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Hello my sweet rebel friends! I'm Cici the Beast, rebel and aspiring warrior. Two years ago, I was in the best shape of my adult life. I rowed crew competitively. I liked it. I had a boring job, so why the hell not work out 3+ hours/day on the water? And then.... work. And then rowing turned into a part-time job, got a little too competitive, my coach was being sort of an asshole, and I had some shitty personal stuff happen. I know I can get back to that place, but I also know I can surpass it in terms of my own happiness with being in my body/meat sack. I don't know how much I weigh. My gym does, as I weighed in on assessment day and didn't look at the scale. My true, real "before" stats are safely logged in a 3-ring binder at the gym, where I might look at them in a few months. But my guess is that I'm 5'3" / 190 lb / size 14 in dresses / 38DD / 34" waist. I'm a 30 year old woman. I have PCOS and my weight has yo-yo'd over the past few years, beginning with a pretty big weight gain after starting anti-depressants at 21. The ultimate irony: I was using workouts as self-medication before going on psych meds. Boo fucking hiss. I work a sedentary, nerdy job with long hours and got in a rut of "if I work super hard during the day, it's a valid excuse to not work out because my CAREER depends on it" and now I hate my body. I want to look, be, and feel strong. Part of my yo-yo weight stuff is definitely related to sexual assault, wherein I find myself wanting to take up more space. It's not wanting to "hide" behind fat, it's that I want to not feel small in a world that has made it clear that women should be small, dainty, and pleasant. I struggle with my own self-image, mostly because I think that if given the option, I would be BIG in my personality, life, friendships, voice, and body; but I feel like I don't want to stick out, and that people don't like loud, mouthy women. If it makes a difference, I'm queer and femme. Stuff I can currently do: Back squat 100# (ORM) Dead lift 170# (ORM) Bench press 75# (ORM) Underhand bent-over row 75# (8 reps total) TODAY: 2 eggs cooked in olive oil, I ate these with salsa 1 cup of coffee with whole milk 1 "bounce" protein bar (peanut butter flavor) -- I was out and about and HUNGRY AS THOR and it was better than eating completely empty calories 4 paleo-ish chicken tenders (made from scratch at home, breaded with sugar-free panko, cooked in the oven with olive oil to keep them from sticking to the pan) 1 bell pepper (raw) 1 giant scoop of baba ghanoush (organic, from the farmer's market, locally made) A fuck ton of water while working out 1 grapefruit La Croix seltzer 1 small carton of raspberries 1 very small yam, microwaved 1 small chunk of feta cheese, organic/full fat A ton of herbs and spices for taste a dash of balsamic vinegar (for the feta and the yam situation!) 1 glass of white wine (l'chaim!) Note: 1 of the chicken tenders, the yam, the feta, and the balsamic were in a bowl together with herbs and spices, post-workout. Workout: Warm-up: pushup/downward dog/cobra x 15; body weight squats x 10; 20 jumping jacks; 2 sets of 20 mountain climbers, etc. WERK: 4 sets of.... DB bench press 5-8 reps using 20 lb dumbbells / 8 assisted pull-ups using TRX things / 30 second plank hold / 30 bicycle crunches FINISHER: 1 set = 5 reps of arnold press (15 lb DB), bicep curls (15 lb DB), KB high press (25 lb), tricep dips, MB squats to MB slams) Between sets (total of 3): 10 burpees, running with band around waist (held by awesome coach), farmer walks. Just for fun: battle ropes, 30 seconds. Things: I finally got my hands on a super super super compressing sports bra. Life is better now. BOOOOOM DONE.

Welcome to my brand new, daily(ish) battle log! I’m your host, SkiBlue. I’m glad that you’re here; thank you for your support and interest in my quest to level up my life. This is where I’ll be sharing my progress on what I like to call my life improvements; things that I’d like to work toward, build habits around, and will level up my life. This won’t really be taking away from me participating in six week challenges; on the contrary, the challenges will allow me the chance to hone in on specific priorities and trouble areas, while this log will give me a central place to update my progress for accountability and pursue other things outside of the challenges. I’m greatly excited for this; I’ve always struggled with enjoying the process, and now that I do, that will be the focus of this log, since sharing it with the Rebellion in the first place allowed me to make that final leap. Here is the most recent, comprehensive list of life improvements that I’m either currently working toward or in the process of planning to: reach and maintain a healthy body composition improve my relationship with food develop a regular sleep routine to build a regular sleep cycle become more active; get stronger and more flexible improve posture and reverse sitting damage develop money management habits develop habitual home management (improve adulting skills) develop time management skills at work and home include more socialization and appreciation include more hobby-work and skill-building As I work down this list, I'll update the log with the specific steps I'll be taking to make these changes possible. I’m hoping that with the Rebellion’s help, I’ll make those habits transition from daily checks to ways of life. If you’re still curious, head over to my list of concrete goals for leveling up my life, the things that this log is working toward, slowly but surely.

JULY 4WC QUESTS All quests are monitored in Habit Tracker. Avoid unpaleo. Food that I need to avoid this challenge: dairy, processed, junk, chicharon, potato, pasta, chocolates Done - avoided, skipped - ate/drank Avoid sugary. Drinks that I need to avoid this challenge: sugar, condensed milk, softdrinks, alcohol; anything not water, coffee or tea Done - avoided, skipped - ate/drank Do push-up workout plus Odd days: warm-up, push-up challenge, squats, plank, leg balance, cooldown/stretch Even days: punches Go to bed between 10PM to 11PM Study katakana\hiragana a, ka, sa ta, na, ha, ma n, ya, wa, ra ga, za, da ba, pa syllables review hiragana review katakana POINTS This is how I grade whether I successfully completed the challenge or not. LEGEND: Quest: (Passing Rate) XP Needed/Total XPs Avoid unpaleo: (50%) 15/30 This quest has 30 starting XPs. When I consume any of the above mentioned, deduct 1pt from it. Avoid sugary: (50%) 15/30 This quest has 30 starting XPs. When I consume any of the above mentioned, deduct 1pt from it. Go to bed between 10PM to 11PM: (80%) 24/30 Do pushup workout plus: (100%) 30/30 Study katakana: (50%) 15/30 XP Needed to Level Up: 99 of 150 After the challenge, I am sleeping at least 7hrs, and not feeling tired all day/some time of day defeat General DOMS in NF Academy workouts memorize hiragana and katakana DURATION of challenge: JULY 19 - AUGUST 17

June 1, 7:39 am Today is the day that I woke up eager to start the reset and upgrade of my life. My Motivational playlist playing, my inspiring pictures flashing on my background, water bottle within my reach and my energy eager to go. 20 body weight squats 10 push ups 20 walking lunges 10 dumbbell rows (using a gallon milkjug) 15 second plank 30 Jumping Jacks The beginners Workout. I only did one set, and that's O.K. I am getting my body ready for more sets in the very near future. After the workout. I like the idea of taking a set of photos on the 1st of the month and possibly the 3rd. Progress and what not. Current size- 260 ( But I have to start somewhere.) Pant size- 20/22 One of my short term goals is to see the other side of 240. Long term is to see how I look at 200. And it can be done! Allons-y!

Update: 28.02.16 Tomorrow I am restarting, using the current challenge as my baseline for my quests. I have deleted most of this original post & edited it with more relevant information, as it was getting a little cluttered. My aims: Reach a body-weight of 200 lb (from 170 lb) 200 lb is approximately 90 kg, my new weight class I will be fighting in for Judo. I will aim to have reached 200 lb by the end of this year. Decrease my body-fat I will continue with this aim for now. Using my restart to remove the fat I have put on in the past couple months. Move towards a paleo lifestyle This aim stays in place too. Mostly it is cleaning up my diet and removing the rubbish I have been taking over the past couple of months. Progress Pictures: I will update progress pictures in the following days.

Hello there! I decided to stick for only one quest per week/weeks to accomplish. So here is the first one! CURRENT QUEST: Create my own food log Duration: 7 days Specific: Honestly and accurately track every food or drink you consume for 7 consecutive days. Please see My Fitness Pal for details. UPDATE Started: February 8, 2016 Finished: February 15, 2016

So I've started this journey about a year ago and did alright for a bit but then my uni started up again. As such my health got put to onside without releasing it. This is my last year at uni and I would like to leave healthy for the next stage for my life. I also have a secondary goal of cosplaying at a local event next year as FemShep from Mass Effect, the main problem right now is that I'm not built like a space marine. How am I suppose to keep up with Turians and battle Geths if I can't even do a press up. Battle Plan: Halloween is this month so I'm aiming to try and lose some weight by then while also kicking some bad habits. Sugar Goals: I drink far too much fizz juice so my plan is to try and go for 30 days without drinking any. I've identified when I'm most likely to drink so hopefully I can break the habit. Exercise: I've started to go to the gym twice a week on Monday and either Thursday or Saturday, focusing on strength training. When possible I also go swimming on Wednesday. I'm also planning to keep a note of food and anything else that comes up. Hope this month goes well and I keep my battle log updated.

Hello! My name is Melissa. I am a university student studying archaeology on the East coast of Canada, and I absolutely love it! I have found my passion for a career. I am learning to find my passion for health and fitness. But for most of my 26 years on this earth I have been relatively sedentary, so it is a struggle. I am slowly getting it! My nerdy passions are sci-fi and fantasy books, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, Firefly and World of Warcraft. I am also really interested in tabletop gaming; and I have a nice little collection of Circle Orboros miniatures from the Game War Machine and Hordes. I just have no one to play them with, nor the time at the moment to play. My goals for 2015 are: 1) Prepare to run a half marathon in the fall 2) Get my diet straightened out (I want to be healthy so I can run faster and further!) 3) Quit the soda, the only thing that comes from that is rotting teeth and unwanted pounds 4) Keep thinking and acting in positive ways! I want as little negativity as possible this year With all this in mind, I am starting a daily battle log! Within the next week I will update on my weight and bmi, and also perhaps add before photos. I go to university full time, and I work somewhere between 24 to 31 hours a week on top of it, so I have a pretty hectic schedule. But updating my battle log will be the last thing I do every night before I go to bed.

This thread is for me to record the things I'm proudest of, on the days when I really feel like I'm staring down the dragon. It'll also contain some weak moments, of that I am certain, because this thread isn't about image, it's about truth. Now see, I love dragons--I hate the stereotypes, about how they're awful monsters that do nothing but wreck stuff. On the other hand, I like to think of a dragon as a colossal, immovable object with a smoky, golden-eyed stare and unfathomable wisdom. My dragon is my weight. I've been carrying it around for 23 years, sometimes more, sometimes less. A combination of a badly-timed pre-growth bulk up at age six (first grade sucked, y'all) and my burgeoning nerd-nature meant that instead of staying active like I had when I was very young, I withdrew inward, and took comfort in food. Boy, I love food. Still do! =) It's only since I found Nerd Fitness that I realized what my weight truly is--it's the suit of armor that my actual self is carrying as training weight. It's a heavy one, no doubt, at somewhere over 50 lbs. It's served well over the years, making sure that I hardly ever took chances, rarely got hurt, and always served as an excuse to myself why I couldn't do something. Never got into theater, because I was too heavy. Never continued with karate, because it was too hard. Countless excuses over two decades. I feel very lucky to be married to a wonderful person who saw through it, and lucky to be relatively happy in my life, but now it's time. It's finally time to stare down the dragon, and take the armor off. I think he's proud of me today. ----------------------------------------- 9/19/2014 I named a goal for this week: 4 sets of 10 pushups in a single workout. 6 months ago, I couldn't do 5. Today I did 40 pushups in a single workout. ----------------------------------------- 9/20/2014 In addition to my 20 minute weapon session goal for the day (today was with my hand-and-a-half sword just practicing cuts and blocks, no footwork), I threw a little chaos into my life. 2.31 Miles on a bicycle (only just started riding this month after 20 years) in 24 minutes. Not an indoor, stationary bike--a real one, outside on the roads. Avg MPH 8.4, max 13.7. My legs feel like rubber, but I made it! I'm 45 minutes away from completing a 16-hour fast (18:00 9/19/2014-10:00 9/20/2014). Today's going to be a good day.

You find a book, next to another book, on a shelf. You open the first book. It chronicles the journey of a creature coming from nothing, finding her way in this big world. It ends in rather an anti-climax, with the creature realising that without a specific, measurable way of knowing she was making progress, and no reason for her to want to be making progress, all she did was flit from one goal to the other mindlessly. You open the second book. The front page says, "The following pages are the continuation of the chronicles of just one of the billions of sentient creatures inhabiting this lump of space junk in a coincidentally perfect spot in the universe." Just kidding. No it doesn't. Scrawled in writing that looks like it was done by a creature lacking opposable thumbs is, "Teagarden. Book 2." The pages are blank. Last challenge, my fourth, I learnt the hard way that without a plan, there was no motivation for me to want to succeed. Whilst working through some issues I have decided to start from scratch, with a plan, and hopefully continue on the path to a fulfilling life. What do I want to do to lead a fulfilling life? Well, that's what the plan is for. I literally have no idea what it is I want to be doing for the rest of my life, but I know that just piss-farting around is going to get me nowhere. I've spent the better part of this week working on itemising my Epic Quest and creating steps I think will help me reach some goals, the achieving of which should help to boost my confidence and motivation through giving me a completionist's buzz. (Get all the trophies!) It is conveniently designed around surviving the apocalypse, because the real world just isn't life-or-death enough for me apparently. Also zombies. You're probably reading this going, Wait, who the hell are you? Well, I was wondering that too, so I rambled out a new introduction. For myself, or for you? I'm not 100% sure. Next 6 week challenge I'm going to start taking some (baby) steps towards some of the things. This new battle log will be for my daily chronicles as I attempt to work on some Apocalypse Survival Skills. I mean, real life skills. Oh shush.

Hello fellow Rebels! Here I will detail my journey through the world of physical self-improvement. Feel free to react, give advice and opinions and whatnot. First some quick body statistics: Age: 19Length: Approximately 1,90 meters (I believe that is about 6'2", and I could be off a few centimeters).Weight: Approximately 69 Kg (about 10,9 stones or 152 lbs).BMI: 19,1. As Steve has said numerous times, 'appearance is a consequence of fitness', and I wholeheartedly agree with this. That's why my goals are not based on weight loss (I'm not that heavy anyways, so that wouldn't do me any good), or on if I can finally see a six-pack on my own belly (although it would be neat if I could). The goals are stated thusly: Thou shall be able to run 5 kilometers 3 weeks from now.Thou shall be able to clap your hands during your pylometric push-ups without slamming your face into the ground a few instants later.The 3 week period might run into a few logistical problems in the last week, but we will see about that when I get there. I do a body-weight workout 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), and I just started running, which I am planning to do on the Tuesdays and Thursdays (possibly in the weekends as well, but I will have to see about getting my sporting stuff to my parents home). Anyway, onto today's analysis of my workout. Workout 11-06-14 Warm-up Wacky dancing to Linkin Parks 'PPr:Kut' 3*10 Jump Squats. Yesterday I ran for the first time, which made me feel a bit sore today, but regardless I did all 30 of them without any trouble, except one landing that went a bit awry, causing me to wobble precariously for a bit. 3 sets of pull-ups (13-07-05). It is rather warm here in the Netherlands, which combined with the fact that I don't actually use a pull-up bar, but rather a I-beam like structure in the ceiling, caused my sweaty hands to have a rather loose grip at the end of the sets. This caused me to not try for another pull-up, lest I fall to the ground, either landing on my microwave and mini-fridge, or the armrest of the couch. Neither of those would make for a pleasant landing. 3 sets of 8 pylometric push-ups (2 on ground level, 2 on armrest level, which is about knee-height). I recently found myself to be able to do pylometric push-ups from the ground up, and decided to incorporate that into my workout regime. After two sets of those, my left wrist started to hurt, and not in a good, 'feel the BURN'-kind of way, but rather in a bad, 'What the hell are you trying to do, dolt'-kind of way, so I decided to switch the last two back to the armrest. The rest of the excercise concluded without notable troubles. 10*10 calve raises per leg. Aside from some wobbles and suchlike, this went without problems. Probably need to think of something to make it a bit more challenging. 10 lunges per leg. Again, balance, especially while I go back to the starting position. That part goes rather like a airplane fighting its way through turbulence. 3 sets of push ups (13-16-10). Today I put focus on keeping my core tight and letting my elbows go to 90 degrees. Being focused on that, I lost count and had to start again. On account of that, the first set scores lower than the second, but no matter, I will be back to my old amount next time. Cool Down: Wacky dancing to Linkin Parks 'Wretches and Kings' The workout started at 13:06 and concluded at 14:04, taking 58 minutes to complete. Anyway, that was today's workout and tomorrow is running day. See you all later, and keep on improving.

Just making a space to document all my out-of-challenge times. Especially since I need to do a make-up few weeks from my first challenge because reasons. Today: con: did partake of sugary junk food. Pro: went for a two (count 'em, two) hour walk with my sister this evening. We just started out to do a block after dinner but each time we almost got back to my place we'd look at each other as go "I don't wanna stop yet" and we'd head off and do another block in a different direction. We had the best talk, too. I love my sister heaps and heaps; she's amazing.

So there's a quote that I haven't been able to get out of my head for almost a year now. "A year from now you'll wish you had started today" Fitness and I have a rocky sort of relationship, mostly because I've never really had to learn the 'fitness habit' growing up. I grew up on a farm where there were always all sorts of chores and other than writing (which I did on a desktop with no internet), Sims, and reading, the activities I liked to do were all outside. Fast forward 6 years of university, depression, 24/7 internet access (with corresponding days spent online perfecting the groove in my chair) and no self control and I'm tired of not feeling like me. So I've decided to make a change. Starting stats: (Level 0) Female25 yrs old5'10"226 lbsBMI 32.4Waist to Height Ratio 0.51Starting activity level: mild-moderateMy Challenge Targets: Healthy Weight - Primary Goal: 175 lbs (this was my standard weight in high school though it fluctuated seasonally with my activity level this is an entirely achievable weight) Endurance - Play out Candy (18 month old rottiexpitbullxlab mutt) I want to be able to take her for a run and come back where she is played out and I still have something in the tank. Aiming for 20 min 5K and adjust from there. Strength - Benchpress my own body weight. (Due to change in circumstances I need to find a replacement goal here. any recommendations would be appreciated.) 150 lbs - *secondary weight target to be accessed upon achievement of Primary Goal to see if I want to cut more lbs or ignore scale and focus on function fitness and strength*Timeline: 26 weeks to target #1 (Sept. 13, 2014) The Plan: Diet - 1500 calories/ day (cream in coffee, oil in cooking ect will not be counted so I should end up at between 1500- 1700 per day) Endurance - ZombieRun! 5K training app Strength - Body Weight Training routine. Mental Health - Regular Meditation and Yoga on 'rest' days

Book One I have lived in hopelessness for so long now. I often thought that there was no way I was getting into shape. It's impossible, right? Well, I refuse to accept such a concept! I've already completed my first six-week challenge, and I'm getting ready for my second challenge starting this Monnday! I really can't wait to get started, so I already have...kinda. As an aspiring assassin, one of my goals is to become light on my feet, stealthy like a ninja! So when I went down the block to the mailboxes to check the mail, I walked as quickly and quietly as I could, sticking to the shadows. Boy, that was fun. So stealth training, yoga, wall climbing and dieting will be the way of my next challenge, and I'll try to keep up with the daily entries. ENTRY NUMBER ONE! That's right, we're starting right now! Here we go! Skipped breakfast (a habit I am sorely tyring to break.)Went for a light jog.The wife and I went to my friend's baby shower. We talked Doctor Who and Marvel movies with the new dad.Had fast food in the first time in weeks for lunch.Checked the mail...like a ninja!Went on a double date with some friends. Loaded up at the salad bar.All-in-all, today wasn't the most ideal day in the way of dieting. But I did get some excercise, and that is good.

Day 1: Friday, October 25, 2013 Hi, I'm LuckyGamer and welcome to Fatass. Basic Stats: Height: 5'10 Weight: ~225 lbs. (I can't find my scale, but from what I'm reading, weight isn't a particularly important metric. I'll start updating this once I start going to the gym) I'm decently strong and quick from my time as a high school football player and swimmer. I lifted alot in college too. I have poor endurance due to obesiety, smoking, an extremely sendentary lifestyle and plenty of other things. I've spent most of the past 3 years sitting or laying down (bed -> car -> office chair -> car -> couch -> repeat). I remember what it was like to be healthy and energetic and I'm fed up with being a frustrated, stressed out, lethargic lump. My eating habits are terrible. Let's chronicle my consumption from the past 24 hours: - Last night's dinner: Half of a medium sized pepperoni, jalapeno and cheese pizza (tasted amazing, but yeah...) and over a liter of regular Coke. - "Breakfast": Two Solo cups full of milk, the rest of the 2 liter of Coke when I got to work instead of coffee - Lunch: It's 1300 as of writing this and I haven't eaten anything yet. I'm kind of hungry, but I didn't bring lunch and don't want to walk to the local office cafe. - Planned Dinner: Wood Ranch BBQ - not changing this because its already a date. It'd be my cheat meal if I was actually dieting. We can glean the following information from the above: - I'm addicted to soda/caffeine - I skip meals - I order delivery and eat out more often than not (even though I am fully capable of preparing a healthy home-cooked meal). - I'm lazy My goal is to change this to: - I drink no more than 2 cans of soda a day (thinking realistically in the shorter term. I drank a 2 liter in less than 12 hours) and stick to coffee for the caffeine (I like tea too). - I eat regular meals to keep my body and mind fueled and my metabolism active - I prepare the majority of my own healthy meals. I endulge within reason once a week (Friday night dinner, going out with friends, party etc.) - I proactively do what needs to be done in order to achieve my goals, both in fitness and in life I know that my diet is what is primarily screwing me up, but I want to become strong too. I feel that the path of the warrior is for me. I used to lift heavy in high school and college and nothing beat the feeling of pushing myself until my muscles went limp. I liked how it made my body look too. I also remember the endorphin rush after a good run, so I am going to be incorporating that as well. I'll probably post a "before" picture tonight and hopefully I can find a scale, just for reference. Tomorrow I will be attending a family member's wedding, and I have no intention of turning down champagne and cake etc. This truly begins Sunday when I go shopping for groceries.

WEEK 1 9/17/2013 - 10:45 am Warm-Up: Ran stairs x6 // 5 Seal Jacks // 15 Jumping Jacks - 11:00am NF Beginner Body Weight Workout (1 circuit, no rows because I left my weights in my car...) Got the weights out of my car and did them this evening. - 12pm Meditate 9/18/2013 - 7am Meditate (EARLY day!) Worked a 12-hour shift today, so I took it easy otherwise; practiced singing on my break. 9/19/2013 - 9am Meditate - 10am Yoga (Didn't get this done...) Working a day shift today, then driving out of town for an opera excursion! Nervous, but excited. 9/19-9/22, I was out of town, but found time to meditate in the car. Even though I mostly fell asleep, I did still have some small breakthroughs in my awareness of the experience of consciousness that connects everyone. Seems weird, but I really just woke up with this peaceful knowledge that everyone is basically having the same experience of consciousness, but we can only experience it one life at a time. 9/23 Didn't do a darn thing. :\ So, how did Week 1 add up? 1. To find the right martial art for me and attend classes regularly! 2. Yoga or Weight Training 3x a week 3. Meditate 3x a week Goal 1: I had a phone call from the gentleman who teaches at the kung fu studio I plan to attend. He was very helpful and I will be certain to visit! He answered some questions that I had, and I feel more confident that kung fu is the right martial art for me. Beautiful movements! Cool forms! Weapons! Goal 2: Ouch. I only put forth this effort once this past week?? It seemed like I was doing better than that, but I must have been combining my efforts from the previous week in my mind. I will have to do better next week. Goal 3: Yay! I did meet this goal, and although we are taught to "abandon all hope for results," I have felt somewhat more at peace and secure in my ephemeral mortality an' all that.

Disclaimer: I swear a lot. Since I'm sure it's frowned upon in a forum setting like this, I'll tone it down the best I can, but if I get real excited about a workout or something, I make no promises for clean-cut lady-like language. Ye have been warned. Brief anecdote: I hate running. I understand the benefits as an excercise and I even run to clear my head, so I like the idea of running, but the actual event? Hoo boy. So awful. Back when I was in college with the crew team (only for a year and even that, only as the coxswain. Speaking of repetitive exercises that are miserable...) we would do these cross training workouts sometimes at butt-ass early in the morning (in typical crew-team fashion. Apparently everything they do has to happen at the buttcrack of dawn) and they often involved running. I've never been a very skilled runner, so for me, this was always kind of stressful. There was a lot of pressure to pass the PRT, yadda yadda. So on these runs, especially since unlike my teammates I was never an athlete in high school, I STRUGGLED. I would lag behind, fall out of the group, give up. My confidence was super low, and I needed some motivation. On these early morning runs, just in the effort to keep running and not get completely left behind, I developed this mantra. As I stared at the back of the person's head in front of me, I chanted over and over in my head "I don't have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you." And I never did well, but I kept going. To an extent, it worked. Now, however, as I embark on my new fitness journey of levelling up, I say "Fuck that!" It's time to be more than a person who just survives. It's time for me to kick it into gear, and outrun that stupid bear. Because I can, dammit! So is this a running log? Nope. I've grown to appreciate running, but I hate doing it for time. Too stressful. I like doing charity runs. Maybe one day I'll do a half marathon or something, but not for time. Just for me. Here instead is the chronicles of my journey to become a BEAST. Just overall better, harder, faster stronger. Like this bear here. Rawr! Where I'm starting: [here is where I will post my measurements] Height: 5'2" Weight: [what else goes here? I don't knooooow] One rep max's (all in lbs. Because 'murica.) Back squat: 133 Clean and Jerk: 85 Dead lift: 138 Shoulder press: 58 Snatch: 70 Thanks for tuning in!

In the vast, cold emptiness of space, drifts a ship. It has a strange shape to it, like a dinosaur holding a purse. Full of scratches and chips of something that may have been paint, a friendly spectator might call the ship vintage; an honest one would just call it crappy. It's a small space vessel, capable of transporting a few people at best, not nearly enough for a full crew. Inside, a lone figure lies in a pod that closely resembles a casket. There are so few lights, but the rays shed from the few remaining ones shine on the white, paper-like skin of the figure. Long, thin fingers twitch as the computer beeps and the casket opens, mist creeping out over its edges. The feet connecting to the floor carefully, tentatively are as cool as the steel underneath. Eyes bat, slowly, trying to find focus in the dimness. Even slower is the process in which the tiniest spark flickers inside the brain, catching on to the long-forgotten nerves, lighting up the supposedly eternal darkness inside the mind. When the realization hits her, she doesn't like it. She touches the ends of dry hair, presses on the squishy mass of stomach where no muscle can be found. Squeezes the eyes painfully hard as the hand rises at chest level, rests under the collarbones, confirming what she already knew. The eyes do not water up; there is not enough liquid in the body to spare. With frightening indifference, she makes her weakened legs walk her to the computer panel. Flips on the scanner, inquires the ship's present location and course. The screen displays a thousand suns, big and small; a field of stardust and asteroids; planets consisting entirely of rock and ice and boiling lava. But nowhere there is water, plants, fauna. No life. Not outside the ship... or inside of it. A frown pulls down the eyebrows. "Computer, what happened here?" Another bleep echoes in the ship. "Information unknown. Please specify." A huff emerges from the lips. "What is the mission of this ship and its crew?" "The mission is aborted due to the death of all its participants. The ship has been declared lost." "Then what was the mission?" "The mission was to save the world." She stands there for the longest time, gazing out into the passing stars. Brushes the fingers against the underside of the wrists where she cannot feel a pulse. There is so much the mind cannot remember. Perhaps it's a natural consequence, the order of decomposition - the most recently used brain cells are the first to go. "No." The head shakes, drawing unpleasant crackling noises from the unused neck joints. "Computer, the mission will be restarted." "Error: The mission cannot be completed without living participants." "There is one." She drops on hands and knees on the floor and lowers herself down even as the elbows tremble with effort. "Correction: there will be." Inside the chest, the heart expands and contracts, just once. But it's a start. ____________________________________________________________________ ...What? I saw people having these fancy narratives in their challenge threads and I wanted one too. I decided to start a battle log so I can keep track of my progress and stay accountable. It's a lot less tempting to skip a workout or eat crap when I know I have to announce my failings to the rest of the world. My challenge thread resides here. My goals for the current challenge, summarized, are as follows: Strength training 3x week Interval running 2-3x week Sleep 6+ hours every night Finish 3 essays from spring Measurements: Height: 163 cm / 5'4" Bust: 98 cm / 38.5" (Just curious to see whether this goes anywhere... probably not.) Waist: 78 cm / 30.5" Hips: 100 cm / 39" (The instruction is to measure the widest part, so should this actually read 'butt'?) Thigh: 61 cm / 24" Arm: 26 cm / 10.25" As you can see, I have trunks for thighs and stick for arms. There is not going to be weight listed - due to our very traumatic past, the scale and I aren't talking. I don't know much I weight, and I've made the decision not to care; visual inspection and measurements should be good enough to indicate whether I'm going to the right direction or not. I might post pics later, if I manage to convince myself that taking very unflattering half-nekkid photos of myself and posting them in the interwebs is a good idea in any shape or form. _______________________________________________________ 01/08/2013: Sleep: 8.5-9 hours + 0.5 hour nap (day off from work, I got to sleep in <3) Food: Lunch: 4 McDonald's Cheese Burgers (I know, I know... I spent the day running around the city center, I was so hungry and they're cheap.) Post-workout snack: protein shake Exercise: Interval running ~25 mins + ~45 incline push-ups + a few very sad attempts at pull-ups (= hanging on the bar for dear life without managing to move an inch) I did actual sprints for the first time today. Okay, I'm not fast, but I really ran and didn't just jog. The first couple of times went really well and I felt like Superwoman, but then it started getting to me and the sprint parts turned to jogging. My feet and legs felt fine, but my chest was all like "oh my god it burns, what are you doing, STAHP!" My thighs hurt now, though, so it seems it was a decent workout.

This topic will follow my daily steps in how I change my bad eating habits and how I start doing exercice. Yesterday I bought a pull-up bar, and did 5 series of 2 pull-ups, 2 series of 10 pushups, 2 series of 30 abs but that was too much, even if I warmed up. I felt nauseous and had a headache, so took a 30 minutes nap and I felt better. I ate too much cheese, like 2 times a regular portion of it. On both lunch and dinner. Today I will restrain myself ! I ran about 10 minutes today and enjoyed it for the first time. It's because for the first time I ran on a purpose : Level up. Did some stretching too, and maybe I will try some yoga ? My girlfriend always told me it's good for my back ( which is weak due to lack of exercice, and as I'm tall, it's hurting often. ) and it's tempting. We'll see. I planned to take care of my bike, as I am fond of riding, especially in nature. I'm a fan of enduro MTB ! But I don't really have a spot around here ( Lille, North of France ) I can only ride and enjoy it in a park. Well, that's all for today

Hi everyone! I am new to NF and I plan to track my fitness and diet progress here. I track my daily intake and monitor my energy levels in a Google document so I won't be very detailed here. I'll try to do a weekly/ daily/ as often as possible post of my progress here

This is a precurser to my posts. 4 weeks. It has been 4 weeks now since I woke up and looked at my body, and I mean, really looked at my body and listened to it. I'm over weight and unsatisfied with my health choices. So, I sat down, tore down my mental guard and asked myself the hard questions. Do you want to keep looking and feeling like this forever? Do you want to keep walking heavily? Do you want to watch your body balloon out each passing season? The correct answer, is no. Not just no, Hell No. So, I sat down again and asked myself this: What things have stopped you from working out, eating healthy? What were some of the things that caused you to stop working out? What it boils down to is Time managing, money and focus. I've fixed the 1st and 3rd, the 2nd is stablizing, Captian. The last thing I told myself was this: You have the rest of this month, all the way to June 1st. Then, my dear NewMe, we begin and solidify how you have been wanting to eat; Paelo. Workouts, the beginner basics with beginner Couch to 5K using Zombies, RUN! Post about your changes, take pictures, set up visual ques to keep you motivated and going. Above all, ask for FEEDBACK! You can do this. You can, you can.

Day 1 Thursday 25 April 2013 Decided am unhappy with lack of motivation, thought I'd start this challenge (a bit late, but better than waiting for the next one!). Food: Toast for breakfast, toast and tea for lunch, noodle salad for dinner. (Not on any weird fast or diet; overate yesterday and no appetite today. Normal meals resume tomorrow). Activity: Brisk 1 hour walk as part of university-related madness. I live on the top of a hill = thighs of steel. Mood: Tired/sad. Productivity: Almost nil. (Other than printing, collating and sending out notification letters for a survey I'm doing).

A catchup: Mon 4 Jan B - cereal, dried fruit, soy milk L - tuna salad D - salmon rice salad Tea, water Activity - walk 1 hour Tue 5 Jan B - prawn mayo sandwich L - tuna sandwich D - egg salad Coffee, water Activity - walk 1 hour Wednesday B - porridge, banana L - frittata (eggs, sweet potato, onion, cherry tomato, cheese, herbs, milk, spring greens), salad D - filled pasta, pesto Tea, coffee, water, apple, yoghurt Activity - spin class, walk Thursday B - apple, yoghurt, dried fruit L - frittata D - frittata, salad Mocha, small serve of all bran Activity - walk, free weights (ravenous!!)

So, this is a Log of my daily workouts (not always daily updates), my weight and body measurements will also be included every sunday. I am following a palo (ish) diet, cutting out most junk food. All workouts include warmups, cool downs and stretching. Please leave comments, constructive critisium etc. it is appriciated. Stats as of Sunday the 30th of december 2012 Weight (kg) 133.4 Height (m) 1.83 Waist (cm) 128 BMI 39.8 Monday workout Squats Deadlift Push-ups Inverted Row Dips. 10min of boxing bag work Tuesday Unable to move legs, so missed the cardio (damn) Wednesday Push-ups Sit-ups Inverted Row Dip DB Bench Press DB incline Press DB Row Oblique Twist Modified Plank. Thanks and I hope everyone had a happy new year