Search the Community

I wasn't going to post yet, but you all got me motivated. So here it is...my first challenge as an Adventurer! I'm trying out a theme for the first time, so be gentle with me! The best part of Pokémon was always the training, so I'm taking a leaf from their book. Main Quest: Improve my posture (Also keep losing weight, but y'know, themes.) I’ve noticed that I can’t sit up straight properly when I stick my legs out in front of me on the ground, which is kind of embarrassing. I feel like basic human anatomy should allow me to sit up straight. Motivation We had a health fair at work last year, and a chiropractor was doing this fancy electronic back scan that had a proper name I don't remember. To my surprise, I had the honor of the worst back of anyone she analyzed that day! Apparently my shoulders are really tense and hunched and my lower back is very fatigued (*coughgargoylecough*). So I think strengthening my core will make a big difference in both improving my posture and my general wellbeing. Goal 1: Become a Plank Master - 4 plank sessions/week - 2 STA I used to be amazing at planks. I’d just drop and do planks all the time because they were fun and I was good at them. So to get my plank groove back, I want to do planks four days/week (1 regular plank, and a side plank on each side). I’ll start at 60 seconds total for each type and work my way up to three minutes each. If I hit that, I’ll start one-legged planks. I'm not counting the planks in the BBWW towards this total. Pikachu...doing the best plank his little Pokémon anatomy will allow. Goal 2: Yoga Yoga Yoga! - 3 yoga sessions/week (with one focused on back/core) - 2 DEX I find myself sitting up straighter after even one yoga session targeting the back and core, so I want to see how committing to it regularly can help me. I’ll do three 15-30 minute sessions per week, with at least one specifically targeting the back/core. Part of training for the Pokémon League is making sure you stay limber. Goal 3: Muscles - 3 BBWW (or 1 BBWW and 1 bootcamp class) & 3 10-minute core workouts - 2 STR 2 STA In my last challenge I did the Beginner's Bodyweight Workout twice a week, so now I think I’m ready to increase that to the recommended three times per week. I can also replace two BBWW sessions with a 1 hour bootcamp class when those are available to me. In addition, I’d like to get in three short core workouts per week. I have three (~10 min) core workouts to choose from - a clip from a retro workout video, a beginner Pilates workout, and a routine I remember from school, so I can vary it as I go. This shouldn't be too hard to squeeze in in the morning before work. Psyduck is psyched. Goal 4: Posture Training - focus on only posture for at least 1 minute/day - 1 CHA 1 WIS This one was inspired by Ferngirl’s advice last challenge about how she improved her posture. I’ll spend some time every day, whether that’s one minute or twenty, focusing on nothing but my posture. I’ll sit up straight in a chair or do the standing exercise Steve describes here. For healthy Pokémon, good posture feels like floating. Reward Sitting up properly would really be its own reward, but maybe I’ll buy myself a proper desk chair instead of the cheap fold-out chair I’m using at home now. Then I can sit properly instead of hunching over my laptop at the coffee table!

So this is actually a restart, I did challenges previously, but never quite completed them, so this is a reboot, Ohlemontine 2.0, complete with support. That's right, I've conned persuaded my boyfriend to join me on a 6 week challenge and see how it goes. Hurray! So I did the math recently, and my 10 year reunion will be coming up soon. This is dreadful news, considering I am so much heavier, and have done almost nothing with my life since highschool. Not even college, I went for one year and ran out of money... >_< So the overarching goal for the next 2 years will be to lose 100 lbs, which will bring me back to the weight I was when I got back from my first year of college. In getting to this weight loss goal I hope to make other transformations that will add up to a healthier, stronger, more confident, more peaceful and content person, strong in faith and smoking hot in body xDD This goals specific goal is to lose 5% bodyweight. At a starting weight of 260, that comes out to 13 lbs In order to complete this goal I will be focusing on 3 objectives, and once completed this will add 3 achievements to my status The first Achievement I am looking to unlock is... drumroll please... Aiya Rainy Day Special: Mega Beef Bowl I plan to eat a Mostly Paleo diet. While full Paleo is not feasible with the limited grocery budget and the 2 males in the apartment who will not make that transition without a major fight, I will attempt to be as paleo as possible, with only the occasional condiment or side dish that may not make the paleo mark. I'm grading this on a percentage scale, and anything less than a 80% Paleo for the day will be a fail. I also plan to snack healthier, and smaller snacks, preferably of the vegetable or fruit persuasion. And will be drinking at least 100 oz of water/green tea each day. These are all goals I have been slowly incorporating into my everyday routine for awhile now, so I do not feel working on all three parts of this goal at once will be taking on too much. Second Achievement: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger For the second achievement I will be working on getting fit. I will be getting active at least 30 minutes every day. Activities will include Yoga, Kpop Dancing, Bodyweight workouts, biking, and playing (Actively) with my son. This is a pass/fail, either I do it, or not type of grade. Last, but certainly not least, is the Achievement : The CircleMaker In which I will be strengthening my faith, and spiritual walk. This will be done by spending at least 30 minutes on my spiritual walk. Reading the bible, studying devotionals, prayer, praise and meditation will be the tools used to help accomplish this goal. This is another pass/fail type of grade As for a life quest, this achievement will be called Cleaning House- Literally I will be working on keeping the kitchen clean. The kitchen will need to be clean at least 5 of the 7 days of the week to pass this challenge. Will need to have dishes done, counters/stove washed, floors swept, and dinner taken care of before going to bed. So that's it, the whole story... oh... well i guess I suppose I'll have to update daily. So look out for those... thanks

“Examine your world from all angles and you will see the interconnectedness of all things. Even that which is humble can be the key to greater things.†– The Lion of Two Rivers Last challenge, I began the journey to learn how to love my body for what it is, right now. The battle is far from over, but once upon a time, when I first joined Nerd Fitness, I actually started to like how I looked, so I decided to go back to when I feel I was the most successful at these 6-week challenges from a body image standpoint and have recycled old quests from my first two challenges. Because while learning to love myself is largely a mental and emotional challenge, as a sufferer of depression and ADHD there is most certainly a physical component as well that affects my mental and emotional states, and vice versa. Everything is connected, and through this connectedness, I can find happiness. Wu the Lotus Blossom is my home girl (and someday, I’d love to cosplay her!) MAIN QUEST: Love my body and love myself! Because poor body image issues and low self-esteem are a pain in the ass. QUEST 1: MIND: REMEMBER THE BASICS [+5 CON] Eating is 90% of the battle, and I’m all about making sure I eat smarter. Last challenge, I focused on taking control of my mindless snacking, which was a definite success for the most part; this challenge, I want to revisit calorie counting and macro management and utilize the IIFYM practice, at least until I get to the measurements I want, in which case I will reevaluate. Whether or not that happens this challenge, we’ll see; I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. In the meantime, 6x/week, I will be sure to eat between 1430-1787 calories (gross) daily. If I burn more than 500 calories in exercise, I will allow myself up to 2000 calories in total. I will also track my macros (target: 150g carbs/98g protein/49g fat), but it will not be part of my grading just yet, if at all this challenge. I will reevaluate every week to see if any of these numbers need to be tweaked any, and so the exact numbers will be subject to change based on lessons learned. A = 6x/week | B = 4-5x/week | C = 3x/week | D = 1-2x/week | F = 0x/week I will, of course, strive to make this a 7x/week goal, but I'm giving myself some leeway in case of Life. That said, I don't want to fall back into a "Well, I managed it for Monday through Saturday, I can take Sunday off!" mindset because there has only been problems with that approach for me. So, if I manage to eat within calorie limits for all seven days of the week, I will put $10 towards the bonus gift at the end of the challenge. QUEST 2: BODY: WAY OF THE CLOSED FIST [+3 STA, +1 STR, +1 DEX] Throughout the course of the next 6 weeks, I will be running in four races, which while I know I can finish them, I want to make a strong showing. That said, I don’t want to let up on my other training in dance and bodyweight strength training, but I know that considering my life, I can’t do it all. So, I will commit to running 3x/week and other workout (strength and/or dance) 2x/week. If I can do more, I’ll certainly try, but I won’t hold myself to it. Dancing during rehearsals, if the total time spent on choreography is over 30 minutes, WILL count. Also, Week 6, in lieu of tech week for Cabaret, will be exempt from this quest because I literally won't have any time between work and rehearsals and whatever little sleep I actually get, and any spare time I do find will likely just be resting. Running: A = 3x/week | B = 2x/week | C = 1x/week | F = 0x/week Strength/Dance: A = 2x/week | C = 1x/week | F = 0x/week If in any given week I manage to dance 2x/week and strength train 2x/week, I will give myself $25 towards the bonus gift at the end of the challenge. If I don't do the ideal but manage to do strength/dance more than twice in a week, it'll be $5 per extra workout. That said, dancing for Cabaret rehearsals will have a max limit of 2x/week; if I want extra dance points, it needs to be outside of rehearsal. Working on choreography outside of rehearsals will count, though. During Week 6, aside from the race I'm running that week, any workouts I do that isn't part of the show's dancing (practicing choreography on my own outside of rehearsal will count, but if it's during a run-through or part of the rehearsal itself, it will not count because that's just cheating) will merit me an extra $5 per workout. QUEST 3: SPIRIT: WAY OF THE OPEN PALM [+3 DEX] Of all physical skills to let slide while in rehearsals, this is the one that will take the hardest and longest time to recover from, plus flexibility will make all sorts of things easier from a physical, a health, and a performance standpoint. 3x/week, I will dedicated 10-15 minutes to flexibility work be it long and deep stretches, splits work, yoga, what have you. Also note that for Week 6, this quest will not be exempt and the challenge will then become about fitting in long, deep stretches prior to rehearsals/performances. A = 3x/week | B = 2x/week | C = 1x/week | F = 0x/week LIFE QUEST: EXPLORE THE JADE EMPIRE [+1 WIS, +1 CHA] Once a week, I will endeavor to try something new. These can be big things like going someplace I’ve never been before or trying a new activity, or small things like trying a new recipe or new exercise/yoga pose or what have you. As long as it’s something I’ve never done/tried before or someplace I’ve never been before, it counts! Alternatively, something that maybe I’ve done/tried a long time ago, failed, and have been too scared to try again, will also count. The more outside of my comfort zone, the better! Any new exercises/yoga poses done during mini challenges will not count towards this quest because that's cheating. Pass/Fail; there is no middle ground BONUS QUEST: 100 Days of Happiness! I started this at the end of last challenge and would like to use Nerd Fitness as motivation to keep it up. From May 23 – August 31 (for a total of 100 days) I want to have one image to describe what made me happy that day, or if nothing in particular made me happy or if I had a bad day, an image showing what makes me happy in my life. Ideally, I will take the picture myself, but there are days when it won’t be possible so I’ll use a stock photo or pull something from the Internet instead. I will include these in each of my daily updates. No grading or stat points included. This is just for fun. SUMMARY: Quest 1: Eat according to IIFYM 6x/week. Quest 2: Run 3x/week, Strength/Dance 2x/week at minimum Quest 3: Deep flexibility work 3x/week Life Quest: Do something new/scary 1x/week STAT POINT DISTRIBUTION: +1 STR | +4 DEX | +3 STA | +5 CON | +1 WIS | +1 CHA WEEKLY RECAPS Day Zero | Week One | Week Two | Week Three | Week Four | Week Five | Challenge Complete! MINI CHALLENGES Day Zero AMRAPs: Assisted Dips: 9 Assisted Pull-ups: 6 Assisted Pistol Squats: 4 Hanging Knee Raises: 1 5 Current AMRAPs: Assisted Dips: 20 Assisted Pull-ups: 11 Assisted Pistol Squats: 15 Hanging Knee Raises: 13 +1 STA Earned! +1 STR Earned! +1 DEX Earned! REWARDS! I haven’t utilized rewards in a while mostly since it was too hard and stressful coming up with a suitable/realistic reward system. This time, for Reasons, I have some rewards that I want, to look forward to, and that I can’t justify spending money on since I’m trying to tighten up my finances in lieu of the Cancun vacation in August (all paid for, but I’m saving up money for surprise extra costs that might pop up), possibly moving this autumn (because we’re considering adopting a puppy, and a third floor apartment just won’t cut it, plus we are So Over the crap parking situation at our current place), and a relatively last minute surprise Japan trip around New Year's (that I'm already needing to dip into my savings account to be able to pay for). Stacking rewards! A-average = Professional massage/spa day B-average = New swimsuit for Cancun trip C-average = Buy a thing (less than $25) at Charming Charlie’s (preemptively purchased, whoops!) Bonus Gift! The money I earned for going above and beyond the Quests 1 and 2 minimums will be used towards extracurricular (read: unnecessary but desired) extra costs in Cancun, such as drinks, souvenirs, touristy things, etc. Week One Earned: $70 Week Two Earned: $100 Week Three Earned: $75 Week Four Earned: Starting Measurements and Photos: Waist @ Narrowest: 26.75" (Goal: 24") Waist @ Navel: 30" Hips: 35" WHR: 0.76 (Goal: Maintain between 0.75-0.80) Chest: 31" Bicep: 9.5" Thigh: 20.5" Calf: 14.25" Neck: 12" Wrist: 5.5"

After the 6 week challenge is nearly over, i will go on with a daily battle log. My introduction. Main Quest Feeling comfortable in my body, because of weight-loss and being more selfconfident! 3 smart quests 1st quest: running two times or 10km a week (at least) --> focus on 10km under 1h I'm a member of two running communities, nike and adidas. Wanna focus on the adidas people, because a good friend of mine is now a member too. Best would be two runs with them, because there are goodies for a lot of participation. I'm using my tomtom watch (+ nike running and runkeeper) for recording and evaluation. 2nd quest: Bodyweight workout at least 3 times a week --> focus on a strong back / core I'm using the NTC training app, doing a lot of core, stomache and back training. Also a friend of mine invited me to do crossfit with her, because she is a member in a studio and wants to be a trainer 3rd quest: Sleep around 8h at night! Sleeping too much (12h) or too less (4/5h) the night. Plan: Get up befor 9am also when having a free day + just short afternoon napping after work. 4th quest: Cut sugar use! --> once icecream a week Atm i escalate with sugar. Eating a whole B&J a day, also cookies etc. So i have to cut it! I love fruits, so i will concentrate more on them, than on sweets. Motivation -"Little by little, one travels far" Better a short workout than none! - be my own superhero, epic eileen! Inspiring people, being cool, someone you look up to, for being strong, creative or whatever. - fitting in my 3 too small dresses / 3 training shirts and I feeling comfy in a bikini. - running a half-marathon end of summer. Life Quest Enjoying life more, use my time well, leave the comfort zone! "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us" Upcoming events 20th June: Nike 10km run 14th july: starting new fulltime job 23th august: half marathon 31th august: starting new apprenticeship ----- Now i will clean up my flat and after that having a BBQ with my guys while playing the best game of thrones game ever!

Hi all, Tallpants here. Looking forward to my first challenge. I’ll start with my motivation. I basically have one guiding goal in life: to have a net positive impact on the world. This goal sums up a lot of underlying motivations: to be a true man, to be virtuous, to be a good husband, and to be a great father. In short, I want to live my life with the understanding that this is my only life; and in that time excel at being a human. As I near 30, I don’t find myself very far from the starting point of that journey. My life is comfortable, but, as with my workouts, it reeks of complacency. Single, distracted at work, distracted in life; I feel more like a child than a man. I’ve been starting to attack this problem on my own, but recognize it’s going to be really helpful to have the external accountability of a goal-oriented community to help me stay on track. Main Quest: My motivation is my main quest: To excel at being a human. How about some tangibles: Physical components: Be able to do consecutive 100 push ups, 25 consecutive pull ups, and squat 1.5 times my body weight. Mental components: Meditate daily. Journal daily. Read daily. Smart quests for this challenge Body weight workout 3 times a week; interval training or strong cardio 3x a week Meditate 5 minutes a day Diet: cutting out bread at lunch. Life quest Keep myself to 2 drinks a night Monday through Thursday. I'll keep track of my progress in my daily battle log. Thanks all.

One of the things I noticed during my 1st challenge, was that I wasn't consistent. Not only was I not consistent in the number of training sessions I was putting in during the 6 weeks, I was also inconsistent in the type of session - sometimes I focused on pushups, other times on pullups, or total body workout, or running or whatever else i decided on that session/day. Whilst any exercise is better than no exercise, exercise without direction does not necessarily lead to goal accomplishment. So for the next 6 weeks (7 including this 'off week') I'll aim to be more consistent. Main Quest:- Complete the Loch Ness Marathon, 27th September 2015. Same as before, and until 28th September Q1:- Complete a 6 mile run (no time limit) by 25th May. (6 miles = 4 stamina pts, 5 miles = 3pts, 4 miles = 2pts, 3 miles = 1pt) Q2:- Complete the 3 circuits of the Advanced Bodyweight Workout (or more likely the variation of it under Scale Your Routine on that page) at least three times per week. (18 and over ABW sessions = 3 strength points, 12-17 ABW sessions = 2 points, 6-12 ABW sessions = 1pt) Q3:- Be able to perform a single proper pullup by 25th May (A= 3 strength points, B= 10 chin ups, 2 pts, C = 5 chin ups = 1 pt) Motivation:- to be a good role model to our girls so that they see exercise as a good, enjoyable experience rather than something to be avoided or a punishment. Q1 & Q3 are repeats of my 1st Recruit challenge. Q1 was me getting back to running after a stress fracture...I guess I didn't give it enough time to heal (8 weeks) as after a couple of weeks running I was back up to 4 miles but my injury site was protesting so I bailed on the running for a few more weeks. I'm starting back running this week, taking it very easy for a couple of weeks (10 mins only, light jogging, every other day). After two weeks I'll be dropping down to max of 3 runs per week and increasing slowly each week. Q3 was my first attempt at getting strong enough to do a pull up. As stated previously, my approach to training was a tad inconsistent, but even so I saw fairly good improvements - I did my first ever chinup! I managed to pull myself up about 6 inches, and I was able to static hang from a bar for a minute...6 weeks ago I couldn't hang for 10 seconds! Weight at beginning of this 6wc = 75Kg. I'll get weighed again at the end, not for any particular goal, just to compare.

Yes, I am posting this challenge very late. I have had this theme in mind since before the challenge officially started, but I decided that there were other things that needed to happen more urgently than posting my challenge. Now I have waited long enough… Also, this challenge marks my 1 year anniversary on the NF boards doing challenges. I think this is a great challenge to mark my Nerdiversary (I was a month late in that challenge, too). :-D Those of you who have been following me for awhile know that I have spent a considerable amount of effort on digging out my baggage, doing some positive focus and gratitude rescripting, and so on. Near the end of the last challenge, I started getting the sense that it is time to stop playing around with making progress, and just decide to CHANGE. It is time to just be me – the true authentic me – and stop hiding. It’s time to wake the Dragon. So what is the Dragon? The Dragon is my name for my powerful, confident, authentic self. If you are familiar with Jungian (?) psychology, the Dragon is my version of the King – the part of self that is the benevolent ruler and ensures that all other parts of self are playing their roles and not trying to be in charge when it is inappropriate. The Dragon has mostly been sleeping for decades, allowing my Inner Child and other parts of self to run rampant. I am ready to wake the Dragon. What Has Already Happened This Challenge I have been keeping up with bodyweight workouts through the Game of Thrones PVP that I designed. I think it is fun and helpful. Though I have not been participating as much as I would like, it is helping encourage me to do more than I would be doing without it.I finished S-corp tax accounting for our 2 companies.I set up our staff for my husband’s company as employees and ran our first payroll.I finalized our worker’s compensation policy and got a quote for a new general liability and business personal property insurance policy.I walked on fire. Really. Our whole family (my Hobbit and the kids and I) attended a Tony Robbins Unleash the Power Within (aka UPW) weekend. The first night there, we all walked barefoot across 12 feet of hot (as in around 1200 degrees F) coals. My older son got a single small burn spot, but I had nothing but soot on my feet.I dug out and DESTROYED an old limiting belief I had about no one wanting to know the real me (also happened at UPW).I held a handstand for about 5 seconds. JGoals for the rest of this challenge Maintain State There are 3 key ingredients in controlling our state of mind: physiology, focus (what you think about), and meaning. I have generally been in a fantastic mood/state since returning from UPW, with a few exceptions. I will continue to work on managing my focus and the meaning that I assign to events, and add managing my physiology. This will include dancing, jumping, meditation, and other activities. Goal: maintain an appropriate positive state most of the time 5 or more days per week. Recovering from a negative state counts. J Discover my Strength Bodyweight workouts 3 times a week, increasing in AMRAP and/or intensity each week. Ideally, I would like to improve the AMRAPS I had from week 1 of the challenge by 50%.Spend at least 20 minutes bouncing on the rebounder daily to “Lymphasize†and work on aerobic capacity. Goal of 6/7 days per week.Stretching or yoga for at least 10 minutes, 3 or more times a week.Tap the Well of Abundant Energy This is the “other health†section. There are SO MANY things I could do here, but I am just picking a few for now. Eat a maximum of 1 “bad food†a day. These include concentrated sugars (sugar, palm sugar, maple syrup, honey, etc.), potato chips, and such. The chips I crush and put on my salad do not count at this point.Do at least 1 set of “energizing breaths†daily. This is a set of 10 pranayama-type breaths.Drink at least 50 ounces of water or non-caffeinated tea daily.Goal is 6/7 days per week for each of these. Even though I am late in posting, I have already been kicking butt this challenge. And in the spirit of this, here is my new theme song:

[Why do I make these things so dagone long!? o0 -ed.] Main Quest: Become My Own Hero Motivation: Off-the-shelf heroes are cool and all, but I went a step further and created my own made-to-measure role model so that I’ll always have the perfect set of coattails to chase. While I’m emulating him, I’m also writing a novel about his adventures as an electrically superpowered government intelligence agent. This (somewhat underwhelming) challenge is designed to appease my inner Red Mage and even out my stats. If I can ace all of these missions and complete all 6 weeks of the mini then I will have a DEX and STR of 32, and all other stats at 30. Jack of all Stats, FTW! If you’re mostly here for what passes as my special brand of offbeat “wit†and/or amusing animated gifs, then please click the spoiler tag below. If not, then you’re in luck, because I’ve added a special feature to this challenge! tl;dnr EM Pulse: 10min Penmanship training 5x/week. Radio Telemetry: 10min Speed reading training 5x/week. Mission Flexibility: 5min+ Prasara Yoga 3x/week. Bleeder Resistor: 1 hour per week having fun. Coulomb Continuity: All battlelog goals met. Bonus Round: Participate in all mini challenges. Let’s get versatile! --- Week 1 so far: EMP: 0/5 Telemetry: 0/5 MissFlex: 0/3 Bleeder: 0 min Continuity: 0/5 Bonus Round: ??

The big goal this challenge is to decrease the amount of sugar that hubby and I consume. He is non-insulin-dependent diabetic but needs to improve his blood sugar levels STAT. So, this guy is public enemy number one at our house: I don't think that he is ready to go cold turkey; so I've devised a transition plan - based in part on the NF Academy nutrition guidelines. I've already dropped my sugar consumption about 25% - compared to last month. Gotta love data!!! I'm using LoseIt to track what I eat, and have the premium plan so that I can drill down on my macros to see what I'm actually eating. So Quest #1 is to transition to a Whole30 (which will be next challenge's goal). Each week, I'll add another improvement to our diet, and I'm going to be tracking it using HabitRPG. At stake: 2 CON, 2 WIS - with grading by percentage of days that I manage to stick to our improvement plan. During the break, I've convinced hubby to eat a high protein breakfast ... and he's already feeling better. That was no big deal for me, but next week ... I need to substitute a vegetable in for a starch at lunch and dinner. I'm not a big veggie eater ...... (0/42) The other big thing I am working on is to be able to complete an obstacle course race. I've been a bit discouraged at how long it takes me to improve my upper body strength, but I'm going to keep at it while working on my running and my general agility. So, Quest #2 is to do strength training 3 times per week. I mix it up and do a routine at the gym (including assisted pull ups), kettle bells at home, and sandbag training at home. At stake: 3 STR, and grading is also a percentage of goal. (0/18) Quest #3 is to get through C25K again. This should be pretty darned easy since I'm on week 4 already and am an experienced runner. But I'll (hopefully) be transitioning to outdoor running by early April. Yes?? 2 STA awarded for getting through it; 1 STA if I get to week 6. Quest #4 is to work on agility weekly (at least). I have my FitDeck agility cards. Or I can go climbing or take a related class - such as yoga, zumba, pole dancing, martial arts class, etc. I'm allowing myself to play with this and have some fun .... and be flexible with how I work on improving my agility for 2 DEX, based on percentage completion. (0/6) Quest #5 is to work on my dead drop assassin skills - using geocaching and Ingress. I'm going to pull a number out of the air and say that I'll do this 20 times during the challenge for a possible 2 WIS and 2 DEX. Geocaching in the harsh winter can get to be a bit problematic ... so the augmented reality game, Ingress, is a good substitute to get me out of the house. Scoring is also by a percentage. (0/20). PLUS - Assassin's Guild minis:Week1 - Pullups and Mountain Climbers (+STR)Week 2 - RUN!!! (+STA)Week 3 -Week 4 -Week 5 -Week 6 - AND, I'm competing in an exercise consistency challenge that Bekah put together on FB. AND WAIT - that's not all!! I'm putting together a simple Fitness RPG. It has a long way to go, but I'm playing it while designing it. So, I'm really hoping to have fun and improve my body composition this challenge!!!

As the hero lay on the ground, something odd began to happen. His body started to blink. Not just his eyes, but his whole body. This is what typically happens to a hero who is not at his best. As the seconds passed, the blinking got faster until he suddenly vanished into thin air. The shadowy figure lurking behind the window dug around in his pocket for something. Knowing exactly what just transpired, the unknown man knew there was only a few seconds left before the fate of the hero was sealed. He had to act quickly. As the seconds were running down, his heart started beating like the ritual drums in Indiana Jones and sweat began pouring down his face as if he were in Mike Tyson's Punch Out. Frantically he searched and came up empty. Looking across the room he noticed a boxy robot with some interesting depictions on it. The pictures were obviously a clue. As he pulled out his wallet he noticed he only had a single dollar left. He tried to gently feed it into the robot's mouth but it kept spitting it back out. Time and time again he tried while the clock was ticking in his ear. He frantically held up the dollar to the dim light and then rubbed the dollar against the corner of the robot trying to figure out why it would deny him in his greatest moment of need. And just like that, the robot accepted his sacrifice and returned for him silver coins which were an acceptable offering to the gods. From across the room he darted back to his window. Distress was upon his brow as he approached where the hero had once lay slain. He thrust the silver coin into the thin opening and could only hope that he wasn't too late. He closed his eyes and hid his head in the palms of his hands. Did he make it? Was his offering to restore the cherished hero accepted by the gods? Or was the whole effort a waste? It was up to the hero now. He had to carry the offering the rest of the way. Across the desert and up the sharp peaks, to where the gods lived, to present his request and pass the test in order to be brought forth. Was he willing to walk the 350,000 steps it took to get to the top of Mount Luccian? He would need to stay hydrated with 65 oz of water if he had any chance to get to the top with enough strength to pass whatever tests the gods would throw his way. The terrain and distance require traveling light with only a single weapon of choice for both hunting and defense - he would need to focus and become a master at controlling his mind, body, and spirit by training 3 times per week with his bodyweight and anything else he could find along the way. How bad did he want it? Was he willing to put forth the effort it would take if it meant he could return bigger and better than before? He looked down at his feet and picked up a manageable stick. "Looks like this will have to do for the time being," he thought to himself. He tucked the coin into his belt, took a deep breath, and started to put one foot in front of the other... (to be continued)

Sorry that I am joining the party late. The holidays kind of hit me hard, partly because I had so much backed up from having gone on our epic trip to New Zealand. (For those who want to see, I did finally post a summary and some pics at the end of my last challenge thread: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/56318-elsfaire-accompanies-the-hobbit-through-middle-earth/page-5 Just scroll down a bit. ) I have been doing things, but have not been able to post on the NF boards at all fro a few weeks. For this challenge: I have a real issue with maintaining balance. I recently had a breakthrough in dealing with my “baggage,†and want to use the opportunity to really get the hang of emotional balance. When it comes to work and home tasks, I have a tendency to laser-focus on the most important thing, and let everything else get away from me. If there is nothing to laser-focus on, then I kind of meander and I accomplish only a fraction of what needs to get done. Since I work from home, this can be a real problem. For this challenge, I think I will get the best benefit from improving my balance in all areas: emotionally, work/life/relationships, and –of course- physical balance. Yes, this could be a Druid challenge, but I feel at home in the Assassins and want to stay here. So there. :-P For simplicity (and my sanity), all goals will be points-based. They may seem easy, but I am trying to establish a habit of balance instead of see-sawing between goals and tasks. Fitness Goals: Balanced Workouts: Work out at least 6 times per week, hopefully evenly split between aerobic, strength, and flexibility/movement. 1 point for each workout lasting at least 20 minutes. Non-consecutive 20-minute workouts are ok for all but aerobic days. Finding Eternal Steadiness: For this, I will return to balance work. I used to have great balance as a child. I also enjoyed working on handstands last summer, though always doing the same thing gets tedious. So, I will let anything that improves my balance count for this category. Yoga can count for both a workout and balance, if it contains a significant number of balance poses. 1 point for each day that amounts to a cumulative 5 minutes or more of balance work. Emotional Balance: Doing: 1 point for each day/time that I either: journal/self-parent, spend social time with friends/family, or am authentic with someone, or do another activity that supports me emotionally. Thinking: 1 point for each day that I either meditate or spend time on my positive questions. Life/Work Balance: 1 point for each day that I get through my entire day’s to-do list OR have at least 3, 1-hour long sessions of focused work time (as opposed to being scattered for the entire work day). This counts even if I make the to-do list more reasonable in order to accomplish it. 1 point each day that I choose to do something fun OUTSIDE of work hours, ask for help with family chores, decide NOT to do work for my day job in the evening, or kindly hold my children accountable for their tasks. Grading The realistic number of points for the week in each goal category is 14, but I will give bonus points for 2 workouts in a day, etc. In keeping with the grading format that has worked better for me in the past, grading will be as follows for each category: 0-3/need more support; 4-6/A good start; 7-9/Nice –keep it going; 10-13/Great!; 14-18/Wow, Amazing!; 19+/â€I am the Dragon†I will probably not participate in stat points, Most Wanted, and such this challenge since I am so late. I reserve the right to change my mind, though. I can do a week 1 summary tomorrow...

The first part of the Top Secret Mission I was working on last challenge was completed successfully. Operation Birthday Adventure for my Hobbit was a success! He had no idea about the adventure, nor did he know anything about part 2 of the Mission: We are going to New Zealand! (Yes, I am just a little excited) Because our trip will be happening right in the middle of this challenge, I am going to alter the challenge format to fit my life circumstances. Part 1 (Weeks 1 & 2): Prepare for the trip Part 2 (Weeks 3 & 4): Enjoy the trip Part 3 (Weeks 5 & 6): Recover and start holiday preparations I have tried to keep a kind of consistency in the goals and tracking, even though the intent changes during each part. To simplify tracking and comparison across the different sections, I am going to be using a point system. The point goals will be the same for all goals and challenge parts. Fitness Part 1: Trip Boot Camp I need to get ready for this trip! In true Nerd Fitness Rebel style, we have a very active trip planned. We are doing many activities ranging from hiking to canyoning to mountain biking, to river sledging (We are going to Hobbiton and the Weta Workshop, too, though). I had been hoping to be much more fit by this point. Unfortunately, I have had a hard time developing the habits and maintaining much of my strength and aerobic fitness gains. As a result, I need to maximize the time I have and make sure I make as much progress as possible in the next 11 days. My goal is to do walking (or another aerobic exercise) AND either yoga OR a bodyweight workout EVERY DAY between now and the trip. Is that a tall order? Maybe, but it is less than 2 weeks, and I really need it. I will give myself a point for every kind of exercise that lasts longer than 20 minutes. Bodyweight workouts done in sets throughout the day counts, as long as the total time is more than 20 minutes. Part 2: Keep the Balance In this part, I will enjoy the trip, and balance the pre-arranged activities with yoga/stretching and BWW where necessary. I planned a variety of activities for us, but most are either hiking or a lower-body focus. To help maintain my ability to stay active, I want to make sure I stretch often and a lot, and do bodyweight exercises for upper body and core. A point for each activity lasting longer than 20 minutes, but 1 point each day needs to be a complementing activity when possible. Part 3: Moving through the winter By this time, I hope to have been more active than usual for about a month. I want to maintain increased fitness through the winter, but will need to adjust my habits to make it work for the regular daily grind. As above, I will give myself a point for each activity lasting longer than 20 minutes, with a goal of doing 2 different kinds of movement, aerobic exercise, flexibility or strength training each day. In the mindset of Ido Portal & GMB (Gold Medal Bodies), even just playing with moving my body in different ways will count for this. The main focus is getting myself in the habit of being out of my chair and moving more often so fitness truly becomes a habit. Goal: 14 points per week Mental/Emotional Health This one is pretty much the same for all parts of the challenge. I need to care for my mental/emotional health so I stay more positive and calm, and am able to enjoy our adventures more! I will get points for: Meditating for at least 5 minutesAsking myself my positive questionsJournaling (about feelings)Seeing how unexpected circumstances just happen instead of only being my fault. This counts even when I have to talk myself into it. Goal: 14 points per week Life Quest Part 1: Get ready for the trip! There is SO much to do before we leave. I will award myself points every time I complete a to-do item from my preparation list. I may award points for partial completions if the task takes a lot of time. Goal: 100% packed and prepared by 11/20 (around 14 points per week should do it – depending on how I score certain items) Part 2: Enjoy the trip! While on the trip, I want to focus on being present – both in the places we visit and with my family – and making memories. I will award myself points for actions that work towards this end: taking pictures, connecting with the family (games, conversation, etc.), meeting new people, journaling (activities), etc. Part 3: Re-establishing habits There are a number of habits that I am just really starting to have established, and I want to re-focus on them upon our return. I will give myself 1 point for each day that I do one of these habits (I reserve the right to add to this list ): Have social time with someone outside the family, or significant social time within the familyDefeat fear or procrastinationAsk the kids to help with choresWorking on my healthy pregnancy business for at least 1 hourGoal: 14 points per week Grading: I will be grading this challenge similar to how I graded the Silver Lining challenge – based on need for support rather than letter grades. I kind of stole the grading right out of there: 0-3/need more support; 4-6/A good start; 7-9/Nice –keep it going; 10-13/Great!; 14-18/Wow, Amazing!; 19+/â€I am the Dragon†Just to get everyone in the mood, here is what I understand is the actual Air New Zealand in-flight safety video currently. I will let you know if it is true after we have taken the flight. Also, For obvious reasons, there will be a lot of Lord of the Rings references throughout this thread. I will not necessarily *try* to have that as a theme, but how can nerds like my Hobbit and I go to NZ and NOT talk about LOTR?

It had been a dark time in the Republic, and then, at the end of 2014, I stumbled upon nerdfitness.com and suddenly there was a tremor in the Force. After years of searching I found people like me, who thought like me and could relate to my struggles and find ways to break down habits that the Dark Side had built up within me and build new habits with my own Jedi council. I completed my first challenge with mixed results (better eating habits, increased personal awareness, but Christmas ), but with A New Year comes A New Hope. Main Quest: My quest for 2015 is to get under 200lbs by Dec 31, along with increasing my strength, stamina and dexterity throughout the year. To make this seem like a slightly less daunting quest, I'm going to break it down into smaller increments, and my quest for the first 6-week challenge of 2015 (and my first challenge as an Assassin, yay!) is to lose 15lbs. Keeping an eye on the horizon to the bigger, year-long goal. Task #1 Get my diet out of the trash compactor. I imagine on Kashyyyk they probably eat much like a caveman, and I intend to do the same, by making my diet 80% Paleo. Instead of going 100% Paleo right away I'm easing in to it by going 80%. It'll take some planning, tracking, organising, and new recipe trying. It should be exciting! Task #2 Even a Jedi has to train Luke did lightsaber drills, but sadly, I don't think anyone's going to let me lay my hands on one, so I'm going to go with workouts 3x a week instead. I'm going to continue with the beginner's bodyweight workout, and search out new moves/workouts to challenge myself. It's time to show my body who's boss....it's me, I'm the boss. I'll trust in the Force, and with some training I'll get this done. Task #3 Walking Tatooine with Artoo Let's be fair here, Artoo didn't let his dinky little treads stop him from traveling all over the deserts of Tatooine! Unlike that attitude filled little droid, I live in a ridiculously walkable city, and need to get out there as much as possible. I already normally get around 10,000 steps a day, so I'm going to up my goal to 10,500, or even 11,000 to increase my km/day. I'm building up to running, but I'm going to start with more walking. Additional Life Quest: Uuuhhhh, there's no juggling in Star Wars... I once starred in a play based purely on my ability to juggle. I've let it fall out of my wheelhouse over the past decade, and it's time to brush off those skills and work to improve my hand-eye coordination and dexterity. I'm going to practice at least 5 minutes every day to improve my skills. So those are the plans for the first six weeks of 2015! If anyone has any ideas for helping me improve my plans, let me know! If anyone needs a cheerleader, let me know! (I'm SUPER good at ridiculous amounts of enthusiasm)

Lilith the Chubby Kitten - Climbing to the top! Chubby kitten hmmmm yes, that’s still what I am…. Sometimes. Lilith turned around, to claw at the falling fall leaves. She just loved fall. With the colours, the rich smells… And the winds of change. But Lilith started to realise something that has been happening to her for a while now. She was not just a chubby kitten anymore, and sometimes, she wasn’t one at all. She had grown up in mind and body. Feeling stronger, and therefore being stronger. Whenever she felt her fiercest she could feel a strange energy getting hold of her. It was hard to describe it as anything but power. She had been a circus cat briefly, now a kitten again. But she could feel something inside her fighting to get out. Along with the surge of power came an urge to climb. Trees, bigger trees, yet somehow they never reached high enough. I have to climb as high as the earth goes! Perhaps she would turn into a fierce mountain lion…. If only she would release that part of her. Challenge goals: Become a better climber and train for the Fjallraven Classic (I need to be ready next summer!) I’m going to work with a point system! Every week I need to get 10 points for a successful week. I can earn points by doing the activities mentioned below! Bouldering (2 points) Toprope climbing (2 points) Finger strength training with clay (1 point) Yoga for Climbers by Judy Tsuei (2 points) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb8Aa-Db6vc Yoga for Rock Climbers by Kassandra (1 point) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWX6m6SMQYE DoYouYoga (1 point) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0ejZxy7Doc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifZGhTMQJ40 Climbing workout (2 points) 2 rounds - 20 double leg lifts - 10 pushups - 20 single leg deadlift 2 rounds - 20 reverse rows - 20 sumo squats - 20 bulgarian split squats 2 rounds - ball plank - 20 donkey kick - 20 fire hydrant - 20 glute bridge Practice for the Fjallraven Classic (2 points) Pilates Abs (1 point) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_S1hkhuDt0#t=700 Pilates Lower Abs (1 point) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMHgxyX_f7U#t=533 Point counter: Week 1: 11 Week 2: 9 Week 3:10 Week 4:11 Week 5: Week 6: TOTAL: Green = good week Red = bad week

Hi guys, I've been on radio silence recently (I'm sorry!) just because I've fallen behind with stuff as I finished up at my previous job and before I start for the next one. As I've let everything fall by the wayside and I feel like I've lost most (if not all!) of the fitness I've gained over the last few months (but I don't think I've put all the weight back on) I'm actually going to hit the reset button on my levels. So I've changed up my signature to show my previous high score (my highest level previously) but now I'm starting from scratch at level 1! Onto the challenge! Long Term Goals: Turn this: Into this: More seriously my general long terms goals are really just aesthetics and stamina. Specifically I'd love to run an ultra-marathon some day (Specifically the Spartathalon) and I did run a half-marathon a few months ago. So I know it's possible! Goal 1: Nutrition Eat ~2000 calories a day - +2 CON +1 WIS We all know that our diet is the base we build our health and fitness on, so that's why the Wisdom is up there! After my half marathon I just let everything stop, which included dieting. I haven't been going overboard with the amount of food, but it's not been good food! Bonus points for 75%+ paleo! (Measured by amount of calories per day) Goal 2: Resistance Training 3 times per week Resistance training 2-3 times per week - +3 STR + 1 CHA Starting a new job means I'll have a new routine to work exercise into. I used to leave work early to exercise when I got home but I don't think that's possible now. BUT! I won't have to get the train will 7:48 which gives me a whole lot of room before hand where I used to get up early to get to work! So the plan is to get up every weekday nice and early and do some push ups! (And other stuff) and then once over the weekend head to the gym to lift some heavy things. I'm going to head to the gym later to get the numbers and then on Tuesday I'll post up how many push ups and things I can manage in a set. Goal 3: Run 2-3 times per week Run 2-3 times a week +2 STA +1 DEX Again, using the wonderful time that I can use before I head out to work. My 5km route takes half an hour, plus shower which would actually still leave me a good half an hour before I would have to leave the house for the train. Goal 4: Continue Writing Write at least 5 days per week - +2 WIS +2 CHA I completed a book a month ago but that doesn't mean I can stop! I did plan for NaNoWriMo and started that but I'm not feeling that story as much as I was when I had the idea. So I may try and write that a bit more and then move onto something else after a while. We shall see! So that's my challenge! Brock is waiting for me at the end of the six weeks and it's up to me to make sure I'm ready to challenge him!

Sixth Challenge [ September 15th – October 26th ] In the land of the dritch Background story Cuckoo, cuckoo. A bird's call is waking me from my slumber. I'm surrounded by trees, some are violet, a few magenta but most are plain purple. Yawning I get up and look around, a strange feeling in my heart.... It takes a few moments, but then I realize what's wrong. I have no idea, where I am and even less how I got there. “Are you lost?â€, said a voice from the branch above me. A feline creature is hanging from there and looks at me with his inverted face. “Who are you?â€, I ask the strange being. “I'm a grinning cat, what else? But the more interesting question is, who are you?†“I'm........ I'm....... I'm.....â€, I stutter, realizing, that I don't have the slightest idea who I am. “You don't know who you are, neither where you are? Seems like you are in trouble!â€, the cat laughs, loosing its grip on the branch and floating through the air. “Can you help me?†Nervousness starts to surround my thinking. “That depends, what kind of help do you want?†The cat slowly rolling through the air. My mind is spinning speedily to decide which question is the right one toask: “Where am I?†“Why, in the land of the dritch, of course! She rules this forest and surrounding areas with her temptations, you see them hanging from the trees, don't you?†His paws pointing to the right, where cakes, candy and other sweets are attached to the trees, where normally fruits would bee. “Don't eat anything she offers you, or she will control your actions forever!†“What else can you tell me?†I'm still not sure, who I am, but it becomes clear to me, that I must be some kind of warrior. A fighting spirit is rising in me, awakened by the feline warning. “I don't know more than you do, really, although I possibly remember more than you! But here is someone, who may be able to help you...†And with this the grinning cats arms and legs disappeared, tail and body followed until only its head remained. Then that, too, became invisible, the shining teeth in the form of the waxing moon remaining only. At first I didn't understand, but then I see it. The moonshine is concentrating on a gigantic mushroom in the next clearing. Warily I come closer. An almost undescribable creature as big as the cat is sitting there. It's green, that's the only thing, that is sure. But apart from that, numerous hands and feet, pointy ears pointing at the side and a judging yet benevolent stare; all wrapped up in a brown-beige robe. “Who are you?â€, I want to know and get the answer I somehow expected: “Answer that question I will, after who you are you told me.†“I can't, I know my current limits.†“But break them, you will. If my counsel you remember, that is.†“I don't....†“Time I don't have to repeat everything, I thaught you. But two pieces of my advice you'll get from me, to fight the dritch!†“I'm listening!â€, I say and sit down in front of the mushroom. “First, don't remembering you are you say. But you do! It's in you: Mind what you have learned save you it can! Be consistent in the basic aspects of your training and you will have the power to fight the dritch!†“My memory is like a library full of foreign books. But I will work on understanding and following them!†“Paradox might seem the other thing: You must unlearn, what you have learned! The wrong way brought you into this forest, of all, that you have learned in this time you have to get rid. The fear, the inflexibility.†“I will do that, too. Is there more I need to look out for?†“The rest you already realized on your own: This is a dangerous time for you, when you will be tempted...†Goal 1 – Continue bodyweight workout “Mind what you have learned. Save you it can!†3 STR / 1 STA / 1 CHA In general this means doing three workouts per week of each the following exercises: -Pull-Ups (Following 7 weeks to 50 pull-ups) [extra points if I make it to 10 unbroken pull- ups] -Push-Ups (Following a progression leading up to one-hand push-ups) -Pistols -Planks/Hollow Body Grading: Each workout is worth a point. 1 succesful workout equals 8% and 12 succesful workouts equal 100% Goal 2 – Don't eat anything the dritch made, lest you be forever trapped “This is a dangerous time for you, when you will be tempted...†1 WIS / 2 CON / 2 CHA The dritch is the queen of temptation. To escape her claws, I must only eat real food: Veggies, meat/fish, fruit, nuts, eggs, dairy etc. Grading is easy: 1 successful day a week equals 15% and 7 successful days a week equal 100%. Goal 3 – Non-strength related basics “You must unlearn, what you've learned!†1 CON / 1 DEX Consinsting of stretching and/or working on hand-balancing/hand-stands before going to bed for at least five minutes. Grading is easy again: 1 successful evening a week equals 15% and 7 successful evenings a week equal 100%. Life Goal – Make your voice heard 2 WIS / 1 CHA This one only starts in week three and is a simple pass/fail: Create a blog and publish at least three texts.

Hi, super helpful nerds. I'm back again! Here's the deal: I just started grad school but it turns out the fancy schmancy school gym I was excited about using actually costs a shit ton of money. (Which is even more when you factor in exchange rates!) I'm going to start running again and I figure I'll do bodyweight exercises in my room or outside if it's not super frigid and miserable, but I also want to use the pool here. Getting a membership for that pays for itself so long as I go at least once a week, so I'll shoot for twice a week, yay. My question is about scheduling. I know you're not supposed to work the same muscles two days in a row. Every time I've gone swimming in the past, I've felt muscles I didn't even know I had. So is swimming today and doing BBWW tomorrow a bad idea, or is that not quite the same thing? If I do each of the above two days a week, will I kill myself? In terms of priorities: I want to lose weight (mostly diet, I know) and get in shape. Burn off fat like there's no tomorrow and actually be able to lift my suitcases when I leave next year instead of making a fool of myself like I did this time. I want to get better at swimming (I can avoid drowning but I'm not good at form and such) and probably do that more often than running since I'll be paying for it and it will be inside. I'm rambling now so I'll shut up. Suggestions/comments? Need more info? I'm all ears. Thanks!

Lilith the Chubby Kitten - And the Journey to Somewhere Level 4 assassin kitten (not yet a Cat, Tiger, or...) Lilith had worked very hard on her kitty training, she worked on pouncing, running in circles, chasing her tail, contortion (getting in weird shaped boxes) and overall flexibility. She had done a great job and she knew it. She was faster, stronger and more agile than all her brothers and sisters. Now, she was waiting to show the mysterious cat how awesome she was and how she did as the cat asked. But... The cat never said when she had to be done, nor whether he would come or she had to meet the cat somewhere... Then some random day outside, the cat appeared. This time she wasn't startled (okay, she was, but her tail didn't explode as much as it did that time before at least). Then the mysterious cat said something that made her purrrr and make a huge happy face. "You did great, almost purrrfect really! Now, you have to come with me" Compliments always made Lilith happy, so she was ready to go! But... to where? She asked, and the mysterious cat simply beckoned her to follow. "But will I come back home....? " Lilith muttered. The cat simply kept beckoning. Lilith looked back at the portal to the warm fuzzies inside... To her brothers and sisters and her mommy cat. And followed the mysterious cat. To help my alter ego Lilith go on the journey, she and I will need consistency. I proved my ridiculous awesomeness last challenge, but if at some point during the journey Lilith disappoints the mysterious cat, she might not be taken to the destination at all! These are my goals for this challenge: Workout at least 3 times a week. This is pretty self explanatory. I will be climbing, race cycling and doing bodyweight based workouts. But any type of workout counts for this. Flexibility and mobility work at least 3 times a week. I can do yoga, mobility WODs, stretching and anything that can benefit me. Handstand practice at least 3 times a week. Do 5 minute practice sessions. Hooping every day. No matter how tiny the session is, I have to pick up my hoop every day. I love it so it actually won't be hard I want to get so good at it! EDIT: Due to essay writing taking a higher demand on my willpower than I expected, I will continue only with the hooping every day goal. All the other activities will be bragged about under "bonus". I will grade myself every week and then average the weekly grades for the overall challenge grade. For each session or workout I do less than I should, I lose one grade. I'm looking forward to this challenge! In fact I'm kind of doing it this week already, but I won't update and start posting weeks until the challenge really starts! Oh and just because I am obsessed with hooping.. Hooping skills mastered Static waist hooping to the left (my good side) Turning with the hoop Turning against the hoop Waist hooping to lasso Lasso to waist Hooping skills currently working on Static waist hooping to the right(my bad side) Chest hooping (left and right) Waist hooping on one leg Weaving (front, back and side) Circling hoop around you with hands (not sure how to call it) Basic isolation 'draw a circle'. Barrel roll isolation Walking forward while waist hooping Walking backwards while waist hooping 1st vortex variation (on body start) Hooping skills wants Vortex (4 variations) Helicopter Barrel roll Angle hooping Shoulder hooping Shoulder duck out

It's my THIRD guild challenge!! Haha who knew I would be sticking around for a third one? This website is awesome, why wouldn't I? I'm actually super excited to do this challenge because I'm essentially working on the same thing that the mini challenge is covering, which is... HANDSTANDS I've been wanting to try it out for awhile and since I've already started on the 28-day handstand challenge, I'll use this challenge to perfect it along with my other bodyweight/ running training. I've also decided to make this a hard hat challenge because I actually like marking off a day on my calendar and the red sharpie I'm using makes it stand out a lot. So here is the breakdown: Main Quest: To learn how to do Parkour (of course) How to achieve goal: Body weight Training Handstand TrainingRunning Still working out on the sets and reps for each exercise, but i'm hoping tonight I'll be able to figure out what I'm comfortable with doing. I'm leaning towards increasing the sets more than reps right now. I'm also gonna continue to work on running since I still have horrible endurance and I want to increase that. Life Quest I just read the new article that was posted today about doing something you suck at and I've decided to do it for my challenge as part of my life quest because a) it's summer and I wanna do something productive that makes me happy. so these are the two things I'm gonna work on this challenge: work on my drawing skillspractice playing the ukulele It's been awhile since I've done either of them so what better way to begin again than in here. Motivation: To have better upper body strength? I think it's more of finding ways to have fun while exercising and I think learning how to do handstands will add a nice flavor. to be honest I just wanna learn so one day I can do a handstand kiss. Super corny I know but hey it'll be a really cool trick to impress someone who I really like currently xD If it doesn't happen, then I can still say that I can do a handstand. Also as always, I'm still trying to trim the fat around my stomach. It's seriously the hardest thing to lose so hopefully if I focus on that, everything else will just fit into place. Grading Scale: A- Complete the Hard Hat challenge in it's entirety with the mini challenges. B- miss one day of challenge C- Miss two days in a row D- Miss three days in a row F- Miss four days/ nothing done at all. Schedule-ish thing: Body weight / handstand training / mini challenge Running / handstand training / mini challenge handstand training / mini challenge repeat Closing notes: I know it looks overwhelming but it's actually not. I'm happy it's summer because I only have to work now and I don't need to worry about anything else. Pretty confident I'll be able to do this and get an A. I can't wait!! Also, signing up for a buddy is really intimidating / stressful. Oh also does running count as agility training? I don't think so, but i'm a giant noob so I could be wrong.

Welcome to the Team, Agent Elsfaire. We have the results of your evaluation, and we feel there is some training to do before you are ready for your first assignment. An Assassin must be able to get out of any sticky situation that arises. Strength, flexibility, and body control are essential, as well as the ability to leave the area quickly. Below are the results of your evaluation, and the recommended course of action for the next 6 weeks to prepare you for summertime missions. Evaluation Results: Skill Starting notes Starting time/rep Squat - relaxed comfortable, feet flat. Squat- body weight Need to get used to proper form & lower height. R knee crackles. Watch ankle for pronation. 38, 3 mini rests Butterfly stretch forehead to toes, knees almost flat, back very rounded Quadrupedal movement Bear walk awkward. Need hamstring flexibility Tuck roll- forward ok Tuck roll->candlestick NA (Not attempted) Tuck roll->leg variations NA (Not attempted) Tuck roll- backward awkward Tuck roll- backward w/ leg variations Back extension NA (Not attempted) Crow Stand-> headstand Takes a few tries to get up, shaky 4 sec Handstand NA (Not attempted) Cartwheel NA (Not attempted) Plank form seems good 72 sec Hollow Hold not "open" 7 sec Pushups start well, sag after a few reps 7 floor Hang Hold->Pullups hang, chin over bar 11 sec parallel bar hold straight body 18 sec Static bar hang NA (thought was above) Arch up 25 sec Bridge 18 sec EFFS-> split standing effs on bed, about 90 degrees w/each leg. Slightly more with R leg Rows 1-arm, 8 lb soft KB 30 reps, 17-13 Cardio-interval warm-up, sprint 30 sec, recover 2 min, run 30 sec, recover 2.5 min, jog 30 sec, walk & cool down Main Goal: To develop body control, strength and stamina to be ready for whatever future adventures may hold. Sub-goal 1: Strength development – BBWW or Angry Birds workout 3 or more days each week. Also at least 3 days per week (preferably alternate days), work on the specific skills of quadrupedal movement, tuck rolls (forward & backward), crow stand, hollow hold, hang hold, static bar hang, arch up, bridge, and elevated foot stretch working towards splits. +4 STR +1 DEX Sub-goal 2: Flexibility – Do yoga for flexibility at least 5 days per week. +4 DEX Sub-goal 3: Do aerobic interval training at least twice a week. +4 STA Motivation: I love to try new activities (skiing, wakeboarding, exploring new places) and to use the world as a playground (climb trees, cross streams on fallen trees, jump on logs, etc.) However, I often won’t do these things out of fear, or if I do them anyway, I am overcautious and tense while doing them. This causes a problem with enjoying the activity. I have been timid with activity since middle school because of a lack of feeling in control of my body. I feel like I am not sure exactly what will happen when I try to do certain things, and doubt that I will have the strength to do it for long anyway. I believe that developing strength, flexibility, and body control will help me to feel more confident in my ability to do physical activities, and the aerobic interval training will help my endurance so I can do activities for longer. (Side) Life Goal: Remember, every agent must also have a good alibi. Make your regular identity believable, and it is easier to be a secret agent without being discovered. Spend 3 hours a week working on my ebook or classes. +1 WIS, +1 CHA Here are some of the "Evaluation" videos and pics: Rolls: Pushups: Bridge: Crow Stand: Here's to making progress the next 6 weeks!

Welcome, welcome one and all. Please keep all arms, legs, tentacles, wings, and other extremities in the vehicle at all times. We hope you enjoy your ride. The Introduction Hey errbody! Welcome to the first of many (but hopefully not too many) challenges in my quest to be ~*~SuPeR hAwT~*~ ! Wait, where are you going? Come back! I promise I won't write like that ever again! No but really. In my own, obviously completely unbiased, opinion, I'm not unattractive. You might even accuse me of being pretty under the right circumstances. But I'm betting there's an even prettier Flea buried under years of bacon cheeseburgers and lifting nothing heavier than a cell phone. Know what's also pretty? Confidence. Which I will absolutely gain when I am in shape and working out. So it's a win/win. Couple all that with the fact that I'm starting grad school in the fall (ahhhhhh what) and would like it to be a fresh start in many ways, now's the perfect time to get going! (Pretty sure I didn't articulate my reasoning very well there, but screw it. I'm not an English major.) The Challenge Main goal: I'm sexy and I know it! (lose weight/fat, build strength, eat better, be that annoying person who's secure about who they are) Goal 1: Eat vegan for 6 weeks. (+3 CON) Why: I've been vegetarian for 3.5 months now and eat mostly vegan anyway since I hate eggs and have a love/hate relationship with dairy. Potential obstacles: I'll have to remember to go food shopping, read ingredient labels, and (gasp!) actually prepare food. Grading: Pass/Fail Goal 2: Follow a c25k program. (+4 STA, +1 DEX) Why: I hate getting winded after really short distances. I bought fancy running shoes and need to get my money's worth. I've actually liked running (or attempting to run) the handful of times I've gone before. I want to build my endurance so I can explore Europe without dying when I go to school.Potential obstacles: I think I got shin splints when I did it before. I could try too much too fast. My bed is really comfortable at 5:45am. Grading: A = average 3x/week; B = average 2x/week; C = average 1x/week; F = anything less Goal 3: Follow the Bodyweight Brigade workout from the NF Academy. (+4 STR, +1 STA) Why: I don't want to drop my carry-on on someone's head again or kill myself lugging suitcases through the airport. I don't want to hurt myself picking up heavy things. I'd rather have muscle and weigh more than weigh nothing and have no definition.Potential obstacles: Doing too much too fast. Comfy bed. Getting frustrated over not seeing results as fast as I want them.Grading: A = average 3x/week; B = average 2x/week; C = average 1x/week; F = anything less Life Quest: Reduce my possessions/the physical clutter in my life. (+2 WIS) Why: I have so much crap I don't even use. I'm not taking it all with me to England and I sure as hell won't miss it while I'm gone. I hoping to make a little bit of money from it.Potential obstacles: I'm lazy, man. I don't want to drive to Goodwill or deal with eBay. Grading: A = donate/sell/get rid of 5 boxes' worth of crap sitting in my room; B = 4 boxes; C = 3 boxes; D = 2 boxes; F = 1 box The Conclusion If you've made it this far, congratulations on sticking with me and my verbosity! (My thesis is going to be a disaster, I'm calling it right now.) These goals are practically the same at my very first challenge, which I bombed. But this time I have a concrete reason and deadline instead of "getting healthy is good." And it's not too cold or dark in the mornings. I've made a few friends here and I feel like I can actually follow through this time instead of making up lame excuses. Blah blah this post got wayyyy out of hand. On y va!

Rightio then, Challenge number 2. My first with the Awesome Rangers. I am changing things somewhat here, partly to release my geekiness more, partly to express my faith more, and mainly to increase my health. Firstly a couple of definitions are in order, oferfaett is Old English for obese, [literally, over fat]. Medically I am obese pure and simple. It was a practice in Anglo-Saxon Britain to give nicknames to people based on physical features. Surnames were rarely used during this time period [they were brought in by the Normans]. So I have named myself Anglian style. Next we have Ulfhednar, this is Old Norse for Wolf headed, basically the wolf version of a beserker. Using the wolf as a totem instead of the Bear. The Old English Wulfesheafod is not as badass in my opinion so I chose the Old Norse. It is close enough to my race type to work for me. Lycans, werewolf [werwulf in OE] may well have been inspired by these real life warriors. With NF I am changing from Thom the fat to Thom the Lycan. My first challenged focussed primarily on creating routines and getting moving, I had some great wins [4cm of my waist, and 66 bodyweight squats] I also had some hard times, depression does that. Still I didn't quit, and I am here now planning this challenge. Oh and I walked 240 miles in 6 weeks to get to Weathertop and held my own against a Nazgul. My long term goal is still to drop to 17% body fat. I have lost 2.36% since I joined in at the end of November last year. From 36.44% on the 01/12/13 to 34.08% on the 04/02/14. I use the tape measure method for this, It may not be entirely accurate but it is relative. I do my main measurements on the first weekend of each month, so we will find out how I am progressing in a couple of weeks. By my calculations I will drop from 118.7kg to around 90-95kg. As I only lost a grand total of 800grams for the entire last challenge I am not as worried about the weight loss if I am losing body fat. Goal One for this challenge is to track my calorie intake. Or kilojoules as I am working in metric. After much mucking about with various calculators I have worked out my BMR to be on average 9500kj [2285Cal] and my TDEE to be on average 13511kj [3277Cal]. Now to me that seems a hel of a lot of calories. Over the past two weeks I have started tracking my intake on MyfitnessPal with the target of 10,000kj [2388Cal]. I am struggling to eat that many calories. I am generally coming in well under. With the few exceptions of when I eat crap. So I will continue to track my food intake learn about my Macros, and limit/eliminate my gluten based carbs. As this is more a track and learn goal I will put +2 towards wisdom and +2 to my constitution for the successful completion of this goal. Goal Two is to continue my 3 days per week workouts. In my first challenge I used the BBWW to set up my routine. It has been a great help, and has increased my fitness. I am looking at adding a bit more variety to my routines so have decided to change it to the following: Mondays: Hammer workout, using a 10lb, 4.53kg sledge hammer. Monday I worked out a routine for this. Yep this really hit me. Wednesdays: Kettlebell workout, using a 5kg kettlebell and the Simple and Sinister routine. After trying this today [Wed 19/02] I suspect much of this will be learning to perfect the exercises, particularly the Get Up. Fridays: I will continue doing the BBWW. It is a good routine and I enjoy it. I will look at progressing to harder exercises as I go along with this. This is still a strength goal, although the hammer work adds a bit of dexterity as well, So +3 to Strength, +2 to Stamina and +1 to Dexterity. Goal Three is going to focus upon my spirituality. I have let my personal devotionals slip over the past year or so. I need to get things back into gear. I aim to do a weekly devotional to my Gods, Ancestors and Landwights. This is a inner peace and power goal so +1 to Wisdom, and a +1 to Charisma. My Side Quest is to study and do well at my Uni subject that I have enrolled in. The course starts in the beginning of March so until then I will share my artistic endeavours in the form of products that I sell. These are knowledge and creativity goals, so I will be giving +2 to wisdom and +1 to Charisma.

After my first test (last half of the previous challenge) I am ready to do my first full challenge. Tomorrow is my regular measurement day so I will post those here and on my battle log. As a continuation from my last challenge. I will continue recording my step count, with a variation. Previously I aimed for the minimum of 10,000 steps per day averaged out over the week. This time the target is 11,500. Which will give me a distance of 9.2km per day. 9.2 x 7=64.4km per week, 64.4 x 6 = 386.4km (240 miles). This distance is the same as walking from Bag End to Weathertop, according to the table given to me by my fellow rebel Citizenkade. So I am walking to Weathertop. I also need to build some strength, I will continue my efforts in doing the Basic Body Weight Workout on the NF site. At this stage, I will be doing the squats, lunges, and planks. I broke my right hand before christmas so doing pushups and rows are out for the first couple of weeks. This will be done 3 x a week (Mon, Wed, Fri). My third goal is weight loss. The aim is to lose 3kg (6.6lb) over the challenge. My life side quest is two fold. The first is to see if I can get into the NEIS programme to help me level up my hobby business into a small business. If I get in I will be enrolled into a Cert IV in Small Business Management. If I don't qualify, I plan to enrol in a Cert IV course to enhance my employability. Either way this Lycan is going to TAFE.

Index Preliminary and general information Goals pre-1st-challenge1st challenge...Food logs (Junk food days aren't logged!) week 5 (1., 2., 3., 4., 5.)Workout logs week 1 (1., 2., 3.)week 2 (1., 2., 3.)week 3 (1., 2., 3., 4.)week 4 (1., 2., 3.)week 5 (1., 2., 3.)week 6 (...)week 7 (1., 2., 3.)...Weekly recaps recap 1recap 2recap 3recap 4...Reward and punishment system My motivation #1 My crisis plan w00t?!

The Backstory: A year and a half ago, I was standing at a bus stop, eating a tuna sandwich. A man came up to me, tried to grab it, and said, "It'll only make you fatter." I had been trying to lose weight (martial arts classes off and on) for about three months, so I was pretty upset/debating a furious shin-kicking. I didn't, but for the rest of my time living in London, I sort of gave up. I would stll go on long walks, or hit the elliptical every once in a while, but compiling daily reminders of how big I was from random strangers, plus conflicting dieting/exercise tips from family and friends, I lost a lot of steam. The Quest Begins: Fast forward to now. Gained a little steam back at the beginning of the year, and I signed up to let one of the student athletic trainers coach me. I'd been doing alright up until the summer, when my coach graduated, and then got out of the habit of working out. But then I found Nerd Fitness, which in the spirit of letting your nerd flag fly, I've decided to think of as my own Camp Half Blood. Lots of heroes coming together to train and battle monsters the dreaded unhealthy lifestyle. I'm in again, because I've found that what I need most (besides structure) is moral support. Anyway, on to the important stuff: Quest: Weight loss/getting into shape. I want to be able to walk up 2 flights of stairs without getting winded. Mission 1- Active Body: BBwW x3 per week. Mission 2- Healthy Body: Start following the Paleo Diet. Mission 3- Conscious Body: Keep a food/emotions journal daily. Life Quest: Add at least 500 words to my novel every day. Good luck, fellow Newbies!