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Around middle January I'll be here for nigh on 6 years. For the last year+ I slowly but surely lost almost all my fitness. I've maintained some strength but nothing like before. So here goes... getting back on track to become a Super Woman - Super Wife - Super Mom. I'm an early bird, no matter what I try. I can easily get up at 5am, make coffee, feed the pets, then get back in bed and sleep some more. But I've decided I'll leave that for weekends, so that it is a real treat. At the moment I'm not home schooling our two boys, so I'm "on holiday"... sort of. I am trying to catch up on doing our finances in between taking a break. This is close to the schedule I used to run a bit more than a year ago, before I realised I was heading for a huge fall and needed to take things slower. Get up at 5am on weekday mornings (I naturally wake up that time, winter or summer); Put on the coffee! Exercise! Feed the pets; Start with breakfast for the four of us (hubby, myself and our two boys) at 6am, pack hubby's lunch; Get the house sorted: unpack dishwasher, make our bed (boys do their own), tidy the house, etc. etc. Quickly go on Fb or NF; Start home school day at 8h30. Finish around 13h00-13h30; Lunch break; Either house work, finances, or extra-murals for the boys from 14h00 on wards; There isn't much of the latter; Start dinner prep around 16h00-16h30; Feed the pets; Have dinner around 17h00-18h00; Do whatever needs doing OR play games OR read OR... Go to bed around 21h00. Those highlighted activities ^^^ are what I'm going to focus on, as well as the schedule in general. There are going to be days where I don't exercise in the mornings, because Murphy happens, then I'll try to do it in the afternoon if possible. If I don't get to it... mmm... I'll cut myself some slack. Let's say 3 passes throughout the challenge. EXERCISES: Mondays and Wednesdays: (exercise inside) High knees X elbows 20x Reverse lunges 10x Pushup burpees 10x Band rows 20x Tuesdays: (exercise outside) Jumping jacks 30x Tire pulls 10x (tire weighs 7.5kg pull for ~10-12m) - I jog down our driveway with the tire, put it down, jog back to the end of the rope, pull the tire in; repeat 10x Tire flips 20x (old tractor tire weighs ~15kg?? I actually have no idea anymore, but it isn't very heavy) Squat, put hands under tire, lift up, flip, repeat 20x Russian twist 20x (15kg weight plate) Sit on floor with knees slightly bent, leaning a little backwards; hold weight plate in both hands, twisting from left side to right side of bent knees; repeat 20x to each side Jump rope 30x Thursdays and Fridays: Walk around the neighbourhood for ~ 30min. We have very steep hills. This would be a good start on cardio again. HOUSE WORK/FINANCES/EXTRA-MURALS etc.: Mondays: Vacuum and dust furniture; R's music lessons will start again middle to end of January, then we'll have to drive to neighbouring town if I can't arrange online lessons Tuesdays: Laundry/Washing AND/OR Saturdays (depending on how much there is to wash) Wednesdays: Clean bathrooms and those odd places and things in the kitchen (wiping down machines, bins, other than the regular everyday cleaning) Thursdays: R's fencing lessons start around middle to end of January again. Drive him to neighbouring town. Fridays: Do Finances. This is my weakness. I hate finances. I'm really going to try and do it once a week, and not procrastinate. Also making some changes, and there'll be changes to banks, etc. Saturdays: 1st Sat. of the month: Wipe down all the open shelves and on top of wooden curtain boxes; 2nd Sat. of the month: Wipe all the light switches, electrical plugs, door frames, those kinds of things; 3rd Sat. of the month: Wipe all the inside window sills, ceiling and wall corners that gather dust, etc. We have pets, this accrues frequently; 4th Sat. of the month: After washing the wooden floors, oil/polish them. Wipe down all the skirtings; 5th Sat. of the month: Only in those months that have a 5th Sat. and no consecutive months, so this will happen roughly twice a year - Wash all the windows inside and out.

Disclaimer: This has been a hell of a year!! Plus, keeping it positive here Secondary Disclaimer: Really, I'm going to really respawn this time This is going to be a respawn of Intergalactic (and sometimes inter-dimensional) proportions I have been on a roller coaster of a year and with 40 right around the corner, it's time to really get back on the ball and get myself in shape in all ways. This is something I really need to commit to in a major way. So, without further ado, here comes the challenge!!! This challenge (and for several more to come afterwards) will be themed Star Trek (Next Generation and beyond). Why? Mostly because I've figured out my answer to the whole Star Wars/Star Trek debate and yes, the winner is Star Trek for so many reasons. So, with a definite rewatch of ALL of TNG, DS9 and Voyager (maybe Enterprise but I've seen it recently enough), we are going to start this one with becoming the embodiment of our favorite acting ensign of the 1701-D, Wesley Crusher (plus I just freaking love Wil Wheaton!). He learned much of what he knows and believes in because of the positive role models he had so what I will do is try to embody some of the traits that they have including: Being Stronger like Worf! Worf, even in his earliest days aboard the Enterprise, was very stalwart and strong learning what he could of the ship as a junior officer then to his promotion to Chief of Security. Pushing his boundaries, becoming better than he was before, usually with his calestetics programs on the Holodeck. In that respect, I need to make sure that I am making myself stronger. Less physically frail, less weak in the knees (literally), and able to do more on a day to day basis. So straight up, what I need to do is take just 10-15 minutes daily to do some kind of activity. Initially I'm looking to do things that will focus on the arms and core. Daily, I can do it!! Being Smarter like Data! Data, oh my wonderful mechanical man!! He was smart clearly due to his positronic brain and being an android though new experiences were always some of the best teachers. This plan will focus on getting back into reading and not of the fictional variety. Technical magazines, non-fiction of various subjects (history, technology), that is what I will delve into with this goal. I plan to find a book to read through the entire challenge and magazines as I can but at least one a week. Being Emotional Braver like Troi! Troi has always worn her emotions on her sleeve considering that she feels the emotions of just about anyone and anything out there being a Betazoid. Even in the throws of some of the most terrifying adversaries and entities she has been stronger than the largest Klingon and braver than the most daring Starfleet officer. I have had quite the emotionally baffling year so my goal is to be more aware of my emotions, my feelings, and my effect on others in my life. In a more concrete way, I will show my gratitude on here in the form of a devotion to someone or something that has been transformative for myself, whether it be something that I've done within the year or more recently (needless to say, especially to my friends here, we've got a lot of catching up to do). Three times a week should be sufficient for now. Be in Command (of my life) like Picard! Captain Jean-Luc Picard, what can we say about him and Wesley.... besides an inescapable amount of "Shut up Wesley"s? Outside of some underlying father issues, quite a bit actually. Commanding officer, father figure, teacher, mentor, personification of a proper officer. Quire frankly, what I need to do it take a more firm command over my life in so many aspects along with the fitness. So, my overall goal will be to do this in increments and a different aspect each month. This month I'm going to go right for the financial jugular and start hitting the finances. Now, unless I decide to just copy and paste every single statement and bill I have, this is going to take some work. The plan starts like this: Beginning tomorrow, I will need to be more conscious of my spending habits which will include fast food purchases, entertainment decisions, the whole enchilada. I will provide baselines for all my financial data shortly and then give updates for my (hopefully really good) decisions. At least twice weekly updates will come about. The challenge starts tomorrow... ENGAGE!!!

A friend of mine, who trained in track and field in Germany has introduced me to using a medicine ball. We used it as a warm up for our throwing practices(we are highland games competitors), and since then I have bought my own and no obtained a copy of "Medicine Ball Training" by Zoltan Tenky, an old school track coach. I am aiming on making every third day a medicine ball day to go along with my Simple and Sinister kettlebell training. Minimum daily doses. Does anyone have any experience with medicine ball work? If so, what did you find the most beneficial with it?

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? :/

Who is Archon? I joined NF 2 weeks before the June 2015 6WC started. At that point, I was 1 week into a new workout routine, and 3 weeks into attempting to eat better. There are links to my introduction and my previous challenges in my sig below. Feel free to rummage around there. Summary: I’ve gone from 277 lbs at the end of January 2015 down to 240 now, dropping from around 33% body fat down to 24%. For a long time I was hanging out with the adventurers as my primary goal was weight loss, but I have now transitioned into a more balanced fitness & wellness routine and am looking to get to know the rangers. What does he want? My original goal was to lose 60 lbs from 1/1/15 to 1/1/16, but my ultimate long-term weight loss goal is to get down to 16% body fat (which will be somewhere between 213 & 217 lbs for me.) What is his focus & motivation? For several months now my primary goal has been on weight loss. I am not content yet with where my weight is, but last challenge I started to slowly transition into my long-term goal of getting stronger. I was terrified of lifting weights because I had never done it. I have been doing the Stronglifts program 3 days a week from Nov 1st through December here. My motivation is that I want to get back into the shape I was in in my profile pic and then not stop there. That was taken when I was 17 years old, 12 years ago now. When I was in my "wrestling physique". Back then I used to do 2-3 hours of body weight training a day, for several years. I never had much muscle bulk because I never lifted, but I do miss being lean and I definitely want to get strong & have muscle definition (so I look better nude). Starting Stats: As of 1/4/16, Weight: 239.4 lbs, Body Fat: 25.0% Challenge #5 Goal 1 - Food for fuel - For me, results are more important than short-term pleasures. So no: desserts, candy, or drinking during this challenge. Goal 2 - Sleep for fuel - Minimum of 7.5 hours in bed a night (from time climbing into bed until alarm goes off). Allowing for exceptions on nights when playing evening racquetball keeps me up too late with my evening routine. Goal 3 - 5x5 Stronglifts (maintain habit developed in challenge 4) - Do 12 workouts during the challenge. Goal 4 - Yoga (maintain habit developed in challenge 4) - Do yoga every night. Flexibility is one of my greatest weaknesses. I did Yoga with my last challenge (along with weightlifting, both) for the first time ever and loved it. I feel like I am more mindful of my posture & breathing as a result (including during workouts). I want to continue doing this. In the future I may push myself to "level-up" my yoga, however, for right now I am content with maintaining the habit of doing 10-20 minutes of yoga every night right before bed. Goal 5 - Meditate (new skill) - I have done very minimal amounts of meditating in the past and I want to try out committing to doing it for a challenge. (Doing 30 days in a row was actually 1 item on my epic quest list from several months ago). I am not sure if this is something I will maintain, going forward into 2016, but it is something I want to try out. Goal 6 - Foam Roll (new habit) - Spend 5-10 minutes before bed every night doing Foam Rolling (I just got my foam roller before the holidays). Goal 7 - Handstands (new skill) - There was an old article I found on Nerd Fitness about doing handstands. I am going to dedicated 10 minutes each night towards developing this skill. 1 minute on, 1 minute off, 5 times, every night. I have already done research on the progression. Minis Week 1 - Stamina - Spend 30+ minutes walking each day this week. (Did not do) Week 2 - Strength - Add extra warm-up & cool-down sets before & after each exercise during my weight lifting workouts. (Done. And it will now be a permanent thing going forward. Added somewhere between 20-50% more volume to my total workouts.) Week 3 - Ranger Feat - Meal Prep, cook at least 3 non-breakfast meals this week. (2/3 done as of Friday afternoon, just need to make 1 over the weekend). Week 4 - Agility - Do two yoga videos each day of the week instead of just one.

Improve general fitness, strength and health. When an Amazon realises she needs to get back up, get her ooeeemmmpphhh! back, she heads back to the bush. This is my first challenge as a Ranger... coming from the Assassin group. If I have to tick things in the "Rangers gonna Ranger" list, then there will be a couple done, tried, got the t-shirt, never going to do again... must be my (South-) African heritage. Like braai (BBQ) on a Sunday - it is in the blood. We have two little boys (6yrs and 9yrs respectively) whom I home school, and boy I have to keep up with them! Thus the reason for getting strong, fit and healthy again. I've managed to loose about 10kg weight this last year, and I am stronger than I was before, slacked down the last two challenges, and couldn't quite get my oemf! back. I'm hoping to change that this challenge. My last challenge as an Assassin was spent diy-ing our house: back room prepared, painted, and now a book, sewing, sports equipment storage room; passage prepared, painted and new photos hung on the wall. Helped hubby and gardener build the outside storage room, figured out the best Banting "way of food" for us (finally!). Food and water is good to go, although tracking carbs and water daily does help. Like any normal Jill-of-all-trades, running a small business from home, teaching her kids, looking after the home, keeping track of the household finances, etc. etc. I fail in the sleeping department. Dexterity: This challenge, inspired by various people, That Ranger List, and my long forgotten foray into self defence in high school, I decided to try my hand/feet/body at Aikido. I'm not a "go-to-gym/group" kinda girl, so I'll be using Aikido books of my hubby's, as well as roping him in for hand-to-hand training sessions. We still have to figure out how we'll go about it. He has Tai-Kwon-Do under his belt, and practised Aikido by himself for a while, so I know he has the know-how and experience. Because I basically depend on him, and he also goes to gym in the mornings, we'll have to fit this in around 5am. So if I practise at least 3x a week with him, that's a win for the week [1/2DEX per week x 6 weeks = 3DEX for the challenge]Strength: I'll focus on core strength on Monday afternoons with a simple routine of:Bridges (3x10),Core Wheel (3x10), andDead-lifts (2x10 starting at 7kg).I will fit in some bear walks, and seal position Aikido wrists warmup/strengthening exercises. [1/2STR per week x 6 weeks = 3STR for the challenge]Stamina (and strength): I built (diy/re-purposed jungle gym) a small obstacle course in our back garden for the boys and I. We were using it frequently before Murphy interfered with life. We want to get back on the course. I say we, because the boys have been playing around anyway, but asked me to run it with them again. At some stage I'll have to make it a bit more difficult, but for now it's ok. Do at least once a week, twice is better.Dbl. feet stump-to-stump jump,Knees push up on platform (1x10 - to increase),Inverted bent-knees chin ups (1x10 - to increase),Climb over - crawl under - A-frame (2x - to increase),Balance beam (2x - later put it higher),MovNat vertical swing/hang on stoep (1x10sec - to increase),MovNat step under horizontal bar (1x10 - to increase),MovNat horizontal swing/hang on stoep (1x10sec - to increase)[1/2STA per week x 6 weeks = 3STA for the challenge]Constitution: Sleep... sleep at least 7hrs per night! I sometimes barely manage this because boys and dogs... either or both wake me up in the night for various reasons... Go to bed at 10pm latest, to get up at 5am. 9h30pm would be ideal, because then I have to get up just before 5am, wake up properly, before tackling hubby (figuratively for now ) [1/2CON per week x 6 weeks = 3CON for the challenge]Wisdom (Life): It has to be done, and unfortunately I'm the one who has to do it... Yes, the dreaded finances. Have to get the last four months' finances on the spreadsheet for the bookkeeper/accountant (which is my mil).July, August, September, October. 1/2 Score for each month completed, and an extra score for doing it, because I can! Otherwise I have to revert to eating chocolate to inspire me.[1/2WIS per month completed + 1WIS = 3WIS for the challenge]On a side note: while re-doing the back room I discovered hubby's small crossbow with bolts! I'm going to try and shoot with this thing! I just need to get a couple of cardboard boxes, paint some imaginary target on it (where did I put those boxes with goblins and orcs from the boys' birthday party?) Similar to this one in the picture: So, here I am, ready to jump in and give it a go!

Hi all, I'm Becka and I'm a dragon (mainly because I write a web serial about dragons). My main quest is to lose weight and improve my general fitness. Goals: 1. Continue watching what I eat and achieve my 10% weightloss goal by the end of the quest (I'm already down 5% so this is another 5% loss) 2. Continue to do my ten minutes exercise every day. 3. Add in a modified version of the BBWW every Mon, Wed, Fri. I'm still working on the exact modifications here Life Quest: To write at least 300 words a day. I'll edit this with more detail when it's not bedtime. Becka

Hello! I'm excited to start my first 6 Week Challenge. Main Quest: Lose 20 pounds Goals: Eat paleo at every meal Go for a daily walk strive for 10,000 steps Do the beginner body weight workout daily Side Quest: Diligently follow budget Tools: EMeals - Paleo menu, Fitbit, Financial Peace University, juicer/blender, and Nerd Fitness! Motivation: 3 amazing children, controlling evil auto-immune disease, and creating a version of myself that I can be proud of.

Annabjoyful and the Return to Routine After successfully completing my first NF challenge earlier this spring, I entered a time of kind of crazy life stress. My job took a turn for the worst, and I made the decision to leave, find a new position, and subsequently relocate to be closer to family. I'm happy to report that I have a new job, am happily relocated, and it looks like there will be much less stress in my life and much more manageable work hours. YAY!!! Of course that means it's time to get back into a routine. During my hiatus I have been able to manage...mostly; I haven't gained weight (but I haven't lost any either), but I can tell that my stamina is not quite what it has been, and we're not even going to talk about sleep schedules. My fitness goals are the same: I want to build muscle, lose fat, gain agility, and increase flexibility to be a better, more versatile swing dancer. BUT. The most important thing here is that I need to ease back into things, so this is a challenge that I can complete relatively easily...the challenge will be consistency. If things go well the first few weeks I may add some other objectives for each goal, but for the most part I'm going to just keep it simple. Goal 1) Fitness - Work out 3+ times a week The challenge here is consistency. In the past I did home workouts, but now I'll be using a gym as my primary workout facility. My gym workouts will be a cardio warmup followed by free weights and resistance training to cover the whole body, focusing on certain muscle groups on certain days. My secondary workouts will be Pilates and light free weights at home. I'll be grading this goal weekly, as follows: A=4+ workouts, B=3 workouts, C=2 workouts, D=1 workout, F=0 workouts Goal 2) Diet - DRINK WATER ( 2 24oz bottles of water a day) Nothing fancy, not even going to set specific food or food tracking goal; I just need to drink more water. This is the bane of my existence, and I'm feeling it even more now that I have moved further south. I can't explain why, but drinking adequate amounts of water is so hard. Grading weekly on days when I have drunk two bottles of water: A=6-7 days, B=5 days, C=4 days, D=3 days, F= 2 days or less Goal 3) Sleep - Establish a regular sleep schedule New time zone, new work schedule, new sleep schedule. Goal here will be to be in bed by 10:00 and up by 6:00. I'll be doing the same thing that worked for me during my first challenge, which is no screens after 9:00, no caffeine after 2:00 pm, and one sleep time alarm to wake me up (no snoozing!). Allowances will be made for sleeping in a bit on the weekend and going to bed later on dance nights. Grading weekly based on days when I have met my bed time: A=6-7 days, B=5 days, C=4 days, D=3 days, F= 2 days or less Life Goal - 20 minutes of devotion time every day My life is nothing without my faith in God, and the most important part of my routine will be spending time in prayer and meditation. Grading weekly based on days when I have met my devotion goal: A=6-7 days, B=5 days, C=4 days, D=3 days, F= 2 days or less Thank you for joining me on this commitment - it's great to be back! Honestly, the goal here is to just finish, but hopefully the grading system will help me stay motivated. I'll be keeping a daily log and will keep you all updated with my dance life whenever I have new pics or videos

Hi guys, my name's Sal, I'm an almost 32-year-old gal living in Germany. I've gained 10 kgs thanks to stress eating and not working out over the past 4 years. Unfortunately, I love fast food and am probably addicted to sugar... I'm also on antidepressants which make me crave food (and gain weight) even moren. Well, these are my goals: 1) Take 2 classes/week at my local gym. Take 1-2 extra classes whenever possible. 2) Cut down on sugar/eat less candy and fast food. 3) Walk 5-10 extra minutes with the dog each day. 4) Be a better homemaker. Starting weight: 62 kgs Goal weight for this challenge: 60 kgs Ultimate goal weight: 55 kgs Height: 163 cm

My name is Samuel and this Monday will be the start of my first challenge. I have tried to lose weight and keep up a fitness regiment in the past, but it wasn't until I stumbled upon this site that I realized what I was doing wrong. Fad diets and doing ridiculous hour long workouts that don't work out (Haha) for my body just wasn't the right thing to be doing. So over the next six weeks I will be combating a combination of my fitness, health, and self-image issues that have been building up. 1) Cut back on processed food each week. I already have cut out about half of what I used to indulge in. Plus have been transitioning to primal since New Years. (Processed junk is my last weakness, breads and legumes were never really my style.) By the end of these six weeks I plan on having processed foods cut out completely. 2) Aim to lose approximately 1 pound a week. By cutting back the processed food and moving more I hope to lose about a pound a week, I already expect to lose a bit more in the beginning than at the end, but as long as I am not gaining a bunch I'm not going to stress if I come in at the end of the week having only lost half a pound or even less. 3) Work out for at least 30 minutes, 4x a Week. Increasing intensity and time as the weeks go on. Whether it's cardio, weights, or random fitness videos I want to be up and moving for at least 30 minutes, four times each week. Increasing by about 10 minutes every week and eventually finding a good balance of cardio and weights that fits with my work schedule. 4) Put away 20% of each paycheque to save up for plans in the new year. I work a student part-time job, so 20% isn't much in 6 weeks. But this challenge I will be extending past the 6 weeks and hope to make into a habit. I shall update this thread at least once a week.