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Hi all. I know, I pulled the disappearing act. Again. After my surgery in June, I took much longer to recover than expected, then finally officially started my thesis in July and a new job in August...right before catching Covid in September. So, yeah. That's the short version, at least, and while things still aren't easy - the job is awesome but very time-intensive right now since I'm writing two new curriculums from scratch, starting a Spanish Club, and am still taking one more grad class while continuing to work on my thesis (due in April!!) - I at least feel good enough to come back and try a simple challenge for the sake of my health. Especially since we made a big decision on the secondary infertility front and will be starting IVF, with all of its expenses and challenges, in January (most likely. Could be February if the clinic doesn't get to hire all the new staff they want to.) I want my body to be as prepared as possible for this so all that time and money is less likely to go to waste! With that said...let's just get started? Quest 1: Eating I've been losing weight fast lately which for me actually isn't a good thing - it suggests that my Crohn's is acting up a bit too much (basically, the food passes through my intestines too quickly for it to be absorbed properly, so I end up slightly malnourished despite eating a normal amount every day). I need to eat enough to make sure that I get at least some of it into my system, but I also need to make sure it's good food! Obviously absorbing a bunch of chocolate isn't going to fix the problem outside of sheer calories. So, if I'm going to eat comfort food during this challenge - and I know I very much will because that's a huge part of my eating habits in general - it has to be "real" food, not processed and from a box. For example, I can still eat mac and cheese, but only if I make it properly with real cheese (and preferably some chicken and veggies stirred in too). Fast food counts as "from a box", even though I don't eat much fast food right now to save money for IVF. But if I really get a craving or a bad schedule, I can have up to 2 box meals per week - and leftovers count as a second meal, because I know if I don't say that I'll try to weasel my way into more by saying it's 2 boxes. Doc says chicken, potatoes, and cheese all naturally slow down digestion, so I'm going to unofficially try to eat more of those things too, but I don't have a specific goal for that (and honestly I eat a lot of chicken and cheese already, so I don't think there's a ton more I can do there without getting ridiculous). Quest 2: Working Out If I'm being honest, this has barely been happening as of late. Schedules have been extremely difficult - though should be getting a little better now that my husband's soccer season is slowly coming to a close over the next several weeks - and I've been sick for almost two weeks now with a sinus infection that I'm afraid is turning into bronchitis or something else of the sort. Plus my Crohn's acting up = slow decent into anemia, which is characterized by low energy. Still, lethargy only begets more lethargy, right? But I really need slow and simple right now. Setting the bar low to be gentle with myself, I'm going to say one "extra" active thing per week, of any flavor or intensity, counts. Walk around the neighborhood with my kid to see Halloween decorations? Counts. Do a set of those tricep row things I was doing for archery? Counts. Going on a hike because we're camping and that's usually a favorite thing to do? Counts. The only thing I'm not counting is stuff I have no choice but to do anyway, which really honestly isn't much right now. Quest 3: Personal Time Hahaha, what personal time? I've been so crunched for personal time for months, I still haven't even finished the skirt I started sewing for myself in July 2020. No joke. Between job, grad school, toddler, health, my husband's coaching gig, and everything else...yeesh. It legit feels like a mini-vacation when I just get to lay down in my kid's room before he falls asleep (he still doesn't like going to sleep without us in the room, though we're sitting or laying on the floor next to the door by now, and half the time I have my laptop with me because I have no choice but to keep working). In a 5 week challenge, I think it's fair to aim for 5 "checkmarks": short tasks that still progress me towards a purely personal goal. Maybe I sew a single seam. Maybe I do a language study session that has nothing to do with my curriculum writing projects. Maybe I do a facemask and just chill for a moment. Maybe it's doing a new manicure (I've gone from 2 a week to about 1 every 3 weeks lately...) Maybe I cook something that's just for us - and not like a normal dinner, but something I make for fun. Whatever it is, it'll be quick because it has to be, but dammit, sometimes I feel like I'm barely even a person right now, so anything can only help.

This are mostly personal musings, but it'll help me hold myself accountable by writing in daily. The more focused I am on my goals, the more likely they'll come to fruition. Current Stats: Female | 26 | 230 lbs. Class: Rebel | Level: 2 Fitness Goals: Mon: at home workout | Tues-Thurs: 30 minute gym workout | Fri: at home workout | Sat: rest | Sunday: 15 minute outdoor walk Diet Goals: Reduce soda to one a day | Reduce carbs by 50% | Drink more water Life Goals: Practice Spanish 15 minutes a day - 5 days a week | Social interaction at minimum once a week Cosplay Goals: Complete Kate Bishop's Hawkeye uniform by the end of January That's not too hard... but it is a lot. I'll be taking baby steps so as to not trip into failure as I have done so in the past. So far in 2017, I've kept up a 2 nights a week at the gym goal. I've had an average of 1-3 social hang outs a week, and Hawkeye is halfway done. I'll most likely do daily reports the following day, since I have most free time when I'm in my office. (I work real estate management.) It's unlikely for me to update on the weekends, because I try to not touch my computer for fear of distracting myself from more important projects (cosplay work or cleaning house.) My past is riddled with bad computer addiction (spending 10+ hours a day online playing WOW or useless internet surfing) and so I've reduced my computer usage by 90% outside of work. My phone usage still trips me up, but nowhere near as bad. But yeah. Here goes it. Monday's Battle Log 1/23/2017 Breakfast: Cereal Lunch: Chicken and green bean stir fry, soda Snacks: Beef Jerky, 3 cups of orange juice, 1 cup coffee Dinner: 2 mini hamburgers with cheese, onion, lettuce. I waited for about 40 minutes and was still starving, so I ate a bowl of cereal. Exercise: 20 minutes walking on property and up and down staircases Pros: Weighed myself and saw that I have lost 2.5 lbs. since my last weigh in, felt incredibly motivated despite the lack of energy Cons: Sleeping horribly, consistently hungry - even shortly after eating, drank a soda because of time constraints, didn't follow the strength training email from NF because I was so exhausted and went straight to bed after work, disregarded the reminder from Duolingo and forgot all about my Spanish lesson End Result: obviously more cons than pros. I'm eating healthier and making better choices (even denying the free biscuits and doughnuts offered at work) but I'm not used to feeling non-stop hungry. I've tried chewing gum as a substitute, but my resolve is only so strong. Munching on peanuts and beef jerky helps... but only for maybe 20 minutes till I feel hungry again. Besides the hungry struggle, it's also incredibly difficult to stock the pantry with healthy food options when my budget is so minimal. After paying bills, I have maybe $200 left to cover groceries, cosplay supplies, and any other needs that pop up. Being poor is really cramping my style. I'm working with what I have.

Heyas, in the last few months i've looked through tonnes of blogs, studies and articles. Learning so many interesting things about health and nutrition, yet barely implementing anything i learned. Over the next few challenges i plan to change this. I will gradually add in interesting practices over time, instead of attempting everything the start. With the end goal of being the healthiest i can be, even if i only keep that up for a month. I'm going to attempt to enchance my nutrition, cognition and physical health as much as i can over that time period, im curious as to how i'll feel by the end. I'm making this post to help me commit to doing this. Between now and the start of the next challenge, i will work on losing an additional 4 kg of weight and restarting my excersise program. Which i stopped for two months after a wrist injury. My own personal challenges will look like this. Just a little warning, im not a doctor or nutritionist or anything like that. I feel confident enough that i can do these things without harm, but i'd imagine that some of these practices could be harmful to some people and i could always be wrong. I tried my best to be unspecific about some things, like the diet. Do your own research First six week challenge will be focused on the fundementals: Stick to diet, generally low-medium carb with an emphasis on whole food and individual nutrients, eating enough high quality carbs to sustain exersise. I made my own (as perfect as i could make it) diet plan, that i plan to stick to over the time period. It may sound boring, but it actually includes most of my favourite foods. I will also cook the meals differently every day, like curries, salads, stews and stir frys ect for variety. It generally includes fermented and properly prepared food, and i am attempting to eat food that is higher in rarer trace minerals. Such as silicia and boron, as well as vitamin k2 (among other things). So basically more plants like cucumber/avocado, quality pastured animal produce and perhaps natto(im undecided on soy, but i only plan to eat 10g four times a week).Reduce alcohol to once a fortnight and attempt to eliminate Softdrink entirelyStart meditation for five mins a day, working up to 30Stick to exersise program, generally strength training with hiit cardioFix up sleeping patterns, bed by 11pm, wake up by 7:30- 8:00amJoin yoga, preferably bikramTHe second set of six weeks will be focused on unnessessary things that may still offer benefits for me. My own intermittant fasting protocol.Cold exposure (already doing, but i figured id list it anyway.)Heat exposure (hence the bikram)Backwards/ barefeet walking, slowely working up to jogging. I figure it will work out different muscles.Exposure to nature.Experiment with suppliments. Not really things like vitamins or minerals, more like adaptogens or nootropics. With the goal of further improving cognitive performence or memory.I will update this when the next challenge comes along, good luck with your own challenges. :]

Hi everyone, I strangely just got butterflies in my stomach as I started typing this! Maybe it's the fact that I'm putting myself out there, to be held accountable by you all, and that I'm opening myself up to complete strangers... I'm 27, female, and have struggled with my health and weight since the moment I hit puberty. I have PCOS and I know that I can better control it with a healthier lifestyle (rather than being on meds 24/7), so I'm taking action to avoid becoming diabetic; to avoid a sedentary lifestyle; to gain control over my physical and mental health; to love living life. A few months ago, I tried to start on a more thoughtful and healthful journey, but then the Polar Vortex hit and I got really sick. Then I ended my friendship with my best friend of 11 years. And if the cold wasn’t keeping me glued to my couch before, now I really struggled to get up and out. I was depressed and the weather didn't help. But I had ice cream and tv to console me, right? Finally, enough was enough. I needed to fit into a dress for a black-tie event at the beginning of April and I was going to make it happen, come hell or high water. I hit the gym every day for the 2 weeks leading up to the event and cut out all processed food from my diet. Whole foods were the name of the game. Did I end up fitting into my dress within in the timeline? You bet I did. Granted, it only required a small amount of weight loss, but it required determination and it was the motivation/kick-in-the-butt I needed. I’m not content stopping there. I know that I can gain control over my life, my body, and my health. I think a paleo diet is the way to do it for me, as I've done a lot of reading and research that persuades me of the fact that this is the correct path for me, and it will enhance the time that I spend in the gym. Part of my problem is that, at a very deep and dark level, I believe that I don’t deserve to be a strong and beautiful person both inside and out and that I deserve to hide myself in a corner. I’ve never really shared that with anyone before. I don’t really know where the feeling stems from, except maybe a build up throughout my life of not being allowed to eat certain things or being told I’d be gorgeous if I just lost a couple of pounds. It’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly when it was, but I decided to rebel against these criticisms and I became a very secretive eater. I felt like I was giving a middle finger to the world by not losing that weight. Of course, I saw how backwards this thinking was, but I must have felt like this was the only control I had... Now, I'm learning how to embrace who I am and this powerful tool that is my body. I'm truly taking control and joining this rebellion! The paleo diet is my chosen path and I can’t wait to transform my world! Good to meet you all

Hey sexy fit nerd rebels! Happy 2014! Its time for a new challenge! And not just any challenge, the first of a brand new year. Smells like...fresh grass and...possibility... Now usually, this time of year is littered with people making mad crazy plans, massive life overhauls and vowing to be a completely different person by February. But rebels, we know that huge, sweeping changes are not the way forward. Oh no, it is the small daily shift, one more rep, ten minutes earlier, saying 'I don't', that breeds habit change and true transformation. So, with that in mind, I am keeping it simple. This challenge will focus on something I have neglected for too long, a small change, that will transform everything. I recently re-read a few of of Steve's old articles, personal responsibility, 3 words and productivity, plus this link about doing things once, because I've been feeling lately that I've been leading an inefficient life of unfulfilled potential. I have some big plans for this year, including moving out and getting into vocational dance school, and for those things to happen I need to make more effective use of my time. #1. Do it now. Do it once. This applies to all aspects of my life. If I am reading an email, I respond to it straight away. If I strip my bed, I remake it with clean sheets right then. If I am cooking, I wash up as I go. If I use something, I put it away as soon as I'm done. Obviously this will be a work in progress, and I won't become perfect overnight, plus there are some things that I simply won't be able to do immediately, but I need to complete the things that can. I'm not too sure how to grade this one yet. Watch this space. #2. Multitasking is a myth. One thing at a time. Again, this applies to my whole life. No more watching TV while reading a book, eating and texting. One thing, done well, at a time. The exception to this will be listening to music while doing things such as working or cooking, working out etc. Again, unsure about best way to grade... And, a little something on the side... I don't eat sugar, aside from the honey in my morning yoghurt or my post training smoothie, and I don't eat bread. This is a goal I brought over from last challenge. The bread went well, as did the sugar...for the first two weeks. After that it got a bit messy, so this time around I'm making the sugar slightly easier but giving myself Sundays to have sugar if I really want it. I am a massive perfectionist, and often when something goes a little bit wrong I have a huge overreaction and decide I may as well give up because I've ruined it already. (Brilliant, well done Ems). So, in a bid to prevent this, I'm hoping that by building in some flexibility I will be able to tolerate less than 100%. Seriously am my own worst enemy sometimes. Grading will be simple for this, no bread, and only non-honey approved sugar on the six Sundays. Maximum. Hey girl, I think your challenge sounds great. Thanks Ryan Let's do this. NB: I'll update with better grading.

Not that I am all settled into this Nerd Fitness Madness, I thought I'd make a proper introduction. My names' NewMe. There is a specific reason why I chose that name; to remind myself that I am actually creating a New Me. It's going to take some work and a lot of hours, but for the upgrading of my life, for defragging away negative thoughts and habits, it is worth the hours put into it. I'm a College student working on getting my certificate in American Sign Language to be an Interpreter as well as continue performing with my Viola, (been playing now for 13 years), to compose music for Video games and keep working in my Circus. Yes, you read that right, I am a professional Clown, story teller, singer, juggler, fiddler in a Circus. I'm an adorable clown, thank you and none to scary. As for the Nerd part of me, there are a lot of things that I nerd out on. I am a big fan of: Doctor Who Sherlock Star Wars Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Music of all types Video Games Books (There is a bit more things that I am nerdy about, but I think this is a good place to start.) My first game love was Final Fantasy IX which is the BEST! So says ME! But I grew to love Halo and other RPG games. Dude, I miss the heck out of Crash Bandicoot and Spryo and Tench Stealth Assassian. Oh, and a good, wacked out racing game like Twisted Metal or Mario Kart racing have a soft spot in my heart. And Legacy of Kain. Mmmmm! There are so many games that I like, I won't bore you to tears of me discussing the ones that I am fond of. If you want to know, please feel free to send me a message. But there is one thing that I wanted to tell you about, and that is my newest tattoo. As of now, I have 7. The 2 newest are on my tummy. Why there? Because I always thought that my tummy was not very attractive. So, what better way to appreciate my body, all of my body, then to decorate it with art that I drew? If you go and look at the pictures of me shrinking you will see them and notice that one side is smooth and the other side is all sketchy looking. Smooth is Jekyll and Sketchy is Hyde. I love that story to bits. The fact that this man has inside him this 'creature' capable of doing awesome and terrible things is just riviing to me. It also means that everyone has that aspect inside of them just waiting for that one moment to slip out. The catch of it is, you have to find that balance point of knowing when to be Jekyll and when to be Hyde. I tend to let Jekyll out moreso than Hyde and that isn't Balance. To be in Balance, I have to become comfortable with both sides of who and what I am and to rememeber that it is beautiful, hence the tattoo. If you have read this far, I thank you.