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Hello. I am Stronkey Kong. I've been on NF about eight years . I'm still fat and making the best of it. I just bought and started moving into a house... aka WIZARD TOWER. For the next two weeks I'm going to be packing and moving things over. Then there are projects coming. Lot's of projects. The house is 101 years old. It's in good condition and the living areas are solid, but the basement gets quite wet and even floods when it rains heavily. I now have grass to cut regularly. More chores than before and a bigger space to maintain and take care of. Also, I am getting a cat. Soon. My cousin found a stray and can't keep her. I meditate and am for all intents and purposes a Tibetan Buddhist of the Gelug Lineage. I am have it in my head to hit the trails and do some camping this summer, tho I will be quite busy. Right now my fitness goals are basically: Stay functional and limber and don't throw out your back doing stupid shit. Eating so I can maybe drop a few pounds And get some movement in so I can push back some of the medical trauma that runs in my family. I am also writing my fantasy novel again, and reading for inspiration. And, yeah, here's that big list I keep bringing up at the beginning of these things. GOALS WIZARD TOWER: I finally have my Wizard Tower. But that means things to do... I have to finish moving out of my old apartment and into my house... goal is by Aug 14. I have one major project that needs to be done ASAP, install a sump pit/pump. I want to be at least ready to start on that by challenge end. I need to go through my home inspection reports, and make a big list of repair projects. Also, add to this, listing improvements I want to make, then prioritizing and scheduling, so I can plan ahead for the future. Also, making this place friendly for my new house mate, Arya: MEDITATE: maintain my current streak since March 21st (127 days) MOVE: I have plenty to do to keep me moving daily. There's plenty of house chores and projects. If not I can go for walks or do some exercise. NOOM: There's quite a bit of daily stuff with Noom: Reading articles daily. Weigh in. Log meals and water Try to hit calorie goal READ/WRITE -- Set up a writing space in my new place and strive for 15 min per day. And get back on following my writing success guidelines.

I'll lead off with the good news: I have a baby girl on the way, due in mid-November Wife & I are super excited, and also, you know, terrified. The not-so-good news is that I have several projects around my home that I've been putting off for (ahem), you know, six years or so. It's nothing too time- or labor-intensive, but they are things that need to get done before my daughter arrives! That is a weird sentence. I've got a couple of goals for this challenge. I'll be keeping it simple since I've got plenty to worry about in the rest of my life. GOAL 1: TRACK FOOD I need to go back to tracking 100% of food. I've put on a few stress pounds over the past few months, and I'd prefer them to be gone. It seems the only way to do this is to make sure I'm accountable for my intake, because otherwise I will just eat things and pretend that I didn't. GOAL 2: 10 TRACKED WORKOUTS PER MONTH Whether these are hikes with my dog or walks around the corporate park at work, I need to get 10 tracked & verified workouts in during this time. It's critical for my work health plan. I can track these with MapMyFitness, as that connects directly to the health plan app and auto-synchronizes. GOAL 3: FINISH PROJECT 'ENTRYWAY' My house has a tiled entryway. The walls in this room are light green on top, dark green on bottom, and split right down the middle by a terrible eyesore of farm-scene wallpaper border that is just the worst. I've known that it needed fixing for six years, had a plan for three years, and I'm finally working on making it happen. I have all the materials, at this point it's just time and labor. This needs to be DONE by the end of the challenge. I need to measure & cut the remaining pieces of wooden trim, stain them, and finally install them. It shouldn't be more than 8-10 hours of work, tops. Easily doable inside of this challenge window.

Hello There. I'm looking to make a stunt lightsaber for P.R. Comicon and I was wondering if a 12v LED light strip can be powered by a 9v battery. Is there another option? I'm working with limited space so, any other option needs to be under 1" to 1-1/2 inches. Thanks.

I got a full size basement in May, but right now my Batcave is basic. I already had a small dumbbell set, some home made weights, and a macebell, but no space to use them in. My in-laws have some stuff I can get at Christmas: a bench, some floor padding, some loose weights which may or may not fit my dumbell bar. So I need to pick up some stuff and I want to minimize what I buy and how much I spend. Even Batman is picking stuff out of Wayne Enterprise's basement before he goes and just BUYS stuff. I want to scavenge, craft, or find for free, or quest for what I can. I'm going to see what I can do to make some spare cash to buy what I can't junk. I've already spied some scrap metal I can turn in for a few bucks behind my building. The wish list: Olympic Barbell - Picked one up as a Black Friday deal. 300# total weight for $180. That's about half of what I would normally have to spend. Barbell Rack - buying this. Pull Up Bar - I can do pull ups of the I-beam in the basement, but it's uncomfortable. I'd rather have a proper pullup bar. Floor padding - I want to muffle sound as much as possible. Deadlift Riser - The 45# plates for my barbell are a bit small so deadlifting is awkward. I want to get something to rest the plates on to raise them about an inch. Scrap lumber, basically. Parallel bars - For dips, basically. Super low on my list. Weight rack The goals: Find ways to quest for items Build the Bat Cave Get back into heavier weightlifting. Maintain running (30km per week)

So, I bought a bike on craigslist. It rode all right and shifted decently even if something wouldn't let the derailer get the 2 innermost gears (it just stopped shifting, there was no noise or chain binding). So I proceeded to give my new (crappy) bike a tuneup and now the derailer seems a bit more broken. I can't decide if I changed something or if the obscene amount of gunk on the chain was keeping the derailer from making that knocking sound. What I did: Washed the bike with dish detergent. Washed the chain, gear cartridge, and derailers with Simple Green and a nylon brush then again with WD-50 and pipe cleaners (yes, really) Oiled all moving parts with 3-in-1 oil. Centered the brakes by loosening the bracket, closing the brakes and re-tightening. They appear to now be perfectly centered. And now the first two shifts on the gear selector do nothing (instead of the last two), the jockey pulleys seem to have grit in the bearings, and when I do pedal there is a knocking that seems to be the cage plate being slightly out of alignment and/or loose... So I've tried to fiddle with the limit adjusting screws and the tension adjustment screw (slightly different than my handy diagram that provides ~50% of my bicycle derailleur knowledge). I assume it's safe to ride (I only go about 1.5 miles to the train station) so even if I can't get it working perfectly I'm going to ride it until it brakes and just push the sucker home. Do you know when/if I should throw up my hands and go to the bike shop and/or order a new derailleur? Any ideas for things to fiddle with? Should I fiddle with the cable tension? Will I run into the exact same problems because I don't know how to fine tune a derailleur? Is spell check wrong and it really is spelled derailer?

Hi, I am back. After falling of a wagon few months ago I finally made myself to take part in another challenge. So, I moved out of my parents and now have a brand new flat to turn into a my nerd lair/gym/writers corner. Basically building myself a Batcave I will call it the Halls of justice which is way more suitable for a Paladin (Warrior/Monk). I already kicked junk food and sugary drinks out from the premises and made some fitness equip, but its not nearly enough to feel optimal.So my challenge will be: 1) Make one piece of fitness equipment per week So far I have planned - safety rails for bench, sandbag, finishing the bench for benchpress, set of concrete plates, Plyobox, Stand for archery target, A: 4B: 3C: 2F: 1 and less 2) Install three things promoting writing per week Like character bios, various maps, standing book stand, motivational quotes, A: 12B: 9C: 6F: 5 or less 3)Clean, clean, cleanMy new home still doesn't feel right, maybe because I am one-big-mess-making-machine. So cleaning every day at least 10 minutes is a must. A:>27 days of cleaningB:>20C:>15D:>10E:>5F:less than 6 days of cleaning achieved 4) Uphold the codeas a paladin wannabe i still have to uphold my Code · No Alcohol or any other substances influencing judgement · Be kind, even to your enemies · No sex without love · Protect and help the weak and the helpless · No fighting unless protecting someone’s health I will be posting weekly progress reports and some pictures of my clunky DIY fitness equipment. Also pardon my English - not a native speaker. and join the Light side, seriously

Hey Gang! No sooner did I get myself situation and ready to embark upon my fitness journey, I got saddled with a cold virus. (Boooooo!) While I am following doctor's orders for medication. What holistic and old tried-and-true methods do you gravitate to when you're sick? When I have the strength, I'm hitting up the market for a crate of mandarin oranges, some ginger, and apple cider vinegar, but I'm interested in adding to my shopping list. Any input you could provide would be great. I don't need OTC medications, as I have that on lock down. Thanks!

I thought it would be nice to have a place where cosplayers can get together to discuss projects and to get help and advice on their builds and such. Whether you are a newbie or a pro there is someone here that might need you.

First up – Emotional Well Being 1. Positive Body Affirmations – Daily 2. Mental Prep for Labor/Delivery–reduce stress and anxiety by learning about it. – 20 Minutes Daily 3. Practice being confident and sassy – fake it until you make it – 1 Act of Sass Daily Next – Physical Wellness! 1. Short (15 Minute) Walk – Daily 2. Physical Prep for Labor/Delivery–Make sure I’m up for the challenge by completing recommended exercises from the Mayo Clinic’s Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy. – Every Other Day 3. Strength Training for when Baby Girl arrives! Babies come with a lot of gear, and a lot of trips up and down stairs… Time to get the practice in now by completing full body (modified) work outs that will include the following exercises at a minimum of every-other day: Bicep Curls Squats Overhead Press Rows Tricep Kick-Backs Alternating Arm/Leg Lifts Cat/Cow Stretches Stretches Side Quest: Level Up the House! I really want to have a proper nursery for Baby Girl, but we also need a proper guest room for our out of town visitors. My friends are coming to town within 2 weeks for my baby shower (ee!) and then my in-laws will be in town shortly after Baby Girl is born. My side quest to level up the house will be to relocate the office to the basement and to convert the office to a proper guest room. This will involve tearing out a desk that is built in to the room, patching and painting the wall, and moving large heavy furniture from the office to the basement and from the current guest room to the current office. It’s a big bite to take out of our plans, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get it done before Baby Girl makes her debut. It’s on the list, though Let’s go. Starting Weight: 258.6 using the digital scale in the fitness center, wearing maternity jeans and long-sleeved maroon cotton shirt; 11:20am Monday 7/27/15

Hey there! Ok, so I'm not a really a "prepper". At least...not like that. But I am a huge fan of living as self-sufficiently and cheaply as possible. I'm curious if there are other fit nerds out there who are into things like: Canning/Drying/Freezing and otherwise preserving food Hunting/Fishing/Wild foraging Gardening DIY projects New uses for old junk Saving energy and money Yesterday I canned about 8 lbs of dry beans. I have a freezer full of deer meat and some free roosters that I butchered from local farmers. My washing machine is from 1940 and has a separate wringer...but I also have a washboard just in case. Did I mention I live in West Virginia? So Nerds, what about you? Tell me about your prepping experiences!

Anyone else planning on making some/all of their holiday gifts? I've been doing this to an extent for a number of years, but never give myself enough time and always end up buying a few things at the last minute. I want to make as many as possible this year! Most of the people I exchange gifts with don't need anything, nor do they particularly want anything, and I feel like small, thoughtful handmade gifts are the way to go. Also I hate shopping. I thought it'd be fun to have a thread to share ideas and progress on handmade gifts. My mind tends to go towards sewing and knitting projects, but there are so many possibilities... small woodworking projects, mix tapes, chapbooks of poetry (yours or collected favorites), food gifts, soap or candles, pottery (if you have skillz), paintings, jewelry! Options, so many options.

Hey all, I had the idea of getting myself a treadmill and building a desk to fit atop it so that I can have a treadmill desk in my home. Then I realized that I don't want to have a treadmill sitting out in my 2-bedroom apartment constantly. I'm looking for something more compact, then, that'll either fit in a closet or under a bed. It doesn't have to be a treadmill, though it should: a. leave my arms free to type and mouse b. be constructed so that I can put a laptop platform atop it c. allow for a low-impact, long-length workout Any ideas? Thanks!

Hello fellow Rebels! I'm at work, and a guest asked me if there was a local Makerspace or Hackerspace in the area. I know the guys who run it personally, so the question is easy to answer and contact information can be exchanged. Well, after he left, it occurred to me to ask if there were any Rebels out there into the same thing. So, are there any Rebels out there involved in the Maker movement? Do you participate in making, hacking, tinkering, or any other related activities? Do you go to a local Makerspace or Hackerspace in your area? If you do, what kind of things do you work on? What are you interested in? Are you working on any projects at the moment? I'm just curious to see if there was anyone else around here involved in that kind of hobby. I have a B.S. in Physics, but circuits were probably my weakest subject in school. Electronics is still new to me, but I've been trying to learn as much as possible. It's great fun too. I haven't had the chance yet to really get involved in the local Makerspace here, but I plan to when I get the chance. I work in a science museum, specifically a hands-on physics and chemistry lab space. I design a lot of activities, classes, and workshops for people to participate in and learn concepts on STEM subjects. We started a Maker workshop series that I've been really pushing along. I've played with Arduinos, Makey-Makeys, and all kinds of things. We also have six 3D printers at work (two of which I'm more or less in charge of). We also have a laser cutter, but I'm waiting for the next laser cutter training session (I missed the first one). Right now, I'm trying to get the Thing-O-Matic's extruder reversed. I'm not sure why it started inverse extruding, but it's gotta go out on the museum floor this week to spit out parts for people to use.

Hopefully this is the right area to post this. This was posted yesterday by "Buff Dudes" on their YouTube channel. It is a pretty good how to video on making your own power rack at home. It can be completed in a day and uses only basic hand and power tools. Materials cost is about $200 and will support around 400lbs on a barbell. They will be adding more DIY how to videos including a bench for presses and possibly more. If i had a basement or a room with space, I would be doing this project. POWER RACK MATERIALS NEEDED: 8 - 8 Foot 4x4 Douglas Fir or Equivalent Wood 8 - 3x5 Flat Steel Ties (Simpson's Strong Tie TP 5) 14 - 1/2x2x2 3/4 90 Degree Steel Ties (Simpson's Strong Tie A23) 1 Pound of 2 inch Star Bit Wood Screws 1/2 Pound of 3 inch Star Bit Wood Screws 1 - 1/8 inch Drill Bit For Pilot Holes 1 - 1 1/8 inch Tri Fluted Wood Boring Bit 3/4 INCH PIPE LIST: Racking Pins- 2 - Chair Flanges 2 - 1 1/2 Inch Pipes 2 - Pipe Connectors 2 - 4 1/2 Inch Pipes 2 - Caps Safety bars: 2 - 60 Inch Pipes 2 - 4 Inch Pipes 2 - 90 Degree Elbows 2 - Caps Pull Up Bar: 1 - 60 Inch Pipe 2 - Caps

So the weather was awesome today so it was time to get to work on my first welding project. I've been wanting a GHR bench since I first read 5/3/1, but needless to say the budget wasn't there for a commercial offering. I did some overtime and bought some metalworking equipment with the plan to start with a rack mounted glute-ham bench and go from there. Here is the build: Pieces and parts: The foot plate is 15" x 20" x 1/8" plate Rollers are 1 1/2" schedule 40 pipe Roller stand-offs are 7" x 3" x 3/8" bar The peg for the rear is scavenged from my first bench, a Wal-Mart Gold's Gym beater First pair of rollers welded to stand-off. I didn't have a good way to straighten the pipes up yet, so the first pair are a bit crooked. First pair of rollers welded to the foot plate. Starting to look like a GHR footplate. The back. I tried it with the 90 degree twist but it was spinning in the power rack. I cut the hook off and welded some 1" angle on to straddle the rack upright. The setup. I put a pair of 45s on my safety pin to weigh the rack down so it doesn't lift off the floor. The deed. I ended up moving the bag and box forward a bit and got some more range of motion. I still need to sand off the burrs, put some foam around the rollers, and drill the center peg out for a cotter pin. As it sits it works, but it slides out a little during the setup and the steel rollers are a little rough on the Achilles'. Edit: Total cost was $28 in materials.

Trying to pack some more calories and nutrients into my diet since my weight training program is starting to grow in intensity. Today, instead of my usual protein powder and milk, I decided to try out a high-calorie shake. I kept it simple, and it tastes pretty decent, but I'm looking for suggestions about other things to add in. My recipe today: 2 scoops chocolate whey powder (Muscle Milk brand) 8 oz coffee 8 oz whole milk 1/2 cup dry oats 1 scoop L-Glutamine 1 scoop Creatine 2 tbsp peanut butter 1/2 cup frozen collard greens Calories: 1113 Carbs: 125 Fat: 41 Protein: 59 What you guys got for me?

Yes, that's a Spinal Tap reference: It's also cracking me up that I can only have 10 tags. But seriously, this is my eleventh challenge, how did this happen?! Anyway, there's nothing particularly surprising that I'm working on, just turning up the volume, keeping it going. Goals: 1. Strength workout 3x a week. Stuff I'm working on: pull-ups (I'm up to 3 in set now…) tuck front lever handstands pistol squats 2. Learn to ride the Ripstik I got for Xmas. This is going to be hilarious and possibly painful - I've never been the most coordinated person (despite the juggling and unicycling…) and I've never ridden a skateboard, much less one with only two wheels. Hah. 3. Work on the house! I've got a huge list of projects - if I can knock 3 of these off my list by the end of the challenge, I'll be thrilled. Ones I might tackle: - basement tool organization - kitchen caulking - basement door reversal - hallway photo gallery - front porch sanding - swing sanding/staining - living room shelf demo/repair - hallway closet organization Other stuff that's always going on - climbing, swimming, juggling, sleeping enough, eating enough (and enough good stuff), drinking less soda, listening to more music, more art and less tv-watching. Hey, it's a whole new year!

Hi! I am new to NF and am experimenting with paleo/primal cooking. The area where I live is not a culinary mecca and many of the foods suggested in paleo/primal recipes are not available here (czech republic). I love peanut butter and I can buy it, though I try to eat it sparingly as its imported and very expensive. Other kinds of nut butters are not available at all. I've been experimenting with making my own almond butter. I read some recipes and they pretty much say - roast the almonds, put in food processor, wait, wait some more, almond butter! I've tried a couple of times and what I get is more like nut meal than nut butter. It tastes fine, but it doesn't have that spreadable/dipable consistency. All the recipes seem to imply that at some point the nut meal should "release its oils" and become creamy, but this has not happened for me. Any suggestions? I can get nuts fairly easily - almond, hazelnut, cashew ... so if there is an easy nut to start with that could help too.

This is my first challenge. I'm super excited. I'm doing it with another friend (and possible another). I believe I've set up reasonable goals and I'm ready to get going. I hope to get to know some of you during this six-week challenge. Starting stats: 5' 11", 232lbs, BF% 28.1, sedentary lifestyle (programmer by day, husband/dad & movie buff by night) Challenge 1 Goals: 1. Do the Angry Birds Workout (ABW) for the full six weeks on Mon/Wed/Fri http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/03/10/angry-birds-workout-plan/ The ABW is just the first step to getting to Ranger. STR 3, DEX 1, STA 1 2. Work my way up to jogging 1 mile without stopping by jogging on Tues/Thur/Sat for 30 minutes I have never been a good runner. Ever. I'd like to change that. I will be using C25K for my "trainer" DEX 1, STA 3 3. Start measuring food to correct portions This has always been an issue for me. I really need to start being intentional about what I eat and how much. I will make sure to at a) portion before sitting down to dinner at home and portion the food immediately when it's brought when eating out. CON 2, WIS 2 4. Every week complete at least one of the many DIY jobs my wife planned for this summer. We have several projects which need to be completed and I don't want to let the summer get away WIS 1, CHA 1 Risks: - The ABW and running are about 20-30 min each. It should not be difficult to carve out 30/day. However, it's every day and life tends to get in the way. It's going to mean getting up early to make it happen. - The portioning foods goal will not be dificult if I just remember to do it. - The DIY projects will mostly have to be relegated to the weekends. I get home too late to start most of these projects Check-Ins: I plan to check in Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for goals one and two. I will include updates on goal three a few times a week but will leave goal four updates until the following Monday (unless it coincides with a M/W/F update).

lately, i have been compelled to work with my hands. this results from a combination of factors - living in a house with garages, sheds and a backyard, etc. the next quest i intend to embark upon is that of gardening/landscaping. to be specific, i would like to plant some ground cover over some spots in my yard that are bare due to their location in the shade and out of the sunlight. would any of you rebels be able to give me advice on how to excel at this task? what resources would you be able to refer to me?

i have never much cared about cars. they were little more than a transportation vehicle to me. growing up, the cool kids were into sports and cars, while i was into video games. because i was a nerd and was picked on, i associated cars with my enemies and developed an irrational animosity towards the subject of cars. this past weekend, I changed a tire for the first time in my life. at age 30. it was a fulfilling experience. it was an epic win, if you may. i gained so much satisfaction from that experience that now, all of a sudden, i feel stangely compelled to learn more about cars. what resources would you be able to recommend to me? is there a site like NerdFitness but about cars instead of health/fitness?