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Greetings fellow Rangers! Well, the last challenge was enough of a success (though not 100%) to motivate me to try it again, so here we go! I learned a lot of things about myself through the last challenge, in particular about my motivation levels through the day. With that in mind, I've decided that my "Main Quest" for this challenge is to become better at being me. This may sound like a wussy, fluffy goal, but for anyone who's even done battle with the inner-mind demons, you'll know it's anything but. I'm working on finding out what I'm good what, what I can improve at, and what parts of myself are just gonna stick there until the day I die. So how will I do this? I'm going to go back to the basics and start building from there: 1). I'm a runner. There's just no getting around this one. No matter what type of cross-training I try I always end up bored and longing for the freedom of the wooded trails. While I plan to keep at least one cross-training cardio workout a week for injury prevention, I'm going to start building up my running distance. By the end of this challenge, I want to be back to running for a full 60 minutes without any knee issues. I'm already up to 30 minutes, so the plan is to increase the distance by 5 minutes each week. This also saves me from wasting time trying to find routes of a certain distance, which is time consuming. 2). My upper body is weaker than my lower body, and it bothers me. Like, A LOT! Solution? Work it harder. I have always lamented the fact that, while I can pull a 40kg calf into this world, I can't pull my own body up over a bar. I realize that I won't get to a full pull-up in 6 weeks, but what I would like to do is get to having the assisted pull-up machine compensating for less than half of my body weight. At the moment, it's lifting 80lbs and I'm lifting 60lbs, so the goal is to push towards flipping those numbers around in 6 weeks. 3). Anything that involves investing a lot of time that I don't complete, makes me stressed and angry at myself, no matter how petty and worthless the activity. Therefore, I'm going to remove one of the most time-consuming and worthless activities in my day. That's right, I'm going to STOP COUNTING CALORIES!! Wow, even saying it feels liberating! Ever since I began my quest to reclaim my fitness 4 years ago, I have been a slave to a bunch of numbers. Well today, that slavery comes to an end. I am going to shift my focus to mindful eating, thinking about a meal before I eat it, listening to my body and feeding it what it needs. My life quest is going to involve addressing another thing I'm very bad at - doing things for myself. I enjoy taking care of others, and while I know that's not a bad thing, I do so to the point where I rarely seem to ever have time for things I want, and even when I do make the time I feel guilty. Case and point: my crochet hobby. I have finished countless baby projects for friends and family, scarves and hats galore, but I only have 2 projects that I've ever completed for myself. This is usually because, about the time I start one, someone else gets pregnant or puts in a request for a Christmas present, so my project gets stuffed away out of some guilty need to bend over backwards for everyone else. For this 6 weeks, that is going to change. I have started a sweater that I would LOVE to finish before the cold returns, so for these 6 weeks I'm going to dedicate 3 hours a week minimum to working on this project. The pattern is easy, but like all things it just takes time, so that is exactly what I'm going to give it. So what's my motivation? The thought that one day I will be able to wake up and be happy with myself, exactly the way I am. My fiance loves me and can give me a laundry list of reasons why; it's time for me to stop beating myself up long enough to see them.

Hey all, Here's the sitch...Technically, I've started 2 6-week challenges, but never finished them. I got further the second time, but then punked out part way through. So I'm back to do it again, and FINISH it this time! Here's the plan: Main Quest: One Pull-up Support Goal 1: Scooby’s Workshop 5 Phase Pull-up Routine (ha…Scooby’s) http://scoobysworksh...otal-beginners/ Support Goal 2: Train Like a Slayer Workouts (because of REASONS) http://erinjerrett-f...ike-slayer.html Support Goal 3: Zombies, Run! 5K version (want to be prepared for any Dead Man’s Parties) https://www.zombiesrungame.com/ Side/Life Quest: Replace fast food and soda with packed lunches/home prepared meals and water/coffee/tea. Since I will be doing the Zombies, Run! 5K training, I will also be drinking my favorite coffee, the Reanimator…dun, dun, dunnnn! http://www.justcoffe...alog/reanimator (This could be considered directly related to the main quest, but really it’s also very related to other things like saving money, building general life skills, developing a creative relationship with food/meals, etc…so that’s my life quest and I’m stickin’ to it.) Motivation: Two part 1) I have some favorite pieces of clothing that I REALY want to be able to wear. (I mean, one of the super fun things about watching Buffy was seeing what everyone was going to wear each week!) My favorite clothes tend toward the following styles: CPUs (Cayce Pollard Units), brooding gay lumberjack, anything Michael wore in the La Femme Nikita television series (c. 1997 – 2001) and sober Buddhist nun attends rock concert (which is more like straight up rock and roll, but not OVERLY). Shallow motivation? Arguably, but seriously try finding awesome clothes in a size 22-24. Yeah. And by yeah, I mean totally No. 2) I have no energy right now and feel wholly lethargic. I want to leap tombstones in a single bound. Go dancing at the Bronze without puffing out after one song. Be FOCUSED while doing late night research sessions. Grading on a standard 90% + A, 80% + B. 70% + C, 60% + D. <60% = FAIL 1 point each Pullup workout = every other day (3 or 4 depending on week) Slayer training = 3 strength workouts, daily cardio workouts, 5 stretching routines Zombies, Run! 5K = 3 runs per week Life Goal = start with 7 points per week. For each indiscretion, lose 1 point Bring on the Apocalypse!

I haven't done a Nerd Fitness 6-Week Challenge in a long time (Since November??) and I am returning! Here's a little background: I Lost 32 pounds last Spring/Summer/Early Fall and then proceeded to get back into old habits and make excuses ALL winter! I told myself I wasn't going to do it, but sh!t happens, eh? So I gained about 10 pounds back, which sucks but I can deal with it. I know I can do this, and I just need to build awesome new habits and stop making excuses (I don't even believe them!). One of my Challenge goals will be to do a Pull-Up or Chin-Up. This has been a goal of mine on a previous challenge and even though I didn't succeed 100%, I still saw HUGE improvement! And that's what it's all about! So. 1. Do a Chin-Up/Pull-Up http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/04/25/do-a-pull-up/ 2. Get back to doing one hike per week 3. Walk (5km) or do a work-out EVERY day For my chin-up/pull-up training, I will be following Steve's guide mentioned above. Right now I only have 10 pound weights and an awkwardly large 30 pound sandbag that I can't do Bent Over Dumbell Rows with... So my first goal is to obtain some more equipment! I've been searching Craigslist since I can't afford brand new stuff. Hiking is always an easy one around Vancouver. We have a wonderfully varied and beautiful landscape and we're surrounded by mountains. I have lots of exciting places to go I have a couple 5km walks in my neighbourhood that I like. Down to the river or along the beach. Looking forward to getting back on track! Woot!

So I've been having a tough time coming up with goals for this challenge - I got my first pull-up last challenge, which was HUGELY exciting... but now that I've done it, I've lost the clarity that I had when I was focusing on it. So I'm zooming out a bit, doing a little exploring to figure out what my next big goal is. 1. Bodyweight workout 3x a week. STR: 2, STA: 2, CON: 1 This is what makes me stronger and got me to the pull-up in the first place - I'll be experimenting with some new goals (headstand pushups are catching my attention at the moment), but the point here is to just keep going, even if I'm not particularly focused. 2. Upside down 3x a week. STR: 1, DEX: 2, STA: 2 Still working on handstands, but this can also include bar/ring fun, now. I'm getting a little burned out on the handstands because I'm not seeing much progress on them, so more variety can only be a good thing. 3. 6 new juggling tricks. DEX: 2, WIS:1, CHA: 2 At the end of this challenge, I'm going to a week-long juggling festival. I want to have some new stuff to show off/work on when I'm there. One a week should be doable - and they don't have to be crazy hard things, just stuff I haven't done before. Unscored stuff I'm still doing: swimming 3x a week on non-bodyweight days, no more than 3 non-water drinks a week, tracking calories/weight on a shiny spreadsheet. Okay, let's do this thing!

After working out every other day for the last two months, combined with the paleo diet, working towards that first pull-up was my #1 target. Today I decided to try it; slowly but steadily I managed to pull me and my 91 kg's of meat up towards the ceiling. Made me feel proud of myself! Then I just tried some more; I got to three. Woot! - By the way, I now believe more than ever in paleo eating. Last year I started eating paleo, but after some months I began eating grains again. Quickly I began feeling more tired, some days I couldn't make it til the evening without taking a nap. When I finally connected the dots I decided to start eating paleo again. I made some mistakes at first but I learned from it. I also started working out, promising myself an iPod classic after 40 workouts. I'm now at number 28 and I've never felt (and looked) better. My abs are (slowly) becoming visible, my shoulders are more defined, my back is more muscular, my breast has less fat. It is totally awesome. I didn't lose a lot of weight, but I think I'm replacing fat with (heavier) muscles. Yesterday I was at a party and noticed I was getting a lot of attention from girls. That was an incredible payoff for all the hard work, and a huge confidence boost. So good luck to everyone starting on their quest to becoming awesome: focus on your habits, eat healthy (paleo!!!) and do some serious strength training. Rely on yourself, because you alone are responsible. When I realized that everything changed. You will get there!

Hello everyone! I'm brand new to this but can't wait to get started - I've been seeking something that can push me to excel that isn't boring. Just to introduce myself: I sort of recently started a new job as a designer in a new city and love to work out. My name comes from the game League of Legends - I'm not pro, but I like to think I am! I main as Lux. This is why Nerd Fitness is perfect for me! Now to the goals! Fitness/Health Quest: 1. Run 15 miles a week. To be honest, anything more than that totally stresses me out. That's 5 miles 3 times a week, 2 miles 5 times a week with a 5 miler on a weekend, or even a long 10 mile weekend run with two easy 2.5 mile days! The pressure to run after work is sometimes too great for me. I think this is manageable with still enjoying my passion to run. And 15 is a great mathematical number. Will track with my handy Nike Running app! A+ More than 15 miles a week A 15 miles B 12 miles C 8 miles D 6 miles F Anything under 6. Reward: (+2 DEX +2 STA) 2. Do 3 pull-ups. Right now, I can't even fathom doing just one! I really need to work on my arm strength, and I will follow the Nerd Fitness guide to pull-ups to get there! Note: my company graciously provides a group trainer that comes every day for an hour at lunch! He focuses on free weights, lifting, cardio, abs . . . everything! But, no pull-up bar. I already work with him as often as I can, so now at home I need to tackle these pull-ups! I'll track I guess by uploading a video of myself? Makes me uncomfortable but I guess that's solid proof! A+ 5 pull-ups . . . if I can do 3 I can do 5, right? A 4 pull-ups B 3 pull-ups C 2 pull-ups D 1 pull-up F 0 . . . boo! Reward: (+2 STR +2 STA) 3. Yoga weekends. Let's be honest: yoga in the big city is EXPENSIVE. I just recently took a Bikram yoga class with an awesome $40 groupon, but it expired and now I'm left wanting more. But, expense shouldn't prevent me from doing yoga when there are so many free apps out there! I am going to do yoga on weekends to replace the classes. I also used to be a jazz dancer and I am terrified of losing my flexibility. This acts as my meditation and staying flexible. Will track with . . . ? Advice? I'm not taking a video of me doing yoga! A+ Yoga twice a week! What!? Yes! A Yoga and a good stretching session B Yoga once a week C Stretching Session D-F Nothing. Nada. Zip. Reward: (+2 CON +2 WIS) Life Quest: 4. Write my stress away. I may have a few little anxiety problems here and there. (By a few I mean I need to see a doctor.) The best way I've learned to deal with them is to write it out, or, communicate it some way. If everything is down on paper it's not in my brain. I'm going to try to write in my journal to get everything out and sorted. Will track via message board! A+ Write 5 times a week A Write 4 times a week B Write 3 times a week C Write 2 times a week D Write 1 time a week F No writing! What! If you just read all this let's be friends haha! I'm going to print this out and really keep track. I can do this! Attributes: Strength (STR): 1 Dexterity (DEX): 2 Stamina (STA): 3 Constitution (CON): 2 Wisdom (WIS): 4 Charisma (CHA): 3 Total: 15 | Level 1

Hi guys, I signed up to Nerd Fitness newsletter around a year ago, but only decided to start in the forums now and get some accountability and/or motivation. Not sure how this goes so... I'm just going to list them out. 10 pull-ups in a row (current max is 5 and I've always wanted to do them) 3.5km run without stopping (there's a nice little ring around the neighbourhood that's this length) Meditate for a minimum of 10 minutes before bed every day (instead of just flopping down and sleeping) No chocolate for the challenge (there's a vending machine at work that mocks me everytime I walk by it)Cheers!

GoodDoug's Journey to the Core GoodDoug awoke with a start. Something had been pulling on the half-ogre's toes. He sat up quickly, scattering a half dozen pixies hovering around his feet."Oh good, you're awake!" the pixies cried in unison.GoodDoug was still unsure if he was awake or still dreaming when they flew up to eye level and started speaking, again in unison, "The Lady wishes to see you at your earliest convenience," showing as much solemnity as their impish little faces could muster.The half-ogre turned and started pulling on clothes, he figured he was about to get his next assignment for the Ranger's Guild. The pixies giggled and told him he wouldn't need clothes to see The Lady, "We don't wear anything and we see her all the time!" They laughed uproariously at their own jokes. Half an hour later, GoodDoug was walking into the grove where The Lady held court. He had heard stories of her, one claimed she was a human that was chosen to be the voice of Nature, and another claimed she had always been and always would be, and that she showed herself as a beautiful human woman. Either way, he knew he would be in the presence of a great being. "GoodDoug, lay down your burdens and sit with me," The Lady was beautiful. Just looking at her gave a sense of calm."The Ranger's have said you could help me. There is a sickness at the core of this land. I need you to journey to the core and plant a very special seed." The Lady held out her hand, in the palm was a tiny seed.GoodDoug nodded, he was afraid his brutish voice would somehow offend this being. The Lady smiled and glided over to the half-ogre. Grabbing his hand and placing the seed within it. While she was touching him, he could feel the life inside of the seed, sense the potential for what it could become with the right nurturing. When she released his hand, all that was left was a vague impression of what he had glimpsed. "You must go into the Cave of Larkin and journey from their to the core of this land. It is a difficult journey and there are those who would hinder you," she paused for a moment, "When you reach the core, you must nurture and protect the seed until it sprouts and can survive on its own." GoodDoug knew he would have to ask at the Ranger's Guild to find out where the Cave of Larkin was located. He had some experience with growing things, but hadn't done it in a while. "Why me, Lady?" he finally asked."Because the land needs you, and you need this task. You have strength, but need more. You are nurturing, but need to learn how to be more nurturing. The land needs your commitment, and you need to reaffirm your own commitments to yourself. That is why you were chosen." GoodDoug held the seed gingerly, looked The Lady directly in the eyes and said, "It will be done as you ask, Lady." Core RoutinesMy first goal is to make sure that I keep up with the routines I started last challenge. That means running and lifting every week. I won't be as exact on how far or how many pounds, but I want to make sure I run two days a week and lift once a week minimum, and average over 100g protein per day (as measured each week). No making up next week for missing a workout this week. I'm hoping to follow my routines from last challenge to keep ahead on this one. Str +1 Dex +1 Con +1 Core StrengthI want my core to be stronger. I will do a series of bodyweight exercises and poses to increase my core strength. First, every day I will do at least one minute of planks and 5 pull-ups. Two days a week, I will do some sort of crow pose and headstand. Once a week, I will do yoga for 15 minutes for strength and flexibility. The everyday exercises will be done as soon as I get up in the morning. The balance exercises will be done on run days at a minimum and I will do the yoga one of the weekend days. I'm worried this is too much to keep track of, but I'm hoping that knowing I need to do the weekly checkin here will motivate me to do the yoga and inverted poses. Str +3 Dex +2 Fueling the CoreIn the beginning of the year challenge, I started eating primal. I have been mostly doing that, but have drifted away from it lately. I can feel the difference and so I want to get back into it. I will eat according to the Primal Blueprint. That means that except for special circumstances, I will avoid processed sugar, and all grains and legumes. I've done it before, so I know I can do it this time, no excuses. Sta +2 Wis +2 Nurturing the CoreTaking inspiration from Katinka's challenge last time, my life goal will be to do better in the garden this year. Last year was our first year at our new place and I really dropped the ball with the garden. I planted a bunch of stuff and just didn't weed and water like I should have. For this challenge, I will tend to my garden at least 4 days per week. I plan to do this by heading outside when I let the dog out (after my planks and pull-ups) and watering or weeding the garden. Wis +2 Cha +1

Name: Andrew Williams (aka Artinum) Race: Half-elf, half cyborg, half mad. Civilian role: ICT Technical Specialist Motto: "I wonder what happens when I press this button?" This is my sixth challenge, and my third as a Scout. I used to run as a young child and I remember feeling that, if I could just go a little faster, I could take off and fly. When my teenage years started, my running stopped. I discovered I could talk to computers (and far prefer them to people), and my life became more sedentary. I stayed slim, but that merely hid the fact I was actually terribly unfit. About a year ago, while bending over at work, I felt something go in my lower back. I had to be driven home and spent most of the next week in bed on strong painkillers. Back on my feet, walking down the road to the local shop - a five minute stroll that took me ten and left me exhausted - I had a horrible vision of my future. Once I was fully recovered, I started looking into doing something about it... and found Nerd Fitness. Since joining, I've cut out a ton of sugar from my diet, finally mastered the push-up (which I could never do throughout my youth) and rediscovered my love of running. Yesterday I briefly had that feeling again - that I was just on the brink of taking off. Maybe soon I will. FITNESS 1 - Run, run, run! (2 DEX, 3 STA) I am now well into week five of Couch to 5K, due to snow-related setbacks. Can I complete the entire course? This will require commitment, stamina and a healthy dose of insanity. I have at least one of these. Aim - to finish Week 9 of the course by the end of the challenge (4.5 weeks to go over six weeks - I have some leeway). FITNESS 2 - Pull-ups (3 STR, 1 DEX) My arch-nemesis. I will find a way to do these! Now that weather is improving, I hope to do some inverted rows using the pullup bars at work on weekdays. Aim - work on inverted rows at work until I can do ONE pull-up. DIET - Protein Booster (2 CON) I often struggle to get enough protein and calories, which isn't going to help my efforts to improve my pull-up performance. So after every workout, I will consume a pint of whole milk. Aim - maintain this as well as I can throughout the challenge and make it a habit. If whole milk isn't available, alternative dairy products will serve. (It's not quite GOMAD, but I'm not trying to bulk up!) LIFE GOAL - Blogging (4 CHA) I've mentioned once or twice that I've started a blog - The Freedom Muse. I've been inspired by the success of Steve Kamb and Nerd Fitness and I'm starting out the same way - a regular blog designed to inspire and motivate people to improve their lives. I may touch on fitness posts occasionally but mostly I'm interested in two aims: encouraging people to find and live their dreams, and breaking them free of the lies, habits and control systems that keep them in their day to day monotony. It's all genuine - because I'm living what I preach. I've already started, and I'm committed to writing two posts a week - Mondays and Thursdays (Wordpress seems rather sloppy, however, at actually publishing scheduled blogs unless someone refreshes the page, so if they appear later it may not be my fault!). I now need to start to start promoting it! Suggestions on where/how are welcome. Aim - 100 subscribers by the end of challenge. At the moment, that seems hopeless.

Hey guys/gals! My family just received our tax return and I'm seriously considering getting a pull-up bar for our home. However, here's where I'm running into an issue... I've been recommended one that would do GREAT for pull-ups, if I could do a pull-up... but I can't... Here's my requirements: 1. I'm in a rental home with molding on the doors, but I need something that won't be bolted/screwed in place that can support my 250 lbs. 2. I need it to be able to be placed waist high, so I can do bodyweight rows. Does anyone know of anything out there that would work for me? I don't want to fall victim to any "as seen on tv" scams or get something that's going to destroy our doorways (landlords would be most displeased), but I need something that is going to challenge me more than a one arm luggage row. Any thoughts?