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My first challenge! New to the site but not the gym. Used to be much more fit, better routine. Trying to find my way back there after a rough summer. I love lifting, and it's my main stress relief so I want/need to get back into my routine. The only time I can consistently hit the gym is 5am, which I've been able to routinely do for about 6y until this past summer. Change in schedule and family situation led to less sleep thus less fun. Time to get back at it! Current stats: 6'5" 216lb this morning Goal: Frequency - 4 days per week gym at 5am. Lifts- legs (squats weekly) chest, back weekly. Alternate shoulders and arms unless I can get in a 5th time a week. Strength - get back to 300/400/500 Currently about 275/300/475. So not terrible increase but by the end of challenge want to be at or at least close. Squats have always been weakest so pushing those is a must Sleep - bed by 1030 nightly with the light off. Less phone before bed, pick up the book - you sleep better with a book not the phone before bed. Diet - not going to count macros or calories, but I need more protein. Add meat/cheese snacks instead of carbs. Less night time snacks. I'll update here weekly as to successes, obstacles, and programming. After the challenge I'll look at rest periods and deloading but first 5 weeks will be loading phase. Hope some of you follow along for accountability and to cheer me on. My first challenge so hoping to meet some new supportive people to experience this journey in the gym together!

Grandkai joins the Ranger Campfire I've been a Assassin for most of my NF Rebellion journey and with my current goals i thought it was a nice chance to see how the Rangers are. Let me give a quick introduction to who i am: Dutch guy from the Netherlands and i've been a few years now on the NF Rebellion forums. Did a bunch of challenges, had a break and been back for a few challenges now. I like reading, playing games and 100% them on Xbox. Lets get to the goals: Strength training 2-3x a week Since i started going back to the gym i have a LOT better focus & comitment to staying fit. I'll be doing Stronglifts 3x5 with Dips & Chin-ups added. I have a goal of hitting BW Shoulder press before switching to a new program (current BW is 87kg and my 3x5 right now is 50kg, so long way to go ) Run 1-2 times a week for 3-5 km I used to be a regular runner but after a 10K run last year i stopped, decided after the race to take a week break and after that i didnt run at all. The weather here in the Netherlands is oke right now, decent temperature and a bit cloudy but not so much rain. I have a few nice paths to run near my house so i got enough choices to run. Eat healthier Last challenge i payed more attention to sugars and drinking water. This challenge i want to improve it a bit more. This challenge i'm going to track every meal/drink/snack i consume, Drink 2 liters of water everyday, eat more fruits or consume them as a drink. 100% Gaming hobby In my free time i like to spend a few hours everyday working on getting all the achievements for games i own. With Borderlands 3 coming out in roughly 3 months i'm going to play through the first 3 games (Borderlands 1 & 2 and the Pre-Sequel) and try to 100% them. For the moment without all the included DLC's cause those also add 40-50 hours each and i dont have the time to do all of those aswell. So thats my challenge and i'm curious to see how the Rangers are.

My name is Drew. I’m originally from Charleston, but Florida is where I call home. Husband for 6 years, Father for 2 years, Aspiring Weight-Loser for almost 20 years. I found NerdFitness YEARS ago and loved the blogs. Now more serious about giving it a try. Things I will happily nerd out with you about - - Minimalism - Tech/Apps/Productivity - Occasional games like: Bloons TD5 and TD6 Portal and Portal 2 Fallout4 and 76 Destiny (just 1 so far) DnD (Stage 5 Tempest Cleric Half Elf) My Main Quest this YEAR is to lose 60 lbs. For my health, and my wife and daughter. And for freedom. To do the fun things I want to do. So for this challenge my goal is 10 lbs. My supporting quests right now: Log all my food Go to the gym 3x a week for cardio and some kind of weight lifting Drink (at least) 24 oz of water a day. I have been to the gym once this week and logged all my food. Leveling up my life involved waking up at at least 6 am every day. So far I'm 1 for 2, haha. Let's do this!

Hello There! So, I can proudly say that yesterday was my first workout (much more to come) at a proper gym. I did my routine, learning the proper forms using low weight and testing the machines. The experience was nice and I feel accomplished of doing a full hour of exercises. I started a beginners routine but, after a couple of weeks, I will build my own to cater to my necessities. Thanks for the support guys and, to all of those out there looking for an extra push to do this, I'm 272 pounds coming from 315. If I can make a difference in my life by adding good desitions to my eating habits and making small changes in the way you approach yourself, you can do it too. There's no limit to what you want to be. Mode: Recomp Style: Soresu Source: Power... UN-LI-MITED POWER!

So I just finished my initial noob challenge here on Nerd Fitness and after slowly getting into the flow of it and how things go I'm ready to jump head first into my next challenge. (And pray no rocks suddenly step in front of me as I jump with my head first. Because you know....rocks fall everyone dies.) I've been planning to go Ranger from the start as the Ranger lifestyle and ethos appeals to me the most. And whenever I make characters in my geek and nerd pursuits it's always a Ranger/Hunter. (All my friends I play Destiny with make fun of me for picking Hunter first since everyone there is ranged and shoots stuff. I can't convince them it's the lifestyle of Hunters...that and Cayde-6 as a mentor means I can indulge in my love for Nathan Fillion even after the soul crushing despair of no more Firefly.) I'm rambling I know but it's kind of like weird forum nerves instead of public speaking nerves. Once I start I just can't stop and my fingers keep going...anyways. Here is my plan for the next 6 weeks. Main Quest: To run and complete a Spartan Sprint race in 2016. I picked this as my main quest for many reasons. But it mostly boils down to....I have a PhD in History and love anything to do with History. Halo will always, always, always hold a place in my heart as best video game in the world. And 300 cause despite my inner historian cringing at the inaccuracies riddle throughout the movie it's still a good, mindless, enjoyable action where the underdog kicks the big guys ass and doesnt end happily ever after like a lot of Hollywood crap. My primary goal in all of this is life change to become more healthy and to become the me I used to be. When I was a teenager and in my early twenties I lived in England while working on my BA. I traveled through Europe and did a lot of hiking and exploring. I was in shape from working out, got to explore places I'd always wanted to and see more of life than I thought possible. And then I moved back to the States and this thing called Grad school and working towards my PhD got in the way. I started spending all my time studying, reading and working. (Which means I sat on my ass. Constantly.) My only source of entertainment was video games which just encouraged me to sit on my ass more. Thus the amazingly fit and healthy me said bye bye. That's going to change. I have plans to see more of the world and travel again. I have countries and places to see I've never seen. Mountains and ancient Incan cities to hike to. Wild Canadian bears to wrestle as I camp and to hang with wolves in Alaska. Or maybe that's just a dream Im confusing with reality but it works damn it. So ultimately this Spartan Sprint is training to get back into the me I once was. So thus it is my current Main Quest. I have 3 options I'm considering at the moment. March 5th in Atlanta near me and with a friend. April 9th in Charlotte even closer to me but by myself. And June 11th in Chicago again with a friend but I may be leaving for France the following week so that's kind of iffy. Challenge 1: To make and eat one Paleo/Primal meal every day for the duration of this challenge. As the focus of my challenges is not just to lose the weight I put on getting my Masters and PhD along with other life events but to become healthy this is my first step nutritionally towards that. I cook and make most of my meals already, I'm not much of a convenience food or fast food gal. But making and devouring meatloaf drowned in gravy with mashed potatoes and corn and biscuits and....Ahem. Pardon the drool. I intend to become more mindful of the food I put into my body and to try and eat healthy and be healthy. I suffer from anemia and already am run down a lot from that. Stuffing my face with caloric bombs of death just makes me feel worse. While there's nothing wrong with eating like tis, in moderation, I need to up my game and eat better. For myself and my future. So one meal a day every day for six weeks will be wholesome, healthy and not loaded with sugar and crap. I hope to develop a bank of recipes that grows and allows this to become more than just one meal a day. Grade A= 42 or more Paleo/Primal meals during the challenge. +3 Con Grade B= 36 or less Paleo/Primal meals during the challenge. +2 Con Grade C= 30 or less Paleo/Primal meals during the challenge +1 Con Grade D= 24 or less Paleo/Primal meals during the challenge +0.5 Con Grade F= 18 or less Paleo/Primal meals during the challenge 0 con Challenge 2: I will hike every weekday for a minimum of 2 miles a day Doing the Spartan and working on my health isnt just about running and being fast. I need to build up endurance and strength for the obstacles and to get my body used to more than just moving across pavement or the treadmill if I'm going to succeed. Especially as eventually I plan to be in good enough shape to hike the Andes mountains so this is part of that. I like to use my weekends for other activities and spontaneous events with buddies, and I still intend to play video games with friends because I can't just stop doing what I enjoy, so I think managing a hike every Monday through Friday and allowing my body to rest on weekends is a solid plan. The state park near me has a number of trails and one of them is an in and out trail thats a little over two miles. So I can do it all and come back or do half and come back and I should be good. The more the better but I can build up every week. Grade A= 30 hikes or more of a minimum of two miles. +2 Dex, +2 Con Grade B= 25 hikes or less of a minimum of two miles. +1 Dex, +2 Con Grade C= 20 hikes or less of a minimum of two miles. +1 Dex, +1 Con Grade D= 15 hikes or less of a minimum of two miles. +0 Dex, +1 Con Grade F= 10 hikes or less of a minimum of two miles. + 0 Dex, +0 Con Challenge 3: I will do body weight workouts a minimum of three times a week. I used to lift. I used to be a badass at Crossfit and could squat like I was trying to crab walk under a limbo pole. And then life....I haven't truly touched weights or did Cross Fit in a few years. This needs to change. I love how fit I felt when I lifted and did Cross Fit. I loved how I looked, not ashamed to admit some vanity there, but more than anything I love how strong I felt. Alot has happened in my life to make me feel as though I'm not strong. I want to change that. I WILL change that. But I can just go back to throwing some weights on a bar and dropping low. I'm going to start with bodyweight exercises from the Nerd Fitness web site. I'm hoping that at the end of the challenge I'll be back to where I'm comfortable enough to head down to my local box and sign my big ass right back up into Cross Fit. I'd find a gym where I could lift but I live in college and doctor land. Planet Fitness reigns supreme. Sigh. But this will be a start and will help with the Spartan when it comes to being able to throw my body over walls or around things. Grade A= 18 workouts or more during the next six weeks. +3 Str Grade B= 15 workouts or less during the next six weeks. +2 Str Grade C= 12 workouts or less during the next six weeks. +1 Str Grade D= 9 workouts or less during the next six weeks. +0.5 Str Grade F= 6 workouts or less during the next six weeks. +0 Str Life Challenge: I'm not sure what to put here. For my noob challenge it was to write every week a minimum of three hours. I burned myself out writing my doctoral dissertation. As in I hadn't typed a thing or picked up a pen outside of work. And I had all these ideas in my head so I needed to get them out. But thats a habit I made last challenge. I want to try and expand my horizons. For right now this is blank. I'll think of something over the weekend after some time reflecting and brainstorming. I will add it. Until then this is just my ramblings. Okay so updating this on Saturday night after much thought. I've decided my life/personal challenge for all of this will be to....sleep. Yes, that's right. Sleep. I'm one of those get by on three hours and coffee kind of people. I'm lucky to grab more than a few hours between four and seven am every day. It makes me unpleasant to be around until 10am and makes concentrating after lunch hard. I can't maximize my health and welfare and expect to do well hiking and working out unless I'm well rested. So I resolve that for this challenge I increase the amount I sleep by half an hour every week. This will add 3 hours to my sleep every night by the end of the challenge. While six hours still isn't the best amount for what all I plan to do and do do (never did like sentences like do do and to to etc etc) it's better than the three I manage. So to that end...I will sleep. I will go to bed half an hour earlier every week for six weeks and hopefully be in bed by 1am instead of 4am by the time this is all done. While sleep is it's own reward if I manage this then I plan to give myself a nice treat of a massage at my favorite therapist. I thought of grading this like my other challenges but think this is just an overall goal I'll aim for and not one to grade myself on. If I manage this I will also grant myself a one time +2 to my CON. So there's the life goal this time around. One more healthy habit to build upon. I've seen alot of you with awesome themes. I love seeing all of the different ways Rangers express themselves. I hope to transition into that. Unfortunately I'm a major nerdgeekdork so anytime I try to think of a theme or way to streamline this process for my brain and anyone reading all I get is Yeah. Thats just the way my brain works. Sigh. Until then...it's been great reading through all your posts and challenges and I look forward to watching and seeing the progress all you awesome Rangers make. I can't wait to see all the stuff you guys do.

So... after lurking for a while, it's time to do a challenge. Since this is my first challenge, my main goal is fairly simple. Being about 5'5" in height and a relatively slim person, most people would expect me to be quite fit and agile. Which is something I was... during my teenage years. Not anymore. So, let's get back to being in shape. Quest 1 - strength and flexibility Already having a basic workout plan for beginners like me, I've decided to keep it for this challenge. Doing some yoga/stretching and body weight excercises every morning before school isn't much... but it's better than nothing and a good start. Quest 2 - endurance and stamina What is all strength for if one feels exhausted quickly? Nothing... unless you change that. My bicycle needs to be repaired and winter is coming (okay... not yet, but way too soon), which only leaves one option for someone who doesn't really like walking. I'll try to visit the local swimming pool at least once every week and swim 42 rows - not at once, but during the 2 hour period I'm staying there. Quest 3 - nutrition and relaxation Yes, those two are also a part of getting fit and healthy. My schedule during the week forces me to get up very early... and to make up for that, my intention is to go to bed early as well. My goal is to get at least 6 hours of sleep. Sure... it sounds like getting less sleep than usual for most people. But for me, this is a big change. In order to calm down before going to bed, I'll turn of the computer one hour before sleep time and spend the time reading a book or taking a steaming hot bath. The other part of this quest involves only one thing. Having breakfast. That includes some beverage (preferably tea, diluted juice or or otherwise flavoured water), a source of protein, a good amount fat and few carbs. Milk and grains are okay, but I'm trying to avoid those as much as possible. Anything else? Yes... my little side quest of being a better student. Even as a smart guy, I have to admit that there's no way around learning and things like that sometimes. My goal is to be on time for every course, have everything with me and prepared in advance, never skip a course unless suffering from a contagious illness and getting 10 points or more (of 15) in every exam. Good luck to everyone Regards Platzhalter

Lol so many cool people have already joined the teams!! Woot!! Ok so my name is Brianne. I have signed up for Nerd fitness 2 or 3 times, but always found excuses to get out. NO MORE!!! My Main Quest is to lose 15 pounds. I have a wedding coming up (May 9th)!! I kept pretending like I was going to be fine, but I have decided I want to look WAY good in that dress, and I want to be able to go on more adventures with my future husband To do this, my goals are to 1-work out 4 days a wekk for at least 1 hr. 2- Eat at least 2 real meals a day (no more Cadbury eggs for lunch. Even scrambled, they do not count as real food.) and 3- By the end of these 6 weeks I don't want to be drinking ANY soda. I love rock climbing. It's the only form of exercise I don't cringe at, although that may be because I'm too out of shape to do other things. Lol. I want to join the Assassins after the Recruit challenge, so I'm going to be spending a lot of time at the climbing gym, and doing yoga to limber up. I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to trying new things, but I want to ramp that up. Any ideas of fun (and cheap...) forms of exercise, I'd love to hear them!! I'm super stoked for this challenge Let's kick some butt!!

Off I go again, into the unkown of my own brain wondering if I still have the drive to finish what I start. My overall goal is to drop 60 pounds by next spring. I often start down the road but never finish!!!! My little goals that I will use to measure these will be: -My total carlorie intake will be 2245 cal per day. -I will run four days a week. -Lift weights to increase my bench, squat, and clean by 40 pounds each. I also want to read two paleo books and finish one FAA test. Thanks for the extra boost I needed to start this quest again!!!!

Hello Everyone! This is my first post, to my first challenge. I liked the objectives on the instructions page because they actually work for my situation, so I tweaked them and here they are. I intend to find a way to either post my activity on a log of some sort or just post results every once in a while if you are interested in following. Again, totally new to this so if you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know! Main Quest: Build back muscle and get stronger I. Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night (this means bed around 9 p.m. for me) II. Eat 3 square meals a day of at least 3000 calories III. At least 3 days a week go lift weights and 2 days of more intense cardio. Life Quest: Come up with a budget that actually works for me and stick to it. (Boring goal I know, but highly necessary.) Motivation: The line of work that I am moving towards requires my body to be in top physical shape for survival reasons (and no it's not the military). I need to gain an attitude of caring for and disciplining my body on a regular basis no matter the circumstances.

Main Life Quest: To wear size 34 jeans again and have a body fat percentage of 15 or less. Other Life Quest: 1RM Deadlift over a 100 Wilks I believe hydration is a key to everything. From sleeping better, and having more functional joints, to mental focus and will power. I believe hydration is more important than most people think, even the people who think it's really important. Challenge one: It comes in pints? Drink 8 pints of unadorned water per day. 10 pints = A 8 pints = B 6 pints = C 5 pints = D less than that is a Fail I really couldn't care less what I weight, which is currently 272 lbs, and I would rather be stronger and heavier than skinny and weak. I've been both, so I do speak from experience. However, my current body fat level is unacceptable, so rather than switch out my chap stick with a glue stick, I need to make better dietary choices and practice some portion control. Challenge two: Slay the Carbivore! Focus on protein and greens while limiting carbs and total calories. I will track my calories, carbs, protein and fiber intake. Goal is 1800 to 2200 calories per day, at least 125g of protein and less than 80g carbs. The above is the criteria for an A day. Subract a letter grade for +/- 100 calories Or consuming an extra 10g carbs or missing 10g protein *this goal will probably see some adjustment as I haven't tried to regulate my diet for about 10 years, so I don't know what works well for me. My favorite way to work out has always been the weights, and it's winter here in Minneapolis, so that is what I'm going back to. I'm an office troll that holds down a chair under the fluorescent tubes 8+ hours per day, but I have good upper and lower body workouts that I've been successful with in the past. Challenge three: That looks heavy A=5 workouts per week B=4 workouts per week C=3 workouts per week D=2 workouts per week Less = fail Overall, I would consider it a successful 6 week challenge if I make it through with a B average or better. Right now I'm on the last notch on my biggest belt, so we'll see if 6 weeks can save me from buying a whole bunch of new clothing.

Hello all, I've recently discovered Nerd Fitness and have absolutly fallen in love with the idea. I have always struggled with keeping up my motivation and keeping myself accountable. Always doing well for a week or 2 if im lucky and then losing steam and giving in to temptation. The idea of incorporating RPG elements to my workout and diet is absolutly genius and i cant wait to begin racking up some achievments. It looks like everyone is finishing up with a 6 week challange, but in the meantime i've decided to start getting things in order so i'm ready to start the next challange with a level head. I've given myself a 1 week deadline to get my appartment in order, including mopping and the whole 9 yards. And then i am going to start making small diet changes: eliminating liquid calories, limiting grain intake, incorporating more home cooked and more natural meals. I've been looking into the Paleo diet and so far it looks promising. You guys have really sold me on the idea. The philosphy really syncs up with the rational part of me, i just worry about all the restrictions. It sound intimidating. And suggestions? When does the next challenge start up? I cant wait!

I’ve been going to a gym with my college roommate for about a month now and have not been seeing the results I wanted. I have been feeling a lot better in terms of energy and feeling overall healthier because of all the researching I’ve been doing but I want to “bulk upâ€. Been a skinny guy all my life and now I need to have that change and get in the best shape of my life for the rest of my life. I want to gain muscle and maybe start lifting heavy eventually into power lifting. Main Quest I want to build up at least ten (10b) pounds of muscle by May. Goals I will eat 3500 calories per day I will work out at least four (4) times a week. I will get eight (8) hours of sleep every night Side Quest Life quest: Studying at least two(2) hours each day Stats Weight 150lbs Dealift: 6RM 135lbs Bench Press: 6RM 135lbs Pull ups: 10 Chin ups: 10 Push ups: 30 Scoring: A: 4 lifts per week B: 3 lifts per week C: 2 lifts per week D: 1 lift per week F: no lifts

Main Quest: To build strength and muscle so that I look good. Missions: Do 3 sets of 8 reps with 15 lb dumbbells. Do 15 pushups in a row. Work out at least 5 days a week for 20 minutes. Life Quest: Be more flexible so I don’t stress and sweat the little stuff; ‘Go with the flow’ Motivation: Be stronger physically to be better mentally

Hello, everyone! I'm new to the NF Rebellion, but have been reading NF articles and blogposts for YEARS. I finally decided to work up the courage and take the plunge and join the rebellion, since I feel as if I've been missing out on so much by being afraid! I'm known as exlibrispdb, but you can all just call me Libris I'm not completely new to working out, but I tend to lean towards a whole mind/body/spirit health and wellness as well wanting maximum agility, flexibility and dexterity. I'm still trying to decide which guild I belong to, but I'm hoping you all can help me out! Some of my goals are: 1. Shave off twenty-five (25) pounds in the next year! 2. Learn how to do more bodyweight exercises 3. Learn how to do lift weights! 4. Create my own workout circuit 5. Work in at least one yoga/pilates/meditative session a week! Any guidance that you rebels can give me is much appreciated; I'm seriously extremely excited and honored to be here!

Fit Intro: As a kid, I sucked at everything sport related and was known at my school for failing almost every time on P.E. The last couple of years I have discovered that I actually do love to push my body, but that I'm not a fan of team sports. I love dancing, yoga and strength training(free weights and body weight). My most recent victory was the 5k race that I ran last month and I hope to get a <30 min time on that soon. Nerd Life Intro: Within a few weeks I will be a Java Developer, programming is computers + puzzles and therefor awesome. I love reading fantasy and scifi and playing RPG's like WoW and Skyrim. Civ V is another favorite (and The Sims, but sssh). My gaming skills are not nearly what I want them to be but I enjoy myself. I also love drawing, painting (both mostly nudes) and spending way too much time on Tumblr. Main quest: Lower my body fat percentage to 18% count: CHA +1 for every 1% dropped Missions: I will complete every workout BodBot gives me Consistency is the most important lesson that I need to learn count: percentage of workouts completed (cardio)STA (strength training)STR (flexibility)DEX I will sleep 8 hours every night This also means going to bed at a reasonable hour! count: good nights of sleep(track with app) CON WIS All my snacks will be healthy/homemade If I want pie, I can bake it too count: 10 - times cheated STA CON Life quest: Get a job and move out count: CHA Motivation: I want to be amazed by what my body is capable of, what I am capable of. I want to proof that I am not lazy and that I can do anything if I put my mind to it. This will be a serious challenge of persistence but I like challenges! Current: weight: 61 kg waist:72 cm hips: 96.5 cm thigh: 51.5 cm biceps: 27.5 cm

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm taking the metaphorical jump down the rabbit hole and into the world of the NF six week challenge. Hurrah! My main quest goal is thus : Become physically fit and get into the habit of making exercise a priority. My overarching multi quest/more vague and abstract goal however is : Become the best version of me possible. I want to be as great as I can be. Someone I can be proud of and confident of. Also something something having abs and sex appeal. Breaking down the main quest goal into three trackable goals in threetwoone Bam 1. The Nerd Fitness Playground workout (which I have modified for my own personal use.) completed 4 out of the 7 days of the week. Preferably in a timely manner with appropriate rest days in between. 2. Stretch Daily. I suck at stretching. In my early intro to fitness days I really passed over stretching as a waste of time and as a result toe touching and such have escaped me. So! I shall stretch and be fantastic daily because being able to sit down and grab the bottom of my heel like one of those freaky-awesome yoga guys would be sick. 3. 30 minutes of a cardio or parkour styled workout 5 days a week. Whether this be jumping over stuff, balancing, climbing trees or just general cardio, this I shall do. I wasn't going originally include the cardio aspect of it since parkour is pretty cardio-y to begin with, but this way if my imagination fails me in devising a ninja workout for my rapidly changing locations I can just go for a run and be done. And there we are! Still with me? I hope so, else my poor heart might just break and I'll blame it on you. Life goals! I'm doing two of them, because I wasn't exactly sure where meditation fit into the fitness aspect of the challenge. 1. Meditate, five days of the week. This can be anything from the guided meditations I have floating around on my Ipad to just some good old mindfulness meditation/ Samatha style meditation. 2. And this is the big outside my comfort zone one. I shall, initiate five conversations a day. This might not sound like that big a deal, bu I'm on the opposite side of the world that I normally reside on and know literally no one. So I will start five conversations a day. And these cannot be what I'm calling necessary conversations. Eg. conversations with waitresses, shopkeepers, "Where do you keep your arthropodic breeding supplies?" etc. And that is it! Hooray! Hopefully ya'll stayed with me through all that. Unfortunately I don't have access to anything to do measurements with or even a scale. I also can't do pictures as I don't even have a mirror I can strip down and show off my body in front of. (Oh the life of a backpacker). This I realize, will make seeing my improvements a little bit more difficult, but oh well, maybe next time. Or maybe a year from now I'll just be mid quadruple flip before pulling an intense series of kong vaults and be like "Oh hey, well I certainly couldn't have done this a year ago." So that's me and that's what I got! Thanks guys, I'm looking forward to this!

Aife shifted her weight from one foot to the other, processing the news. The Amazon council had called for her to appear before them in a month, and she knew exactly what that meant. The coming-of-age trial. Hers had been delayed several times due to her half-blood status, since "elf blood runs slower in the veins". Now she knew that even her mother's status on the council could not delay the inevitable. Smaller in stature and weaker than her peers because of her half-elven genetics, she was nervous. The trials that the other women her age had gone through were perilous. Night hunts in unknown areas of the jungle, significant feats of strength, skirmishes against a nearby population of Cat-people... How would she perservere when others who were bigger and stronger had perished? Pure stubbornness and determination, that's how. She would show them that she could overcome any obstacle they threw in front of her! FIRST QUEST: Prepare for the coming-of-age trial by increasing overall strength with lifting, flexibility with yoga, and tracking food intake. Strength Goal: Follow StrongLifts workout 3x a week until the end of the challenge. Increase weight by 2.5lbs after every successful set of 5x5 Starting Weights: Squats - 45lbs Barbell Rows - 45lbs Bench Press - 40lbs Deadlifts - 45lbs Overhead Press - 45lbs Flexibility Goal: Hatha yoga 2x a week, 90 minute sessions Dietary Goal: Track eating every day, no exceptions. Follow my IIFYM macros as closely as possible. Drink 75+ oz of water daily. TDEE: 2037 cal/day 80% intake: 1663 cal/day Protein - 160g Fats - 71g Carbs - 96g Fiber - 32-40g I started yesterday, with a successful trip to the gym and my first SL workout. I'm feeling excited and pumped to continue. I have a 5-day trip to beautiful Boulder, CO coming up in a week and a half, so I know it will be hard to follow my challenge goals while I'm partying and visiting friends, but I'm not going to let that stop me!

Well, most of it. Took a couple of walk breaks, but I'd say I ran close to 90% of it. I think my time was just over 1:20:00, but since the results site is so slow I don't have my official time yet. Really super proud of myself because I never used to run. If you told me last year that I'd be running a 10k, I probably would have laughed and called you crazy. Now, to keep up my training for the next one in June. Woohoo!

I will begin....... right now! My Main Quest is to lose enough weight and inches that I can fit back into my favorite jeans from two years ago. I will have this accomplished by June 1, 2014. The following three missions will help me reach my goal: · Find a bodyweight routine that I can do at home for at least 20 minutes at least 4x a week, and do it! · Take the stairs for 2 floors 2x a day at work · Drink at least 80 oz. water per day

About me: My name is Stephen. I am a 28 year old male - father of 2 - Married - Working on my Bachelors in Network Administration I live in Pennsylvania I am about 220lbs at 6'1 (This Pic is a few months back when I was training - I put on maybe 8-10lbs since then : / ) I recently stopped working out and I of course regret it I made huge strides - 250lbs to 212lbs - almost doubling my lifting abilities in every area The issue is, I lost my motivation. I was working towards becoming a police officer but due to me being a juvenile diabetic, I realized it would be a liability. I love computers and I know I can be successful in this field, diabetic or not. The issue is, working with computers requires no fitness specifics. I want to do this for me. I am a nerd at heart and I stumbled across this forum and saw it as a sign : ) I am going to Florida in 4 months and I want my goal to be a reality: Main Quest – Build enough muscle and lose enough fat that I am comfortable without a shirt on in public 3 Goals each week Work out at least 3 times a week including 1 dropset Get 8 hours of sleep Cut out junk food – Focus on Protein based meals I hope I can join a team where people who have similar goals want to encourage each other Please message me and I will provide a cell number or email address or w/e so we can become accountability partners or even better accountability teammates : ) Thank you God Bless

Welcome. Level 0 newb here, Handle is "Toomine". Main Quest: Play for a club soccer team. Measurable goals: I. work on fundamentals: (3x/week)*(15 mins/drill). There are 8 excercises that I work on here. 1. juggling 2. shielding (moving the ball in all four directions without changing the orientation of your hips) 3. triangle dribble patterns 4. soft touch (look at a video of messi if you don't know what soft touch is) 5. Shooting (accuracy and form only, not actual goals yet) 6. Passing accuracy (I developed this drill, its like around the world from Basketball but on the soccer pitch) 7. more classical agility drills 8. ball speed drills II. (3 days at interval training +3 days at constant cardio training)/week. the longer term goal is to get to tabata (I think that's what it is called) and get signed up for a professional scouting combine. III. Regularize a bedtime and arise time. My goal is to bed by 10 each evening and be up at 5:30 each morning. (7.5 hours works better than 8 for me). This provides perspective on how quickly life goes by, as well as a consistent framework for the habits I'm building right now. My motivation: The only way to be satisfied, to live with no regrets, is to pursue the dreams in your heart. I live to die with no regrets. Therefore, I work when it is uncomfortable.

Hi all ! I just discovered this web site a day ago and boy does it ring true to me. Here is a little piece of me, of where i am starting from. I am from Quebec, Canada, 31 year old mother of an energetic 3.5 year old boy who bikes on two wheels, while I need to job to keep up With a boyfriend who probably has minus 10% body fat who is quite active and can eat basicly fried foods, chips and pepsi every meal without any effect on his body. I am pretty skinny family, since i am at 105-108 pounds when wet, and this has been the same since forever. But something changed at 30 yearsish, and after pregnancy. I weight the same, even less, but the body fat/muscle ratio changed and i don't like what i see. It doesn't feel right or healthy. And i don't feel sexy at all. So my challenge is probably diffrent than most : i want to gain weight, but pretty weight. Healthy weight. Muscles. ('cause now I only have 2 muscles, the ones to pick my son in my arms) Another important factor, or excuse, is that i fight Cystic Fribroses since birth. Wich is a digestive and lung chronical degenerativ illness. And part of the reason why i havn't gained weight up to now, and why i need some extra pounds for the hard times. My body is fighting infections in my lungs all the time, and it eats up a hole lot of energy. When i get sick, 10 pounds can go as fast a clicking my fingers. I am doing this, because i want to be able to play outside with my kid without losing my breath. Because i want to show miself that i can do this, even if at this moment while i write my lungs have a hard time, and it scares me. To teach me that i don't need to let it stop me from giving it all i've got. Because i don't like the way i started looking and talking at myself. Because i don't want to end up not loving this awsome body/machine i live in. Because i want to show gratefullness to this body of mine who got me to 31 year old, and who gave me my own miracle, a child i was never supposed to live long enough to have. When i was born, they told my parents i probably would make it to begining of adulthood. In your face doctors! But I could do so much more if i started acting healthier. So now, why not make a list of my favorite excuses : - no time : says the girls who plays PS3 for a few hours straight without problems. I do have a lot to do in a day, but it doesn't matter does it ? - too tired : Maybe sleeping 8 hours a day would help, duh. And exercising too migh help. So lets do this : start the day with exercise. there you go, no more excuses ! - no knowledge : not a problem, i just found an awsome community.I can learn. - I currently have a hard time breathing and i fear i am getting worst : so what ? Give it you all anyway, you might be suprised. So, i am sick and tired of my dumb excuses, and i want to make change, and for it to work this time. I am aware this will be a trial and error process, but I will keep eyes on the big picture. 30 years of bad habits aint gonna change in a month, but I can start there. Hopefully your support will help me continue once the motivation drops, as i usually does after a few weeks once my balloon has deflated. So i give you, the Main Quest : I will weight a sexy, awesomly fit and energized 125 pounds between now and 365 days. And the goals to achieve this : 1) I will sleep for 7.5-8 hours every day (with the help of Yoga Nidra) - A : 8h (+ if with yoga nidra) - B 7.5h (+ if with yoga nidra) - C 7h (+ if with yoga nidra) - D 6.5h (+ if with yoga nidra) - E 6h (+ if with yoga nidra) - F 5h (+ if with yoga nidra) 2) I will train 30-40 minutes 3 times a week with Nike+ on Kinect, in the mornings, on monday, wednesday and friday. And continue the thuesday night 1h30h yoga i already do - A : 3 times nike+ and 1 yoga (+ if i walk on my breaks at work) - B : 3 times nike+ no yoga (+ if i walk on my breaks at work) - C : 2 times nike+ and 1 yoga (+ if i walk on my breaks at work) - D : 2 times nike+ and no yoga (+ if i walk on my breaks at work) - E : 1 times nike+ and 1 yoga (+ if i walk on my breaks at work) 3) i will Paleotize my diet gradually, starting by the breakfast - A : big paleo breakfast - B : big regular breakfast (with grains) - C: small paleo breakfast - D : small snack breakfast - E : no breakfast Life quest : (updated 20/11) takes my enzimes and vitamins with every meal - A: perfect - B: missed 1 meal - C: missed 2 - D: missed 3 - E: missed 4 - F: missed 5 For this challenge, i will use Nike+ Kinect i have at home, because it seems to work for me, it's quick, simple but hard enough to get me started, and I doesn't bore me since it changes every day. (then I can move on to what you guys do wich scares the hell out of me). If i ever eat out on lunch time, it will be at the Thai restaurant, eating a sauté meal, wich will last 2 lunches for me. So chears everibody, I will go and get inspired by your threads now, and tomorrow morning is my first Monday of the challenge ! I will post a Before photo and measurments later today 20/11 i updated my objectives to make them more measurable and changed my life quest to something i really need to work on

"There goes King Clumsy" they laughed, "Bow down to him," every time I returned. "I'm going to be a Ranger," I would say, time and time again. "My name will be famous across the world, I'll be a hero of the rebellion" I would say. Then return back to the fortress time and time again. At the first sign of a steep hill or scary monster I'd return home. So I'll stay home, and train for anything the road throws at me. so see me in the courtyard training with sword and bow. See me lifting logs and breaking them for firewood. A winter of these things and I'll be ready when summer comes. Translation: I've tried and given up on challenges a lot of times before. I dont know why, maybe my targets were too high, maybe i set myself too many challenges. I think mostly I was expecting too much too soon. So I'm going to try again and spend winter getting into a good routine and be ready to take full advantage of next years good weather. Main Quest: Pass minimum skills, become a Majestic Striped Unicorn (Roller Derby Referee) Fitness Goals: Skate like a Girl!: Its sometimes awkward being one of the few guys in a roller derby league. I'm in post-fresh/ pre minimum skills limbo. It doesn't mean i can't use the time to practice. When I'm not in a drill and the track is free, get practice in. When I'm in the middle and just dropping out of a practice, use free space to practice minimum skills (I'm about 70% complete on them!) and when reffing, focus and don't be afraid to call penalties. Assesment criteria: Subjective. Eat well: I'm a bit of a greeny and am interested in low environmental impact diets. I'm vegan and try and shop local. Another way of improving this is to eat more whole foods. Nuts, fruit, seeds and so on. Less steps in manufacturing and shipping between me and my noms. Also leans in the direction of paleo (though I'm not going paleo as I'm Vegan and that'd be too limiting for me). Assessment criteria: 1/4 of food from base ingredients Build Strength: I'm unsteady on my feet and have pretty poor muscle tone. I think what would help me in skating is improving my core and lower body strength (particularly for good derby stance, which is a permanent squat) So I've rejoined my local cheap gym and intend to attend 2-3 times a week. I thought this might be a bit much, but I've worked out I don't get a huge workout at derby as I'm often on the sidelines reffing or observing. Assessment: Attend gym 2-3 times a week for 30 mins minimum Life Goal: Make and keep home tidy. I'm slowly making my way up maslow's heirarchy of needs, in a way. And I think making our home a positive place to live in and excercise in. Take time to clean up after myself, do a bit at a time. Assessment Criteria: Subjective Right then. Wish me luck. Skate hard, train harder.

Mademoiselle Elle is my alter ego, she is a renaissance woman who always looks fresh as well. Whenever I start to stray, I think of what she would do and find myself doing those extra few steps, such as putting clothes out the night before to make my mornings go faster. My main quest is to become fit again, I haven't worked out in months. There I admitted it. My three goals for the next six weeks are: 1) Start working out at least three times a week. 2) Drink at least eight bottles of water a day, coffee and caffeinated beverages don't count, decaf and herbal tea does. 3) Start and maintain a activity log in the daily battle log board, accountability. My life quest is to try to find one day a week that I don't feel pressured for school or job hunting, just a break one every six days. I am trying to find balance in my life. My motivation, to prepare myself for the kick ass life I want to have. Lizz, for Adventurers!

Hello Rebels, I’m Susann, I’m 24 years old and this is my very first six week challenge. I stumbled across NerdFitness about a week ago and I think it’s really great so I decided to join the challenge (better late than never). I have never been overweight but I’m not athletic either. I’ve always been “kind of OK†but never really happy with my body. I already lost 5kg /11lb during the summer using MyFitnessPal and eating 1200-1500 kcal on most days (still allowing myself a lot of cheat days). I finally reached my goal weight of 55kg / 120lb (I’m 160cm / 5’3’’? tall) but I want to do more. I will be 25 in a few weeks and I decided that this is the year that I will finally get off the couch and get in shape. Since I already lost 5 kg, my main focus will be on strength training and adjusting my diet (yeah protein!), but if I do it right, weight loss will probably be a byproduct. My diet has always been a semi-Mediterranean diet with lots of veggies, olive oil and pasta but not enough meat or fish. Staying away from junk food or sugar is not going to be a problem but in addition I want to reduce the pasta and bread and eat more meat and seafood. I looked at some of the other threads and I really liked Beeza’s grading system so I made mine similar to hers. Main Quest: Build muscle and flexibility I want to be able to do Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 Week 2 exercise without having sore muscles the next day and I want to do 5 push ups without having my knees on the floor. Missions: Stength: I like the Jillian Michaels ‘ripped in 30’ DVD because it combines body weight exercises with cardio training. I will do the Week 1 exercise and hopefully level up soon to the Week 2 exercise. Grading: 4x / week: A 3x / week: B 2x / week: C 1x / week: D None: F Flexibility: Do 30 minutes of yoga Grading: 2x / week: A 1x / week: C None: F Diet: Avoid grains (especially pasta & bread), “fake food†& sugars, I will allow myself 1 teaspoon of honey per day Grading: Eating clean 5 days / week: A 4 days: B 3 days: D Less than 3 days: F My life quest is going to be: practice the accordion I haven’t really been playing much since I started university so I want to practice 3 times every week. Grading: 3x / week: A 2x / week: B 1x/ week: C None: F Motivation: I want to be stronger, fitter and when the summer comes and I put on my bikini, I want to feel comfortable with my body for the first time. I hope I didn't forget anything