Search the Community

Hi. I want and need to lose weight (while at least maintaining, if not improving, fitness). I was kicking ass the first few months of 2018 and then started traveling and everything fell apart for the rest of the year (although at least I largely maintained rather than gaining significantly). January 2019 was also a bit messy. I don't have any travel planned for February or March, though, so I'm ready to dig back in. I've got a lot of goals, small and large, but right now and right here, I'd like to focus on four daily S's that seem somewhat small and simple but will combine into a healthier lifestyle: Sugar. As in, minimal added sugar. I can have something small (a square or two of chocolate, for example) after dinner each day, but nothing during the day. Exceptions allowed for special occasions (dates with my partner, birthday parties, etc.), but I can't get too loosey-goosey about what constitutes a special occasion. Snacks. No snacks between meals. I'm often a hardcore grazer, especially when I'm working from home, and that needs to stop. Sleep. In bed by 11 pm each night. I have so much I want to get done at night once my daughter is in bed, but sleep is important, too. I've been running low on sleep for far too long. It'd be nice to remember what "well rested" feels like. Sweat. Some kind of workout at least five days a week. Right now I'm focusing on running and Street Parking SHIFT workouts. These are very flexible things that I can easily fit into my day even when I don't have a lot of time. Going to try to check in here once a day. Okay. That's all. Let's do this.

While this theme began as an excuse to get more Cumberbatch into my life, it has turned into a solid plan. Rules of the Game: There are 12 action items (each worth 2 points) that can be completed each day: Egoscue Back Exercises Hip Flexibility Take Prescription Sunlight Strength Training Cardio/Walking Pull-Ups MFP tracking No Sugar No Grains 5-6 Small Meals a day 4 Cups of Not Coffee There are also chores that I can do around the house worth an additional 3 points should I need the bonus points: Master Bath Clean Tile Floors Dust Master Bedroom Wash Bedding Clean Wood Floors Wash Cat Boxes Clean inside of Car Dust Sunroom I need 120 points a week to defeat Moriarty and get to the next level of his evil game. If I finish the challenge with a full 480 points I beat Moriarty at his GAME and win a prize TBD.

Hey, I know the current challenge is already half done, but I don't want to wait for the next one. Instead I want to focus on three food-related habits: - eat 1800 kcal a day (which can be hard, depending on the day), max 2000 kcal - eat no sugar (that's really difficult, I just love sweets, and when I'm stressed, I easily fall into the candy jar of my colleague at the end of a long working day); artificial and natural sweeteners are okay, as little as possible, as is, for now, fruit - eat no dairy (that's not so hard, I manage most of the days, I just don't pay that much attention to the snuck-in dairy in general/sweet food) In addition, I'm doing 45 mins of aqua gymnastics every Friday, and I walk during my lunch break (Mon - Thur, I don't do a break on Friday, instead I head home early), approx. 35 mins. I also try to walk in the evenings, which is getting harder and harder, as its getting dark at around 7 pm by now. I'll go for a longer walk on the weekend, though (depending on the weather). On top of that, I do small bodyweight excercises - a few squats or lunges or counter push ups after every bathroom visit. I'd appreciate every comment (preferably encouragement ). My overall goal is to lose some weight, and I've done several challenges with you Rebels, but I'm still nowhere near where and what I want to be. That's part of my problem, though: I suck at setting goals and struggle with the long-term motivation. Maybe I can come up with an answer to the ongoing question I'm asking myself: Why am I doing this?

This is my No Frills, No Theme, Stupid-Simple Challenge. I will not chase shiny things. I will not get fancy with my workouts. I will not fret over macros, micros, fat percentages, etc. Food: protein, produce, fats no grains low sugar (approx. 10g of added sugar a day to allow for things like ketchup and my favorite protein powder) Exercise: Strength training (startbodyweight.com) 2-3x a week Slow cardio 3-4x a week with an occasional high intensity work out. Mobility: Wrist mobility daily Any other flexibility work 3x a week Adulting or Gratitude List With every update I post

Challenge #2! I struggle with fatigue off and on. I really do feel great when I exercise consistently and lay off of sugar. I have celiac disease, so my diet is gluten free and has been for the last 4 years. Last challenge I tried to moderate sugar, but that doesn't work for me. By the end of this 4 week challenge I want to be able to say that I have defeated the sugar beast. I do currently reach for fruit instead of junk most of the time, but I'm at the point where by the end of the challenge I would like to be eating less fruit and more vegetables. Daily goals: 10k steps per day (This can be accomplished with walks with my puppy and daughter or Cto5K) ROMWOD (Flexibility is a huge goal for me and I need to work on this every day. I HAVE to find somewhere for this to fit into my day) 64 oz of water (OR MORE. MORE IS BETTER!) NO candy, junk (if a snack is needed in the evening can be greek yogurt or cottage cheese) Both of my children have birthdays during this challenge, but I can't eat their birthday cake anyway, so I don't need to consume anything else to "make up for it". I can just celebrate with them and not feel deprived because I know how crummy I feel if I cave. Weekly goals: Food prep on the weekend only!!!! (During the week does NOT work for me!!! It won't get done!) To be completed by the end of the challenge: Defeat the sugar beast Find 20 geocaches 18 to go! Read or complete 4 books Make dr appointments for myself; eye woman chiropractor DONE and already went 5/17. nutritionist DONE! Not until the end of June though. dentist If I can complete my daily challenges with no more than 2 deviations per week then I can get my first tattoo that I want (see pic below). I want it somewhere inconspicuous so it won't fade too badly, but I'm not sure where so suggestions are welcome. I was leaning towards my right foot, but I've heard that is mega painful and that's a place that it will see a lot of wear and tear. My second tattoo planned is a dragon on my right shoulder.

Last challenge actually went pretty well! Well, compared to the previous three which I bailed on. I'm planning to now chain this plus the next three challenges as part of an overarching, semester long challenge. I have several semester long goals, as well as specific ones I'll try to achieve in February. I'm also making my challenge run Feb 1 - Feb 28, so it's a solid 4 weeks rather than 26 days. Semester Goals: 1. Maintain my weight all semester (196.8 lbs on Feb 1). 2. Workout 3x/week all semester 3. Work with a personal trainer at least 1 session to fix my lifting form (so I don't mess up my back trying to deadlift again) 4. Work on my flexibility this term, goal to be able to finally touch my toes by the end of May. 5. Crack a 9:30 mile this term. The next four challenges will be building to/supporting these goals (also up on my EQ page linked in sig). Feb Challenge Goals: Many of these are recycled goals from last time that are either habits I'm still trying to build, or things I didn't do that need more grinding. 1. Stretch daily. Aiming for perfect completion this time since I'm trying to make this an automatic, unconscious habit. 28 possible, graded straight percentage. 2. Workout 3x/week. No day restrictions. What counts: running at least 1.5 mile, bodyweight circuits (pushups/squats/planks) from last challenge, lifting (once I work with a trainer), or any BJJ/Muay Thai training group work. Like the stretching, this one is about grinding on the habit formation more so than any specific performance goal (though the mile runs will be working towards cracking that mile time goal ultimately) 12 possible, graded straight percentage. 3. Cut out sugar and desserts (building in a single exception for a pre-planned event on Valentine's Day - otherwise, no sugar). 28 possible, graded straight percentage. 4. [edited goal] Work on Mandarin EdX course every day. Realized that the goal of "finish this lesson" was too big, so I'm bite-sizing it. Besides with language learning you can't grind it, have to consistently practice. So "working on" Mandarin course means doing any of the following: watching one of the lesson videos, completing a worksheet, flipping through my flashcards, completing the lesson quiz, completing any other specified assignment. I may not finish the whole course in this challenge, but hopefully will actually make progress as opposed to last time. 28 possible.

Hi, I'm maigrey and I have a habit of trying to do ALL THE THINGS!! So, for this challenge, I am going to keep it ridiculously simple. The plan is to smash this challenge and instill some habits and then I can take on some other habits in the next challenge, and be at the top end of the curve: In keeping with the not doing ALL THE THINGS, I'm going to work from a balanced triangle perspective: BODY: Eat like an athlete. No Sugar: eating sugar makes me feel lethargic, headachey, and makes me want to eat more sugar. This means I'm going to suck it up and drink my coffee black. No starchy/processed carbs after 10 am: This piggybacks on #1. If I can't have sugar, I end up stuffing my face with pasta, bread, and other what have you carbs. Some is okay, but I need to have limits on it. This makes oatmeal, a bagel, or tamago kake gohan acceptable. Once per week, I may have up to 2 alcoholic drinks outside of my home: Alcohol has been creeping back into my life. It's not something I need to ban, but again I need limits, otherwise I will go back to using booze as a social crutch. I'm trying to work through my social anxiety issues, and booze doesn't help with that. Also, there's no real reason I need to drink at home; I can save that for when I'm out. MIND: Write up task list for the next day by 7 pm My day goes so much better if I have a game plan. I am not a morning person, so this really needs to be done the night before, but early enough that I don't say 'fuckit too tired, will do tomorrow', because it never gets done tomorrow. SPIRIT: Journal or blog for 10 min a day I also am 500% more sane and happy when I do a mind dump on the day before I go to bed. I have really gotten out of the habit of doing this, and it's been detrimental. THE EVENT / TASK LIST: There's a bunch of other stuff I need to do, that aren't daily tasks, so they're listed here. Konmari method my clothesGet passport renewed for Australia tripDeclutter kitchenDeal with billsDeal with home insurance done! June 8, 2015File 'to file' pilecreate gloomy day checklist Annnnd we're off!

Hey guys! It's been a while since I've been around, but now I'm back and am ready to focus on my fitness and diet goals! I've discovered over the past few months that when I don't set clear fitness goals for myself or have people hold me accountable for them, I slip up a lot! The past few months have had a lot of ups and downs consequently. I've learned my lesson though and now plan to get involved in the coming NF challenges so I can make the changes I want to happen a reality! MAIN QUEST: Lose 35 lb of fat and get strong GOALS FOR THIS CHALLENGE: 1. So Long Sugar! I eat sweets way more often than I should and need to cut down if I want to lose weight. Diet is the key to weightloss afterall!This challenge I will permit myself to have a maximum of three sweet/dessert items over the course of the challenge. So max of one every two weeks. I'm aiming to eat paleo for the rest of my meals, but if I eat pizza or other non-paleo things occasionally, it's no big deal. I plan to get more strict with my diet in future challenges. 2. Drop Down and Give ya 20! 20 consecutive pushups this challenge. Since last summer I've steadily worked my way up from none to 12-15ish pushups now. I think 5-8 more is reasonable for a 6 week period. My minimum passing score for this challenge will be 18. I plan to do strength training workouts 3 days a week to help me meet this goal. 3. Run Forest Run! I'm been out of running for a month due to injury, but am back to normal now. I'm pretty out of shape, but would like to get back to running a full 5K by the end of this challenge. I recently started running outside and have decided that I really enjoy it, so I'd like to do that when the weather is nice. My aim is to run twice a week - one time outside and one time on the indoor track. I'm choosing to run inside as well because the track is flat and I can more accurately measure my distance and time. [The outdoor trek is a combo of uphill and downhill]. I'm not setting a time goal on this, but am aiming for completion. Side Quest: Stay motivated! To do so I plan to post on at least 3 other person's boards once a week and find some motivational fitness quotes and stories to inspire me. STARTING MEASUREMENTS: Waist: 34.5" Chest: 39" Hip: 40.5" Butt: 42" Thigh: 24" Calf: 16" Biscep: 12.75" Weight: 180 lbs Good luck ya'll!!

I am doing the exact same challenge as last time. ok, so maybe I don't want to be THIS big... but I DO want to be strong enough to do this easily. Short story: There is NOTHING like doing a few Kino MacGregor videos when you are 259lbs to make you realize just how weak and out of shape you are. (except I lost 10 lbs last challenge, so now it's 250...but still) Over the last 10 years, I have addressed and dealt with a lifetime of trauma and abuse, and changed dramatically, but also gained 100 lbs. The last 2 years have been about coming to grips with the fat me and loving myself despite what my body looks like...and just recently I turned a HUGE corner with that, and it's time to move on to the next phase of becoming who I want to be (and she isn't a princess...weird!) and that person is not 260 lbs and someone who plays video games all day long to cope with life. She is an active, fun, happy person who can do anything she wants with her body and loves her life. So it's time to get un-weak and un-out of shape and un-fat. So it's time to get strong, because getting strong will build muscle, increase my metabolism and help me lose fat and be able to do the things I want to do, but I am also going to be addressing cardio and flexibility, because you don't get to be a super yogi who can run whenever she wants, without doing those things. I am planning to keep the same 4 year-long goals I started last challenge, but the exercise portion will be a mix of yoga, cardio and strength and I am going to cold turkey sugar and dairy, seriously! I realized I am not capable of small steps with stuff like that and it happening, and it's not about my emotional health, so it's not going to screw up my head. I didn't quit drinking or smoking or drugs a little at a time, I said "no more" and walked away and never looked back. This has to be the same. TL;DR-- Goal Summary 1. Consistent Wake Up/Bedtime 2. Consistent Exercise Routine 3. Consistent Cooking Dinner 4. Read 2 Yoga Centric books this challenge 5. Cold Turkey Sugar & Dairy

ok, so maybe I don't want to be THIS big... but I DO want to be strong enough to do this easily. Short story: There is NOTHING like doing a few Kino MacGregor videos when you are 259lbs to make you realize just how weak and out of shape you are. Over the last 10 years, I have addressed and dealt with a lifetime of trauma and abuse, and changed dramatically, but also gained 100 lbs. The last 2 years have been about coming to grips with the fat me and loving myself despite what my body looks like...and just recently I turned a HUGE corner with that, and it's time to move on to the next phase of becoming who I want to be (and she isn't a princess...weird!) and that person is not 260 lbs and someone who plays video games all day long to cope with life. She is an active, fun, happy person who can do anything she wants with her body and loves her life. So it's time to get un-weak and un-out of shape and un-fat. So it's time to get strong, because getting strong will build muscle, increase my metabolism and help me lose fat and be able to do the things I want to do, but I am also going to be addressing cardio and flexibility, because you don't get to be a super yogi who can run whenever she wants, without doing those things. I am planning to keep the same 4 year-long goals I started last challenge, but the exercise portion will be a mix of yoga, cardio and strength and I am going to cold turkey sugar and dairy, seriously! I realized I am not capable of small steps with stuff like that and it happening, and it's not about my emotional health, so it's not going to screw up my head. I didn't quit drinking or smoking or drugs a little at a time, I said "no more" and walked away and never looked back. This has to be the same. TL;DR-- Goal Summary 1. Consistent Wake Up/Bedtime 2. Consistent Exercise Routine 3. Consistent Cooking Dinner 4. Consistent Morning/Evening Routine 5. Cold Turkey Sugar & Dairy

Main Quest:Be strong and Fit K Main Quest Strength Goal 44 lb. Kettlebell swings 100 in 5 minutes/ 35 lb. Turkish Get-Ups 5 reps each side in 10 minutes :goal deadline June 15th Lift Stuff: Do the Simple and Sinister workout at least 4 days a week/ 5 is better/6 days a week of swings is ultimate Eat sugar only as a rare treat: The fine print: Use my calendar and mark smiles for successful days Little sugar during challenge: 1 free pass token that can be used for a dessert Paleo treats allowed :4 tokens Dark chocolate 80% or more, ¼ of a serving is free Can use stevia/ small bit of honey on occasion I will probably go out to eat, and it seems like there is sugar in everything- I’ll do the best I can;same when I am at eating at someone’s house; This is a something to help my life and stressing out over little things isn’t helpful Morning Routine This is a carryover from last challenge. Working to make it something I just do as a habit. Morning: Read Bible, walk, 15 minute kitchen chores. After that is complete I can set the timer and spend 20 minutes on the computer. Life goals (also carry over from last challenge) Paint the dining room chairs-no more procrastinating. We have our new dining room table so this is a must Continue the lessons in my drawing book: at least one lesson a week Side Quest: work on mobility squat in the evenings PVP's and accountabilibuddies: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/60727-10000-swing-challenge/ (My goal 3,500 swings) http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/60673-starts-23-feb-2015-pvp-walkers/ (goal 93 miles) http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/61089-223-4515-game-of-thrones-bodyweight-pvp/ (goal total destruction of the other houses)

I'm starting 2015 in poor shape. I've got the flu - which will pass, and at least now I've learned that I really must always get a flu jab. But other than that, I injured both ankles training for and running a 5k in August, and I've not been able to run - or even do much walking - since then. As a result I've put on a good 3 kg. And I wasn't at my optimal weight to begin with! Plus I keep injuring one wrist - not doing anything in particular, just turning it awkwardly, or even not. So that needs strengthening too. Also, I'm 47 in May and I want to be able to hit that age much closer to the best shape I can possibly be in for my age. Plus I'm signed up for another 5k then! In fact, I wasn't signed up for it until I started writing this thread, but accountability is king. Or president or something. So, en route to my overall goal of achieving more respectable levels of fitness/fat, my goals for this challenge: 1) Carry on with the no-sugar challenge I'm already signed up for on another site. This - for me - involves not eating cake or chocolate, plus wine, until the end of January. And I'm going to run this through until the end of the challenge (with an exception for my sister's birthday in early February). 2) Work on building up ankle and wrist fitness (any favourite exercises for these would be gratefully received). I think these need to be exercises I do on a daily basis, every day. 3) Work on building up general fitness. To begin with this will have to be fairly gentle as I currently can't even walk fast with my flu. I've done a couple of half hour sessions on the treadmill over the last few days, taking a book with me to make sure I walk slowly enough! But by the third week of the challenge I ideally want to be doing a 30 minute bicycle ride a day for 5 days a week, providing that the snow doesn't finally arrive here. This will both build up my legs for running and also help me burn off some of the excess fat. I also want to be doing 3 lots of weight lifting a week, which can be bodyweight exercises if I feel like it. Oh, and in any case a 10 minute walk a day. Every day. This is how long it takes me to walk up and down the lane opposite my house, so that should be doable, ideally first thing in the morning before my body wakes up enough to make excuses. In addition, I want to try to end as many meals as I can through January feeling pleasantly empty. I'm fed up eating for my stomach. I want to eat for my whole body.

blah blah blah skip to page 3

Alright, so last challenge I had a go at loving myself... Which didn't go too well. Yes, I did see some things in my appearance that I liked. Yes, I did see I am worth something and that I'm fun to be around... But loving yourself goes so much further than simply liking yourself for who you are and what you look like... Loving yourself means taking care of yourself and that is one major thing I haven't really been doing, which made me feel disappointed in myself. Thus I have decided that I failed last challenge. Not miserably, but I failed enough to have a go at this again and not let myself level up. I'm not going to make it too easy for myself, it's not called a challenge for nothing. So, the plan for this challenge is... Taking care of myself! I am going to take care of myself in various ways, which are all important. Physically: This means becoming fit. I need to exercise more (seriously, I don't do a thing when it comes to exercise, I am super duper lazy) and I need to start doing SOMETHING which comes close to exercise. I also need to eat healthy. This means enough veggies and fruit. And cutting back on sugar. Which is difficult, because I am dealing with an addiction. Fortunately having an addiction doesn't mean you will NEVER get rid of it, so I'm going to show myself some love by fighting for my own health. Mentally: This means loving myself as a person more and realising and BELIEVING I am worthy of existence. And that I don't make mistakes all the time. And that even when I do make mistakes, it is alright to make mistakes, because that's only human. Right? But mentally making sure I take care of myself also means doing things I like, things I find fun, like face-painting myself, drawing, singing, playing piano, baking, having a facial mask, watching films... Things like that. Also... Pokémon!!! TL:DR - Exercise, eat healthy, love myself, do fun stuff Plan de campagne I am going to make my daily list again, only stricter. I have been too soft on myself and I need to give myself a shot in the arm, to say it neatly. Basic needs - I need to win all of these, in order to win a day. One fail means failing a whole day. In that way, I must win at least 75% of the days. - Sleep 8+ hours - Eat veggies - Eat fruit - Drink 1.5L + water I need to have at least 12 sugar free days in this challenge. It is hard enough to have 1 sugar free day each week, but this calls for me to have an average of 2 sugar free days each week. It will be a real challenge for me. I am, however, allowed to fill these sugar free days in whatever way I like. Exercise is mandatory to this challenge as well, since I need to get off of my lazy... uhm... bottom. Yes, that's a neat word, right? I need to (partially) stop being a couch potato, as much as I love being a couch potato. This calls for me to exercise at least 12 times this challenge, which, again, means an average of 2 times each week, but again I'm allowed to schedule this at will. Dancing for 30+ minutes counts as exercise as well, because it is something that gets my heart BPM up in no-time and it is something I actually enjoy doing, despite not being good at it. Doing the things I love is also important, which means I need to take time for myself to do the things I love. I want to do something I love at least 18 times this challenge, which means an average of 3 times a week and again planning my own schedule with this. And then there is the to-do-list of things I really need to get done this challenge. I like to use my challenges as to-do-lists, because it allows me to push myself to get a few things done before the end of the challenge, which helps me keeping my life on track. I will stick mine in the logbook, because that's easiest to do. Then everything's stuck together. Logbook Keeping track of stuff is very important, hence I am going to do that here. Week 1 (5 wins, 2$, 1€, 4£) Day 1 Win £ - Day 2 Fail £ - Day 3 Win $ - Day 4 Win £ - Day 5 Win $ - Day 6 Fail €+£ - Day 7 Win Week 2 (6 wins, 2$, 2€, 5£) Day 8 Fail £ - Day 9 Win €+£ - Day 10 Win $ - Day 11 Win - Day 12 Win £ - Day 13 Win £ - Day 14 Win $+€+£ Week 3 (7 wins, 1$, 0€, 1£) Day 15 Win - Day 16 Win - Day 17 Win $ - Day 18 Win - Day 19 Win - Day 20 Win £ - Day 21 Win Week 4 (7 wins, 2$, 2€, 5£) Day 22 Win $+£ - Day 23 Win - Day 24 Win £ - Day 25 Win €+£ - Day 26 Win - Day 27 Win £ - Day 28 Win €+£+$ Week 5 (6 wins, 2$, 1€, 5£) Day 29 Win $+£ - Day 30 Fail £ - Day 31 Win - Day 32 Win £ - Day 33 Win £ - Day 34 Win $+€+£ - Day 35 Win Week 6 (3 wins, 1$, 1€, 3£) Day 36 Fail - Day 37 Win £+$ - Day 38 Win £ - Day 39 Win £+€ - Day 40 (count: 10) $ for $ugar free day (goal: at least 12) (count: 7) € for €xercise (goal: at least 12) (count: 23) £ for doing something I £ove (goal: at least 18) WIN (count: 34) Daily wins (goal: at least 32) WIN to-do-list (still subject to change, I need to complete at least 50% of these tasks, rounded up) WIN - Find room in Cambridge Win - Finish reading "Directing the Documentary" - Order 2nd book for Cambridge Win - Buy mini SD card USB reader, for my camera to my laptop Win Weight at start of challenge: 85.0 kg (never expected this, since I ate fairly unhealthy during my holidays, I even lost weight! LOL ) Weight at end of challenge:

It's hard living a double life. I mean, by day, I'm a mild-mannered office manager, hustling for work in my freelance career, building my business to become a full-time copy editor. Some weeks (like the past two...), I end up working two full-time jobs simultaneously. By night I am Agent Katia. I kick the asses of evil super spies, one workout at a time; I outrun the infected and continue to survive the Zombie epidemic; and I break out of the stifling sugar prison—all with enough time to get to bed by 10pm. Let me tell you. It ain't easy. But you know who gets it? You guessed it. Jem, a.k.a. Jerrica Benton. Successful music industry exec by day, Jerrica, with the help of Synnergy, a holographic computer (the 80s were so FUTURE-Y!), transforms into mega rock superstar JEM! of Jem and the Holograms. Her super-secret identity is kept secret from EVERYONE except her band, including her complicated relationship with her boyfriend who is kind of dating both Jem and Jerrica? Awkward. So, I'm changing it up. While secret identities are great and serve an important purpose, I had a revelation last challenge. They make it hard to add new things to an already busy double-life schedule. While it's fun to push myself and try new challenges, I have this unconscious expectation that I will maintain whatever I established in the prior challenge, no matter what I add on top of it. And it just hasn't been happening. But no more. My double-life isn't going anywhere, but I can create a challenge that will be fun and successful for me. My biggest barrier is maintaining, so this challenge I'm rewarding myself for that. And to support this, I'm adding totally manageable and smaller new goals to the challenge, to keep it fresh and interesting. Approximately half of my points will come from maintaining (depending on difficulty), and the other half will be from a new, manageable challenge. A New Approach Epic Quest: Maintain! It sounds so, well, not epic. But I want to create a healthy foundation that I can keep up on a daily basis, even when those days are nuts. The goals I created last challenge totally support my Most Truly, Truly, Truly Epic Quest of reducing my body fat percentage to 24%. Motivation: Increase my athleticism to improve my chances of surviving the Zombie Apocalypse or other End-of-World Scenario; have a healthy foundation to maintain and return to during crazy life times; and to get ready to wear a bathing suit in front of my husband's slender and fit family at his cousin's Hawaiian wedding in October. To embrace my inner Hologram, I need to: 1. Dance it out! My friend and I got a Groupon to a Barre Method-type class, so I'm going to add that in to this challenge. I'd like to hit three of those by the end of the challenge. To maintain, I'll continue the Rebel Fitness Basic Training three days per week and interval runs with Zombies, Run! 5K Trainer two days per week. (And by maintain, I mean add back in starting this week! The two weeks off were chaos... part of the motivation for all this maintenance business.) Goal: Hit the gym five days per week (75%); take 3 Cardio Barre classes this challenge (25%). [sTA 1 / STR 1 / DEX 3] 2. Just say no! To sugar, dairy, alcohol, and wheat. Pretty much my favorite food groups. I'm still struggling with this one, so those things get more weight. In addition, I'm going to stop buying coffee before the gym, and week three, I'm going to begin to wean myself off of caffeinated coffee by the end of the challenge. (Caffeinated tea and decaf coffee are still okay.) I know I'm going to have a few days of already planned activities when I eat my forbidden foods, and I accept those will be fail days. Which makes me even more determined to make the other days great! Goal: Keep out refined sugars, dairy, wheat, and alcohol (75%). No coffee before the gym. Week 3, wean off of caffeinated coffee (25%). [CON 2 / CHA 2 / DEX 1] 3. Goodnight, Los Angeles! It was really good for me to focus my attention on getting to bed early. Now I'm going to add NO SNOOZING. Eep! Goal: Go to bed at 10pm worknights (50%), and get up workdays without snoozing (50%). [sTA 1 / CON 2 / CHA 1] 4. Book Club! In the last challenge, Vortex of Sleep and I discussed how interesting Michael Moss's book Salt Sugar Fat looked to us, and we made a pact to read it together as part of a challenge! It's totally an experiment, and anyone is welcome to join in the discussion. The book is divided into three parts, so by the end of Week 2, we should have the first part read, etc. Goal: Read and discuss Salt Sugar Fat with Vortex, and any other Rebel Nerds who would like to geek out about the food industry and such. [WIS 1] Grading System As ever, my grading system will be on a percentage scale. The math is slightly more complicated because I have two-part goals this time, but it still applies. Anything under a C is a FAIL. (I let myself slide by with a 60% on one of my goals last time... but not this time.) A 90% Success Overall in Challenge B 80% C 70% D 50% F Under 50% Starting Stats My current body fat is about 31.5%. I'm going to wait and measure again at the end. It's showtime, Synergy!

The battles keep coming, so get up and fight. Growing up, I loved the animated X-Men series. In fact, those were my first comic books. I know I’m not alone, but Rogue remains my favorite of the X-Men. She’s got her own demons, and she doesn’t always get it right, but at her core she is good. And she’s kicking ass and taking names. My last challenge, I fell off the face of the (NF) Earth, and then I skipped the next challenge. No excuses. It was unkind (to myself, and to those I was cheering on). In that time, I completed physical therapy for a minor shoulder injury, my first 10K, and massage therapy for a minor knee injury from the 10K. After the race in January (with the internal excuse of the knee injury) I stopped exercising. And it's a problem. So now, this challenge, when I feel like the (fitness) odds are stacked against me, I’m going to hear Rogue saying, "Reckon that's too bad, hun," and get that sh*t done. My quest and motivation are ongoing... But honestly, the motivation STILL drives me. Epic Quest: Reduce my body fat to 24% Motivation: Increase my athleticism to improve my chances of surviving the Zombie Apocalypse or other End-of-World Scenario. (Also, more immediately, I want to look like “myself†in pictures. I currently look like a round version of myself. Which is obviously how I actually look. But it’s not how I think I look. I’ve got weddings to attend, people. Professional photos to be in.) Rogue says: 1. Agent Katia—ENGAGE!!! Ready to kick ass. I almost called this mission Agent Katia Goes Back to Basic Training, because before this week it’d been almost two months since I had done anything physically challenging (other than a camping trip and the occasional hike). But at the gym during zero week I realized I didn’t fall TOO far behind in my training. Not all is lost! I’m dong the Rebel Fitness Basic Training two days per week and interval runs with Zombies, Run! 5K Trainer two days per week. Goal: Hit the gym four days per week. [sTA 2 / STR 2 / DEX 1] 2. No more sugar, sugar. Bustin' through those sugar cravings. A few months ago I did the Whole30 and realized I have food sensitivities to dairy, sugar, and wheat. And a sugar addiction like whoa. I’ve been pretty great about avoiding dairy since then, but I need to cut out sugar and wheat, too. Sugar goes first. Starting NOW. Goal: Cut out refined sugars, honey, and maple syrup (and obviously the artificial stuff, too, but that wasn’t in my diet to begin with). Starting on April 28th at the beginning of Week 3, I will completely cut out alcohol as well. Ack. [CON 3 / CHA 1 / WIS 1] 3. Lights out, hun. Goodnight, sugar. I’ve tried giving myself a fixed wakeup time. I’ve tried telling myself to sleep a whole eight hours a night. I’ve tried not snoozing my alarm in the morning (and succeeded in the short term). It’s time to grow up and give myself an effing bedtime. That way I WILL wakeup on time, sleep eight hours, not snooze, AND get to the gym on time. (See how that all comes together? Rad.) Goal: Go to bed at 10pm worknights. [sTA 1 / CON 2 / CHA 1 WIS 1] I was debating setting a life goal, but I decided to stick with the basic three this time around. Maybe this way I can participate in some mini-challenges! Grading System Since I've fashioned each of these goals to be "Yup, I did it" or "Nope. Fail," I'm going to grade on rate of success. So: A 90% Success Overall in Challenge B 80% C 70% D 50% F Under 50% Why I'm A Ranger I’ve said it before, but it’s a great reminder to myself, so I’ll say it again. Other than my fat-loss goal listed above, but as implied by my main motivation, my ultimate goal is to be fit. Meaning I am strong, I run swiftly, I am flexible, I eat healthfully, and my body fat percentage is in a low, healthy range. And apparently I don't want to look like a round version of myself in pictures. So, I’m preparing for the long-term with immediate action. I approach fitness from a survivalist perspective (though, I'm pretty moderate about it). I want to be able to manage whatever situation I find myself in. Climb that tree to escape the Wargs? No problem. Run through the tangled jungle with the stolen idol to escape angry natives? You've got it. Hand-to-hand combat on a crane suspended over a city? Done. And I will one day be able to roll out of bed, fall straight forward, and start my pushups, Dark Knight style. I'm ready for action.

If you are trying to clean up your diet and sugary sodas are your nemesis, like they are mine, you may want to check out this Player vs. Player (PVP) challenge. You will need to be participating in the upcoming 6 Week Challenge to be part of it. We can use a little friendly competition to help us kick those empty calories out of our diets together... Hope to see you there!

Ok kids....I'm early, but I'm planning on spending the better part of this next year (at least...it may turn into a much longer stay, even permanent residence) in the Druid forest, so I figured now was as good a time as any. My name is Bekah and I am not new to the Rebellion, and I am a special type of Druid, but they have wayyy too much shiny stuff over in the Assassin's camp and I need to get and keep my core focus before I branch out again. What is my core focus, you ask? Getting my yoga practice consistent and getting this weight off once and for all, and keep reading, because I love it. That's it and that's all. Simple, easy, straightforward...it works for me that way. I love to overcomplicate stuff until I do nothing at all, but no more of that. No challenge grades, no Stat points, nothing except leveling up each challenge. I LOVE Ashtanga Yoga, although there are no local classes here, so I am on my own, but I'm okay with that mostly. My plan is just to work my way through the Primary Series and get to the point where daily practice is second nature. I am also going to do daily meditation for 10 minutes, using the book Meditations from the Mat and I'm going to have a calendar with star stickers as my way of keeping track of my practice days, and will post photos of said calendar. As for the weight loss: No Gluten, Dairy or Allergens and stay Feingold.I am also going to eliminate sugar using the program in the book Your Last Diet This makes the weight fall off and stay gone, it's just not easy. I am also going to participate in the Biggest Loser 3.0 started by AlienJenn when it begins, and that is it. No other goals, no more detailed plans. I will also be keeping track of this in my planner using smiley face stickers. Keep it Simple Silly! My plans for reading include finishing the Wheel of Time Series and then finding a comprehensive list of the classical works in literature and reading those. Challenge Goal Recap: 1. Read "Your Last Diet" book and eat breakfast with protein daily until it becomes habitual. (Step One in the book) Keep track of breakfasts eaten daily by smiley stickers in my planner. 2. Practice Surya Namaskara A and Closing Sequence and Savasana every day except Saturdays, Moon Days and Girlie Holidays and Do 10 minutes of meditation folowing Savasana using the Meditations from the Mat book entry for that day. Keep track of practice days (or meditation on non practice days) by star stickers in my planner. 3. Finish Reading "Lord of Chaos" (Book 6) and start on "A Crown of Swords" (Book 7).

I know this is not new to any of you and I might be years behind some of you. But I finally took the plunge and I did it. I actually made it through 30 incredibly researched and thought out days of no sugar. This was for me and my family and trying to take yet one more step closer to being a better version of myself. first the bad: - I still craved Mt Dew every single day. That never went away. - I don't like cooking. I never had, and this is the most amount of cooking that I have ever done in a short amount of time. - The grocery bills were MUCH higher than normal. However, we didn't buy a single thing like snacks, quick lunches from wherever, drinks or anything like that at all for a month. So that kind of evened out in the end. - The amount of research and planning I did each week took several hours on and off. However, having everything planned out and ready made the week a whole lot easier. I knew what I was making, I knew what I needed to take out of the freezer, and Alex was able to see what was on the menu for the week. - Sugar or high fructose corn syrup is in almost everything. EVERYTHING. So there was a lot of label reading and frustration there. I even found it in salsa. Why is it is salsa? We eventually ended up having to make all of our own mayo and dressings and stuff like that, which took more time, resources and my poor blender. Now for the good: - I 100% feel more focused and clear headed. It took a couple of weeks for that to kick in. But it without a doubt affected my mind for the better. I of course still forget some things and make mistakes, because I’m human. But the difference is staggering; nothing that I can prove outwardly really, but inwardly it is so much better. - Previously, I lived with a stomach ache every single day of my life: Until this month. I was so used to having a chronic stomach ache that not having one was unusual. 30 days of virtually no stomach aches. That blew my mind. - I have become more confident in my cooking. I still didn’t enjoy the process all that much, but I liked the outcomes and the cooking knowledge increased 30 fold. For example: I know how to broil something now. I have found a myriad of ways to use my Dutch Oven. And where has citrus zest been all my life?! Delicious! And then there are frittatas. Oh frittatas. You are a staple in my life now. - I found myself only eating at meal time. I hardly snacked. And that 2 o’clock wall that most people hit every single day. That never happened. I had the energy to go straight through. The work day seemed shorter and I was more productive because I was more focused for longer. - Fruit became sweet to me again. - It definitely gave me more energy. I still went to bed completely knackered because of all the cooking and extra things that I had to do. But I had the energy to DO all of those things. - And despite the amount of meat and olive oil and things like that…I still lost 8 ½ pounds just by cutting out the sugar. - We ate at the table sometimes twice a day together. This was a nice side effect that we enjoyed so much. We went from being roommates to being married again. - There were maybe only one or two things that I made that both my husband and I were “meh†about. We liked most everything we ate. We were satisfied, we felt good and nothing just felt heavy in our stomach. It was natural. But, here are my favorite meals, Top 5: 1. Pistachio Encrusted Cod with Sautéed Broccoli Rabe and orange wedges. (Day 8 Dinner). 2. Chicken Salad with homemade mayo. (Day 4 Lunch). 3. Prosciutto Wrap Chicken Stuffed with Apples and Spinach with a side of Kale Chips. (Day 17 Dinner). 4. Homemade chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries. (Day 18 Dinner). 5. Every frittata that we made. Which I think was 4 or 5. Want to thank my husband, who did the dishes every night so that I would have a clean kitchen to cook, and for being so on board with this whole thing. If you weren’t as stoked and as supportive as you were about all of this, it would have been so much easier to give up. So what’s next? We’re going to try and do more of the same with some tweaks to help with the budget. I will still have a piece of cake at a birthday party or something nice on date night (which are few and far between.) But I am not going to let it be a daily thing. I will make it a TRUE and honest treat. I will add honey sometimes and cheese on some occasions. I am not having bread or pasta yet though. Here are some books that I read/am reading throughout all of this: Grain Brain by David Perlmutter, MD It Starts with Food: Discover The Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. The Story of the Human Body by Daniel L. Lieberman Near a Thousand Tables by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto Article links: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/diet-fitness/tried+warn+about+sugar/9503788/story.html http://www.consumerhealth.org/articles/display.cfm?id=19990303141416 http://www.naturalnews.com/sugar.html

I'm super proud of myself. I have successfully complete a Whole30 challenge. No sugar AT ALL for 30 days. And I feel GREAT! Now seeing if I can stretch that to a full 6 weeks.

Terinatum's New Groove Quest for the Balanced Life Mission Quests: Working Out -- 1 point STR, 2 points each DEX and STA -- ODD DAYS: BW and DB exercises and EVEN DAYS: Dancing (keep up my lung capacity work, since I'm not running much over the winter). A = 33/42 B = 29/42 C = 25/42 D = 21/42 Cooking More -- 3 points CON -- feel affection for my kitchen. Two meals per week. A = 10 B = 9 C = 8 D = 7 Eating Better -- 2 points CON -- keep focused on better foods. No sugar after 4 pm. A = 33/42 B = 29/42 C = 25/42 D = 21/42 My Life Quest: Working for Myself -- 3 points STA, 2 points WIS -- I'm going to do 10 minutes of a personal or household project every day. I will keep a daily log of the time and type of project(s). A = 33/42 B = 29/42 C = 25/42 D = 21/42 Side Quest: Do Ranger Mini Challenges BadAsses Accountabilibuddies Thread - Goal -- 5 Regular Push Ups before Jan 1st BATTLE ON

Normally I would have posted for the challenge the day it started - or maybe the day before. My wifi is out, and since my husband is the nerd in the family and currently extremely busy, I have been without internet. I have however already started the challenge. A ranger is the life for me - currently. I love to run and can currently run a 5k in about 30 minutes, but I also enjoy the results from weight lifting, so to pick one to focus on more than the other is impossible. This is why I chose this guild. As for may challenge... Part of what I'm doing in my diet is getting rid of the things that would cause insulin spikes naturally. My mom has both diabetes and hypoglycemia. Due to this, she has to be very careful about what she eats. Besides flour, the thing that causes the highest spike in her insulin is corn. That is a very starch food and not paleo anyway, so that is the thing I am focusing on for the diet part of this challenge. This will include anything that contains any type of corn product in it. This will be added to my current status of keeping flour and sugar out of my diet. I will, however, allow myself 2 days to "cheat" on this strict diet due to Thanksgiving. - An A will be anywhere from perfection to 10 days of having corn, sugar, flour (CHA+4) - A B will be anywhere from 11 to 21 days of having corn, sugar, flour (CHA+3) - A C will be between 22 and 32 days (CHA+2) - A D will be 32-41 days (CHA+1) - An F would be having these nasty things every single day. I have been successful at keeping up with a 30 minute workout 5 days a week. During this challenge, I plan to increase four of those workouts to an hour long. These are my P90X strength training workouts, and the Yoga workout. I'm hoping to add a 6th day exercise, but it will not be included in my challenge. - If I manage to miss less than 5 workouts during the challenge, I will have an A (STR+3; DEX+2) - 13-16 missed workouts will earn me a B (STR+2; DEX+2) - 17-20 missed = C (STR+2; DEX+1) - 17-20 missed = D (STR+2) - I will receive an F if I miss more than 20 workouts during this challenge. I've always had the occasional heart palpitation, but have just recently discovered that Cardio arrhythmia runs in the family. I do know that msg aggravates this condition, but I don't eat that stuff anyway. In order to have a healthier heart, and to test to see if anything else might cause palpitations, I have decided to keep a food journal. - An A will be anywhere from perfection to 10 missed entry days (WIS+4) - A B will be 11-21 missed entry days (WIS+3) - A C = 22-32 missed days (WIS+2) - A D = 32-42 missed days (WIS+1) - An F = 0 entries into my food journal for the entire 6 weeks I have never done a side quest before, but there are so many things that I want to tackle that I though I would give it a try. Last week, I read the blog post about learning to do a handstand and thought, "Why not?" By the end of 6 weeks, I plan to be able to do a handstand. I will work on this daily. If completed: (STA+1) Now for a Life Quest. When I home schooled my children, we had Bible study daily as part of school. Since they've started public school (3 years ago), I'm ashamed to say that I've seriously dropped the ball. For the next 6 weeks, my goal is to have a Bible study once a week. Small beginnings... If completed: (WIS+1) My main quest in these adventures is to reach a size 6 in clothes, and to obtain the best health possible. My motivation? My family. I don't want my husband or my children to have to care for me as I age. I also want to be a good example to them.