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I started Nerd Fitness in June and was doing well up until the beginning of August, at which point I got derailed. I went to Minnesota for a week and got Lyme Disease from a tick bite I didn't even know I had. I grew up going to my family's cabin in north-central Minnesota and I've had plenty of mosquito and tick bites but never got sick. Lyme disease is A-W-F-U-L. To make a long story short, after I got diagnosed properly (that took 2 weeks) it then took me another six weeks to get through the antibiotics and get to a point that I feel like I have enough energy to do a strength training. I'm super hyped with the new launch of updated bodyweight workouts (I'm not at the point of using the new ones yet) and really want to restart here in October for the Bodyweight Workout Month. The problem is having time available. I've had to take a second job to make ends meet in September and I am trying to find a new job that will pay enough to live on by itself, but nothing so far. So, I work A LOT and don't have much time for bodyweight workouts (which I prefer to do in my home), BUT I DO have time to do it. It's just tight. Therefore, I am telling you all that I am making a commitment to start bodyweight training again and GET IT DONE! Here is my plan: Wednesday evening from 5:30 to 6:15 PM, then eat dinner with my son who lives with me; Friday from 7:00 to 7:45 PM, which is when my kids get back from their mom's house and are with me for the weekend; and Sunday evening from 7:00 to 7:45 PM, after my kids go back to their mom's (my son who lives with me can drive them to their mom's). So I DO have time to workout, in spite of how it feels. It feels like I have NO time and ZERO money...both are lies in my head. I am becoming the kind of guy who sees reality and works with that, rather than cower at shadows dancing around in my mind. This is my reset after an illness which knocked me off the horse...this is me getting back on the horse and not letting go!

G'DAY FELLOW REBELS This is like the (calculate that) time I respawn, but with good reason, apparently. After 2 years of continuously struggling with my health and my GP telling me it's all because I'm "psychologically unstable'', I was fed up with it and decided to go to a private clinic abroad, with all the results from lab tests from the past few years. It paid off. Not only did they find I tested positively for Lyme disease OVER A YEAR AGO (can you imagine my GP just overlooked that...) and still do, but they also discovered my T4 levels (thyroid hormone) are way below the minimum, let alone for my age. These 2 things can perfectly explain why I felt tired all the tileHad continuous headachesSkipped school because I felt depressed or sickFell ill all the timegained weight despite being on a starvation dietmy hair fell outmy nails were brittleMy skin was super dry, despite applying the most expensive lotions or creams..... In other words, I am not insane or psychologically messed up, I just had medical conditions. I'll have to take a lot of antibiotics for a month, and take hormone pills for the rest of my life, but if it brings me closer to health, I'll happily take them. They found other really depressing things, on which I may elaborate later, but I don't think a fitnesswebsite is the place for it. They will definitely influence my progress, but I'm confident they won't stand in the way. Because of all the medication I need to take now, they put me on a very strict diet, which is basically a modified paleo diet, so there shouldn't be too much trouble there, I hope. I'm not really allowed to do any vigorous exercise for some time either, but I can stick with long walks and yoga every day for now! Finally, I feel like I'm getting somewhere. I feel like there actually MAY BE a solution to this ''hopeless case''. I may not directly shed the pounds I gained because of my hypothyroidism, but that's not my primary aim. I want to get healthy, I want full, healthy, vibrant hair. I want the twinkle back in my eyes. I want the motivation to ace my calculus classes back. And I will get it all back. I may rely on pills all my life, but I will not let that depress me. I still have my life goal of climbing Mount Everest, then settling in Nepal and founding a charity for science education for Nepali children in remote areas, and I will achieve it one day. But for now: chicken wings, avocado and hella Hatha Yoga.