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I was thinking about getting a cardio-machine. My parents have a stationary bike which I could use while watching TV, that was perfect for me. But now, in a place of my own, space is very limited. I could get a cross-trainer from my grandparents, but there's simply no room for it. Question is, is there something actually useful in smaller sizes that I could fit under a table or in a cupboard when I'm not using it? Like those little stepper-thingies, are they actually any good? Or another alternative for doing sports while watching TV? I have considered alternatives. Unfortunately I never really got into running, and I'm afraid it also doesn't quite agree with my knees. They always end up hurting. Maybe arthritis, it's running in my family... I also don't want to bike to work and all that because I'm terrified of anything on the road that's bigger than me. With me on a bike that would be literally anything. I don't trust the traffic in my city, I even hate driving a car here. Thanks for your help!

It's time for me to get out of this funk. The two weeks off made me lose an insane amount of motivation, paired with starting to backslide with eating. Granted, what I had over the course of 2 weeks that is considered 'bad' would normally be eaten in 1 day just 2 years ago. It's about perspective, huh? Anyway, for those of you that don't know me, my name is Teros and I'm the Guild Leader here for the Adventurers. To date, I've lost almost 70 pounds, made my own homegym, and tried a Spartan Race. Tried. This challenge though, I get my redemption. In just a few short days I will be attempting another Spartan Race with my extended family: my NF family. I'm more scared this time than I was at my last Spartan. I know what to expect though, but I'm going to be brave and face it anyway. As a side note for those that are new here: Never hesitate to ask questions or send me a PM. I always have time to help people. However, there are a LOT of people here on NF, so don't feel guilty for taking any of my time. Seriously. I've had a few people say they didn't want to 'bother' me, and that's foolish. This is a community of people that care and if there's a way I can help you out- whether it be through giving advice or just being someone to vent about your problems- I'm here for you. NF has been here for me and I fully intend to return the favor. Let's get on with the challenge now, shall we? 1) Eating Right - Last challenge I stuck with 95% whole 30. In fact, I went 54 days without feeling like I was deprived and I got close to dropping almost 15 pounds. I need to get back to this mentality. I had a slip up the weekend before the challenge ended and with the 2 week break; I've been sliding back. No more. I make another stand and with the exception of NerdsGiving; I hope to beat my 54 day streak. Today it starts. Day 1. I'm starting early. I can't postpone this. What I basically eat is meat and vegetables, with 1 serving of fruit and some healthy fats if I'm hungry. No sugars. No processed crap. It's whole 30, but with the exception of protein powder so I can make protein pancakes (protein powder, egg, banana mashed together). 2) Working out - Again, last challenge I was going solid with this. A few ladies come over twice a week to do strength training and I show them different exercises and spot them; while also getting my own workout in consisting of using a sledgehammer, kettelbells, dumbbells, sandbags, and some bodyweight stuff too. I also like going for long walks on non-workday mornings to keep some endurance/cardio as well. Jack of all trades. 3) Major List - This one is a bit fuzzy, but basically there's a list of about 10 things that I need to get done... like NOW. So I'm not writing it down, but I will note when one of the things on my Major List gets crossed off. 4) NF Basics - Last challenge I had a bit of depression. Also, consulting some people pre-challenge put a really bad taste in my mouth with dealing with certain....aspects... of this site. Don't get me wrong, I love all the people that are trying to better themselves, but the wind was taken out of my sails (and some Ambassadors) because of a big dispute. This challenge I go back to basics. I want to do a sweep of the Adventurers to make sure everyone feels welcome. I also hope to get the minis and RPG story that I write done sooner in the week. Lastly, I hope to be more active with the level 1s and make sure they feel welcome as well. Doing this is what made me feel like a better person. People on NF have inspired me to be the best person I can be. They gave me my life back, when all I wanted was to burn down the world with my bitterness, depression, and fury. I've been paying this back since day 1 of being on this site, and I continue to do so this challenge, despite some haters. I have decided to not bother with assigning points this time. What I always do anyway is try to even out my points so that I have easily divisible #s, so it's pointless. I'll grade on a whole. If I do everything and get an A+, I earn 15 points to distribute however I want.

Last challenge after giving my all for 4 agonizing hours at a Spartan Race. I tasted bitter defeat. To boot, I injured my ankle and it has been giving me trouble ever since. However, I am committed to healing and coming back stronger than ever to tackle the next Spartan Race in mid-November. This introspective look made me think a lot about who I am and what I want to be. Before NerdFitness, I was just a hammered down kid that never thought he was good at anything. That's 'Mike'. There was an alter-ego, my ideal, Teros, which was the small whisper in the back of my mind that said, "You can do more. You can be more. I just have to commit and listen to my real self, not society's hammered-down version." The Bad&The Ugly Vs The Good. Over the course of being here on NF, that whisper finally started to gain traction. During my low points, You all picked me up and I started to weather the storms that normally would bring me down- the ones that would pull me back into a depression and wallow. The whisper got stronger, louder... By the time the Spartan Race rolled around, I felt like I was being torn in two- my 'Dark Passenger'/depression/old Mike VS my ideal/Teros. One day I would feel like one of them, the next day I'd feel like the other. It was maddening that I could commit to something one day and feel fine and the next somehow feel like a complete failure and shoot myself in the foot. After the Spartan, as I sat here stewing while being on these forums while dealing with an injury; something changed. I faced a huge fear by going up against all odds- huffing around roughly 85 extra pounds of fat while going up and down rocky hills, through the mud, over walls, tire drag, carrying a sandbag, logs, burpees, etc. The fact that even in my falling, I still had Your support, the fact that I still had a will to fight through this and come back even better lit some sort of spark. This was the tipping point. This was The Time. I feel like that small whisper that hoped I could get better turned into a real personality with actual legs to stand on. Now, it is not merely a whisper, it is a roar of a lion and I have no conflict in my head. I am realized. This is the tipping point in a battle that has been waging in my head since I was in second grade and was constantly being lost- until now. I promise to all of You, and to myself that I'm not going backwards anymore. Now is The Time to be a hero and do what I knew in that near-lost kernel of my psyche I could do all along... 1) Whole+ - It's 95% whole 30, so technically it's not a whole 30. I'll be having protein powder and possibly a bit of seasoning which might have minute traces of flour/soy/milk. It's really more like 99% whole 30, but whatever. My goal this challenge is to stick with is the entire challenge. Technically I started on Sept 1st and it was supposed to be 1 month long. On October 1st however, I will not be backing down. I'm going to continue this and move forward. 2) Stretch - With reading up on ankle injuries and my want to push myself a bit too much, I need to keep stretching in mind. All my ankle stretches, twice a day, no exceptions. 3) Workouts - I'm walking this week to get a gauge for what my walking distance is as well as doing pushups. When I walked 2.2 mile, my Achilles was burning and after I read some stuff- that's a really bad sign. So I'm experimenting with distances until I find one that feels good, but doesn't cause pain. After I find this 'baseline' for myself, I will be sticking to it for 1 week; and then increasing the distance from here. So I might walk 1.5 miles the first week and feel fine. Then I'll try 2 miles, then 3, etc. As long as I'm not in pain; I'm going to keep going. 5+ times per week. This is consistency. I can't be a weekend warrior and do a beast workout, then hurt myself and spend the rest of the week nursing myself back to normal. That's dumb. I can't push myself too much here so this is a gradually and progressively increasing goal until I'm fine with going up flights of stairs and walking 4+ miles. Once that happens....watch out; because my goal before the next spartan is to find out how many steps are in 5 miles, then do that IN STAIRS. I will not be ill-prepared next Spartan. 4) Making Something - With my ankle being like this, I've had to itch to make some new gym equipment- a set of dumbbells. I'm figuring around 50 pounds. So, I think that's it. I'll assign actual points later on but this is my tentative idea here.