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Bye Weeks Challenge Goals Quest One - Try something new Cooking! I love cooking and am always looking for new things to try so this goal is 1 new recipe per week. Quest Two - Mini fitness goal Changed to one extra day of weight training. So Weights 2x a week: Tuesday and Sunday Quest Three - Unadulterated joy Reading for pleasure. I don't do this regularly enough . It always makes my day better so 30 minutes of reading per day. Continuing with meditation also falls under this goal. Life Quest: Finish Papers before June 3

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ev·o·lu·tion (noun) the gradual development of something, especially from a simple to a more complex form. Synonyms: development, advancement, growth, rise, progress, expansion, unfolding Hello! I am GryffindorGoddess - or GG - and this is my first challenge. I know most people start with the Recruits on their first challenge, but I really feel like I belong here. I am evolving. Slowly. But I am. I am making changes in my life that will help me to grow in to the strong, healthy, and amazing woman that I know I can be. I am looking forward to the changes that will come, to the new experiences I will have, to the things I will let go. I cannot wait to see what has been hiding under my cloud of doubt and laziness. I have called myself goddess for many years, yet have not been behaving as one for quite some time. It is time to fix that. It is time to become the goddess I have long since claimed to be. My Goal for 2015 Reduce body fat to 25% by the end of the year My Goals for This Challenge Goal 1: Do yoga three days a week - Do at least twenty minutes of yoga on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays A = 3 yoga workouts // C = 2 // F = 1 or 0 -- weekly goal Goal 2: Track calories and macronutrients - 1375 calories a day // Carbs: 103 grams // Protein: grams 69 // Fat: 76 grams A = 1375 calories // B = 1425 // C = 1475 // D = 1525 // F = 1575 -- daily goal A = 103 grams of carbs // B = 120 // C = 140 // D = 160 // F = 180 or higher -- daily goal Goal 3: Wake up at 5:30a on work days - Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays A = 5 mornings // B = 4 // C = 3 // D = 2 // F = 1 or 0 -- weekly goal Goal 4: Go to bed by 11p on work nights - Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays A = 5 nights // B = 4 // C = 3 // D = 2 // F = 1 or 0 -- weekly goal Goal 5: Journal before bed every night - Minimum of one sentence summary A = 7 journal entries // B = 6 // C = 5 // D = 4 // F = 3 or fewer -- weekly goal Life Goal Read one book every week Motivation I want be a strong, healthy, and amazing woman.

Hello rebels! I did things a little backwards and posted in the challenge section because I was so excited to participate. Then I realized I never even introduced myself, D'oh! But better late than never. I stared at the empty box to type for a while till I could calm the tidal wave of anxiety and now here I am posting again! I'm Syd, 22 years old, female. I get self conscious very easily, (even when posting on the internet!) so one of my major goals is to work on my self confidence.Seriously I took voice lessons for 8+ years and still have never sung for my parents (lol but also ) I'm not happy with the way I'm living my life. I want to be a proactive rather than a reactive person. This site and community seems like a great way to get there! I'm a college student interuptus, I've been on medical leave for two years sorting out my emotional biz and I only have my senior year left. Currently working on the paper work to return in the fall (ugh paper work). Living at home made it easy to pack on pounds. I went from my lowest weight (105lbs) to my highest (138 lbs) in like....4-6 months. Too much Talenti gelato. I'm the opposite of most college students, I actually lose weight when I go to school because I walk everywhere. I really need to focus on cleaning up my diet. I can barely go a day without chocolate...haha. But true. I've been doing a little yoga + meditation and I'd really like to get into that more. I've found mindfulness extremely helpful for dealing with depression+ anxiety + ADD and want to continue to learn. I isolate myself from others because I feel worthless so I hope the friendly vibe here will help. I have a sizable collection of vintage dresses/clothing that I want to fit into again. I love reading. My room has books piled on every surface. One of my long term goals for this site is to start running. ALL THE GOALS. But really I know (from experience) that one small change at a time works best, even if it's had to convince my inner enthusiasm that's the case. I started my fitness journey last year when my mom got certified in weight training and pilates. I'm lucky that she trains me for free (2x pilates, 1x weights per week). I went from completely sedentary (and proud of it) to exercising 3x per week. But I want to work on self-guided working out so I can keep it up at school/the rest of my life. Wow that got long. So final notes: any Adventure Time/Steven Universe/Gravity Falls fans hit me up (those are my current 3 favorite shows) and also here is a picture of my adorable kitty because kitties are the best ice-breaker. My username comes from the funny little sideways hops she (Nico aka"Bean") makes when she wants to play. I call them her spooky feet. -Syd

"Climb to the top of the world" System reboot initiated. ProtoJitters online. Battle program found. Upload previous missions. ... Upload failed. The latest newsletter from Steve had a link to an article he wrote about putting fitness first and being selfish about it. For those of you who are not new to my challenges knows that this is not me. I have a huge problem not putting others first; especially my family. To me, they take priority in my life, even if it means that I suffer. "And as you stand tall, you will see..." This challenge, I will break that cycle. I will find a way to keep them as a priority, and make improvements for myself. I will do this for myself, and for them. We all deserve it. We booked a trip to Wisconsin Dells in late July, and I will not be embarrassed by the way I look. By my actions, perhaps, but not by my body. I will be following a simple workout routine for the next 6 weeks. I will continue my search for inner peace through meditation in the mornings. Most of all, and without a doubt the most difficult for me; I will get my eating habits under control, specifically, portions. "That when you fall..." Work out 4 days per week. No matter what. My family has helped me in the past with my workouts, they will help propel me to the man I can be. Too often I say I can't because I'm watching the kids or I have some obligation that prevents me from doing this. No more. 0/4 - Weekly 0/24 - 6WC Meditate 5 days per week. This is usually not a problem, but for some reason, I fell out of habit. Time to go back to my roots. 0/5 - Weekly 0/30 - 6WC Portion Control. Grading is subjective and difficult, but I will do my best on this. I should not be finished with my meal and going back for seconds before my wife and kids are done with half of their plate. I will try to limit my intake as well. To give you an understanding of my capabilities, 3 Chipotle burritos is no problem for me to finish. I was one quarter of the 36" pizza challenge team that finished in just over 13 minutes (the team gets 30 minutes) and had some of our friends pizza after. I can eat. I don't want that anymore. Why? Because I can't be there for my family if I'm dead. Pass/Fail 0/21 - Weekly Pass/Fail 0/126 - 6WC "You will fall from a height most men will never reach" I do this to be a better man. For my kids, for my wife and now, for myself. I deserve this. I will not let one failure deter me from my goals. I will stumble along the way, but it will not stop me. I will beat this.

I recently started a new factory job. Im on feet for 8 hours a day. Its by no means hard physical work i take parts (plastic car mirror parts) off a racks and turn around and put them in totes. But i am sore because my body isnt used to standing 8 hours straight. Do you druids think i would benifit from a few poses (no more than 5 or 10 minutes 445 is early and thats when i have to leave!!) If so what poses do you recommend?

I recently started a new factory job. Im on feet for 8 hours a day. Its by no means hard physical work i take parts (plastic car mirror parts) off a racks and turn around and put them in totes. But i am sore because my body isnt used to standing 8 hours straight. Do you druids think i would benifit from a few poses (no more than 5 or 10 minutes 445 is early and thats when i have to leave!!) If so what poses do you recommend?

So. I am a happily married mother of two, 6 and almost 3 years old. Our youngest (I'll be calling hir baby from now on) recently fell seriously ill and is now in Intensive Care with the rest of the family staying at the Ronald McDonald House. We have been informed that the process of (re)investigating baby's condition(s) is going to take at least a month from now, probably double, possibly triple that time. This of course means I will have to adapt my on-going challenge. Since the main goal of this challenge was to boost my rehabilitation from burn-out, I still need to make those changes just as badly, if not even more badly, now that there is a crisis to deal with. My original challenge looked like this: Main Quest: To be mentally and physically fit enough to work 75% by December 22th 2015. Quest 1: Meditating for at least 7 minutes every day. I manage to meditate for a few minutes once in a while, but I want to make it a daily thing. Measurement: A = 7 minutes for 35 days, B = 28 days, C = 21 days. Reward: A = +3 WIS, +2 STA, B = +2 WIS, +1 STA, C = +1 WIS Quest 2: Do a full yoga routine 3 times a week. Same thing as with meditation. I do some Kundalini Yoga now and then, but want to build a habit. Measurement: A = 15 days, B = 12 days, C = 9 days. Reward: A = +3 STR, +2 DEX, B = +2 STR, +1 DEX, C = +1 STR Quest 3: Eat 5 freggies a day. I usually have at least one or two, but want to build the habit of having it with every meal. Measurement: A = 35 days, B = 28 days, C = 21 days. Reward: A = +3 CON, +2 CHA, B = +2 CON, +1 CHA, C = +1 CON No Life Quest. I want to be able to concentrate on my health. Motivation: I want to be able to take care of myself, my kids, my marriage and my patients. In that order. I am thinking of formulating my adapted challenge something like this: Sitting down alone and undisturbed for 7 minutes in a row, let alone doing strange singing and breathing while stretching myself to death on the floor for half an hour, is hard to arrange given that most of the time I am either by baby's hospital bed or in a room with the rest of the family. And of course, work will have to wait. Family is what's important for the time being. New Main quest: To keep myself as mentally sane and physically healthy as possible for as long as it takes for baby to get well. Quest 1: A few minutes in silence, alone if possible, no screens allowed, If no other opportunity arises, two minutes in the bathroom with the lights out, my hands covering my ears will do. To be done every day, more often if needed. Quest 2: A short walk outside, in daylight if possible, with or without company. Just a few minutes will do, if that is all that day's schedule has room for. Quest 3: Same as before - five freggies a day. This has been quite easy so far, but also a very effective way of boosting my well-being and my cooking, as well as the general eating habits of our family, so I will keep this goal from my old setup. Rewards: Since there is no way for me to assess exactly how hard and in what ways these quest are going to be challenging (it all boils down to the state of my baby and the rest of the family), I will have to wait at least until the end of this challenge to make a decision about how many and what types of ponts to award myself. Motivation: Simply put: I am the queen of this family. I am one out of two in charge and the only one who can do what I do - there are no substitutes. I am obligated to set a good example as well as to partner up with my king to make wise short-term and long-term decisions. As I have no personal guard, I myself have to see to my safety and well-being, keeping my head cool enough and my heart warm enough. And since my lands are in a crisis, the need for a healthy queen has never been greater. So. What do you guys think? I like the idea myself, but I need support, badly.

i've never stuck to a fitness plan for very long- i've been terrible at it, really. i want so badly to change that so my goals might seem small but to be able to stick to them is going to be an amazing accomplishment all on its own. Primary Quests Do Yoga daily (15 mins+ 5 mins/week)Meditate daily (5 mins+ 5 mins/week)Secondary Quests Learn to make new vegan recipeslose 10 poundstertiary (Life) Quest De-clutter possessions i am using the doyouyoga 30 day challenge plan and then after 30 days will be incorporating new poses into the same routine. i also want to learn the sanskrit pronunciations of the yoga practice. i am excited for the idea that a community of people will help keep me accountable and ready to take on the responsibility of finishing this challenge i've given myself. i hope i did this right and put it in the correct area- i'm reading around and got a little lost.

Namaste Druids!!! Main Quest Stronger than before! OK, so thats an inside joke with my friend but for this challenge I want to be healthier in everyway. As always, time to be my own hero. Side Quest See how long I can avoid alcohol and my other sins, time to cut back on things that are considered vices so I have more time to focus on what matters Instead of drinking and what not, when Im stessed, I need to workout! Strength Quest I can barely bench 135, lets get that down and increase 1 point for every lift over 10 the amount of pushups I can do from barely 15 to twice that 1 point for every pu over 15 Ill achieve this by doing pushups twice a day and benching atleast every other night. Flex Quest Palms flat in a forward fold 6 points Bend over! but for realz it should be easy if I stretch whenever I think of it. Health Quest Continue using my fitness pal everyday 12 points Continue going to yoga twice a week 6 points Drink so much more water!!! 2 points Keeping up with these habits will definitely increase my overall health my name on myfitnesspal is Samboski5 add me!!! My motivation will be to be the stud I see myself being in my happy dreams. To be the person I deserve to be! Success will be how many points I get out of 40!!!

Some busy weeks have passed, I didn't keep up what I achieved during my last challenge and I am not feeling awesome. Remember that life quest in my last challenge, to find a job, and that I found it? Well, two days ago they told me I had to be let go. I just wasn't what they were looking for, I wasn't thinking commercially enough, I was too insecure, I wasn't learning fast enough, and oh yeah, they had to make the team smaller anyway because Christmas was over and they are going to have some super quiet few months. I didn't get fired because they disliked me. From what I understood it was terrible for them to do so because they thought of me as a wonderful and sweet person. The manager that told me the news said that I should look for a job in a restaurant or maybe a hotel because she thought I would make a great host. I'm going to use that advice and look at jobs like that, or I might just do something completely different where I don't have to engage in social interactions since that exhausts me (yes, I am super introverted). From this experience I also concluded that I should never want to work at a store where they sell computer things again, I find that way too complicated to learn quickly. Apart from that, I hate to breathe in people's necks and try to sell them something while they clearly told me they just want to look around. Like I said, I am not feeling awesome. This job took so much of my time that I barely studied for my tests (the upside of being fired is that I now have all the time in the world to study, which I am genuinely happy about), I didn't get to eat enough, I didn't get to drink enough and above all, I was anxious about it during my time off. Anxiety is one of my specialties. Today my 2-week holiday is officially over. I've had exactly three days of nothing during my holiday and I feel like I've been occupied for months. I miss working out, I didn't keep up my meditation practices, I feel dehydrated all the time. The upside of all this is that I feel super excited to get back to my studies (weird, huh) and I am super motivated to get my life in order and to start taking good care of myself again. I think I'll get back into everything easily if I take good care of my body, but to find a balance that suits me is quite a challenge. Main quest Get healthy, fit, energized and balanced. Quests 1. Pick up daily meditation once again. Amount of time doesn't matter, just do it. 2. Juggle and/or do poi once a week. Preferably with my housemate, he wants to start practicing both again as well. Double motivation! 3. Workout of choice three times a week at least. Life quests - Clear out my mailbox. I'll explain this one. I made my e-mail address nearly 10 years ago and still use it. It's filled with unsorted e-mails, old e-mails, newsletters I don't read, updates from people/instances I follow... It's a mess. And it's been piling up for 10 years. By the time I write this, I have 1064 unread e-mails and a total of 5577 e-mails in my inbox and some more e-mails that are sorted. Yes, I want to clear it out completely (archive what's important, toss what isn't). I'll use Mailstrom for clearing out and a progress bar to keep track of my progress on here. - Find a new job. Except for the mail quest, I will be keeping track of my progress in this post. Otherwise I will write some updates in responses on here. It's not all that specific yet but I feel this is enough for me. Babysteps, again. Week 1 Q1. 6/7 Q2. 0/1 Q3. 2/3 Job status: hunting Week 2 Q1. 6/7 Q2. 1/1 Q3. 3/3 Job status: hunting Week 3 Q1. 5/7 Q2. 0/1 Q3. 4/3 Job status: hunting Week 4 Q1. 3/7 Q2. 0/1 Q3. 1/3 Job status: hunting

Hey I'm Ivy I've been lurking on the Nerd Fitness site for a year or so but haven't had the confidence to really get involved. In 2012/2013 I changed my lifestyle to go from 193lbs to 140lbs and ran a 5k and a 10k. I used a site called Sparkpeople to track my food and drink while I did this and I think I'll continue to do so but I want to focus more on my fitness and this seems like a better place to do that. This last year there have been a lot of changes including buying and moving house and as a result I let things slip and have put on 23lbs so I want to lose this and a bit more. I love being outdoors and walking, hiking, running and gardening are all things I love doing. Just over a year ago I started practicing Ashtanga Yoga so after I've completed this 1st challenge I'd like to join the druid's guild hence my title Main Quest: To lose 43lbs and reach a weight of 120lbs. I won't be able to do this within the 6 weeks but I'm hoping to get back on track and make a good start Mini Quest 1: To run 3 times a week. Previously I followed the NHS Couch to 5k plan and as I haven't put my trainers on for almost a year I will probably restart with this. It has podcasts for 3 runs a week over a 9 week period. Mini Quest 2: To practice yoga 3 times a week. I do an Ashtanga Vinyasa class once a week on a Tuesday so that's one of my practices sorted but I really want to build an at home practice and now that we have a spare room it is going to double as my yoga space. Mini Quest 3: To track my food everyday. As I mentioned above I used Sparkpeople for this in the past and it seemed to work well so I will continue to do so and post updates here. Life Quest: To make a budget and stick to it. Sometimes I feel like I have no idea where my money has gone so I want to get a bit more control over it and hopefully start saving some. Motivation: To be a better version of me. The further I go on this quest to find myself the more I like who I am becoming. I want to keep this feeling going and find out who I can be when I don't hold myself back. Accountability and Grading: I'm going to start a battle log to cover the whole of my Main Quest and I'll post in there as well as on this thread. I plan to post before and after pictures, starting and finishing weight plus updates once a week and starting and finishing measurements with an update half way through. I plan to use the following grades: A for completing all workouts and tracking every day. B for missing 1-2 workouts and 1-3 day's tracking. C for missing 3-4 workouts and 4-6 day's tracking. F for all else Best of luck to everyone x

Greetings, Druids (and other welcome guests)! This is my fourth challenge, I think...though I'm not really keeping track. It's been a little over a year since I joined NF, and it's been a good one, so I'm focusing more on enjoying this community. Welcome to my little thread. This focus is threefold: maintenance, mindfulness, and music. Maintenance: I'm aiming to maintain the workout regimen that has been pretty successful to date, so that I continue to grow in strength, toughness, and flexibility. Workout 6x per week: 3x strength (M-W-F) 3x cardio (T-Th-Sa) Rest and recover: Daily evening restorative yoga (M-Sa) Sunday as a day of complete rest Proper sleep (in bed 7.5 hours per night) Mindful Eating: I eat like a starving wolf. And it's a little disconcerting, because I strive to be a gentleman in the truest sense, but when I sit down to eat all that goes away. I'm face down in the plate, elbows up, bare hands scrabbling for sustenance, until the plate is cleared in about 3 minutes. That's all well and good, except that I am absolutely convinced that the way I eat is the primary contributor to my challenges with body composition. I'm at a decent weight for a 43 year old (6' 1" and 190 pounds), but those last few inches of excess fat on my torso (some is ok) are persistent. I think it's because I eat so fast that I overeat, and I don't pick my foods carefully enough. So I want to start working on slowing down, stopping when satisfied, and choosing better. Practice the '5Ws and an H' of mindful eating as best I can in an institutional dining environment: Who: I'll choose who to eat with when I enter the dining space, or eat alone. What: I'll choose the most nutritious options that I'll enjoy eating. Where: I'll pick a seat away from distractions (like the TV and loud talkers). When: I'll eat at a set time each day. Why: I'll remind myself before entering the dining hall that I'm eating for optimum health. How: I'll take smaller bites, chew thoroughly, and swallow completely before the next bite. Musical Growth: I've recently re-discovered music (I used to sing in a band and played tuba for years), and have newly discovered that I f***ing love the bass guitar. I've been stifled creatively for a while, always putting some form of writing on challenge after challenge but never actually doing it. So I'm going to focus on musical growth this challenge, embracing my love of the bass and stoking the flame of creativity within me. Daily practice: AT LEAST 15 minutes daily on bass basics. PREFERABLY 30 minutes or more of basics + actual music Weekly song: I'll try to learn one actual song per week. Points? Can suck it. I'll report in daily but I'm not doing math. Success will be defined by doing better than not, seeing some body comp improvement, and knowing some songs at the end of this. I think this one will be lots of fun! There you have it, friends. Let's get it on!

Wow, guys, this is my eighth challenge! This is a placeholder for when I actually have time to finish writing up this challenge. Ugh. This year is getting away from me already! Main Quest: Enjoy Every Day of 2015. Current Quest: Build the ultimate daily routine. One. Stretch 2x per day.Morning Sequence: MindBodyGreen Morning Yoga SequenceAfter work / Before Bed Sequence: MindBodyGreen 10 Minute Relaxation Sequence Need to start up exercising again, but I'm working a lot at the moment so I need to do something that won't totally wear me out. Working over the holiday season is doing that well enough. Also yoga is nice. Once school holidays are over and the other girl comes back from holidays I'll have a few days during the week to be able to spend some excess energy on actual exercise. Two. Food journal - every day.bonus for putting it into MFP.bonus bonus for no dairy in a day. Put on weight between christmas and new years, so I need to start logging what I'm eating again so I'm more aware of how much I eat. I also need to find something satiating that I can eat so I'm full but not overfull during work - otherwise I want to eat everything in sight. xD Also dairy (in the form of milk, cream, ice-cream, and most cheese) seems to be giving me issues. Whether it's always been that way and I never realised, or its a recent occurrence, who knows, but I just need to not from now on. xD Butter seems to not bother me (yay!) and small amounts of nice cheese (like feta) seem to be fine as well. So for my sanity butter and feta are exempt from the no dairy rule. Three. Clean one room of the house a week; thoroughly!bedroom / bathroom / kitchen & dining / lounge room / laundry & toilet / patio.bonus for putting it into Chore Wars Yeah. House is getting pretty wild and untamed, and I can do something about it. I just need to build some motivation. Four.gratitude diary - every day.Because I see other nerds do this and it's always so nice. And I know I should be grateful for my life, because it's pretty awesome. Lego Blocks:I have scrapped the gratitude daily because I don't feel like I'm getting anything out of it. I'm instead going to write a list daily of what I achieved that has gone towards crafting my epic life. Inspired by Steve's recent article on Lego and Minecraft. Bonuses:Go to Yoga Class, damnit!Have that catch up with a friend I’ve been meaning to.Grow a new vegetable (preferably a leafy green one but anything that grows)Swim at the beach. It’s summer for pete’s sake!Ask sister about soccer tryouts. Walk the dog. Cycle to work. Meditate. Be crafty. Draw / write / paint / sculpty.No computer or XBox before work / 9am. I'll suss out some sort of scoring system in a bit. xD

I recently took a three-week desert retreat and did some reading. Topics spanned a wide but related range: essentialism, elements, meditation, resilience. The fruit of that time apart is a leaning toward a practice of meditation and yoga that seeks balance in my elemental nature. Let me 'splain: I'm starting with the four archetypal elements: earth, water, air and fire. Without making any claims that these are scientificially or theologically complete, I want to recognize that these elements have been and continue to be useful for ordering our interior lives. So I want to discern how they work in me, deepen my awareness of how they relate, and practice in ways that balance these energies. Initial categorical thoughts: Earth: body, solidity, groudedness, sexuality and productivity Water: heart, fluidity, empathy, intimacy and refreshment Air: mind, purity, insight, knowledge and wisdom Fire: spirit, unity, passion, music and enjoyment Any ideas, tools, interest, or other thoughts to share? I'd love to have a few companions to develop this concept.

So hey. Coming in a little late again; at least I'm consistent. >.< This year (and this is apropos) I'm not doing NaNoWriMo. See, the challenge there is that you're to write a 50,000 word novel over the course of a month. I've done it several times in the past, and I usually round the required 1667/day up to 2000/day. But I got used to doing that, and now I write 2000 words most days. Doing NaNoWriMo no longer keeps me accountable, because I do that anyway. It rather feels like cheating. But here! Here, baby...I slack off when it comes to fitness. Shocking, I know, because no one else on earth does that. The difference is, I suck at keeping myself accountable because I tend to look at my accomplishments and think, somewhere deep down, "I'm done! I did it! Now I can have brownies forever!" This is a stupid part of my mind. So I'm back! From outer sp- sorry, got my signal crossed there. I'm here to be accountable, and that's why one of my challenges is: 1. Come here. At least once a day, every day, during this challenge. Last challenge I was working at it, but I slacked off some and I think that a part of it was that I wasn't here holding myself accountable. You guys are amazing. I'll be here. 2. Learn to Breathe. That is, meditate. I know that's like saying, "I'm gonna learn to be a competent MMA fighter in the next six weeks!" but you gotta start somewhere, yeah? And my starting point is a minimum of ten minutes a day practicing meditation. 3. Planning. I have a planner! I just...don't use it. So, during this challenge, I will. Daily. Time management is another issue for me; subject to my own personal inertia, I would be roughly spherical and live in a tank somewhere with reliable Internet. But with a planner, I can keep track of what I should be doing and actually do it. This is important to me. 4. Carry On. So I just turned 36. I made a goal for myself: by the time that I reach my next birthday, on Oct 26 of 2015, I will have gotten down to 400 pounds from my current weight of 459. This is doable, but only if I stick to my plan of paleo (ish) diet and regular vigorous exercise. The accountability and planning stuff are big parts of this, so I'm gonna stick with it. Boom. Pika. Done.

I'm Back! I was gone for about a year and no surprise, I didnt get to far on my goals BUT IM BACK! I'd say I've been through alot recently and I cant wait to start this path to health, I just kicked depression in the ASS and I'm so excited about this new motivation I have!!! So yeah, Lets get started! Main Quest!!! To build a foundation for a healthy life, to create repeatable and fun ideas that I can follow to success, which would be to be my own hero. 84 points possible!!! Side Quest Alpha! Keep going to yoga twice a week 2 points each time total of 24 Bonus= do the sun salutation on days I dont have yoga .5 each time total of 15 Beta! Cardio twice a week for a half hour 3 points each time total of 36 Bonus= find an exercise you love 10 points for nailin this one! Gamma! Meal prep for each week 4 points each week total of 24 points Anti-bonus= minus one point for each sin (gluten, drinking more then 3 times a week, fast food, soda) Life Quest! Pay $100 off my credit card Fitness Quest! Kill the crow! Successfully get down the crow position! Motivation! I want to eventually be a stud I want to be able to motivate people and help them with fitness and health and have a body to back what I'm saying haha Its always been a goal and with depression out of the way I will achieve it! Success will be my points out of 84!

The past few months have been extremely hectic and stressful for me. I just moved out, just finished the first round of tests at school, have a sister who has been ill for nearly six months now and she's not improving, got psychological researches, failed my last year of school while all my friends graduated and went on with their lives... And I tried to stay big and strong, so I kept wearing a mask that showed a motivated and happy young woman. I fooled everyone around me, including myself. I don't want to fool people about this anymore, that's why I'm being honest about it here. The truth is, I'm exhausted, angry, afraid and unhappy. I feel like a failure, even though I know I'm not (I now have documents that say I'm super intelligent, so nothing wrong there even though it feels differently). I haven't snapped, I simply started to really listen to how I was feeling deep inside. Even though I feel this way, I also feel that there are so many more things for me to do in the city. I come from a village where there isn't much work and especially not much young and educated people, so a city is a good option for me. I feel I can really accomplish something in the city I live in now. Yet, if I want to do that, I need to feel fit and energized, happy and balanced, so the opposite of how I feel now. I'm sure I can accomplish that, especially through meditation and also through yoga. I'm still a beginner when it comes to yoga. I'm not sure where to begin and end, and I'm not sure what to do in the middle. I've found some sources that I really like, but if you have any suggestions whatsoever when it comes to yoga, please share them with me. I will not be taking any measurements of my body and I will not be taking any before and after pictures. This time round, I want to feel my best rather than look my best. Apart from that: I think I will look my best when I feel my best, so it all starts with cleaning up the inside. Here's my second challenge, my first among the Druids. Main Quest Get healthy, fit, energized and balanced. Mission 1 Drink 2 liters of water every day, and track the amount you drink by using the app iDrinkWater. This may include tea, as well as fruit/vegetable infused water (no soda!). Don't include the glass of water first thing in the morning in the 2 liters. Mission 2 Meditate every day. It doesn't matter at what time during the day it will be or for how long, as long as you do it. Preferably 30 minutes a day, but 2 minutes is already better than not meditating at all. Mission 3 Yoga, preferably every day. This might not be possible, and it's alright if it doesn't work out for 7 days a week, but try to do it as often as possible. Again: time and duration don't matter, just do it. The sources I will be using: DoYogaWithMe (thinking of doing the beginner's calendar) BeMoreYogic YouTube: SarahBethYoga DoYouYoga 30-Day Yoga Challenge This will be the way for me to exercise. Any other form of exercise is welcome too of course, but seeing how I feel at the moment I think there is a bigger chance for me to heal and to actually move around if I do yoga. Life Quest Get over your shyness and find a job. Motivation I don't want to feel exhausted, angry, afraid, unhappy and like a failure anymore. I can't take care of others if I can't take good care of myself, and I most definitely can't focus well in and on school if I feel the way I feel now. Something has to change. As for my rewards: Of course I will receive some more stat points {which I will divide later in an edit of this post}, but the main reward will be my improved health. If I end up getting a job indeed, I will buy a new pair of jeans. Even though I'm not feeling all that well I am excited to start another challenge. I've been giving it a lot of thought before I wrote it down properly because I really think this will help me feel better. Let's go!

Last challenge was a complete failure, so I need to take some time off from Epic Questing to get my head back in the game. My mental fortitude took an ass kicking last challenge and without working on my Wisdom stat I don’t feel like I’ll be able to keep levelling up effectively. I just want to have fun with this one and stop stressing so much! I also miss the druids and now that spring is here I want to be mindful enough of the outside world to truly enjoy it. MAIN QUEST: DIE HAPPY Simples. Current quest: Cheer the f*** up. Step 1 - One long meditation session a week. +1000 points I get stressed trying to remember to do so many things a day, that I figure I'll just give myself one session to remember to do and be done with it. I should try to make it over 20 minutes but to be honest, as long as I'm meditating I'm winning. Step 2 - One long yoga session a week. +1000 points Same thing as with the meditation. I get so stressed and guilty about not doing everything I should that I freeze and do nothing. Should be at least half an hour of yoga, but any yoga is pretty much a win right now. Step 3 - Keep a log of how I feel day-to-day. +100 points p/day I'm getting better at noting what changes my levels of happiness and affects me greatly, but if I can actually see it and write it down I can then work out what I need to do to avoid dramatic mood swings and dips in motivation. Some things I could log; -work hours -weather (if it affected actions/mood of the day) -positives / negatives about the day -sleep quality (time awake, / sleeping, feel upon waking) -foods, if they had an effect on my body. -different moods throughout day, what changed them. !! Bonus Missions !! These are things I should do but don't always feel like doing and I'm not going to guilt myself into doing them. I want to create triggers for good decisions based on how I'm feeling or what I'm not doing. - Extra meditation or yoga sessions during the week. +20 points per session - Use bodyweight exercises to release anger. +100 points - Be creative if I'm sitting around fidgeting. +50 points - Attempt to talk to someone in my social circle about how I’m feeling / what I’m thinking. +200 points - Get out of the house. +50 points - Clean something, anything if feeling bored. +100 points - Say something nice to myself. +10 points per nice thing - Add a serve of steamed vegetables to any meal. +20 points per serve of vegetables

HI! I'm not really sure what to put here but I heard that it was good to have a battle log to keep you motivated. Hopefully you'll bear with me while I figure this out. I'm always open for suggestions and new ideas. Here goes nothing. I've tried and failed in the past to get healthy. Last year I really committed to it but then had to stop working out due to constantly hurting myself. I finally went to a doctor to get checked out (due to encouragement and a fair pit of coercion by my now-husband). It turned out that I had congenital hip dysplasia. Basically my hips never formed correctly. I was told that I would need to get both of my hips replaced or wait until it progressed until i was able to walk. Long story short, I had both of my hips replaced, one in June and the other August. Since then I've been trying to get back on my feet (ha!) and get healthy. Thanks to the support of my fellow rebels I completed my first 6 week challenge last week. You guys are so awesome! I am looking forward to my next 6 week challenge coming up in a couple of weeks. In the mean time, I'm going to keep the momentum going by tracking my progress here. Thanks for reading and good luck! 10/27/14 Body Weight Squat5 reps5 reps5 reps8 repsOne-Arm Dumbbell Row15 lb x 6 reps15 lb x 6 reps15 lb x 6 reps15 lb x 10 repsDumbbell Bench Press15 lb x 6 reps15 lb x 6 reps15 lb x 6 reps15 lb x 10 reps (PR)Reverse Crunch10 reps10 reps10 reps (PR)Lying Back Extension12 reps12 reps12 reps (PR)

INTRODUCTION Hi lovely people! after reading the NF blog for over a year now, it seems about time to finally join the community as an active part and start my first challenge. I really struggled to phrase what my actual plan of the challenge was- until Gentle-Mystic wrote the exact thing in her post: 'Improve my mindset and energy level'... welp, that's pretty much what I was trying to put into words. (so thank youuu and sorry for copying ). MAIN QUEST So I want to build more daily routine and spend more of quality time with myself (mostly in nature) in order to clear my head and not waste that much time infront of a laptop screen. Quest 1: Nature I want to go to the park at least four times a week for at least half an hour...sitting, watching, meditating. A: 4+ times B: 3 times C: 2 times Quest 2: Early bird Wake up and get out of bed before 7.30 am, at least three times a week. I know this goal doesn't sound like a real goal to many of you, but you got to understand, it's semester break. A: 3+ times B: 2 times C: once a week Quest 3: Move, kitten, move Since I've had a not-so-fun accident last month, walking three times a week for at least half an hour seems a good (and pretty much the only) way to get my body at least some 'exercise'. A: 3+ times B: 2 times C: once a week Life Quest: Going to the museum, reading a book, playing the guitar etc... four times a week Oh, and you might have noticed that I'm not a native speaker, so pleeaase excuse the funny writing at times

“You are never strong enough that you don't need help.†A number of months ago, I came across this: I held it back because I didn't want people to know that I was struggling, online or in real life. I am always willing to help others, it should be the benchmark of humanity. However, I need to be willing to ask for and accept help from others. It's with that spirit that I take this next challenge. Keep the Mojo mojoing: 0/3 0/18 Do some sort of workout that keeps my body moving. BBWW, the 7-minute workout, running, jumping, etc... 3X per week. Wait! You noticed that I put the body weight and the running together? How astute. Well done. The reason for this is because: All that heavy isn't going to lift itself: 0/3 0/18 I'm going to lift 3X per week. I've not lifted in a long time, and I really want to get back into it. I want to earn that Thor Shirt. What Thor shirt? This Thor shirt: or this one: Which will be my reward for finishing this challenge with at least a B. Now, there should be 3 things, and as a Druid, I'm going to add this: Peace can only come from within: 0/5 0/30 Meditate 5X per week. A focused mind can accomplish more and right now, I'm not accomplishing a damn thing. I will slow down, and notice the quiet and that things simply are. By now, in my head at least, you're all wondering what calling Rush has to do with all of this. Glad you asked. Mega Man would not be able to defeat Dr. Wily by himself. Dr. Light, Roll, and Eddie (Flip Top) all help along the way, but it is Rush, Mega Man's trusty dog, that is always there for him (at least since Mega Man 3, which is my favorite). Rush is that extra boost when Mega Man can't quite jump that high. Rush is the way across when the pit is too wide. Rush is the all encompassing friend that we all need. So, how does this all tie in? My grades for my challenge will all be dependent on whether or not I ask for help. My plan is to seek help from other people with all of my activities in some way. I may (and I really should) take The Most Loathed up on his offer of joining him at his new garage gym (and get tips, this guy knows his stuff). I may take Kat or CeaseFire up on the offer of a running mate. I may ask my wife to join me on my workout days at home. The only one that I can't figure out is the meditation. I am not sure how to have someone help me with a solo act. I'm open to suggestions on that one. My grades will suffer one letter if I don't ask for help at least once a week. 0/6 We begin on the 15th, it's going to be a great challenge.

Hello Druids. I have come to collect no bounties, but bounties of wisdom. Normally I train with my warrior brothers and sisters, but a knee injury has lead me to more tranquil waters. I injured the knee while locking out a push press. My knee made a loud pop. Unfortunately, it did not hurt that much at the time and I'm new to sports injuries, so I continued to perform heavy squats and deadlifts with it. Now I have an appointment next Tuesday with an orthopedist who specializes in injuries of the knee and spine. The short of the long of it is that I'm not to do any sort of lifting or cardio besides walking until I see the doctor. I have decided to do this challenge as a druid. It's time I performed some introspection and from there, gained wisdom. Main Quest: Develop/kick habits in order to bring my mind into a more healthy and peaceful place for sound decision making, planning, and harmony with others. Additionally, I will strive to come as close to my 199.0lb weight goal as possible. Goal 1. Tracking Calories and Protein for Fat Loss Based off an analysis of the last challenge's data, I will be using the following Calorie limit and protein goal: Calories - 1700kcal Protein - 150g I am 5'10 and 219.0lbs as of yesterday, Sunday, July 27. This puts me at 0.68g of protein/lb of body weight, which is perfectly acceptable. These values are moving targets and will be reevaluated weekly. Success here will be evaluated as a function of days tracked/total days in challenge or weight lost/20lbs, whichever is larger. Potential Stat Gain: +2 CON, +2 CHA Because I'm getting healthier and looking great. Goal 2. Walking OR Whatever Program (If Any) The Orthopedist Prescribes This could go either way. If he tells me that it will heal on its own, I will follow the walking plan. This will be updated to his plan should that become necessary. The elliptical trainer was starting to hurt my knee, but walking around my relatively flat neighborhood does not. Here is the plan I devised: Walking 3x/week Challenge Week 1-2: 30min/session Challenge Week 3-4: 45min/session Challenge Weeks 5-6: 60min/session I will use this as a time to calm my mind and enjoy the outdoors when I am alone and on the times my wife joins me, I will enjoy her company as well. Success here will be evaluated as a function of walks completed/total possible walks Potential Stat Gain: +3 STA My heart rate will definitely get up. Goal 3. Meditation I want to make time for meditation daily. I am excitable, easy to anger, stress prone, and welcome/sometimes seek out conflict. I want to change this because it is having a negative impact on how I feel, how I interact with my wife, how I interact with others in general, and my career. A part of this goal will be to discover effective methods for meditating. The first task will be to research basic meditative methods. Luckily, some NFers already pointed me in the direction of some books and apps. Starting out, I want to meditate for at least 5 minutes/day after work. I may throw in a morning session if I'm feeling adventurous later. It may take longer than this challenge to see big results (I don't know, I'm a newbie druid), but I plan to log the following: Progress made in handling my own emotions (fear, anxiety, anger, jealousy, greed, lust)Progress made in my interactions with my wife (cooperation, give and take, respect, trust)Progress made in my interactions with others (compassion, empathy, fairness, ethics)Progress made in how I view and handle career related tasks and incidents (laziness, problems with authority)Progress made in how I view and handle life chores and errands (laziness)For each day, I will be graded on whether or not I completed the meditation(s), and if I made notes on my reflections. Potential Stat Gain: +4 WIS For opening up and calming down my mind. Goal 3. Tapering off of Marijuana It's like my first challenge, but instead of soda, it's weed! I find that the leaf slows my mind and stifles my personality. It's great for relaxing and gaming, but not for my career, most social interactions, and productivity. Additionally, I had been hacking a lot between heavy lifting sets and this is the obvious culprit. Medical marijuana is legal in The State of California and I do have a recommendation from a doctor, but weed and I need to part ways for a while - a long while. I normally smoke from a bong once in the morning at about 7:30 AM, once immediately after I get home from work at 5:30 PM, and several bowls burn by between then and bedtime at around 10:30 PM. This is the planned taper. Each week's condition stacks with all previous. Week 1: Eliminate Morning Smoke - Except on Weekends Week 2: Can Only Smoke Three Times After Work - No Effect on Weekends Week 3: Can Only Smoke Twice After Work - No Effect on Weekends Week 4: Can Only Smoke Once After Work - No Effect on Weekends Week 5: No Smoking During the Work Week Week 6: No Smoking At All I've quit before to clear a pre-employment exam. I can do it again. Potential Stat Gain: +2 CON +2 WIS For cleaning out my lungs and my mind. That's it for now. This is prime for some revision between now and next Monday. Please, offer me some advice, particularly on meditation if you have some insights. I look forward to chatting with many of you. This seems like a really cool guild and I like the juxtaposition with the rowdy power seeking vibe of my home guild. I have a feeling that I will return as a much more well rounded warrior, and I'm excited as what fruit will bear in my real life. Cheers! Broba

"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone" Password accepted. Loading data. Data retrieved. Please pick your goals from previous challenges. I'm going to do a mash up of my previous challenges and put them together to get me closer to where I want to be in regards to my weight/clothes fitting better and my life in general. Beware, the return of the RAKs is here! From my First Challenge: -Beginner's Bodyweight Workout 3 days a week - no excuses anymore. 3 circuits - A; 2 circuits - B; 1 circuit - C; miss workout - F. I will be giving myself an exception on this: my son and I will start Judo on the 30th and it goes for 4 weeks. During those 4 weeks, that can replace a BBWW. 0/3 0/18 From my Second Challenge: SWIFT: Cardio three times a week, 20 minutes at a time. I am working my jump rope skills up to this, so I will run for the minutes I don’t make it on the rope. 3 days - A, 2 days - C, 1 or less - F 0/3 0/18 From my Fourth Challenge: Unicycle/Juggling/Stilt Walking - 4 days per week. I'm calling this one Skills practice. It can be anything that improves my skills. 4+ days - A, 3 days - B, 2 days - C, 1 day - D, 0 days - F 0/4 0/24 Side Quest: From my Third Challenge: I will commit 6 Random Acts of Kindness during this challenge. This goes beyond holding a door for someone. They will need to go above and beyond and it will be done because I can. I will admit now, I am doing this because I believe these acts can change the world, even if it's for the recipient and that is the world I wish to live in. 0/6 There are going to be times where I will falter, I'm sure. I am going to do the best I can on this and I am going to get back to where I was. Right now, I'm sitting at 248 lbs. (as of this morning) when I was down to an unthinkable (for me at least) 228 at my lowest since joining the Rebellion. I will not be deterred. I look forward to Monday's start, and I hope you all enjoy the show you're about to see.

Gone are the attempts at hyping myself from 2014. This bucket is not so much epic as it is a bare-bones attempt to breathe life back into myself. (Last edited 4/12/15) Fitness Goals Start walking for mental health, work up to jogging/running for physical healthEat less carbs and more proteinPushups and squats, whatever else I need for strength trainingLearn yogaManage stress and negativity through exercise and meditationPersonal Goals RelocateWriteArtSpiritualityLife Goals Be happy