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I finally got it up! It was a crazy week. This is my 4th challenge!!! I've lost almost 25lbs since I joined the rebellion in June. If you'd like to know more about me, check out my battle log. This time I'm trying to get a little more into the quest. Tackling each goal as a youma. When it comes to writing I don't feel so creative but I gave it my best shot! With a new pendant in hand. Doe emerges from the battle. Burgundy ribbons falling over her shoulders. Her old fighting wears: oversized jogging pants, old grey work shirt, and pink canvas sneakers have been replaced with sparkly grey leggings, Nerdy Shirts, and a new awesome pink and grey sneakers with the ankle support she needs to continue the good fight. The first week may have threw her off balance, but she aims to be victorious over the next 5 weeks. The light is at the end of the tunnel, but many obstacles lay ahead. Four youma appear, and the only way to beat them in through steady Kujichagulia: self determination. It's a principle/day of Kwanzaa. Self determination:"To define ourselves, to name ourselves, speak for ourselves and create for ourselves." or as Sailor Moon might say... A pink sparkly engineer that goes to the rooftops? Now that takes Kujichagulia! Temptation Last time it was proven: calorie counting works. I won't fall into old habits, it always seems like "oh okay I got this healthy eating thing down now..." But when you're a short girl with a short attention span and a sweet tooth, it's easy to get tempted I have a clear calorie goal to meet. 1200-1500 depending on day. 1200 regular days 1300 on dance days, 1500 on gym days or full field days 5% tolerance (1800 on Thanksgiving because the day after thanksgiving will be a free day - going to Napa) 35 HP A. 30 Points or better B.21 -29 Points C: 18-20 Points F : Less than 18 Points +2CON Row on!:60,000 meters on the rowing machine Last time I really enjoyed having a quantifiable fitness goal. It really gave me something to aim for. I've really started to like the rowing machine. It's such a good workout and not boring like some other things. A:50,000m or more B:40,000 - 49,999m C:30,000 - 39,999m D: 25,000 - 29,999m F less than 25,000 +2STR +1DEX +1STA Temporal Tempest I'm studying for the FE Exam (Engineer in Training Test - if anyone else happens to be studying let me know!) I need to study at least 8 hours a week (it is a 6 hour test after all, used to be 8) and work problems 30HP A:25+ hours B:15-25 hours C: 10-15 hours F: less than 10 hours +3WIS +1STA Chaos This demon tempts one to plunge right in, no need for planning or refection. That's not so! In order to win the war, I need a plan. I need to plan to make that plan. Goal Set aside at least 30 minutes on Sunday to Plan week. 10 minutes each morning. 5 minutes for reflection. 3 pts for Sunday planning. 2 points for morning planning. 1 point for reflection. I've got ADD, a textbook case so this is going to be incredibly hard but I am determined 24 possible points a week. 123 HP A:110 Points or Better B:90 - 109 Points C:75 - 89 Points D: 60-74 Points F: Less than 60 Pts +2WIS +2STA +1CHA

Goal: 10 lbs lost. Chase Youma. I'm trying hard to mix it up this challenge. I'm bored of the BBWW. I'm not doing yoga when I said I would, because several of the poses don't seem to 'do' anything for me, and videos just confuse me because I don't have them memorized. However, I do have a treadmill now. And lots of podcasts. And running seems to shut off my brain, which can be nice. Goal: 3x/week, 20 mins minimum. .2 to STA for each day. 3.6 Keep Calm Kill Witches. I don't care how powerful her magic might be, Mami's got to be incredibly strong to lift her Spiro Finale gun. And ridiculously agile to turn and shoot like she does. So, this is a two-part target. Goal: 2x/week, 3 sets of dumbbell rows, interspersed with two sets of leg lifts, with starting and finishing stretches. .2 to DEX and STR for each day. 4.8 Take Time for Donuts! I'm pretty stoked to admit that I lost 13 lbs in the second half of the last challenge. I had a few more cheat days than intended, but that's ok. If I wanted to indulge, I was going to have fruit and expensive chocolate and fresh sourdough bread, and not 'cheap' or 'junk' food. Keto feels pretty simple, if a bit dull. But that's ok! I'm finding new things that I like all the time. I'm buying avocados on a rotation so that I always have some perfectly ripe ones in my crisper. I plan to keep doing this until I'm satisfied with the results, I guess. I have one planned bad day each week, being Wednesday, since it's the start of my weekend. Each day of sticking to my macros will be .1 to CON. 3.6 Read or Die. I've got no cons coming up soon and way too many books languishing on my shelf. I will finish 3 by the end of this challenge for WIS points. 3 The Sea of Despair. I'm in the de-clutter PVP for this round. I'm supposed to get rid of 1 thing on day 1. Then 2 things on day 2. And on, and on. I am honestly not sure how far I will make it, if there are really that many things to get rid of throughout my house, but I will try. Each day that I can't, however, I will put that same 'amount' into my piggy bank. I'd like to think that eliminating clutter will probably show me that I waste a lot of money on junk. So, if instead I make myself save money, I will avoid accumulating new junk. I solemnly swear I will set up nice things to get based on how much money I save overall. These numbers are for me to budget my pocket money for the week. 1: clear! 2: clear- 3: ~clear 4: clear. 5: 57 Rewards: purchased an additional dress and a petticoat for the trip.

After some contemplation last challenge and some solid advice from Mistr, I've decided to work on some life goals this challenge. I'll still post Judo updates and whatever else I'm doing for workouts, because Monk, but no workout goals this time. Improving my budget to pay off debt and build some savings Work out better % for different categories in my YNAB budgetWeekly - stay within my budgeted amountsOptimize spending where possible, especially with my groceriesSleep Do not stay up to work on choresWork on meditation before bed, try guided as quiet is NOT working at presentIf I wake up very early and cannot get back to sleep for 30 min, try getting up and knitting/working on something for a bit. If I wake up early and cannot get back to sleep at all, go into work early. That way, I can (theoretically) leave early, get everything done, and go to bed earlierFixing my schedule Evaluate everything in my schedule and trim several things out. I cannot maintain the current schedule and the overtime is going to build up at some point.Consider online time sinks as well.DO NOT accept all volunteer requests. Judo eats most of my volunteer time and will be eating more. Consider these carefully.Try to work out better ways to handle chores and leave myself more free time, especially free time at home.Relaxing Spend at least some time each week doing things that I find calm and relaxing, even if only in bits. Preferably several of these per week. Knitting - work on my blue sweaterPractice guitarPlay video games (does not include the scheduled session on Sunday)Read/watch something interesting - Evolution book, Think101x course, documentaries, intro music theoryWatch TV/movies - probably while knittingWhatever else seems funUse some of my accumulated vacation time if I can manage it.Cat time Spend time with my cats every day, dragging toys for them, brushing them, extra concentrated snuggles. I worry that they're bored and left alone too much because of my schedule. I think that covers everything. We'll see how this works out.

Now that Doe has learned she can be stronger, now she's got to be braver...and even stronger She's got to look within herself and beyond herself. Challenges aren't just about doing what she wants to do. It's about to doing things that need to be done. Sure, being magical girl is fun: you get cool clothes, awesome hairstyles, get to do cool things with awesome gear..you also you gotta be able to dance your way through an awesome transformation right? And then have the courage to fight and right wrongs. There's reason for all this, there's a Great Destiny to unlock! ^when non-writing engineers write. lol. I'm trying at least. Quest 1: Go to Dance Class and practice at least 2 hours a week(4 hours a week) I'm starting Tap Class on Tuesday, I used to tap in high school and I do miss dance. i'd like to think now that I'm a lot lighter that it'll be a new perspective. Should for some reason tap not work out - I do live in the Bay area so I could always find another dance class. This is in addition to me working 3x a week coz I've pretty much got that down now. #likeaboss A. 20 hours or more B. 16 hours or more C. 12 hours or more D. less than 12 hours +2 DEX +1 STA Quest 2:If you need to write it down: Limit refined sugar (Coz this *points down* gotta stop) I finally broke down and talk to my doctor....jerk put me on a diet! lol, I'm kidding I looked to him for advice because I hadn't the slightest clue with my health particulars(weight loss surgery in 02, low blood sugar, moderately active, weird metabolism) what the right thing for me to do is. He reccomended 1200-1500 calories with at least 100 grams of protein a day. 1200 on most days 1500 on days that I work out or have longer field days. That on half field days I'm likely eating more than warranted for a half day. The biggest problem for me is sugar, I have a major sweet tooth and I run a cupcake business I thought about the best way to make this a smart goal and I think refined sugar is the culprit. As much as I'd love to say NO REFINED SUGAR EVER AGAIN, I want a goal I can accomplish, a good measurable goal and so I came up with this based on about how much refined/added sugar I eat in a week now - about 250 grams - the equivalent of honey I add to tea(85g a week), a pint of ben and jerry's(108g), and a roll of starbursts (44g). A+ Less than 50 grams a week A. Less than a 100 grams a week B. 100-150 grams a week C.150-200 grams a week D. Over 200 grams a week +2STA +2 CON Quest 3: Stick to my budget Last month I didn't have a budget and my spending got way out of hand. I'm not out of the woods yet, so here it goes again. A. Staying under Budget B. Staying with 5% of Budget C. Staying with 10% of Budget D.Staying within 15% of Budget F. More than 15% over budget +2WIS +1STA SideQuest: Read "(50 Ways to) Get it Done When You're Depressed" Implement 5 tactics I'm not currently doing My depression has gotten pretty bad lately and unfortunately causing problems in my relationships. I make it through the day without crying and stuff like that but the ways I choose to handle depression are not always the healthiest for me or for the people in my life. I almost lost my boyfriend because of my depression, it was all very convoluted. A. Read the book sucessfully implement 5 tactics B. Read the book successfully implement 3-4 tactics C. Read the book, successfully implement 1-3 tactics D. Read the book. - Done 9/15 Tactics Chosen1. Focus Outwardly/Watch what I say2. Be Realistic about hours in a week3. Don't Wait until I want to do something to do it4. Avoid Isolation Always do your best5. Don't Judge my work until it's finish +2CHA +2WIS +1STA

The husband and I are wanting to workout more, and get fit for our baby that's arriving January 1. We are living in a two bedroom apartment, that has a free gym. And it's not a bad gym, just small. It has a bike, treadmill, elliptical, and weight machine. The machine has a bench, pullup bar, two cables to the right and left, and has all the add ons for the cables to do different exercises. I like it, but I miss free weights like barbells and dumbbells. As much as I want to get some equipment for the apartment (especially for when it snows because, the gym may be close but walking through snow in Ohio while pregnant isn't ideal), there are some issues. Limited space with the baby arriving, and limited budget. My husband wants kettlebells, I'd like at least some sort of barbell. What is a good budget friendly, and apartment friendly exercise equipment?

Hi everyone, I've been posting a little for a couple of months but I'm ready to commit Main goal: lose 12lbs over the six weeks Targets to get me there: walk to work at least three times per week Do BBWW three times per week Complete 30 day yoga challenge (today was day 3) Eat breakfast every day - Bircher oats, chia pudding, almond pancakes etc. no bread/cereal Life quest: stick to £100 monthly spending budget, so £150 for the length of the challenge. Also, my smaller jeans will probably fit! A pass will be losing 12lbs or more and having spent £150 or less

I feel like it's relevant to share my goals for the year and how I intend to get there, as each of my challenges this year will directly correlate to these goals. 2015 Health & Fitness Goal: To be fit enough to survive the 2015 Missouri Tough Mudder. Attend circuit training classes 2-4x per week Feb - AugustAttend circuit training classes 3-4x per week August - October Run a 5k Lose 30lbsCreate a plan for monkey bar + pull-up training 2015 Business Goal: To double my revenue from last year. Launch new website by Feb 1. Create content marketing plan + timeline by Feb 1 (for social + newsletter + blog). Execute content marketing plan + timeline (for social + newsletter + blog). Book at least 3 public speaking gigs by June. Launch podcast by June. Complete first draft of eBook by June.Launch eBook by August. 2015 Personal Goal: To become a more mindful consumer + to increase our savings. Do not buy anything without adding it to the wishlist first, excepting standard purchases (food, toilet paper, etc.). Only purchase wishlist items if the budget category for that items allows. No budget deficits for non-essential items. Pay myself 50% of business gross revenue: 25% to savings and 25% to the monthly budget. Now, on to the challenge! Quest #1: Eat. This quest is for my Health & Fitness goal, specifically the weight loss point. I will be doing another Whole30, beginning on January 5th. Same deal as last time... 30 days, no cheating. Grading: Pass/Fail Quest #2 Move. This quest is for my Health & Fitness goal, specifically for the gym attendance point. This is simple. Go to the gym. Grading: A: 8x B: 6-7x C: 4-5x D: 2-3x F: >2x Quest #3 Sleep. This quest is for my Business goal. I am a night owl by nature, but I am actually more productive in the morning. I need to kick it into high gear this year if I'm going to double my revenue... there is zero time to be fucking around and sleeping in is not an option. This quest is actually about more than sleep. I read most of The Miracle Morning during the last challenge but was smart enough to recognize that I had too much on my plate to begin my own miracle morning practice at that time. Right now my mornings are a mess. On my work days, I wake up with exactly enough time to to be showered and presentable to meet a client... and if I don't have a morning client I sleep until I wake up naturally, generally between 8am and 11am. On the days I'm home with Mini-Me (she is with me 2-3 week days depending on my workload) I stumble out of bed when she wakes up and am grumpy for the next 1-3 hours because I didn't have any time to wake up and adjust my attitude for the day before jumping into mom mode. It takes me forever to get productive, whether I'm looking to work on my business, clean my house, or play with Mini-Me and I know it's a big part of why I'm not where I want to be in life. More often than not, half my day is gone before I really dive in and start to focus on whatever I want to do or accomplish that day. I haven't finished the book yet, but if I recall correctly the author suggests a 30 day challenge. I'll come back and adjust my grading once I figure out if I want to try to do a full 30 days (on top of a Whole30) or whether I want to adjust that to only weekdays or something. Edit: Doing the 30 day challenge. Go big or go home amirite? I am going to cut myself a little slack in my grading - it's pretty hard to screw up Whole30 but it is very likely I'll accidentally sleep in one morning with this challenge and I don't want that to derail me completely if it happens. Grading: 30 consecutive days: A 30 non-consecutive days: B 25-29 non-consecutive days: C 20-24 non-consecutive days: D >20 non-consecutive days: F Life Quest: Zero non-essential spending. This quest is for my Personal Goal, specifically the wishlist point. I already keep a budget, and it works pretty well for us overall. However we've gotten lax about sticking to our budget. Once upon a time I was a very frugal person - I never bought anything I didn't truly need and I was happy to make do with good enough. Lately I'm noticing that my perfectionism and desire for everything to be done right now yesterday is becoming an issue: I want to solve a problem right now so I throw money at it rather than exercising patience and waiting until I can truly afford it. To put it simply, I'm not stopping long enough to: 1. Check the damn budget, and, 2. Think about whether an item is really something I want to spend money on right now. I've become way too addicted to instant gratification and it's got to stop. It's not putting us into debt (I am still debt adverse, one frugal habit that stuck with me) but we aren't saving as much as we could, and we have a lot of things we'd like to be saving toward. With that goal in mind, for the rest of the year, any non-essential purchase will go on a wishlist that I am keeping for myself (excepting my "fun money" which is discretionary... but this is currently in deficit so it's a moot point until it recovers from prior overspending). The reasoning behind this is twofold: I want to get us back on budget so we can rebuild our savings, and I want to take the time to think and prioritize before I buy. For this challenge, I will not buy anything that is non-essential. If I think of something I want to buy, I'll add it to my wishlist. Now, I'm making a couple of exceptions for sanity purposes. I'll allow myself to grab an iced tea from a convenience store at any time because that is something that helps me keep my Whole30 sanity when I am out in the world. I also quit smoking using e-cigarettes and I will allow myself to purchase my vaping supplies (juice and coils) because I'm simply not ready to kick the vape habit yet. These are the only two non-essentials that I'll allow for the duration of this challenge. Grading: $0 non-essential spending: A $1-$20 non-essential spending: B $21-$30 non-essential spending: C $31-$50 non-essential spending: D $51+ non-essential spending: F

Name: Hammlin "Hammi" Race: Wood Elf | Class: Footpath Ranger Leader Level: 18 (STR):44.25 (DEX):37.25 (STA):30 (CON):31.25 (WIS):31.5 (CHA):25.25 Motivation: New job, new schedule, new coworkers. I don’t handle change well… Also, still upcoming is GORUCK Challenge next June… Main Quest: Defining a New Normal. (Nov 10 – Dec 21) Missions: 1. Schedule. Get into new routine- this will be hard. I have no idea what my future holds and I have been at the same job for the last almost 8 years... it's all that I know and it's what I'm used to. I need to make a schedule as best I can, once I see what the workflow of the new job seems like, and then work in and figure out how training can work in it. 1 Point for making the schedule that includes November Project (DEN) and a ruck each week. 1 Point for getting to bed by 9 at least 4 times per week. 1 Point for blocking AND using time Sunday for meal prepping. (+3 CHA) 2. Push Ups. Short and sweet. Need to do push-ups daily, in order to get better! Will decide on a plan by the time the challenge starts. 36-42 days = A 29-35 days = B 22-28 days = C 15-21 days = D 0-14 days = F (+4 WIS) 3. Water. Water, water, always water. Water goals always go by the wayside when the weather gets cold. Using. I need to be drinking 3 a day... 36-42 days = A 29-35 days = B 22-28 days = C 15-21 days = D 0-14 days = F (+4 STA) Life Quest: 4. Debt. Cruel evil four letter word. The new job is very timely, because Mr. Ham and I have been treading water… The plan is to use the snowball method to pay off the things that have been accumulating over the last couple of months. 2 Points for making the plan 2 Points for paying down whichever, according to the plan, fall in the challenge time line (+4 DEX) Tracking will be done on my closet calendar this time. My Story (challenge history- it's lengthy, feel free to ignore...):

Ok, so life majorly got in my way on the last challenge. I moved, applied for school, work is a daily gong show. I foresee a shift change happening on this challenge so I will try and keep this simple and efficient. Diet-I successfully cut sugar out of my coffee, and I have been sticking to it, it's habit. I want to add drinking more water to my diet. This will help cut down calories as I will not be as hungry, and summer is coming quickly. We will soon be dealing with 100° temps, I will need to stay hydrated. No A/C at work. My goal is the standard recommendation of 64oz a day. I will count all beverages except coffee. I drink too much coffee, that makes it too easy. Also, coffee makes you have to go potty too often. +3CON Fitness- I want my pushup! I will have it. No more knee pushups though, I will find smaller and smaller things to do pushups on until I have one flat on the floor. +3 STR -I seem to have lost a lot of flexibility. I want it back. Also, my DEX sucks. I won't commit to a yoga class for this challenge because I have a feeling I will be changing work schedules. That just seems to set me up for failure. I will accept a yoga class as a day of stretching. I will work out a stretching routine and follow it 3 times a week. This way I will be able to tell if I am making progress. +3 DEX -I smashed a record on the rowing machine during the last challenge and damn did it feel good. I want to keep it up. I feel like I don't get much cardio in my life and I like the full body pull of the rowing machine. I will have my 2500m race sprint down to 12:00 mins. That is 1:06 off of my record time. This is going to be hard. +3 STA When I make it to 12:00 I am cranking up the resistance again. I already work at the halfway point on the resistance wheel. Life- Moving was expensive! Time to buckle down on my finances. I know that when I change shifts I will be saving big on fuel, but since I have no real insight on a set date for that, I am making a point to trim in some other places. I currently budget on 80$ a week for food. I usually have a bit leftover and I seem to have a lot of extra at home. I will cut that down to 60$ a week and any leftovers saved for a big pack of flank steak from Costco....noms!+3 CHA Lets do it.

Hello Adventurers! I just completed my first challenge last week and am ready to take on a second! Although the first didn't go as well as I planned, I learned a lot from the experience. MAIN GOAL Lose inches! I don't have access to a scale so I will measure my progress with inches and by how my clothes fit. My goal weight is 145 lb and size 9 pants. Currently, I don't know my actual weight, but I imagine it's in the 175-180 lb range. At the beginning of my first challenge, it was 182 lb. SUB-GOALS 1. Exercise for 30 minutes 5 days a week. Doesn't matter what it is - as long as I get my heart rate up. Up through August 8th it'll be a mix of Insanity, walking, and whatever I'm doing at work. (For those of you who don't know, I work at the botanical garden in South Carolina - weeding, mulching, light construction. I enjoy it!) After August 8th, I stop work and go back to school [ugh!] - but also get access to the gym! 2. Be able to do 20 consecutive REAL pushups. Right now i do pushups on my knees. This week I've started doing 60 pushups each morning followed by 30 30lb rows per arm. With the pushups I can do the first 20 consecutively, then 10, then sets of 5 for the rest. The rows I do in sets of 10. I've made some progress already - at the beginning of the week I could only do 10 consecutive pushups, now I can do 20. Do you all think this strategy would work, or would you suggest others? 3. Create a budget and stick with it. Next week (Thursday) I'm moving into a new apartment. I'm excited, but NOW I have bills to pay and deposits to make. In the past I had on-campus student housing and this past year (my first year of graduate school) I had off-campus housing, but electric, water, internet, and cable were included in the rate. This year everything's separate AND since this is my first time, I have a boatload of deposits to make! I didn't realize there'd be so many huge deposits! $200 for electric, $150 for water, and $60 for internet! Whew! Toooo much! So basically I want to make sure I get all these deposits and bills paid on time, figure out a good gas budget, food budget, and other. This goal will not be able to be measured weekly - it'll depend on how the bills come in. I can work on a food budget first though! If ya'll know what the cheapest protein sources would be or any other helpful ways to save on food let me know! Right now I've been buying frozen vegetables,bags of carrots, eggs, frozen chicken breasts, bananas, apples, and beans. I also buy hummus, guacamole, and feta cheese to add some flavor! I'm gonna do my best to eat healthy, but I don't plan to measure it in this challenge since it was such a struggle last challenge. Also, I'll take measurements Monday and post them to measure my progress. I'll update weekly. Hopefully I'll post pictures too! Best of luck on your challenges fellow adventurers!

Hi guys! I'm looking to work my way into a paleo diet once I'm away at school and buying my own groceries. I have a few problems though... 1) I'm not very experienced when it comes to cooking 2) As a student I don't have a big budget 3) Not a big vegetable eater 4) I have an intolerance to fish(a lot of fish makes me sick) 5) I'm not sure what to replace breakfast stuff like toast with that doesn't involve eggs (eggs on their own make me kinda nauseous as well) and snacks (I usually eat crackers as a chip alternative lol) Basically what I'm looking for is easy to make and not very expensive recipes (I'm ready to put my crock pot to use) for meals as well as simple snacks that are student budget friendly. Also any paleo breakfast alternative to eating toast every morning which I usually do... Sorry for all the n00b questions, I have looked at other paleo entries in the forum I'm just looking for some recipes that take into account some of the stuff above or even some links to helpful websites.

Minion25 Figures It Out Hey all! back again for another challenge. For those of you who haven't been following I'll give a quick explanation/ rundown of the events thus far this year. First challenge of the year I got a little tear in a disc in my back, but returned to work at the start of the second challenge...and re-injured it within the first couple weeks. So I haven't and won't be doing anything real straining since my doctor and physical therapist are being VERY protective of it this time around. This challenge focuses on strengthening my back muscles so the injury doesn't happen as easily again. This time around I'm going to take a page out of Teros' book and start my week on Sunday, that way hopefully the weekends I work will get broken up and won't be destined to fail. Strength: Complete Physical Therapy as ordered. Currently doing, every other day on the days I don't work: 12reps for 3 sets: Back extensions, Arm Rows, and Lat pull-downs- 40pounds each. 12reps for 3 sets:Squats, split squats, and kneel push-ups My therapist also just added: THE ROMAN CHAIR!!!(dundunDUUUNNN!) - this one is modified, so I don’t hurt myself and only do 1 set of 5 -to slowly work my way up to 3 sets of 10 and more range of motion I'm told the Roman Chair is a "for the rest of your life" exercise Also Plank, Side Plank, Back Plank and 20 mini crunches on the days I do work-these I’m going to be doing as soon as I wake-up, just to get them over with. Worth: STR: 4 Cardio: I’ve been told to start low-impact cardio. Going to use my Zombie RUN app with my bike. 3x per week-twice on my busy work week -for those that are new to my thread, I work 12 hour rotating shifts so there's really is no working out on the days (or nights I work) UGH! Worth: STA: 3 Dex: 2 Food: Keep a food diary. Last challenge I wanted to eat a veggie with two out of three meals per day, and half the time, due to an insane few weeks at work, couldn’t even recall if I ate ANYTHING. This ends now. Thinking I’ll thoroughly evaluate my log at week 3 and week 6. Worth: WIS: 1 CON: 2 Life: Create a budget. I’ve canceled my cruise, realized I could use the money I currently have saved to pay off one student loan, which is maybe slightly more than half of the money I figure I’d need to enjoy myself. The remaining half could be spent in endless ways-paying off half of another student loan, buying new (and much needed) snowboarding helmet and impact shorts, AND going on a snowboarding vacation! The budget is to help me figure out how much $$ I can “snowball†into my next student loan to get it paid off faster. Worth: WIS: 3 My Motivation: Since I cancelled the cruise my motivation has changed once more (though basically is still pretty much the same, just not for anything in particular)

Two years ago I started doing dumbbell rows with a goal of a pull up. One year ago I was doing 4x5 chin ups and a achieved my pull up goal. Today I am doing 5x5 pull ups with 15 lbs added and 5x5 chin ups with 20 lbs added, steadily marching toward my new goal: one-handed chin up. Two years ago I took my first yoga class. One year ago I was learning backbends and balances. Today I am doing long headstands, happily finding new challenges all the time. Two years ago I was benching the bar. One year ago I was proud to be warming up with a 45 on both sides of that bar. Today I am doing 5x5 at 185. Two years ago I started using mint to track my money. One year ago my wife and I started using YNAB and living off from last month's salary, taking huge bites out of our student loans. Today we are still using YNAB just the same, but have a solid emergency fund and are excited to move into a smaller place to save money, shed useless possessions, and focus on the few things that really matter. Two years ago I started doing bodyweight squats. One year ago I was doing 5x5 at 175 lbs. Today I am doing 5x5 at 255 lbs., slowly but surely getting stronger every month. Two years ago I was reading articles and watching videos to learn what a deadlift was. One year ago I was doing 5x5 at 185 lbs. Today I am deadlifting up to 320 lbs., and I love whenever I'm using 3 45-pound plates on both sides. I'm also happy to say that this year: I've learned to do pistol squats, doing 5 on each leg without any counterweight or assistance. I've started bent rows, and I'm already at 5x5 with 145 lbs. I'm working on overhead press, and I've gotten up to a 5x5 with 130 lbs. I'm planking for 2 minutes 4 times a workout. Goals for the future: One handed chin up Lots of pistol squats Squatting 315 - I love racking up 3 45 lb. plates. Bench 225 lbs. Deadlift with FOUR of those 45 lbs. plates (405 lbs.) If you're somewhat skeptical that I've actually done this stuff, here's my post from last year: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/32303-results-are-typical/ If you have any questions or, better yet, have some other ideas of goals I could have, let me know. If it wasn't for this internets thingy, I wouldn't have ever known how badass one handed chin ups and pistol squats were to try them in the first place.

I've been making great strides at developing new habits, make great changes and evolving into a better me. After a short break from the forums and challenges I'm so ready to jump back in I previously sucked at updating these so I'd love to be held accountable to checking in often, as I love the community. My end of year summer goal is to lose 20lbs. I would like to achieve this at the very latest of September 15. I want to do this on my own, no relying on other people to help me. In case the scale doesn't move, my ultimate goal is to lose my belly fat which exists due to pregnancy and surgery. I want to erase the physical evidence of my illnesses and regain my confidence. I have a wonderful fitbit that is helping me track my efforts, I've been doing much better than the beginning of the year at being more active, and I've tried a ton of new foods or ways of eating foods that I never would have before. So I guess the How! 1 - Limit my sugar intake. I can have sugar but not often and preferably in healthier forms such as honey or stevia. This should allow me enough flexibility that I could take my kids for iced cream or have s'mores but not have sugar control my cravings and eating habits. Ultimately I would love to keep sugar out of my regular day to day routine. 2 - Be consistently active. Right now I do yoga once I week but I want to get moving and be more active on a more regular basis. There is a running group starting that I'm hoping to join, but even just hoping to walk more, run up and down the stairs, play with the kids in the yard, anything. As a starting point it would be great to have a minimum 15 minutes of activity each day. 3 - Get dressed daily. Even if it's into yoga pants or sweats but get out of my pajamas and be ready to go or be active at all times. Create more yes opportunities and less no's for the kids by being dressed in something we could at least go to the park in each day. 4 - Spending fast. No spending on unnecessary things. No toys, no extras, no material things. We can spend on experiences though so a trip to the zoo, maybe go to the drive in, those types of things are good. This should help us clear out the house of excess items, use up what we already have and encourage us to be more active and present this summer. This does not include the previous habits I have already been doing like tracking what I eat in myfitnesspal, drinking more water, meal prepping and eating at home as much as possible. I still need to keep these up. Would love some buddies and some help so please feel free to connect! Looking very forward to this challenge!

Well well, just couldn't stay away forever. Its been a long time since I did a challenge. Life has tossed me a few recently, didn't feel the need to add to the mix. But now, I'm ready. This is my challenge to finally get me out of the Adventurers( which are awesome) and move onto a more specific class. My goal was always to get to Lvl 5 before moving on because I just could not make a decision. That has been remedied. So here goes: Overall Challenge Goal: Ready to join a specific class. -Build good habits -Clean up diet -Real Pushups! ( I don't feel like I can go on without this) 1. Real Pushups +5 STR -15x 20lb dumbbell bench press- 3 sets ( currently max at 12 reps) -25x knee pushups- 1 set ( current max 12) 2. Never miss a day at the gym +3 STA -anything counts (cardio, trainer, bodyweight, class) -try 2 new classes ( these are free...duh) 3. Splits ( or something closer) +3 DEX -20 mins stretching 3x a week minimum (current depth....sad/pathetic/my squat is lower ) Diet. Clean it up +2 CHA - reduce daily sugar intake ( down to 0 in coffee, slowly) ( 1 less sugar per week until 0, not less coffee, i'm not crazy, I go to work before the sun) -unsweet tea ( usually half/half ), more tea at home, less crystal light etc -cut carbs to special occasions only ( don't buy any more potatoes/rice/etc, replace with veggies) Life. Start a Life Change +2 WIS -Get serious about my guitar- play at least one song a day -Budget diligently. Track spending, plan, save 100$ for Camp NF ( I want a t-shirt and gas money to get there) -school application and financials, plan to boss for reimbursement Prequel Mini Challenge Done +1 WIS Spreadsheet used to track everything. Will post on updates.

Trying something new this challenge. As the intro song suggests, I've been having trouble seeing the forest through the trees lately, and it's time for me to refocus and remotivate myself - remind myself why I'm doing what I do and get back on track for my goals. Lately it's just been a struggle to care about some things. So this challenge we are going to kick the Caring back into gear and remind ourself what it is we do the things that we do for. Main Quest: Drop to 8% BF, 32" waist. This continues to be my overarching body goal. I'm getting pretty close, but this challenge I am adding an addition to it. I also adjusted the BF% goal from 6 to 8 percent... just because. The addition is - Squat 1.5x Bodyweight, Deadlift 2x bodyweight. OHP, Bench and Row 1x bodyweight. In order to hit this goal I am driving forward with several sub goals, which will be worked into this challenge. Steadily increase my Squat, Deadlift and Pull Ups in weight and number.Do Salmon Ladder Pull-Ups. Because... seriously.I also want to, eventually, get my mile-run speed down to 7 minutes solid. Two things to keep in mind as we go into this challenge: PAX East happens during the break after this challenge and the snow should be melting/warmer weather occurring. To this end I need to work more outdoor training in as the challenge progresses. Quest 1: Strength of the waterfall [sTR] Continue Stronglifts 5x5. I made some impressive progress last challenge, I need to keep it up. Possible 3/3 points each week. Starting lifts: Squat: 130 lbBench: 110 lbOHP: 90 lbRow: 110 lbDeadlift: 185 lb Lifting goals by end of Challenge: Squat: 215 lbBench: 150 lbOHP: 130 lbRow: 150 lbDeadlift: 265 lbQuest 2: Steady as the mountain, Flexible as the sapling [CON + DEX] Strength has to be build on a solid foundation, or there is no true power behind it. In order to develop my foundation, I need to focus on two things: Health and Mobility. This is a two-fold quest to focus on both my diet and my flexibility. This means maintaining my primal diet throughout the challenge (7/7 possible points each week), and performing 10 minutes of yoga each workout day (3/3 points per week). In addition, I also have to eat enough calories to continue building strength. Minimum of 1850 calories a day. Quest 3: Calm as the lake [WIS] Last challenge I focused on writing more often and meditating. I succeeded with writing but failed miserably with the meditation, so I'm simplifying this challenge and focusing solely on the meditation. Meditate twice a week, that's it. Side Quest: Visit and attend the Greater Boston Zen Center once a week - No points lost if I don't achieve this. +1 if I do for at least half the challenge (3 out of 6 weeks). Life Quest: Return to my roots [CHA] I've always been a musical person. I find a lot of my center in listening to and performing music. I've been neglecting songwriting for my band lately in favor of other things (one of them being fitness). I need to get back into. Plus my bandmates are giving my shit for not writing lyrics to a song that has been finished for 3 months now, haha. I need to finish two songs before the end of the challenge. Bonus: +1 point if I have them both finished by the end of week 3, another +1 if I write more than two by the end of the challenge. Bonus Quest: Defeat the demon [ALL] Participating in a dungeon-crawl style side quest with my accountabilibuddies, I will need to participate in each week's side-quest, and will award points based on those goals for this part of my own challenge. I will update this with a link when it becomes available. In addition to these quests that I will be undertaking over the next six weeks, I'm also going to revisit and present myself with a weekly goal at the start of each week. This will keep my focused and help me adjust my efforts for maximum benefit. Let the games begin.

Hi everyone! Between grad school, bad eating, and a new medication I have put on some weight in the last 6 months, and it's time to get this in order! Main Quest: To get back down under 22% body fat. Starting point: 29% body fat. Sub-quests to make it happen: 1) Attend yoga classes at least twice a week. 2) Body-weight strength training 2-3 times a week. 3) I can only have sugar (oh heavens, do I love ice cream and red bull) twice a week, for a total of 2 treats per week. Life Quest: Save more money! Sub-quests to make it happen: 1) Log my transactions in my budget twice a week. (I use YNAB) 2) Always ask myself if I need it or want it? 3) Pack my lunch every day I go into the office (twice a week).

My primary goals for 2014 are to become physically and financially stronger. My challenges will all be focused on this using baby steps to get there. Convict Conditioning Goals for 2014: Pushup SeriesStarting: Level 2 Intermediate Standard (2x20) - Incline PushupsGoal: Level 5 Beginner Standard (1x5) - Full PushupsSquat SeriesStarting: Level 2 Intermediate Standard (2x20) - Jackknife SquatsGoal: Level 5 Beginner Standard (1x5) - Full SquatsPullup SeriesStarting: Level 1 Progression Standard (3x40) - Vertical PullsChest High bar horizontal pulls with straight legs (23/18)Goal: Level 4 Beginner Progression Standard (2x15) - Half PullupsLeg Raise SeriesStarting: Level 1 Intermediate Standard (2x25) - Knee TucksGoal: Level 4 Progression Standard (3x25) - Flat Frog Raise Challenge Goal 1 (Strength): Complete 2 Hard Convict Conditioning Workouts per week (+2 STR, +1 DEX, +1 CHA) Challenge Goal 2 (Endurance): Complete at least one cardio workout per week (+2 STA, +2 CON) Need to get consistent with this again. Swimming 3 times per week previously was a bit too much to shoot for.Challenge Goal 3 (Fuel): Lights out by 10pm work nights, 3+ servings fruits/veggies daily, 6 glasses of water daily (+2 CON, +2 WIS) I've felt weak, tired, and sluggish for awhile. I attribute this largely to eating poorly, lack of fluids, and poor sleep habits.Challenge Life Goal (Finances): Update spending records daily for accurate tracking of spending and staying within budget. (+3 WIS) I just setup my first Dave Ramsey style zero-based budget and my first budget period in awhile. I have a history of allowing my records and receipts to pile up such that I don't have an accurate record of what I spend where. Since we are expecting our second child in about 1.5 months and the associated expenses that come with that, I need to get serious about controlling spending.EDIT: Making this a Hard Hat Challenge starting 1/8/2014 for the rest of the challenge (and beyond). 15 minutes per day adding receipts and checking budget. I will post my calendar at the end of the challenge.

FITNESS As part of my Operation: Middle-Age Extension, I have three specific fitness goals for this six-week challenge: 1) Move my 8 rep bench press set from 135 to 170 -- that's a little more than five pounds per week. STR 4 | 170+ A 160 B 150 C 140 D 2) Move my unassisted pull up from (sometimes) one to a consistent four. STR 2, CON 2 | 4 A 3 B 2 C 1 D 3) Move my plank from being inconsistent 30 seconds to three minutes, to a consistent two minutes. Closer to washboard abs. STA 2, CHA 2 | 2 A 1.5 B 1 C <1 D All of these goals will require a consistent dedication to a workout program and a good diet. So I will not add any diet goals this time around. LIFE I have a collection of "everys" here. I will collect every receipt for every purchase. At the end of the challenge I will post my expenditures so I can find out where my money goes, cause baby, it's not staying is Savings. I will train handstands every day. Thanks for the inspiration for that, Steve. I will get up when the alarm goes off every morning -- 5:50 on weekdays, 8:00 on weekends. WIS 3 Get online more often to support my fellow Rangers. That seemed to be a challenge for me last time.

I proudly announce: rogaecia's 3rd! Hello everyone- I'm back for my third challenge. I have to admit, I cannot believe last week went by so fast. I am dipping a little low energy wise starting out this challenge. My hope is to rev up as the challenge winds down. My main quest: Shrink my Circumference Currently my waist measures 38" at the smallest point and 44.5" at my belly button. I haven't been much to complain about particular parts of my body because it all needs work. Lately I have been feeling pretty good about my arms and even my butt- something I never thought would happen! However, my "muffin top" just started recently started to bother me. I tried on some cute tops a little bit ago that were longer and the area around my belly button made the shirts look hilly, yes, as if there were hills under there. I would like to bring the 38" down to where my belly button is, sometime in the next 6 months. 6.5" is a lot- but I am sure it can be done. Side Quest 1: Whole30 After much deliberation, I decided that I would aim for the whole 30. I saw a lot of incredible work this last challenge that really motivated me. Also, thanks to incredible Sicil, I have been reading It Starts with Food. The idea of resetting my system is very, very enticing. I plan to formally start the Whole30 on 09/23/13 along with Sicil and also because I have left-over meatballs from last week that contain soy sauce. The breakdown: Week 1: Pre-Whole30, finish meatballs, no alcohol, no caffeine, no added sugar, no grains or legumes. Week 2- Week 6: Whole 30​This quest is pass or fail. Which means: PASS! Side Quest 2: Lift I have been using an app called Lift that induces habit forming. Currently I am working on 9 habits: Be grateful for something/someoneStop and enjoy lifeDrink more waterFoodist (eating well) StretchingExerciseCastor Oil PacksComplete bedtime routine (washing face, brushing teeth, etc)Deep breathing exercises​For this challenge I would like to complete all 9 habits 5 times a week. The breakdown: Grade A: 9 habits/ 5 times a weekGrade B: 9 habits/ 4 times a weekGrade C: 9 habits/ 3 times a weekGrade D: 9 habits/ 2 times a week or less. ​Life Quest: Stay on Budget I would like to work on staying within my budget this challenge. I have budgeted $50/week on groceries and plan to stay on that for a multitude of reasons. The breakdown: Grade A: 6/6 weeks on budgetGrade B: 5/6 weeks on budgetGrade C: 4/6 weeks on budgetGrade D: 3 or less/6 weeks on budget​Motivation: Just kidding! Although Tyler the Creator is hilarious- my motivations are: RockNRoll Half-May 2014 Spartan Race-August 2014 Portland Half Marathon- October 2014 and of course: TO LOOK GOOD. And be moar healthy. [[game on!]]

Assassins, hear my rallying cry. My older sister, IrishAmazon, is rejoining the online Nerdfitness community for this challenge, which is great. But she is doing it to test me, to push the boundaries of my badassitude and to claim renown as Swolest of Them All. As her nemesis, Viper Pilot Extrordanaire, Boulder Monkey, High Inquistor of Cats, Pharoah of Phunk, and Captain of Team Me, I cannot allow this arrogance to grow unhindered and unchallenged. Worst of all, she's not even an assassin. Pfft! The winner of this challenge is awarded a prize, in the form of foam roller or lifting straps. Needless to say, I cannot wait for my new foam roller. On to my goals. The first fun new element for me this challenge is that I have started lifting. I will most likely be lurking on the Warriors forum for tips etc but because I am an assassin first and foremost, here is where I stay. Also because to balance out my lifting I will continue to utilize rad and balance intensive BW moves as well bouldering the crap out of everything I can boulder. I also learned how to jumprope (!) for the first time ever and I am developing a pretty cool dynamic warm-up that involves jump-roping, jump-squatting with weight, push-ups, and so on. Main Quest: Raise It All Up I want more upper body strength. A lot more. It will help my climbing exponentially and with the combined power of my already Super Glutes, make me nigh unstoppable; help me get closer to real pull ups, and also, super developed shoulders are hot, and I am super vain. So there. 3 Goals: 1) GAINS: Eating. According to IIFYM, I need to be eating between 2155-2371 calories a day. I know I'm not right now, so that has to change. I will reach this goal by continuing to meal prep for work, and starting planning dinners ahead of time (I rarely eat enough dinner). I am reinforcing this by only allowing myself to buy food while I'm out at work once a week (coffee doesn't count). 2) Workout 3 x Week: Pretty straight forward lifting programming; press/squat day, deadlift/bench day, bodyweight circuit day. Stick to this programming, don't miss a workout. I will add my workout stats at the end of every week (to prove I did them!). 3) Climb 2 x a week. I haven't been making as much time for climbing, so this is a priority. If I miss a day one week, I make it up the next. Will record my climbs as frequently as possible. Side Quest: Save up $250 for passport. I have been putting that off for ages and I HAVE to get it soon, because there is a small chance I will be somewhere in Europe next summer. Should not be too hard, I just have to do it. And I realize this is a week late, but I wanted to give IrishAmazon a head start, seeing as she has been out of the game so long. Muahahah. Which reminds me, we haven't come up with a concrete scoring system yet, which we should do, eh? Ready, set, go! Starbuck

Unlike the diet- and exercise-fad commercials (that used to air), eating truly healthy and lifting heavy stuff can proudly claim that “results are typical.†I am just another typical story. One year ago, I was at another plateau in my long journey into being healthy and really, really, really, ridiculously good looking, and I was confused and frustrated. Today, I am healthy and strong, and my wife says I’m quite good looking. One year ago, I started doing dumbbell rows with dreams of one single pull up. Today, I am working out with 4x5 chin ups and can knock out a few pull ups in a row when I feel like I want to prove something to myself. One year ago, I took my first yoga class and struggled with a downward dog. Today, my buddy downward dog is a resting place that I go to before and after practicing balances and backbends that used to seem like only contortionists or gymnasts could manage. One year ago, I was benching the bar. Today, I warm up with a 45 on both sides. Am I the heaviest bench in the gym? No. But frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. Every single day at the gym I push to be stronger than me of the past. Even if that’s just by one rep in one of my sets. One year ago, I was following where my money was going with mint. Today, I am budgeting and living of last month’s paycheck while paying off a student loans well ahead of schedule using You Need A Budget (YNAB). I have never felt more in control of my financial life nor have I had such a solid plan for paying off that student loan debt the size and nature of Mount Doom. One year ago, I was squatting my body weight with some mild discomfort. Today, I am squatting 175, 5x5 for my workouts, adding more weight almost weekly. That’s almost 15 lbs. added to my squat per month. One year ago, I had rumbled my way through 3 miles and called it a long, awful run. Today, I have run a marathon (which, one year ago, would’ve seemed about as likely as me becoming an astronaut) and consider such runs to be “recovery runs.†One year ago, I was learning how to deadlift for the first time ever. Today, I am deadlifting 185, 5x5 for my workouts, again, adding more weight almost weekly. I have never felt like such a badass as I do when I deadlift. I even experiment with variations like the sumo deadlift for fun, yes, for fun. One year ago, I didn’t have a cute puppy. Today, I have a cute puppy. Proof! Irrelevant, sorta. One year ago, I was wearing mostly L but some XL shirts and 38x30 pants. Today, I am wearing mostly M but some S shirts and 33x30 pants (when I can find them). One year ago, I was looking to make a transformation during the summer before my first year of teaching. Today, I realize that my transformation has only begun and can continue as long as I maintain my focus. Yes, I did all of this as a full time teacher. (For the next bit, read sentence A if you think teachers are respectable individuals and sentence B if you think we’re overpaid and worthless). A: Yes, despite waking up at 5 AM, being at school working from 6:30 AM to 5:30 PM to help somebody else’s child succeed, I was able to do everything I mentioned above. B: Sure, go ahead and make the excuse that I have summers off and long vacations throughout the year to make yourself feel better about how lazy you’re being. If you’re looking for an excuse to stay lame and unhappy, you’ll find one. One year ago, I was content enough. Today, I am happy. And before you tell me that I’m superficial or shallow or something else that’s sorta mean and starts with an s, actually read what I wrote throughout this. I am happy because things in my life that were causing me stress and making me feel helpless are now the exact opposite: I feel like my health and finances are firmly in my control and my exercising and budgeting simultaneously relaxes and excites me. I am happy because I’ve learned just how much perseverance, will power, and positivity I am capable of. I am happy because I have learned how to make goals, deal with problems, and (this one was ridiculously hard for me) be proud of my accomplishments - whether they are fully achieved or in progress. How can YOU have this type of year? Well, with help, intelligence, and commitment, you can definitely do this too. Help: Here is the post that got me started one year ago. Here is the post that got me started with lifting weights. Here is the post that got me started with eating healthy. Here is the book that help me (and my wife) run a marathon for the first time. Here is the link to help you get your finances in order. Here are more pictures of cute puppies. Here is a website you can use any other time you have a problem or question about things not fully covered at any of the above places. Intelligence: Now, I’d love to claim that I was always super dooper pooper scooper smart throughout this whole year long process. But, alas, I am not good at health and life like Newton was with physics. I’m more like Brain and Pinky combined into one overthinking and obsessive human. I had to redirect and restart my efforts many times this past year. For example, I was finally getting to some moderately heavy squats and deadlifts when my back started hurting. I stupidly charged on for a few weeks before I realized that I shouldn’t feel this way. So, I had the intelligence to finally reexamine my form for these lifts and fix the issues. I actually had to do this twice. Notice the intelligence in doing the research, knowing when to ask for help, knowing when something doesn’t work for you, and being thoughtful with choices. Intelligence also plays a role in goal setting. Make S.M.A.R.T. goals, and you’ll be much more likely to actually achieve them. Commitment: From here, I’m going to keep it up. Why? Because it is easy now. Because it makes me happy. Because it is part of who I am. Because I want to live a long, healthy, happy life. Because I want continue to look and feel better. Because I’m going to be active and able-bodied for my family. Because carpe diem (no Y.O.L.O. here, sorry). Because being happy about my life and my self, being able to do just about anything in the world that I want to do is infinitely more valuable than that box of Cheez-Its I don’t eat anymore or the lost hour (or usually less) a day of television or web surfing that I spend lifting, running, or practicing yoga instead. In the end, it is all about what you really want. And I mean really want. Deep inside, depth of your being want. I wanted a healthy body and mind. I think I’m basically there. Were there times that I wanted to just sleep or eat a few Qdoba Chicken Queso Burritos or make some other stupid short-sighted decision that I would regret? Yep. But I managed to stay focused almost always on what I really actually wanted. “A perfection of means, and a confusion of aims, seems to be our main problem.†- Albert Einstein You’ve got the means (healthy food, heavy stuff to lift). Don’t let yourself confuse your aims. Perfect your means and aims, Screenager P.S. - Feel free to ask questions or whatever. I’m not super active on the forums, but I’ll check back on this for a bit. I actually almost forgot these because they seem almost irrelevant. But the people like the before and afters... I have more pics from longer ago, but this is exactly a year apart.

Hey all, This is my first NF challenge, so apologies if I'm not doing this correctly. Anyways, here are my goals: Run 10k Race without stopping (STA +5) Anyone else here use the Zombies, Run! app? Makes long runs so much more fun! I've been building up my running steadily over the last two years, but am finally making steps to longer races. 10k here I come! I'm grading this one on a pass/fail basis as I either successfully run the 10k I registered for on 7/4 or I don't. Strength train 2 x week (STR +3) I've got the cardio down, but would love to build up my strength as well. My goal is to get two good bodyweight workouts in each week in addition to my 10k training. A: 12-10 workouts B: 8-9 workouts C: 6-7 workouts D: less than six workouts.No eating after 9pm (CON +2 CHA +1) I do well with my diet overall, but fall off the wagon at night. There's no reason I need to eat that late, and it cuts out a lot of my junk carbs when I just say, "No, the kitchen is closed." A: 1- 3 cheat days B: 3-5 cheat days F: 5+ cheat daysWork out a budget for the summer time (WIS +4) Summer is the slow season in my work, and I've been a little too free with my finances lately. Time to get the big girl panties on and work that stuff out. This one is also pass/fail. I either do it or I don't. To keep myself accountable I'm keeping workout logs on evernote and with my little running widgets. I've got my support system in place and I'm ready to get things done!

hi fellow rebells, my name is fearlesscreek and this is my first challenge. i have a feeling its gonna be awesome!! starting point / the source: weight: 108,0 kg (237 pounds) height: 1,78 m (5´10´´) measures: waist: 98,5 cm bum: 110 cm bust: 103 cm bizeps: 35 cm calves: 44 cm neck: 38 cm running: able to run 3 x 10 minutes with 2 minutes walking in between. eating: clean, unprocessed food, few carbs but waaay too many calories goals for my first challenge / running towards awsome! i will be able to run 6k until mai 27. to reach this goal i will do every run of my 5k training plan unless injured. then i will do my first 5k ( AVON Frauenlauf Berlin) on mai 4th. after that i will rest for 3 days and then start training for my first 6k (Zehlendorfer Volkslauf Berlin) on mai 29th. by mai 27th i will have run 6k straight once. 6k run without walking = A+, 6 k run with up to 3 walking intervalls = A, 5 k run = B, 4 k run = C, not finished run = D, not started run = F i will eat 80 % clean unprocessed food and log it daily in myfitnesspal aiming to lose some lard. to reach this goal i will not go over my recomended 1760 calories / day. i will eat no food that comes in packages, but will allow dairy, oats and wholewheat. if i have to have fastfood i will only eat doner kebap but stick to my calories. 0-3days fail = A; 4-8 days fail = B; 8-12 days fail = C; more than12 days fail = F ( 5 CON) i will stick to a weekly budget. i am pretty broke right now !!! therefore i will review my financial situation each sunday and decide how much money can be spent during the upcoming week. i will not spend more than the amount i decided on. no fail: A; fail 1 week = B, fail 2 weeks = C; fail 3 weeks = D; borrow money = E (2 WIS 1 CON) i will have a short playdate with myself 6 times during the challenge. to reach this goal i will try out new physical activities that make me sweat ´n smile. like, i always wanted to kick ass like steve on a playground, try bikramyoga, do some weights on the roofterrace...whatever it is - i have to do something (new and exiting or just fun) 6x for at least 30 minutes. all playdates done = A; 5 playdates done = B; 4 playdates = C; less than 4 = F (1 STR 1CHA) i have joined the team "superheroes" ( spreadsheet acountabilitybuddies) and my wonderful sidekick is e-adora, who gets to read my boring food entries on mfp! *thanks girl!* looking foreward to meeting many of you! fearlesscreek

Um... ok. First timer here... please be patient! I'm a pediatric nurse, and mommy to 4 kiddos (3 of my own and 1 foster daughter)... so my schedule's a major problem when it comes to finding time for ME. That being said, I realize that if I don't find some consistency and some follow-through, I'm going to go insane. I eat traditional, whole foods in a way that's similar to paleo (I eat following the GAPS diet) because of other health reasons... and have seen amazing health progress on dietary changes alone, but have hit a plateau that I think may have to do with my lack of consistent exercise. I have a fabulously supportive husband, which is beyond-helpful, and I just need to make fitness a priority. So, for the next 6 weeks, here are my plans.... Three diet fitness goals for the next 3 months: Run/jog/walk 2-mile circuit with the dog at least 18 times (average of 3 per week)... bring music and try to learn to love jogging, because I really want to... I hear that if you get past 6 weeks you stop feeling like you're going to die after half a mile... (+2 DEX, +2 STA)Get to the point towards the end of this challenge that I can run at least half of the circuit (one mile) without stopping to walk. (+3 STA)Do the beginning-level body-weight exercise workout posted here on Nerdfitness on non-jogging days at least 12 times in the 6-week period... even if I have to get the toddler to "play" along with me... (+3 STR, +1 CON)Level up my life goal: Use the budget I have created and record all inflow and outflow of cash monthly. We do so much better with our money when I actually TRACK it, instead of it just flowing out into the nothingness of space... (+3 WIS)And another extra goal: Learn how to navigate this site and use it to it's fullest potential to help me to stay motivated and on track while developing healthier fitness habits! (+1 WIS)