Search the Community

Hey y'all! I'm algorithmicpoet, 35, from Ireland. I started using the NF app about a month ago, but have been on a fitness journey since late last year when I realised I was at my heaviest and most unhealthy in about a decade. I'm hypermobile, have chondromalacia patellas (a fancy term for borked knees), and am ADHD inattentive type so it's been a bit of a challenge to find stuff that both works and I stick to, but I'm chugging along steadily so far. A lot of it has been getting into gardening and picking back up VR gaming, particularly Beat Saber, but I've done some structured home workouts too. Next step will hopefully be getting into some lifting and more defined cardio. Ultimately I'd like to get generally stronger and fitter; LARP is my main hobby and if I can end a fight without being winded that would be ace. Plus I'd like my meatsuit to stay functional as long as possible, and it's already getting on in years. Looking forward to joining the community

Hey everyone. I'm new here, just signed up today. Not new to fitness but I've taken a few months off and am struggling to get back into routine and form. Need some accountability and a supportive group to help me out. Word on the street is this is the place! I used to be a 5-6 time a week weightlifter. Got in pretty damn good shape, then as usual life happened. Routine changed, diet disappeared, and gym time suffered. So I'm heading back into it. I haven't been fully MIA, maybe 1-2/week, but I'm not a fan of how I look or feel so this is my new starting point. Atlas was a nickname given to me by a few different people at a few different points in my life, but it's how I generally handle things. Put it all on my shoulders and carry the load for everyone. I am hoping to learn a little bit of not doing that as well. Hoping to meet some great like minded people, support each other, and kick our respective goals in the teeth.

One day I was in my local goodwill and saw an interesting self help book called Stick With It by Sean Young. (Ironically not the book that started this website and forum) I bought it and have been slowly plodding through it trying to figure out why I keep shooting myself in the foot, losing all my progress and ending back up respawning with nothing learned or in my pockets but self loathing, frustration and a bitter self determination to get it right this time. As I have been following the steps outlined in this book one of them was to get into a community or like minded people- something I have never really done fitness wise. I have always loved forums and have been a part of a few over the years and enjoyed the community within them so I hope to do the same here! I was excited to find out about this community as the last forum I was a part of was a video game forum. So a little about myself: I'm over 30 and have been married to my hubs for almost 13 years now. I have two kiddos that I homeschool. I love the Legend of Zelda, chai lattes, and bujo-ing. I really dislike people who don't take no for an answer, getting my socks wet without warning, and liver. I have tried every diet under the sun but the one that works the best for me is the keto diet. Carbs are definitely not my friends and my body just really doesn't like them. I hit goal weight before on keto a couple years back, but after having a baby and turning 30 at the same time it has been a struggle bus. So that's me! Looking forward to figuring this place out and meeting everyone. ❤️

Hello, all! I was on here a long while ago working on my fitness and am returning several years later (and several years older - welp!) from an entirely different country and with completely different goals, ready to work on myself again! 😄 Back then I was in my late teens and concentrated heavily on cardio and studying to great success, but I also had far less to contend with back then. I'm quite a changed person now, with a job I love in a city in England, an intolerance to lactose that I was free of as a youngster (boo), and an only slightly detrimental work ethic (total workaholic, need to work on that) - plus a newfound desire to work on self-care since I seem to let that fall second to just about anything to do with work 😂 The preliminary goals I've outlined for myself are going to be: Eating nutritiously and healthily and not just whatever's there/quick. Exercise for mind and spirit. It used to be such a powerful tool for my mental and emotional wellbeing, and I hope I can refind that now! To learn a new skill that's personal to me. I'm leaning towards learning BSL currently as I feel quite strongly about it. Self-care and to utilise my free time in the evenings or days off not just to 'rest for work tomorrow' but to do things for me. The biggest challenges, I think, will be exercising (as this is practically a foreign concept to me now) and studying (something I haven't had to do in, really, any capacity since, well, since I was a student! Haha!) I'm planning on digging up the old Nerd Fitness bodyweight exercise videos I used to love following. I'm also a huge lover of kpop and dancing as somebody who used to be a dancer, so hope to learn a few of the dances as a fun thing to splice into a routine. And now that gyms are starting to re-open I plan to find some classes I can go and attend, namely beginner Pilates as I'm very flexible but have never done anything exercise-wise with it, which seems like a shame! I'd absolutely love to meet some people here and get chatting, so if you're open to it feel free to shoot me a message and lets be friends! I've got today and tomorrow off of work and my plan is to sift through the forums to remind myself of how the monthly challenges work and pick up some tips, and then plan to sketch out something of a routine for myself - so exciting! Thank you so much if you read so far! Its so great to be back again. 😄

Hey all, I joined the Rebellion years ago, and loved the camaraderie - but then I damaged my knee playing competitive sport and threw the towel in. Then about a year later I focused on my diet and lost 2 and a half stone and looked and felt the best I had in years. Started pole dancing class and adored it. The fact that I could no longer afford pole as I'm getting divorced, the lockdown and my weakness for snacks have put all that good work to waste. I've put the weight back on and have lost pretty much all of my strength. Instead of moping - I'm going to do something about it. So I'm looking forward to kicking ass and going back to loving myself again 😊

Here I am at the dawn of time. Again. This time of wellness to not make time for illness. It's been a rollercoaster to say the least and somewhere on my journey I lost my path and am stumbling through the woods, a bit disoriented but since I'm writing it down here, I feel confident in my abilities again. Now there's a win already! I have several goals but this time, I'm toning them down a notch. There is already so much pressure from work and family - and let's be honest, mostly myself - that if I cannot control other people's behavior, at least I should be kind to myself. Now, let's see what we got: Goal 1 Nutrition: I want to meal prep every Sunday that is followed by a work week. I get terribly hungry around lunch time and it is better to prepare before I eat up all the cookies around the office - and we have loads... I also want to only eat 2 units of sweets per day, i.e. one cookie at work and maybe one piece of chocolate at home. Or if anyone brought cake into work: one piece of that and one virgin cocktail after hours and then that's it. Goal 2 Training: Strength train twice a week for at least 3 months as well as do one handstand exercise from the NF Rings&Handstands - since I bought it, might as well use it! Goal 3 Yoga: Attend Monday yoga class at least 9 times in the next 3 months (including Holiday season) as well as practice at least 15 minutes on my own on 5/7 days of the week (here all kinds of yoga are allowed; breathing, meditating, asanas,...). Goal 4 Adulting: Adulting is hard work and there certainly are more days than I like to admit when I want my mommy to come back and take control over my life But let's be realistic, I can do it all on my own if I show up for myself and with showing up I mean: On Saturdays check in with my budget and finances. Also, hoover every Friday even if it is just me and the cats in the house - clean the cat hair, Bonaventa! Last but not least, even if it is your most unwelcome chore in the world: Wipe down those floors on the first day of every month. Come on, that is not too much to ask! Remember how good it feels when it's done? So this is the current 3 month plan. I'll track my progress this time to see progress and a big check-in in March

Alright, let's take it from the top: 1. My name is Stephanie (you can call me Stevie). I'm 34 years old and a librarian. I can't remember how long ago I found NerdFitness but it's been the best thing I've found for me. To make a long story short, I've had weight issues all my life but I finally unlocked the key to start my ultimate quest: accepting myself no matter how much I weigh. That's been a long time coming! I'm a nerd and a tomboy. I love reading (duh), traveling, and creating art. I'm a Trekkie, Whovian, Star Wars fan, and a Sailor Moon fan, among others. Workout-wise, I love cardio, am ambivalent about running (I like it but I'm not consistent with it), but since getting into strength training I'm having more fun with my workouts. (For the record, the Beginner Bodyweight Workout has helped TREMENDOUSLY with being able to help shelve books in children's - fellow librarians, take note!) 2. Being a Trekkie kind of parlays into my quest: I want to lose 80 lbs by next year's Star Trek Las Vegas con in early August. So that'll be going from 208 (as of last week) to 130 (roughly where I was in college). If I'm a few pounds off it's not the end of the world. Right now I'd at least like to get below 200! Maybe 190 by January would be nice. But let's take it slow. 3. Well I guess getting to 190 would be a supporting quest, but I chose three from the boards because I need a bit of help. So my three are to eat one veggie with one meal every day; to swap one processed snack for a healthy protein, fruit, or veggie; walk every day for 5 minutes; and to floss at least 15 seconds a day. I feel these are doable for me (the food one was hard since I already drink tea and water and no soda - the frappucinos may be hard to quit but I've done it before and I can do it again). I'll set a reminder to post on Fridays (my weigh-in day) and let everyone know how I'm doing - I can just do it in this thread, right? Anyway, best of luck everyone...and me especially! Live Long and Prosper, and May the Force Be With Us All!

Hiya, guys! ^-^ I was here years ago (I wish I remembered my username but sadly, I don't!) and then had some health issues that put a halt on a lot. Just on the absolute off-chance that anybody I did know comes across this, I was put out of commission (and well, into hospital) due to unmanageable seizures and the chronic pain that resulted. Its been a while and not only am I back in tip-top shape again (between treatment, surgeries and more!) but I've since moved to England and have a steady career (in the nerdy field! Ay!) I swear, how time flies. I remembered this place a few weeks ago and decided to, rather than as an excited teen, try again as an independent adult. So; hi guys! I'm CJ, I'm based in England, and I'm 21. I'll be partaking in the 4-week challenge (I remember these being 6 weeks! I'm excited for a change of pace... and trying to work out how this all works again I'm aiming for mainly life/career based goals, and right now my goals seem to align mostly with adventurer, but for now I'm back in the rebel camp so I suppose we'll see!

Hello everyone! My name is Matthew, and I'm excited to begin my journey with Nerd Fitness! Like Steve, I've tried several work outs before on my own without much success. I came to Nerd Fitness because I realized delving into the world of fitness is much like delving into a new world in a video game - it's wide, full of traps, and without proper tutorialization or a map to guide you it's easy to get lost and frustrated. I'm coming into this unequipped and inexperienced, but it looks like I may have finally found my hometown here. I'll be exploring the NF kingdom over these next couple of weeks, so please feel free to say hello or direct me towards points of interest! I'm interested in finding other people to have fun and be active with. Right now my main goal is to get myself started in the right direction so that if I get lost or confused sometime later, I'll have solid foundations to fall back on and keep me along the way. My long term plan is to build upper body and core strength, keep the fat off, and get involved with people who can inspire me and hold me accountable to my goals. Thanks for reading this intro. I hope to see you around!

Hi! I'm Dehlia. I'm 31 and I'm from Denver, CO (Though I also spend a lot of time in Brooklyn, NY) In my searches for exercises and advice I kept coming across this website, and liked what it was about, so I'm finally joining, as the title indicates. I've had issues with my weight since puberty, mostly due to depression. About a year or so ago I was able to lose around 20 pounds, but I've had some set-backs since then. Stress, annoying life incidences, job changes, moving, and traveling have made it difficult to keep on a consistent plan, especially being an emotional eater like I am. Most recently I was doing well with my work outs but had to have my gallbladder removed, and as with any abdominal surgery this meant at least 2 months without doing any strength training while my insides healed. I'm back to square one and having to (safely) ease myself back into my routine. I'm also living in a house with individuals who love to snack as much as I do, except they have no problem buying tons of sweets and making me suffer I prefer weight training, yoga, pilates, and light cardio. Anyway, here's some stats. Starting weight: 190 Currently: 176 Goal (for now): 150 Height: 5'2" Besides all that, I work from home, I love to travel (mostlyforkpopconcertscoughcough), read, write, cross-stitch, watch bad movies, listen to true crime podcasts, collect crystals, and dye my hair. I also recently started streaming on Twitch with my best friend, where we talk about 90's nostalgia, horror movies, music, and whatever else catches our fancy that day (twitch.tv/blahblahblahclub) Thanks for having me

*waves I enjoy the NF newsletters and have been lurking the forums the past week. So much stuff here, so I am wading through little by little. I am an older Nerd (53) who needs to reach for health, fitness and life goals. No more just dreaming - time to plan it, work it. I'm interested in improvement in every area of my life so I have lots of goals to work with. I am also an introvert, one of the rarest ones - an INFJ. I do love my alone time (content homebody) and tend to avoid social events. I don't think that is a bad thing, but it wouldn't hurt to get out sometimes. I am Nerd-y in my lifestyle (not a spouse, two kids and a dog person - CHILDFREE POWER!), my love of living in Second Life, and my urges to turn information into Excel spreadsheets-and... other things... I will be finished with physical therapy for lower back pain at the end of March. NF is my after-PT plan (I promised my therapist) to not lose the momentum I have gained. So...here I go with baby steps to my future life that I choose to have. Big Thoughts Doing the Walk to Mordor and Back Setting up my BatCave Meditation/Yoga Practice Becoming a Foodie Ninja (WFPB-mod) Accomplishing some long-held day dreams A full Bullet Journal of memories by the end of the year Challenge 1 - March 19-April 14 Walk on the treadmill x 5 days per week to add to WtMaB totals (no pressure on time, just that I get on the treadmill consistently) Purge 1 trash bag of clothes that do not match my future self vision / that I have been holding on to for "when I lose weight" Practice one yoga pose each week x 5 (newbie, but I have always wanted to do yoga) Make one new recipe each week Work on one Excel template BuJo trackers set up for the rest of the year Excited to start... fearful of failing... Determined to just hang in, do the best I can.

Hi Nerds! I am "BOT" aka BackOnTrack, a Rebel with a cause. I am a 44, Mama of 2 nerdboys, married 23 years to the biggest Nerd I could catch. We live in a small country town in Colorado, a rural gem. I have never been more content and grateful for my bliss and looking to level up life a bit. My big why am I here at NF? To make some of my flubby blubber vanish, and vanish for good. I am taking the low carb route 'again'. I do like to work out in so many different ways. My consistent downfall; lack of consistency, and life's little distractions. I have great support from the Hubz this time and he is definitely losing quicker than me. That is ok, as long as we can talk about our achievements and focus on goals together. He does make it more fun. My personal interests, where do I start. I get bored easy, so I have my hands in everything. Hanging out with my boys and my Hubz, Driving into the mountains and backroads with no destination in mind, camping, boating, photography, photoboothing, cooking, painting, drawing, crocheting, gardening, crafting, stained glass, pottery, jewelry making, hiking, HIIT, kettlebells, music concerts, music anything, theatre, Netflix binging, odd jobs, causing chaos and karaoke nights with the gal pals. And I just bought a violin, so I'll we will see about that later haha. Nerdier stuff- sci-fi anything, sci-fi-everything, puzzles, chess, board games, clash of clans and I REFUSE to match my socks and I still watch cartoons, now without cereal. (I still have fond dreams of cocoa Krispies and cinnamon toast crunch, my two long lost loves) BIG GOAL - Long ish Term 22 lbs down by July 3rd (My anniversary) WHEN I get there, I win $996 through the HealthyWage game:) Not really a gambler, but I like this cash incentive. NEXT 4 WEEKS! 3 lil goals are to be consistent in these areas: *Start everyday with Prayer & Devotional *Diet, staying 20-30 carbs and under Daily *Workouts (30 minutes of increased heart rate) at least 4X per week. and 4 - Finish Kason's blanket by March 25 Aiming high goals for 2019: -Make college shopping a priority for teenfabulous -1 hour violin practice 4X per week -1 hour biz practice forum 3X per week & marketing -Send out more Bday Cards, make more friendly calls-less texts -More HIKING! -This year 2nd new build for the biz -Save $ Save$ - less Amazon! -Less Social Media and Netflix -Start planning your perfect garden & landscaping -Laugh a crazy laugh everyday, find something-anything. A deep real gut laugh that brings tears to your eyes. It gives youth and swirls those endorphins **TO FIX-door, sheetrock, lock, paint poles, paint patio, concrete carport, finish paint in corner & baseboard I feel inspired by reading all your posts and challenges and hope I can encourage and inspire someone else. NERD ON! - BOT ========================================================= PersonalNotes /Upcoming events: Feb.9th RockTheLock / Feb17th TubingTrip / March1st MardiGras at Duck / March 16th Matt's Wedding** / March 17 St. Patty / March 23 LoganPhotoshoot / March 29 Trish&Dana Wedding** / April 25th Nashville / find out about Pink Concert ++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Like so many others, I've always been a bit gun shy of sharing too much online, but if there's ever a place to do so, this is certainly it. So - here we go! I'm Denise and I teach anthropology at a University in Kentucky. Don't know what anthropology is? No biggie, most people don't. It's the study of everything human from where we come from as a species to ancient civilizations to modern societies and our primate cousins. My concentration is in archaeology, but I teach a fair amount about living societies too. My students think I'm a bit crazy b/c I'm a forty-something prof with purple hair and I like to play Fallout! For the first time since I had kids (my "baby" is now 16!), I lost 25 pounds last year and increased my endurance and cardio capability to climb Machu Picchu (and the even steeper Huyanu Picchu!) in May for my 25th wedding anniversary. After that, however, I had to go to Belize to work for a month and my food choices were really no longer mine to make. After the summer, I just sort of lost control and ended up gaining most of that 25 pounds back. So, I have to start over. But man, am I tired of counting points or counting calories or counting macro-nutrients. I want to be healthy, but I NEED to do it in a way that is sustainable and fun. FUN - never thought I'd say that about a workout/diet regime, but that's what I'm looking for because I'm in probably the exact middle of my life and I want the next 50 years to be just as great and even more exciting than the first 50 (a milestone I will hit this June). TL:DR - I'm an almost 50, weirdly geeky, college prof who wants to lose weight and become healthier through exercise and good habits. And I have to do it in a fun and positive way - that's why I'm HERE and not back at Scale Watchers, like before or doing some stupid fad diet. My goals for my first challenge are as follows: Complete water level nerd yoga routine at least 3 days a week. This will alternate with 3 days a week of the beginning body weight workout. Cook a healthy dinner at least 4 times a week and pack a lunch every day I'm on campus (no sneaking off to the student union for burgers and fries!) Clean, declutter, and organize one room of my house each week. For every week I stay on track I'm going to reward myself with some loot! I've given myself lots of choices like going to the movies with my hubby, or getting a manicure, or a new book! Or maybe the materials for a new crochet or weaving project (this might be the big payout at the end!)

Hi, I'm a - 46y/o father of four - working 9-to-5 in IT - part-time Entrepreneur trying to push forward my online-business - Need to focus more on health to have more energy and feel better - My hobbies are: playing the (e-)guitar, watch The Walking Dead, lifehacking. I love computer-games but don't play a lot these days. I have a PS4, I started GTA and kinda like it but in my heart, I still really love the games a played when I was younger - so I'm a retro-gaming-nerd Current Main Quest: Loose 15kg (33 Pounds) SMART Goals I'll start with 3 goals that are not easy, but also not too hard to achieve, to get into the groove. 1) When I'm in the office I will turn my desk into a standing desk for at least one hour each day 2) I won't eat any candy-bars, when I'm in the office or drive home with my car 3) Go running - at least once each week for at least 45 Minutes Looking forward to great conversations and insights The CloudNerd

Hi everyone! I'm Jka, mum of 2, full time nurse, board game geek and chocoholic. I've steadily been getting bigger and bigger, less and less healthy and I've finally reached a point where I want to do something about it. I'm very easily distracted; I love a new challenge but will jump from project to project without really completing many. Hopefully having a monthly challenge will be just what I need to keep my attention and foster some good habits. Without further ado, my very lofty 6-12 month goals are: Lose 20kg Eat better Tidy house Debt free From those goals, my challenge aims are: 1. Go to gym once per week Doing 15 mins cardio then bodyweight exercises (squats, push-ups). 2. One snack in evenings As opposed to the usual *cough* several snacks over the course of the evening. 3. No takeaways on a weekday December has seen us slip in to bad habits, quite often ending in a takeaway if we couldn't decide what to eat. 4. Update budget every month Having finally made a budget, I now have to stick to it and update it on payday every month. I'm really excited to see how this turns out. I've started small, and in doing so I'm hoping that the boost I get on succeeding will help me into month 2.

Hello there! My name's Emily/Ed/Grimmi - and I've gotten quite tired of living how i currently am. I want to have an amazing story to tell where the life i'm living now is the life i get to tell people I overcame. I'm 31 years old, just graduated college with a Bachelor's in Fine Arts - so i'm also unemployed, naturally. I'm looking for jobs and keep getting turned down. Living with parents because i'm absolutely poor and hopeless. On top of that I battle depression, anxiety and a few other fun things. I'm really overweight and inactive, scared to leave my room, and trying to find a way out that doesn't end with death. Life has been throwing all kinds of balls at me, with my girlfriend being hospitalized and my life just trying to crumble beneath me. Life isn't fun for me, it's a chore. My goals are basically : - Learn to live like a human (eating regularly, good hygiene, etc) - Get moving and stay moving - Find my strength and confidence I've got a tiny dream of running and hopefully i'll be able to get to the point where I can. I want to start being the change in my life instead of just waiting for things to get better.

Hello everyone I just joined today. I came across nerd fitness while hunting for bodyweight workouts. Then I saw the Level up you life book and had to pick it up I love the concept. I'm at a point in my life where I'm looking to get back in shape. I took some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu years ago but now I just feel tired all the time. My goals are to expand myself physically and mentally .

Hey ya'll. I'm Caranda, 17 years old, and at the time I am writing this I have just binged hours of this website's forums and have fallen in love with this community. While I'm not overweight, I am much chubbier than I would like and, most importantly, wildly out of shape. I've been trying to get back into exercising for a while now, but I'm now sworn in and about to join the ranks as a part of the National Guard. I have a year before I leave for basic and I would like to be able to the bare minimum for passing basic (e.g. more sit-ups, more push-ups, and actually being able to run without pooing out 10 minutes in). I do have a gym membership, but I find motivation hard to come by, especially when I have online classes and don't have much incentive for leaving the comfort of my home. I live in rainy Washington, so when it rains, it pours and I can find myself barely leaving my house for weeks at a time. Because I am a full-time college student and moved here from Texas, I don't have many friends here to hang out with or ask for encouragement from. I also have severe dietary sensitivities, but I tend to go against them often and will spend hours if not days in pain because I decided I wanted a milkshake (In other words, I have ZERO self-control). This doesn't end with food, however, as I will also sit down and watch hours of Youtube, Netflix, and anime, sometimes starting first thing in the morning before even thinking of leaving my bed. That leads me to some of my goals: 1) Find a local fitness community or a favorite class at the gym and actually go to them 2) Become stronger (Lift more, run longer) 3) Replace sugary treats with fruit 4) Work on self-control I really hope to get to know ya'll and will be cheering you on as fellow companions on this never-ending journey to a healthy lifestyle. (By the way, I also have 3 dogs, so I sometimes feel too guilty for going to the gym instead of taking them all on a walk and I want to try to set time aside for both for the sake of my health and theirs...as well as my conscience haha).

Hi, everyone. The name is Kerri. I am a 22-year-old woman, passionate about psychology, writing, and crime dramas. I collect Carebears and X-men anything. I've been a "nerd" in some aspects for as long as I can remember. I'm the kind of girl who tied jump ropes across our trampoline so I could be a 'spy.' I love all things Marvel but have a particular affinity to the X-men. If you cannot tell by my username, my favorite character is X-23, aka Laura Kinney aka Wolverine's clone. I also enjoy video games, the Sims, some anime, and recently have started dabbling with Magic and D&D. Outside of that, I love to read, write poetry & prose, watch crime shows, cross-stitch & embroidery, and Bullet Journaling. I also love the Hex Girls, Winx Club, W.I.T.C.H., RWBY, and Miraculous Lady Bug. I found here kind of by accident about a week ago, and I've spent that week devouring what I could from the site, the articles, and the forums. I'm extremely out of shape right now, and unhappy with where I am at in my fitness. I have fibromyalgia, PCOS, IBS, asthma, ADHD, and PTSD. The main kicker for my fitness is the fibromyalgia, it's so hard to exercise when I'm already hurting, even if I know it might help me feel better in the long run. Up until 6 months ago, I didn't know I had ADHD, so it was kind of like this answer to why I couldn't follow through or break things down into goals and focus on them. I've been on meds for 6 months, and it's crazy the difference it's made. The way the 4-week challenge planning sheet is set up is AMAZING for my ADHD brain and I loved starting to plan these things. It's now about sticking to them, which is hard for me. I am currently sitting at one of my highest weights: 279 lbs. I am 5 foot 4 inches, so that puts me at a pretty unhealthy weight right now. I was doing okay for a while, staying in the 220-230 range, but when I was assaulted in September of 2017, I got really into disordered eating (mainly binging) and it caused rapid weight gain. My highest was around 285. So I've managed a little loss on my own. I am at high risk of diabetes due to my PCOS (my insulin is already super jacked up), and my heart is under some strain from the extra weight. Therefore my main goal in joining the Rebellion is weight loss, for now. (Deep down, I want to be a strong woman, not just an in-shape woman... or some sort of parkour ninja... I don't know yet haha.) My Main Quests: 1.) No More Diabetes - Get my fasting glucose down, and my insulin levels down. 2.) Lose It, Woman! - Lose 80 lbs to get under 200lbs 3.) Publish that Poetry - Publish the poetry book I've been working on for the last year and a half 4.) Sell that Stuff (Artwork) - Sell at least 3 pieces of artwork, and have a location for doing so 5.) Go back to college. I will break these down more in my battle log, and 4 week challenges, but that's the gist of things. I am so thankful to have found somewhere so friendly to those of us who... don't quite fit in other places. So glad to be here, and join this Rebellion

Hey! I'm Jean but you can call me PurplePotato! I was recommended this website by a friend of mine and I was wondering if you guys could help me out. So, I wanted to get into muscle acquisition since I've got various health issues that often hinder my energy and overall strength. I'm looking to exercise my arms, legs, and core, since I have to work a lot of retail jobs and heavy lifting looks good on a job application, lol. I'm a creator, and a lot of my work is sedentary (I'm both a writer and digital artist), so anything I can do indoors is wonderful, though I'm not opposed to outdoor workouts as well! Just anything where I don't have to use or pay for a lot of expensive equipment since I'm a student and have to pack light! I also have disordered eating and food insecurity, so please, no diets or weight discussion! (Weight and diets are also triggers for me, so please tag before you discuss it!) Just anything that'll help me feel less woozy all the time would be great! If you need more details, my PM is open! Thanks for whatever help you can bring!

My husband will be home with it in about an hour. I figure setting it up will be the first workout But what comes next? It has an overhead pulley, place for a barbell and the leg curl attachment, I this also a preacher curl attachment. I'm hoping those terms make sense, if not, Google let me down In the past (over 5 years ago) I used to go to the gym, on and off on my own and with various trainers I've always liked the way I felt after a good strength workout, but always hated doing weights alone at a gym. Either way, gym is out for several reasons now, but as I'm determined to make a real change this time, decided to try setting up at home. So of course, I started googling best weight lifting apps, routines, exercises, etc. And I'm now somewhere between intimidated and demotivated. It feels like I'm kidding myself thinking that I can figure out something this complicated on my own at home (personal coaching, from this site or any other is out of the budget for now). Plus all the pictures of crazy buff people just makes me want to give up....why isn't there a site with pictures of normal people doing strength training??? I know the focus on diet, using my fitness pal to track and reacquaint myself with proper portion sizes. But I really want to make the strength training side work. It just feels like I have so far to go that I'll surely get derailed in the process, so why even bother :( Any advice for a determined, well intentioned, scared newbie?

Hello all, So I've recently decided that I need to make a change. A real one this time. In real life. In real time. Not just in my head, not just as I'm drifting off to sleep making promises about what I'll do better tomorrow, but in the waking minutes and days when those better decisions have to be put into action. So here I am. I used a forum like this to make a major life change a few years ago, and I miss the camaraderie and accountability that was available there, so here's hoping that exists here too A bit about me: I'm looking at 40 in the next 18 months or so; but realizing that I feel closer to 60 and have acquired the same walk as my 70 year old mother in law who needs both knees replaced I've never been thin, at least not since I had to have back surgery at 18. For a brief window I was even in half decent shape and ran a few half-marathons. But I've always been classified as overweight (flirting with obese based on BMI) and I've always dealt with back pain. The advice I've heard constantly is to exercise more in order to lose weight, which will in turn alleviate my back pain. But even when training for half-marathons and being careful about what I ate, I didn't drop more than a few pounds. And now after a big international move and 2 pregnancies, I realize that I've lost whatever good exercise habits I ever had. My body is stiff and hurts and I'm afraid that my kids will grow up with an invalid for a mom, rather than someone who's active and involved in their lives. I know it's not too late, but I also know I need to start NOW. During my first pregnancy, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism - no doctor ever thought to check for it before, as the assumption always seemed to be that the weight wasn't coming off because I was too lazy. However, even when that's well controlled now, I'm not losing weight, so much for that magic cure Within the last month, I've discovered that I have one leg shorter than the other as well as osteoarthritis in my spine (which, as the doctor is happy to remind me, can't be replaced, so the goal is to limit the progression as much as possible). After a few days of walking with insoles to adjust the leg length, my day-to-day back pain has greatly subsided, but the stiffness and flare-ups are still there. My doctor here has barred me from running as that will make my back worse. I admit I was angry at first, because all of the advice of exercising more was probably making the pain worse rather than helping; but I'm over that and trying to figure out what I do know with the cards I've been dealt. The problem is that I now find myself on a somewhat tight budget, 2 small kids (2.5 and 1.5 years old), a full time job and a husband's career that requires more flexibility than mine, and I feel....lost. Like I don't know where to start, or what I can expect to be able to do or maintain. Gym is out, as I don't have the flexibility time wise to go regularly, plus I hate gyms, so I know I won't go at 9pm when my husband is home and I can finally get out of the house. I've tried to start doing some simple exercises at home (including the bodyweight workout I found on this site), and I realize how unbelievably out of shape I am! I'm not the heaviest I've ever been, and not even at my unhealthiest diet-wise, either, as I live in a country where healthy food is more the norm than junk food, and do much of our shopping at weekly farmer's markets; But I'm definitely the most out of shape that I've ever been and I hate myself for letting it get this bad! Ok, so enough of the whining and what am I planning to do about it? 1) I joined this site, and this forum to hopefully find some people to buddy up with, encourage each other and be accountable to. That's something that's missing in my regular life as all of my friends either have time to exercise that I don't, or think that I'm already healthy and don't understand my frustration. My husband is 100% supportive, but more overweight than me with bad eating and non-existent exercise habits, with a real mental block about the need to change. I nag him, and bug him, and cajole him, but he's a grown man and I can't force him. He supports me, but in his eyes I'm wonderful and perfect and doing everything just fine, so he's not exactly a very tough motivator So anyone who can relate and is looking for an accountability partner, here I am! I can be a real pain in other peoples' asses about what they *should* be doing, but I need that same approach turned on me! 2) My husband (who loves me more than I deserve) is in the process of buying a used workout bench, which hopefully he will pick up this weekend and install with his dad when he's in town next week. I've already started moving the freeweights from the basement to the bedroom where the workout bench will be, so that I can start using it when it's ready. 3) I bought a membership to the local pool, and have been going 1-2 times a week to do laps. The agreement with my husband is that Wed or Thurs afternoons he picks up the kids so I can swim, and Sunday morning I go to the pool; of course, sometimes life gets in the way and things don't go as planned - i.e. was supposed to go yesterday but my daughter was sick so had to work from home to be with her; husband already had appointments booked this afternoon as he had given me the Wednessday so no mid-week swim for me this week But I can honestly say that I have been doing my best to go when I can and not falling prey to BS excuses. 4) I've set up a stepper and stationary bike in front of the TV. I even got pretty good about using them regularly (2-3 times per week), but then we got hit with massive heat waves and without AC, it's not possible to do cardio in the house anymore 5) I try to take every opportunity I can to walk somewhere - to pick up/drop off the kids from the nanny when I'm working from home, to various appointments here in our small town; to the store when I only need to pick up a few things. The biggest obstacle here is that these things take more time than driving, and are only possible when I'm working from home, which isn't everyday, or don't have the kids as they can't walk very far yet (and I threw out the double stroller because it was a horrible pain to maneuver, but that's a whole different story). 6) On the working from home front, I'm trying to become more disciplined to get into the habit of being as productive at home as I am at the office. I have a job that I can do largely from home, and my plan is that as of September (start of the new school year), I will work from home 2 mornings a week, which will allow me to do a workout in the time I would normally spend getting ready and driving to the office. 7) I'm trying to make small tweaks to my diet, as although it's not bad, I know my weaknesses (Did someone say chocolate?! in the evenings?! Why yes, that IS my happy place!) I'm trying to go semi-vegetarian (more for personal reasons than health or weight loss), incorporate more fish and legumes and experiment more with new veggies, which are probably the thing that I neglect the most (I eat them, but usually the same old thing and then get bored of them easily). The biggest problem, if I'm honest, is that I live in France. FRANCE, people. Let that sink in for a moment. And yes, everything you've heard about the cheese and baguettes and croissants here is TRUE. There is no such thing as "low fat cheese" in the supermarket, at least not one that's edible. The croissants I can avoid, bread I'm trying to be reasonable with, but the damn cheese gets me everytime. And of course all the naturally thin French women eat it regularly and don't see why good French cheese should pose any problems whatsoever...sigh Ok, that's about all I have time for but here comes the fun part: I want to hear ideas, critiques, anything you got! Any hidden excuses in what I've written that I'm not seeing ? Any ideas as to what I can try? I promise to be as open minded as possible (as long as it doesn't involve giving up French cheese..I moved here for a reason!) and appreciate any and all feedback! Have a great day everyone! Max

Sharing my "Big Why" for 40 xp My mental and physical health are the foundations that I intend to build the rest of my life around. My physical health has a bearing on my mental health, because it affects how I feel about myself, how outgoing I am, how comfortable I am in my own clothes, etc. Eliminating my related insecurities gives me back the day to day mental energy that will be vital to me achieving my aspirations.

After an on-again off-again (mostly off again) love affair with fitness over the last several years, I feel I have finally found a fitness fellowship with the Rebellion! I have my Lvl 1/First Challenge posted in the newbies section, but wanted to take it a step further with a daily commitment to logging my progress and sticking with this by posting here in the Battle Logs. I feel like this is going to be crictical to help me make it through. Between my company undergoing a lot change, a crazy toddler, and a very pregnant wife, I have a feeling it is going to be the small daily commitments that make all the difference. Feel free to check back often, leave a tag and I’ll support you on your Battle Log as well. Glad to be shoulder to shoulder with you all in this and can’t wait to get going on my very first Challenge!!!

Hello everyone! I've never been much of a fitness guy, but I recently graduated college and landed a job where I'm at a desk the majority of my time. I want to develop some healthy habits before getting used to only sitting all day. I've been looking around some other forums for fitness to try and get motivated, but this forum seems to spark the inner nerd necessary to motivate me. I'm a huge fan of video games and part of my problem is that I want to just go home and game after a long day of work. Maybe I'll be motivated to work by incorporating my nerd self into my fitness plans. The leveling, guilds, and challenges are all new to me so I'm trying to understand how they all work together. Are there any tips on getting the grasp of things? I see the current challenge has already started but am I able to just jump in it?