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Greetings, writing nerds! Announcing the first NerFiWriCh ever! That would be Nerd Fitness Writing Challenge, and is pronounced Nerfy-Rich. So a bunch of people were talking about how they had always wanted to join in on National Novel-Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, but the problem was that the timing was bad. NaNoWriMo takes place during the month of November, which can be a bit of a challenge thanks to a wide variety of reasons. First, a bit of background for those just arriving: NaNoWriMo is an event that happens every year where thousands (seriously) of people sign up to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. That's 30 days, or 1,667 words a day. This can be difficult during November thanks to the aforementioned variety of reasons. However, there is hope! Enter NerFiWriCh. Starting on January 16th, it will end on the same day as the current challenge cycle (Feb 15th). This will give us the 30 days of artistic abandon that we need to match NaNoWriMo's timeline. The goal will remain the same: write a 50,000 word novel during those 30 days. We're going to have people sign up and use this thread as an accountability partnership. Right now we have spaces for 10 people on the accoutabilibuddies sheet, but we can add more if we need them. Sign up on this thread too, let us know who you are and what you plan to write, and how many words you plan to shoot for when we get started! (Uh, also, admins, if I've screwed up protocol or something, lemme know. Cheers!)

Main quest: Know katas 1-4 for IATC in May. Goals: 1. Attend class 2:3 days per week; every week. [STR:1; DEX:0; STA:2; CON:0 ;WIS:1; CHA:1] 2. Lose 10 lbs (270 --> 260) by April 1, 2015. [sTR:0; DEX:2; STA:2; CON:0 ;WIS:0; CHA:1] 3. Achieve 10,000 steps 2 days during the 6-week challenge. [STR:1; DEX:0; STA:4; CON:0 ;WIS:0; CHA:0] Strength (STR) - physical strength Dexterity (DEX) - agility and speed Stamina (STA) - Endurance and Energy Constitution (CON) - ability to resist damage and disease Wisdom (WIS) - intuition and sense of things around himself Charisma (CHA) - force of personality and physical attractiveness Sylvia Race: Hobbit (5'3" 270lbs) Strategy: Plan for travel to IATC. Discard oversized clothes. Bring lunch to work. Eat 1 pack of ramen per week, max. Eat out 1 per week, max.Use S Health to track meals.

Hi all. Forgive me if this has been suggested in the past, or if I've posted in the wrong place. I had an idea for a slightly different kind of nerdy challenge we could do here at NF. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Imagine if several people banded together into a virtual adventuring party. They'd set off onto a quest together. I envision there being some prewritten "modules". Here's an example: The Crystal Pools - Queen Belova has tasked the party with retrieving an item of immense power from the Crystal Pools atop Winterborne Mountain. Part I: The party must travel to the foothills of the mountain and ascend to the peak. Each member must run, bike, or walk 5 miles on level ground, then another 3 miles on elevated ground.Part II: Along the way, the party encounters a band of orcs. After the battle, the party must heal. Each member must perform his combat routine*, after which they must each perform the healing routine*.Part III: Once at the Crystal Pools, the party must navigate to the island at the center of the pool to retrieve the item. Each member must perform 3 sets of 10 reps on a rowing machine, and swim 15 laps. Retrieving the item requires each member to perform one Maximum Strength Feat*Part IV: The party, low on rations, must return to the Queen with the item. Each member must make one Diet Feat* You only move on to the next part after the entire party has met the goal. If that happens in one day, great. If it takes a week, also great. If it takes a month, party members can encourage the holdouts to get it in gear. * Healing Routines, Combat Routines, Maximum Strength Feats, etc: These routines would be different for each person. Each party member defines for him or herself what these look like. For instance, I'm a fencer, so my combat routine might be to win at least one fencing bout (or maybe to win one 5-0). The Healing Routine could be a non-physical activity or goal. I enjoy painting, so my healing routine might be something like "Post one new painting online that I'm really proud of". The Maximum Strength Feat should be something that pushes your workout limits. For me, it could be defined as "3 sets of squats, 16 reps each, 200 lbs). Another party member might define the Combat Routine as three karate classes in a week, or a new Free Running routine, or 30 minutes on the heavy bag. The point is, these categories are up to the party members to define for themselves. I could see members of the NF community writing adventure modules for other parties to run through. You could even have an ad-hoc adventure, without a module, where the group takes turns GMing - one week, one member sets the group goal (and the narrative); the next week, another member takes over the story and decides the success factors, and so on. What are your thoughts?

Sorry, this is sort of a cross-post, but I just learned about the suggestion forum. Over here, I posted about a different kind of challenge we could do at Nerd Fitness. It's not meant as a replacement to the 6-week challenges, but rather a supplement, or a kind of "side quest". It incorporates some of the nerdiness that defines this community. The idea is a kind of RPG framework around our workouts. It's great that we have character classes, and awesome that we level up, but Legolas isn't famous for his physique, he's famous for his adventures! And what's more, he's not famous for his solo adventures, he's part of The Fellowship. What I'm proposing is that any group of NF'ers get together as a band of Virtual Adventurers. And together, as a fellowship, they complete adventure modules supplied by the community. Each adventure has plot points (Climb the mountain! Slay the Orcs! Slip into the Forbidden Temple of Gruumsh unnoticed and steal the fabled battleaxe Bonecrush!), which must be completed by all members of the adventuring party before they can go on to the next plot point. Completing a plot point might require an Endurance Feat, a Strength Feat, a Speed Feat, a Combat Feat, a Healing Feat, or other kind of feat. The best part is that each individual decides for him- or herself what qualifies for each of those feats. For instance, for me, I might choose the following: Endurance Feat - Complete a three mile run in under 30 minutes Strength Feat - 3 sets of 160# bench press Speed Feat - Complete a playground obstacle course in under a minute Combat Feat - Win a fencing bout 5-2 or better Healing Feat - Complete and post a new painting on Facebook Someone else in the Merry Band of Adventurers might choose something like: Endurance Feat - Run a mile without stopping Strength Feat - 3 chin ups Speed Feat - Set a new PR in lap swimming Combat Feat - Learn a new kata and perform it for sensei Healing Feat - Find a new way to add $10/wk into savings I imagine that, in time, adventuring parties will vie for the fastest time to complete given modules ("The Lowborn Seven completed The Quest of The Daylight Sword in under two weeks!"; "Yeah? The Dwarf Cabal is the only party to complete Marshland Keep this year!"). I bet, as a community, we'd come up with some awesome adventure modules. I think it could be some fun, and one more way to motivate each other. Let me know your thoughts. How can it be improved? Anyone interested in trying it out?

Hi! I'm GratedNutmeg, level 0 dwarf ranger, and I looooove me some parentheticals. (Also, First Post, think I'm following all the rules and guidelines but let me know if I'm doing something wrong!) I realized that my previous introduction was reaching epic proportions, so I'm trying to scale it into the tl;dr version (And more than a little tl;dr itself) I've never in my life felt like I was one of the 'athletic' kids. The healthiest I ever was was when I was in college, working a job that required lifting 45 pound boxes a LOT of the day and living with someone who loved to cook healthy, and even then I wasn't climbing mountains. I always associated being healthy and fit with being able to run. Don't know why. Definitely something that I couldn't do and, after MANY half-assed attempts, something just clicked in my brain in the last couple weeks. I don't like running. I love Zombies Run, love power-walking, but my knees are crunchy, the air quality here makes me feel like dying, and running just isn't FUN for me. But in the last couple weeks, with a brain flip click that I can't even really explain, something changed in what I want. Part of it was reading some fanfic with these amazing women (sometimes they had to be genderflipped to be women, but that's ok, that was better. It's Nerd Fitness. Don't judge) that were strong and wonderful and I wanted to be just like. I want to be able to spar and throw a punch and be STRONG. Annnd, I dabble in tarot a bit, and my favorite artist put out a new majors deck this fall that had the single most amazing depiction of the Strength (originally Fortitude) card I've ever seen. Strength is meant to represent a combination of inner and outer strength, and often is depicted as a lovely maiden, holding back/taming a ferocious lion. But not this Strength. She is a chimera, furred and broad and walking tall, a heavy pillar slung over her shoulder and snakes for her hair. Her face is so... content and she seems so PRESENT as she's hefting a stone pillar over one shoulder. She's *working*, and capable, and everything I want to be. Which leads me to my Quest, Goal, Mission! I want to be STRONG. Mentally, emotionally, and damn straight, physically. I know the BMI isn't perfect by any means, but right now I'm at my highest ever weight, 40 pounds over the highest 'normal' range, and it is definitely not muscle. My clothes don't fit, and I don't like how I look in or out of them (I always liked how I looked naked, even heavy ). And I want to change that. SO this year, halfway through being 30 is the year I'm STRONG. And that's my main quest... To support this quest! I've got my SMARTish (they're a little intricate) three goals below 1) Just Punch Through the Door: The NF Beginner Bodyweight Workout. Currently I can do one circuit (with modifications to the pushups). My goal is to build up to three full circuits by week six, including at least one 'real' pushup per circuit. This means building up to two circuits by week 3, three circuits by week 6. On alternate days, I'm doing cardio. That means 40 minutes powerwalking (at least) or the elliptical if the terrifyingly toxic inversion I live in is bad. I get one rest day per week! By week, I Pass if I do the above, I get a Neutral if I miss two days, and I fail if I skip more than two. At the end of the challenge, I need at least 4 passing weeks to consider it a success. I CAN DO IT! (I know i'm starting late, and this week is a Neutral already, but if I can do a circuit at ten o clock at night alone in the office conference room because I had to work 24 hours in two days with 5 hours sleep, I can do this!!! 2) The Strong Do Not Escape Their Fork: I do not cook. I subsist on take out, boxed/microwaved meals, and super unhealthy restaurants. I can't afford it, financially, emotionally, or for my health. So, baby steps!!!! Brown bag to work/come home and make lunch at least TWO days a week. Non-restaurant leftovers and crockpot meals count, microwave/box meals DON'T. Additionally, cook at home for dinner 1 meal per week (at least) up to week 4, and two dinners per week for weeks 4 through 6. Crockpot and non-restaurant leftovers count, microwave meals obviously don't. Try to make the meals healthy and fulfilling, of course (beef stew tonight!) This one is a straight pass/fail. I need at least 4 passing weeks to consider this goal achieved. Initial week is a fail Next week will be better! 3) Sodas Were Made By Hydra: I mainline it, and I shouldn't drink it at all. While I'm not forcing myself to give up unflavored or vodka flavored Perrier/seltzer ever (love me my bubbles), no more than 1 can of soda (or equivalent) per day, with one cheat day per week, up to week 4, and 1 can (or equivalent) per WEEK for weeks 5 and 6. I'm allowed unlimited coffee. Beer and vodka sodas are not soda (I don't really drink enough for this to be much of a factor). Rum and Coke is soda. And nasty. Skip the coke, leave the rum. This one is a straight pass/fail. I need at least 4 passing weeks to consider this goal achieved. Initial week is a fail Next week will be better! Side Quest! My apartment is so messy I am embarrassed to have people over. Making progress every week, it needs to reach acceptable levels of clean by week six. This means I have to make a little bit of progress EVERY week. Pass/Fail, but weekly progress is as important as the final result. To support these goals, I'm keeping a daily journal/log for goals succeeded etc, and while I'm not writing down everything I eat (I've tried that before, it gets overwhelming), I want to build some healthy habits around cooking before I stress too much about exactly what I'm cooking. They're not deep fried butter or anything though. LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Call of the Wild - Grant intuition, might, and swiftness to yourself and nearby allies. I figured I would go into full swing with the ranger vibe, so each challenge I will be learning a new ability based on ranger skills. For this challenge I will be focusing on gaining intuition, might, and swiftness. My Main Quest: Be able to deadlift my body weight, this is a focus for the beginning of the new year so this may take more than just this challenge. I am focusing on strength instead of just weight loss in order to see results more regularly, and keep myself going through plateaus and rough patches a bit more easily. Side Quests: Intuition (Food): Be mindful, observe, and listen to my body. Plan breakfasts and lunches, prepare meals ahead of time, and eat what I know is good for my body. 80/20 ratio (4 cheat items per week max, this would include a meal or more than 1 actual glass (not bucket sized glass) of wine, ect.) for occasional indulgences, and at least 8 cups of water per day. Track everything in MFP (or note if you can't track it on here as well as notify my trainer), and take advice from my trainer on eating properly. A - 80/20 ratio all 6 weeks B - 80/20 ratio 4/5 out of the 6 weeks C - 80/20 ratio 3 out of 6 weeks F - Anything less Might (Weight Training): Weight Train 3 times a week. A - 3 weight training days all 6 weeks B - 3 weight training days 4/5 out of the 6 weeks C - 3 weight training days 3 out of 6 weeks F - Anything less Swiftness (Cardio): Have at least 2 dedicated cardio sessions. A - 2 cardio days completed all 6 weeks B - 2 cardio days completed 4/5 out of the 6 weeks C - 2 cardio days completed 3 out of 6 weeks F - Anything less Life Quest: Save up for an elliptical machine (this may take more than 6 weeks, but make sure to put money away each paycheck).

Adventure! Excitement! Cthulhu! Join Ravnos on his ninth challenge as he battles demons, breaks PRs and continues on his merry quest for strength, honor and wisdom. Come! Join the merriment! Weep at the tragedy. Cheer on the excitement! Ninth official challenge time. Let's see where we're at with this. I've reached many of the goals I started out on NF with. I've gotten my waist to below 32 inches (and still improving) and I'm dropped my body fat considerably. However, it's time for a change. My focus now is on strength and endurance gains, as well as putting some muscle back on. GAINZ! I, of course, have the continued goals of working toward doing Salmon Ladders, dropping to 8% BF, eliminating stomach fat, squatting 1.5x body weight, deadlifting 2x body weight and OHP, Bench and Row 1x bodyweight. Last challenge kind of fell through the cracks and my life got hectic afterward, preventing me from signing on here... ever. In that time I maintained my paleo diet, participated and defeated my first Spartan Sprint and hung out with the ever-amazing, Teros. As we go into 2015, however, I'm recentering my life around what's actually important, me. This means less time stressing about a shitty job (I did not end up succeeding in my goal of getting a new job by the end of 2014... working on that) and more time on my health and personal goals. So without further ado, here are my quests for the first challenge of 2015 and my return to NF. Quest 1 - One More Rep Continue improving my lifts. My main, main focus this challenge is going to be breaking a 100lb Press. I've been plateaued between 90 and 95 pounds for a while now, and I took nearly 3 months off from the gym, so it's fallen back down to 85... Now it's time to break down my press technique and start making some real fucking progress here. Gym three times a week, no excuses, and a focus on OHP for gainz. Quest completion - 3 workouts, every week. +3 STR. Bonus: OHP 100lb 5x5. Quest 2 - Adapted Paleo I've adapted my paleo diet to improve gains, because I was struggling to stop losing weight. I added milk and potatoes back in (organic milk from grass-fed cows) and I've seen some great results. No fat increase, no gut problems and my weight went back up to 160 and stabilized. SO! the plan is 6/7 days of the week I eat modified paleo. Saturday is my cheat day, were I can have a little sugar, fruit, whatever. I still avoid gluten because it makes my gut very unhappy. Quest completion - follow diet plan 100%. +3 CON. Quest 3 - Nerd Fitness! I have failed miserably at even signing on here to check PMs since October, so it's time to get back on a regular checking/posting schedule here. My goal here is to sign on at least three times a week, update here and check friend's challenges. Let's get the gang back together... Quest completion - +3 CHA Quest 4 - Stop spending so much god damn money Try to recover from blowing some savings. Part of this will be selling some items in my home (comics, Magic The Gathering cards and vinyl). The other part is GETTING A NEW JOB. I've been doing weekly IT training with a friend of mine, so the goal here is to make sure I go every Tuesday and work on my skillz. Plain and simple. Motivation! Quest completion - Increase savings. Do job training, start applying for IT positions. +3 WIS Quest 5 - Turn on endurance I've been ignoring my endurance and conditioning for a while now, and while I felt comfortable doing the Spartan, I know I can make some marked improvements. My goal here is to do some running, once a week. Probably in the morning. I don't mind running in the cold, so we'll get this started soon. So... Quest completion - One run per week, 3-5 miles. +3 END More to come!

Spending his life in a small village outside of Edoras, Kenneth has led a peaceful life. Enticed by the extravagances of the capital, he has lived a bit beyond his means . Though it is a happy existence, he feels a bit unfulfilled, knowing that he has not measured up to his dreams. You see, Kenneth has always looked beyond the plains of Rohan. He looks to the dwarves and the elves, for their craftsmanship astounds him, he looks to Isengarde for he aspires to be a great thinker and know the mysteries of the world around him , and he looks to the Dúnedain of the north for their strength, self reliance, and adaptability in any situation. Kenneth, of Rohan, is ready to venture north. He is not entirely sure what he will find, but he hopes to find (and learn a few things from) the rangers, the dwarves, and the elves. Main Quest To prepare for my training as a ranger. This will be compromised of strength and endurance training as well as proper eating. Shedding some non-functional weight will be necessary as well, so I will set <= 230lbs. as a goal weight. Currently I am at 242lbs. Side Quests Strength Training – Strength train 3 times a week, using Starting Strength as a guide A --> 3 times a week B --> 2 times a week C --> 1 time a week F --> No strength training in the week Endurance Training – Cardio Traiing >= 3 times a week A --> 3 times a week B --> 2 times a week C --> 1 time a week F --> No endurance training in the week Proper Health and Nourishment – Food tends to be healthy when I prepare it myself…no more than 1 “prepared†meal a week, while striving for a primarily Paleo diet A --> Bought 1 or less "prepared" meal B --> Bought 2 "prepared" meals C --> Bought 3 "prepared" meals D --> Bought 4 "prepared" meals F --> Bought 5 or more "prepared" meals Life Quest Live within my means and pay $800 against my debts in the next 6 weeks. Edit 1 - Added Grading/Evaluation Metrics

I want a grass hut. Now before you go thinking, “what?†allow me to explain. My friend has an uncle whose life quest was to marry a nice girl, have a great family, and retire to the beaches of Hawaii where he would live in a bungalow (grass hut) and surf all day. The grass hut isn’t something that can be arrived at, photographed, and left with nothing more than fond memories; it will be a continual journey through life. My first challenge was about doing my physical therapy after surgery and creating good habits. It wasn't perfect, but that's kind of the point of a first challenges isn't it? It's not supposed to be easy, and now the goal is to improve with the following challenges. Though, nobody ever begins the story thinking they’ll save the world, destroy the ring, and kiss the pretty lady (or gentleman!). So, I’m willing to take this how it should be; one step at a time, carefully because the night is dark, and there are dragons ahead. GOALS 1. I am starting into the GAPS diet to treat some very stubborn digestive issues I've been dealing with. For now I will go straight to the full GAPS diet and save the intro for a later challenge if I feel I need it. 2. Continue with physical therapy and work in my plans five days a week. I'm still on recovery, so it's mostly PT, walking, mobility, and as soon as I get the okay, body weight. 3. Identify and use methods to relax. Last challenge identified this as a major weak point. Life challenge: cram for the DLPT! I have a huge, hugely stressful, job-reliant language test sometime in mid February. A bad time to focus on fitness? Nope. From experience, the best time to have a clear brain and a healthy, alert body.

I am excited to start my second challenge! I am still posting it in Level 1 Rebels, because I started late, then dropped off at the end (not excuses, but Holiday's and medical issues did not help). Now I am ready to start the new year with a bang, both in the challenge and my workouts! I really feel like I need/want to keep my quests the same as before, as this stuff still needs work: Main quest: To lose weight and build muscle Missions: 1 – Walk at lunch at least 4 times per week 2 – Do cardio at least 3 times per week and strength at least three times per week 3 – Create, get into, and stay in the habit of logging every meal, and by the end of this challenge I will be drinking 100 oz of water a day. Life Quest I want to be happy with my body and the progress I have made along my journeys Why am I here? (motivation) My motivation is that I want to be healthier and confidant. My family has a history of diabetes and I want to get fit and lose weight to try and avoid this myself. I also want to feel good in my clothes, and in my own skin; I believe building strength and fitness will help me with my confidence. Update - Week 1 Jan 5-11 I have the flu, so no workout, but I have been drinking more water, and logging my food!

Main Quest To get stronger while building muscle and losing fat. Support Quests Follow Stronglifts 5x5 every week (three workouts weekly). Get eight hours of sleep every night. Eat quality calories following the Paleo lifestyle Life Quest Try approaching more problems by finding solutions and not excuses. Fitness Side Quest Incorporate yoga and meditation into my routine to promote mental wellness. Motivation This has always been my struggle to find, but this is my best shot. I want to be both physically and mentally health so that I can overcome ANY challenge that comes my way. Whether that is climbing a mountain, raising a family, etc. Will likely post pictures and take starting measurements tomorrow morning. I'm new to the community, and as such, every feature of the forum, guilds, etc is still new to me. Therefore, I'm going to try going lone wolf this time, and maybe look for accountability groups in a subsequent challenge. I feel that if you have the right amount of motivation, being accountable to yourself is all you need. The motivation is always the hardest part (for me, at least). Really excited to see what unfolds in the next six weeks!

Another challenge and I'm ready. Back to crossfit, and adding another day each week. Adding a yoga session once a week to help with flexibility and range of motion. Tracking my food and water intake....something is off on my diet and I intend to find out what it is. I am making a point to get my sleep schedule back on track. I use the mornings for meditation and journaling and errands. If I don't get up on time I am rushed out the door and often skip crossfit in order to give myself time to get ready for work. I will be reading 6 books minimum to keep up with my yearly goal of a book a week.

Going to try 6 weeks of no drive thru and consming 90 oz of water everyday

My Wife just turned me onto this, Hoping to have a good first challenge. My Main goal: Drop and stay below 260, I am currently a big bastard at 285, I am supposed to be around 170 according my my height and wrist size, so says the internet, and that thing is never wrong. Challenge goals Diet, stay on that, that unholy son of a b**** is my downfall, my brain likes to tell my hands that my tummy needs crap foods, then my tummy doesn't like telling my brain it's full. I just need to keep calories down and make sure it's good calories going in, I need to try to get into a veggie habit (or at least eat one or two once in a while.) keep away from the bad carbs, and most importantly keep the F away from "sugary" foods. Bike to work at least twice a week, while still maintaining a good gym habit and routine. it's a 3.1 mile trip to work, some nice hills along the way, then about a quarter mile each way at lunch for the gym. Life goal Support my wife (who will be on her first challenge here too) and help her reach her goals too. Going at this like a good party, we can take on tougher mobs if we both level up together. look forward to this journey with all of you and hope I can do what I can to support everyone. You guys can do it, be the you,that you want to and most importantly be happy with the you that you are.

Ok, so the last few months have been interesting. First off there was CampNF. Seriously some of the best fun I have ever had. I'm going next year, don't care how it happens. Work decided I was needed to go share my awesomeness and train another facility for 4 weeks. This was at the same time as camp and a family wedding I was participating in. HOLY BUSY BATMAN. That was a lot of flights and packing/unpacking and just generally no time for being at home. I'm happy to be home, I'm happy to be back on my normal schedule, and I'm super excited to start a new challenge. Bring it on. I just celebrated my 30th birthday. This did NOT get me down. In fact I think I feel better now than when I was 25. I know I am happier! In fact I might be annoyingly happy right now, people are noticing my sunny outlook. Life is good! As far as what I am challenging myself with, I am still working out the details. I want to make this challenge about new habits. I am still sticking to my no sugar in my coffee habit from a previous challenge. Going about 8 months on that one and still going strong. I know I can make changes if I just work them out in baby steps. I want to tackle the habit of taking my vitamins every day. Krill oil makes my joints happy and I need to make it a daily thing. I drink plenty of water in the summer when it's hot, but now that its cooling down, I am going to have to be more mindful. I am excited about getting my batcave into working order. I will think about what I want to change and how I can track those changes and make them a part of the challenge. No more sitting at my desk in front of the comp. The filing I am putting off needs to be done and that file box must come off my desk...I hate the clutter. I am annoyed with my current gym and the price and the people and the equipment and the group of stay at home moms that invades at the same time I like to go and stand around and are obnoxious and talk about their kids while they lift tiny weights and do excessive cardio and are just generally in everyone's way. All in all, we need to see other people. There are two new Crossfit operations that have opened in the last 6 months both within a ridiculously easy distance. I would love to get back into Crossfit. I will be trying them out and seeing which is the best fit for my schedule and personality. The only thing about my gym I will miss is the badass guy who comes in all quiet, lifts like a beast and then does pull ups with a 50lb plate hanging from his waist. That man is my hero. I would high five him, but I fear it would break his concentration. The high five is implied! I will work out the details on these goals and see what specs I can include over the next few days. A detailed update and outline of my challenge will follow. EXCITED!!

Main Quest: To lose 25 lbs and become stronger for karate. SMART Quests: Eat lunch at my desk each workday and use my actual lunchtime to take a walk outside, even during our cruel Chicago winters. Improve my kata speed and balance. MOAR SQUATS! Plan dinners at home at least 24 hours ahead of time so I'm not looking at a pathetically empty pantry and resign myself to a fast food dinner that I will regret whilst eating. Life Quest: Become less introverted, save more money and travel more. Motivation: Since May of 2014, I've started learning that I can indeed change who I am as long as I'm doing it for myself, because - as I have never believed in the past - I am worth it.

Hi everyone, so last night at the bar, I made a bet with a friend that I could do 100 consecutive push-ups until April 1st, 2015. Today I did a test and scored 50. I still want to keep my most of my regular training routine (more heavy bodyweight stuff), and do the rep-challenge as supplemental work. My idea was to do a set of push-ups every morning and try to increase the number by at least one rep. My question: What are your ideas? How would you train for that? Has anyone done this kind of challenge? Cheers and thank you for any advice.

Hi all! I've done a bit with my daily battle log, and it's been up and down, as I try to work out how to get going. You know how in The Fellowship of the Ring (the book), Gandalf tells Frodo about the ring, and Frodo proceeds to sit around his hobbit hole for a few months eating a lot of breakfasts, and even once he truly gets going on his quest, he still spends way too much time chilling with Tom Bombadil? It's been like that. I need a challenge - something I can fail at to drive me to succeed. I need Black Riders running after me. Main Quest: Obese no more. This means losing about 100 pounds. Quest 1: Stop drinking sodas and sugary drinks by the end of this challenge. Currently I have about a 5 a week soda habit. I plan to taper off as follows: 4 sodas in week 13 sodas in week 22 sodas in week 31 soda in week 4last two weeks NO SODAS. Two whole weeks without a soda is better than I've done for about 3 months. Quest 2: Exercise 3 days a week - at least 15 minutes for high intensity (BBWW) and 30 minutes for moderate intensity (fast walking). I want to maintain success on this quest throughout the entire challenge - 3 days a week is not that hard. I should be able to do it. One major liability: I have surgery on Thursday, November 13. However, it is not the type of surgery that should stop a person from hopping on a treadmill. According to my doctor, there may be some pain the weekend following the surgery, but mainly I will be recovering from the effects of anesthesia for 2 days and I should be basically fine. Walking is highly recommended as soon as possible following surgery, and I should be able to get back to squatting and lunging within a week or two, depending on pain. At any rate, even if i'm just going for walks the week after surgery, I CAN exercise that week. No excuses short of completely unexpected results. Oh, and what's that other thing that might interfere with exercise during the next 6 weeks? Oh yeah, the holidays. Holiday shopping, particularly. No excuses though - 3 days a week. Quest 3: By the end of the challenge, track my meals every single day. For some reason, daily tracking strikes me as hard. But it's also what leads to the most success for me with weight loss. So I will work my way up as follows: Track 5 days in week 1Track 6 days in week 2Track 6 days in week 3Track 7 days weeks 4-6Life quest: Put $100 in savings. Savings is tough right now, and I'm working on a long term goal of having $1000 backup and then chipping away at debt after I have backup established. I am prepared for the holidays, thankfully - I've spent the year putting savings away each month specifically for holiday shopping. But $100 is still a major accomplishment during the holidays, because this is the time of year that I am most likely to eat out. Motivation: I want to keep adventuring for my whole life. Perhaps this is just the luck of genetics, but I have avoided pretty much all of the chronic diseases of obesity. I have only recently started having some issues with my blood pressure, but even that isn't yet at a point where I need medication. I can control my blood pressure with diet. I SHOULD control the blood pressure with diet. Additionally, my doctor pointed out to me that although I don't appear to be at risk for any chronic disease based on my current status, we all suffer joint degeneration as we age, and I will suffer far less if there is less weight on my joints. I like being an independent person. I like being able to go where I want and do what I like. I will better be able to keep doing that if I lose weight. Once the 6 weeks is up, I can make it up to Level 2! And that's awesome, because I LOVE leveling up. Seriously. I have done SO much blacksmithing in Skyrim just to level up. It's an addiction, albeit a great addiction for the purposes of this challenge. Here is what I plan for point allocation: Quest 1: Stop drinking sodas and sugary drinks: CON - 3 Quest 2: Exercise 3 days a week: STA - 2 STR - 2 Quest 3: track my meals every single day: WIS - 3 CHA - 2 Life Quest: Put $100 in savings: WIS - 3 I believe that's everything I need. Of course this is my first quest, so if there's anything I've left out, please let me know!

I know it's already a week in, but I'm jumping on the bandwagon. Goals for this cycle: Get flexible! I need to really develop my yoga/stretching habit, especially as the weather turns icky here in the PNW. My Goal: Yoga (preferably AM) 5x/wk. (+DEX, WIS) Get moving! I used to be a runner (half marathon last August), but have fallen out of the habit in the past year. Part of that had to do with the stiffness that came from a desk job. Yoga should help with that; I have no more excuses. My Goal: Run >5mi/wk. that can be two 3 mile runs, or one 5 mile run. Just as long as I'm moving! (+STA) Become aware! Knowing whether I'm meeting my goals in protein intake and sugar reduction tends to be half the battle! My Goal: keep a daily record of what I eat on myfitnesspal. (+CONS) BONUS - I want to hit a 100 kg dead lift by the end of the year! I just got a fitbit (I'm an engineer, I want all the data!), so I'm looking at the end of these next 5 weeks to have some solid data about my habits to reflect on. For accountability, here's the link to my Fitbit profile.

After a hiatus, I've decided that I need to return to the structure and discipline gained from partaking in challenges. I know that it's going to be during the holidays, but goals don't wait for those things to pass by, since they happen all the time. My mission, whether I can get to it or not, is to lose 15lb by my birthday, which is December 22nd. Here are the quests that I will undertake to accomplish the mission: 1. Eat clean, Paleo diet (complete Whole30 standards) for all meals, with only ONE exception per week. +5 CON 2. Workout three times per week. Workouts have been pre-planned, based on Steve's workout blueprint. +2 STR, +2 STA 3. APT (anterior pelvic tilt) therapy must be performed every day. This is a short body-weight movement and stretch routine that I've pre-planned as well, based on some simple research. +5 DEX My side quest has been difficult to decide on, but I think I will pick one that will help aid the above quests: 4. Learn how to plan meals for the week. +1 WIS I believe these quests will allow me to complete my mission by the deadline. I know that it seems like a bit much in such a short time, but I've been too relaxed during my hiatus. I wish to return to having plans and structure, to nurture my self-discipline. It will work; I love plans, schedules, and all sort of nerdy things like that. I also understand that using the Whole30 standards at once seems a bit tough and slightly against the habit-forming standard here of gradual elimination, but methodical elimination does not work with me. If I want one thing I shouldn't eat, I want all of the things I shouldn't eat at once. For me, holding myself to those standards all at once is the best way to keep me focused and make it easier for me to say "no" to things that otherwise might be questioned. It gives me some good black and white rules to follow. The one meal per week is a little window built in for those nights when I forget to plan ahead and need to hit the steakhouse for dinner (if the budget allows for such a thing). The point of that is to get me used to being okay to fall off once and roll back onto the plan after that moment without feeling sorry or guilty about it. I will post some pre-challenge stats, like measurements and maybe some before photos, later this weekend. I will also share the pre-planned workouts and therapy routine that I'll be doing, along with attribute points for completing my quests.

She set down her walking stick. Never again. She said. Never again would she be required to lean. She would stand proudly on her own two feet, and nothing could stop her. She looked to the forest and the mountain beyond which lay before her. I will conquer you. She began her run through the forest, dodging the ghouls that tried to stop her, outpacing them but only just barely. She knew if she was ever to become the assassin she dreamed to be, she had a long way to go. Her mind had always been sharp, but her body had crippled her for a long time, and it was now time to stretch her legs. MAIN QUEST A brief intro – I have been sick, most of my life. After walking with a cane for 3 years, in a wheelchair for several months, chemo, and 7 surgeries I am now walking on my own. I’m skinny, but squishy, and looking to actually be fit; to have some muscle on these squishy skinny limbs. I am now able to enjoy active hobbies like kayaking and rock climbing and trail running. I also work in a laboratory all day so it’s nice to get outside in the fresh air occasionally. So my main quest - To be able to climb a 5.10b route. (Currently at about a 5.8+) Quest 1 – Climbing into Mordor (+3 STR +1 DEX) The only way to get better at climbing is to do it! A lot! Fortunately with a gym membership to my local rock gym it is doable! I will climb 3 days every week, with the goal of completing at least one 5.9 route before the challenge time is up. A – At the gym 3 days a week, successfully climb a 5.9. B – At the gym 3 days a week (only missing maybe 1 or 2 days), unable to finish 5.9 C – Only climb 1-2 times per week. I simply couldn’t make it into Mordor. Quest 2 – Running with Orcs (+2 STA) I’ve never been much of a runner. Never have really been able to. I would like to change that! So I’m currently doing the Zombies Run 5K program! So I would like to dedicate at least 2 days per week to completing Zombies Run episodes/challenges. A – Successfully complete 2 Zombies Run programs per week. C – Successfully complete 1 Zombies Run program per week. Quest 3 – Chasing the night (+2 CON) I have always been an insomniac, with a very weird sleep schedule. I’ve also recently gone from working night shift (12:00 – 7:00am) to a day shift 7:00-4:00. Shifting to that schedule has been difficult. So I’m setting a bedtime for myself. Going to be in bed (and not reading/playing some game/etc) by 10:30, and wake up in time for work at 6:00 every day. Weekends I will permit myself to stay up until 12:00 and no later (considering I prefer 3-4:00 this is a big step) and waking up by at least 8:30. A – stick to my schedule every day. B – 1-3 slack days C – More than 3 days failing my schedules. Side Quest - Bibliomancer (+2 WIS) Writing has been a hobby of mine, almost since I could read. Unfortunately I never have the drive to finish anything that I start. So I’m participating in NaNoWriMo for the first time this year, and while I’m not sure if I’ll get 50,000 words in in November I for sure will by the time this challenge is over! A – 50,000 words in November B – 50,000 words by December C – 30-45,000 words by December

Late again! I promised myself I'd start this thing on time! Anyway, My goals remain mostly unchanged from my last challenge. 1) Main Quest- Weight loss: I'm cutting down to 1200-1400 calories a day along with keeping track, and on track, on Weight Watchers. I'm also exercising whenever and wherever I can, as well as playing DDR and working in the Hot Foods kitchen for schooling. Two pounds a week, here I come! 2) Life- School: I'm going to finish Hot Foods by doing everything I need to do. Furthermore, I will go a bit ahead in my workbooks so I can work on that research paper on Food Sustainability. It has to be four pages long, include something about fish/seafood and it's due January 9th. Lateness won't be accepted in this case, so hopefully I'm not tardy in this respect as well. 3) Fitness- DDR: I want to get to Standard/Difficult levels of awesome. I'm actually doing really well, right now. I'm doing fours, fives and beginning on sixes, when I have my energy. I'm going to be grading myself DDR style, just for fun.

The past few months have been extremely hectic and stressful for me. I just moved out, just finished the first round of tests at school, have a sister who has been ill for nearly six months now and she's not improving, got psychological researches, failed my last year of school while all my friends graduated and went on with their lives... And I tried to stay big and strong, so I kept wearing a mask that showed a motivated and happy young woman. I fooled everyone around me, including myself. I don't want to fool people about this anymore, that's why I'm being honest about it here. The truth is, I'm exhausted, angry, afraid and unhappy. I feel like a failure, even though I know I'm not (I now have documents that say I'm super intelligent, so nothing wrong there even though it feels differently). I haven't snapped, I simply started to really listen to how I was feeling deep inside. Even though I feel this way, I also feel that there are so many more things for me to do in the city. I come from a village where there isn't much work and especially not much young and educated people, so a city is a good option for me. I feel I can really accomplish something in the city I live in now. Yet, if I want to do that, I need to feel fit and energized, happy and balanced, so the opposite of how I feel now. I'm sure I can accomplish that, especially through meditation and also through yoga. I'm still a beginner when it comes to yoga. I'm not sure where to begin and end, and I'm not sure what to do in the middle. I've found some sources that I really like, but if you have any suggestions whatsoever when it comes to yoga, please share them with me. I will not be taking any measurements of my body and I will not be taking any before and after pictures. This time round, I want to feel my best rather than look my best. Apart from that: I think I will look my best when I feel my best, so it all starts with cleaning up the inside. Here's my second challenge, my first among the Druids. Main Quest Get healthy, fit, energized and balanced. Mission 1 Drink 2 liters of water every day, and track the amount you drink by using the app iDrinkWater. This may include tea, as well as fruit/vegetable infused water (no soda!). Don't include the glass of water first thing in the morning in the 2 liters. Mission 2 Meditate every day. It doesn't matter at what time during the day it will be or for how long, as long as you do it. Preferably 30 minutes a day, but 2 minutes is already better than not meditating at all. Mission 3 Yoga, preferably every day. This might not be possible, and it's alright if it doesn't work out for 7 days a week, but try to do it as often as possible. Again: time and duration don't matter, just do it. The sources I will be using: DoYogaWithMe (thinking of doing the beginner's calendar) BeMoreYogic YouTube: SarahBethYoga DoYouYoga 30-Day Yoga Challenge This will be the way for me to exercise. Any other form of exercise is welcome too of course, but seeing how I feel at the moment I think there is a bigger chance for me to heal and to actually move around if I do yoga. Life Quest Get over your shyness and find a job. Motivation I don't want to feel exhausted, angry, afraid, unhappy and like a failure anymore. I can't take care of others if I can't take good care of myself, and I most definitely can't focus well in and on school if I feel the way I feel now. Something has to change. As for my rewards: Of course I will receive some more stat points {which I will divide later in an edit of this post}, but the main reward will be my improved health. If I end up getting a job indeed, I will buy a new pair of jeans. Even though I'm not feeling all that well I am excited to start another challenge. I've been giving it a lot of thought before I wrote it down properly because I really think this will help me feel better. Let's go!

to put it simply my motivation is to walk from the set of Hobbiton in New Zealand to the mountain used as mordor. Goals- 1. run two miles 3 times a week 2. to gain about 3 pounds in muscle 3. to start attending my longsword classes again 4. follow to Paleo diet by cutting about roughly half the grains and dairy going into my system.

Name: MasterContender Age: 22 Height: 160cm Weight: ~200lbs maxed at 220 Gender: Unknown Race: Unknown; Shows Bugbear attributes Location: Indeterminate; last seen razing villages and kicking a** in the mountains of Nepal Occupation: Unemployed college graduate- aka English Major Should you come across MasterContender, regard them as extremely dangerous. It has been known to have the ability to shapeshift and is trained in hand to hand combat. Rebellion Game Sheet Motivation I am joining the rebellion because I want to enjoy my body in its prime. These are the best years of my life. I want to spend them fit and strong and active. I want to go shopping with my friends without feeling self-conscious. I want to buy bras from Victoria’s Secret instead of Lane Bryant. I want to be stronger and more agile. I want to be strong enough to climb trees, buildings, and jungle gyms. I want to lift my own body weight over obstacles. I want to run without getting winded. I want to set a good example for my sisters and my mom. I want my athletic spirit to have an athletic body to live in. I want to see all the amazing things I know my body can do with proper care. I want to respect my body by strengthening and nourishing it properly. There is no difference between eating a box of donuts in one sitting and having a cigarette, and I’m crazy for convincing myself otherwise. Main Quest: Run 5k in Spring 2015Sub Quests Meet at least 45% of daily water goal 3x a weekUse “Water Your Body†application to log and trackIncrease running distanceProgress to week 3 of Couch to 5k programEat a balanced plant based breakfast and lunch 3x a weekLog meals using My Fit Pal or Noom for accountabilityLife Quest Learn to parallel park safely, efficiently, and with confidence!Fitness Side Quest Find a plant based milk alternative