a healthy level, and I know I want to believe that I look good when I look in the mirror. Ultimately, I don't want to set a "goal weight" because eventually I hope to become happy with my body and then just build muscle beyond that and continue to get stronger. I know, at the very least though, that I need to lose at least 50 pounds. I'm only 5'3", and I currently weigh 200 lbs. I think starting with a goal of 50 lbs is a good, healthy goal to start with; once I'm there, we'll see after that! To be perfectly honest....one of the main reasons I'm unsure of the weight I should aim for at first is because I am Latina, and my bust, hips and butt have always been bigger no matter my overall weight. I don't want to get too specific here or weird anybody out, but this is the reality of my conundrum and frankly it's something I worry about a lot - worrying about my bust size especially, as it has never fluctuated in size with my weight. (At least not since my sophomore year of high school when I hit the size I am now....let's just say "the girls" were bigger than average, especially for a 16 year-old girl, and they've stayed pretty much the same size ever since.) I've never worked out and strength trained the way I am now though, either, so I'm nervously anticipating what changes might happen all over my body. I'm mostly just not sure whether I should be worried about the size of "the girls", and how their size may or may not affect my overall health. I'll just take things as they come, I guess, no matter what changes in my body may occur. My goal is to be strong and healthy anyway, and I want that more than anything else. Steps to take for reaching the Goal (For the remainder of this challenge) Workout, both strength training and cardio, at least 5 times a week. This will involve: Strength Training at least 3 times a week Cardio at least 2 times a week Individual goals within this step: run for 3 miles straight without stopping at least 3 times by the end of December; learn to squat and bench press with the free-weight barbell (rather than the Smith machine) by the end of December; be able to complete at least 3 full pushups by the end of December. Continue to wear my Fitbit daily (taking one night off a week to charge it) and track all exercise, food intake, and sleep each day. I have a food plan on my Fitbit account aimed for a 750 calorie deficit every day - I will be flexible with that though on the days that I do intense strength training (in other words, Leg day). The best way to measure whether I’m tracking accurately and being honest will be by my weight; my hope is to lose 1.5-2.5 pounds per week (weighing on Sunday mornings). Limit my eating out to three times a week, and avoid eating out at lunch as much as possible. It’s harder to find good food for lunch that meets my current dietary needs, while if I eat out for dinner with my husband we tend to eat healthier and be more careful. (This will also help financially.) Life Quest I am very much an introvert, and I don’t want these goals to keep me from developing and growing emotionally as well. My goal is to spend some time at least once each week hanging out or talking to a friend outside of work - either going out dancing, having someone over, or going over to a friends house for a visit. (And my husband doesn't count - he sees enough of me, and I know he wants me to be more social, too.) Motivation I want to improve my health so I can start a family, sometime later next year is the goal. I want to build good habits before then so I can be the best person I can be for my kids and give them a good example. No Attribute points at this time for me, but I do want to outline how I want to measure each of my Quest steps at the end of the challenge. Workouts A = 10-12 Strength Training Sessions, and 7-8 Cardio Sessions completed by the end of December B = 8-9 Strength Training Sessions, and 6 Cardio Sessions completed by the end of December C = 7 Strength Training Sessions, and 5 Cardio Sessions completed by the end of December D = 6 Strength Training Sessions, and 4 Cardio Sessions completed by the end of December F = 5 or less Strength Training Sessions, and 3 or less Cardio Sessions completed by the end of December Fitbit and Weight A = 26-31 days tracked on my Fitbit, and 7 or more pounds lost by the end of December B = 21-25 days tracked on my Fitbit, and 6 pounds lost by the end of December C = 16-20 days tracked on my Fitbit, and 5 pounds lost by the end of December D = 12-15 days tracked on my Fitbit, and 4 pounds lost by the end of December F = 11 days or less tracked on my Fitbit, and 3 pounds or less lost by the end of December Eating Out A = Eating out 12 or less times during the month B = Eating out 13-14 times during the month C = Eating out 15 times during the month D = Eating out 16 times during the month F = Eating out 17 or more times during the month Alright - let's see how this goes!

Hi All, I'm a big believer in setting goals and then working to achieve them. I've learned that if I want to get in shape, I usually have to commit to something like a race, a trip, or something else where if I don't get my butt in gear, it will be painful. I recently just returned from a trip to Nepal where I was able to trek in the Himalayas. Talk about motivation to get into shape, that seemed to do the trick and it was a trip of a lifetime. Next year I'm hoping to trek to Kilimanjaro which is another adventure to help motivate me to train. If anyone has done this trek, I'd be interested to hear about your experience and what you did to prepare for it. Also...I recently stumbled across a competition that involves a 4-day 300 kilometer dogsledding adventure from Norway into Sweden. If anyone is interested in entering, you can do so until December 12th. Find details for that at: http://www.fjallravenpolar.us/about-polar/ I haven't ever done anything like this before, but I entered and you can see that here: http://bit.ly/mjdogsled I've finally figured out that traveling and adventures of all sorts seem to be the thing that motivates me the most. Seems like I've found other like minded individuals here. I'm inspired by so many of you. Thank you for sharing! MJ

Aye, me bonny lasses, when we last left off our story we were a-huntin' a fine little brigantine. Perhaps we shall catch her yet... Join us on our hunt fer fortune n' adventure aboard the Queen O' Swords, where we ply the waves in search of our true treasures - freedom n' friendship! We are the Pirate Queens... Fierce in our commitment to our goals and determined to pursue our destinies wherever our dreams may take us. We raise our standard and set sail!

I've started two challenges and am yet to finish one. This time around, I'm going for the smallest of baby steps to keep me on track to getting fitter and eating healthier. Step one: walk to mordor! Walk one kilometre every day. That's it. One measly km. every day. I'm tracking this on runkeeper, where I have a goal set up with 2,846 km—the distance to Mordor and back, from the Shire. ATTRIBUTE POINTS: STA 3 CON 1 Step two: yoga every damn day I want to get as flexible as I was when I was younger. Well, not quite. I want to be better than I was then. I want to be able to do a proper handstand. I want to do the things I see on my Instagram feed. (I follow a lot of yogis). So my goal is to do yoga every day for at least ten minutes. ATTRIBUTE POINTS: DEX 3 STR 1 Step three: paleo central I was a vegetarian for eight and a half years. I recently got back to eating meat (a personal choice) but I want to do it the healthy way. I want to eat real food. I'm allowing dairy for this challenge because I'm fairly sure my digestive system is okay with that and also because it's my way of easing myself into the new way of eating. I'm giving myself a score out of ten for every day, depending on how well I eat and how I feel physically and mentally about it. ATTRIBUTE POINTS: CON 3 Extra motivation My life quest is to be a better person. I know this isn't a quantifiable goal so I'm using the medium of SuperBetter to express it—I want to get more resilient. SuperBetter is a game designed to help you level up in life. You can power up at any time, fight bad guys, complete quests and make allies to improve your resilience and get happier. My resilience started at 280 and, based on the max points you can gain in a day, my goal is to get 470 points, so up to 750 at the end of this challenge. Some of the power ups and quests will be a part of the goals I've already outlined, and some will be extra credit. ATTRIBUTE POINTS: CHA 2 WIS 2

YOUR QUEST, Should you choose to accept it; No Jiggly Stomach. Also known as Teagarden's Quest for Self Acceptance. MISSIONS that you should complete to achieve your objective; (1) Thou Shalt eat no processed food that comes in crinkly bags (or other wrappings) (2) Thou Shalt commence bodyweight training at least once a week, twice if the opportunity presents itself. (3) Thou Shalt continue yoga classes (with a vengeance) AT LEAST once a week, but 3 times if the opportunities present themselves. (4) Thou Shalt follow the teachings of Steve of Nerd Fitness as if you are a hardcore religious type and worship the internets he writes on. Complete your quest by: 6/1/2014 (gives me 6 weeks, good practice for later challenges, no?) Adventure Journal, Day One. 26/11/13, 8:56am. Location: The southern coast of Western Australia. Starting Stats: Rebel's Name: Teagarden Gender: (F) Height: 167cm / 5ft 5in Weight: 68kgs / 150lbs Race: pudgy fleshling Human. Profession: none Downfall: Late nights, sleep ins and lots coffee. Level: 1 ----------------------------------------- Teagarden vs the Beginner's Bodyweight Circuit ----------------------------------------- Almost Successfully completed 3 rounds of the beginner bodyweight training! 20 squats 8 Knee Pushups 20 lunges 10 dumbell rows with 6kg weights. 20 second plank, and 30 jumping jacks. x3 times. ACHEIVEMENT EARNED: complete your first workout: 1/1 Reward items: +1 Strawberry Blueberry smoothie with almond milk. +1 body full of sore muscles tomorrow morning. Feel the burn! Breakfast was Espresso coffee and banana. Lunch was sweet potato tart with big side salad. Dinner was homemade chicken burgers; except I cut the burger in half and filled it with salad instead of using that stack of white bread over there! Woo! Tomorrow should be a quiet day on the battlefront, just a day shift at work then home for dinner. I will probably be suffering from today's workout so tomorrow I'll let them rest.

Personality & Background Primary Motivator: Achievement, to overcome obstacles and succeed Emotional Disposition: Calm Moodiness: Even-Tempered Core Traits Outlook: Trusting Integrity: Pragmatic Impulsiveness: Focused Boldness: Daring Flexibility: Adaptable Affinity: Empathetic Comportment: Charming Interactivity: Listener Disclosure: Reserved Conformity: Free Thinking Secondary Traits Sense of Humor: Cynical Favorite Topics: Humor, Adventure, People Quirks, Habits, & Oddities: Daydreaming, Lip biting, Tree Climbing Hobbies & Enjoyments: Storytelling, Swimming, Music, Reading Personality Notes: Can read and write because her father taught her, comfortable with a dagger because her Uncle Edrick taught her. Can annoy her grandmother because of her tomboyish ways. Birthplace Cassi was born on a small farm on the banks of the Bellemere River, near the village of Pinewoods. Pinewoods is a small village that is economically dependent on the local sawmill. Barton and Kressara Grim own the sawmill, with the help of their four sons: Errine, Bharat, Esiao, and Derex Family Her mother, Helenia, died in childbirth, leaving the young baby in the care of her father, Adham Hawklight. Cassi was the only child produced by the union, and her father has never shown any interest in bringing another wife into the household. Cassi's grandparents, Brinley and Gavina, live a half-day's walk from the Hawklight farm. Cassi likes to make the journey at least once a fortnight to learn cooking, sewing, and other skills of running the household for her father. Her mother's brother, Edrick, was a soldier in the Great War and regales Cassi with stories of his great adventures. Edrick is the person that Cassi credits (and her father blames) for planting the dreams of adventure in her head. Duties and Obligations Cassi feels great obligation to stay with her father and take care of him, although her heart longs for great adventures. She knows her father wishes for her to marry Derex, the youngest son of the owners of the sawmill. Although Derex and Cassi are great friends, there is no great love between the two.

Hello fellow challengers! I'm a 30-y-o translator spending long hours at a desk turning English documents and caffeine into French documents. I also fell in the habit of eating lunch at the foodcourt next to the office. I ran a couple of of time a week last summer, but haven't done much over the past long canadian winter. So I wanna get back into shape for this summer. Life goal Run a 5K in under 30 mins. Main goals: 1. Run 2 times a week. 2. Do 2 HIIT workouts a week. 3. Bring a healthy lunch to work 4 times a week. 4. Walk 30 mins every lunchtime (5x/week) There we are. Am I missing anything? lemme know if I did

This Viking explorer goes beserk on the bad habits and gets further in shape. This time there are no excuses. This time it's full-blown war. Will rape and plunder... or... something. The overall goal is still to participate in an adventure race before September 1st, which will be an incredible adventure but also requires a lot in regards to both physical and mental strength. Goal 1: Move An explorer needs to be fast and he needs to find the way through treacherous waters, deep forests and muddy roads. This goal is all about moving the war-machine; by low-intensity means like biking, inline skating, swimming, mountain biking and kayaking and by high-intensity means like running, orienteering and dancing. Weekly goals: Biking: 75 km (incl. transportation) Running: 15 km Low-intensity moving: 5 hours/week High-intensity moving: 3 hours/week Stat-points: DEX +2 STA +2 Goal 2: Attack The warrior also need to be strong to carry heavy armor and weapons across the wast lands. This goal is mainly about physical strength. For this challenge focus will be on core and upper-body, but also with room for general body-weight and flexibility training. Weekly goals: 3 hours of strength training Participate in mini-challenges 1 hour adventurous challenge (it could be the above or just something I haven't tried before) Stat-points: STR +2 CON +2 Goal 3: Feast A great viking is well fed. This is really going to be the hardest challenge this time around breaking bad eating habits. Will determination and mental strength is needed to say no to all the bad foods. Some weaning is needed so the first weeks won't be perfect but hopefully mid-way through the challenge the weekly goals can be fulfilled. Weekly goals: No soda No sugary snacks, candy, cakes and the like 80 % paleo Stat points: CON +2 WIS +2 (couldn't find a Viking scientist and even though I don't do research on mice this picture was just plain fun) Life-goal: Will be work related again this time and not all that Viking: Finish scientific paper, outline next paper. Read a paper everyday. Be good at work. Stat points: WIS +2 Diet side-quest: Lose 2.5 kg during this challenge. Stat points: CHA +1 Exploring the world by a little of everything and the secret weapon of... my fellow assassins. Lets rock this challenge guys!

Prelude: I'm 18 but with warnings of spinal fusion on my mind, this dragonborn has got some work to do. I'm going to become the travelling hero who lets nothing stand in my way. I don't want to look back on life with regrets because I was too cautious to do something. This is why I'm starting my epic journey now. I want this adventure to not only better my physical health, but my mental health as well. Main Quest: Being badass while dealing with mild/severe double scoliosis TravelKick assTry new thingsCareful but not too cautious Break up with perfectionism and anxiety Quest #1: Spine support- Strengthen core, back, and hips Beginner bodyweight workout once every week Go to conditioning class once every week Keep track of exercise progressQuest #2: Brain Power Drink more water to stop headachesTry a different vegetableQuest #3: Get some zzz Sleep before midnightLife Quest: Study. Study. Study. At least 1 hour of productive work (Limit distractions which lead to procrastination and major anxiety) Finish senior year strong academically, and socially (balance work, fun, and family)Pick university from my top 2 choices Advice is much appreciated. Also, if anyone here has scoliosis or know someone who has it would be nice to talk to them.

We are the Pirate Queens... Fierce in our commitment to our goals and determined to pursue our destinies wherever our dreams may take us. We raise our standard and set sail!

What! It's new challenge time? HECK YEAH!! So the last few challenges have been very successful. I've gone from just doing bodyweight workouts and strict Paleo to lifting and eating 2200 calories and 200g of carb/protein. Since joining NF, I believe I've lost around 17 lbs, but more importantly a 9% drop in BF. And that's with very little gym/workout time and no "extreme" dieting. My body composition is changing which is what I want. My main goal is health and aesthetics. I want to look good with my shirt off. Ryan Reynolds good. So good that when I take my shirt off, women think in their heads.... And my wife to think... Is it a vain goal? Sure, but I've never been even close to that type of body. I'm at the lowest weight ever in my adult life. I wear a smaller jean than I did in high school (when I could lift more). So yeah, I want low body fat and cut abs. With that, I've been building good habits and have great support from my wife. I love to lift (following a semi-starting strength program) and will continue to do this. I got the nutrition down, I know how to change and modify things, so that's not really a challenge. I know that I need sleep to recover and build strength. These aren't challenges anymore. So I need your help. There is a poll, with some things that I could challenge myself with. I'm willing to try new things, personally I want them to be fitness related. I don't have much time for any sports to play. Please vote and leave a comment. At the end of the week, let's say Feb 28th (unless there are clear winners) I'll pick the top three and carry them through the rest of the challenge. Thanks for the help! EDIT: Currently I lift 3 times a week with alternating programs. Day 1 = Bench, BB Row, RDL, Good Mornings, Dips, DB Curl and DB Hammer Curl Day 2 = Squats, OHP, DL, Leg Press, Calf Press, and Pullups EDIT 3/3/14: CHALLENGE GOALS 1) Pushups!! (+5 STR) I will get a baseline number of pushups performed in one set. I will then try to improve that by 25% by the end of the challenge. If I exceed that before the end of the 5 weeks, I will then at 10% per week. 2) Planks!! (+5 CON) Same with the pushups. I'll try to improve plank time by 25%. Exceeding that value before hand will add 10% per week. 3) Sprints!! (+3 DEX, +2 STA) I will shoot for 8 runs. I will either do it after the gym or while the gym. Never done sprints on a treadmill, but I will try. I like keeping my workouts concentrated since I don't have much time to workout as it is.

ok, so i'm sure we've all wanted pokemon to become real at some point in our childhoods. how we all have tried to capture a fly to have it being or pokemon, or a spider just for the sake of it. To be honest, I still wish for pokemon to become real one day. just think about how fun it would be to go on a proper adventure with your friends, your pokemon and as well as getting in shape sanctimoniously? Thinking of this, i got an idea. Why can't we make it real? not like we "tried" to back in elementary school, but by making an app, that would let us catch, train and battle our pokemon with others? We could use quite a lot of code and visual design from the original pokemon games, as well as developing it ourselves. IRL, this means that once a year we would go out for a certain period of time with our pokemon and friends, and we would challenge each other, along hiking trials, as we travel from town to town (cabin to cabin for some of us). We could also have gyms and leagues set up for each region, and maybe even an international leauge at the end of each season? However, this is easier said than done. it takes lots of organizing, and a precise, down to ground, small crew working closely connected, to get it done. That's why I came here. You guys are the perfect audience for such an idea, so i'm wondering... Who wants to catch them all with me?

Hello fellow adventurers! This is my second challenge and I am raring to go after Christmas and New year. Main quest: Reduce body fat percentage to 15 or lower. As 15% is generally considered the optimal training body fat for men; this is my target. I will post my starting statistics tomorrow morning once the challenge has officially started. I will also post my statistics at the end of every week. Goals: Workout a minimum of 5 days every week. (3 STA, 1 STR and 1 DEX) I will be doing the beginner bodyweight workout and interval running on alternating days as well as the occasional Dodgeball session. Grading: A- 5+. B- 4+. C- 3+. 2+ . F- Less than 2 days. Eat Paleo. (3 CON and 2 WIS) Good goal if I want to lose fat. Also, nutrition was my weakest point on the last challenge so I'll be gunning for an A grade this time. Grading: A- 80%. B- 70%. C- 60%. D- 50%. F- Lower than 50% Join a health/fitness related club that I have no previous experience in. (2 CHA) I want to try something new and be adventurous! As this goal will involve more exercise, it will aid me in my main quest. Grading: A- Joined a club. B- Tried a new club but no commitment made. C- Found out about a good club in my area. D- Did a little research on clubs in my area. F- Did nothing. Life quest: Dedicate a minimum of 15 hours a week to finding work. (2 WIS and 1 CHA) The contract at my last job ended two weeks ago. I'm unemployed and I don't like it. I have gotten lazy in the past while looking for work and I was very lucky to get my last job. I will earn it this time. Grading: A- 15+. B- 12.5+. C- 10+. D- 7.5+. F- Less than 7.5. I look forward to taking this quest on with my new (first ever) guild-mates. Adventure!

January 14, 2014 AD Introduction - Hey there everyone, or no one as the case may be. I'm Nianis, and I'm a 19 year old guy from Cincinnati, OH. I'm currently in the process of trying to join the military, which requires a lot of working out, especially for my job. I've been trying to keep journals off and on for a few years now, but I've never actually been able to stick with it and just keep forgetting about it eventually. Hopefully this will change it, as I'll actually have to come back and check this site! That being said, right now I know I'm just some level 1 rebel and haven't achieved too much, but I guarantee that I will show you all my potential and one day RULE THE WORLD! But for now, this will just be something I will log my workouts in, and also just a public journal about the various happenings in my life. Currently - I've been waiting in the Air Force DEP for a ship date for almost 11 months now, and I'm getting sick of it. I gave my recruiter until the end of this month to come up with something, and if he doesn't I'm leaving for the Army. A lot of people might think that I'm being too picky about the kind of job I want, but to them, I say this: It's my life, I have a right to be picky. I've worked my booty off to even qualify for this job, not even mentioning keeping qualified. If you still think I'm too picky after the first two reasons, then you're just an unreasonable person >:c Other than that, I've pretty much just been working out, not really watching what I eat though, it's never really been a problem for me. That's about it, thanks for reading my post! I'll most likely post another one tomorrow, since today was a rest day. If anyone's around the Cincinnati area and is looking for a work out partner, just send me a message and I'll do my best to keep up! Nianis Out.

Yay, new DBL for Evicious! So the Army is now sending me back to Korea for a year. I had been notified that I would be deploying to AFG to take the place of a piece of shit warrant officer who should never have deployed in the first place another member of my unit who was returned for no fucking reason other than the fact that he's a piece of shit minor medical reasons. I was all spun up, packed up, and ready to go, only to end up waiting on orders for the next few weeks that never came. I learned later that was because orders had already been cut to send me back to Korea before the unit tried pulling me to AFG. I'd honestly rather have gone to AFG, too. My first duty station was in Korea, and while I adored the food (KIMCHI!!!!!!!!) and my unit there was... alright... I was really hoping to spend any other time overseas in different locations, rather than revisiting places I'd already been. Also, I can't take my fiance' with me and the timing is seriously screwing up my wedding plans. Obviously I'll make the most of it though. I'm definitely looking forward to the food (KIMCHI!!!!!!!) and I'm making it a goal to spend at least one day every weekend hiking one (of Korea's numerous) mountain trails that will be available to me. Depending on what position I end up filling in the unit, I may also attempt to complete some basic college courses while I'm there (much like I had anticipated doing when I found out I wasn't on the initial deployment roster here in LA). Who knows? I anticipate many open evenings and weekends, since I won't have my man there to keep me busy, and I want/need to stay busy and productive. A lot of what I am and am not able to do will depend on where on the peninsula I end up being stationed. Hopefully, I won't have to fight for every little thing and I can just roll through the year until it's time for me to come home. So that being said, here is what I will be using this DBL for: Tracking my weight Tracking my workouts Tracking my progress in other goals Random babblings

Call to Arms Sitting alone in your small village's meadow, daydreaming of days gone by, you are jolted awake by a loud THWAP on the tree behind you. As you look over your shoulder you see a scroll pinned under an arrow. You jump up and look around, but there is nothing to see- your peaceful field is eerily silent... You turn back to the tree, remove the scroll, and begin to read... Dear traveler: This letter is a final desperate plea for help and assistance- if it should reach you, fate has desired to bring us together. For many months the people of our land have been tormented, by what we aren't certain. Something comes in the veil of the night- it haunts our children, steals our livestock, and murders our citizens. No one in our land is safe. We have taken every defensive precaution we can imagine, to no avail. It would appear that offence is our only choice, yet our fighters are few. We are a small farming community, and it would take months or years to raise up a regimen of soldiers- by then we will all be dead. We are begging for your help; we need strong men and women to venture into the lands just beyond our village, find the horrible creature (whatever it is), and help bring peace to our land. In exchange for your help we are able to offer supplies and food- we just need to you get here. Fast. If you will consider standing in the gap for us, we are organizing a party to head into the hills in a weeks’ time (Sunday at sun down.) We will meet at Althriam’s Mead Hall- where you can sign your name and pledge your allegiance. Please, if you will, get your affairs in order and make the journey to our peaceful village. There isn't much time! In desperation, The People of Truaant Rangers: With the start of another 6 week challenge, we are taking a dive into the world of RPG for the next few weeks to complete some mini challenges. These are designed to be a fun accompaniment to your regular goals. If what the mini is asking would put you in conflict with yourself (cause that's always fun), feel free to modify in a way that makes it practical for you to participate. This Week’s Tasks: Sign your name on This Roster indicating that you intend to participate in the challenge. This will help us to gauge and scale goals in the following weeks. Get your affairs in order. We are now in the second week of the 6 week challenge. Go through your goals and make sure you are clear on what you expect from yourself over the remaining 5 weeks, so that when mini challenges arise, you will know if they are something you can roll in to your existing plan. Have fun. These goals are design to be fun and engaging. Feel free to role play in this thread to get your character going. ((Role playing is not a requirement- you are more than welcome to sign the roster and simply participate!)) If the challenges are not in your realm of physical capabilities, modify them so that they suit your level of fitness.Fun for all Huzzah!

He's baaaaaaaaaack! Yes, the Psycho Madness will continue for another challenge!!! Muahahaha (And yes I started working on this on Halloween night ) So, The awesome Lupus came up with a great idea for his challenge (Shameless Plug - Follow his adventures here: <Link>) using a custom hex gaming map. So I made my own for Krieg to follow on a new adventure. Which begins with this.... When we last left our.... "hero," he had made it to Sanctuary and of course, Moxxi's. Several rough mornings later Krieg began to realize that staying in this city was not a viable option for long. It would provide rest and resupply for sure, but he wasn't like the others around. Not only did everyone give him funny looks, he just wasn't happy being cooped up in a flying city... Looking down off the edge one day he decided to get his few belongings and go back out to explore. There were parts of Pandora he had never made it to, and wanted to see. Not to mention there were talks going around town that there were other vaults on other planets. Maybe he would make it to one of them one day. No, he was determined to make it to one, he would become a Vault Hunter like the other eight.... the ones that everyone talked about. But first he had to learn exploration. Well the best way to do that would be picking a starting place and going wherever his adventure took him. So the next morning Krieg packed up and went to the Fast-Travel depot. He closed his eyes and pressed a random destination on the list. The lights flashed and in a blink he was standing on the edge of sand dunes, looking at... Wait. that can't be right. Badlands don't exist on Pandora... At least none that look like this. Turning around Krieg saw two run down looking vending machines and a broken Fast-Travel. "This is gonna be interesting." Okay. So I'm not sorry at all for the long intro, I think this time I'm going to make an effort to write the story of Krieg's adventure. So taking Lupus' idea of the map, here is my map so you can follow along with Kreig! (Check out Lupus' thread! http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/38973-lupus-challenge-mkiii-the-spice-of-life/#entry758930) And now for the goals: Main Goal: Get back on the fitness wagon after my hiatus. My last challenge was a break from the stats, a break from working out with structure, and a chance to settle in to my new town and life. Goal 1: "Ready Already?!" - EMOM workouts 2x a week (EMOM = Every Minute On the Minute) I'm going to start with 10 minute workouts my first week, then bump up to 15 mins, and then 20 mins by the third week. I plan on staying at the 20 minute mark, unless I get the crazy idea in week 4 to go on to 25 minutes. But that will be played by ear. Exercises to be use will include situps, V-ups, tricep pushups, wide stance pushups, diamond pushups, leg-high pushups, air squats, and more! Successful completion will be 2 EMOM's a week every week. I'm keeping it low key for now because I need to get back into working out and my schedule at work is constantly up in the air. I know that I can do 2 a week for now. I may bump the requirement up to 3 later in the challenge. We'll see Goal 2: "Revive" - Actually do the Physical Therapy workouts to make my knees less pained... In addition to working out, I really need to do my physical therapy workouts to help with my knee pain. It came back with a vengeance this past weekend at work. Like bad enough that I had to grab some scrap pipe laying around the construction site and roll out my muscles for it to be tolerable. So I'm changing up what I was going to do for this goal in favor of PT and getting rid of my knee pain Success for this will be doing my PT workout 3x a week, including icing my knees after the workout. Goal 3: "Like the Wind" - Start doing Tai Chi again I took Tai Chi in college and loved it. Felt better every day that I practiced. So I think I'm going to pick it up again. I am going to have to learn it again though... So I found youtube videos of the form set I learned. It's the Beijing Short Form: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGge5fUihjI Successful completion of this goal will be re-learning the form and practicing 3x a week until I have it down pat, then I want to continue doing it at least 3x a week. Shouldn't be too difficult as the whole form takes only about 10 minutes and is WORTH it. Life Goal: "Prize Fighter" - Stop spending nonessential money After moving, and still trying to settle into my new lifestyle, money is kinda tight. I'm having to break old spending habits to accommodate new bills, etc. And after reading http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/38965-the-great-wholetexalypse-of-2014/'>LorenWade's WholeTexalypse goals, I decided to borrow one of them, and set up a check method with several of my friends. Essential spending obviously needs no checking. This includes food, gas, bills, hygiene stuff. Non essential spending must be approved by two friends, and I have to justify my purchase. Now I'll throw a catch on to this. Sometimes I can entirely afford something and want it but then I'll get to the store and realize that I shouldn't spend the money on said item and then I don't buy it. If I end up doing this I'm going to see about shuffling the money I would have spent into my savings account. I'm saving up to buy a Kurt Kinetic Rock and Roll Trainer sometime soon Success on this goal is hard to define, moreover I'm hoping to change my spending habits and save up in the bank! Unable to turn back, Krieg hiked up his pack, pulled out his buzz axe and set off trudging down the dunes towards the badlands. "Wish I had a bicycle..."

::Zahana looks up at the wise one ready to begin his transformation:: Wise One - There are many paths of the Rebel. To discover yourself, I shall give you 3 quest to begin your journey. 1st - you will experience the way of the Warrior. To build your muscles for this role you shall wieght train a minimum of 3 days a week. 2nd - you will experience the way of the Druid. To find your center for this role you shall attend a minimum of 1 yoga class a week. 3rd - you will experience the way of the Ranger. To to increase your endurance you shall burn at least 2,000 calories doing cardio. you have until the weekend prior to the day of the dead to complete these 3 quest ::Zahana silently bows and exits to begin his quest::

Hi All, I was listening to one of my favourite podcast series ( http://www.dirtbagdiaries.com/webpage/category/podcasts ) yesterday and came across a really cool episode that helped me shake off some stagnancy and re-brighten my perspective on fitness, fun and adventure: http://www.thecleanestline.com/2012/12/dirtbag-diaries-the-sufferthon.html ... yes, the name is a bit offputting isn't it? I actually didn't listen to this episode for a couple of months because of the title and then the actual part about "The Sufferthon" itself didn't really do a lot for me. What was great was the intro featuring Alistair Humphries and the concept of "microadventures". Now, perhaps to someone of his history the things he describes on the podcast and here http://www.alastairhumphreys.com/microadventures-3/year-microadventure/ are "micro" but most of the time these are about as far as my adventurousness extends! I love the spirit of "start small but start" and this whole section from his website: "Adventure is only a state of mind. Adventure is stretching yourself; mentally, physically or culturally. It is about doing what you do not normally do, pushing yourself hard and doing it to the best of your ability. And if that is true then adventure is all around us, at all times. Even during hard financial times such as these. Times, I believe, when getting out into the wild are more enjoyable, invigorating and important than ever." ... just brilliant, right? I think the whole thing's really in the spirit that Steve started this whole shebang about. Any thoughts? I've got a little bit of time off work coming up myself and think I may just take Alistair up and do a few of these things that have been tickling the back of my mind. It just so happens that there is a hill I've wanted to bike out to and sleep on! I'll throw a little trip report on here after - it'd be great if anyone else did the same. Cheers.

I've been lurking around the corner of Nerdfitness like a ninja for a few challenge cycles now. However, my lurking days are behind me. I want to get fully involved this time! So here's the background. I'm a relatively healthy young lady who got into paleo to as moral support for an overweight friend. I had a gym membership, I felt great, and dropped a few vanity pounds. Life was peachy. But now I've moved to school, where the cafeteria is full of carbs, I'm reading 600 + pages a week, and am generally inactive. I've always loved the idea of ninjas and spies: Black Widow is my favorite member of S.H.I.E.L.D ever, and it's not just because of her fabulous shoes. Because my current superpower is clutziness, I want to level up and gain new skills. It's embarassing to be that girl you flirt with and then have to help up after she accidentally trips over that invisible sidewalk. I can, no, will overcome my natural ungracefulness to become the most attactive and dangerous assassin I can be. Which leads me to my Main Goal: Lose 10-15 pounds to the forces of awesome. To be more specific, I don't simply want to lose the weight I've gained back since moving away from my friend. I want to lose this weight because I am becoming a bad-ass ninja. And I want to lose this weight training for a 5k Mud Run that will happen in November. My Evil Plan to Save the World: Part 1: I'm the Doctor. Run! Be able to run jog powerwalk at least a mile. This part will be difficult because I have congenital foot problems that repetitive stress to my feet will inflame. The goal here is to go at something faster than a crawl for a mile without sending me back to the doctor. I want to learn how to travel quickly and safely, avoiding injuries as I go. I will earn extra credit for every mile gone without an invisible object getting in the way. Part 2: High-stakes Laser Limbo I will stretch. Everyday. No matter if I have a 2,000 word paper due in four hours. I WILL STRETCH. To further aid in my flexibility, I will start practicing handstands and, by the end of the challenge, relearn the ability to do a bridge from a standing position. This will help me when I break into multi-million dollar corporations to rescue the prince and save the kingdom. Part 3: The Graceful Exit On days I do not train for speedily chewing up a 5k, I will begin following the basic parkour training routine. My end goal is to be able to do three unassisted pullups. Life Quest: Get on top of my homework so I actually have time to do things outside of reading and assignments.

LEVEL 0: Inaugural Battle Log Entry achieved! We need badges for this stuff, lol. Started the Angry Birds workout after a 15-minute warm up walk/jog earlier this morning (around 12-midnight) at 24-hour fitness. Though I've read Steve's email articles about being able to do all natural, gym-free workouts at the park, it just doesn't sound like a good idea after getting off of work at 1AM. I also have to be courteous about any Zumba/kinect/P90X workouts at night since I live in a small apartment complex. I may consider morning workouts, but I am nocturnal and usually don't go to bed until 5AM. This is open for alteration in time too... I did happen to see a list of morning classes, which would give me motivation to get out and lock into "zombie" mode since all I'd have to do is get out of the car and follow whatever the instructor is saying in class. EXCUSES, EXCUSES: If I get these out here, then someone will be able to chime in on how to make it so they're not excuses. I'm currently on a swing shift (M-F, 3PM-11:30PM) and have a lot of new hires, so training is amounting to overtime past midnight. Thursdays, I clock in at work at 9:30AM because I do choir stuff with the spouse at 7PM. Every other month, I'm also interning at the lab in the effort to earn my CA MLT licensure (so in October and December, I will be doing 16-hour shifts... I do not how how to fit working out without short circuiting myself during these months). The plan: continue the every-other-day Angry Birds Workout. In between, do light cardio/swim/something at the gym to get the most out of the membership. Just being able to set a routine will be good enough for now. I don't want to mention any more on the plans, other than to log what I did every day. In conclusion, the objectives are: Continue the every-other-day Angry Birds Workout until I 3-star the last levels. I am using the spreadsheet listed on Steve's blog entry. Go to the gym on a daily basis, even if it's only for 30-minutes. My form of keeping on track is to use the Yelp check-in: quiktekk.yelp.comThey say it takes 40 days to change a habit. Once I'm able to perform these two goals successfully for 40 days, I will move onto Level 1 and update the objectives (if necessary). For all I know, I might still be struggling to complete these in October (especially with the internship).

I don't know how many "Hi, my name is Vanessa, and I'm new here" posts I've filled out. With some grit, this will hopefully be the last one, since I plan on sticking to getting and staying healthy. I've been battling the whole weight loss thing for awhile now, and like many of us here, started some program, only to bail out at the site of the first obstacle or interruption. This is extremely frustrating, since I seriously considered military life in high school, was awarded a 4-year army scholarship after graduation, had spent a year training with Army ROTC's Ranger Challenge team, was given 2-months time to meet the height/weight/BMI cutoff, only to lose out due to a tape test. I think this is the first time I've readily admitted it. I am horrible at sticking to any routine and am lucky to just make it to work everyday. Sad, I know. We just recently had a heath and fitness screening at work (note: I work in a lab and am on my feet/briskly walking around instruments for 9-11 hours for 5-6 days of the week). After getting the results, I realize that I haven't improved much from last year and am in need of help in just leading a more active lifestyle. Here's my stats from Friday (8/30/13) with the optimal goals set by Provant - the health screening people: Measurement / My Results / Optimal Score Total Cholesterol / 125 / <200 mg/dL HDL Cholesterol / 56 / >60 mg/dL TC/HDL Ratio / 2.2 / <3.5 LDL Cholesterol / 58 / <130 mg/dL Triglycerides / 56 / <150 mg/dL Glucose / 87 / <100 mg/dL fasting Blood Pressure / 132/86 / <120/80 mm Hg Body Fat Percent / 34.8% / 21-32.9% for F/20-39y.o. BMI / 32.7 kg/m2 / 18.5-24.9 kg/m2 Waist Circumference / 37 in. / <35 for women Hb A1c (diabetes screen) / 5.3% / <5.7% I'm not far off, but honestly, I know I could be more fit than what our insurance premiums dictate. My goal is to be able to complete a half marathon before I'm 26 (giving me a little under 13 months until my next birthday), and a dream goal of participating in a triathalon before I turn 30. Unfortunately, there's no Couch-2-Triathalon app. Hopefully, working towards these goals eliminates fixating on numbers above. For starters, I recently sprinted/jogged/walking the Color in Motion 5K two weeks ago in San Diego... in Vibrams! I'd like to get that same "YEEAAHH! I COMPLETED SOMETHING!" feeling again and again. As for things I bring to the NF table: I enjoy sharing my day and listening to others share theirs... I'm extremely talkative on the interwebs, but in real life am quiet and enjoy listening to people. This often is mistaken for being anti-social... it's just my inner nerd being introverted, 'sall! I'm open minded to the point of being gullible sometimes, but this makes for a fun workout partner that likes focusing on the goal without judging. Anywho, now to start sifting through the boards and finding the "starting line"... let me know where I should go first!