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Hello everyone! I just joined the Nerd Fitness rebellion last week. I am a 32 y.o. mother of 3 (ages 13, 8, & 7). My husband and I have been married for 10 years. We are both tabletop RPG gamers, and we host the Just One More Fix podcast. Though rpgs are my favorite, I also enjoy board games and occasionally video games too. I am an emergency room nurse and recent college graduate. I am looking to start my first job as a family nurse practitioner very soon. I was a very healthy eater and exercised on a semi-regular basis before I started back to school. I am looking to lose the extra weight I found during my master's program and get back into shape. I want to look and feel healthier and be a good role model for my children. My larger goals that I am focusing on include losing 20 lbs, establishing a meditation practice, and blogging for our podcast. To help achieve these, my SMART goals for this 4 week challenge include: 1) Do a 30 minute cardio workout at least 3 times each week 2) Make a complete menu and shopping list each week 3) Meditate for at least 5 minutes at least 3 times each week 4) Spend 10 minutes each day reading other RPG blogs and establish a list of 5 favorites by the end of the challenge I look forward to interacting with all of you during the next 4 weeks. Best of luck on each of your own challenges!

Hey everyone, So, I'm not as insecure as my title suggests...I only mean that I don't consider myself a nerd. I do, however, consider myself a storyteller and from what I've seen many of you would self-identify as such also. So, if I don't belong just let me know and I'll scurry off to some other brothel of fitness junkiedom. Here's the other thing: my previous statement would suggest that I am a fitness junkie. I'm not. At all... In fact, I hate fitness. It's why I'm starting a new blog called wehatefitness.com - I don't think I'm alone. I'm thinking my people may even be here on this site. Let me explain. I enjoy being fit. I like the feeling of being in shape and feeling healthy. I love playing sports and I don't mind eating healthy (as long as we're creative about it). But, I can't stand working out! I hate the process of getting fit and staying fit. I've tried lots of things and I get burned out stretching before I ever start anything intense. My best attempts at working out are always 1-2 weeks long and then I'm just done - I'm unmotivated. My wife is completely different. She enjoys the process of getting fit - but she is a Mom of three and struggles to find the time to do everything she wants as far as healthy living goes. So, for a totally separate reason she also "hates fitness". As a storyteller, I've developed a couple of character types. I wonder if any of you fit one of these profiles. If so, please share below. 1. Caleb - This one is me. The guy or gal who can't stand the process of getting and staying fit. You get burned out easily. The people who love going to the gym annoy you. You have a hard time being motivated to find time to work out - you practically have to be forced into it. 2. Steffanie - My wife. Someone who just struggles to fit a healthy lifestyle in to the already busy day. You might be a stay-at-home parent or a busy business person or just someone with lots of responsibilities throughout the day. You enjoy fitness, but the inconvenience sometimes makes it feel like an obligation and it's not fun. 3. Brandon - My brother in law. Slightly overweight, can't lose weight no matter how much healthy eating, dieting, or working out you do. Wish you could get in shape, but have a difficult time staying committed because you never see results. I'm developing some others - so maybe you can help me with those. What are things you struggle with that make you hate the process of fitness? Wouldn't it be great if fitness felt more fun? If you've figured out the secret, I'd love to know what makes fitness fun for you. How do you keep things fresh and exciting? How do you keep a "work-out" from feeling like plain old work? Thanks guys! Happy to be here. CalebTheTiger

(moved from Battle Log Section) This will be my official Blog for all of my traveling adventure summaries Adventure 1 – Road through History and Liberty Saturday I have returned from a weeks’ vacation. I was at Williamsburg Virginia. I go on this trip almost every year for the past 6 to 8 years. This time however due to being a part of Nerd Fitness, I have turned my trip into a quest. I broke it down to multiple parts to grade my growth Nutrition- To eat healthy throughout the week Knowledge- to learn something new Adventure- to travel new area and gain new experiences I will not lie to you all and tell you that I have done what I have set out to do. Some aspects I completed with flying colors. On the other I have failed and will make up for it on the up and coming weeks. The quest of Nutrition, like other, vacation I have failed at. Throughout the week I kept a food log to watch and see what I would each. In the nicest of ways, I ate crap. Burgers, Pizza, so on and so forth. The Knowledge portion I believe I have grown in. I believe that anytime that I go to Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown that I learn something new. I learned about the JD Rockefellers Jr. who reconstructed Williamsburg from the past. I was able to see new archeological sites that are bringing and rewriting history even now. Adventure, now this was something that I can say was complete. This year I have traveled to two now areas within near Williamsburg, more close to Richmond, The Berkley Plantation and Shirley Plantation. Both of these sites were full or massive amounts of history. My girlfriend and I walk through the gardens and house tours to find out mysteries that once I never had known. We have also walked miles around, in, and through the Colonial Areas of Williamsburg. We attended a concert within the Governors Palace. We danced at the Raleigh Tavern Billiard Room. We listen to ghost story There was so much to do and yet we ran out of time. I, since then, have put myself on a schedule were fitness and discipline due to my failure of the Nutrition portion of my trip. I am walking to and from my bus stops to work each day; to is a ½ Mile and from is 1 ½ mile. I am currently doing the academies workout, to ease myself into the hardcore working out. I will be the fittest I ever been for the next Spartan Race and other OCR’s that I am doing. I will be in shape and happy for my Next adventure Item Received for Trip: Print (Surrender at Yorktown) and Book (Common Sense by Thomas Paine) Please Comment, Question and thank you.

Good Morning! So, since reviving my long dead account, I have not gotten to spend much time on here! I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about my past month in adventures and successes and failures, allow others to share with me theirs, as well as some general advice sharing for us all to join in on! During August I: Launched My Own Website/Blog Started organizing my website, putting the puzzle together FINALLY got my wife in to a healthier diet/lifestyle Started building my network for online marketing Sold a membership to the boat club I work for Started Reorganizing my life for the better! But I Also: Fell off my workout routine Got distracted with unimportant matters Struggle to keep my dying car running Have an expensive medical bill about to come out Struggle to stay focused when working on my site Almost bought in to an MLM scheme known as Primerica (Hoping to have caught the bank soon enough to prevent unwanted charges) While I obviously have some areas to work on and fix, I do not wish to linger too long on the shortcomings! The fact is, the good that has come out far out weighs the bad. My site is not generating income YET and I don't imagine it will for the next couple months. Everything is just slowly coming together and I have a TON to learn still! The writing is not the difficult part at all. The coding part is becoming much easier. Staying on top of social media on the other hand has been quite the struggle. I am learning to use auto-schedulers to keep fresh posts on each social site, BUT I need to have more of an online presence in each one and communicate with my followers and potential followers. All this has been a ton more work than I could imagine but as it starts to fall in to place things are not near as bad or daunting as they had seemed at the start! A little disorganization is all that is cluttering my mind, and writing about it here is helping me realize what steps I need to take next. How about you? What have you achieved this past month? What about some short comings you can correct? Any advice to offer? Let's chat! ^.^

OK so here I go, I'm going to use this as my log book, adventure journal, quest log and anything else that I can ram in here. I have always wanted to write a blog and get my opinions out there instead of being the quiet introvert, who has a difficult time voicing my thoughts and if no one reads this then no matter at least I'm doing it rather then continually putting it off. If you do read this then thank you very much, I hope you enjoy what I have to say and if you can offer me any advise then I'm more then happy to listen. Thank you for you time, Fraz

. Ready for the next challenge to start tomorrow. The theme this time is one of my personal heroes: Eminem. The dude is super inspiring to be because he succeeded in an arena he shouldn't have, but he decided that is what he wanted so he made it happen. While he isn't necessarily a good person or a grade A role model, I love how he had a vision of his future and gave everything he had to make it come true. . I recently finished reading Steve's Level Up Your Life book, and absolutely loved it. I have gone ahead and written down everything. So these next several challenges will have several of the same aspects simply because they are some of my long quests. That being said, I will have a few more then normal quests on this page, because several of them will be to do one thing once a week, and that could get boring. So without further delay: Quest 1: Write a blog post once a week for More Than Survival . One of the quests I gave myself was to blog once a week for six months. I recently started a blog called More Than Survival. It is sort of my version of NF, but through my experience. It is directed towards people who are currently depressed with where they are in life and want to reengineer their brains for a better life. I am currently on blog three, and am just going through the basic steps of how to start the reengineering process. It would be super awesome if you guys checked it out and gave me feed back on what you think about it. The link is in my signature. I realize I am not the best writer, but I also feel like I have knowledge that could be useful to others so I am going to try. (Completion: 50xp) Attr: +1 Wis; +2 Cha Quest 2: Practice parkour once a week. . Another challenge I gave myself was to train in parkour once a week for six months. I finally found the group in my area that does it and they have agreed to train me. Unfortunately, most of them will graduate in May, so I have a lot to learn in the short time span, so I can train what I know after that. I love the idea of moving my body and vaulting obstacles so I am excited about this challenge. (Completion: 50xp) Attr: +2 Str; +2 End Quest 3: Speak Spanish in a Spanish speaking country . I took a Spanish course when I was sixteen or so, but never used it. Well now I am set up to work in a Spanish speaking country for the summer, and while I am told they all speak English, I don't want to be that asshole tourist type who doesn't even attempt to learn, particularly since I will be there for three months. So the current goal is to use Duolingo five times a week until I complete that and then moving a book I have heard about. I normally would say every day, but I realize that is unrealistic. So while I will try to do it every day, I will not penalize myself for missing two a week. (Completion: 50xp) Attr: +2 Wis Quest 4: Study for five hours a day . I am currently in my sophomore year of Chemical Engineering, and the classes are starting to pick up in intensity. So far I have been able to slide by on minimal work, but that needs to come to an end. I know I can be making better grades, I just don't put the time into it. So my goal is to study for five hours every day. I will try different time patterns and motivations, but at the end, I want to make my studies a priority Attr: +3 Wis Quest 5: Bench 200 lbs./ Deadlift 300 lbs. . The final long term goal I am currently working on is to be able to bench and deadlift those amounts. I currently can bench 105lbs. and deadlift 135lbs. Those are not maxing out, but just the weights I am comfortable with doing a 5x5. The goal is to go to the gym three times a week, going through the Stronglifts 5x5 program. Attr: +3 Str As he says in his song: "Success is my only option, failure's not." Let's do this!

Hey guys, I have wanted to start a blog for a while, and finally decided to give it a go. I got the domain and have started trying to write a little and have challenged myself to write weekly for at least six months. I am a fairly decent writer and such, but I always like to have another set of eyes look over my stuff. I am looking for someone who is willing to do a casual edit of my posts before I put them out. It shouldn't take too long since I do most of the hard work myself. It does not pay, but you will have my gratitude if that means anything to you. It's really supposed to be for fun. Let me know if you are interested. Thanks

Name: Aminarra, aka "MegsFitness" Before pic: http://i.imgur.com/WBx6RqI.jpg Before Measurements: Occupation: Corporate Fleet Management Resolution Previous Fitness Experience: 2 years on SparkPeople, 3 years with Weight Loss Warriors, 3 attempts at Weight Watchers, 1 attempt at Herbalife; 4 years high school strength training, 1 obstacle 5k, 10+ regular 5k Races, greatest weight loss 42lbs. Current Level of Fitness: Sedentary. It's been 2 years since I've worked out consistently due to a severe back injury after the Warrior Dash. "End Game" Goal: Working out 4+x/week, Settling at a healthy weight, ideally ~180, but more importantly having functional strength and physical health. Short-term Goal: Begin working out 1-3x/week, at a beginner level to become re-acclimated to the fitness world. Begin reintegrating Paleo Lifestyle into eating plan Plan of Action: Use Nerd Fitness to launch new fitness goals; integrate fitness guild with gamer guild for inspiration. Generate weekly goals in the areas of nutrition, exercise, and personal. Update status on goals at least weekly. Outside of NF: https://megsfitness.wordpress.com/

One has not been as active in the Monk's section lately. The madness drives one to solitude, the solitude drives one to madness; and one neglects an entire community of supporters who are willing to keep me accountable. And we all have a meeting place. THE QUEST One With The Universe Declare a schedule at the beginning of the week. Even if I don't follow the schedule to a T, having a schedule gives me a reason to not sit around wallowing in misery (or at least limit the time that I spend doing it). And declaring said schedule, I suppose, would keep me honest, or at least make me work hard to be otherwise. (+2 CON, +2 WIS) The Middle Way Despite keeping to myself, I spend too much time on Facebook. But I cannot just delete Facebook, since it also deals with my work, so I have resolved to follow Intermittent Facebook Fasting. No Facebook from dawn to dusk. (+2 CON, +2 WIS) Embrace The Madness I have a blog, but it remains relatively empty. I have words running around in my head but I never write them down. I shall spend at least two hours a week reflecting and writing on my notebook. (+3 WIS) SIDE QUEST Basic Review A rather overdue belt test is coming up, and I am going to take part in it. No more sandbagging [albeit honest]. Review techniques from the Gracie University's Blue Belt requirements. (+2 DEX, +2 WIS)

(Note: I had a much better introduction but my first post was eaten by the inter-webs) Main Quest : Unassisted Pull Up Strength Goal: More pull-ups than week before. Test myself every Saturday. Starting with 3. .5 strength points for each week I have more band-assisted pull-ups.Can be:longer hang-timemore band-assisted pull upsmore negative pull-ups (let downs)3 strength pts Stamina Goal: longer workouts than the work beforeCan be total weekly mileage (runs)Total weekly mileage (bike)Total weekly distance rowed (metric)Total amount of time spent doing cardio3 stamina pts Constitution Goal: Hero's JourneyDo workout everydayTime spent can also count towards Stamina goal3 Dexterity pts Nutrition: Veggies / Fruit at every meal (tracked through Lose It! app)90g protein / day (tracked through Lose It! app)3 constitution pts Lifestyle Goal: Blog at least once a week (and resurrect my blog).3 Charisma pts

Hi all, Here's my first challenge in the Rebellion. Been a member for some time, but decided I need to dream and read less and start commiting to some form of change. Rebellion member [Jakkals] gave me some great advice to start off slow and I'm following that advise: Main Quest Lose the smallish beer belly/ pot belly and increase general health and wellness​Although skinny, tall and quite fit due to bi-weekly action netball I'm not very pleased with the slight beer belly and my lack of energy and drive. My SMART Fitness quest Drink at least 2 liters of water dailyI'll give myself the following points: 2ltrs: 4 | 1.5ltrs: 3 | 1ltrs: 2 | 0.5ltrs: 1 No sugar in my coffee​I'm a coffeeholic and drink a tremendous amount of coffee. The water intake should balance this out, but the sugar is the enemy here. I don't drink milk so that's not an issue for me. I drink only one teaspoon of sugar, but want to cut this out. Thanks to Tim Ferris black bitter coffee can be flavored with cinnamon and Vanilla essence, which I both love. I'll give myself the following points based on percentage of cups drank per day without sugar: 100%: 4 | 75%: 3 | 50%: 2 | 25%: 1 Go to the gym everyday (Sundays excluded)​Foam roll everydayStretchPilates Exercise​​The above program is as set out by my Biokineticist. I'll give myself the following points: 1 point for each item done per day (Max 3 points) My SMART Life quest Blog twice a week​I recently committed to a Live Your Legend Blog Starting Challenge. Points: 1 Posts: 1 Point | 2 Posts: 2 Points Finish a proposal for a Grammy winning producer​I recently got an opportunity to draft a proposal and video for a multiple Grammy winning producer. Need to send him proposal ASAP. I'm not allocating myself points for this. This shit is way to important to measure with points. NEEDS TO BE DONE. Continue to make my bed daily​This is an extremely bad habit I'm currently working on. Running a three week streak so far. Points: 1 Point for each day of the week (Max: 7 per week) Post daily progress on Nerd Fitness RebellionPoints: 1 Point for each day of the week (Max: 7 per week) Challenge Conclusion: Based on the amount of days left in the challenge and my requirement set out above. I can get a Maximum of 161 POINTS I will deem the challenge successful if I score 70% or higher. Hence I need to achieve at least: 112.7 POINTS Let's make that 113 See you around folks... Mwah!

I've always wanted to start my own business, but never really known what it would be. I'm starting to think about creating a podcast and a blog, but again I don't really know what about. Any advice on finding what it is I would like to write about? I'm really inspired by Steve and what he has done here. Any suggestions?

Previously in Raptron's Thread... I rekindled my love for gymnastics, re-learned some old skills, joined a recreational team, competed at Nationals, and embraced the suck with my NF friends at a GORUCK Challenge. For the first time since last fall, I am without a serious training deadline and it feels kind of awesome. This challenge, I am going to try out a combination of hitting the basics and mixing up my bodyweight work to try to advance cool human body trick progression in a meaningful way. I will still be attending gymnastics practice probably 7-10 times over the challenge and give you guys updates on how that goes. I don't need it to be a goal for me because it's something I'm going to do anyway. Goal 1: Just kidding -- Every day IS leg day Lifting 3x weekLearn how to power clean properlyFilm form checks and get feedback on things to fix (especially for deadlifts)Back to the basics, linear progression style with squats, bench, ohp, and deadlifts. I feel like I should be able to wring linear progression out of 6 weeks of regular work. Part of this goal will to actually work on power cleans and get to a point where I'll feel comfortable subbing them in for deadlifts by the end of six weeks. Goal 2: Roll them Bones Inspired by some of the gamification in other assassins' challenges, I'm going to try out some randomized bodyweight work. Roll a die 3 times and do the work assigned to each number below. 5 minutes includes rest between sets/hold attempts, so I'll just set a timer for each exercise (other than the the pull/chin up work). Partial and negative handstand push-ups against the wall -- 5 minutes of work Chin-up, pull-up, and wide arm pull-up work (negatives, assisted, and as many unassisted as possible [usually 1]): one set of 5 each Back lever progression work -- 5 minutes Floor or hanging straddle holds -- 5 minutes Floor tuck sit or L-sit holds -- 5 minutes Straddle press handstand work -- 5 minutesAiming to do this 3x a week. I want a total of 60 minutes of static hold/bodyweight work per week, with some from these workouts and the rest coming from gymnastics practices. Goal 3: Run (in the) Forest, Run Go for a trail run at least six times over the course of the challengeGo for hill sprints 3x this challengeI did sign up for a trail run in July, so I guess I should probably do some running. Plus this gets me outside more to enjoy the summer, and I actually don't mind running when it's hot because it's cooler than walking. Life Goal: Blogdor the Bloginator I signed up for my first community supported agriculture program this year and received my first farm share yesterday. (More info about CSA and the farm I've signed up with: http://picadillyfarm.com/csa/about-our-csa/ ) I'm creating a blog that will mostly focus on what I receive each week and how I use it, including recipes and general usage ideas + tips as I figure them out for myself. Pre-challenge goal -- Get the blog set up and ready to post on, perhaps including a post or two about this week's CSA share.Update at least 2x per week. I'd love to set a higher goal for this, but I figure it should aim low for the start.Bookmark http://eatdrinkbemighty.com/ if this sounds like something you'll be interested in. First CSA haul of the year:

First So, this is the first blog I've ever done. Hooray. In this blog I shall endeavor to record my experiences, concerning my physical and mental fitness. I may not write every day, but I will post at least three time a week. Sometimes, I may just record what I ate or what exercises I did, perhaps I may write some of my more motivational thoughts down here. Other times, I may simply complain, vent or otherwise whine; this is OK. The reason this is ok, is because I will not allow my lesser impulses ( i.e laziness) to determine my fate, physical or otherwise. Although I have tried to maintain a healthy lifestyle before (and failed), I believe that by sharing the victories and the hardships with people (i.e You) will provide the motivation to continue until the healthy lifestyle practices become just another part of my life. Right now, I'm doing pretty good. This is to be celebrated for the time being, but the true tests lie ahead, and frankly, I'm excited to begin. I've started this blog immediately after joining with the current six week challenge, as a member of the Assassin guild, and I will also be writing in that blog, concerning the challenge. The Thread is titled ,"The Bishop Begins", and will be available on audio book as soon as I figure out how to use iTunes Garage Band (just kidding). Alright, introductions are over, so let me tell you about today by first telling you about yesterday, which has its roots in last Friday. The day before today, I, being of sound mind, decided to begin the six week challenge offered here at NerdFitness. Why you ask? Because this past Friday I was utterly humiliated at my friends' gym. Granted, we went there at 8pm and there was almost nobody there (thank the good Lord God Almighty), save two tired souls at the treadmill area, but the embarrassment I suffered was not from the ridicule of strangers or that of my friends; no my fellow rebels, it was worse. You see, I've never been much of a weight lifter. No, martial arts and gymnastics have always been more my speed, but lately I've been feeling a desire to expand my horizons. This led me to go with my friends Rick and Bob (whose names have been changed to protect the innocent, and such...)to workout with them at Ricks' gym. To make a short story short, I found my upper body strength totally inadequate. I could barely bench 120lbs, only curled 25lbs and couldn't do a single push-up; not one push-up. Do not misunderstand me, I'm not saying that those in and of itself are shameful numbers; if you are a beginner or injured and recovering, then great. What progress you make is worth celebrating. But I've been in shape before; I've been at a place where 35-40 push-ups was in my warm up; where I'd bench half my body weight plus half. Yet due to neglect and poor diet, I have been reduced to this. It was then I decided to change. Since September I have been cleaning up my diet, cutting out grains and sugars, but I made the decision to not workout because...well.. I needed to see a low number on the scale. I needed to know I could make progress, and that number made me feel like I was making it. I went from 228lbs to 214lbs from then until now, but I sacrificed my strength to do it. By not working out, I grew weaker and further away from my true goal (which is a strong and fit Bishop) for the sake of seeing a number. But after Friday, I made another change. I decided that the number wasn't that important. I decided that maybe I wanted to be better and not just feel better. I want Strength, not some number some people said I should have. I want to be Powerful, not thin. And really, I want to be the Best Bishop I can be Right now. So, this past Sunday, I worked out using a Modified version of the Basic Body Weight circuit found on NerdFitness. The only change I made was to add a deadlift. After I warmed up for ten minutes with martial arts, I hit the workout. I only had the stamina to complete two circuits, and with many short breaks, but I did it. I used about 75lbs for my deadlifts, but my ankles are too tight to give me proper range of motion, so I think I'll stick with body weight exercises for now, while I stretch them out to where I can do proper lifting form. I also only performed five good push-ups, which is better then Friday, but I have much room to grow. Today, I am very sore, but I've been here before; I can't wait to go where I haven't. More to come soon.

The Fight Against Thunder BOSS FIGHT Vengefulpear VS Thor! Welcome back to everyone for another (what I'm sure will be!) great challenge! So as it's the last challenge of the year (well the last whole challenge of the year) I thought that it would be a good idea to wrap up this little storyline thing I've got going to see out the year and start something new and fresh next year. Despite the fact I would have liked to keep the challenge going and see where the story went based on how well I did I might save that for next year, we shall see! I quite like the whole connecting stories and making my way somewhere so maybe some Malazan themed challenges next year! Anyway! I hear you asking: How does a boss fight work!? Well I'll tell you! Basically I've decided to have specific target goals to reach rather than ones like 'go to the gym 2 times a week' so this time it will be more like 'do 15 pull ups in one go' and each goal will contribute 1/4 of the health of the boss (In this case Thor!) That's my thinking! I'd best get on to the actual goals! Fat Loss: Lose 3% bodyfat +2 DEX +2 CON I feel like 3% was a good number before and I also feel like I've added a tad of weight back on whilst I was at the World Fantasy Convention (damn you hotel pizza and free beer!) So for this I will be eating at about a 1800 calorie deficit about 1800 - 1900 calories per day (as that seemed to get positive results last time I did that) and focusing on eating a minimal amount of carbs (aiming for <50g per day) and I will also be eating as much paleo as I can muster! I hope that TiberiusNightrise will join me once again in a calorie PVP and if anyone else wants to join in it would be awesome to have you along (basically we compare calorie control and the person closest their target wins bragging rights ) Starting Stats: 159lbs / 17% BF Strength: Do 15 Pull Ups / Do 100 Push Ups +4 STR I'm not 100% sure if they all have to be in the same set but we shall see, I'm going to investigate properly the http://twentypullups.com/ programme and also the 7 weeks to 100 push ups programme, later on to make sure I'll be fine with those numbers. The reason that I want to do this is because although last time I did do a fair amount of strength training, I don't feel like I was making progress where I wanted. I never felt like I was pumping out any more pull ups really, it always varied quite a lot. So with a programme like this to follow and a number to aim for it should be all good! And obviously I can do those at home so no excuses! Speed: Run 5km in under 20 25 minutes +1 DEX +2 STA This one I may also change up the times slightly when I have more context (read: I've been for a run again) but I'm fairly sure I did 5km in about 27 minutes before.... maybe 20 minutes is too much to ask... Okay, we'll go for 25 minutes for the moment. Hopefully I can just smash that early on and make my way to 20 minutes! But I also don't want to jump too far and get eaten by sharks! Writing: Post 12 blog posts +2 WIS +2 CHA For this one I'm counting both of my blogs my writing post: http://thetemperedpen.blogspot.co.uk/ and now my fitness one: http://dumbbells-and-dragons.blogspot.co.uk/ So 12 posts should lead to 1 post in each per week (although I might swing more towards fitness if I can't finish/review books quickly enough) and please give me feedback on both/either blogs if you like/don't like them and what you think I could do better That's it for now guys! I shall leave you with this picture of a battling Thor!

I am happy to be able to claim that I have overcome some fears in my life by taking them head-on. This is precisely what I am going to do between now and next spring. I want to conquer two of my biggest fears….. Main Quest - Stay on the Master Plan Nutritional Goals Hit my planned macros within +/-5g of each every day with exception of refeed days (CON: +1)Continue the reverse dieting into a lean gain cycle ( STA +1)I plan on doing this in a very smooth and methodical fashion.I am not suddenly going to start eating 4000 calories a day.Training Goals Continue the war on gravity and try to get stronger….but more importantly…bigger. Having finished my intensity cycle, I am going back to my strength routine until the end of the year. (STR: +1)Continue to strengthen and rehab my right knee and safely work around all of my nicks and dings: (DEX: +2)destroyed my right knee 2 years ago….multiple surgeries etc…old rotator cuff tearhot elbowbeing old…lolOptional: Not sure if I will be on enough of a caloric surplus to do so within the next 6 weeks, but I have made some significant strength gains this summer and I want to test some of my 1-RMs. Record Good Data (WIS: +2) This is a huge regret of mine. Six years ago, I was at all-time strength levels….and I have some memories of the more epic reps and misses…..but I have no record of how I was training or what I was eating. Sad. I want to record every rep in the gym, every calorie I eat, weekly weight and bodyfat, and full body measurements at least monthlyTake more pictures, put dates on the file names! Level Up My Life Goal #1 - Build My Personal Blog (WIS: +3 , CHA: +3) I am going to do this project for a multitude of reasons: I have always been a bit of an introvert and I think this project will help with that. The hope is to share a lot more about myself personally so that everyone can see….I am just a regular fella…and naturally, everyone can laugh at my eccentricities. I have friends and family who are wondering how I am doing. I have this love….total-rage-hate relationship with Facebook….and I am taking a break. Initially, I want to create a detailed chronicle of what I did this year to reconstruct my body from the ground up….physically and mentally. The hope is to inspire others in that there is not some triple-top-secret methodology….and there was anything but perfection along the way…lol…and most importantly: anybody can do it.Begin chronicling my path to the stage. I plan on competing in a natural bodybuilding competition next spring. I played footsie with this all through my early 30’s…..but always chickened out. Well, I destroyed my knee, got fat, depressed, got on the road back and started thinking about what its all about….it is something I need to do. I will go much further into these details in my blog. This, BTW, scares me to the core of my being. Stage....lights.....audience....banana hammock... A lot of folks are curious about what I do on a typical day. I will open up more about what I do on a daily basis and there will probably be a mountain of philosophical discussion…..as well as educational items.I need to learn basically every single detail that goes into this…from starting a domain to writing HTML, CSS and PHP….my knowledge is near zero on this stuff….and I am self-teaching myself everything. The brain is a muscle that needs exercise too! Level Up My Life Goal #2 - Be a good community member (WIS: +1, CHA: +1) Continued from last challenge: Not only am I looking forward to discussing all things blogging , it is an open letter to all and an invitation to use my thread as an open forum to ask questions about and discuss all things nutrition and supplements….and I am especially talking those lurkers who are shy and afraid to ask the "dumb question." There are no dumb questions in my thread. I have learned many things over the years through trial, error, success and failure. I feel like I have a lot to share with others….and especially the message: NOTHING can change your body and your well-being like nutrition can. You can do endless reps in the weight room…..you can run every marathon in your region…..but the true cornerstone in reaching your goals (whether it is to get bigger, stronger or faster) is going to be the execution of a good nutritional plan. Now, I am not saying that I can create custom nutritional plans for everyone…..there just isn't enough time…..but I really hope to give people the tools they need to make the right decisions in building a great plan. Additionally, I see it every day…..people throwing their hard-earned money away on useless supplements. Don't get me wrong…..there are absolute must have supplements that I use on a daily basis…..I am not trying to ram some homeopathic message down your throat. But I do want you to avoid spending $80 on a magic fat burning pill when you could have bought a weeks' worth the groceries with it instead.

Name: Andrew Williams Callsign: Artinum Race: Asparagus My last challenge went rather well. Exercise suffered a little from a shift in routine, but I lost seven pounds in five weeks and my belly is looking a little slimmer than it was. All good! And yet... I am not happy. I feel I've got stuck. I'm running every Monday evening, but it's the same run. I'm maintaining my blog, but I'm not sure how to increase my readership. I'm just about keeping up my bodyweight workouts, but they haven't changed in a long time. So I'm pushing for change. Running is easy - I've joined a running group at work, which is pushing me in new and interesting ways and adds a vital social dimension to an otherwise lonely hobby. And I've now started reading though the Rebel Running Guide, which I'm hoping will provide new ideas and inspiration to take it further. THE QUEST - break out of my comfort zone. I've settled into a routine, and I need to change that. I need to grow and improve, not just maintain. I am going to give the Rebel Running Guide a good go and see what happens. OBJECTIVE 1 - Work out a new workout (1 DEX, 1 STA, 2 STR) The bodyweight circuits have lasted me a long time, but are they enough? My pull-ups have stopped recently, too. How can I push harder on these workouts to make them tougher and make me stronger? It may be time to change. I've had a look at the Rebel Running Guide, and some of these exercises I have never heard of. Aim - adopt a new strength training workout routine from the Rebel Running Guide. It may take me a while to get it all figured out, but I hope to have made it stick by the end of the challenge! OBJECTIVE 2 - Cool runnings (2 STA, 2 CON) I've got a little stuck on how to improve. It's time I took on a new running plan! I'm not sure where I fit on the scale and I think the only way I'll find out is by trying it. I am unfamiliar with many elements of the plan and need to see how I get on. I can go up a level if needed. Aim - follow the Rebel Running Guide's level 2 workout plan (Recruit). Aim is to do the first six weeks, but I'll need to assess my level as I go along and this goal may change. I'm also going to be limited somewhat by Thursday's running fitness sessions at work and will need to factor those in. OBJECTIVE 3 - Diet another day (4 CON) The diet went well. My abs are still not visible, but I'm well on the way. Now it's time to do something about my eating habits - maintain what I have, but eat cleaner and get stronger. I don't plan to go full paleo, as this is likely to be at least expensive and most probably impossible. But I do intend to eat better. Aim - At least four days a week I hope to eat well. Conditions for eating well are: 1. Diet consisting of 80% fruit, vegetables, meat and other paleo items (though I will also allow milk and cheese). 2. Net calories to be between 1800-2000 (after workouts/etc). 3. Protein to be at least 120g. LIFE GOAL - Promotion (1 WIS, 2 CHA) My blog needs more eyes looking at it. To this end, I need to start promoting it more - by getting myself out there more, attracting more attention. I also need to up my game. I'm writing good posts, but they need to be better. Again, I've fallen into comfortable. I need to push harder. But that's outside the scope of this challenge (how would I measure it, anyway?). Aim - promote blog by networking with other bloggers. Seek out and comment on five new blogs every week, preferably related in some way to self improvement. (Not begging for attention, but an attempt to interact with them!)

I've fluttered over from the Druids for this challenge. I'm not sure if I'm over here for good or if it I'll start dual classing it back and forth, but I expect to be here for at least a few consecutive challenges. I'm pushing my self rather hard this challenge. It will be the last time I have buckets of free time for a while and I really want to stuff done/started! Main Quest: Get leaner, stronger, fitter, more able. By the end of this challenge I will get my abs visible, I will be stronger, I will be more flexible, and more able at moving my body. Not the most focused main quest, but I'm trying to chock a lot into this challenge! -Increase number of consecutive pull-ups by one a week. Thus be able to do at least 11 in a row by the end of the challenge. 1STR for every increase of two up to 3STR -Average caloric intake of 1500. Last challenge I ended up around 1800, so will need to keep a close eye on this one! Eating more on strength training days, and less on others. 1400-1600 A, 1600-1700 B, 1700-1800 C, 1800-1900 D. Worth 3CON -Exercise every day. Strength training at least three times a week. Basic parkour and stretching on other days. Must be for at least twenty minutes. (This is me just starting parkour, so I will be focusing on mostly the roll and simple vaults). 2STR for strength training three times a week, 1DEX for parkour or stretching on every other day. Life Side Quest: I have an idea for a nonfiction book I want to write. So for this challenge I'm going to kick my ass in gear. -For the first two weeks I will research and brain storm a chapter a day, and for the final month I will write for an average of an hour or 1000 words a day. 1WIS for the first two weeks, 2WIS for the last month. Fitness Side Quest: Pushing the definition slightly, I'm going to make this about mental fitness and continue my meditation goal that I did very well in last challenge. -Last challenge I meditated for thirty minutes every day. I will continue that this challenge but with a whole hour at least once a week. 3WIS Bonus Quests: These don't fit into the challenge outline, and so won't gain stat points, but are things I want to accomplish this challenge anyway. -The first is to take photos of my friends to use as models for painting the major arcana tarot cards. At least 15 photos of different friends. -The other is to get a blog set up with at least three posts published. This will be a general blog from which to launch my online presence, and will eventually have tabs splitting it into a number of "mini blogs", but for now one blog with three posts will do. Posts can be modified versions for stuff I write for my book goal. Motivation: To be stronger, sexier, more able, and to have achieved (started) some projects I have been considering for quite awhile.

Hi all, I'm new around this sector of the internet. It's nice to see such a lively community combining the realms of nerdherdery and fitness! Anyway, I've tried many times to reach exercise goals on my own to no avail of lasting proportions. Perhaps having the GUI companion to my journey on which I'm about to embark will make a difference, not to mention anyone who should read and offer encouragement (I'll be sure to do the same for you)! A little about me: I'm one of those unconventional stay not just at home daddies who loves computers, web design, long-boarding, and so much more! I'm 25 and have recently relocated to Japan and am undergoing a minor case of culture shock which is why I've decided that now is as good a time as any to put a positive spin on this adventure that I'm lucky enough to be embarking on. MAIN QUEST: Overall purification of the mind and body through meditation, exercise, and healthier eating habits. - Visit 1 Buddhist Temple every week - Insanity Workout 5x every week. - Zero food after 6:00 every night. LIFE QUEST: Increase monetary responsibility by record-keeping. - Record every purchase, no exceptions! MOTIVATION: My family, self respect and the decision I've made to seek out and face challenges. No excuse of the body or mind will hold me back from taking proper action when the time arises. I shall post pictures from our travels as well as a starting point picture of my buddha belly. I'm not really fat or anything I just want to tone it up a bit, ya know? Thanks for reading now it's time to get reading all of your posts. ~c_M

Hello, lovely to see you This is just a small bit of self-promotion; Iv'e started a new Blog where I plan to write. I love writing and wanted a place to explore a variety of genres and topics. It's still in the early stages though, as am I. I'll do a bit of short stories, poetry, comedy etc. I would love you to stop by and take a look, and, if you are keen, give some feedback. Click here to view: http://jasonforshort.wordpress.com/ Thanks Jason the Kiwi

Name: Andrew Williams (aka Artinum) Race: Half-elf, half cyborg, half mad. Civilian role: ICT Technical Specialist Motto: "I wonder what happens when I press this button?" This is my sixth challenge, and my third as a Scout. I used to run as a young child and I remember feeling that, if I could just go a little faster, I could take off and fly. When my teenage years started, my running stopped. I discovered I could talk to computers (and far prefer them to people), and my life became more sedentary. I stayed slim, but that merely hid the fact I was actually terribly unfit. About a year ago, while bending over at work, I felt something go in my lower back. I had to be driven home and spent most of the next week in bed on strong painkillers. Back on my feet, walking down the road to the local shop - a five minute stroll that took me ten and left me exhausted - I had a horrible vision of my future. Once I was fully recovered, I started looking into doing something about it... and found Nerd Fitness. Since joining, I've cut out a ton of sugar from my diet, finally mastered the push-up (which I could never do throughout my youth) and rediscovered my love of running. Yesterday I briefly had that feeling again - that I was just on the brink of taking off. Maybe soon I will. FITNESS 1 - Run, run, run! (2 DEX, 3 STA) I am now well into week five of Couch to 5K, due to snow-related setbacks. Can I complete the entire course? This will require commitment, stamina and a healthy dose of insanity. I have at least one of these. Aim - to finish Week 9 of the course by the end of the challenge (4.5 weeks to go over six weeks - I have some leeway). FITNESS 2 - Pull-ups (3 STR, 1 DEX) My arch-nemesis. I will find a way to do these! Now that weather is improving, I hope to do some inverted rows using the pullup bars at work on weekdays. Aim - work on inverted rows at work until I can do ONE pull-up. DIET - Protein Booster (2 CON) I often struggle to get enough protein and calories, which isn't going to help my efforts to improve my pull-up performance. So after every workout, I will consume a pint of whole milk. Aim - maintain this as well as I can throughout the challenge and make it a habit. If whole milk isn't available, alternative dairy products will serve. (It's not quite GOMAD, but I'm not trying to bulk up!) LIFE GOAL - Blogging (4 CHA) I've mentioned once or twice that I've started a blog - The Freedom Muse. I've been inspired by the success of Steve Kamb and Nerd Fitness and I'm starting out the same way - a regular blog designed to inspire and motivate people to improve their lives. I may touch on fitness posts occasionally but mostly I'm interested in two aims: encouraging people to find and live their dreams, and breaking them free of the lies, habits and control systems that keep them in their day to day monotony. It's all genuine - because I'm living what I preach. I've already started, and I'm committed to writing two posts a week - Mondays and Thursdays (Wordpress seems rather sloppy, however, at actually publishing scheduled blogs unless someone refreshes the page, so if they appear later it may not be my fault!). I now need to start to start promoting it! Suggestions on where/how are welcome. Aim - 100 subscribers by the end of challenge. At the moment, that seems hopeless.

Hey, gang! I was wondering if anyone knows of a website that is as cool as Nerd Fitness but focused on money and finances? I've read stupid bazillions of books and asked all of my friends for their tips and tricks, but I was hoping for something as regularly motivating as Nerd Fitness for this elusive life skill.. Any sites out there?

Hey everyone Like most of you Nerd Fitness has inspired me to level up my life and create a bucket list and also a blog. Im in the process of figuring out my bucket list i guess like most people there are a few general things on there that i would like to do but after creating a dedicated site to it my goal is to come up with very specific things. This is what im at now the full list is on my newly created website Here CoolStoryCorey.com Oregon (The Training barracks) Carry a totem in your pocket for a year then give it awayMake a big donation to charitySell everything I don’t needWalk twenty miles ( Bring water)Go to the gym 3 times a week for 6 weeksBench 245pounds 4 timesGet my passportHelp someone complete one of their list items (email me ) North America (Safe Zone No PVP) Drink in CanadaDrive across countryParty at the playboy mansion (meet heff )**Attend a big award showBe a extra in a Hollywood movieStay in the Luxury Sky Villa At the palmsKiss Under the northern lightsGet in the Guinness Book of World RecordsDrink mescal in Mexico. Europe Drive on the German AutobahnsPut a hundred bucks on a long shotDrive a half million dollar car in a foreign countryEat chocolate gold cakeTravel Through the Channel TunnelLeave a letter in a library book, Look for it twenty years later Saudi Arabia Emirates Go to Ferrari WorldPlay Sky TennisFloat in the dead sea Australia Scuba divetouch the great barrier reefVisit the The Twelve ApostlesClimb the coat hanger at the Sydney harbor bridgeJump off a cliff

I've been reading the blog and stalking the forums for a while, but for whatever reason, I've been too intimidated to post. No more fear! Fear is lame and it's an illusion. I started my weight loss journey about 7 months ago and things have been going really great. I've lost 85 lbs so far and my life has changed in so many ways that it's hard to believe. All the good stuff is so much better and all the bad stuff is slowly being eliminated. I'm just able to enjoy so much more than I was before and I've gained enough confidence to start cosplaying at conventions, which I never felt up to before. I'm on Nutrisystem, but I've been teaching myself how to cook and looking for equivalents to their food/portions out in the world so that once I get to my goal (for a halfling like myself standing at 5'1 3/4" that's 125 lbs), I'll be able to transition into maintenance. In my mind, it doesn't matter what diet or program you use as long as you learn to stick with it, which I'm proud to say I've done with great success so far. I still have a lot to learn over the course of losing my last 40 lbs, but I know I'm doing what I need to in order to plan ahead and set myself up for success. As far as fitness goes, I spent my first month just on fixing my nutrition habits and then I dove into working out at the gym. I love watching TV and I spend way too much time rewatching Buffy, Firefly, Avatar, and Xena, so I just made a rule that I could only watch those shows if I did it at the gym. So far I've made my way through all of Firefly, all of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and 3 seasons of Xena while on the elliptical. I vary between days of HIIT training and weight loss program training. I tried strength training in the beginning, but honestly it wasn't for me. I know I want to return to it, and I definitely will when I'm ready for that challenge. I take 2-3 Zumba and Yoga classes a week on top of my elliptical workouts and just started Couch to 5K for some added variety. I cannot believe I'm actually CHOOSING all those things for myself. 7 months ago if someone had shown me a snapshot of future me, I would have laughed in their face! I kept a private journal about all the work I'd been doing to "reroll" my stats, but I didn't share it online. When my friends IRL, online, and "in game" heard about what I was doing and learned there was an account of it, they begged me to publish it on a blog so I just started posting the backlogged posts daily while I write new ones. It's aptly named, "Project Reroll" and it has a bunch of my goals outlined there as well as "Before" and "Progress" photos. I was really inspired by the success stories here that included those. Sometimes it's nice to be able to look back and SEE your progress. I can't wait to start meeting more of you and learning from your experiences! I'm going to take the plunge and do the next challenge as an Adventurer! Time to level up!