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Hello everyone! I am a 24 year old girl, a nuclear scientist, finished grad school just a few months ago, and just moved to a new city (for the 5th time in 3 years). Since this is my first full-time job, I'm yet to get used to being slumped over a desk all day. I did get bitten by radioactive spider one day though I was really strong and fit all throughout school, was a competitive swimmer and hiked or went canoeing every weekend. Everytime I had to learn something or do something I didn't like, I always imagined how that would help me in my superhero duties when I was grown up; ( I remember studying physics very very sincerely because I really desperately wanted to make myself a jetpack ) I gained weight in college after a scooter accident, and spent the next 4 years undergoing surgeries in my lower left leg. I then spent the majority of grad school in sleep deprived and highly stressed. Also got diagnosed for PCOS and put on more weight. After graduation, I had a few months of vacation where I started exercising again and eating healthy. I ran on a beach everyday, swam and worked out in a gym. I lost over 8 kilos (18lb) and became much stronger in a span of 4 months. After moving to the where I'm currently living now, I immediately joined a gym and got back on track. Unfortunately my luck sucks and I injured my left knee again, sprained it badly in a fall. I'm now trying my best to get back on track again with fitness, since there are a lot of exercises I can't do (like lunges, cycling etc.). Since I live in a city now, I don't have any space for running/walking/swimming anywhere nearby, but there is a well-equipped gym next door. I have been working on my upper body mostly. Apart from my time in grad school, I generally have very healthy eating habits and a really really tiny appetite, but keeping weight in check has still always been a challenge because of the PCOS. I get a lot of advice about diets all the time, but apart from a couple of minor tweaks, I really have found no room for improvement in my current food habits (even after consulting a dietician). More than losing weight, I aim to get really strong because that feels really great My current goal is to be strong enough to do pull-ups. I'm still a little confused about the guilds, I think I would like to be a Ranger since I've always been the jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none person. Looking forward to learning a lot from all you NF folks!

Good people of the Rebellion, I humbly introduce myself, request your wisdom and give you all access permission to kick my ass if I do not follow along. Because I truly think I need a good ass kicking into gear. My name is Chris Brooks and I am all the way from sunny and beautiful South Africa. Why do I need an ass kicking? I've been following along with Nerd Fitness for such a long time and haven't even posted one post. I KNOW and WANT to change into this amazing testimony of health and wellness turnaround, but I struggle.... I procrastinate like nobody's business. (I actually think I could've been to Mars by now if I didn't screw around so much) I'm 1,92m tall and weight 85kg. Tall and skinny - for some part - smallish beer belly and signs of man boobs. I play Action Netball every week and amazed at my fitness and endurance. Spend most part of my day sitting in front of a PC. I recently decided to make a list of things in various aspects of my life that I want to change. Not because I have to, but because I want to. But my knowledge hungry mind had me collecting tonnes of information and absolutely no action. Therefore, I turn to you, Rebels... Show me the way... Please... What I figured out so far: I'm most definitely Assasin (with a hint of Monk) - I hate dumbbells, barbels and weight machines like the plague. I prefer Bodyweight, Pilates, Yoga, Kettlebells (oddly I like kettlebells) I do not want to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger - I prefer the defined athlete look. I need to stop smoking I should eat more - I only eat dinner. I should drink more water I need to get an exercise plan and stick to it. I like the 4HB Slow Carb Diet idea. (Someone on the forum mentioned that Slow Carb = Paleo + Beans) Rebels, over to you, where to next? (PS: I keep seeing that I should create a thread listing my personal challenge, where do I create this thread?)

Where I've been: Fitness - I was never athletic as a child. As an adult, I dabbled in fitness without much success until I found pole fitness. Y'all, I loved pole. I bought a pole for my house. I entered a local competition, pole danced on stage in front of hundreds of people, and won a medal! Aaaand then I got injured. I sprained my right pec muscles. This was nearly two years ago. I've re-injured my pecs twice, become disillusioned and quit rehab, and my muscles are still not back to normal. I definitely let my injury get the best of me. Nutrition - I'm a vegetarian. I've done quite a bit of weight watchers and calorie counting over the years, and it has worked for me. My weight has always been normal and fairly consistent. I have gotten frustrated at times with all the counting and having to be so focused on food. My body fat percentage has always been high, despite having a fairly low weight. I need to build some muscle, and I'll bet once I have more muscle, I can afford a few more calories than I can afford at my current fitness level. Where I am: Fitness - I've been doing Zuzka Light bodyweight workouts with my husband a few times a week, modified to take it nice and easy on my chest and shoulder. I've been stretching some, but need to do more focused pec stretching and rehab exercises EVERY DAY. My workouts have been light, but fairly consistent. Nutrition - Lots of cookies. I've been making poor decisions on what and how much to eat. I've been emotional....binging. Turning point: I'm going to Hawaii! One week from tomorrow. I'm currently one size up, and can't fit into the jeans I've been wearing for years. I am disappointed in myself. I had imagined myself slinking out of the ocean like a Bond girl in Hawaii. I'd imagined being strong enough to go surfing. I'm disappointed that I made the decisions this year that led me to this point. But, what is done is done. Fitness is a marathon, not a sprint. I'm going to go to Hawaii next week, eat in fancy restaurants, drink quite a few tropical drinks, and raise some hell with my man. I will be doing a lot of 'workouts' in Maui - hiking, snorkeling, horseback riding, and standup paddle boarding. Then once I've enjoyed my vacation to the fullest, I'm going to join the September challenge and begin my Assassin training in earnest. Where I'm going: Short term fitness goals - I've never done a cartwheel in my whole life. I'm going to do one. In order to progress to that point, I'm thinking pec rehab, pushups, headstands, then handstands, then THE CARTWHEEL. Long term fitness goals - TBA. I'm not sure if I'll go back to pole. I want to reduce my body fat percentage to 25%, then I'll see if I'm happy there, or want to push it a little lower. Life goals - We're planning to try to get pregnant next year. I want to be super fit when I conceive, have a very healthy pregnancy, then lose the baby weight. I'm also feeling very into nesting recently, so I have a lot of goals to get our house in order before we *hopefully* welcome our son or daughter home. Nerd cred: I can't forget to mention why I chose Nerd Fitness! TV: I'm into Star Trek & Battlestar Gallactica & Orphan Black. I play a ton of board games - my favorites are 7 Wonders, Dominion, Battlestar & Shadowhunters. My husband and I have recently been getting really into Game Of Thrones LCG. He's focusing on Martell, and I'm Targaryen. I also love reading - novels, classics, Twain, Vonnegut, and books on nutrition. I'm glad to be here with y'all. Good luck to everyone on their fitness journeys!

Hi everybody! Well, I'm here because I seem to be growing into sizes I never thought I would see (and never wanted to see, to be honest). I've always been big, spending the majority of my adult life at 5'9" and 250 pounds, only fluctuating a couple pounds at most in either direction. However, spending some time at a university got me up to 274, and then I worked my way down to 226. I enjoyed the weight loss, and even though I was still large, it felt like a big difference. I wasn't really active, but I wasn't sedentary, either. When I was down to 226, I was at my lowest weight since I was 17. Flash forward about four years from the university life. I'm now 31, and my scale is either lying to me, or I'm now tipping 285lbs. I don't think my scale would lie to me, we have a rather good relationship. I'm starting to notice more difficulties in the activities I do, and not wanting to do nearly as many physical activities as I used to. In college, I used to be an avid swing dancer. These days, I can't find the motivation to get back on the floor. So, I suppose I'm here to lose weight, regain some agility I've lost over the years, and build stamina (I never had much stamina on the dance floor to begin with, two dances and I was done). Sorry, I don't feel like this is a good introduction. I've never been good at them. Also, I probably should've been asleep hours ago. Oh well. Thanks for reading!

"A redhead walks into the back room of a notoriously shady bar. Inside, ten other people, men and women, are gathered - the local Assassin’s Guild. The redhead walks to the center of the room, to the round table at its heart, and unsheathes her dagger, throwing it point-first onto the wooden surface." “I want in.†I'm a violinist who stumbled onto NerdFitness from her Tumblr feed. I’m looking to get myself into functional superhero shape - not the aesthetic movie shape, but to be able to do all the things we see heroes do in those movies (parkour, martial arts, running - lots of running, etc.). I did a lot of ballet as a kid, but I gave it up to pursue violin. I’ve fenced and done some Jeet Kune Do at uni, and I like to run, but I’ve always been wary of strength training, especially upper body stuff, as I haven’t wanted to injure myself and not be able to play. However, I’ve lately realized that attitude is, well, silly. Nerd-wise, I love written sci-fi, especially space operas, Dr. Who, Buffy, and the Marvel cinematic universe. I’m fluent in a bunch of video games even though I’ve never played them, just hung around with people who did. I’m just getting into comics and loving Black Widow, so any recommendations for trade paperbacks/series I should try would be more than welcome. I hope to keep a regularly-updated battle log, so I hope some of you might check it out! Best, Petra

Hi all! I've been a lurker here at Nerd Fitness for a few months now, but it's taken this long for me to get my butt in gear and make an account. I guess I've sort of reached a period in my life where I'm just not happy with being apathetic about my body weight. I've been overweight (probably more like obese if we're talking BMI standards here--I'm 5'6'' and weigh around 210 lbs) my entire life, and up until this point I've been in a funk. My parents are both on the larger side, so I figured that it was just normal for me to be bigger too. I did a three-year stint playing basketball in junior high, which I really enjoyed, but quit due to small-town school sports team politics. I really miss that sort of team comradery, of feeling like I was actually doing something. My mother is gluten and lactose intolerant, and I've become more intolerant of dairy as I've gotten older, so I've already been working on my diet. Cutting out wheat and reducing my sugar intake has really helped me feel better, so I figured it was time to get into the fitness aspect too. Now that I'm a graduate student, I'm experiencing high levels of stress and I need some kind of outlet, so I'm hoping to find something fitness-y that I enjoy which can help in that respect. I think Nerd Fitness looks like a great, supportive community and I hope this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

Hi, I'm a new member to the forums, but I have been reading Nerd Fitness for a while. Inspired by the idea of a challenge, I decided to put some of the healthy habits I'd been reading about to the test and actually be active instead of passive about my fitness. I'm not the most unhealthy person, but I'm definitely overweight, and there are health issues that would definitely improve or straight-up disappear if I were to lose weight. I currently "run" doing a Couch to 5K program, and I'm toying with the idea of yoga. I'm afraid of weights, but I want to get over that. I don't have access to a gym. My main goal is to reach 154 pounds. This number may seem arbitrary, but I have a hard time budging from a certain weight once I'm settled there, and I'm currently around 162 pounds--and have been here for several years. Losing a handful of pounds sounds easy, but I suspect it will be a challenge. The weight of 154 pounds was my sweet spot, the place where I last felt healthy, so I'd like to try and get back there. If I go lower, I won't complain! To meet this goal, here are my quests: Drink no more than one bottle of soda a day or, in special circumstances, no more than seven bottles of soda a week. I do tend to work well in crunch mode while drinking lots of soda, so if it comes to that, I will allow myself to "borrow" from the next day's allotted amount. I have forgone soda before, and I felt great. [GRADING: 6 weeks = A, 5 = B, 4 = C, 3 = D, 2 or below = F] Run a 5K without stopping to walk more than once or twice. I have done 5Ks, but I have a problem with endurance. I'd like to work on this by continuing to do the C25K program and hopefully reaching a point of 3.1 miles of continuous run-jogging--or maybe do an actual 5K! [GRADING: 3.1 miles = A, 2.5 = B, 2 = C, 1.5 = D, 1 or below = F] Try a new type of workout each week. I thrive on novelty, so this will motivate me to workout more. I will allow myself to cheat with a new variant of an old workout--for example, playing a new version of Just Dance or trying out a different style of dance workout. [GRADING: 6 weeks = A, 5 = B, 4 = C, 3 = D, 2 or below = F]These goals aren't terribly extreme, but I feel they aren't meant to be. I have been working towards these goals for a while, but this challenge will hopefully strengthen my desire to continue buffing myself up. As for a Life Quest, I have a bad habit of making a gajillion goals and not sticking to them--call it the Renaissance Woman in me--but I think the biggest thing will probably be to erase credit card debt and rebuild my emergency fund. This has been a hard summer, and my stress levels will be way, way lower if I can accomplish this even a little bit. My motivations are pretty clear in my post, I think, but overall, I'd like to stop feeling like the Sword of Damacles is hanging over me due to poor physical and financial health. There's too much to be done in my life starting in August; a clean bill of health would do the body good. Nice to meet you all, and I hope we can achieve great things. THIS IS NERDFIT!

Hi everyone, I'm so glad to have come across this website. I really like Steve's philosophy and positive energy. I feel motivated already! I turned 30 this year and physically I'm not the man I hoped to be 10 years ago so now I'm determined to correct that! As a kid I was overweight, asthmatic and not in any way athletic. This was in contrast to my only brother who was fit, healthy and an all-round sports star. So we were cast in two distinct roles from a young age; I was the scholar and he was the athlete. In my teens I became very self conscious about my weight and I have always allowed my own consciousness to disuade me from getting fit. In my late teens a late surge of hormones, a two year dalliance with vegetarianism and living away from home for the first time led to some dramatic weight loss. I still have the stretch marks to prove it! I was never sedentary but I didn't do very much exercise therefore my weight loss was not matched by any increase in strength or muscle bulk. I unexpectedly met my partner for life at the tender age of 21. Over 5 years the comfort and security of that relationship along with our love of good food and frequent socializing led to a slow steady increase in my weight. Two and a half years ago, I decided I was going to make getting fit and losing weight my New Year's Resolution. I didn't get a personal trainer or much advice. I did it my way. And guess what? It worked! I counted calories, ate a lot of tuna, cut down on alcohol, did a lot of aerobic exercise and posted my weight and BMI weekly on an online message board. Over 6 months I lost 15kg and I was so proud of myself. I pushed myself to train for a marathon and injured my Achilles. Christmas came around again and I allowed myself some treats to reward myself for an amazing year. I kept fit in the New Year and trained for triathlons but I didn't really have a focus. I knew my lack of muscle was a weakness that needed addressing but I was too intimidated to take my sapling arms to the free weights area in my gym. One year ago I moved country and when my partner failed to get a visa and left for the winter I drowned my sorrows in IPA and convinced myself I would shed that winter weight this summer. I never did shift that winter weight fully. Always working long hours, never enough time. Always putting off that run. Always avoiding those weights. Having a few beers when this gets me down. And now I want to end the cycle of weight loss/weight gain that stems from my teenage hatred of being "fat." What I want now is to be strong, and healthy. I like the person I have become but I want to be a better version of me. I have spent my 20s studying and working like crazy and feeling like I didn't deserve the positive things in my life. With the help of this website and you guys, I'm hoping to regenerate into a more positive, upbeat, active me :-) Steps I have taken: My better half is fully on board and super supportive Two great friends and work colleagues are going to work out with me and encourage me I have completed the Beginner's Body Weight work-out twice now... harder than it looks! I'm going to continue doing this on alternate days to build my strength In between these days I am going to do cardio every day. And I may not be able to fit in a 5 mile run or a spin class every day but I will aim to do something I'm trying paleo. This will be hard. I adore food. Preparing it, hosting dinner parties, dining out, discussing it, reading restaurant reviews, watching cooking shows. I'm going to work hard to make tasty paleo dishes myself. Eating out is a big part of my life and I can't stop that completely but I will cut down and order "paleo" when I can. 30 days Alkohol Frei. I have not done this in over 10 years. This is the step I will need most help with! So that's me. Hello. When not talking about my body I like to talk about sci-fi but especially Doctor Who.

I stumbled in on NF while looking for alternative and functional conditioning methods and tools (specifically sledgehammers and tires ). I'm 30 years old, 5'10", and 216 lbs. I would guess my body fat percentage to be around 25%. I am an American paramedic, living and working in Saudi Arabia with my wife and 2 year old daughter. I was diagnosed with adult ADHD, primarily inattentive subtype last year. I went on medication (Concerta if you're curious) but did otherwise f*#k all about it. Things have gotten better, but not enough. Also around the same time, I saw a photo taken of me at the beach and was pretty disgusted by it so I decided to try to make a change and started running. I noticed that exercise helped my ADHD, and I found a half marathon and started trying to train for it. I ended up injuring my knee (nothing too serious, but couldn't run for a while). After recovering I found weights and Crossfit and I love them both but I struggle for motivation, particularly when working a stint of night shifts. It's super hot where I am right now and also stupidly humid, and that doesn't help either. Fast forward to today: My wife has decided (justifiably) that she's had enough of my ADHD and she isn't able to get the space she needs to work out some of her own issues with herself, so we are separating and she and my daughter are leaving Saudi Arabia permanently at the end of the month. Disclaimer: I realize this made her sound somewhat mean and heartless, and she's anything but. I still struggle for motivation to work out, but I'm hoping that I can use this situation as an impetus for change, both to get stronger and be generally more fit, and to find better help for my ADHD. My number one goal is to form better habits. Other short term goals are a 315 lb deadlift 5RM (currently 285), 225 lb bench 5RM (currently 195), and a 300 lb squat 5 RM (currently unknown). I wish everyone the best of luck and success with their own goals. -NSM

I am here begging for help. I initially wrote out this great entire post about where I was vs. where I went and how I round-about got back to the start, but unfortunately I sabotaged myself and pressed the back button. That post is long gone into irate internet history of all amazing unpublished posts of yore. I’ve decided to knock this intro out in bullets (because if you’re like me, you like the meat of the info up front without searching around for it) The long and short of it is this : Was on a quest to lose weight for my wedding ∙ mission accomplished ::woot:: Moved due to spousal military contract ∙ lost job, lost gym, lost friends, lost desire to take care of myself Guys, I know I’m better than this. Over the course of my previous success I realized I use eating and drinking to numb out shit in life I don’t like. This is how I talk to myself: Hey self, “yeah Saddy McSad Pants?†Lets try and think of ways to be happy without the aid of external STUFF. “Uh, Saddy McSad Pants that sounds like a lot of work and really stupid - here’s some cake instead.†So you see, I’m here because yes I do want to lose weight (sort of) but mostly I want to be able to look in the mirror and say I made choices today that showed myself that I love me. This seems a little deep for an intro … Sorry … Who wants cake?

Hello all, I'm new around here. I am getting married in 3.5 months and my fiancée and I are both using the app Lose It! to track calories. It is working well, but about once a week my rebellious streak kicks in and I give in. This usually happens when I have a lot of job related stress. It feels like I'm an animal in a cage that is trying to break free. To me overeating junk and throwing caution to the wind is my mind's idea of how to be "free." Yes, I know that doesn't make logical sense but it is how things work in my mind. Two days ago I ate double my daily allotment for calories. I was triggered by accumulated stress at my job, and the straw that broke the camel's back was an unusually heavy traffic jam. The problem is, once I fall off the wagon, I want to give up. It feels too difficult because it is almost impossible to control my cravings when I am stressed. During the rest of the time I do well and I successfully track my calories and I lose weight, but I am frequently discouraged by the times I lose control and I want to give up on everything and just eat ice cream and cookies. If you have any successful suggestions for overcoming this problem, I would really appreciate it.

Uhm hello! I'm a super brand new person to the Rebellion and I really want to get motivated to change myself! I'm 19, female, andddd I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing honestly. Lets see... When I was younger I did a bit of exercise here and there, jumping between running and p90x and going to the gym and stuff, but nothing really stuck to me. I had no regimen, no motivation and was always sluggish, and with no energy to do anything. I have absolutely no idea how to work out correctly and i dont know what to do to properly lose the fat and gain muscle to be lean and agile. I really like the monk and assassins guild, but ultimately want to be like an assassin, the whole idea of being stealthy, quick, and parkouring around buildings is fascinating, especially having high stamina and pulling yourself up with no real struggle! So as a beginner, I would love to receive feedback or recommendations for a workout regimen that i could follow. I have a gym membership too, so any machines I can do would be great! Eventually I would like to learn to parkour/free run but first I need the strength and stamina to do so! uhh fun facts about me (i guess): i want to be an animator, im left handed anddd I live in new york! 8D anyway, thank you for taking the time to read/reply, I really appreciate it! C:

Hi, my name is Dusty and Im looking forward to getting to know this community. I am very excited to have found this site. Ill start off with telling you about me and my journey that led me to this site. At the age of 18 I enlisted in the U.S. military as a nutritionist. At that point in my life I saw myself as nothing more then a glorified cook, but what I would learn over the next six years of my life as I served my enlistment would build the foundation of my life purpose. During my enlistment I would go to college to become a personal trainer as I also completed courses in motivational psychology. With this understanding of how to fuel the human body for excellence I sat out to help others achieve their fitness dreams. At the age of 17 I had the pleasure of meeting a man that would become a corner stone in the process of my personal growth, Gary Paul Frese. I would spend the next handful of years learning the art of oracle card reading from him as I explored the concepts of spirituality, and self empowerment. Over the next few years Gary would help me in finding my true life purpose. I have spent the last nine years helping others with their needs from nutrition, exercise, spirituality, and mental fortitude. So, what brought me to this site? Well I have been a student of wing chun kung fu for the last six years, and I am always learning how to build wing chun equipment online. As I was researching wing chun I came a crossed an article here on this site about wing chun being perfect for nerds. After reading this article I delved into this site and loved it. It revamped my motivation that was starting to dwindle, that I was trying to rekindle with consuming myself with wing chun. Well to try to make this story shorter Im looking forward to being inspired by this community and sharing what I know. Now its time to start leveling.

(not really. i don't plan on getting back at it again at krispy kreme ever, ever again. but look at the video i'm talking about and tell me pulling that off wouldn't make your whole life.) welp, i've been lurking this site for a good two years, so i might as well make at least one post and declare my existence. hooray. so, hi! i'm max (or lord galvatron, whichever works). i'm 21 years old, work a desk job and hoard transformers figures. i'm a cyborg (why not?) ranger/assassin, split because i'm a runner who wants to embrace lifting heavy stuff. i'm 104.7lb as of this morning post-workout, and at 5'5 that makes me a scrawny motherf*^%#. as a child, i was a true athlete. i was a gold medal competitive swimmer and adored gymnastics and track. i've always been a competitive person, always wanted to be the best and strongest. unfortunately, this led to perfectionism, which led to exhaustion, defeat, and-- surprise! an eating disorder or three. it's been an nonstop battle for seven years and i'm tired. i'm tired of starting over and over and over again. i'm tired of beating myself up for failing before i even got started. most of all, i'm just plain bored of it. so y'know what? i'm going to recover, and there's not a damn thing my brainweird can do about it. my Big Goal is to build some serious muscle mass and stop kidding myself into thinking that eating 1000 calories of protein powder and almonds a day is gonna build it. i'm not going to pretend that i'm about to go paleo. restrictive diets and eating disorder recovery kind of go together like vodka and bleach. there will be changes, sure, but i started out college as a nutrition major and healthy eating is a bit of a no-brainer anyway. so here come my first goals for my stay: eat my tdee (1818) or higher for a solid week, including exercise calories. complete zombies, run! season one. begin stronglifts 5x5 (monday/wednesday/friday) do 20 consecutive push-ups. do one unassisted pull-up.i'm pretty much a nervous wreck and have extreme social anxiety so apologies in advance if my responses don't make sense or i disappear entirely. i do love this community from afar.

I got so excited to post that I already posted questions and skipped the intro! Realized my mistake while doing my 10-minute walk, as ordered by my e-mail today. About me: I'm a full time Paramedic and volunteer firefighter in Massachusetts. Married with a 4 year old son and 5 month old twins boys (yeah, my poor wife). My goal is to get a job on a full time fire department as a firefighter/paramedic. It's something I've been working towards for a long time. If I were to describe myself it would be "functionally overweight." I can play with my oldest, I can do my job, but climbing three flights of stairs with a 15 pound monitor and 20 pound bag gear bag is tough. I'm 6' 2" and 285 pounds, I'm not closely tracking weight loss but I would bet in the end I could lose 85 pounds of fat and gain 35 of muscle - I could probably even do 100/50! My wake up call: In order to get on the hiring list for many towns you have to take a state-run written and physical fitness exam. The fitness test involves 7 stations, including a stair climber, a hose drag through a tunnel, ladders, and pulling ceilings (link to the state test here if anyone is interested http://www.mass.gov/anf/employment-equal-access-disability/civil-serv-info/multimedia/videos-physical-ability-test-pat.html). I failed two stations, including the 5 minutes on the stair machine (got winded, got dizzy, almost got sucked under), and barely passed the 5 that I did pass. I made it through by the skin of my teeth. On my best day possible. Sheer force of will got me past my last station. The good news is that I passed overall and am on the list, the bad news is that if I get selected to be hired I have to pass all seven. I joined a gym and have been doing well for the past 2 1/2 months, but I've found that nautilus and the treadmill aren't going to cut it, I need to upgrade to the freeweights. I like nautilus and it served a good purpose, but it's not for me. That's where I start to get confused. Lot of exercises and terms I'm not familiar with. From what I can tell my gym has good trainers that focus on form over weight on the bar, so Sept 1 I'm going to pay the money to spend time with a trainer and do it up. I've started the beginner body weight workout and am getting a jumprope so I can do the warmup. So basically, in the end, I'm sitting at my computer in a Tony Stark t-shirt and knowing there's no way I'm going to fit in an iron man suit. I have the time, I have the motivation, I'm ready to go!

Hello, salutations and cheers. I am Aaron (Rebel: GingerPsyco) and I wish you all well. I've read many of the articles here on NF and the have provided countless amounts of inspiration, ideas, and goals. Some such goals include increasing my stamina and body awareness for parkour, better my eating habits (would say I'm 70% Paleo), and lessen my fear of general interactions with strangers. I leave my self in your care, and hope to make some new friends/mentors in this new chapter of life. Side note: I have a challange and would like some directions of where to look. Due to my profession (you get three guesses and the first two don't count ) I don't have the most stable of 'ground' to do my workouts right now. Currently, I focus on bodyweight exercises, lunges, pushups, pullups, oblique carries, and the likes, and one of my concerns are my knees. Family history isn't the best in this area, and there have been times where I've had to scale back my workouts due to fatigue/dull ache in my knees. Question; doe anyone know of a good exercise/stretch that I can do on a rocking ship that can help fortify and stabilize my knees? Thank you for reading, and hope to meet you all soon. Cheers, GingerPsyco

Hi all, This is sudip roy. I am new to weight lifting and bodybuilding staff. I am ready to go to any distance to get the best physique I can ,but only without using steroids or drugs. Hopefully i will achieve it,Currently I am 28 years old,5'9 inch guy,with a body wight of 145 pounds and 13 percent body fat.

I am LOGOS-88 I was a cyborg assassin, assembled from clockwork and the corpse of a fallen warrior, used by a dark elf river clan to infiltrate neighboring tribes and neutralize foes in highly volatile political situations. My specialties were once parkour, archery, stealth, bladecraft, and (being a steam-powered cybernetic) exceptional strength. After a failed mission I was defeated and dumped into the river and have been switched off for approximately 5 years. I have awakened leagues downstream, fallen into disrepair, my organic portions bloated beyond recognition. In order to regain efficiency, I will need to reactivate and repair the portions of my anatomy that have broken down. Only then can I make the perilous journey up the river and over the mountains back to my master. Primary Objective: Regain proficiency and agility with parkour skill and be able to perform all basic maneuvers with 99.5% success Secondary objective #1: Perform Beginner Bodyweight Workout 3 times per week to combat muscle atrophy and joint rusting. Secondary objective #2: Run a full agility diagnostic over a 20 minute/3 mile jog (with interval precision jumps tests and pull-up lifts) 3 times per week. Secondary objective #3: spend 20 minutes per week repairing neuro-mechanical connection with yoga and meditation simulations. Tertiary (Life) objective: Perfect statistical probability engine and test it on upcoming journey to the mystical land of Las Vegas on my way back to my master. It is also important to point out that I was not designed to operate on fuels with a high grain or sugar content and so intend to avoid consuming them at all costs during this repair cycle. Initial diagnostics:Height: 6' 6"Weight: 235Waist Size: 42"Skeletal Integrity: Spinal integrity compromised, recommend muscular reinforcement.Chassis Integrity: NormalMuscle Atrophy: ExtensiveCardiovascular endurance level: Mid-Low (index:11.2)Vertical jump: 17"Horizontal jump: 6' 6"NOT RECOMMENDED FOR COMBAT

Hello, I'm kitsu and I'm from the uk. I'm 5'4" and approximately 14stone. I've been on and off diets for the past ten years with varying degrees of success. My most successful being low carb options. I was diagnosed with ibs about a year ago (which I think revealed itself because of low carbing) and right now I'm at the heaviest that I've even been. A random stranger asked me if I was pregnant on Monday (I'm not) and that was the final straw, I'm going to use the anger I felt at that woman and turn it into to willpower to change myself. My weaknesses are ice cream and other people eating nice things. I can't have moderation, I'm better removing all temptation. I've been trying to follow primal eating since Monday, and I've been keeping up to date with my ten minute walks, today I'm going to attempt the beginners work out (wish me luck) I've looked at the classes and I'm leaning towards ranger/assassin because they sound like a lot of fun. That's all about me. I hope to make a lot of friends here and become half the woman I am today!

My human name is Elena, but in my natural form I'm called Sachiko, the Golden Hind. My very first quest begins this coming Monday. My human half has been weighted down by the dark spirits of sloth and gluttony within the past year. It is my main quest to stop and remove these spirits from oppressing my human half. I already have set missions to complete before me, and I'm ready to go forth into battle. Elena is currently searching for her life's next steps. After completing college with her BFA in Illustration, job hunting has not been close to fruitful until very recently. The long term path is still being set before her, but her heart is highly hopeful for what the future holds. <3 Artwork by BreeAnn Veenstra

I'm sterre. I'm 30 years old and live just outside of Tokyo. I finished grad school last year and in my final year of school, I didn't really have time to do any exercise. Plus I somehow, I got a bit extra tubsy while living with my parents for two months between finishing school and moving to Japan to live with my partner (it's amazing the difference not having to pay for food and living in the suburbs where nothing is in walking distance makes). I've lost a bit of that by now, but I'm not back to where I'd like to be. In the last couple of months, I've started getting back into running. I went through the couch to 5k (again) then gradually increased my total distance so I could add a fourth run per week (a goal I'm meeting this week). I really want to keep on track, despite the fact that August in Tokyo is supposed to be pretty terrible, so I came here to help keep me motivated on this point. I look forward to joining the next challenge.

Hello! I'm lazy so I'm just going to copy-paste the about me I just wrote... My name is Kate, or Katydid. I go to school in California, although I grew up in Indiana and Washington DC. I'm a college student trying to stay fit and gain strength amid a busy schedule. I'm also trying to move away from a history of disordered eating and negative body image by focusing on positive health goals centered on strength, nutrition and self-love, rather than weight and calories. I've been reading NF articles for the past couple of weeks, and I'm on my first week of the BBWW (those lunges tho...). I've also picked up running again using the app "Zombies, Run!" which has been fun. I also enjoy yoga during the school year when I have access to cheap classes. My long-term goals for now are to run a 5k and complete the ABWW. They seem like dinky goals to me when I look at all the NF success stories, but I have to start somewhere! My eating habits are pretty good now during the summer, when I'm in an apartment and can control the food that's available to me, but I know when I go back to the dorms in the fall and have to deal with dining hall food again (just one more year...), there will be some challenges. I'm looking forward to exploring the forums and getting to know some people (thinking of becoming a Ranger after spending some time with the Adventurers), and hopefully joining the next 6WC!

Five weeks ago we started a six-week walking program at work. (I'm a programmer, so I generally sit at a desk all day long.) I've gained back 30 or so of the pounds I lost last summer, and have been feeling crummy and like I needed to do SOMETHING about my weight for a while, so this program at work was the spark I needed to actually get off the couch. I knew that I needed to eat better, and I'd researched Paleo a while back, but I felt like I need some help implementing it. I stumbled across the Paleo Central app on my phone, and that's how I found Nerd Fitness. I joined the Academy and started going through the stuff in there, so I've only recently discovered the REST of Nerd Fitness, lol. So far I've been working on habits...starting small...walking 5-10 minutes every day, drinking no more than 8 oz of coffee a day, and fixing my diet, starting with breakfast. I've done the tutorial workout a couple of times - I'd like to get to where I'm consistently doing that 3-4 times a week with yoga on my off days. (Maybe that's a good goal for my first six-week challenge.) Even with these small changes, I've managed to reversed the trend - I'm no longer gaining weight; instead I've lost 5 lbs! Ultimately, I want to break the cycle of obesity in my family. (Sadly, I can honestly say that everyone in my immediate family is obese...and so far, I'm following true to form. I'm 42, 4'10" and 160 lbs with hereditary high cholesterol, and recently discovered my blood pressure is dangerously high. But I plan to change most of that in the not-too-distant future!) I want to be a good example to my three girls, and teach them how to stay healthy. I'd also like to a) be around to see them grow up (they range in age from 2 to 11) and be able to actively play and keep up with them. I've never really liked sports or exercise, but I'm trying to change that. My husband and I have been watching American Ninja Warrior, and I've been so inspired by some of the stories...we're talking about building obstacles in our backyard! Of course, I have a very long way to go before I could even think about doing something that, but it's something to shoot for. Parkour looks fun, too. Guess I've gone on long enough! :-) Thanks for reading. I'm really looking forward to joining you in the challenges. (I almost forgot! I used to play EQ and WoW; don't really have time for that now, but love, Love, LOVE the idea of levelling up IRL. Robert Jordan is one of my favorite authors, and LoTR is a favorite, too. So I feel like I'm in Good Company here at Nerd Fitness.) Now let's get to work! Linda

Hey! Johan from Finland here, I found Nerd Fitness last october when I started to go to the gym once every week. This year I have been adding more gym sessions every week, so for the last 4 months I have been going to the gym 3 times each week. It have really turned in to a habit of mine and I really enjoy it now and track all the progress on a mobile app. The next step for me to focus on improving is my diet, I have made some small improvements along the way, but I feel that there is much left to work on here. I think I will try out the Paleo diet for a month and see where that goes, with 1 day each week where I can eat whatever I feel like.

I'm a guy who has been going through the classic lose-gain-lose-gain cycle for a good long time. In high school I ran cross country, and the amount of activity I had going on all the time allowed me to eat pretty much what I wanted. I was never a small guy; I'm 6'2" with a broad frame, and even in high school I was a husky 240lb. But you wouldn't have guessed I was that heavy; I wore my weight well, I was physically capable, and I had some killer calves. All of this meant I wasn't too concerned about personally maintaining my diet. Then came college. That first semester, my physical activity dropped to near zero, and the 18-hr/day buffet style dining plan we were all on caused me to balloon up about 40 pounds to 280lb within a span of around three months. Over the next three and a half years, I went up and down several times, getting as low as 270 and high as 300. I've been out of school for just over 2 years now, and for a long time I was dipping my toe in the fitness water. I would drop to 280, then go back up to 290, drop to 275, go up to 295 or 300... it's no good. But about a year ago my wife came across the Shred diet (http://www.doctoriansmith.com/books/shred-the-revolutionary-diet/), and while it looks like another craze, it's a relatively well-balanced, gimmick free regimen based on low calories, low sodium, low fat, and high activity. I was skeptical, but after the first six weeks, I did indeed lose about 20lbs, as advertised, and it got me down to ~265lb and, most importantly, I became physically active again. I also discovered (again with my wife's help) the fantastic body-weight training introductory volume You Are Your Own Gym (http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Your-Own-Gym/dp/0345528581), with which I have gained more muscle and than I've ever had (not that I'm ripped or anything). Since all this, I've been pretty good about maintaining the diet side of things (barring some slip ups), but I regularly slide on the exercise, which is the primary reason that I'm here. I discovered NF about a year ago, but didn't ever get into it. Now I'm ready to commit hardcore and join the community. I've been on the IRC channel a bit the last couple days; say hey if you see me in the evenings or the in the wee hours of the morn (my time, EST). I will be joining the next six-week challenge, and I will be posting updates as regularly as I can manage. I love bodyweight exercise, as I prefer budget living and I've never been a big fan of weights and machines. My first two huge milestones are: Weight loss: drop back to my high school weight of 240lb. I fully plan to do that by the end of the year. Currently I'm hovering just above 270, on my way back down.Physical capability: do a completely unassisted pull-up and chin-up. I've never done either in my life.Most appealing to me is the Assassins Guild, though I know I'm a bit bulkier than many who claim this mantle. Here are some long-term goals: Get back into Capoeira. I was part of the grupo capoeira na minha universidad, and I'd absolutely love to get back into it. It was some of the most fun I've ever had. Plus, my wife's family is Brazilian, so there's that. Prerequisite: Drop to 240.Experiment with Parkour. Specifically Parkour rather than freerunning, because I love the philosophy that goes with it. Prerequisite: Be able to run 5 miles. I can currently jog around 2.5mi-3.0mi before needing a 2-minute walking break, but when I go, I try to do 3mi minimum, often getting up into the 4.0-4.5 range.Drop a whole lot more weight. I would ultimately love to drop below 200lb, but that seems so far off, so I'll focus on the 240 goal right now.So that's my long-winded story. I'm looking forward to getting involved with the community and to getting into a shape I can be completely proud of. I've already seen myself grow to become more physically capable than I had expected, primarily through bodyweight training. I'm expecting big things.