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Hello sweeties! I am the Lady of Gallifrey and this is my first challenge. I have been living a pretty sedentary over the last few years, but I've started taking steps to change that. I'm hoping that the support of the rebellion will make the change a bit easier. I am really looking forward to seeing the changes that will come over the next six weeks!! Update (2/24/15): I've realized that I'm trying to do WAY too much for just starting out. I'm making some adjustments today, and may make a few more throughout the week. I'm looking at this week as a opportunity to refine my challenge goals into manageable and achievable goals. No point in setting myself up to fail! Update (2/27/15): I found a place to take pole classes!!!! So I'm switching from the aerial classes/goal to pole! I changed my gf/df goal to only be on weekdays. I also updated the grading system for each goal. Update (3/7/15): I went to the intro to pole class today and realized that trying to take a second pole class right after is not something I'm ready for right now. So, just one pole class per week for this challenge. Goals for 2015 Do a pull-up Hold a five minute plank Get 1,000 miles on my Fitbit Get down to 25% body fat (44% as of 1/1) Challenge Quest 1: BUTI Do three BUTI yoga workouts each week - Monday/Wednesday/Friday after work. A = 18-16 BUTI yoga workouts B = 15-14 BUTI yoga workouts C = 13-12 BUTI yoga workouts D = 11-10 BUTI yoga workouts F = 9 or fewer BUTI yoga workouts Stat points available: STR +2, CHA +2 (STR +1 for Level 2) Challenge Quest 2: Pole Attend intro to pole and pole fit classes on Saturdays (Starting 3/7) A = 5 pole classes B = 4 pole classes C = 3 pole classes D = 2 pole classes F = 1-0 pole classes Stat points available: STA +2, DEX +1 (DEX +1 for Level 2) Challenge Quest 3: Nutrition No eating grain or dairy before dinner on weekdays A = 0-5 indulgences B = 6-7 indulgences C = 8-9 indulgences D = 10-11 indulgences F = 12 or more indulgences Stat points available: CON +2 (CON +1 for Level 2) Life Quest: Clutter Get rid of one big bag/box of clutter each week A = 6 boxes of clutter B = 5 boxes of clutter C = 4 boxes or clutter D = 3 boxes of clutter F = 2 or fewer boxes of clutter Stat points available: WIS +1 (WIS +1 for Level 2) Motivation I want to start living a healthier life. I want to be a strong, healthy and sexy woman. I want to be comfortable in my own skin.

Minor updates on 9/22Major updates on 10/3 When I first joined Nerd Fitness a year ago, I was 160 pounds and 33% body fat. I am currently 182.8 pounds and 41.7% body fat. I have gained TWENTY POUNDS in the last year. I hate that. I know that it's my own doing (or not doing) but I hate it all the same. I have terrible follow-though/will-power/self-control/discipline/whatever you want to call it. I am a constant procrastinator. That all needs to stop. Now. No more excuses. This is going to be a very difficult challenge for me. But I need to make some serious changes. MAIN QUEST (BY JULY 5, 2015 - TURNING 30!!) Get down to 25% body fatBe fit enough to start taking aerial and/or pole classesBe ready to apply/transfer to a four-year to start my Bachelor's degree CHALLENGE QUEST Reduce body fat by 1% Do 20 full pushups without stoppingMaintain a B average in class CHALLENGE GOALSBulletproof! Follow Bulletproof Diet guidelines (CON +5)BUTI! Do BUTI workouts four days a week three days on, one day off (STA +5)Brains! No longer a goal but will earn WIS +1 for what has been completed so far. Study for at least one hour on non-school days (WIS +5)Bedtime! Get in bed by midnight on work nights (WIS +4) CHALLENGE GOAL DETAILS Bulletproof!Follow Bulletproof Diet guidelinesI will be following the Bulletproof Diet guidelines for this challenge to the best of my ability. I try to by organic produce and high quality protein, but sometimes it's just not in the budget. Also, I'm going to New York for a few days next week, so though I will be doing my best to stick with it, I'm okay with a few slip ups. (Like I'm not going to have a slice of pizza while I'm in New York!) I know that this goal is going to be quite a challenge for me, but like they say..."if it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you," and I need a change. The basic guidelines of the Bulletproof Diet that I am trying to follow:Have Bulletproof coffee in the morningEliminate sugar, gluten, grains, synthetic additives, legumesEat healthy fats, high quality protein, organic produce, fresh herbs and spicesLimit fruit and starch consumption to 1-2 servings per dayEat foods from the top two levels on the infographic (top four levels for veggies and protein, top five on spices and flavorings)The Bulletproof infographic below has "graded" food group lists that show what foods in each group are best and worst to eat. It also shows three different way of implementing the diet: simple, intermittent fasting, and protein fasting. I will be doing a mash up of the simple and intermittent fasting diets. Normally, you're not "supposed" to eat past 8pm, but with my schedule I'm pushing that back to 10pm. By the time I get home from school it's already after 9pm, and after getting home from work around 7pm and then working out and studying...I'd never get to eat dinner! BUTI!Do BUTI workouts four days a week three days on, one day off I will be doing BUTI workouts for my exercise this challenge. I used to do them a while back, and loved it, but I stopped...for some reason. But I'm getting back to it now! BUTI is "a movement practice that fuses power yoga, tribal dance and plyometrics into a high-intensity workout that transforms the body from the inside out." I really like BUTI workouts. They make me feel really sexy and more in touch with my body than a normal yoga class does. I'll be doing my workouts three days on, one day off. four workouts a week: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. This is the recommended workout schedule, but I couldn’t follow it before due to my classes. Though I'd like to workout in the mornings before work, it's just not realistic for me. Though I'm tired when I get home from work, I'd rather do a workout than watch TV and wish I wasn't as unhealthy as I currently am. Here's a short teaser video: I'm sure you can see why the workouts make me feel so sexy! Brains! – No longer a goalStudy for at least one hour on non-school days I'm taking the first half of Human Anatomy and Physiology this semester (Monday and Wednesday nights). I'm really enjoying the class, the professor is great, but it's pretty intense. Lots of memorization, lots of time in the lab, lots of studying that needs to be done. So, I'll be doing at least an hour of studying each non-school days. Things that can be considered studying: reading the book, making flash cards, reviewing or listening to the lectures, or coloring in my coloring book. I'm sure there are other things too. And I know...the coloring doesn't seem like studying, but it's an anatomy coloring book and it's REALLY been helping. I'm a very visual person, so to color in the parts of a cell or the layers of skin really helps to cement those concepts in my brain. Bedtime! Get in bed by midnight on work nights I am absolutely terrible about getting to bed at a reasonable time. I’m hoping to fix that a bit with this goal. And I really do need to get to bed earlier because I usually get up by 6am to start getting ready for work. I know that midnight may not seem that early, but it will be a struggle to stick to this. The boyfriend and I are both SO busy at work right now and usually only have a few hours in the evening to spend time together, eat dinner, do more work , or get things done around the house, so I often end up staying up much later than I should to spend as much time with him as possible. And while I’m not exactly excited about the idea of not spending as much time with the boyfriend, I really need to make sure that I’m sleeping enough. I’m not doing anyone any favors by exhausting myself. So…more sleep! STARTING STATS AND PHOTOSTaken on September 9thWeight: 182.8# (using Fitbit Aria scale)Body Fat: 41.7% (using Fitbit Aria scale)Bust: 38.25†Chest: 32.75†Waist: 31.75†Tummy: 39.75†Hips: 42†Bum: 46.75†Upper Thighs: 29†Above Knees: 17.75†In undies for my photos so I've hidden them...beware!! (By the way...posting these pictures is absolutely TERRIFYING for me!!! I feel SO exposed and ridiculously fat!)

Hello! I am new to the Assassins Guild and am SO happy to have found you!! Over the last few years, I have gained about 40 pounds. I have lost some then gained it back, lost and gained, lost and gained.... I have had trouble focusing on being healthy and instead have been focusing on being skinny. Though my last challenge (which was my first) helped me to start developing good habits, I was not working or trying as hard as I could/should have been. I have been hating on my body a lot lately, but enough is enough. I am taking charge of my body and my life. There will be no more negative self-talk. I have started treating my body with the respect every goddess deserves. I am going to push myself this challenge. Hard. I want to have a strong, lean, healthy, flexible body…and I am finally ready to do what it takes to get it! I will be doing some prep this weekend and will be getting started on Monday!! For this challenge, I will be focusing on gaining strength, flexibility, and discipline. STRENGTH STR +3, STA +1 **Edited November 12th** To build my strength this challenge, I will be doing BUTI the Beginner Body Weight Circuit in the mornings three times a week (Mo/We/Fr). BUTI is a fusion of yoga, tribal dance and plyometrics (http://www.butiyoga.com/). I have done a couple of BUTI workouts in the past and I always felt good and sexy afterwards, but I was always drenched in sweat. My knee is still tweaked from a previous injury and did NOT like the plyometrics in the BUTI workout yesterday, it is very unhappy today. So now the body weight circuit. I will start with a five minute warm up on my elliptical and then do three circuits of the exercises below, followed by cool down stretches. 20 body weight squats10 push ups20 walking lunges10 kettlebell rows15 second plank30 jumping jacks A = BUTI Body weight circuit 3x per week B = Miss 2-3 circuits C = Miss 4-5 circuits D = Miss 6-7 circuits F = Miss 8+ circuits FLEXIBILITY DEX +4 To build my flexibility this challenge, I will be working on my splits. It has been quite some times since I have been able to do the splits, and I miss it. I will be following the six-week plan outlined at http://www.unique-bodyweight-exercises.com/splits.html and will be practicing daily. A = Practice split exercises every day B = Miss 2-3 days of practice C = Miss 4-5 days of practice D = Miss 6-7 days of practice F = Miss 8+ days of practice DISCIPLINE CON +3, WIS +1 **Edited November 13th** To build my discipline this challenge, I will be eating 1800 calories a day. I did this last challenge, but I did not put any boundaries on it. This time I am giving myself some structure: Protein = 75 grams/300 calories, Carbs = 150 grams/600 calories, Fat = 100 grams/900 calories. This is going to be a tough one. I have a bad habit of late night snacking and I really enjoy cookies and cereal. I will be making an exception for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend (11/28-12/1). I know I will be eating more (and probably more carbs than anything) and do not want to get discouraged by counting those days against myself. I will still be trying to make good decisions though. I will grade this goal daily and average for my final grade. Over the last few days, I have realized that at this point in my life, trying to track/limit my food intake has unhealthy "side effects" for me. Instead of it helping me to control my eating (which I have been doing fairly well with over the last few months) it causes me to not eat. I don't feel that it will be healthy for me to continue this goal at this time, so I am switching to a goal that will definitely be more helpful and healthy for me. To build my discipline this challenge, I will be getting up at 6:00 am every workday morning. I want to develop the habit of getting up early so that I will have time to prepare for my day in the morning. I do not want to be stressed, like I usually am. I want to be able to enjoy the sunrise and the quite that only comes with waking up early. I will grade this goal daily and total for my final grade. A = Wake up at 6:00 B = Wake up at 6:15 C = Wake up at 6:30 D = Wake up at 6:45 F = Wake up at 7:00 GUITAR CHA +3 I have a lovely guitar that my boyfriend bought me for Christmas last year. I have probably spent a grand total of five hours playing it. That changes now. I will spend 30 minutes (at least) playing my guitar every day. A = Play my guitar for 30 minutes every day B = Miss 2-3 days of playing my guitar C = Miss 4-5 days of playing my guitar D = Miss 6-7 days of playing my guitar F = Miss 8+ days of playing my guitar *** Stats and measurements will be posted Sunday night/Monday morning ***