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Mission: Start my journey out of the 200 club once and for all - step out of that comfort zone! My last challenge focused on getting myself somewhat in the mindset of losing weight with minimal failure - discovering myself, my strengths and weaknesses, what I like and dislike, etc. Well, now it's the time to put on my cowgirl boots and get to work. I'm also going to up my grading scale so it'll be a bit more challenging. Quests: #1: Create a routine I'm not saying a daily routine from the time I wake up until I go to bed, but a routine. You know, the routine you have when you shower and brush your teeth and eat lunch and dinner and all of that daily stuff. It isn't scheduled, but it just happens. I'm sure there are some people out there that look at the clock and scream "Oh gosh! It's 10:01pm!! I'm a minute and twenty seconds late in brushing my teeth!!!" But I'll be okay with looking outside, noticing that it's dark, and thinking to myself "Hmm, I need to brush my teeth soon" and go ahead and do so after killing the dragon I'm fighting in Skyrim. So lets throw some of these bad boys into my "daily routine": - brushing teeth - going for a small walk - cleaning the pool/hot tub - going to the gym - fixing up my face - reading - dishes - keeping up with my bedroom, bathroom, and office room - relaxation time! - go back to logging my food, since I've been neglecting that majorly Grading: A - I successfully incorporated at least 7/10 of these into my daily routine! (+2 CON, +3 WIS) C - I incorporated a few of these into my daily routine, but could have done better work. (+1 CON, +1 WIS) F - I didn't do crap. (+0 CON, +0 WIS) Yeah, I don't take good care of myself when it comes to brushing teeth. THAT'LL CHANGE THOUGH!! I'm already a week or so into this "habit" and have been doing good! Onward... #2: STEP INTO THE GYM Sending myself to the gym is like pulling teeth, and that'll only happen if A ) I'm heavily drugged. or B ) I stop letting this damn social anxiety eat me alive and go. I just need to GO. Rianne, you have been building yourself up mentally to the EXTREME to get to this point, and this may be the opportunity for you to finally do this! June 13th (hahaah friday the 13th, a day of a full moon as well) I'll set my foot into the gym, scope around and see where everything is set up, and do some work. As long as I exercise for as long as it took me to get there and back home, I'll be happy. After I take that initial step, I'll begin to incorporate that into my ritual and make it into a habit. I will go for at least 21 days during this challenge. I will be greatly rewarded, much happiness. Grading - A - Yay! I went at least 21 days - actually, I went above and beyond 21 days and am kinda sorta okay with going now! (+2 STR, +2 STA, +1 CHA) B - Yay! I went at least 21 days! (+2 STR, +2 STA) C - Hey, baby steps, right? I went between 5-10 days and am damn proud of it! (+1 STR, +1 STA) D - I still have a lot of work to do. That's okay. I went, I tried to conquer, I somewhat failed, but I still get a shiny point! (+1 STA) F - I didn't go. sadface. (+0 STA) #3: Get sum smarts - more books, more brownie points! I have some of these on my list of books-to-read and books-to-finish: 21st century yoga - culture, politics, & practicewill grayson, will graysonit starts with fooda unified theory of happinessIf I can get through all of these, I'll be a super happy camper, since they're been on my back burner for a while and I keep saying I have no time to read, or do anything else for that matter... Grading: A - I read 4 books! (+5 WIS) B - I read 3 books! (+4 WIS) C - I read 2 books! (+3 WIS) D - I read 1 book! (+2 WIS) F - Yeah... not this time. (+0 WIS)

Hi all, Tim - 33 - UK - 73kg - BMI 23 - Breast Cancer Survivor I had been a habitual gym joiner (9 times in for 13 years). I'd join a gym. I'd meet with the instructor. We'd set a program. I'd go 3 times a week for first week. Then my expectations increased (unrealistically), the excuses started and my interest waned. Eventually I ended up paying for at least 3 months of gym membership without attending. I felt like a failure. A few months later I would pluck up the courage to do it again, convince myself that this time it would be different, and then repeat the same pattern. And then...I found NERD FITNESS! The articles and forums on the site really helped me to analyse why I had failed every time: I was a bad habit builderI had very unrealistic expectationsI did not know what I was doingI did not set targetsI put too much pressure on myselfAll of this was a revelation to me. I honestly thought I was doing right before. Also that the reason I failed was because 'I was not meant to be one of those fit and healthy people'. How ridiculous?! So...this time IT WILL be different! My first step was to make a habit of going to the gym. I did not met with an instructor. I did not set a program. I merely set myself the target of going to the gym 3 times a week. I did not put any pressure on myself to complete anything; simply driving to the gym would be enough, even if I didn't go through the door. It is now 4 weeks down the line and I have reached my first target! I have been the gym and exercised 3 times a week for the last 4 weeks. I have not excused myself once and it now feels about normal to go to the gym. SUCCESS! I now need to level up again... All of my work so far has been cardio based. I find the free weights a bit scary and I am intimidated by the big guys. Because of this, my aim for the next month is for one session a week to involve strength training. I will be planning some exercises with an instructor tomorrow. I will then be doing these once a week and continuing with my cardio in the other two sessions. Here's to NERD FITNESS!

Edit: I have moved to the assassin's guild! As a third-timer, I have an excuse. Follow me here! Hello, friends! Fair warning: long post ahead. My very vague master quest is to survive a semester in Rome, which I hope to take in Fall 2014. I need the strength to haul heavy suitcases through airports and up hotel stairs, the stamina to spend entire days or weekends walking through Europe, the discipline to finish my final paper in history during the semester while making time to explore the world, and the skills/charisma to order meals in multiple languages and meet new people. The main focus of this challenge is discipline and habits. Fitness goals are based around establishing habits of exercise, establishing a habitual bedtime, and not eating food that makes me feel sick. (I may change the latter to keeping a food journal.) My “life goal†is to stick to a study schedule. This is to make sure I develop habits of working ahead, instead of surfing the web until 9PM and realizing I have twenty pages in Italian due the next day. Anyway. Habits are good. Habits are wonderful. Habits means that I have time, energy, and willpower to study Italian, write a book for my Italian prof (in Italian!), study music so I can serenade Stephen random people in Italy, and finally finish a paper without pulling all-nighters. In Italy. Yay, Italy! I continue with the nitty-gritty below: definitions, the grading scale, examining pitfalls and their solutions, and possible rewards/motivations for succeeding in goals. Grading scale (I may edit this to reflect NF "standards" of grading): Workouts: Do 3 NF Beginner Body Weight Workouts every week. A+: All 15 workouts! (Cool beans! I bet you could literally catch a bus by now!) A: 13-14 workouts! B: 11-12 workouts! C: 9-10 workouts! D: 7-8 workouts! F: less than 7! Sleep: Go to sleep between 10:30 and 11:30 every night. A+: Get to bed on schedule every night! (That’s 42 nights!) A: Miss 2 nights. (You were skyping Stephen random people, weren’t you?) B: Miss 4 nights. C: Miss 6 nights. D: Miss 8 nights. F: Miss more than 10 nights. Food: Eat no bad food or keep a food journal (while still eating no bad food). A+: No bad food during the entire challenge! Recorded every meal! A: Only 2 slip-ups! Only missed 2 meals! B: 4 slip-ups. Missed 4 meals. C: 6 slip-ups. Missed 6 meals. D: 8 slip-ups. Missed 8 meals. F: 10 or more slip-ups. Missed 10 or more meals. (I’ll get the stomach pump.) Life: Stick to a study schedule. (I’m still working on the schedule, but it essentially means doing homework before dinner and not fiddling on the internet before work is done.) A+: On schedule every day! A: Only off-schedule 2 days. B: Off-schedule 4 days. C: Off-schedule 6 days. D: Off-schedule 8 days. F: Off-schedule 10 days. (Just hold on! The police are on their way!) Definitions: 1. BWW—the NerdFitness beginner Body Weight Workout, linked here. 2. Bad food—things that make me feel sick. Right now, dairy is the major offender as I am lactose intolerant. I’m also avoiding super-sugary or processed foods (i.e. Cheerios, most cereals, and anything that might be classified as "candy"), rice milk, and most chocolate. (I get that you would add milk to milk chocolate, but why would you also add in milk protein, milk fat, whey, butter, AND lactose?!) Good food is healthy stuff that I can eat—most veggies, some meat, and most fruits. Grains (especially those with gluten) are currently questionable but probably okay. A food journal would help identify possible food allergies. 3. Habits—things or routines to which I become accustomed. Right now, my habits involve “surfing the internet after class†and “devouring the souls of the unborn.†Future habits may involve “studying for two hours after class†and “going to bed at 11.†4. Bedtime—for this challenge, between 10:30 and 11:30. End goal: get to bed around 11 every day to maximize sleep and productivity. 5. Stephen—shhh. 6. Study schedule: still working on this one, and it may become more/less specific as I need it to be. Essentially, I go to the library and study after class, try to do my homework on the day it is assigned, and work a little bit on big projects every day. Potential pitfalls: In the past, anxiety/depression due to major life shifts kept me from finishing. I also seem to recoil from words like “challenges.†Luckily, life moved on and the anxiety has mostly gone with its source. For this challenge, I expect the biggest issue to be my health; I quit yoga last year because I my carpal tunnel (which still plagues my wrists), and I seem to be developing new food allergies. Yay. Solutions: 1. Remember that fitness resolves a lot of health problems, like wrist/back pain. 2. Good form. I can do pushups on my fists because it keeps my wrists straight and happy. 3. Avoid bad food. This week, I’ve already had to cut out rice milk and chocolate. 4. Possibly keep a food journal to identify bad food. 5. Schedules. Schedules. Seriously. Schedules smash excuses. 6. Fitness gives you more energy, which means you can do more stuff. Join me in my quest! I am stoked to join yours.

Hello! This is my first 6 week challenge and there are a few things I'm setting out to accomplish: changing some heavily ingrained habitspassing a course that is very important to me (towards getting my accounting designation)Its important for me to get through each course and exam on my first attempt as any failed result at this point means I get set back a whole year (since the Big Accounting Exam only happens once/year). My challenge right now is that between my course load and work as an articling accounting student, I'm glued to my desk a minimum of 60 to 70 hours a week. When I finish at the end of a day, on many days, what my habit tells me to do is drink a half litre of wine, eat a block of cheese, and crawl into bed while watching animal videos on youtube. So far I've cut back on the drinking in the past 6 months, but I need to do more. I feel happier with my life, the universe, and everything when I'm doing something active so changing some daily habits will go a long way for my sanity. I think by changing some of my habits, although not directly related, I will be in a better mental and emotional space which has a huge positive impact on my performance in my course. Here are my goals for the next 6 weeks (below). "Most days" to me = 5 out of 7. Drinking 3 glasses of water on most days. (I drink water only every few days and a lot of coffee in between) Physical activity on most days for 20-30 minutes, specifically: Run 3 days a week (20-30 min). Yoga on 2 days a week before bed (20-30 min) Flossing my teeth (random small health related goal) Kicking ass on my 5th accounting module (exam on July 5th!! Results the following Friday) I've set myself up with a tentative schedule in Excel for the next 6 weeks (attached)Mina June 3 2013 - 6 week challenge.pdf, so I can print it off and circle the stuff as I achieve it (and I don't have to remember anything off the top of my head). I'll need to revisit it at the beginning of week 3 to revise my study strategy for the exam, after getting my assignments cleared.

BlamedCat Wars Episode 5 "The Return of Three Dead Nigh" This time around, I've identified a bad habit creeping up in my person. As I jump from challenge to challenge, I'm slacking on previously dominated goals. This challenge is going to be me revisiting three key goals from my past challenges and implementing them. I know we're suppose to have four, but I feel my life goal would be best served to establish these three "old" goals once again and fashion them into something stronger in my life than just a pat on the back and an A on a challenge goal. In church today, the pastor brought up a very good quote that I'd like to share as my motivator for this challenge. The quote he shared was thus... I found a similar quote online and it's equally as inspiring and true. For those of you who are curious... Either way you look at it, now is the time to stop sowing laziness and "instant gratification" into our lives. Otherwise we will continue to reap the poisoned fruits of our labors (bad health, bad habits, bad examples for the next generation, etc) I'll put up my goals tomorrow at work.

I'm a 21 year old white female college student. I weigh around 265 lbs at 5'4". I have a desk job and rarely exercise. I've been obese all of my life, and it's time to end it. I've tried the typical eat better and exercise routine, but I've found that jumping in all at once and hoping for the best isn't the way to build a healthy lifestyle. This is my very first 6-week challenge and I'm here to build healthy habits for my life. Thank you in advance to anyone with encouraging words. Diet and Fitness Goals: 1) No sugary food/drinks for 6 weeks. This includes soda, ice cream, deserts, candy, etc. Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum (once per week). [CON 3] PERFECT = A Indulged Once = BIndulged Twice = CIndulged Trice = DGlutton = F2) Move three times per week. This can include taking a walk, playing tennis, hiking, etc. Just move for 30 minutes, 3 times a week. [DEX 2 / STA 3] PERFECT = A One Miss = BTwo Misses = CThree Misses = DSloth = F3) Meditate every day for 5 minutes. It's simple, just make time for it. [WIS 3 / STA 1] PERFECT = A2 Misses = B4 Misses = C5 Misses = DIgnoramus = FLevel Up My Life: 4) Submit work for publishing once per week. As an English student, I dream of being a published author. If I ever want to get there, I need to get my work out so people can see it. [WIS 1 / CHA 2] GOT PUBLISHED! = A+++ PERFECT = A One Miss = BTwo Misses = CThree Misses = DHobo = FLet's do this.

2 weeks ago I had about 4 or 5 pages worth of emails - 112 of those were unread Nerd Fitness articles (over a year's worth) - with a habit to waste time on Facebook and increased ADD when reading. A week and a half ago I said no more. I read. I limited Facebook. I fiiled. It's an incredibly small accomplishment, but it is an accomplishment nonetheless. For that I am proud. In a week and a half, while at work (slow season), I got 4 new NF articles (116 total) and read 68 of them. Now my email is only 1.5 pages long, contains only 48 unread NF articles, and my ADD has decreased when reading. Who knew a clean email would cause such a sense of accomplishment? ...oh yes, NF did because there was an article waiting for me about cleaning out your emails.