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Hi everyone. I'm a complete newb to NF, I've literally posted my first challenge 2 days ago, but I can't resist a forum! I'm 160cm/5'3" female and 84kg. I've got 2 children, my youngest is 21 months. I've not really done any exercise since before I had kids, even then it was just occasional swimming, and I've slowly ballooned to the fat and flabby person I am today. I want to change that. I adore the way strong women look. I'm not aiming to be a size 0 with no waist or boobs or arse. I want to have shape, strength and definition. If I choose to go down the route of weights would I achieve that? Would my cardiac health improve incidentally or should I incorporate that into my new and improved lifestyle? Do you have any pointers for a complete novice? Thanks in advance. From reading through the forum I'm excited for what this year has to offer!

Welcome to my new and improved Road Map for 2017 I'm going on the path of self love. To love myself unconditionally My love for myself should not be tied to a number on the scale, or my dress size Dieting AND overeating are both symptoms of something else being wrong In my case that is. But since this page is just about me, I shouldn't have to actually write that here, do I? By focusing on food. Werther it is eating lots and lots of it, or depriving myself of certain things, keeps my focus away from things that are truly important. Like feelings. So in 2017 I'm NOT going to diet And I'm NOT going to weigh myself My goals for 2017 -When I feel like dieting or binging I'm going to Examine how I feel. Give words to my feelings Accept the way I feel. It is okay to feel intense feelings. It might rattle me a bit, but pushing them away will hurt me more in the end Find a way to deal with those feelings without involving food. This can include reading, watching a serie or movie, crafting, dancing, writing in my diary, shopping, playing, making/listen to music - When I'm hungry I'll choose the best option available at that time. I'll take a breath and think of what I really want. And in that moment I will not only think about what will taste good, but also what the consequences will be of that choice. For example: something with a lot of sugar will make me shaky and isn't good for my health. An apple is a better choice. It will still satisfy my sweet tooth, but won't wreck my health and I will feel good afterwards. And off course, sometimes I will eat something just because it tastes good. I will enjoy it in full, stop eating when I had enough, and feel good about myself afterwards. - When I eat, I eat mindfully No phone, computer, tv, book. Just me, my food and the people I'm eating with Eat slowly. Be aware of how the food smells, tastes and feels - Keep on dancing! Dancing is excising while having fun. Zumba, salsa and whatever else may come my way, I'll dance dance dance! - Procrastination I'm the queen of procrastinating, I can do it so well. I always find something else to do. More fun and less important stuff In 2017 I'm going to do thing things that have to be done before I'll move on to the stuff that is fun to do. I'm going to get back to my BuJo I'm going to make a cleaning schedule I'm going to make a work schedule (I work from home) - Manage Stress Do stuff that lower my stress level when needed. When I have too much going on my neck and shoulders become tense and I get a headache. I become irritable and find it hard to do stuff that need to be done. I get scattered and impatient. I also don't wake up rested. When I notice these signals I will choose something from the following: Get a massage Take a bath Read fiction Dance Meditate Listen to music Take a mindful moment Remember: I don't need to be perfect, good enough is what I'm striving for Use the mantra: "Ik ben genoeg, ik doe genoeg, ik heb genoeg" (I am enough, I do enough, I have enough) Controlled breathing Crocheting Watch a show/movie

This is my second challenge! I'm still in the Rebel forum because I keep waffling on which guild is the best fit for me. If you're curious about me, here's the short version: I'm a language and history and biology nerd who lives in Boston and runs an organic farm for a living. Well, technically two farms but that's not the short version. I used to work in law and was really sedentary, but then I lost a lot of weight (about 90 pounds) and switched careers and became a reasonably active and healthy person. However, I still have unresolved food and body image issues of various kinds. Once I "succeeded," I got complacent, and then my eating was crap and some of the weight started reappearing despite my continued high activity levels. I don't want to regain what I lost, so I'm here to get my shit back together and continue progressing toward my ultimate goals. In the broadest terms, my ultimate goals are (1) achieving and maintaining a high level of fitness and athleticism which I use to do a wide variety of fun and interesting stuff (2) eating healthy food and (3) resolving my food and body dysmorphia issues. That's epic quest type stuff, but I hope to make incremental progress in the right direction with every challenge. I love rock climbing, hiking and walking, canoeing, camping, and basically most outdoor things. I have dabbled in weight lifting and really enjoy it although I suck at it due to never buckling down and I have a lot of anxiety about proper form. I also really like bodyweight workouts (one of my goals is to be able to do pullups someday), and I'm interested in learning pole dancing. What else? Oh, one of my life goals is to complete C25K and then run the entirety of a 5K (no walking). I'm interested in becoming more flexible and possibly trying yoga (which I have never done) at some point. Can you see why I'm having trouble choosing a guild?? My first challenge was a great success, except for the sidequest life goal to write 500 words a day, which I spectacularly bombed. I want to maintain the good habits that made May a happy, healthy, and productive month for me, and also ADD MORE STUFF because of course I want to add more stuff. Adding more goals to an established and stable routine! What could possibly go wrong, right? RIGHT? THE CHALLENGE THAT COULD NOT POSSIBLY GO WRONG 1. Don't Be A Moron PART 1 - Track food and stay in calorie target range Technically this is two things BUT they are two things I have a lot of experience doing (from my big weight loss years back) and I killed this stuff during my last challenge. I track all my food using an app and my target calorie range is somewhere between 1800-2100 averaged over the four weeks. This goal should be easy - it's just about maintaining what I'm already doing. 2. Don't Be A Moron PART 2 - Reduce stress by conquering procrastination This is another repeat goal from last time because it was incredibly helpful for me. I will accomplish at least one thing off my (giant) to-do list every day, over and above my normal daily responsibilities at home and at work. I am a procrastinator, and when I have a lot of shit to do it makes me incredibly anxious, and those two things are a terrible combination. Basically I avoid stuff, get anxious about how much there is to do, anxiety makes me more avoidant, which makes the list longer which increases the anxiety, etc. NO MORE! Last month this goal was a huge win for me - I got shit done, felt good, and noticeably lowered my stress levels which in turn helps me accomplish my other goals. 3. But Not Being A Moron Isn't Quite Sufficient, Now Is It? - Try new physical activities that I've been wanting to try I'm going to try a couple things that are on my goal list this month: Zombies, Run! Couch to 5K - I started this once upon a time but never finished. I love the story and I have successfully run a full mile without stopping before (I think it was like 14 minutes though which is like...the same speed as I can walk) so I feel like it should be possible for me to do a 5K with training, but let's be honest - I'm terrified by the idea because I've never seen myself as someone who could actually run. That was for other people, fit people. Nevermind that I played soccer and all sorts of other shit that involved running - that didn't count because...oh, right, my body image issues. UGH. So I'm going to do it because it's scary and because I honestly probably can. Pending organization and such, @fleaball is going to be doing C25K at the sameish time and that'll be helpful for motivation. Pole dancing - This is something I have been wanting to try for a while now. I absolutely love dancing and bodyweight stuff, and one of the queer bars I sometimes go to here in Boston occasionally has really impressive pole dancers. It's a cool combination of dance, acrobatics, strength, and bodyweight badassery. I signed up for a class with this guy and I'm nervous but excited. I'm not picturing a new career here, just something fun that'll make me better at climbing and hopefully also help me combat ongoing body image brainweasels. For this goal, the only requirement is that I give these things an honest try and see how I feel about them during the four weeks. 4. Fight Brainweasels - Body Image/Food Issues This is pretty unstructured but it's definitely something I have on my mind right now. I have had food and body image issues for a really, really long time. Like I remember leaving for school one day in grade 2, walking halfway there and realizing that I looked so fat in my shorts that I had to go home and change. GRADE 2. I was a normal sized kid with enormous body confidence issues that my mum and grandmother, free of malice though they certainly were, compounded exponentially. By the time I was in middle school I probably spent at least a couple hours a day thinking/worrying about food and my body. Here is a picture of me when I was 13 that led to me not wearing shorts again for something ridiculous like 5 years. Looking back, it feels insane--now I just see an average, decently healthy little girl--but at the time I was horrified by this picture and I really only saw ugliness. Anyway. I've gotten a lot better, to say the least, but my history with weight and fitness has always been tainted by these issues, and even now they're still a problem. For example: I work a physical job and am excellent at it, I rock climb, I love walking and hiking, I play pick-up sports with friends...and I still have a hard time daring to think of myself as an athletic person. I lost a lot of weight but still struggle with stress eating and I definitely don't see myself as having a healthy relationship with food. So although I've gotten better at coping and doing the right things, the underlying issues and worries need to be addressed. I should probably see a therapist to help me work through some of this stuff, eventually, but for now I'd just like to make an effort to be aware of this stuff and post about it in here. If I can do 2 posts a week on that topic, I'll call this goal a success. That's probably more than enough for one challenge, especially since I'm still going to be rock climbing at least once a week and working in the field all day. WISH ME LUCK!

Hello, everyone. I know that this is a friendly and supportive community; my shyness is just some concerns that I perhaps don't belong. I think if I were to post a picture of myself, people would laugh and say that I shouldn't worry about being fit and healthy. I look good: 5 ft. 4 in. (162.5 cm) tall and weighing 121 lbs (54.9 kg). So, what's my hangup? What's my motivation for joining Nerd Fitness? Honestly, it's my body image issues. Specifically, my issues with my stomach/tummy/abdomen. It will distend and swell depending on what I eat and how much I eat. It's natural (morning) form is a small pooch around and below my navel. I know I'm not the most healthy person, but I have been exercising and watching what I eat since January, but my downfall is consistency. I frequently break when I have a hard day, or if friends want to meet and celebrate, or if I'm feeling depressed and can't motivate myself to workout. I've been stalking the site for a few weeks; the articles get me really excited and make me think my goals are reachable. I got the starter pack emails and get updates about new articles on the website. I'm hoping maybe I can find more motivation for myself if I participate in the forums. Well, geez. Thanks for reading all of that glum stuff! Here's a pic of a puppy as a reward.

Happy New Year everyone! I hope the holidays were good for everyone. I sure have had a great holiday season, and am excited to take on 2016. This year could either see much change in my life, or a lot of the same old same old, I don't honestly know which way it will go, its all dependent on what will happen with my husband (The Mastermind), who is working on his PhD. Either way, I want to make the most of the year ahead, and I have big plans to do so. The biggest of my plans is that I signed up to run the Detroit International Half Marathon in October, EEEK! So that is the current fitness quest I am on. Other plans include exploring and soaking up all there is to do and see around the area where I live, because if The Mastermind finishes his PhD we will be moving, most likely. So without further adieu, this is what I have planned for the first 4 weeks of the year! 2016 Take 1 - Love thyself Step 1) Rehab that ankle! I will do my physical therapy for my sprained ankle everyday, first thing in the morning. The motivation, you cant run a half marathon on a sprained ankle, plus I need to develop good workout habits in the morning. The PT only takes like 10 minutes and its so simple there should be no excuses! 42.8%42.8% 3/7 as of 1/10 Step 2) No spend soda/Starbucks! I will not spend any money on soda or Starbucks. I have to break this bad habit. I got a good start with my 2 week vacation back home for Christmas (still here actually). So I'm already caffeine detoxed and on a roll. The caveat here is that I can still drink said beverages if someone else buys them for me, like Saturday morning dates with The Mastermind, but those are rare so its not a big loophole. 100%100% 7/7 as of 1/10 Step 3) "you are so used to your features, you don't know how beautiful you look to a stranger"- unknown Since I gained all this weight I have struggled with my body image. I spent last year avoiding photos like they were the plague. I have bought minimal clothes in the last few years because I hate looking at the large sizes and getting frustrated when things that used to look good do not. This body image issue reached a critical level when my mom offered to buy me pants that fit for Christmas and forced me to try on a bunch of clothes. It was such a demoralizing experience for me. So I have decided I need to work on my body image, and learn to love my body no matter what it looks like. This is a 2 part quest, part 1 I will clean out my closet and only keep the clothes that fit and that I look good in today. The others will either be packed up for the future me, or sent away. Part 2 will be more challenging, I will go shopping once a week and try on some clothes that I need to complete my much smaller wardrobe and must buy one piece each trip. Closet Clean Out 33.33%33.33% 5/15 as of 1/10 Shopping 0%0% 0/4 as of 1/10 Scoring All three quests will be pas/ fail. Step 1 and step 2 are obviously a daily pass/fail, step 3 part 1 is pass/fail for the entire challenge, while part 2 is a weekly score. I think I will just go for a completion percentage and see how I do. If I accomplish everything there may be some pampering for me for my birthday which is at the end of the challenge.

After a brief hiatus in the battle log, I’m back… This will be my last full challenge in the UK . I’m going to miss lifting in kg (among many, many other things). Since I’ve gotten pretty good at the lift, eat, sleep, lift more routine, this challenge is about putting the final pieces together—and namely, about finding balance. I've also added a Sir Terry Pratchett theme (the Tiffany Aching series) for fun--and for appropriately modified Nac Mac Feegle battle cries. Scroll down to the end for the tl;dr version. GOAL 1: Prioritize cutting over gainz [+2 CHA, +1 STR] “Learnin’ how not to do things is as hard as learning how to do them.†For the past year, I’ve focused on getting stronger and I’ve LOVED pushing myself in the weight room. However, the next time I compete I want to be in the 72 kg weight class, which should also be a good walk-around weight for me. Also, I want to finally get my first pull-up, which would be easier if I were a bit lighter. Now that I’ve sorted out the macros, it’s time to stop mucking about and actually make a full-hearted effort to cut—even though that means my lifts won’t move as quickly as they would if I were eating to support them. Expect some grumbling. In order to make this goal less subjective, I’m going to try sticking to some numbers for this goal: +1 pt for every week with total intake <= 15800 cal, while getting at least 1800 cal/day (the minimum is to avoid any crash dieting).-1 pt for any weeks with total intake > 17500 cal (to avoid a “screw it, I’ve already gone over my limit†mindset).Numbers and grading scheme may change if I incorrectly estimated my TDEE or if tracking this closely brings up old daemons. I’ve also allowed for a re-feed in my grading. Grading: 5+ points = A, 4 points = B, 3 points = C Editing during Week 2--this is still the primary goal, but won't have grading or stats points attached to it. GOAL 2: Learn to meditate [+2 WIS, +1 CON] “First Sight means you can see what really is there, and Second Thoughts mean thinking about what you are thinking. And in Tiffany's case, there were sometimes Third Thoughts and Fourth Thoughts although these...sometimes led her to walk into doors.†Meditate at least 3x/week (5+ min. sessions). Because I need to learn how to manage those Second, Third, and Fourth thoughts. Grading: 6 weeks = A, 4-5 weeks = B, 3 weeks = C GOAL 3: Rebuild my running base [+3 STA] “She had heard it said that, before you could understand anybody, you needed to walk a mile in their shoes, which did not make a whole lot of sense, because probably AFTER you had walked a mile in their shoes, you would understand that they were chasing you and accusing you of the theft of a pair of shoes--although, of course, you could probably outrun them, owing to their lack of footwear.†Run/walk 2-3x/week, following the Couch to 5k program. Because I used to enjoy running outside, the weather is now ideal for such forays, and hopefully I now know enough about mobility to avoid getting shin splints again. If recovery becomes an issue, I'll trade out this goal for some other sort of conditioning (probably long walks or rowing). Grading: 6 weeks = A, 4-5 weeks = B, 3 weeks = C Side Quest: Work towards my first handstand [+2 STR, +1 DEX] “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.†Handstand practice at least 3x/week. Because 1) handstands are cool and 2) this will allow me to still see progress in a tangible, strength-related goal if the lifts stall on the cut. Grading: 6 weeks = A, 4-5 weeks = B, 3 weeks = C Life Quest: Love your body challenge [+2 CHA, +1 WIS] “Taint what a horse looks like, it’s what a horse be.†Complete Molly Galbraith’s love your body challenge at my own pace. Because I don’t want to be motivated to cut for the wrong reasons. Grading: finish the challenge (all 28 days) = A, 20+ days = B, 15+ days = C Current Stats Lifting program: recently switched to a powerlifting version of Wendler's 5/3/1 (including joker sets) because cutting on the Texas Method wasn't going to happen. Recent maxes squat: 82 kg (5 RM)bench: 51 kg (3 RM), 57.5 kg (1 RM)deadlift: 120 kg (3 RM), 132.5 kg (1 RM)OHP: 31 kg (7 RM), 34 kg (3 RM)Weight is somewhere ~77-79 kg, depending on the time of day, scale, clothes, etc. tl;dr GOALS: Prioritize cutting over gainz: weekly intake <= 15800 cal, daily intake >= 1800 cal/day Learn to meditate: meditate 3+x/week (5+ min. sessions) Rebuild my running base: run/walk 2-3x/week, following the Couch to 5k program Side quest: handstand practice 3+x/week Life quest: complete Molly Galbraith's love your body challenge "Nae king! Nae quin! Nae laird! Nae master! We willna' be fooled again!"

My goals will be a little different this time… my main goal will be hard to measure, but when I succeed it will be obvious. The other two will be measurable and simple. Find my intuition! As simple and as complex as that might be… I need to fix my relationship with food and find my hunger cues again. Some steps that are measurable are: I will read Intuitive Eating I will do all three lessons in Summer Innanen’s Rock Your Body program which starts on the first day of this challenge. I love the message that Summer teaches and I’m working to make changes… the blog http://summerinnanen.com register for the program here http://www.rockyourbodynow.com/ I will not tie my body image to my self worth. Beyond the above steps I don’t know yet what I need to do, so I will add to this as needed. No excuses in the gym! I will go and I will lift, even if it is crowded I will find a way to lift something. Twice a week. I bike and lift every time I am there. Other things will happen like the 7 minute workouts with the hubby, running (if my feet get better) and family activities (golf or skiing) but I won’t worry about them. Just the two days of lifting per week! That is my goal. Simple, eh? Saving my money. My goal is to not use the credit card for the next 6 weeks and pay down the balance without fail… Simple, eh? I will end this challenge on the first fun day of our spring break vacation! With any luck I will be headed in the right direction with my food and self image… MY HUGE REVELATION DURING THE LAST CHALLENGE - Paleo isn’t a weight loss diet! It is an overall eating plan that focuses on nutrition and promotes health. If one still overeats for the activity level of said person, they won’t lose weight. So even though I eat healthy, paleo hasn’t helped me to lose any weight. I am health, so much more healthy than before paleo. However I am not eating at a level that will allow the extra weight to drop off and it is driving me insane!!! This is the basis for my most important goal of this challenge. It might have been obvious to you what I just figured out, but it was really mind-blowing and earth shattering for me to figure this out… So now I am going forward with my new paradigm.

Hi y'all! I am starting this as a daily thread to encourage myself and anyone else who wants to show more love to their bodies and/or improve their relationship with food. How It Works:Every day, you find the thread (click "follow this thread" the red button on the top right of the thread page) and post one or more positive comments about your body and/or a positive thing involving your relationship with food. Who Can Participate: Anyone, regardless of level or guild, from the day you join the Rebellion until the day you leave us. What Else Do I Need To Know: There may be levels added for consistent participation in the future, and everything will be decided by group consensus. Feel free to make suggestions, ask questions, laugh, joke, have fun, support eachother and anything else positive. Keep the judgement and negativity elsewhere. I am really excited about doing this and I hope that you decide to love your body and improve your relationship with food along with me

SEIZE THE DAY! Alrighty, Princess Heather is back in action! I have been MIA around here for the past few weeks, and it was due to me being in a bit of a funk and also lots of life happening. I have been promoted at work, from office manager into a sort of project coordinator, responsible for overseeing several ministry teams and being the point person for outreach and service projects for my church. It's a fun environment, and out biggest service project(s) of the year happen at the end of September so I've got lots going on for that. We are also in the midst of TTC, and keeping healthy for that is another major priority, leaving less and less time for internetting. Which is also at odds with a blogging project I'm trying to get off the ground. For anyone who was following my last (pitiful) challenge, I more or less accomplished all my goals with reading and with workouts, but food was a bit more elusive. Still trying to reign that in, but I know it's miles better than my diet was 3 years ago that I need to just keep trucking and not worry about being perfect. Goal 1: Quit being a hater... to myself I give myself way too much grief when I'm not perfect, which is of course all the time because perfection doesn't exist! I'm always fluctuating between being content and being critical, and while I've been making progress on this over the past 3 years especially, I want to make this a goal this time and hopefully improve my self talk habits and tip them towards contentment. Which I have to remind myself, is different from complacency. It's not about accepting me as I never bothering to improve again, its about making sure to be happy with how things are in the moment. Measurable goal: Post one thing each day that I'm happy about in my life, because there is always SOMETHING to be happy about. Goal 2: Come at me bro (science) Just kidding, though I love me some Dom. I've been struggling ever since I effectively took a semester off from lifting in the spring. I was so swamped with finishing my graduate capstone that I lifted maybe once a week if I was lucky, and it wasn't really with any direction or program. I've been trying to get restarted since, without really doing any tracking and without really ensuring proper protein or carb intake to fuel and recover... it's just been a mess. And no results. So I am going back to basics, and redoing New Rules of Lifting for Women. I had really great success with this the first time, and I expect that I can progress through it faster that I did the first time. This will give me a direction, and something to track, and a good new foundation for being strong. I just want to regain my BW squats by the end of the year, which I feel is not out of reach if I'm training with purpose. Measurable goal: Lift 3x Weekly Goal 3: Deal With It.... and do a Whole 30 This goal will start on September 22, and go to October 22, so ending right before the challenge ends. I will be a teensy bit lenient with added sugars in things like organic and clean BBQ sauce (for bbq pineapple crock pot chicken), but more or less will follow the protocol. I have been back on the juice (caffeine) and I'm already weaning off that again, and I have been SUPER tired and I think its a result of being too low on carbs when I'm not eating crappy ones. Carbs are easy to get when you binge on gummi bears, but harder when all your carbs some from carrots and brussels sprouts. Whole 30 is okay with potatoes now, and I will allow white rice smothered in coconut oil in case of emergency... which makes me think I should keep rice in my office's fire extinguisher box. Measurable Goal: Finish Goal 4: Publish something on my fledgling blog I have a blog that I have like 5 incomplete posts for, with nothing whatsoever published. I want to post at least one thing each week of this challenge, regardless of length or content. That's only 6 entries, not insurmountable. I have some pics of meal prep already, nothing unique but I have to start somewhere. Measurable Goal: 6 Blog Entries BONUS: Get a logo made by my design type friend.

The struggle to fit into the size and shape that today's beauty industry makes women feel like they ought to have in order to be happy, healthy and successful in life has always haunted me. Limbs too thick, hips too wide, legs too short, not enough chest, too much booty, etc etc etc, has always left me feeling like an outsider very unable to identify with other women and with the entire industry that makes me feel like I'm not a real or beautiful woman unless I look like all the advertisements tell me I should. I'm not fat, but I'm not skinny. I'm not hideously out of shape, but I'm not fit either. I work an unpredictable job with a lot of uncertainty as to when I will be home and when I will be living in a hotel or in a camp, and for how long, well who knows. In the midst of life's chaos, my main quest is to strengthen my body and live the healthiest life I can. I want to live a lifestyle whereby my self-esteem does not rely on unrealistic physical requirements placed on me by society. Put in more specific terms I believe the best way to improve my self-image and help myself to stop caring what others expect me to look like is to reduce my body fat percentage while increasing my muscle mass. As a female I know I will not become "bulky" by doing this. I am also not concerned about my scale weight so long as I am seeing real progress in the mirror, in how my clothes fit, and in how strong I feel. After some careful reading, and because my job requires physical capability, I know that weight loss is simply not enough to level up my life in terms of emotional and physical well being. Being thin and weak will not improve my self confidence. Being strong and lean will. It is just as important to look good as it is to feel good, and to feel strong, and capable of handling a physically demanding job that will only degrade my body over time if I am not strong enough to handle its rigors. With that intent in mind I will list my missions that will bring me closer to this goal: I will do a strength-training workout at home with dumbbells (because I have them, and I am still very intimidated by the gym and its inhabitants) at least 3 times a week I will increase my protein intake and follow the Paleo diet as closely as possible (this is not always 100% possible because I am often subjected to situations where I have no control over my menu for weeks at a time due to working out of remote camps... in these cases I do my best to select the most simply prepared food items consisting mainly of meat and vegetables, as humanly possible) I will eliminate unhealthy food items that have weaseled their way into my diet, such as replacing chemical and sugar-laden coffee drinks at work with unsweetened teas and reducing froyo excursions to once a week or less. Motivation As Daenerys Targaryen often tells herself before she makes a bold move, "If I look back, I am lost." If I do not push forward, I am lost. Living sick, weak, and unhealthy is no life to live and I do not want to go back to that. Without health and fitness it is easy to lose oneself in negative energy and depression and that is no way to live. If I go back, I am lost. The only clear path to improving happiness and confidence comes through improving health through diet and fitness. With improved health comes improved mood, and this is the best starting place for a more successful and happy life, equipped with more ability and resolve to handle the challenges that life throws at us.

It's the week leading up to Valentine's Day and for most single people it's the week we dread the most (before weddings and Christmas where nosy aunts ask us when we're getting married). Otherwise couples are fretting over what they should be doing to spoil their significant others to their expectations - chocolates, dates, overpriced roses, sexy underwear, wedding proposals, etc. While gradually catching up on all the articles that i've missed over my vacation, i came across the article on body image and i realised that despite all of the fretting, i haven't really spent a lot of time loving and fretting over myself. I'm running around getting to gym or preparing lists for groceries or meals for the week or something and balancing my new relationship and i'm not slowing down to actually spend a moment on me that doesn't involve changing my body in a way that i think others want to see. Do i even love the body i'm in (even if i'm trying to change it)? Perhaps others are doing the same thing? Are they forgetting to love themselves and their bodies? Are they putting others' needs ahead of their own? For these reasons, I have decided on this week's mini quest. Your task for this week is two fold. 1. To love yourself; to do something that is especially for you. Whether it is something small like drawing a hot bubble bath, pouring a glass of wine, locking the bathroom door and spending just 20 minutes with a book or daydreaming in the tub. Or getting a manicure/pedicure/massage/facial. 2. Find three things in your life or about yourself that you love. Think of three things about your life, your body, your personality, your job or your home that you are grateful for, that you value and that you love. The catch: it has to be something you've had an indirect or direct influence in (not something that is completely out of your control - like something someone else did for you). It's all about you. After completing this task, you will earn +1 CHA (if you're into the RPG thing) and a heart of self love (to be used at another point when you need it).

Hello world of Nerd Fitness! I just recently joined this site in my quest to finally accomplish what I've wanted my whole life. I am a nineteen year old college student studying theatre, with an emphasis in acting, and I aspire to finally be comfortable in my own skin. Around fourth grade I became quite the chunkster, and although through the years I have mostly grown into my body I am still not where I would like to be in terms of my fitness and body image. I started going to the gym regularly 3 to 5 times a week in June of 2013 and have seen results on and off, but I have never been able to loose the weight because my will power when it comes to food is pitiful. At the present moment I am a 180 pound 5'6'' nineteen year old female. I don't have an exact weight loss goal (partially because the idea of that brings unwelcome anxiety into my life) but I am looking to transition into a healthier human being. I want to eat healthy, exercise regularly, and ultimately feel comfortable and be proud to look at myself in the mirror. NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER SURRENDER!

So I watch a *lot* of Netflix. I often try to find a series that has a physically strong/fit female character as an inspiration. I within the last month finished Battlestar Galactica, and Starbuck was my idol. I figured she had the same base body type as me; wide-ish hips and shoulders, not-gigantic-boobs, just much more muscle and far less fat. I mean, I wish my shoulders were rounded and muscled like that. I love the scenes where Kara is working out and doing a bunch of push-ups or something. It makes me want to do that. And then, more recently, my fantasy-netflix-fitness-role-model has been Phoebe from Charmed; she does a lot of martial-arts in the show, but I'm not sure how much of it is actually done by the actress. And her body type is definitely nothing like mine. I will never have boobs like that. So it's really hard for me to tell whether I'm actually looking up to characters as inspirations to work out and eat right, or if it's just thinly-veiled thinspiration that will make me feel like crap about the way my body looks. Thoughts?

Hey y'all! I'm Rose, a college student and nerd that is struggling to get fit. I've been on the chubby side since the fourth grade (I've also been a bit of a bookworm since then too, I'll read any piece of fiction I can get my hands on). I've tried and failed several times to get fit, and I'm hoping y'all can help me out! My Mission: To have a positive self-image, develop healthy habits to bring into the real world, and have the strength to take on the adventure that is life. ​My Motivation: There's two parts to my motivation. One, I want to look good so I can be more confidant and actually enjoy getting new clothes and such. The other is that I want to love my body the way I think God would want me to. I'm deeply rooted in my faith and while He loves me no matter what shape I'm in, I want to respect and love this body that He has blessed me with. My Goals: 1. Keep a food and activity diary daily A: Miss one day or lessB: Miss two daysC: Miss three daysD: Miss four or more days2. After week 1 make one adjustment each week to make healthy diet (ie: cutting down desserts, running a calorie deficit, etc.) A: Achieve at least 4/5 goalsB: Achieve 3/5 goalsC: Achieve 2/5 goalsD: Achieve 1/5 goals3. Workout at least four times a week (3 strength training days + 1 fun day) A: Workout 4/4 timesB: Workout 3/4 timesC: Workout 2/4 timesD: Workout 1/4 timesLife Goal: Pick out a new devotional book for the new semester and set aside 15 minutes each day to read it once classes start up again. Well the easy part is over, and the hard part begins.