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Hello folks, Let me introduce myself. My name is Daniel, I'm 19 years old and I'm from Mexico. I'm glad to be here because I'd really like to add some kind of excercise to my daily life. I spend most of my time in a chair and I have some diseases because of that. So, it's time to move my ass and and I need your help and advices for that. Therefore, my principal question is simple, Which kind of work out should I do? Bearing in mind that I've never done excercise and I don't want to obtain a sculptural body or an extraordinary super-strenght, I only want to be healthy and feel good about myself, and for that reason I think that I won't need to pay and spend 30 hours in a gym. I've been watching some rutines/excercises/fitness videos on YouTube but I don't know how to start. I hope that you can help me with your experience and your point of view. An apology If my text have grammar mistakes, as I said, English isn't my native language. Regards!

As a technomage, Beerzerker himself rarely understood on the planets he visits. His armor appears to be smoother than steel and generates its own light in the conditions. Able to summon illumination, even fire at times, and the ability to boost his strength has granted him legendary status in some worlds. He has battled ruffians before, and they made the mistake of assuming his clear faceplate was a point of weakness. The easy distraction proved their undoing. Beerzerker faces some new challenges. He has heard rumor of the Bandersnatch. An evil creature no one has been able to fully describe to him. Everyone he encounters has given different descriptions. In fact, it doesn't even seem like one creature at all. Maybe the Bandersnatch possesses some of the lost tech the leader of the technomages told him about. There was a mirage pack that disappeared from the mothership eons ago. No one has been able to replicate its abilities, because its maker worked on her own and didn't create plans for her devices. She believed part of creation was experimentation, and you don't get that following a diagram. The mirage pack gives its wearer the ability to create a fully interactive mirage surrounding themselves. 3-dimonsional, solid, and powered by the pack so it doesn't drain your armor. Since it's not fully an illusion, the mirage functions as a bulky set of armor protecting the wearer. It sounds like whoever has this pack has used it while wearing the guise of a rancor, a Balrog, and something Beerzerker doesn't recognize from the tales. But Beerzerker recognizes a weakness. In order to fully use the mirage pack, a warrior must possess strength in three areas: 1. Their work must bring them joy and allow for improvement of those around them. 2. The user must pursue improvement of their own body. 3. They must work to improve their relationships with others. In order to be worthy of facing and conquering this Bandersnatch, Beerzerker commits to the following: 1. Searching for and discovering a new job which allows more personal interaction and makes better use of my skills as a writer and ability to build rapport quickly. 2. Exercise at least 5 days per week. This includes Tae Kwon Do lessons on Monday and Wednesday, and can include mountain biking or other activities. But on the days there is no class, I will practice my forms to work toward the next test. 3. I will support my wife and kids as they pursue their interests, offering encouragement and help as I am able. I will also make an effort to do something special for each of them at least once per week. Recognizing work needs to be done, Beerzerker enters his meditation pose to allow the power cells in his armor to charge from the sunlight and from his own body. This is the thing his encouragers don't understand. While his armor can do amazing things, it must be powered by energy from within or around Beerzerker. The power from the sun allows short bursts of strength, even flight, but anything that lasts must be drawn from within his own body and mind.

Hey there, I'm trying to create a new device for night-time runners. Trying to get a grasp of what runners want! It would help alot if you could do this quick-survey for me! Thank you so much (its a google doc so no virus!) Also if there is anyway to make my survey better please let me know! http://goo.gl/forms/KxhtnlDPFol7skT33

Aaaahhhh battle log. A nice respite from the challenge madness. Welcome to COSTA DEL SOL y'all!!!! A lovely beach zone to chill and relax and recharge and train! (Yaha I made those gifs~) So I've been a little quiet on the forums lately and have been REALLY enjoying the lesser computer time, especially now that spring has surely sprung here and being outdoors takes my first priority. ALSO this month my S/O turns 40 and I am planning a BIG ol' party at a huge log cabin in the mountains - that will also complete a job quest for my ongoing challenge - but the date is getting close and it's about to take a LOT of my time and resources getting ready for everythiinnnggg!!! We are traveling this coming weekend for a soccer match and then will be gone from the 11th to the 15th in the mountains!!! WE ARE GONNA CLIMB A MOUNTAIN AND SEE A WATERFALL AND HIKE AND YAHAHAAAAA I cannot wait!!! Will keep chunking up the miles for [LNC], that's going to be a tough one to complete overall. I've also unlocked the following jobs that I need to craft quests for over the next month: - Bard - Monk - Warrior - Ninja So stuff will still be happening, just at a slower and less intense pace. Happy May all!!!

Hello, I've created a small site that generates a Tabata (intervals for 4 minutes) workout (based on the equipment you've selected), and then allows you to execute it with a synchronized timer (+ videos of the different exercises).Perfect for home workout with limited equipment. Check it out:http://tabatagenerator.net/

Hello, I've created a small site that generates a Tabata (intervals for 4 minutes) workout (based on the equipment you've selected), and then allows you to execute it with a synchronized timer (+ videos of the different exercises).Perfect for home workout with limited equipment. Check it out:http://tabatagenerator.net/

Challenge 17: I am Still Alive MAIN QUEST: Lose Weight Feel Great! To hit my goal range of 125-135 and do it in a healthy way! Goals (diet and fitness related) that will help me achieve Main Quest: I feel like I just haven't made much progress at all the last 16 challenges. I keep losing and gaining the same 10 pounds lately... Not really sure how to fix this, but I just keep trying! Back story: All through high school I struggled to GAIN weight. I weighed 110 pounds all through high school. I am 5'2", so that's a "healthy" weight, but I really was way too thin and didn't have any muscle. Then I started having babies and started gaining weight. My heaviest was 219. I am at 207 now. I have managed over the years to diet myself down to 165 at the lowest, but it was a very unhealthy diet (around 500 calories a day) and I started losing my hair, so I decided I would rather be fat and have hair than to thin with no hair lol I am starting at week zero, because I do NOT want to take a week off. My tracking will be different this challenge. I am trying something new... I am using Zelda hearts this challenge. I thought it might be fun to change it up a little bit. I will be figuring it out as I go along... I will do weekly hearts and then average them out at the end, I guess. I will start at full hearts and change them at the end of each week! 1. #LoseBodyFat - I am changing things up a bit. I want to lose 4% body fat this challenge. I have researched and I THINK it's possible?? lol Current body fat percentage according to my new fancy-schmancy scale = 54.7% A: 50.7% - - 1 CON, 2 STR B: 51.7% - - 1 CON, 1.5 STR C: 52.7% - - 1 CON, 1 STR D: 53.7% - - 0.5 CON, 0.5 STR F: >53.7% - - 0 CON, 0 STR Ability to earn 1 CON, 2 STR = perfect week! On task = lose 1% per week. = lose 0.75% for the week = lose 0.5% for the week = lose 0.25% for the week = lose zero % for the week 2. #FitGirl - Workout 4 days a week. This will include 22 Minute Hard Corps, Girls on the Run and whatever else I want to do!! A: 14-16 workouts - - 2 STA, 2 STR, 1 DEX B: 11-13 workouts - - 1.5 STA, 1.5 STR, 1 DEX C: 8-10 workouts - - 1 STA, 1 STR, 0.5 DEX D: 7-9 workouts - - 0.5 STA, 0.5 STR, 0 DEX F: <7 workouts - - 0 STA, 0 STR, 0 DEX Ability to earn 2 STA, 2 STR, 1 DEX points. = perfect week! 4 workouts! = 3 workouts for the week = 2 workouts for the week = 1 workouts for the week = no workouts for the week 3. #GoPaleo A: 25-27 days - - 3 CON B: 22-24 days - - 2.5 CON C: 19-21 days - - 2 CON D: 16-18 days - - 1 CON F: <16 days - - 0 CON Ability to earn 3 CON points = 6-7 days of paleo for the week = 5-6 days of paleo for the week = 4-5 days of paleo for the week = 3-4 days of paleo for the week = <3 days of paleo for the week PICK YOUR SIDE QUESTS Side Quest 1: #LearnLettering - I have purchased the Intermediate Learn Lettering course, and I need to DO IT! This is one of my options for a career... it's something I think I will LOVE doing, and have loved this for years. I will post my lettering daily for accountability. Grading: A: 25-27 days - - 2 WIS, 2 CHA B: 22-24 days - - 1.5 WIS, 1.5 CHA C: 19-21 days - - 1 WIS, 1 CHA D: 16-18 days - - 0.5 WIS, 0.5 CHA F: <16 days - - 0 WIS, 1 CHA Ability to earn 2 WIS and 2 CHA point. = perfect week! 7 days of lettering practice! = 6 days of lettering practice = 5 days of lettering practice = 4 days of lettering practice = 3 or less days of lettering practice Side Quest 2: #FigureMyLifeOut No scoring on this... I just need to find a summer job and decide on a career path going forward! Tracking: #LoseBodyFat: #FitGirl: #GoPaleo: #LearnLettering: Rewards(these might change... especially if I just end up buying the stuff before I lose the weight. I'm awful lol): Start: 219 Goal 1: -30 lbs: 190 or waist size 35" - IKEA desk chair Goal 2: -40 lbs: 180 or Waist size 34" - 10 shirts from $6 t-shirts dot com Goal 3: waist size 33" - Target gift card Goal 4: -50 lbs: 170 or Waist size 32" - ?? Goal 5: Waist size 31" - ?? Goal 6: -60 lbs: 160 or Waist size 30" - Blackwing Subscription Goal 7: -70 lbs: 150 or Waist size 29" - Anchor tattoo and wrist quotes Goal 8: -80 lbs: 140 or Waist size 28" - Lionheart tattoo Goal 9: -90 lbs: 130 or Waist size 27" - New wardrobe - shopping spree!! STATS: Female/42 Start Weight: 219 (BMI 40.1) Current Weight: 209 Goal Weight: 125-135 Height: 5'2" Jeans size: 14-16 Diet: Paleo I reserve the right to change my challenge week to week if I get bored!! 03/06/2016 (will be redoing these April 1st) Waist: 38" Hips: 42" Chest: 39." Thigh: 26" Calf:16.25" Bicep: 13.25" Stats according to my Yunmai scale as of 4/30/2016 Weight: 209.0 BMI: 38.5 Body Fat: 54.7% Muscle: 30.4% Water: 32.9% Protein: 16% Visceral Fat: 25% Bone: 2.5% BMR: 1558 Fitness Age: 52 - YIKES! lol

Hello! My next set of goals... Fitness Work out 4x/wk – with at least two CrossFit style workouts Meet daily step goal, currently set at 10k 2 iFit routes per week – either running or walking Weekly weigh-ins 30 miles per week – combo of running, elliptical, and bike Nutrition Only 1 non-water drink per day Track food on MFP – even when I know I’ve gone over in macros. Be mindful of portions Complete the 21-day Tame Your Sweet Tooth Challenge on SparkPeople.com Life Unplug 1-2 hours per day Read at least 5 books Blog once a week

Character Name: Arcelas Feristorm Race: Nord (Tall fair humanoid) Class: Ranger Day One: Just woke up from a drunken stupor. The creature lying next to me barely looks human let alone female. Well, that barkeep was right, that drink will knock you on your ass. I sneak out of the motel room, leaving my +8 pants and Dagger of Danging. Gods help me, I mutter as I jump out the window.

Ola amigos! I have been working out all my life, used to do a lot of activities. However, due to some not-wearing-a-seatbelt-incident, I have to start from scratch and start all over in the gym. Yes the gym. So after gym-shopping, I decided to go with a warm and friendly slightly overpriced gym. The machines are clean, the people are friendly, not too many oversized macho guys. However, I have a question which I need help with. How on earth, do you find the motivation to run on the treadmill and do the reps? I have absolutely no joy in what I am doing. So help please? :/

Hi to everyone here! I'm new and I have yet to go around the threads and read up on what is happening. But I feel like I have to introduce myself and not just become a lurker. I've read most of the articles in Steve's site, even followed the Beginner's Workout Guide and have begun to (finally) change my life for the better. I have always been self conscious of my appearance and weight. I'm quite short (5 feet flat) and I have always viewed myself as fat. Looking back at my old photos, I always think that I was skinnier in the past and fatter in the present even though during that time the photo was taken, I already thought of myself as fat. I always tell myself to love who I am and that if a man really loves me, he will accept me fat and all. My past boyfriends were fat and seemed to have no problems with my weight. So I continued on with my destructive habit of eating unhealthy, not working out and constantly justifying that I am beautiful regardless of my weight. But deep down, I felt bad about myself. Although admittedly beautiful, I always see my weight as a hindrance and the fact that it kept increasing ate away at my confidence. I don't like shopping for clothes because I know the ones I want will never fit. I tried every now and then to eat healthier and to workout but I always fell back to old habits. But recently, I told myself I have had enough. I was watching the CW Series Arrow and Flash and I was inspired by the level of fitness the actors had. I told myself that they probably work out and that if they can do it, so can I. And so I began to research on non-conventional gym workouts (the gyms bore me) and I found crossfit. But I was almost injured my first day in crossfit so I did not go back. I tried the free trial of a local F45 gym (functional training) and while I enjoyed the sessions, I found the monthly membership expensive. But that didn't stop me. I looked for the 7-minute workout app (which I've heard from friends) and committed to using it. But it wasn't enough. I will still slacken off. And then I found Nerd Fitness. It was actually cool how I found the blog. I'm a digital marketer and as I was reading one of my email subscriptions, Nerd Fitness was mentioned as an example of a blog who uses cool graphics in its post. So I went ahead and checked out the blog, not knowing that it will be a life changing visit. I read the testimony of Staci and I was so inspired. That's the kind of body I want. That's the kind of confidence I want. I want to be as healthy and good looking as she is. And so I began my transformation. It's now close to two weeks that I've switched to Paleo and I did the workouts as Steve suggested (body weight and interval training). My sister swears that she can see my stomach getting smaller. I like to believe so too. But I have committed to this until at the very least December 2016 to achieve my desired body and desired weight. By that time, I know working out and eating healthy would have been the staple in my life. It's been a challenging few days - 11 days in fact, of consistently eating healthy (Paleo diet) and working out. While I find the adjustment exhausting sometimes (Paleo is tasking - planning meals, cooking, etc.) I have a sense of pride that I am able to accomplish so much. I went to this community to draw inspiration from thousands more of individuals who are going through the same journey as mine. While I cannot read all your stories, and I am not sure you can all read mine, it is comforting to know that so many people are making that switch to living healthy. It's not easy since we are surrounded with temptations all the time but I know that it is doable. I look forward to participating more in the other threads and learning a lot from everyone hear. Cheers to Fitness! -Acielle "Ace" G.

Hello everyone, I was referred to this site by a friend who is currently reading the book. I previously listened to the Nerdist Way by Chris Hardwick which certainly touches on some of the items that are discussed more in depth here. I signed up for the mailing list and a few days into things. So a bit about me I guess. I am a 35 year old male, I work in the IT Profession (shocker), and went thru Weight Loss Surgery (WLS), specifically Gastric Sleeve. I was close to 500lbs at my highest, and I am currently around 290ish. I leveled out my weight loss for almost a year by not really watching what I was eating, and I decided to get back on top of things with weight watchers which certainly helped, and does help as long as I keep plugging stuff into that app. When I am not tracking food, I know I tend to make poor choices.. So why am I wanting to change, it's for reasons that are simultaneously internal, and also externally driven. In the bedroom I prefer things of a very alternative variety, and in that context I am very much an alpha male. With some of my partners, I am able to maintain the necessary level of energy, to maintain that alpha male stature. With a particular partner, I cannot maintain that. Mind you there is a 9 year age difference between us, with me being 35, and her being 26. I desire to be able to keep up with her as well as my other partners. Please note, I don't cheat on people, my non-monogamy is above board, and I play safe. On the website sealfit.com, there is an explanation on what being sealfit means, I am excerpting it below... The SEALFIT athlete demonstrates the following traits, distinct from the sport athlete: ** Must work at near peak output for very long periods of time, with unknown periods of rest. ** Must be prepared for the known AND equally prepared for the unknown. Does not always have access to a gym and the “proper” training tools Is not competing to win, but to survive and accomplish a mission that can have life, death or strategic consequences well beyond their own pay-grade. Must be strong, but not so concerned with maximal strength. Needs Strength Stamina to move heavy stuff far and long. Must have exceptional endurance and be able to go long, under load ** Must have an intense capacity for work in short, medium and long time domains** ** Must be durable, have powerful core strength, not be prone to injury, and knowledgeable about how to sustain the body at a high level of readiness over the long haul.** Must be mentally tough and trains to be so Usually works as part of a unit or team, and works out with that team The items of concern, I emphasised with asterisk marks. These are the things that I currently cannot perform, and these are the things that ironically enough, sound like a "fun night" for this partner in question. I desire this for myself, as well as for her, and I am sure there is more psychologically connected to this. I imagine myself wanting to be at the fitness level of a spartan warrior. The strength to engage any individual opponent and one, the endurance to engage enemies over and over and over, and the flexibility to adapt to the ever adjusting landscape of the field of battle. I am looking for functional core strength and flexibility, I desire to be able to walk into a room and my body language speaks for me. I desire to be able to engage in all sorts of activities and not worry about my body giving our or failing before the event is done. I am looking forward to find the necessary guidance and wisdom to work toward my goals. It may be months/years away who knows, but it won't ever happen, if I don't start.

OK so here I go, I'm going to use this as my log book, adventure journal, quest log and anything else that I can ram in here. I have always wanted to write a blog and get my opinions out there instead of being the quiet introvert, who has a difficult time voicing my thoughts and if no one reads this then no matter at least I'm doing it rather then continually putting it off. If you do read this then thank you very much, I hope you enjoy what I have to say and if you can offer me any advise then I'm more then happy to listen. Thank you for you time, Fraz

Hi! I am heading off travelling pretty soon to Southeast Asia for around 5 months (unbelievably excited), and was wondering if anyone had any tips for keeping in shape? I will be moving around too much to get any sort of gym membership so likely going to be relying on body weight exercises there. However between the HUGE change in staple diets and an attempt to keep down costs does anyone have any recommendations on how to make sure I'm getting the right stuff while out there? Also if anyone's done anything like this before I'd love to hear about your experiences/advice! Thanks!! D

Hey all! My name is Morgan. I'm a 23 year old Stage manager from Minnesota who has struggled with getting fit the last couple years. I recently bought Steve's book Level Up Your Life and it inspired me to recommit to bettering and leveling up my life. So here we go! Starting Stats: Measurements: STR: 11 INT: 15 Weight: 206lb. Height: 5' 4 3/4" DEX: 14 WIS: 16 Neck: 14" Chest: 36"/43" (under/over breasts) CON: 11 CHA: 15 Waist: 33.5" Hips: 44" (Stats found in quiz Biceps: 14"R/13:L Thighs: 24"R/26"L seen in signature) Calves: 17" L&R Goals: - Complete four weeks of Couch to 5K - 20 XP - Beginner Bodyweight Workout every other day - 20 XP - Rest on Sundays - 5 XP - Meal Prep lunches and dinners on Sunday each week - 25 XP - Start doing deadlifts (working towards 50lbs total at end of challenge) - 15 XP - Establish and enact for 30 days a morning and evening routine - 10 XP - Go on a date with Ben - 5 XP Total XP: 100 (Level Up!) Rewards: - 5 - 15 XP Reward: Rent one movie from Redbox - 20 - 25 XP Reward: Chipotle Meal - Level Up Reward: New workout shoes Alright, I think that's it! I look forward to chatting with you guys and challenging each other! Let me know what you guys think! Cheers, Morgan

Hey everyone, So to preface, I "joined" NF something like 3 years ago, but I don't think I ever did anything with it. In the intervening three years, a whole lot of life happened. I moved, and moved, and moved again. I met someone, we started dating, and then we got engaged last year. We're getting married this November. I've also gained about 90 pounds in the last three years. I'm now at my highest weight pretty much ever. Both my fiancé and I are above the 400 lb mark right now. We are both doing Weight Watchers, which has worked for us in the past, but we've hit a rough patch with a change of jobs and a lot of stress for us this year, with the wedding and family stuff. We recently got together with a friend who is for lack of a better term a fitness coach. They are going to be providing us with a diet that is essentially Paleo, maybe a bit modified, and then a workout plan, but they won't be there with us during the workouts. I am still hoping to maybe find a personal trainer, but right now funds are tight, with saving for the wedding, honeymoon, and my fiancé is also looking for teaching jobs across all of Texas, so we're preparing to potentially move. What motivates me: My fiancé, obviously. We have a lot of big goals. I am trying to start a business, we both want to travel the world and eventually we both want to open a theatre somewhere. We want to have children and to be fit enough to keep up with the kids and also to be a healthy role model for them. I also want to live an active lifestyle, a healthy lifestyle, and I want to live a long time, obviously. What I'm interested in: Fitness-wise, I'm interested in weight loss, strength training, muscle building, yoga & martial arts (both things I want to try but haven't done), swimming, and running. I remember when I used to run as a kid in PE, it was the best feeling ever. Otherwise, I'm interested in theatre, opening and running my own business, and I love animals and the great outdoors. We've both discussed moving to a place with a better emphasis on health, fitness, and the outdoors. We live in Texas, and it's hard to do things outdoors sometimes because of how hot it can be and we both really love the beach, and that's obviously no where near us, living in the DFW area. We've considered Colorado or California as places to eventually look, but right now we're going to be in Texas, and we want to make the best of it. I don't know what I hope to get out of this forum yet, but I'm hoping to find support, some new ideas, and knowledge.

New Challenge I want to do all the things. All the time. But my plate is constantly too full. The plan for March is to make doing-less-but-doing-it-right a thing. This is the last full challenge before I'm here for a full year. I have a lvl 50 25 dream, getting there will require training, training that requires some organisation. Furthermore it encompasses a moderate fluency in at least 2 languages I'm not fluent in yet. Grinding those skills up will have a place too. I'm in the weight room twice a week (if the kids are in daycare or hubby is home), at FKS class twice a week (except late shift week), and at the pool at least once oftentimes twice a week. All of these exercises are fun. It's when I have something come up and I feel a workout at home should happen that the plan is not followed by action. Yoga and walking are not a thing yet either, against multiple challenges to try to implement them. Food was slipping at the end of February. Need to work that over. And while we're at it, I agreed to write a commission for a friend's business. It's obvious I can't post work-in-progress stuff here of things that will be sold as exclusive stuff lateron. But I have a history of being too afraid to write because I know someone is waiting for my words. It's actually my favourite way to block myself. So I said yes, before I could find arguments against it and will have to find a way to be accountable here, without actually giving you any of my writing. Sorry. How is any of this minimalistic? you might ask. That's a good question. I don't know either, but I feel like slowing down is the right next step. We will have a mini, there's stuff that's not going to need 4 weeks of constant effort. Those will be my mini challenge goals. signing up for classes (including all the behind the scenes organisation) will be oneresearch of one fun topic or other will be another. (mead brewing? traveling?)increasing number of lunges and planks every day will be number 3.and 4... I don't know yet.Everything else will be sorted in one of my favourite things: A Spreadsheet. thank you, @Briniel, for the inspiration (yes, I stole heavily from you, but all the formulae are my own doing). Good behaviour on this month's challenge will get me a day in the SPA with a dear friend of mine. Workout, sauna, the whole shebang... (no massage though, that I need to save up more for.) I think it's time for a cut. TL'DR Do less. But do it well. Anyone feel like explaining how to embed this stuff to me? EDIT Picture and music. PS There is a weekend event at a small lifestock zoo not too far from here. Stoneage / Equinox Celebration. We'll be there, the whole family: my mom, the kids, hubby and me. It'll be fun, I'll give you pictures.

Hey all! This is a group for accountability for Critical Role fans! There are a bunch of us on twitter and tumblr who are just starting to explore getting fit and tackling goals, so it's important to have folks who can hold us accountable. Feel free to share links to your 4-week challenge, any blog posts, or anything else you think would be useful! Thanks! Morgan

Hey guys, Just a few weeks ago, I conducted an interview with former gymnast Jake Dalton (another one with Brandon Wynn is in the pipeline) Now, as you're all into bodyweight fitness, this might be interesting for you: During the interview, he stated that he recently has enjoyed working out for aesthetic reasons. This honestly suprised me! Also, he gave me an overview on his diet, which is similar to a bodybuilder's diet: Breakfast: 4 egg whites, strawberries and ½ cup of oatmealSnack: 2 hard boiled egg whites on a small wheat toastLunch: 4-6 oz chicken or ground turkey, brown riceSnack: protein shakeDinner: salmon/chicke/steak, salad and sweet potatoSnack: beef jerky Let me know if you want to know something else Have a good day all. Martin Blättler

Alright, so I've only used kettlebells once and it was in a group workout class (Which I wasn't a fan of because the instructor was more into showing off how fit he was then helping the rest of us struggling to keep up. Modifications for the beginner over here? Anyone?! Insert frustrated growling noises here.) All that irritation aside, I really liked the kettlebell part of the workout. It was just this side of intense where it felt like I was getting an awesome workout without being concerned that I was in danger of suddenly injuring myself. I've looked into purchasing some but their popularity has just exploded the online resources to the point where I have no idea where to start. What brand is the best? Are the adjustable weight ones any good or is it better to just buy a lower weight and then move up from there? Should I buy some DVDs to make sure I'm doing them correctly? If yes, then which ones? Or is better to just learn in an actual kettlebell class? Yeah. Feeling overwhelmed is an understatement. I end up with just seven different options in my Amazon cart and no confidence to actually buy one of them. I was hoping one of you awesome fitness Jedis would have some advice/counsel/insight to share with me?

I thought I would put this topic out there (it likely already exists, but no matter) since I tend to hit this level and struggle to beat it every time. The longer it takes you to recognise you're fighting this epic boss, the more damage it does, and the harder it is to respawn. I know this because I have respawned so.many.times. There is victory in coming back and pressing "start" again, however. And sometimes it doesn't hurt to look up a walkthrough (like the NF forums and articles) to help you out when fighting this evil. So I'm curious to hear from other rebels about how they deal with this situation. It goes something like this: you've committed yourself to healthy eating and a great fitness regime. You've lost/gained weight and are moving closer to your goal, you're proud of your achievements and heading in the right direction. Life is great! Then something happens. Be it a life event, a gradual change, or something else, you lose your momentum and begin to regress. You stop keeping track of what and how much you're eating. The fitness commitment decreases and then stops altogether. All that awesome progress you made starts to dissipate and suddenly you're heading in the complete wrong direction. As I said, time is of the essence in this fight. Sometimes it has taken me mere weeks, other times months to years to realise I'm in the trenches, to put up a defense and stop the damage before I can start heading in the right direction. Have you faced this beast yourself? What was the cause and how did you turn it around? How many times do you think you've respawned?

Hello everyone!! Last challenge I came back from a little break and rocked it the first three weeks. Then I got a cold. A big, bad cold, which tried to throw me off my path with bone-rattling cough-attacks and and make me lose my breath by stuffing my raspiratory system with evil, clingy balls of snot. But, no more!!! I'm recovering, gaining back my strength and will continue on the path I have chosen, no matter what kind of bacteria and viruses nature throws at me. Mwaahahahaha!!! ... sorry... got a bit distracted there. Anyways, the thing is, last challenge went great and I think I will continue doing what I've been doing. I've tweaked my goals just a little bit, but all in all, I'll just keep swimming. Here's what I'm up to: Goals and motivation I want to get fit and healthy and strong. Not necessarily in that order. But I'm on a quest to become a better me and part of that is sorting out my diet, using my body in other ways than sitting in front of the computer and getting my life in order. One of my long(ish)-term goals is to finally be able to do a real push-up (I'm at 4-5 knee push-ups right now), another is to find a (second) job. I also want to fit into some clothes I bought back then. I want to be able to run again without getting knee pain and/or out of breath too easily. I want to have the energy to do the things I love and the money to afford them. So, without further ado, here's my challenge No. 5 Quest 1: healthy dieting habits I've made a habit of drinking enough water/tea and avoiding refined sugar and white flour. I won't track the latter anymore (got that down), but I'll try to improve the drinking even more. Last challenge I added "more veggies" to the list, which I'll continue this time. I have noticed that on some days I eat only musli and sandwiches (whole-grain, but still) so this challenge I'll try to eat at least one "proper" meal everyday. Proper means: I cooked it (not necessarily on the same day) and it is not a simple thing like fruit salad, porridge, a sandwich or something like that. Just a regular meal like my mom would have put on the dinner table. drink at least 2,5l of water or tea every day (+1 bonus point for every extra 2,5l/week, -1 bonus points for every day I drink less)have one "proper" meal each day (+1 bonus point for every extra meal, -1 bonus point for every day I forget)eat more (cups of) vegetables than the week before (+1 bonus point for every 2 extra cups/week, -2 bonus point for each week I fail)eat some sort of veggies with two meals every day (snacking counts as a meal) (+1 bonus point if I eat veggies with every meal, +1 bonus point for each day I forget) Quest 2: get moving, get strong I do enjoy physical activity, just not all kinds. Last challenge I got very far by aiming for 3 sessions of some sort of sports (running, swimming, rowing, badminton, workout, whatever), depending on what I feel like. I will continue playing badminton once a week and will try to get back into running (my knees have been acting up the last time I tried, so I'll take it slow). I will also try to get in bodyweight workouts regularly. I will track my progress in a seperate spreadsheet. Yoga didn't go too well last challenge but I know it's something I enjoy once I get into it, so I'll aim to do some sort of practice every day. And I finally want to reach that "one real, proper push-up" goal, so I'll try myself at knee and/or incline push-ups everyday. I like the idea of doing AMRAP, so I see where that'll lead. I don't know yet if that's too much, so I'll adjust accordingly. do some sort of fitness activity 3 times a week (+1 bonus point for every extra session, -1 bonus for every one I forget)do at least 15 minutes of yoga every day (+1 bonus point for every extra hour, -1 bonus point for every day I forget)do knee/incline push-ups every day and track how many reps I can do (+2 bonus points for each week with consecutive better reps, -1 bonus point every day I forget) Quest 3: getting my life sorted out There's a lot (read: A LOT) of stuff I could put on here, but I'm going to focus on the things I want and need to do the most. Top of the list is getting a job. I currently work 2 days a week and while that pays the bill as long as nothing unforseen happens, it's really not a reliable option for the future. I've finally, after a lot of struggling, started sending out applications last challenge and I'll continue with that in the current one. I will also continue reading up background information for my current job and doing office work for my father's business (whenever there is things to do... I might have to adjust the target there). And since I continue to put some of my money into singing lessons, I will make the most of them by practicing in addition to the weekly lessons. send out 2 applications every week (+2 bonus points for every additional application, -3 bonus points every week I send less)take time for singing 4 times a week (this includes lessons) (+1 bonus point if all of these are at least 40 minutes, -1 bonus point if I do less than 4 times)read for work longer than the week before, measured in minutes (+1 bonus point for every extra hour, -1 bonus point if I do less than last week)do office work for 6 (?) hours every week (no bonus points here, since this depends so much on the workload)kitchen counter zero every night before going to sleep (+1 bonus point if I do this perfectly for a whole week, -0,5 bonus points if I do it first thing the next morning, -1 bonus point for every day I don't do it at all) Okay, now to the thing we all know you've been waiting for: my new and fancy pretty purple spreadsheet!!!! *sparkles* (now with automated progress percentages, automated ratings, automated gradings and automated color coding) Phew!! There's still the whole "making my home comfortable" business, so I have another huge printed spreadsheet on the wall next to my computer with all the household chores. No grading here, I just want to check off when I do something to get a feel for how often I do stuff and eventually figure out how often I should do stuff. I've neglecting this a little bit, so I'll try to get to it daily. As well as my financing spreadsheet where I write down what I spend. I'll also try to follow the 52 weeks home organising challenge as loosely or closely as my timetable allows. Aaaand I'll update a list of one-time things that I want to do during the next 4 weeks. Like my taxes. Or throwing a birthday party. So, there's lots to do, but last challenge showed me that I'm well up for it, if I set my mind to it. Which I have! I'm pumped, I'm on point, I'll rock this, I'll... Have a successfull challenge, everyone

Hi I'm looking for a wingman. I've got 60ish pounds to lose and I want to do it by my birthday at the end of November. Does anyone fancy encouraging / yelling at me as necessary?!

And when they ask you if you are ready for battle what will you say? Is it i carried a table around town last night humming the ninja turtles theme music? No? that's just me then it's not quite as strange as it sounds i had to get a small table back to my house and in line with my new Nerd Fitness anti-fragile strategy i thought i would carry it rather than put it in a taxi. I need to get fit again, the last year has been really difficult at work and I stopped exercising and eating well. I've been a member of nerd fitness for more than 180 days and i didn't make any progress to start with because i didn't have a plan. In the words of Steve i have been a total underpants gnome (book readers, you know what i mean) However i will now be experimenting on my underpants to see how to turn them into fitness (this is a weird metaphor). Basically i will be starting without a plan, plans are my downfall i spend lots of time crafting them and not much time doing them. Currently i'm trying to walk an additional 500 miles this year (tracking with my fitbit) (average last year was 4 miles per day/1460 per year). It's going ok but i'm a bit behind mostly due to the dark and cold it makes me kind of hibernate. i also did my first body weight workout on Saturday, assuming it will get easier as i build more muscles because it was great at the time then dire and hurty. ah well off we go

Hi from Houston. I found an ad for Nerd Fitness in my latest Runner's World. Bought myself a membership as a birthday present. I have a 200 mile a day commute, an 8 year old, and need to get tenure, so I'm a little busy, but I also really want to get back in shape and be able to complete half-marathons much faster than I am going these days (an hour slower than my already slow PR). I tend to be very motivated by nerdy game-type things, so this seemed like a perfect way to structure getting back in shape and pursuing other goals.