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"a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" - Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu Step One: 07/18/2015 - ? Starting Weight: 207.6lbs Finishing Weight: ? Qigong/Stance Training 8 Piece Brocade Stance Training: horse (30s), bow (30s), cat (30s), natural (5 breaths) and monkey (30s) Martial Arts Sil Lim Tau Basic Bodyweight Strength Training 3x3 chinup (assisted) 3x3 pushup 3x3 supermans 3x3 row 3x3 dip 3x3 hanging leg raises (bent knee) 3x30s wall sit Fat Burning Routine Jumping Jacks - 30s High Knees - 30s Rest - 15s Mountain Climbers - 30s Rest - 15s Knee Tucks - 30s Rest - 30s Burpees - 30s Rest - 30s Sprints ~ til failure Sledgehammer Work Overhead swings x10 - regular and switch

Has anyone ever had to deal with a person in their class/dojo whom you have a very hard time training with? I'm really enjoying Krav Maga except for days when I get stuck partnered with this one woman. She is much bigger and stronger than I am and she will not dial back her intensity. Normally I don't mind a partner who pushes me, but I get injured every time I pair with her. Badly enough to have to leave the mat twice now. I've tried avoiding partnering with her and have asked her to slow down, but I'm still getting pounded. It's becoming a deterrent to going to class. Any advice?

"Fighters who work on form, flexibility, tendon strength and muscle density end up being in total control of their own body. Ultimately that is what being a fighter is all about. If you do not control your body, there is no hope of controlling anybody else’s long enough to beat them. " -Neila Rey Big Why: I want to be able to take control of my body and work with it, rather than struggle to fight against it in order to get in shape. I need discipline and force of will to achieve my goals. Goals: I decided to switch back over to the assassins, firstly because it's the most awesome guild in the rebellion, and secondly because this challenge, I want to focus on martial arts. I've never done it before, so I'm going to work my way through the Darebee (Neila Rey) Fighter's Codex, paying attention to form and using the videos to perfect that. Fighting improves my dexterity and strength. I'll be doing it at level 2, since I did the fitness test today and discovered that's slightly above where I am. I should push myself. Goal 1: Complete the 60 Day Darebee Fighter's Codex. Reward: CON +1, STA +1 Assassin: An assassin needs to be able to defend herself and overpower her enemies. I'm also taking myself to the fight rather than waiting for it to come to me, so I'll be making an effort to hike at least 60 mins 3 weekday mornings, as well as continuing to go hashing because hashing is awesome and I love it. Unfortunately, I'll be spending a lot of time in Seoul in June, so I might not make the official hashes. If I miss a hash, I have to do a 10k hike/walk on Sunday afternoon/night. I will probably follow the route I did yesterday: For tracking purposes, I'll use MapMyRun or MapMyWalk or whatever to track the walks. I figure that's constitution and wisdom; con because my old trainer used to say, in his thick French accent, "Cardio is good for ze life" and wis because I need to use my brain to navigate and plan hikes, and tend to make bad choices and go the wrong way. Stamina to make it through those 10km hikes. Goal 2: Hike 3 mornings for 60 mins, and all hashes if possible. If no hash, then hike/walk 10km. Reward: DEX +2, STA +3 Assassin: An assassin may stalk her prey over long distances, and needs to be able to track them. The reason I'll be missing things is not a fitness thing but a life thing. I didn't get around to getting my driver's license until it was too late, so I've signed up to do it here, in Korea. This has actually worked out pretty well... In South Africa the waiting list between doing the written test and doing the driving test is so long that the whole process can take about a year. But here, I'll have it all done over the course of three weekends. Sweet. That way, when I go to Mauritius in August, I'll be able to rent a car and give Beardy and I a little more independence than we'd have if we have to rely on lifts. Wisdom because it's a knowledge skill, and Charisma because I'll be able to be more sociable if I have my own wheels. It will also help with future job efforts in Europe or wherever we go next year. Goal 3: Get driving license. Reward: WIS + 1, CHA +1 Assassin: An assassin may need to commandeer a vehicle to cover greater distances, or flee the scene of the crime. And for my last goal, something that is not necessarily a priority but should be done, I need to catch up my 12 book lag in reading 100 books this year on goodreads. I must write a basic review for each book I read during the challenge. Wisdom because books make you smarter, and charisma because my reviews help add to the discussion about them. Goal 4: Read and review enough books to catch up to my reading challenge on Goodreads. Reward: WIS + 1 CHA +1 Assassin: An assassin needs to be able to disguise herself as one of the crowd. By reading books and studying the behaviour of others, she can act accordingly. Knowledge is power. Finally, I need to stick to my diet and keep eating whole foods. I'll track them on MFP. A win is any day under the calorie goal, with enough fiber. Goal: FEED Reward: CON +2, STA +2 Assassin: An assassin chooses the best ingredients to fuel her most important weapon; herself. So, recap: 1. Fighter's Codex. CON +1, STA +1 2. Hiking. DEX +2, STA + 3 3. Driver's license. WIS +1, CHA +1 4. Reading. WIS +1, CHA +1 5. Diet. CON +2, WIS +2

Well, I've been sitting here at my desk for the past hour or so trying to figure out where to start with all of this so I guess I'll go from the beginning since that would make the most sense. Firstly, good morning/afternoon/evening to all you folks who might be reading and thanks for taking a look at lowly newb's first attempt at communicating with everyone. If I ramble or get long-winded I apologize ahead of time (I'm Canadian so apologies are a given with me). I guess this all started about a little over a year and a half ago. Feeling that my health was starting to get worse and not being happy with myself anytime I looked in the mirror I took it upon myself to make a change. So, at the start of 2014 I signed up for a martial arts class. The first one I have ever done since I was 7 years old really. I wound up joining a class for Haidong Gumdo which specializes in sword training. I am well aware of the dubious history surrounding this particular martial art but I have a love of swords and don't subscribe to the history of it nor do I consider myself a Samurang/Samurai in any shape or form. Just someone wanting to get healthy and has found something that I'm drawn to and have a love for. My instructor is a patient and kind man from Korea and to be completely honest feels like the complete opposite of what I was expecting with the class. He points out similarities and origins of things from other martial arts, doesn't down talk them (even goes so far as to praise them for things) and just has an overall positive attitude all around which is incredibly infectious as it keeps making me want to push myself. Which I guess brings me here. I started out weighing in at 326 lbs and since then I have been able to get myself to a point where I keep hovering around 290-285. I'm 6 feet tall and sadly an endomorph for a body type. The weight loss came gradually over the first 6-7 months or so of me starting the classes. Obviously this is still not the ideal place I want to be. I've noticed a change in how clothes fit, flexibility and overall stamina and strength but being the stubborn mule of a nerd I am I want to get even better. I certainly don't have any expectation of looking like Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy (hell, I'd take early season Parks and Rec Chris Pratt if I could get that small) but I want to be healthy for not only my sake but my family. In a normal week I'm going 3-4 times in the evening for an hour class. Normal class consists of warm up (stretching, jumping jacks, leg raises, lunges, etc) and then we go into forms for a good chunk, then some paper cutting/candle extinguishing and then a few cutting/sparing drills to finish up class. I always get a great sweat going and my heart rate up (and I stay hydrated!). But I feel like I should be doing more. This fall I'll be going for my black belt and I still can't wrap my belt around me twice. I feel like I should be trying to do something else on off days or looking into how I should be working out. Another problem I guess is my diet. I've slowly been trying to wean myself off of sugars and cutting way down on carbs and increasing my veggie/fruit intake and I of course love meat but I am absolutely horrid when it comes to portion sizing and calorie counting and I've got myfitnesspal installed on my phone and never use it consistently. As well, I've bought a small food scale that is sitting in my cupboard at home that I never seem to get up the drive to use. I'm sure I would see my plateau problem start to get rectified if I could get myself into a habit with my diet but I always seem to have the best of intentions with no follow through. Which brings me here. I frequent another forum online (Penny-Arcade, hi everybody it's Gonmun finally taking some advice!). Many have suggested to me the nerd fitness workouts and I've taken a look at them and am very interested in starting to try and do them but have no sweet clue on how to go about setting up an sort of a workout plan, nor a diet. And the other thing I guess I'm looking for is to hold my butt accountable and having looked through this forums for a little bit I like that you are all very supportive of one another while trying to push each other to stick with it. I guess I'm looking to hopefully become a part of that and get myself healthy and happier with myself. So, if anyone has any suggestions/advice/direction/etc to offer, please feel free. I'm all ears and open to doing what I can to continue working towards improving myself. So thank you in advance for anything you can provide and I look forward to being a part of the community and the rebellion.

Hi! I'm curious as to the pros and cons of the low guards ("forward" hand at waist level) that a lot of fighters use, what are the pros and cons of such a guard? Is the guard still viable in martial arts other than boxing? That allow for kicks? Take-downs? Thanks in advance for any answers! Pierre

Thus far I have managed to have 2 very successful challenges. I know that this system works for me so maybe it's time to start pushing myself a little harder and kick some serious ass. For this reason, I am making this challenge Buffy themed (and because everything is better if it's Buffy themed!) Main quest - to set a great example to my children This hasn't changed and it probably never will because it is perfect for me. My boys are wonderful but being a parent is hard work. Being a healthy parent is even harder but it's so important to be a good role model to children. They are my motivation. Goal 1 - Kick ass workouts 3 times a week (+3 STA, +2DEX) I discovered last challenge that I need variety in my workouts. Doing the same old stuff 3 times a week meant I seriously lacked motivation. I also discovered that I love to get my sweat on and work hard (contrary to what I would've believed) so that is my focus for this challenge. I'm going to be following the fighter's codex program on darebee.com. This is varied, focused on kicking ass and should get me nice and sweaty. Reward - being fitter Goal 2 - Stop binge eating (+3CON) I know I'm good at succeeding in challenges but I'm also very good at finding the loopholes to allow myself to be naughty. Initially I allowed myself a cheat day from my healthy eating plan but then I became a little ridiculous on that day. My focus for this goal is going to be on maintaining my current weight (10 stone 8). I will continue to count calories and I hope that now I'm allowed 2000 daily I won't feel the desire to binge and go way over. Reward - not being bloated Goal 3 - Complete 20 good form push ups (+4STR, +1STA) (I couldn't find a gif of Buffy doing push ups...wtf?!) This is an insane goal as I can currently only manage about 5 but as I said earlier, I've had great success in past challenges so why not push hard and see what can be achieved?! My plan is to work on them during my sweaty workout sessions but also try 1 day a week (probably Mondays) to do some on the hour, every hour and see where that gets me. Then on a Sunday I will do as many as possible to measure progress. Could be interesting. Reward - total bragging rights Life Side Quest - Have a kick ass wardrobe (+2CHA) With my recent weight loss, I treated myself to some new clothes but I still find myself wearing the same old hoodies every day. The sun is starting to shine (as much as it ever does in England) so I want to sort my wardrobe out and start wearing nicer clothes. The first step is to sort out which clothes are bloody awful (why do I even have these?) and get rid of them. Once that is done, I want to weed out the clothes that don't fit well and then I'll have easier access to all the nice things. Reward - Looking great Unfortunately I'm on holiday for the first week of the challenge so I'm intending to complete it in 5 weeks however I'm prepared to give myself an extra week to work on the push ups if needed.

Hi everyone! My main goal this year (starting from August) was fitness and losing some weight, so now I've made a lot of progress I'd like to get back to karate. I think I have a decent level, having practiced for 8 years and quit for a while, so I'd like to start doing serious competition. What are the best physical workouts I can do for karate non-contact kumite competition? At the moment my main weakness is flexibility, I'm working on it every day but I'm not noticing any serious progress, so help would be welcome in suggesting stretching programs for kicks, and generally working towards the splits! Thanks in advance for the help, Pierre

My thoughts are clouded, the path ahead is no longer clear. The Force is discordant within and without. I set out now on a long and lonely road. With only my wits and my lightsaber I must find the way to harmony Before the Dark Side's grasp becomes too strong. ------------------------ I've found myself feeling pretty scattered for a while now. It's harming my concentration, my work, and my home life, because instead of being able to focus and get things done, I've been getting nothing done instead. Every spare minute is spent zoning out, just trying to recover for the next thing to come along. A lot of it has been the recent surge in my busy-ness at work, but that's not really a good enough reason. I've also been fighting migraines for the first time in five years, which only come to me in time of very high stress. As I discovered during the last challenge, my body is under pretty high levels of physical stress thanks to my two- to four-times weekly attendance at my Kung Fu and Lightsaber classes. When I tried adding significant physical challenge outside of my regular sessions, I ended up injured instead of improving. I also thought that I could grab a little more day by waking up early, but with the changes in my schedule lately, that ended up being counterproductive as well. I'm an introvert by nature, and instead of spending most nights home relaxing and unwinding, I'm now spending them at high-energy martial arts classes, which I think is part of the mental stress. I don't want to stop going to class, though, which means I need to explore other ways of getting my stress in line. To wit, I'm going to let my Sifu and my classes handle the physical side for this challenge, while I focus on the mental side, before I end up spending every night taking 1000mg of ibuprofen and hiding in a dark room just to stay sane. --------------------------- I Harmonize the Mind The dark and the light are lost in the mist. Only within my own mind can the path back to the light become clear. I'm bringing meditation back, baby. However, since I don't want it to be overwhelming and put myself off right away, I'm going to back off my usual self-requirement of 10 minute meditation sessions and just drop back to 9, at least to start. I'll probably increase it again later as the habit comes back. Goal: 4 9-minute Meditation Sessions Per Week (Total of 24) -------------------------------- II Harmonize the Space One's chamber is a reflection of one's mind. Bring the outward into alignment, and thus, align the inward. I've been living in the same space for three and a half years now. My office is a room above our garage, which is very nice and quiet and peaceful, for the most part. However, it's lit by one lamp on an ugly lighting track that I hate (came with the house) and a second floor lamp with an LED bulb that I like much better. Unfortunately, I've always been kind of terrible at keeping up a space. I tend to hold onto things way past when I need them, especially things like boxes and small knickknacks. I honestly think that even though my space is nice and quiet, the constant chaos that it lives in is probably subconsciously contributing to my stress. Though the space in the room is limited, I think that it could be put to much better use if I actually spent some time and cleaned it up. Goal: Spend 5 minutes a day, at least five times per week, cleaning my office. (Total of 150 minutes) Space re-purposing can come later. -------------------------------- III Harmonize the Spirit As the Force flows through me, I must also flow through it. With my spirit aligned, I may yet wrest myself free of the Dark Side's grasping hand. I'm not really a religious or spiritual guy. I don't subscribe to any religion nor mystical beliefs, though I have often felt that Buddhism and Daoism both hold some value beyond their more 'religious' aspects. I do, however, love philosophy and enjoy a good debate on the subject. So, this goal is going to be a bit more relaxed than the others. I recently read Living the Martial Way by Forrest E. Morgan and really enjoyed it. I feel like there's a lot more that I'll get out of it as I continue to learn and grow in my martial arts as well. For now, I'd like to pick up a few more books in this same vein during the challenge and read more about martial ethics and bushido as a living system. I might even pick up a volume on Zen while I'm at it. ---------------------- In the meantime, I'll keep attending Kung Fu class as often as I can and let my physical development progress naturally through that path. Naturally I'll also keep talking Kung Fu and Lightsaber here as much as possible, because we get to have some awesome discussions! =)

Hey there, Nerd Fitness-ers! Newbie question about mouth guards... I just boiled and fitted mine for the first time and I'm not sure if I did it right. Is it normal that the mouth guard keeps my lips from even coming close to touching? There's a half inch gap between my lips, and my lower lip looks fantastically cave-man-ish as it juts out over the guard a bit. It's a double guard for martial arts/boxing/etc, and I don't know if I just did it wrong and need to boil longer and bite harder to make less space... or if that's normal! I think I can rock the Neanderthal look, just want to keep my teeth when I spar for the first time...

WHAT'S UP MY NERDFITNESS PEEPS!!! BLACKTEZCA IS BACK AND ROCKING OUT WITH THE MONKS!! Man already the new forums are up! Awesome! Let's do this! I'm BlackTezca, you may remember from such topics as From Lurker to (Newb) Rebel!, BlackTezca's Daily Battle Towards Feline Greatness, and my personal favorite BlackTezca's 1st Trial: Become an Artsy, Geeky Amazon. I'm continuing on my journey towards geeky, otaku, Amazon awesomeness and for this challenge (and the next since I plan ahead), I'll be with my martial art loving peeps. There won't be a whole lot of martials arts for this challenge, but you know what? So to reiterate my main quest: My Main Quest is to be as POWERFUL and BATTLE READY as Wonder Woman Not the theme for this challenge but I love the shit out of this image I did relatively well for my first challenge despite some minor setbacks, so my confidence (*cough* maybe arrogance *cough*) is super high! I originally planned on jumping straight into finding a studio and learning Krav Maga, but considering my trip (which cost me some major $$$$$$$$$$) and StillSkies 2nd challenge getting me interested in opening my mind to other martial arts, I'm pushing that off a little bit. Just a little bit; I still use kick boxing workouts for a bit of my cardio (especially combined with HIIT) and my Art quest is gonna be pretty fun . Now enough stalling! TIME TO REVEAL MY SIDE QUESTS!!! Side Quest 1: During my workouts, focus on upper body strength training for at least 20 minutes, at least 3 days a week. Details: I have strong legs, and despite my complaints about my back, I don't think my core is anything to laugh out. But I have laughably weak arms and I want to be strong all over. I have my dumbbells, I have my Fitness Blender, time to put more focus on my upper body and strengthen what I consider to be my weakest area Contingencies: I do downhill ski. The ski season is almost over. I have one more, longish, ski trip planned and downhill skiing does not really use your arms (unless you fall. Then your arms are most useful). I will try to get my upper body workouts done during the time before and after I return from my trip. Tracking: I'll be tracking using MyFitnessPal ( username BlackTezca ) and this lovely thread will be updated. Grading: A for 3+ days a week ( 3 Str 1Sta ) B for mostly 2 days a week ( 3 Str ) C for mostly 3 days a week ( 2 Sta ) F for all else Side Quest 2: During my workouts, focus on core and lower back strength and flexibility for at least 20 minutes, at least 2 days a week. Details: I have mild scoliosis and I'm a code monkey. My job consists of programming hunched over at a screen and let me tell you that does WONDERS for my back health. I really need to work on this because over my last trip, walking a block or two started to really cause me pain and I don't like feeling like I'm 70 years old while still in my twenties (Actually, a relative in his 70s did not feel any back pain so boo to me). Contingencies: None because if my back hurts, even on my ski trip, I will be stretching the living shit out of it until it STOPS. Tracking: I'll be tracking using MyFitnessPal ( username BlackTezca ) and this lovely thread will be updated. Grading: A for 2+ days a week ( 3 Dex 1Str ) B for mostly 1 day a week ( 2 Dex ) F for all else Side Quest 3: Eat vegetables with every meal, 6 days a week. Details: ARRGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Noooo don't make me do this nooooooooo!!!!!! Okay...*deep breath*. It's not like I dislike vegetables, I just find them...hard to...put on my mind when it comes to food. Especially on the weekends. I don't buy them, I don't think about them all the time unless they are in my face or a little voice (or many voices, depending who follows this) remind me. So...I'm gonna...eat...vegetables in some recognizable form, preferably not covered in yummy yummy cheese (oh my Chicken Pepper Philly how I love you). Wish me luck guys. Contingencies: None really. I shall eat vegetables (not corn, nor a potato, nor a sweet potato *cry*) every meal, maybe even push myself to snacking on them*twitch*. Tracking: I'll be tracking using MyFitnessPal ( username BlackTezca ) and this lovely thread will be updated (I hate you all) Grading: A for 6+ days a week ( 2 Con ) B for mostly 4 to 5 days a week ( 1 Con ) C for mostly 2 to 3 days a week ( .5 Con ) F for all else Life Quest: Pay down one credit card completely and lower the debt on the other credit card. Details: Like most people, I gots some debt I need to take care of. I'm not gonna pay that all down, but with the tax refund coming in, and my vacation over, I'm gonna need to focus on paying off my cards a little more than I have been. Contingencies: None. Tracking: I'll track this weekly here of course for my summaries and I'll be watching my credit card accounts. Grading: A for One card completely paid off and the other managed ( 2 Wis ) B for One card completely paid off, nothing down on the other ( 1 Wis ) F for all else Art Quest: Research at least 5 different martial arts and draw something (sketch, full painting, etc) representing each one. Details: I have been really touched by the comments my art has gotten here and the encouragement and support is super awesome. Some of you had hoped that I would continue it and this is my answer: Art Quests are here to stay. For every challenge I do, there will be an art quest. For this challenge, since I am with the monks and since I am holding off on a studio membership, I will research a martial art and not only will I do a short summary, I will also have an artwork attached to that summary. This will be fun cause it means drawing other characters, testing out new poses, etc. This will hopefully be done on a weekly basis. Contingencies: Ski trip, but surely I can post a decent sketch or make it black and white if I must . Tracking: I have an art Tumblr and I also have a DeviantArt (WATCH ME FOR ACCOUNTABILITY). I'll use those for tracking and on a weekly basis...like a weekly update or something, I'll post art on this thread. Grading: A for 5 martial art images and research ( 2 Wis + 1 Cha ) B for 4 martial art images and research ( 2 Wis ) C for 3 martial art images and research ( 1 Wis ) F for all else OMG THAT IS FIVE QUESTS! A little intense it seems but surely if anyone I can do it...I CAN! Starting Measurements: Date: 02/19/2015 @ 6 am Weight: 137.4 ***Body Fat***: 25.48 Waist: 24 Waist @ Navel: 26 Hips: 37 Neck: 12.5 Chest: 33 Left Bicep: 11 Right Thigh: 17.5 Wrist: 6 Forearm: 9 Yeah, I measured myself already. God I'm excited! I've been getting really happy and upbeat doing these. I'm gonna rock this out...LET'S GET THIS AWESOMENESS ON THE ROAD!!! REBELS! ROCK OUT!!!

Main Quest: Getting back to where I was before I stopped trying A year and a half ago I was doing pretty well. I had been eating a nearly 100% paleo diet for 5-6 months and completed 3 challenges. I had lost around 35 pounds (much more than that in fat since I gained muscle). I had energy, I was happy, and I felt great! Then came Thanksgiving, Xmas, and injuries. The diet was the first to go, and exercise followed shortly after. I attempted to reboot in February of last year, but only got halfway through the challenge. At that point I had finished 6 of the 13 weeks of P90X, but then I just stopped for no real reason. Reboot attempt two crashed after Thanksgiving last year. I have to figure out what's causing the melt-downs, you know, for SCIENCE! This time around I'm going to be both a little more loose and a little tighter with my goals... So here are the benchmarks that I'd like to hit (in some cases, again), and I fully don't expect to hit them during this challenge: Push-ups: 50 (I think 42 is my current max ever)Pull-ups: 12/28 (1 set max / 3 set total max)Weight: 148lbs (Currently hovering around 173)BMI: ~13.7% (Currently around 19.2, measured with plastic calipers) February 2015 Challenge GOAL 1: Diet I eat a pretty paleo diet, with these (but only these) all too frequent exceptions: pizza, hamburger buns, french fries, cookies, croutons. Last time I did paleo and then tried buns and fries with my burger meal, they both tasted so bland. Hunger is my enemy, and late night hunger doubly so. They both cause me to make easy choices, rather than healthy ones. I will abide by the following rules: No pizza No hamburger buns No french fries No cookiesThe rest of what I eat should be fine. I just need plan in advance and make better choices when eating out. I am giving myself a paleo pass next weekend and the weekend after, due to trips that include fancy food. Grading: +2 CON, +1CHA. GOAL 2: Fitness Plan I have a spreadsheet! The capital-P Plan currently consists of the following: Monday -- Weights (most likely a Rebel Strength Guide Dumbbell Division II workout)Wed -- Challenging YogaThurs -- Martial ArtsSat -- WeightsSun -- YogaAcceptable substitutions are an extra weight session on Wed or Thurs instead of the yoga or martial arts, and Sundays yoga session can be for flexibility (mild workout) or strength (hard workout) Grading: +2 STR, +1 CHA, +3 DEX, +1 CON GOAL 3: Sleep I'm most likely starting a new job soon, and my current one lets me walk in anytime between 8 and 9 as long as I get my daily 8 hours in. I'm not sure the next job will be so lax. I think I'm averaging about 5 hours of sleep on week nights, and I'm all yawns during the day. Also, if I could get to sleep earlier to where I could naturally rise early in the morning I could attend morning yoga classes or get to work at a decent time (which means home at a decent time to work out and stuff). The method that has seemed to work in the recent past was to set my computer to shut down at 10:30 Sunday-Thursday and not to turn it back on no matter what. Grading: +2 CON, +1 CHA GOAL 4: Learn .NET For my most-likely soon-to-be new job, I will eventually need to know how to create and edit web apps in .NET. I have a book. I have Visual Studio. By the end of this challenge I hope to have finished the course in the book. I'll be posting chapter progress reports weekly. Grading: +2 WIS MOTIVATION: My birthday is the day after this challenge, and my gift to myself will be to fit into my clothes again. What really helped me on my first few challenges was having a great accountability group and posting often. I hope I can find/do that again!

Inside the World of Longsword Fighting So just saw this on the FaceSpace and WOW I mean ... come on! Fighting with Longswords ... how is that NOT NerdFitness!

SIDE QUEST II The Explosive Letterball https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6OYQSSKWDI (Pay attention to 2:12) We, as good members of the rebellion, know how to create a workout regime based on our needs, especially those as martial arts students. We focus on cardiovascular exercises, weight lifting, calisthenics using our bodyweight, yoga and stretching for our flexibility, and most importantly, our martial arts practice. However, one of the things that set us apart from the rest of the Rebellion is the speed and explosiveness for what martial artists have become famous. This week’s Side Quest will help us become more athletic and move faster, as well as improve our hand — eye coordination using something called The Letterball. Why? We already know that hand-eye coordination is essential for martial arts students. Nevertheless, we often fail to include it in our workout routine. Sure, we nerds play many video games, shown and proved to improve hand-eye coordination but this is Nerd Fitness, after all. It was this, or doing burpees every loading screen. How? I can tell you, or I can show you For those who asked, that is not me. I just saw the video and stole the id— thought it was a brilliant idea. What you will need - Command and Knowledge of your ABCs* - A sharpie - A Tennis Ball - A wall - A partner (optional but recommended). If you are an English Teacher, I’d strongly recommend using other techniques to teach the ABCs to your students, apparently this is not a proper pedagogic technique, as my boss repeatedly tells me. Advanced Level Go for explosive. With a partner, play it like a violent, sadistic squash game. Without a partner, juggle and add more letter balls to the game. Play Jiggly Ball.

Greetings, fellow rebels! This is my "n" re-encounter with the NF comunity... hope this time it will last Well, to the point... I started this theard to hold me accountable for the type of training I intend to do. I tought about tell you about my entire life story but I think its better to save it for other time. I just want to tell about the fitness aproach I want to take. I've been always facinated by the Special Forces concept, in reality and in fiction (the to-go guys when the shit REALLY hits the fan), but it was until I read the masterpice "Old Man's War" when something really did "click" on my head and I said "Enough is enough, I want to be like this guys (and gals, BTW)." For those who does't know about this book, I leave you this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Man%27s_War Any way, in tomorrow's post I am going to explain the type of training and the goals of such, hope some of you guys (and gals) want to join me! Stay frosty!

Hi everyone! So, I've had a lot of little successes since I started here at NF several months ago, but I've never had anything big enough to share here in the Woot Room. At the beginning of my second challenge, in November of 2014, I started taking a Kung Fu class as my primary form of exercise and discipline. Ten weeks later, attending twice a week, I have completed my first full Hung Gar form and begun work on the second! When your Sifu (teacher) says something like: "I know I just gave you the end of the first form, but come over here [and learn the beginning of this new one]. You can handle it." THAT is a moment to remember! It's definitely been the most shining moment of my classes so far, and best of all, a VERY large part of the reason that I can handle it has been the support and community here at NerdFitness, so thank you all!

Hi there folks. I was wondering how many other Rebels know anything about judo. I've never taken an official class or gone through the belt system. But I've been reading and training with a few friends for about ten years now. It seems to be kind of an underrated form of martial arts in America because I don't know many people who practice it. A vast majority of people who know any martial arts are more affiliated with karate and taekwondo. Some of my friends who were wrestlers in high school knew a little bit to help them, but nothing beyond the bare basics. So yeah. Anybody else out there?

Hey there monks! I met a couple of you during my first challenge, and now here I am! For those who don't know me, I'm Kyellan. I'm an IT analyst by day, a writer by... well, afternoon, and a sci-fi/fantasy/video-game nerd. A little under six months ago, I finally discovered the source of a problem which drastically limited my exercise and energy, and solved it. I had been living in chronic pain for years which worsened anytime I tried to increase my activity level, and since the change my average daily pain level has dropped from a seven to a three. I'm not exactly living pain-free, but I'm definitely living pain-lite, and it's freakin' awesome! During my first Rebel Challenge, I worked myself up from exhausted after a single round of Steve's Beginner Bodyweight Workout into doing three and pushing four, built my dexterity up by practicing with melee weapons, and increased my discipline through fasting. When I started I couldn't do five pushups in a row--now I can do 25 without stopping, and I'm nearing 30. Next, I plan to broaden my goals to get myself into the thing I've wanted to do for ten years... martial arts, which is why I'm here! The problem is... well, I'm not really sure what kind of martial art I want to get into. I did karate when I was a kid, but not past yellow belt (maybe a year or so). I really enjoyed it, but it unfortunately became too much of a financial and time burden on our family, so I wasn't able to continue. I've done tai chi sporadically throughout the years (something I would really like to add into my daily routine--more on that to come) and occasionally looked into something more, but was always stopped by the aforementioned pain problem. My primary interest in martial arts has always been western--even before it was really a thing, I think. I grew up on fantasy and always had a fascination with the nuts and bolts of European sword fighting. The fact that HEMA has become a bigger thing these days is really cool... but it's not big enough to have reached me yet. The closest HEMA clubs to me are well over a 50-mile one-way drive, and while I might be able to manage that once a month, that's really not going to help me. I've done some HEMA practice on my own, but even finding a sparring partner has proven to be a difficult search. In that light, there have always been three eastern arts that intrigue me: Baguazhang, Kung Fu, and Kendo. Judo also looks pretty cool, as I've done some research on it recently, and I think that Shaolin Kenpo could be interesting as well. There are Kung Fu, Judo and Kenpo clubs within a relatively close distance, and others farther out. So, over the next six weeks, my goals are to continue my body conditioning, and start investigating the martial arts schools closest to me to see where my first path will begin. It's all about little steps right now, but by the end of this six-week challenge, I want to have taken my first paid class. So, onto the goals! ------------------------------ Strength [Li] (STR +2, STA +2): Continuing straight on from my previous challenge, I want to keep increasing my strength. My overall strength goal is to be able to do a pull-up, but I've got a ways to go before I get there. For now I'm going to continue having a goal of 3 strength workouts per week, whether that's free weights, BBWW, 7-minute workout, or whatever else my brain can devise to work my upper and lower body to build overall strength. A: 3 workouts/wk; B: 2 workouts/wk; C: 1 workout/wk Balance [Pingheng] (DEX +3): For balance, I have begun learning the Chen Old Frame Tai Chi routine. It's just a video, unfortunately, and nothing like learning from a Sifu in person, but at least it's something. So far I have completed three of the lessons, and there are 20 total. By the end of the six weeks, my goal is to go through and learn all of the lessons and be done with the entire video. A: 17 lessons completed; B: 14 lessons completed; C: 11 lessons completed Discipline [Yueshu] (CON +1, WIS +1): I need a strong daily food tracking habit, because I have a habit of letting little things sneak up on me and pretending they don't matter, when they really do. I've proven that I can fast regularly, now I need to keep myself accountable for what I eat and when I eat it, because the awareness is sometimes all it takes to make a big difference. I will also try to record something of my thoughts and impressions if there is something strong attached to the intake in order to be more fully aware. A: 90%+ of days tracked; B: 80%+ of days tracked, C: 70%+ of days tracked Finding the Path [Dao] (+1 CHA): By the end of six weeks, I want to take my first paid martial arts class in the style and at the dojo of my choice. My first stop will be the Kung Fu studio about 20 minutes north of me. If, for whatever reason, it doesn't work or doesn't sit well, I will branch out and try the next most interesting option. ------------------- Onward toward the end of 2014! =)

So, I figured at first that I'd do the Spartan and die valiantly and not have to worry about the rest of the challenge, until I started reading about places doing up their Christmas decorations and their Praline Spice Pumpkin Mocha Frappucinos (that's what Starbucks does, right? I'm bad at coffee) and radio stations starting to hit the Christmas music already, all in the name of that all important Q4. And I thought about how fortunate I was to work for a sane, decent company that doesn't indulge in those shenanigans, that takes its mission seriously and lets the product speak for itself- Until today. When I went looking for coffee cups to restock with. And found them. Colored red. With PEPPERMINT. SWIRL. PATTERN. I think we all know what this means. RIGHTEOUS SANTA JUSTICE Clearly the opening track of the anime that they will make of this war. Yes. I can't die at the Spartan knowing that this bloated, commercialized claptrap of a holiday will survive me. I can't stand it. I won't stand it. Bunch of bloody, soulless companies trying to latch on to our feelings of good will and cheer to trade those things for petty material possessions! FFS! We haven't even had Thanksgiving yet, you bastards! INTO THE TRENCHES * All right. The work is before us. NaNoWriMo is trying to knock me off my dietary track at every turn, and if it's not that, it's the delicious things we're making at Panera. They're rolling out a new cinnamon roll that makes the old one look... well, really bad. Which isn't even getting into the part where they're bustin' out with the Holiday Bread, which is like a cinnamon roll if cinnamon rolls came in loaves. Stop that! We got work to do! Goal 1: Ab Training 5 Days/Week Yeah, I know what you're thinking. This is fairly unnecessary. Why would I ever want to do that? Don't I know that teh abz can only show with teh P4L30? Hah! Let me explain. The core is an incredibly difficult set of muscles to overwork. It's the stabilizer. Everything you do, every challenge that requires you to hold steady has to be won here, and it can do the work.With the absence of weights, the core is able to quickly regenerate itself and be ready to work again in no time at all.The horror story of making your stomach bigger is... exaggerated. Rectus abdominis and the surrounding pieces just don't have enough tissue to expand that way, to that kind of size.Meanwhile, there is a long and celebrated history of boxers working their abs to death. When was the last time you saw a genuinely fat boxer?Goal 2: Finish NaNoWriMo Strong I'm actually having some trouble with the novel this time. I'm going slower, having to struggle for my words. I think that's because I mean to publish this damn thing. So I can't just bumrush it like I used to... I mean, I could, but so much of it would just have to go. So, I'm making it official: finish the month out. Come hell or hot chocolate. Yeah, look at this bullcrap. This warm, chocolatey... maybe some marshmallows... NOOOOOO Goal 3: Keep the Cheats Under Control So, I seem to have found my magic number that gets me both satisfaction and results. That number is 2: two cheat meals per week. Not days. Meals. 'cuz one just isn't enough, but two somehow manages to get to me to that place where I'm satisfied and wanting to stop. The thing is, though, lately I've been struggling to keep to that. With all the delicious things coming out and with all these occasions to get together with friends, it just seems like it's awful heavy all of a sudden. And if I can make them fit my macros for the day, then... well, surely it's not a cheat... right? ... right? I don't know, man. I just don't know. Goal 4: Put the money together for a car payment So, long story short, my dad heard that I had the race coming up, and he was not happy. He thought I was trying to welch on the car payment and that if I could put money away for a silly race that I could do important things like take care of the car and such like that. I get to figure that one out now too on top of everything else. We'll get it, though. We'll get it. Logs and such to follow. Let's end it strong, monks.

And so it begins. It has been more than a year since a man has stepped inside the cage. I think it's about time I got face-punched again. THE QUEST 1. Science: Watch and study Demian Maia's Science of Jiu-Jitsu vol. 7-13. (+4 WIS) 2. Vertical: Train stand-up 3x a week. (+4 DEX) 3. Horizontal: Planche variation 4 minutes a week. (+2 STR, +2 DEX) SIDE QUEST Read The Tao of Jeet June Do by Bruce Lee (+3 WIS) THE MOTIVATION "Don't tell me how well you fight, or how great your teacher is, or brag about your style. Gongfu - two words: Horizontal. Vertical. Make a mistake - horizontal. Stay standing and you win."

So, I attended my first martial arts class since childhood on Monday, and I had a really great time. It's something I've wanted to do for many years, and now that I actually can, I am definitely going to start going regularly to something--whether it's the Hung Gar Kung Fu school that I attended Monday (and am going back to tonight!) or another school/style. I asked these questions in my challenge thread, but I thought they might get a bit more visibility here: 1) How do you best recover from a hard training session? 2) Is it normal to still feel the work in some of your joints and muscles two days later? 3) Any tips (diet, rest, stretching, etc?) for making sure you're able to give everything you've got in every session?

Diet Goal 'Knowing is not enough, we must apply'. — Bruce Lee - Be accountable for my nutrition Respect my intermittent fasting schedule (11:30am - 7:30pm)Track what I eat and drink every day and share it publicly. (myfitnesspal account here)Bad Guys: Coffee AddictionSocial Pressure from Peers I eat withPower-Ups: Green TeaOrigami (Origami replaced Smoking on anxiety-dealing ways list).Future Boost: Performing the 'I Told You So' Dance to my Doctor next time I check on her (I told her I'll weigh less instead of just maintaining my weight).New Smaller Clothes Fitness Goal 'Willing is not enough, we must do.' — Bruce Lee - Be accountable for my workouts Never miss two workouts in a row.Track and share your workouts.Bad Guys: Snooze Button (I train at 4AM)Power-Ups: Two Steps from Hell.Future Boost: New Smaller ClothesMr. Incredible Lifestyle (I want to do that nodding thing in front of the mirror). Martial Arts Goal 'Using no way as a way, having no limitation as limitation.' — Bruce Lee - Be accountable for your training Train at least twice a weekTrain at least once a week with someone elseBad Guys: Willpower Suckers (The things when I get home after work)Power-Ups: My Training PartnersMotivational Videos (like this one)Dojo Rivalry (Someone opened up a TKD "school" in my neighborhood, I can't let that happen).Future Boost: Black BeltMy Dojo Life Goals Bookend my Days ‘Take Pride in your Pregame and your Pregame will take care of you throughout the day'. — Brett McKay (Art of Manliness) I've been following these routines on and off the few last weeks. They set the tone of the rest of my day and when I successfully follow them, everything becomes easier. As the quote says, they take care of me. I just want to make sure I do them religiously and not just occasionally. My Morning Routine: · Wake Up Before Sunrise (4AM) · Drink a Big Glass of Cold Water · Perform Vigorous Calisthenics · Take a Cold Shower · Groom · GTFO 'I Have A Plan... Attack.' — Captain America My Evening Routine: · Write a new entry in my journal · Create a Daily Attack Plan · Yoga · Self-Compassion Meditation · Cool Down Shower · Bedtime Story · Lights Off Bad Guys: Willpower SuckersEvery TV Series that I watch.Power-Up My whole routines are a power-up in themselvesFuture Boost: None, I'll just enjoy the ride. Track all expenses and stick to my budget. 'What am I, some sort of wizard?' — Spezzy Bad Guys: The Neverending List of Useless Crap I Want to BuyPower-Up: "Look at how much you've saved!" ReminderFuture Boost: My Christmas List!

Years ago my husband and I joined our local Shaolin school. They taught that both external kung fu and internal tai chi are different roads that lead to the same destination. We were told that both my husband who preferred the external kung fu and I who perferred the internal tai chi would be eventually learning the same things once we got past the black belt level. I quit after I lost my center of balance during my first pregnancy. Afterward, I never had enough time or money to return. Now I am trying to get healthy and fit and wondering which direction I should take. So, what are other's thoughts on Shaolin Tai Chi?

Remembering Bruce Lee on his birthday 11/27 http://comicbook.com/2014/11/27/remembering-bruce-lee-on-his-birthday/

So I should have done this earlier but I have been following the beginner workout routine for about 2 weeks now and got some advice from the personal trainer at work. I need to lose weight as I'm: Female Age: 34 (2 in dwarf- half dragon years) Weight; 253lbs (114.759kg) Height: 5'4" (162.56cm) BMI: 44.2, physical trainer lady said I had 110.5 body fat weight. She did some electrical test or another. But, I want to make sure I'm on the right track because I want to start going to either the nearest Karate dojo or hopefully the Wing Chun dojo next year. But before I do that I need to work on getting myself stronger. This is what I'm doing: Mon, Wed, Fri 15 standing crunches 30 squat + leg raises, 15 each side 20 second plank 20 dumbell rows 15 wall pushups 35 second wall squat dip hold thing Tuesday walk for 15 minutes, Sunday Rest Thursday 30 minute interval walking Saturday 45 minute either Dance Central (yea I know I'm lame but I love it) or Tae Bo. I want to tailor my workouts though to be more efficient for going into a martial arts class and not dying on the floor within the first 15 minutes. My brother says I need a strong core and strength but I have no idea what I'm doing. Can anyone recommend something for me? Thanks

Ok, this challenge is going to be simple and straightforward. I probably will not do anything with the run-on story. And I will be online less than I have been for the previous 9 months. We moved. I am really enjoying being back in my home town in Minnesota. I love the new house. Life is good, but it is also really busy with unpacking and decorating, new jobs, and tons of fun things to do. I don't think I really fully grasped how limited my life (especially social) had become. I have already auditioned for (and made it into) the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra's Chorale!! It's a complete change in my life!!! And I hope that this will curtail emotional eating and drinking and make it easier to get out to exercise and just MOVE more. Moving to the city where I wanted to live marks also a new direction/philosophy in my life. I'm not waiting to be rescued anymore. Last challenge, I got a wake up call and realized that I'd become very passive. I was always waiting to be noticed and asked to take on roles and activities that I wanted. That shit is DONE. Auditioning for the chorale was another step in saving myself. Boom! I'm on a roll. So, here's heading for 33% body fat by the end of the challenge as my main, overarching goal. How?? 1) Strength Training. I have a set of free-weight and body weight workouts for 3+ days per week. That's process stuff. The GOAL for the end of the challenge is to do a pull up/chin up with only 25 pounds of assistance. Having shifted gyms (along with cities), I am looking at options and may have to ask one of the trainers for help. There is an assisted chin up machine at the location I visited yesterday, but it's different than the one I was using. (+3 STR) 2) Running 5Ks. I like running and am working through the C25K, ZR5K, and ZR apps to keep building up stamina and speed. I'm planning on the Harvest Run for October 11th but won't sign up until after I find out how my mom's surgery (back) goes on October 6th. (+2 STA, +1 DEX) 3) Cleaning up diet using the Anti-Aging Diet (Elizabeth Somer) guidelines. Eating fruits and veggies and whole grains and low-fat calcium sources and protein. Not counting calories this time - just working on eating cleaner and avoiding sweets and alcohol. I do have a way to track 6 objectives per day and will report on those daily. (+2 CON, +1 WIS) 4) Sign up for and go to TKD classes. I have a studio in mind and have to go see Master Chris about joining. I never have a weight problem when I'm doing martial arts a couple times per week. (+1 WIS, +2 DEX) 5) Do a chapter (plus exercises) in the Staging Your Comeback book (Christopher Hopkins). I would like to look very stylish for my daughter's wedding ... tentatively slated for next fall (?). But I think I also need to start looking like an adult now that I'm out of grad school and am teaching. (+3 CHA) Short and sweet!