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INTRO 'Olo, you lot! Welcome to my quiet little corner. I am Haniya (pronounced Hun-nee-yah) a Nerdy, Sporty, DND[currently watching Critical Role]loving, Comic book enthusiast with a penchant for arts, Video games, Books, Disney movies, music and Mystery Murder shows [Stranger Things, Sherlock, Killing Eve, The Umbrella Academy and Elementary anyone?] also Neil Gaimann because good omens is a fantastic show and is worth fangirling about. Today I have entered as a ranger to challenge myself. Hopefully, my experiment will help me build my habits and my body. I feel like my true self best fits in this sneaky, lean, strong and dangerously cool class because strength and stamina are the two things that I ideally want and we all wish to master. Hence, here I am and here I go! BACK STORY TIME: WE all know how our health is the MOST important thing in the world--physical, emotional and mental as well--especially when you've been obese half your childhood. Its hard to get back on that health horse when like half of your house hold isnt primed for it at all. Regaining my good healthy self has been a massive struggle, no less a bumpy roller coaster ride of high and lows. Well, I've been at it for quite a while with the NERDS--actually listening and enjoying the company of the people--thus, naturally, I come running back to thine fine health, happiness institute of fittitude! [Gedit] Even though i hate typing, i do try to update as often as I can. Well, anyways! I live in Pakistan (south east asia) where carbohydrate is as important and as common as air and I am not joking! OUR DIET AND CUISINE IS JUST FULL OF IT AND EVEN IF YOU TRIED, YOU JUST CANT SHAKE IT OFF AND IGNORE IT! BUT. I. WANT. TO. CHANGE. MYSELF. I DON'T WANT TO BE ADDICTED ANYMORE AND THAT'S MY MAIN MISSION HERE! BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY! I will go slow this time and not overwhelm myself as much as I am prone to so I'll just go over the basics of my mission. Cus. I. Can. And. I. Love. To. Sound. Very. Official. OH, SHALL WE MOVE TOWARDS MY BASE OF OPERATIONS?! *drumroll* OP 1: Take control of the wheel, agent! As the new agent of SHIELD, it is your duty to physically take care of what you put in your body. Filling in the shoes of Natasha Romanoff is going to be a hard job, recruit, so I suggest you take those shoes seriously and work hard! *There we go, guys. Big shoes to fill* So, clean eating and portion control is the key. Refined sugar and fried stuff is your ENEMY. IT'S YOUR HYDRA! You must defeat the bad side! *telegram* Recruit! We are not that cruel, you know, so we are allowing you a two day cheat treat. Aren't we cool?! Of-course, we are, we are SHIELD! OP 2: Find the lost Tomb of Rorustan You want to be the next Lara Croft? You want to go on adventures and move mountains like her, yes? Change the course of time and history like her? Then, you got to train like her! Her strong and Charismatic body took years and years of hard work and perseverance! Can you keep up? *CanI?* Journey to the lost tombs, human and bring forth power! My objective is to run and do body weight exercises (darebee and skipping rope) 3-4 times in a week with two days rest period. Walk for 20-30 mins daily. CAN YOU HEAR THE SPIRITS TALKING? YES! I DO! I CAN HEAR LARA CROFT! MASTER, I CAN HEAR HER WHISPERS FROM THE INSIDE, SPEAKING OUT TO ME (awksslipawaytoyonder) OP 3: Bend it like Korra! Before she was the avatar, Korra knew nothing of her powers and how to control them but with the help of her teachers and peers, she blossomed into the strongest being we know today! Want to Bend it like Korra? *Heck Yeah* then you must dedicate some time to your education; to learn and grow like the avatar. Daily one or two videos that'll inspire you or give you knowledge about the world and beyond. Study spanish: Duolingo and Memrise streaks, audio lessons from Pimsleur and YouTube video lessons. Dont forget to make notes in your notebook. Meditate to calm your souls. A clear and tension free mind is a happy mind! TAI CHI PRACTICE! Watch David Dorian Ross videos and practice along. New videos everyday to build your 103 long form practice. OP 4: "Be as flexible as Kamala Khan" SUPERHERO BY DAY, REGULAR GAMER CHILD BY NIGHT! Balancing your hero and human life takes a lot of work but you have to do this in order for the world to make sense plus, fun time is fun time! So, here are my humanly duties towards a good future:- Journal writing: habit tracking, Spanish progress and recording my days key features as bullet points to make my life easy Updating nerd fitness with my journey in the form of ratings A-F [A being super awesome and F Epic Wamp] and supporting new people and their journies! *POWER RANGERS, METAMORPHOSIS! Oh, wrong fandom* Read more books by adhering to the 50 books a year challenge: Give 1-2 weeks maximum to my current read by reading everyday for 20-30 minutes Focus on your hydration: Minimum 6glasses to up to 8 glasses. More water! LASTLY NEVER GIVE UP! Speaking of giving up, we all need some kind of push on our behinds, right? That's why I have certain ideals. Certain role models that I look for inspiration and motivation when I am feeling particular down in the ditch. These forces of good are there when i need them the most, to guide me through my epic quest I call life. Someone who I want to be: Inspiration Dice I have so many role models that I look up to! People who have proved to be gigantic and so bad arse--who don't need to be reminded of their worth! People who are amazing enough to inspire and motivate us all to follow our dreams and challenge our limits. They teach us that being kind, resolute, strong and brave--in the face of danger--is the most noblest of things you can do. So, so talented, so powerful and so stupendous. I want to be them and I am honoured to call them my idols: Lara Croft, Black Widow, Korra, Ellie Goulding, Aveline De Grandpre, Aloy, Merida, Captain Marvel, Avatar Aang, Dr 13 and Yasmin Khan, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Jim Kwik, Shuri, Okoye, Kamala Khan etc. I am not promising here but i will try to keep you guys up to date with my daily shenanigans and what-nots. Apart from that, I want to THANK you for YOUR precious time! And I might need you guys to help me with this challenge because my focus on them has been very rocky but I am ready to CHANGE MYSELF FOR THE BETTER! I SWEAR ON MY PRETTY LITTLE HANDS THAT I SHALL TRY MY HARDEST! *CUE RICK ROLL SONG* p.s: i love DND even though i am a complete beginner so talk to me about it or if you are looking dnd players then lets band together! I am all for an epic dnd session!

Come one, come all! Join my Disney pals in celebrating my NerdFitness Anniversary! November 5th is my official 5 year NF Anniversary. To celebrate I’m going to challenge myself to do my original challenge. Although I’m making a few tweaks based on my end of challenge results because I still hate the morning mile and because I’ve learned a lot in 5 years Oswald is going to remind me what my original goals were, right after he gets done fighting this guy… ORIGINAL - Back when challenges were 6 weeks and we still used stats Now time for this years goals, who wants reveal what I’ll be doing now? Now now, let’s introduce my anniversary goals! DRUM ROLLLLLLLL Fine I’ll do it myself. Forward 5 years later, Goals 1. DIET: Veggies! I still struggle with this goal. I know I can’t do 5 veggies or even 5 servings yet but I can start to build the habit back up. Wk 1 - 1 veg serving per day Wk 2 - 2 veg serving per day Wk 3 - 1 veg serving each meal (2 meals) Wk 4 - 2 veg servings each meal (2 meals) GRADE : WK 1 - A = 7 veggies WK 2 & 3 - A = 14 veggies WK 4 - A = 28 veggies 2. FITNESS : Go to the Gym 1x a week & Body weight workouts I started to make working out a habit again but I let stress ruin that. I want to make sure I get to the gym every week. No excuses. If I’m sick I go and walk on the treadmill. If I’m injured I go and do something that won't hurt my injury. I need to stop using those as crutches. Wk 1 - 1 gym & 3 10 mins Bodyweight workout Wk 2 - 1 gym & 5 10 mins Bodyweight workout Wk 3 - 1 gym & 1 30 mins Bodyweight workout Wk 4 - 1 gym & 2 30 mins Bodyweight workout GRADE : WK 1 - A = 1G & 3/3 WK 2 - A = 1G & 5/5 WK 3 - A = 1G & 1BW WK 4 - A = 1G & 2BW 3. HABIT : SLEEP - 7/7 There was no way I was doing the morning mile again. I actually remember waking up some days and dreading it. Not going to happen. Instead I want to work on getting to bed early and waking up early so I have more time in the morning to stretch, get ready, make breakfast, etc. Wk 1 - In bed by 11pm Wk 2 - In bed by 10:30pm Wk 3 - In bed by 10pm Wk 4 - Wake up between 5:30am and 6am GRADE : # of times per week = A:7 - B:6 - C:5 - D:3 - F:2-0 4. LIFESTYLE : Inventory the Townhouse/ keep a report (Complete at least 2 worth 50 points) I did actually do a few of these but it’s been 5 years and I need to do them again because I was slacking and forgot. Organize the pantry for easy inventory Pull out all items and organize Possibly label front of shelves Make an inventory list for pantry items Organize kitchen cabinets for easy access Pull everything out and organize Light bulbs and light fixtures counted and recorded as well as batteries Inventory all light bulbs - watts and styles Check to see how many bulbs I have total Count all items that use batteries and make an inventory list Maintenance schedules Create a schedule Go through coat closet and organize Go through linen closet and organize Thanks Guys! BARBIE!!! Sigh...

This challenge I want to focus on my eating. The last few months I’ve been pretty bad about home cooking, coffee and sugar. Because I’ve been so lazy about food, I go the easy route which is pre made foods or snacks which tend to be sugary treats. I know that diet it essential to getting healthy and losing weight and it’s something I always struggle with. It’s time for my yearly Whole30! Whole30 400 pts at Completion Start 8/13 - End 9/11 Complete 30 days of no Dairy, Sugar, Grains, Legume and Alcohol. Try 4 new vegetables. Accountability : At least 15 Pictures of the foods I eat Review recipes I try and share them here At least 1 sentence update a day for how I’m feeling Continue with previous August habits Health = Cleaning 10 Mins a day Floors/Counters/Mail/Trash/Laundry Mana = Water or Tea 6 cups + Strength = Exercise 3 workouts a week 4 yoga sessions 4 gym sessions Stamina = Sleep In bed by 11pm & Up by 6:30am Wisdom = Finances Pay bills on time Create weekly budgets Constitution = Food Home cooked meals Whole30 Reduce Snacking (3x a day)

JK it’s me Jonesy! Netflix finally added Moana to their streaming and I think I’ve watched this movie 3 times in the last week, It’s like I’m 5. Since the songs have been stuck in my head, I decided to use it for my challenge theme. I’m also going to incorporate my game into this challenge. The points for activities at least. Overall Passing Points Goal = 584 Stronger than you think I like improving on my dead hangs so I want to keep that going. For other workouts, I need to do at least 2 a week. I failed pretty hard at having regular workouts last challenge. Dead Hangs (PR 10s) Bodyweight Workouts Cardio Workouts Wayfinding for the soul I love the idea of a routine but I struggle following them. I want to change this. Part of me wants the structure but the other part wants to do what I feel like I want to do...not necessarily what I NEED to do. Again, I want to change this. So for both zero weeks I’m going to work on creating some routines and then seeing how well I follow them for the challenge. create a workout routine to follow create a morning routine to follow create a nightly routine to follow create a household routine to follow Week 1-4 TBD Points awarded for routines Don’t be tricked by shiny things With the increased Regional transit authority (RTA) tax for my car this year ($250 more than last year) I really need to save up for my Sept/October bill. I also realized that I spent WAAAAY too much money on take out. Like embarrassingly too much. Zero week I’ll spend some time, not money, creating a monthly budget and possible the weekly ones. Create a Monthly and Weekly budget Bills identified and paid Set spending for week and stay equal or under Unplanned spending on food will result in negative points

TO DEFEAT Whoops wrong movie.. Now that you won’t ever get that song out of your head...you’re welcome! What would a bunch of Disney themed challenges be without Mulan? It was about time I finally had this theme especially because it’s time to get down to business. No simple challenge like last time. Calories 0/28 days (Passing 14) I’ve hit a wall in regards to my weight. I’m losing one or two pounds but then I gain 5 back and repeat over and over. While I still continue to workout, I’ve failed to evaluate my eating because I like food and am scared I’ll have to make changes. I know I’ll have to make changes. Sigh. My plan this challenge is to determine my TDEE and record my calories and macros. I’m not going to plan out my calories just yet because I want to see what I’ve been doing. If anyone knows how to determine their TDEE, hook me up with some links. Dead Hangs 0/28 days (Passing 20) So last challenge I finally put my pull up bar back up and decided to take a chance and see if I could at least hang off it. I PR’d at 5 seconds… Workouts 0/15 (Passing 12) Same as last challenge. I want to keep up my workouts and plan 3 workout days a week. This time I’m included my zero week ones. Adulting 0/5 Tasks This is always a good life goal for me. Apparently I need a challenge to actually do stuff.

This challenge I will be channelling one of my favourite Disney women: Fa Mulan. While not technically a Princess, she is brave and strong and beautiful. She starts weak and works on herself to become a strong enough soldier to defend all of China. She’s pretty damn BadAss. As such I will be theming my regular goals around Mulan. Eat like a warrior (freggies, protein): In order to perform I need to maintain good eating habits. Continuing the 5-a-day freggie habit and bringing in the a-protein-with-every-meal habit. This could take many forms… meat, eggs, cheese, protein shake etc. Haven’t decided if we’re bringing back the Whole30, not likely seeing as we have a wedding to go to, my birthday, a concert which we’ll be staying with Mr’s Mum and sister… Actually thinking about it that’s going to be a ‘no’ on the Whole30, but good choices where possible. Marked x/5, x/3 daily. Training to defeat the Huns (gym): In 2.5 weeks will be my 25th birthday. I want to lift my bodyweight (70kg). I’ve been making steady increases in my weekly deadlift (46kg, 57.5kg, 65kg), and expect to continue this trend to at least 1RM my bodyweight. Only 5kgs to go, totally possible. Other than that, I will continue going to ROAR 3/week and BigLift+Boxing 1/week. Where possible I’ll tag along with Mr to any weekend sessions he goes to. Note: I will be aiming for 70kg even if my bodyweight goes down between now and then (I’ve lost 10kg since when I started at the gym in August down from 80kg, technically I should lose another 5-10 to fall in healthy for my height, but I want to start packing on some muscle, and we all know the scale lies about that). Marked running total x/4 per week. Birthday Deadlift PR is its own mark. Notes… in case I forget something (studying): As of Wednesday of zero week I will have completed the Business subject, but will have the second half of my Chinese Mandarin class to go (through to 5th June). I will continue to keep up with classes and homework too. I have two written tests upcoming and plenty more to learn, online quizzes and the such. Marking: All classes attended (3/week). Homework on 5days a week marked x/5. Side note: She's doing this with her left hand, which is hellah hard... you're almost better to just learn to write characters with your right because its so hard to follow the strokes and not get mega-smudged. Side-side note, I don't know all of these characters, but I see the depictions of woman, fire, people/person and sun. Huzzah for knowing some tiny things! Bonus goal~ Who is that girl I see? Skin-care erry day. I get topical eczema in one of my eyebrows and on one of my ears (lovely). It's not very noticeable, but goes away when I take proper care of my skin, so proper care I shall take. Daily cleanse and moisturizing cream to banish the eczema and the beginning of lines from living a quarter century. Mark daily Y/N.

Each week I will do the following with a bonus task (see below for week bonuses). Workout - 3 Adventures per workout (Overall Challenge Goal : 30 Adventures in the great wide somewhere) Food - 2 Food items per prep/home cooked meal (Overall Challenge Goal : 16 Soup du jour, Hot Hors d'oeuvres, Beef ragout, Cheese souffle ) Stretching/Mobility - 25 Tales per week (25 mins) (Overall Challenge Goal: 100 Tales as old as time) Read - 500 pages per week : 100 pages = 1 hour (Overall Challenge Goal: 1500 pages filled with Far off places, daring swordfights, magic spells, a prince in disguise) Bullet Journal - 2 Inventions per tracking/design (Overall Challenge Goal: 56 Hunk of junk Inventions) Cleaning - 5 mins looking for something there that wasn't there before (Overall Challenge Goal: 120 mins looking for something there that wasn't there before ) Lesson 1: Tea Heals All - Collect Chip Only 1 coffee a day, after that it’s unsweetened tea. Lesson 2 : Don’t Let Your Fears Get in the Way of New Experiences - Collect Cogsworth Complete and wear my Flounder Costume to the Princess 5K. Try to get in a workout at the resort. Lesson 3 : Love is Stronger Than Hate - Collect Lumiere This will be the 2nd half of the week that I am spending with my mom and step dad. I love them both but I get super cranky and irritated with them when I’m stuck with them for too many days in a row. We tend to clash a lot and since they are both Trump supporters, this might be a tough week. If I can go a full week without snapping or being grumpy more than 3x, I’ll win for the week! Lesson 4 : Never Stop Learning - Collect Mrs. Potts Learn/discover something new 4x this week. - Can be a new word, a new recipe, discover a new food, Try a new exercise/stretch/pose, Explore a new area, etc.

Background Last challenge I finished an epic goal of running 99 miles. I am recovered now and time to work on the next goal except I don't know what the new epic goal will be. But I figured for the rest of the pre-snow running I will aim to run faster. At the beginning of November my family might go for a trip several hours away for a charity 5k that my wife is close to charity-wise (and my brother is close to location-wise). But we aren't sure about her traveling and such so this plan is still up in the air. If not, I am planning on running a local 50k for the third year in a row. So definitely working on fast runs will help me with the 5k or 50k (since I ran 99 miles, those are now "short" distances I think, please note I am being totally sarcastic). In all seriousness, I have a tremedous amount of base even for a 50k, so I think running fast will help me most anyways for beating last year's 50k and will obviously help with the 5k. The first weekend I plan to stay overnight to volunteer at a 50k / 50miler / 100miler with one of my kids. In the middle of this challenge, my family is going to Disney World for 10 days. So I will account for that as only having 32 possible workout days (though I plan to get in maybe 2 easy runs during the trip). When I get back from Disney I head right back out to travel for work for an overnight. Goals 1) Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith Working on speed to be fast like this rock star coaster! Do 14 speed workouts (14: A, 12: B, 10: C, 8: D) +4 DEX 2) The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror It picks people and puts them down, and does a few reps, takes a break and does many sets every day. Do 9 barbell workouts (9: A, 7: B, 5: C, 3: D) +3STR 3) The Magic Carpets of Aladdin A few long runs, would be easier with a magic carpet but I will make due just fine with these legs of mine. Do 4 long runs +2 STA 4) Kilimanjaro Safaris Eat natural just like the real animal you are! (Perhaps if there was an electrified fence around the junk food it would be easier.) 95%+ primal days at home +2 CON 5) Cinderella Castle Eat amazing food and still look like a prince. Indulge but not derail while at Disney. Do not derail at Disney +1 WIS 6) Tom Sawyer Island This island is full of so much fun for the boys, definitely want to have fun with them throughout the entire challenge. Have fun with the boys most days +3 CHA Stats LVL: 24, FAILS: 2, STR: 37, DEX: 34.5, STA: 56.5, CON: 27.75, WIS: 21.5, CHA: 16.25

Hey there, Rebels! I'm heading into my third challenge, and I'm hoping to push myself even harder. I only have 3 weeks left in this semester, but I'll probably stay on campus for an extra 6 weeks to take a "Maymester" and work. Anyways, life will for sure get a bit easier, so I want to start my summer break off strong by finishing this challenge! I'm breaking this challenge into "Fitness" and "Life" goals, although there's a bit of crossover. Thanks for following me on this journey! Current Weight/Measurements: Weight - 120lbs Bust - 34" Waist - 30 1/2" Hips - 37" Thighs - 21 1/2“ Fitness Goals GOAL 1: Run like Wonder Woman. (Run, or Use Elliptical or Treadmill 3 days a week) (Fun fact - my English professor is Lynda Carter's first cousin. Unfortunately, I still don't have an autograph.) Details: I am not a big runner. It's just not something I've ever done, and I've been okay because I've found other ways to stay fit. However, I need to up my endurance. I am only choosing to do 3 days a week because I get a lot of cardio from dance (especially tap) and I don’t want to set too high a goal. Possible Points: +3 Stamina Current Progress: 2/20 Days GOAL 2: Do a Handstand (Take 2!) Details: This was my goal in my last quest, but it didn’t happen. I have managed to stay in a wall handstand for 60 seconds, but I can’t do it consistently. I also can’t get up on my own away from the wall. So, I’m going to try it again! Possible Points: +2 Dexterity Current Progress: Can hold a wall handstand for 60 seconds. Can get into a handstand away from the wall. GOAL 3: Hulk up! (Regular Weight-lifting Details:I am trying to get more into regular weight-lifting, beyond what I do in my tiny apartment. I’ve been trying to use the free-weights at the gym, but I need the added motivation of making it part of my challenge. I'm also partial to bodyweight stuff, so I will probably rotate between that and free-weights. I’m shooting for a bare minimum of 4 days a week - but hopefully I'll make more than that. Possible Points: +2 Strength Current Progress: 2/24 Days Life Goals GOAL 1: Get more sleep. Details: I used to have a very steady sleep schedule, and unlike most college students, I'm not into partying and I rarely stay up late of my own accord. (#nerd) But recently, especially this past semester, I've been getting an average of 4-6 hours of sleep. I didn't notice it until I got a FitBit and started tracking my sleep, but MAN is that unhealthy. So I'm going to work on getting more sleep. Possible points: +2 Constitution Current Progress: 4/42 Nights of at least 7 1/2 hours of sleep. GOAL 2: Pass the Psychology CLEP Test (And not Britta it) Details: I need to knock some of these GenEds out of the way so I won't have so much going on. First up: Psychology! I'm basically gonna be a therapist, guys. Possible points: +3 Wisdom Current Progress: Studied first 4 chapters of Textbook GOAL 3: "I...am not left-handed." (Regular Fencing!) Details: So I've done a little fencing in the way of workshops (and a lot of stage combat, since I'm an actor), but I never had the opportunity to do it regularly. Thankfully, I now have access to a fencing school that has adult classes DURING times I can take them! So I start on the 18th with a weekend intensive, and I'll be doing it regularly after that. I am really excited about it, since it's something I always wanted to do but never had the time. Also, this school teaches historical fencing, which I'm totally into. I'm actually making this a "Charisma" challenge, because it just makes me incredibly happy, and what's more charismatic than a 5'4" chick with a sword? Absolutely nothing! Possible points: +3 Charisma Current Progress:

2015 World 3: Mulan I have a lot in common with Mulan. I can be awkward and clumsy. I never really felt like I was playing the right part growing up. I was always told, “video games are for boys, go play with barbies.†Even as an adult, I’m made to feel like a failure because I’m not on my way to getting married and having kids. And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked in the mirror and thought, “this isn’t me. When will I look like -me-?†I even tried to join the military but it just wasn’t meant to be. What I don’t have in common with Mulan is that she totally kicks ass. It took a little work getting there, but with discipline, training and a little creativity, she made it happen. It all changed with an arrow. Mission: Retrieve the Arrow “I’ll get that arrow, pretty boy. And I’ll do it with my shirt on.†“This represents discipline. And this represents strength. You need both to reach the arrow.†World 3-1: Discipline Cook or prep dinner the day before. Improve in frequency over the 6 weeks. Cook and pack lunch the day before. Improve in frequency over the 6 weeks. If this doesn't work out, adjust the plan to find something that works. World 3-2: Strength Strength training at least 2x a weekEndurance training at least 1x a weekFlexibility and balance training at least 5x a week World 3-3: Creativity Incorporate olympic rings in all strength trainingA different 7 day mini-challenge each week (drink 8 cups of water a day, get 8 hours of sleep a night, etc.)Complete all assassin mini-challenges​ World 3-4 (Castle): Retrieve the Arrow 5 legit push ups, floor60 second perfect ring support 5 second ring support Complete 1 park workout Reward: My choice of (‘cause I’m so indecisive) 2 months worth of aerial silks classes and new workout pants or 2 months gym membership and personal trainer (for barbell). For each week I complete both mini-challenges: I get a $5 reward of my choosing, such as a candle or a new book. Coin Room: This seems to be a recurring theme, but my room could stand some serious cleaning. My goal here is to keep my room immaculate for 2 straight weeks during this challenge. Week 1 Summary

Introduction: Hi I’m Yasha and this is my first challenge (third try, but this time I have a plan and I’m serious about following it). I’ve been a NF rebel subscriber for around 4years now, watching, waiting, biding my time (also chuckling at Steve's wit, and squee'ing over the sucess stories). Well, now is the time. I’ve been working in an office job for 9 months and in that time I’ve packed on more than 10kg, enough is enough. One of my officemates asked this week if I am pregnant. I’m not, but that question combined with the fact that my swimmers don’t fit has been the tipping point for me, and I’ve decided to commit to completing a whole 6 week challenge, with the intent to make some real change to my health and fitness. Nerdy interests: Roleplaying (D&D, Traveler and Dragon Age currently), Lord of the Rings, Disney, Starwars, Superheros, any Lego video game, Don’t Starve, Firefly and cosplay (when I have the $$). Main Quest: Be a desirable teammate in the event of the Zombie Apocalypse (Fit, Fast, Fine, Fighter). At the moment I wouldn’t be my own first choice, and I want to be. Quest 1: Water, water everywhere… Drink more water! Between 3-4bottles/day, and extra if it’s really hot or if I exert myself. (A= 7 days/week of water, B= 6 days of water, C = 5 days of water F= >5days of water -You’re dehydrated!) Quest 2: Walk it off sunshine! Walk for half an hour every weekday (in lunch, to work, up and down the street after work or laps of the library if it’s raining, don’t matter how, just do it). Due to back injury no impact sport/exercise, so for now I walk. (A = 5/5, B= 4/5, C=3/5 F= >3 – these boots were made for walking, not waddling!) Bonus points for any weekend walking (+1 for half hour weekend walk). Quest 3: What am I even eating? Track food/drink consumed, update logging what was eaten throughout the day. If I’m embarrassed to write it down, maybe it’s crap and I shouldn’t be eating it? Some slightly devious drinks (milk based) counted as half-crap as I try to break my horrendous lemonade addiction (worst week I recall was 3 2L bottles in 3 days). (A=0 crap/day, B=1 crap, C=2 crap, F= >2 craps). Life Quest: Archery! …I choose; archery. One lesson per week at the archery range at the PCYC. I am always and without fail crazy jealous of any character who uses a bow effectively (Merida, Hawkeye, Robin Hood, new Lara Croft, Katniss Everdeen), so why not become one of them? (A= 6/6, B=5/6, C=4/6) Life Quest 2: Money money money. Put aside $50/week into the house fund. One day we shall move from our ‘meh’ rental, into a house where I can get a dog, but until we save a deposit – it’s just not going to happen… (A=$300, B=$200, C=$100) Motivation: If I’m not in my prime at the prime of my life, when will I ever be? I want to be able to go for walks without hesitation, wear swimmers without modesty shirts, not be asked if I’m pregnant. Kick ass and take names! The time is now!

KiwiChick’s Hatchling Challenge Part 3: The Little Mermaid Challenge Life Goal: Give birth to a healthy baby (aka the hatchling) in January 2015 Challenge Goal: Become the little mermaid and be able to swim 2km nonstop Sub goals: OK only one is exercise related but walking and gym are in bonus goals. Main focus is swimming and some life improvements. 1: Swim like a mermaid Swim 3 times a week – aiming to be able to swim 2km nonstop in week 5. A=3 times a week, B=2, C=1, F=0 2: Find my voice I reeeeeeally need to improve my Spanish in preparation for both my Mexican adventures/general life here, and hatchlings arrival (since he/she is going to be Mexican!) I will do either 30 mins duolingo, pimslur or converse in Spanish A=5 times a week, B=4, C=3, etc. 3: Banish the evil Ursula (aka my inner sugar demons) I will not purchase any sugary treats, as if I don't buy them I wont eat them. A=zero treats purchased, B=1 C=2 etc. 4: Clean up my artefacts cave Uggh my human junk cave (aka the boat) is in a right state. So. Shameful. I will spend quality time (eg no Downton Abbey on in background) organising. Living in a small space is full of challenges and it is impossible to live in if unorganised. A=5 hours/week, B=4, C=3 etc. Inspired by Eirlys awesome organizing last challenge. Bonus Adventures Find my legs – Walk. Everyday. Even if just a little. Gym/yoga 2-3 times a weekContinue my 3L water intakeIn week 6 Mamabird (my mum) is coming to visit from NZ so I will have to work extra hard to finish my challenge in fine form.I’m taking two MOOC courses! One is chemistry and the other physiology (the science of happiness). On Oct 23rd it will be my second year nerdiversary! Celebrations will be in order, there may even be mermaid dress ups. Gosh NF I <3 u.

Let's Get Down to Business To Defeat the Huns! As swift as the coursing river With all the force of a great typhoon With all the strength of a raging fire Mysterious as the dark side of the moon Previous challenge. Because we might as well get the stereotypical theme out of the way next. Last time it was cats (ze arrrees-toe-cats), this time it's Mulan. Everyone loves Mulan! Or at least Mulan. But what's not to love?! (Aside from some cultural stereotyping and some mildly cringeworthy attempts to replicate the Genie ad nauseum) A classic bildungsroman (coming of age story) with familial devotion taking precedence over all other relationships, cross-dressing, defying gender expectations, that damn song, crushing physical/mental plateaus with style, using wit, agility and dexterity to compensate for pure physical strength . . . the scenes on the mountain, the climax, the scene under the cherry tree. And the artwork is so good. Mulan is not my favourite Disney film, but it's in my top five depending on what you count as a Disney film. Mulan was my first major crush, not my first - that was either Maleficent or Pocahontas - but Mulan was a constant source of admiration for me from the moment I first saw an advert for it on . . . I want to say telly, but it might have been on a VHS. It was spoileriffic mind, I mean the advert had the "You have saved us all," speech playing over the footage, but oh the moment I saw that I had to get it. And come Christmas 1999 I was a very happy eight-year-old. Mulan means a lot to me, let's see if I can do it, and her, justice. Well, I didn't do her justice last time for reasons that are mentioned in the previous iteration of this thread, so let's try again! Albeit with a different Life Quest because that's the only thing I kicked arse on and modulating a few things here and there. Who is that girl I see, staring straight, back at me? (Reflection) When will my reflection show Who I am inside? So sometimes I suffer massive hits of gender dysphoria, body dysphoria, and really just general dysphoria, anxiety and depression. My mind says one thing, my body another; familial/social/cultural pressures/ideas say one thing, my mind says another different thing, and then my body chimes in again. I've never really 'done' labels, they confuse me actually, and I've dabbled trying to see if something 'fits', nothing really does, and I'm fine with that; SuNoYo is SuNoYo, and there will never be another. But she would just like it very much if all parts of her could be in accord for once. Not agreeance per se, but accord. An understanding based on mutual feelings underpinned with a firm knowledge that no matter how Su, No and Yo may differ SuNoYo is herself. While eighty odd minutes and a montage song did it for Mulan, that won't work for me (alas), but I can definitely strive towards feeling completely confident and comfortable in myself. To this end I will: - meditate daily for at least half an hour in one sitting and do my sleep meditation. I've been slack on that recently, and I've been feeling more discomfitted in general since letting my sleep meditation slip. If one is done and not the other that counts as a half point for the day. To be graded out of 42. - I take part in the PvS HOoRAY and LYBaYF threads, they help. I still don't like looking in the mirror very much and I sometimes struggle to find things to mention that are good about myself. Even some of my posts contain enough self-deprecation that, looking back on it, I feel like I'm slyly insulting myself. So I will look in a mirror. I will say the things I post in HOoRAY and LYBaYF to myself. I will look myself in the eyes especially when wearing my glasses, I won't skim the area, I will look in my eyes and just remember everything good and positive in my life. I will then post a reflection (hahaha) of these little sessions in this thread. To be graded out of 42. - I feel like I have no practical worth as a person, be it as an employee, a family member, and sometimes as a friend. Sometimes it's all I can do to get out of bed because I feel so useless. But I went to a good uni, am told I am useful, have skills and things that others consider useful/helpful/good. So every day I will literally do a Skill Check. This is my skill, how can I use it to be and feel better in any capacity I could be needed in. To be graded out of 42 +2 CHA, +2 WIS Self-esteem challenge: this challenge is all about the self-esteem, so I'm not going to be awarding any points unless something exceptional pops up i.e. getting a job. With all the force a great typhoon, with all the strength of a raging fire Can't really fit the lyrics here I've written them twice before~ Just know that it's a quest of Awesome To improve~ my martial arts (hoo-ah!) God, bet that didn't fit at all. Family issues last challenge meant that I didn't attend T'ai Chi for much of the last challenge period and it''s only been in the last three weeks (including today) that I've even started going T'ai Chi again and I still feel out of sorts with it. Today I was barely able to attend class for half an hour and I have absolutely no idea why. It seems I have hit a plateau or two. Thus: - I honestly can't do the pull ups or chin ups in the ABBW because if I did the table would actually tip over - I tried. But I'm going to do three full circuits of the ABBW by the end of this challenge. And four times a week. To be graded out of 24. - Work on my Form, Dance and stances. Four times a week, including class. Call it general pattern and balance practice. To be graded out of 24. - Strength training. Once a week minimum. Why does this go here? Aside from fitting the montage song it ties in with something below . . . To be graded out of 6. - Yoga, I've missed it and it will help with my balance and such. Follow the DYWM Beginner's Course again. To be graded out of 18. +2 STR, +2 DEX, + 1STA Self-esteem challenges: - PISTOL SQUATS. Last challenge I could do nine single-leg squats per leg. By mid-challenge I was doing one pistol squat per leg, though barely above parallel. I want to get below parallel on my pistol squats with good form, and work up to doing . . . five per leg per set. I'll still be nicking some of the Assassin's six week skill work from the previous challenge for this. - I can has splits? Diet (I don't really have a Mulan reference that isn't mildly insulting when it comes to food) Food, glorious food Wonderful food Marvellous food Glorious food! I alluded to some problems above? So I'm probably a good twenty-five pounds overweight and that makes some exercises difficult. I recognise this has to do with core and balancing muscles as well, but that'll get mentioned too. The belly fat compresses and because of the position it also puts pressure-pain on my boobs. Also it puts me off balance meaning I compromise on other things. - Cut out all but two snacks a week unless said snacks happen to be nuts or fruit, in which case, only five snacks a week. Hopefully to be reduced to three a week by the end of the challenge. Say goodbye to your shop-bought smoothies and occasional chocolate milk (they were half price!) girl. - Go as gluten-free as possible when you're not the one buying the groceries. This will mean buying certain staples gluten-free and just not eating gluten-y things if they're not part of a main meal. MAIN MEAL meaning dinner. - One new recipe a week. I want to try lemon pepper chicken karaage. It sounds delicious. Maybe with caulirice. Extra points if it's a gluten-free or Paeleo recipe, but not obligatory. To be graded out of six. Self-esteem challenges: - make a little box or area of goodies, ingredients and cookery related things just for me. - cook a Sunday roast. - cook for more than just me. +2 CON, +1 WIS Life Quest: Crossdress! Maybe later. Life Quest: Creativity in Perseverance I love reading. I love writing. But I also like research. I don't need things to be one hundred percent accurate, but I like drawing from the real world to flesh out my work or make it more realistic. To quote TVTropes, I like to Show My Work. But the thing about getting sidetracked when reading about Guanshiyin is that the sidetrack is so interesting I eventually go off track and I stop work on my stories and things. Or when I'm trying to work out how a certain disability would affect someone's perception of things I can get distracted by varying forms of handling it etcetera, etcetera It's a kind of academic 'oooh shiny!' thing. This means I excel at creating little 'what if?' synopses and plot bunnies, I can write really interesting little shorts, but the longer things get bogged down. So when Mulan hit her wall she persevered and eventually her intellect and creativity allowed her to overcome her wall. What I'm going to do is a little different: I'm not going to stop my research. I'm not going to say I have to write x words a day/total. I am going to build a world - My research will help me build a world, because I know I'm going to research, so I might as well create a mostly cohesive backstory for my world. - I will write something creative every day set in my little world, but it doesn't need to be a coherent story. It can be fragments of history - sometimes from several viewpoints with the actual version of what happened written down if I ever need to pull unreliable narrator on an entire people/country/whatever. It can be language and culture quirks. It can be character vignettes and backstory as if I'm rolling up a character for a campaign. - I will do a little research every day for the express purpose of creating my little world. If I end up reading about non-binary genders throughout history then I must write a little note about what my little world thinks about it. - My little world doesn't need to be completely coherent or fully thought out, but I want a structure. More than that, I want little sketches, glimpses and entire scenes/whatever laid out, based entirely within that world/person/country's viewpoint with accompanying Author Notes in another document. In me creativity engenders research, therefore I also need to show myself that research, in turn, engenders creativity. Research is the world's foundation, but without a story research is nothing more than a series of 'did you know . . . ?'s So bring out the medieval literature, history and culture; bring out my language and linguistic skills; bring out my Google Fu; bring out my esoterica and vague annoyance with other people's work. I know stories, I love history and words, let's make a world. And post something about it. Ideally it'd be daily, but let's try twice a week instead. It can be maps, weather patterns, history, characters, politics, economy, whatever. But it has to prove that the world is being built alongside a story. Pass/fail +2 WIS, +1 CHA.

Let's Get Down to Business To Defeat the Huns! As swift as the coursing river With all the force of a great typhoon With all the strength of a raging fire Mysterious as the dark side of the moon Previous challenge. Because we might as well get the stereotypical theme out of the way next. Last time it was cats (ze arrrees-toe-cats), this time it's Mulan. Everyone loves Mulan! Or at least Mulan. But what's not to love?! (Aside from some cultural stereotyping and some mildly cringeworthy attempts to replicate the Genie ad nauseum) A classic bildungsroman (coming of age story) with familial devotion taking precedence over all other relationships, cross-dressing, defying gender expectations, that damn song, crushing physical/mental plateaus with style, using wit, agility and dexterity to compensate for pure physical strength . . . the scenes on the mountain, the climax, the scene under the cherry tree. And the artwork is so good. Mulan is not my favourite Disney film, but it's in my top five depending on what you count as a Disney film. Mulan was my first major crush, not my first - that was either Maleficent or Pocahontas - but Mulan was a constant source of admiration for me from the moment I first saw an advert for it on . . . I want to say telly, but it might have been on a VHS. It was spoileriffic mind, I mean the advert had the "You have saved us all," speech playing over the footage, but oh the moment I saw that I had to get it. And come Christmas 1999 I was a very happy eight-year-old. Mulan means a lot to me, let's see if I can do it, and her, justice. Who is that girl I see, staring straight, back at me? (Reflection) When will my reflection show Who I am inside? So sometimes I suffer massive hits of gender dysphoria, body dysphoria, and really just general dysphoria, anxiety and depression. My mind says one thing, my body another; familial/social/cultural pressures/ideas say one thing, my mind says another, and then my body chimes in too. I've never really 'done' labels, they confuse me actually, and I've dabbled trying to see if something 'fits', nothing really does, and I'm fine with that; SuNoYo is SuNoYo, and there will never be another. But she would just like it very much if all parts of her could be in accord for once. Not agreeance per se, but accord. An understanding based on mutual feelings underpinned with a firm knowledge that no matter how Su, No and Yo may differ SuNoYo is herself. While eighty odd minutes and a montage song did it for Mulan, that won't work for me (alas), but I can definitely strive towards feeling completely confident and comfortable in myself. To this end I will: - meditate daily for at least half an hour in one sitting and do my sleep meditation. I've been slack on that recently, and I've been feeling more discomfitted in general since letting my sleep meditation slip. If one is done and not the other that counts as a half point for the day. To be graded out of 42. - I take part in the PvS HOoRAY and LYBaYF threads, they help. I still don't like looking in the mirror very much and I sometimes struggle to find things to mention that are good about myself. Even some of my posts contain enough self-deprecation that, looking back on it, I feel like I'm slyly insulting myself. So I will look in a mirror. I will say the things I post in HOoRAY and LYBaYF to myself. I will look myself in the eyes especially when wearing my glasses, I won't skim the area, I will look in my eyes and just remember everything good and positive in my life. I will then post a reflection (hahaha) of these little sessions in this thread. To be graded out of 42. - I feel like I have no practical worth as a person, be it as an employee, a family member, and sometimes as a friend. Sometimes it's all I can do to get out of bed because I feel so useless. But I went to a good uni, am told I am useful, have skills and things that others consider useful/helpful/good. So every day I will literally do a Skill Check. This is my skill, how can I use it to be and feel better in any capacity I could be needed in. To be graded out of 42 +2 CHA, +2 WIS Self-esteem challenge: this challenge is all about the self-esteem, so I'm not going to be awarding any points unless something exceptional pops up i.e. getting a job. With all the force a great typhoon, with all the strength of a raging fire Can't really fit the lyrics here I've written them twice before~ Just know that it's a quest of Awesome To improve~ my martial arts (hoo-ah!) God, bet that didn't fit at all. I started Kung Fu two weeks after after having attended T'ai Chi (or taiji, whichever) since January, it's awesome. But I tripped over a few things, even in the warm up. The worst part is that I was feeling pretty awesome about my progress in T'ai Chi and touching people and things, but then last week the instructor wanted to take me down. Slowly. Onto the floor. From behind. I locked up to the point where she caused me knee pain and made her feel horribly guilty and it kind of ruined the rest of Kung Fu and my T'ai Chi after that. It seems I have hit a plateau or two. Thus: - I honestly can't do the pull ups or chin ups in the ABBW because if I did the table would actually tip over - I tried. But I'm going to do three full circuits of the ABBW by the end of this challenge. I would appreciate some suggestions for other ways to do the inverted bodyweight rows at home. And four times a week. To be graded out of 24. - Foot flows! Or patterns. Whatever you want to call them. They're a bit tricky and need to be practised. As do the kicks. Four times a week, including class. Call it general pattern and balance practice. To be graded out of 24. (And keep on practising T'ai Chi as well) - Strength training. What with my hand playing up I wasn't able to do it regularly. I did it twice. Once a week minimum. Why does this go here? Aside from fitting the montage song it ties in with something below . . . To be graded out of 6. - (but not this) Try to practice falling/lowering self to the floor at home. I want to find out why it made me outright regress last week, so that will take some introspection too. By the end of this challenge I want to be able to take a throw (slowly). +2 STR, +2 DEX, + 1STA Self-esteem challenges: - PISTOL SQUATS. You can already do a (wobbly) set of nine single-legged squats, let's get to pistol squats. And lookie lookie, Assassins are doing a six week skill challenge about pistol squats. - T'ai Chi day course is next week. GO. I've had this down for my last challenge, but I got the dates mixed up. I'm kind of freaking out about it and trying to back out now. This will doubley make me go. Unless I'm ill. Diet (I don't really have a Mulan reference that isn't mildly insulting when it comes to food) Food, glorious food Wonderful food Marvellous food Glorious food! I alluded to some problems above? So I'm probably a good twenty-five pounds overweight and that makes some of the warm up exercises in Kung Fu difficult.Specifically leg raise related things (scissor kicks? I think) and . . . bicycling is it? But 'up' to the ceiling. I recognise this has to do with core and balancing muscles as well, but that'll get mentioned too. The belly fat compresses and because of the position it also puts pressure-pain on my boobs. Also I lose my balance a lot. - Cut out all but two snacks a week unless said snacks happen to be nuts or fruit, in which case, only five snacks a week. Hopefully to be reduced to three a week by the end of the challenge. Say goodbye to your shop-bought smoothies and occasional chocolate milk (they were half price!) girl. - Go as gluten-free as possible when you're not the one buying the groceries. This will mean buying certain staples gluten-free and just not eating gluten-y things if they're not part of a main meal. MAIN MEAL meaning dinner. - One new recipe a week. I want to try lemon pepper chicken karaage. It sounds delicious. Maybe with caulirice. Extra points if it's a gluten-free or Paeleo recipe, but not obligatory. To be graded out of six. Self-esteem challenges: - make a little box or area of goodies, ingredients and cookery related things just for me. - cook a Sunday roast. - cook for more than just me. +2 CON, +1 WIS Life Quest: Defeat the Huns and save China with nothing but a cannon, a massive mountain, a fan and a mini-dragon and a horse Oh wait, no mountain. Curses. And I'd rather eat a horse than ride one. I know this from experience. Life Quest: Crossdress! Maybe later. Life Quest: "The greatest gift and honour is having you for a daughter" Sometimes it's like all they ever say is that I'm lazy or that I need a job or that I need to pull my weight and things like that. I know I was an accident. I know that if I hadn't been born my parents wouldn't have married. I know that TKD Brother is my mum's favourite. These are all facts. I've heard often enough that if it hadn't been for me and then the younger siblings Mum would have just run ages ago. Dad works two weeks at a time. I know that I'm not the best daughter, or the best sibling, that I could do more. My parents are the ones who confide in me, but I don't really have anyone to do that with. I didn't even want to post this, but aside from That Damn Song, this line is what kept coming back to me when I wanted to do a Mulan themed challenge. I shouldn't feel like this, but I know I do, I don't think I should even be writing this online for people to read, and that sometimes it feels like my parents haven't been proud of me since I was accepted into university. Once Mum even hinted that the only thing that would make her proud or happy would be for her to get grandchildren. I might adopt later, but childbirth and sex is disgusting. She doesn't understand that; 'it's just a phase' according to her. And yeah, it might actually be, I've never even kissed someone, and I don't really feel sexual urges and things, but maybe one day I will. Even then it's not a 'phase', but it's late and I can't be bothered thinking up terminology when it's me involved and no one else. - Do something to make the family proud of me; I don't know what yet. - Explain to them that they hurt me sometimes - Improve my relationships with people in general Pass/fail +1 WIS, +1 CHA, +1 ??? depending on how I make them proud. . . . Well, that was a depressing end to a challenge OP wasn't it?

I've been recently inspired by Disney's Mulan, particularly Captain Lee Shang's number "To Be a Man", so my challenge goals will center around the three virtues mentioned in the song: Swift as a Coursing River (2 DEX, 2 STA, 1 STR) - Warm-Up: 5 - 10 minute jog - Intervals: 60 seconds of hard burn (in honor of Rudyard Kipling's If), 60 seconds recovery. Repeat for 10 minutes - Burpees: 30 seconds of hard burn, 60 seconds recovery. Repeat for 10 minues - Cool-Down: 5 - 10 miniute jog, stretch All the Force of a Great Typhoon (2 STR, 1 STA) - Warm-Up: 5 minute jog, 3 sets 10 Burpees (60 seconds recovery) - Feet Elevated Push-Ups: 60 seconds - Walking Lunges: 30 yards out - Bear-Crawl Push-Ups: 30 yards back - Plyometric Box jumps (Starting on top of the box): 10 reps *with good form* - Drink lots of water, rinse, repeat. - Cool-Down: 5 - 10 miniute jog, stretch All the Strength of a Raging Fire (3 CON) - You need to feed a fire to keep it going, so this goal involves eating well: protien before and after the workout and carbs throughout the day, post-workout (I'm an Ectomorph, so I need extra carbs). Mysterious as the Dark Side of the Moon (2 WIS, 2 CHA) - Learn from the Greats. This is going to be an ongoing goal, extenting into and beyond current and future challenges. - Read The Illiad. Six weeks should be enough time, and I'm a fast reader. I'm working at a call center (Level One/Realpage in Greer, SC if you're wondering) so I have Sundays and Thursdays off. I'm going to make those my Typhoon (Strenghth/Plyo) workout days and I'll run the River (Interval) workout on Tuesdays since it's mid-week. On the 4th week of the challenge, I'll add another round to Typhoon, bringing it up to 3 full circuits for an epic finish. Recap: Grading: If I stay the course and make it to 3 full circuits of the Typhoon workout, I level up. Otherwise, Dishonor.

Ello, Darling! I'm Auraphlia Xero, or Aura for short. I found you guys by googling for nerdy plus size clothes. Maybe now I can just google nerdy clothes. A Little Bit About Me: Gamer: Mario, Sonic, Final Fantasy, Pokemon, Prince of Persia, Super Smash Bros, Soul Calibur(Tira), Kingdom Hearts, World of Warcraft(Blood Elf Priest), Guild Wars 2(Sylvari Elementalist), and so many more, but my current obsession is Skyrim(Imperial/Onehanded/Restoration). RPGs over everything. Fandoms: Doctor Who, Supernatural, Once Upon a Time, Lost Girl, Sherlock, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, and add some anime to the mix. And a major Disney obsession; especially Peter Pan. I have a Tumblr.( My OTP is Rose and Ten. Education: Originally went to college for Graphic Design, but decided to follow something that was more important to me (since I'm a total romantic) and study Wedding Planning and Design. Planning to get my certificate and start my own business. Pinterest makes the world go 'round. Oh, and I love astrology. Totally obsessed. Tell me your birthday and I'll know everything about you. Beware. <3 Fitness: Current I'm 5'8 and 245lbs. My goal weight is 160lbs by the end of 2014. I'm too broke atm for a gym, and too socially awkward to go to one in the first place! I'd be totally terrified. But, luckily, my apartment complex has workout equipment. ^.^ I've looked over the guilds and I think I'd probably fit best with Adventurers for now, and maybe in the future I could move to the Druids? (My boyfriend already wants to be in the Monks. He's all about Martial Arts. Hopefully he'll sign up.) I haven't started the New Years off right, but my birthday is Feb 25th, so after that I think I'll start. The next 6 week challenge is on the 24th, so that's the perfect time to start! Planning on dieting and exercising, but I'm not interested in gaining muscle really. This muffin top has got to go though! Also, I'm a smoker (1 pack every 3 days or so) and I really need to cut that after my birthday. (Turning 21 so being drunk makes you want smoke, so I know I won't be able to quit until afterward.) Why I'm Here: Nerd Fitness seems to have the perfect environment for what I need. I'm terribly flaky when it comes to sticking to a diet and exercise plan and being surrounded by people who share similar interests as myself pushing me to do my best and stay on track is exactly what I need. Plus, I'm really food picky so I can't wait to delve into that recipes forum. I'm planning to keep track of my progress here and I'm probably going to drown you guys in healthy food and progress photos, just a heads up. ^.^ I really hope to meet some awesome people and help others along the way to reaching their goals and being the healthiest they can be!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX-n1VeASW4 New year, new challenge, new resolve! I'm Shukar, I'm a nerd in my 20s and run because I enjoy it. This is something like my 12th challenge at Nerd Fitness, and I stick with it here because I really love the community this place creates and I love being here. I've been struggling recently with getting goals consistently executed, and that makes me sad. I'm gonna adjust some of my goal setting to try and help with that. Gradual progress toward my long term goals always seems to work out best, but the trick is making sure I still make that gradual progress. Goal #1: Run! Run the 10k and Half Marathon at the Tinkerbell Weekend at Disney Prize! Shiny shiny bling from the fine people at Disney. How: Run at least twice a week. Short run: Weeks 1 & 2: 2 miles. Weeks 3-6: 3 miles. Long runs: 6 Miles Day 0 9 Miles Week 1 Race Week 2 4T Week 3 6 Miles Week 4 6 Miles Week 5 8 Miles Week 6 Races: 10k on 1/18 and Half-Marathon on 1/19. Bonus: I might even get to go for a run with some nerds at 4T in late January! Goal #2: Eat! If I’m to eat food, it should be good food. Prize! Delicious foods! How: Make better food. Plan out the week’s meals each week Procure the supplies to produce the planned meals Make at least 2 dinners from the plan each week. Exceptions: Race weekend and TTTT. Goal #3: Manly! What more manly hobby is there than putting cold steel to ones flesh? Prize! Awesomely manly shaves. How: Finish up the remaining blades from my sampler Shave 1-2x each week Compare the results from shaving with soap vs. cream but using the same blades Crunch the numbers of the blade testing and determine which blade has gotten me the best results Exceptions: TTTT, no razor blades on the plane means no shaves in Texas for me. No Exceptions on this one, Bigm offered me a blade to use from his supply so that I wouldn't have to go without.

The Mulan Challenge I am so new to all of this, but I love the idea of a themed challenge, so here is mine. Because I grew up in the 90s, I am, of course, a huge fan of Mulan (Who isn't? If you aren't, you should probably just stop reading.) And, like all nerds, I am taking my love to the next level. Also, I will probably edit this later to include a more specific "grading" system, but for now, I want to get all of my goals on "paper" before I forget them or lose my nerve. Main Quest: Train for Battle Goal: Increase strength and agility. My main objective for this challenge is to get stronger, to become the powerful woman that lies in wait within myself. Fortunately, I do not have to pretend to be a man to do this. Although I will be wearing pants. I never really exercised consistently before this year, and I have done a little weight lifting, but I've never been consistent with it. I'm going to change that. I'm going to stick to full body moves, either with my own body weight, or with weights, and I am going to track my progress by, once a week, recording my abilities on this thread. I will use squats, deadlifts, and pushups to gauge my success. I will also track my weight and measurements, although I have not decided whether I will post those online. As a woman, strength can be a challenge, but having it makes it even more powerful, because it is unexpected. The Huns will never expect that underneath my feminine wiles (try not to laugh), a mighty warrior lies dormant, seeking a weak spot to attack. Goals: Perform strength-building workouts three times per week. Maintain a food journal. (I eat a fairly balanced vegetarian diet, but I'm hoping that writing it down will force me to really think about my choices and prevent me from eating the desserts, processed snacks, and sugary coffees I down between meals on occasion.) Do yoga at least two mornings a week. (A warrior must be both flexible and focused, or their strength is meaningless.) Life Quest: Find Shang Goal: Find a partner to aid in battle. Throughout the film, Mulan found herself growing closer and closer to those around her, united by common interest and experience. They watched each other's backs, participated in training together, and learned to trust one another even in life or death situations. So about four months ago, I moved to Massachusetts with my husband so he can go to law school. I got a job, and things seemed to be moving along in our lives. However, despite this, I have not really met many people. Sure, the people at work are nice, and yes, the husband brings home some pretty cool characters from school occasionally, but what I really want is some regular, voluntary social interaction, preferably including but not limited to fitness, with a fellow lover of the internet, pop culture, and the fantasy/scifi genre. What I'm basically saying is, I'm looking for a workout buddy and friend. Anyone in the Fall River, MA/South Coast region, feel free to speak up. I know it's hard to meet people on demand, and even harder to meet them consistently, but I know that if I make this a priority in my life, I will eventually succeed. Or not. Which is why this is a side quest, and not my main challenge. To make this goal a little more realistic, I will use various means to attempt to find aforementioned partner. Mulan made new friends by joining a group (well, ahem, an army), and so, I will go to social events in my area arranged through MeetUp, the Rebellion, even craigslist, if it is safe, of course. No meetings in stranger's homes or dark alleys or anything, and always having told someone where I am going. And through these meetups and hangouts, hopefully I will find someone interesting in an awesome friendship. Why not your husband? you ask. And well you might. While I openly and disgustingly adore my life's partner, anyone who is married can tell you that you need interaction outside of the home to prevent yourself from going insane. Especially when that person is totally absorbed in the nuances and technicalities of various branches of law. I know more about tortes than I ever wanted to. Side Quest: Dress for Battle Goal: To look my best every day. In Mulan, dress played an important role in defining Mulan as she progressed through her story. In the beginning, when she wore makeup and a confining ceremonial dress, and felt dishonest to herself. Later, she wore her father's armor, and while it was more close to her identity, it was still a lie that separated her from those around her. Finally, in the end, Mulan strikes a balance between honesty to herself and honesty to those around her. When I first started my job, I dressed up a great deal. I took pride in each outfit. But it didn't really suit my workplace. Now, I dress more to suit my workplace, but I feel less special, less proud. So now, bolstered by this article, I am seeking to find a wardrobe to strike the balance between appropriate to my workplace and appropriate to my style, as well as suited to my changing body. So, every night I will assemble my outfit with care. If it is not something I am proud of, I will change it. I will also, within the bounds of my income, focus on buying new (or thrifted) items that suit my needs. By the end of the six weeks, I should have a revived wardrobe full of ensembles that make my (hopefully stronger, leaner, buffer) body look and feel good. Side Quest: Bring Home the Sword of Shan Yu Goal: Bring home the bacon. And keep it at home. After all of her adventures, Mulan returns home to find that her family dearly missed her. Still, she kept her family at the center of her motivation throughout her journey, and still seeks her father's approval. Like Mulan, I want my home to be my central motivation, and there has been one big, gaping, financial hole in my home-life: eating out. We love to eat out, and while it is fine in moderation, we have been eating out several times a week. This has been causing us not only to make unhealthy choices occasionally, it has been incredibly expensive. Therefore, I resolve not to go out to eat for the duration of January, and after that, to limit myself to once or twice a week. Don't worry. My husband is on board. I would never force him into a personal goal without consulting him first. Side Quest: Achieve Destiny Goal: Take an active role in achieving my career goals. When Mulan realizes a life-changing opportunity sits before her, she resolves on her course of action and pursues it without looking back. While she isn't sure she will do well at soldiering, she knows that it is the course she must take. I've known for a long time that I want to be a writer. I've even written a novel before, although it needs heavy revision and rewriting. And so, I am taking action. Right now I have the good fortune to be a receptionist/administrative assistant, which affords me some freedom at work, and even more freedom at home. I do not bring work home, and the job is very low in stress and anxiety, so I have plenty of time to write. Even though I have had this job for almost three months, though, I have barely written anything outside of journal entries. Writing, like eating well and working out, is a habit that must be formed over time. And so, I hereby resolve to sit at my computer and write every day. I may not get much down. I may not have a complete novel at the end of it. But I WILL write. And that's it. Those are my goals for this challenge. If I messed up and forgot to include something from the challenge format, please tell me, and feel free to comment with encouragement, constructive criticism, tips and tricks, etc. TL;DR I'm gonna get strong, make a friend, dress well, stop eating out, and write. Also, if you live in MA, hit me up. Let's chat. The End

MissCoopette’s First Quest Race: half-elf ( snow elf variation) Height: 5 ft 5†Date January 6th to February 16th Main Quest “Become healthy: starting with my weightâ€. I want to lose around 40 lbs in total in the 6 week Challenge I will lose at least 15 lbs through healthy diet and exercise. To me it is not about the number I want to look, and feel healthy more than the number on the scale but currently I am borderline obese. I don’t know how it got to this point, with the stresses of school and moving and being in a long-term relationship I think I have been making excuses and justifying my actions; but no more! I am basing my journey on Elsa’s transformation from Disney’s Frozen. Elsa’s emotional transformation presents physically as well, I wish to overcome any psychological barriers that is preventing me from succeeding. “ To the Lonely Mountain†ie Get moving more - Start running and don’t stop. I am working towards running my first half marathon (April 6th). I am currently using the Runnersworld smart coach plan starting with 6 mi a week increasing distance and speed by about 10% a week. For a total of 45 miles ( 73km).I also want to increase my physical activities getting out and doing more challenging fun things as well as recreational activities such as ice skating, snow shoeing, snowboarding, and sledding. I would like to try yoga, archery, rock climbing, Zumba, parkour, crossfit, and/or join a sports team. By trying a varying amount of activities hopefully I can find the ones I love that will keep me motivates as well I can chose my profession. ( Currently leaning toward Druid) Rating - A+= didn’t miss a single day of the running program and tried at least three new activities and found one I enjoy. - A = Completed Running program but did not hit the goal pace ( within 20 secs) tried at least three new activities - B = Missed 1-3 days of the running program, tried at least 2 new activities - C= Completed the running program, at least I didn't give up. Tried something new - F= didn’t complete the running program. Stayed in my comfort zone and didn't try anything new Proper Nutrition - I usually have been a fad dieter, of course none of that has ever worked for me. I have never been able to stay with any of these. Instead I am going to start making small lifestyle modifications. I will start slowly buy eliminating bad habits and then slowly replace those with good habits. Each week I will either eliminate or add one item compounding each week. Starting with Eliminating empty calorie beverages, no more junk food/ replace sweets with healthier alternatives such as bake apples with cinnamon, drink more water, add 2 servings of vegetables a day, replacing white high sugar carbs with whole wheat or alternative paleo options, eat more protein. Rating - A+= successfully completed the task each week building on previous week. - A= successfully completed the task each week building on previous week with a treat day once a week - B= was able to incorporate many important principles concerning nutrition, was able to eliminate empty calorie food - C= started the shift to a healthier lifestyle, still made at least one permanent healthy change - F= Still eating junk food. Build Muscle - Start a strength training program consisting of mostly body weight exercises focusing on proper form. This first challenge will mark the baseline values for push-ups, squats, dead lifts, and pull ups. Ideally be able to perform proper push-ups starting with wall push-ups, once able to do 4 sets of 20 then upgrade to incline push-ups, and then full push-ups. Rating - A+ = Able to perform a set of 20 or more push-ups with correct form, - A = set of 10 push-ups with good form - B = Able to do 5 proper push-ups - C = Able to perform 2 sets of 20 incline push-ups and at least 1 proper pushup - F = Unable to perform a single push-up with correct form Bonus Life Quest “Let it Go†No more Conceal, Don’t feel, Escape. I am guilty of escaping the shortcoming in my life through reading, video games, and TV. I think this is due to my fear of failing, so I don’t even try. My goal is to “Let it Goâ€. Let go of the fear and be comfortable with who I am and just go for it. Do what I want for myself and forget the expectations of others.

echoesofwonder’s Disney Song Playlist My four SMART goals are as follows: The Whole30 ChallengeComplete beginner body workout as writtenGo to 3 state parks and do 1 trail at eachPay off my car loan Most people grow out of their love for childhood things. There are several layers that I have shed since my youth, but there is one thing that comes to mind that I have not grown out of. Disney Movies. I really loved Disney as a child. Although there are several new movies that I haven’t seen, the ones that I grew up with, I still cherish. This being my very first challenge, I thought I would come up with a lighthearted echoesofwonder friendly “playlistâ€. My goals are sure to evoke some raw emotion, so my plan is to tie it to something that I like. A lot. My first goal is to begin the Whole30 challenge. The song that I have tied to this goal is “A Whole New World†from the movie Aladdin. I have been gradually transitioning to the Paleo lifestyle which is a huge change from my carb-centric eating habits of only a few months ago. I had initially thought that I would start this Whole30 challenge today, but it is only 30 days long, and there are a few things that will push back my goal date. I will be teaching an outdoor dutch oven cooking class on May 4th, and the menu is not Whole30 or even Paleo friendly. I will also be working on my final paper for a class that I am currently taking, and I realize that some things come before doing a detox type program. So, I will be starting the Whole30 challenge at about week 3 of this journey (May 5th). I will have gotten through the hardest parts within the constraints of the challenge. A whole new world A dazzling place I never knew But when I'm way up here It's crystal clear That now I'm in a whole new world with you With the Whole30 challenge, I hope to clear my mind of the fog that has been induced by a carb-laden diet. To help me succeed in this challenge, I have ordered the Well Fed cookbook, which I will be able to use after the challenge as well. I will utilize my local farmer’s market and co-op grocery stores during this part of the challenge as well. Both support organic and locally grown food that I will be able to experiment with. This is not a far step from how I am already living, so I am excited to utilize these resources. We have stocked our freezer with locally grown beef and pork. I will also have eggs readily available during this challenge. The chickens in my back yard will make this happen. My second goal is to be able to do the beginner bodyweight workout as written. I have mastered the squats, rows, and I am even decent at planking, and jumping jacks. I am terrified of pushups. Currently, I am doing wall pushups to help me build the strength I will need to do a full pushup. My goal is to then start working on pushups on my knees. The 6 week progression is ample time to work on regular pushups. I have tied the song “I Wanna Be Like You†from The Jungle Book to this part of my challenge. I've reached the top and had to stop And that's what's been botherin' me I wanna be a man, mancub And stroll right into town And be just like the other men I'm tired of monkin around! Oh, oobee doo (hoopdeewee) I wanna be like yoo-hoo-hoo (hapdeedoobydoowop) I wanna walk like you (cheep) Talk like you (cheep), too-oo-o (weebydeebydeewoo) You'll see it's true (shoobedeedoo) An ape like mee-e-e (scoobeedoobeedoobeep) Can learn to be huu-uuu-uman too-oo-oo! I am tired of monkin around, it wasn’t that long ago that I could do full pushups, several of them. So, I feel that the progression I need to make is on par with my skill level. The biggest part is getting over the fear of falling, because it really isn’t that far to the ground (It’s only an arm’s length down)! I wanna be like you-oo-oo who can do-oo-oo pushups and other fun things! My third goal is something that I am extremely excited about. A friend (from nerdfitness) and I did a night hike at one of the state parks in Indiana. It was supposed to be a full moon hike, and I don’t know if you have ever done a night hike or not (I used to lead them when I worked at a kids camp). You don’t take flashlights! The moon should have been great lighting all on it’s own, but there was NO moon. it. was. awesome. So, after that experience, I decided I had a goal to make it to all the state parks in Indiana. There are 25 of them, so I know that it is not possible to do them in this 6 week challenge. But, I decided that 3 in 6 weeks is more than enough. I love the outdoors, so this will be a good way to get in some cardio, by doing these hikes. For this part of my journey. I have chosen the song “Go the Distance†from the movie Hercules. I will find my way, I can go the distance, I'll be there someday, If I can be strong, I know every mile, Will be worth my while, I would go most anywhere, to feel like I belong. It will be worth my while, to go the extra miles to get to these state parks. I will always hold a special place in my heart, and I feel like I am myself while I am in nature. So this is probably the SMARTest goal that I have. I will grade myself on each hike, and if I make it to the different parks. This will also help me with my long term goal to make it to all of the state parks within the year. Lastly, my fourth goal is sort of a personal challenge with my money. I am going to pay off my car loan. In 6 weeks, this is feasible. I have been paying ahead all along, but since I want my money to go other places, I have been slacking on paying off the last little bit. This is my favorite song choice, by far. I chose the song “I’ve Got No Strings†from Pinocchio to accompany this goal. I’ve got no strings To hold me down To make me fret Or make me frown I had strings But now I’m free There are no strings on me Hi o the merio, that's the only way to be! I want the world to know notin' ever worries me I’ve got no strings so I have fun I’m not tied up to anyone They've got strings but you can see there are no strings on me! Does anyone else know how liberating this goal will be? I will have to pay just under $100 per week to do this. So I think I am set up to be able to do this job effectively. I will grade myself on this goal by the percentage I have left on my goal at the end of the 6 weeks. If I still have $10 left, I will have points docked. If there is a zero balance, winner winner chicken dinner! So there you have it. My base level Disney Playlist. I will be adding additional songs to this playlist as I see fit. So stay with me on my journey and see what songs I can get stuck in your head! I have been singing Disney all day while writing this! What’s on your playlist?

Hi, I'm Shukar and I'm a Scout. I'm also a huge Disney nerd. I decided this time around I was gonna merge the two things for the challenge, but first a little background. I'm 24 (soon to be 25), married, college graduate, working for a living. I'm 6'5" and used to be a fat guy, not I'm just a slightly suboptimal guy (around 210-220). I've run multiple half marathons and some recreational running with an upcoming marathon. For strength training I do mostly bodyweight work with the occasional kettle bell or other work. I've been having some issues with sticking to my diet and getting enough training volume for my tastes (specifically my runs) so those are things I'm hoping to work on this challenge. This time around I decided to do something different, because I was struck by inspiration while on a long drive. Each of my goals is based on a different disney movie/song! Go the Distance aka The Running Goal: (Hercules) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cja4NvIR1UU The running goal is first and one of my favorite disney movies and songs, Hercules! This one is probably the key song for this challenge which is why it goes first, set the tone early. Hercules wasn't just strong, he was determined. I'm likewise determined to go the distance to find what I'm after. So what am I after? • Go the Distance: I'm running a marathon on March 2nd, first step of my challenge goal is to finish that marathon, slow and steady, lightning fast, doesn't really matter to me (though almost certainly slow and steady) so long as I finish. • If I can be Strong: I want to do one run a week at least in the Luongos (barefoot shoes I won a while back) hopefully working up toward running a 5K in them before the weather gets incredibly hot. This part of my running plans doesn't kick in until after my marathon. • Every Mile, Will Be Worth My While: My goal is to get in 3 runs per week every week as a minimum, at least a mile each run unless there are specific reasons otherwise. The purpose here is consistency and pumping up mileage of some kind. Got to keep busy. Points: 2 Sta, 1 Con, 1 Str Let's Get Down to Business aka The Strength Goal: (Mulan) That's right, it's time to get down to business, to defeat the huns naturally. I indeed used to be among the saddest bunch you've ever met, but I've taken some steps to make a man out of me. Strength Training for the win! • With all the Force of a Great Typhoon: I started up a strength program last challenge that seems to be working out alright for me so far, but it's time to punch it up a bit. So here's the down low. Every day I'll do the Warmup and Skills sections of my workout plan, and 3 days a week I'll throw in the Strength and Cooldown sections of my plan. The goal here is to do at least 4 rounds of my Strength block each week, up from the 3 last challenge and moving toward the 9 that is the long term goal. • Mysterious as the Dark Side of the Moon: Streak Club. It has happened for the last two challenges so I'm sure it'll happen again this challenge, find the task, do it every day. It's pretty simple. Points: Str: 2, Dex 1 Bare Necessities aka The Food Goal: (Jungle Book) Sometimes life boils down to the simple things, the truly fundamental things. My diet is like that I think. It's never been the greatest, though the absolute quality has fluctuated a good deal over time. My goal with it this challenge is to try and clean it up a bit and take it back to basics where I can. Because it's important and I need to do my best with it. • Mother Natures Recipes: Vegetables, they are delicious when cooked right and horribly under appreciated. I'm guilty of that last for sure so this challenge I'd really like to increase my veggie intake. Sadly since I'm coming from such a low average the goal is a low 1 serving of something that is obviously a veggie every day. Mac and Cheese certainly doesn't count, potatoes might depending on preparation, get some color in there and some nice nutrient density. Real food, mostly plants right? • Then Maybe Try a Few: I don't eat hardly enough variety of different vegetables in my diet so this challenge a goal will be to try at least one new veggie that I've not had before each week. • If You Pick a Raw Paw, Well Next Time Beware: I've learned from past experience that gluten and my stomach do not agree all that well. Most of the time I can get by without caring all that much but around races I find that being strict about it for 3+ days before hand seems to help me get into the right place for a race. So that's the goal, gluten free for the 3 or more days leading up to my race. Points: 2 Con, 1 Wis Gaston aka The Life Goal: (Beauty and the Beast) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK3x2DOoJIc No ones slick as Gaston, but darn it I've got to try. I pondered for a while what to put down for this goals song and this was the one I came up with. While I don't want to be like the guy, you've got to admit this song makes him sound kind of like a badass. Well I am a badass, obviously I mean look at the Disney themed challenge on Nerd Fitness, so this is clearly a great fit for me. • There's No Man in Town Half as Manly: I am not a naturally hairy man like Gaston, and honestly I'm kind of glad for that, and what I do have I try to keep trimmed nice and neat. As part of this challenge I'm making it a goal to try and shave every other day. That's an increase from what has been my usual level of approximately weekly for some time now, and setting it at every second day because that seems to be working alright for now and I want to stay consistent for my razor blade experiment. I do however keep a beard, so keep it looking sharp. • As part of this it's a goal to take good notes on the shaves and try to improve my end of the shave experience progressively (but not too much, might throw off the data) • As a Specimen Yes I'm Intimidating: I already dress fairly well compared to my coworkers but for the challenge I'm making it a goal to try and step it up wherever I can. Do the laundry a little more often if needed, maybe even go so far as to iron things, try and be more observant about what I'm wearing outside of work. Take the extra steps to try and look your best man. • Gaston is the Best and the Rest is the Drips: While I can't say as I smell bad or anything, sometimes I simply don't shower as often as I probably should, so this challenge I'm gonna try and change that. Shooting for showering pretty much every day. In addition I'll likely be playing around with some of my prep, thanks to Chammy and some info from r/Beards I've been playing with conditioner for example, and we'll have to see how that goes. • I'm Especially Good at Expectorating: As a further health goal I'm gonna try and start flossing and otherwise taking better care of my teeth. Yes this goal is coming about because I have a dentist appointment in the future for the first time in years, why do you ask? Points: 3 Cha, 1 Wis, 1 Con So here's some starting pictures I took, clothed partly because I dislike the way my belly looks on camera, and partly because dressing sharply is a goal so getting that in the image is handy. I apologize for the quality of the shots, camera and a mirror and all. http://nerdfitnessrebellion.com/uploads/gallery/album_64/gallery_2137_64_957956.jpg http://nerdfitnessrebellion.com/uploads/gallery/album_64/gallery_2137_64_1256645.jpg