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Hi, everyone. The name is Kerri. I am a 22-year-old woman, passionate about psychology, writing, and crime dramas. I collect Carebears and X-men anything. I've been a "nerd" in some aspects for as long as I can remember. I'm the kind of girl who tied jump ropes across our trampoline so I could be a 'spy.' I love all things Marvel but have a particular affinity to the X-men. If you cannot tell by my username, my favorite character is X-23, aka Laura Kinney aka Wolverine's clone. I also enjoy video games, the Sims, some anime, and recently have started dabbling with Magic and D&D. Outside of that, I love to read, write poetry & prose, watch crime shows, cross-stitch & embroidery, and Bullet Journaling. I also love the Hex Girls, Winx Club, W.I.T.C.H., RWBY, and Miraculous Lady Bug. I found here kind of by accident about a week ago, and I've spent that week devouring what I could from the site, the articles, and the forums. I'm extremely out of shape right now, and unhappy with where I am at in my fitness. I have fibromyalgia, PCOS, IBS, asthma, ADHD, and PTSD. The main kicker for my fitness is the fibromyalgia, it's so hard to exercise when I'm already hurting, even if I know it might help me feel better in the long run. Up until 6 months ago, I didn't know I had ADHD, so it was kind of like this answer to why I couldn't follow through or break things down into goals and focus on them. I've been on meds for 6 months, and it's crazy the difference it's made. The way the 4-week challenge planning sheet is set up is AMAZING for my ADHD brain and I loved starting to plan these things. It's now about sticking to them, which is hard for me. I am currently sitting at one of my highest weights: 279 lbs. I am 5 foot 4 inches, so that puts me at a pretty unhealthy weight right now. I was doing okay for a while, staying in the 220-230 range, but when I was assaulted in September of 2017, I got really into disordered eating (mainly binging) and it caused rapid weight gain. My highest was around 285. So I've managed a little loss on my own. I am at high risk of diabetes due to my PCOS (my insulin is already super jacked up), and my heart is under some strain from the extra weight. Therefore my main goal in joining the Rebellion is weight loss, for now. (Deep down, I want to be a strong woman, not just an in-shape woman... or some sort of parkour ninja... I don't know yet haha.) My Main Quests: 1.) No More Diabetes - Get my fasting glucose down, and my insulin levels down. 2.) Lose It, Woman! - Lose 80 lbs to get under 200lbs 3.) Publish that Poetry - Publish the poetry book I've been working on for the last year and a half 4.) Sell that Stuff (Artwork) - Sell at least 3 pieces of artwork, and have a location for doing so 5.) Go back to college. I will break these down more in my battle log, and 4 week challenges, but that's the gist of things. I am so thankful to have found somewhere so friendly to those of us who... don't quite fit in other places. So glad to be here, and join this Rebellion

In 2015 I moved to Brooklyn after accomplishing some great changes in my life. Since then, I've hit a lot of stumbling blocks and now it's time to get back to it. After losing my job in April of 2017 (primarily due to my poor health negatively impacting my work), I spent 6 months recovering. My depression was out of control, my anxiety through the roof, I was in constant pain, often sick, and I had a feeling that I had the wrong diagnosis. Three hours after I was informed I was being let go I had an appointment with a new psychiatrist who then gave me the contact info for a therapist who specializes in patients with chronic illnesses. This began six months as a full-time patient. Doctors appointments, flares, setbacks, and then a time crunch to get health insurance. And once again, She-Hulk was going through her own nightmare. After getting officially diagnosed with Primary Immunodeficiency and losing my new job for, when it comes down to it, disability-discrimination... it's time to stop and get my life back in order.

Hello! I'm a chronically ill student nerd with more dreams than spoons. I would especially love to meet other disabled/chronically ill nerd fighters to share my journey with! A bit about me: I'm a final year vet student living in the UK I love to read, draw, paint and write. I'm a lover of sci-fi, video games and true-crime podcasts (my latest obsession) I suffer from Joint Hypermobility Syndrome, which causes me chronic pain and weakness in most of my joints, and chronic fatigue, which is just unneccessary I'm also a mental illness warrior I'm currently very deconditioned due to recent worsening fatigue which has left me unable to consistently exercise, but I'm working with a wonderful personal trainer to very slowly build back up to regular exercise I'm a vegetarian with food aversions and an unfortunate dislike for a lot of healthy food (ouch) Goals! My short term goals are to improve my diet (less sugar, more veg) and build back up to a consistent, manageable, varied and enjoyable exercise routine Medium term goals include building up my muscle strength again to where everyday activities are not so hard on my body, and reintroducing running Long term I want to build tons of muscle, get really strong, take up all the other sports and exercises that I either used to love or want to try, and be able to handle and lift my heaviest patients without damaging myself. That's pretty much just for starters! I'd love to meet some new people, find an accountability buddy if possible (someone else with similar health issues and/or goals would be wonderful) and if anyone has any tips for me I'd very much appreciate it! And I think that's everything I wanted to say...

Ok. Here it goes.... You can read about the current issues I'm having here but short version is I may be dealing with a lot of pain in the short term. I'm not sure how much, and if it's like my really bad days as of late, I'll be couch-ridden and unable to do much at all. I almost wasn't going to put up a challenge whatsoever this month, but I've been doing a lot of thinking (and a lot of time on the phone with doctors and insurance company) and have come up with a lists of truths - things I know that I can apply right now. This is not the end of the world. It's not a new, degenerative, life-threatening diagnosis. It's one, possibly two months. Modify, modify, modify. Good Rebels modify when they need to, and Rangers are the best jack-of-all-trades, try-anything, make-due-with-what-ya-got Rebels out there. I am a damn good Ranger. I will modify. Self care will take me far. If I can focus on taking care of me, I can get through this. I may have to take time off work. I may not increase my lifting or decrease my weight, but I will do what I need to better myself - even if that means just scraping by for one-two months. Lift heavy things. My body is heavy, especially when I am in pain. So is the emotional weight of dealing with this crap day in and day out. I will move myself, even if it is down the driveway. Goals will be determined later. But this is a start.

I have been struggling with my weight on and off for years. I only have 10lbs to loose and I know for some people that might not be enough to worry about but for me it is beyond frustrating. For the last 3 years, I have been significantly unwell, this has impacted my digestion of foods and means I have been everything from slightly unwell to bed-ridden. As a result, my body is bloated and larger then where I am comfortable. I have been trying since the start of the year to loose these few kilos and get on top of my health and not only am I still not well, but I still feel fat. The worst part is that I know that I shouldn't worry as I am in a healthy weight range and my body can do more now then I could before, as in this time I have achieved a range of fitness goals that I never thought possible. Yet, I cant shake the thought and desire to loose weight. For the last 4 weeks, after finally getting the okay from my doctor, I have been fully paleo. This has always given me the results I seek in the past yet this time, nothing is happening - measurements arent moving, clothes dont fit still and I still feel gross. I know intellectually that I need to trust the process, but emotionally I am struggling. I don't know what else I can do? Any suggestions on how to remain positive during this process?

Hey lovelies! I'm going to come out and say it: I have a mood disorder. My mood disorder is like what happens when bipolar disorder and generalized anxiety disorder get together and have a baby. A baby that is prone to adorable swings between mania and depression and it also gets so obsessed over perceived faults that it won't leave the house. Bipolar disorder and generalized anxiety couldn't be prouder parents! It makes functioning pretty difficult sometimes, and it sometimes takes all the joy out of... well... everything. I'm on a nice little cocktail of medications and actively seeking a therapist (because mood disorders tend to respond well to a combination of medication and cognitive behavioral therapy.) Right now, I am stable. I am, however, always going to be treating and learning to manage my disorder more effectively. I was looking around the posts and noticing some of my fellow forum-goers admit to having anxiety, depression, and other similar mental health problems. I know that, when I'm having my down swings, the depression makes it incredibly difficult to do things like eat, shower, or keep a semblance of a normal work life. Also, certain medications do cause weight gain. So, I was curious- how does everyone else manage training when you have an illness? It doesn't have to be a mental disorder. You could have a physical problem, or you could have a disorder that makes it difficult to function socially. Nobody likes to experience episodes of decompensation- that moment when the things you were doing to manage your disease stop working. It's really scary, and I was curious what other people on Nerd Fitness did to manage their their symptoms and build a contingency plan in the event that that your health takes a turn for the worse.

Hello! My name is Savannah and I've actually introduced myself before. 2 years ago. I need to start over. In bullet points, because I like them. I am a 28-year-old wife and mother. I had a very active childhood filled with running and swimming and dancing and horseback riding, up until I began college. My college years were less active but I was still relatively fit and healthy. Then I got married and had a kid.Two years after my daughter was born I was diagnosed with Grave's Disease, an autoimmune condition that makes my thyroid over active. August of 2013 I began a new, active job working with children. I was doing pretty well, even started a journey toward lifting weights. A few weeks into weight lifting I had some nerve problems in my shoulder and was forced to take a break...that never ended because we were buying a house and I was taking on more hours at work and still trying to be a wife and mother. It was really easy to make excuses. In October of 2014 my doctor decided I could try for remission, so heck yeah! In December 2014 my health began to lag and by January I was sick with hyperthyroidism and had to go back on my meds. Just as things were looking up in February, however, I was hit with a bout of the respiratory flu. I missed two weeks of work, was incredibly weak and fragile for the two weeks following, and generally had never been so sick in my life. It caused the Grave's disease to do crazy, wild, and altogether terrible things to my body, leaving me feeling like a shadow of myself. It wasn't until June (and I had been forced to choose between my health or my job) that I began to feel like I could be a real girl again. Amidst this all, my blood sugars began acting fishy. As the sister of a Type 1 diabetic and the daughter of a medically-induced Type-2 diabetic, I got tested. My numbers came back as possibly pre-diabetic (this is a little more complicated because of my thyroid right now). In June, my health began to improve and something in me snapped. I want to be healthy. I want to run and play and enjoy my life. No sugary food or laziness was going to stop be this time. So I began to cut out processed sugars, lowered my carb intake from the ghastly amounts I was eating, began Couch to 5k, and started to lift weights again. I've had set backs aplenty: side cramps that will send you to the grave, muscles so sore I can barely move, and the fun addition of blood sugar that plummets the moment my workouts are over. But this time is different, because I'm still going. I'm trying to figure out how to prevent and work with the issues that crop up and I keep pressing on. Tomorrow morning I'm going on a run at 7am. (I'm telling you this in the hopes that it will make me ACTUALLY go. I hate running. My runner sister tells me it's because I'm not running far enough to hit the runner's high yet. I'm holding her personally responsible if she's wrong.) Friday I am starting the Strong Lifts weight lifting program from the ground up. I mean the lowest you can conceivably go. I can't yet squat my 15lb pipe. It's all I can do to squat my body weight. (And that really isn't very much because I am a small, thin, but incredibly weak, person.) This time I want to do this right. I want to succeed. But now I realize that I need a community. So here I am. TL;DR: Despite an active and healthy childhood, I have Grave's disease and some junk, I am now maybe the weakest person you know thanks to stuff n things, and I am determined to get strong and healthy and active. Thanks for reading, if you did; I totally get it if you didn't. See ya around! Savannah

Hi folks, My Main Quest is to become more fit; which is to say I want to: Lose 3.5 inches from my waist at the end of 6 weeksWalk at least 75,000 steps each week (I have a Fitbit which tracks for me)Bike 30+ minutes three times per weekThe reason why I I want to become more fit/active, in short, is because I miss it a lot. I played a lot of sports until the end of high school where I was hit with a chronic illness that made life really tough. Once the illness absolved itself some, I developed severe osteoarthritis, which resulted in 3 major surgeries in 3.5 years. Now that I'm "recovered" from the most-recent surgery (a total wrist fusion in November) I want to start doing at least some of the stuff I used to. I also know that I need physical activity as part of my well-being: I'm working on my PhD exercise helps me sleep better and contributes to stress relief. But there is the caveat: even though I'm "healed" and the surgery was considered a success, I'm still in some level of pain all the time. Some days are worse than others ( = I need narcotics to "function"), but there are days when doing "normal" everyday adult things are really tough: as much as I want to do things my body cannot. I am what you call a spoonie. There are also a lot of activities I cannot do because either it requires wrist movement (lots of yoga and body weight exercises) or my wrist/arm needs to bear weight (which causes pain). I have a follow-up with my surgeon in early May to figure out my "next steps," but I am still figuring out what I can and cannot do, which changes on a day-to-day basis (weather/pressure changes impact my pain levels, as does my activities in the previous days, the amount of sleep I get, and things I'm still figuring out). Despite the caveat, I want to be healthier, and I want to survive grad school. I'm just not sure how much I will be able to accomplish. Thus, the motivation for my second challenge, is that every day is a fight. I will calculate how well I did (or didn't) at the end of each week, and post the result on Sunday. Beginning Stats: Weight: 179.8lbs Waist: 38 inches Week of April 6-13 I walked 86,477 steps Week of April 6-13 I biked 0 times (I was moving places...and yeah). I wanted to add as well that my Life Quest is to be done my conference paper (being presented on June 1) by May 25th. I want an initial draft written by April 27th, a second draft written by May 11th and then the last draft by the 25th.

A couple years ago I was biking with my kids... it was our FIRST long ride (about 50 miles)... we were on our way back to the car but still about 10 miles from the car... we were tired.... we were hot... Zombie (my youngest he was about 10 then??) got VERY frustrated and threw down his bike... he wanted us to go get the car and come back for him (wasn't an option because we were miles from the nearest access point)... I told him whenever I get frustrated I think of my favorite verse and my favorite childhood book and he was like HUH? and I said... I can do all things (through Christ who strengthens me) and the little engine that could... I just say over and over I can do all things I can do all things I can do all things... like the little engine and he was like... ok mom and started riding... then like 1/2 mile later he started to slow down... so I asked him "what does ALL mean"... and he was like HUH?!... does all mean some? does all mean just a few? does all mean only the easy things?... and he was like DUH mom all means ALL and he kept riding.... about 1/2 mile more he started slowing down... and I was like... hey chris is this one of those things? he says no mom and I am thinking that he totally missed the point... and then he says... mom we already done 32 miles and we only got 8 more till we get to the car... this isn't a thing... this is HALF a thing... and we made it to the car with no more arguments so now when we got hard stuffs.... we tell each other... this isn't a thing... and we kinda know what it means so this challenge.... It isn't a thing... it's half a thing here's a little backstory here's a little motivation here's a couple (or three) goals gym 2xweek run/walk Ezra daily (I don't have any pics of ME running... so you get my constant companion/running partner) don't die/cross the finish line at the spartan Shakespeare and I will be flying to Boston on le 14th of november to race ... we will be meeting with a bunch of other nerds... nerdsgiving is going to happen... we are flying back on that sunday... TL:DR - here's the goalsgym 2xweekrun/walk Ezra dailydon't die/cross the finish line at the spartan ------------------------------------------------disclaimers: you might notice I don't do stat points... I decided long ago that they are detrimental to my mental health... although I do say grading will be based on effort and not achievement – achievement will come with sufficient effort also... if you've been around here a while you know that I do a LOT of hiking... because of my health issues I HAVE to draw a fine line on how much I do... I reserve the right to substitute a hike for a run/gym day

In truth, I started my quest on July 9th, 2014. However, since I wasn't sure if I was ready to stick to it, I've kept this information as my computer background up until now. I've been bedridden for the past year because of major joint deterioration due to very active RA. I want to get a hold of my health again. I want to not be afraid to risk taking a job in fear of not being able to pull my weight because of my illness. I don't want this disease to define who I am, because for a while, it has. Measurements: Starting weight: 245lbs Current weight: 230 -> 225 -> 220 Height: 5'9.5" Fat Percentage: 48.5% Muscle Percentage: ? neck:15" bust: 46.5" waist: 42" waist in corset: 39" stomach: 50" hips: 49" wrist: 7" calf: 19.5" upper thigh: 28.5" lower/mid thigh: 22" forearm: 11.5" upper-arm: 15.5" Main Quest: Medical Remission of Rheumatoid Arthritis Side quest: Lose 65 lbs (200lbs by my Birthday December 27th). October 2, 2014: Showing signs of medical remission, under doctor's watch and am beginning to taper off the strongest of medications. Lowering dosage by .1 ml every three months unless told otherwise. *DANCEDANCE* Quest 1: Do something productive every day. AKA. Fight a boss a week. WEEK THREE Productivity! Goal: CLEAN 50% of bedroom : From the bed... to the door! .......until my toes can touch the floor. 1. trash stuff 2. deal with laundry 3. organize stuff (sort through those boxes, yo). Quest 2: Nutritional overhaul. Edit: Adjusted my macronutrients so that I can actually hit my calorie goal. Protein: Between 80-90g Carbs: Between 100-120g Fat: Less than 40g Protein: Between 100g and 130g Carbs: Between 100g and 130g (lee-way for carb-rich veggies and fruits) Fat: Between 50g and 70g fat Sugar: Up to 50g of sugar (under 25g for non-fructose derived) Eat more whole foods, not processed. Quest 3: Exercise at least 3 days out of the week. This accounts for any sort of focused exercise; squats, leg lifts, the BBW workout, or sessions at the gym (among others). WEEK ONE WEEK TWO WEEK THREE WEEK FOUR WEEK FIVE WEEK SIX

Hello fellow Rebels! Finally I decided to take care of myself. After a living a life for other people and spending lots of time helping others, who often neither where grateful nor deserved it, I realised that I am an important person myself. Last year I've been sick for a long time and had to take heavy medications (antibiotics really can knock you out!). I wasn't able to go to College (I study Cognitive Science), thus I had plently of time thinking about my life. It's not just, that I was physically ill - I've also been ignoring a severe depression and panic disorder for quite a long time, nearly destructed my own body by eating unhealthy and started smoking up to half a package a day. This isn't how I want to live my life. Because of the side-effects of the antibiotics I still have to deal with, I will interrupt Uni for half a year coming semester. Besides follwing the doctors orders, I want to use this time to become a fit, stable and healthy person, so I can pursue my dream of becoming a neuroprosthetics developer, without my issues interfering. Although I have a healthy weight, I want to become fit, maybe lose 10 more pounds, but nothing extreme. Also, I decided to eat meat again. I lived vegan for quite a while, with the result of lots of deficiencies. I don't know for how long I will be able to follow this resolution, but I want to give it a try. Then I need to quit smoking, starting today going cold turkey and will restart doing exercise. I used to love sports and I really really love martial arts, so I will enroll into a course next week. Also running used to be a passion of mine. I don't want to overdo things, but I know that moving more will help the depressions getting better (Knowing the neurochemnisty background from Uni, there is no denial - moving yourself is one of the best ways to make you happy!). The same goes for meditation. When I was younger I did it every day, but after moving out from home, I did't have the time and spend my sparetime in front of the computer. I hope to be able to incorporate it into my live again. The last big topic in my life that has to be taken care of is money. Due to medications and expensice vegan food, I made some debts. Also I'm moving to a new flat tomorrow (away from an abusive friendship!) and this is going to be costly, too. But I know that with some time and discipline I can find a solution for this! So, after you know the basics about my goals for Nerd Fitness, a little more about myself. I am - how else could it be- a huge nerd. I love movies, video games (Left 4 Dead is the best!) and Comics (Walking Dead, anybody... I think it's safe to say I have a little zombie obsession). When I was younger I spend three years in hospital, all these stories made me feel less alone. When I'm not hanging out with people, I love coding and -as weird as this sounds- maths. The pure logic you find in it is somehow calming in my opinion. Well, that was quite the long text, thank you for making it through. I hope there aren't many mistakes, I'm not a native speaker. You are a great community, and at this point I want to thank Steve for his wonderful blog. Best wishes to you all, coppelia

Challenge: Core of Steel Last challenge, I blew it. Just a few days before the end, I peaced out of the forums, stopped replying to threads, completely disappeared. There were a lot of reasons for that but the simple answer is that when your brother gets married right in the middle of the holidays, family tensions run high. Add a Lyme flare and you have no time for forum-ing. I did, however, stay in the gym. In fact, I've worked harder than ever. I'm there for an hour 5-6 days a week at the moment and still building muscle and joint stability like a boss. If the honorable assassins can find it in their cold, dark hearts to give a novice a second chance, I'd like to return a bit late for this challenge. My husband has kicked my butt in this direction saying, "Those nerds are why you started caring about fitness, you need to go back." So here I am. Here are my humble goals: Abs, abs, abs STR +3 A: Work abs 4x per week B: Miss 2-4 ab sessions C: Miss 5-7 ab sessions D: Miss 8-10 ab sessions Fail: Miss 11+ ab sessions Pull, pull up DEX +4 A: Accomplish 1 unassisted pull up B: Practice pull ups 4x per week C: Miss 2-4 pull up sessions D: Miss 5-7 pull up sessions Fail: Miss 8+ pull up sessions Eat, eat, eat CON +3 A: No more than 3 treats per week B: 2-4 extra treats C: 5-7 extra treats D: 8-10 extra treats Fail: 11+ treats (Treat = dessert of any kind, any dairy except greek yogurt) Rubric, partially begun as these are my standing goals for life anyway: Abs: 4/4 0/4 0/4 0/4 0/4 0/4 | 0/24 Pull: 5/4 0/4 0/4 0/4 0/4 0/4 | 0/24 Eat: 4/3 0/3 0/3 0/3 0/3 0/3 | 0/18

Hi everyone, I've been a lurker for awhile now. My thought was that I could just read enough posts and then apply what I learned on my own, but it's not going well and I need some community encouragement and support (and you're all such awesome people). I'm 23. I was a runner and a rock climber and a very productive, energetic, nerdy* college student until four years ago, when I suddenly got very sick. I ended up being diagnosed with an infection-induced autoimmune disease and I've been battling it ever since. I had to drop out of school and I went from being able to run twelve miles to being unable to climb a single flight of stairs. The infection spread throughout my brain and nervous system and basically destroyed my body and my mind. I was in constant pain, and at age 20 I had to start using a cane. After more than three years of grueling treatment, I'm finally starting to get better and I'm looking at the prospect of rebuilding my life. It's really daunting. I have the doctor's okay to exercise again and I want to get back in shape and be active, but I don't really know where to begin. I'm starting over with basically nothing in the way of fitness. I also want to finish college, and my hope is that if I can get control of one aspect of my life (fitness) then it will help me work towards other goals too. Anyway, sorry for this long post! Thank you for reading and I'm excited to be a part of this community! I'd especially love to hear from anyone else who is dealing with or coming out of a long-term or chronic illness. Best wishes to you all! - Sam *My nerd cred: I studied physics and mathematics in college. I still avidly collect Pokemon cards and have strong opinions about why the original Star Trek is the best and which of Jupiter's moons NASA should send a probe to first.