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Hi all. I've been watching the start of another challenge, and I've been debating whether I should join in. My last several challenges have been disappointing: start for a couple of weeks, then quit the next four weeks. Part of me had been thinking about sitting one out so I could take a break from the challenge frenzy. But of course, I've been starting challenges and "taking a break" for the last four weeks. Very disappointing. I'm not going to give up. Since my last several challenges have been abandoned before their mid-way point, I'm not really bringing anything new from the past ones. I just have to do something. I've been going crazy not doing anything. Let's go. PRIMARY QUEST: Move. Consistency. Dance minimum 3x weekly for 10 minutes each. I'm going to a swing dance convention in Los Angeles around Labor Day (early September), and I'm pumped! I expect to learn a lot, so I want to keep myself active and practice what I already know. Get up early on work days Getting up early will help me get stuff done. Out of bed at 5:00 am. Bodyweight work 3x weekly* *This is a very general goal that can include hand balancing, Prasara yoga, and traditional body weight exercises. Some activity in this realm will happen 3x weekly. Practice musical muscles 4x weekly minimum 30 minutes Music is really in my head. I'm dancing all the time, but I also own musical instruments, some of which I've neglected. I played the saxophone in high school and college, and I need to get back at it. I haven't played in a long time, so I'll need to do some embouchure exercises as well. I've also recently inherited an electric organ, which I want to work at as well. So a musical instrument will be practiced 4x weekly. I got inspired by this video: Here goes.

I'm starting this out and I'm going to start talking here. I've attempted to start an accountabilibuddies thread but that did not seem to work out so well. So I think I'm going to just get all my thoughts, work out feats, defeats, and all around daily struggles here. Be prepared for what might come because my mind tends to really scatter. But I think this will be a new and very well needed adventure. I welcome all beneficial criticism/comments/concerns. Optimism encouraged. Negativity left at the door. If you have questions about me, look me up and check out my current challenge. Or my accountabilibuddies page pretty much is a good explanation of myself. I don't feel like typing much about myself. Basically because it's 11 pm. Ugh. Gotta get to sleep. first thing is first.... some numbers: 7/30/13: BF% of 29.78 8/13/13 BF% 29.4 I'm slightly on target with my goal. However, I think I gotta kick it into high gear. What do yall think? I think I'm gonna look up my macros after reading some threads. I've always attempted to do a food journal but have never followed through. I think it's finally time to really commit. Any tips on how? I know to use MyFitnessPal. I guess just eat the same things all the time that way I just have to put in the same things and not have to worry about measuring things out. Macros found.... Calories: 1740 Carbs per day: 208 g Protein per day: 100.1 g Fat per day: 56.4 g Fiber per day: 28-35 g Calories per meal: 580 Carbs per meal: 69.3 g Protein per meal: 33.4 g Fat per meal: 18.8 g Fiber per meal: 9-12 g

Like probably many people, I simply cannot run without my trusty ol' MP3 player. I started C25K and have been listening to DJ Beatsmith's podcasts, because I find the change of tempo and signals when to walk/run really helpful. (Seriously, I run faster to appropriately paced music, I've tested it. ) However, I'm starting to run into a problem: C25K is designed to make you eventually run at a constant pace, and I want to keep the interval aspect. And only the podcasts for the first few weeks are suitable to this, but it gets boring listening to the same mixes over and over. So, fellow nerds! Any of you know any other (free) music mixes suited for interval training? Something like 30-60 (or possibly 90) second of music with faster tempo and a few minutes in slower, alternating for 20-30 minutes. Personally, I'm into goth/EBM/synthpop/industrial, dubstep/chillstep and film scores as my workout music, but I heartily welcome suggestions from any music genre.

I have signed up for the Cosmic Run down in Raynham, MA. Funny they still call it Boston even though its 35 miles outside of the city. Anyway here is the link to the run if any one is interested. Run, jog, or dance your way to the finish line. http://www.cosmicrun.com/locations/boston/

Hey guys, I'm new around here and I'm really excited about the fact of belonging to such an amazing community. I was thinking about starting a topic to participate and be an active member. So this is what i'm going to do: I'm going to post a list of training songs I use and I'm going to add a little description so you'll always know when you can hear it The only think i'm going to ask you guys is to do it like me: Genre, description, list and situations/descriptions/reflexions or whatever. Oh, and always LINK it! Hope you like it! Running (chill mode): You like to run and chill? You will love these. - Explosions in the sky - It's Natural to be Afraid (Inspires me and make me think in a battle. When you run you are fighting against you, so... This one is just perfect.) - Explosions in the sky - Home (The sound of a great battle, huh?) - Kion - Stjarna et draumur (This song is perfect for a run across the woods while it's raining. I did it once and I had to loop this song, couldn't stop hearing it over and over again. I ran for like one hour with this song in the background of my mind) Lifting/bodyweight workouts: Everyone need to get boosted or some extra power whenever they are training so... Different songs for different styles of music - Hatebreed - In Ashes They Shall Reap (Hardcore one. If you like this style... This one will take you to the next level.) - Eminem - Till I collapse (Rap lovers, here's one for you. Train till your bones collapse .) - Skrillex - Reptile (Dubstep and electronic music lovers, I also have one for you!) - Knife party - Centipede (In fact... I have two. Be a predator with this one.) I encourage you to enlarge this list and add new songs and situations! (Maybe add new running modes?) I will update this post with new ideas every once in a while! Hope you liked it! *EDIT* Woops. I just saw another topic talking about this. Well, I'll keep this one as a personal list then !

After having several challenges under my belt, I have had beat into my thick head that I really can't do more than a couple of things at once and keep up with life. I have too many plates up in the air. So I am going to make this challenge very simple: Health Related I will stop eating excess sugar and starches. This means less than 100g of carbohydrates per day. STR +1 DEX +2 STA +2 CON +3 WIS +1 I will decrease my waist size by at least an inch, stretch goal two inches. I am currently at 37". CHR +2Life Related I will trade playing video games for singing/playing/recording/writing music. I have a large number of music related projects I need to get done. CHR +2 WIS +2Just to give a bit more accountability, I will buy the video game of their choice for each of my sons if I do not get at least a B in all items. Since they are somewhat addicted to video games, I really do not want to do this. This will get my "year to awesome" going in the right direction. Diet is the key to everything.

I was just looking up some new music to have on my runs/workouts and I thought it would be good to have some songs that reflects the true nerdy nature of the Rebellion! So far I think my favourites are: I was wondering if you guys had any other geeky tunes to rock/work out to?

Hello Fellow Soundtrekkers! Thank you for joining the group. I look forward to the mutual support we will offer each other over the next 6 weeks (and beyond). So I came up with the term Soundtrek and the myriad of variations when I was at Coachella for my first time 7 years ago. I was watching Imogen Heap perform "Hide and Seek" and I felt the awesome feeling you get when you really connect to a song...a feeling that I have felt many times when the right song plays. It was like I was at the right place, the right time, with the right music playing - it felt like a soundtrack to my life, like everything connecting and my life moving forward....so after some creative thinking in the after glow of the moment, I coined the term. As for how it fits in with helping us achieve our goals, I have feel a very similar feeling when I am working out the right song. If you check out my day 1 progress Challenge 1, I posted Gossip's "Move in the Right Direction", which for me is such and inspirational song for working out - a Soundtrek moment. With everyone's support and our music, I know we can rock this challenge and achieve our goals! So please sound off with any suggestions, music recommendations, achievements, questions, etc. Thanks for tuning in, Odin8 And for the moment that started it all - not my video, I was off somewhere to the left lost in the moment...

So when I dug out my trainers, dusted off my ipod and headed down to the gym for my first workout for my six week challenge, I hit a small snag. My gym playlist is hopelessly out of date and I need a great beat to keep me going on the treadmill! So anyone have any recommendations of their favourite workout songs for me to add to my new playlist which is currently under construction? Love to hear from you guys!

Anyone else listen to music while you work out? Here are some tracks from my playlist. How Far We've Come- Matchbox 20 Galaxies Collide- Eleventyseven Walk- Foo Fighters Acceptable in the 80s- Calvin Harris Got any good ones?

Hello my name is khawar and im new to all this but SUPER excited! my goals are for this challenge are: 1) Gym at least 3 times a week The number three may seem like a small number, but i know that i can most likely stick to this and perhaps i might even go more, but im all about small tasks at the moment and consistency. When i do go, the workouts will be intense and fun and will look to challenge and improve after each workout 2) No more soda pops Yes, this is the biggie, my weakness. I love those sugary drinks, but going to replace with loads of water and green tea. Plus with the summer approaching, not likely in the UK but we can hope, water will be best form of hydration. 3) Juicing more often I suffer from excema and asthma, but i have juiced and made the green juice, and it has helped. Plus its good studies to support weight loss, inspired by the movie, fat sick and nearly dead and fitlifetv on youtube. 4) At least 3 full music tracks I love music and rapping and singing, so im going to put my lyrics onto instrumentals and get ready to release my mixtape during the end of the year, but i need to start so i will hopefully start by the first three tracks. There you go, love this site and this community, got loads of artices still to read, and i leave you with my favouite quote, " The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be" Ralph Waldo Emerson

I posted an early draft of my goals here http://nerdfitnessrebellion.com/index.php?/topic/17809-challenge-goals-thread/page-12. But I have decided that for my first challenge ever it's much better to keep it simple especially in light of what's going on in my life right now. My wife has been in the hospital since last week due to early contractions (the baby isn't due until the end of May and she's only on her 33rd week of pregnancy) so I will have to juggle work, going to the hospital, taking care of our son, and this challenge. And once our daughter is born I will have to consider how much sleep I'm going to get and factor that in the challenge. A recent mild asthma attack (most probably exercise induced) also served as a reminder to me to balance pushing myself with taking care of myself. So here are my goals for my first challenge: 1. Strength and Stamina goals: Work on my strength and stamina using bodyweight exercises. I've been doing this already since last year but for this challenge I'm going to alternate between the Angry Birds Workout and the Konami Code Workout. My schedule will look something like this: Monday: Angry Birds Wednesday: Konami Friday: Angry Birds Monday: Konami Wednesday: Angry Birds Friday: Konami I tweaked the Angry Birds workout a little. Instead of bodyweight squats I'm going to work on pistol squats. I also added the wheel pose to complement the plank. For the Konami Code workout I'm going to do as many as I can in ten minutes, with the intention of slowly increasing the number of circuits I can do. STR +2 STA +2 2. Work on my headstand. In my draft I referred to this jokingly as the big SCARY YOGA POSE. Well, it's not so scary anymore. I managed finally to gather my courage yesterday and just kicked my legs up against the wall. (YEAH! RAAAH! ) I held them up for about a second before lowering them to the floor. My legs were not straight up though so I'm going to work on both the form and holding it longer. DEX +2 3. Healthy habits: a. Get as much sleep as I can (especially important when the baby is born) b. Limit coffee to one cup a day with no sugar, cream, or anything else added - goodbye cafe mocha for now. CON +2 WIS +1 4. Music: Spend one hour a day working on writing songs and learning covers. The songs I write don't have to be especially good and I don't have to write one song per hour - but I have to set the time to work on them even if it's just a few riffs or a few lyrics. WIS +1

I came into the last challenge about halfway through and had goals that focused mostly on working towards lifestyle changes. In this challenge, I will have more numeric end goals now that I have more of an idea of what I am doing fitness- and diet-wise. I am halfway through a Whole30 and after that will experiment with different amounts of Paleo-ness (with a goal to basically just be as Paleo as I can without sacrificing my happiness, sanity, and relationships). I will not have any specific diet goals this challenge, but will continue to be very conscious about it (it's hard NOT to when you've gone full Paleo for a month!) While a main goal of mine is to lose weight, I also am just on path towards leading an overall healthy and active life so that I can feel as good as possible. Since changing my diet and being much more active, I have noticed definite increases in my energy and mood, which has kind of become an even more important perk than the weight loss for me. I have come to enjoy the various activities that I do and it doesn't just seem like exercise any more, I enjoy it! That being said, my fitness goals are based on three main activities that I have been working at most recently—yoga, strength training, and biking. Goal 1 I have been practicing yoga regularly since the beginning of the year and feel quite good with most of the basic poses and how my strength and flexibility has increased. I have not yet really been working to do any of the inversions or arm balance poses, so I would like to make that a focus for the next six weeks. My goal is to hold a crane pose for at least 5-10 seconds. (If I am able to do that with time left in the challenge, I will try for a side crane pose.) (+2 STR, +1 DEX) Goal 2 I started out weight training by doing Rippetoe's Starting Strength, which I plan to continue but in a modified way. I will also be mixing in some bodyweight workouts, including pushups, inverted rows, situps, etc. At this point I can do about 5 pushups with good form, and by the end of the challenge I want to do 20 regular pushups. (+3 STR, +1 STA) Goal 3 Now that the ridiculous Chicago weather is FINALLY starting to settle into spring (knock on wood) I have been able to ride my bike much more! I am interested in starting to do long rides (hopefully working up to a century and more), the longest that I have done at this point without stopping is about 10 miles. By the end of this challenge I want to complete a 20 mile bike ride without a rest. (+4 STA) Goal 4 I am a musician, both teacher and performer, but since I have been focusing on my teaching, my playing has fallen a bit by the wayside. My primary instrument is viola and I also play a little bit of guitar and piano, so I want to get back into playing all three on a regular basis. Having an end performance goal always helps motivate me, so, as terrifying as it is to broadcast my playing to the internet world, I will post a video/sound recording of myself playing . (If I am learning that one quickly enough, I will try for this piece as well.)(+3 WIS, +1 CHA - because let's face it, playing music only boosts your attractiveness!) My Plan I have been going the gym 5-6 days per week, switching off between yoga classes and strength training. I will continue with this schedule and will be keeping track of my strength workouts. For yoga, I will also do some position work at home, especially for the arm balances and inversions. For my pushups, I am doing modified pushups at about a 30 degree angle for now, and once I get that up to 20 I will then move onto regular pushups and work up to 20. My school teaching position for this school year ended last week, so now I am doing afterschool tutoring and recently got a dog walking job, both of which I bike a lot for. So I have biking worked into my daily schedule, and I hope to do one or two longer rides (10-20 miles) on the weekends. I am going to work on getting back into practicing my viola everyday and the other instruments most days of the week. I will probably try to do my practicing right when I get home from exercising. So here I go! I'm very excited about this challenge and my goals and cant wait to get started (which I am about to do right now with practicing). Cheers!

Hey fellow Rebels! I need some Cosplay individuals for an A-list Music Video in the Los Angeles area next week. I am a producer and this is going to be a really fun shoot. If you do Steampunk and/or futuristic (Matrix, Bladerunner, etc.) cosplay and you like to have fun while showing off your costumes, message me for more information! Meals and a copy of the music video will be provided. This is a professional shoot with a great crew, so only message me if you're a serious cosplayer. The shoot will take place either Wednesday, May 22 or Thursday, May 23, so check your calendars and tell your fellow cosplayers about this! Thanks everyone!

Sooo, got my running on with Zombie, Run! Great app, got a problem though. The app shows my AWESOME playlist, but doesnt play any music during the missions. The missions even seem to get "stuck" after the first transmission, and dosent move on. Pleeeeeeeeaaaase, help me. Im addicted to zombies now, need my music too!

Let's talk about music, and I promise to only mock you a little bit. Anythings up for grabs: Work music, Work-out music, preferred media formats, remixes, covers, indie bands, anything! Here's A+D's April Top-10 mash-up compilation: http://bit.ly/ZAet1A and the 2013 Record Store Day website( because LPs rule ): http://www.recordstoreday.com/Home

Hi guys, I recently started using this website that's basically Twitter for music discovery, and it's pretty damn cool. http://www.thisismyjam.com/ Basically, you choose a song to be your "jam" and it stays there for up to a week, and you can follow other people who have jams you like. If you pick a new jam, it replaces your old jam. Once you find a bunch of people you follow, you've basically got a new playlist every week full of great songs. Very simple, and extremely effective. So here's my deal: if you have an account (or if you create one), let me know I'll follow you! My handle is theReverbSignal. http://www.thisismyjam.com/theReverbSignal

Hello everyone! I'm new here. I just stumbled across this challenge while googling fitness-related things (which I tend to do whenever I feel like I should do something for my health, because researching is easier than exercising); since the timing is perfect, I figure I might as well give it a shot. About me: 26, vegetarian, grad student, tall, relatively slim but in terrible shape. Nerd at heart, if not in habit. My goals: 1. Go to at least 12 fitness classes (mostly barre and hot yoga) over the next 6 weeks. Ideally I'd like to go to two per week, but I know I won't be able to go to any over spring break, so I'm giving myself some room to maneuvre. 2. Do at least 15 minutes of yoga, stretching and/or dance on days when I don't go to a fitness class. Dancing at the bar will count, of course. I'm hoping to be able to touch my toes by the end of the challenge... 3. Eat at least three servings of vegetables per day. Keeping track will probably be the real challenge. 4. Work my way through the first three sessions of Learn and Master Guitar (lessons on DVD). I did this before (around five years ago), but I've forgotten almost everything. Students are expected to spend around 2-3 weeks on each session; I'm hoping to progress relatively quickly, since I've done them before. Tomorrow I'll do an initial weigh-in (I'm not too concerned about losing weight, but it might be interesting to see what happens). I might even post a picture... I'm looking forward to meeting all of you!