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Watch this space... coming Okay one super challenge coming right up. My last challenge was an entree, a little taster to get me in the mood. I wasn't very disciplined and I didn't hold myself accountable for much. I still see at as a success because I'm in a lot better place than I was motivation wise now. Variety is the spice of life I have been reading Mark's Daily Apple again regularly and I'm a big fan of his exercise philosophy. Of course it is similar to Steve's philosophy of... have some fun!! I have joined a gym near my work and I plan to work my way through all the classes and do something different every time I'm there. I'm not in the mood for a rigid workout plan right now, I just want to get moving regularly in all sorts of a different ways. So far I've used the treadmills, the bikes and done a class that uses the barbell to do squats, presses etc along to music. I really enjoyed that even though I couldn't walk properly for a week after the first session I did (even with only using 1.25kg plates on the bar). The second time I did it was a lot better though. I also have kettlebells at home and I have the Zombies Run! app, so whether I'm running, swimming, lifting or cycling I have no excuse not to be doing something. 3 exercise activities a week, moving slowly, sometimes fast. Scoring will be a simple pass or fail for the week Running on clean fuel Okay so I want to lose some body fat (don't we all). I am currently 86.6 kg and my big goal would be to get under 70kg, but that is a side effect of my actions, not an action itself. Losing it is 80% what I eat so I will be eating 80% primal. No processed junk, no soft drink. I will be using to MFP to log as much as I can and I will use the following guidelines to aim for: <150g of carbs per day >100g of protein <1500 cals Superhero skills level up This one is actually a 12 week challenge but the first half will fall during this challenge so I will roll it in here. I will be learning to speak Cantonese. My goal is to be fluent enough to hold a conversation in 12 weeks. In order to do this I will be: - 2 hours of one on one tutoring on italki.com - 1 hour per day of practice Score log: Exercise sessions: 0/3 - 0/3 - 0/3 - 0/3 - 0/3 - 0/3 - 0/42 80% Primal days: 0/7 - 0/7 - 0/7 - 0/7 - 0/7 - 0/7 - 0/42 Cantonese 1 hr sessions: 0/7 - 0/7 - 0/7 - 0/7 - 0/7 - 0/7 - 0/42 Ready. Set. Go!

UPDATED: MONDAY, JANUARY 12TH So.....2014 didn't end as well as I had hoped. I'm up 4.5# and 1.5% body fat since Thanksgiving. I wasn't really doing much to lose weight over the holidays, but I'd hoped not to gain either...c'est la vie.. But I'm ready to get things going again for 2015! It's going to be a really great year...I can feel it!! FITNESS GOALS FOR 2015Get down to 25% body fatDo one pull-upStart taking aerial classesGreatly improve on five yoga poses GOALS FOR THIS CHALLENGEComplete the challengeReduce body fat by 2%Make noticeable improvement on yoga poses CHALLENGE ACTIONSStrength training 3x a weekDancing Cardio 3x a weekFollow Bulletproof diet guidelines Grain and dairy freePractice yoga poses on week night ACTION DETAILS Strength training 3x a week 20-30 minute strength training sessionsBody weight, yoga, kettlebellMondays, Wednesdays, FridaysGrading Scale: A = 3 sessions per week // C = 2 sessions per week // F = 1-0 sessions per weekSTR +4Dancing Cardio 3x a week 15-30 minute dancing cardio sessionsHooping, belly dancing Couch-to-5K programTuesdays, Thursdays, SaturdaysGrading Scale: A = 3 sessions per week // C = 2 sessions per week // F = 1-0 sessions per weekSTA +4Follow Bulletproof diet guidelines Grain and dairy free Keep food choices in the green and yellow levels on the Bulletproof Diet RoadmapStay grain and dairy free (white rice and grass-fed butter/ghee allowed)Grading Scale: A = 0-1 indulgences per week // B = 2-3 indulgences per week // C = 4-5 indulgences per week // D = 6-7 indulgences per week // F = 8 or more indulgences per weekCON +2, CHA +2Practice yoga poses on week nights Practice one pose each evening for a minimum of five minutesMonday: Crow Pose (Bakasana)Tuesday: Tree Pose (Vrksasana)Wednesday: Monkey Pose (Hanumanasana)Thursday: Upward Bow Pose (Urdhvadhanu)Friday: Four-Limbed Staff Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana)Grading Scale: A = 5 practices per week // B = 4 practices per week // C = 3 practices per week // D = 2 practices per week // F = 1-0 practices per weekDEX +3

Sloth Becomes and Iron Maiden My goal is to meet the standards for a strong woman as laid out in this challenge - in case you don't know, I'm actually a dude, I'll work up to the Beast Tamer at some later time. I'll take on Eddie as my mascot for this challenge. Motivation: get stronger and fitter in order to be a better human and mountain biker. Yeah, I actually had this poster in my bedroom as a misfit teen. I think it's still there. Event 1: The Press - Be able to press a 24kg Kettlebell. Where I'm at: I can press a 16kg kettlebell for 7 reps. Plan: Do Get Ups and Presses 3 times a week. When I work up to 10 clean reps I'll move up to the next bell. Event 2: Tactical Pull Up with a 24kg Kettlebell. Where I'm at: 4 clean chin ups or 1 shaky pull up. Plan: I'm actually going to do chin ups out of consideration for my formerly fragile shoulder. I'll Grease The Groove with chin ups every other day - I only do chin ups every other day because of tendonitis in my forearm. I've been following this schedule, if I keep following it I'll be at 6 reps at the end of the challenge. It's tempting to find a plan that will get me there faster, but this seems to be working for me and I'll keep at it even if it is moving at a Sloth's pace. When I finally get to 10 reps I'll start adding weight. Event 3: Pistol with a 24kg Kettlebell Where I'm at: I can do a half pistol or a full pistol assisted by a chair. Strength isn't an issue, I need to figure out technique and balance. Plan: Grease the Groove with assisted pistols. Once I can do an actual pistol I'll start adding weight. Sloth will Be Quick or Be Dead Last summer my aerobic capacity was deficient and kept me from going fast. This year I'm actually going to work on it. Goal General Aerobic Fitness = low level cardio + high level cardio, by any means. Plan: low level cardio will be accomplished by dragging a weighted tire while I walk the dog. I'll pull the tire at a heart rate of 135-150 bpm for 30 minutes or more at least 3 times a week. This should build aerobic efficiency. This can be replaced by running or biking. High level cardio will be accomplished by kettlebell swings and rotational lunges done at least 3 times a week. I will swing/lunge until I am at or near my anaerobic threshold (175 bpm) recover and repeat. This should increase my AT and my ability to recover. Some Statistics: Age: 46 Height: 5'11" Weight: 167.8# (goal weight) Body Fat: 17.4% = 29.2# (this and following measurement are dubious) Lean: 138.8# Muscle: 64.3# Belly: 34 7/8" Bicep: 13 1/4" For my long time followers, all 3 of you, I'm going to ignore Yoga for a while. Unless LadyShello makes a PVP, then I am totally going to beat her.

Real life back story: When I joined NF I was borderline high blood pressure. I had tried many things to lower it, but nothing worked. When I went low-carb Paleo it went down. Whew, I thought problem solved. Now: Over the last 6 months my BP has been rising, and at a wellness visit it registered as high. I was freaked out, worried, and discouraged. But after thinking about it, I found a plan of action and decided to attack my High BP just like any other dragon. But, I was still struggling with feeling like it wasn't fair. I really eat healthy and exercise, what about all those people who eat at McDonald’s every day, why don’t they have high blood pressure? Honestly, I was struggling with writing my challenge, because, I wanted a fun challenge, not a hard one. Then this morning I read Steve's blog, which as usual inspired me. http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2014/11/06/do-you-avoid-photos-announcing-zfg-day/#more-24488 Some quotes that stood out to me No matter where you are on your journey, I’m challenging you to be happy. Right now. Be proud of your life AND where you’re heading. Instead of worrying that you’re not yet where you want to be yet…be thankful for the opportunity to get closer. Instead of complaining that the journey is long and challenging, be thankful for the humbling learning experience and wisdom that comes along with it.- NF founder Steve I’m here alive today, I have so many blessings, and I need to remember them and be happy, right now, where I am on this journey. I have a chance and the opportunity to continue my journey. It is a learning experience, and I am thankful for it, and as a Christian, I know that God will continue to be with me and guide me. I will choose to be joyful about my journey, and be thankful that I can keep working on improving my health, and maybe my experience will help others. I’’ve decided that I am not going to be very SMART in my goal setting this time. Meaning I have a goal, but since there is a bunch of new habits I’m trying to establish I’m not going to say doing such and such X times a week. Tracking that much tends to make my head explode (I don’t have the data tracking nerd gene) I’m just going to try and work on these during the week and then subjectively grade each week. GOAL #1 Blood Pressure Control Tools to help me achieve goal Take supplements Potassium levels (at least 3500 ideal 4700 I will start out tracking, but once I feel I have a handle on what it takes to achieve this, I’ll probably just sporadically track) Eat 1 lb of salmon a week (approx. 4 servings) Eat greens with at least 2 of my meals Choose from other potassium rich foods to eat I will start out tracking, but once I feel I have a handle on what it takes to achieve this, I’ll probably just sporadically track Drink hibiscus tea (1-2 glasses a day) Drink at least 8 8oz of water/herbal tea/broth a day (same here I’ll track some just to make sure it is a habit) GOAL #2 Don’t Worry:Be Joyful As part of my goal to reduce blood pressure, I need to handle stress better. I want to change from being a worrier who sees the negative, into a joyful person who sees the blessings God has given her. In order to do this when I start to worry about something, or think negatively, I am going to purposely switch to thanking God for the blessings in my life. Life Goal: Drawing on the Right Side of The Brain by Betty Edwards I have always wanted to draw, but always felt like I was horrible at it. This book's premise is that we need to learn to connect more with the right side of our brain to help us draw. I've had the book forever, even started it once. But, after I did two lessons, and didn't become DaVInci, I got frustrated and gave up. Now, I realize that life is a journey, it takes a while to learn stuff, and I may even suck at it for a time, but I will enjoy learning it, and hopefully have fun too. I'm going to be vague on this goal too, just do some every week. I don't want to have to track how much time, but I'll leave it out in plain view so that I remember to do it at least a bit. Side goal : sit on the floor more/ stand more/ use chairs less Side goal # 2 crow to headstand to crow ( I'm aware there aren't supposed to be 2 side goals, but I looked at my challenge and there were NO handbalancing goals and I had a sadz) I"m almost to this goal, so we'll see if I can nail it by challenge end.

October 19th (West Rocks Crag, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada) sleep (prev night): 10hrs climb, top rope 5.8, two repeats 5.6 5.8 Climbed with girlfriend and another friend who led these routes trad style ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_climbing ). The weather was a very pleasant surprise, cool but dry after the previous day's chilling misty drizzle (Saturday's weather had been nasty enough that even a pumpkin chucking festival [ http://www.kemblepumpkinchuckin.com/ ] was not much fun ... and this from someone who usually believes "There is no such thing as bad weather, just improper clothing" http://www.pinterest.com/pin/285908276314294274/ ! ). West Rocks is a small disused quarry tucked in very close to residential areas and a high school - a great easy to access treat that can be included into relatively short breaks in daily chores and tasks by Owen Sound-ites who are willing to find a way. I've done a little bit of leading on trad, but considerably easier grades (5.1 - 5.3) and was mostly out to get my blood flowing and joints moving after a gym strength session a couple of days earlier when I did too much deadlifting too early in my current come-back process.

Elastigirl: Daily Life of a Superhero: updated to reflect reality Goal # 1 60 second crow and 60 second handstand Really spend time on these, and get them to a point where most of time I can reach 60 seconds with good form Sorry Edna-I'm not going to follow your advice. I 'm going back to some goals I had before. I leveled up with them before, but returning to them will give me a chance to build strength and prettify them a bit. Points 3 STA Goal # 2 Stretching My Limits Continue the hanging challenge (at least 2 x during day) and work on the mobilty squat challenge (30 minutes in day)mobility drill + 15 minutes of holds. Have a total of 30 days by challenge end Points 5 STA Goal #3 The shape I want Blowing yourself into a giant beachball may be helpful sometimes, but generally an assassins needs to be lean If I want to not gain weight I need to be mindful of some food guidelines that work for me: My rules: 1) measure starchy carbs and track them-net carbs between 50g and 100g (2 days a week I won't worry about tracking but still be aware of serving sizes) 2) no more than one serving of nuts a day 3) sweet stuff- only desserts allowed are homemade ( which are stevia or non sugar sweetener) and a serving of dark chocolate. I will allow myself 2 free exemptions during the challenge (note-exemption applies to one serving size) 4) Eat according to my Paleo rules most of the time (yes this is non specific- I seem to do good with doing it about 90% of the time, and have a pretty good idea of the balance I need) To help with this I will be participating in a Food PVPhttp://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/53582-pvp-foodz-6wc-starting-15-sept/ Points 4 CON Life Goal:Do 2 new recipes a week; I have a new Paleo book Everyday Paleo Thai Cousine and some others from other cookbooks. This doesn't have to be an entire dish, I also just want to make some of the spice mixes and sauces: Points 4 CHA WORKOUT PLAN- I will be using Enter The Kettlebell and be primarily doing kettlebell work this challengeI will also be working on pullups. Using this site as a template http://www.bodytribe.com/2013/01/17/how-women-can-do-pull-ups/I will alternate crow holds and wall handstand holds daily, maybe just do them once a day, maybe several timesI will be doing the hanging challenge and squat mobility challenge daily. I plan to do this routine several times during the week My week will look somewhat like thisdaily: squat challenge, deadhang challenge, am walk or sledgehammer or movement playcrow holds/handstand hold MondayClean and Press 25# light reps daysnatch workhanging leg raise Tuesdaymy choice/ walking,yoga, gymnastic,sledgehammer Wednesdayclean and press medium reps daykettlebell swingsmall number reps on pullup-most unassisted or negative Thursdaysame as Tuesday Fridayheavy reps clean and presskettlebell swingpull-large number of reps using assistance bands Satsame as Tuesday

I have procasted nerdfitness for quite some time now so now its time to take revenge. started late so this will be a 4week challenge only Fitness goals: #1 - KB Training at least 3 times pr week (have a kb certification examn at the end of september (2*12 jerk @32kg and 100 snatches @24kg so need to get moving #2 30/30 squat challenge & 7/30 hang challenge every day for the rest of the challenge (have 2 ido portal workshops in september so need to be prepared #3 Practice yoga at least 5 times pr week Lifestyle goal: #1 Post update at nerd fitness every day for the rest of the challenge sorry for the delay

Okay so my fourth challenge didn't go as planned. My life has become pretty messed up. I am slowly getting myself back under control. I have lost a lot of my condition over the past two months, hence the starting again. I plan to use the workouts from my last challenge as a basis for this challenge still. The scoring will have more to do with building [or more accurately re-building] consistency. I am a big fan of being consistent when it comes to lifestyle changes, Without being consistent the changes can not occur. So with a copy, paste and a bit of editing here is my latest challenge. Goal One: Couch to Five Kilometres [C25K] I still want to take up running. I still think that a C25K programme is a great way for me to start running regularly. So here I am. Scoring: 3 runs/week is a Critical Hit 2 runs/week is a Hit 1 run/week is a Block 0 runs/week is a miss 6+ runs for the challenge will earn me one point 9+ runs for the challenge will earn me two points 12+ runs for the challenge will earn me three points 15+runs for the challenge will earn me four points 18 runs for the challenge is a perfect score and will earn me five points This is about endurance and determination here. So that translates to stamina, and constitution. Sta +3 Con +2 Goal Two: Strength I like my strength programme that I have set up. It covers all the areas that I want to work on. However I will count one set of each exercise as acceptable for scoring, I need my consistency back. The Warm Up is as follows: Max second Plank 5 x Burpees 15 x Bodyweight Squats 5 x Push Ups 10 x Lunges 15 x One Arm Row 20 x Jumping Jacks As before the above workout will be my minimum needed to score a point. My full strength workout will be based on the Pre Armstrong programme with one kettlebell, one hammer exercise and burpees added to the mix. MONDAY Push Ups Grip Hangs Pyramid Negative Pull Ups Kettlebell Goblet Squats Wood Chops Burpees WEDNESDAY Push Ups Grip Hangs Negative Pull Ups Kettlebell Swings Hammer Kisses Burpees FRIDAY Push Ups Negative Pull Ups Grip Hangs Turkish Get Ups Barbarian Squats Burpees Scoring: 3 full workouts/week Critical Hit 2 full workouts/week Hit 1 full workout/week Block 3 Warm Ups/week [no workout] Dodge 0 Warm/workout per week Miss 6+ Warm Up Routines for the Challenge one point 12+ Warm Up Routines for the Challenge two points 18 Warm Up Routines for the Challenge three points 6+ Full Workouts for the Challenge four points 12+ Full Workouts for the Challenge five points 18 Full Workouts for the Challenge six points Strength and Constitution will be boosted here. Con+3, Str+3 Side Quest: Minis As before 3 points will be awarded randomly for completing the RPG Fanatics minis. The Ranger's Minis giving me the points as per usual. Random+3 I have one point left over from this layout which I will use for any improvement I have made over the entire challenge. This will be similar to the one point I gave myself to Wisdom last challenge.

Introduction: Hello, my name is Britt, and I decided to join the rebellion after I went to the doctor and weighed in at 295 lbs. Something's got to give. I'm a college graduate who loves to laugh (and making people laugh), and I also want to do that on this earth for a very, very, long time. Main Quest: Turning Paleo eating and working out into a habit. (I can't eat vs. I don't eat) Goal 1: Sunday - Friday Paleo. I'm following the slow-carb diet's method of allowing cheat days, and this tends to be working for me. Strict paleo 6 days of the week and f--- all on Saturday. Stuff I used to love is beginning to taste weird. Goal 2: Kettlebell workouts 3 times a week. Find workouts that will increase with difficulty. Goal 3: Weigh thyself one-time a week. I'm all about instant gratification and I've been weighing myself each morning. To break this habit, I will weigh myself once a week - every Friday. EDIT: I will not weigh myself until the final day of the challenge. Mini Quest: Finish Mindless Eating and Permission Marketing, and Screenplay: The Foundations of Writing.

Hey fellow rebels. I've been super mega busy lately, things should calm down Wednesday but for now I'm just going to get this challenge up. So last challenge was a rousing success for me. Things were totally freaking unbelievably insane from travelling nonstop for work and some other things. INSANE I TELL YOU. But I used my training program to stay focused and grounded during stressful times. I also think I actually really started my health journey last challenge, even though I've been trying (and moderately succeeding) to do these challenges for over 6 months now. I learned I had to be doing this from a place of self love, and that I have to always remember how good I feel when I treat myself right. I've just got to do it. And making myself do it during the flurry of travel really kept me sane and destressed me. It also helped pull me out of the depression I was kind of sinking into. All in all, I feel great. And I want to keep this momentum going. I'm going to seroiusly switch up something huge in my life for this challenge. Two things in fact, both food related. I'm going to officially stop counting calories. Completley and totally stop. This is crazy for me. I've never not counted calories. I'm kind of really freaking out about it.... Previously I've counted them but set a ridiculously high limit for myself, just to make sure I'm not completely out of control, but when I have it down to a number based system I end up hurting myself. I'm like "oh this pizza only has 1200 calories in it. If that's all I eat all day it's fine" Nope... not OK. I'd rather just judge my food on what it is. And that brings me to the other thing I'm switching up. I'm going to grade myself for my food intake based purely on whether it was "healthy" or not. I know when I'm being healthy, and I know when I'm not. I can spot a healthy meal from a mile away, I can feel it in my stomach almost instantly, I can usually smell it. I know gluten and dairy are no nos for my tummy, and I know I'm trying to avoid soy. I know when I'm BSing myself, and can now be honest with myself and admit it. I don't need to micrcomanage my diet any more (or at least I hope so!) and am just going to try to eat the healthiest I can possibly eat this challenge. No stressing about calories, and no micromanaging every single meal. I'm also going to be listening to my body more when it comes to exercising. I'm cutting my strength training down to 2 days a week, and replacing the third with a wild card. Every week I'll see how I'm feeling and pick whatever exercise I want to do that weekend. It could be another strength session, but it could also be pilates. Or hiking. Or even a meditation session if I feel so inclined. So here's the spreadsheet: Quick explanations: Move pretty self explanatory Strength 2x/week Yoga 2x/week Zombies, Run! 2x/week Random! 1x/week Stay Moving I sit at my desk all day, and do watch a fair amount of TV. I want to stop sitting so much basically. So I've set an alarm on my phone to remind me to walk around and do little desk exercises throughout the day, I'm in the office an average of 3.5 days a week, so I'll try to complete all my deskercise goals that many days a week. I've also purchased a mini elliptical stepper thingy that I will be using 100% of the time during TV commercials and if I'm watching Netflix I'll set a timer to make sure I'm doing it for 5 minutes every 15 minutes (which is the average commercial set up I think). . I watch TV probably most days so I put I need to do this 5 days a week. I might adjust this when I have more time to think about how to actually grade this... maybe deduct points for whenever I watch TV and don't do it? We'll see... I'm going to grade this like I grade eating out. Start at 100% and dock points when I don't do what I plan on doing. Take Care I need to take better care of myself externally. And have more me-time. Nightly Routine: Wash my face, floss, brush my teeth and moisturize every weeknight Weekly Routine: Relax, take a bath, light a candle. Face mask. Monthly Routine: Add a hair mask, a foot mask and a bath bomb to one weekly routine a month. Live it up. Eat Healthy Self explanatory, eat healthy every day. Also stop eating out so much. Eating healthy is positive points I earn, eating out are negative points I dock from a starting 100% when I do it. Keep Clean Staying in line with my listen to my body/intuition goals, I'm going to clean every day... but I'm going to pick what I'm going to do the day of depending on the state of my apartment. Grading Based completely on level of effort, numbers based solely on excel's rounding to the nearest 0.25 calculation (using the MROUND() function if anyone was interested): >87% = A >62% = B >37% = C >12% = D <12%= F Possible points and point types are in the spreadsheet. Sorry this is so all over the place and not at all organized. I swear it makes sense in my head. I'm so excited to be a normal person again on Wednesday and be able to hang out with you nerds via the interwebs again. I also am going to get back to keeping my battle log up to date, because I mega slacked on that last challenge and it makes me sad. So that's that. *Edited to fix spreadsheet errors, update TV stepper grading info and to add grading percentage numbers to letters info (and more gifage because that was seriously lackingand not up to my usual standards)*

So here we are getting ready for our next challenge. I am no different, plans are in place, now to set some goals, attribute points, and get my awesome on! Goal One: C25K My main goal for this challenge is running. No I am not becoming a scout, rangers need to run down their prey, and not just run [away ]. Towards the end of my last challenge I had started doing some running, and found that I liked it. I want to run more. This is also one of my Epic Quest fitness goals. So I am going to do a c25k and learn to run, even if only at a pace of a turtle in a walking frame. Scoring: 3 runs/week is a Critical Hit 2 runs/week is a Hit 1 run/week is a Block 0 runs/week is a miss This is about endurance and determination here. So that translates to stamina, and constitution. Sta +3 Con +1 Goal Two: Strength I think I got over excited about doing lots of strength stuff last challenge. I struggled to do my programme effectively, so time to rethink my strength building in terms of my current abilities with an eye for future skills. I did find out something last challenge. I love burpees. Yes I am that sort of crazy. They really work the whole body in a very short period. I have adapted the BBWW to be a warm up for further exercise. The Warm Up is as follows: Max second Plank 5 x Burpees 15 x Bodyweight Squats 5 x Push Ups 10 x Lunges 15 x One Arm Row 20 x Jumping Jacks If work, family, depression, illness or study are getting on top of me then this will be my minimum acceptable strengthe workout. Done Three times per week. My full strength workout will be based on the Pre Armstrong programme with one kettlebell and one hammer exercise added to the mix. This way I get the benefits of the three different workouts in one routine. Scoring: 3 full workouts/week Critical Hit 2 full workouts/week Hit 1 full workout/week Block 3 Warm Ups/week [no workout] Dodge 0 Warm/workout per week Miss Strength and Constitution will be boosted here. The warm ups will give me the +1 Con, with the workouts giving me a max of +3 Str. Con+1 Str+3 Goal Three: Shrink that Body This goal is all about my body getting smaller. Dropping bodyfat percentage, kilos, centimetres. All three count. For this I will measure myself at the end of the challenge in addition to my regular monthly measurements. I will continue my macros tracking from last challenge. With the following modifications, Carbs 35%, Fats 35%, Protein 30%. Ideally I am aiming for full thirds, but MFP only counts by 5 percentile points. This will be a weekly average, as usual a leeway of 5% either way is acceptable. Starting measurements: Body Fat% - 31.06% Weight - 113.7kg Waist - 115cm Scoring will be a bit different here. My Macros tracking will give me one point to wisdom, For each of the three target areas I shrink in I will gain one point for Constitution. Con+3 Wis+1 Side Quest: Minis As before 3 points will be awarded randomly for completing the RPG Fanatics minis. The Ranger's Minis giving me the points as per usual. Random+3

If you own a copy of The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson, go read page 282, 3rd paragraph (1st 2 paragraphs are also good, but the 3rd is what I'm focusing on). That'll give you an idea of where my goals are coming from. They aren't so much goals as things I want to do. Why? Because I enjoy them, and by doing things I enjoy the byproduct should be more muscle, less fat, happier weight scale numbers. With that in mind, here are my "goals" as it were: 1) Run - I like to run. I get to think. I get to push myself to see what I'm capable of. Some days I'm well rested and my mind is in the right place and I can do much better from an output standpoint. Other days, my running time is spent getting my mind in the right place and therefore the output is less. When it's all said and done, we'll see how I stack up in the run I'm doing in July for charity. How am I going to grade it? Simple. Week by week, I'll state in this thread whether I made the optimal use of my running time or whether something was lacking. Simple pass/fail. At the end, we'll count up the passes and fails and see which one wins. 3 runs a week seems to be my sweet spot for mental health and having the energy/recovery to push myself during training runs. 2) Lift - Pushups, Squats, Planks, lunges, pull-ups. Everyday but Sunday. Why? It helps me wake up and is a good start to my day. I know, everyday is very un-Primal Blueprint like. But, let's face it, you can make these very easy with low volume or much harder with high volume, little rest between sets. I currently see no reason some amount of these exercises couldn't be performed everyday with varying intensity throughout the week, but to hold on to a thread of primal-ness, I'll give myself Sunday as a rest day. Also, KB. 2 exercises: Swings and Presses. Again, some days light, some days heavy and everything in between. 3) Less Grains, More Veggies, little more meat - Last challenge I was trying to count carbs and keep them under a certain threshold (120 g/day). Its too stressful and once again un-primal. So, this go 'round rather than counting anything, we're just going to look at the food itself and try to stick to stuff that is not processed. I've been doing that during the past week and I feel better, more alert, don't seem to need as much sleep and my hope is that all of that eventually leads to a lower reading on the scale. But even if it doesn't, feeling better, more alert, less tired and having more energy all seems like a good outcome to me. There you go. Not very specific goals, but they fit with what I enjoy, what my long term outlook is and not being a slave to some quantifiable number. That last part will be the hardest part for me. I'm a data and numbers guy. It's what I do for a living. Letting go of that will not be easy, but it makes a lot of sense to me.

YIKES I'M GETTING MARRIED IN OCTOBER!!!!!! I'm now regretting getting my fiancee bitten by the hiking bug because she's chosen hiking in Colorado as our Honeymoon. Don't get me wrong I'm super excited for it, being an avid hiker myself, but the YIKES is because since I moved to a desk job in January, I've gotten a bit out of shape. My diet needs to be cleaned up, and I need to get back on the kettlebell train and work towards a stronger fitter me before my honeymoon. Finally doing a challenge on here is going to give me the motivation to stay focused and on target, and I desperately need that because my only other friend at work still bikes to work with me but has given up on eating healthy and quit the gym we used to go to together. Time for an accountabilibuddy! Side note: I love Kettlebells. LOVE THEM. I would do nothing but Snatches for a workout if I cou- WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN!?!?!?!? REALLY!?!?!?!?! Main Quest: Be within 10 lbs of my goal "perfect" weight. I should be around 180lb, and I'm sitting at about 210 (this fluctuates depending on diet I can easily drop to 205) and be looking good in time for the Honeymoon. You know why. Essentially, my goal is to be 190 or less. Quest 1:Solidly follow Kenneth Jay's "VIking Warrior Conditioning" Kettlebell workout on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Measurement: A = 16-18 workouts total, B = 13-16 workouts total, C = 10-12 worksouts total F= Aything less Quest 2: Eat only healthy meals and snacks (This might be my most important to focus on.. I used to prep my meals in large batches then cook them as the week went on. This has stopped for some reason. I want to get back into a habit of having everything ready to cook in my fridge and needing less than < 30 minutes to have a full dinner on hand.) Measurement: A = 17-21 healthy meals a week, B = 13-17 healthy meals a week, C = 8-12 healthy meals a week, F = anything less Quest 3: Get up from the desk and take three small five minute walks a day. Measurement: A = 3 walks a day during the work week, 80-100% of the challenge B = 2 walks, 60-80% C = 1 Walk, 50% of the challenge. F = Anything less. Reward for all of these: Getting to look good in this clothing optional hot spring: Life Quest: Track all spending. Sometimes money seems to disappear because I forgot I spend a little here and here and here, etc. I'm budgeting, but I could be succeeding a lot better. Measurement: A = Solid and consistent money tracking., B = Missing a few days, C = Spotty and inconsistent. Reward: Some new biking accesories for me, and parts for the fiancee's new bike bought second hand off a friend. Motivation: I want to be in great shape physically and financially coming into this marriage. My fiancee is in much better shape physically and I'm super competitive!

Since I have mostly spent my magic on others and on their needs instead of mine, a lot of things in my life need to be changed. After I lost a lot of weigth with Paleo before, I feel it is time now to include sports back into the picture. My first challenge helped me with getting rid of the lame excuse "no time for workouts"… and now there are some good habits which need keeping and maintaining. I will keep these habits from my first challenge: take stairs instead of elevator whenever/ wherever feasible. Get up earlier to make time for a before breakfast workout. Do Pilates-Yoga-combination in the evening, as it has proven to be relaxing and helpful with my back issues, giving me more flexibility. Goal #1: increase upper body strength. Fact is, I fall flat on my stomach if I try to do "real" push ups. Since I recently sort of feel attracted to kettlebells, I will find the perfect kettlebell for me, and start working out with it, learning how to correctly do so. Injuries have to stay out of the picture. I hope it'll get me to the point where I can do a real push up. Might be nice for my arms as well. I don't play Bingo, and I don't want to look as if. Goal #2: reduce body fat. well, I got one of those calipers. Since different vcalculators give me different percentages between 21% and 25%, and tape measures aren't exactly helping, I decided to take the mean value of ALL the measurements. So let's assume I'm at 23% of body fat, which might be close if I compare myself to the pictures of women in Steve's article on body fat. Losing 2% or maybe even 3% of this would be bigtime awesome. In order to lose body fat, I will reduce and monitor carb intake. Anything between 30g and 40g per day is okay. It should be okay, since normally I am barely above 50g a day. It means also strictly to adhere to the Paleo lifestyle. Helping with this goal might be a new piece of equipment, which sits in the basement and whispers "use me, come on!" I'm talking about a rowing machine (husband guy wanted it, too). I have to do every day at least 10min. of intense rowing. Goal #3: have more fun and balance in my life. Honestly, for calling work not a top priority of my life, it is way too time consuming right now. Being away from home between 7am and 7pm SUCKS, and I will change this. Coming home latest by 6pm should be doable. This will give me time to do either writing or sewing or playing with my kids (they're great kids!), whichever strikes my fancy, once I am home or have time off. I might even start making a lot of paleo-compatible food for our pantry. Oh, and no more work on the weekends! Life Quest: grow edible things in our garden and have house and grounds organized and well kept. Concerning on how to evaluate myself on this, I will come up with something soon. This weekend I have a convention to attend, and to prepare presentations, so not much "me-time" there. Maybe I can make it to the hotel's gym, depending on their opening hours. A little side note: I know a lot of women my age (40+) who say that sports won't change much anyway, there's gravity and age and all the other unpleasant things one cannot influence, so why bother. Well... Let's agree to disagree!

"Hello there- I'm new to the region, know anyone who can help a merc. find some work around here? I hear some Guilds might be hiring. "Me? Name's Smiling River. I used to be a pit fighter- aye, a monk of sorts. I was then accepted into the academy and didn't much have time for all that. Got me a belly while readin' manuscripts and whatnot. But... I s'pose you want to hear of my more recent experiences... "This here is the Kettlebell, my main weapon. I call her 'sweetheart', and she makes me sweat. Aye, and that's no ordinary rope, it's a speed rope, my secondary weapon. Lately I've been getting back into training, still reading lots like I used to, and trying things out. I even stopped eating grains and sugars. Paleo all the way... well, most of the time! And I've even begun looking into training others, too. The certification for that is still out of my grasp, but I'm getting there!" "I got me a hound too, his name is Cosmo and we go hunting everyday - for at least 30min. I try to train about three to four times a week, re-sharpening my skills, dig? I lift heavy things, sprint, and do Yoga. I guess you might call me well-rounded. "So, which guild fits me best do you think? How would I go about makin' friends in these parts?" (Sorry for the goofy intro! RL name is Andrey and I am into fitness, Role-playing in MMOs, and a host of other things! Nice to meet you!)

Immortal words of a Ninjutsu instructor, some years ago: <brandishing a pair of Sai> "Right! Anyone who thinks they're Raphael from the Ninja Turtles can just ***k off!" My Karate Sensei likes to include some kobudo in the class. Specifically we have been working on a couple of Bo katas and he is keen to have us learn at least one Sai kata (once more of us have our own Sai). The other day I saw the trailer for the upcoming Michael Bay TMNT reboot and that got me thinking... I've always liked swords. Now I'm learning some Bo katas and have the opportunity to learn Sai katas... all that's missing is the Nunchucks and I've got the whole TMNT gang! So why not go for it? TMNT originally appeared when I was a kid so it's of my generation. I've nothing to loose by learning some (more) Sai, Nunchaku, Sword and Bo techniques/katas! Furthermore, why not make it a TMNT themed challenge? Well, I don't do Ninjutsu these days but I do often wear a bandanna with lizards or newt shapes on it (I don't know why so don't ask) so Karate Newt might be more appropriate than Ninja Turtle. (I'm also very much NOT a teenager ) Fitness: April: Attend gym for some kind of strength training at least twice a week. May: Some kind of strength training at least twice a week. Probably bodyweight & kettlebells. Probably in my garden. Cardio: Walking, sprinting, swimming, cycling... anything - just Move! Str +1, Sta +1, Dex +1 Con +1 Karate: Keep attending weekly lessons. Keep practising the basics - stances, strikes, blocks, kicks. Do my grading. Dex +1, Wis +1, Cha +1 Unarmed Kata: Keep practising Fukyugata Ichi and Ni. Keep practising Pinan Shodan through Yondan. Learn Pinan Godan. Learn first three "two person katas" (can't remember what they're called): Kumite Katas Sta +1, Dex +1, Wis +1 Weapons: Keep practising Bo Shodan. Finish learning Bo Nidan. Learn one Sai Kata. Buy or make some Nunchuks and then learn one Nunchaku Kata. Find or develop a simple sword kata. Learn it. Str +1, Dex +1, Wis +1 Bonus: Get my own pair of Sai. Attend the Friday class (further away - more costly to get to) Wis +1, +1 Cha.

Welcome to my first Ranger challenge thread! You're all devastatingly attractive, I need you to know that. I had a few paragraphs already written last night, because I ramble, and then a passing thunderstorm said NOPE and turned off the house for a few minutes. But you can't keep a newly-minted Ranger down! So here I am, starting my second one. I learned some things from the first challenge, not the least of which was that while I'm strong I really need to work on nutrition and endurance/core exercises. That's what this challenge will be focused on. My main quest: Lose 200 pounds of fat. Ogres, as we know, will eat anything, and usually in large amounts. I have done this for some time now. During my last challenge, I actually lost four pounds plus several inches from my belly and other areas, so thus far I'm on the right track. Main quest: 2% done! During this challenge, I plan to focus on conditioning, core, and nutrition above all things. I'm not going to neglect moving heavy bits of iron about, but that won't be the focus during this six week period. Mission 1: Do 4000 55-lb kettlebell swings. That is, slightly under a hundred a day. I'm a writer by trade, and I've learned that you can do a huge amount of work if you just break it down and take it slowly (preferably with a deadline, but that seemed a bit morbid even for me given the situation). How does one eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Mission 2: Seriously get after the paleo diet. Do it flat-out for six solid weeks. Check profits. Mission 3: Get me to a gym, and learn how to squat, deadlift, and bench press for realz. Other exercises as appropriate. I'm basically self-taught with most fitness stuff, and I'm a big fan of barbarian/primitive style workouts where you throw around rocks and beat on tires with sledgehammers. And those are awesome! I'm not neglecting my slosh pipe or my heavy sledge, nor my bodyweight workouts (especially as they pertain to my core), but sometimes you really just need a barbell to do things. Fortunately, I've worked out a deal where I'll be joining a gym with my parents, in theory starting...well, today. Side-Quests! I suck at these. SQ1: Do some drawing during the week. Three times a week ('cause I gotta have the quantifiable) for a half-hour at a time. I've always enjoyed drawing, even if I'm not that good at it. But how does one become good at something? One bite at a time. Cheers, fellow Rangers!

Apfelstrudi sets out to find the moonstone! Brock has been beaten to a bloody pulp. Yes, after his pokemon were defeated and I got my badge, I may have kicked him in the face a bit. Or a lot. Anyways! The next stop on my journey is Mt. Moon. And there are quite a few adventures to be had there! It’s a long hike to even get close to Mt. Moon. The road is laced with trainers and tall grass full of wild, rabid pokémon. Mt. Moon is said to have drawn the attention of Team Rocket, and we all know they’re up to something evil. Not to mention the mountain itself is a labyrinth of rocks. There are no pokécenters on the way to the top, either! Many obstacles are between me and the moonstone, and I must train hard to get it! Obstacle 1: The way to Mt. Moon (+2STA + 1DEX) Even without the trainers, it’s a long way to and up the mountain. In order to prepare myself, I must get moving, and specifically run. If Team Rocket is already stationed on the top, I have to hurry to get there in time. Zombie runs and sprints are in order! Obstacle 2: Trainers and wild pokémon (+1STR +1STA +1CON) This obstacle is fairly easy to avoid on the way to the mountain, but if I want to beat Team Rocket, I have to gather experience points, and the trainers and wild pokémon are just the way to do it. There are still many challenges on my spreadsheet, and you guys can add more if you’d like, that will help me level up my pokémon. Additionally, you can set me challenges for my other goals, if you come up with a hooping or kettlebell or running challenge. Spreadsheet's here. Obstacle 3: Rock labyrinth (+2STR +1STA) I don’t like labyrinths. But it’s impossible to get past those rocks if you don’t walk around them until you finally reach the end! Unless… Unless you just get rid of those rocks. But what’s good enough to get rid of those rocks? My kettlebell, of course! When I swing it, those rocks will crumble, and my way ahead will be so much shorter and easier! Obstacle 4: Don’t you die on me (+2CON +1CHA) Without a pokécenter to heal my pokémon, I’ll have to do it myself. And for that, I need potions. Since my potion-making-skills in RL aren’t exactly up to par, and I don’t necessarily want to become a witch anytime soon, I’ll use tea instead. One tea a day keeps the doctor away, right? Obstacle 5: Team Rocket (+2 DEX +1 WIS) This is it. The big one. The main focus of the challenge, the boss battle and everything I work towards. Team Rocket. Jessie & James are the most evil henchmen Giovanni can send my way, but they have one crucial weakness: If I can just manage to fling them off before they can cause much damage, I’ll be safe. And my best bet here is my hoop. I must train my hooping on the way, get better, stronger and learn more tricks so I can confuse them and use their confusion to fling them away. Only then will my path to the moonstone finally be free. Now, this may seem like a lot to do. But neither of these points are very big. I have no set number of workouts, don’t have to do them for a set time, and apart from the daily tea, there are no restrictions at all. For example: A day where I hoop to a song, do 5 KB swings on each arm and drink a tea would be a pretty good day, and it’d take me all of five minutes to do that. Of course, I want to be better than that! But for the sake of not sabotaging myself, I’m keeping that wide open! And now off to Mt. Moon I go!

Main Quest: Challenge all the knights of kettlebell and show them that I am worthy as a member of their order. Challenge is set for April 2015. translation: Kettlebell Long Cycle, I'm going to WKC Worlds in 2015 and I want to get enough reps on the 24K to rank up All heroes must endure trials and these are mine: Battle harden my body: Bodyweight average for a week of post breakfast weigh ins <= 198 (90K) STR +2 Prove that I am ready for battle:Test the number of minutes I can maintain 24K LC at a 6-8 RPM pace CON +2 Ensure that neither heart nor longs will fail me in my quest: Complete 10K training run for time CON +1 Entrench myself in a community of likeminded individuals who will push me when I lapse and soften it when I fall: Post Daily in this thread and keep up with at least 5 other threads daily CHA +1 Du musst Amboss oder Hammer sein: Be the anvil in the form a static L-sit (from kettlebells or ring) Test and Improve CON +1 To not give in to the weak willed way of the world: limit meal purchase to 5 per week (does not count coffee) WIS +1 RPG Challenge: 6 wildcard points This is my first real, full challenge (I've done the Rebel One) so I'm very much in need of feedback from folks on how to do this right better. Note about stat distributions: I set my bodyweight one at 2 points because I'm nearing the end of three years of labor and I felt this commitment deserved some recognition. I set the kettlebell at 2 points because it ties to my main quest, I'll commit more time to it and because it's going to be difficult. EDIT: 4/1014 change 5:00 long cycle to test long cycle. EDIT: 4/11/2014 tinkering with stat distributions (look for one more tinker when I get some tests out of the way.

Main Goal: Become world champion in kettlebell sport. (shooting for the stars!) Where I'm at: Since joining NF in june last year I went to my first international competition, finished my kettlebell-trainer degree + physical tests, set up a small group training, found 14 people crazy enough to train with me, taught my first couple of workshops, won the dutch national championships and did my first set with the 24kg kettlebell which qualifies me for pro division internationally. Last challenge was focused on competing with 24kg for the first time, I can happily report that I did not drop it on my head! So this challenge (nr 8) I need to take a bit of a mental break and focus on different things. Goal 1: follow the program Need to find a bit of a groove with my regular training schedule. It's so different when not working towards a competition.. #strength training (legs and shoulders) 3x a week, #kettlebell training (just maintaining) 2x a week, #running (maintaining endurance) 1x a week. Goal 2: movement practice and play Do fun things, learn how to play, be a better mover... next to my regular scheduled training I'll try things like kb juggling, some jumping/parkour, ido portal style flows, handstands, bouldering/climbing? Who knows- anything goes! Suggestions are more than welcome! #three times a week, try something fun! Goal 3: meal prep Eating more healthy, more protein and maybe lose some weight are my goals. Diet can cause a lot of anxiety for me.. luckily my little sister (who lives with me) wants to team up with me- together we'll prepare our food for the whole week, freeze stuff, pack lunches etc. She's the boss, i'm the assistent (with the moneys, hehe). #by the end of the challenge be a regular meal prepping star. Lifegoal: gardening Last challenge I started setting up my new garden to enjoy during the spring and summer. I want to finish this project and get in the habit of actually taking care of my plants instead of leaving them to die or thrive on their own. #make a list of things to do (buy a bbq!!!), #get maintenance into my system If I weren't a kettlebeller, I'd do this kinda stuff full-time.

What better way to start a pro wrestling themed thread than to start with a picture of Arn Anderson. Arn was never really about flashy theatrics or goofing around. He was about getting his point across and getting the job done. What is a dark match? A dark match is commonly referenced as the untelevised wrestling match before a wrestling show goes live. It's a full match, used to warm everyone up and get the crowed pumped for the show. Why are you having a dark match, BC? In this case, I am doing this for myself and for a fellow NFer that needs to get their head back in the game. We both fell off the wagon pretty hard and we both realize that we need to get back on the ball, both with diet and with exercise. The added element here is that my fellow NFer shared with me that they were getting overwhelmed with doing challenges and trying to keep up with everyone else at the same time. They felt pressured to be there for everyone, often times allowing their own goals to slip due to the stress they placed on themselves. So, it was in talking with them that I came up with the idea to suggest they do a Dark Match. Basically, they are going to jump in with both feet on this challenge, but they're going to do it privately with a few select supporters. They wanna be here, but their head isn't in the game enough to resist the temptation to "do all the things" as it were. So I'm working along with them while they do their private blog under the same means we do our threads here. This is gonna gear both of us back up for full-time challenges. "Adversity introduces a man to himself" - Arn Anderson I've been wrestling with a lot of things in the past two months and like the quote above states, I had to meet myself (again). I realized I was letting stress get the best of me. It twisted my thoughts to ones of failure and 'just enough'. Eeking by rather than having faith and overcoming the obstacles before me. We all have ups and downs, that's part of life. Things don't always go according to plan. We can easily be sucked down-stream by a negative current in life if we're not careful. However, what builds & shows character is choosing to get back up when you've been knocked down. To keep making the effort no matter what. Main Goal Be a Champion: Do a pullup and more... My shoulder is finally healed, no more excuses. Quests My quests are going to be increasing slowly in difficulty/frequency to ramp me up to something I can sustain more naturally by week 6. 1. Eat like a Champion - Champions don't eat crap, they eat what they eat to fuel their body. Time to throw the junk out again!! I'm going to limit and cut out sweets again, start working back towards a paleo eating pattern once again. I'm also going to incorporate green tea where I'm not drinking water. For real tracking purposes I'll be monitoring my calories again. Also, unless it's a particularly heavy workout, I won't be factoring in the calories burned. I realize this is what retarded my weight loss, etc last time I did this. I fell into the mindset of burning calories so I could eat more. I will weight myself each week and adjust my calorie limit accordingly. I know weight and calories isn't the ultimate tracking method, but it's a start. Week 1: 2 days under my calorie limit Week 2: 3 days under my calorie limit Week 3: 4 days under my calorie limit Week 4: 5 days under my calorie limit Week 5: 6 days under my calorie limit Week 6: 6 days under my calorie limit (will be shooting for 7, but 6 is realistic) 2. Train like a Champion - Champions are in peak condition. I'm not. Time to get off the couch and back on track. I don't have a membership to the rec center so I can't lift heavy weights right now. However, I have proven to myself I can do the following: walk/run, yoga, kettlebells, and/or body weight exercises. A Zombie Run can count as a workout in the following progression. Walks are a minimum of 15 min with no interruptions to get moving again. Week 1: 2 workouts + 1 walk Week 2: 2 workouts + 2 walks Week 3: 2 workouts + 3 walks Week 4: 3 workouts + 1 walk Week 5: 3 workouts + 2 walks Week 6: 3 workouts + 3 walks 3. Rest like a Champion - Champions also need to get their rest. You can't go partying or staying up late and expect to function worth a darn the next day. Your body can't function well like this after an extended basis. I'm absolutely terrible about this goal. I need to make it a habit of getting more sleep (I'm even writing this thread at midnight if that says anything and I have to be up to leave for work at 5:30am) Week 1: 6+ hours of sleep 2 days a week Week 2: 6+ hours of sleep 3 days a week Week 3: 6+ hours of sleep 4 days a week Week 4: 6+ hours of sleep 5 days a week Week 5: 6.5+ hours of sleep 5 days a week Week 6: 7+ hours of sleep 5 days a week 4. Think like a Champion - Champions aren't better than everyone else because they are usually smarter, stronger, or wiser. Usually Champions are better because of their determination (though the prior certainly give them an edge). This isn't something I can really track (if you have suggestions, please share), but as I mentioned above, I've had to struggle with myself. A friend pointed out that I had a lot of negative thinking. Now, I'm usually Mr. Optimist, but lately I've been selling myself short mentally. I kept thinking "well of course if I leave my job, I'll get a pay cut" or "I'm not smart enough to do x,y,z" or "I'm falling behind, of course I'm not gonna get back on track look at how far I'd have to go again?" Negative thoughts like that. To be a Champion, you have to have a mind of a Champion. In short, you have to believe in yourself and take steps to take your thoughts captive and turn those around. I've committed to reading a book The Magic of Thinking Big. It's kinda got a silly title, but the premise is worth considering. Within the first two chapters, it's already has had some good points. It's already pointed out many excuses I've overcome in the past and ones I've used recently that hinder opportunities. Other than that, I'll be trying to be mindful of how I'm looking at things and thinking about them.

So that's pretty much the theme for this challenge. And it's as easy as every morning when i wake up i will do a 10 minute work out. Every morning - i get up at 5am during the week. My goal by the end of this challenge is press ups, crunches. I need to be able to do all three - i can't do any properly right now. I want to start Kick Boxing, yes i know i can go to kick boxing without knowing how to do these properly but i don't want to. I want to turn up and not struggle on the smallest of things. All going well by the end of this challenge i can start going to kick boxing at least once a week. So each morning i will do press ups, crunches, plank and one kettle bell circuit. Keeping it simple means starting at 1 press up, 1 crunch, a plank for as long as i can, and starting with 30 reps for the kettle bell. Each day i will add to it, when i can do 1 press up properly i will do 2, then 3... same with crunches. Planks will always be for as long as i can hold it. Each kettle bell exercise will start with 30 reps, the next time i do that same exercise 35, 40.... I will still go to the gym after work when i can, go back to my roller derby training, walk when the weather allows (becomming winter here now). I just won't be counting these against my pass or fail for my challenge. They are bonus. So that's my challenge this time. Keeping it simple. Building a habit so that i get to the point where i roll out of bed and do press ups, planks and crunches without even thinking.

Rightio then, Challenge number 2. My first with the Awesome Rangers. I am changing things somewhat here, partly to release my geekiness more, partly to express my faith more, and mainly to increase my health. Firstly a couple of definitions are in order, oferfaett is Old English for obese, [literally, over fat]. Medically I am obese pure and simple. It was a practice in Anglo-Saxon Britain to give nicknames to people based on physical features. Surnames were rarely used during this time period [they were brought in by the Normans]. So I have named myself Anglian style. Next we have Ulfhednar, this is Old Norse for Wolf headed, basically the wolf version of a beserker. Using the wolf as a totem instead of the Bear. The Old English Wulfesheafod is not as badass in my opinion so I chose the Old Norse. It is close enough to my race type to work for me. Lycans, werewolf [werwulf in OE] may well have been inspired by these real life warriors. With NF I am changing from Thom the fat to Thom the Lycan. My first challenged focussed primarily on creating routines and getting moving, I had some great wins [4cm of my waist, and 66 bodyweight squats] I also had some hard times, depression does that. Still I didn't quit, and I am here now planning this challenge. Oh and I walked 240 miles in 6 weeks to get to Weathertop and held my own against a Nazgul. My long term goal is still to drop to 17% body fat. I have lost 2.36% since I joined in at the end of November last year. From 36.44% on the 01/12/13 to 34.08% on the 04/02/14. I use the tape measure method for this, It may not be entirely accurate but it is relative. I do my main measurements on the first weekend of each month, so we will find out how I am progressing in a couple of weeks. By my calculations I will drop from 118.7kg to around 90-95kg. As I only lost a grand total of 800grams for the entire last challenge I am not as worried about the weight loss if I am losing body fat. Goal One for this challenge is to track my calorie intake. Or kilojoules as I am working in metric. After much mucking about with various calculators I have worked out my BMR to be on average 9500kj [2285Cal] and my TDEE to be on average 13511kj [3277Cal]. Now to me that seems a hel of a lot of calories. Over the past two weeks I have started tracking my intake on MyfitnessPal with the target of 10,000kj [2388Cal]. I am struggling to eat that many calories. I am generally coming in well under. With the few exceptions of when I eat crap. So I will continue to track my food intake learn about my Macros, and limit/eliminate my gluten based carbs. As this is more a track and learn goal I will put +2 towards wisdom and +2 to my constitution for the successful completion of this goal. Goal Two is to continue my 3 days per week workouts. In my first challenge I used the BBWW to set up my routine. It has been a great help, and has increased my fitness. I am looking at adding a bit more variety to my routines so have decided to change it to the following: Mondays: Hammer workout, using a 10lb, 4.53kg sledge hammer. Monday I worked out a routine for this. Yep this really hit me. Wednesdays: Kettlebell workout, using a 5kg kettlebell and the Simple and Sinister routine. After trying this today [Wed 19/02] I suspect much of this will be learning to perfect the exercises, particularly the Get Up. Fridays: I will continue doing the BBWW. It is a good routine and I enjoy it. I will look at progressing to harder exercises as I go along with this. This is still a strength goal, although the hammer work adds a bit of dexterity as well, So +3 to Strength, +2 to Stamina and +1 to Dexterity. Goal Three is going to focus upon my spirituality. I have let my personal devotionals slip over the past year or so. I need to get things back into gear. I aim to do a weekly devotional to my Gods, Ancestors and Landwights. This is a inner peace and power goal so +1 to Wisdom, and a +1 to Charisma. My Side Quest is to study and do well at my Uni subject that I have enrolled in. The course starts in the beginning of March so until then I will share my artistic endeavours in the form of products that I sell. These are knowledge and creativity goals, so I will be giving +2 to wisdom and +1 to Charisma.

Ciao everyone! My name is Jessica, I just recently discovered Nerd Fitness, and I am loving it. I'm 21 years old, about 100 pounds overweight, and have a nasty little habit of yo-yo dieting. I usually do really well for two or three weeks, and then I start falling apart. I need something to keep me on track. I read the thread about the roleplaying/attribute point system, and it seems like a lot of fun, and a great way to keep myself motivated and accountably, so I'm here to get in shape with all of my fellow nerds! Main Quest Lose 100 pounds and get strong! I weighed myself at the beginning of the year. I was... well... a lot. The most I've ever weighed. Since then I've managed to lose 12 pounds since the beginning of the year, so I'm 12% to this goal. (Woo-hoo!) Mini quests Strength training 3x per week I bought some kettle bells about three weeks ago, and have used them twice. I want to start using them consistently so that I can build some muscle. Along with this, I'm starting to do the NF beginner bodyweight workout.Start running consistently... again I love going running. Well, I call it running, but it's more like a run/walk type of deal. I'm a big squishy girl and I'm still building up my stamina, ya know? About 6 months ago, I was doing it consistently, 5 days per week/3+ miles per day, with the help of the Zombies Run 5k trainer app (Which is LOADS of fun by the way!) The only thing was I wasn't really losing more than a pound here and there because my diet was awful. (I need to get that under control too.) Eat out only ONCE per week I have a terrible relationship with fast food. Where I work is a street away from my city's downtown district, so there's a dozen restaurants and fast food places available for me to go to lunch. I'm wasting so much money, on eating out 4-5 times per week, not to mention all of the extra calories I'm consuming. I want to cut down my eating out to only once per week, and keep it within my 1500 calorie budget. Side quest Save up $100 I work full time and am a part time student, and I'm living paycheck to paycheck. If I have any extra money left over at the end of the month, I waste it on stupid things. I don't want to do that. I want to save up some money to build an emergency fund. Motivation Honestly, I'm just tired of being fat. I've been fat since childhood and it sucks. I really love doing sports and outdoor activities, but my weight makes it really friggin hard.I want to be strong, energetic and healthy and active, not stick thin and starving myself.I want to be able to shop at normal clothing stores, wear shirts without sleeves and dresses without tights.I want to buy a swimsuit for the first time since the 8th grade.I want to learn how to dance without running out of breath halfway through a song.I want to run an entire 5k without stopping, and run a marathon one day.I want to be able to chase the kids at work around the playground without getting winded, and I don't want anymore 3 year olds asking me if I have a baby in my tummy. I want to learn how to surf and go rock climbing and skydiving and do all of this other crazy stuff that I wouldn't be able to do as a fatty. That's about it. I've been doing this whole dieting->weight loss->binging->weight gain song and dance for so many years now. I have a really good feeling about this time though. 2014 is going to be my last year being obese, period. Good luck to all of my fellow nerds! I can't wait to get healthy with all of you!