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Once upon a time, there was a hobbit called Ruby. She had a cheerful life, with good friends, a loving family, and a job that made her happy. But somewhere, deep inside, there was something missing. A discontentment. Unlike other hobbits, who preferred to stay at home and never stray beyond their borders, Ruby pined for adventure. And so, at the first dawn of the new year, she packed up her things, and set out on her quest into the unknown… + + + + Main Quest: So what’s my ‘real life’ motivation? A fairly shallow one, if I’m honest. I love going shopping with my friends, but it becomes a bit of a painful subject when they’re all picking out lovely little designer clothes in sizes that, right now, I could only dream of fitting into. I also don’t have the confidence in myself right now with the way I look to try and get into a meaningful relationship with someone. And thirdly, I want to take up an active hobby, to devote time to an interest, meet new people, and to have something in my life other than being at home or being at work. So, no more. I have the time, and now, I have the willpower to change things too. I successfully managed my career-focused goals of 2013 (going from unemployed to the first rung of the ladder in my dream career from January to September), so 2014 is going to be my year of focusing on my own wellbeing and happiness. CURRENT STATS: Age: 24 Height: 5ft 1†Weight: 219lbs Level 0 STR: 0 | DEX: 0 | STA: 0 | CON: 0 | WIS: 0 | CHA: 0 My overall goal is to lose 100lbs before I'm 30. Instead of looking at that as my one and only thing to aim for, I’ve decided to break that down into more manageable and achievable sub-goals. My first goal is to lose 20lbs in weight, so my first Six Week Quest is to lose 10 or more pounds in 6 weeks and to introduce exercise back into my weekly routine. To do this, I will: Phase processed foods out of my diet.Walk my dog for half an hour every day.Go out on my bicycle every Sunday morning for one hour. Side Quests: To finish my current short film script in these 6 weeksTo join an after-work class to make new friends and try out a new hobbyEarmark one evening a week where I will look after me: have a bubblebath, read a book, do my nails and generally make me feel good about my inner and outer self. Life Quest: Save up 100% of my mortgage deposit over the next two years and buy my own place to live! Quest Progress Side Quest #1: Pages Completed - 1/5 Side Quest #2: Class Joined - NO Side Quest #3: Evenings Taken Out - 0/6 Life Quest: 0/25

Hello Rangers! This is my second challenge. My first one I focused on recovering from a really nasty ankle sprain, and while my ankle is still not 100% (honestly, it probably won't be for at least another two months) I want to start on my main quest of becoming a kickass viking! To be a viking I'll be sailing long distances (read: running and cycling), exploring wintry fjords (read: snowboarding) and of course getting totally buff. The vikings were known for being pretty awesome sailors. For my maiden viking voyage, I'm going to "sail" from Bergen, Norway to Höfn, Iceland, which is 707 miles. That's not going to happen in this challenge, but I'm going to start putting a dent in it. Goal number one is to run or cycle 2x/week during this challenge. My ship is my legs and my bike! Why not more often than that? Because I have to get out of those Norwegian mountains first! Which I'm going to do by snowboarding! Last year I got in 27 days, this season I want to get 30. I've got 10 days in so far, I'm going to try and get at least six days during the challenge (that's snowboarding every weekend). Finally, vikings are strong, so that's what I need to be. Waving around longswords and shields takes muscles! A friend of mine has used Stronglifts with a good amount of success so I'm going to do that program, starting next week because the gym is closed this week, boo. But that just means that I get to do bodyweight exercises this week! So goal three is strength training 3x/week. For grading I'm going to give myself a point every time I get a workout in, but max out my points per week (because consistency is key!) so, e.g. I can only get two points for running/cycling per week even if I run every single day. No saving up workouts! "Sailing" to Iceland: 10-12 pts - A 8-9 pts - B 6-7 pts - C Less than 6 - Shipwrecked! Navigating the mountains: 6+ days - A 5 days - B 4 days - C 3 or less - Fell down a crevasse! Lifting my sword: 15-18 pts - A 12-14 pts - B 9-11 pts - C Less than 9 - Lost an arm-wrestling contest and had to run around in the snow in my underwear! Life side quest: Professional reading - one paper/week! This isn't really viking-related as the vikings didn't really have, well, paper, but it is something I want to accomplish. Okay well here's to a new challenge! My last one went really well, but I also joined a bit late, so this is my first full-length challenge, and hopefully I can stay on top of it! ------------------------- Halfway point scoring update: "Sailing" to Iceland: 46.7 miles, 6 pts (I am definitely not shipwrecked!) Navigating the mountains: 2 days Lifting my sword: 8 pts Professional reading: two papers End-Of-Challenge point scoring update: "Sailing" to Iceland: 70.2 miles, 10 pts - A Navigating the mountains: 6 days - A Lifting my sword: 17 pts - A Professional reading: all of the papers! Thesis writing yaaaay.

Hi rangers, hope you don't mind me sneaking in and shadowing y'all for this one - I've come across from the druids based on what I want to achieve this time. 1. Attend crossfit three times per week during the challenge and thereafter. I've only just signed up and the next class I attend on the 6th will be my second wod after ramp so it's pretty new and still a bit scary [sTR5} 2. which brings me to my second goal which is kind of a mashup of things I still need to refine but mostly stop being scared of things that aren't scary. I need to take responsibility, stop procrastinating and making excuses which all just cuts me off at the knees. I need to think about this still, but it's about committing fully I guess [CON3, WIS2] 3. running/cycling - as I've been sick and there's a storm here I'll say the first week I only need to run 5km or cycle to work (10 kms) at least one time, but from week two onwards I need to run at least 5 km building up to 10km by week 6 at least once a week, and cycle to work at least two times per week (ideally 4 times depending on crossfit). I'm going to work on my speed here too as I've never really tried to see what I can do in that sense. Weather dependent there should be weekend adventuring also [sTA3, DEX2] 4. (non challenge lifequest) I've just started this week to learn about programming so each week I will spend at least four hours dedicated to this without distractions etc. (see 2.) I'm hoping that four hours isn't enough so I may make that more

Fieri Deus Ex Machina... I mean this in the definition of the words, not the literature term. "To become god from the machine" and in my case, my machine is a bicycle!! A human being + a bicycle is one of the most efficient machines on planet earth. When you break down the energy usage into its base mathematics and compare the same figure to say an automobile, a (fit) human being and a bicycle range from approximately 150 Mpg to over 300 Mpg equivalent. That is incredible! However my efficiency while riding is only a tiny fraction of that potential... but in 6 weeks that wont be the case! Main Quest: Increase overall endurance and increase pain tolerance (both mentally and physically). Without a solid foundation how can I push myself in the future? I will need the endurance to keep going and the pain tolerance to push myself out of my comfort zone. Performance goals: 1. Be able to bike from Mountain View to San Francisco in one day, a distance of 42 miles. 2. Be able to sustain an average speed of 17 Mph on my daily commute (3 miles). 3. Be able to sustain an average speed of 25 Mph over a 1/2 mile sprint on flat ground. Side Quest: Reduce BMI by at least 1/4 Grade Scale: Complete all goals = pass Fail any one goal = fail ... there is no in-between P.S. The last performance goal may not sound like much but here is some math for you, because of the increase in wind resistance it requires ~40% more force to go 20 Mph than it does 17 Mph... 25 Mph is essentially sprinting on a bike and is not an easy thing to do. It takes many years of training to be able to actually average 25 Mph +

I had a goal of becoming a real cyclist this year. I've achieved some milestones - communing to work, multiple times per week; cycled more than 100km a day; raised my average speed, participated in a group ride, transition from cycle paths to riding on the road and cycled over 600km in ten days around Sri Lanka. When I think of what it means to be a real cyclist I think I still need to: Ideally upgrade my bike (but this is monetary rather than physical) Transition to clipless pedals Develop a cycling habit (it isn't quite habitual yet) Consistently have an average of 20+kmph Actually do more road cycling Climb hills Look good in lycra So what do I need to do knock a few of these off? I need to start a new bike fund - so I'm thinking of a reward system to start putting some cash aside (more on this later). I kind of think that the pedals will come with the new bike, so at this stage I'm not adding shoes. I've tried every type of cycling goal setting, so I'm going back to total kilometres per week. This is to encourage me to get back into two commutes and a decent weekend ride. I'm going to say 200km per week. This is a stretch but that's the point of a challenge. Edit - I've rethought the cycle goal and since what I'm really trying to achieve is a habit rather than the distance I'm changing this before the challenge starts to be three times a week with the aim to be 2 x commute and 1 x weekend ride. This will also allow me to be a little easier on myself. To increase my speed, help me climb hills and actually look like a cyclist I know I need to drop around 20kg. Which leads to the second and most important part of the challenge - food! I'm doing FODMAP elimination diet to try and get IBS under control. I have three more weeks, then will start food tolerance challenging so the whole challenge I'll be working under this diet restriction. It isn't a weight loss regime so I'll have to combine. Since I'm already restricting wheat for FODMAP so I'll go low carb. In terms of specific goals I like to split it up into a 'doing' goal and a 'result' goal. This is because I tend to cheat and can fudge the 'doing' goal to met expectations but then I don't get the results I need. Carbs between 50 and100g. - I've never really done low carb for any period of time so I'm not sure what is manageable or how low I need to go. Weight loss - I want 2kg in 6 weeks, but I'm going to aim for 4kgs (aim high) Life goal - decide on a new life goal. I want a new challenge for summer. I'm thinking of surfing. I love the ocean beaches and I live in Australia so I think i should know how to surf, even if only a little bit. But I'd also like to do some sort of paddling. I think this is really suits my style/lifestyle/ability more. I have a three week break around Christmas so I need to make a decision and develop a plan before then. It's easy for this break to creep up in the end of year madness and if I haven't planned/booked before the end of term then nothing will happen. This challenge is basically a rehash of previous challenges but at this stage I think it will be the last cyclist challenge for a while anyway. Specific goals and rewards to follow.

MAIN QUEST I want to create and maintain habits that lead to a happy, healthy, and less stressful life. My job gets crazy around the holidays, so I'll need an island of calm - enter cycling! I discovered it about two months ago and we've had a whirlwind romance. I think it could be the one I do long rides on the weekends and I'm not about to give that up! However, one or two long weekend rides can't fix everything. This challenge is going to be about supplementing those long rides with other healthy behaviors. I'm going to be a bit harder on myself this challenge - my last (and first!) challenge was a great intro to the process, so now I'm going to step it up a bit. I want to get down to 130lbs, obviously not within the next six weeks, but that's where I'm aiming. A little about me, I started losing weight and getting healthy in June of this year. I've lost 27lbs so far, but I'm not done yet! I'm a photographer and I really, really love to ride my bike. I also enjoy weightlifting and Krav Maga (although I no longer attend the Krav classes at my gym - I'm trying to get my hands on some focus mitts and a kick shield so I can do the drills in my garage.) I'm working on commuting more by bike - I've been ditching the car for all trips under 3 miles, as long as it's not dark or shitty weather. FITNESS GOALS 1. Eat to lose (and win!) Eat at or under 1560 net calories/day, six days a week. Average at or under 1560 calories/day each week. This is a PASS/FAIL goal. I get either 100% or 0%. +5 CON 2. Ride, ride, ride. Do at least 3hrs of cycling per week. 3+ hours, 100%. 2-3 hours, 66%. 1-2 hours, 33%. 0-1 hours, 0%. +4 STA 3. Strong body, strong mind. I love cycling, but it can't be my only workout. I will supplement my cycling with two weightlifting workouts each week. I'll follow Starting Strength. 2 sessions, 100%. 1 session, 50%. No sessions, 0%. +4 STR LIFE GOAL Make the bed every morning. I hear that this is one of those "gateway habits" for a better morning. I'll make the bed every Monday-Friday. I suck at mornings, so let's give it a go! Scoring is percentage-based each week based on days completed. +2 CHA STARTING STATS Weight: 152.5lbs Neck: 12.9in Waist (cheated): 29.5in Hips: 40.5in Photos for comparison:

Main Quest: Get Fit! I recently gained 20kg and don't fit any of my clothes any more. Motivation: I want to feel more confident in my own body. I never felt like it was good enough, and now I'm freaking out because I can feel bits that shouldn't jiggle jiggling when I walk. Side Quest: 1. Cycle to school and back on weekdays to work on stamina. 2. Attend martial arts classes at least 2 times a week. 3. Eat well and count calories. Life Quest: Not go crazy while moving house! Also, pass my exams. Today (11/11/13): I rode to and from uni today (13.2km/8.2miles in total) on my 'new' second hand bike and I think I'm going to need to get some kind of seat cover. I have bruises on my bruises and all those are on my butt. I had to walk up some of the hills and I've got to say I'm terrified of cycling on the road. I haven't been on a bike in at least 5 years.

Dear People, My first adventure is over, here is the new one! It's a sick Natarella, that is talking to you here! Part of my adventures involved cycling to work (7kms = 4.34 miles one way) no matter the weather and I live in a cold, rainy country. Winter is coming… I am glad to be in Assassins' guild! I chose to be here because : - active and fun - guild leaders are actually really present to support people (thing that was totally lacking in the Newcomers "guild"… maybe an improvement can be made on this?) - because this challenge will be focused on fitness and specific bodyweight exercises I want to improve in (burpee, push-ups and pull-ups even if the 2 latest won't be evaluated in this challenge) A bit of background : I am fed up with having "lose weight" as an objective for the year. I want to have "learn Italian" "Get a certification in German language" "run a tough man race" " Do a burlesque show" I am pissed at having lost so much time… So I am going to do anything that it takes to drop the 2 size that are left with the hope to fulfil my main quest by the end of the 3rd challenge. I don't like it so I change it! Main quest : Fit in a French size 40 (US 10, UK 12) and drop weight to 72 kg (158 lbs) The thing is I don't want to go on a scale anymore because I'm always really upset when I do so. Action: find a way to measure my body fat the update my measurements by the end of this week. Challenge #2 main Goal: Fit in a French size 42 pants (US 12, UK 14) pair of jeans. I'll post a picture here at the end. My motivations (randomly) Health: Diabetes and heart blood pressure in my family…Sense of accomplishmentBe inspiring: I want to be a better ME, healthier, persistent and fitter. I want to be inspiring to my family and my friendsSelf-appreciation: I take care of myself because I deserve it Goal 1 : Uncrushing from processed sugar aka 1 serving max (100g) per week The war is not over even if several battles have been won. Eating paleo and avoiding processed carbs. Baby step policy is good and there'll be weeks where I'll have none. *******Ratings****** A. 1 serving processed carbs/sugar /week B. 3 C. 4. D. 5 E. 6 F. 6++++ To be sure that I will actually be eating healthy and not sabotaging by stupidly snacking, I will give 200 euros (265 dollars) to a political party I really strongly hate, if I don't fit in those pants. The idea that I might be supporting financially a political party that is against everything I'm fighting is simply sickening Every day without snacking, I mark the day in a calendar! Goal 2 : Strength training 3 times a week and Cardio training 2 times Same as in the past challenge, I want to be consistent in my fitness path - 2 Crossfit sessions a week - 1 ST alone - 2 Zumba / Spinning class I keep the ability to have 2 weeks of only cardio trainings to rest my muscles… as long as I train 5 times a week this is ok. ******Rating ****** A. 4 to 5 per week B. 3 C. 2 D. 1 E. 0 F.0 Goal 3 : 50 burpees in a row Crazy one. But requires a bit less preparation than training for pull-ups (that I wanted to originally set as a goal for the challenge but this requires at the moment too much preparation for me, as I have a side quest that is really time consuming so I'll occasionally train to it and will set it as an objective for next challenge) This is in addition with my trainings. I start today, day 1 with 8 burpees and day 42 I will be doing 50 burpees in a row. ******Rating ****** A. 1 missed-day B. 2 C. 3 D.4 E.5 F. 6+ EDIT : 21/09/2013 0h11 Life Goal: ♪ Relax take it easy ♪ aka do 1 relaxing activity (minimum 2 hours) I know, I was supposed to deal with job search but I don't want it to be rated here finally. After this horrible first week, I realised how I was not applying to myself what I actually preach : FUCKIN' RELAX SIS' ! I can't get over the end of my sweet holidays, full of paleo cookin', Crossfit and deadlifting ... but HELLO!! It's been 2 weeks now, so it's time to get back into reality and deal with it! So I decided that I would instead have as a goal : do a relaxing activity every week! Challenging because I don't take the time to rest, relax, nor chill. My weekends are busy until late in the night and start quite early... It is necessary - as I have to deal with a really weird period of transition (at work) and I am really unhappy of it - as my body is starting to resist to the life changes - as sugar cravings linked to frustration are back (they are 90% due to my situation of being in a job I don't like and not having signed yet the contract for the one I like and want ) Activities can be : Tai-chi, hammam, a walk / bike road in the woods, spa or massage, knitting (winter is coming) etc... ******Rating ****** A. 6 activities over the 6 weeks B. 5 C. 4 D.3 E.2 F. 1 Measurements on 16th September I'll take them at the end of the challenge Can somebody tell me how to upload pictures from my computer and my phone? Thanks!

Hey friends! I'm jumping into the challenge a few days late because I just got back from an impromptu vacation. I had all my challenge goals worked out a few weeks ago, and then last week, I broke up with the man I had been dating for 4 years and living with for 3. I've found myself suddenly in upheaval, and I'm going to use this challenge to aid me in this transition. I started my journey to fitness in June, and I'll be damned if I let my progress get away from me! A little about me, I'm a 27-year-old photographer living in New Mexico. I'm one of the lucky ones whose passion and profession line up I take a Krav Maga class twice a week, and I also enjoy weightlifting and riding my bike. (I don't call it "cycling" because it's more like "toodle around town for awhile".) These workouts, I have found, are enormously helpful in maintaining my sanity in this troubling time in my life. Onward! Nuribaby's Journey to Healthy and Happy MAIN QUEST My goal is to figure out what my life looks like post-breakup. As usual, the best way to discover is to do! I will establish a healthy and happy lifestyle by making it both a habit and a priority. MOTIVATION So what will my life look like? FULL. FITNESS GOALS Eat at a caloric deficit, averaging <1630 net calories/day. Each day will be worth 1 point, with a total of 39 possible. (I am cutting the first week in half due to my vacation.) I will be tracking this through Myfitnesspal (link in my signature) and checking in weekly.​​ A=35+, B=31-34, C=27-30, D=23-26, F=0-22Eat 1 home-cooked meal/day. Each day will be worth 1 point, with a total of 39 possible. (I am cutting the first week in half due to my vacation.) I will be tracking this through Myfitnesspal (link in my signature) and checking in weekly. A=35+, B=31-34, C=27-30, D=23-26, F=0-22Exercise 3x/week. Each workout will be worth 1 point, with a total of 16 possible. A=16+, B=13-15, C=11-12, D=9-10, F=0-8. UPDATED 9/23 to reflect main quest commitments.LIFE QUEST An important aspect of my main quest is a happy lifestyle. Right now, my bedroom still looks like a room for two where one has moved out. I want it to feel like mine, so I can get a restful night's sleep and feel at peace. I have until challenge end to accomplish these changes: Finish getting all of his things out. As it stands, his empty computer desk and chair, a few books, and some old computers are still hanging about. Half his clothes are still in the closet. I need to get these things out.Rearrange the furniture. I want it to look like a completely different room when I walk in.Paint a wall. I love color. I want tons of it.Hang up my favorite painting. Right across from the bed, so I can see it each morning. Editing to add...Get all his things back in. I completed #1, but then we got back together. Getting his things back in, while finding a place for everything, is his responsibility - but I'll lend a helping hand.I am making Monday my official reporting day. I'll still pop in each day with general progress notes, but on Mondays I will weigh myself, take measurements, and report my official grade for the week prior. LOOT! The rewards for my life quest are self-evident - a new and lovely bedroom! For my fitness quest, if I earn an A (90% or above) at challenge end, I get this freestanding punching bag. Onward and upward! Edited to add, STAT POINTS! If I complete three weeks successfully, I can potentially receive +4 CON (goals one and two), +1 WIS (goal two), +2 STA (goal three), +1 DEX (goal three), +1 STR (goal three), and +1 CHA (life goal). At challenge end, I can potentially add +1 CON (goal one), +1 WIS (goal two), +1 STA (goal three), and +1 CHA (life goal). These will be adjusted based on my letter grade.

Hi. Sorry for the longish post. A bit of backstory: Since incorporating primal into my life, I've obviously had to refine certain beliefs - y'know the type: saturated fat is evil, girls shouldn't lift because they'll get buff, etc. So now, my questions may seem simplistic; questions a beginner would ask when they just start their sport out. It's not that way: I've been cycling most of my (short) life, and have only in the past year simultaneously quit competitive racing and taken up primal eating. I've always had a bit of a belly, despite cycling absolutely loads and following a "healthy" diet, but I only really noticed when I became a teenager. Disgusted with my body, I began to notoriously cut calories and increase cardio for the sake of losing my belly. I never did, and soon cycling became a means of burning calories and fat instead of a healthy, enjoyable exercise. How sad. When I was 14, I decided that I didn't enjoy cycling any more and quit. I don't know whether it was because I was trying to race a growing body on 1500 kcal or less per day, but I became slower and slower and more and more tired; it was just a task instead of a good environment. Like I said, I adopted VLC primal, and lost weight after two weeks; fwlt great. Spoilt it with a trip to the cinema, a full tub of ice cream, and two big bars of chocolate. became a slave to fat-and-sugar, and ended up with a BED. That's all gone, thank Christ, but I'm still overweight, and trying to lose. Though I'm eating well now, and hopefully my body will regulate itself, as I'm growing and all. I've grown about 2 cup sizes in a year-and-a-half, and have finally grown upwards! (and outwards, it seems...) I'm 15 years old, 5'4", and god knows how heavy. I have a solid frame, though. I'm lifting weights, I'm strong. I eat primal - only just started incorporating more fruit and starchy carbs. However! I think I want to race again. Mountain biking, that is. Specifically. Yet I know the stance on "CC". I suppose cycling would be classed as CC; what with the general consensus being "miles miles miles!!!!1". But the type of racing I'd like to do is around 60-90 minutes long, and with bursts - as we'd be climbing hills and descending. So: how do I train, primally, for a mountain bike race? Intervals, long rides, what? How can I incorporate primal eating into an athlete's diet? Any primal cyclists out there? Ones who race? Are long rides really necessary, or will intervals, short hard rides, and weightlifting suffice? I think I want to lose weight before I start to cycle again. a) to prove I can, and because cycling makes me really hungry and I'd end up eating more carbs and probably not lose weight. I'm working on that (check my journal) and I could really use some advice for it all. Thanks :3

Main Quest In 8 months, I'll be packing for my second AIDS/LifeCycle. I want to complete this one harder, better, faster, and stronger! The training season kicks off next weekend, so it's time to finally blast through my plateau. For my first challenge, and the next six weeks, I will: 1) Track my food and exercise every day (via WeightWatchers). 2) Be active enough that I average 28K Nike Fuel each week (4K/day). This will include about 60+min of commute cycling every weekday, push-ups three days a week, and a variety of other activities––weekend training rides, walking, reintroducing strength training and Pilates into my week. Life Side Quest When the training season starts, so does the fundraising season! My side goal is to raise my first $1000 (out of $5000) in the next 6 weeks. It's going to take a big email and social media push, and I should spend some time improving my fundraising page. Motivation After seeing great success losing the first 20lbs with Weight Watchers, I've pleateaued at 170. At the same time, my success inspired my sister, who's now catching up fast! I gotta stay ahead of her! And I just turned 30 this weekend. Time to kick off a new decade to an awesome start! (will write this, post it, and snap a photo tomorrow) Woohoo! I'm pumped!

Okay, so my general short(ish) term goal is to get to a point where general life stuff (climbing stairs, putting away dishes, carrying groceries) is easy. My current condition: Male, 5' 6", 27 yrs old, asthmatic, 172 lbs, all flab. I have a lot of questions and I'm hoping you guys can help. What's really gotten me into fitness this time around is biking. I got a bike, I learned to ride it (never had one as a kid), and for the first time in my life I feel good after exertion, just like the lies all those P.E. teachers tried to feed me about running. These days it's the only thing I'm decent at, and most Sundays I bike about 7-8 miles, with the first (and last) 2 miles being all steep hills. I don't know if it's the hills or my level of fitness, but the people that tell me biking is all cardio are full of crap. My quads shake, and making it up the stairs to my apartment when I get home is not a sure thing. On my route, I pass a park that has bars for pullups and inverted rows, as well as some low bars for push ups. On these I've discovered that I find pulling exercises to be infinitely more satisfying on some visceral level than pushing exercises. So, my current plan is: I bike about 2.5 miles to this park, do some bodyweight exercises, bike home. But the devil is in the details. What bodyweight exercises do I do? I definitely don't need to work my quads after a ride, but the rest of my legs could probably use some attention. I do inverted rows and pushups (I'm much better at the rows than the pushups). I want to throw in some planks or something for core stability but 1) it may be from being a n00b, but when my abs are tired I have a hell of a time riding and 2) I guzzle so much water from riding that ab exercises make me nauseous. Also, right now I only do this on weekends because 1) I can do it in the morning before it gets too hot. 2) It seems to take me a really long time to recover, like 3-5 days. 3) I have a hard time fitting this into my weekday schedule. Not so much finding the time, but finding a time when I am both motivated and not starving or obligated to cook. Ultimately I would like to do this 2-3 times a week and then on Sundays ride just to see how far I get (I like to ride basically until my quads fail, and then my fiancee picks me up in the car. I bribe her with promises of breakfast). These may ultimately come down to motivation, but tips on staying cool, recovering, and scheduling evening workouts are welcome. Also, keeping cool will only be an issue for another month or so. I live in Wisconsin. Then my issue will be working out in the freezing cold. I don't seem to ever keep up with a workout plan at home because there's a computer there. Finally, I have a lot of intensity questions. I feel the most satisfied when I work out to failure (which doesn't take long), but I've read overtraining is a common issue with beginners. Today, for instance, I did 2 sets of 6 and 1 set of 4 for inverted rows and 2 sets of 3 and 1 set of 2 for pushups. In both cases I stopped when I could keep my form any longer. Also, it takes forever for me to recover but, I only feel tired for about an hour after my workout and don't feel DOMS until two days after. The day after, I feel like I could totally go out and do it again, until I actually try to and my muscles just fail. So I may need help establishing limits. Also on what is and is not a workout. For example, I watch the beginning warmup routine here, and that looks like a full workout to me. Like I could do that, stretch and lay down for a bit. With the exception, for some reason, of biking, cardio is really really hard for me. I hit my theoretical target heart rate power walking, I can't run more than about 100 feet without stopping, and jumping jacks are a special kind of hell. This is something I know I really need to work on, but it's very hard for me, and not nearly as satisfying as biking or strength exercises. So, that was long and kind of rambling, but I'm interested to read some responses.

I've been stalking Nerd Fitness since February, but I just signed up for an account. I've adopted a paleo lifestyle and have lost 15 lbs in two months. I've recently fallen off the paleo wagon, stopped excercising, stopped stretching, and stopped reading ... so I figured participating in this challenge would help set me straight again. I hope. I'm really good at talking myself out of everything. Ugh. I live in the mountains and I enjoy a wide array of activities, but I haven't created a habit yet. I want to prioritize excercising, but I find a million excuses to not move my ass. #shame Here are my goals. Fitness 1. Return to nirvana I used to practice at least once, if not twice, a week and I felt uhmazing. I'd like to return to that. My goal is to practice yoga twice a week. I'm currently into Ashtanga, but I want to practice sun salutations in the morning if I can't get to a class. I will measure my success by the strength of my headstand. Currently, I can barely get my feet in the air for a second. Grading: A = 10 second headstand B = 8 seconds C = 6 seconds D = 4 seconds F = 2 seconds 2. Miles in the saddle I recently bought a mountain bike and a road bike cause ... cause why not!? I need to train my butt to love that saddle so I can ride longer rides. My goal is to get out on a bike (road bike or mountain bike) at least three times a week. I'd like to get comfortable enough to ride 70 miles in one sitting. I currently get out once or twice a week at an average of 15 miles. My longest ride so far was 46 miles. This challenge will hopefully set the tone for me to participate in a century ride (100 miles) in September. A = 70 miles B = 65 miles C = 60 miles D = 55 miles F = 50 miles Nutrition 3. Cavewoman goodness I adopted a paleo diet in March and I've loved every minute. Couple of factors have led me astray and I'd like to return to eating a strict paleo diet for 6 days of the week. I'm a sucker for wine, so this should help me in limiting my wine consumption to one night! On average, I lost one pound a week on paleo. I'll measure the success of this goal in weight loss. I'd like to see myself at least 6 pounds lighter. A = 6 pounds down B = 5 pounds down C = 4 pounds down D = 3 pounds down F = 2 pounds down Personal 4. Use my vowels! I'm the publisher and editor of a local newspaper so I've lost the motivation to read at night (and just drink wine instead!) so this goal is to get me back to reading for pleasure on a daily basis. I can't tell you how many books I have sitting in my house with bookmarks in them. I have a tendency to start books and never finish them. With this goal, I hope to read for at least 30 minutes before bed every night. By reading 30 minutes a night, I should complete at least 2 (full) books and potentially any others that I started but never finished. A = 2 books B = 1.5 books C = 1 book D = Finish only one book I already started F = Start a book (or two) and don't finish them Bonus goals: In reading other people's goals, I wanted to adopt some as my own, bonus goals. 1. Get up! I suck at getting out of bed. As a bonus challenge, I'm going to try and not snooze Monday through Fridays. 2. Pump me up I'm interested in weight training, so I'm going to try to explore that part of the gym (scary!) Nothing extreme. Just even going and touching the weights will be a start. I'm going to try the beginnger's body workout thing on NF and see where it goes... ___________________________ Review of week one: Riding the bike: I wanted to ride my bike at least three days but only made it to two. I don't feel bad though because I did ride my bike on Sunday (the day before the official start of the Challenge) and I went camping/hiking and that took away time from riding (which I would have done if I wasn't in the middle of the woods). Miles in week one: 24.6 (32.8 if I include Sunday's ride before the challenge ... which doesn't count). Yoga: I was supposed to do yoga at least twice a week. I made it to one class and it made me so sore, I didn't do yoga the rest of the week. As I get stronger, I'll be able to do yoga more frequently without crying like a little girl. Headstand progress hasn't changed. Can kick my feet up but they don't stay up. Paleo: Definitely went off track this week in terms of eating strict paleo. I've already been on a paleo diet for a few months, but I was adding more and more non paleo items into my diet. Although I would say I'm definitely not as bad, I did slip a few times (PIE!). And of course the wine. I failed in trying to just drink once a week. Sadly, I think I drank wine (at least one glass) every night after Monday night. Damn birthdays, and visitors, and friends, and fun times. I might try to wean myself off the wine drinking in a less drastic way since obviously I can't handle just drinking once a week. Despite all of that, I did lose 1 pound this week. BOOM! Reading: Although I did not technically read 30 minutes EVERY night, I did read enough to get me through half of my book. My goal is to read 2 books by the end of the challenge and at this rate, I'm in good shape. Bonus goals: In addition to my above fitness goals, I did manage to get to the gym once this past week to explore weight lifting. I saw a personal trainer train some girls and after the session was over, I went over and asked her for the proper technique for dead lifts. She was happy to help and even gave an analogy I can relate to (using yoga!) so I started with some simple reps of 10. (I went again today (week 2) and I am very stoked on the progress already). Anti snooze: I think I snoozed once this week. I've been getting up early to ride and go to the gym with a friend, and that really helps not snooze. I really enjoy the mornings and all the working out has tired me out so I fall asleep better. I haven't taken melatonin once this week! It's amazing. In addition, I tried the step master for the first time last week and I enjoyed it so much that I do a 30 minute warm up before I start weight lifting. Who would have thought. Workout recap: June 3, Monday: None June 4, Tuesday: 10.4 miles cycling, 90 minutes of Ashtanga yoga (beast mode!) June 5, Wednesday: Stairmaster 30 min, weight training (deadlifts, rows, triceps, biceps) June 6, Thursday: None (too sore) June 7, Friday: 14.2 miles cycling June 8, Saturday: hiked 5.5 miles June 9, Sunday: Rest day ________________________________ Week two: Bike riding: Only logged 22 miles this week. Trip to LA kinda ruined riding over the weekend. Yoga: Didn't do an actual practice. I only did some practice at home to stretch out. Although I am getting stronger and more confident in my headstand. I don't hesitate in kicking my legs up and I can balance a little bit longer, which is exciting. Paleo: Hah! I went to a bridal shower and celebrated a belated birthday with my family over the weekend. Needless to say my sugar and alcohol consumption increased significantly. Weirdly enough, I dropped 2 pounds this week. Odd... Reading: I only ready once before bed. Oops. Not the best week for me. Here's to making week three better! Workout recap: June 10, Monday: 6.9 miles cycling (really windy, quit early) June 11, Tuesday: 30 minutes stair master, weight training (squats, deadlifts with 20lb barbell, bi's and tri's with 12 lbs, lunges, 5 pushups) June 12, Wednesday: 15.1 miles. Windy but I did it anyway. New route! June 13, Thursday: 30 minutes stair master, weight training (just arms. legs are sore, 12 lb weights, three sets of 10, 5 solid pushups) June 14, Friday: None (drove to LA) June 15, Saturday: None June 16, Sunday: None ________________________________ Week three: June 17, Monday: Evening hike after work, 4 miles with 1,100 feet of elevation gain. June 18, Tuesday: 90 minute Ashtanga practice. Worked on my headstand and got up to 5 seconds! June 19, Wednesday: 30 minute stairmaster, weight training (deadlifts, lunges, squats, shoulder presses, biceps) June 20, Thursday: Day off (hamstrings hurt too bad) Practiced headstands. Got to 10 seconds. BOOM. June 21, Friday: 30 minutes stairmaster, weight training (deadlifts, squats, shoulder presses, biceps) June 22, Saturday: 45 mile ride June 23, Sunday: 10 mile ride (up hill most of the time with a strong headwind) ________________________________ Week four: Week four was a total bust for me. I had some health issues that prevented me from getting on the bike, and then I went to a Bachelorette party which naturally derailed me from my eating/drinking goals. I also didn't read at all this week. June 24, Monday: Rest day, Juice fasted. June 25, Tuesday: None, Juice fasted June 26, Wednesday: Juice fasted, 30 minute stairmaster, weights June 27, Thursday: None, drove to LA June 28, Friday: None, drove to Moorpark, Solvang June 29, Saturday: Bachelorette Party June 30, Sunday: Bachelorette Party ________________________________ Week five July 1, Monday: July 2, Tuesday: July 3, Wednesday: July 4, Thursday: July 5, Friday: July 6, Saturday: July 7, Sunday: ________________________________ Week six:

Hello all After reading several of your challenges I feel inspired and infused with enthusiasm, enough to detail my own very first challenge, so here goes! STARTING MEASUREMENTS Age: 24 Height : 178cm/5' 10" Weight: 78.7kg/12st 5lb Body Fat %: 12.8 Jimmies: Unrustled 1) Cycle to work at least 12 times in the 6-week challenge ||Reward: +2 STA|| I've been cycling to work on and off for a couple months now, at 11 miles each way, 78kg weight, and avg speed of 14mph, that's about 500 cal each way, 1000 cal total. A great way to get closer to my fat loss goal! If I can do this more than 12 times in the challenge time I'll award +0.1 STA for each return journey If you want to calculate calories burnt by cycling for yourself, I used http://www.bikemetro.com/calculators/calorie.asp 2) Drop BF% from 12.8% to 12.3% ||Reward: +1 STR, +1 CON|| As my BMI has always been well out of wack due to being extremely physically dense, I figure that BF% is a better way of measuring my fitness! Today's reading was 12.8%, my initial thought was to aim for 12%, but given that I actually really enjoy eating, albeit healthily, I think a drop of 0.5% to 12.3% is more realistic. 3) Attend 4 social events to meet new people (and maintain contact with said people!) ||Reward: +1 CHA, +1 INT|| Inspired by several fellow NFers' social/confidence goals. If my stats are anything to go by this is the most important, while I do have a few amazing friends, sometimes I'm a little shorthanded for local friends to hang with, this is an attempt to remedy this. If any UK Nerds want to help me achieve this goal, I'd be over the moon! 4) Limit confectionery intake to one small portion of dark chocolate a week ||Reward: +1 DEX, +1 WIS|| No explanation needed really! Just a good idea. I'm a bit of a fiend when it comes to chocolate and so demonstrating some self control will help my BF% goal, and demonstrate some real willpower, I'm sure many of you can empathise haha 5) =Super bonus core strength goal!= Be able to hold an L-Seat on the parallel bars for 10 seconds (inspired by Steve's muscle up goal) ||Reward: +2 STR|| I'm lucky enough to have some fairly low steel parallel bars on the roof of my apartment, I use them for knee lifts, lawnmower extensions, archer pushups, and recently straight leg lifts, and tougher than that, the L-Seat position. For me this is particularly tough as I have very heavy muscular legs, so this is a REAL punishment for my core. Currently I can hold it for about 3 seconds if that, so in the interest of having a rock solid core that a truck could drive over, I'm going to aim for 10 seconds of straight legs at 90 degrees! If you've given this a look through and you're thinking "this sounds a lot like my goals!" drop me a reply, it'd be great to share ideas and compare progress! Take it easy!-JakeItEasy

Hey all, This is my first NF challenge, so apologies if I'm not doing this correctly. Anyways, here are my goals: Run 10k Race without stopping (STA +5) Anyone else here use the Zombies, Run! app? Makes long runs so much more fun! I've been building up my running steadily over the last two years, but am finally making steps to longer races. 10k here I come! I'm grading this one on a pass/fail basis as I either successfully run the 10k I registered for on 7/4 or I don't. Strength train 2 x week (STR +3) I've got the cardio down, but would love to build up my strength as well. My goal is to get two good bodyweight workouts in each week in addition to my 10k training. A: 12-10 workouts B: 8-9 workouts C: 6-7 workouts D: less than six workouts.No eating after 9pm (CON +2 CHA +1) I do well with my diet overall, but fall off the wagon at night. There's no reason I need to eat that late, and it cuts out a lot of my junk carbs when I just say, "No, the kitchen is closed." A: 1- 3 cheat days B: 3-5 cheat days F: 5+ cheat daysWork out a budget for the summer time (WIS +4) Summer is the slow season in my work, and I've been a little too free with my finances lately. Time to get the big girl panties on and work that stuff out. This one is also pass/fail. I either do it or I don't. To keep myself accountable I'm keeping workout logs on evernote and with my little running widgets. I've got my support system in place and I'm ready to get things done!

So on my quest to start living a healthier lifestyle, I've been incorporating some cycling back into my fitness routine. Nothing crazy, just slowly working in miles to build up to longer rides. At about the 10mi mark we've hit a speed-bump. My bike just doesn't feel comfortable. My hip flexors ache like hell after a quick 30 minute spin. Tried raising the seat some but I felt like I was being 'pushed' up towards the handlebars and couldn't sit far back enough on the saddle. After that, I tried raising the seat a little more and pushing the saddle back, but that didn't help either. We've kind of maxed the adjustments we can make on it as it is right now and it still doesn't feel good to me. I've had bikes that I just 'connected' with (as woo and silly as that sounds,) but this is just like a big metal monster I have to fight every step of the way. I'm starting to wonder if the bike shop sold me an under-sized frame, and it's just too small to ever really work for me. There is no joy in riding it, it just hurts a lot. I want to work up to 30, 60, 100 mile rides, but I just can't see doing that on this bike. My question for my fellow rebels is this: Do any of you have ideas on what might be going on here? Ideas for fixes I could try? I'm starting to get pretty frustrated with it, and I'm not sure of what my options are. Or do I just need to sell the thing and start over? Thanks!

Sometimes the Monk has to leave the monastery for a while but he never stops being a monk or planning for his return. Sometimes I feel like atlas holding the whole weight of the world but when I consider its separate elements the burden becomes lighter. The world is made of earth, fire, water and and wind. I will bear the burden of it by breaking it down into manageable pieces. What is the smallest piece of earth but a grain of sand? From a grain of sand i will get the pearl of great strength. Each week I will add one rep to each of my sets of body weight training. +3 STR +2 CHA I will feel the burn of fire. HIIT 1X a week for each: running, swimming and biking. +3 STA +2 CON I will flow like water through a stretching routine, my forms, and my breaking routine 2X a week +3 DEX The wind cries Mary and I will cry with it by reading through the psalms and writing a psalm of my own each week. +2 WIS This challenge doesn't emphasize my TKD that much but it does support it's growth. In October I took a job that really derailed my work outs and diet. Well I tried an an experiment with my eating and it confirmed somethings. One of them was that wheat and sugar really are poison. I had been eating about 80% paleo and training for a half marathon last summer. When I started eating without thought of health my reflux came back as well as afternoon lethargy. Last week I finished a 21 day sugar detox and out went the reflux and my energy has returned and it confirmed for me what I always preached but did not always practice that diet is soooooooooooooo very important. This challenge is priming me to knock two goals off off my epic quest this year. Compete in a triathlon (July) and get my fourth dan (October). Since the triathlon comes first it is getting the focus on this challenge.

This is my 2nd challenge so far, but my first one as a Scout. I'm starting a bit late as I have been away on business travel since Monday and I didn't have a chance to post before now. Fitness Goals: 1. Complete 2 day charity bike ride (Breathe NH) on May 18 and 19. In order to achieve this goal, I am following this training plan: Apr 15 Tue 10 - 15 mi, Thu 10 - 15 mi, Sat/Sun 30 - 40 mi Apr 22 Tue 10 - 15 mi, Thu 10 - 15 mi, Sat/Sun 30 - 40 mi Apr 29 Mon 10-15 mi, Wed 10-15 mi, Fri 10-15 mi, Sat/Sun 40-50 mi May 6 Mon 10-15 mi, Wed 10-15 mi, Fri 10-15 mi, Sat/Sun 40-50 mi May 13 (week of ) Mon 8-10 mi, Tue 3-5 mi, Wed 8-10 mi, Thu 3-5 mi. Note, the specific days of the week are flexible and I am also taking total mileage in a week into account, i.e. a shorter ride than planned on one day can be "made up for" by a longer ride on another day. Scoring: Complete 2 full days of charity ride (day 1 distance 45 mi, day 2 distance 32.7 miles) and meet 75% of training plan: A. Do not complete 2 full days, but meet 85% of training plan: B. Do not complete 2 full days, but meet 75% of training plan: C. Do not complete 2 full days, but meet 50% of training plan: D. Do not complete 2 full days and meet less than 50% of training plan: F. STA 5 2. Continue strength training 2 days per week: day 1: bench press 5 sets of up to 5 reps; bent over rows 5 sets of up to 5 reps; squats 5 sets of up to 5 reps day 2: deadlift 1 warm up set of 5 reps, 1 full weight set of up to 5 reps; squats 5 sets of up to 5 reps; standing shoulder press 5 sets of up t o 5 reps Scoring: 90% of plan: A 80% of plan: B 70% of plan: C 60% of plan: D Less than 60% of plan: F STR 3 STA 1 Diet Goal: 1. Limit fried foods to avg of 1 per week (not including 1st week of challenge). Scoring: <= 5 fried foods: A 6 - 7: B 8 - 9: C 10 - 11: D 12+: F CON 3 Level up life goal: Complete the following household tasks: 1) Clean all of the junk off of the kitchen table. 2) Organize the pantry. 3) Get quote from landscaping company to install patio / hot tub. 4) Get quote from construction company to look at roof and to replace sliding glass door. 5) Clean out the floor of the hall closet. Scoring: all 5 tasks complete: A 4 tasks complete: B 3 tasks complete: C 2 tasks complete: D < 2 tasks complete: F WIS 3

I am looking for boomer cyclists interested in long distance, multi-day cycling adventures. Anyone interested?

Are there any cycling/hiking nerds in the Amsterdam, NY area?

Hello to all at NerdFitness, my first reaction to finding this site is; why didn't I find this site sooner?! I'm a 24yo guy from Bristol UK, frequently practicing running, swimming, climbing, cycling, strength training, sprinting, bodyweight exercise, gymnastics, and circus skills, in no particular order. And like many of you, totally addicted to video games, films, and all nerdy goodness. Currently in good to v. good shape with goals of improving further, mostly reducing BF% and increasing lean muscle mass. I want to reach my absolute peak before I'm out of my 20s and priorities can "change", hah! If you're in Bristol and are reading this, PM me or reply, I don't bite Look forward to getting and giving some rockin fitness tips with you guys. -Jake