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Hi, my name is Stoney and I’m a serial quitter and shiny-thing chaser. This is my umpteenth respawn here in the forums but fuck it, why not try again? I play roller derby* for my local team in a southern western Australian country town and while that’s been great for my general physical and mental health, I’ve hit a bit of a plateau. And I’m a total perfectionist so I always want to be the best at everything I do. Yay self improvement! That does mean however that I get unmotivated much too quickly and get distracted trying the Cool New Thing™️ that I think is going to help me reach my goals. Nerd Fitness has proven itself to me many times over to be a great place to sort my shit out and get back on track with the things I want to improve on so here I am! *jazz hands* I also fucking love food. That is a problem that is clashing with my new office job. So I’m back. Wheely shoes on and weight plates loaded. I’m gonna be skating and lifting and tracking some food and trying not to blow all my money on Cool New Things™️ - and I would really appreciate the support of this amazing forum. I have some goals planned for the next 6 months so once I get it typed up expect a contribution to the next 4-week challenge. *full contact sport on roller skates, bit like rugby on skates with a human as the ball

I’m tired of feeling bad. Bad physically, bad emotionally, bad self-image... not all the time, but enough. I have been a bare, brown, hibernating plant, trying to survive the winter and drawing what nutrients I could from my surroundings. But it has not been enough. I can’t rely on the change of seasons or the warmth or the rain or the love and care of those closest to me to bring me out of this hibernation. If I want to bloom again, it must come from within. ...Ok, that was dramatic. Enough of that! I’m taking a leaf (ba dum tsssss cos plants haha get it? Get it?!) from Tank’s book this challenge. Recently I have been feeling internal stirrings of “I’m ready to be a better version of myself, let’s do this, raaah!” But those feelings are fleeting and unreliable, as evidenced by the fact that I don’t feel them at this moment. But it has made me realize something: I always complain about how bad I feel, but then I continue on in my old habits and never do anything about it. If I want to feel better, I have to ignore my desire for instant gratification (“but I wanna eat that whole tube of pringles”) in favor of my long term goal (“man I can’t wait till my tummy doesn’t spill over my waistband anymore”). I heard a song on the radio a few weeks ago called Nothing But Flowers, and while I do not share the pro-industrialization viewpoint of the songwriter, it made me laugh. (I don’t completely eschew modern conveniences either, there just needs to be a balance.) And then I was trying to think of a theme for this challenge, and I was inspired by the lilac bushes in our yard that are starting to bloom voraciously, and then I remembered the song, and it just all clicked together. Except I do wish for more flowers. Here’s the song, in case anyone else hasn’t heard it before (it came out in 1988 so a little before my time, plus I live under a rock hehe): Alrighty, goal time! ~~~~~ Mobility: daily, approx. 30 mins/day Plants need to be able to bend and move with the wind. Wrists: a routine I found from GMB’s YouTube channel Shoulders: tbd Hips & ankles: physical therapy from mom’s doctor Strength: 3x weekly, 30mins/day In order to thrive, plants need to have a strong root system. Wrists: Unbreakable Wrists flow from GMB Shoulders: planks and maybe pushups if my wrists feel up to it Hips: squats - regular & caveman Ankles: Unbreakable Ankles flow from GMB Daily Movement: well, uh, daily! Minimum 30 mins/day Plants aren’t lazy - they grow every day! Go for a walk, hike, or bike ride. Even a little one. Nutrition: daily Plants won’t thrive if they don’t get the right nutrients in the right proportions! Start with smaller portion sizes. Limit 2 snacks per day. Veggies with at least one meal. Personal Edification: daily, 30 mins/day each I'm not sure what the plant equivalent of this would be~ Bible study - Galatians or Praying God’s Word by Beth Moore. Read for pleasure. Study physics textbooks. ~~~~~ It looks like a lot, because I broke everything down so far. But really it’s only 4.5 to 5 total hours of stuff to do, and a few mindful decisions, and I have an average of 14 hours of wakefulness in which to spread these things out. Let’s goooooo~

[Pre-Challenge: Complete Mindset Module of the Academy] “OMG Hi! Long time listener - first time caller” Yeeeah… not really. My last 4-week challenge was in April of 2016. A lil over 2 years ago. I’ve hit some snags.. A lot of snags. I’ll spare you all the TL;DR wall-o-text. Long story short, 2016 was a terrible year in a lot of ways… and I thought what I learned and endured through 2016 would lead me to a great 2017. It didn’t. I’m starting from square one now. Story time will happen throughout my journey, sorta like a narrator to put all the pieces together. I’m going to be using these 4 week challenges to catalog my progress through the NF Academy, and supplementing those quests with little extras here and there. Nothing crazy. No more jumping into everything with a mighty furor just to burn out in 6 weeks. No more assuming I obviously know all the answers I just need to “motivate” myself. I’ve got a basic start of ideas for how I’m going to literally ease back into these challenges - and that’ll come later. Right now, I’ve got the pre-challenge I’ve set for myself to go back through and complete my Mindset module of the NF Academy. I won’t apologize - I’m gonna probably spam the everloving s- out of this thread while I do. Thanks to the mindset module, I have a handful of quests lined up starting today (yep - today!) Quest: I am the type of person who will drink more water. I will limit myself to one 12oz soda per day at most for the next four weeks Quest: I am the type of person who cares about her health. I will take the dog for a walk every morning during the work week, and every evening on the weekends. Quest: I am the type of person who enjoys cooking for her family. I will stick to my meal plan 4-5 days a week. Quest: I am the type of person who takes pride in her appearance. I will be more diligent by brushing/flossing both morning and night, along with a morning/night face wash Quest: I am the type of person who is diligent in her commitment to herself. I will check in via the NF Rebellion (the 4 week challenge, or my personal battle log depending on the day) every. Day. to keep myself honest about my progress and my goals. I'll be adding in bits here and there, as well as updating my Mindset Module link (going to the Google Doc where I'll have my Before pictures/measurements/Big Why/etc) as I continue on and make my progress throughout the 4 weeks. ♥ -Annabelle

...is that a try-hard title? I feel like it might be a try-hard title. Oh well. I miss running, and I miss my LotR references, even though I'm not terribly clever with them. So here we go!! Fitness Quest #1 Goal: Run at least 8 times, slowly increasing to running a full mile at a time. Notes: I will have to be a little bit slow starting this, as I just got a tattoo yesterday on my left leg that can't be exposed to sweat for a little while. Hence the 8 times, rather than twice a week. I'd really like to average three runs a week, but between tattoo healing and baby, twice feels a lot safer. Grading: 7+ runs with at least one being a full mile = A 6 runs with at least one being a full mile OR 7+ runs with no complete mile = B 5 runs with one full mile OR 6 runs with no complete mile = C 4 runs with one full mile OR 5 runs with no complete mile = D 3 or fewer runs with a full mile OR 4 or fewer runs with no mile = F Fitness Quest #2 Goal: Continue to work on pushups (now with planking option!) at least 3 times a week Notes: My pushups are still working towards 3 sets of 10 completed reps of the side of the couch. Since I'm very close to this and haven't found a stable place to practice after that (I have a stool that's like the perfect height but has a tendency to slide out from under me...eeep!) I'm also accepting sets of 3 planks (on hands, not arms anymore!) with a goal of holding at least one for 20 seconds. I haven't actually tried it yet though, so that might be a silly goal and is subject to change as I begin practicing. Grading: 10-12+ practices in total (when adding both kinds of practices together) = A 8-9 practices = B 6-7 practices = C 4-5 practices = D 3 or fewer practices = F Nutrition Quest #1 Goal: 4 sodas or less during this challenge Notes: I did so well with the 8 or less quest last challenge (final score: 3.5 sodas left) that I really feel like I can make a big jump here! Grading: drinking 4 sodas or less = A drinking 5 sodas = C drinking 6 or more sodas = F Nutrition Quest #2 Goal: Eat veggies on pace with my son Notes: My son has started on solid foods! He's getting at least part of a puree every day, and while we're slowly working up to eating an entire container at one sitting, we're also slowly expanding the foods he's safely eaten. Due to allergy concerns, we've been told to only introduce one new food every three days. We've been starting on fruits mostly (the single-ingredient baby foods are mostly fruits...) but now that he's starting to have a decent list of safe foods, we're expanding into more veggies and grains. Which made me realize I eat about as many veggies as he does...oops? So I'm going to try to complete at least one of the following options every 3 days as well! My Choices: 1. eat a new fruit or veggie 2. eat a veggie-centric meal 3. have a veggie-centric side dish at least twice (Schedule: May 28-30, May 31-June 2, June 3-5, June 6-8, June 9-11, June 12-14, June 15-17, June 18-20, June 21-23 = 9 rounds) Grading: complete 8-9 rounds = A complete 6-7 rounds = B complete 4-5 rounds = C complete 2-3 rounds = D complete 1 round = F Life Quest #1 Goal: 15 minutes of language practice a day (on top of classwork!) and earn an A for the first 3 weeks of Spanish class Notes: I'm starting a summer Spanish class on June 4th! I want to earn an A in that class (not completed until end of July) and want to practice on my own time as well. However, outside of class I can choose to work on my Spanish, French, Arabic, or Burmese. Grading: 26-28 days of practicing = A 24-25 days of practicing = B 22-23 days of practicing = C 20-21 days of practicing = D 19 or fewer days of practicing = F Life Quest #2 Goal: Read at least 2 books Notes: I'm severely behind on my yearly reading goal. I want to read minimum 2 books during this challenge to help me at least not continue losing ground. In an ideal world, I'll read at least 1 personal book and 1 book for work. I picked up a few options at the library today but I'm not sold on my work-related choice and might end up changing it out. Grading: 2 books read = A 1 book finished, 1 book more than halfway through = B 1 book finished, 1 book less than halfway through = C 1 book more than halfway through = D 1 book less than halfway through = F

Hey all! I'm back! I was in Australia for a month, and let me tell you, it was quite an amazing adventure. I went there by myself. It all started with my online school. I've made high grades in my MBA program and got accepted to the Golden Key National Honors Society a while back. I received an invite to study abroad for a week-long program for Business and Internship. I couldn't afford it, but I proposed it to my boss and in turn my company's CEO. Since we have two branches in Australia, not only did he pay for me to go on my week-long program, but he also paid for me to work for a week and a half at each of our branches! It was amazing. I did all kinds of stuff and saw all kinds of things! I rode the trams around Melbourne, toured the opera house in Sydney, and explored the beaches in Brisbane! I went to the Australia Zoo in Brisbane that's owned by Steve Irwin's family and got to hold a koala and feed kangaroos! I visited the Victoria State Library in Melbourne (which was absolutely beautiful). I went shopping at The Rocks in Sydney and even got to experience Sydney's light festival, Vivid! It was an incredible experience and one I'll never forget (pictures coming later). However, that being said, I ended up eating out a LOT while there. I've fallen into old eating habits. I walked a lot, but I did a lot of sitting too and so much eating. I wanted to experience all of the food, and then it became a little much when I started eating out so much. Now that I'm home, I feel like I've gained a million pounds. I'm back to wearing 2XL shirts instead of XL. I'm still experiencing some jet lag and am only into my second day of work. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself for now and just make small steps. I know I'm late to this challenge, but I want to finish this last week by giving myself a couple of small goals, then I'll continue into next week. I need my Nerd Fitness family to help me get back to where I was. The last time I did well and accomplished many of my goals was when I was with Nerd Fitness. You guys are amazing, and I hope to capture the same spirit that I had back then. Let's do this!!! Goal 1: Drink water and tea, not soda. I will not drink any soda or juice for the rest of this challenge. This includes gatorade and other sugar drinks. Goal 2: Be kind to myself. I every day I update this post, I will write one good thing about myself. Something I'm proud of or happy about myself. I will report any negative self talk and try to turn it around. Goal 3: Give myself permission to rest. I feel like I should be jumping right out of the gate and getting things done. I have to remember that I just came back from a major adventure, being away from home for a whole month. I've never been gone that long. It was fun as hell, but emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausting. I need to tell myself it's ok to rest for now. It's ok to spend time playing video games and unwinding instead of cleaning the house and unpacking my bags. It's ok that I'm not all back yet. It's ok that I'm not doing perfect. Small steps is the way.

Hullo there, fellow hobbits and adventurers! As a warning to some who might not be comfortable with this, my challenge will be dealing with a lot of spiritual challenges in my Catholic faith life. If you don't wish to read about such topics, I suggest that you move on to other threads. At the same time, I do value and welcome support from any who wish to join me on my journey! My name is Hollybell Took, and I live in the rolling hills of the Shire, also known as southern Minnesota. I have had a rather tough time during the past few months as I have battled depression, a binge-eating disorder, horrendous school politics in my teaching job, and a break-up with the man I love most in all the world. Most of all, I have been realizing how out-of-balance my life has become. My goal has always been to keep my faith at the very center of my life, but I feel as though I have neglected my faith for far too long, which feeds into my mental health challenges. A sick spiritual life and mental illness easily contribute to an unhealthy physical life as well. Lol, as I was typing this, my roommate's cat stretched her paw onto my keyboard and opened an incognito tab. Perhaps the movie Cats and Dogs was onto something? Because of my incredibly hectic teaching schedule (even more hectic than normal teachers) for 9 months of the year, I decided that trying to make a challenge fit into the usual four-week slot just isn't helpful for me at this time. This is my first actual week of summer break, and I want my challenge to stretch out for the next 12 weeks until I return to work. That sounds pretty ambitious, but I have goals set out with several checkpoints to help me keep track of my progress along the way. I am also requiring myself to seek assistance from others who can help me reach my goals. After all, Frodo couldn't take the Ring to Mordor on his own. He needed help from a variety of different people with unique knowledge and skills. I intend to follow his example by using the friends and guides I have met over the years to help me make this summer the final hurdle I need to overcome in order to achieve a stable life and get back on the path towards sainthood. I am targeting five specific areas to work on throughout the summer, and I made sure that the action steps I take will help with multiple target areas at once. Rather than make a specific plan like "I want to lose 30 pounds by doing x, y, and z", my goals are designed to help me look at the bigger picture, to regain my perspective on life, and to gain the skills needed to improve my life in the long-term. Mental Health Take daily antidepressants and begin taking medication for eating disorder. I only just started treating my depression about two months ago. Wow, I never realized how helpful anti-depressants would be! My new doctor specializes in mental health and eating disorders, and she is really awesome. She and I set up a plan to start taking medication for my binge eating disorder during the summer, once my body has gotten used to the anti-depressants. See a therapist regularly. This is a bit of a headache since my insurance is changing slightly in July. Once it changes over, I intend to start services with a therapist in my town. Follow the other goals! I kept the mental health section short because most of the other goals will also be really great for my mental health. Spiritual Health (Many of these items will only make sense to other Catholics. For non-Catholics, please see my glossary below.) Ask favorite priest to be my spiritual director; meet at least 3 times during summer. This is sort of like counseling, but only about spiritual things. I have finally come to realize that mental health ≠ spiritual health. Even though they do often go hand-in-hand, I need to address each area separately. I hope to meet at least three times with this priest during the next 12 weeks. In the past, he has always had great advice and resources for me, and I know he will help me stay accountable to the other areas of my prayer life I intend to work on. Pray a rosary at least five times per week. My summer job involves watering plants at a nursery. It is pretty easy and boring work, so it is easy (and very relaxing) to pray while I work. I want to start with praying the rosary during each of the days that I work and eventually expand to praying it 7 days each week. It only takes about 20 minutes to pray, but I often have trouble motivating myself to get started. Pray Liturgy of the Hours once per day. LotH is a really awesome form of prayer using Scripture to reflect on God's relationship with humanity. It has been incredibly helpful for my prayer life in the past, and I intend to return to it. It has different prayers for different parts of the day. If I had a LOT of ambition, I could pray it five times each day (for prayers at the morning, day, evening, or night, as well as additional readings). Right now, however, I just want to commit to praying one part of it each day, whether it is the morning, evening, or night prayers. Spend at least one hour per week with the Eucharist. Yes, this involves physically leaving my apartment to go pray in a chapel. But this is also the best way to reorient my prayer life. Attend weekly Sunday Mass at new parish and offer to help with music ministry. My roommate and I recently decided to join a different church because our current one doesn't really have an active community, and we felt a little like outsiders there. I have a difficult time going to Church if I don't know people there, so I need to meet people. And music (specifically playing clarinet) is one of the best ways I can serve in the parish and meet the other musicians, at the very least. Creativity Read at least 5 great books this summer. (Currently reading The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson. This is seriously an amazing series!) I love reading, but I get VERY easily distracted by Netflix and video games. I want to get back to reading once again. Any fantasy book recommendations are appreciated! Make Paper Mache decorations for classroom. Pinterest is horrible. It gives me too many ideas of fun things to do for my classroom. Last year, some of my students made these huge, fluffy clouds that now hang from the ceiling in my classroom. I plan to make a paper mache Haku (dragon from Spirited Away) to fly above the clouds. That will be pretty ambitious, so I have some smaller paper mache projects to help me practice. Right now, the plan is to make a bunch of masks to hang on the wall (Majora's Mask, Blue Spirit mask from Avatar, Princess Mononoke's mask, and No-Face from Spirited Away. I welcome any other nerdy mask suggestions!) If I finish the masks and Haku without too much trouble, then I will consider making the floating city of Laputa as well. I don't think it will actually be as hard as it sounds, but it will certainly take a good deal of time. This sounds like I am adding work to my schedule, but it is really relaxing! Write for at least 5 hours per week. I really want to get into writing. I have a great idea for a fantasy novel, but I get bogged down with world-building and with planning out the plot and characters. I may continue working on the novel this summer, or I might take a break from the novel and work on some short stories. Either way, I want to work on writing in some form throughout the summer. I struggle a lot with accountability for writing. If there are any other writers out there, I would love some advice! Play music! I used to play clarinet and piano all the time. I still play piano sometimes, but not as often as I would like. I don't have a particular goal for this area. This is just here to remind me that music exists and that I should look to music anytime I am in a rut. Exercise Go canoeing/kayaking 3 times. This is something I have always wanted to get into. I recently found out that a state park nearby rents canoes, and my roommate and I plan to visit her family's cabin to go kayaking sometime soon. I wish I could go more frequently than 3 times, but I need to make sure to go with a buddy since I really don't have a lot of experience with watercraft of any kind. I grew up in one of the only counties in Minnesota without any natural lakes... Walk to Amon Sul! I absolutely despise going to a gym for exercise. I don't mind the bodyweight exercises on NF, but really I need to spend the summer doing my favorite form of exercise: hiking. I am taking on the "Walk to Mordor" challenge, and by summer's end, I will reach Weathertop, which is 240 miles away. I am using an Android app to help me track my progress. Year 2018 Trifles: I want to add some fun challenges throughout my travels (similar to the Anniversary Event Trifles, as any other LOTRO players may be familiar with).While I spend the next 12 weeks hiking 240 miles, I will be checking off as many of these items as I can: Wave to a beaver Take a picture of a fox See at least 30 deer Identify at least 15 different wildflowers Find a good walking stick Quack at a duck Chase a goose (mostly out of revenge for all the times I have been chased by geese) Find 5 secret writing nooks in the wilderness (nice, lovely places to pull up a chair and start writing) Take 10 sunset pictures Take 10 sunrise pictures Stand under a waterfall See at least 3 rainbows Sing "A Elbereth Gilthoniel" to the Evening Star Visit 5 different state parks Walk 10 miles in one day Take a selfie with a squirrel (easier said than done) Take a picture of an owl Go stargazing Find an eagle nest Eat wild raspberries Hike beneath a full moon (Any other ideas are welcome! I will happily add any challenges you guys come up with, as long as they are feasible for my geographic area.) Nutrition See a dietitian. My doctor recommended that, in addition to treating my binge eating disorder with medication, I also see a dietician to learn some strategies for portion control and healthier eating habits in general. I just need to set up that appointment, and then I can check this off my list and possibly set up a more structured nutritional plan for the summer. Limit eating out to once per week. Fast food is a really big temptation for me, and I need to stop picking it up. One way I plan to help avoid that temptation is to leave my money at home when I go to work. I only live about 10 minutes from work, so if I do actually need to go buy something, I can stop home and pick up my money. This will keep me from stopping at Culver's or McDonald's on the way home from work. Cook at least one new recipe each week. I need to get back to looking up fun recipes on NF, Pinterest, and other websites. Generally when I do cook, I eat healthy food. But when I fall into a rut, I eat mostly junk food. It also helps that I really enjoy gardening and currently have a healthy patio garden of herbs and veggies growing. By the end of the summer, I want to have a recipe book so that I can look for inspiration even when I am busy. Checkpoints: I have a couple of different ways I am going to keep myself accountable throughout the summer. I have a habit tracker in my bullet journal which will help me keep track of daily habits such as medication, writing, and eating out, etc. Some of the other goals also involve setting up appointments. I can't really plan a deadline for each meeting without knowing the schedule of the priest, therapist, and dietitian, but I can make a deadline for scheduling an appointment. And I do need to set deadlines, or else I will fall into my usual summer trap of "Oh, but I have all summer to do that. I'll do it later." By June 24th: Visit with Gildor and the other elves near Woodhall (41mi) Finish three paper mache masks Have the appointment with dietitian Send email to priest to request spiritual direction Check off at least 5 trifles Ask about music ministry at new church and sign up if schedule allows By July 8: Rest at Tom Bombadil's House (98mi) Begin seeing therapist Go canoeing/kayaking at least once Check off at least 10 more trifles Begin paper mache Haku By July 22: Reach Bree (135mi) Finish paper mache Haku, start Laputa if time allows Check off at least 10 more trifles By August 5: Finish the trek through the Midgewater Marshes (198mi) Check off at least 10 more trifles Create recipe book (either physical or digital) to track favorite recipes By August 19: Reach Weathertop (240mi) Possibly finish Laputa if time allows Check off entire list of trifles Glossary (for Catholic terms many probably don't know): Eucharist: Lembas bread for humans. Spiritual waybread for the journey. God: Dungeon Master. Liturgy of the Hours: Ancient tomes filled with chants, songs, and wisdom of the ancestors. Music Ministry: A group of bards who support the party (congregation) in battles (Church service). Priest: Party leader who is actually competent because of the large amount of time spent collaborating with the Dungeon Master. Rosary: A beaded chain with multiple purposes: whipping roommates in the face, cat toy, devotions to Elbereth (Mary)

Greetings traveler. Good to see you again. I'm setting down roots here for a while. I'm not ready to start up a challenge just yet. I need to get my health up. That means my physical and mental health. I've put on a few pounds at work from all the comfort foods. In fact I'm at the heaviest I've ever been. Going for a walk outside has been harder since the temperature is +95F/35C and the humidity makes it hotter. Plus my car is out of freon and the AC fan belt had an electrical short. I've taken to not wearing foundation so I don't sweat it off. Most of the women don't wear much makeup anyways so no one's noticed. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have the freon filled and a plug in fan for my car. Once that's taken care of I'm getting a gym membership so I can take an indoor walk. The one I want to sign up for has a location three minutes from my house and another three blocks form from work. I've started journaling. Both with a mood journal app and a physical journal for long hand. The app better identifies mood trends, but the physical journal is more cathartic. This week I'm going to be focusing on sleeping, evening walks, and journaling. Missed you guys. It's good to be back.

Hey, Nerd Fitness n00b here. One thing I've noticed, both here and in general, is that articles (and freebie PDFs) about healthy eating are always phrased around weight loss. I am well within the healthy range for BMI, and am trying to be a healthier person, not a lighter person (potentially even a heavier person, but I'm aiming for healthy first). My diet, however, is absolute garbage, and I'm at a loss as to how to fix it. What changes in most of these guides when the goals are health-oriented, as opposed to weight-oriented? Referencing the Nerd Fitness Ten Levels guide would be fine, as it is currently open on my computer in any case - I am a "1000s of tabs" type of computer nerd. Thanks! - dorkylilelf

It had been a while since her defeat at the hands of her own companions. Though Devyn’s team of fellow assassins had supported her, she had drifted from them and found herself running with the wrong crowds, getting further and further from her goals, obsessing more and more over her enemies. Devyn left her friends and followed a group of secret assassins who had tempted her with power. She became more and more preoccupied with her demons to the detriment of her own health. When she had faced one of her enemies, she fell. And she had fallen hard. Had it not been for a friendly monk of Majere who had found her, half dead, in the woods she most likely would not have made it. The monk had taken her back to the monastery (much to the displeasure of the other monks who did not take kindly to a kender on the compound) and had nursed her back to health. During that time, he had taken her under her wing and had taught her the power of meditation and slow movement - something that Devyn had always had trouble with. For the next several months, as she took care of the monastery as an aide, she had learned the ways of the monks and had eventually passed their rigorous test to become an acolyte. But her kender roots had been calling to her lately, craving movement and change, craving a new adventure. And so, with the permission of the monk, she had set out to find a group of druids unknown to most of Ansalon. These druids, it was said by those who knew of them, possessed a gift, known in their language as buti - a secret cure known only to them. Those who knew of them spoke of the strict discipline of these druids, who used wild magic, rigorous movement, and strict eating regimens to cure body and mind. When Devyn had heard of this she had to learn their secrets. And so she packed her bags, meditated, and then set off to find these druids. Main Quest: Complete the Buti Yoga Certification (XP 100) My certification for teaching Buti Yoga is on June 30-July1. I’m hoping to build my strength up to get through this very difficult certification. Buti Yoga combines yoga, tribal dance, and plyometrics...it is not easy...and it’s not easy to do for 12 hours a day 2 days in a row. So it’s time to step up my game and build some lean muscle. Quest 1: Buti 4-5 times per week (XP 40) I need to complete Buti classes either in person or online as much as possible to get used to the movements. As the challenge goes on I will be doing longer classes to build up my stamina as well as strength. Quest 2: Strength Training 2-3 times per week (XP 30) In addition to the classes, I need to build up some muscle as fast as possible. That means I’ll probably be lifting some weights, doing some bodyweight exercises, and/or attending strength based fitness classes. Quest 3: Follow the Buti Meal Plan (XP 30) The certification sign up comes a meal plan. In order to slim down and build muscle as well as a way to keep as many “spoons” (aka willpower) as possible, I’m going to follow it to the letter and take the choice out of what I’m eating. Let's do this.

I want your input on whether the following diet can result in a slimmed down appearence: Breakfast: protein shake (like this one) Lunch: quinoa lentils avocado Dinner: refried beans corn tortillas black olives nutritional yeast hot sauce

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. ~Winston Churchill I just watched Darkest Hour so I'm channelling Winston for this challenge. The over-arching goal for the next 8 weeks is to lose 1kg per week to put me below 80kg before I go on holiday to Hong Kong in June. For this challenge I'm reviving the goals from the Feb-March challenge as it was a successful one. Goals: - No Alcohol - 1 hour walk or 1 hour gym every day - Track Calories (eating to meal plan counts) - "Never 2 in a row" Weigh-in: 86.8kg starting weight. I also got a DEXA yesterday which I will use for comparison at the end of the next challenge. Rewards: - F45 t-shirt if I lose 4kg this callenge

Hi Nerds, I just found an *amazing* podcast that I thought I'd share with y'all. I have dealt with anorexia, bulemia, exercise bulemia, stress eating, body image issues... and each of these at times when I was running/training for marathons and doing CrossFit. In the past few months, I've re-framed my relationship with food - and part of it recently has come from a new podcast I found. Paige Smathers runs Positive Nutrition and the Nutrition Matters podcast. She takes an intuitive eating, weight neutral approach to nutrition. If you've dealt with any of these issues, check it out!

I don't have the motivation right now for a fancy theme or back story. For those of you who have been reading my last couple of challenges you'll know that I've got some heavy stuff happening in my life at the moment. Update below for those who are interested. I'm doing OK, not well... just OK, and I'm here to keep up the fight. I know that falling into a sugar coma won't take the pain away, as tempting as it looks at times. Hubby and I did have a relaxing week away in Far North Queensland. Without further ado, the goals for the next four weeks. Challenge 1: Eat meat and vegetables Measure: Every meal includes both meat and vegetables. Reason: This is the core part of my HEALTHY goal, you can't out-run your fork so I need to make wise food choices. Losing weight and feeling better will also supporting my HAPPY goal. Challenge 2: Functional movements at high intensity Measure: Attend Crossfit classes a minimum of 3 times per week Reason: Going to gym makes me HEALTHY, but it also makes me HAPPY. Right now it's extra important as a non-food outlet to my feelings. Challenge 3: Walk the dog Measure: Take Willow for a walk at least 5 times a week, preferably in the morning before work. Reason: My puppy dog is an important part of my HOME goal, she also makes me HAPPY, and morning movement is HEALTHY. As you can see these are basically the same goals I've had since the start of the year. I'm still struggling with consistency on all of them, though Crossfit now feels like an embedded habit. I really want this challenge to be focused on nutrition. It's my biggest down hurdle to being the healthy, happy human that I want to be.

I want to live by the motto "today is the day." Every day I have a struggle, such as a conference where food will be served that is really of an unknown calorie count, I decide I will start over on my journey tomorrow. But I want to remember that today is the day. One meal might not be the best, but that doesn't mean I can't make the next meal better! I want to make the changes I need in my life now. So I want to try to start tracking my meals a bit better, and making more movements in my day (even just regular walks). I want to drink less alcohol. But I also want to maintain a great social life with friends. I need to find balance in that. I will post about my daily struggles and accomplishments here. I'm excited to see the support that the NF world can provide!!

I've been racking my brain for a challenge theme but I've got nothin' except LIZARDS. Specifically mine. I mean, all lizards are cool tho'. They are v. happy and bring a heckin' JOY to the world!!!!!! And also quite STRONK AND FIERCE >:[[[[[ I also play a big ol' lizard in FFXIV - YOU KNOW, THAT GAME I OFTEN HONK ABOUT - here is his current look of rocking a springtime festival skirt and WIELDING AN ENORMOUS AXE 'cause he's quite fabulous and that's how we do. Full of MAJESTY I TELL YA'~ A - ny - way. Oh yeah. My challenge. My last challenge was all about staying afloat, and I'm really proud of myself 'cause I nailed it. I'm managing my stress and my emotions better, and because of that I've been able to slowly get back into a workout routine without burning myself out, which in turn helps me manage my stress and emotions better, etc.! (A good cycle~) Work is still a big question mark right now; I've quietly put that on the backburner for now as not to overload myself and send myself spiraling back to square one - one thing at a time. We've still got a fair bit going on with putting the house on the market next month, but I've powered through a lot and things seem to be much more manageable than they were. This challenge I actually have some ACTUAL TRACKABLE GOALS instead of me just babbling about Twitch streaming and dragging myself out of bed in the morning WHOA WAIT SHUT THE FRONT DOOR I know, right? Look out, here they are: 1. Gym. GO. At least twice a week. Possibly more depending on day-to-day fatigue and soreness levels. DON'T PUSH YOURSELF. But don't die either, v. important. Getting back into a routine slowly but surely first is crucial. 2. Log What You Lift I haven't been doing this for... uh, quite some time, and I think it's about time I slowly start re-tracking my gains. In a way I feel like I've circled back around to the start of my lifting days which is kinda cool because I've got my enthusiasm back, but kinda also like HEY I'VE BEEN HERE. At least I know what I'm doing now, yeah? Right now while I'm eyeing two workout days I'll split them into legs & general upper body/shoulders/arms, and if I hit three I'll toss a bench/back/row day in there. 3. Talk About Food Well, I guess, if I HAVE to. (That's sarcasm.) I'm not at a point where daily MFP tracking would be viable (to be fair I much prefer eating intuitively right now), but I HAVE found out over the past couple of weeks that posting my meals/snacks in my thread at the start of the week has really kept me on track with eating well and sustaining myself. So I'm gonna keep doing that! Somehow seeing it on the screen solidifies all my good choices in my brain. I'm startin' in zero week, y'all. LET'S GOOOOO~~

That's right, folks. I, a Ranger of the Rebellion, am now in the employ of the insidious fast food giant, McDonald's. The antithesis to the Rebellion and everything we stand for... The enemy of health and wellness... has me on its payroll. *le gasp* I could really use the money, or else I wouldn't do it. It's not really to soul-sucking levels yet, but it's definitely getting there, and I've not even been there a week. It's simultaneously monotonous and incredibly mentally taxing. (And the music is the same every single day - between that and the fact that I do the same tasks every day, over and over, I feel like I'm in the twilight zone or something.) This job has inspired me to make healthier decisions to counteract all the ~unhealthy vibes~ of my place of employment. SO! I'm gonna roll with that inspiration and hope I don't bomb it like I have done the past umpteen challenges! Here are my goals: ~you dropped the buns!~ 1) Drop THEIR buns - order sandwiches bunless. (I get a free employee lunch for every shift I work.) 2) Drop MY buns - complete 2 weekly bodyweight workouts. ~french fried~ 3) Don't get french fries with my meal! Bring snacks from home instead. 4) Do a brief yoga practice every day after I get home (5x per week) to counteract how absolutely fried I am by the end of my shift, both mentally and physically. ~pinch, poke, owe me a coke~ 5) One coke per week. Otherwise, stick to water or tea - or powerade, if I'm dehydrated. Tea should be mostly unsweet, but can have a little sweet in it. 6) Poke my muscles - practice foam rolling 2x/week. LET'S SEE HOW THIS GOES

Sticking with similar things from my last challenge and adding some new ones. I meant to have this all typed up over the weekend but life got in the way. Nutrition *Bring lunch to work at least 3x/wk -- I've been falling into the habit not preparing my lunch bag the night before and then I end up running out of time the next morning. *Veggies with lunch and/or dinner -- I did ok with this during the last challenge but I need to do better. I wasn't consistent *One non-water drink/day -- This will be difficult for me because I always seem to think I have to have some kind of juice or soda with my meals. Exercise *Continue with Orangetheory (OTF) at least 3x/wk *Run/Cross-Train 3x/wk *STRETCH daily *Foam Roll 2x/wk -- I am terrible at doing this and really want to get into the habit of doing it regularly Self-Care *Give myself at least 1 uninterrupted hour every night to read and relax -- I'm quite looking forward to this challenge since I love to read and rarely get to spend a full uninterrupted hour doing it.

So things have been pretty rough the last few months. and need some focus and accountability. My only goal is to do 1 thing each day to either help physically or mentally. I know vague but I need that right now, need some wins. Some examples are: drink at least 64 oz of water do 1-2 PT exercises no sugar for a day Count calories

Ok guys, I know I'm late to this challenge. Once again I'm in a rut. I've been eating horribly. Yesterday I ate out for all three of my meals and went to the vending machine. This challenge is about small changes in the right direction. It's going to be simple and to the point. I feel like I keep doing well for a short period of time, then falling back into old habits over and over again. I know I'm gaining weight again, but I'm afraid to look at the scale. I need to be held accountable and have encouragement from my peeps. I seem to be most successful when I'm posting on these forums, so here I go again. I'm NOT giving up. My strategy is to pick on thing each week that I will do something better than I have been and build on that. It can be something as small as eating 1 piece of fruit each day. Let's do this! Week 1 Goal: Eat a healthy breakfast Recently I've been stopping by McDonald's on the way to work because I haven't been waking up early enough to cook breakfast. Well, I bought some instant hot cereal packets to keep at work for when I'm running late. I'm going to start by eating a healthy breakfast. That is my one goal for this first week. (first week that I'm starting, not week 1 of the challenge... as I'm late. lol.)

Starting a log here! Definitely need the accountability help - my willpower stats are pitifully low. [Peer pressure works - I'll take all the encouragement I can get, please!!] So, joined NF Academy yesterday. (Been on the email list for a while now, finally decided to join up - cheaper than re-upping with a personal trainer and there's a community involved.) Today: - Did drink some of my calories (splurged on a sugared, canned coffee from the local Japanese market - worth it), started the day with a protein shake, and had grand plans for a healthy lunch. - ... Learned the *hard* way that aliums (onion, garlic, etc) can't go raw into a slow cooker. Makes the chicken taste nasty a.f. -- So my chicken-beans-avo lunch became a spinach salad with dressing, eggs, avocado, walnuts and as much cooked chicken as I could manage after hiding the flavor with bbq sauce. NOT the win I'd hoped for (sugars/corn syrups in the dressing and sauces), but still better than throwing in the towel and going to the cafe downstairs for an overpriced sandwich. I've clocked 120g of protein by 5pm, anyway. Pretty certain the added sugar spike is partly to blame for this afternoon's headache (the other parts being hot weather and lady issues). I've been better about cutting sugary out overall in the last few weeks, or at least consciously choosing to consume them. [Can't totally overhaul the pantry - I share the kitchen with Mom, who is NOT working toward clean eating/primal diets and you can pry the tortilla chips and salsa con queso from her cold, dead hands. Also, the office is packed with free junk food on any given day.] Now, if only I didn't have another pound of nasty chicken left to choke down. ;_; Meal prep, y u no tasty? OTL - Walked before work (polling place), at lunch for 40 minutes (hot outside!) and will be meeting a friend at the gym tonight for some light resistance work and hopefully a Zumba class. If I round way down on MyFitnessPal's calorie estimates, that's about 400-ish burned if I survive the Zumba class. [ETA: No, MFP was probably closer to the mark. Oy. That was exhausting! Also, the Zumba instructor is my new 'goal' look: tall, lean, ripped *and* coordinated. Holy fitspo, Batman! (Also hot. Definitely hot.)] - Forgot to take my meds this a.m., which I realized halfway through the day. (And if I take them late, I'll never sleep. @_@) So... day one of this log isn't exactly festooned with successes, but I didn't fall completely off the wagon right out of the gate, either. Now, if only my knees would cooperate with these new bodyweight routines. Owowowowowouch.

I am an amateur ballroom dancer and my fitness is getting in the way of me being a better dancer. I joined the academy on February 1st and am feeling good about my progress but am ready to open up to more accountability. My goals in this four weeks: Stick to the Level 5 Nerdfitness diet and move up to Level 6 by the end of the challenge. Complete a gym work out three times a week. (Nerdfitness Gym 3 currently) Complete a Yoga Session at least one time a week. Go to Ballroom practice at least two times a week. Out of bed by 6:45 am 5 out of 7 days a week. So I'm about 60 pounds heavier than I'd like to be and I realize nutrition is key. That's why I want to put a strong focus on the diet. As is said all over the place nutrition is key. I feel like I have a tendency to get lazy in this realm, but as a college student it's easy for me to eat health options at the dining hall and the millions of uppity restauraunts around me plus I could make a few things myself if I'm reeling it. I have been rocking 2 or three gym workouts a week with my first six weeks of the academy I want to solidly make it a 3 workouts a week. Yoga has been encouraged for me to participate in for as long as I can remember at least since I was 13 years old. I never got into it and classes never really seemed accomodating of my body shape. So I got the Nerd fitness Yoga and have done maybe two sessions in the six weeks I've had it. I want to do at least one session a week if not more. As I mentioned I'm a ballroom dancer and I've been falling out of the loop with going to practice. Hell, I don't even have a partner picked out for competitions. To best help me with moving forward I need to go to practice at least twice a week. Since I've been on the team my amount of practice attendance has ranged from skipping weeks to 5 times a week. I have sleep issues and I think they're rooted in my inconsistent wake and sleep schedule. Out of bed by 6:45 most days seems like a good step in the right direction. Fortify! Week 1 Update: I attended my two Ballroom Practices this week woot woot. My friend finished a baking class so I tried some of the pie she made. Otherwise I've been true to the diet. I will just get back up and recover. I did do a yoga session in my apartment with the nerdfighter yoga, and it's getting easier than previous. I only did two of the three workouts a week. My sunday was much busier than I thought it would be which led to me not participating. My sleep has been a huge problem this week only two times was I out of bed by 6:45 but I was sick earlier in the week which did effect this but. I'm hoping week two will present much more productively for me. Week 2 Update: I had sweets. I work at a radio station and right behind my desk was some community candy and I ate a piece almost every time I walked by the bowl. However, I did recover. I also am starting to transition into cutting bread completely from my diet so, no tortillas, no sandwich bread, no buns on my burgers, no more pita. I have been successful for the last few weeks on avoiding just bread, that is dinner rolls, breadsticks, etc and pasta but I think this one will be a real challenge for me. I'm ready to step up.I'm still on gym level workout three. Which is good. I do feel myself getting much stronger and my form on the bodyweight exercises are much better than they have ever been. I'm thinking by the end of week 4 I will move up to gym level 4. As I continue to build strength and lose weight I am hoping to move into the bodyweight workouts instead of the gym workouts.I did two yoga sessions this week. I am really enjoying yoga as an off day activity. I am now almost able to perform a downward dog with my heels touching the ground. Which was much more exciting than I thought it would be.My sleep has peen real good for the most part. I have been out of bed 6 out of 7 days by 6:45 which is a personal best.I go the University of Michigan and due to March Madness and Easter all of my ballroom practices have been cancelled so no ballroom happened this week. But I did go to a Zouk class and made an intentional walk to just explore campus a little more.

Hi! A friend of mine uses a natural supplement called bee bread (naturally fermented bee pollen). He contends it is very potent and beneficial for any kind of sports and a few academic researches I've found seem to support his thesis. I consider trying it as well, but it is not exactly cheap, so I am still doubtful.Has anyone tried it themselves and if yes, what are your experiences and opinions? It also undergoes natural fermentation in hives, so could it supplement a paleo diet? Thank you.

Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo lives in a pineapple under the sea? Gurdris the Imbiber! Flimsy and flabby and lazy is she! Gurdris the Imbiber! If nerdical fitness be something you wish Gurdris the Imbiber! Then drop in the gym, and sweat like a bitch! GURDRIS THE IMBIBER! GURDRIS THE IMBIBER! GURDRIS THE IMBIBER! GURDRIS THE IMBIBER! GURDRIIIIIIIIS THE IMBIBER! Yarr, now that the musical number is out of the way... Main Goal: Become Wonder Woman and maintain the weight loss streak I started when I needed to make my shiny new engagement ring fit. Challenge Goal: Stick to a routine of exercise, fitness and keeping on top of laundry. No more collecting underpants - my fiance needs clean ones. Fitness Complete a streak of 10 unmissed workouts, totalling 20 with my trainer. Workout days are Tuesday and Thursday after work, Sunday morning. Loot: trainer and the co-worker who works out with me offered to pay for my dinner if we go out together after 10 workouts. Nutrition Follow my trainer's diet plan (lean meat and veg, low carb, low fat, no junk). Loot: additional plates, knives and forks for our understocked kitchen Mental Read before bed for at least 30 mins every day, instead of Facebooking in bed. Loot: art supplies Life Do laundry twice a week (folded and put away) Loot: new clothes Bonus challenge: Complete listening to an 8hr audiobook (Foundation by Isaac Asimov). However, it may only be listened to underwater, while swimming laps. No swim, no book. No book... No loot. Loot: Full body massage at the spa. Ohhhh yessssss... I've done challenges before but I'm doing this one after a long time away, so consider it a respawn but I'm adding in the extra 2 because I've already been able to maintain some of these goals for most of a month. Scoring: Mental 20xp Fitness 25xp Nutrition 25xp Life 15xp Bonus 15xp -------------------- Total: 100xp Accountibility: I'll update this Challenge log daily with my successes and/or failures and/or spongebob gifs and/or other gifs/all the gifs / no jifs only gifs.

Maintain Lifting and Running – 12 week program at 4 days a week and running at least 30 km a week. Exception on the running for trimming for the half marathon trail run on April 8th and recovery. Bulking – Still trying to eat the same calories and plan ahead, but I’m going to try to hit my goals without eating as much sugar. Easter Candy and Hershey Kisses are not a great way to hit your macros. Bob’s got the pasta for my pre-race dinner: Hobbies – Crafting/building. I’ve recently gotten some projects done around the house and I want to keep going. I have an outdoor garden to set up for the Mrs. and a bench to restore. Finances – I’m going to sell off a few things for a couple bucks on Craigslist. We need some furniture as well so I’m going to try and bargain hunt there as well. See if I can find some free stuff and put it back to #2 and polish it. Wait… I didn’t phrase that well. Long-term goals – I’m hoping to see a bit more progress on my size this 4 weeks, but I don’t have too high of hopes with the half marathon at the end. I think my bulking goal is going to have to be a year of bulking trying to get into the groove. My wife and I are also still keeping an eye on houses and might break our lease to spring for something if we fall in love with it. At the very least we can go to open houses and learn more about the areas nearby. CAN WE FIX IT?

I don't think I have ever been this excited to start a new year or a new challenge! 2017 was difficult and January was useful to take stock of where I am and what I want to do with my life. The answer is: do more of the things which make me happy, judge less, and be healthy. (Also, swear less.) I will try to maintain this momentum throughout 2018, so I am here setting up the basis for all the 2018 challenges to come! The quests themselves will change, but these 3 goals will largely remain the same (unless I reach one of them mid-year, then I will change!). It took a long time for me to identify these three priorities, and I intend to pursue them fiercely! I am falling short of a metaphor or a picture of someone I want to emulate. Because this is the year where I reclaim MY life and live it the way I want, without too much interference from others. So, let's say that I want to be, as often as possible, as happy as I am on this picture (or happier!). This is me and my sister at a k-pop concert last year - few other moments were as happy as that in our lives! (I am on the left, in case someone is wondering ^_^) Ultimate goals for 2018: 1- Be healthy, and not be ashamed of my body, specifically lose 22 kg 2- Stop judging readily and be more accepting of others and myself, specifically stop putting myself down 3- Use my free time to do things which I enjoy, specifically DO things with my hands on top of having intellectual hobbies For February, let's start with basics and establish good habits! Quest 1: Establish healthy living habits! - Note what I eat every day - No need to try to limit what I eat yet, just take note of patterns, feelings when I eat a bag of M&Ms (or want to) and be mindful of what I eat - Try and sleep 7 hours per day (this means in bed by 11:15pm, 10:45pm on Thursdays!) (I am currently around 6 hours, so 7 should not be impossible!) - Exercise a little every day (I currently exercise 5 days a week, but I am inclined to rest and not do anything physical on weekends) Quest 2: Flex my non-judgmental muscles! - Try to catch myself when I am being judgmental and instead try to understand others' point of view - Listen to Judgment Detox - Write down 1 thing to be grateful of every day Quest 3: Try out new things and see what makes me happy - Try 1 new restaurant or 1 new dish (cooking a new recipe is okay too) per week - Move furniture around a buy a piano and realize my life-long dream to actually learn how to play - Start my own online shop selling stickers and trading cards Side quest: stop swearing. Method: when I am about to swear, use another word. If I already swore, repeat the sentence without the swear word. Continue until extinction of swear words or sheer exhaustion. I feel like I am waking up from a loooooong slumber where I was on the sidelines, on the outside looking in. I learnt a lot, but did not DO much, because I was afraid of failing, because I should not, because I did not know how. I want to let go of this feeling and embrace failing, and be more active in life! More details tomorrow so I don't make this post too long!