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Hey y'all! I'm Ali the Drug Dealer, and this is my new battle log. I've been a (lurking) member of NF for quite some time. I figure the start of my birthday month is a good time to look to the future. The fact that I'm currently unemployed has a lot to do with it. Anyway, I turn 36 on the 19th, and I'm 150 pounds overweight. I know mindset and diet are 80% of the battle, so that's what I'm going to be focused on. My first monthly personal challenge will be working on mostly mindset. Grading with be on a weekly GPA scale with loot based on monthly averages. 4.0 - Bellabeat health tracker, 3.9-3.0 - new workout clothes, 2.9-2.0 - $20 worth of shopping on Wish Mental: Meditate daily. Time to use that Calm app that I bought forever ago. 10 Minutes a day minimum. A=6-7 days/week, B=4-5 days/week, C= 4 days/week Physical: Y-O-G-A Yoga!! Yoga with Adrienne specifically. Same grading scale as above. Food: High protein breakfast every day.

I'm Billy and I'm brand new to NF. I joined a few weeks ago and have never posted before, but I was excited to try a 4 week challenge and was hoping that by posting my challenge and continuing to update regularly, it will keep me accountable to follow through on it. I thought the challenge started today, but it looks like I was a week early! Having said that, I was mentally ready to go, so I'm posting it anyway. Quest 1: Do NF Body weight workout 1A/1B 3X a week until I'm ready to move on. Both me and my wife will be doing this together, and we're both excited to be doing something active again workout wise. Quest 2: Complete the 30 day walking challenge. I did the 7 days in a row, and as of right now I've done 15 days in a row. I'm going to start back at 1 for the challenge, and I can already tell that after a few weeks its starting to become a habit. I'm hoping that at the end of the challenge it is completely a habit. Quest 3: Follow my wife's eating plan for 30 days straight. She has lost a lot of weight doing the curves diet, and I'm going to do that with her and just modify for me to get a few more calories. I want to track my food in MyFitness Pal every day (I've never been able to do that before consistently) to start trying to understand my diet better. I need to do my before measurements (Ive been avoiding this!) as well. Finally, I'm going to make it my goal to not weigh for an entire month on the challenge. This actually might be the hardest part for me because in the past, I have been obsessed with weighing and it was always great until i inevitably had a bad day, and the number on the scale would cause me to spiral out of control and lose whatever progress I made. So I'm staying away from it for a whole month to see if it helps. Quest 4: The last quest will be to keep a journal for 30 days. I want to see what works and what doesn't and I'm hoping that by keeping a journal I will be able to assess everything better in the future. A few years ago when my wife and I were in school, we lost a lot of weight and got in great shape. However, neither one of us tracked anything, so we have no idea how we really did it and we have to reinvent the wheel to do it again. So I'm hoping that by making this a habit it will give me some insight in the future as to what works. Good luck to everybody doing their challenges and I'm excited to get going!

So yeah, I am new to this. For my first challenge I am going with the following: Diet - eating one vegetable with at least one meal per day Fitness - doing the NF bodyweight workout once per week Level Up My Life - Going to bed 10 minutes earlier each week (I'm sure this will be the hardest one without a doubt) Could definitely use advice/encouragement/general good vibes

Hello everyone, this will be my first challenge and I usually tend to be way too ambitious when setting goals so I'll try to keep it simple this time. Food goal #1: No bread 5 out of 7 days a week. I'm gluten intolerant and I should be avoiding wheat anyways. I tend to be pretty good at avoiding bread but here in Mexico we have this things called molletes, which are basically bread, beans and cheese. They taste so good and are amazing for breakfast but lately I've been eating them way too often. I'm going to be avoiding bread and replacing it with tortillas as often as I can, since corn isn't harmful to me. This means also means no pizza or sandwiches. And that will make my university life a little harder but I know that I can handle it since I've done it in the past. Food goal #2: A new paleo recipe every week I need to expand my horizons in the kitchen. This will also help me eat a variety of things and not rely on the same 3 recipes I know by heart and could do in my sleep. Recipes I'll be trying to do: Actual food: https://www.noshtastic.com/pf-changs-mongolian-beef-copycat-recipe/ https://paleoleap.com/meatballs-spicy-tomato-sauce/ http://www.paleorunningmomma.com/sweet-potato-bacon-kale-hash-paleo-whole30/ Dessert: http://thebigmansworld.com/2016/06/30/healthy-no-bake-smores-cups/ https://stupideasypaleo.com/2013/09/15/dairy-free-dark-chocolate-coconut-pudding/ I don't have an oven and I wanted recipes that aren't that time consuming so that it's easier and more likely for me to do it. And I found these that all look tasty and sound like things I'll like. I'll be making these on the weekends, most likely. Learning goal #1: 10 calculus exercises a day I'm taking summer classes and I'm actually taking calculus for the second time. I didn't fail, but I passed the class with a 70 out of 100, and since many other courses in my major require having a good grasp on calculus as a base, I decided to take the course again. The class is intense and I'm having exams every week on Fridays. By the time this challenge starts I'll only have less than a month left of the class, but I'll be starting this part of the challenge early and I hope it really helps me so that I can end up with a way better grade and a better grasp on the course than last time. Learning goal #2: Japanese: A chapter of the Genki Textbook a week I've always been interested in the language and I've decided this is the summer that I start learning a third language. So I bought the Genki Textbook since it's one of the most recommended for learning Japanese. I've just skimmed through it, but it look good. I'm looking to read and practice a chapter every week, plus some practice to get used to the language. Learning goal #3: Python: A "chapter" a week I took a programming course on Java last semester and I absolutely loved it. So now, I've decided that the next programming language that I'll learn is Python. I'm going to be using this guide https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/ and this one too http://www.diveintopython3.net/table-of-contents.html#your-first-python-program. They're kind of divided by chapters, so I think a chapter a week should be good. Fitness goal #1: Go to the gym at least 3 times a week / Walk 3 km 3 times a week Even if all I do is 20 minutes on the stationary bike, I will go and I will do SOMETHING. A group of my friends have this same goal too, so we tend to go together and I know this will make this goal a lot easier. The second option is for when I go back home for break, since I use the school gym and I refuse to pay for a gym membership only for the 2 weeks I'm going to be home. But, between Pokemon GO, my dog, and the extra time I'll have during break, I'm sure I can do the 3 km. Fitness goal #2: Handstand practice 3 times a week I can do a handstand against the wall but not for long. I will practice handstands, concentrating on getting away from the wall and lasting longer upside down. Fitness goal #3: Stretch everyday Even if it's for 5 minutes. Just roll out my yoga mat, put on some music and do whatever comes to me. Bonus goal: Actually get my splits back, but first I'm looking to get back into the habit of stretching. Personal goal #1: A book a week, at least Before I came to uni I used to read SO MUCH and I still love it but of course, university sucks up all my time. I'll be trying to read at least a book a week, mostly by reading before bed. Bonus goal: Read non fiction. I'll try to dip my toes into non fiction because I tend to go for YA novels or fantasy, but I'm working to expand my horizons! It was kind of hard to set these goals because for half of the challenge I'll be taking summer classes, and the other half I'll go back home for break, but I think this will do. I'm open to any suggestions on how to better set my goals, specially for the Japanese and Python!

Hi, everyone! I 'm Nat, 28, student, born and raised in Germany, living in Malaysia but currently back home. I just joined the Academy today and I am pretty excited to get started! Also, this is my first forum =) I am here because I know that I could be in better shape. The problem is that I just don't know how to get there on my own. It's not that I need to lose weight, I think my weight is considered healthy. However, I don't feel healthy, I don't feel comfortable in my own skin - not yet at least. As a student I usually spend many many many hours in front of my laptop and indoors and to be honest, I don't really feel the need to engage in some physical activity or to just go out and do something. I am quite content with binge-watching whatever, except for some periods (usually lasting two to four weeks) where I work out somewhat consistently (running, yoga, bodyweight exercises). Only to reverse back into my not-doing-anything routine. The result: skinny limbs with no strength, while chubby around my midsection. Also, I don't have a healthy relationship with food. This is a realisation I just made recently, or better, one that I only now have come to admit. This is the first time I actually vocalised this thought. So, I seek comfort in food. I rely on food to pick me up when I feel stressed or down. And of course, I don't turn to vegetables for that. And finally, around February this year, my skin started to go crazy. I have had oily/combination/acne-prone skin since puberty hit, but it was pretty much under control until earlier this year. I moved to a tropical, very humid climate back in August, but oddly enough, my skin started acting up only half a year later. Besides changing my skincare routine, I tried cutting out all kinds of food that could cause or enhance inflammation and drank litres and litres of water, but nothing really helped. Although it is slightly better now, I am sure that I can further improve the state of my skin by actually nourishing it with good food stuff. My what: Feel comfortable and confident in my body! My why: I visualise what the result will look like: no more slouching, but perfect posture, no more fatigue, but feeling energetic, no more skinny-chubby combo, but an overall strong and healthy body. I am going to be that person and for that, I have to start today! My how: Establish a healthy relationship to food, engage in physical activity and develop overall healthy habits in my life My detailed action plan: Improve duration and quality of my sleep. Find support through this community and ideally have someone check in on me from time to time. I think accountability will help me out tremendously. Learn to eat healthy, to stop when I am full even though it is super delicious, and to say no to things Educate myself about nutrition, workout and habit-forming (currently on the latter) I am so excited about this because I am going to feel confident in and with my body! I am grateful that I stumbled across NF and if you have any advice for me, I am open to suggestions and nudges in the right direction! And if you'd like to know more about me, feel free to ask (although I am pretty sure that you have enough reading material about me with this)! Nice to meet you, fellow nerds =)

So, this will by my first challenge with nerd fitness. I started on the website a couple weeks ago and I am ready to start making more changes in my life. In order to understand my challenge, you should know a bit about me first. I am a young single mother of an almost two year old little girl who keeps me on my toes. I am also a full time student. Until I graduated high school I was an avid competitive dancer, and never really was concerned about the foods I put in my mouth or getting extra activity. I felt like at least 7 hours a week of dance was plenty and my mother home cooked 90% of our meals. So, after I had my daughter I struggled getting back to loving my body. I am still struggling with it, but I am 100% ready to take control of my life an be the best mother, student, girlfriend, and daughter that I can be! Currently, I walk to a local park everyday (about 20 minutes total) and most days do some body weight exercises. Recently, I have also started integrating more vegetable and fruits into my diet! Over the next few weeks, this is my challenge 1) Make a meal plan and, of course, follow the meal plan. This will include sitting down and finding simple dishes for dinner that the family can enjoy, and are rich in healthy fats, vegetables, fruits, lean meats. 2) Continue to walk to the park everyday and do beginner body weight exercises, working up to running to the park and exercising with a higher intensity (this is more of a long term goal). This is good time spent with my daughter, it also gives me a chance to learn about the neighborhood and burn a few extra calories. 3) Spend more time with my daughter. I feel like with all of my commitments I do not spend enough time with my daughter. I am around her all day, but I feel distracted sometimes. Walking to the park and playing with her is a good way to do this. Now that it is summer, I plan on taking her to the pool once or twice a week. There are also many parks, and other free activities in my area that my daughter and I can do together. 4) Weekly date nights with my boyfriend. This follows the same Idea as above, but with my boyfriend. I feel like finding simple activities we can do together will brighten our relationship and give us something to bond over and talk about. Other than just cooking dinner, and watching Netflix. I am really looking forward to this challenge and hope I can stick it out through the end!!!

This is my first four week challenge, so let's see how it goes? Diet Goals: 1. No soda -- I've done this before, so it shouldn't be too difficult to do it again. 2. Limit eating out to three times a week -- hopefully less, if I can manage it. Fitness Goal: 1. Learn how to do handstands -- work on this at least three times a week for twenty minutes. Level up my life Goal: 1. Floss once a day (since I discovered flossing after every meal is apparently bad for you?) Scoring System: Wonder Woman -- don’t raise your hand at all until you’ve first extended it. Supergirl -- No reason at all for you to have done it... except an urge to do the right thing. Batwoman -- Our actions have reactions... consequences... things we can never take back. Renee Montoya -- Some questions can only be answered with a mask. Cassandra Cain -- You can change. You can.

I am so not ready for this 4-week challenge but I'm gonna do it anyway. Aims: 1. Lose weight. 2. Find the trigger for my sacroiliitis (I think it's gluten). 3. Get enough sleep. Challenges: 1. Bodyweight workout 3 times a week (Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday). 2. Walk 5 minutes (minimum) every day. 3. Avoid gluten at all costs. 4. Brush my teeth at 10pm. Looks easy, huh? It better be.

Hey all - You can call me Myrna if you like; I'll explain the user name in a sec. But first - backstory! I was always a bookish, not terribly athletic child. Conveniently, I had been born with a heart condition, so exercise, and even overly strenuous playing was never really allowed, which was kind of ok by me. I did like having back yard adventures - my swing set was alternatively a time machine, pirate ship, the millennium Falcon, and Zorro's hide-out, all of which I mentally occupied as a cool, smart, strong character. Still, not alot of running/jumping/climbing, more sitting around thinking up stories. Fast forward to end of high-school, I am the token slightly chubby & super cynical kid in the back of the class, who writes fanfic rather then homework assignments, and knits in the back row of class to ignore the useless teacher. Graduation was quickly followed by heart surgery, and blicky-blam, easiest 10 pound weight loss in the history of the world - just required having your chest cracked open like a walnut, and a week in the hospital refusing to eat the awful food. Suddenly I was actually kind of fit! After recovery, joined the workforce in a fairly active profession, took up dance classes, and stayed this gloriously svelte weight for about 6 years (abject poverty of the 20-something lifestyle helped too! lol) Press "A" a few times to skip some dialogue about marriage, growing addiction to the Xbox, job changed to completely sedentary office type, etc, etc, and here we are - just turned 30, and those ten pounds brought back 40 of their closest friends, but forgot to bring any motivation to lose them. So, I've always loved great adventure stories - to watch, to read, to write, to play. The tough warrior girl who took no crap from anyone always was my favorite. I always wanted to be her, but never actually thought I could be. And then I started playing Dragon Age Inquisition and decided I wanted to be Cassandra Pentaghast when I grow up. Except - I already am grown up! What started off as a joke, me telling my one friend who is the spitting image of Lelianna that we should go to a con and Cosplay as the Right and Left hand of the Divine, spurred on a realization: If I want to don the Seeker's armor, maybe I should be more like her - physically and mentally. I googled "warrior workout" and eventually stumbled across NF. And so my quest began. I doubt I will ever be half so determined, dedicated and kick-ass as Cassandra, but I won't ever be if I don't try, right? Starting small - walks, drinking more water, basic work outs,, that sort of thing, and then hopefully shifting to some strength training eventually So that's me. Hope I didn't bore y'all. I really am getting a slow start - just doing some extra walks until I feel confident enough to start the basic workouts, but hopefully I will get there. Wish me luck!

I'm writing so I don't psych myself out of it. I joined Nerd Fitness academy a year ago and did great a couple months then fell off the wagon. I stumbled upon the 4 week challenge and thought I need this!!! I gave up soda and all liquid calories except a morning coffee and also gave up smoking my first time around. However my job is sedentary and I have just gained weight. I am not at my highest, but I hate my body. I'm happily married, 45 yr, and my daughter is getting married next June. My husband and I are ready for new adventures and to redo life for activity and nutrition. I recently bought a treadmill and love it!! But I forget to use it, literally, I forget - because exercise is just not a part of my life routinely...YET!!! So I will complete the challenge worksheet, but don't really know where to go from there. But come hell or high water, and unfamiliar how the hell to do this, I"M DOING IT!!! So please help me out and anxious to RESTART!! :-)

So here goes everything. After lurking on the forums for what seems like forever and living vicariously through another nerd and actually meeting a bunch of nerds, even went to a nerd wedding!!. I've decided to dive in and give it a shot. So Hello! What I'm currently hoping to get out of NF is extra motivation and to keep on a regimen with working out(picking up heavy things and placing them back from whence they came) going for walks and dieting. I eat fairly healthy as is because we normally meal prep, my problem is more when I get stressed I will in turn decided to stress eat anything that comes my way. Also Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate. So here's the initial goals: 3x/week bodyweight workout w/ NF Ring and handstands. 3x/week yoga/ go for a walk. Drink 100oz of water a day. Lower my caffiene intake max 3 per day(8 cups of coffee a day seems excessive to me.) Be more optimistic Thanks for letting me brain dump Titanius

Hey all, Colin here from beyond the wall up in Scotland, just finished uni and saw an old picture of me beforehand when i realised what people mean by "you don't notice yourself change to take a photo". Packed on some weight and gained 4" around the waist, not necessarily trying to get my 17 year old body back but feel like i need to start something or it's just gonna get harder. Tried some stuff on my own before and didn't really workout so looking to be part of a community and try to be involved. And thats pretty much it, hoping to talk to you guys and keep motivated lets se where this goes.

Hello, friends! My name is Nicole... looking to reclaim what has gone missing over the last four years (mainly, my strength, agility, energy and focus). Maybe also my size ten jeans. I'm not really sure what else to say - I've become somewhat reclusive outside of work and family events, and I'd like to venture back into the land of the living. Happily married, two fabulous teenagers, and in my mid-30's. Just wanna get my groove back! See y'all around!

Hello experienced folks! I'm new, obviously, and just want to say Hi. I've decided to actually start my journey after having commitment issues to many goals I set for myself. On the bright side I make it a little bit closer to finish my month long goals each time, but thats just an excuse to make myself feel better. I've chosen to try again because I'm at a stepping off point in my life. I started reading "Level Up your Life" a few months ago, and then the unexpected happened and I finally landed a job in my field. "That's wonderful!" You might say, and it is, however, it brought me here to the middle of nowhere Northern California where everything is an hour or more away. Let me give a little back story. I'm an archaeologist, I specialize in Osteology (human bones) I've worked very hard at getting a masters degree, and I did it abroad where I had all sorts of adventures. I loved my life in school. But then I came home with my super awesome degree... and I had to start adulting. Nothing went to plan. I was fortunate enough to get a job after a few months and I was fortunate enough that my parents let me live at home. But that's not what I wanted with my life. Over the last 4 years I was constantly trying to break into my field, I discovered I really didn't like my job but I didn't have many options, especially since I wanted to move out of my parents house and live with my partner. Some goals accomplished, I moved out, I paid off one student loan completely (not that it made a dent), and was happy with my home life. But I wasn't happy with my career. I still am anxious about it. Fast forward a bit, 2 months ago I was offered my very first archaeology job. I couldn't say no, I needed a foot in the door. However, it brought me out here to Northern California. Where I have a lot of time to reflect. Archaeology isn't all Indiana Jones adventures and kicking ass, it a lot of surveying the ground looking for tiny flakes. So everyday I walk, and I think. And I have time to wonder "what the hell am I going to do in 4 months when this is over" and "I miss my family and my partner I want to go back to the East Coast". I don't want to go back to my dead end job working for a company that doesn't appreciate me. But in the world of archaeology you work in the summer, and the competition is fierce. So, on to why I'm joining the rebellion, I have the time. I need something to keep me from entering the black void of worry. And I figure if I can spend the next 4 months developing great habits I can take those home with me and still feel like I'm accomplishing something when I'm trying to figure out my life again. My goals: 1. Practice my French (I suck at it, always have, but I can still practice.) 2. Actually complete my Yoga calendar this month (I've failed 4 times) 3. Read more (I used to read ALL the time, then the internet happend, Nothing changes on FB in 10 min. Why do I keep checking?!) 4. Learn to run. (I'm at the highest elevation I will likely ever be (5,000ft) so why not used the lack of O2 to learn to run) and that is my story in a nut shell. A bit on whining and complaining. But I'm working on that too. Positivity! HELLO ALL!

Hi there, I'm new to these forums. Actually, I made an account with NF quite some time ago, but this is the first time I've had the guts to do anything with it. This is waaay out of my comfort zone! I'm here because I need inspiration and accountability to get in better shape. Inspiration because, well, I'm kind of a geek, and NF is the only platform (with its characters, classes and quests) that, for me, turns health and fitness into a fun challenge. And accountability because, as you know since you're here, community is important, and I need to be talking to other people about my fitness goals, successes and struggles. More about me: I'm a Californian living in the UK. I'm a fairly accomplished musician and play(ed) guitar in a progressive rock band back home. I read a lot - theology, philosophy, politics, history, fiction. I love music, television and film. And food, I love food (ugh). I'm 30 years old, married, and have a four month old daughter. Yesterday I started a nutritional and fitness regime with the aims of losing about 25lb, getting leaner and hopefully building a bit of muscle, or at least toning. We're going back to California on holiday in November, so I hope to hit my weight loss targets and make some noticeable changes to my physique by then. You wouldn't look at me and think I'm terribly unfit, but I am a bit doughy these days. I walk a lot and get to the gym when I can, but I'm not in great shape and am not eating as well as I should be. Jason Bourne, Star Wars and watching baseball are the things that best motivate me to want to get my ass to the gym! One question about the classes: I've narrowed it down to choosing between an adventurer, assassin, monk or ranger. How should I choose between them? How did you ultimately choose your class? Basically, which class would Bourne fall into, because that's the badass I'd like to become in my dreams haha. Anyways thanks folks, nice to meet you and hopefully see you round!

Hello there, I'm Kage and I'm looking to make some positive changes! I've tried to become healthier and get in shape in the past but so far I haven't been able to stick to anything. These four week challenges look like they'll be able to hold my attention and from what I've seen the community here is top notch!

Okay, here goes an attempt at 1 - actually writing down my goals, 2 - using a calendar type system Overarching goals/quests are 5 main categories: Nursing program, house cleaning, fitness/nutrition, fiber craft, measurements 1 - Nursing program: I've got an LPN/LVN license but it was through the army so I didn't complete any normal pre-reqs so I've been stuck doing them one or two at a time. In the Denver area an LPN license is the nursing equivalent of having a high school diploma. You can get a job but the options are limited, potential advancements are nil and the pay is... okay, but I'm already maxed out on what I can get based on experience. I'm almost done with my pre-reqs (6 classes left) to get into a BSN program but there are still things I need to do prior to finishing them. 2 - House cleaning: I'm super organized at work which means my home is a disaster. It's frustrating for me and distressing for my husband so it is high priority for me to do something to fix it. 3 - Fitness/nutrition: this includes making a schedule, continuing to do research, and continuously improve upon the previous week. I've been working on this for the last few months so I'm not exactly at the total newbie stage, I just hit a plateau super early in this particular iteration of "improve Fae's physical and mental health". 4 - Fiber craft: I knit (and very rarely crochet) and have at least a dozen WIPS (works in progress). It's getting ridiculous and I need to finish things so I can use them or give them away. 5 - Measurements: This is kind of related to fitness/nutrition but is separate in my mind. Fitness/nutrition is for my overall health and well being while considering changes in hips/waist/arms/thighs/clothing size/weight type stuff is secondary. Things I'm focusing on for this 4 week challenge: 1: Make a calendar for individual tasks of the stuff above - workouts, cleaning, homework, WIPS, BSN program tasks etc. Utilize bullet journal and exercise journal resources Initial calendar will focus on workouts and cleaning, adding homework/BSN program after 1 week, and WIPS after 2 weeks Calendar starts today, 5/28/17 and will initially be for just the 4 week challenge. I will add 2 weeks of future planning for every 1 week of this challenge that I have completed. Difficulty: medium 2: Document my successes and hiccups on the calendar with at least 50% success rate - hey, it's my first time trying this thing, I'm giving myself a lot of leeway to see what happens Documentation includes recording what I did - number of reps, weights, percent of room cleaned, percent homework finished, number of WIPS finished, etc Includes an assessment of completeness every week Difficulty: high 3: Keep up with NF academy and NF yoga plans. Initial plan is for 3 NFA workouts a week with basic yoga in between Review these daily - each new workout will include either reducing the kind of assistance I use or increasing number of reps per set Difficulty: medium 4: Figure out rewards for accomplishing different tasks, goals, and quests so I, you know, follow through. Difficulty: low These steps are broken down further in my workout journal so it may seem like some are ambiguous here, but I promise, there are micro steps in there too. Much of this is also to help me figure out what expectations are reasonable for me while working full time, doing school part time, and being aware of my tendency to procrastinate on everything when I can. These will become more specific with each successive challenge.

So, since I am basically setting myself up on the last day of the Challenge 5 period, and right before summer break, I am calling the next 2 weeks my "Challenge 0", and basically just getting my feet wet and gear up to be ready for the next challenge. So my goals for the next two weeks: - Drink at least 3 big glasses of water a day - If we have to eat out, keep calories for the meal under 500 - Walk 10 minutes a day at work, do the NF Bodyweight workout on weekends - 1 chore a day around the house

Hey there, thanks for dropping by! This is my first challenge. I used to be pretty healthy but have been through a lot of intense crap in life for the last couple of years, and I've gone into deep depression/trauma/survival mode and developed some bad coping mechanisms and lost my good health habits. I'm still going through a lot of junk but am healing inside, and it's helping me be able to get out of survival mode and into life mode a little bit again. I have a long journey of healing still to go, but I've gotten really good at following the rules of failure, so now... EDITED 6/8 for clarity and working better with my actual goals: I want to get in shape, in love with my body, strong, happy, and developing my talents again. I want to rediscover life, beauty, and passion. I want to be able to fit into my old clothes again, to feel beautiful and interesting and valid and wonderful. I've had a LOT of kicks of trying to get healthy again throughout the crazy life experiences of the last couple years, and while I used to be able to do stuff like Whole30, I can't do it right now. I've tried that and similar things and I just can't. So I'm taking smaller steps. This first challenge for me is not necessarily about weight loss, achieving a certain number of squats, etc- it's about getting back to basics and establishing healthy habits of daily exercise and eating actual food. That's where I'm at right now, and this is phase 1! I hope to be able to refine my goals and work them enough to drop a size by the end of summer. I still yo-yo a lot on my trauma moments/hours/days, and I'm finding that just because I have one good day doesn't mean I won't have a really bad couple of days. But I'm coming from a place of 6-7/7 bad days each week. So I'm trying to set good goals but be gentle with myself, trusting the process rather than aiming for a certain outward result. Consistently following good goals is the most important thing for this challenge, and I'll be able to refine them as needed for the next challenge. SO- GOALS: -Do 2-3 circuits of the Basic Bodyweight routine 3x/week: 13 points total. (And 1 Bonus point every day I do 20-30 minutes of HIIT. No penalty when I don't but they can't replace lost points from other categories. They're purely bonus.) UPDATE WEEK 1: I'm not sure the bodyweight routine is really doing it for me, so I'll include it as an option, but just go for 3x/week of some kind of strength training for now, probably generally included as part of a HIIT routine. I want to listen to my body and give it the kind of exercise it needs for now, whether more or less intense on any given day. -Walk/hike outside every day I can, weather permitting; if for some reason walking isn't possible, put on a few songs and just dance! 30 points total. -No more than 3 desserts/week (not counting fruit and/or paleo ice cream/smoothies which I sometimes have for breakfast or lunch). 3 or less desserts/week: 7 points/week+ 2 points for this Friday and Saturday. 4 or less desserts per week: 4 points/week. 5+desserts /week: no points. Total possible points: 73 (+ HIIT bonus) 67-73 points= A+! Reward: Defeat the Firelord, become the new Firelord. Actually get back the $200 I gave a friend. I complete the challenge in this range, I get all the money back. Otherwise: 60-66 points= B= $100 for me, $100 to a friend. anything less: F= $0, and lose $200 to a friend. CURRENT POINTS: 21+5 Friday-Saturday (pre-challenge): 1 bodyweight, 2 walking, 2 food points+ 2 bonus hiit points= 5+2 WEEK 1: 3 bodyweight, 6 walking, 7 food + 3 hiit points= 16+ 3 WEEK 2: 3 bodyweight, 7 walking, 7 food= 17 (didn't tally the bonus points because I guess they don't really matter) WEEK 3: 3 bodyweight, 7 walking, 4 food= 14 WEEK 4: Pending

Hi, recently joined the forum, this is my first challenge. Any suggestion is welcome!! No big quests, little steps out of my routine. I know it is two fitness goals and 1 eating one, but I am more a "lazy ass" and need a kick! Main quests: I have 15kg to lose and I want to be happier than I already am. My quests: 1) Walk "The Walk" app (I am at episode 16 now, but the app keeps having tracking issues. One episode should be around 1h 30m, but can be completed over more days) A = Reach a total of 30 episodes and challengesB = Reach a total of 26 episodes and challengesC = Reach a total of 24 episodes and challengesD = Reach a total of 22 episodes and challengesF = Reach a total of 20 episodes and challenges 2) Dance for at least 1 song a day A = 28 days B = 27 daysC = 24 daysD = 20 daysF = 19 days or lower Note: keeping the rate bar high because it is 3min/day 3) Don't eat chocolate bars from the work tuck shop (they are so cheap and tempting!) A = 28 days B = 27 daysC = 24 daysD = 20 daysF = 19 days or lower Note: keeping the rate bar high because when I break this everything else falls apart in my diet (e.g. skip dinner, eat other crap,...) Level up my life: Pray the examen (around 15min/day) A = 20 days or higher B = 16 days C = 12 days D = 10 days F = 8 days or lower Note: keeping this simple to not overstress it as it would get the opposite results... it it works I'll add a higher bar next challenge

So this is me. I'm super uncomfortable with public commitments, so just doing this is a happy little win. Go me! My goals are pretty typical I think. Just getting through each day takes most of my time, so I don't have any big lifetime ambitions. But I did a bit of pondering, and came up with three Quests I'd like to complete in the next six months to one year. Quest the First - Goal Weight. I don't have one, because I decided instead to have a goal Pants Size. Scales lie and I have no idea how much I should weigh, because I've never been a healthy weight, and the BMI charts don't consider muscle mass so I think they're rather stupid as well. However, I do know that when my size 40's started getting tight, it was time to change. So for the last year I've been sort of vaguely trying to "be healthier" without any kind of plan or structure. The pants stopped getting tighter, but they aren't any looser either. If you believe the scales, which I don't, I'm down by something like 20 lbs. Not bad for a slacker, but I can do better. So, my goal pants size is 34. It sounds really ambitious to me, but since I have up to 12 months to do it, I think I can. Quest the Second - Strength. I have none. My body composition right now is what I would call "Americano Slouch". I can't do 10 push-ups, and I don't think I've done a pull-up since high school. I used to be stronger than I am now, but you know the old saying about using it or loosing it. So, I want to work on that. Which is a little too vague for a goal, so I've arbitrarily chosen a goal that sounds impressive but attainable - I'd like to be able to bench press my body weight. I'm not sure what that will be when I get there, as I expect my weight to be going down as my strength is going up, but at some point they'll cross paths, and that will be pretty cool. I imagine it will be somewhere around 180 lbs. Sounds like a lot to me, but hey, they don't call it a Quest for nothing. Quest the Third - Ukulele. That's right, I said ukulele. I have one, and I can play it a bit. I bought it last June on a whim - prehaps the mildest mid-life crisis ever. Thanks to Youtube and fairly consistent practice, I know the basic chords and a few more besides, and I've got something like 20 songs in my notebook that I can more or less play. So what's the quest? To improve, of course. I want to learn to play some finger-style songs, and work on my overall technique, and just generally be able to play better. I also want to make sure that I play consistently, because it's good for my heart and soul to make music. So that's what I've got so far. I've already started, about a week or two ago, working on some of these things, so I'm not starting at zero, exactly. I have broken the Quests down into chunks, but I don't want to list them all here. So, here are my four goals for this challenge: 1. Track Calories and stay on target - I'm using MyFitnessPal, and it says my target is 1750 per day, plus whatever I burn in my workouts. So that's the goal. 2. Lift 3 times per week - I'm using a 3-day split program built around the squat, bench press, and deadlift. So each lifting day is one of those plus a few supporting isolation exercises. I'm doing it all with bodyweight and dumbbells, because that's all I have access to. It will be enough to get on with for now. Saving up for equipment might be a goal in a future challenge. 3. Drink at least one gallon of water per day - because it's just really good for me. I've been doing this for a little while now, but it's important to stay on it. 4. Learn one new song each week - This is completely doable, because it only takes a couple hours of practice to learn a song. If I play more days than I don't, I've got this one. So that's it. Thanks for checking it out! Let me know what you think.

Hi folks, I'm trying NF for a second time, it never quite stuck the last time (a few years ago). So, I am trying to be more involved and interactive to keep up the momentum this time. (It worked for my finances, so here's hoping!) Fitness Goals: 1. Walk around the park everyday (1km) 2. Try 1 new type of fitness per week Nutrition Goals: 1. Enter for in My Fitness Pal daily Level up Life Goals 1. Do one intentional activity to spend time with daughter per week 2. Go to bed at 9.45pm weeknights and midnight on weekends. Going to do this. Going to make my daughter proud. Raising a Valkyrie is a serious business.

Well I completely forgot family was coming into town over the weekend so I did not post this on time on Saturday. However I did keep my goals in mind for my first challenge! I even had my most active day yet (according to Samsung fit) on Saturday! Nutrition: Replace a processed snack with a healthy one (fruit, protein, vegetable) - I have gotten rid of a lot of the processed foods in my house so hopefully this will be easier then. Eat one vegetable a day - I hate vegetables but my fiance is a great cook so he makes them okay to eat. Fitness: Walk 15 minutes a day - I love walking, however it's the getting out of the house to just go on a walk that is the hard part. Level Up My Life: Keeping my kitchen sink clean - I have no idea why, but when it gets dirty I get anxiety. So spending a few minutes each day to keep it clean is a good start So here goes my first challenge. Not quiet sure on how I want to grade myself yet so that will be to come.

Hi all, I've been doing NF Academy for 4 weeks and have done about the first two weeks of quests. I thought this 4 week challenge would be a good way to keep some momentum going. This is my first 4 week challenge. :-) Where I'm at now: Fitness and nutrition: some cycling and weight training in my past, not much exercise for the past 2 years. Recently reduced caloric drinks to only one per day. Have been walking 20 minutes/day on most days. My usual breakfast is a granola bar, sometimes healthier ones, sometimes the ones that are more like a candy bar. Work: I'm supposed to write a kind of performance evaluation for everyone in my department annually. I always do them for new hires, for those with any problems or issues, and for those on a certain part of a multi-year evaluation cycle. But I have not been writing them for those without problems on the other parts of the multi-year evaluation cycle. Those doing well should be told that officially in writing, so this year I want to do all of the evaluations I am responsible for. Family: We visit my parents and brother and sister in Maine most summers. We always talk about taking a few days to go to Nova Scotia and the Bay of Fundy in Canada but have not done so yet. My challenges: Challenge 1 exercise: lift twice/week following NF Academy program. I'll be starting at gym level 3 from my Benchmark test using dumbells at home. Challenge 2 nutrition: Cook ahead high-protein breakfasts, cooking on Sundays to have at least 2 or 3 days of breakfast prepared in advance. Challenge 3 work: Write 3 evaluations per day until all are done. Challenge 4 family and travel: Write out an itinerary for upcoming trip to Canada and reserve hotels based on that. I guess that's it. Banzai!

So! I'm gonna give this a try. I'm buffing myself all over, I really hope I can make it through. My goals may not look like much, but since I've already tried (and failed) to make them habits before, they're kind of a big deal to me. There's a lot of good and healthy habits I'd like to accquire and I know if I can commit to these, It'll be the conception of the plausible counterexample (is that a word in english?) that settles the bases of the argument capable of proofing the refutability of the theory that states that I can't commit to anything; which will eventually lead to the proven thesis that I can commit to (almost (I'm not fan of absolute affirmations)) anything. So, hoping that my reasoning is not falsible, without further ado I present... *dramatic pause* my goals: 1. Category: Fitness. Difficulty: Medium. Workout 3 times a week during 4 weeks. I'm leaning towards a bodyweight workout. I kinda like running the best (I know, weird) but right now availability for running places and schedule is scarce, and I'm aware a full, muscle group diverse bodyweight workout actually gives more health benefits than plain jogging. The requirement of fullfillment for the goal is pretty straightforward: 3 workouts a week, during 4 weeks, that's 12 workout sessions. I'm not limiting the amount of time the workouts should last, but I'll be honest with myself about what counts for a session and what doesn't. 2. Category: Diet. Difficulty: High. Substitute all (but one) daily "unhealthy" snacks with fruits and vegetables. Mostly fruit. I'll still probably go for sweet fruits (mangoes, bananas, tangerines, etc.), but one or two of those is better than two or three chocolate cookies. I'm aiming at it progressively, I'll reduce my daily "unhealthy" snacks to three a day for 3 days (I currently go for 5 or more! since when I'm anxious I crave snacks and lately life circumstances are making me anxious very frequently), then two a day for 9 days anf finally only one a day. I'm not giving this one up yet, since its a daily treat I enjoy with my family, maybe I'll try to veer it towards "healthy" in the future, maybe not. 3. Category: Diet. Difficulty: High. Follow the 5:2 diet during 4 weeks. Regarding this one, I'm mostly curious. It sounds simple: eat "normal" for 5 days a week, and reduce your calorie intake to around 500~600 kcal for the other 2, non-conecutive days. I'll admit that at the beggining I thought it was a hoax: "Eat normal one day and a very reduced calorie the next? Is that even healthy?" But I was introduced in the concept of "fasting" and the benefits the dieters claimed they were getting from the regime were multiple. I'm still a little skeptical, but it got my curiosity and once that happens the only way to get it off my head is actually experimenting. Therefore, I'm trying this for 4 weeks (or as long as I feel good about it). 4. Category: Mental Health. Difficulty: Low. Meditate for 5 minutes a day during 4 weeks. As I said earlier, my anxiety levels have rocketed in the past few months. Hence, I've decided to start meditating so my mind can be a little bit more at peace each day. I've tried short mindful meditation before and for me it's not really that complicated to commit to it as a habit, but my ADHD makes it hard to keep myself from thinking "how long is left...?" past the first 3 minutes. It's an actual physical borderline painful reaction. So, I'll try to stick to 5 min each day to see how it goes and scale up if possible or needed in the future. So.... those are it. Any comments or suggestions will be apreciated. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this enjoy a happy day.