Search the Community

A MONK RETURNS New job. Transition period. Stick to the important stuff. THE QUEST Simple Jack Achieve Simple Goals (+2 STR, +2 STA, +1 CON) Social Skills New job requires a lot of human interaction. Write down name and eye color of every person I interact with. (+5 CHA) Lifelong Student Must keep reading. At least 30 minutes of uninterrupted reading a day. No internet. (+5 WIS) "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." (Einstein)

So my challenge sounds assassin-y but the end goal is to lose weight and get in better shape so that in the next couple of challenges, I can begin to re-incorporate martial arts into my life. 1) Body By Me I'm going to begin the Body By You program by Mark Lauren. My goal for this week (ending on Thursday) is to complete both days of initial evaluation. Then I will schedule following work outs on my calendar as far as I have my work schedule, which is usually over a month out. Afterwards, when I make my work schedule, I will also schedule my work outs, and the put both on my Google calendar. 2) Repair my Relationship with Sleep Sleep and I are in an abusive relationship. Sleep won't come to me when I need it. When Sleep does come, I push it away & fight it off. I have problems with insomnia, but I also don't try as hard as I could. I'm going to start making an effort to sleep sleeping 7- 8 hours a night. I tracked my sleep last night with SleepCycle (Thank you, Teirin!!) I got less than 30 minutes of deep sleep in a 5.5 hour sleep night. I'm going to begin setting a "go to bed" alarm in addition to tracking my sleep. When I run or work out regularly, I sleep better. So 1 will help with 2. 3) After our trip to Oklahoma and ordering my pull up bar, I will not purchase anything that is not food or fuel for the rest of the challenge. (Unless I save up enough money to get a new cellphone & plan cause I need to cut that money tie to family) 4) Complete the list of bigger things I need to get done. I'll add more to it in a little while. The Big List Finish portfolio All done & I'm pleased with it Get dress uniform pants hemmed They fit now! Yay! I can look appropriately snazzy for my interview. Corral the craft room (Started. Gave away Sumi-e kit) Tame the wardrobe(get rid of stuff & organize what I keep) Got rid of tons, packed some by size, and kept out a very small amount for carrying with me! Get rid of internet, at least for a while. (Centurylink was all "Why you leave?" I was like "You too high! Bye!") Contact Section EMS and straighten out EMT CEU mess <<< Need to do this, soon! FIX YNAB! I screwed with it for over 3 hours and there's still $200 in my bank account that DOES NOT show up in the spending categories?! Time for a forum post.. Straighten out mess with FSA Received no notification but I used the card today & it worked Finish a draft of the park hospitality education program at work in progress Start my sister's Christmas present of a food/recipe/meal planning binder Started, even have some pages in it, mostly cooking reference stuff I think she'll like

Hello there! Alrighty, this is my second challenge and my goals are roughly the same. I had a one week break, since I started the last challenge late. In that time, I completed one more BWW (on Tuesday) and managed to up my OHP by two reps at 25 lbs. On Thursday I wrestled instead of doing my BWW, and on Friday I got to practice trips and throws with the family. My Dad and I are going to start training sessions again, as I still have a lot to learn and improve. I plan to keep him to it. In my previous challenge I mentioned that my friend had weights and that I was going to attempt to set up a workout schedule with him. In short, not the best choice for a workout buddy. I still want to try weightlifting, so when the family decides to get a family membership at the nearby YMCA, i'll be going there. My plan is to continue to improve my BWW until I can get my hands on some free weights. That should be some time next week. Then, I plan to follow the Stronglifts 5x5 plan. Of course, I also want to practice my martial art when possible. Main Quest (Loooooooooong Term) Get stronger and gain healthy weight. Still aiming for 180 lbs. Goals Practice Aam ka jutsu at least twice a week [DEX 2, STA 2]Follow Stronglifts 5x5 plan by going to the gym 3 times a week [sTR 3, STA 2]Eat an excess of healthy food (at least three meals a day; at least one meal with a good source of protein) [CON 3]Getting at least 8 hours of sleep (get in bed by 10 PM) [sTA 3]Other Goals and Stuff... Applying to as many applicable Web Development positions as I can findLearning Swift, so that I can create some apps over the summerP.S. I GOT TO CODE AGAIN ON SATURDAY AFTER NOT OPENING MY EDITOR FOR AT LEAST A MONTH. OMGFTWBBQ! It was fun. I may have (definitely) been suffering from code-withdrawals, as I don't consider the on-rails HW that I had to do for my C++ course coding. P.P.S. I added the New2Monk tag because I am a newbie, and i'm curious if my goals seem reasonable. Thanks for any constructive criticism! Thanks!

ABOUT ME Apparently I've finished my recruitment, so it's time to switch "teams" and see how you guys are doing! I'm brand new on NF. Successfully completed my first challenge and even tho I'm not close to fighting I've always have a weakness for martial arts. Personally I have a Judo background, but got intrigued by MMA a few years ago. Living in Holland (yes, that's in Europe), the options of getting MMA training is limited to just a few schools, but that's all something for the future. Despite me losing quite the weight and fat in my previous challenge (due to semi-heavy training + change in nutrition), I'm far off from my target body shape goal. I've approximately another 14% body fat I would like to burn (currently around 29% ish) and would like to drop some weight while doing that if I can. Therefor, this challenge I aim to get fitter, get stronger and increase my mobility, so I get in a better shape so eventually I can focus on joining an MMA gym to start training. Might be useful to add that I'm not planning to actually fight or perform MMA, I would just like to train for it, cause I like the workouts, the sport and the level of fitness it requires. THE CHALLENGE Guess this is where it all comes down to, isn't it? For the upcoming weeks I'm planning to increase my strength, improve my physique and improve my mobility. How? This is how! Main quest – Become the 'fit' in 'misfit' Ultimately this is my goal, to look awesome. It's work in progress, but ultimately this is where I want to "end". As said: Being fit isn't a goal, it's a way of life. Won't rate myself on this one as I do not expect to make this in the next few weeks. However, improving my measurements, weight and reducing body fat would surely motivate me a lot! Sub quest A – Improve Strength! (+5 STR) During the upcoming weeks I'll focus on improving my strength by following the 5x5 Stronglifts program. I have started by tasting the weightlifting exercises for a few times now, to get my form as decent as possible, but there's still work to be done here (especially on deadlifts). I'll bother you guys with formcheck-requests and to whine about whenever I weren't able to make my 5x5 reps. Rate: A - 100% - in case I perform the exact 5x5 routine 3 times a week during the entire challenge. B - 75% - in case I perform the exact 5x5 routine 2 times a week during the entire challenge. C - 50% - in case I perform the exact 5x5 routine 1 time a week during the entire challenge. D - 25% - in case I perform the exact 5x5 routine for only part of the duration of the entire challenge. F - 0% - in case I don't 'downgrade' weight when I'm supposed to in any part of the 5x5 Stronglifts during the challenge. Sub quest B – Improve Physique! (+3 CON / +2 CHA) Started all of this on February 1st, 2015. I've decided that enough was enough and I measured a body fat percentage of 34,70%. For some that might be a huge percentage, for others not so much. Well, for me, it's quite a lot. I'm sick of it and doing whatever I can to get fitter. I've changed up my diet, work out a couple times a week and I want to see that fat disappear. Rate: A - 100% - in case I lose 2,5% body fat during this challenge. B - 75% - in case I lose 2,0% body fat during this challenge. C - 50% - in case I lose 1,5% body fat during this challenge. D - 25% - in case I lose 1,0% body fat during this challenge. F - 0% - in case I lose less than 1,0% body fat during this challenge. Subquest C – Improve Mobility! (+2 DEX / +2 STA / +1 WIS) During the 6 weeks I will do something to improve my mobility at least 5 (!!) times a week. This might include (but is not limited to) attending yoga classes, doing mobility exercises post-workout, doing mobility exercises at home, reading up on mobility articles to increase my knowledge. Rate*: A - 100% - in case I work on my mobility 5 times a week. B - 75% - in case I work on my mobility 4 times a week. C - 50% - in case I work on my mobility 3 times a week. D - 25% - in case I work on my mobility 2 times a week. F - 0% - in case I work on my mobility zero or 1 times a week. * Rating will be awarded on a weekly base. In case I make it 5 times in week 1 and 4 times the other 5 weeks, I'll be awarded as: 100 + 75 + 75 + 75 + 75 + 75 = (475 / 6) = 79,1% = B. Rating / When am I succesful Ideally I can earn 100% x 3 subquests. If I make it an average of 75% I'll consider this challenge a success. If I make less than 75%, shame on me. MY STATS MY PERSONAL RECORDS To be announced after 1st challenge day (April 13th, 2015)

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!!!

Well, hi folks. It's been quite a while since I stalked the NF rebellion. Well, let me give you a short overview of my glorious deeds ... It's really short: None. Maybe some of you guys remember that I had to restart my engineering studies ... well, that restart was a disaster. I only passed three of 10 exams - I'm still in, I can continue, but it's pathetic. That totally dismantled me ... well, I spare you the details. I had to stop my TKD classes, and of course the workload is so immense that it's THE perfect excuse for skipping exercise and drowning in misery. Well, good news is: I pulled myself together, I even found friends at college [sic!] and studying is finally as natural as it was in High School. The bad news: Sedentary lifestyle, bad nutrition, BC pill (I will stop taking that crap very soon, switching to a hormone-free method), so I put on about 10 kg. Which sucks. But not as much as the loss of the little strength and endurance I crammed together so painfully. And now also my mind starts messing around with me again. Freaking out over everything, making an elephant out of a fly ... My soul too isn't in best shape, therefore the tag uncertainty. Now, what to do: I'll be honest: I don't have the slightest idea. I don't think I have the willpower to reset now, but I hate my life as it is now - I could make so much more of it than just being reactive and being afraid and anxious about everyrhing all the time. It's not that I have biiig problems or feeling like shit all the time, don't get me wrong, all in all, I'm fine. I ... just kinda hit a dead end and don't know how to get past it. So forgive me that I don't have a good plan for this challenge, maybe I just need a place to share my thoughts to get them in order - to kick some butts again.

***To the new: I'm happy to help in any way I can! But, business is business, so if you'd like me to look at your challenge, please shoot me a PM and I'll check it out ASAP. Feel free to troll around this one. I'm working on a new format for challenge posts and a new (to me) approach to fitness. I'm probably going to stumble through it awkwardly, but hey! It's a process of continuing growth!*** Now... Enter, the Saiyan Warrior Why the GIANT crest? It's cumbersome and probably annoying to some of you. But, it's for me anyway. Every time I come to this thread and reference this post, I'll have a clear reminder of my goals. For me, the three-point motif (the crown, the base, and the "ladder") all represent my ideas of body, mind, and spirit. For this six-week challenge, heralding my own return to NF, I've decided to use the time to test my own mettle. I'm going back to school starting January 19, which gives me two weeks to focus on fitness alone and four weeks to split between fitness and school. My outlandish anime goal is to become something like Gohan. For those who don't know, he's a Super Saiyan, and a scholar. AND A badass nerd. Anyway, my Main Quest this year is to "Go Super Saiyan" which currently has no specific end (and may indeed take more than a year). That's what each check point is for, determining the next step. That's where these challenges become super handy. Each one can be themed around my goal and used to track progress. Consistency! So, what does it take to become a Super Saiyan? It takes immense power (Which I'll be measuring by Strengh-to-Weight). It takes dedication and a lifestyle of combat (more on this in the specific goal), and it takes an extreme emotional experience that involves total abandonment of the self. A "pure state of heart" does not require a specific type of purity. Pure evil and Pure good have equal likelihood of attaining the state. It's more about truth and intention than anything. This is a much more long-term goal than the others, but I'll come up with a six-week version by the time I get there. How does a Cob accomplish such a silly goal? Well, SMART-ly of course! The breakdown here is three goals plus a side-quest. Here we go! Life Goals Creative Writing Degree Publish a novel I've written Publish a board game I've designed "Go Goku" If possible, developing the skill needed to train without a gym, utilizing bodyweight and the environment to give myself an exhausting and effective workout while using minimal equipment. If the UNLV gym has the space and atmosphere for it, I'll use free weights as well. I just want to get off of machines! Current Stats Ht: 5'6" Wt 190 Mile Avg: 7:43 Activity level: Active. 3-4 days of workout per week, 3-4 days Aikido per week. Raising My Power Level Current strength-to-weight maximum is around 50% (95 lbs)Post-Challenge goal: 63% - 120 lbsExercise for benchmark will be the vertical chest press as this is the only machine (booooo!) I have guaranteed access to during this challenge (pending school's facilities). Push-up Alternative: As I don't like using machines and isolating muscles, I do a lot of bodyweight work during my circuit.This goal is a 45 push-up set at the third week's end (20 days from now) and 90 at the end of the whole challenge. Successful completion will count for the goal of "Raising My Power Level". This will all probably change as I get more into it and figure out my body's limits and the longer-term effect of using machines A Life of Combat Hit 3-4 Classes per week. Four is ideal, but I don't know what my transportation arrangements are going to be until I buy myself a car. So I'm saying 3 per week.Train my previous arts to keep up form (TKD, Kendo, Boxing/Muay Thai). Honestly, given the upcoming schedule, I'm going to say an hour per week between the three. Very minimal until I know exactly what I'm working with time-wiseI'd like to test for 3kyu before fall. For this six-week challenge, my goal is to just be a good student. Purity of Mind, Body, and Spirit Purity of Mind - At the end of the six-week challenge, my grade report reflects no less than three A's and one B. That's four classes for 14 credit hours. Obviously Straight A's is preferred. Purity of Body - At the end of the six-week challenge, I'll have eaten junk food no more than three times. My personal diet shall consist mostly of veggies and a meat source of protein. I also have a calorie goal of 1500/day but I don't fully understand how work and recovery affect your caloric needs and different sources give me different information, calorie calculators give different numbers, blahblahblah. So, I'm going to focus on pure foods, rather than specific numbers.Purity of Spirit - This one is kind of a gimme most of the time. I try to always be honest in my intentions and true to my values, with the utmost focus on self-improvement. This one is a pass if I simply complete the challenge.Bonus: Figure out all this calorie nonsense. I've heard/ been calculated at between 1500 and 2300. A future goal may be to work so hard that I can never eat it all back. That would be rather Goku of me ***Side-Quest: Getting Recognized*** This is just about taking steps towards my goal of being published in multiple media (I am already a published music columnist on a few sites, but it hardly counts). As I am majoring in creative writing and English, the steps in this side quest start with school and networking. My goal this semester is to be ready to finish it over the summer and put it out. For the six-week challenge, I'd like to have a professor review the skeleton of my novel and tell me about how to proceed with a second draft. By the end of the six week challenge, I'd like to know exactly what I'm doing with it . For the board game, there is so much to be done that I'm just going to keep it relegated to the side for now. Work on it bit by bit and flesh it out. Completing all four of these goals will grant me +4 STR, +3 STA, +2 WIS, +1 DEX, +1 CON, and the sidequest will give me +4CHA or be allocated among the other four stats if not completed. UPDATE: What does it look like to go super saiyan? For one guy, There's this And for another, there's this Also, this. Though, I'm less inclined to be this size. Lastly, there are these, from the anime. The first is the focused, single-minded intent (mind). The second is the emotionally-driven transformation (spirit). The third is the literally world-bending power (body). Laugh all you like; it's silly for sure. Still, there's no denying these are moments of transcendental power. That's the point. http://youtu.be/3WbFtW7_yyU?t=12s So, there it is. My goals have been laid out with excess. This year is going to be the year I transcend who I am and become who I want to be. If you haven't realized it yet... I'm very excited for this

Hi everyone! Happy New Year! This challenge is going to be SUPER SPECIFIC. After two challenges, I barely improved my push-ups. I could do 3x10 knee push-ups then, I still can't do a full push-up now (not even one, I tried xD). Sure, I do them much better now, fast and neat, I only really suffer for the last set, and I pretty much always have been skin and bones on my upper body. It's not so bad. Yet, I might be slightly annoyed. So I have only ONE goal for this challenge: do 3 full push-ups in a row. To be honest, I'll be pretty happy when I can do one. Also, my energy level is a bit low after the Holiday, so simple is good. I'm joining the monks because my goal is to get back to Kung Fu classes (as soon as my finances allow it). So right now, I consider myself in pre-training building strength and stamina can only help, especially focusing on strong arms and core (not that legs aren't important, it's just that they are always strong no matter what I do or don't do). And I'm sure I can find good advice for that in the Courtyard #3 CHALLENGE : 3 FULL PUSH-UPS IN A ROW 1. Strength and stamina => Push-ups 3 times /week. +3 STR => 30 minutes of cardio (aka walking at brisk pace) twice a week. +3 STA 2. Muscle Up! => Eat quality proteins twice a day (eggs, fish, meat or red lentils). +1 STR + 2 CON => Eat 1 paleo meal /day (one cheat day /week). +2 CON 3. Personal life goals => Save £50 /month +2 WIS => Apply to 2 jobs /week (or 8 /month) +2 CHA ---------------------------------------- Exceptions: - If I study 9+ hours in a day, I can skip a workout (until 22/01, last day of exams). - If I start a job that requires a lot of arm strength, I'll rethink my push-up goals. Bonuses: - 1 BWW per week +1 STR - 1 act of self-care per day +1 WIS ----------------------------------------- Let's do this!