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Welcome back for another episode of The Exciting Adventures of JediNickD! It was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away that I joined this site and started my first challenge.. World 1 was my first extended stay through 22 challenges. I took a hiatus from NF and came back with a new direction for my goals where I warped to World 2, which I defeated in a Boss Fight slaying some mighty big goals. In World 3, I continue to develop my fitness, getting my body in the best shape of my life, even with the Degenerative Disc Disease, Arthritis, Disc Fissures, and more. Through physical therapy exercises and karate, I have maintained my core and back muscles to ease the pressure off my spine, but in the end I defeated World 3 by transforming my life into a new form. With chiropractic care for my spine, hitting the high ranks at karate, starting the new Toastmasters program called Pathways, and working to complete my Novice training at IJRS, World 4 feels like something new everyday. I just keep on L-I-V-I-N, fight the good fight lightin' it up, and level up my life! Challenge Lesson: "I Need to Know How to Wield It" [No Spoilers this time for The Last Jedi] Everyday the human body changes. Old cells die and new cell are formed. I read recently that in 7 years, the skin cells of the human body have been completely replenished with new ones. One could argue that the person you are in 7 years is a completely new one. I'd say that the person you have become in 7 years a slightly modified replication, with natural aging appearance, augmented with new experiences and memories to enhance skills. Those new experiences are the ones which help us grow challenging ourselves in new ways. Occasionally, those new experiences will awaken a new passion or bring out a new skill. This can be an exciting or scary time as our comfort zone, status quo, personal priorities, etc are challenged and changed to make room for the awakening. Personally, I have a few new awakenings. I am interested in playing more Magic: The Gathering outside my close friends. The passion I have for the game and the newest release is pushing my interest into doing more than just playing the game with purchased or thrown-together decks. After playing in a Prerelease event, I feel confident I can recognize synergy among cards, use that synergy to build a strong deck, and play socially and competitively without making judgment errors or game play mistakes which would result in embarrassment or upsetting my opponent. These events are not free and require time; therefore, I'll have to pick and choose my battles and balance my other priorities. There is a Cosmic Encounter (my favorite board game) tournament in May which I am very interested in; however, I am also intimidated by the scale of it. One could prop up the other. My IJRS Jedi Novice Training and Karate Brown III training are in the final stages, which is exciting, but I am facing the question about what do I do with it. For both, the natural progression is to teach others. The IJRS may ask that I help tutor Novice students. I want to put together a website to put my knowledge and philosophy out there for others to learn from (I do that here a bit with these lessons). For Karate, I sempai classes, leading small groups. As I progress, the leading will progress as well. When I reach black belt, I may be asked to lead classes. I have to ask myself, what is my personal goals for teaching? How much commitment will it take? Where does it fall on my priorities? There is also Epic Nerd Camp, which I want to be more involved with, but I don't see myself being able to commit the time necessary to do it and meet expectations. I have a lot of desires and commitments which I keep trying to fit in. I keep on looking at my evening Toastmasters club thinking that I will need to step away from it to make time for these other things. But that is such a small commitment compared to the things I am looking to expand on. What else will take a backseat? The scariest part is that is all MY stuff. What about my wife's stuff? My kids stuff? My life is their life which means it is all OUR stuff. The priorities and commitments will be sorted out one way or another. The stuff which doesn't fall on all our lists is the stuff which falls to the bottom. I need to ensure that every voice and passion is heard to craft my stuff to fit the others. Because we share our lives, how I wield my awakened passions is integral to how my family will wield it. My Main Quest and Mission: My mission is to be the best Jedi I can be. My main quest is always to enhance my overall health, fitness, and knowledge to be prepared for whatever challenges life could throw at me. As a Jedi, I need to be able to help people, whether that is a life threatening situation or just a charitable one. There is no boss level in Jedi training, there is only tomorrow. World 4 Level 8 Challenge: FITNESS: Cardio: Speed and Stamina - 320 min total, 80 weekly. 2 Sprints (10 reps), 2 Jogs (30 min), 2 Bikes (10 min), and 2 Racquetball sessions. Track time and distance. STA +1, DEX +1 Walking: Fortify the Spine - 800 min total, 200 weekly. STR +1 Exercise: Lifting and Bodyweight - 320 min total, 80 weekly. Track reps for push-ups and sit-ups AMRAP and daily total. STR +1, STA +1 Flexibility: Stretching and Physical Therapy - 560 min total, 140 weekly. DEX +1, STR +1 Karate: Training and Practice - 1000 min total, 250 weekly. Track progress towards belt. Track improvement on all material. DEX +1, STA +1 DIET: Weight Control - Track weight. Complete measurements before or during Week 1 and again during or after Week 4. Watch portions and make healthy choices for 24 of 28 days. Track lunch portions for 24 of 28 days. Track "fasting" after dinner nightly for 24 of 28 days. CON +2 Keep on cutting out the crap - No CheezIts, limit snacking at work, 6 Dr Peppers a week, and limit cheese to 6 meals a week. CON +2 LIFE: Get Stuff Done - Complete 72 Hours of various Chores and Maintenance, with at least 18 hours each week. Chores and Maintenance are the following areas (goal hours for challenge) Dishes (15) Laundry (8) Cooking/Cleaning/Dusting/Vacuuming/Trash/Other (25) Yard Work (2) Animal Care (32) Home Renovation and Auto Maintenance (8) WIS +1, CHA +1 INCENTIVES! Working hard for CASH! ($140.90 carried over) REWARD: For each week in which I complete 20 or more hours of Chores and Maintenance, I will put aside $10 to spend how I see fit. CONSEQUENCE: For any week where I complete less than 16 hours, I will give up $10 of saved cash. REWARD: $5 for each Personal Project hour (Epic Nerd Camp, Extra Life, Jedi website, VHS-to-DVD conversion project, etc) CONSEQUENCE : Lose $10 for each week without a Personal Project hour. REWARD: $20 for each completed IJRS lesson. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $5 for each week without completing an IJRS lesson. BONUSES: Life: $1 for each hour working on Jedi Training (mentoring, reading/writing, charity, meditation, IJRS lessons). $2 for each hour working on Toastmasters including meetings. $2 for each Home Renovation or Auto Maintenance hour. Workout: $5 for each cardio session over 30 min $10 for doubling any weekly minimum PENALTIES: Lose $10 each day with weight above 149.5 lbs. Lose $5 for eating more than 2 slices of pizza in any day. Lose $5 for each morning not weighing in. Lose $5 for CheezIts, more than 6 Dr Peppers a week, and more than 6 meals with cheese a week. Lose $1 for each snack.

Welcome back for another episode of The Exciting Adventures of JediNickD! It was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away that I joined this site and started my first challenge.. World 1 was my first extended stay through 22 challenges. I took a hiatus from NF and came back with a new direction for my goals where I warped to World 2, which I defeated in a Boss Fight slaying some mighty big goals. In World 3, I continue to develop my fitness, getting my body in the best shape of my life, even with the Degenerative Disc Disease, Arthritis, Disc Fissures, and more. Through physical therapy exercises and karate, I have maintained my core and back muscles to ease the pressure off my spine, but in the end I defeated World 3 by transforming my life into a new form. With chiropractic care for my spine, hitting the high ranks at karate, starting the new Toastmasters program called Pathways, and working to complete my Novice training at IJRS, World 4 feels like something new everyday. I just keep on L-I-V-I-N, fight the good (and healthy) fight, and level up my life! Challenge Lesson: "Light. Darkness. A Balance" [WARNING! The Last Jedi and Karate Kid SPOILERS below] When Luke begins training Rey, he has her sit on a rock eyes closed to reach out and sense the Force: Balance is everywhere. It is in the duality of nature, opposing forces and laws of conservation in physics, and in Star Wars, it is in the Force. The Original Trilogy deals heavily in the duality of the Force with Light versus Dark, Jedi versus Sith, Good versus Evil. The Prequel Trilogy muddies the water a little with the Prophecy claiming a chosen one will bring balance to the Force, which can be argued is fulfilled by Vader, first reducing the Jedi order to two Jedi, then killing the emperor, but is the Prophecy real? How many Force wielders exist in the galaxy which we do not even know about? And so on... The Sequel Trilogy is playing with the duality of dark and light, but it is appearing less about the confrontation between the two and more about how the two complement each other. One cannot exist without the other. Snoke says, "Darkness rises and light to meet it," then explains, "I warned my young apprentice that as he grew stronger, his equal in the light would rise." Here's a great article about the lines: https://medium.com/@AliyaSmyth/the-most-important-line-in-the-last-jedi-no-one-is-talking-about-2af5996d1b8 There is more to learn coming in Episode IX about this relationship, but back on Earth, we live with balance everyday. Most are physical elements working with and against each other, which are easy to see and understand, but the mental aspects take a bit of experience to begin to construe the cause and effect elements which influence the balance. In exercise, balance is extremely important, like "don't skip leg day" because strong legs are just as important as strong arms. My back muscle and spine issues are a testament to balance. My body was grown for downhill running and forward momentum power playing football and rugby as adolescent. I neglected to strengthen my lower back or gain flexibility in my hips or abdomen. My body was a rolling boulder which could take hits and keep moving. With all the time punishing my body and neglecting proper exercise balance, my spine and back worsen. These days, I'm learning more and more about proper exercises to help build these problem areas and maintain a proper balance. Karate has been awesome for building balance as well, but even before I started taking karate, I always liked to refer to the original film series "The Karate Kid" to describe this concept of balance. I'll stick with only the 1984 first film in the series to keep this post short (well, shorter). If you haven't seen it (It is on cable constantly! How could you not?), then let me explain it quickly. The first film in the series is a straight forward story about two characters. The main character is a teenage boy named Daniel who moves clear across the country from New Jersey to California. In his new school, Daniel has trouble making friends being bullied by a group of kids from the same karate dojo, the Cobra Kais. The second character is a handyman martial arts master named Mr. Miyagi who agrees to teach Karate to Daniel to help him with his bullying issues. While teaching Karate, Miyagi demonstrates that there is more to the martial art than fighting. He taught Daniel many concepts for better living: the main one being balance. After Daniel learns to block, his next lesson is to learn to balance his body. Daniel is eager to learn to punch, but to quell Daniel’s eagerness Miyagi dispatches this wisdom, “Better learn balance. Balance is key. Balance good, karate good. Everything good. Balance bad, better pack up, go home.” Daniel learns to keep his body balanced for his karate moves to efficient and effective without giving his opponents opportunity. Later, the night before the karate tournament Daniel admits his nervous and scared, Miyagi helps Daniel see the bigger picture by saying, “Remember lesson about balance? Lesson not just karate only. Lesson for whole life. Whole life have a balance. Everything be better.” Daniel gets it at the end of the movie after he is hurt in the tournament, he is given the option to forfeit the final match. Miyagi feels Daniel has proved himself to win respect from the bullies going further than anyone expected. Daniel sees the injury and forfeit as the Cobra Kais getting a cheap out. He explains to Miyagi that forfeiting won't give him the balance between himself and the Cobra Kais, nor with himself and his girlfriend, Ally, who is a friend of the Cobra Kais. He has to finish the fight. Win or lose, it would show he is not going to let anything keep him down. That warrior mentality along with his prowess as a karate student is something the Cobra Kais will respect. Balance is the key for everyday living. For diet, you have your "balanced breakfast". You should have three "square" meals a day. Of course, there are other moderate diet options with snacking through out the day, 5 small meals, etc. Your workday and home life needs to be balanced to keep both your employer and family happy. Your body needs to be balanced to stay upright. Your body weight and muscles needs to be balanced to avoid back problems. I see this balance lesson at Toastmasters as well. A Toastmasters participation in meetings should have a balance. There are several different roles, each with their own specific lessons. Prepared speeches teach you how to prepare and formulate a speech. Table Topics teaches you to think on your feet. Speech evaluator teaches you to give encouraging feedback. The leadership roles teach you organization, scheduling, problem solving, coaching, listening, improvisation, and encouragement. To get the full benefits from Toastmasters you need to experience each role. Your Toastmasters experience needs to have a balance. Your whole life needs to have a balance. Weigh things to compare, contrast, and compromise. Use moderation in all things to avoid extremes. Find the light and the dark, then understand where the grey is. [SPOILERS Over] My Main Quest and Mission: My mission is to be the best Jedi I can be. My main quest is always to enhance my overall health, fitness, and knowledge to be prepared for whatever challenges life could throw at me. As a Jedi, I need to be able to help people, whether that is a life threatening situation or just a charitable one. There is no boss level in Jedi training, there is only tomorrow. World 4 Level 5 Challenge: FITNESS: Cardio: Speed and Stamina - 320 min total, 80 weekly. STA +1, DEX +1 Walking: Fortify the Spine - 720 min total, 180 weekly. Updating to challenge current routine. STR +1 Exercise: Lifting and Bodyweight - 320 min total, 80 weekly. Adding a nightly exercise routine. STR +1, STA +1 Flexibility: Stretching and Physical Therapy - 560 min total, 140 weekly. DEX +1, STR +1 Karate: Training and Practice - 880 min total, 220 weekly. Adding nightly karate practice with family. DEX +1, STA +1 DIET: Weight Control - Track weight. Complete measurements before or during Week 1 and again during or after Week 4. Watch portions and make healthy choices for 24 of 28 days. Track lunch portions for 24 of 28 days. Track "fasting" after dinner nightly for 24 of 28 days. Keep on cutting out the crap. CON +4 LIFE: Get Stuff Done - Complete 60 Hours of various Chores and Maintenance, with at least 15 hours each week (reducing for the school year as I need time to help the kids with homework). Chores and Maintenance are the following areas (goal hours for challenge Dishes (10) Laundry (8) Cooking/Cleaning/Dusting/Vacuuming/Trash/Other (20) Yard Work (4) Animal Care (32) Home Renovation and Auto Maintenance (8) WIS +1, CHA +1 INCENTIVES! Working hard for CASH! ($107.25 carried over) REWARD: For each week in which I complete 20 or more hours of Chores and Maintenance, I will put aside $10 to spend how I see fit. CONSEQUENCE: For any week where I complete less than 15 hours, I will give up $10 of saved cash. REWARD: $5 for each Personal Project hour (Epic Nerd Camp, Extra Life, Jedi website, VHS-to-DVD conversion project, etc) CONSEQUENCE : Lose $10 for each week without a Personal Project hour. REWARD: $50 for each completed IJRS lesson. MORE WRITING! STOP LOSING EASY MONEY! CONSEQUENCE: Lose $20 for each week without completing an IJRS lesson. REWARD: $1 for each night of fasting after dinner. Fruits and veggies allowed in small quantities, but no dessert or snacking. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $5 for each day without fasting. REWARD: $1 for each day with a small, healthy lunch. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $5 for each day without a small, healthy lunch. REWARD: $2 for each morning or night of brushing and flossing. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $2 for each morning or night I forget to floss. Lose $10 for NOT flossing for the full day. BONUSES: Life: $1 for each hour working on Jedi Training (mentoring, reading/writing, charity, meditation, IJRS lessons). $2 for each hour working on Toastmasters including meetings. $2 for healthy grocery shopping or healthy meal prep. $2 for each Home Renovation or Auto Maintenance hour. Workout: $5 for each cardio session over 30 min $10 for doubling any weekly minimum PUNISHMENT: Lose $10 each day with weight above 149.5 lbs. Lose $5 for eating more than 2 slices of pizza in any day. Lose $5 for each morning not weighing in.

Welcome back for another episode of The Exciting Adventures of JediNickD! It was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away that I joined this site and started my first challenge.. World 1 was my first extended stay through 22 challenges. I took a hiatus from NF and came back with a new direction for my goals where I warped to World 2, which I defeated in a Boss Fight slaying some mighty big goals. In World 3, I continue to develop my fitness, getting my body in the best shape of my life, even with the Degenerative Disc Disease, Arthritis, Disc Fissures, and more. Through physical therapy exercises and karate, I have maintained my core and back muscles to ease the pressure off my spine, but in the end I defeated World 3 by transforming my life into a new form. With chiropractic care for my spine, hitting the high ranks at karate, starting the new Toastmasters program called Pathways, and working to complete my Novice training at IJRS, World 4 feels like something new everyday. I just keep on L-I-V-I-N, fight the good (and healthy) fight, and level up my life! Challenge Lesson: "Hope is like the sun. If you only believe it when you see it you'll never make it through the night." Hope is something which comes and goes. Like motivation. Or passion. Or love. Each of these need attention to be maintained or it will fade with time. Motivation needs to be refreshed. Passion needs to be re-energized. Love needs to be nurtured. Hope needs to held close to the heart. Hope is attached to these other concepts (motivation, passion, love) as well as others, like dreams, beliefs, etc. Hope is a theme in The Last Jedi and will lead to the epic conclusion in Episode IX. In health and fitness, hope is part of our goals. We hope to our plans work out and we meet our goals moving closer to our dreams... When things go off the rails, our goals are obstructed or appear to be out of reach, those are the moments when hope is most important. It has to be held onto through those moments, return with you to the drawing board, and make it to a positive achievement. Hope in something better is what can get us back up after a failure. If we let even a little hope go, then it can all slip through like sand in your hands. Maintaining hope is best done with priorities. We prioritize our lives by what matters to us. Most of us would say that family is our number one priority. Tie your hope for your goal to your number one priority, then it will never fade. My hope is to be a Jedi who influences the world to make it a better place for my children and their children to inherit. That drives me to coach, mentor, and teach others. It drives me to make changes in my life to be a proper role model for everyone who may look up to me. Another hope I have is to maintain a healthy body so that I can take care of my family, and give them as much joy and happiness as I am able. My back injury made me grumpy and sedentary due to pain and discomfort. I committed myself to fixing it. Part of that was financially through doctor visits, physical therapy, chiropractic care, and a spinal injection. The other part is making changes in my daily life to correct poor posture and spinal issues through exercise, diet, and better sitting practices. Hope is your life line. Without hope, your life may be lost. Keep that life line strong with prioritization. With hope, you will always be rescued. My Main Quest and Mission: My mission is to be the best Jedi I can be. My main quest is always to enhance my overall health, fitness, and knowledge to be prepared for whatever challenges life could throw at me. As a Jedi, I need to be able to help people, whether that is a life threatening situation or just a charitable one. There is no boss level in Jedi training, there is only tomorrow. World 4 Level 4 Challenge: FITNESS: Cardio: Speed and Stamina - 320 min total, 80 weekly. STA +1, DEX +1 Walking: Fortify the Spine - 600 min total, 150 weekly STR +1 Exercise: Lifting and Bodyweight - 240 min total, 60 weekly. STR +1, STA +1 Flexibility: Stretching and Physical Therapy - 560 min total, 140 weekly. DEX +1, STR +1 Karate: Training and Practice - 800 min total, 200 weekly. DEX +1, STA +1 DIET: Weight Control - Track weight. Complete measurements before or during Week 1 and again during or after Week 4. Watch portions and make healthy choices for 24 of 28 days. Track lunch portions for 24 of 28 days. Track "fasting" after dinner nightly for 24 of 28 days. Cut out the crap. Eat salads, not burritos. Eat fruit, not cookies. Eat carrots, not Cheez-Itz. Eat less, not more. TURN UP THE HEAT! TURN DOWN THE EAT! CON +4 LIFE: Get Stuff Done - Complete 60 Hours of various Chores and Maintenance, with at least 15 hours each week (reducing for the school year as I need time to help the kids with homework). Chores and Maintenance are the following areas (goal hours for challenge Dishes (10) Laundry (8) Cooking/Cleaning/Dusting/Vacuuming/Trash/Other (20) Yard Work (4) Animal Care (32) Home Renovation and Auto Maintenance (8) WIS +1, CHA +1 INCENTIVES! Working hard for CASH! ($294.35 carried over) REWARD: For each week in which I complete 17 or more hours of Chores and Maintenance, I will put aside $10 to spend how I see fit. CONSEQUENCE: For any week where I complete less than 15 hours, I will give up $10 of saved cash. REWARD: $5 for each Personal Project hour (Epic Nerd Camp, Extra Life, Jedi website, VHS-to-DVD conversion project, etc) CONSEQUENCE : Lose $10 for each week without a Personal Project hour. REWARD: $50 for each completed IJRS lesson. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $20 for each week without completing an IJRS lesson. REWARD: $1 for each night of fasting after dinner. Fruits and veggies allowed in small quantities, but no dessert or snacking. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $5 for each day without fasting. REWARD: $1 for each day with a small, healthy lunch. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $5 for each day without a small, healthy lunch. REWARD: $2 for each morning or night of brushing and flossing. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $2 for each morning or night I forget to floss. Lose $10 for NOT flossing for the full day. BONUSES: Life: $1 for each hour working on Jedi Training (mentoring, reading/writing, charity, meditation, IJRS lessons). $2 for each hour working on Toastmasters including meetings. $2 for healthy grocery shopping or healthy meal prep. $2 for each Home Renovation or Auto Maintenance hour. Workout: $5 for each cardio session over 30 min $10 for doubling any weekly minimum PUNISHMENT: Lose $10 each day with weight above 149.5 lbs. Lose $5 for eating more than 2 slices of pizza in any day. Lose $5 for each morning not weighing in.

Welcome back for another episode of The Exciting Adventures of JediNickD! It was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away that I joined this site and started my first challenge.. World 1 was my first extended stay through 22 challenges. I took a hiatus from NF and came back with a new direction for my goals where I warped to World 2, which I defeated in a Boss Fight slaying some mighty big goals. In World 3, I continue to develop my fitness, getting my body in the best shape of my life, even with the Degenerative Disc Disease, Arthritis, Disc Fissures, and more. Through physical therapy exercises and karate, I have maintained my core and back muscles to ease the pressure off my spine, but in the end I defeated World 3 by transforming my life into a new form. With chiropractic care for my spine, hitting the high ranks at karate, starting the new Toastmasters program called Pathways, and working to complete my Novice training at IJRS, World 4 feels like something new everyday. I just keep on L-I-V-I-N, fight the good (and healthy) fight, and level up my life! Challenge Lesson: "This is NOT going to go the way you think!" - Luke Skywalker, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi {I avoided spoilers this time!} We can plan and schedule everything in life. We can make assumptions, predictions, and estimations. We can set expectations high or low. None of it may amount to a hill of beans. There are always outside factors, randomness, errors, and poor judgement to throw any perfect plan off track. For each of these, we just reset, re-plan, reschedule, and go again. But nothing every goes exactly how we think. Worrying about it, getting frustrated with it, or crying about it is a waste of time and energy. It is a waste of life. Killing time is not murder, it's suicide. In this spirit, I decided to focus on a few items in different ways for this challenge. Chores and Maintenance I have a lot of control over my time. Others Life Categories are effected by how my free time gets chewed up or manipulated by outside factors. Instead, I'll have those tie into my incentives to push me more in those areas. I upped the stakes on my IJRS Lessons. There have been a lot of things keeping me from doing that, most of it on my shoulders for not making it a priority over other things. After Epic Nerd Camp, it'll be time to get it done. The things I prioritized over it, namely Toastmasters, needs to take a backseat for a bit. My evening Toastmasters club may be folding in September. It just has not gone well. I could go on and on about the new Toastmasters education program and it's online platform, but I already vented about it in an email to another Toastmaster. I feel it has a direct correlation with all of my clubs recent struggles with member retention and recruitment. Even I am having difficulty using it, which just shows how poor the user interface and program design is. My Main Quest and Mission: My mission is to be the best Jedi I can be. My main quest is always to enhance my overall health, fitness, and knowledge to be prepared for whatever challenges life could throw at me. As a Jedi, I need to be able to help people, whether that is a life threatening situation or just a charitable one. There is no boss level in Jedi training, there is only tomorrow. World 4 Level 3 Challenge: FITNESS: Cardio: Speed and Stamina - 320 min total, 80 weekly. STA +1, DEX +1 Walking: Fortify the Spine - 600 min total, 150 weekly STR +1 Exercise: Lifting and Bodyweight - 240 min total, 60 weekly. STR +1, STA +1 Flexibility: Stretching and Physical Therapy - 560 min total, 140 weekly. DEX +1, STR +1 Karate: Training and Practice - 800 min total, 200 weekly. DEX +1, STA +1 DIET: Weight Control - Track weight. Complete measurements before or during Week 1 and again during or after Week 4. Watch portions and make healthy choices for 24 of 28 days. Track lunch portions for 24 of 28 days. Track "fasting" after dinner nightly for 24 of 28 days. TURN UP THE HEAT! CON +4 LIFE: Get Stuff Done - Complete 80 Hours of various Chores and Maintenance, with at least 20 hours each week. Chores and Maintenance are the following areas (goal hours for challenge Dishes (10) Laundry (8) Cleaning/Dusting/Vacuuming/Trash/Other (20) Yard Work (4) Animal Care (32) Home Renovation and Auto Maintenance (8) WIS +1, CHA +1 INCENTIVES! Working hard for CASH! ($257.20 carried over) REWARD: For each week in which I complete 20 or more hours of Chores and Maintenance, I will put aside $10 to spend how I see fit. CONSEQUENCE: For any week where I complete less than 20 hours, I will give up $10 of saved cash. REWARD: $5 for each Personal Project hour (Epic Nerd Camp, Extra Life, Jedi website, VHS-to-DVD conversion project, etc) CONSEQUENCE : Lose $10 for each week without a Personal Project hour. REWARD: $50 for each completed IJRS lesson. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $10 for each week without completing an IJRS lesson. REWARD: $1 for each night of fasting after dinner. Fruits and veggies allowed in small quantities, but no dessert or snacking. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $2 for each day without fasting. REWARD: $1 for each day with a small, healthy lunch. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $2 for each day without a small, healthy lunch. REWARD: $1 for each morning or night of brushing and flossing. $0 for just brushing. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $1 for each morning or night I forget to floss. Lose $2 for NOT flossing for the full day. BONUSES: Life: $1 for each hour working on Jedi Training (mentoring, reading/writing, charity, meditation, IJRS lessons). $2 for each hour working on Toastmasters including meetings. $2 for healthy grocery shopping or healthy meal prep. $2 for each Home Renovation or Auto Maintenance hour. Workout: $5 for each cardio session over 30 min $10 for doubling any weekly minimum PUNISHMENT: Lose $10 each day with weight above 150.0 lbs. Lose $5 for eating more than 2 slices of pizza in any day. Lose $5 for each morning not weighing in.

Welcome back for another episode of The Exciting Adventures of JediNickD! It was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away that I joined this site and started my first challenge.. World 1 was my first extended stay through 22 challenges. I took a hiatus from NF and came back with a new direction for my goals where I warped to World 2, which I defeated in a Boss Fight slaying some mighty big goals. In World 3, I continue to develop my fitness, getting my body in the best shape of my life, even with the Degenerative Disc Disease, Arthritis, Disc Fissures, and a crooked spine causing nerve root irritation and pain in my back, hip, legs, neck, and shoulders. Through physical therapy exercises and karate, I have maintained my core and back muscles to ease the pressure off my spine, but in the end I defeated World 3 by transforming my life into a new form. With Chiropractor, Back Pain Injection, Purple Senior, starting the new Toastmasters program called Pathways, a new Toastmasters year with less club leadership responsibility (I need to stop carrying clubs on my back to reduce my stress levels), and working to complete my Novice training at IJRS, this next challenge is going to feel like a new world. I'm not planning to relive my youth by playing rugby or football again, but I'm not giving up hope on the possibility of achieving other amazing fitness goals... Rebellions are built on HOPE! I'm just going to keep on L-I-V-I-N, fight the good (and healthy) fight, and level up my life! Challenge Lesson: "The Greatest Teacher, Failure Is" - Yoda, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi {The Last Jedi spoilers below} Before viewing "The Last Jedi", many thought Luke would act as Rey's Yoda, dispensing incredible wisdom to the young padawan and train her to be a Jedi knight, making "The Last Jedi" a parallel to "Empire Strikes Back", which it is in many ways and even parallels "Return of the Jedi" in some instances. Instead of Jedi Knight training and memorable philosophical quotes, we get, as one might expect from someone who voluntarily exiled themselves over a traumatic experience which may have doomed the galaxy, a damaged and defeated Jedi Master Luke refuses to teach Rey because he failed in teaching Ben Solo and failed to protect his other students. His failure was not necessarily against Ben or the dark side of the Force. His failure is against fear. In the scene described above, Luke goes to "burn it all down". He is driven to do this through fear of what he and future Jedi would lose should they be trained to oppose the dark side, which is the true Jedi calling. He is ashamed again for acting impulsively, as he did when he ignited his lightsaber to strike down Ben Solo while he slept. Then Yoda invokes the lightning to "burn it all down". It ends up being symbolic as Rey took the ancient Jedi texts. The entire scene and exchange with Yoda boil down to Yoda extending one of the first lessons he bestowed on Luke. Yoda says, "Skywalker, still looking to the horizon. Never here, now, hmm? The need in front of your nose," which is the same lesson from Empire Strikes Back where Yoda says, "This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing." Luke's greatest failure has always been that he is reckless in the moment. He looks at what might be and allows it to cloud his judgement in the moment. Yoda explains that Luke's failure needs to be taught to the student, as failure is the best teacher. Until this part of the film, through Luke's entire life, he never learns from this failure and it is left unclear if he does, but it is assumed by the viewer. His sacrifice at the end is intended to be the spark for a new generation of Jedi and Resistance. The film ends with it unclear if Luke learns from his failure and will part the knowledge on to Rey or other Jedi, except for a hint of a return in what he says to Kylo Ren, but I'm leaving that for another lesson. The lesson today is not Luke's lesson (been there, done that), but that of learning from failure. I'm sure I've been there and done that too, and I'm sure anyone reading this has too. Nerd Fitness creator Steve Kamb writes about it constantly. There are numberous quotes with the sentiment. He's a Google Image search for quotes on the subject: One of my favorites is from Batman: "Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up." There is so much more to learn from a failure than a success. First, you learn perseverance and determination. Second, you learn how NOT to be successful. The list can go on and on. Maybe later I can write some more. My Main Quest and Mission: My mission is to be the best Jedi I can be. My main quest is always to enhance my overall health, fitness, and knowledge to be prepared for whatever challenges life could throw at me. As a Jedi, I need to be able to help people, whether that is a life threatening situation or just a charitable one. There is no boss level in Jedi training, there is only tomorrow. World 4 Level 1 Challenge: FITNESS: Cardio: Speed and Stamina - 240 min total, 60 weekly. DEX +1, STA +1 Walking: Fortify the Spine - 600 min total, 150 weekly STR +1 Exercise: Lifting and Bodyweight - 240 min total, 60 weekly. STR +1, STA +1 Flexibility: Stretching and Physical Therapy - 560 min total, 140 weekly. STR +1, DEX +1 Karate: Training and Practice - 720 min total, 150 weekly. (120 min for Karate test on May 27th) DEX +1, STA +1 DIET: Weight Control - Track weight. Complete measurements before or during Week 1 and again during or after Week 4. Watch portions and make healthy choices for 24 of 28 days. Track lunch portions. Track "fasting" after dinner nightly. CON +2 LIFE: Get Stuff Done - Complete 220 Hours of various Tasks or Projects, with at least 55 hours each week. Tasks and Projects are the following areas (goal hours for challenge): Toastmasters Communication Practice (8) Leadership Practice (16) Speech and Training Development (4) Jedi Training Padawan Training and Mentoring Others (10) Reading and Writing (18) Meditation and Reflection (7) Completing IJRS Lessons (1) Church and Charity Work (13) Personal Projects (12) Chores and Maintenance Dishes (7) Laundry (8) Cleaning/Dusting/Vacuuming/Trash/Other (26) Yard Work (4) Animal Care (32) Home Renovation and Auto Maintenance (12) Happiness Self Preservation (23) [includes hot tub, doctor and dentist visits, video games, or anything else I do just for my own sanity or health] Family Activities (16) Adventuring (8) WIS +2, CHA +2 INCENTIVES! Working hard for CASH! ($138 carried over) REWARD 1: For each week in which I complete 60 or more hours of Tasks or Projects, I will put aside $10 to spend how I see fit. CONSEQUENCE 1: For any week where I complete less than 55 hours, I will give up $10 of saved cash. REWARD 2: $5 for each Personal Project hour: write/plan/record a 2018 Extra Life Kickoff Video get involved in Extra Life Baltimore Guild draw up plan for Jedi website VHS-to-DVD conversion project CONSEQUENCE 2: Lose $10 for each week without a Personal Project hour. REWARD 3: $1 for each hour working on Jedi Training lessons. $10 for each completed IJRS lesson. Need to get back to the formal training at IJRS. CONSEQUENCE 3: Lose $5 for each week without working on a Jedi Training lesson. REWARD 4: $1 for each night of fasting after dinner. Fruits and veggies allowed in small quantities, but no dessert or snacking. CONSEQUENCE 4: Lose $2 for each day without fasting. REWARD 5: $1 for each day with a small, healthy lunch. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $2 for each day without a small, healthy lunch. REWARD 6: $1 for each night I brush and floss before bed. $0 for just brushing. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $1 for each night I forget to brush. Lose $2 for voluntarily skipping brushing. BONUSES: Life: $2 for healthy grocery shopping $2 for healthy meal prep $2 for each Home Renovation and Auto Maintenance task. Workout: $2 for each cardio session over 25 min $10 for doubling any weekly minimum PUNISHMENT: Lose $10 each day with weight above 151.5 lbs. Lose $5 for eating more than 2 slices of pizza in any meal. Lose $5 for not weighing in each morning

Welcome back for another episode of The Exciting Adventures of JediNickD! It was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away that I joined this site and started my first challenge.. World 1 was my first extended stay through 22 challenges. I took a hiatus from NF and came back with a new direction for my goals where I warped to World 2, which I defeated in a Boss Fight slaying some mighty big goals. In World 3, I continue to develop my fitness, getting my body in the best shape of my life, even with the Degenerative Disc Disease, Arthritis, Disc Fissures, and a crooked spine causing nerve root irritation and pain in my back, hip, legs, neck, and shoulders. Through physical therapy exercises and karate, I maintain my core and back muscles to ease the pressure off my spine. I'm not planning to be playing rugby or football again in this lifetime, but I'm not giving up hope on the possibility either... Rebellions are built on HOPE! I'm just going to keep on L-I-V-I-N, fight the good (and healthy) fight, and level up my life! Challenge Lesson: Maz Kanata: Dear child. I see your eyes. You already know the truth. Whomever you're waiting for on Jakku... they're never coming back... But... there's someone who still could. Rey: Luke. Maz Kanata: The belonging you seek is not behind you... it is ahead. I am no Jedi, but I know the Force. It moves through and surrounds every living thing. Close your eyes... Feel it... The light... it's always been there. It will guide you. The saber. Take it. Rey: I'm never touching that thing again. I don't want any part of this. Life will present you with situations which are difficult. Like Finn running from the First Order, you will want to run away from it all. Like Rey, after the horrifying Force Vision, you will want no part in it. Whether you are afraid for yourself or others or whether you just want to stay in your comfort zone, you will find regret in your inaction. Through avoidance and denial, humans tend to lock themselves to behavior and habits which become overwhelming and appear inescapable. Maybe it is a dead end job too difficult to leave, or a family situation too sensitive to handle, or maybe an addiction or habit that is easier to dismiss as inconsequential rather than really seeing the effects it has on yourself or others. Instead of seeing the difficulty, look at it as if life is presenting you an opportunity to challenge yourself and to grow. Growing does not stop when we reach adulthood. Growth can happen every day. You just have to seize the opportunity. The Past is a history lesson from which to learn. The Future is undetermined and can be whatever you choose to make it. The Present is your opportunity to apply the Past to make a brighter Future. It is a gift to be opened every moment. Do not wait for a special occasion. My Main Quest and Mission: My mission is to be the best Jedi I can be. My main quest is always to enhance my overall health, fitness, and knowledge to be prepared for whatever challenges life could throw at me. As a Jedi, I need to be able to help people, whether that is a life threatening situation or just a charitable one. There is no boss level in Jedi training, there is only tomorrow. World 3 Level 12 Challenge: FITNESS: Cardio: Speed and Stamina - 240 min total, 60 weekly. DEX +1, STA +1 Exercise: Lifting and Bodyweight - 320 min total, 80 weekly. STR +1 Flexibility: Stretching and Physical Therapy - 480 min total, 120 weekly. STR +1, DEX +1 Karate: Training and Practice - 600 min total, 150 weekly. STR +1, DEX +1, STA +1 DIET: Weight Control - Track weight. Complete measurements before or during Week 1 and again during or after Week 4. Watch portions and make healthy choices for 24 of 28 days. Track lunch portions, especially. Track "fasting" after dinner nightly. CON +2 LIFE: Get Stuff Done - Complete (or dedicate at least one hour to) 300 Tasks or Projects, with at least 75 each week, from any of the following areas (minimum for challenge): Toastmasters Communication Practice (8), Toastmasters Leadership Practice (12), Toastmasters Speech and Training Development (8), Mentoring (10), Charity Work (10), Jedi Training (8), Self Preservation (24), Reading (24), Church Work (8), Job Work (20), Business Projects (12), Dishes (20), Laundry (16), Cleaning/Dusting/Vacuuming (24), Other Chores (24), Yard Work (8), Animal Care (60), Home Renovation (6), Auto Maintenance (6), Family Activities (12), Adventuring (6). WIS +3, CHA +2 INCENTIVES! Working hard for CASH! ($207 carried over) REWARD 1: For each week, I complete 80 or more tasks, I will put aside $10 to spend how I see fit. CONSEQUENCE 1: For any week where I complete less than 75 tasks, I will give up $10 of saved cash. REWARD 2: $5 for each Business Project hour: write/plan/record a 2018 Extra Life Kickoff Video get involved in Extra Life Baltimore Guild revisit Wizard Laser Tag (look into Recoil game app and tech) for Epic Nerd Camp draw up plan for Jedi website VHS-to-DVD conversion CONSEQUENCE 2: Lose $10 for each week without a Business Project hour. REWARD 3: $1 for each hour working on Jedi Training lessons. $10 for each completed IJRS lesson. Need to get back to the formal training at IJRS. CONSEQUENCE 3: Lose $5 for each week without working on a Jedi Training lesson. REWARD 4: $1 for each night of fasting after dinner. Fruits and veggies allowed in small quantities, but no dessert or snacking. CONSEQUENCE 4: Lose $2 for each day without fasting. REWARD 5: $1 for each day with a small, healthy lunch. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $2 for each day without a small, healthy lunch. REWARD 6: $1 for each night I brush and floss before bed. $0 for just brushing. CONSEQUENCE: Lose $1 for each night I forget to brush. Lose $2 for voluntarily skipping brushing. BONUSES: Life: $2 for healthy grocery shopping $2 for healthy meal prep $2 for each Home Renovation and Auto Maintenance task. Workout: $2 for each cardio session over 25 min $10 for doubling any weekly minimum PUNISHMENT: Lose $10 each day with weight above 151.5 lbs. Lose $5 for eating more than 2 slices of pizza in any meal. Lose $1 for each night I skip tooth brushing Upgraded to Reward 6 Lose $5 for not weighing in each morning

Hey guys about 2 years ago I was in a car accident and I've had back pain since then. We recently found out it was an "extruding disc" that has become large and inflamed. I'm taking cortisone shots to help it out but I need some advise on exercising. I have been given a list of some stretches to help out but I also really want and need to lose wight to help with my GERD and hopefully any other issues I may be having. I noticed that walking (or being on my feet for extended periods in general), lifting, and bending over cause some pain. I have one of those stationary bikes that works arms and legs but I'm afraid that I might mess up and just make my condition worse. Does anyone know any good exercises that could help?

In the last months I have been pretty much absent from the forums. I participated relatively frequently in the Facebook group, though. But after achieving my goal of 85 kg in November or so, I was absolutely clueless where to go next. I want to make sport/fitness a more active part of my life, but I'm unsure in which way. Right now I'm bouncing between 88 kg and 90 kg. That's okay; my size M shirts still fit nice nicely and I feel good. But I'd like to get back below 85 kg. And about five weeks ago I started to have back problems again. When I was on a walk with my girlfirend the pain in my bach became so bad that I almost collapsed. Right now it's okay, but I still feel it in the morning and when squating. I have a new prescription for physical therapy and I have four sessions to come. Anything else that happend or is relevant I will tell along the way. But feel free to ask things. Now, on to the challenge! I am ABSOLUTELY HOOKED by The Legend of Zelda -- Breath Of The Wild. I finished the main story two weeks after the launch, but I still play once or twice per week for a couple of hours. I have completed the game for about 25%, so there are still many things to do. Because of that, I will probably do Zelda-themed challenges for the rest of the year. With this it will be easier to fit the theme to the challenge rather than the other way around. (It also helps with getting attention here in the forums.) MILD BREATH OF THE WILD SPOILERS AHEAD! NO STORY SPOILERS! . .. ... .... ..... In order to "celebrate" my respawn I will do a Breath-Of-The-Wild challenge, since the whole game is basically a respawn for Link. And the main mechanic of the game is to collect stuff. So my goal is: Focussing on the same categories of items as Link! Swords Rule of 3: Plan to do three things every workday and then do them. In order to attack my enemies, I might not need the best weapon, but a very good strategy. So I will plan for three things to do the next day, mostly at work, and then I will do them no matter what. Additionally, I will be content when I finished my three tasks. Even when "should do" more. Shields Go running twice a week. A good defense will prevent me from harm. And shields are an active way defending myself. Therefore I will build my stamina by going for a run twice a week. It will usually be for about 30 minutes. The main focus here will be to get out in my running clothes, even when I feel bad/sick/tired and only walk around the block. Bows Do back exercises three times a week. The most important skill for surviving the dangers in Hyrule is snipping everything wtih an arrow. (At least, the way I plax it.) To do so I need a strong back and strong shoulders. So I will do my back exercises three times a week. I'm not sure yet which exercises I want to do. But I plan for 20 to 30 minutes per session. Nothing intense, more focus on movement, mobilisation and stretching. Armour Walk at least 8000 steps six times a week. Just like shields, my armour protects me. But it does so passively. So I will do a fundamental "movement diet" (cf. Katy Bowman) of walking a lot. I usually get 6000 steps done, except on Sundays. So this will be rather easy. But I want to step it up in the next challenge. (Pun intended.) Resources Track all "unregular" expenses. The single most important thing for surviving in Hyrule is to find lots of recsources and to plan ahead how to use them. As I struggle a lot with my money, I want to track it while thinking about a plan on how to budget reasonably. I'm soing this for three weeks now, so no "real" challenge there. Meals No sweets and no alcohol six times a week. Keeping many healthy meals on you when you fight Guardians and those fricking silver lynels is super important. The focus lies, of course, on "healthy". I'm more or less satisfied with my diet, but I have to cut back sweets. At least in the first iteration. And, even though I have no problem drinking two beers in front of the TV each night, I don't want to do this regularly. So, for the next four weeks at least I go cold turkey. Key items Write something positive every day in the Academy Facebook group. Finding a key item usually means that you will have to use it later, but for a very specific purpose. About a month ago I started to write a one-liner on the Facebook group. The main reason is that our rebel leader Steve told me that people active in the group tend to do better with their quests. So I wanted to participate in a low-effort way. I'm still unsure how I want to proceed with that. So, in order to try something, I will only write about positive things, focussing on gratitute and mindfulness. I might complanin and whine in additional posts.

Honestly, not a very theme-intensive challenge. But I want to be fit enough to take on anything…even fighting ghosts! Plus I whiffed on my mileage goal last time, and it’s “haunting” me. Some of you will remember, I'm having some problems with lower back pain...I'm continuing to work on this. 1. Run 88 miles. I had to downscale this goal last time, so now I’m gunning for it. In a moderate, controlled PT-friendly way (this is relatively low mileage for me, but it’s what I think my back can handle). 2. 200 pushups. but here’s the trick to keep me from procrastinating…they have to be in sets of at least 2 during week 1, 3 during week 2, 4 during week 3, 5 during week 4. Goal is easier if I get a lot of these in early in the challenge. 3. Multipass: This is a “do all the things” goal. In the summer, there are so many things I want to do, and I get frustrated if healthy things I want to do don’t “count” toward my goals….so I’m counting any non-running exercise, and special running workouts. “silver medal” for 7 points per week. “gold medal” for 10 pts/week. Examples: Half Point: PT exercises, 7 minute workout, 5x30 s added “strides” at end of normal run, short (10-15 min) yoga, Darebee Daily Dare. Full Point: Yoga video or class, lifting at gym, paddleboarding, hill workout (5-6 repeats high intensity), track workout, 10+ mile run. Two points: 3+ hour hike. 4. The Internets: Work on my website at least an hour per week. Can “bank” one hour from zero week. ** Sort of bonus goal (not sure I want to stick with this the whole time): count calories. I’ve been doing this for a little over a week. Aiming to stay under 2000* each day. It’s mostly involved batch cooking, measuring portions, and not eating crap. Particularly tricky not too eat too much in social situations. All stuff I already know, but putting actual numbers on it has been interesting. (*2000 isn’t a particularly aggressive goal, but is a sort of test in itself. Online calculators suggest that if I’m exercising intensely I need 2300-2400 per day for maintenance. In theory I should slowly lose at 2000. Will see how that works).

G'day! A West-Aussie here, and massive metal-head (I endeavour to name each of my challenges after a metal band) and most certainly a nerd. I recently finished my Bachelor of Games Design and am looking forward to paving a career in video game development. I do love my movies (every sort) and my books (I will admit I haven't and don't read alot, but it is one of the things that I really wish I did) and table-top gaming is a big favourite of mine. I have lost about 20kg(~45lbs) over the last year, and am ultimately looking to lose that amount again over the next year, which is certainly negotiable as I would like to put some more muscle on, which would offset some of that weight. I discovered this wonderful community a couple of years ago, thanks to my sister Rachy87. Last year I was rather absent from the community, but I still pushed myself ahead and lost that 20kg. This year I want to be more involved, more focused and go that extra distance. At the age of 25 now, I have weight to lose and muscle to gain. These are my current goals and aim at getting my health in check. Later down the road I will look to strength, speed and aesthetic goals, but health is more important at the moment. I am still in Act I right now! Current Stats: H: 182cm (6"0') W: 90kg (200lbs) (I always do my best to include conversions, because I know that there are many fellow Rebels that are used to different units, but always keep in mind that these are rough conversions I do mentally) I bought a FitBit last year, and it's tracking certainly held me accountable for what I was doing, and as a gamer I was determined to keep getting better and earning those badges! I will incorporate my FitBit and it's tracking into my goals where appropriate and possible. Right now I have back issues, this is related to my pelvis tilt/spine curvature, and am fixing this with regular visits to the physio. I have mostly sorted this now, but I am still in pain everyday. The reason I mention this is because it will effect my goals and how I go about achieving them. Health is the priority, so goals will be down-tuned as necessitated. Main Quest: A Funeral Mist It feels as though years ago I cast off on a journey to escape Sodom, pass through the badlands and descend into the caverns of hell and further onwards to the cesspools of the deepest corners of Hell. A hard earned and tiresome journey it felt. And yet it was just my mind casting off and dreaming about it. As of late I have been doing some real travelling, been truly trying hard and have been looking to escape these walls. A funeral mist now lays upon those thoughts of escape, as I now realise the true journey ahead of me. My mind reborn into the present, I seek to pave the way out of here, and truly pass over the badlands, this time not some fantasy or dream. My pained back being the most likely source of contention out of here, an injury too easily sustained in this madhouse we call Sodom. But still taking the reigns for myself and trying my hand at a better existence is a true testament to my will and conviction. I think back to those dreams of the caverns and what felt like a dragon's force pushing me forward, this is what keeps me going and looking for a way out of here. This place is mayhem and I seek to escape it soon. I just need to get my footing and I will be out of here... Main Quest Objective Alpha: A Brick in the Wall I must journey through this city and find any gap in the walls, any lapse in the guard, any possible way out of here. Something I can aim for to escape. I will walk up and down these walls until I find it. Walking is the main focus of this goal. Keeping my fitness up while my back is injured is hard, but walking is good for it, and it helped me lose 20kg already. I can't walk for long periods of time, but if I aim to lots of shorter periods each day I can get there. I feel it might become complicated trying to track this intricately as I need to start and stop walking and sitting so much at the moment. So I think aiming for a step count on the FitBit is appropriate here. A: 9,000+ Average steps a day over the challenge period - the recommendation is 10,000 but I don't want to be needlessly pushing myself if it will make my back worse B: 7,000-8,999 Average steps a day - 7k is my current daily goal for my fit bit, so if I get it to go off every day, I know I will get a B on this one for sure C: 5,000-6,999 Average steps a day D: 3,500-4,999 Average steps a day - my current daily average is just below 3.5k, and I consider a D a less than average grade, so I feel this suits for making at least a small improvement F: <3,500 Average steps a day - this means I am actively doing less than I am now, which is the opposite of progress! Main Quest Objective Beta: Not the Rack My back causes me great pain throughout the days of searching for a way out, but I quarrel not, for it is not as though I had to suffer the rack, like many that live here. Although part of me wonders if a short time on it might just fix the issue, without going too extreme of course. As has been, and will continue to be, said, my back is causing me problems at the moment, and caused stagnation in my weight loss and fitness gain. It is under control and I have plenty of exercises to help with the pain, and to also help the problem. I am rather particular about making sure I get them done, but I am still a bit lax, and with going for a job interview today, there is a greater chance of me being distracted from doing them. So I want to spend this time focusing on getting all the exercises done every day. A: Don't miss a single day for my exercises AND do at least 2x the reps for each exercise - doing extra reps has been encouraged, and I generally do try to at least twice as much, so I feel confident about this one B: Don't miss more than 1 day over the whole challenge C: Don't miss any days during 3 or more weeks of the challenge (i.e. if I miss a single day, once a week for 3 of the weeks, it will count as a C) D: At least one full week, and no more than a total of 7 days missed over the whole challenge F: Anything outside of the D requirements Main Quest Objective Gamma: The Oncoming Thirst If there is one thing I know of the badlands, especially from my dreams before the funeral mist of my dream-self, is that it is hot and dry, and little water can be found out there. I must stock up if I am to travel to the obsidian gates. Dying of dehydration is a real threat, and a feeble way to go when I am trying so hard to escape this place. I have been getting lax in my water consumption, and in this Aussie heat you really notice it. I need to get back to a proper daily routine of drinking water, I won't lie you do feel better when you keep your fluids up (and when they aren't sugary fluids!). A: Average of 2.5L a day over this challenge - it is January and this is WA and I am expecting to get back into a fitness routine... ...if anything this may even be a bit low, but I think it foolish to consume too much B: Average of 2.1L a day C: Average of 1.8L a day - not quite to daily recommended average of 8 glasses, but a massive improvement and undoubtedly a great benchmark D: Average of 1.5L a day F: 3 or more days with less than 0.5L of water - this can fail me from an A. The point of this quest is consistency and habit, not just drinking big to make up the average Life Quest Objective: Knowledge is Power, Talk is Cheap If I am ever to get out of this place I am going to need the eyes and ears of others. But I will also need to ensure I know who I can talk to and when I can talk to them. I need everyone's knowledge, and to get that, conspicuously or not, I must talk to them. The more I chat, the more I will learn, and the better my chance at making it out of here. The more I learn about outside will be important too. I need to know what is really out there, and how to overcome what I find. Confidence is something I have always struggled with, and the desire to entire a career such as game development, especially as an indie developer, means I need to network. To network I need to talk. So I think for this challenge this will be my life goal. Communication, especially with people I don't know, don't know well, or haven't communicated with in a long time. Even it is a small amount, or even an un-reciprocated attempt on my behalf, it is something and it will work towards my confidence and ability to network. A: Small talk with someone I normally wouldn't 4+ times a week, every week B: Small talk with someone I normally wouldn't on average 2+ times a week C: Small talk with someone I normally wouldn't on average once a week D: Small talk with someone I normally wouldn't at least twice over the whole challenge F: One person over the whole challenge might be one person that I choose because I know they won't engage or some other excuse, 2 or more (for a D) means I am at least trying Time to start the real journey! The last 4 chapters were just a dream, not comes the real deal. Thanks for reading, thanks for any replies you leave, and good luck to all of you taking on challenges yourself! Cheers, -Radact

Hi all I'm Noor, the Halfling Assassin and wielder of arcane forces. If you have followed me for a while you may have read about my various exploits working to remove a curse where I spent time as a stone giant, along with my friend Sovellis. I have a tendency to add fiction into my challenges because it makes it more fun, but life has been so busy lately that I decided to take a break and to reground with some Druids I know. Now, I'm back and I am working to get healthy so I can return to sports I love like climbing and dancing. ACTing Assassin Quest: Main quest: reduce my body size by 4% a loss of 15.12 lbs Goal 1: Log all food using myfitnesspal, remaining under total calorie goal Goal 2: Eat primal consistently, whole 30 style (basically this is a whole 30 with dairy added in) Goal 3: In addition to my daily yoga for my back pain, I will work out on the elliptical machine daily, adding more time each week. I am going really really slow on this because I am so sedentary and my back is so painful if I am not careful, I want to give my muscles enough time to adjust and catch up. This is the planned schedule, which I can slow down by repeating a week if things go awry. 05 minutes - week 1 10 minutes - week 2 15 minutes - week 3 20 minutes - week 4 Lifestyle Goal: Complete the first 4 weeks of ACT bootcamp from The Weight Escape. ACT is the school of therapy that I use in my work as a psychologist. It is really more of a lifestyle and worldview than a series of techniques and I find that the more I focus on my values and on living in the now ( the two main tenets of ACT) the more I ma able to find joy and meaning in my life. The boot camp allows me to mindfully check in with my values and this particular series of exercises are tailored towards those of us who struggle with weight management, so it is ideal for me right now. I am not bothering with grading this time around, since NF is in the middle of implementing the new leveling system and I am not sure what that will look like yet. Expect intermittent fiction and hopefully daily status updates though! --'--,--@

I'm wildly unprepared for this challenge to start. Fortunately my goals are pretty much unchanged. Fitness goal 1: Boxing twice per week. This will be Wednesdays and Saturdays. Fitness goal 2: Rugby practice twice per week. Monday and Thursday Food goal: Eat breakfast at home 5/7 days. Level up my life goal: Figure out what steps need to go in my morning routine and then make it a habit so I stop being late for work. My overarching theme this year is to get fit enough that I can convince my wife it's okay for me to play rugby at 40 years old. I was just going to help out with the team but now that I've been to a few practices, I'm not sure I'm done playing. My wife has valid concerns because I have history of concussions. My partner in rugby crime thinks that if I lose a lot of weight and get in shape, my wife will be more comfortable with me playing. We'll see. About me: I'm a 40 year old female. I work in highway construction as an asphalt mix designer and materials inspector. My wife and I got legal married during the last challenge but we've been together for almost 8 years. We have 5 cats and 3 dogs in the house. Right now we have 1 garage cat who basically belongs to the whole neighborhood and another feral that I'm hoping to get tame enough to TNR. My nerdly pursuits involve all the basic nerdy tv shows, I read a lot, and I'm building a group for table top gaming. Happy challenge!

I jokingly told my partner that we were going to be the last gay couple in America to get legally married. The next day she said, "What are you doing December 5?" I said, "Uh, whatever" and she said, "Well that's when Phil can marry us." Ooooookay. She decided that we could pull together a wedding in just a few weeks. I didn't realize what that entailed. Basically, UPS throws up on our porch every day and we are single-handedly keeping Etsy going. Sadly, no TARDIS cake, although my friend Brandon is bringing a red velvet armadillo cake. Let's do a challenge! The last challenge was not so hot for me. I need some help to get back on track. I have a friend who is a Team Beach Body coach. She has always been super supportive of me, even though I'm not a paying client. I had decided some time ago that I would buy something through her at some point. Then she announced she has a challenge group starting 11-2 for the 21 Day Fix program. I thought, perfect timing. What the hell. About 21 Day Fix behind the spoiler Goals for this challenge: Goal 1) Boxing 3 times per week. I'm not quitting boxing just because I've got Autumn Calabrese on my DVD player. 3 times = A, 2 times = B, 1 time = C, 0 = F Goal 2) 21 Day Fix DVD workouts. These are daily workouts of 30 min each. They seem to be mostly intervals of body weight and light resistance exercises. 7 times = A, 6 times = B, 5 times = C, 4 times = D, <4 = F Goal 3) 21 Day Fix nutrition program. So for me I'm supposed to eat 6 veg, 4 fruit, 6 protein, 4 "carbs" (grains/potatoes), 1 nuts/cheese, 1 salad dressing, and 6 teaspoons of oil or seed/nut butters daily. If I'm hungry I can add additional veg portions. The break down is roughly 40:30:30 carbs, protein, fat. I know my body does really well on that breakdown but it's going to take a lot of planning and prep to make it work. I need to work out the grading here. Goal 4) Yoga. NF yoga twice per week. I'm having a ton of back pain right now. Hoping this will help. 2 per week = A, 1 per week = B, 0 per week = F So there it is. That's a pretty ambitious challenge after the summer I had but I'm feeling good and I'm ready to attack this thing. I will share some starting measurements once I get them. I'm also going to take one more round of Before pictures. Seriously, getting tired of Befores. And of course I will share the wedding pics!

Right now, my right, kinda top-ish, upperarm and middle back feel a bit sore in a sort of sickly, hurt way, and the rest of my body is still a little sore, too. I think it might be the result of trying to do bodyweight exercises and SS on two consecutive days. I wasn't thinking of bodyweight exercises as strength training, I was thinking of them as a way to keep my muscles active and my calories burning. Since I'm gonna be up until about 11:00 PM babysitting anyways and will have to get ready in an hour to about 30 minutes, should I still go to the gym and lift weights tomorrow, or should I just take a break and rest up for the six week challenge? It could help to spend the time figuring out my plan for those six weeks. I'm just afraid of losing time. Also, I'm concerned about my left arm being weaker than my right. I've noticed that it takes more to make my right arm tired, and that when I lift up a barbell, the left end lags behind the right end a bit. Yet at the same time, it's mostly my right arm that feels sore, right now. I've read that dumbbell exercises help remedy it, but I feel pretty committed to Starting Strength's barbell workouts, and I like how they workout my entire body...granted I still get quite a leg workout just from doing body (weight) squats.

Hello rebels! So I've taken up running for the current 6 Week Challenge, and I've noticed over the last 2 weeks a significant amount of lower back pain. I could hardly sit down to stretch after my 2 mile run today! Now, I don't run far or fast - I've learned from a calf injury that slow and steady wins the proverbial race! I warm up with high knees and toe touches, and cool down with ballet stretches (on the floor, head to knee, etc). I also do twists to stretch my hips and Downward Dog. I run 2x a week (outside), and do a body weight routine 2x a week. But, I've noticed that my Lower back has been killing me. Like cry out in a whimper kind of pain. It doesn't hurt while I run, but it aches after. I don't really know what to do. I do a fair amount of core exercises in my body weight routines. And I really try to do a good stretch afterwards. Any ideas? I'm at loss and I really love running and don't want to injure myself & have to give it up.

Last challenge I went back to basics in the Adventurers, focusing on general wellbeing as a goal. I included some fitness, but mostly worked on my mental health. Now I feel in the right frame of mind to up my game and get back to the Assassins. I've been swing dancing for a few years now. However, I've hit a plateau and want to focus on bringing my dancing to the next level. To do this, I will make time to work on movement skills I currently lack, add in more workouts to improve my core for dancing, and pay attention to my diet. My dancing prowess is the primary motivation here, but weight loss would definitely be more than welcomed and I will keep track of my weight and measurements as well. Stats End of last challenge: Weight: 199 lbs Chest: 43" Waist: 35" Hips: 44 1/4" End of this challenge: Weight: tba Chest: tba Waist: tba Hips: tba Main Quest To improve my dancing ability, focusing on core connection and styling. Quests: 1) Dance solo Currently I do 2 to 3 hours a week of partner dancing where I can practice my connection. However, I rarely get to practice styling variations so I plan to make time to practice solo jazz. Goal: 30 mins/week Grading: 1 point for every minute of solo jazz + 1 STA, + 1 DEX, + 2 CHA 2) Strength train To improve my dance technique and connection, I need to be stronger. I want to especially focus on my core, which is severely lacking. Goal: 2 sessions/week Grading: 15 points per session + 3 STR 3) Log my food Food is where I struggle. I like dancing, hiking, and many forms of exercise, but food is where I falter. I will post everything I eat on my daily reports to this thread. Goal: Log food every day Grading: 5 points per food log + 1 WIS Side Quest: Fix my back I've been having recurring muscle knots in my upper back/shoulder (rhomboid/trapezius area). This is probably caused by having a desk job and very large, heavy breasts. It seems the best way to remedy this is to strengthen my back muscles in order to oppose my overworked pecs. I'm looking into back extension exercises, but need to see a trainer who understands muscle isolation. Goal 1: Schedule private pilates session Goal 2: Back stretches 2X/day to keep knots loose. Grading: 30 points for session; 1 points/ stretch session + 2 STR Grading Scheme A = 600+ points B = 550+ points C = 475+ points D = 350+ points F = less than 350 points --- "I want her to be a flapper, because flappers are brave and gay and beautiful." - Zelda Fitzgerald

WHAT'S UP MY NERDFITNESS PEEPS!!! BLACKTEZCA IS BACK AND ROCKING OUT WITH THE MONKS!! Man already the new forums are up! Awesome! Let's do this! I'm BlackTezca, you may remember from such topics as From Lurker to (Newb) Rebel!, BlackTezca's Daily Battle Towards Feline Greatness, and my personal favorite BlackTezca's 1st Trial: Become an Artsy, Geeky Amazon. I'm continuing on my journey towards geeky, otaku, Amazon awesomeness and for this challenge (and the next since I plan ahead), I'll be with my martial art loving peeps. There won't be a whole lot of martials arts for this challenge, but you know what? So to reiterate my main quest: My Main Quest is to be as POWERFUL and BATTLE READY as Wonder Woman Not the theme for this challenge but I love the shit out of this image I did relatively well for my first challenge despite some minor setbacks, so my confidence (*cough* maybe arrogance *cough*) is super high! I originally planned on jumping straight into finding a studio and learning Krav Maga, but considering my trip (which cost me some major $$$$$$$$$$) and StillSkies 2nd challenge getting me interested in opening my mind to other martial arts, I'm pushing that off a little bit. Just a little bit; I still use kick boxing workouts for a bit of my cardio (especially combined with HIIT) and my Art quest is gonna be pretty fun . Now enough stalling! TIME TO REVEAL MY SIDE QUESTS!!! Side Quest 1: During my workouts, focus on upper body strength training for at least 20 minutes, at least 3 days a week. Details: I have strong legs, and despite my complaints about my back, I don't think my core is anything to laugh out. But I have laughably weak arms and I want to be strong all over. I have my dumbbells, I have my Fitness Blender, time to put more focus on my upper body and strengthen what I consider to be my weakest area Contingencies: I do downhill ski. The ski season is almost over. I have one more, longish, ski trip planned and downhill skiing does not really use your arms (unless you fall. Then your arms are most useful). I will try to get my upper body workouts done during the time before and after I return from my trip. Tracking: I'll be tracking using MyFitnessPal ( username BlackTezca ) and this lovely thread will be updated. Grading: A for 3+ days a week ( 3 Str 1Sta ) B for mostly 2 days a week ( 3 Str ) C for mostly 3 days a week ( 2 Sta ) F for all else Side Quest 2: During my workouts, focus on core and lower back strength and flexibility for at least 20 minutes, at least 2 days a week. Details: I have mild scoliosis and I'm a code monkey. My job consists of programming hunched over at a screen and let me tell you that does WONDERS for my back health. I really need to work on this because over my last trip, walking a block or two started to really cause me pain and I don't like feeling like I'm 70 years old while still in my twenties (Actually, a relative in his 70s did not feel any back pain so boo to me). Contingencies: None because if my back hurts, even on my ski trip, I will be stretching the living shit out of it until it STOPS. Tracking: I'll be tracking using MyFitnessPal ( username BlackTezca ) and this lovely thread will be updated. Grading: A for 2+ days a week ( 3 Dex 1Str ) B for mostly 1 day a week ( 2 Dex ) F for all else Side Quest 3: Eat vegetables with every meal, 6 days a week. Details: ARRGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Noooo don't make me do this nooooooooo!!!!!! Okay...*deep breath*. It's not like I dislike vegetables, I just find them...hard to...put on my mind when it comes to food. Especially on the weekends. I don't buy them, I don't think about them all the time unless they are in my face or a little voice (or many voices, depending who follows this) remind me. So...I'm gonna...eat...vegetables in some recognizable form, preferably not covered in yummy yummy cheese (oh my Chicken Pepper Philly how I love you). Wish me luck guys. Contingencies: None really. I shall eat vegetables (not corn, nor a potato, nor a sweet potato *cry*) every meal, maybe even push myself to snacking on them*twitch*. Tracking: I'll be tracking using MyFitnessPal ( username BlackTezca ) and this lovely thread will be updated (I hate you all) Grading: A for 6+ days a week ( 2 Con ) B for mostly 4 to 5 days a week ( 1 Con ) C for mostly 2 to 3 days a week ( .5 Con ) F for all else Life Quest: Pay down one credit card completely and lower the debt on the other credit card. Details: Like most people, I gots some debt I need to take care of. I'm not gonna pay that all down, but with the tax refund coming in, and my vacation over, I'm gonna need to focus on paying off my cards a little more than I have been. Contingencies: None. Tracking: I'll track this weekly here of course for my summaries and I'll be watching my credit card accounts. Grading: A for One card completely paid off and the other managed ( 2 Wis ) B for One card completely paid off, nothing down on the other ( 1 Wis ) F for all else Art Quest: Research at least 5 different martial arts and draw something (sketch, full painting, etc) representing each one. Details: I have been really touched by the comments my art has gotten here and the encouragement and support is super awesome. Some of you had hoped that I would continue it and this is my answer: Art Quests are here to stay. For every challenge I do, there will be an art quest. For this challenge, since I am with the monks and since I am holding off on a studio membership, I will research a martial art and not only will I do a short summary, I will also have an artwork attached to that summary. This will be fun cause it means drawing other characters, testing out new poses, etc. This will hopefully be done on a weekly basis. Contingencies: Ski trip, but surely I can post a decent sketch or make it black and white if I must . Tracking: I have an art Tumblr and I also have a DeviantArt (WATCH ME FOR ACCOUNTABILITY). I'll use those for tracking and on a weekly basis...like a weekly update or something, I'll post art on this thread. Grading: A for 5 martial art images and research ( 2 Wis + 1 Cha ) B for 4 martial art images and research ( 2 Wis ) C for 3 martial art images and research ( 1 Wis ) F for all else OMG THAT IS FIVE QUESTS! A little intense it seems but surely if anyone I can do it...I CAN! Starting Measurements: Date: 02/19/2015 @ 6 am Weight: 137.4 ***Body Fat***: 25.48 Waist: 24 Waist @ Navel: 26 Hips: 37 Neck: 12.5 Chest: 33 Left Bicep: 11 Right Thigh: 17.5 Wrist: 6 Forearm: 9 Yeah, I measured myself already. God I'm excited! I've been getting really happy and upbeat doing these. I'm gonna rock this out...LET'S GET THIS AWESOMENESS ON THE ROAD!!! REBELS! ROCK OUT!!!

Hi All, I've read Steve's post on becoming antifragile, and a lot of it rings true for me. Unfortunately, the parts that I can relate to are the parts about feeling fragile. I've spent the last couple of months trying to fix this, but today I feel even more fragile than ever, even though I think I'm doing everything right. Here are my stats/lifestyle choices: Age: 28 Height: 6'0" Weight: 149 Diet: Pretty solid, low carb/high fat with very little cheating. Lately I've been trying to eat more since I've always had trouble gaining weight, and I'm up 3-4 pounds over the last month or two. Sleep: I regularly sleep 8+ hours a night Exercise: I do yoga almost every day, foam roll often, I'm working through Becoming a Supple Leopard, I lift 3x per week (Stronglifts), I do 150 push-ups a day, I go to Taekwondo twice a week, and I'm in the middle of week 4 of the 7 Weeks to 50 Pull-ups program. I'm also training for GORUCK events by doing the occasional ruck march with 40+ pounds on my back. I always try to warm up before workouts, but if I'm being honest I tend to cut this short. Injuries: I've been dealing with ITBS for a while, but it's mostly under control. In October of last year I hurt myself, and it ended up being diagnosed as piriformis syndrome. I went to a Chiropractor for a few weeks, PT for ~5 weeks, and got a few massages over the past four months. My piriformis is at about 80-90% now, but my back is still giving me trouble. This past Sunday I did a group workout to help prepare for an upcoming GORUCK Challenge, which involved a 6.5 mile ruck march with 40+ pounds, followed by an hour of calisthenics with our rucks on. After that workout and through today my back is killing me. Bending over to touch my toes hurts, and mobility is definitely decreased. Basically I feel like I'm doing everything I can to stay healthy, but every time I do a hard workout my body feels destroyed for days. Is this just part of getting older, or is there some step I'm missing? Any advice would be much appreciated! -Jonathan

My 1st challenge and back story can be found here. Quest #1 - The Morning CALM, Stretch, & Strength Bedtime 9pm. Period. 8+ hours sleep. 1st week - be up by 6:30, practice one yoga pose/technique correctly for 5 minutes. 2nd week - 6:25, yoga 7 minutes, 1 to 2 poses, focus on technique. 3rd - 6:20, yoga 10 minutes 4th - 6:15, yoga 15 minutes 5th - 6:10 yoga 20 minutes 6th- 6:05, yoga 25 minutes 7th - 6:00 - GOAL! Working that early morning routine! Yoga 25-30 minutes. So far that is all I have specifically. I had it all typed up but left it on my computer at work! I woke up Sunday morning with a terrible pain in my back and hip and today I left work early because the pain was unbearable. No relief for 3 days and getting worse. I've tried stretches, heat/cold, ibuprofen, pillows, Epsom salt baths, hot showers..despite my best effort, it's the Dr office tomorrow (/groan). Sleeping with it has been terrible, which is not helping my first quest at all so far. But I will post the rest of my quests tomorrow, just wanted to get my initial post thru the door and say Hi. Now I have try to figure out how I will sleep tonight. UPDATED 1/9/2015: Accountability Log

Heyla! I'm Kelli I have been a fito for a while and have been a fan of the NerdFitness blog for a few years (LOVE the game based workouts!), but now I need help.... I started this adventure in 2012 and went from 270+lb (I say plus because I never had the guts to weigh myself until I had been watching what I eat for over a month) to 170lb and loving the body that was shaping up. WOW 100lb whoot. ...... yea until I thought that I could start letting little things slip because I had done so well and I deserved it right?? Nope! Fell into some really bad habits again and have now gained 20lb back. Let stress from work, home, money, kids, workouts, nutrition stress me out. THEN when I do decide to get my ass back in gear I pull a muscle in my back/hip (gluteus medius) OUCH! It is taking so long to heal! At first I could barely walk. I have started to do Tai Chi but am letting myself get stressed out over not being able to workout. I keep pushing myself and I know I shouldn't. I need to let it heal but I am finding that I am a huge stress and pain eater. I am now over 200lb again.... Damn that was hard to type! and I need community to get me back in gear. I know what I have to do but this mindless eating and lack of workouts has me in a bad cycle. I know I know SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP!! ;} ANY advise is more than welcome!

I noticed that the assassins snuck into the Ranger Fort and stole kettlebells, sledgehammers, and other odd objects from us while I was away. But, once a Ranger always a Ranger; I'm going to post here. Background Info. There's more detail in my Battle Log A couple of years ago I hurt my back, I've been working mobility and strengthening it with bodyweight, sledgehammers, sandbags and kettlebells ever since, but I got off track in February. In the summer I focus on mountain biking, but life kept getting in the way this year and I never was able to get race fit. This past week I watched my aunt crawl up the stairs because she doesn't have the leg strength to walk - I can't get that image out of my head - and that night my back was super tight and sore and I couldn't walk down the stairs. I tried crab walking down, but tripped and fell down the stairs. It seems imperative that I get a healthy back, it's more important even than mountain biking. I have seen chiropractors in the past and am currently seeing a PT. Main Goal: Fix My Back Step 1: Stop Being a Dumb-Ass I'm always doing something that tightens up and hurts my back and then I'll go and do something else that puts it out for weeks. I will stop: • Being macho - if I'm building trail and my back says that an hour of moving rock is enough, but the other guys are moving rock for an hour and a half, I'm going to stop anyway. I will even ask my wife to help load big objects into the trunk. • Sitting on my ass - sitting for too long, especially on a squishy surface, hurts my back. No more couches for me. • Bending and twisting when I pick things up. I've thrown my back out three times picking up a pen. I've got to remember to go straight down and lift everything up in a front squat, no matter how small. Step 2: Loosen Up • Do my mobility/PT/Warm Up twice a day. It takes about 20 minutes if I don't get distracted, about 3 hours if I do. I already have a daily habit, but I need to turn it up until things get better. • Ice, Ice, Ice. All the professionals who have dealt with my back have said to ice it three times a day, but I never have. I will now. • My wife and I share a monthly massage subscription, but I haven't gone since December. I will use at least two of my banked massages. Step 3: Get stronger When I follow my own programming I get beat up and injured, so I'm going to follow someone else's program. That will be Pavel's "Simple and Sinister" program. It boils down to a few warm up movements, then 100 KB swings and 5 get ups. I'll take one day off a week and will skip swings on PT days. Mountain Biking I'm still going to mountain bike, but the aim will be to ride for fun, with style and grace; I won't be out there hammering. Life Goal: Play the Positive Game I am dour and cynical by nature, but when I remember to reframe statements and thoughts in a positive manner the whole world seems brighter and happier. Really, it does, you should try it. Ideally this will be a boring challenge to follow. I'm aiming for a report of "I did my PT, worked out and iced." day after day. And I'm old and curmudgeonly, so I probably won't add any cute GIFS, unless I run across one with a pug. I love pugs. No grades, no attribute points, but I may reward myself with this T shirt. House of Biceps t Shirt Or I may buy it either way, 'cause it's cool.

I've been away from NF for about a year now but I'm back. A review of the last year: Last summer I was reasonably fit for an old man (45) and I got back into mountain bike racing. I did well enough to finish almost exactly in the middle of the men's groups. At one race I won a really nice frame (foundrycycles.com/bikes/broadaxe) in a raffle. When I went back to school (I teach 6th grade science) I kept in shape with a basic push-pull-squat-hinge + conditioning workout with sandbags, kettlebells, and sledgehammers (www.shovelglove.com). I worked out balls to the wall just about every morning. The results were coming, but not fast considering how hard I was working, bodyfat barely budged, little muscle was put on, but my heart rate, blood pressure, and cholesterol all dropped significantly- the men in my family tend to turn 60 and die of a heart attack, so this is important to me. In February my mom went into hospice and I went into a bare maintenance mode, both because my family needed my time and because I couldn't focus on it. I kept up my daily PT, but my workout became 100 kettlebell swings and maybe some pressing a few times a week. After my mom passed I kept this up because I had lost my drive. By this time my body started to rebel against the old workload. In particular, my fragile back started acting up again and I developed tendonitis in my forearm that would not go away. Once summer finally came I built up the frame into the nicest bike I've ever owned and started focusing on mountain biking and doing The Simple and Sinister workout (basically kettlebells and get-ups) on the days I didn't ride. I am considerably slower than I was last year and I'm not sure why. This summer I finally started seeing a PT for my back. She has me on a simple twice a week strengthening program - back extensions, leg press, ab work, and pull downs all done on Nautilis type machines plus daily stretching. Two weeks ago I cut wood and moved brush, moved bricks through the woods, and moved a garage full of amplifiers - way more than I should have been doing - so last week my back locked up really badly, today it is still tight and weak, but pain-free. This week I was at a conference in Indianapolis and after being in airports all day or sitting in meetings all day the first thing I did was go for a run, 3 miles in ~ 28 minutes every day. Not long, not fast, but without stopping. On one of those runs I realized that I define myself as someone who's active and fit. I mean I was running, I hate running, but I did it because I had to, I would have gone insane without a physical outlet. My drive is still missing, but it's coming back. I have four weeks of summer break left; my plan is to continue the PT and the mountain biking or kettlebells and to take a weekly recovery day. I will finally do the weekly race series. There are four races left that I can do and I plan to do them all, even if there is a real possibility that I finish in last place. TL;DR old man with bad back does some mountain biking and kettlebells.

Help! I've only been active on NF for a week or two. I started working out again in early June and been successful so far. But now I have pulled a muscle in my back. Oddly, and hopefully fortunately, it isn't my lower back that I hurt, but up by my rib cage. I tried to 'walk it off' and do more stretching but it got worse. I ended up going to a doctor today. I insist on not letting this hold me back so I am going to continue to walk and focus on my eating until I can give it my all again. I'd like to continue some of my strength training. I've been doing the Angry Birds workout so it's not like I'm doing any heavy lifting. Now to my question for other rebels - is there some kind of wrapping or tape that I can use to help support my upper back? It seems that so many tiny movements in just moving my body aggravate it and I need to give it a break so it can heal quickly. There must be something I can do besides take the flexoral my MD gave me and 'take it easy'. Any advice?

Hello Rebellion, I could really use your advice! I've been working out using body weight exercises for the past month (Push-ups, incline pull-ups, squats and planks), but in the past few days I have noticed some lower back pain. Nothing severe, but noticeable in all the exercises I am doing. A few notes: I know planks develop lower back muscle, but is doing them helping or hurting if my lower back is already sore?I think my form is pretty good, but I don't have a mirror where I work-out in order to see for sure. This week I switched from doing all 4 exercises every other day to doing Push-ups/pull-ups one day and squats/planks the next (see here) so that I could do it like a hardhat challenge. Don't know if that had an effect.I don't want to injure myself, but I don't want to lose my momentum either by taking time off (a huge weakness of mine!). Any idea what should I do? Thanks!

Well, I found great success and loved the challenge portion of my first six week challenge. Before the first challenge, I was weak as a kitten and now I can say I am more like a moderately ill-tempered alley cat. Since the goal is to be a strong and lean cheetah, I still have some work to do, and I can't wait to get rolling. Last challenge was difficult because I had a lot of travel to do in the last two weeks, which killed a couple of my goals. With that in mind my main goal is... MAIN GOAL - Work Out and Diet Consistency This goal is super important with traveling and all the other little things that come up in life. I have dietary restrictions, so it is important for me to follow them otherwise there are serious consequences. With that in mind, I have 3 goals: 1. Strength Train 4x a week The Reasoning: I made great progress during the first 4 weeks of the last challenge and lost it with a business trip and the early holiday rush. I also have a tendency of shifting my workouts around in the week, which throws off future weeks and means sometimes I may never get to them. I am going to accomplish this by doing the following: ​Follow weight lifting program with a focus on the big three lifts When traveling, get a gym guest pass or do body weight circuits Track everything in Fitocracy for that sweet, sweet, instant gratification (can I tell you I am dying for Rising Heroes?) Grading: A = 4x per week, B = 3x per week, C = 2x per week, D = 1x per week, F = 0x per week 2. Cardio for 120 minutes per week The Reasoning: Because I made such great progress in the weight room, I slipped doing cardio and I have been struggling to regain my endurance. I have been struggling with imbalances in my back which has made it hard to breathe (basically giant knots around my rib cage), so I am hoping to find some form of cardio that meets my needs. My favorite forms are the stairmaster and running, but I may have to dial it back depending on how I feel. I plan on accomplishing this goal by doing the following: Leave the house by 6:30 so I can fit in both strength and cardio before work Work on building up my endurance with treadmill interval workouts (too cold to be out side near Boston!) Make any needed changes to the type of exercise depending on how I feel (switch to bike / elliptical)​ Track everything in Fitocracy for that sweet, sweet, instant gratification Grading: A = 120 min/week, B = 90 min/week, C = 60 min/week, D = 30 min/week, F = <30 min/week 3. Make 4 Paleo Dinners and 4 Paleo Lunches each week (8 meals total) The reasoning: I already eat GF and I liked how I felt with less sugar in my diet last challenge. This one will be a bit more challenging since I eat a TON of dairy even though I don't feel that great with it, rice and quinoa are big staples in my house. I also have to contend with my fiance who loves all the unhealthy stuff, so there may be a rebellion of a different sort! Here is how I plan to do this: Grocery shop and do a massive prep at the beginning of the weak - Get 2 paleo cooking staples per week Make meals from a paleo cook book - currently leaning toward make ahead paleo just for the ease, but may also get the against all grains one. Bring some paleo snacks to stock at work to keep me honest Grading: A = 8 meals/week, B = 6 meals/week, C = 4 meals/week, D = 2 meals/week, F = 0 meals/week Life Goal - Pay of $2000 of my CC debt The reasoning: My last goal was to cut back on my impulse shopping when stressed. This goal takes it a step further to help get rid of some of the consequences of my impulse spending from before the last challenge. I am not sure the best way to go about doing this, but my goal is to start the flow back toward a $0 balance. Grading: A = $2000 B = $1500, C = $1000, D = $500, F = $0 Stats Measurements as of January 5: Height—5'8.5" Weight—Starting, 141 lb Waist—Starting, 26 in. Hips—Starting, 40 in. Bicep—Starting, 11.5 in. Thigh—Starting, 23 in. Calf—Starting, 13.5 in. Best of luck to everyone, and I can't wait to read about everyone's progress!