Search the Community

Spring is near for those of us in the northern hemisphere, so I think a spring themed challenge is appropriate. The key word for this challenge is NOURISHMENT. An account I follow on Instagram, Noble King Wolf, posted a quote that has stuck with me: "I don't want satisfaction. I need nourishment." That is my overarching goal for this challenge: to be nourished. Goal 1: Nourish My Soul speak gratitude: say a brief prayer of gratitude upon waking re-instate a morning devotional practice (reading/listening, prayer/meditation) daily gratitude journaling: write down at least three things I am grateful for every day practice at least one act of random kindness every day spend at least 30 minutes outside in nature, preferably near trees and water Goal 2: Nourish My Heart spend quality time with wife and kids; include physical touch (hugs, high fives, snuggling, etc.) speak at least one compliment to my wife daily practice at least one romantic gesture for my wife daily spend time daily reflecting on things that I love listen to music that lifts my heart Goal 3: Nourish My Body move my body in fun, dynamic, and challenging ways that feel good eat foods that nourish rather than satisfy (i.e. nutritious whole foods with simple ingredients, no "empty calories") savor what I eat and drink; use all of my senses to truly enjoy it drink more water; no seriously, drink more water listen closely to my body's signals: eat when I feel hungry, rest when I feel tired, be alert when I feel stressed/overwhelmed/irritated/anxious Goal 4: Nourish My Mind read something for at least 20 minutes per day listen to informative and/or inspiring podcasts read at least one scholarly/educational article every day complete the daily requirements on Duolingo complete the daily requirements on Elevate

For this challenge, I have one goal: to nourish my mind, body, and soul. I will achieve this by being mindful of everything I "consume," making a conscious effort to only partake in things that nourish me. Mind: read at least 10 pages of any book that develops my mind in some way learn something new every day (via websites, videos, podcasts, articles, etc.) view art that calms and/or inspires my mind complete a daily crossword complete the daily goals for Elevate and Duolingo take a mindful walk every day; don't stress about time--the focus is on intention, not duration. Body: complete the Daily Dare on Darebee stick to an exercise routine: Monday: Sprinting Tuesday: Lift heavy things Wednesday: Move slowly, play, rest Thursday: HIIT Friday: Move slowly, play, rest Saturday: Lift heavy things Sunday: Move slowly, play, rest practice Yoga daily post workout fast intermittently (using Zero app as a guide) drink enough water eat foods that nourish my body (i.e. avoid processed foods that contain "empty" calories) Soul: maintain morning routine: daily meditation/prayer daily breath work daily scripture and poetry reading spend at least 30 minutes in nature daily spend quality time with wife and children

Hey All, Wow, long time. Thanks to Love_of_Snuggles and Fearless 2.0 for bringing up NF recently. I really think this is good timing. I have been alone in my travels for years now and it's time to reach out and be a part of a community again. I can't imagine a better place than NF for such a place. Okay, theme is: Slow and Steady, fuck the race. I have spent decades trying to get to a good place and then be healed. HA! Doesn't work like that in life. So I'm trying a new approach. Not being a victim. I have PTSD from childhood and am now 54. I am just now being an adult in regards to taking responsibility for the whole of my mental health. I have come a long way so far to be sure, but laying down the crown of Victim is no easy thing. It's how I survived this long. And surviving was all I cared about as a kid. I didn't realize how much it would restrict my life as an adult. So staying conscious of when I use old 'unhelpful' traits and habits is the overall goal for the foreseeable future. This means be truthful with myself, my therapist, and you all here. My first goal is to check in here each day: 1 update post and 5+ reactions to other people's posts (these I take seriously so no quick click and off I go). My second goal is to do my exercise walk each day: at least as far as I'm going now and hopefully, but not required this time, longer. My third goal is to meditate for 10 minutes each day: I can use a vid, music, or PT exercises to accomplish this task. My forth goal is to reach out to people IRL via texts, zoom, and phone: I think for 4 weeks, I want to be able to do this twice a week (gaming not included). In order to succeed in this challenge, I need to accomplish an average of ~75% of each of my goals. Okay, well this is weird, but familiar! Have a great challenge everyone!

No one is obligated or expected to actually read all of this lol. Just wanted to log everything for my daily workouts and basic plans. It changes often, so I'll be updating and revising here and there. The more I do a routine, the more I find gaps, or things I need to adjust and will do so as they come. Also, any outdoor activities or swimming, or other adventures that happen away from home gym I will share in thread to keep track of my activities with pics 💖 'MOON'DAY - ELEMENT OF WATER 5:00 AM - Wake 5:10 AM - Monday's Meditations: Moon energy, healing, self love, focus on feminine energy, and water energy. Accompanied by: Moonstone, rose quartz, snow quartz, clear quartz, selenite 6:30 AM - Recumbent Bike for 20 minutes or 5 Miles +2 for additional minutes or miles 7:00 AM - Strength Training - Light Full Body Workout 7:30 AM - Core, obliques workout (Coincides with Monday - Moonday, Goddess energy) 8:00 AM - Shower, then quick breakfast. EGGS. ALL THE EGGS. 8:45 AM - Leave for work 9:00 AM - Arrive at work 12:00 PM - Lunch followed by 10 minutes of meditation. 12:30 PM - Back to work 3:00 PM - 5 minutes of jumping jacks and stretching in back office to perk up and get blood flowing again. 5:00 PM - Released from the land of the dead - I mean work. (It's a cemetery. Literally the land of the dead so it's actually legit af.) 5:15 PM - Home. 6:00 PM - Head to the home dojo. Recumbent Bike for 20 minutes with 3lb weights, 5lbs, and 10lb kettlebell. Strength training with kettlebell and body weight exercises for 15 minutes. Core focused exercises for 15 minutes. 6:30 PM - Cook dinner/Eat 7:30 PM - MCT Protein Blast with Collagen >Insert mundane $#!% here< 8:30 PM - Recumbent Bike for 20 to 30 minutes with highest resistance for the day. Yoga/Tai Chi/ Qi Gong/ Meditation Accompanied by: Moonstone, rose quartz, snow quartz, clear quartz, selenite 9:30 PM - Read for 20 minutes, something inspiring and uplifting, comforting, and familiar. 10:00 PM - Set intentions for Tuesday manifestations, review planetary orbits, visualize my day, write keywords for how I would like to "feel", and how I can do something with that day to improve that. Journal for 10 minutes. 10:30 PM - Bedtime 🌊Bonus points today for taking a swim indoors or outdoors or just spending time with or by a natural body of water. +8 👽✨Bonus points for taking telescope out and spending quality time with La Luna +5 WARRIOR TUESDAY - ELEMENT OF FIRE 5:00 AM - Wake 5:10 AM - Tuesday's Meditations: Warrior energy, Mars, Masculine energy. Focus on strength, courage, empowerment, honor, loyalty, protection. Accompanied by: Smoky quartz, black tourmaline, obsidian, carnelian, pyrite 6:30 AM - Recumbent Bike for 20 minutes or 5 Miles +2 for additional minutes or miles 7:00 AM - Strength Training - Light Full Body Workout 7:30 AM - Shoulders, Back, Arms (Coincides with Tuesday - Mars Day - Warrior Energy!!! YEA!!!) 8:00 AM - Shower, then quick breakfast. EGGS. ALL THE EGGS. 8:45 AM - Leave for work 9:00 AM - Arrive at work 12:00 PM - Lunch followed by 10 minutes of meditation. 12:30 PM - Back to work 3:00 PM - 5 minutes of jumping jacks and stretching in back office to perk up and get blood flowing again. 5:00 PM - Off work. 5:15 PM - Home. 6:00 PM - Head to the home dojo. Recumbent Bike for 20 minutes with 3lb weights, 5lbs, and 10lb kettlebell. Strength training with kettlebell and body weight exercises for 15 minutes. Arms, shoulders, back focused exercises for 15 minutes. 6:30 PM - Cook dinner/Eat 7:30 PM - MCT Protein Blast with Collagen >Insert mundane $#!% here< 8:30 PM - Recumbent Bike for 20 to 30 minutes with highest resistance for the day. Yoga/Tai Chi/ Qi Gong/ Meditation Accompanied by: Smoky quartz, black tourmaline, obsidian, carnelian 9:30 PM - Read for 20 minutes, something empowering, heroic, courageous 10:00 PM - Set intentions for Wednesday manifestations, review planetary orbits, visualize my day, write keywords for how I would like to "feel", and how I can do something with that day to improve that. Journal for 10 minutes. 10:30 PM - Bedtime 🔥Bonus points today for having a sacred fire and/or fire scrying, incense making, smoke scrying +5 👽✨Bonus points for taking telescope out and spending quality time with corresponding planet +5 MERCURIAN WEDNESDAY (Weigh-In Wednesday) ELEMENT OF AIR 5:00 AM - Wake 5:10 AM - Wednesday's Meditations: Messenger, Intellectual energy, Mercury, Masculine and Feminine energy. Focus on outward energy. Promoting positive thought patterns, banishing negative thought patterns, contemplate how I use words with myself and others and if I do that in the healthiest most positive way and how I can improve that today. Accompanied by: Ametrine, obsidian, pink botswana agate, lepidolite, clear quartz 6:00 AM - Weigh-In 6:05 AM - Log weight, set new goals, make any necessary changes to nutrition and fitness plan, make grocery list and write out meal plan. (Wednesday's Mercurian Energy is great for all the intellectual, mathy, tedious stuff. Here's to Gemini's and Virgos!) 6:30 AM - Recumbent Bike for 20 minutes or 5 Miles +2 for additional minutes or miles 7:00 AM - Strength Training - Light Full Body Workout 7:30 AM - All limbs lifting and resisting today, and breathing exercises. (Coincides with Wednesday- Mercury Day - lungs, hands, arms, legs, feet) 8:00 AM - Shower, then quick breakfast. EGGS. ALL THE EGGS. 8:45 AM - Leave for work 9:00 AM - Arrive at work 12:00 PM - Lunch followed by 10 minutes of meditation. 12:30 PM - Back to work 3:00 PM - 5 minutes of jumping jacks and stretching in back office to perk up and get blood flowing again. 5:00 PM - Off work. 5:15 PM - Home. 6:00 PM - Head to the home dojo. Recumbent Bike for 20 minutes with 3lb weights, 5lbs, and 10lb kettlebell. Strength training with kettlebell and body weight exercises for 15 minutes. Arms, shoulders, back focused exercises for 15 minutes. 6:30 PM - Cook dinner/Eat 7:30 PM - MCT Protein Blast with Collagen >Insert mundane $#!% here< 8:30 PM - Recumbent Bike for 20 to 30 minutes with highest resistance for the day. Yoga/Tai Chi/ Qi Gong/ Meditation Accompanied by: Ametrine, obsidian, pink botswana agate, lepidolite, clear quartz 9:30 PM - Read for 20 minutes, something witty, clever, intellectual, thought provoking, science related topics such as theoretical physics, astronomy, etc. 10:00 PM - Set intentions for Thursday manifestations, review planetary orbits, visualize my day, write keywords for how I would like to "feel", and how I can do something with that day to improve that. Journal for 10 minutes. 10:30 PM - Bedtime 🌌Bonus points today for writing a short story or poem. +6 👽✨Bonus points for taking telescope out and spending quality time with corresponding planet +5 JOVIAN THURSDAY - ELEMENT OF AIR/FIRE 5:00 AM - Wake 5:10 AM - Thursday's Meditations: The day of the "Luck Planet" Jupiter. Philosopher energy. Divine wisdom. Abundance. Wealth. Luck. Accompanied by: Amethyst, smoky quartz, clear quartz, Preseli bluestone, carnelian, obsidian 6:30 AM - Recumbent Bike for 20 minutes or 5 Miles +2 for additional minutes or miles 7:00 AM - Strength Training - Light Full Body Workout 7:30 AM - Hams and Butt day (Coincides with Jupiter- Jovian Thursday - Thighs and butt. I have to admit that the biggest planet getting butt day is hilariously ironic) 8:00 AM - Shower, then quick breakfast. EGGS. ALL THE EGGS. 8:45 AM - Leave for work 9:00 AM - Arrive at work 12:00 PM - Lunch followed by 10 minutes of meditation. 12:30 PM - Back to work 3:00 PM - 5 minutes of jumping jacks and stretching in back office to perk up and get blood flowing again. 5:00 PM - Off work. 5:15 PM - Home. 6:00 PM - Head to the home dojo. Recumbent Bike for 20 minutes with 3lb weights, 5lbs, and 10lb kettlebell. Strength training with kettlebell and body weight exercises for 15 minutes. Hamstrings and butt focused exercises for 15 minutes. 6:30 PM - Cook dinner/Eat 7:30 PM - MCT Protein Blast with Collagen >Insert mundane $#!% here< 8:30 PM - Recumbent Bike for 20 to 30 minutes with highest resistance for the day. Yoga/Tai Chi/ Qi Gong/ Meditation Accompanied by: Amethyst, smoky quartz, clear quartz, Preseli bluestone, carnelian, obsidian 9:30 PM - Read for 20 minutes, something philosophical, financial and budget planning, entrepreneurial 10:00 PM - Set intentions for Friday manifestations, review planetary orbits, visualize my day, write keywords for how I would like to "feel", and how I can do something with that day to improve that. Journal for 10 minutes. 10:30 PM - Bedtime ⚡Bonus points today for participating in any kind of arts for 1 hour. +6 👽✨Bonus points for taking telescope out and spending quality time with corresponding planet +5 VENUSIAN FRIDAY - ELEMENT OF WATER/EARTH 5:00 AM - Wake 5:10 AM - Friday's Meditations: The day of love. Love, compassion, self love, marriage, friendship, mother energy, healing from water energy, stability and growth from Earth energy. Accompanied by: Amazonite, rose quartz, clear quartz, snowflake obsidian 6:30 AM - Recumbent Bike for 20 minutes or 5 Miles +2 for additional minutes or miles 7:00 AM - Strength Training - Light Full Body Workout 7:30 AM - Chest, abs, leg day (Coincides with Venus- Venusian Friday - Chest, breasts, do I even need to add womb here lol, legs) 8:00 AM - Shower, then quick breakfast. EGGS. ALL THE EGGS. 8:45 AM - Leave for work 9:00 AM - Arrive at work 12:00 PM - Lunch followed by 10 minutes of meditation. 12:30 PM - Back to work 3:00 PM - 5 minutes of jumping jacks and stretching in back office to perk up and get blood flowing again. 5:00 PM - Off work. 5:15 PM - Home. 6:00 PM - Head to the home dojo. Recumbent Bike for 20 minutes with 3lb weights, 5lbs, and 10lb kettlebell. Strength training with kettlebell and body weight exercises for 15 minutes. Chest, abs, legs focused exercises for 15 minutes. 6:30 PM - Cook dinner/Eat 7:30 PM - MCT Protein Blast with Collagen >Insert mundane $#!% here< 8:30 PM - Recumbent Bike for 20 to 30 minutes with highest resistance for the day. Yoga/Tai Chi/ Qi Gong/ Meditation Accompanied by: Amazonite, rose quartz, clear quartz, snowflake obsidian 9:30 PM - Read for 20 minutes, something romantic, or about friendship, companionship, motherhood (even though I'm not a mom, I can't resist a Gilmore Girls - esque tale. I do happen to still be a daughter ) 10:00 PM - Set intentions for Saturday manifestations, review planetary orbits, visualize my day, write keywords for how I would like to "feel", and how I can do something with that day to improve that. Journal for 10 minutes. 10:30 PM - Bedtime ♥️Bonus points today for taking a bubble bath with essential oils, candles, flowers, music. Treat yourself. +6 👽✨Bonus points for taking telescope out and spending quality time with corresponding planet +5 SATURNIAN SATURDAY - ELEMENT OF EARTH 5:00 AM - Wake 5:10 AM - Saturday's Meditations: Father Saturn, Capricornian energy, the teacher Accompanied by: Amethyst, citrine, or ametrine, smoky quartz, rainbow obsidian, black tourmaline 6:30 AM - Recumbent Bike for 20 minutes or 5 Miles +2 for additional minutes or miles 7:00 AM - Strength Training - Light Full Body Workout 7:30 AM - Focus on mobility and joint health today as well as breathing exercises (Coincides with Saturn- Saturnian Saturday- joint health, flexibility, breathability) 8:00 AM - Shower 9:00 AM - Breakfast - Chia bowl with berries, a mini-chaffle size of palm(an egg waffle) with tomatoes, peppers, onions. 1:00 PM - Lunch followed by 10 minutes of meditation. 6:00 PM - Head to the home dojo. Recumbent Bike for 20 minutes with 3lb weights, 5lbs, and 10lb kettlebell. Strength training with kettlebell and body weight exercises for 15 minutes. Flexibility and low impact focused exercises for 15 minutes. 6:30 PM - Cook dinner/Eat 7:30 PM - MCT Protein Blast with Collagen >Insert mundane $#!% here< 8:30 PM - Recumbent Bike for 20 to 30 minutes with highest resistance for the day. Yoga/Tai Chi/ Qi Gong/ Meditation Accompanied by: Amethyst, citrine, or ametrine, smoky quartz, rainbow obsidian, black tourmaline 9:30 PM - Read for 20 minutes, something insightful, educational, motivational, self improvement, even home improvement! (Do some Dad things. Done.) 10:00 PM - Set intentions for Sunday manifestations, review planetary orbits, visualize my day, write keywords for how I would like to "feel", and how I can do something with that day to improve that. Journal for 10 minutes. 10:30 PM - Bedtime ☮️Bonus points today for learning a new trade, or for researching *opposing* political views. +8 👽✨Bonus points for taking telescope out and spending quality time with corresponding planet +5 SOL SUNDAY - ELEMENT OF FIRE 5:00 AM - Wake 5:10 AM - Sunday's Meditations: God, Sol, Sun, Divine Masculine energy, Leo energy, Fire, self love, ego Accompanied by: Citrine, smoky quartz, clear quartz, pyrite, shungite, lemon quartz, carnelian 6:30 AM - Recumbent Bike for 20 minutes or 5 Miles +2 for additional minutes or miles 7:00 AM - Strength Training - 10,000HP Full Body Workout!!! GO HARD BISH. YOU A STAR. Literally, be a star. It is "Sun" day after all ) 7:30 AM - Focus on total body, calisthenics, then follow up with something light and calming such as stretching, slow flow yoga, Qi Gong (Coincides with Sol- Sunday- perfomance, endurance, stamina, and cool down, plus a bit of "ego check" ) Fuel the fire, then cool the fire. 8:00 AM - Shower 9:00 AM - BIG BREAKFAST TODAY YES. 10:00 AM - Go say hello to the sun. Take in that glorious fk'er. Get outside and get some D. Vitamin D. 1:00 PM - Lunch followed by 10 minutes of meditation. 6:00 PM - Head to the home dojo. Recumbent Bike for 20 minutes with 3lb weights, 5lbs, and 10lb kettlebell. Strength training with kettlebell and body weight exercises for 15 minutes. Flexibility and low impact focused exercises for 15 minutes. 6:30 PM - Cook dinner/Eat 7:30 PM - MCT Protein Blast with Collagen >Insert mundane $#!% here< 8:30 PM - Recumbent Bike for 20 to 30 minutes with highest resistance for the day. Yoga/Tai Chi/ Qi Gong/ Meditation Accompanied by: Amethyst, citrine, or ametrine, smoky quartz, rainbow obsidian, black tourmaline 9:30 PM - Read for 20 minutes, something insightful, educational, motivational, self improvement, even home improvement! (Do some Dad things. Done.) 10:00 PM - Set intentions for Monday manifestations, review planetary orbits, visualize my day, write keywords for how I would like to "feel", and how I can do something with that day to improve that. Journal for 10 minutes. 10:30 PM - Bedtime 🌄Bonus points today for going on a hike, going fishing, bird watching, boating +10 If it's raining and you still do it, +3 more cuz you rock and stuff. 👽✨Bonus points for taking telescope out and spending quality time with corresponding planet +5

12 Week Hypertrophy Quest Quest Goals: 1) Increase Muscle Mass 2) Decrease BF% 3) Increase Strength In All Lifts Overview/Details Each working set should be performed to near failure with 12 being the most reps you should perform and 6 being the lowest. This workout utilizes supersets.Take a 1 minute break between each superset. Supersets are grouped by letter before them. See Quest Objectives for context. Increase weight on each set by at least 5lbs. Increase weight from week to week as well. By the end of the 12 weeks, you should be 10lbs+ stronger in many lifts. This program can be repeated with endless variation. If you begin to plateau, seek ways of making the workouts harder. An example could be adding some dropsets. SPLIT CHEST/BACK SHOULDERS/ARMS LEGS Quest Objectives: Day 1: Chest/Back | Warm-up 5 minutes of cardio A1) Bench Press 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working A2) DB Row 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working 1 - 2 minute rest B1) Hammerstrength incline Chest Press 3x12 working B2) Hammerstrength lat pulldown 3x12 working 1 - 2 minute rest C1) Cable Crossovers 5-7x12 working C2) Reverse Flye 5-7x12 working Day 2: Active Rest | Start with 5 minutes of cardio if you normally don't do cardio, and add 5 minutes to your average time of the cardio you do regularly. Increase total time by 5 minutes every other week. By Week 12 you should be doing 30 extra minutes of cardio. For the sake of this program, cardio is considered 150bpm+ for the whole session. Day 3: Shoulders/Arms | Warm-up 5 minutes of cardio A1) DB Shoulder Press 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working A2) Standing DB Curl 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working 1 - 2 minute rest B1) DB Front Raise 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working B2) Tricep Extension 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working 1 - 2 minute rest C1) Reverse Flye Machine 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working C2) Barbell Curl 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working 1 minute rest D) Skull Crusher 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working Day 4: Active Rest | Do the same amount of cardio as you did on your first active rest day this week. Day 5: Legs | Warm-up 5 minutes of cardio A1) Squat 2x6 warm-up, 3x12 working A2) Leg Curl 1x6 warmup , 3x12 working 2 - 3 minute rest between A and B B1) Leg Extensions 3x12 working B2) Standing Calf Raises 3x12 working 2 - 3 minute rest between B and C C1) Weighted Walking Lunge 3x12 working C2) Lower Back Extensions 3x12 failure Day 6: REST Day 7: REST Let me know what you think below!

If you have been following me for a while, my usual challenges carry over and are implied. I'm in the midst of another Soulcon challenge, but for my challenge posts I want to try something different this time. This challenge is themed from an album trilogy titled One Wild Life by one of my favorite bands, Gungor. The albums are named Soul, Spirit, and Body, so that is what each section of my challenge will be titled. Soul: Pray every morning upon waking Daily scripture study and devotional reading Integrate prayer throughout the day Continue to work through the Soulcon spiritual challenges Spirit: Begin each challenge post by sharing, meditating/reflecting on the lyrics of a song from the Gungor One Wild Life trilogy. Meditate every day for at least 20 minutes. Sit still in silence every day for at least 5 minutes. Be the first to greet people when I encounter them (inspired by Gabby Reece: "I always say 'go first'....That means if I'm checking out at the store, I say hello first. If I'm coming across somebody and make eye contact, I'll smile first. I wish people would experiment with that in their lives a little bit: Be first because - not all times, but most times- it comes in your favor. The response is pretty amazing.") Start a Gratitude Journal: List at least three things I am grateful for every day. Less talking, more curious listening (and eye contact). Write a "Thank You" letter or send a "Thank You" message once/week to someone who deserves it. Call mother every day. Hug and kiss queen and princesses before leaving for work. Spend time alone every day with queen (unless impossible due to work, etc.). Body: Do at least 50 burpees/day. Do at least 50 push-ups or dips/day. Continue to work through Soulcon physical challenges Primal/MovNat workout at least 3 days/week. Hike or trail run once/week. Intermittent fasting to help with weight loss/muscle building Spend at least 30 minutes/day outside. Get to bed before 10:30 pm.

(Posted on other forum, but this contains updates and hyperlinks) For my next challenge, I have decided to break it up into four parts: Heart, Body, Mind, and Spirit. These will probably extend past four weeks and hopefully form habits. Heart: Be the first to greet people when I encounter them (inspired by Gabby Reece: "I always say 'go first'....That means if I'm checking out at the store, I say hello first. If I'm coming across somebody and make eye contact, I'll smile first. I wish people would experiment with that in their lives a little bit: Be first because - not all times, but most times- it comes in your favor. The response is pretty amazing.") Start a Gratitude Journal (at least three things every day). Less talking, more curious listening (and eye contact). Write a "Thank You" letter or send a "Thank You" message once/week to someone who deserves it. Call mother every day. Visit grandfather at least once/week. Body: Do at least 50 pushups/day. Do at least 50 dips/day. HIIT at least 3 days/week. Intermittent fasting to help with weight loss/muscle building Spend at least 30 minutes/day outside. Get to bed before 10:30 pm. Mind: Download Insight Timer (done). Find guided meditations that interest me. Use at least one guided meditation daily. Sit in still silence every day for at least five minutes. Start a daily reflection journal (for the end of the day). Read at least 5 pages of any book/day (I love to read, but my attention span is so short, this is seriously challenging for me). Schedule social media time (rather than randomly/obsessively checking it every few minutes): No more than 30 minutes in the morning and 1 hour in the evening. Spirit: Place a Bible Reading Plan in my Bible and/or download a Reading Plan via the YouVersion app. Read assigned chapters/verses in the morning before my day begins (or listen to audio version during commute to work). Integrate prayer throughout my day. Find and read a short daily devotional/meditations. Most of these are habits I have wanted to build for a while. It seems daunting, but some of these can be integrated, and I know strengthening these four pillars will help me become more balanced over time.

For my next challenge, I have decided to break it up into four parts: Heart, Body, Mind, and Spirit. These will probably extend past four weeks and hopefully form habits. Heart: Be the first to greet people when I encounter them (inspired by Gabby Reece: "I always say 'go first'....That means if I'm checking out at the store, I say hello first. If I'm coming across somebody and make eye contact, I'll smile first. I wish people would experiment with that in their lives a little bit: Be first because - not all times, but most times- it comes in your favor. The response is pretty amazing.") Start a Gratitude Journal (at least three things every day). Write a "Thank You" letter or send a "Thank You" message once/week to someone who deserves it. Call mother every day. Visit grandfather at least once/week. Body: Do at least 50 pushups/day. Do at least 50 dips/day. HIIT at least 3 days/week. Intermittent fasting to help with weight loss/muscle building Spend at least 30 minutes/day outside. Get to bed before 10:30 pm. Mind: Download Insight Timer (done). Find guided meditations that interest me. Use at least one guided meditation daily. Sit in still silence every day for at least five minutes. Start a daily reflection journal (for the end of the day). Read at least 5 pages of any book/day (I love to read, but my attention span is so short, this is seriously challenging for me). Schedule social media time (rather than randomly/obsessively checking it every few minutes): No more than 30 minutes in the morning and 1 hour in the evening. Spirit: Place a Bible Reading Plan in my Bible and/or download a Reading Plan via the YouVersion app. Read assigned chapters/verses in the morning before my day begins (or listen to audio version during commute to work). Integrate prayer throughout my day. Find and read a short daily devotional/meditations. Most of these are habits I have wanted to build for a while. It seems daunting, but some of these can be integrated, and I know strengthening these four pillars will help me become more balanced over time.

Hello! I'm quite new to this forum so excuse me if this is not the right topic to post such a thing. My name is Slavi Todorov and I am 18 years old from Bulgaria. This is my transformation video in which I present my physique progress throughout the years. I have started doing this, because I was bullied at school. Further information about my progress in the video:

Druid January CHALLENGE: My goals steam from the want to distress with yoga and focus my energy in positive ways. Diet Goals: · Drink 2-3 of 32oz bottle of water (I have a 32 oz.travel water bottle so it’s easy to measure.) · Eat 50% less convenience food/ ordering out… making whole meals/dinner without preservatives. And add one extra serving of vegetables. Fitness: · Walk every day (5 minutes) - this could even be in the form of standing up at your desk and walking around the office. · Complete the NF bodyweight workout at least 1x a week · Do yoga and stretches 2-3 times a week (Set reminder on my phone.) Level Up Your Life · At least 5 minutes meditation daily- 3 times a week · Go to bed earlier, I’ve been staying up way to late in past 2 weeks. My goal at the end of the 4 weeks is to be in bed by 11 and lights out by 12. · Remind myself to think positive when feeling overwhelmed or reach out to others. · Finish my short story; it’s a love story about a Viking man during the Medieval era.

~Hungry For Evolution~ Thank you for stopping by and visiting my battle log! First let me share with you the two men that have inspired me to have the motto of being hungry for evolution. Joe Manganiello & Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold coined the phrase of stay hungry. Arnold during the film pumping iron talks about what it is to stay hungry, but to summarize it in my own words it means to constantly find new ways to challenge yourself in order to become a better you. Joe talks of wanting evolution of his body in his book by making his body grow in a functional sense by evolving it to its strongest form. Inspired by the messages of these two men have l decided to become hungry for evolution. This Battle log will track everything from my thoughts, training, eating habits, and personal progression. Now while I am doing a challenge this log will be put on the back burner as I post in my guild for my current challenge. I will still visit and post, just not as often so I don't become side tracked. I do promise to post once a day in this log even when I am doing a challenge so I can level up? I welcome you all to join me on my journey to becoming A max level, over powered RPG hero. Here is what you will be able to find in my battle log -Monthly stats, my personal progression.- -The body, my daily training- -The mind, my daily fitness thoughts- -The spirit, everything inspiration and motivation- -Random posts of articles I wrote and youtube videos I will do for you guys.- DISCLAIMER: The information on this forum does not replace advice you receive from your qualified health care professional, and the information on this forum is not intended as medical advice. You are asked to make your own health care decisions based on your research and the advice of a qualified health care professional.

I'm not very ripped but fit and follow calisthenics as a beginner. The thing is that due to the extensive amount of resources available online, it is hard for me to follow one. I'd like to create a workout plan for me to get a proportional and functional body like the Assassins and I'd like the community to help with that. I prefer bodyweight exercises over weight training so please try keeping the workout plan bodyweight based. thanks.

This is my 1 year transformation how do you like it? Youtube: Isaac Jeon 1 Year Body Transformation

I've posted quite a bit about this topic over the years, as it is something I feel strongly about, it has made a huge difference in my success IMHO. I finally assembled everything into one big post, including everything I've learned more recently: http://strengthunbound.com/measure-body-fat-easily-accurately-home/ I do plan on eventually putting together some general spreadsheets to link to in both google docs and MS excel format, so people who don't know much about spreadsheets are good to go, and possibly even writing a javascrip calculator for each of the formulas that includes the correction factor and the relatively unknown Penrose-Nelson-Fisher formula (I've never seen a calculator for it). Steve's article is a good primer on the subject: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/07/02/body-fat-percentage/

The Assassin in Mind and Body I never quite understood what happened. Some say that the Order caught me and faked my death. I don't know. All I know is that in one moment I was strolling in the street and in the other I was trapped in a cold and dark, but yet familiar place. I somehow knew that I was at the dungeons in our castle. The voice that called me was... unexpected, to say the least. "Lokes. I assume you can hear me?". Even to this day I can tell with no shame that I jumped as I heard it. Who the hell is talking to me? Why am I here? These were questions I would hope this "friend" could answer me. "yeah yeah, I hear you. Who are you? Where is my Mentor?"."Your mentor?". I could sense a little bit of laughter in this voice. "Your Mentor is no more, Lokesbrah. He was a traitor. And so, you too, are considered a traitor.". Say what now? My Mentor? A traitor? How come? And why was I being punished by mistakes that other made? "I somehow find that hard to believe" I said, trying to sound more confident in that situation than how I really was."But even so, I cannot find how this means that I should also be trapped in my own house". At this point I tried to move. I found that I was not trapped, but a nasty wound was on my back. "So you DO know where you are?" Of course I knew. I had spent so much time here in my Apprentice times that all I could feel was Nostalgia. "Well, Lokes, Here's the thing... Your mentor was found betraying the BrotherHood. And most of our comunity thought that maybe you were one too. However, regarding you, we chose to do what had been done once before with the Grandmaster Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. We killed you, so that you can be resurected. We know, Lokesbrah. We always knew, about your wrong path. Or should I say, non-dedicated path?" At this point I fully understood. You see, reader, up until this point I found my life pretty confortable! I would skip most trainings, instead of the library I would be in the winery with some other "friends" drinking. This was not how I was educated. And to you all of this may seem a bit... well... Exagerated, but my Order believed that the only way to make up for this life's mistakes was to get a new life and start from scratch. And so this is how I began my life as an Apprentice again. I expect all of this letters to get to you once in a week, if it reaches you always and not some others. I hope you find in my story, the will and strenght to begin your own. Hello Assassins. Happy New Year! Here I am, trying to Acomplish another goal and habbits! This time It my be a bit weird, but my goal is to do something that will transform me, or should I say, resurect me? Let's start now shall we? After I got released they told me that I would have to do the life of the Aprentices again. Mingle with them. Make new Friends. But most of all, they told me that I should start to reform my life. Everything I thought I knew, would have to be relearned. And so, I passed most of my days in the library studing both philosophy and alchemy... Which brings me to Quest One: Study: This is a simple quest, but it is for me to start building the habit of learning and discipline. I need to study. I am one of those guys that has been longer in college that he should've had. And on top of that, I'm not even a "good" student, I just get the grades to pass. So This time I will have to at least study for 15 minutes, but my real goal is to go for 45 minutes everyday. I only put out 15 minutes in the quest because I feel that if I make that 15 minute mark, I can just go on. The alchemy represents my Chemistry Course, and the philosophy part is more related to a sort of miniquest, which is reading in general, so I'll be reading more books. Right now I'm starting with Homero's Odyssey. (+3 Int and +2 Wis) ... and trainning my body in the skilled art of the Assassins... This one is just like my other quest: train. I am to train every other day, and during the week I'll do some calisthenics, maybe flexing, and in the weekends I need to train Parkour/Free Running. It isn't much Parkour train, but it's the only time where I can do it freely and with total focus. (+3 STR and +2 DEX) ... and somehow I found in my new aprentices friends other ways to have fun. I had forgotten, reader, how to have fun with little or no posessions. I found my pleasure in arts again, I we often spent our lunch breaks playing our songs for everybody to hear! And so, Quest Three: Music! I need to restart my music skills, so I need to play my guitar at least 15 minutes... I got sloppy and I often forget how good I feel after playing a bit. I need to invest in this hobby of mine, so, guitar playing. (+5 CHA) And the great thing of being an Aprentice again, reader, is that they force us to think about our day and our actions in the end of the day. I can't tell you how much I've missed this little bit of quiet and peace of mind. Just me, my gods and my thoughts. If you ever feel lost, I recomend you to sit, close your eyes, and breathe. To this day I never forget one lesson that I was thought. There is this ancient history, that one of our Brothers to the far east was always overthinking his plans, constantly dwelling in an anxious state. And he was talking to his master about "how he would have to remember the path to go, the angle of the shot, the escape route" and his master told him: "And don't forget to breathe." Quest FOUR! (I'M ON FIRE!): Meditation I need to find myself and my spirituality again and I found that the best way to do it is by meditation. I need to sit at the end of the day and meditate for as long as I have to, but I'll put a minimum of 10 minutes. (+5 WIS) So, I'll bee seeing you guys once a week for my weekly report! See ya soon!

Hello Friends! I've struggled with anxiety since my pre-teens, but wasn't diagnosed until almost a year ago. Caring for myself emotionally and mentally is essential to anyone to keep your mind, healthy. There are those who's source of their anxiety goes beyond psychological influence and comes from biological imbalances. If you believe this is you and not seen a doctor about it, then I highly you make that it top prior to meet with a therapist or psychologist cause the function of your mind results in how you will live your life. Having that said; Health and Fitness is vital in every person's life. So for someone that deals with anxiety or depression, taking care of your physical body will be an even more beneficial to you overcoming your mental battles. To put this all in a nutshell, Simply Love & Care For Yourself. This isn't being narcissistic, it's just you taking responsibility for the body that carries you around and help keep from not functioning before it's time. Do you struggle with anxiety, or depression? Through health and fitness, how do you care for your mind and body?

Hello old friends, I am heading back to the Rangers this time after hanging out with the Warriors for the last few challenges. To achieve Level 7, I will be channeling my true inner Ranger which means combining a lot of what I have learned over the last few challenges into a more balanced version of myself. My main quest is to fit comfortably into size 14 trousers by losing body fat. To move towards this achievement, I have set the following quests for this challenge: 1. Handstand challenge! STR+2 DEX+3 As a much younger hooman, summer lunchtimes were spent out on the fields doing cartwheels and handstands. Now I have all but overcome my shoulder injury, the time has come to revisit those carefree days. Using Chris Salvato's method as a guide, I will spend 5 minutes per day on handstand practice. A = 28+ days of handstand practice B = 25-27 days C = 22-24 days F = 21 days or fewer of handstand practice. 2. Rangerfy the workouts! STR+2 DEX+1 STA+2 Living in the land or Warriordom was great (lifting + eating = fun!) but I did sometimes yearn for the days when I did all the things. I will continue with workouts up to 5 days per week but make them circuit-type workouts and not pure heavy lifting or pure cardio. More a kind of cross fit style. Don't rest for too long between things. A = 25+ circuit workouts B = 22-24 circuit workouts C = 19-21 circuit workouts F = 18 or fewer circuit workouts. 3. Love your body challenge! WIS+2 CHA+1 Using Molly Galbraith's blog posts as a template and guide, I'll be completing this 28-day challenge within the 6 weeks of this challenge (so basically weekdays.) No grading here; I either complete it or I don't. 100% points for completing the challenge 0 points for not completing the challenge. 4. Clearout! WIS+1 CHA+1 Inspired by this article, I need to make a space on my floor for my exercise mat to fit. In order to see that bit of floor, I will eliminate the embarrassing pile of clothes that currently occupys the space. Currently my laundry goes from worn to wash to dry to worn - it never seems to hit the inside of the wardrobe. So what the hell is in the wardrobe?!? I obviously need to evaluate what I have, do a clearout, and eliminate that mess. A = "A place for everything, and everything in its place" B = The doors shut but inside things are messy C = Everything fits inside but the doors don't shut F = There are still things which don't fit in the wardrobe.

Hi guys, before I get into my question, let me give you a little background of my injuries. I'm a former ROTC cadet as well as a horse trainer. When I was 13, I had a horse fall on my back. My back is in constant pain as a result. The muscles on the left side are two inches shorter than the right, causing my left hip to be raised and my left shoulder to be dropped. When I was 17, my horse stepped on my right foot, kicked my shin, and jumped over my leg. This resulted in my ankle being held in place while also being kicked away from my body. However, this never hurt until I took a false step while running with my company. Ever since then, pain after one mile running. Recently, my left hip has been hurting as well. I think it's from the misalignment of my back and the compensation for my ankle. I can't walk longer than 20 minutes continuously without pain. If I run, it hurts after 5 minutes. To summarize: pain in the lower lumbar region of my back pain in the right ankle due to overpronation (stability shoes, motion limiting shoes, and high arches haven't helped) pain in the left hip Doctors have looked at me. X-rays, CT scan, MRI. There's no muscle, tendon, ligament or bone damage according to any of these. So... I need help... How do I deal with all of these problems? I'd like to participate in a mud run this July, but I'm not sure my body will handle it. I'm only 21. I shouldn't have all of these issues... plus I'd kill to get into parkour.

Okay...I am 215 lbs with no muscle and only fat..my aim is to lose 20-25 pounds of fat in 2 months and gain muscle at the same time..after doing research on this site..I have made something for myself..beginner body workout one day and interval training the other...the thing is I have made a stupid bet of doing 150 pushups in a row and 250 sit ups in a row by the end of these 2 months..and so on the day of strength training I do as many "knee pushups" i can and try my way upto the real ones..the next day is a break and then the other day at first i do beginner body workout then pushups rest of the day with some situps..i m totally free but can only work at home..i can also get a punching bag if u think boxing can help or i can play basketball at my nearest court but i m very bad at this sport so its kind of embarassing when i play..Any suggestions guys???

My main quest when I started this mission was to drop from 21% body fat to 15% body fat... Well I measured myself this morning and I SMASHED that goal!! 13.9% body fat. Just to illustrate, here is what I looked like on the first day I joined the Rebellion; (I've no idea what my BF% was, and I'm not putting it all back on just to check!) I hated myself pretty much. I wanted to change everything about my body; be someone else. I was the "skinny-fat" type of unfit and despite family and friends telling me I looked fine I wasn't comfortable in my own skin. Yet I was too lazy to get up off my arse and do something about it. Then I stumbled on NF and dragged myself up by the scruff of my neck. I'd just missed the challenge start so I started learning the ropes of the forums and blundering my way through my first workouts; hurt my ankles trying to go for a run, learnt to eat properly, and realized that how my body was feeling, wasn't right. I started to enjoy lifting weights and the burn and the racing heart that comes with exercise, and the feeling of being full and not bloated and sick when I ate a proper meal and cut back on dairy, gluten and grains. Start of the current 6-week challenge (I'd been preparing!) And I looked like this; (21% BF) Which was good, but I wanted to see my ab muscles. I also knew I had a long way to go lifting wise, and I wanted to gain a level here on the forums! So I gave myself a number to work for (15% down down from 21% BF) And went for it. I had a plan, I had a character, I had a quest. Something about it being like real-life WOW, and having to admit my faults when I logged on helped spur me on to continue doing good for myself. Then one week I gained weight (it ended up being hormonal mischief running amok through my body) and decided I should finally get a pair of calipers if I was going to keep seeing any results that wouldn't shut me down on the spot. Also the scales were starting to give me a shifty look. Day one of Week 5 and Weigh in Day has led to this! (now 14% BF!) Still no abs. Turns out THATS where all my fat has been sitting this whole time. But there is shape under that fat (that isn't "round") , my arms aren't pudgy and jiggly, and none of my clothes fit! (that's a good thing.) I feel like I have a body that I can go out and DO STUFF with instead of declining things like playing tennis or going out because I'm worried I'll look stupid or hurt myself. Now I look for any excuse to get into my bathers or take my shirt off or show off my arms and legs because I'm so pleased with how all the effort I've put in has paid off! I also keep getting sunburnt because I wear a lot less clothing then I used to and forget to put sunscreen on my lilly white skin. Whoops! If I wasn't standing in my own bedroom I would have a hard time believing that body is mine!

It's been a year since I lost 40lbs and have kept it off! I just recently discovered my love for weight lifting a few months ago and am never looking back. It's been an amazing journey and I can't wait until I hit my goal and push through my plateau. (Been sitting at this plateau for about 8-9months) Never give up. Find your limits and push through them! I promise, the journey is rough at times, but the way I feel now, worth it a million times over. xx Jess

Good afternoon, ladies and gents! As promised, I am back for a third round of trials, tribulations, accomplishments, and woots! This challenge is all about solidifying the core of my health and fitness. Now that I've had two challenges under my belt, it's time I keep the trend going and as a friend pointed out, keep the baby steps coming, but don't over-reach. I'll post up a solid list of my challenges for this round by the end of the day tomorrow. However, here's my initial goal ideas. I will institute levels this time around. If I am dominating my original goals by the middle of the challenge, I will up the difficulty to level 2 and continue. Fitness & Health 1. Counting calories - stay within my allotted limit that the Lose It! app suggests for my weight and try and make the food I consume as high quality as I can muster. Level 1 - 5 out of 7 days, staying at or under calories alloted. Level 2 - 6 out of 7 days 2. Body Weight Workouts - Last time, I managed to get going on 2 body weight workouts every week, by the end of the challenge. I want to push this further. Level 1 - 3 body weight workouts every week Level 2 - 3 body weight workouts every week & at least two days of cardio (walking, jump rope, etc) 3. Cut out the sugar - This is a carry over from last time, but since keeping within my 1-2 sweets a day was more of a "oh where can I find my treat/fix", I'm going to up the challenge. To cut out sweets for 5 days out of the week, that's sweets in drinks, anything sugar, honey, agave, stevia, truvia, etc. That doesn't count towards milk or things that may have some sugar in them but aren't "sweet" treats. Kinda hard to avoid all sugar when some food is processed. Level 1 - zero sweets/sweetener 5 of 7 days Level 2 - Zero sweets/sweetener everyday Life Goal 1. ??? I'm at a loss for my life goal. Last time, I studied courses online for my life goal. I also had a bonus health goal focused on spiritual health... any suggestions? I will update the thread with my starting weight, measurements, pictures/vids, and suggested calories. I'll also start a new spreadsheet and track my progress on there to keep myself accountable and transparent to everyone following/checking up on me. Also, just to put it out there, this isn't all about me. If any of you need help, please don't hesitate to pm me or ask on my thread. I want to help and encourage everyone as much as I've been helped and encouraged and MORE. I know I'm not a mod or anything, but that doesn't mean I can just sit on my hands and do nothing

Hey guys/gals! My family just received our tax return and I'm seriously considering getting a pull-up bar for our home. However, here's where I'm running into an issue... I've been recommended one that would do GREAT for pull-ups, if I could do a pull-up... but I can't... Here's my requirements: 1. I'm in a rental home with molding on the doors, but I need something that won't be bolted/screwed in place that can support my 250 lbs. 2. I need it to be able to be placed waist high, so I can do bodyweight rows. Does anyone know of anything out there that would work for me? I don't want to fall victim to any "as seen on tv" scams or get something that's going to destroy our doorways (landlords would be most displeased), but I need something that is going to challenge me more than a one arm luggage row. Any thoughts?

Hi, I am a Male, 18 and in the last couple of months i have been trying to lose weight, whilst been sucessful in losing some weight I want to lose more. For about 3 months i have been doing 40 minutes to 1 hour of cardio (cycling) and 350+ sits up as a daily routine. My stomach had gone down noticeably but I have now developing ab muscles growing at a fast pace. I feel like my stomach is getting bigger because of the ab muscle but the fat remaining makes it look my stomach is getting bigger(bloated feeling). I am not sure what to do? complety stop doing sits letting the muscles go down and continue the cycling or to continue with the sits and cycling and see what happens. Hiow do i get my stomach flat again? Ayn advise is greaty appreciated. Thanks