Search the Community

Training with Soraya won’t be easy. She is REALLY tough on me. Does she understand that I am just a human? Either way, I need to focus on the task ahead. This is a great opportunity for me and I will not let it pass. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello there. We are back once again to take this new challenge. I learned a lot from my past ones. I want to have new experiences and adventures. Want to join me? MAIN QUEST - Attend to the Puerto Rico Comic-Con with a costume on May 20, 2018. I have never attended any convention. This will be my first time and my wife and I will go with Star Wars inspired costumes. She will be dressed as Jedi Rapunzel and I will have a soldier/civilian Jedi costume. This will be fun and I hope we can fulfill the goal of going together. 1st SUPPORT QUEST (Fitness) - Learn to Deadlift properly. I am not Deadlifting yet. Is a great exercise that I want to perform the right way. I will concentrate my efforts on learning the ropes and studying the proper form. 2nd SUPPORT QUEST (Professional) - Train the new Quality Inspector. A new inspector has been hired and it is my responsibility to prepare her for her new job. 3rd SUPPORT QUEST (Entertainment) - Finish my costume and props. I’m making some props and designing a simple costume for the Comic-con. I need to complete it properly. 4th SUPPORT QUEST (Weight Loss) - Get under 245 lbs. I’m making progress in the weight loss department. This quest will help me to set a goal to the end of this challenge Special Announcements: - As a long goal, my family is planning to visit Florida in December. I’m saving money for that trip and making all of the necessary adjustments early. - Also, the random mishaps will keep on appearing. Garrus Vakarian: Do you ever miss those talks we had on the elevators? Tali'Zorah: No. Garrus Vakarian: Come on. Remember how we'd always ask you about life on the flotilla? It was an opportunity to share! Tali'Zorah: This conversation is over. Garrus Vakarian: Tell me again about your immune system. Tali'Zorah: I have a shotgun. Garrus Vakarian: Mmmmaybe we'll talk later. - Mass Effect 2 #Success

...to defeat the huns bad habits and low self-esteem. While my quests aren't as epic as almost single-handedly defeating an invading army, I love me some Mulan gifs and memes so *shrug*. Main Quest: Reach low-normal BMI (about 90 more pounds) I've gotten weekly meal prep pretty much down (thank you, Instant Pot!), but actually consistently eating that meal prep without adding in side trips, meals out, snacks at work, etc. has been difficult. So for the next logical step: Goal: 6/7 days of eating meal prepped food and 5/7 days of eating under 1500 calorie goal I also want to do a bit of training to prepare for.... a vacation. No seriously! My husband and I are taking a trip to Vancouver at the end of this challenge and have a lot of hiking, biking, and walking planned. I'm comfortable walking and hiking, but it's been a looooong time since I've been on a bike, and I don't want to get left behind on biking tours or feel anxious about riding a bike in a city. Goal: 5 workouts per week, with at least 1 bike ride, and an additional active rest day of yoga. Side quest: Build Confidence I've had an increase in anxious and repetitive/vicious cycle thoughts in the last couple years, and had a hard time with low self esteem. CBT has been a huge help in changing the most intrusive thoughts, but I still have a hard time feeling confident and handling not being good at things. So for this challenge, I'm doing a bit of exposure therapy - purposefully putting myself in low-stakes situations where I'm going to have a hard time so I can get used to laughing it off and dealing with it rather than being upset at myself for not being perfect. Goal: practice either of my new hobbies (sewing clothes and painting) for 15 minutes a day. I'd like to finish making 2 undershirts by the end of this challenge, but I'm not fully sure how long that's actually going to take, so I'm focusing on the daily practice rather than the end product (so I also can't try to rush through and do it all in the last couple days of the challenge) I'll be tracking all of these in my bullet journal along with some of my past challenges (to make sure I keep up on them ) but I also want to post in the forums (either my own thread or others') at least every other day to stay encouraged and active. Now let's do it!

For years, the term “Alpha Male” has been used with some liberty but mostly it carries a negative vibe to it. Many times, when speaking about Alpha Males, is paired with being this macho like controlling and aggressive male who gets all of the women and doesn’t take crap from anyone. This has created a negative feeling of what an Alpha is or could be. First, we should establish from where the term Alpha Male derives from. Is a common way of seeing the behavior of animals (mostly wolves) and how they appear to develop on their own society They have been studies in both side claiming the existence of this hierarchy or that it might not be real at all but, my topic is not to discuss the existence or the relevance of this. In a nutshell, the Alpha exhibits some traits that make them leaders and superior to others for the way they carry themselves in relation to others around them. Now, these traits are most controversial in the way they are portraited in society. For example, Alpha Males are commonly associated with aggressive and controlling people that would step on anyone to achieve their goals. This tends to sum up the concept of an Alpha as a being that takes what he wants when he wants it. The evolution of this mindset always presents itself as a selfish, douchebag, jerk of a person that diminishes others to achieve its “greatness”. I totally understand this concept since, using those characteristics, that’s the image you can conceive. But, I think they might be more than this arrangement of ideas. During my lifetime I have been always seen myself as a shy and introvert person. A guy who lacks the courage to do things and the drive to achieve my goals. The way I look didn’t help either with this image since I felt ashamed of my physical appearance. My social skills were not the best either although I have good friends here and there. Now, all of this amounted to having low self-esteem and a poor image of myself. These traits destroyed my confidence and poured out into my life making some parts harder to achieve because of it. So, the concept Alpha Male can have a bad rep but, I think there’s something about the overall idea that can be used positively. First, I have been developing this lifestyle goal parallel during my entire adult life. Mostly after I got married. I see that in order to be Alpha in any way, you have to remodel the innate traits you have develop for years and transform them into a constructive piece of your life. I believe that the first step is to accept who you are on the inside and what represents you as a being. That step is the foundation to develop the type of person you want to be. Taking all of your traits and characteristics is a task in itself. You need to explore yourself as a whole and identified what makes you who you are. Embracing yourself is the first step to develop the way you want. There’s no “5 steps to…” type of way of doing this. You need to put on the effort to identify who you are. This will be the foundation of what you want to be. It needs to be real and part of you. You are not building a persona, you are building yourself. After finding out who you are, the next step is to embrace the good and point out the bad. Now, we are all different and this step will be inherently individualistic. The bad for me might not be bad for you. There are some traits that are definitely negative but others can vary. You have to identify all of this in order to build a strong foundation of the type of person you are. After the foundation is laid out, you have to learn how to evolve your positive traits so they can produce others. For example, if you get that you are a friendly person, that is a foundation trait. How do I evolve this? Well, having the courage to go and make new friends is a way to grow that friendly trait. That evolution will develop a confidence trait to speak to strangers that could evolve into a self-presentation way of speaking in front of groups of people. The foundation trait will get stronger and evolve into new traits that will model the way you carry yourself. Physical appearance is a part of this. For starters, I believe in a healthy and productive lifestyle. If you are achieving that in the way you are, you are on a good path. Now, in my case, obesity was an obstacle to become who I want it to be. Mind that I didn’t use looking to be “fit” as an excuse to remodel myself. No, being fit is a tool to evolve my traits. Being healthy helped my self-esteem and confidence. It helps to evolve my intelligence to develop the confidence to speak to others. It also helps me to be active and to participate with others and that boost my social skills. For example, my weight loss journey gave me the confidence to dress for a Comicon. The evolved confidence is opening new traits and helping me grow in every way. That’s the way a want to become Alpha. Is not being an overbearing man stepping on others but to grow as a person to excel me among others. For me, that’s what an Alpha is. A person with overflowing confidence. One that can achieve goals by working constantly to them. A being of positive energy that can help others succeed. A proud person that can show what its made of no matter the situation. An Alpha that can present itself as what it really is. This is my Special Quest for my life. At the moment, I have been working towards this and I feel better about myself. I have grown this past 12 years. I became Student Council President at my college in 2010-2011. I got married and I’m a father. I love my job and what I do. I’m proud of being who I am and that’s why I feel like an Alpha. That's my quest.

Hullo. Me again. Doesn't matter if you don't know who I am. I've been back and forth on the Rebellion forums for years and it has always done me good to keep my life in balance. I haven't been around for a while because life's been crazy and I found myself "accidentally" ignoring the forums and my challenge goals. Other things to do. But now I feel like I need the structure of the challenges again to reboot the end of my year and stop this little funk I've been in for the last month or so. Stuff about me in general: I live in Australia. I identify as female. Roller derby is my team sport of choice. My fitness journey has so far gone like this: Yoga --> BW --> NF --> more BW --> Roller derby --> gym --> Lifting --> Roller derby --> broken ankle --> sedentary --> rehab --> skatey --> gym rehab --> moar derby --> meltdown --> little to no cross-training --> now. I'm at work and my brain is starting to turn to jello. Long Story: TL;DR Life. Madness. Had some panic attacks, been in a funk. Haven't been cross-training or eating like I should. Also decided I should really address my self-esteem issues. Gonna do it. Get better. Be awesome. Kick ass. etc. Long Term Goals (very vague I know) Food prep every week, eat less snacks, fuel body for athleticism Cross-train in equal amounts to derby practice. Win an MVP award in a derby game next year Be able to clean my house without getting all angsty about it Stop being so mean to myself. Challenge Goals! This challenge is all about the hinge habits. Small habits I need to work on so that they can lead to bigger and better things. Like fitness, and a clean house. My motivator is monetary this time around. It's not very druid-y to be motivated by money I know - but heck, the warm fuzzy feeling of a clean house isn't doing it for me so I've gotta try something. My challenge will be scored in $1's. Every time I achieve something, $1 is added to my score. At the end of the challenge I'm going to use the total I've earned to buy something nice for the new house I've moved into. 1. Stop Pity Eating. Replace bought snacks and soft drinks with alternatives. Chocolate. There is always a fundraising box of chocolate bars at work which I have been snacking on WAY too often. it's time to stop that. They aren't even as good as I think they're gonna be. Instead I can bring a snack to entertain myself while at work. $1 for every time I go to buy a chocolate bar but have an alternative, or resist. I have to consciously think about buying the chocolate and reason myself out of it though. No just counting the amount of times I walk past the box. Soft Drinks. Not gonna lie, my partner and I played the McDonalds monopoly game hard. I know fast food is bad for me, so that's why I usually eat much less of it. But to begin with I'm going to work on cutting out the sugary soft drink part of it. $1 every time I have the chance to buy a soft drink and choose an alternative. Like water. Or tea. 2. Just do some damn exercise. I know I should cross-train. It makes me a better derby player. I've just lost the motivation. And now that I've moved house I don't drive directly past any gyms so I can't even guilt trip myself into stopping by on the way home from work like I used to. So I'm going to start with the basics. Push ups and single leg squats on alternating days, with one run on the weekend. Following the 50 pull ups system for the bodyweight exercises so I do the form and work my way up. And following the C25K system for the run so I can work on my cardio endurance from the ground up again. $2 earned for every push up I can do at the end of the challenge. $2 earned for every controlled negative pistol squat I can do at the end of the challenge - that's just the going down part. Asking myself to do a full pistol in a month is probably asking a bit much. We'll see. $5 for every km I can run non-stop at the end of the challenge. Bigger bribes here because I really, really, really want to get better at roller derby. 3. Keep the house sparkly. We bought a house. It's brand new. An ex-display home. No one has ever lived in it. You know those cartoons where they clean a room and the whole thing literally sparkles? that's what it's like. It's absolutely beautiful. And I want to keep it that way. Working sort of off the Flylady system of house cleaning, I'm going to focus on keeping one area of the house spotless every week. Week 1: Master Bedroom/bathroom/walk-in robe Week 2: Living space and dining room Week 3: Entrance and outdoors Week 4: Kitchen $1 for every day I clean something in the right zone. Maybe bonus points for doing extra. I dunno yet. $1 for every box of stuff I unpack during the challenge. Right now I feel like I'm camping in someone else's house. 4. Brain Train. Toot toot. That's the sound of me tooting my own horn. Read those Sport Psychology books you fucking downloaded for fucks sake. After my meltdown one of my teammates suggested a sports spychologist* psychologist might be able to help me work on my lack of self esteem. And being that I live in a small country town, there is no sport psychologist. So I googled it. Found some books. Downloaded some books. Read one and it really resonated with me so I started another one. But I've stopped reading them lately. No time? that's a bad excuse I know. Books to work through: The Brave Athlete: Calm the Fuck Down and Rise to the Occasion (currently half way through) - by Simon Marshall & Lesley Paterson The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck - by Mark Manson. Read the sample and sounded real good. Unf*ck yourself: Get out of your head and into your life (re-read) - by Gary Johnn Bishop. If I finish the others I would like to read this one again. I'm sensing a theme. $1 for every night you spend some time reading about your brain. *it's late. my typos are getting bad but that was too funny to delete. what do you think a spychologist does? Like I said. total $$$ scored is how much I get to spend on house stuff. There;s already a list of things I want and will probably buy but if I see something I just want just 'cos, that will be my goal. I like to track my challenges on a spreadsheet so I can see how many days I've skipped. Also excel does the math for me. yay.

2015 was a great year for me, but I want to make 2016 even better!! There are already big plans in progress for this year, but I don't want to be totally underprepared for everything. The first few things to happen to me this year will be the new roller derby season and us going on holidays, then moving house soon afterwards. I want to continue building habits to make all of these things go smoothly so I can enjoy everything this year throws at me! Goal 1: Exercise to build Strength and Confidence Fitness levels are handy for roller derby. I am also a better skater when I have confidence in myself! 2 Yoga Sessions 3 Body weights sessions Goal 2: Fight the Grime! Follow Fly Lady's routine. The very most basic one for now! Daily self-care routine: Brush Teeth, wash face, get dressed to shoes Declutter a room for 15 minutes daily Clear and wipe the kitchen sink Do something with the laundry Goal 3: De-clutter the Darkest Corners ... of the house. Throw out 1 box of stuff weekly, donate 1 box of stuff weekly. Goal 4: Holiday Planning! These things really need to be done before I go away or I'm going to be stressing last minute. I also know that I am totally able to put these things off until last minute even though they need to be done. Organise travel sickness fix - make a dr's appt Plan tours for holiday Prepaid debit card for spending money Buy a Suitcase.

Objective: Build up a better self-image to help boost confidence and motivation. Hopefully to gain better mental health and positive attitudes towards exercise, diet, & life. Quest 1: post daily affirmations, in any form (picking something I like about myself or posting a motivational picture or quote). It will be a big challenge for me, I am a very negative person. Quest 2: Daily morning yoga and/or Piriformis muscle stretches and/or meditation. Going back to a staggering-type challenge, waking up 5 minutes earlier. Then I will increase by 5 minutes each week. My herniated disc has healed but having troubles with piriformis muscle. Chiropractor gave stretches I need to do every day. Quest 3: Frequent journaling. I have gotten close to pinpointing the sources of my depression. Journaling has helped me notice triggers and realize which emotions are a result of other emotions. Quest 4: Daily belly to spine posture practice, as recommended by my chiropractor. Gotta strengthen my deep inner core. Life goals: Set up doctor, dental, and hair appointments for myself and my kiddo.

I have decided to go public with my goals since I have recently stopped progressing and started to backslide again. My weight loss and health journey started back in 2008 with major weight loss, but let's be honest about the poor body image and yo yo dieting I've faced since the middle school years. I have since found a love and slight obsession with running and have set out to run my first marathon at Disney in January of 2016. My Background: I had gained nearly 100 lbs between graduating high school and college. I remember not even realizing that it had happened. I was so busy being unhappy and comforting myself with food and booze, that I had totally lost sight of myself as a person. I hadn't been feeling well and went to the doctor. She pulled labs and on my return visit I was told I had Type 2 Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, and High Cholesterol and that I needed to be medicated for all of them; I was 22. That is the day that I suddenly woke up and changed my life. Since that day I have lost about 80 pounds. I had actually hit the 100lb mark in 2010, but life got a little crazy and I let old habits creep back in. However, just because I weighed less does not mean I was healthier (or happier). To be honest about my weight loss from previous years, I did not do it in a healthy way. I over exercised and was barely eating enough to prevent headaches. It is not sustainable or healthy. I did accomplish the weight loss, but I also ended up with poor eating habits, a screwy relationship with food, and harsh view on what success means. My goal in the next six weeks is focused on shifting my mentality of health and fitness from instant gratification, to long term sustainability and overall health while achieving performance goals for speed and endurance. Year Goal: To run my first marathon with a 10 minute mile pace or less 6 Week Goals: Average 20-30 miles per week with 2-3 weight training sessionsFuel my body with food that provides good nutrition and powers my running performanceFocus on limiting refined sugarsLife Side Quest: (this one seems a little silly, but endless Facebook and Instagram scrolling at night is a problem!) Limit social media time and focus on getting more sleep (at least 6 hours a night)

Main Quest: 128 to 120 pound, drop 8 pound eat healthy ​​proper amount (1 serving per time no matter what, stop before full) empty calories less than 100 cal per day go to supermarket when necessary go to the gym at least 4 times per week follow routine no weight scale before exercise at least 1 hour exercise write diary at least 3 times a week Every time we challenge, we improve Scale it, measure it, and motivate!.

Haku loves Haku - 5th challenge So here we are again. I'm 10 days late, I know, so my challenge will be a whole lot shorter in being present, but nonetheless I have started with this challenge a few days earlier than the 9th of June. The reason for me being late is that I have been on holiday for almost 2 weeks. I've been in France (in the Provence, only a few metres away from Lac du St Croix) and in Luxembourg (in Esch-sur-Sûre) and it was amazing. France brought a loooot of sun, so I'm nicely tanned. You can clearly see where my bikini sat on my body. Durrr! (Pictures from the holiday will follow soon) Anyway... The challenge I gave myself this time is one to start loving myself a bit more. If you have read my topic from previous challenge, you'll find I wasn't so happy with myself and that I noticed I wasn't out of the depression I thought I was. It was hard to realise that one and especially to accept that things didn't go as well with me as I thought. I figured I eat a lot bad things because I feel lonely, unhappy, unwanted, and worthless. With this it is easy to conclude that I should feel better in order to get rid of my cravings, right? So that's what I'm going to do. To be honest, I haven't given much thought to how I am going to give shape to this challenge. So everything is still subject to change, in order to create the perfect challenge for myself. I noticed the daily and weekly goals work really well for me, so I am going to keep those. And to have a list of a few life goals to work on is a good thing too, because that way I actually get things done. Which is good. So I'll just stick that in here. Daily goals: (win at least 6 a day and at least 80% of the days, starting from day 12, so at least 25 days) - Sleep 8+ hours - Check posture - Have my pills - Tell myself "I love you" - Eat veggies - Eat fruit - Drink 1.5+ L water - Max 2 unhealthy snacks Weekly goals: (win at least 80%, starting from week 3, so win at least 7 times) - Exercise - Facial mask Life goals: (win at least 3 goals) - Get Erasmus grant SEMI-WIN (they aren't sure if I can get one, but they affirmed they got my application for it) - Find room in Cambridge - Buy books for minor WIN - Finish commissions WIN - Pass motorbike exam WIN Total 3.5 wins Current stats are: STR 5 - DEX 4 - STA 3 - CON 4 - WIS 5 - CHA 7 My current weight (19th of June) is 87.3 kg and hopefully I'll lose some weight this challenge. That would be a good thing. But most importantly I need to love myself and I still need to find some ways to increase that self love. Although I must say it's already starting to happen. Huzzah! Week 1 Day 1 ... - Day 2 ... - Day 3 ... - Day 4 ... - Day 5 ... - Day 6 ... - Day 7 ... Week 2 Day 8 ... - Day 9 ... - Day 10 ... - Day 11 ... - Day 12 FAIL - Day 13 WIN - Day 14 WIN Week 3 (mask win - exercise win) Day 15 WIN - Day 16 WIN - Day 17 WIN - Day 18 WIN - Day 19 Win - Day 20 Fail - Day 21 WIN Week 4 (mask fail - exercise win) Day 22 WIN - Day 23 WIN - Day 24 WIN - Day 25 WIN - Day 26 WIN - Day 27 WIN - Day 28 WIN Week 5 (mask fail - exercise win) Day 29 WIN - Day 30 WIN - Day 31 WIN - Day 32 WIN - Day 33 WIN - Day 34 FAIL - Day 35 FAIL Week 6 (mask win/fail - exercise win/fail) Day 36 FAIL - Day 37 WIN - Day 38 WIN - Day 39 FAIL - Day 40 WIN - Day 41 Daily total 23 wins Weekly total 4 wins

Ugh. The one good thing about the spectacular meltdown that was New Year's Eve is that things can't possibly get any worse in 2014. I'll post the results to my previous challenge at some point in the near future, but let's just say that the good habits I've developed during challenge time (mostly the meditating and Lumosity exercises) also took some time off during the holidays, leaving me essentially right back where I started, if not even further behind. Holiday cheer, my ass. What follows is an excerpt from the previous challenge's original post, because I am far too lazy and unmotivated to re-type things right now: That is still me. This isn't to say that the last challenge was useless. I'm probably better at meditating now than I was before I started, and my life quest progress bar is probably at 1% instead of being at its previous position of zero. Same goes for my Lumosity score: it definitely increased. I should probably keep at it. Who knows, my life quest progress bar might get to 1.5%, or maybe even 2%! It was established that my main quest in life was to be a Wizard. Since RL sucks and won't let me be a real Wizard, however, becoming a Mentalist will be the closest thing. How am I going to accomplish this? 2.1: Meditate daily. Pass/fail. Same as last time, but BETTER! 2.2: Lumosity brain exercises. Pass/fail. See above. Need to get that +INT! 2.3, focusing and noticing. Pass/fail. There are a few exercises mentioned in the Mentalist book. The first one is in the section on how to increase your attention: Practice. Focus on one object, person, or situation which you find utterly uninteresting and study every detail about it until you are able to describe it. Pick a flower. Touch it. Smell it. Feel its texture. How many petals does it have? How long is the stem? What is the color and shape of the petals? Start to take notice of the details in the things around you: the places you visit, the people passing by, etc. You'll be surprised at the little things that you'll start to notice. The second is 2 pages after. A memory exercise: Taking Notice. To improve your recall of even the most minute details, try engaging in a mental review of each day's events. This can help you engage your attention during the day so that you recall of events is sharper, clearer, and available anytime for future retrieval. Try to do this work in the evening, when you feel at ease, but don't do it after you retire. (The bed is made for sleeping, not for thinking!) Sit down alone at night and spend fifteen quiet, distraction-free minutes focusing on the important happenings of the day. After a few days, you will find that you can recall more and more. Events will come back to you more precisely and more clearly each time. When you first begin this exercise, you may find that you have trouble recalling what you had for breakfast or what the cashier at the coffee shop looked like. But as your subconscious gets used to being called into duty, you'll find that you'll start to "take notice" of what happens as it happens, a skill that investigators across the country and around the world rely on heavily. I haven't decided if I'll make myself do both of these daily or only one. Will see, and adjust the grading scheme in my favor accordingly. Life quest: DEVELOP CONFIDENCE! More on this later. Diet/fitness side quests: plant some herbs, once per week. Pass/fail. I figure that, since I'll likely be a mainstay in the Druids guild and Druids are close to nature, this would be appropriate. Ever since that one tiny intro to plant physiology in 1st year biology lectures, I've had a deeper respect for plants, and I've wanted to experiment with growing useful and/or medicinal herbs that I can add to my food. This will be very challenging, because I am known for having one hell of a black thumb. And cats. I had a list of potential side quests that also involved drawing and increasing my vocabulary. I'll probably do a bit of this on the side no matter what, hence why they didn't get picked. They may become official in future challenges, though. I also thought about continuing with the "no picking at my face" and "eat more vegetables" goals from my last challenge since I didn't succeed at those as well as I wanted to, but I figure it would be too repetitive. I'll make a thread in the Battle Logs forum with these items instead, or simply keep track in a notepad file or something. There were mentions of a "Nutrition Challenge" at the gym I go to as well, and I'm still waiting to hear details about that. I have a feeling it's going to involve a lot less alcohol, which makes me sad. Right. Confidence. If I had to rate my self-confidence and/or self-worth on most days, it would oscillate between 0/10 and 1/10. Why? I'm not sure. My body and face look great now, which was not always the case. I embarked on my fitness journey approximately ten years ago, but mentally it's like I'm still the fat loser kid who fails at life in every way from my high school days. The kid who was the object of every joke and constant ridicule. The kid who can't look people in the eye for fear of anyone noticing and saying things ranging from "GOT A PROBLEM!?" to "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT, STUPID BITCH!?" followed by lulz from everyone else. The kid who plummets to the bottom of the social ladder the moment anyone speaks loudly or uses a dismissive tone. The kid who agrees with everything and everyone just to avoid a possible confrontation, because in RL I can't just rejoin with a new user name after I get my ass handed to me and publicly humiliated. This is essentially me: And I hate the thought of it. This is the opposite of who I want to be. I have no idea how to grade or quantify a confidence-based challenge. I made a list of things I need to accomplish to become more confident, but none of them are really gradable (I am working on all of them, though.) I figure an other good place to start would be the NF article written by Steve, 5 Ways to Instantly Appear More Confident. #1: Stop slouching. I'm already working on this. In fact, I have been since I started at a new gym in mid/late November and began lifting. Meditation during my last challenge also helped me straighten up and be more aware of my posture, and will continue to do so. I won't add anything posture-related to this challenge because I know that my inner OCD has already turned its gaze to posture, so I'm good to go there. Grading: N/A. #2: SLOW DOWN! This I definitely have problems with. I speak a hundred miles per hour, mess up my words, then become self-conscious and anxious, which makes me speak even faster and...yeah. Although Steve only mentions speaking rate in his article about confidence, I think it also applies to walking pace as well. I normally walk way faster than I need to, and over the last few months I've noticed that someone else I know IRL does the same thing and, well, it looks really freaking awkward when I notice it in someone else. I don't want to look awkward. I want to be the Wizard that's always cool and collected and arrives precisely when he means to. Walking slower and less awkwardly would also give off an air of IDGAF which, in turn, may make me care less about trivial things. Grading: I'll grade this based on how often I catch myself speaking or walking too rapidly. Speak/walk too fast 0 to 4 times: A Speak/walk too fast 5 to 9 times: B Speak/walk too fast 10 to 14 times: C Speak/walk too fast 15 to 19 times: D Speak/walk too fast 20+ times: F I'll adjust the grading scheme if I find that this is too easy. Also, walking fast between buildings when it's -30­°C or lower outside doesn't count. #3: Smile! Ooooh boy... "Don’t know how to smile correctly? Stand in front of a mirror, close your eyes, and look down. Look up, smile, and open your eyes at the same time. See that smile right there? THAT’S a genuine smile." I just attempted this and looked a lot like a serial killer. My eyes are deep set and I have a fairly angular face, which makes me look like a typical Hollywood villain. Don't get me wrong, this is great for cosplaying or being a drunken idiot on Chatroulette, but not so great when attempting to not look like a creep, which beings me to the next point of the article... #4: Win the staring contest. "Starting right now, you’re going to be the person that doesn’t look away. Think of each interaction as a mini-battle – your eyes against theirs. As long as you’re smiling and blinking, you won’t come across as creepy…unless, of course, you’re actually a creep." Well, shit. This is me pretending to be a Sith Lord (or me wearing a hoodie, but the first descriptor was more interesting.) This challenge seems very daunting, and is made even worse by the fact that I like to wear clothes that are slightly outside of the "normal" range, which makes people stare at me more than they would stare at the muggles. Did I mention that people often have a hard time telling if I'm a guy or a girl, too? In other words, people stare. A lot. And if I stare back and they don't stop staring and I don't stop staring back, things get awkward reeeaal fast. WAT DO? D: Also, that paragraph further up where I mention that I can't look people in the eye because of high school PTSD/bullshit. Seriously. I cannot look people in the eye. I used to love drawing, but I could never draw faces/eyes, so I just quit. For several years I even had a hard time looking people in pictures in the eye. Fortunately, I can do this last one now after extensive training on Tumblr. If you think this is pathetic, you are absolutely correct. Grading: "Win" five times per day. ^ I know I'm going to regret this. #5: Get out of your head. This one isn't much of a problem for me right now. I'm not afraid of asking potential employers if they have positions open, and I'm not scared of introducing myself at parties. Presentations usually go allright if there is no grade attached to it, and hpoefully my thesis defense (assuming I don't quit my Masters) will be the LAST presentation I'll ever have to make where I'm going to be judged. Grading: N/A. This should be it for my 3rd challenge. I shall leave you all with a bonus item that I found while browsing my pictures folder. It is of a tomato that is shaped like Lemon Grab from Adventure Time: FAILURE IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!!1

I may be getting a little ahead of myself with this. I've literally been on the sight a matter of hours but I'm bad at not just jumping into things head first. Please let me know if you have suggestions or help to offer, whether you think my goals are too vague, too specific, or my methods or anything like that. I would love feedback. Main goal: Feel confident about my body. I want to lose weight while maintaining muscle (I play rugby) I don't want to put a number on the weight I want to lose because I'm hoping to also gain muscle. I don't know how to be more specific but I really want to flatten out my stomach and lose that muffin top. 1)work out 3x per week, not including rugby practice 2)Eat more in style of the paleo diet- every day has to have at least one meal with vegetables and meat Have at least one meal a day with no carbs - snack healthier 3) Stretch everyday- including all of my physical therapy exercises and icing Side quests/life quest Improve my posture Have more confidence when in dating situations (basically with pretty girls I like)

Prologue Rewind to the summer of 2012. I was a fresh college graduate; I was ready to embark on a new life, in a new state, in a new world called grad school. I was confident, motivated, fit, happy and determined that I would change the world. I was confident and determined. I thought I could conquer grad school. Getting my PhD in science couldn’t be so bad, could it? I loved the topic with ever fiber in my being, and would much rather read books about it than go out to watch our football team lose. I wasn’t the smartest person in the world; but I had intelligence on my side, and by golly I was a determined individual. While most girls wrote “Mrs. Jones†and “Mrs. Smith†in their notebooks at school, I was busy filling it with ways of signing my name as Dr. Johnston, PhD. I was fit. I was a regular gym lover. I went as much as I could and always enjoyed a tough work out. I was “most likely to have her own fitness showâ€, as my friends joked. I ate healthy and felt healthy too. I was happy. Where I am now Today, after 1.5 years of wear and tear of grad school, I went to the doctors because I just wasn’t feeling my bubbly, active, life loving self. Turns out I have mild depression and anxiety (Ie: Welcome to grad school IMO). I opted to try to change behavioral issues before I attempted to try medication. I weighed ten pounds more than I used to, I am always tired and I don’t feel as full of life and bubbly as my old self. I used to be a “I got this, let’s conquer the world†type of gal. Now I’m lucky to go to the gym 3 days a week. I’ve been making excuses for months about getting back to my “old selfâ€. My labmate introduced me to Nerdfitness a few months ago and now I finally want to make a change. Main quest: Get back to my healthy, confident, happy self. I’ll be using this to update on my journey so I can have some motivation.

Sorry if this sounds super middle school but it's a serious self-esteem related issue and you guys are my trusted community of choice. xP So I'm a 20 year old girl, 21 in April and I have never had a boyfriend. Never kissed, never held hands, DEFINITELY never had sex. Dating just seems so unrealistic for me and I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. All I've ever done is be myself but in all this time noone has even noticed me for anything more than a friend, never mind got up the courage to act on it. Should I put myself out there more or just wait.(kindof sick of waiting.) Anywhere, here's a sort of bio type thing to give you all an idea of who I am. What I'm asking is if you ran into me, what would you think? I would never change who I am personally but maybe I do need to dress up a little more/put myself out there if I'm going to get anywhere. I'm 20 years old. I'm a music education major, I love music and I love kids. But I'm all nerdy and I prefer classical music. Like I honestly don't know most of the pop artists. I occasionally enjoy jazzy stuff but wouldn't be able to name anything. I also love christian music. Not like hymns and stuff(though they are often pretty.) But the newer stuff, songs of encouragement that are much needed in the stress of life. Christianity's a huge part of my life but I generally don't advertise it do to the rep.Christians have right now. Honestly I don't even really relate to "Christians" but rather to the original idea of what it meant to be Christian or "Christ-like." Basically, I believe everyone is important and has a purpose in life. No matter how bad stuff is there's some hope somewhere and we should all love and encourage each other. Everyone deserves love, don't care who you are or what you've done. But yeah, that part of me doesn't get out much. Another aspect of my personality that is kindof hidden is that I LOVE adventure! I wish I could participate in things like ninja warrior, parkour, larping, etc. but am not yet at a point where my body can physically handle it. People actually were shocked when they found out I played and loved humans vs. zombies. The action was fantastic but it was apparently out of character for me.(huh, whatda they know.) I also love hiking and really want to travel the world someday too. For the people that don't know me too well... I'm pretty shy around people I'm not fully 100% comfortable with. I basically don't talk unless I feel the need to include my input. I often hear the question "Hey where's Meghan?" and I'm just like...guys...seriously? I'm right here! D: (In my head of course.) When I do talk I'd consider myself a pretty nice/easygoing person. I like helping. Making others happy makes me happy. Most of the time if I'm upset I'll just say something like "Nah it's ok." Or just ignore the situation. It takes A LOT to actually get me angry. Every once in a while I'll throw in my 2cents in random conversation but most of the time I'm more of a listener. I'm honestly not really sure how much people notice me. This is all I know about the outside perspective. For the few that I am close to... Yeah I'm freakin insane. xP We've decided together(my friends and I) that I'm actually a 5 year old. I find joy in coloring, playing in playgrounds, new things(especially shiny ones) oh and whining. But not any whining. I mean I feel the need to tell my roommate that I'm hungry,tired, "have to potty", want a pony, whatever else that comes to mind whenever it does. (It's ok she loves me. ) Personal interests include Facebook, Tumblr, reading adventure style books(the whole real life/coming of age theme isn't really my thing.), minecraft, WoW(trial edition cuz im poor),Lord of the Rings, Sherlock(BBC), Avengers...all of them...especially captain america, and lots of other things I'm forgetting. Oh, I play mellophone in the marching band and french horn for my major. Appearance: Generally I don't care much about my appearance or at least that's what I tell myself. I do enjoy looking pretty but it just doesn't seem worth the time/effort/pain. I'm a t-shirt and jeans kinda gal. I'm also not super fit(working on it.) and just happen to have tiny boobs for my size but honestly in my opinion that shouldn't have to matter. I personally feel good about myself, why change? The easiest way to describe my appearance would be to just show you. So here, have some pics. Me just on any random given day: https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/1150347_10201342020606884_1338558391_n.jpg At my best: (Senior pic. high school)https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/157007_1664014074362_866346_n.jpg Aaand what could probably considered my worst allowed in public.(This was taken at the NYC wax museum. I had just finished marching in the Macy's thanksgiving day parade AND I was pretty sick too(being out in 30 degree weather at 3am was not helpful.) https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1426559_10202061868162393_1286168832_n.jpg NO i did not meet Nick Fury(I wish) it's wax. We're supposed to be doing the same thing but I kinda just look like I'm gonna cry or something. >< This one's just for funzies: (taken yesterday 12/6/13 Right before the Merry Maple Holiday parade. Yes I look ridiculous but it's all in good fun. xP) https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1471827_543495382407396_1751451268_n.jpg I honestly don't think I'm that bad looking that it's a major turn-off. (I actually feel cocky/self absorbed even saying that. :/) What may be an issue is my quietness but that's something I don't really know how to change. So what do you all think? Opinions first then advice if you have any. Please/thank you.

I'm a student invested in school and i'm also a bartender AND belly-dancer! I want to lose a bodyfat and toned my stomach, back and legs. Yoga & Meditation daily - 25 minutes every other day at least, as well as studying meditation before bed 1 point every time for 38 days= 16-17 A+, 12-15 B, 10-12 C, <10 F​​​ Squats- I want to do this DAILY- even though I don't go to the gym every day. 1 point every time a set is accomplished= 38, A+, 30-38 B, 25-30 C, 20-25 D, 20< F Running- I might change this one up, as I find running on the treadmill hard on my ankles. The only other cardio activity besides boxing once a week is Zumba and it never really works me out enough- advice would be appreciated on how to get my heart pumping! 1 point every mile = 5 miles a week= 27 miles total. 26-27 A+, 23-25 B, 19-23 C, 16-19 D, <16 F Confidence- every day I want to look in the mirror and tell myself one thing I like about myself today, physical or not, and write it down 2 points for 28 days total= 70-76 A, 65-70 B, 55-65 C, 50-55 D, <50 F Sugar Intake- I EAT TOOOOO Much sugar. I'm going to try and record my eating habit and get my sugar to 25 grams a day. 1 point every day for 25 grams or lower. This scale will be more lenient as sometimes I literally dont have time to record everything I eat. 20-38 A, 15-20 B, 13-15 C, 10-13 D, <10 F Okay, I might add more later...this is going to be a hard challenge because I'll try and make excuses like ~ I dont have time ~ I need support and I love to give support. Pictures will be added later- peace!

Introduction Hi, I've moved over from the Rangers as I found most of my challenges were around improving self which is a natural fit for the Druid guild. I'm 95% vegan (100% vegetarian) and of all the forms of exercise, I like running. My favourite hobby is LARPing, and I'm looking forward to an intensive 6-day LARP event at the end of October. I joined NF a year ago now. This is my eighth challenge, and I've just changed my profile name. Eirlys (pronounced 'ayr-lees') is Welsh for snowdrop. I'm interested in learning more about practising stoicism in daily life, but that will have to wait for another day, and another challenge! Goals My goals for this challenge are to: improve my confidencesharpen up body & mind My probationary review at work indicated confidence is an area I need to address urgently. I believe that I will feel more confident if I a. get on top of the subject matter required by my new jobb. 'act as if' - having a hunched posture doesn't make me feel confident!c. just get stuff done. 1. LearnRead book: Responsive Web Design with HTML5 and CSS3Read book: Javascript & jQuery: The Missing ManualMemorise the article content on streamingmedia.comContinue watching videos for coursera.org: Think Again: How to Reason and Argue, for as long as I feel I'm deriving benefit from the courseRevise this list if I've finished both books before end of week 4 2. Stand Up Straight Check at least 10 times a day that my standing posture is correct, and that my head is up Success is graded by how many days I do this during the challenge. 3. Efficiency Now that I'm settling into my new job, I want to build up a sensible daily routine. At home:Continue to improve on routine: current improvement is to get ready for bed at 9-9.15pm, measurable by how many days I achieve this per week. Mitigating factors accepted, e.g. does not apply if I am out that evening.Review weekly whether I am ready to add another element to daily routine & start that if so. At work, continue to:wield the Sparkling Sword of Clarity to cut through the ambiguity and get answerswear the Helm of Action to plough through my work, especially getting through the daily fatigue around 5pm - measurable by whether I continue working at 5pm and leave the office around 6pm (or whether the end of my day slips by an hour)'touch it only once' - for items that take less than 5-10 minutes to do, don't write them down and come back to them, process them now 4. Life Quest - Purify I would love to feel in charge of my brain by the end of 2013. The outside - minimalism:Sell off selected books that have been removed from the shelvesCreate ebay listings for items to auction in advance of next free listingTake miscellaneous items to charity shopFind someone who wants to have my LARP-specific items The inside:Continue to monitor ruminating thoughts and follow this process:notice when I'm ruminating ask myself 'who' I'm ruminating to? (usually the sequence of thoughts is directed at someone/some group of people) ask myself what I'm seeking to achieve ask myself why I'm doing it think of other strategies/tactics for achieving my aimsWrite down any insights about my shadows ('mental scripts' that impair my life)Ponder and seek advice on how I can best deal with people who want to talk about a topic that causes me much anguishDo the exercise in the book 'The Worry Cure' for my biggest fear 5. Diet/Fitness Quest - Get Training & Get Healthy I have a LARP event I need to be super-fit for, just after this challenge finishes. Fitness:Try beating PB set for 1 mile run (7 min 43 s) - 'nice to have' - I've been out of action for 3 weeks following an operation, so I'm not sure how achieveable this is.HIIT at least once/weekExperiment with cardio that improves quick reactions, e.g. tabata - try something new at least onceDo floor exercises 3 times a week to get into shapeFood: Lose at least 1kgChallenge the 'excuse/temptation demon' that suggests I eat something unhealthy; I get 1 point for each time I manage this (over a period of 15 minutes)Weekly review & adjustment of strategies to stop snackingWeigh myself twice a day - I found this tactic very helpful when I lost 10kg last year.If I deem the number of 'challenge demon' points sufficient, I get to treat myself to something nice.If I lose 1kg, I also get a treat. Yes, bribery!! It's time to turn the tables on this particular challenge nemesis of mine!

Hi everyone! This is my 2nd ish challenge. I am a full time student and work during the weekends. I like going to music shows, hanging with friends, being in nature, and so on :] I'm 5'2 and 120 pounds about. I've never been 115, I'd love to be there but I don't think its possible aha Main Quest - where do you want to be in a few months? -I want to wake up with energy like I have in the summer! I tend to get so draggy in the cooler weather. I think the hot yoga will help me with this. Three incredibly specific goals: 1. Limit myself to two drinks on the weekends, an an occasional glass of wine during the week 2. Go to bed before 11.00 p.m during the school day 3. Try to limit my sugar to 25 grams a day- or 6 teaspoons Life Side Quest: Read 10 pages of my school books a day. Just 10! If I do that every day I'll be caught up in no time. Fitness Side Quest: By the end of the month, I want to be able to do a bridge and a crow pose with ease. Motivation Declaration: My sign is on the side of my wall, its really lame so im not going to upload it I will post a "before" picture tomorrow!

Some people say they are their own worst critic... And I'm starting to think that I take this so far to the extreme, it is probably my biggest hurdle on my journey to get fit.... Let me give you a few examples: 1) the women's fitness forum had a topic about how you perceive your body shape vs what it actually looks like... Most responses from other women were between 5-12.5% smaller than their perception... Me? I am 22.5% smaller than how I percieve myself... And even though that website told me...I still am thinking, "oh, they probably made a mistake, it's a UK website, it has to be a misconversion from cm to in." 2) I'm a teacher, I work 12 hour days preparing for a class with over half my students not meeting standard for their grade level. I have some challenging kids, but when a lesson doesn't go well, or a student does something naughty during an observation... I blame myself. Like, a lot. When my principal talks to me about different things she's noticed that weren't perfect... I honestly cry, then I get angry with myself for crying... Which leads to more crying lol ugh I'm crazy!!! 3) working out... I don't go on hikes or journeys with friends that involve exercise because I don't want to be last... I've been last my whole life... It revolves around people even in middle school trying to get me to hurry up and finish the mile so we can go... I haven't been to a gym in months, because when I go, I can never find a weight bench or treadmill next to someone who isn't training for a marathon or lifting competition... I know my self confidence de-rails my journey, I just don't know what to do about it! Can anyone help or is this going to remain in my quest log for the rest of my life?

Whoa! Well well well, Rebels, I have been looking forward to this challenge for a LONG time. This marks the challenge where I start my life, yet again, in a new spot! (Well, we’re always in new spots). But seriously now, I’ve just graduated college, just been discharged from ED treatment, just started a new job and this week I’m moving to a new city. Whew! This is going to be a fun challenge with a LOT of discovering involved, so let’s get crackin’! Main Quest: Reconnect with my Authentic Self Yes, I was going to put ‘Recover from my Eating Disorder’ as my main quest, but that struck a bad chord with me. It just seems too… negatively focused. It’s just not a positive-sounding goal; to me it’s like saying ‘To Lose all this Fat’ versus ‘To get Leaner and Stronger’. The second one sound so much more self-affirming, you know? That’s not to say that recovering from anorexia would be a bad thing, not at all! But will I ever 100% recover from my ED? Who knows. What I CAN do is make a quest to recover my true, authentic self who I’ve been stifling for years… That’s a positive change I can really commit to. So without further ado, the goals! Goal 1: Endeavor to Continue Support Since being discharged from the large hospital/treatment center, I’ve started a five-month-long intensive outpatient program at a local treatment center. It’s three hours a night, three nights a week, plus my additional primary and doctor’s appointments. They still control my meal plan and fitness, so of course, I comply with their rules. I go there straight after work, and my brain is basically porridge afterwards… but I am committed to myself, so slog on I shall! The goal is to attend all IOP sessions. Scale: A= 0 missed, B= 1-3, C= 4-6, D= 7-9 Goal 2: Endeavor to Train my Body Okay maybe not Waterbending, but close. While I was on exercise restriction for a very long time, recently I’ve finally made it to a healthy BMI! This means I have a little more flexibility with fitness. I was medically cleared for restorative yoga, and recently I’ve been cleared for Tai Chi as well! I want to start practicing that. It may take a bit (I haven’t found a place yet), but that’s part of the challenge. Scoring will be up when I figure out the schedule! Since my ultimate goal is to explore Kung Fu, I think Tai Chi would be a wonderful place to start. So my goal is to sign up for and attend Tai Chi classes (at LEAST 1 per week). Scale: A = 6 weeks, B= 5 weeks, C= 4 weeks, etc. Goal 3: Endeavor to Train my Mind Mindfulness is a huge part of recovery… and one that I could really use some practice with. I try to be mindful at random parts of the day, but formally, I have no routine, and sometimes it falls by the wayside. I can meditate for five minutes, I know I can, but doing it regularly will be the hard part! So my goal is to practice meditation, morning and night, for 5 min. Scale: Percentage out of a 100% scale Life Side Quest: I want to continue with my sketches, but not as intense as before. I know I’m insanely busy with work and my other mandatory activities, but let’s be real here; I spend nine hours a day hunched over a Cintiq tablet, I should be able to squeeze in a tiny sketch here and there during a lunch break, or something! I mean, honestly. It’ll probably help me not burn out at work, either. Goal: Two sketches per week Diet goal: Endeavor to Eat More Compassionately Ha, okay, guilty. So for years I based my diet on a steady stream of cheap meat to keep my high protein levels and low-carb lifestyle. Something I always wrestled with was a large amount of guilt, because I’m not passionate about a lot of causes, but I hate factory farming. I feel like the fact that I relied on such suffering to sustain myself was selfish, and I want to change! I did try doing a completely vegetarian diet for about a week, and… ah, well, I’ve never felt worse. I seem to run well on meat, what can I say? I’m extremely fortunate to live in a place where I have a LOT of access to farmers who I personally know. I don’t think I’ll need much more than having meat a few times per week; but I do plan on buying small amounts of quality meat, which on my budget, means I’ll have to slash my intake by a lot. So in order to do that, I need to experiment munching on some plants! Yes… even the grains. Goal: Explore/cook and eat two new vegetarian dishes per week So that's the game plan for this challenge, folks. I'm extremely happy to be joining the Druids during this transformative time, and I look forward to keeping up with everyone's (and I mean all the Guilds!) progress! Keep on keeping on, everyone!

This, after being a fan of Nerd Fitness and reading all of the blog posts, is my FIRST CHALLENGE! And it couldn't have come at a better time. This is also my first post! I can't wait to get to know everyone in the boards! So, about 8 months ago, my family (no, just me and 1 out of 2 daughters) kicked sugar....poof, no longer a problem. Started counting carbs...I maybe lost a total of 8 lbs in 2 months of logging every bit of food that entered my mouth? I had even been seen pealing the toppings off of pizza and putting it on a lettuce wrap, no lie! The girls nutritionist told me that I had a parasite in my gut and things weren't going to happen until I cleaned things up. Enter 10 day juice fast followed by a Paleo diet, which I discovered researching low carb recipes. The weight couldn't stop coming off! As of the end of June I had lost a total of 40 lbs! Let's just say that has slowed down a bit. On Mother's Day our family experienced an incredibly horrific hit from within which has changed all of our lived from there on out. After 17 years and 2 wonderful daughters with a man I met when I was 20, I am single again and living on my own with only 1 of my 2 daughters. (Challenges 1, 2, 3.....) My job works within the corrections system, however not in a corrections setting. You couldn't tell it by me these days. My anxiety, which seemed to have been gone when I kicked caffein a couple years ago, is raging daily. I quit smoking (aaaaaggghhhhrrrrhhhhggghhh!!!!!) which has been great.....intermingle daughter who is not with me hating me periodically and siding with the antagonist in the scenario, older daughter (who "was" a lesbian) having a boyfriend who is really respectful because he doesn't bring his pot and smoke it around her since she doesn't like drugs, but he WILL snort a Xanex in the bathroom while they are at the mall.... My routine has been a bit off. My will has waned. My focus, a little to the left. Even though it still tastes like crap, I have seen McDonald's more in the past 2 months than I care to admit. And the scale tells the tale.... SO, my Main Goal: Lose weight, gain muscle, routinely walk/run 3-5 days a week at least 4 miles at a time. 3 tangible challenges: 1. Track weight lifting progress each week 2. Run at least 1 mile of the 4 mile circuit 3. Use my lunch hour to work out in building gym at least 3 days a week I am Fighting For: ME!! I own my life, my body, my sanity, and all that holds those things together, and they are more valuable than other's drama and mania. I fight for my resolve. My focus. My control. My life, health, future. Me. I have lost 40 lbs, and have a lot more fat to lose. I went down 2 pant sizes, I could definitely go down another one! Haven't been a 16 since I was 20....maybe 21? I just turned 37 and have HUGE plans for my 40's! I have lot's of Cougar-ing to git to! I'm in.

1. Stop Hiding, Be Noticed. CHA +3 Now in a safe-haven, not out in the wilderness hiding from assassins and other hostile passers-by, it's time to stop hiding and become accepted by the crowd. Make friendly & confident eye contact with EVERYONE!Stand up straight (posture check at least 10 times a day, until I have 5 consecutive days of success at each check)Develop and use helpful mantras to build confidence (e.g. 'I know more than I think')Identify & make use of opportunities to build relationships with new peopleGive myself permission & feedback, rather than trying to seek it from other people (which may not be appropriate) 2. Become Fighting Fit. STA +2 After weeks of muscles atrophying, it's time to start over again. I'm larping (as my evil alter ego) 3 weeks into the challenge, and I want to be on top form! Go to gym at least twice a week. 3. Stop The Poison. CON +2 Addiction to underdark goodies is no use here, wean myself off sugar & aspartame! Potential exception is sugar during my birthday & larping weekend (fortunately, 3 consecutive days). By week 3, get aspartame consumption down to 0 per week.Immediately stop all sugary snacks at work. 4. Quieten The Troubled Mind. WIS +2 Too many worries about the future, regrets about the past, and noise from the present... the mind needs to be set free to find enlightenment and true joy! Do daily 2 minute breathing exercisesDo nightly back stretches for 5 minutesNo more using mobile phone in the bathroomLess forum & facebook checking 5. Live Happily With The High Elf. WIS +3 A Drow female brought up in a strongly matriarchal society and a male High Elf (say no more) is an interesting cultural mix. These two need to learn to get along without killing each other. Praise & recognise the elf when he is helpfulWin the elf's trust by letting him know what I'm upto & what I've doneHear the elf outWrite down requests from the elf so that these are not forgotten nor discardedUse outcome-oriented assertiveness techniques to communicate with the elf 6. Speak To Be Heard. CHA +3 Strangely enough, it seems that people are interested in my opinion. Now I just need to deliver it in a calm and confident way, not in the manner of someone being chased or afraid. Practice voice techniques 4 times a week:speaking slowerspeaking louderputting in frequent pausesclosing my mouth when not speaking I appreciate that these are a lot of things, but hey! they're all important, and there's no time like the present! I'll update some of these goals with metrics for SMARTifying later. On top of these goals, there's the following nice-to-haves... 7. Watch Yourself (no points) Start tracking how long it takes to do routine chores, tasks (e.g. putting away washing, cleaning the kitchen) and other things such as using the bathroom, internet usage, as I feel I waste a lot of precious time on all these. I imagine that, by tracking, I'll start trying to bring down these times in response but we'll see. 8. Always Improve, Always Better (no points) Do a weekly retrospective at the weekend on my new job: what went rightany obstacles I need to deal withanything I could have done better & howwhat I could do next to wow people

Another challenge is upon us! Time flies... SO last challenge I had set a goal of running the Red, White and Boom 1/2 Marathon on the 4th of July. I've determined that I'm not going to be ready for that race. I finally started runnning off treadmill and holy crap am I not ready. Since my real and ultimate goal is the Twin Cities Marathon in Oct, I decided that I am just going to stick to my plan and not try to work harder to prepare for the 1/2 in the next month. The chance for injury and such is not worth missing the marathon this fall. If I can find a relay partner I'll happily run this as a relay - we shall see . I'm having trouble with this challenge and setting the right goals, But here goes... Update - I've made a plan that I'm comfortable will work - here it is! GOAL 1– 90% Compliance with my running plan. HOW: I'll be following a "just to finish" Full Marathon plan. This involves running on Tues/Wed/Fri and long runs on Sunday. The plan calls for 2 easy runs, 1 med run and 1 long run per week. Runs will be logged in the spreadsheet. This will simply be based on how many runs I complete from that schedule over the next 6 weeks. I've also joined a running group that starts in early July - so toward the end of this challenge - and those runs/schedule will be added to the plan as I get them. I've found an indoor running track to use for my training so I should not be running on the treadmill anymore! (+5 STA) GOAL 2 – 90% Compliance with my Stregth plan. I've modified a few of the RFG workouts into small combinations to complete over a 5 day week. This keeps me getting up and getting my day started right, adds some strength fitness to my plan, while keeping it light so as not to interfere with my running. The DB Row, Straight Leg Deadlift, OH DB Press will all be done with weights, the rest are simply BW excercises focused on core conditioning. They are small enough to make sure I do a full warm up and a FULL and complete stretch, which should help my evening runs! I *MAY* Slide this schedule to be from Tues - Sat if my need for recovery on monday's after long runs dictates. How: Daily Morning short workouts as follows: Mon - Chin up 4x10, Side Plank 4x 40, Reverse Crunch 4x 10 Tue - Overhead Squat 4x8, Bent over DB row 4x10, Plank 4x40 Wed - Step up with rotation 4x8, crunch 3x10, Side Plank 4x40 Thur - Straight Leg Dead Lift 4x8, Overhead Dumbbell Press 4x8, Plank 4x40 Fri - Walking lunge with Kick 4x8, Chin up 4x10, Side Plank 4x40 (+3 STR ) GOAL 3 – Lose 10lbs by following Nutritional Weight and Wellness plan. HOW: So normally I have a food goal that involves my tracking and macros and such... Not this time. I have decided to participate in a nutrition group that meets with a nutritionist once a week. The plan goes for 12 weeks so it will span the next couple challenges. This class starts next week so I don't have a ton of details - but my goal will be to lose some weight finally!!! I haven't set any weight loss goals yet this year because I've been putting myself through some major workout changes, but its time to make this a priority and I feel confident that I can do so without hurting myself since I'll have some professional help! Even better - because diet is a huge component of allergy problems my medical plan is paying for this! WOOT! Nutrition Plan! Here goes... NO CALORIE COUNTING... EEP! The plan is based on whole eating (I own this) with a balance of high quality protein, veggie carbs and healthy fats spread out for 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. This is far more than I normally eat and a plan I knew I should be following but didn't know how to start. So WIN on this being the launching point! Here's the basic breakdown. Meals Protein - 2-4oz at breakfast, 4oz at lunch and dinner. Carb - 1 cup of green veggies + 1/2 c carb veggies or 1 grain/bean serving, Fat - 1 servings (which would be like 1/2 an avacado or 2tbl butter or some olives or nuts,etc) Snacks 1-2oz protein, 1 carb serving, 1 fat serving Bedtime Snack 1/2c fruit with 1 serving fat (which I'm delighted to see includeds 2 tbl cream cheese!!!) So the schedule is Breakfast - Snack - Lunch - Snack - Dinner - Bedtime snack. (+5 CON) GOAL 4 – Read at least 2x per week for 1 hour anything that isn't school work. I have a huge stack of books that I want to get through and I've been bad about making time to relax and enjoy, so now is a good time to make that happen! HOW: Beginning each week I will look at the schedule and plan these two times. Success here will involve any 2 hours in the week devoted to reading for fun. I'm going to start with ______ (I need to pick one) LOL (+2 WIS)

After working out every other day for the last two months, combined with the paleo diet, working towards that first pull-up was my #1 target. Today I decided to try it; slowly but steadily I managed to pull me and my 91 kg's of meat up towards the ceiling. Made me feel proud of myself! Then I just tried some more; I got to three. Woot! - By the way, I now believe more than ever in paleo eating. Last year I started eating paleo, but after some months I began eating grains again. Quickly I began feeling more tired, some days I couldn't make it til the evening without taking a nap. When I finally connected the dots I decided to start eating paleo again. I made some mistakes at first but I learned from it. I also started working out, promising myself an iPod classic after 40 workouts. I'm now at number 28 and I've never felt (and looked) better. My abs are (slowly) becoming visible, my shoulders are more defined, my back is more muscular, my breast has less fat. It is totally awesome. I didn't lose a lot of weight, but I think I'm replacing fat with (heavier) muscles. Yesterday I was at a party and noticed I was getting a lot of attention from girls. That was an incredible payoff for all the hard work, and a huge confidence boost. So good luck to everyone starting on their quest to becoming awesome: focus on your habits, eat healthy (paleo!!!) and do some serious strength training. Rely on yourself, because you alone are responsible. When I realized that everything changed. You will get there!

Ahhh a new challenge! I've changed my thread name for the first time since joining NF! Time to put my main goal as the focus of these next few challenges! Last challenge was an epic win in conquoring the weight section. I learned a ton in the last challenge when it came to my running, including changing my running form, getting new vibram soled shoes and correcting my strike pattern. I'm ready to kick this part of my goal into high gear!!! This time around I must switch gears and focus on my long term plan of running the Twin Cities Marathon in Oct (26 weeks), by way of the Red White and Boom 1/2 Marathon in 12 weeks. I've switched plans to a Galloway running plan as recommended by guild members last challenge! My running goals will be based on his plan for a "just to finish" goal. So this round (and the next few really) I will be switching from weights 3 days per week to 2 days per week, with running 3 days and two rest days instead of 1 each week. Here's the plan for this challenge! GOAL 1– Run a 12 Min Mile Last challenge I had this goal and didn't reach it, so I'm keeping it! I did improve on my 15 min mile last challenge, but I'd like to really see progress here this time. Since I'm focusing on running, this is an excellent place to start. A 12 min mile is 5 MPH and I'm currently doing 3-4 MPH. By the end of the challenge I want this to be averaging 4-5 MPH. HOW: I'll be following the Galloway running program for a "just to finish" 1/2-Full Marathon plan. This involves running on Mon/Wed for 1/2 hour, Thurs is an "easy walk", and long runs on Sat. Fri and Sunday will be recovery days. On my Mon/Wed runs my plan will be to work on this goal by progressively improving my time. By the end of 6 weeks I'd like to be doing at least 1 mile in 12 min during these runs. I'll be continuing with intervals for these Mon/Wed Runs as a way to increase my speeds. I discovered last challenge that 5 Min up/down is a great pace for me, so I'm going to stick with that. I'll do these at the gym since that's more doable during the work week. Long runs will focus on simply distance - not worrying about time for the most part. Time should improve as my endurance improves, but I'll be tracking it in general not specifically. These will be done outside every week as soon as its humanly possible (if we ever thaw out) and only done inside if its raining. (+5 STA) GOAL 2 – Strength Training 2 days per Week. Last challenge was all about this goal and me overcoming my fears of weight training. I'm pleased to say it was a huge success! Now I need to continue that momentum, but secondary to the running. I'm going to continue with my RFG Plans since those are going so well! I leveled up from Rookie to Recruit during the last challenge and I think I'll stay there through this challenge. I'd like to perfect this workout and add some weight to my lifts before I level up. This will be on Tues and Thurs. This workout includes interval training, which I'm going to skip. Since my Mon/Wed runs will be intervals this will be a fine compromise. How: Follow the RFG Recruit workouts on Tues and Thurs, skipping the interval training portion. I'll be looking to add more weight every two weeks - so 3 times - during this challenge. (+3 STR and +2 CHA) GOAL 3 – Focus on Food - 5 meals per day This was also a goal from last challenge that went ok, but not great. I learned a lot and discovered some tools to help. THis challenge I want to nail my diet. Its time to get serious about what I'm eating and to make sure its empowering my workouts. I'm going to fine tune this to more specific goals based on what I learned last challenge. HOW: I must eat 1552-1652 calories per day. This needs to include 125g protein and 120g Carbs (vegetable, oatmeal and quiona/brown rice only) and no more than 30g of sugar each day. I'll be tracking fat but not really worrying about it as long as it comes from healthy fat sources like avacado an lean animal protein type sources. I already follow a mostly Paleo approach, I'm gluten free, mostly diary free and eat almost entirely organic. I need to eat on a better schedule so this challenge I need measure how often I eat with a goal of - Breakfast, Lunch, snack, Dinner, snack. Thats roughly 300 Cal per eating time - give or take. I'll be using Paleo for Athletes to dial this in. (+5 CON) In addition to these goals I'll be attending my normal bellydancing classes on Wed evenings. Optimally workouts will be done in the morning - but I've learned that flexibility in my schedule means I am more successful with my goals so as long as I workout each day I'm scheduled its a win. Friday mornings I'm still going to get up at gym time and I think I may do some bellydancing or yoga at home. I currently weigh 197. My measurements are: (In Inches and on both sides) Neck: 12.25 Chest: 34 (-2) Waist: 39 (-.5) ( Hips: 43 (-1) Bicep: 12 (-.5) Forearm: 9 (-.5) Wrist: 5 Thigh: 24 Calf: 16 SCHEDULE MONDAY-WEDNESDAY: 1/2 hour of running. Focus on intervals and 12 min Mile goal. TUESDAY - THURSDAY: RFG Recruit plan. SATURDAY: Long Runs per schedule - runs to be outside unless there's bad weather. FRIDAY - SUNDAY: Recovery Days.

Hello Fellow Rangers!!! I hail from two challenges in the Adventurer group and I'm finally feeling confident enough to move into a more specific guild I've been somewhat shy in my journey here since I have felt like such a neophyte - but I'm getting my sea legs finally. I just recently downloaded the Rebel Fitness Guid and along with a 26 week marathon training program will be piecing together a plan for the next 6 months leading up to the Twin Cities Marathon - which I am registered to run (for the third year in a row though I've yet to make it to the race). This time I'm doing it! Two years ago I broke a bone in my foot and spent the summer doing nothing, last year I had hives from FEB- SEPT and did very little. Both those issues are now behind me and I'm moving forward! I've not really allocated any RLRP points in my previous challenges, so this time I'm determined to master that system and level up Also I needed to level up my efforts in general and get some more detailed help with this process - so I downloaded the Rebel Fitness Guide! First time I've ever spend any money on actually getting some real direction SUPER EXCITED about everything I read in there and I'm feeling awesome about the changes its helped me understand. So here are my goals! GOAL 1– Run a 12 Min Mile Last challenge I managed to do a 15 Min Mile finally. This challenge my goal is to better that individual mile time. A 12 min mile is 5 MPH and I'm currently doing 4 MPH. I'm set to run a Marathon in Oct and my goal is to run 5 MPH for that whole race - finishing in 5.5 hours. (No major record setting here - the goal is just to FINISH one alive!) So this goal is my first step in the marathon training process of getting to my 1 mile time and then improving just my distance over the months ahead. HOW: I'll be doing this as my "10 min of any cardio" portion of my weight training plan from the the RFG. I'll be making that "12 min of any cardio" and each time I'll simply run as fast as I can for the 12 min, with the result being a mile in that time by the end of 6 weeks. That should be roughly .10 - .20 of a mile improvement each week for 6 weeks on average. (+5 STA) GOAL 2 – Serious strength training via the Rookie plan in RFG and move up to Recruit plan after 4-6 wks. Honestly I've been half assing the BBWW since last fall. I made some improvements in my first challenge and then turned into a lump over the holidays. I picked it back up last challenge but didn't really make much progress and I have to admit I was not putting my best efforts in. I was just "getting back into the swing o things" and more focusing on the C2 5K plan. While I'm definitely back into the swing its time to put some real effort behind this and stop wimping out. How: I'm hitting the Rookie plan hard. I'll do this for 4 - weeks. At 4 weeks I'll evaluate if I'm ready to level up to Recruit, otherwise I'll level up at the end of 6 for sure. I've printed the tracking sheet and I'll be writing out each workout on there - and also updating the spreadsheet on my computer to keep a long term track of each thing. (+3 STR and +2 CHA) GOAL 3 – Eat amounts based on Diet calcs in RFG and only my own cooked food 5 days per week. I have known since last fall that, while I eat super healthy due to allergy issues, I DO NOT eat in a super healthy way. I routintely skip breakfast, eat small lunches, snack in the afternoon and then eat a big dinner. I don't eat enough of the things that will support the amount I'm running. I'm not eating enough protein or carbs for running. My blood sugar routinely drops out and I have to scramble to eat something before I pass out. I don't track my sugar intake at all and I know its too high - even without all the normal sugar traps. All that being said I went through the Diet section of the RFG and figured out what I'm doing right/wrong. HOW: I must eat 1552-1852 calories per day. This needs to include 145-165g protein and 120-140g Carbs (vegetable, oatmeal and quiona/brown rice only) and no more than 50g of sugar each day. I'll be tracking fat but not really worrying about it as long as it comes from healthy fat sources like avacado an lean animal protein type sources. I already follow a mostly Paleo approach, I'm gluten free, mostly diary free and eat almost entirely organic. I will pre-plan and cooke meals ahead of time so that 5 days per week I only eat my own food. Weekend are free but I have to stick within my calories. If I plan poorly and eat out during the week, I will sacrifice an equivalent weekend meal and have to eat it at home. I'll be using My Fitness Pal App to track these things since I'm already setup on it. (+5 CON) In addition to these goals I'll be continuing with running a few miles per off day for my overall marathon goal - using a 26 week training guide. I'll be attending my normal bellydancing classes on Wed evenings. Sundays will be my entirely free day - no workouts and no food restrictions up to 1852 calories. I'm laying off on my intense scheduling goals of past challenges. I will workout 6 days a week - and it will be usually mornings since I'm now in that habit but as long as it happens I'm good. I'm heading into a very challenging semester with school (2 to go!!!) and the flexibility means I won't feel so overwhelmed with scheduling as I work more on homework. What I hope to end up with at the end of this challenge is another 2 inches lost all around. I understand that as I hit the weights for real I may not lose any weight as things turn to muscle to my weight goal is simply to stay put! I currently weigh 192. My measurements are: (In Inches and on both sides) Neck: 12.25 Chest: 37 Waist: 49.5 Hips: 44 Bicep: 12.5 Forearm: 9.75 Wrist: 5 Thigh: 24 Calf: 16 SCHEDULE MONDAY-WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY: RFG WORKOUT/MILE TUESDAY - THURSDAY: MARATHON TRAINING RUN SATURDAY: MARATHON LONG RUNS PER SCHEDULE SUNDAY: FREE DAY!

I've decided to just pop up this little battle log and log in the foods I eat along with my workouts and how I feel that day. Might as well start making myself accountable, and a little discipline. I'm seeing some results, but I know that my diet has been bleh and not following the workout plans advice. Goals: Weight loss. Losing 1-2 pounds a week or more. Attempting a 20 pound loss before June 15, my sisters wedding. Strength: doubling my starting strength from the beginning of my routine: 75% complete Education: Not only expanding my mind on eating-right, but also in my studies in becoming an actor and director. Work: Keeping up with my directing scenes along with my recent job. Other: Keep off sodas and reduce caffine consumption. Stay the hell away from fast food places for awhile and their value menus. 4/6/2013 Todays Food: PB n' J 2 Coffee with cream and sugar (guilty pleasure) Banana can of low sodium v8 juice Improvised chicken and vegetable stir fry 2-3 spoonfulls of the mint chocolate chip icecream in my freezer Water consumption: 3 large glasses