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Alright, let's take it from the top: 1. My name is Stephanie (you can call me Stevie). I'm 34 years old and a librarian. I can't remember how long ago I found NerdFitness but it's been the best thing I've found for me. To make a long story short, I've had weight issues all my life but I finally unlocked the key to start my ultimate quest: accepting myself no matter how much I weigh. That's been a long time coming! I'm a nerd and a tomboy. I love reading (duh), traveling, and creating art. I'm a Trekkie, Whovian, Star Wars fan, and a Sailor Moon fan, among others. Workout-wise, I love cardio, am ambivalent about running (I like it but I'm not consistent with it), but since getting into strength training I'm having more fun with my workouts. (For the record, the Beginner Bodyweight Workout has helped TREMENDOUSLY with being able to help shelve books in children's - fellow librarians, take note!) 2. Being a Trekkie kind of parlays into my quest: I want to lose 80 lbs by next year's Star Trek Las Vegas con in early August. So that'll be going from 208 (as of last week) to 130 (roughly where I was in college). If I'm a few pounds off it's not the end of the world. Right now I'd at least like to get below 200! Maybe 190 by January would be nice. But let's take it slow. 3. Well I guess getting to 190 would be a supporting quest, but I chose three from the boards because I need a bit of help. So my three are to eat one veggie with one meal every day; to swap one processed snack for a healthy protein, fruit, or veggie; walk every day for 5 minutes; and to floss at least 15 seconds a day. I feel these are doable for me (the food one was hard since I already drink tea and water and no soda - the frappucinos may be hard to quit but I've done it before and I can do it again). I'll set a reminder to post on Fridays (my weigh-in day) and let everyone know how I'm doing - I can just do it in this thread, right? Anyway, best of luck everyone...and me especially! Live Long and Prosper, and May the Force Be With Us All!

"Suiting up" Hiya, guys! Here's my challenge for the next four weeks! I'm really excited to check in and update as and when I can, and to keep up to tabs on other peoples'! I'm a workaholic and often let my dedication to my job override basic things like eating, sleeping and more. My main goals this month are going to be to navigate my new promotion (yay! Lets nerf this ♡✧ Mission 1: "Check me out, securing the point!" Navigate the first four weeks of my promotion at work ♡ Have quiet TLC time at least x3 work-nights a week. This could be as small as reading a book by candlelight or having a long indulgent shower. Will help to keep my brain at full-power and recharged for the next day! Mission 2: Dasi wanbyeokhage jakdonghanda! Turn my new(ish) flat into a home (and a proper place to recharge and call my own!) ✧ Put clothes away straight away. Is it dirty? Wash. Am I wearing it tomorrow? Hang. Is it clean? Fold and put away. Lets retire that 'clothes chair'. Mission 3: "Think you can keep up with me?" Exercise / get out / adventure; our least favoured enemy currently is the stairs. Lets change that.~ ✿ Walks at least four times a week! I'm aiming for long walks, possibly Pokémon Go. (I'll add some more criteria for XP and stuff tonight hopefully!)

Hej team, I'm Bonaventa and I'm respawning with my first challenge ever. To make things more interesting I have an exceptionally crazy work week ahead and a long weekend away at the start of it. I choose to see this start as a good challenge to get out if my own way and jump start this new season of my life. I am a NF member for about 3 years now and have improved a lot since then. Less sugar by a lot, regular exercise is a thing in my life and my mindset has shifted a ton. Last year was a hurricane of events and I have been struggeling to maintain... everything. Weight-wise I maintained my level but in a quite unhealthy way. So this has to stop. Game plan: Up my EAT by going to the gym twice a week instead of once and make two Wednesday yoga classes a month in addition to the weekly Monday class. Up the NEAT by going for a walk every lunch break and play more with cats. Eat a proper dinner. Actually take the time and cook something nice for myself. Limit the sugar intake at work by drinking more. Aim to drink one kettle before lunch and one after (~3litres together). Go to sleep by half past ten the latest during work days. If possible, take make up off and put night cream on. I think that's enough goals to focus on for now. Let's see how this goes next week with all the meetings and expo prep to do before taking days off but I'm positive! #babysteps

Hi everyone! I'm Jka, mum of 2, full time nurse, board game geek and chocoholic. I've steadily been getting bigger and bigger, less and less healthy and I've finally reached a point where I want to do something about it. I'm very easily distracted; I love a new challenge but will jump from project to project without really completing many. Hopefully having a monthly challenge will be just what I need to keep my attention and foster some good habits. Without further ado, my very lofty 6-12 month goals are: Lose 20kg Eat better Tidy house Debt free From those goals, my challenge aims are: 1. Go to gym once per week Doing 15 mins cardio then bodyweight exercises (squats, push-ups). 2. One snack in evenings As opposed to the usual *cough* several snacks over the course of the evening. 3. No takeaways on a weekday December has seen us slip in to bad habits, quite often ending in a takeaway if we couldn't decide what to eat. 4. Update budget every month Having finally made a budget, I now have to stick to it and update it on payday every month. I'm really excited to see how this turns out. I've started small, and in doing so I'm hoping that the boost I get on succeeding will help me into month 2.

Hi Rebels! A few years ago I was doing regular strength training and cooking lots of healthy food. But since then, I prioritized other things. Those things were important, and I don't regret them, but not surprisingly, by setting my health to the side I gained 40 pounds and a bunch of new aches and pains. But not all those who wander are lost. I know what I need to do, I just need to get started doing it. My big overarching goal: develop the healthy habits that will keep me feeling okay long-term despite a mostly sedentary life (I'm a writer and teacher who does a lot of meditation). And I'm thinking on a big scale--I want to form habits over the next 12 months that will keep me healthy for YEARS. I'm 43 now, and I want to develop habits I can maintain and still be practicing daily when I turn 50. A secondary goal is to lose 40 pounds over the next 12-15 months. My starting goals for this first month aren't huge. I have better long-term success when I keep my goals easy. Also, I live in South Korea and we're about to have a big holiday here (Thanksgiving, September 24-26) so my schedule is going to be all over the place. Nutrition quests: ** I'll substitute water or no-cal herbal tea for soda, juice and mix coffee. (In case you don't know Korean instant coffee: Maxim Gold is addictive as CRACK.) ** I'll pay attention to my food and eat mindfully. Whenever I eat, I'll avoid reading, TV and the computer, and focus on the taste of my food. This sounds easy but in practice it's so, so hard to do. And to do it for a whole month? Really, I don't know if I can beat this quest. But dammit, if Frodo could walk to Mordor, I can try to turn off the damn TV for 10 minutes. Workout quests: ** Do something physical every day. In week one, I'm alternating a beginner flexibility routine and a beginner yoga routine. (I've got YouTube videos picked out.) At the end of the week, I'll evaluate: whether I want to start bodyweight training with NF Academy, continue daily flexibility training or whether I can add a daily walk (so far I'm finding it hard to get up 5 minutes early! Can I perhaps manage a lunchtime walk?) Life quest: ** I'll wash the dishes once a day. This one habit always makes a huge difference in whether I eat and drink healthier things. Seriously. The dishes are like a major, major Boss Battle for me. I hate doing the dishes so much, and if I do them everything about the day is better, I make healthier snacks, and I'm not tempted to stop in the convenience store. (Since I live in Korea, I'm only 100 yards from an awesome 24-hour convenience store full of wonderful things. This is a challenge.) I can't wait to work together with the other rebels starting our first month challenges! And here's a link to my character: https://www.nerdfitness.com/character/308643

Hello everyone! I'm a 25 year old girl from a faraway land of Serbia. I hope that I will be able to tell who I am gradually by participating in this community, and with updates to this thread. I have just recently heard of the NF Forums, but I've had NF Academy on my wishlist for years, from when I gained some significant weight for the first time (because of mental health issues, particularly a one stay at the mh hospital where I devoured sweets due to my state). That was 4 years ago, and before that my body was lean and attractive, even though I didn't deliberately made it that way. I was very comfortable in it. Now it's the opposite. After that start, I continued gaining more and more weight, but thankfully, I'm around 15 lbs lighter than a year ago, and my weight stayed the same last few months. I respawned a couple of times in the NFA, but I was too depressed to keep up with stuff from it. I even tried hard planning my first challenge when I first discovered the Forums, but I couldn't complete the process, so I gave up. The classes and corresponding quests are what drawn me into NF the most, and these challenges connect them perfectly! I've spent hours planning this challenge too, and I'm stoked to finish, and to finally be a part of it! Other than that, I'm curious about a lot of different topics, i.e. I have a broad range of interests, and I'm in the process of recommitting to my old hobbies and finding new ones. Actually, I want to finish reading one self-help book/program, and restart an online course in order to gain more clarity on what I want to pour my energy into, so I can live my best life. The one thing I have been most consistent is learning languages on my own, but I still know only English and basic French. I also used to play a lot of different video games as soon as my father could teach me to use the computer, but now I'm mostly, from time to time, playing The Sims games. Now, onto the challenge details: My current Main Quest is the following: Learn to manage my mental health, take care of my psychological issues/mind, and lose around 32 kg/ 70 lbs. (not during the challenge, but that's what I'm striving for in the long run), and the supporting quests are: Start journaling every day. Pick one of the 3 techniques, and do it before bed/in a cafe/when solo/etc. Get the table lamp for reading and journaling before sleep Continue deliberate, everyday (at least) 5 minutes walks Do yoga 3 times a week, and try to do it as early in the day as possible (starting from 10/08) Drink only tea, black coffee and water. Brainstorm the ways to get as soon as possible into the routine of making tea and coffee on a stove

Using the level 1 challenge to reset my life and get myself back on the healthy train. After rubbing right up on the max weight for my last PRT, and waking up one too many times being unsatisfied with what I saw in the mirror, I decided it was finally time to get things back on track. I know I'm late to the party, but I plan on just keeping my challenge going past September 9th and keeping it going all the way out to September 26th. The goals I'm attacking are: Diet (pick two) Eat a vegetable with one meal every day Take one processed snack you have each day and replace it with a healthy protein, fruit, or vegetable Fitness (pick one) Walk every day (5 minutes) - this could even be in the form of standing up at your desk and walking around the office. Level Up Your Life (Pick One) 5 minutes meditation daily Reduce caffeine consumption by 50% I picked two life level up goals because I'm drinking waaay too much caffeine and need to knock that down sooner rather than later. Here goes nothing....

I'm alive. I'm here. Barely moving, but here. I had this great idea to improve my health years ago. I stumbled upon NF and made the investment to join. I started out reading all the material--so much material. (But I am a thorough kind of person. I like to know what is expected of me and the best way to succeed.) I got so lost in all the preparation and reading, I never made it out of the newbie stage in actually completing the challenges for the guild of my choice (that decision, also, took me far too long). Lesson learned: Read, but don't get stuck there. Don't get stuck on the minutia. You know the overall gist (speaking to myself here): eat real food, eliminate the junk, and have fun with the challenges. AND ENJOY THE RESULTS! I fell off the wagon so hard I actually went through the Earth's crust and just lived in the mantle for a bit, until now! So, here I am! Ready to start out with a 4 week challenge in the starter zone. My overarching goal is to be an accurate depiction of someone in the Assassin guild. First, I need to concur my challenge quests: Be that fit girl in size 9 jeans and a medium shirt, turning heads. Lose fat % (BMI) Gain muscle - beast up Gain energy Reduce inflammation (did I mention I have arthritis? ) I have those goals broken down into smaller goals on my worksheet, but basically it boils down to: Exercise a minimum of 30 minutes/day Options: Elliptical, walks, hiking, weight training, body weight training, following NF challenge Stretch 1-2 x per day (to improve mobility) Eat healthy (real food) Don't buy junk! Reduce/eliminate carbs (breads, pasta, sweets) Meal prep on Sundays for the week Drink ~124 oz water/day That's 3-4 refills of my 32 oz water bottle Alarms set for 7am, 10am, 1pm, and 4pm to refill So, that's it! It's that easy. Just have to stick to it! Hoping to turn my hobbling walk into a smooth confident stride--turning heads, breaking hearts, and--most importantly--feeling good about myself. I'm 35 now and a single mom to 3 older kids (8, 11, 13). I work full time to provide for my family with an hour to hour and a half commute each way (followed by sitting at a desk for 8-9 hours). I am excited about refocusing on my health (and how that translates to more time with my kiddos). I was able to complete my degree with this same schedule, so I know that the time is there somewhere. You just have to want it!

I've been with NF for over a yr now and finally after implementing and trying I found my groove and what 100% works for me (after a lot of trial and error). That's when I decided it was finally time to try out a 4 weeks challenge to add to my motivation level and have even more accountability. Main goal, lose 5 lbs or at least continue to see signs of toning and shrinkage in my body appearance in this 4 weeks Make it a consistent goal to utilize mymacro+ to keep track of my macros plans each day (aka sticking to my macro diet that is working for me) Do yoga every day (this has really helped with keeping my lower back stretched out and pain free) Rotate between body weight workout and interval training w/basketball (or quick HIIT training on really cold days) - 4 day workout plan with 2 rest days Make it a natural thing to weigh myself on Mondays Spend more time as a family Stick to a schedule of a morning routine at 4:20-5am and working between 5-9am on work days. Make it a point to stop working at 9am Finally get through all REI training to start being able to do REI wholesaling with my business partner Finish REI websites Finish watching the REI marketing training Finish watching the BNB training

Good morning fellow Beginners, Rebooters and bewildered individuals. I am ValkyrieRising and have decided to dip my toe into the water and drink the Kool-Aid of Nerd Fitness. A little about me. I'm a history Nerd who had been working on being accepted to do her PhD overseas in Denmark when I got a rather unpleasant medical diagnosis. (No prizes for guessing my area of interest given my Nickname/BattleTag/Secret Identity/Hero Name etc) Im a 30 something years old and struggling with my health after that medical diagnosis and just the fact I'm not as young and sprightly as I used to be. I finally have the all clear from my doctor to begin the long road back to good health and good eating that was me 3-4 years ago before my diagnosis. Currently my focus is just on eating healthy again as during my fight with my body and the treatment I devolved into eating comfort foods when I was well enough to eat. I indulged in anything I wanted, telling myself I deserved it because I was going through tests/chemo/hospital stays/transfusion/whatever excuse I felt like using. So for my first challenge this is going to be my focus. Main Quest: To eat healthier and get my eating habits under better control by not gorging on whatever I feel like and sticking to a measurable goal of between 1650-1900 calories each day based on my activity. Smart Goals: 1. I will weigh and measure my food until I can re-orientate my brain as to what a proper serving size is. (A whole pan of brownies is not one serving.) 2. I will track my consumption and calories through an online Food Tracker. (I'm using My Fitness Pal since it seems easy enough.) 3. I will cut my sweet tea consumption out and focus on drinking water each day instead. I accept that this will be a struggle and I may slip but a small slip is no reason not to press forward in this challenge. 4. I will meal prep my food during the beginning of the week in order to ensure I do not eat mindlessly. I recognize this as a big pitfall of mine, sitting at home and being bored so grazing through the fridge for food. If I prep my snacks and food ahead of time I hope to graze on that and not overeat during the week. With all of this I am allowing myself 2 instances where I will divert from these plans. The first is on December 14th and the premiere of the next Star Wars movie. I've had tickets since October and intend to go and enjoy this occasion without worrying about myself and what I'm indulging in.The second is a Christmas party my friend throws that I am finally healthy enough to attend after missing it the last couple years. This is part of being mindful and accepting that constantly saying no to the things I enjoy will lead to me failing and binging. In my reading, here and other sources, I really grew to like the idea of the 80/20 approach. As long as I am doing well the larger majority of the time and don't let myself slip and keep on track then those small indulgences have less of an impact and value. I look forward to reading along and travelling with you all through this journey and hope to grow not only in my health, mind and body, but also in my challenges as I see how creative and all in many of you go. Its awing and inspiring! I leave you with the following words to consider in life.

Hey, I'm Jigme (jik-mei)! I'm a zen archer. Pretty much every Sunday for the last four years, I've put on a funny-looking skirt and shot an extra large, unbalanced bow in the general direction of a target. I would like to keep doing that until I'm about 120; then, I'll probably take it easy and go every other Sunday. Nah, just kidding. I'm probably going to do that more often. Now, it would make sense for an archer looking to improve to work on back and shoulder muscles, but that's not what I'm going with this time around. The thing is, I've been dealing with this pesky little chronic illness for the last three or four years, which causes fatigue, weakness, and general aches and pains. It sucks trying to practice when you don't have the energy to leave the house. Thankfully, I recently started a new medication that works a lot better than my old one, and have been able to do some cardio. I'm halfway through the 8-week Zombie Run's Couch to 5K program, and it's been doing wonders for my mood and energy levels. I've even been able to bike four miles to the office. So, for this challenge, it would be great to: 1. Run 3x/week 2. Bike to work 3x/week 3. Go to yoga 2x/week Running in a 5K race in November would be pretty cool. Running it in less than 30 mins would be even cooler. I've been on track so far.

well, here goes. It's my first time and one my big anxieties is "am I doing this right" My goals are: Do bodyweight exercises 3x week Walk to work at least three times a week (3 miles one way) Drink a beer or glass of wine a night, rather than two or three Keep the kitchen clean. I do like my beer and wine and my husband and I make wine, mead and beer. We're also looking into getting the kitchen remodeled and I want to practice keeping it nice. I haven't quite figured out how one chooses a class, so I'm here as a rebel for the foreseeable future.

Greetings all! New here on the boards but I've been familiar with Nerd Fitness for quite a while. I'm 31 years old, a brand new father, work as an urban planner, and recently woke up to realize I've gained 30 pounds over my normal weight over the last 2 years. Remarkable how slow and steady it was to make it all seem normal. But suddenly my clothes don't fit and I can't run a mile anymore without some serious exhaustion. So here I am at 202 pounds, with some not great attitudes toward food (lots of bingeing and overeating), and some frustrating body image issues after a life of being used to being 170 pounds. This challenge is going to be very conservative . I need to get a handle on portions, get an idea about what I am actually eating every day and what kind of exercise is right for me at this time, and be kinder to myself after a few months of beating myself up over this weight gain. Without further babbling, here goes: Long term quest: Get back down to my fighting weight (170), get stronger and leaner, and develop a healthier and more enjoyable relationship with food. Secondary quest: Pass my AICP (basically the Bar Exam for Urban Planners), and develop my piano repertoire. Fitness Exercise: Three bodyweight circuits per week. Daily 2 mile walks on off days. Food: Overall goal is to get a hold on bad habits and develop a healthier relationship with food. One mindful no distractions meal daily. Write down everything I eat for the duration of the challenge. AICP Study: Daily exam study of at least 45 minutes. Long intensive three hour sessions on Saturday and Sunday. Piano Daily practice of at least 20 minutes a day focused on one piece. No moving on to a new piece until the current piece is complete. And that's all. Short and sweet. I hope to use this page as my daily log and post here regularly. Look forward to following along with others. Cheers all!

aka 'My First Ever Challenge' Hi! My name is Wepeel. This is me: I'm the bespectacled gentleman, not the baby girl - in case that wasn't clear. I'm just an average dude with next to no fitness ability trying to become Jason Bourne. I got married three and a half years ago and was, on my wedding day, at my lowest weight/peak-iest level of fitness since the advent of adulting. I've since put on 15 pounds (#marriage) and have slipped into complacency on the fitness front. It's time to get back on track. Often the thought of looking good at the beach or proving to one's ex that one is totally better off without them is inspiration enough to get one's ass to the gym. Not I! says the wepeel. I'm leik sooo totes an ENTP you guys; what gets me amped up is seeing/listening to/experiencing something awesome and then wanting to go and do likewise. So some of the things that get me cranked up enough to go embarrass myself in the gym/the park are watching the Bourne films (love them so much), wanting to be Luke Skywalker (or Rey, I have no shame), and watching my Dodgers play historically amazing baseball. But especially watching Bourne. Hence the title of my challenge: I'm going to Bourne the shit out myself. This is, of course, incredibly nerdy. But then, Nerd Fitness, right? My mate @Laghail has reminded me that it's easy to take for granted that a central concept of artistic expression is to inspire, or in-spirit, the work, and thereby the interpreter. Stated differently, Bourne is hella inspiring. I mean look at this guy: Over the long term, I want to get lean, get strong, reduce my body fat percentage, and increase the endurance, diversity and functionality of my workouts. This won't be fully accomplished over the course one challenge or even ten, but Challenge Numero Uno marks the first step towards the goal of Bourning myself awesome. So I've actually been pretty good over the past several weeks. Since 7th July I've been mostly sticking to my goal of 1,870 calories/day (logged in myfitnesspal) and have been exercising regularly (Couch To 5K, Freeletics Bodyweight workouts and full body workouts in the gym). I'm down eight pounds (though I currently have family in town and that is sabotaging my diet and exercise efforts, but only for a few more days). But I want to be more regimented and intentional about sticking to and expanding on my current efforts/successes. Soooooo here are my goals for the duration of this challenge: Fitness C25K 3x/week. I'm currently on Week 6, so I'm on pace to complete the programme by the end of this challenge, providing I don't miss a run. Freeletics Bodyweight workout 2x/week. I'd like to potentially move this up to 3x/week for the next challenge, but let's see how I get on first. Dumbbell Stopgap programme 1-2x/week. The idea is to get my feet wet with free-weight strength training, boost my confidence, and then possibly/hopefully move onto beginners barbell training for the next challenge or thereabouts... Diet & Nutrition Stick to my goal of 1,870 calories/day.* Log food dutifully into myfitnesspal. Reduce my daily sweets consumption.** Levelling Up Get to bed by 22:30 every weeknight; I'm aiming for a minimum seven hours of sleep each night. Find time to read everyday, even if it's just a page from a book. Spend less time with my smartphone and more quality time with my five month old daughter - she doesn't deserve half a dad and half a 6s. * Unfortunately I am starting this challenge smack in the middle of a weeklong holiday. My family are visiting from the States, and we're all back at my in-laws this weekend because my kiddo's getting christened. This means I will be eating as healthy as I can, when I can, but I'm not going to be trying very hard (ok, at all) to stay within my calorie limits until after the parentals leave on Tuesday. Probably not the discipline of a CIA operative, but we have no evidence that Jason Bourne would handle being a frazzled Londoner and father of an infant any better. We just. don't. know. If this is a problem for you, Also, I have two or three working lunches over the course of this challenge. Unlike having my family in town, I will be trying to order healthy, nutritional options and stay within my daily calorie goals. But you know how it can be. Even Jason Bourne has to adapt to setbacks sometimes. Life, oh lifeee, ohhhh lifeeeeee, oh liiiife. **I like sweets too much. A candid photo taken of me yesterday afternoon: And while I've been doing quite well over the last month cutting back on British sweet treats, eliminating them entirely seems untenable at the moment. So my solution is a few squares of dark chocolate after dinner. Also (for those in the UK), Wilko may or may not be doing their half price pick and mix over the August bank holiday weekend, so I may opt to insert a cheat day in there... I think that's it. A modest first step towards a seriously healthier, fitter me. I'm gonna shred some fat and get jacked, boy. Slowly and awkwardly, like a fit turtle. [How I see my future self] [How everyone else sees my current self when I'm working out in the gym or the park] The name's Bourne. Wepeel Bourne. Let's do this shit.

Well I completely forgot family was coming into town over the weekend so I did not post this on time on Saturday. However I did keep my goals in mind for my first challenge! I even had my most active day yet (according to Samsung fit) on Saturday! Nutrition: Replace a processed snack with a healthy one (fruit, protein, vegetable) - I have gotten rid of a lot of the processed foods in my house so hopefully this will be easier then. Eat one vegetable a day - I hate vegetables but my fiance is a great cook so he makes them okay to eat. Fitness: Walk 15 minutes a day - I love walking, however it's the getting out of the house to just go on a walk that is the hard part. Level Up My Life: Keeping my kitchen sink clean - I have no idea why, but when it gets dirty I get anxiety. So spending a few minutes each day to keep it clean is a good start So here goes my first challenge. Not quiet sure on how I want to grade myself yet so that will be to come.

So, I'm pretty new to Nerd Fitness, as I've only been visiting the site for the past week, and just signed on a few days ago. In fact, I'm new enough that I don't really have an epic quest yet, I've not spent the time to think it over. That said, I'm not terribly new to the world of fitness (I've been regularly working out for the past year) so I figured I might just dive (belly flop?) right in with this upcoming challenge. Vaguely, my over-arching goals are to build strength, be comfortable over distance, and build back some confidence. I know all of that comes with time, so my general sense if impatience is not going to come in handy during my journey to a better me, so I'll try and break things down by tackling 3 fitness and diet goals along side 2 life improvement goals. Diet: 1) Cut soda. Anytime I crave a soda, I'm going to grab tea instead. I know this isn't perfect, but it's progress, and I've been struggling with a soda addiction for too long now. 0 week looks successful in terms of this. Fitness - In addition to maintaining my current programming, I will: 1) Perform pullups 3 days a week (5x5, increase volume as necessary) Honestly, I identified this goal today, so 0 week shows 0 progress 2) Get (un)comfortable with a sandbag by either clean and pressing (3x10) or carrying for a walk 4 days a week. I've sadly not tracked this well this week, but I know it's a few steps better than last week xD Lifestyle: 1) Listen to people when they say kind things about me. No, I don't mean "hear them and say thank you", I mean try to genuinely believe what they're saying. 2) Draft a workout plan that's mine. The reason this will take four weeks, is I'll need to determine what my goals are, how best to achieve them while still having fun, and because I lack the experience, I'd like to get someone to look over the plan and give me feedback. This will likely happen here and over at Darebee where I got my start. Again, this is my first go at this, so please let me know if y'all think it's too much or too little. Looking forward to knocking out my first quest as a Ranger!

First challenge time! Yay! Can you feel the antici...pation? My Overall Goals: Lose at least 16kg to get back to my weight before I landed in the hospital Keep my platelets at a safe level consistently (between 80,000-150,000 per liter of blood) Get a job performing at Universal Studios Japan Look fantastic for upcoming weddings, including my own! An explanation behind these goals, for anyone who didn't see my forum introduction: I have Hashimoto's hypothyroid and polycystic ovaries, diagnosed as a teenager for both, and despite having a healthy diet and lifestyle I have struggled with my weight for most of my life (as in, I did competitive karate 3-5 times per week for 10 years, avoided soda, wasn't a big chocolate person, loved produce and seafood, and yet never got below a BMI of 24 or a size 8). in 2012 I hit my goal of getting back within my healthy weight range and feeling strong and fitjust in time to move to Japan, and I kept myself at that level for almost 2 years when I landed in the hospital with a serious case of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, or dangerously low platelets. A healthy person has around 150,000 platelets per liter of blood and I was down to less than 1,000 and was literally bleeding to death internally. I was bedridden for a month, under strict medical observation for another 9 months, and on a fairly high dose of prednisone during that time as well. By the time I was off of the prednisone and observation, I had gained 9kg and lost almost all of my strength; I couldn't exercise, I could barely stand to be out walking around to run errands like usual much less do yosakoi dance training or intensive exercise like before, and the withdrawal symptoms were so bad I could barely move some days. It took at least another year to get past that, and another year before I had a handle on what diet helped keep my platelets at a safe level and was approved by the doctors to exercise more than just daily activity levels and basic stretching. I'm still not allowed to exercise outside without someone there in case I injure myself and can't stop bleeding, and I get exhausted super easily. So I've gone up 16kg in total since hospitalization. The ITP is chronic and will never go away and it has taken a while to accept that, but now I think I'm finally at a point where I can start living with it instead of being held captive by it, and I want to get on that with a group of like-minded geeky types who support each other with our different challenges on our journeys! So...that's the why behind the goals! This Challenge's Goals Lose some weight, any amount Stick to my platelet boosting diet Prepare songs for Voice Kobe's competitive open mic night Which leads to my challenges... Challenge 1: Attend at least 2 aerials classes per week I usually make 1 class per week but May I have more free time so I'd like to try to increase that! A bit worried because April 29-May 3 I am out of town, which means I only can go once the week of April 23-30, and May 3-7 is Golden Week so I don't know if the classes will be cancelled or not. Challenge 2: Do body-weight strength training at least 3 times per week I never tried strength training outside of what we did in classes as warm-ups, so I'm starting very slow with a beginner body-weight workout, maybe 3 sets of 8-10 reps per exercise for about 20 minutes to start. Challenge 3: Eat at least 1 fruit or vegetable serving with every meal I already do this most meals, but not all, so I just have to push myself to get something in with every meal, not just 3/4 of them! Challenge 4: Practice my new music at least 4 days a week I used to practice a lot but the last 3 years I've only done voice work and sporadic practice while I recovered from being sick, so I need to get back into it.. I'm not really planning on doing week 0 since I spent a few days doing the planning worksheets, but I'm tracking it anyway just to get in the habit. Spreadsheet time! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qsXaDLCN-YDY37wFC1bKEJCbEEqGdmaZqcuk1mRt218/edit?usp=sharing Here's hoping this goes well!

In order to start out on this journey to be a better version of myself I need to challenge myself. My main goal is to be healthier, stronger, faster, more focused and push the limits of what I am made of. With that I mind I am happy to say that I have decided to do a 4 week challenge. My Fitness/Diet Quest Do the fitness program: Couch to 5k (you gotta start somewhere right). Eat at least one vegetable at every meal. Drink a minimum of 4 glasses of water per day. My Level up goal: Making my bed everyday (I know my hardest thing to do as a adult. Maybe it will make me slow down, not rush and improve focus) I will keep this up to date with my progress. Hopefully it will make me accountable.

A litter later than intended thanks to general spaciness, but here we go! Since this is my first challenge, I'm mostly trying to set up good habits rather than dive headfirst into hardcore training. Do Better: Take the stairs going UP at work at least once per workday (4 stories). I'm hoping this will be an "easy" one, since our floor's bathrooms are under renovation for two weeks, so we're forced to walk to other restrooms. Eat Better: Meal plan better, and make work lunches the evening before to avoid eating junk out of laziness/convenience. Limit candy to one piece per day. Feel Better: Use one creative power every day (drawing, singing, sewing, etc). BONUS: Come up with realistic goals for improving the house along with costs. Week One: My Bedroom. Week Two: Kids' Bedrooms. Week Three: Bathroom. Week Four: Outdoor Space. If this goes well, I'll add more to each segment and delve into some of the nitty gritty details with my next challenge!

Today, you are perfect! Today, you are perfect! Today, you are perfect! Today, you are perfect! I repeat to myself as I blankly stare into the long avoided mirror. So here we go: Today, you are perfect! This is my mantra. It isn't so much of a mantra as of yet.. I guess. More of a begrudging. (Depressed much? YES!) So this leads me to stumbling here: NF. (looks around... woah.. haven't contributed to a forum since [pause] 2007.. O.O Plenty of Reddit stalking) Anywho. My QUESTS are as follows: Crossfit for 1 hour on T/Th/Sa Drink 4 (20 oz) glasses of water a day Wake up at 6:45 every weekday Spend 10-20 minutes meditating each day Move 50 dollars per paycheck into my savings (Oh and sorry I am jumping in late.. but I didn't want to wait until March!)

Hello all! I'm Évelyn, and this is my first challenge. I am a bit trepidatious of beginning this challenge as I have had a lot of "beginnings" that have all ended quickly. I am trying to alter this from happening again by going by NF standards and starting with small changes that will lead to big changes! And yes, I have some big, dangerous, and adventurous goals ;). But this challenge, I am starting at the Town of Beginnings. I chose Asuna for my current profile picture. This particular image is concept art from her in the beginning of SAO in the Town of Beginnings (yes, I am an anime nerd, among other nerdiness). The reason I picked this photo is because Asuna had no idea what she was going to go through or how big of a bad ass she would become. I hope that, like her, this is just the beginning of my journey in becoming a competent, strong, and skillful fighter and person. . And without further ado, my quests! 1) I will eat 1400 calories (and no less than 1200 calories) a day and monitor this by using MyFitnessPal. 2) I will cut out all lactose. 3) M/W/F I will do the Angry Birds Workout at 8:30 AM. 4) I will wake up at 8 AM and do a 5 minute meditation and read one wisdom text. Thank you for being a welcoming community to all things nerdy and fitness. I am so thankful to have found y'all! Évelyn

My (perhaps too) ambitious first challenge goals: Pinterest Power Ups (PPU): I love the Pinterest! So many amazing ideas, plans, projects! Alas, my Pinterest intentions have yet to take corporeal form... until now. Goal the first: 3-5 days/week, I plan to workout using a different workout from my Pinterest boards (I have more than ample pins to do this for a number of 4 week challenges). For each workout, 1 XP. Bendy Bonus: Forging Flex. As a long term goal is to increase my overall flexibility, any additional yoga, movement, stretching activities (of Pinterest origins) will also add 1 XP. However, if I fail to meet the 3 per week minimum, I shall take -10 XP damage. Waging War on Wheat (WWoW): As part of my long term goal of adopting a healthier lifestyle (along the lines of a Paleo, Paleovedic, Primal model), goal the second aims to eliminate wheat from my fueling. I will be forgiving of a rare imbibing (perhaps 1 per week), but final XP tally (positive or negative) will be assessed somewhat aggressively. Clearing the Cursed Clutter (CtCC): My final inaugural goal (goal the third) centers on reducing, recycling, reusing. Over the course of this 4 week challenge, I aim to eliminate 100 items that no longer spark joy for me. XP shall be awarded of 20 points for completion (with additional XP for go I ng above and beyond). So ends my first challenge goals.

I'm Artorias, named after the mythical knight Artorias the Abysswalker. The legend of knight Artorias is obscured in darkness for it was darkness and the ever expanding Abyss that led to the great knight end. In the age of Ancients the world was unformed, shrouded by fog, but then there was Fire and with it came disparity. Heat and Cold, Life and Death and of course Light and Dark. And from the Dark four emerged and claimed Lordship through the power of the Flame. Thus began the Age of Fire. The Great Lord Gwen possessed four trusted knight burdened with upholding security in the realm and among those four knights stood steadfast and sturdy the Knight Artorias but as the Fire began to fade the Great Lord Gwen sought to rekindle the Flames thus leaving the realm but not before dividing his power to four kings. With this power the four kings aspired to greatness and in their aspirations unsealed an ever expanding dark Abyss. Knight Artorias, tasked with defending the realm took up arms against the Abyss; for it was Artorias's fate to walk into the Abyss making his last act one of opposition to the expanse. Hi there, bit late to the start of this challenge but I just signed up to NerdFitness a couple of days ago and have just stumbled around to the forums Sunday. This is my first Challenge and I'm really excited to be joining NerdFitness. Goal Number 1 : Into the Gym I haven't been inside a gym in a while. Moved my back weird a few months ago and just stopped going to the gym. But hopping to go to start going to the gym with regularity. It's my goal to make going to the gym a real hobby. Goal Number 2: Rings, Swings, and Other-Things This is a gymnastic oriented goal mainly focusing on rings, bar work, handstands and rope climbing. So twice a week I want to do a body weight workout. One day focusing on doing ring holds and ring pull ups and other shenanigans with rings, and the other day focusing on pull ups, progressions to get lever holds and other stuff on a pull-up bar thing. Goal Number 3: A New Look on Things This goal is for me to get a new look on things by doing a handstand while supported by a wall for one minute twice a day. Seems like a bit much but one minute isn't too long and I can do this once in the morning and once at night. The time is there and I'm sure it'll help get the blood flowing. This leads into a longer term goal of wanting to be able to walk on my hands for at least three minutes with out assistance. Goal Number 4: Open the Portal! This goal is here to help open myself up to new worlds, specifically through learning a new language. I have friends whose first language is not English and have difficulty speaking English; I would like to be able to speak with them in their native tongue as to make them feel more welcome and to better our friendship overall. So the actual action of this goal is to learn five words a day. Goal Number 1: Get into the Gym Goal Number 2: Rings, Swings, and Other-Things M T W R F S S M T W R F S S Week 1 [X] [ ] [X] [ ] [ ] R R - - [X] - [ ] - - Week 2 [X] [ ] [X] [ ] [ ] E E [X] - [ ] - - - - Week 3 [X] [ ] [X] [X] [ ] S S [ ] - [ ] - - - - Week 4 [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] T T [ ] - [ ] - - - - Goal Number 3: A New Look on Things Goal Number 4: Open the Portal M T W R F S S M T W R F S S Week 1 am [X] [X] [X] [X] [ ] [X] [ ] [ ] [X] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] pm [X] [X] [X] [ ] [ ] [X] Week 2 am [X] [ ] [ ] [X] [ ] [X] R [X] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] pm [X] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] E Week 3 am [X] [ ] [X] [X] [X] [X] S [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] pm [X] [ ] [X] [X] [X] [X] T Week 4 am [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] pm [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] , ^ , | | | | | | ___/'' | | | . - , [ : | : ] . - . === _ / \ | ''' ' '''' | / E ] '__| \ / \---||---|'''''''''''''''''| * ' ' '=[:]==| \[T]/ | /;''''''''''''| | /;'''''''''''''' '.____.' [ ] '' / '''''' \ '' [ ] | \ / | | | | | <\ \ \ ) ( / / / >

Let us begin with a disclaimer; I am NOT a Ranger. It would be cruel to try to classify me as such. No, I am a squishy, perpetually exhausted blob that really wants to work towards becoming a ranger. Hence why I am embarking on this journey into the realm of actually getting there. For years I have wished and wished, but always wanted it to just happen. However, this is the real world (unfortunately), and things worth having mostly don't get handed out like sweets (...as an aside, I am now craving sweets, though I know some sneaky healthy-ish recipes...maybe I will share). Anyways, that is not the point of this post. The point is that this is my first four-week challenge, and I am beyond nervous. This is mostly because I have travelled down this path before...to unhealthy results. Luckily I got too lazy to continue before I crossed into dangerous eating disorder territory. But this time, I want it to be different. I want practical fitness rather than weight loss. Honestly, I don't care if my BMI states that I am obese. I'm not. You just need to look at me to see that. I just want to go on adventures and have my body be able to keep up with me. So here goes... Goal #1: Complete a 30-day fitness challenge. I am talking about a workout plan I found via the app 30-Day Challenge (for the record I am doing full body workout Medium Plan #1, if you have this app as well). This gives me structure and a solid regiment...which helps because I am a disorganised mess 90% of the time. Goal #2: Supplement that fitness challenge with venturing outside (to the gym or otherwise). I am socially anxious and tend to avoid leaving my house very often (hence the moniker). So, I shall strive to do some form of exercise away from home every week. Baby steps, Dungeon Master, baby steps. Goal #3: Eat well. I feel better when I eat healthily and with the Earth in mind. And putting in the extra work makes food all the more enjoyable. Goal #4: Get organised. I am a mess, even though I have tons of resources at my fingertips. Start using a day planner, a calendar, anything. Just keep things in order. Journal every day. Wish me luck.

Time to kick off my first NF 4-week challenge. 1) Run 63 km/week. 2) Do 20 pullups in one go. 3) Swimming training at least 7 times/week 4) Hold an L-sit for at least 10 seconds on the rings. Weekly reports incoming every weekend!