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INTRO 'Olo, you lot! Welcome to my quiet little corner. I am Haniya (pronounced Hun-nee-yah) a Nerdy, Sporty, DND[currently watching Critical Role]loving, Comic book enthusiast with a penchant for arts, Video games, Books, Disney movies, music and Mystery Murder shows [Stranger Things, Sherlock, Killing Eve, The Umbrella Academy and Elementary anyone?] also Neil Gaimann because good omens is a fantastic show and is worth fangirling about. Today I have entered as a ranger to challenge myself. Hopefully, my experiment will help me build my habits and my body. I feel like my true self best fits in this sneaky, lean, strong and dangerously cool class because strength and stamina are the two things that I ideally want and we all wish to master. Hence, here I am and here I go! BACK STORY TIME: WE all know how our health is the MOST important thing in the world--physical, emotional and mental as well--especially when you've been obese half your childhood. Its hard to get back on that health horse when like half of your house hold isnt primed for it at all. Regaining my good healthy self has been a massive struggle, no less a bumpy roller coaster ride of high and lows. Well, I've been at it for quite a while with the NERDS--actually listening and enjoying the company of the people--thus, naturally, I come running back to thine fine health, happiness institute of fittitude! [Gedit] Even though i hate typing, i do try to update as often as I can. Well, anyways! I live in Pakistan (south east asia) where carbohydrate is as important and as common as air and I am not joking! OUR DIET AND CUISINE IS JUST FULL OF IT AND EVEN IF YOU TRIED, YOU JUST CANT SHAKE IT OFF AND IGNORE IT! BUT. I. WANT. TO. CHANGE. MYSELF. I DON'T WANT TO BE ADDICTED ANYMORE AND THAT'S MY MAIN MISSION HERE! BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY! I will go slow this time and not overwhelm myself as much as I am prone to so I'll just go over the basics of my mission. Cus. I. Can. And. I. Love. To. Sound. Very. Official. OH, SHALL WE MOVE TOWARDS MY BASE OF OPERATIONS?! *drumroll* OP 1: Take control of the wheel, agent! As the new agent of SHIELD, it is your duty to physically take care of what you put in your body. Filling in the shoes of Natasha Romanoff is going to be a hard job, recruit, so I suggest you take those shoes seriously and work hard! *There we go, guys. Big shoes to fill* So, clean eating and portion control is the key. Refined sugar and fried stuff is your ENEMY. IT'S YOUR HYDRA! You must defeat the bad side! *telegram* Recruit! We are not that cruel, you know, so we are allowing you a two day cheat treat. Aren't we cool?! Of-course, we are, we are SHIELD! OP 2: Find the lost Tomb of Rorustan You want to be the next Lara Croft? You want to go on adventures and move mountains like her, yes? Change the course of time and history like her? Then, you got to train like her! Her strong and Charismatic body took years and years of hard work and perseverance! Can you keep up? *CanI?* Journey to the lost tombs, human and bring forth power! My objective is to run and do body weight exercises (darebee and skipping rope) 3-4 times in a week with two days rest period. Walk for 20-30 mins daily. CAN YOU HEAR THE SPIRITS TALKING? YES! I DO! I CAN HEAR LARA CROFT! MASTER, I CAN HEAR HER WHISPERS FROM THE INSIDE, SPEAKING OUT TO ME (awksslipawaytoyonder) OP 3: Bend it like Korra! Before she was the avatar, Korra knew nothing of her powers and how to control them but with the help of her teachers and peers, she blossomed into the strongest being we know today! Want to Bend it like Korra? *Heck Yeah* then you must dedicate some time to your education; to learn and grow like the avatar. Daily one or two videos that'll inspire you or give you knowledge about the world and beyond. Study spanish: Duolingo and Memrise streaks, audio lessons from Pimsleur and YouTube video lessons. Dont forget to make notes in your notebook. Meditate to calm your souls. A clear and tension free mind is a happy mind! TAI CHI PRACTICE! Watch David Dorian Ross videos and practice along. New videos everyday to build your 103 long form practice. OP 4: "Be as flexible as Kamala Khan" SUPERHERO BY DAY, REGULAR GAMER CHILD BY NIGHT! Balancing your hero and human life takes a lot of work but you have to do this in order for the world to make sense plus, fun time is fun time! So, here are my humanly duties towards a good future:- Journal writing: habit tracking, Spanish progress and recording my days key features as bullet points to make my life easy Updating nerd fitness with my journey in the form of ratings A-F [A being super awesome and F Epic Wamp] and supporting new people and their journies! *POWER RANGERS, METAMORPHOSIS! Oh, wrong fandom* Read more books by adhering to the 50 books a year challenge: Give 1-2 weeks maximum to my current read by reading everyday for 20-30 minutes Focus on your hydration: Minimum 6glasses to up to 8 glasses. More water! LASTLY NEVER GIVE UP! Speaking of giving up, we all need some kind of push on our behinds, right? That's why I have certain ideals. Certain role models that I look for inspiration and motivation when I am feeling particular down in the ditch. These forces of good are there when i need them the most, to guide me through my epic quest I call life. Someone who I want to be: Inspiration Dice I have so many role models that I look up to! People who have proved to be gigantic and so bad arse--who don't need to be reminded of their worth! People who are amazing enough to inspire and motivate us all to follow our dreams and challenge our limits. They teach us that being kind, resolute, strong and brave--in the face of danger--is the most noblest of things you can do. So, so talented, so powerful and so stupendous. I want to be them and I am honoured to call them my idols: Lara Croft, Black Widow, Korra, Ellie Goulding, Aveline De Grandpre, Aloy, Merida, Captain Marvel, Avatar Aang, Dr 13 and Yasmin Khan, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Jim Kwik, Shuri, Okoye, Kamala Khan etc. I am not promising here but i will try to keep you guys up to date with my daily shenanigans and what-nots. Apart from that, I want to THANK you for YOUR precious time! And I might need you guys to help me with this challenge because my focus on them has been very rocky but I am ready to CHANGE MYSELF FOR THE BETTER! I SWEAR ON MY PRETTY LITTLE HANDS THAT I SHALL TRY MY HARDEST! *CUE RICK ROLL SONG* p.s: i love DND even though i am a complete beginner so talk to me about it or if you are looking dnd players then lets band together! I am all for an epic dnd session!

Hello, My name is Amber, and I recently decided while watching amazing people doing amazing things on shows like American Ninja Warrior that there is no reason that I can't do what they do. That being said, the absolute best representation of the skills I would like to have is Lara Croft, so this four week challenge (my first) is all about becoming a tomb raider! Field Log If I am going to be a successful adventurer like Lara Croft or Nathan Drake, I will need to start keeping a journal. I have decided to start a bullet journal to keep track of meal planning, finances, good habits, etc. I should write in/upkeep the journal at least two (2) times a week. Fitness Continue to work hard on body weight strength training three (3) times a week. Bonus: Measure out and improve on a standing long jump. Bonus: At the end of the four weeks, I want to beat the boss and move up to BW6. Skills Practice archery three (3) times during this four week challenge. Go bouldering at the rec center two (2) times a week.

Part I of the challenge (last challenge) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTTTy0bQ6VI Like Lara Croft, parkour, climbing, combat, and outdoors exploration are all totally my jam. I even have a passing interest in ancient civilizations, and will be scrambling around some Mayan Ruins in March. Main Quest: Parkour all of the things!!! Climb all of the things!!! Balance in mind-bending ways! Play with weapons! Look like someone who could compete on ANW. 2016 goals This challenge, I'm going to really focus on the parkour and what I need to do to rank up in my school system as well as working toward full instructor certification. For the short term, I need to get more pop off of my hands on my Kong vault, figure out how to do a reverse vault without putting too much torque on my knees in the landing, learn a Kash vault, improve with rail walking and balance skills until it's second nature, make my rolls and rolling bails a fully dialed in reflex reaction, and schedule the damn test. I'm letting a few skills as well as some neurotic perfectionism hold me back, and it's time to stop. Goal 1: Collect all of the parkour skills! (fitness: parkour) -Practice rail walking skills (backward walking, pivoting, going from standing to QM and back, etc.) 5 times/week. -Practice rolling 5 times/week (my rolls are fine, but I still have to think a little bit. If I react reflexively, I do a martial arts roll rather than a parkour one). -At least 10 kongs whenever I have open gym time and my body can handle it. -Bug instructors for help with the reverse and kash vaults whenever I have an opportunity. Goal 2: Keep my body in prime condition for everything. (fitness: prehab) This means stretching, foam rolling, and mobility work. I need to at least do a quickie prehab session 5 times/week, the session including shoulder stretches, calf stretches, quad stretches, and foam rolling the ITB. Goal 3: Better food preparation - (diet: cooking) Each week, do at least one crock pot or batch cooked meal. Or, alternately, try one new non-trivial recipe. I'm not overly worried about my diet this challenge, but I've found that focusing on cooking tends to result in better eating habits. The sub-goal for this is to avoid eating like an asshole. My birthday (and Lara's. We share a birthday!) falls in the middle of the challenge, and I have to remember that while it's okay to indulge that day, I shouldn't have an entire week (or more) of overindulging. Goal 4: Don't attract the bears to my camp. (life: domestic rangering) Lara has to keep a clean camp in the wilderness, so she doesn't attract predators. I need to channel this while dealing with my own home. I've had success in the past with following Flylady or doing cleaning PVPs, but I've really managed to fall off the wagon. This challenge, I'm requiring routine daily cleaning + a Flylady mission or a challenge from Unfuck your habitat each day. Bonus #1: (life: art) Make those $#@ graphics for my app. This should be easy for me, as I'm at least an okay artist. But I just need to get off of my ass and do it. Bonus #2: Participate in the Ranger mini. Bonus #3: Roll with the punches. I normally expect to get 4 big workouts per week (from 2 parkour sessions, 2 climbing sessions, and one power yoga class), as well as a lot of extra filler skill work. But, it's winter, we could have blizzards, kids or I could get sick, or anything else might happen. Anytime my plans change, just go with it and do what I can. And this leads right into the grading... Bonus #4: I'll be in Mexico in less than 2 months, so it's time to brush up on some Spanish. There are no specific point goals for this, but I need to crack open the DuoLingo and see how much I remember from high school. I'm not going to be rigid or apply letter grades, since I hate penalizing myself for illness, acts of nature, or whatever. Instead, I'm going to evaluate whether each goal has been Totally Rangered (accomplished everything I reasonably would wish and gave it my best), Rangered (mostly accomplished everything), Somewhat Rangered (I feel like I slacked a bit), or Failed (I totally half assed it or forgot about it).

Hello, hello, fellow nerds! I'm increasing my intensity a bit for my second ever 6 Week Challenge. It's a long(ish) list, but all pretty simple. Hoping I can stay on track! 1) Run 100 miles 2) Lift 3x a week (currently just 2x) 3) Switch from Special K to oatmeal with nuts / berries for breakfast 4) Stop buying bread! 5) Track EVERYTHING I eat on MyFitnessPal 6) Do 5 minutes of French practice every day 7) Go on at least 3 dates 8) Follow my "sweets program"* and stay under 40 points 9) Stick to just one beer a week CW: 175 GW: 165 UGW: 150 Height: 5'10 Gender: Female *Sweets program (I really need to come up with a cool name for it) is a program where I add a "point" to my calendar every time I eat a naughty sweet (cookie, yogurt-covered pretzels, cake, pain au chocolat, hot cocoa, etc.). We're playing it like golf -- the less points I have at the end of 6 weeks, the better I am! Already got 2 points today (great start, me), so I have to seriously step up my game so I can stay under 40 in the next 42 days. HERE WE GO!

I've returned from the wilderness and am back in society!! If you saw my earlier challenges, you might remember that I quit my desk job in Wisconsin in January and lived in a tent in the desert working for the Arizona Renaissance Festival during February & March. My time as a tent-dwelling nomad has come to an end, and I'm now getting settled in my new home: Portland, Oregon! How overwhelming is all of this? Hella. I'm tired of feeling like I'm "okay" in several areas -- I'm pretty fit, I eat mostly decent, I know a few things... granted, I have high standards and lofty goals, but I really want to narrow in on one thing for this challenge: consistency. My life has gone through some major changes in the past year, and they've been great, but I like having somewhat of a routine, and now that I'm starting a fresh chapter in my life, I'd like to develop some strong habits and routines right out of the gate. (All in my effort to be like the Lara Croft of the 2014 Tomb Raider reboot game, of course.) So: Goal priority #1: Track my food intake in My Fitness Pal for the entire six weeks. I've known for years that I don't eat enough or balance things properly. I'm a healthy weight and ideally would like to increase it by gaining some more muscle and losing some excess body fat. I'd like to get a better picture of the balance of fuel that best allows me to perform, feel, and look better. Ideally this goal will also result in me better balancing my food intake, but for at least the first three weeks I just want to track everything. I'll re-evaluate later on whether I want this goal to specifically include hitting certain macros, or if just tracking & trying is enough for this round. Either way, it'll be on my radar. After I successfully record my food intake, this will result in +2 CON, +1 STA, +1 WIS, and +1 CHA (because I'll hopefully be looking better after over a month of conscientious food choices!). Secondary goal: Consistent movement; also a struggle for me as I've changed schedules, gyms, and routines so often in the past year. I have a 4-pronged approach as I settle into my new life here: I'd like to go to crossfit 2x a week, lift on my own 2x a week, go to krav maga 1x a week, and include a daily practice of a skill I'm trying to work on (strict push ups, handstand, falls, crow pose, etc). It's going to be awhile before I find the right crossfit gym for me (there are 14 local to my area, and my boyfriend and I might be moving soon), so I'll add that in as I can but get the others going ASAP. For creating consistent workout practices, I will assign +2 to STR, +2 to STA, and +1 to DEX. Third goal: Finances have been a focus of my past few challenges as well, and this one will be no different. Moving across the country is ridiculously expensive, so this time around I'd like to finish paying off one of my credit cards (I paid it off with my tax return, but had to charge a few moving expenses) and re-establish regular savings deposits by the end of the 6 months. +2 to WIS. I don't have a fourth goal this time around; the above will be quite enough to keep me busy and honestly I'm really overwhelmed at the moment: new city and the headaches of moving (how to get the rest of my stuff here from Wisconsin; the $300 I have to drop at the DMV for a new license, plates, and emissions test; a new bank account since my old one is only in the Midwest; changing my mailing address; etc....), new job (exciting announcement incoming, I hope - I verbally accepted an offer but am awaiting written confirmation!), newly cohabitating with an awesome nerdy boyfriend who is playing Torchlight II while I type this, the stress of not knowing anyone else yet... So, yeah. Anxiety is rearing its head going hey girl what is UP? Didja miss me? I'm here! Let's wallow! The remaining 3 points will go to WIS, CHA, and CON for remembering to breathe, enjoy the process, and stay calm during a turbulent transition, provided I feel like I did my best with that at the end of the challenge. It's all really exciting, though. Just a LOT on my plate at the moment. And not enough protein. Let's do this!

Hey everyone! So. Total newbie to Nerd Fitness, mostly newbie to fitness in general. I was never thin, but I always had a decent body and was happiest as a size 6 - 8 (beginning of college). During my senior year of college (2 years ago), I gained about 20 lbs, am somewhere between a size 10 and 12, and I just can't seem to shake the extra poundage. I kept trying to "get fit" over the past couple of years (gym, yoga, hiking, weights classes), but nothing really stuck -- until now! For about 2 months, I've finally been consistent about going to the gym, and doing a nice mix of weights and cardio. I even went from doing a 14-minute mile to running a 5K every Wednesday with my friends. It's good, but I want to be even better! I'm slowly getting stronger and faster, but I haven't lost any weight because of... sweets. Baked goods, mostly. Cookies, pie, biscuits, or a spoonful of Nutella in a pinch. I got used to having a little "dessert" with lunch and dinner. Nothing huge, but still - that's a bunch of extra, unnecessary sugar! My ULTIMATE goal is to go from my current 175 lbs (I'm a 5'10" female) to a strong, badass, quick, flexible size 6 / 8 (somewhere around 155lbs for me, I think. Maybe 160 if my thighs keep getting muscle-y!). I want to feel like Lara Croft (i.e. join the Ranger guild!) -- to know that I can outrun the bad guys, jump over obstacles, kick ass, and just feel like a powerful, independent woman through it all. But I realize that will take a lot of baby steps, and I'm so excited to make the next leap with my first ever six week challenge. For my six-week challenge: 1) My best friend is getting married on June 1st, and I want to run 100 miles between now and then -- I want to know I have the endurance to dance for 4 hours! (I started this last week, so I'm trying to average about 13 miles per week.) 2) Trim down the dessert to ONE sweet per day. 3) Stand in front of the mirror in my underwear every morning while brushing my teeth and tell myself I'm sexy. 4) Ask a guy out on a date. (I have been shy / single for too long. Time to woman up!) I'm really happy to be going on this journey with you all! I love the sense of community I see on the message boards, and can't wait to be more involved. Here's to TOTALLY ROCKIN' IT!

Hey Rebels! Let's do this My main Nerd Fitness quest, while still being developed, was inspired by the Tomb Raider video game reboot last year. I loved "new Lara's" relatability as she struggled to become a tough, strong survivor, and I'd like to do the same! Young me read books about adventures instead of going on them, and I hated sports. It's only been in the last 2 years or so that I've really found my way to fitness, beginning with this site and garage crossfit workouts. I'm still having a hard time seeing myself as fit/athletic, but I'm working on it! In January this year I quit my desk job in Wisconsin and hit the road to live in a tent in the desert and work for the Arizona Renaissance Festival. (It's AWESOME so far.) When the Faire ends in March (also when this challenge draws to a close), I will pack up and move to Portland, Oregon -- and hopefully begin working as a personal trainer! I passed my NASM CPT exam in late November last year and also have my CFL1, but my own workout history began only recently and has been pretty inconsistent, and I do NOT feel ready to start training others. Therefore, my overall goal for this challenge -- especially since I essentially only work Saturday and Sunday and have the whole week off to work out and pursue things that are important to me -- is to build a consistent and active lifestyle, and prepare for the intimidating challenge of leaving Receptionist Me behind and showing up in Oregon ready (well, readier?) to start looking for coaching jobs. So: Goal 1: Activity. My tribe and I go on 3 mile "perimeter walks" of the Faire 4 days per week. Three days per week we do bodyweight crossfit workouts (15min or less of dips, squats, push ups, and sit ups, primarily) and another day or two we'll work with kettlebells (no barbell access out here, sadly!). I'm also doing self defense lessons 3-4 times per week, and the odd yoga class or hike thrown in there. I'm still working on more defined parameters to stick to, but if I keep to the overall active daily schedule I've created in the past week, I'm giving myself +1 STR and +1 DEX at the end of the challenge. I'm working on handstands, safe falls in combat, and being able to do more than one strict pull up - maybe I'll work those into the grading process. Goal 2: Mindful fuel. It's tough to eat paleo out here -- we have a propane camp stove, but an unreliable cooler. Does anyone have advice on how to get enough green things in my diet?? I don't want to live off of beef jerky and clif bars for the next month. Anyway, I'm going to do my best to eat paleoish, and I haven't been hydrating enough, so I'm going to shoot for getting through 3 water bottles per day. +1 CON if I am successful! Goal 3: Study/practice. I have my NASM textbook with me and tons of training/coaching resources online to go through. I also have a tribe member who wants me to help her lift when we go to the gym (which we really only use for showers... shhhh). I led some "squat therapy" and gave some technique pointers on squats before one of our crossfit sessions and will keep learning and practicing while I'm out here so I'm more prepared for the next chapter! +1 CHA. Goal 4: Saving. Moving across the country is expensive, and I'm going to do my best to be at Camp Nerd Fitness this year (YAY!), so I need to be setting money aside. I'm obviously not making much out here right now, but I'm going to set aside at least $50/week if not more. +1 WIS. I'm nervous about all of my larger goals, but optimistic. Let's do this!

"A famous explorer once said that the extraordinary is in what we do, not who we are. I'd finally set out to make my mark, to find adventure. But instead adventure found me. In our darkest moments, when life flashes before us, we find something. Something that keeps us going. Something that pushes us. When all seemed lost, I found a truth. And I knew what I must become." Hi guys! First official challenge on the forum, though a long-time reader & Rebel! Some big life events in 2014 set up some MASSIVE changes for me that are kicking off 2015. I'm subletting my apartment, leaving my office drone desk job on January 21st, embarking on a big road trip from Wisconsin to Arizona, working at the Arizona Renaissance Festival for February-March (and living in a tent in the desert for the duration), and then embarking on another road trip to settle in Oregon. My life is about to become a HUGE adventure. I'm still working on defining my overall quest, but I've been brainstorming, and the person I want to be... works out regularly and has an active lifestylespends time outside frequentlyDOES things, not just PLANS themdoesn't procrastinate (see above!)eats mindfully (paleo/primal/Whole30)loves wholeheartedlycoaches/trains/teaches -- helps othersrespects and believes in selfdoesn't say "I can't"I'm happy with my weight, but I struggle with consistency when it comes to working out and cooking; I'd like to get better at those habits, and get a little leaner and a lot stronger. Per calipers, measurements, and photo comparison, I think I'm around 24% body fat, and I'd love to reach 20% this year. I've never quantified that goal before since I'm happy with the number on the scale (I don't even own a scale, which makes it impractical to set weight-based goals) so I'm not sure how much time that will realistically take. Any thoughts? Ever since the newest Tomb Raider game, I've wanted to be Lara Croft, and even cosplayed her at my first con last year. I want to really feel like a confident, strong badass next time I cosplay her (ummm, at the Camp Nerd Fitness costume party!?!?). So here we go! Given that I'll be on the road and have no idea what my life's about to look like, I'm going to be pretty gentle with my goals for this challenge - but I DO want to participate so I start the year off strong, even amid all this chaos. Goal 1: Don't hit snooze. Easy enough to track! Either I do, or I don't. Goal 2: Create new morning routine including movement & meditation. It will be hard to have a routine while I'm moving, but I'll do my best to settle into a routine of 2 minutes of meditation and a sun salutation every morning before starting my day. I also really want to work on my fear of falling by practicing handstands, so I think I'm going to incorporate that into this as well. Maybe I'll take a pic of me doing my first-ever handstand at the end of the six weeks! Goal 3: Eat mindfully following paleo guidelines. I'll keep a log of this -- if I can't manage a daily food log during this chaotic period, I'll at least log any non-paleo choices.Goal 4: No impulse spending. My goal in December was to stop using credit cards, and I succeeded! A cross-country move + quitting a stable job is going to be difficult financially, and I'm looking at potentially going to grad school later this year, so I want to keep the momentum from last month going this month. Hopefully these are small enough to maintain while on the road while still covering my priorities of improving physical, mental, and financial health! Also, if you have suggestions on quantifying/setting a realistic body fat % alteration goal, I'd love to hear them. Usually I just focus my goals on eating cleaner or lifting regularly, but I thought going at it from this angle might help. Let's do this, 2015! A = 40-42 days on point (only missing 0-3) B = 35-39 C = 30-34 Also, I'll be using HabitRPG to track my progress as well. If you don't already use it, check it out!

Goodness gracious, guys. It has been almost exactly a year since I joined the NF forums and participated in my first 6WC. I really haven't felt great about my fitness regime since 2012, though. I haven't been sticking to the routines I create, and I have really been struggling with both professional and personal aspects of my life. Starting in March, it seemed like everything in my life went wrong. Shitty job, which I quit, followed by a stretch of unemployment that drained all my savings. On top of that, my depression, which I've talked about before (recently watched this video, which I highly recommend), kicked in, and kicked in hard. I was nonfunctional. It was really bad. But I got some help, and I'm better. But this year has not been going according to plan. So where does that leave me now? Well, it's hard to say. I have great days, and I have shitty days. My job situation is still weird (working part-time at two bars, and looking for other work) But I'm still here. I'm still creating. I read over my first 6WC, and remembered how important it was at that time to feel in control of my life, to assert mastery over my domain. Which I was very successful in doing, in some ways. What I have realized since then is that in order to really have control, you also have to know when to let go. In order to expand, you have to contract a bit. I can't control everything in my life. And I cannot control myself, all the time, to the degree that I expect of myself. And that's okay. This Challenge: I want my body to look and most importantly, FEEL, as tough as I know I am. For some reason I have been thinking a lot about Lara Croft recently. The reboot game was apparently awesome, I have not gamed in years though, so I can't speak to that. But I remember how when I was a kid, I would play Tomb-Raider....but only the intro levels. The game terrified me. So I would run around the intro and demo level, exploring and jumping off things, but never really putting myself at risk. I was afraid. That I would fail. Well, that approach does not cut it anymore. If I want to be capable of the things I want to do both personally as an athlete and professionally as an actor(and stunt-person? Thinking about it...), I need to be stronger and faster, but most importantly, I need discipline, so that I can work through the fear. I need routine. I bet she has some pretty mean spreadsheets. So, my Main Goal for this challenge, is to create a long-term fitness plan that will push me and challenge me, that I will stick to, and that will help me finally build the muscle and the endurance that I have always desired. It needs to be flexible and well-rounded; so that I can adjust it depending on my smaller goals. My currently workout schedule looks like this, and I've been doing it for about two weeks. I'm going to keep this really simple. CURRENT WORKOUT SCHEDULE: This is roughly what I've been doing; sometimes switching which days I do what on, depending on my mood/soreness. I want to switch the order that I do things every week or so, so I don't get bored. Monday: Run Tuesday: Bodyweight Circuit (upper body focus) Wednesday: Climb Thorsday: Bodyweight (lower body focus) Circuit Friday: Climb Saturday: Run Sunday: Climb/Full Body Bodyweight Circuit There's no rest day on there; will probably alternate running and rest days, or sometimes combine run and climb days. GOALS: MISSION GOAL: Create sustainable and flexible fitness routine with a focus on upper-body strength building. 1)Do every workout. Simple. Schedule workouts on Sunday or Monday. Do them. The only ones I have flexibility on are climbing; because I can't always get to the gym. If I miss a climbing trip though, I still do the bodyweight workout or run. RECORD EVERY WORKOUT in spreadsheet / challenge thread. This is crucial. Sub-goal: Reduce 5k time to 33 minutes; I have to figure out what my current time is on flat surface(I've been running in the park which is a lot of up hill and un-even terrain); if I beat this time inside the 6 weeks, reduce to 31 mins. Sub-goal: Continue to work on v1/v2 problems, attempt some v3s. 2) Do 1 Glorious Shiny Pull Up I've done some really sloppy half assed ones. Work on form; if I accomplish this inside the 6 weeks, I will increase my goal to 2. 3) EAT EAT EAT Make sure I get my caloric intake for muscle building; rough Paleo (exceptions: rice, potatos, some dairy). Trying to find consistency in my diet; recently I upped my caloric intake and I can feel the difference. Basically, eat when I'm hungry and eat frequently. Prepare snacks for work.Going to edit this goal this week once I figure out a more structured eating plan. STATS: I'm also going to update this thread later with points; realized I tracked points in my first challenge, but not since. I think it will help me stay on track. It's funny, at the start of past challenges, I have felt all fired up, filled with optimism and motivation that is usually short-lived. I burn out. This time around I am less wide-eyed idealism and more grim determination, but I have a few things helping me out. -My roommate! Check out his first ever challenge thread and show him some love. Great dude, great athlete, and is super positive and gives me tons of support. -The fact that it's been a year since I committed to living healthier. I owe it to myself to make these changes stick. -My life goals demand that I do this. If I can't commit to these habits, I might as well throw in the towel and be content with mediocrity. Screw that. I've also flaked on so many challenges that I feel embarrassed starting another, so much so that if I don't finish this one it will make it that much harder to start the next. Not gonna do that to myself. -My progress. I'm bouldering v2s now. What I love about bouldering is that it is so easy to track your progress. Feeling the difference when you climb week to week is exhilarating. -And my challenge theme song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HX74UhgMFA Good to be back. -Starbuck

Back for challenge number 2! Last challenge I found it really helped for accountability to not just have goals in my head but to write them out and keeping focused on how I’m getting along with my goals. After a discussion with my psychologist I’ve decided to make my goals more effort based than result based. It’s important for me to have victories I have control over she says. So no number of push-ups to be done, but instead the number of trainings. The themes people used for their challenges last time really inspired me, so I’m using that idea for this challenge: Tomb raider training: becoming Lara Croft Time to set goals for the next six weeks. Run into (and out of) danger (Run 3 times a week) Sta 3 If there’s one thing Lara Croft does a lot of is running. Running right into danger and back out of it again. Training 3 times a week will get me ready to run into any danger. That’s 18 times over the course of the challenge. For added effect I’ll keep using the zombies run app. Planned days are Tuesday, Friday, Sunday. A = 17-18 runs B = 15-16 runs C= 13-14 runs Climb to the top of the tombs (3 strength trainings per week) Str 3 Dex 3 Lara Croft climbs, swings, jumps and pulls up on her way through the tombs, getting down may be easy, but getting back up requires superhuman strength. So on my quest to become Lara Croft I’ll do 3 strength trainings per week. On Monday nights I’ll join a body pump class in the gym, Wednesday and Saturday are workouts from the Rebel rookie fitness guide. If necessary I can switch days around. A = 17-18 trainings B = 15-16 trainings C= 13-14 trainings Seduce nerds with killer body (Eat +/- 1700 calories a day) Con 3 What is Lara Croft known for if not her killer body?! Now I considered getting breast implants size EE to look like her, but decided the rest of the body is more important. And the quickest way to get a better body is to drop my BF percentage (37% according to the exaggerating scale) which is way too high. So next to working out, what I put in my mouth will effect this. So, I’ll stick to my calorie goal. It’s fine to be under one day and over the next, over a week it should be in balance. A= 6 weeks B= 5 weeks C= 4 weeks Always look fantastic (Take a shower after exercise) Cha 3 No matter how far Lara Croft has ran, no matter how many obstacles she faced, no matter how many spiders live in that tomb that should life spider webs in her hair, she always looks fantastic. Me, not so much, I sweat, I get a red face and my hair gets messed up (but remains free of spider webs). Part of my depression is that I care a lot less about my physical appearance, which often means skipping a shower or putting it off to the next day. Yeah, not really pretty and very smelly, also my boyfriend is less than amused about this. So, time for change. I will take a shower after workouts. A= every workout -2 B = every workout -3/-4 C = every workout -5/-6 Added in this goal later as life said I needed it. Postponing the sequel - (don't push myself to hard) Int 3 Tomb raider 2013 came out earlier this year, after a long long break. Guess Lara Croft needed a long vacation as well! When necessary I can take a break from my other goals and give myself intelligence points for this*. So, for example I might today decide that my mental state clearly says I need to take a rest day. Or I might feel that a day or two at higher calories will help me manage my emotions a lot better. I've always been very sensitive emotionwise to what I eat and this depression just made it worse. The important thing here is that it needs to be a concious decision to skip a workout or eat more. And it needs to be because mentally I need a break. Preferably before I break down and cry Skipping because it's bad weather or I didn't plan right or because it's Monday will not get me any intelligence points