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Here we have it. I turn 48 on November 2nd. We have Halloween (My youngest doesn't care), and then my Birthday. My Dad's is on the 8th, but he is in another state. November 19th is the release of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shiny Pearl! Thanksgiving is on the 25th of November here in the USA. All the things! During this challenge, it looks like my wife will be going in for surgery as well. She is getting the gastric bypass. She did have some other surgery years ago, but it didn't seem like they did much. There is also a stomach hernia they are removing. She'll be in the hospital for 2 to 3 days. Plus covid stuff, we probably won't be able to visit. We had planned to travel to my Sister-in-law's place for Thanksgiving, but who knows now. Lots in the air to get sorted. A side note, my wife will have to go on a liquid diet asap. Two weeks before surgery. Then 2 after surgery. She moves to soft foods after that. We have been starting to prepare, but this did just pop up suddenly. I don't think she will go in on surgery on my birthday, but will probably be going in on the 16th. We she was first trying to get things going, I toyed with the idea of doing the liquid diet with her. For support, but I would probably drop some quick pounds haha. Most likely, I won't be eating this way. So, it's not a challenge if there isn't lots of stuff in the air haha. I'm still going to attempt some goals. Hopefully, nothing gets too overwhelming. I can always adjust if I need. Time to build off of my previous challenge. Goal #1 - Make sure I get my rest Last week of challenge was a bit rough for sleep, and I haven't been super consistent this week as well. My goal is to get back to what I was doing. It just helps to give me the best chance at a successful day. Off to read at 10:30 PM. Then off to bed at 11:30 PM. In the morning, I need to wake up, and get ready. I usually give myself a little room for off to read, and off to bed. Going 1 point for each thing. 3 points per day, 21 points for the week. Goal #2 - Control food intake with tracking This will be the continuation from last challenge. Track each day in Cronometer, and don't go over calorie limits. This time I am going to be more strict. Like if I say 2500 is the limit, then 2501 is a fail. 2500 is pretty close to where I should be at. I think even 2300 might be better. First things first though, lets see if I can get a week of under 2500 calories. 2 points for tracking, 3 points for hitting calorie numbers each day. 35 points each week. Goal #3 - Walking with a side of workouts I got out and walked quite a bit last challenge. Much more then I had previously. I did max out at 20 minutes, but I can do more. Though, I don't want to just make it a time of moving. I might go on longer walks to play Pokemon Go. Then I don't have to worry if a stop to battle a raid or something. There also might be times to just do a warm up before actually working out. Yes, I said workouts. I want to start getting stronger again. The long time from now goal of doing a pull up is still there. Might as well start working on it again. I see this goal getting the most adjustments over the challenge. Hopefully, all in increasing things Week 0, I need to find, and finalize what I plan to do for workouts. I have my old workout spreadsheet I can pull from. My complex has a gym. Not the greatest thing ever. Lots of dumbells at least, and one machine that can do lots of different exercises. Also plenty of cardio stuff there. It's starting to get colder, and a few sprinkles of rain have been starting up. Week 1 I want to walk 5,000 steps each day. I also want to workout 3 times a week with one being in the gym. Workouts can be as low as 1 set of something this week. I mainly want to get myself doing the things, and start building it back up. If I do more, great! 3 points per day reaching step goal. 5 point for each workout done. 36 points each week. Goal #4 - Time to get through my cards and comics Part of a previous challenge, was getting things out of storage. We did get all the stuff out, and now I have boxes and boxes of cards. I also have comics too. The comics I need to organizes, and get bags and boards on the ones that are not done. All my sports cards need to be gone though. My Brother stole a ton of stuff from me back in the day. I need to see what I might have left. I know a lot of them are straight garbage cards. Like zero value. The problem for now, is they are taking up a lot of space. I need to sort out ones I will keep for now, then get rid of all the rest. It's just time consuming to go though some of them. I have a bit, but not nearly enough. I'll go with needing to go through 2 big boxes a week, or equal of the small sizes. 8 points a week Week total points: Week 1 (10/24 - 10/30) - 0/100 Week 2 (10/31 - 11/06) - 0/100 Week 3 (11/07 - 11/13) - 0/100 Week 4 (11/14 - 11/20) - 0/100 Week 5 (11/21 - 11/27) - 0/100 Challenge total points - 0/500 Measurements - Start / Finish (coming day 1) Chest - Waist - Bicep (L) - Bicep (R) - Thigh (L) - Thigh (R) - Weight - 364.1 lbs

This is a short cycle, but I’m determined to roll into this new year on track. At the start of this challenge, I’ll be on vacation celebrating my 40th(!!!) birthday with friends in a place I never imagined I’d actually get to visit. I plan to OD on junglescapes, Insta-worthy healthy food, yoga, boutique shopping and (hopefully) some culture. While I’m put, my goal is to maintain or increase my yoga schedule (a solid 2x a week - hoping for 3), and look into which other classes I might want to get into. Word around the campfire is that more friends are moving on, so I need to do what I can now to mitigate that shit. I will also continue to try and not eat like an asshole, aim to finish at least 1 more sewing project, will continue working on dog training, and hope to spend more time outside and off my couch. It is the “good” season, afterall. It would be a shame to miss it. Holiday 2019, let’s do this!

"Hunters once prowled the wilderness and wastelands, taking big risks for even bigger rewards. You're no outlaw - at least, not anymore - but making your own luck has always meant bending the rules. You're unique brand of daring and ingenuity is needed now more than ever." Since falling back into my Destiny roots, I have been enjoying the hell out of the Destiny 2 since it became Free to Play. I also recently purchased the newest "season" called Shadowkeep, along with access to the next 3+ seasons being added in the future which include specific missions and new guns/armor. I've always played the Hunter due to its awesome taste in clothing attire. I mean, they have cloaks! What more could you ask for?? The suave and bravado they bring is also enticing, so, with this next challenge, I will channel my inner Hunter and rock the crap out of these next 5+ weeks! Goal 1: In the Boots of a Hunter- Way of the Pathfinder I managed to get 233.85 miles walked in last challenge. In my eyes, that's a TON! Since working at Costco, I'm averaging close to 15k steps a day when I work there. Mathmatically, every 2k steps equals 1 mile, so that's how I came up with the miles walked last challenge. This time, I want to try and get more than 233.85 miles. I'm shooting for 250 miles walked this challenge! (Also, speaking of boots. My buddy Jesse found a pair of Frye sueade leather boots at the thrift shop and got them for me because when he saw them, he thought they "looked" like me. He bought them for $6 when they regularly run close to $300!! They also look like hunter boots from Destiny lol!) Possible Points: +3 END, +2 DEX Goal 2: Brand of Daring and Ingenuity- Way of the Warrior I've been working out consistently for since June and have seen some great results in my physique and health because of it. I've been slacking the past couple weeks due to some elbow pain, but I know I can still push myself without hurting myself. I want to put a little more emphasis on body weight training these next 5 weeks and tone down on so much of the heavy lifting that can flare up the elbow issue. This constitutes my two favorite BW exercises: pull-up/chin-ups and dips. I can do 12 chin-ups, 8 pull-ups and 8 dips right now. My goal is to push those numbers to 15 chin-ups, 12 pull-ups and 10 dips before the end of the challenge. I can do this! Possible Points: +3 DEX, +2 STR Goal 3: Manage the Holidays- Way of the Current As most of you know, I'm working 2 jobs right now and with the holidays coming up (plus my birthday Nov 14th) I need to manage my time better than ever! Sleep and time management with the Wolfpack is crucial and I need to make the most of my time with them count. And while I'm working both jobs, I need to be productive and an asset to both companies. I can do this! Possible Points: +3 WIS, +2 CON I'm not gonna beat around the bush this challenge. I got a lot of work ahead of me and little time to do it in. So, it's time to strap on my boots, throw on my cloak, and get to work! I'll see you out there, Guardians! Wolf

Back for another challenge. It's my Birthday challenge! I turn 45 on November 2nd. Time to party hard! haha. Time to get to business. The last couple of challenges, I have not finished very well at all. I have struggled, and my weight goals have not been met. Even though I though tit would be easy. I spent plenty of time being in not the greatest mental space over it all, but I think I have been digging out of that whole again. I took a look at why I wasn't losing weight, even though I thought I was doing well enough. Apparently, I had not been. So this challenge will have some changes to help get me where I want to go. In the "off week" I have been working on where I need to be with my food, and it seems to be working. The scale is moving in the proper direction again. Now time to build around the goals. I may not be able to hit 257 lbs by my birthday, or even 100 lbs down by my birthday. I will however just focus on getting off as much weight as I can, and becoming much more stronger, faster, and more healthier. My Goal this challenge, is to reach that 100 lbs gone this year. (11.5 lbs as of today to lose) I also want to increase my walking (maybe even running again), and get in all my exercise. Goal#1 - Make sure you are in a deficit Here it is, the big reason why I think I wasn't really losing weight. I wasn't eating in a calorie deficit. I had been tracking, but looking back, I had many days where I just wasn't hitting a deficit. Plenty of days I was over as well. As always, I will still eat Keto. I will stick to Intermittent fasting. I will also track in MyFitnessPal. Also trying out Chronometer for tracking. The big part of this will be how much of a deficit I try to get into. My target is 500. Then hopefully increase to 1000 as my steps and exercise increase. Reach >500 calorie deficit in MFP = 5 points per day. Bonus round: Reach >1000 calorie deficit in MFP = 5 extra points. (max 3 per week for now ) 35 points per week with bonus points bringing it to 50 points possible. Goal#2 - Let's get some step goals. OK, I tried for awhile now, not to focus on steps per day. This last week though, I have been pushing a little more and seeing it really help me get into that deficit in MFP I don't want to jump right in and say I need to hit 10k each day. Though that really is the eventual goal. I am going to try gradually increasing each week. Hopefully, I will already just be beating the goals, and I won't need to worry too much I think I will also include a rest day. So I really need to worry about 6 days. I do want to give running a try again soon, but I will see if I get to it this challenge. Week 1 - 6,000 steps per day Week 2 - 6,500 steps per day Week 3 - 7,000 steps per day Week 4 - 7,500 steps per day Bonus round! Hit 10,000 steps each day by week 4, add 20 points Goal reached each day = 5 points. 30 points per week. Bonus points = 20 if I hit 10,000 steps each day by the end of the challenge. Goal#3 - Do The Workout I've been slacking these last few weeks, but I know I can get in workouts. I am sticking with the NerdFitness Academy workouts for now. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are the workout days. If I feel like I can do more, then I might try pushing other exercises in, or adding in more. I need to establish the habit of doing it on the workout days first. So that is really my focus. No excuses, no "I'll do it tomorrow" Just get it done on these days. Workout M, W, F = 5 points per day, 15 total per week. Goal#4 - Zzzzzz The sleep goal returns again. I've mostly been sticking too it, but have had a few off nights.I still have been considering trying to get to sleep even earlier, so I can try to hit that 8 hour mark. Maybe I will try it mid challenge or so. Off the computer by 10:30 PM (10:35 the latest) to read. = 2 points per day Off to bed by 11:30 PM = 2 points per day 4 points per day, 28 points per week. I think that about covers it all. I wanted to make a goal to check in here, and blog. Really though, I just need to do it. I really wanted to focus all my goals on the eating and fitness. End of the year is almost here. I want to tackle it harder then I have these last few months Points: Week 1 (Oct 22 - Oct 28) - 71/108 = 65% Week 2 (Oct 29 - Nov 4) - 90/108 = 83% Week 3 (Nov 5 - Nov 11) - 81/108 = 75% Week 4 (Nov 12 - Nov 18) - 0/108 Measurements: Day 1 / End of Challenge Weight - 272.9 lbs /

I'm still trying to get my feet back underneath me and don't want to be overly ambitious this challenge. here's the deal: SPRING IS COMING. (she says as she sits watching the snow fall). MY BIRTHDAY IS COMING! it's April 15. YAY. MY 4 YEAR NERDIVERSARY IS COMING! that day is April 14th. so, what am I going to do about it? * think about what my yard plan will be for the year. THIS IS A TRICK QUESTION. I have never succeeded at yarn planning or any kind of large scale yard work / maintenance program. we'll see what happens. * keep going to the gym classes. Last year challenge I signed up for the non-crossfit crossfit gym down the road, and I've been doing classes pretty regular. I want to go on average 4x a week. * keep tracking food and thinking about what I'm eating. I don't want to worry about cutting or whatever. I do want to worry about eating good for me, generally whole foods, without a boatload of beers. * figure out how to fit in running. there's a 10K in late May that I'd like to do, kinda. THAT SAID, if I'm doing exercise party in the mornings, I'll have to run at other times. figure that out. I haven't run in.... months. let's just say that. other standard stuff applies: I'm still doing tkd 3x a week (teaching 2x, helping out 1x, and then attending / practicing on dojo saturday as often as that instructor can make it). ok! let's do this, zero week!

Given: that things are super busy for me. My dad is still in the hospital 3 1/2 hours away from me. His NY house needs to be cleared out because they sold it, and my sibs and I are helping out (closing date late april / early may). work is work and I get uptight about it because my husband is a full time student this semester and I feel strongly that I canNOT mess up. oh and also, a tree fell on my house last challenge and we are coordinating with repair people to fix a tiny hole in the roof (BTW WE WERE SO LUCKY) and a window and some other stuff. Basically, I'm jumping and reacting to needs, and uncertainty is the only certain thing. Given: That I always do better with fitness and junk when I'm here and hanging out with you amazing peeps. Given: my 40th birthday is on April 15th! Given: Something started to work again for me last challenge. I got back into the gym, and my weight started to dip down. AND, I was being active because it was the right and desired *choice,* not because I am totally freaked out about my weight or about "catching" congestive heart failure. THEREFORE: This challenge I need to just have fun, don't let it stress me out (further), but stick to plan. but what is plan...? Goal 1: Show up and Be Friends This means: post daily, as best as I can. even if it's just house and cat pictures. BECAUSE I HEART YOU AND YOU ARE GOOD FOR ME. Goal 2: Don't Mess With a Good Thing Keep doing what I was doing last challenge, which is to say: aim for some kind of exercise or movement 5-6 days a week on purpose. Keep tracking food, and aim to not eat back exercise calories. I'm not going to track photos, or measurements, or anything. I know they're good to do. They're not fun and not my first priority, though, so I am not going to stress this challenge. Goal 3: HAVE FUN, you dinglebat! Things that are fun: * Knit - I still haven't freakin' finished my xmas knitting. what. * bake bread - it turns out I am deriving a great deal of personal satisfaction and feelings of accomplishment from baking sourdough bread. * Take days off before my bday and build adirondack chairs. * plan a beautiful yard and buy seeds and start seeds so they will grow in the yard. IT TURNS OUT that the starting date for seeds in my area is around the days that I'm taking off, too! * track things in my hobobujo, because it's calming and fun and dorky. * also, whatever else I want to do. because: Oh and PS. I am probs going to start this challenge ONE DAY EARLY so which is to say SATURDAY START because *see earlier "I do what I want" statement.*

I don't like birthdays, specifically my birthday, but I'm going to make the most of it. My 30th birthday falls near the end of this challenge. And that brings with it all sorts of feelings. Mostly not happy ones. And that's on top of the not happy feelings hanging around from the accident. I want to sound optimistic in my challenges, but that's not how I'm feeling at all. I always get mopey around my birthday because leading up to it I always imagine that I'll have a cool party or we'll go out for dinner or drinks and all my friends will be there... And that's where it falls apart in reality. I'll put up a few posts on Facebook asking if anyone wants to do anything, and I get a lot of nothing. I haven't really talked with any of them for a long time, so it shouldn't be too surprising. I might have better luck messaging them directly, but Anxiety. I get the same anxiety thinking about just asking if they want to hang out. And it's the kind of anxiety that makes you feel that being miserable is better than facing it. *sigh* I know I don't need to hang out with friends to make it a good birthday, but it's hard when that's what I want. This particular birthday is even worse because it's one of those milestones. Like, when you're in high school and college some teachers ask where you want to be in 10 years. Well here I am, 10ish years later and I'm no where near where I wanted to be. It also doesn't help that I don't really know where I want to go. Like, there's several different career/job ideas that I get excited about and I don't know what to pick. So this challenge is about dealing with those feelings. And it's about recovering from the accident. I'm finally going back to work. And I can walk around the apartment sort of normally. I do still wear the fracture boot and use one crutch when I go outside, because better safe than sorry. Anyways, I figure it's about time to start exercising again. And figure out where I'm at now. So, goals... Is that really a good idea? My one fitness goal for the challenge is to do the daily dares from Darebee in the morning. And to make whatever modifications I need to get it done. This is something I was pretty good at keeping up with, so it's more just getting back into the habit. Is this a landfill? The apartment is a complete mess. Even more of a mess than before. So the goal is to get rid of all the trash by the end of the challenge. And to keep it under control. By trash I just mean all the used paper towels, empty cans, wrappers and that sort of thing. Sorting through stuff is for a later challenge. What do you want to be when you grow up? I need to be looking for a new job, but when I think about it, I don't really know what job I want to get (and stick to). So this is about working on some kind of career plan and sorting through my options. Are you sure you can't draw? Back in December I was trying to think of something special I could do for my birthday. And I settled on getting a new tattoo. In January I was playing around with an idea for my arms, but it's still pretty basic. And I want to sit on it for awhile. So I'm going to go with adding on to the tattoo I already have (I'll post a picture later). I have a very general idea, but I need to actually work some kind of design out. At least enough of a design to get the tattoo artist on the same page as me. Is the cake a lie? Basically, figure out birthday plans, get whatever I need to get, and do my best to enjoy the day. And that's about it. I still need to figure out specifics, like how many days and for how long to work on things. But that's a problem for future me.

☐ ☑ It is time. My birthday is coming up, a day of family and cake, and another of potluck and boardgames with friends and then I am officially a year older. Who would have thought? (What's with the English speaking side of the world continuing to pretend I were 29? What kinda BS is that? I LIVED those years. I EARNED those exp. Who dares try take that from me? -sometimes cultural differences are so hard.) Anyway Wednesday week 1 I am turning 33 and I love it. I am happy and proud to have run my very first Mud Run this past challenge. It was fun, and it was awesome, and if I'd done it alone, I would have been in trouble because lifting myself over things: still not awesome, but I wasn't and we had fun and it was good. Also, I jogged the whole thing. This challenge I am going to be playing with my head a bit. I will be cutting calories for a while there. I am planning for three weeks, but we'll see how it goes. It all depends on me writing down my fricking intake, obviously, and apart from the hunger grabbing me and me going after all kinds of edibles, I imagine, the logging is the thing that limits how long I can do this. The idea is to get used to cutting. For a limited time. So my mind learns: Yes it sucks, but it's not forever, and I'll be okay. Well here we go: week 1 don't eat like a dickhead but do enjoy your birthday. Log food. S☑ M☑ T☑ W☑ T☑ F☐ S☐ (total: ☑ ) week 2-4 log workouts and food calory deficite. S☐M☐T☐W☐T☐F☐S☐ S☐M☐T☐W☐T☐F☐S☐ S☐M☐T☐W☐T☐F☐S☐ (total: ☐☐☐) Go to fitness classes twice a week, only excuse: real sickness. ☑ ☐ ☐☐ ☐☐ ☐☐ (total: ☐☐☐☐) Go to dance class (☐ if no babysitter) ☐☐ ☐☐ ☐☐ ☐☐ (total: ☐☐☐☐) to do list - pending ☑ sign up for trainer licence classes ☐ get rid of the frikkin laundry ☑ get BabyMagneto through school visit ☑ get BabyMagneto to enjoy pool day in kindy logging but not graded: eat something good for you every day (aka the fruit and veggie thing): (total: ☐☐☐☐) ☑ ☑ ☑ ☑ ☐☐☐ ☑ ☑ ☑ ☐☐☐☐ ☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ ☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ continue water intake: (one ☑ per bottle (700ml) drunk, total: ☐☐☐☐) S☑☑☐ M☑☐☐ T☑☑☐ W☑☐☐ T☐☐☐ F☐☐☐ S☐☐☐ S☐☐☐ M☐☐☐ T☐☐☐ W☐☐☐ T☐☐☐ F☐☐☐ S☐☐☐ S☐☐☐ M☐☐☐ T☐☐☐ W☐☐☐ T☐☐☐ F☐☐☐ S☐☐☐ S☐☐☐ M☐☐☐ T☐☐☐ W☐☐☐ T☐☐☐ F☐☐☐ S☐☐☐ get enough sleep: (total: ☑ ☐☐☐) start: median 8h10m/night over the lat 14 days, goal: stay above 7h30=☑) ☑ ☑ ☑ ☐☐☐☑ ☐☑ ☑ ☐☐☐☐ ☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ ☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ So this is it. time to get moving again. Yes, I stole those boxes from you, @Rurik Harrgath, I can't imagine you mind, dear sir. On other fronts school restarts tomorrow, I need to mind my sleeping and get enough me-time, so mandatory reading time will be a thing... Love you folks. Katrin aka Morag

Whoohooo! Milestone birthday - haven't had one of these in a while. I'm super okay with moving up a decade, and while I know it's NBD, I like birthdays, and I like arbitrary deadlines, so I'm using it. My birthday is on August 12th, so right before the challenge ends. And I just want to feel proud of where I'm at when I hit that marker, so that's what this next month (And you know, like the last 3 years) are about. Point of Pride #1: Be SO Strong I'm going to lose all of my kettlebell muscles this summer if I don't start doing them at home! Working out by myself is a huge hurdle for me, so I'm going to make it simple and straightforward - it doesn't have to be long or intense (although bonus points if it is!), but at a bare minimum 3x per week I need to do 100 swings and 3 TGUs per side. This is quick and easy enough that I have NO excuses not to do it, and chances are once I start I'll do a little more anyways. +3STR A : 12 B : 10 C : 8 D : 6 F : <6 Point of Pride #2: Be a little Bendy Let’s be honest. I’m never going to be SO bendy. Flexibility just ain’t in my genes. But I can be bendier than I am! And yoga is good for the soul. I just want to do yoga at least once a week. +3DEX A : 4 B : 3 C : 2 D : 1 F : 0 Point of Pride #3: Be SO Swift All the biking! I’ve been very rain-adverse lately, but I need to suck it up. Or the weather needs to improve. Either way. I am going to ride at least 150km over the course of this challenge. If I just bike to and from work every day, I’ll get there, but I can do it outside of the bike commuting if I so choose. +3END A : 150km B : 125km C : 100km D : 75km F : <75km Point of Pride #4: Be Lean like Lioness I carry most of my excess weight in my belly – which is apparently really bad for you! I’d like to reduce the spare tire further. The best way to do this is to eat reasonably – no fork outrunning here. I’ll be using my usual metric calculations as a measure of success here. Goal: <1,800 Calories per day <100g Carbs per day >80g Protein per day 1 pt per day for each item – target is 16 pts per week. +3CHA A : 64pts B : 125km C : 100km D : 75km F : <75km Point of Pride #5: Be a Contributing Member of this Community Funny how awarding arbitrary, unredeemable points offer an incentive to do something! This worked really well last time – I need to update my own thread 3x per week, and comment on someone else’s thread 10x per week. +1CHA +1WIS A : 52pts B : 45pts C : 39pts D : 32pts F : <32pts

Life got a little too real this week. My dad had a heart attack on Monday. A small one, and he is fine. Now has two shunts in his arteries and can't eat anything that walks on 4 legs again for the rest of his life. But he's fine. I dislike getting sudden reminders of my parents' inevitable mortality. Thus I will distract my self with shiny objects, mud, and physical exhaustion. On July 24th I turn 30. So my theme from now until then is going to be on getting ready for the Foam Fest 5 K I am running on the 23rd with: Hubby, Best friend, Eldest Brother, Middle Brother (maybe, he hasn't confirmed yet), and Brother-in-Law. And there won't be actual running either Well maybe the pack of Brothers will run but Best Friend and Hubby have both done 0 in the way of training for this, and they aren't running it so I will shamelessly meander with them. That and I SUSPECT that I will have obligatory birthday shots...just not sure if that'll be pre or post Foam Fest because that's up to Hubby.

Lightning Warrior Princess! The first half of this year is all about preparing for my first Warrior Dash. What's the best way to prepare for a WD? TRAIN LIKE A WARRIOR!!!!!!! Goal #1: Warrior Dash The WD is the perfect beginner's obstacle course race. It requires a blend of strength and endurance along with a good dose of nerve. For this challenge I want to add more endurance work and cross training. That means any exercise counts; biking, jogging, Darebee, bodyweight, paddleboarding, etc. 5x a week for a total of 20 workouts (I will determine stat points later) Goal #2: Weekend Warrior Warriors work hard and play hard so I MUST do the same. I have a lot of play built into this challenge. I need to remind myself why I wanted to get into shape in the first place. To enjoy life and feel great! (a few CHA points can be gained from this goal) Rock on the Range Zip line or Ropes Course Waterpark My BIRTHDAY Rollerskating Rave Goal #3: Warrior diet Follow Banting (also known as Paleo-with-cheese). Focus on meat, fat, and vegetables!!! I will write down what I eat but I don't need to track as long as I'm following the Banting guidelines. This will be a good time to REALLY listen to my hunger and use "food to fuel my body not feed my emotions." I'm cutting myself a lot of slack here. I have a few events planned this month that will center around either food or bad behavior . I'm not going to hold myself to Banting during these events but I will for the rest of the challenge. (WIS and CON stat points will be rewarded for logging food and following Banting) Goal #4: Road Warrior If I want to have the heart of a warrior I have to face my fears. The fear I plan to tackle during this challenge is to teach my daughter to drive. I will take her out to practice driving and parking 3x a week. I really, really need to do this so I hope I can stick to the goal. Not sure what stat points to award for this one... maybe I'll make up my own! COU for courage.

Hey guys! This is my 4th pregnancy fitness challenge. I did ok last challenge. I really messed up on my diet last month and ate out way too much. So this time around, I'm going to be focusing on what I'm eating by eating a salad each day. I'm also going from working out 3 days a week to 5. As of right now, I am in the beginning of my third trimester. I've started making plans for what I'm going to do after the baby is born. I have bought a new pair of workout shorts and plan on joining the local Planet Fitness within a month or two of her being born. (I'm giving myself some wiggle room based on soreness and a possibly grumpy baby). Also, my birthday is at the end of the month! So I'm going to try to make this challenge as fun as possible for me. I'm going to give myself a bit of wiggle room on my birthday, so if I have a bit of sweets I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I've been doing a bit of birthday shopping, and all of it is health or fitness related. I can't seem to get enough workout gear. Lol, I guess that's a good problem when you're trying to adapt a healthier lifestyle. Goals: 1. Eating for Two: I am doing much better with my diet- as long as I don't eat out- so my overall dietary goals have changed. The current goal is to limit eating out once or twice per week and eat 1 salad per day. 2. Exercising for Two: My husband has decided to join me in exercising! We both want to be healthier when the baby arrives. So the current goal is to exercise 5 days a week. I will be walking with him 3-5 days a week and doing yoga 2 days a week. I get the weekend off. I'm not allowed to exercise then (unless I want to take a different day off). 3. Rediscover My Love of Cooking: I used to love cooking. Overtime, I began to feel overwhelmed and grew to hate cooking. I actually stopped cooking for a long time. When I started eating Paleo, I started cooking for myself and enjoyed it. But I hate cooking for anyone else. I recently read an interesting article where families cooked meals together and it sounded really fun. It's hard to feel overwhelmed when you're sharing the responsibility. So my current goal is to cook 4 meals with my husband. 4. Have Fun: Sometimes I get so focused on what I need to do that I stress myself out. I need to take at least one day a week to sit back and have fun for a few hours. I can do this by reading, playing games, or watching tv for 1-2 hours. 5. No Phones After Midnight: I have trouble sleeping. There are several factors I can't control (heartburn, baby moving) but there are some that I can. I have decided that I am not allowed to use my phone after 11:30pm. I can put it on the charger but I can't touch it until the next morning. 6. Slay the Dragon of Social Anxiety: This one is getting a bit harder to work on. Talking to people I don't know at the store has gotten easier. The problem I have now is that there are certain situations I try to avoid, like public speaking or speaking in front of a group. It doesn't matter if it's a group of strangers or friends, I seem to always clam up. So I guess the goal is to go to my friends' house and play DnD once this month. They tend to have games that run until the wee morning hours, so I need to pick one that isn't going to keep me up too late.

Quick intro! I'm karinajean, 38, live in NY state, commute to NJ about an hour each way (so lots of time in the car). I joined the NFA in October 2013 and over the last 2 years I've gone from 206 to around 180. I practice tae kwon do several times a week, take weapons and boxing classes in addition, and have an overarching fitness goal of doing good form push- and pull-ups. I have a crazy mean (yet super sweet) cat and live with my husband full time and my stepdudes 1/2 time. I motorcycle, knit and spin, and am endlessly ignoring how messy the house is. I'm an ASSASSIN because I like doing all the things, and because I want to be able to do push-ups and pull-ups -- these seem like very efficient movements that will exercise my upper body and core, and if I can do those and run and do martial arts (NINJA) I will feel totally strong and fit and capable. The MERMAID comes in because I saw it in a dream when I was a very young child and I believe it. And! it's my 39th birthday on April 15! challenge backstory! I've been here at NF for just about 2 years (nerdiversary on april 14th!) and lately I've been working on my SHOWING UP. I'm trying to believe that my baseline level of activity is actually worthy of being considered ACTIVITY (can you believe I have imposter syndrome around this?) and that I just need to show up and keep on keepin' on to stay healthy, happy, and fit. Goals! Goal 1: keep eating and tracking I still don't have hazard-quality information about how my body uses food. Honestly, I may NEVER have hazard-quality information about how my body uses food... but I want to grow the karinajean database of information. but! I need to add to this. progress status photos and measurements on a weekly basis, please. Goal 2: keep using my calendar tracking system and keep doing the things and telling you about them. I like this calendar tracking plan. it works for me pretty nicely. Goal 3: Show up and have fun! it's spring, y'all! I need to just show up and have fun! like, here, in my back yard, at my birthday party, on the weekends, in the library with a candlestick (oh wait).... Larger items to pay attention to: * having a birthday party with hula hoop instructor on APRIL 16. * 4th degree black belt test still tentatively scheduled for MAY * currently training for a 10K to be run on MAY 15 * it's spring and my yard is a mess and I need to BUY AND PLANT SOME BIG TREES * I need to get my attic dry-walled. it's a big deal and is going to be a huge pain (because there's currently things in it) but it is TIME. you know what will be fun? when this is OVER. * oh, and my motorcycle! we got the tarp off of them last night (thanks strong winds) and I need to FIX THE THROTTLE CABLE and RIDE IT EVERYWHERE.

S'up Nerds!!!!! So this challenge starts on my birthday this year, and instead of doing this sucker from the 1st to the 26th, I'm going to go from the 1st to the 28th because I'm going to be 28 until I hit 40 I'm totally going to be 31 but who's really counting? Also I totally don't care for time off, I'd rather just keep slogging through snow and get to my goal. First things first... Oh man do I ever need one at least twice a week. Damn... This past challenge I attempted to do the following: eat regular meals, limit pop, walk home from the bus station, hit the gym three times a week and clean my place. For meals I did pretty damn well, I had less than uhh... 3?? ish days of not following my meal times and I had maybe 4 extra glasses of pop the entire time, which is about one a week which is stellar since I used to have like 3-4 a day at work. Walking home was pretty solid except a few days where it was just totally shit outside, the bus that takes me right home was the first one to show up and today because I walking home against the wind when it's snowing sideways is a fast way to have really sore eyes all night. :/ Cleaning was not even half of what I wanted to do. Although my bedroom is a hell of a lot cleaner, and my bathroom is also a hell of a lot cleaner! The kitchen, halls, living room and front door area are still terrible and I'm scared of them. >_> I will tackle this fear and dominate those rooms as well. I mostly need the kick in the ass for the things that I don't like doing, that I need to do regardless of my like or hate of the task at hand. I plan to keep at what I was already doing, with tracking my habits to make sure I keep at them for as long as possible until it becomes as easy as breathing. So this time around I'm hoping that my fellow Nerds will give me that swift kick in the ass if I don't put up an update of what I have accomplished for the day. Pretty please! It would really do me the world of good to know someone's wanting to know what I'm up to. >_< Second things second... I will NOT be scared/shocked/startled by strange creatures that I do not usually share space with. I will try really, really, really hard not to wimp out so that I can ask people I don't know at the gym for their help on how to use something if I see that they are using something I want to play with. I'm generally pretty familiar with any/all of the cardio equipment and most of the useful isolation machines at the gym but I have no idea how to use the ones where you load up actual free weights and use them. I know these are pretty much the same thing, but there are also some strange things that I just don't know what they are and am curious about. I will also ask at the front desk of the gym as to what days/times are dead so that I will have less of a risk of standing around waiting ages for someone to finish using the one thing I want to use, and on those inevitable days I will make a point to just go do something else and check back in 5-10 minutes. Third things third... I'm going to attempt to be a "real" adventurer fuck that I am a real adventurer, old school adventurers FTW so I'm going to go and explore something or other once each week, most likely on the weekends, or on days I know for sure I'm no going to the gym. Might go wander into that neat looking store Carta Magica that's near the mall that I've been meaning to go into since 2007, or I might check out the Nature Museum, since it's one of the last ones I've no checked out yet, that and the Aviation Museum. Ooh... all kinds of places I can go check out! Last things last... I'm going to start putting aside $25/week towards getting myself something colourful, permanent, sentimental and delightfully me inked into my skin. I have a firm idea in mind and I plan on doing this in stages because I don't want to deal with the horrible evil itching of the full thing all at once. I would go stark raving mad and I would also likely not be able to wear my work clothes with any level of comfort if I got it all at once. Although I'm going to be spending a great deal of time asking people at work who also have colourful things inked into their skin where they went and who did their work. I want to find the right artist and preferably one that is going to charge a reasonable amount for their time/skill. The design is very simple, but it will likely be kind of big... like the whole length of one of my legs kind of big... Basic Goals: 1. Write down what I did that day, so I can see how my habits form, and hopefully so I can see what kinds of things cause me to give in and fail for a day or three. 2. Ask for help when I need it, and try new things at the gym when just following my standard routine isn't going to work. 3. Go exploring. 4. Save up for a thing I've wanted for like ten years but kept putting off. I like Calvin and Hobbes, in case that wasn't now wildly obvious. >_>

"Monday's child is fair of face" As I begin a new year I must keep my wits about me. I will likely encounter obstacles both seen and unseen but I refuse to go alone. I shall prepare myself with four talismans of protection. This challenge begins just before my birthday and I have set goals to make this year a healthier, more productive year. My main goal is to reach a healthy weight range. The First Talisman: My feet hit the ground with a purpose each day. I will walk 30 minutes each day. The Second Talisman: I dance with abandon. I will dance to whatever music I please for 15 minutes each day. The Third Talisman: I fill my belly with nutritious offerings. I will track my calories each day. The Fourth Talisman: I create. I will spend 20 minutes each day painting, writing, or knitting. (Life Quest)

Welcome to my 50th Birthday Challenge! I turn the Big 5-0 the first week of this challenge, so to celebrate being in the best shape of my life as I turn a half-century old, I'm celebrating in a big way by having a giant 6-week-long Luau Party! At this party, we're gonna have plenty o' fantastic music. I have a Hawaiian play list, and here's one of the songs to read this post by: We'll also have fantastic, healthy recipes like this one: Hawaiian Pork Chops. And we'll play disc golf! Yeah, baby. Yeah. YEAH. My Quests! Main Quest: to play at least one round (18 holes) of disc golf EVERY DAY. That's 3.5 miles of walking per round. If the weather doesn't permit, then I make 100 putts into the temporary basket. Or both if I'm feeling particularly outstanding! Measurement: 42 games of disc golf in 6 weeks: +5 DEX. 35 games of disc golf in 6 weeks: +3 DEX. 20 games of disc golf in 6 weeks: +1 DEX. 2nd Quest: to eat protein for breakfast. GRONK NEED PROTEIN! I don't care whether it's a whole bag of edamame, a microwaved chicken breast, or leftover ham from dinner. But I need to get at least 20 grams of protein in me at the start of my day! Measurement: 42 protein breakfasts in 6 weeks: +5 STA. 35 protein breakfasts in 6 weeks: +3 STA. 20 protein breakfasts in 6 weeks: +1 STA. Life Quest: to post a bikini photo shoot set at some point in the 6 week challenge (Hear that, Razzy?!!). I'm delighted to be healthy and energetic and athletic at 50! Measurement: 3 bikini photos: +5 CHA. 2 bikini photos: +3 CHA. 1 bikini photo: +1 CHA.

Bekah's 2nd Nerdiversary/Birthday Challenge!!!!! I can't believe I have been here 2 years already! I look back and am just amazed at how much my life has changed since then. I have gained confidence and strength and lived through experiences I was pretty certain would be the end of me...and I made it out okay...better even! I tend to look down on myself because I am not at the weight I want to be, or not doing the things I need to for my physical body to be at it's best with diet and exercise, but that negates all the good that I have accomplished since I came here. Yes I lost and gained 40 lbs, but I also had major surgery and was in bed for 3 months. Does that make me a failure? Depends on who's asking I guess...but I don't think so. The biggest lesson that I have learned since I came here is that it's not about my outside, but about my inside...and if all my Nerds are to be believed, my inside is pretty freaking fantastic...and that alone means that I am not a failure. THANK YOU ALL!!! It is because of you, that I can eat brownies today and not fat shame myself for it, and because of you that I know I am capable of loving and being loved and because of you, I can look at my outside and know that my inside is still awesome no matter what the scale or the mirror says. I have realized that I have some very serious hormonal imbalances that end up looking very bipolar-esque, and that I can come here, and you all talk me through it and I realize it will be okay, and doesn't mean anything more than my body is not happy at that moment. Because of you, I don't want to die, I want to live and be happy and healthy and because of you, I am inspired everyday to not make excuses and push myself and be kind to myself and take breaks when I need them and be okay with needing things and wanting things and that NONE of that, means I have failed. Next post: Challenge Goals

Here's how this challenge is going to go: I'm going to survive the Spartan next weekend (!!!), finally dial in my diet, and have an awesome birthday! Well the birthday part isn't till the end, but it's important! See, I'm having a bit of a problem with the idea of turning 24. It's right before 25 and 25 just feels so...serious and adult-like. So I want to turn 24 knowing the I'm in the best shape I've ever been in. Then by 25, I want to be in seriously good shape...I'm thinking that 2016 might be the year of the Spartan trifecta. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want to evaluate my long-term goals and really start seeing my daily progress as working towards them. I need to figure out what that daily progress needs to be though. I'm hoping for some help from you guys, cause you're awesome Things I need to do to succeed: Dial in my diet so I can start regularly losing weight instead of struggling Be consistent with exercising (especially NP and karate) Work on time management to fit ALL THE THINGS that I try to do Things I want to do: Run the B3 in 2015 (Shamrock 5K, Sole of the City 10K, Charles Street 12-miler) Do one pull-up (to begin with) Competitively run a 5K (maybe in 2016?) By this I mean actually try to win for my age group Run a half-marathon Run the MD HEAT race (hopefully with Nerds) Complete a Spartan trifecta (I'm sure there's more, but this is a good start.) Actual Challenge (for realz and everything): Mission #1: Eat Primal In my quest to beat coax my diet into shape, I'm venturing into the lovely world of Primal. Lots of meats and veggies and dairy (in moderation) So, eat lots of protein and colorful fruits and veggies and *crosses fingers* hope some of the weight will start to come off. I do want to leave room for flexibility though, so I'm allowing myself either 6 non-primal things under 200 calories or 3 under 400 calories per week. And no more than one per day. A beer, for example, counts as one of the 6 things. This allows me to make flexible decisions, but stay 'good' too. And I'll just go ahead and mention that Boston is exempt from this. Mission #2: Run Away! Seeing as I actually enjoy running and want to do the B3/HEAT race/more Spartans, I should start training. Now. For now, I'll train to a 5K distance. I'm going to run 3 days/week following a program I found online, but incorporating hills sprints for one run. Week Run #1 Run #2 Run #3 1 2 HS 2 2 2.5 HS 2.5 3 2.5 HS 3 4 2.5 HS 3 5 3 HS 3 6 3 HS 3 This will get me used to running consistently again and help my staying power at the 5K distance. I'm also assuming all those 3s actually have .1s after them. And that last run? That one's special. That's going to be a PR run. Goal: Run a 5K in under 45:00 by the end of the challenge. If I hit this before PR run, then I still have to PR on the run. Mission #3: Get Strong! One of my goals is to be able to do a pull-up. Well, it's time to start progressing towards there. There's some perfectly good dumbbells in the (other-wise lacking) downstairs apartment gym. I can use those to start with dumbbell rows. I'll come up with some more strength-related stuff this weekend before the challenge actually starts and make my own little routine. Warm-up: 10 Burpees A Day (Heavy Weight/Low Rep): B Day (Low Weight/High Rep): Goblet Squats Lunges Dumbbell Deadlifts Step ups Push-ups (no mod & unweighted) Dips Dumbbell rows Dumbbell rows Leg raises Planks (Start with 30s) HWLR will start at 5 reps. When I work up to 8, I'll increase weight. LWHR will start at 12 reps. When I work up to 15, I'll increase weight. Goal is 3-5 sets per workout. Goal: Do strength routine 2x week All of this is in addition to karate and NP. Because where would I be without kiais and fuck yeahs to get me through my week?

Well, I've read Nerd Fitness before and used some of the recipe's when I tried unsuccessfully to lose weight. However, I am a newbie and have been reading over the info and now I just need to get some things in my life back on track. I've been reading over the blogs and success stories and finally had to say, "If you're not happy with your life now, why wait? What can we do to start fixing it now?" As with any quest I will start with where I am at the beginning. My real name is Michael, I just turned 30 last week and life has been kicking me in the proverbial groin for the last couple of years. I was at a job I hated until I got fired, am the fattest I've ever been (363lbs, 50 waist) and as a result I don't fit my old clothes at all, and I'm having money troubles that make me thankful we don't have debtors prisons. I suffer from depression, but I'm at a very low point to a degree that I don't even bother with the one thing that has always brought me joy: writing. However, nothing good has come from my crying and worry and thus the first step begins today. Now, I have set some goals for where I want to be on my 31st birthday. I'm writing them all down here so I can reflect on them and give myself the motivation. As I move closer, I can look back on this and say, "Yes, we made some fine progress! But, the journey isn't over." To that end, I have three quests: Fit into my old, swanky clothes...buy nicer, skinny guy clothes. I used to be a fashionable fellow, the type who was Mad Men before the show. I know how to tie everything from a double windsor to a bow tie. I know how to fold a pocket square. However, I can't fit into any of my suits and the one that barely fit me ripped at a wedding this last weekend. I'm setting this as a goal rather than the generic "lose weight" because I know that's not enough. However, if I'm able to put on my old Tommy french-cuffed shirt and back into the stone grey suit, I know I'm back. Other reasons why I'm making this goal: 1) So I feel good when I wake up in the morning and because 2) I want to walk the streets of Rome on my next visit without being in pain and panting. Be financially Stable. Not rich, per se, but not having great anxiety about checking my mail as there is another overdue bill or constantly having overdraft charges because I really need food and to pay my rent. If I'm still making the same at 31, then I want to sell enough of my stuff and cut my expenses so that I don't do stupid things. Become a word smith extraordinaire. While this post is poorly-written, I'm actually quite the word smith when I work at it. I used to write all the time and it brought me so much joy. I can read a book, review it, and publish it in a respectable place. I used to dream and plan my own novel while writing short stories. I can do it again, and this time even better!I know that these goals are hard and I'm not going to be the Eager Beaver I was in the past who gets tired by trying everything at once. So, here's how I'm starting my quest: Cutting out all fast food. If I eat out, it's for a social reason not to shove carbs down my gullet. This will save money and help me drop the inches.Starting the Paleo diet, one step at a time. I've gotten rid of all sugar and I'm going to slowly eliminate all carbs from my eating that isn't from fruit or veggies. Soda, hard cider, and beer will be the hardest to go without, as I consume them every night. I'm mostly there now, but I can accomplish this.Start an exercise program. Right now, I'm committing myself to walking briskly for 15 minutes a day. Next week, I'll start the nerd fitness program in the mornings and slowly up the ante, asking myself each week, "Can I do more? If I do, won't I feel like Rocky at the Art Museum?"Start writing on the weekends. Write what I enjoy, as much as I can. My initial goal is to do just 100 words on Friday and another on Sunday. If I'm really enjoying it, I'll write more. Look for work in a more fulfilling place. Hear that, Chicago, I'm coming back!Visit this post, and the forum in general every Tuesday to see where I've come along and to encourage others. We will do this, boys and girls. I'm taking a picture of myself today, as soon as this post is done. I'll take a shirtless picture on the second of each month and check over my other goals. I can do this, and this will be the mind candy that gets me to the end. No more excuses, no more, "But I'm tired, but I'm poor, but I'm stressed and depressed and splurging money on junk when I should be exercising or writing makes me feel good." I know what self-indulgence does, and it doesn't lead to joy. Just more pain. So, to end this long post, I am hopeful! Writing this actually makes me feel better already and I think this time it will be different. I've failed, but I'm picking myself up and getting ready for round 3. If anyone else in the NF community is full of advice, let it come. I'm okay with harsh criticism if you need to tell me what's what. Also, if you want to message me here and be my accountability buddy and fitness pal, that would be great! Especially if you happen to be in New England and love comics, philosophy, HP Lovecraft, and old black and white flicks. Here we go, once more into the breach! Rah!

Yesterday was my 22nd birthday and because I'm a nerd I did a total of 22 reps of everything, so 7/7/8. And it got me wondering if any of you guys have routines or something you do for yourself that's workout related on your birthday. Unless it's just in in which case... whoo!

So recently I had a birthday.... It was an awesome event full of friends family and stupid hats... If I ever doubted the support my circle of friends and family gives me I dont now. My friend made me a homemade flourless chocolate cake for my birthday... Took me to steak and veggie dinner. and as an added fun Bowling... exercise in the form of hilarous. I also got a project pair of jeans... just a bit snug.. but a pair that I can work toward getting to fit in. I was so touched.

So I'll be turning 30 in a little over a month, and I want to do something hardcore to prove that I'm not old. Help me figure out what I'm doing. So far here's what I've got (now remember I'm not a super athlete so no marathon junk suggested). Hit up the gym. Warm up and try to do a 300 pound squat (PR currently sits at 285). Then, after a 3-5 minute rest period, start the timer. Do 30 reps at 135 of Bench and Squat. (if some of you crossfitters know a good workout that centers on the number 30, I'm all ears) Head over to the treadmill. Run 3.0 miles. At mile 1, stop and do 30 burpees. At mile 2, do 30 air squats. At, mile 3, do 30 pushups. End timer and post in the woot room that I've done it! Thoughts? How could I tweak this? And again, I'm not a superman, but I'm willing to try tough things.