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So I recently agreed to take part in a 5k run as part of a fund raiser in July/August - the final date isn't set. I'm basically a non runner but wouldn't consider myself a couch potato. I work in a kitchen 10+ hours a day and can comfortable walk in excess of 20 miles without much issue. As such I've picked up the NHS Couch to 5k App and started on week two. I've done my first two runs without too much issue. Its a challenge but I'm recovering pretty fast. Obviously I have a deadline now and I was wondering if it would be sensible to try to speed through doing a run every other day cutting it down to about 5 weeks to complete the training, plenty of time to give myself an extra day to recover here and there when I need it. Or is this just asking to risk injury? Currently I'm doing warm up walk 5 mins; 90 secs jogging, 2 mins brisk walk x5, 90 second jog and cool down walk. I'm boarding on a stitch towards the end of the last two runs but pretty much recovered after the cool down and have energy to spare then. Any advice or tips to increase efficiency would be much appreciated!

Mega Quest: My 2016 theme is "Opportunity favors the prepared." I'm in a better position to pursue a career opportunity when I maintain my network and resume and take time to build my skills. I'm in a better position to go on an amazing last-minute hiking trip if I'm already active and working on being fit. Sure, it's nice to dream about moving to Germany, but it's a lot more likely if I speak the language (classes started in January). And in general, luck seems more likely to come my way when I'm keeping myself happy, healthy, and fulfilled via self care and pursuing my interests. I want the abilities behind me to say yes when I want. And if the last few years are anything to go on, fortune does not seem to favor the person that spends hours everyday staring at her phone or the TV. I am planning on short monthly goals with overarching fitness/career/self-improvement and self care themes throughout the year. March is going to be all about incorporating activity in my daily routine. This was part of January's 'Back to Basics' goals and then February's 'Shore up on January's Weaknesses' goals, and I'm still blowing it, so that's all March is going to focus on. 1. Daily anything active. A jog, a walk, lifting, body weight circuit, foam rolling, yoga, 5 minutes of burpees in a conference room, sex that isn't missionary, I don't care. The point is to be intentional with it and be aware of how active/inactive I am in my normal daily life. 2. Weekly slight effort. Make it to the gym at least twice a week. This should be easy- I was going about 4x a week in January, but February brought a lot of travel, events, work busyness, and house guests. I think I'll be back at it 4x a week once my dad heads back home this Thursday and my sewing class takes a break after this week, but I'm changing around my work schedule this week and we'll see how that works. 3. Practically trying. Go on at least 2 hikes/active adventures this month. My last chance before Phoenix turns into an inferno hellscape until November. Actually, it was 87 today so I may have already missed my window. Northward I may go, Flagstaff Ho. Life Quests: Work is going to be busy so I'm reserving most of my energy for that. Keep studying German. Read the book club book (The Circle by Dave Eggers). Design a pattern for and make a messenger bag for sewing class. Other considerations: Anniversary this week so possible planned diet chaos. Probably at least one weekend trip. Eating habits remain decent, but tracking calories has been a total bust so I'm thinking of getting really boring and putting together a 'perfect day' menu and then eating it 5x a week. That leaves 2 days to give myself a break from the monotony and they can be my zag days in a zig-zag eating pattern. My work schedule is tentatively 6:30-14:30 now, so we'll see how that goes. Theoretically, it means I'm not going to work during peak traffic times and should give me back 5 hours a week I'm not sitting in my car contemplating hari kari. But I meet people at the gym at 19:00 most days, which cuts close to bedtime if I want 8 hours, and in another month I'll be doing the dog park that late too because it'll be too hot to do it earlier. So I'm toying with the idea of coming home, getting a full REM nap 1-2 hours, doing my evening stuff, then skating by on 6 hours or so sleep at night. I wonder if that'll keep me from sleep debt, as long as I'm not messing with REMs. Let the experiment begin. If you read this whole thing, you're an impressive beast.

I'm Bee! For the past six months I've been focusing on my health and wellness through nutrition and mindfulness. Over the course of 3 years I gained about 30 pounds and struggled significantly with depression, anxiety, and accumulating health issues. After many failed attempts at restrictive diets and all-or-nothing workout regimes, I finally found that taking a simplistic approach toward changing my eating habits a little bit at a time allowed me to develop a greater awareness and appreciation of what I put in my body. I also dug deep into the core of my compulsive overeating and began to repair my relationship with food while rebuilding self-confidence. In the second half of 2015 I lost almost 15 pounds, quit my soda addiction, and transitioned to a fully vegan diet. I'm happier and healthier than I've been in a long time! I have many goals on the horizon and I'm ecstatic to be starting a new year (for perhaps the first time in my life) with a positive outlook on the months to come. Back in college I was a very basic runner (a few miles a few times a week). Since then I've been itching to get back into running but have never been able to find my groove; I either start too fast too quickly and injure myself or don't follow through in order to build a habit. I'm SO excited to get started again. I've been reading books and asking questions and setting myself up to be successful one step at a time. I'm not concerned about speed or distance at this point - I'm just ready to lace up every day and discover what works best for me. Main Quest: Within the next 6 months, my goal is to drop 1 dress size and be able to run a 5k. Run and/or Walk 30 Minutes/Day As a newbie runner I'll be following the Couch to 5K app, which calls for a walk/jog three times per week. The rest of the week I'll decide: either adding walk/jog days, or simply taking a long walk. This coincides with my need to walk our dogs more often. Why every day? I need to build a habit. I only have to commit to the 3 days of C25K -- if necessary, the rest of the days can be a slower walk. 5 STA = 37+ successful days // 4 STA = 36-32 successful days // 3 STA = 31-28 successful days Stretching/Flexibility Work Daily Whether it's a basic stretch after my jog or a yoga session, I need to loosen up my limbs. I always struggle with sore knees when I first start running, and know it has to do more with my strength and flexibility rather than the act of running itself. 3 DEX = 37+ successful days // 2 DEX = 36-32 successful days // 1 DEX = 31-28 successful days Snacks = Fruit, Veggies, Nuts/Seeds My nutrition has improved tremendously over the past six months. Inherently, in cutting out all meat, dairy, and eggs there are far fewer junk food/fast food items readily available that I'm interested in eating. I have increased my fruit and veggie intake and worked to balance my sweets intake. Chips, however, are something that have wiggled their way into my daily snacking habits. Like soda, chips are something I can certainly live without. Update: As noted above, I'm a bit of a compulsive overeater. And as much as I've started to balance some of my eating habits, I have found over the past few weeks that I can easily replace one bad habit with another. Last challenge I committed to not eating sweets, yet replaced that habit with eating chips. I am already forseeing that I'll replace chip-eating with sweet-eating. So instead, I'm sticking to my original plan at the end of the last challenge: snacks are limited to healthy, whole food options. 4 CON = 37+ successful days // 3 CON = 36-32 successful days // 2 CON = 31-28 successful days Finish 4 Books in 4 Weeks Brain food. 3 WIS = 4 books // 2 WIS = 3 books // 1 WIS = 2 books ... Possibly to be updated with some stats and more refined quest descriptions. For now - lace up!

"Today you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery. Not one but two of the Keyblade's chosen stand here as candidates... but this is neither a competition nor a battle for supremacy - not a test of wills, but a test of heart. Both of you may prevail, or neither." - Master Eraqus Ventus - Agility "I've become a part of their heart, just as they've become a part of mine. My friends are my power...and I'm theirs!" -Ventus Start on Couch to 5k trainingIn an effort to make sure I do not overtax myself I am only going to make my goal 3 days a week of walking in the beginning (maybe the first two weeks), then progress to the actual c25k program. Oh and yes, I will be counting days spent at any Disney Park as a full walk, cause it is, trust me. Ventus and Terra quests will be done on alternating days. +2 DEX +2 STA Terra - Power "There's darkness within me... So what does that matter? I know I'm strong enough to hold it back." -Terra Push-Up Progressions -PAUSED- Doctors ordersStarting back where I left off with my beginner bodyweight workout. I previously was able to do 6 incline push-ups off of the counter. I would like to be able to do an actual honest push-up by the time this challenge is over but we shall see. Do a push-up progression workout 2 times a week also including planks and dumbbell rows for arm strength. Ventus and Terra quests will be done on alternating days. Beginner Bodyweight WorkoutTake it easy on the wrists, but do a BBWW three times a week. +3 STR Aqua - Flexibility "Try all you want, but you'll never defeat a heart filled with light." -Aqua Beginner Yoga 30 Day Challenge -PAUSED- Doctors OrdersParticipate in the 30 day Yoga challenge. I would like to do yoga 5 days a week so I'll finish all 30 days by the end of the challenge. The particular series I am working with is supposed to be easy enough on the body to be done multiple days in a row. I hope I'm not being overambitious here, so I'm only going to make my goal for 2 times a week. If I find that all three quests are too much to handle at once I will alter them to fit my needs, but I'm going to at least give it an honest try the first week. +1 DEX +.5 CON +.5 WIS Water TrackingWill track all fluids consumed with a goal of 64 ounces of mostly water a day. +2 CON Mickey - Life Quest "Don't you worry, Aqua. I believe in Ven, too. Gosh, he's been as good a friend to me as anybody. And if both you and me believe in him with all our hearts...then he'll have two lights to follow instead of one!" - Mickey Practice acts of loving self-careThis quest will be hard to quantify, and even trickier to track. I may not even want to share this part of the quest, so I hope you guys will trust me that if I say I have done it, I have. Acts of self care can include meditation, positive affirmations, journaling, vent art, aromatherapy, or something as simple as being extra thorough with my skin care routine. My mental and emotional well being must be as important to this challenge as my physical health. I should be practicing self-care daily, however for this challenge I will start the new habit out slowly and make my goal 3 days a week. +3 CHA +1 CON Week One Ventus - A (3/3) Terra - F (0/2) Aqua - A (2/2) Mickey - A (3/3) Week Two Ventus - A (3/3) Terra - C (1/2) Aqua - C (1/2) Mickey - A (3/3) Week Three Ventus - A (3/3) Terra - C (1/2) Aqua - F (0/2) Mickey - A (3/3) Week Four Ventus - D (1/3) Terra - A (1/1) Aqua - A (2/2) Mickey - B (2/3) Week Five Ventus - C (2/3) Terra - C (2/3) Aqua - A (7/7) Mickey - A (3/3) Week Six Ventus - D (1/3) Terra - F (0/3) Aqua - A (7/7) Mickey - A (3/3)

Between Heaven and Hell.. Anything is possible. "Now I realize that there is no righteous path, it's just people trying to do their best in a world where it is far too easy to do your worst." -Castiel For the very first time in my life I have signed up for a 5K run, which is something that I never would have figured possible for a figure like myself. I know that I can do it, and I want to keep that mindset, not just at the beginning of year. I did already register, why waste the registration for a no show due to lack of self esteem and quit before I even try. So this challenge I plan on working towards getting into the habit of walking regularly, and building up my stamina/endurance. And of course being healthy comes for the ride with that overall quest as well.. so eating healthy is really something I want to stay more focused on as well. The strength is just a side challenge, to keep myself motivated. Goal #1: Highway to Hell You don't have to be ruled by fate, you can choose Freedom. And that is something that I believe is still worth fighting for." -Castiel Walk, walk, walk, and walk more until you fall to the ground and you cannot move. Pain is just another way of your body showing you that you're still alive, and well. I walk a block, and my legs are aching for me to stop.. but not anymore. I need to crawl before I can walk, and walk before I can run. I'd like to go for 3 walks per week, and try to pay more attention to the distance I am driving/parking to where I could have walked. Maybe if I acknowledge it more, I will create a new change in my life. +5 STAMINA AWARDED: upon completion of 3 walks within the week. BONUS +1 STAMINA – awarded for walking more than 3x. Goal #2: You are what you Eat. “Hey, see if they've got any pie. Bring me some pie. I love me some pie. “ -Dean Food is my worst battle, even more than exercise. I love me some exercise when I get to it, but I do love me some food to.. and not the healthy stuff or devils vegetables. A great big greasy burger and some onions, with some ice cream after for a finale. Being a woman is great, but pms is my weakness.. I eat crap for that week, and then carry on for the few weeks after that, and then POOF! It's that time again. Doh! So, my goal is to cook a healthy meal five days a week. +5 CONSTITUTION AWARDED - A or B grade 6-7 times per week – A 4-5 times per week – B 2-3 times per week – C 0-1 times per week – F Goal #3 - Slaying the Beast “These punishments, they’re almost poetic. Well, actually they’d be more like a limerick, but still...†- Dean I've found that through a previous challenge on another website, that I enjoyed strength training with weights. I would love to explore this new found love. I have a set of 5 and 15lb weights that I can use, now will be the fun of exploring different exercises. Knowing that I enjoy it, I don't want to set a goal to do a certain amount each day per week, but rather to LEARN a new type of exercise each day +5 STRENGTH AWARDED: A or B grade 6-7 learned – A 4-5 learned – B 2-3 learned – C 0-1 learned – F

Current Quest: (PART ONE) 1/5 - 1/23 - Come Back from the Dead MAIN QUEST: Back to Basics :: Don't Suck I've been AWOL for about 3 months... Sigh. I'm lucky that my reason for being AWOL is that I got VERY involved in the play I was doing, made a bunch of new friends, and subsequently did a lot of this: Time to recommit and get ready to rock! Ultimate Quest: Survive the Zombie Apocalypse NECESSARY SKILLS: I will be focusing on... STR: Fend off zombies with brawn STA: Outrun hordes for long distances DEX: Be agile and quick enough to cover rugged, varied terrain effortlessly CON: Have the supplies and means to bunker down and equip myself properly WIS: Be wicked smaht. Because zombies are dumb. CHA: Charm the pants off of handsome survivors. Steal their shit. CHALLENGE PT ONE GOALS (First 3 Weeks) At the midpoint of this challenge, I will assess, assign points, and create a new set of challenges! (5 points possible for each 1/2 challenge) 1: Money, Money, Money I am starting a new teaching job! Long-term subbing is exciting, but it means 21 days of petty pay before the big bucks kick in. I need to be frugal for the next month! - NO FAST FOOD, Not even coffee! - Pay all bills on time - Stick with the alternative 52-week challenge (deposit anywhere from $1-52 per week, each number can only be used once. This allows greater flexibility in case of car repairs or other unexpected expenses!) 2: Get Apocalypse Ready (+3 STA) - Make my new gym membership worth it! Go at least 2x a week - Do the first three weeks of Couch-to-5k! LET'S DO THIS!

double post (dammit)

Current Quest: (PART ONE) 1/5 - 1/23 - Come Back from the Dead MAIN QUEST: Back to Basics :: Don't Suck I've been AWOL for about 3 months... Sigh. I'm lucky that my reason for being AWOL is that I got VERY involved in the play I was doing, made a bunch of new friends, and subsequently did a lot of this: Time to recommit and get ready to rock! Ultimate Quest: Survive the Zombie Apocalypse NECESSARY SKILLS: I will be focusing on... STR: Fend off zombies with brawn STA: Outrun hordes for long distances DEX: Be agile and quick enough to cover rugged, varied terrain effortlessly CON: Have the supplies and means to bunker down and equip myself properly WIS: Be wicked smaht. Because zombies are dumb. CHA: Charm the pants off of handsome survivors. Steal their shit. CHALLENGE PT ONE GOALS (First 3 Weeks) At the midpoint of this challenge, I will assess, assign points, and create a new set of challenges! (5 points possible for each 1/2 challenge) 1: Money, Money, Money I am starting a new teaching job! Long-term subbing is exciting, but it means 21 days of petty pay before the big bucks kick in. I need to be frugal for the next month! - NO FAST FOOD, Not even coffee! - Pay all bills on time - Stick with the alternative 52-week challenge (deposit anywhere from $1-52 per week, each number can only be used once. This allows greater flexibility in case of car repairs or other unexpected expenses!) 2: Get Apocalypse Ready (+3 STA) - Make my new gym membership worth it! Go at least 2x a week - Do the first three weeks of Couch-to-5k! LET'S DO THIS!

I successfully completed my first challenge, and then bombed my second. I’m back for my second second challenge. My goals are more Adventure-based, so I thought I’d come play over here for a while instead of in the Assassins guild. I will be graduating nursing school very soon and am very busy (I may not reply right away if you’re interested in following, but I will eventuallyJ). My first 2 challenge plans were rather straight-forward, so I thought I’d jazz this one up with 2 things I adore – space and mushrooms. Goal: Chase down Exotic Space Mushrooms for research (build stamina to last through 12 hour shifts on my feet without getting ridiculously tired AND develop stronger back muscles). Missions: 1. Avoid the ever-poisonous Wheat-Gilled Mushrooms. 2. Move my space ship to a different location 3x/wk (Couch to 5K program). 3. Dig for underground mushroom caves (bodyweights) OR harvest mushrooms (kettlebells) 3x/wk. Life Quest: Further my knowledge of Astro Mycology (study for NCLEX 10hrs/wk). Motivation: I have an unparalleled desire to find and categorize mushrooms for research (I need to be able to have the stamina to still be a safe RN by the end of my shift and my back to be okay through my nursing career). Quest Complete?: I’ll do my grading like my nursing program does….80% or more = pass. So Mission 1 = I need 34 days out of 42 with no wheat, Missions 2 and 3 = I need 15 days of running out of a possible 18, and 15 of strength training out of a possible 18.

In which I describe my goals: I'm working on getting my life together in numerous ways, one of which is managing my ADHD better. My therapist says that a solid foundation for managing ADHD is based on consistency in four key areas: 1) Medication, 2) Sleep, 3) Exercise, 4) Diet. My medication is pretty good and I've taken big steps in making my sleep consistent. That means that it's time for number three! Now, I could argue that I'm already consistent in this area, in that I don't get any exercise. (Har.) But my blood pressure's getting a little high, and I'm tired of getting breathless just mowing the lawn. Plus I'm going to have to shovel snow in a few months, and I'd prefer to be able to do more of it so my sixty-something dad doesn't have to do as much. And my best friend has undertaken running--she's already done her first 5k!--so I'd really like to be able to run a 5k with her. (The next one she's planning on doing is at the end of October, so I don't think I'm going to be able to be ready for that one, but the one after that, yup!) My first goal in this area is consistency. I am not good at developing and maintaining habits. So right now I am aiming for at least two and ideally three days a week. I'm planning on running in the mornings, and I have apps set up on my iPhone to help me. I'm using Zombies, Run! Couch to 5k, although right now it's more like, Zombies, Stroll! I've got a playlist set up and I got an armband so I don't have to worry about my phone bouncing out of my pocket. My reward for when I get through a month of being consistent will be to get fitted for a pair of running shoes!

Hi, I'm Mindy! I'm 32 years old, and I live in Seattle. I'm also a huge nerd! I grew up on a steady diet of Star Trek (DS9 is my favorite), I used to play in the SCA, I love tabletop RPGs, and I've been writing fanfiction for almost 20 years. Most of my life I've been that kind of awkward, fat, quiet girl. You know the type. I lived in my head and not in my body. Looking back, I realize that, even when I realized I was drawn to physical activities, I avoided doing them because I was so self conscious of the way I looked. I've always wanted to run, for instance, but I didn't want people to see me huffing and puffing my way down the sidewalk. I managed to drop about 75 pounds in my early 20s, mostly because I changed up my diet a lot to deal with some health concerns. I cut processed food, learned how to cook, and switched to a mostly vegan diet. I even stopped drinking coffee, which is a huge deal for me! My diet experimentation continued until the doctor suggested I go gluten free. That was the breaking point for me -- I love to bake and couldn't fathom the thought of giving up homemade bread. I stopped going to the doctor and started drinking coffee again, but my diet stayed pretty healthy. Since I lived near a network of trails, I used to walk a lot, too. Typically, I'd wake up at 4 AM, hit the trail for about an hour, come home, write, then head to work. I also started taking bellydance lessons -- something I had always wanted to do, but that I'd always been too self conscious to try. In a lot of ways, it was a high point, health-wise. But as I kept losing weight, I started to play with how long I could go without food. It didn't help that there was a lot of rough stuff going on in my life at that point, and my diet felt like the one thing i could really control. Before long, I was eating about a meal a week.I looked great, but I was a nervous wreck. Finally, I broke down and started making some positive changes in my life. I moved out of the toxic roommate situation I was in, and moved in with the man I eventually went on to marry. Starting a new relationship brought its own challenges, though. My husband loves to cook, but grew up eating a fairly traditional British diet (his mum is British). Lots of meat and potatoes. Very few vegetables. Since he was happy to do most of the cooking, and since I was kind of done freaking out about my food, I ended up eating a lot of the same stuff he did. I stuck firm on avoiding processed food, but that was about all I managed. And since I had an appreciative audience for my baking skills, I started making a lot more bread and cookies. Most of our dates also involved food in some way -- meals out, ice cream, popcorn with movies . . . We both gained a lot of weight the first year we were together. Eventually, we started trying to be healthier. We ate more vegetables and I started bellydance lessons again. We made a little bit of progress. Then we moved to a small, shitty town so I could take my first teaching job, and we both backslid spectacularly. Between living somewhere that wasn't very walkable and the stress of teaching, I ballooned out. My first year teaching, I gained about 50 pounds! For the four years I was teaching, my health slid steadily downwards. Finally, I told myself that I needed to make some changes before I ended up having a heart attack or something. At the time, my husband was also getting pretty frustrated with his own weight, so he was willing to get on board. Finally, I took a huge step and quit my job, and we moved back to the Seattle area. Most of my stress disappeared when I took my new job. I stopped gaining weight, but didn't start losing it, like I would have when I was younger. I think that period of not-eating in my twenties might have really messed up my metabolism. This December, I read "Born to Run" and it inspired me to start a Couch to 5k program. I was so out of shape, that I needed to repeat week 1 three times before I could get all the way through a workout, but I got one of my sisters to hold me accountable, and I kept trying. I could only manage 30 seconds of running at a time back in December, but this morning, I jogged for 25 minutes straight for my week 7, day 1 workout! My speed is horrible, but I figure there is time to work on speed after I gain endurance. The big thing that keeps me going is that my husband and I want to start a family next year. I don't want my kids to grow up with the same sedentary lifestyle I was raised in, but I don't think I can teach them to enjoy an active lifestyle unless I have one myself. I'm trying to find more physical activities that I enjoy. My husband and I tried kayaking while on vacation a few years ago, and I'm really excited to try it again now that we are in Seattle. Our new apartment is by a bunch of bike trails, so I'm also excited to get my bike tuned up and start running errands that way. Parking is a pain in the butt here, so I am definitely motivated to bike! The scale only shows a difference of about 5 pounds since I've started running, but all of my pants are too lose now, and I've visibly lost weight in my face and hands. I am definitely healthier, and I'm happy for that, but clearly, running alone isn't going to make the weight loss happen. I went to a naturopath about a year ago, and she had me try the allergy elimination diet. I wasn't able to stick with it for the full time, but I did like how I felt when I wasn't eating wheat or sugar. She also did a bunch of blood tests, which revealed that my protein was kind of ridiculously low. Since then, my husband and I have tried eating more Paleo -- more meat, more vegetables, fewer empty carbs. My energy is noticeably higher when I eat that way, and I love it. That's how I found Nerd Fitness, while Googling Paleo stuff. I'm not sure I will ever be able to give up bread entirely, but I'm trying to find some kind of compromise that works for me. I also need to start adding in bodyweight exercises between runs. Tomorrow I am going to try out the beginner's body weight exercises here. Sorry, that all got way more tl;dr than I was expecting! Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting to know you guys, and to joining a community of people trying to get healthier.

YESTERDAY (3/25) C25k Wk7 Day 1 1.46 miles, 18:05 min/mile, 26.21 consecutive minutes (I was feeling good, so I kept going after the 25 minute mark) TODAY (3/26) EXERCISE First stab at the beginner body weight tutorial. I didn't realize how long it would take, so I only left time for one circuit. I was really surprised at how hard it was, too. I am more out of shape than I thought. Didn't warm up enough, either. Next time, I'll run through a sun salutation first. body weight squats: 20 (pain in the right knee . . . maybe it will go away as I get stronger?)(bent-knee) push ups: 7lunges: 20dumbbell rows (25lb): 10plank: 15 secJumping Jacks: 30It's a start, at least. Not sure if I should try again after work, or if I should wait until my next day. FOOD LOG 3/26 Breakfast: Smoothie (1/2 c. homemade yogurt, 1/2 banana, 3 frozen strawberries, handful of kale, 1/2 c. almond milk, and 1 tbs. chia seeds) and 2 cups of black coffee. Lunch: Leftovers (chicken curry, cauliflower rice, and kale salad). I brought a small portion of mixed fruit, too, but it went moldy in the fridge, so I didn't eat it. Herbal tea, no sweetener. Snack: Strawberry C Monster smoothie, three pieces of beef jerky, and a Snickers peanut butter bar (yes, I had a moment of weakness at the grocery store, when running errands took too long. You are all witness to my not-so-secret shame) Dinner: Chicken sausage, red and yellow pepper, onion, garlic, kale, and mustard greens, all sauteed together. Water to drink, then green tea. Snack: 2 squares of cheddar cheese, a banana, black tea with cream and sugar (I know, I know . . .)

Just out of curiosity, would it be possible to use the C25K program to increase my speed? I learned to run about 4 years ago using the program, but I live perpetually stuck at a 10 minute mile pace for a 5K. I'm thinking it might work if I were to jog during the "walking" parts of the program, then push myself much harder during the "running" parts. Or does anyone know of a program designed for increasing speed? I really like the C25K format, and the apps you can get to go with it, so I'm hoping either that will work or I can find something similar.

Jumping in late, so this will really only be half a challenge. I tried doing my first challenge back in November and fell off the wagon after a couple of weeks, so, this is my second attempt... Start of NF (and Current) Height: 5'9" Weight: 258-260 lbs Body Fat: 47.5% Hips: 48.25" Waist: 42" Arms: 15.75" Thighs: 32" Pants: 18-20 Shirt: XL-XXL Since I'm only doing half the challenge, and since I failed so miserably last time, I just have 2 goals: Track Everything [+1 WIS, +1 CON]​Track all food/activity on WeightWatchersWear and sync FitBit every dayCouch to 5K [+2 STA, +1 DEX]​Follow the C25K plan and do workouts 3x per week And since I'm only doing 3 weeks, I'm only going to take 5 attribute points if I'm successful. My motivation for starting this up again is that I'm moving with my bestie to NYC this summer. I would like to be able to actually be helpful during the move instead of having to sit down every 5min. I'm also moving across the country, in part, to get away from this ex that I can't seem to escape, and to just in general get a new jump-start on life. So, being fit and healthy and looking good, would be awesome. I want to enjoy NYC and not just sit inside and eat junk food. I also just turned 24 and for some reason am already freaked out about turning 25. I want to feel good about myself when I'm 25 and stop wasting away my youth. Or something.