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Welcome to our accountabilibuddies group!!! Our main focus is moving more, beating the sugar monsters and eating more freggies.

Hi, my name is Lee and I started my quest back towards long term health on May 12, 2014 when I realized that I needed to reform a lot of aspects of my life to be the father I wanted to be. Since then I've started eating paleo, commuting via bike, playing Ultimate Frisbee consistently again, disc golfing when I can, and spending more time hiking and taking our dog for walks. I've lost 50 lbs, put on some muscle, improved my athletic performance, and feel better than I ever have. You can read more details on my past if you wish; I'm pretty sure that's not really violating the spirit of Rule 1. I've been reading all of the blog posts here since then, a lot of old ones, and some forum posts, but am ready to get more involved. I actually would have done the last challenge but my daughter was born the day it started and I was a bit preoccupied. Main Quest: Dropping another 10 lbs of fat while adding more muscle 90%90% I really have no way to measure this, but I'm down 6 pounds and have some measurable strength gains and visual muscle gains, so presumably some additional muscle. Let's call it 90% Stat boost totals: 2 Cha, 3 Con, 2 Dex, 3 Sta, 3 Str, 1 Wis Goal 1: Improve mile time - Deciding to work Mark Sisson's 1 mile challenge in as a goal here. I basically hate running unless I'm aiming to catch a frisbee at the end of that run, but going to use it as a measurement. Week one will actually be doing a 1 mile run a couple times to establish a baseline, then I'll do another timed run each week. Aiming to shave about 10% off, though no idea if that's a realistic number. 100%100% Down from 8 minutes to 6:51Stats granted: 1 Dex, 2 Sta, 1 Str Goal 2: Move some distance every day - This is actually kind of funny because currently I commute via bike except if I'm going to play Ultimate that day (and drive there right from work), but the challenge to my willpower will be continuing to move every day after I start my new job in 2 weeks, working from home where nothing is making me get out and move. Hopefully these 6 weeks will make that habit stick. I imagine my dog will be thrilled by the idea. 100%100% Didn't miss a day Stats granted: 2 Con, 1 Sta Goal 3: 10 pull-ups. I'm up to 4 now, having plateaued for quite a while now due to falling out of the habit of my 2-3 times a week NF Advanced Bodyweight workout when my daughter was born and I was just too exhausted to even think about working out for a long time. 100%100% Made it to 10Stats granted: 1 Cha, 1 Dex, 2 Str Life Quest: Manage chronic stress better. I'm already quitting my job for a much better one that will definitely make me a happier person and cut down on my biggest source of stress. The new job will be a lot of work too, but it will be work towards a goal that matters to me and with the ability to solve the problems I face. Along with that I plan to actually take time to relax, get back to reading again, and cut back on caffeine. Stats granted: 1 Cha, 1 Wis, 1 Con Motivation:

I would like to start a thread dedicated to dance training and BW strength training exercises that compliment a dancer's skill set. I see there are at least a few of us on here, let's have a common meeting area. Topics I'm interested in discussing include, but are not limited to: Introductions: What form of dance do you do? What's your background? Troubleshooting: What challenges do you face during class/practice, and, are you working to improve outside of class? Goals: What movements or techniques do you aspire to do? General: share tips, rant, and ask questions

I’m late, but I’m here. Vacation has been tough on me both physically and emotionally. I could use another one right now. No theme this time around.. This challenge I will be healing, exploring and having fun. It will be about moving, taking care of myself and incorporating movement as a bigger part of my day. My arms are still not great, but I've started putting some weight on them. I need to be careful with my knee too, as I stretched something in there. It’s not serious, but I need to take it easy for a couple of days. I just got back today, so I'll start this thing tomorrow. I might get something in for week 1. #1 - Diet and fat loss. Clean up my act and get below 70 kg. End of last challenge I was at 72 kg. I don't know post-vacation weight. I'm dreading the kind of damage the vacation has done to my progress.. I will try to move more and more away from animal products and find good vegan recipes that don’t require too much time or special ingredients. #2 - Love and be happy. Show people I care about that I appreciate them. Speak my mind and be honest and open about my feelings. This is hard to track, but I might try and post an appreciation a day. #3 - Workout three times a week. I don't know what this will be yet. I'm going to a pole dancing class and a climbing class. We'll see if more of this will happen. #4 - MOVE Explore a new movement for at least 6 days a week. I’m doing GMB’s MV again AND I just went and bought a cruiser board. I will practice this for at least 10 minutes a day, 6 days a week. Workout 3/3 0/3 0/3 0/3 0/3 0/3 Move 4/6 0/6 0/6 0/6 0/6 0/6 Cruise 1/6 0/6 0/6 0/6 0/6 0/6

All of my goals this challenge are set with the aim of building habits, rather than achieving something specific. I don't have a specific goal at this point, however I do have a life in flux, so I want good habits that will carry through and that are easily adaptable to change. Main life quest: Balance Generally, to achieve a healthy balance in all aspects of my life: eating vs exercise, work vs play, rest vs activity, alone time vs social time, etc. The area where I feel I need the most work eating and my tendency to overeat. Goal - end overeating - step 2 WIS +1 CHA +2 - slow down and enjoy every meal - stop eating when I am full (or if this doesn't work: take smaller portions and wait before taking more OR measure out portions) - this is new this challenge Grading: This is a daily yes or no. As last time, I'm looking for progress, not perfection, so I'll tend to be easier on myself at the beginning and harder toward the end. I'll grade myself based on the percentage success out of the 42 days. Fitness + Health goals Movement STR +1 DEX +2 STA +1 (bonus as below STA +1) 30 minutes of activity every day, ideally outdoors. This is not limited to one specific activity, but can change depending on how I'm feeling, the weather, and other life circumstances. This includes, but is not limited to: walking to work (which I usually do 4 times per week already), running, yoga, Pillates, strength training, aerobics, serious walking to do errands (at a good pace, not wandering, unless its for a very long time). bonus - 3 times per week, movement gets my heart rate up & I get good and sweaty Grading: Total days missed through whole challenge: 0 - 6 = 100%, 7 - 10 = 75%, 11 - 15 = 60%, more than 15: FAIL (I am allowed to miss up to one day per week, average, and still get 100%.) Bonus is counted separately: 16 - 18 = 100%, 12 - 15 = 75%, less than 12 = FAIL Food WIS +1 CON +1 eat fish / seafood at least twice per week - should be easy with lent starting (& my husband is Catholic) plan meals in advance - include leftovers / batch cooking freezer food for lunches create a list of quick meals to make when I haven't planned for something - using basic ingredients start a searchable database of favourite recipes for easy reference and planning Grading: The fish is easy to count. 12 or more = 100%, 9 - 11 = 75%, 7 or 8 = 50, 6 or less = FAIL -> worth 50 % Planning meals -> I'll give myself a weekly grade to see how I did. This is hard to judge so I'll do my best to be honest. -> worth 40% Creating list + setting up database -> this is something I want to incorporate for the future, again, I'll just judge and see how I do -> worth 10% General Health CON +2 floss every day get up and move / stretch every hour set timer on phone drink more water + tea to encourage more getting up Grading: This is a daily yes or no. I'll judge myself based on the percentage of successful days out of the 42. Life Goal Reduce Stress (with a clean house) CHA +2 CON +1 I have this weird emotional attachment to "stuff" and can have a hard time getting rid of things. Not always, but sometimes. I need to stop. Just because something was a gift, doesn't mean I need to keep it, for example. So, my life goal for this challenge: PURGE - get rid of stuff - don't just "organize" it! clear out the two closets in the spare room / office the bookshelf (aka dumping ground) beside my bed - I hate looking at that mess first thing in the morning! CLEAN - second priority, but still important - clean the house, especially the ever-present nemesis - the shower Spend at least 1 hour per week (not necessarily all at one time) working on this goal. Grading: Total weeks missed through whole challenge: 0 = 100%, 1 = 80%, 2 = 65 %, 3 or more = fail

When I was a kid, about half past three My daddy said, Son, come here to me. Things may come, and things may go, But this is one thing you ought to know: Taint Whatcha Do, It's the Way Thatcha Do It That's what gets results! Hello Assassins! I've missed you all the last few challenges. My activity level has dropped dramatically, I haven't eaten as well as I did when on the challenge, and my fitness has declined. Boo. But I can't forget my fellow Assassins and the great stuff they do. You all inspire me. Also, I can't forget the cool stuff I've accomplished in past challenges. So I'm back at it again. Here are the goals: Goal 1: Move. Do something daily that gets me moving. Over my successful challenges in the past, I've accomplished a lot: 10 pull-ups in a row. Half-crow poses. Learning the Tranky Doo. This goal entails doing something every day. Even if it's dancing for 10 minutes and posting my randomized playlist. Goal 2: Participate. I think part of my problem in the past has been getting overwhelmed with other things and not spending any time on the forums. This goal is lifted wholly from Phalanx this challenge, but it's a good one. Participate in the guild! Put in an appearance every day, if possible - not necessarily on my own thread, but also encouraging my fellow assassins. Goal 3: Eat. My food quality has diminished lately. It's all rolled together with the sloth and inactivity. No carbonated beverages. No buying food (mostly junk) at work: pack my lunch: everything must come from home. Goal 4: Wake. The snooze button is my enemy. I have many things I want to be doing in the morning instead of laying around. The alarm is set for 5:30, and I will be out of bed before 6:00. Sub-goals, lumped in with the early rising: Keep dancing: practicing swing Keep birding: I used to love birdwatching. I wanna get out and about and log what I see. Keep reading: I set a goal on Goodreads to get in 25 books this year. Keep praying: A few months ago, I bought a prayer book that has really helped me spend more time reading (and singing) Scripture, and praying. I want to get some consistency. All right, let's do this thing. See you out there.

The other day, my manfriend asked me why I had been sticking with the healthy kick this time around. (Given, I then bullied him into going to the gym after an exhausting weekend roadtrip.) I searched my brain and came up with two personal triggers: the sinking feeling of being mistaken for a pregnant lady on the bus, and the very expensive Mass Effect one-piece sitting in my closet, tags still attached, intended for a friend's wedding in Mexico this fall. Those were the basis of my last two challenges here. The long-term 'why' owes in a large part to the NF community here; all the friends I've made, the ridiculously strong teammates who now make up Stealthy Nerd Bastards 2.0, and the extreme geekiness that ties us all together. I've never been so motivated in my life to see something through. I'm accountable to everyone here as I take small steps into reclaiming my ninja status. I can't wait to see the improvement in myself after a few more challenges. Main Quest: Ninja Preparations For Battle I have a love-hate relationship with preparations. When I play a game, the preparation (grinding) always gets me down. I know I have to do it in order to get to the next city/level/boss, but doing so really, really sucks. Same thing with general fitness - I know I should stretch and eat the right things in order to support all of my activities, but it always gets pushed to the backburner. What better way of making sure I do all that by making it the foundation of my challenge this time around? That being said, I think I'm good with sticking with the Assassins this time around. The types of flexibility/movement I've seen listed as assassin-y pursuits interest me - Ido Portal, Animal Flow, Prasara, Mobility WOD. A big part of why I don't stretch enough is simply because I'm bored of 'normal' yoga. I'm not about inversions and head/handstands, and I'd rather focus on the movement itself. Goal 1: Ninja Get Stretchy 15-20 minutes a day. Every day. My shoulders and neck are constantly aching, and my posture is terrible. I'm hoping to see some noticeable improvement at the end of this challenge. I'm also going to be experimenting with body rolling. Payoff: DEX +4, STR +1 Goal 2: Ninja Get Whole30-y (CON +3, STA +2) On a whim, I'm joining rogaecia's Whole30 program. We'll be starting next week and finishing a few days shy of the end of this challenge. It's a perfect time for me, as the manfriend is leaving for a month to see family, and I need something to keep me on track. Otherwise, my diet tends to go down the tubes. Payoff: CON +3, STA +2 Goal 3: Ninja Maintain The Status Quo Bodyweight workouts 3x / week, cardio 4x / week. Personal trainer is still mixing things up. I don't think I'll have a problem here, so have weighed the payoff accordingly. Payoff: STA +1 Life Goal: Complete Geeky Coursera Course Comic Books and Graphic Novels. I've never gotten into comic books, and that's a crying shame. Do all the readings, lectures, participate in the forums. Learn some new worthy knowledge. Payoff: WIS +2, CHA +2 Motivation I don't want to live in pain on a daily basis. I don't want to continue to ignore the aches and creaks in my body while I continue to push it further. I don't want injury to bog me down as I sneak around corners and hide in shadows. Because that wouldn't be very ninja-like. I'm in my late 20s. The time for change is now. Join me, comrades!

In general I'm still working at a number of the same goals that I was in my first two challenges. The details are evolving, and some items have been discarded, but for the most part I'm not taking off in any radically new directions. 1. Body Weight Exercises: I slacked off in this area last challenge so I'm making it the center of this one. For the most part I can do this routine without error. The key here will be consistency. I started doing this a few years ago to train up for the APFT (Army Physical Readiness Test) and it worked really well. The BS Squats are new, and somewhere down the line, it could be another challenge, I'll get them to Shrimps and then Pistols. Maybe I'll do Waldos, but not this time. Run 3+ miles 50 Push Ups x 3 sets 50 Front Crunches x 3 sets 50 Right Crunches x 3 sets 50 Left Crunches x 3 sets 50 Four Count Flutter Kicks x 3 sets 10 Right Leg BS Squats x 3 sets 10 Right Leg BS Squats x 3 sets My intent is to add squats over time to bring them up to 3 sets of 50. I do one set of each and then hit another round. If I need recovery time I can throw in an extra mobility drill between sets or rounds. If I need to up the intensity I can add more rounds and/or switch to more difficult variants. I took a video of this routine last night and was pleased with my form. I tried to upload it but the file didn't take. I figure I will do this again near the end of the challenge for comparison. Do this routine M/W/F. 2. Run: For the most part the footing is reliable again (snow and ice are pretty much gone) so running is back in the program. I don't really like running but it's pretty central to fitness in general and short distances are easy enough. Like the Body Weight Exercises, consistency is what I'm looking for. I'm not really interested in pushing any time cuts except those that happen naturally along the way. Right now I'm right around 8.5 minute miles when I'm running 3.6 miles. I had been toying with the idea of running stupidly long distances, but I think I'll put that one on the shelf. I did a test run today and hit muscle failure at 20 miles. I was sort of ok with that because it was twice as long as I had ever run before, but I still had to walk 2 miles to get home. The sweat and the temperature (27 degrees F) added a whole new dimension to that experience. Even that was relatively ok, but the six flights of stairs to get up to my apartment showed me the error of my ways. From here on out I will think twice, and twice again, before I do anymore suicide runs:) 3. Mobility: Every day. 4. Hike: Last challenge I started road marching to train up for the Nijmegen March in July. I'm going to be continuing this but backing off on the frequency to make room for the runs. I will do about an hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I might add some longer ones on Saturdays. 5. Movement: This last week I tried some "dance" workouts with my Kinect. I discovered that I'm really clumsy. I figure I'll do at least an hour of this kind of stuff on Sundays. Timing and coordination aren't a central part of my goals right now, but I figure this kind of stuff will pay off over time in other areas. 6. Diet: Generally Paleo, but I'm thinking of trying to add back some grains on occasion now that I'll be doing more cardio. I've started a daily tracker just to see what's really going on. Wolverine's influence there:0 Also going to do a 7 day fast with Happienumber from 10-16 March for moral support and waist reduction. 7. Alcohol: Only on Fridays and Saturdays. Too many calories racing for my abs to drink daily. 8. German: I'll still be doing my daily lesson of German. I like to think of this as self inflicted torture:) Might not be doing it when the family is here because I'll be getting lots of real world practice. 9. Family: Regular calling, at least every weekend, but likely mid week too. Will have family here for a couple of weeks starting on the 18th, so I'm expecting to be reduced to the mobility and body weight exercises during most of that piece. Also the diet will probably be hit and miss as well. Knowing this in advance I'm not going to penalize myself for not running/hiking/dieting unless I completely descend into really evil food choices. I don't usually assign numbers in advance. Last time, at the end, I put a grade on each goal, figured my GPA, divided that into 15 and arrived at my total earned points. Then I assigned them based off of where they seemed to belong. The goals that are direct carry-overs from last time will receive the fewest points. Or not. Depends on what I end up struggling the most with this time around.