Search the Community

Two weeks is a long time without a challenge! To quote from my first goal: I have a new goal this time around: get ready for the Ragnar Trail North Cascades in September! I've prepped for long runs before (marathon, half marathons), but nothing like this before. Bring it on! In the meantime, I need to improve my overall fitness and get ready for my work's summer summer meetings in Quebec City. 1. Get fighting fit - Crossfit! It's been the core of my fitness for the past year or two, and after a month or two off I'm bringing it back online. I've joined the box just down the street, and am signed up for 3x/wk. So that's my goal! 2. Eat like a hero - I had great success tracking my input/activity with myfitnesspal and my Fitbit One (profile here). I'm going to repeat that success by using those tools daily. (+CONS) 3. Parler Français like a Norman - I'm finding that my language skills aren't cutting it. Yes, my German really needs some work too... but for this challenge, I'm rebooting French. I'm going to spend at least 20 minutes 5x/week. (+WIS, +CHA)

So, I failed the last challenge. On week four my girlfriend got very sick , then on week five I got sick, then on week six, while still ill, uni assignments starting to come due. Yay. The goal was to put on three kgs of lean mass. I went from 65kg to 65.8kg--apparently I STILL wasn't eating enough--and back down to 63.5kg at the height of my illness. Since then I've struggled back up to 65.5kg so I'm starting this challenge 0.5kg ahead of last time. The goal this time is still to put on three kgs of lean mass. My subgoals are: Exercise six times a week -- 29/36 = +1 str (80%) Eat four meals a day, averaging 3,000ish calories a day, up 500kal from last challenge -- 38/42 = +1 con (90%) Stretch for 10 minutes, six times a week -- 29/36 = +1 dex (80%) Apparently, getting through three weeks of the first challenge does qualify me for level one! Yay . The challenge now is to get through the last three weeks and graduate from the starting zone. So my current stats are as follows: Str: 1 Dex: 0 Stam: 0 Con: 3 Wis: 4 <--- MASSIVE bookworm Cha: 2 My life sub goal will be to read a minimum four papers a day for uni, six days a week -- 29/36 = +1/2 wis (80%) .... ...until the end of week three. Then I have exams and fly in lectures. I'll think of a new goal for the other 1/2 wis point at the start of week four. Obviously I don't get the point if I don't complete both wis goals. Heres to the next six weeks!

Hey Rangers, My name is Tim. This is my first 6-week challenge ever. It seems like a pretty cool thing. I have quite a few goals, so this will be smaller versions of those. A little about me: I am an I.T. guy for a call center and as of this month I am also a college student again. I am taking a programming class and will slowly but surely be getting my degree while working full time and getting healthy. I have a lot of leveling up to do. Back at the beginning of December, I decided to change my lifestyle and lose weight. I have gout and during a flare-up in June, tipped the scales at 347.0 lbs. This didn't motivate me to begin exercising, although I did slightly alter my eating habits. Around Thanksgiving, I decided that weight loss would be my New Years Resolution. I decided that if this was the case, I needed to begin researching it so I'd be ready when the time came. I began to read about workouts and nutrition daily. After a week, I decided that I couldn't wait until January to start. I was way too excited about it, so I started on December 1st. I didn't weigh myself on December 1st to find out what my starting weight was (I didn't have a scale at the time), so my first weigh-in since June was on December 6th. My nerves were jello as I stepped onto the scale for the first time in 6 months. Did I weigh more? Less? Was I even doing anything useful? My nerves were put to rest when the scale showed 329.1 lbs. Since then, I have gotten my weight down to 315.6 lbs. I work out 6 days a week (unless something comes up). I try to do 3 days of lifting and 3 days of cardio, although lately I've been doing more lifting than cardio. When I lift, I am doing circuits, so in between sets, i'm doing seated crunches on the bench. My heart rate gets just as high as it does when I do cardio. I really don't like running, but I think a lot of that has more to do with how out of shape I am and how much I suck at breathing while doing it. Nutrition has also become very important to me. Most days, I eat 200-250g of protein, 150g of carbs, and 50-75g of fat. This adds up to 2500-2700 calories a day. My RDI is something like 3500 calories/day. I keep track of all of my food using MyFitnessPal. My name is tgsmith489 on there if you'd like to follow me. Now for my goals: + Increase Bench Press by 25 lbs (+4 STR, +1 CHA) + Be able to jog 0.5 mile at speed of 5mph. (+3 STA, +2 DEX) + Drink 64 oz of water at least 6 days of the week. (+3 CON) ++ Side quest++ - Get up to $300 in savings. (+2 WIS)

so last challenge didn't go as planned. but it wasn't horrible. I'm going to stick with my goals from last challenge, as I never really did complete them. I am just going to go about it in a different way. A lot of tracking and even having goals is sometimes too much pressure. But I bet I only say that because I just feel like I have no willpower, hence no good warm fuzzy self worth feelings, which are probably the root of most of the issues here. Everything makes me feel like this: So, this challenge, my goals will be wishful goals, but I don't get to add another piece on, until i've really done a good job at the last little bit. I think I'm going to go into this in two week chunks. The hitch in this, is I'll be on a cruise from the 17th - 24th. We are getting dunk tanked for body fat on Saturday. I will probably not share this info. but it's happening. Goal 1: Rehab + Upper Body Strength i miss this so much. I'm starting with two basic programs that i'll be pulling from. Foundation training, physical therapy exercises and this back rehab protocol. For the upper body strength stuff, I'll be doing push ups, pull ups, bench press, and OHP. How? Weeks 1-2 Just show up, and do stuff, 3x per week. Stuff should be done thoughtfully, to which a progression can be built upon. Weeks 3-4 Post workouts here for all to see, before doing them. (this will need some thought, as week 3 will be on a cruise ship.) Weeks 5-6 TBD Goal 2: Dani Two-Bricks This time last year, I weighed in at 147. (on a scale at a rock climbing gym i was at with the nerds) I want that back. I want my dead hang pullups back. I need to get my diet under control. This also will involve a lot of mental work. I don't think I will make it back under 150 this challenge, but I want to make some progress there. I'll weigh in officially Monday morning. I'd like to lose 10lbs during this challenge. How? Week 1 don't eat like an asshole. Week 2-5 participate in my gym's paleo challenge. this will be modified paleo for me. i do eat butter. i do eat yogurt. but i'm going to try to keep the yogurt to a minimum. also, while i'm on the cruise, all of this goes out the window. however, i need to figure out a way to eat mindfully and not go all over the place while i'm on the cruise. i'll post up a plan for that week when it gets closer. Week 6 one cheat day after the paleo challenge is officially over. then don't eat like an asshole. Goal 3: Get Your Mind Right In the GORUCK community, this is a thing. My mind is not right at this point. I need to work on taking care of myself now that mom is out of the woods. The one thing that went well last challenge is i did well with my supplements and meds. How? Week 1-2 Just do one thing. Instead of freaking out about all of the things i need to do, just do one per day. Week 3-4 Just do two things. Week 5-6 Just do three things. Starting Stats

The quest: N7 Training Havock style This is my first challenge as a Ranger, and I'm really looking forward to it. I have participated in several challenges in the past, and although I finish I always forget to keep logging my progress after a while. Or just get self-consious about the progress I'm making, which is just ridiculous and no way for a N7 Marine to act. I got my bantha poodoo together last year but have been lacking in the logging/keeping track of progress department. This challenge is my way of working on that. Oh and obviously I love Mass Effect... Fitness Goals: 1. 5k in under 40 minutes, because Specters need to run. Plan: Going to alternate my gym days so that every other day I'm working on running either on the treadmill or track. Currently: I went from running a 5k in 48 minutes to 40 minutes this past year. But I really want to get it under that in the next 6 weeks. 2. 5 Proper Push Ups. Plan: I want to start practicing my push ups every (or every other) morning. Currently: I can do one, and that took a while to acomplish, but I know I can do better. Life Quests: 3. Log progress daily - because I've always struggled with this and want to work on it so I know if I'm making progress on my goals or not. 4. No Drinking - This is a personal one, just to try and lose some weight while I'm at it. 5. Get everything I need to done to go to my Targeted Selection interview for school administration. I finished my masters degree and passed all my tests, time to start moving forward on this one too.

JoeBlend – Lv 2 Simian RangerMain Quest:I will unlock my simian beast mode, dropping fat, gaining muscle, doing things I've never done before, and taking tangible steps toward a career in the IT world. Training Quests: 1. I will strength train three days per week, following Jason Blaha's ICF 3x5 strength/bodybuildingprogram. Reward: STR+2, STA+2 A: 16+ days B: 14-15 days C: 12-13 days D: 10-11 days 2. 3 days a week, on non-strength days, I will walk or run at least 2 miles beyond my usual 0.8 mile walk to and from the Dudes' school. Reward: STA+3, DEX+2 A: 16+ days B: 14-15 days C: 12-13 days D: 10-11 days 3. I will photograph each meal (starting 1/6/15 as I just decided to do the challenge a few minutes ago) before eating, to give myself a better idea of what's going into my body, and to help remind me to make better decisions. Reward: WIS+2, CON+1 A: 37+ days B: 33-36 days C: 29-32 days D: 25-28 days Side Quest:1. I need to complete an industry certification to move forward with my educational goals, so I will study for, and schedule the test for the MCTS 70-680 certification by 2/15/15. Reward: WIS+3 This one is pass/fail. If the test has been scheduled by the end of the day on 2/15/15, I get an A. If I haven't scheduled the test because I don't feel ready or for any other reason, I get an F.

This is my first challenge with the rangers and I'm pretty psyched - I really enjoyed the last challenge and I'm hoping this one will set me up feeling good for Christmas. I'd love to have a few support buddies so if you're interested in what I'm doing and want to hear my ramblings as the weeks progress, just say hi! Motivation: I’ve booked a holiday to Benidorm and I want to feel confident in my own body by the pool. I usually avoid going to the bar because I’d have to walk past people and other minor issues like that - this year, I’d like to be able to conga around the pool and not feel self-conscious. Starting my training for the London Triathlon (31st May) and either Manchester (19th April) or Liverpool (14th June) Marathon (still undecided). Goals and Stats: Reduce BF% (currently 23.9%, goal = 15%), build muscle, increase stamina and endurance. Main Quest: Get back on track: reclaim the self-control I had over my finances and fitness at the start of the year. Quest 1 - Fitness: Follow my self-made triathlon plan - currently based on 3/4 runs and 3 gym sessions (StrongLifts and cycling/spin classes) per week - but based on the last challenge I know I need to factor in a bit more flexibility, so my goal is to hit 3 runs and 2 gym sessions a week (if I can’t make it to the gym I will substitute the session with a bodyweight alternative). Measurement: A = 25-30 workouts over the 6 weeks, B = 20-24 , C = 15-19, D = 10 - 14, E = <10 A = 3 STR, 2 DEX, 2 STA, B = 80% C = 60% D = 40% E = 0%. Quest 2 - Diet: Stick to my calorie goal - I’ve been going over consistently for a while now and my weight has been creeping up (fat, not muscle sadly!). Measurement: Based on the extent to which I’m over my six week calorie total. A = On target. B = 2.5% over, C = 5% over, D = 7.5% over, E = 10%+ over A = 3 CON, B = 80% C = 60% D = 40% E = 0%. Quest 3 - Spending: Eradicate spending deficit (through saving, since I don't want to use my wages). Adjusting to London has been more expensive than I thought, and with Christmas coming up I really need to get my finances in order. Current deficit: £91. Measurement: Based on the extent to which I’m over my six week spending total. A = In the black. B = £5 remaining, C = £10 remaining, D = £15 remaining, E = £20+ remaining A = 5 WIS. B = 80% C = 60% D = 40% E = 0%. Life Quest: My current life quest will just be to achieve my three quests (unless somebody can suggest a better one!). Measurement: A = Achieved 3, B = Achieved 2, C = Achieved 1, D = Achieved 0.

Hello There! My name is Tiffany, and I am actually on the academy forums but I figured I would keep everything in the same place since the 6 week challenges are something I enjoy. As the new year is about to start for me I have reflected on what I did well and not so well over this current year. I have gotten stronger, I haven't lost weight, I have fought my bad eating habits a bit but I need to get better at consistency overall. Since I used to do the whole "get in shape" resolution every year I figured this time around I'm going to focus on something new. Becoming a Badass! lol... My goal this year is to deadlift my body weight (at least 3-5 reps). I just started deadlifts with dumbbells a few weeks ago, I am up to 12 reps of 50lbs, so it's a good start. I figure if I focus on the strength, the other changes I want will come along as well. And this is something I will see constant/consistent improvement in if I keep up with it. What I will need to do in order to hit that goal by the end of the year: - Eat the correct nutrients to gain muscle and lean up - I will be tracking meal's with My Fitness Pal - I will be aiming for an 80/20 eat healthy ratio, so as not to binge on horrible things because I say I can't have any - I will be planing and prepping breakfasts and lunches for my week, so going off plan will be less likely - WATER!!! At least 8 glasses a day - Weight Training 3 times a week - I have an online training coach through fitocracy that gives me a schedule which I will be following - I will be going to at least one extracurricular active activity once a week - I enjoy crossfit, want to learn more about MMA and enjoy ice skating, so I will be doing these once a week. If I got to AM crossfit it will count as a weight training session since it is a weight based crossfit class (and kicks my butt for 3 days after, lol). What I will be tracking here: How I feel I did for the day overall, my goals as they change and adapt, and overall thoughts on my journey.

(original art from Marvel's She-Hulk Vol: 3--- text and color edit by me). From the start of all of this I had one goal in mind: I want to get a hold of my health again. I want to not be afraid to risk taking a job in fear of not being able to pull my weight because of my illness. I don't want this disease to define who I am, because for a while, it has. CHALLENGE TWO : DEFEATING DOCTOR DOOM Main Quest: Medical Remission of Rheumatoid Arthritis October 2, 2014: Showing signs of medical remission, under doctor's watch I am beginning to taper off the strongest of medications. Lowering dosage by .1 ml every three months unless told otherwise. October 21, 2014: First week of lowered dosage. Lessened side effects, usual exhaustion and sickness dissipated within 3 days but was able to complete full sessions at the gym and eat whole meals during this time. Side Quest: Lose 65lbs (45lbs by my Birthday December 27th). October 28: 220lbs September 30: 225lbs August 22: 237lbs July 25: 245lbs Edit: I will lose the weight when I lose it. This is about getting healthy, strong, and going into remission. I am not a contestant on the biggest loser. Quest 1: Foraging in an unknown forest. Continue the food log and eating whole foods; it's not going to be easy for me to really focus on my macros when I'm away, so I'm going to try and stick as close to my plan as possible. I'm also aiming to really try and eliminate processed sugars this challenge. Honey, molasses, fruit, and stevia are all safe. Quest 2: Deceive with the power of the mind. I've signed myself up for NaNoWriMo.... and I haven't even written a word. I'm not worrying so much about hitting 50k, but I want to write (at least) a novella. I believe I can do that in two weeks. So, I'm going to start the first day of the challenge... and then just keep writing until the end (giving me 6 weeks of writing time). Better late than never. Quest 3: Beat down with physical prowess and endurance. I pledge to exercise EVERY OTHER DAY with a combination of BWO and jogging (then running). My desire is to be able to run or jog for at least three straight minutes on flat ground by the end of all of this (I can only manage 30 second intervals right now). I am able to complete one mile in eleven minutes on an elliptical, but that's way different. Also, gotta work those hand stands so I can give Daredevil a run for his money.

So hey. Coming in a little late again; at least I'm consistent. >.< This year (and this is apropos) I'm not doing NaNoWriMo. See, the challenge there is that you're to write a 50,000 word novel over the course of a month. I've done it several times in the past, and I usually round the required 1667/day up to 2000/day. But I got used to doing that, and now I write 2000 words most days. Doing NaNoWriMo no longer keeps me accountable, because I do that anyway. It rather feels like cheating. But here! Here, baby...I slack off when it comes to fitness. Shocking, I know, because no one else on earth does that. The difference is, I suck at keeping myself accountable because I tend to look at my accomplishments and think, somewhere deep down, "I'm done! I did it! Now I can have brownies forever!" This is a stupid part of my mind. So I'm back! From outer sp- sorry, got my signal crossed there. I'm here to be accountable, and that's why one of my challenges is: 1. Come here. At least once a day, every day, during this challenge. Last challenge I was working at it, but I slacked off some and I think that a part of it was that I wasn't here holding myself accountable. You guys are amazing. I'll be here. 2. Learn to Breathe. That is, meditate. I know that's like saying, "I'm gonna learn to be a competent MMA fighter in the next six weeks!" but you gotta start somewhere, yeah? And my starting point is a minimum of ten minutes a day practicing meditation. 3. Planning. I have a planner! I just...don't use it. So, during this challenge, I will. Daily. Time management is another issue for me; subject to my own personal inertia, I would be roughly spherical and live in a tank somewhere with reliable Internet. But with a planner, I can keep track of what I should be doing and actually do it. This is important to me. 4. Carry On. So I just turned 36. I made a goal for myself: by the time that I reach my next birthday, on Oct 26 of 2015, I will have gotten down to 400 pounds from my current weight of 459. This is doable, but only if I stick to my plan of paleo (ish) diet and regular vigorous exercise. The accountability and planning stuff are big parts of this, so I'm gonna stick with it. Boom. Pika. Done.

I know it's already a week in, but I'm jumping on the bandwagon. Goals for this cycle: Get flexible! I need to really develop my yoga/stretching habit, especially as the weather turns icky here in the PNW. My Goal: Yoga (preferably AM) 5x/wk. (+DEX, WIS) Get moving! I used to be a runner (half marathon last August), but have fallen out of the habit in the past year. Part of that had to do with the stiffness that came from a desk job. Yoga should help with that; I have no more excuses. My Goal: Run >5mi/wk. that can be two 3 mile runs, or one 5 mile run. Just as long as I'm moving! (+STA) Become aware! Knowing whether I'm meeting my goals in protein intake and sugar reduction tends to be half the battle! My Goal: keep a daily record of what I eat on myfitnesspal. (+CONS) BONUS - I want to hit a 100 kg dead lift by the end of the year! I just got a fitbit (I'm an engineer, I want all the data!), so I'm looking at the end of these next 5 weeks to have some solid data about my habits to reflect on. For accountability, here's the link to my Fitbit profile.

I am back for my third 6-week challenge on NF. My first two were very successful - helping me get started on my path to fitness, including a lot of strength training, cardio, and more than 30 pounds of weight loss. Now I need to make sure I don't fall off the wagon, because it would be so easy to relax with the holidays approaching. My four goals for the challenge are: Exercise for at least 45 minutes every day. I am continuing this goal from the last challenge, but upping the goal to 45 minutes. I will do several different types of exercise during the week to keep my muscles guessing -- YAYOG workout, swim laps, ride my bike, hike, karate, etc. +2 DEX, +2 STATrack all of my meals in MFP every day and finish under my net calorie goal each week. This is a continuation of a goal from my last challenge. Once again, I have configured MFP for a 750 calorie deficit. +2 CON, +2 CHAComplete at least 5 weeks of the YAYOG PVP challenge. This is also a continuation of a prior goal. The initial 10-week program will be done by next weekend, but I need to continue to do the work during this challenge. +4 STR Take an online continuing education course. I have to get a certain number of continuing education credits every year to maintain some of my certifications, and I am behind schedule with at least one of the programs. My goal is to take an online course. If it lasts longer than 6 weeks, that is fine, but I need to complete the expected amount of work for the duration of this challenge. +3 WIS The exercise goal will earn points like this: 45+ minutes = 3 points 35-44 minutes = 2 points 30-34 minutes = 1 point The MFP, YAYOG, and education goals will earn points like this: 5+ weeks = 3 points 4 weeks = 2 points 3 weeks = 1 point There are 12 possible points for the challenge. Here is my grading scale: "A" for 10+ points "B" for 9 points "C" for 7-8 points Challenge Status as of the end of week 6: Goal 1: Exercise Minutes 100%100% Goal 2: MFP Tracking 66.67%66.67% Goal 3: YAYOG 100%100% Goal 4: Training 100%100%

Eyes open, a slow wheeze comes out, slowly a dim conciousness returns .... So I died in my last challenge and have been missing now for a while since. I've been keeping up some level of activity but it's far from good enough. I'm not going to explain myself just that I wasn't doing what I really wanted. I've been using too many things as excuses and I'm not happy with it. This challenge is going to be a reboot. I'm going to get back into the swing of things properly and try use the accountability of the forum to help put an end to the excuses. So without further ado; Life Goals: I've moved into a new apartment all to myself while I was away and it's great but between lazyness excuses and being a bit shy I didn't throw the house warming I said I would so during the course of this challenge I have to do this. Challenge 1: No excuses, I'll be working out 5 days a week minnimum. Challenge 2: Gotta eat better, cop on and start cooking proper meals and not just going for the quick easy option so no takeaway/fried foods. Challenge 3: Trying something new, I'm going to try a yoga class during the course of the challenge. Thats it, short and sweet! You might have to bear with me for updates though as I have limited internet access while I'm working offshore which will be most of the challenge.

Ryoko's here! I made it to my second NF challenge and am so excited to get started with the Rangers. Very pleased to meet (and re-meet) you all! ^.^ So here we go: MAIN QUEST: CREATE MY FOUNDATION For a while I couldn’t figure out what I wanted my second quest to be. There are so many awesome things I want to do – the list is endless! There are so many fitness goals that I want to accomplish – where to start? And then I realized…before I go on to bigger and better things, I need to start with a solid foundation. I must have a strong personal baseline before I start taking on the “fun†stuff. I need a foundation that will adequately support my many future goals and aspirations; in short, I need a foundation that consists of stable training, good nutrition, and adequate rest. I am going to do great things. And this challenge will be the bedrock of all future challenges. QUEST 1: IMPROVE MY TRAINING SCHEDULE Last challenge I came up with a training schedule for my triathlon, and my homed-based yoga practice. This challenge, I want to come up with a standard, ongoing schedule that incorporates multiple facets of fitness: Strength (YAYOG/Gym), Cardio (Triathlon Training), and Flexibility (Studio and Home-Based Yoga). One that's sustainable long term. Grading: This one is going to be an all or nothing effort for me. Since I will be playing around with what works best for me, I'm not going to set specific parameters for this particular goal. I'll know if I made it at the end of 6 weeks. Effort is going to count for a lot on this one. (+3 STR, +1 DEX, +1 STA) Bonus Mini Challenges (not graded; these are for fun along the way): Cardio – Train for and complete my 2nd triathlon Cardio – Get down to an 11 minute mile for 3 miles (I'm at ~11:30 now, although I did maintain a 10 min mile for 1 full mile last week) Strength – Train for the Spartan Sprint in November. AROO! Strength – Be able to do 1 pull up Yoga – Do 1 round of Surya Namasakar every morning Yoga – Organize my teacher training notes Misc – Lose 5 lbs QUEST 2: IMPROVE MY DIET I eat relatively clean, but I could do a LOT better. I want to only fuel my body with pure, clean, homemade foods. My goal this challenge is to prepare wholesome, non-processed foods from scratch. I used to cook from scratch quite a lot, so this isn't a totally new endeavor for me. I’ll allow myself one lunch and one dinner per week out. Will be sharing pictures and recipes! Grading (per week): 19 meals from scratch – A (+4 CON) 17 meals from scratch – B (+3 CON) 15 meals from scratch – C (+2 CON) 13 meals from scratch – D (+1 CON) 10 meals or less from scratch – F (0 points) QUEST 3: IMPROVE MY SLEEP A tired Ryoko a Ranger does not make. I tend to get in bed between 12:30 – 1:00 am, sometimes not falling asleep before 2:00 am (and then get up around 6:30 – 7:00 am for work). My goal for this challenge is to be in bed no later than 11:30 pm, with no electronics! Grading (per week): 6 days in bed on time – A (+3 STA) 5 days in bed on time – B (+2 STA) 4 days in bed on time – C (+1 STA) 3 days or less in bed on time – F (0 points) LIFE QUEST: CREATE A COMPREHENSIVE DEATH PLAN One thing – of many – that Michelle's death taught me is that we never know when our time will be up. Should I die unexpectedly, I don’t want my family to have to unravel my life or figure out my final wishes on their own. They should know what to do with my body, what to do with my animals, what to do with my stuff, how to access my accounts, etc. So I am going to create a detailed plan that will have all of that information. Additionally, I will complete a Will, a Living Will, a Revocable Trust, a Financial Power of Attorney, and a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare (thank you jc!). Grading: This is an all or nothing task for me. (+ 2 WIS, +1 CHA)

Right so I don’t know where I’m going to be or what I’ll really be able to do for this challenge, I just don’t know yet what’s going on in work. I’m hoping I’ll be staying put a bit so that’s how I’m going to structure my challenge. This is my second go in the rangers so I’m going to have to really work on gaining all the skills and willpower mainly needed for this greatest of professions. I’m going to start being a bit more specific with parts of my goals for this challenge and see what I can manage. Life goal: I have two things I’m trying to do here and I’ll be happy to get one done this challenge and if the other takes a bit longer then so be it. I’m looking at moving to a nicer place and to myself. I’m done with the whole renting a room in a house with a few other lads and not having much space to myself. The other thing is a new car which will really depend on the right one coming along at the right price so I can just stay looking till I find one. I’m going to focus a bit more on the moving for now though I think. Goal 1: Healthy eating reset: I’m going to focus more on cutting out the bad this month more than anything the general goal is to eat as healthy as possible but with some real clear goals as well. • Remove the Junk: No fast foods of any kind even bought in stores, so no pizza, chips, burgers etc. I really feel these just need to be completely wiped out so that’s the goal. • Max 1 a week: Treats here so once a week I can have a treat/dessert or the like tops. Going to a cinema or eating out will be big here it means no popcorn/chocolate/desserts unless they are my 1 for that week. Goal 2: The Work: This is the goal for all my exercising. I’m not increasing this at all and will keep my previous 5 days a week which will hopefully be 3 crossfit classes and 2 ‘other’ I am going to be a bit more flexible if I don’t get things my way and 5 days exercise no matter what it is will do. The focus here will be perfecting specific movements. • Getting the moves: The main skill I want to practice for this challenge is double-unders so that’s what I’ll do. I have a speed rope so can do these in my own time too. • Making improvements: Here I have some things I can already do but need improving and I’m going to focus on my clean here, mainly getting that hip pop right. I’ll use any combination of clean doing this and will be happy when I can do it with good form consistently. Goal 3: Limber up: A ranger needs to be able to move in any environment and that’s something I’m not very good at just now. My hip flexors have been dubbed anti-flexors because they’ve become so tight I noticeably struggle and get regular soreness in them. • Stretch it out: I want to get into a good habit of stretching which is much neglected and will focus on my hips. I MUST stretch 5 times a week minimum to pass this goal. • Roll em up: Another thing to help mobility I want to start consistently using my foam roller 3 times a week for this. So let’s see how it goes. Hopefully I’ll be settled for the time being but if not I’ll just have to make some more changes on the fly. I’ll be doing my best to keep up with some of the rest of ye too. I’m off for now so see ya’ll later.

Because "How a Hero Gets His **** Together" didn't play well as a topic title. So! Last challenge didn't go well for me. I started late, had a two-week vacation at the beginning, and then constant distractions and interruptions along the way. Ergo, I think it time to get my act together again. So! Spark's life challenge is to get to 250 lbs. In the year and a half since I was first diagnosed with diabeetus, I have lost 34 pounds of fat, putting me at approximately 445 lbs. I will have more exact numbers tomorrow morning. This is a process, so I'm fine with the fact that I'm going slowly. My other major goal is to get my writing career in a place where it's actually making me enough money to survive on my own (without the generous and deeply appreciated help from both friends and family). Anyone remember this thread in Steve's blog, about becoming a superhero in real life? I figure that real life superheroes need a lot of the same training that you see in Ranger threads, so I'm going with that. After all, I'm proud to have friends here on this very forum who are real life superheroes. I need to invent a superhero to become, but that's okay. Right now I'm in training. I'm losing weight and becoming capable of more things every day. My goals are a reflection of that. 1. Work the workout. This is the same goal that I had in my last challenge, for those taking notes. I have a workout plan that involves doing things six days a week, and I'm notorious for not doing all six. This is the challenge where I will do all six, hell or high water, unless I'm incapacitated by the flu or some damn thing. That's 36 workouts during this challenge cycle. Each workout involves work at home, and four per week involve work in the gym. So scoring this one is simple, neh? 2. Work the diet. The Whole30 diet (basically paleo) is working wonders for me. But like any closed system, entropy creeps in. I find myself occasionally having a Hershey bar or something, or breaking the diet in other ways. These instances of entropy become more frequent every day, and while I haven't gotten to the "two pounds of sugar straight from the bag" point, I'd rather nip the entropy in the bud before it gets any worse. This is a holding action, in an effort to ingrain new habits a little deeper. 3. Work the books. No, not the writing. That's going pretty well without the goad of a challenge, actually. What this challenge refers to is learning new exercises. Once a week, I plan to learn how to properly execute a new exercise. This includes making sure that I know what I'm doing when it comes to ones that I "know" but need more work on, such as the deadlift. I will burpee. I will do kettlebell exercises that I haven't done before. It will be good to add new things to my arsenal. So there we have it, folks. Spark's challenge for this cycle. I look forward to seeing you guys working this cycle. Cheers!

Hello All my nf peeps! After having a blast on my first level 1 rebels quest I'm officially embarking on quest #2. I'm typing this from the ipad in my hotel room (I'm in NYC for training for my new job) so forgive the lack of formatting. This quest is all about doubling down. In quest number 1 I formed a habit of exercise and worked on pullups and waist size. This quest I'm going to double down. That's right, at the end of 6 weeks I'm aiming for: 1. 20 pull-ups 2. -2 inches off waist (putting me at 32) Quest 3 is a half marathon. I can jog 6 miles without too much difficulty, so 13 seems like a reasonable goal. I'll be running the moab half marathon ( http://www.moabtrailmarathon.com ). This challenge involves some serious ranger awesomeness. It's all about functional fitness.

I'm a little late to the party... My husband and I wanted to join the 6-week challenge, but we were really busy finishing half marathon training! Now that the race is over, we can focus 100% on this challenge! This is my first time posting on Nerd Fitness and my first time being excited about joining a "program" to get healthy. A little backstory: I live in Ohio with my husband and 2 cats. I'm in my mid-20's, and right now I'm going to school part-time for music therapy and working part time for a before/after school program at an elementary school. I'm running around most of the day, and I try to take every opportunity to relax when I can (aka play RPGs for hours on end). I started running a year ago and have completed 6 5Ks, a 10K, and a half marathon. I heard that just running was the best and easiest way to lose weight, but I have yet to lose a pound. I also have a wonderful condition called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), which is a life-long, incurable endocrine disease. Basically, my hormones are all out of whack. (If you're a dude or hate TMI, you may want to shut your eyes) PCOS causes me to gain weight easily and makes it really hard to lose. It also causes depression, irregular or absent periods, infertility, and nightmarish acne. I'm also at an elevated risk for any cancer you can name, miscarriage, diabetes, high blood pressure... just to name a few. Oh and did I mention it makes it difficult to impossible to conceive? It's lovely. My greatest dream is to have a family of my own, but I haven't ovulated in 6 months. Right now, I literally have a 0% chance at getting pregnant. There are a number of medications I could take for PCOS, all of which have ridiculous side-effects. Vomiting 24/7? Maybe not. When you're diagnosed with PCOS, the first thing they tell you is to lose weight to improve the symptoms. I am 10-20lbs overweight (according to BMI) and I know I could make this a lot easier on myself if I get down to a healthy weight. That being said, here are my stats for this 6-week challenge! CLASS: Ranger MOTIVATION: To be happy with how I look. To be able to conceive a child naturally (no meds or injections). To control my PCOS symptoms. MAIN GOAL: To get to a healthy/ideal weight and be healthy enough to have a baby All my motivations are connected to one thing: losing weight. They tell you that even losing 10% of your body weight can significantly reduce PCOS symptoms and boost fertility. Also feeling good about yourself can do wonders. I want to get down to 130-140lbs. MISSION #1: 6 20-minute workouts per week I want to keep running, but I know I need to focus on strength too if I want to lose any weight. I am planning for 3 workouts to run 20 mins and 3 workouts doing the Beginner Bodyweight Workout. MISSION #2: Eat paleo 2x a day, 5 days a week I do not eat paleo at all right now, so I want to start small. When I began reading Nerd Fitness resources, I saw stuff that really clicked. "Willpower is a finite resource." I always start out all gung-ho, then crash after a couple weeks. Start small, win small. Eventually those small victories will add up to a big victory. I want to eat paleo twice a day for 5 days a week. Whether it's 2 meals, 1 meal and 1 snack, or 2 snacks, I don't care! MISSION #3: Drink 64 oz of water each day My biggest downfall. I almost never drink enough water. And it's one of the best and healthiest things you can do for yourself. I have a 32-ounce water bottle that I can take with me. Rather than filling a small one up like 7 times, it will be easy- just drink 2 bottles. LIFE GOAL: Visit my OBGYN/endocrinologist and start getting my cycles regulated More TMI folks. My cycles are effed the eff up right now. It's also time for my annual lady exam, so I plan on getting that taken care of and possibly going back on birth control short-term just to jumpstart my cycles again. Regular cycles means balanced hormones means losing weight easier. If you read this entire post, thank you! I really need some support to get through this 6-week challenge-slash-year-slash-life. If you have hormonal struggles or PCOS like I do, please let me know! I don't personally know more than 2 people who have it and can relate to me. This main quest is the biggest and most important challenge of my life thus far and I can't wait to get started!!!

Hello fellow rangers! I'm looking for a bit of advice or support. One aspect of my six week challenge is based on exercise - 3 runs, 3 bodyweight sessions, and 2 swimming sessions. However, I'm finding the bodyweight aspect really difficult and I'm beginning to lose motivation. I'm following the Start Bodyweight plan, but I really can't get on board with the handstand push ups - I think I have terrible form (but I have no way to check this since I'm working out in my room) and I don't think I'm getting any benefit from it. In fact, I think my form is quite bad for a lot of them (especially the single leg half squats, which is where I'm up to in that progression). What should I do? I'm thinking of cutting out the handstand pushups altogether and focusing on the five areas that I feel like I can do. I want to finish the challenge and get my points, but it's becoming more of a chore than an enjoyable experience. Hopefully, this month I will work enough hours to qualify for the free gym membership for November, where I'm going to try the Stronglifts programme. I'm a bit gutted because I really liked the idea of bodyweight training!

[First of all, can I tell you how hard it is to find pictures on the internet of female rangers/amazons or pretty much ANY female protagonist that isn't either hyper-sexualized or, conversely, uber-cute? Sheesh! I just want a tough female ranger/amazon picture that isn't scantily clad. C'mon, people, I am more than my "assets"! /rant] 8K's, Muscles, and New 'Dos! (also known as, "Train for an 8k, part 2!") For those that have run the hidden pine trails with me, my goals this challenge are similar to last challenge. The last couple weeks of the challenge last time got derailed slightly; iphone glitch, travel, hiking trip, friends visiting (dangit it's getting out of schedule that does it.....darn you, life); I want to continue on where I left off. RUN T/TH/SAT My non-NF Scout friends are not letting me off the hook for running the 8k. They are even driving 5 hours (each way) out of their way to come and get me. srsly. Therefore, I must run. All that driving can't be for nothing. I need to pick back up on the 13 week walk/run program. LIFT M/W/F *Stronglifts 5x5* That's right. I'm going to start Stronglifts 5x5. Slightly nervous here... but I am excited at the thought of learning how to DL and all that jazz. It's kind of amusing tho that the program is specifically geared toward guys. C'mon, women like to lift to, brah! I really do want to continue with building core strength... so I also am going to include: MUST PLANK 30s, and 30s on each side too. MUST DO 10x3 back raises. I figure that core will be built doing Stronglifts too, which is why I am not upping the back raises challenge from last time. TRACK ERRY DAY That's right. I'mma continue to track my food, via pictures. Why? Because having to post pictures of the 15 chocolate covered mini-donuts that I want to consume is a wonderful deterrent to unhealthy eating. I've actually been eating more healthy (as far as home-cooked meals go), especially this last challenge. The only thing I am going to change is, I don't want to come back and explain what I just ate. (Unless you ask, then I'll be happy to share). I just think one more step creates that much more of a barrier to consistent tracking. Life Quest: I GOTS MA HURR DID! EVERY WEEK I'm embarking on my very first non-fitness related quest! Huzzah! I figured that if I am going to have the body of an Amazon, then I should at least have awesome hair to go with it. I usually stick my hair up in a ponytail, or braid it down the back. Or I pin my bangs back. That's it. BUT THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So.... Every week I need to look up a new hairstyle and try it out! And, I'll post pictures!

SleepyGi, Challenge #3: Wrapping up my first trilogy Unfortunately, since the last challenge I have been searching for the bottom, but have instead been freefalling... with a vengeance. Examples include my unwillingness to cook for myself or eat anything with any nutritional value, my newfound interest in overindulging in snacks that I don't even like, and my general apathy toward basically everything. I'm at my heaviest weight in probably a year, so that's not the best. Worst of all, though, I can't seem to get excited about anything, even things I was super-excited about just a month ago. So, that's where I'm starting. Where I'm at is not a pretty place, but it's not so bad if I let go of where I thought I'd be by now. In fact, let's see some quick stats: Weight: 147 lbs Caliper measured BF%: 25.25% I can definitely work with those. Over the next six weeks, I'd love to see some improvement in those areas, but I don't want to let myself get hung up on those numbers. What I need is a healthy lifestyle, so I'd like to spend this challenge taking some strides in that direction, and letting the stats fall where they may. Challenge Quests: -Aresto momentum [3 possible points]: First order of business is slowing down (and hopefully stopping) this dietary tailspin! I need to get back to basics: more good stuff less bad stuff. +1 CON: Drink 10 glasses of water/day. To help facilitate this, I'm using my quart-sized water-bottle and a basic routine: half a bottle with my morning coffee/breakfast, and full bottles with lunch and dinner. This should really help with my headaches (8 glasses/day doesn't cut it) and help stem the tide of overeating. +1 CON: Reduce meals/snacks containing processed foods to 3/week. I want this stuff out of my life, so so so bad! It's like being in a terrible on again off again relationship. Oh bread! You know I'll always love you, but you're no good for me, and I need to move on! +1 WIS: Read 1 article or watch 1 documentary per week on nutrition or meal planning to stay informed and motivated. -"A thousand push-ups" [3 possible points]: In the last challenge I set a goal about the amount of time I would spend exercising or engaging in an activity each day, but instead of taking that opportunity to make exercise a priority I ended up just tracking/counting the amount of activity that I typically get in a day. I'd like to make a pact (with myself) that I will make exercise for exercise's sake a priority, everyday, even if it's only for 5 minutes. +1 STR: Complete NFA workouts 4x/week (avg). +1 STA: Complete C25K sessions 3x/week (avg). +1 CHA: Exercise with someone else at least 2x: go rock climbing with my husband, take a class or find a meetup, walk the dog, etc. It would be especially great to get my close friends or family involved, since right now I spend most of my time [eating] with them. Life Quest: -Master the snarfblatt [2 possible points]: Since motivation has been in short supply, I thought it might be a good idea to put in something fun. I have a basic wooden flute that I'd love to spend more time with. I think it would be great to learn a new instrument, or at least the basic grammar of it. Plus, it would be a guaranteed way to keep music (if we can call the screechy squeaks that are all I know how to make on the flute at this point, music) a regular part of my routine. I need it. +1 WIS: Get at least 6, half-hour sessions in before the end of the challenge. +1CHA: Learn a basic song, record it, and post it here at the end of the challenge, which should be hilarious. And so it begins. I'm at least feeling pretty good that I am actually starting this challenge on time, and I really like the goals that I've set for myself. I hope that I can capitalize on these good vibes!

Intro: Hello! I'm Maplelicious (a silly name, I know), and I want to start my fitness journey by earning my way into the Rangers guild! I want to start getting fit for a few simple reasons: I want to feel more healthy and lead a more active lifestyle; I want to to teach myself discipline that can be easily applied to academics; and, as is one of the tenets of NF, I want to look good naked! I'm at an odd fitness level because I don't have any particularly strong body parts – for example, I can barely lift a thirty-pound dumbbell with one hand – but because of that, younger me learned how to compensate by efficiently using multiple body parts (e.g., I get most of my power when I swing a baseball bat by throwing energy from my hips and shoulders into my hands with rotation). As a result, I can consistently do five chin-ups when most people I know can barely do one, but those same people can also easily carry girls heavier than them on their shoulders while dancing. If a girl climbed on my back at a party, she'd better hope I was next to something soft. However, a whole consists of all its parts, and so if I make my muscles stronger, my innate capability to make my strength practical will increase dramatically. That's why I want to become a Ranger - I'm all about practical strength. Prior to today, I've been looking at NF articles and trying some of the workouts – especially the playground one – and was quite excited when I found out that my school had a fitness centre that wasn't just open to phys ed students, but that I could use it any time during my lunch hour. Well, after hearing about all the benefits of weighted squats, I warmed up responsibly, checked out some of the other equipment, and then headed over to the squat rack. Thanks to Steve and Staci's excellent articles, I immediately recognized the shiny, freely-spinning end pieces of the Olympic barbell, which also meant that, even when completely unloaded, it would weigh – gulp – forty-five pounds. I had done barbell squats before when a (completely jacked) friend showed me how, but only with a twenty-pound weight, and a short, miserable set with thirty pounds that jacked up my back for a few days. Nevertheless, I pinned my failure on my friend not explaining form at all, and I can distinctly remember feeling my calves practically rip as I tried to stand up on my toes and with my knees way past my shoes. I was a Rebel now! – I was a master in squat theory! Forty-five should be nothing as long as I keep my ass out and my knees in check, right? Well, I checked off the steps mentally as I wrapped my fingers around the bar in just the right grip, with the bar in just the right place on my shoulders. Butt out, feet shoulder-width apart... you know the drill. I was ready to do the perfect squat, and kickstart my journey to having my friends' jaws drop next summer! Only one step left - push the weight (or lack of it, thereof; it was really just a naked bar) off the holders. puuuuuuuuuuush Ahem; I said, push the weight off the holders! puuuuuuuuuuush Get this dang thing in the air! puuuuuuuuuuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSH Sweet, it's off! It's completely in my control now, right? ...right? Those were (probably) my last thoughts as the bar promptly rolled out of that perfect position on my shoulders, tore away from my perfectly-gripped fingers, impacted my perfectly protruding butt, and landed on the safety bars with all the grace of Rob Ford doing parkour. The sound of the crash may or may not have shut down the school for a few days due to a suspected IED explosion in the P.E. corridor. Okay, it didn't. But that's sure how I felt. I bade my time warming up while waiting for the guy using the squat rack to finish with his reps with a total weight of 85 pounds (20-lb plates). If that little skinny dude could do 85 no problem, 45 should be a walk in the park! I could visualize myself really starting to feel the burn as I quickly started screwing on plates after finding 45lb practically equivalent to bodyweight squatting. And in that moment of impact, when that literal butthurt started to send throbbing signals throughout my body, that image shattered. In hindsight, which is 20/20 (or, in the case of a wood elf, more akin to 50/20), it was probably only worth a chuckle to the other people in the room, but at the time, it felt like there were more eyes glaring at my weakness than there were eye sockets present – my friends, who easily shrugged off all of my tackles in childhood games of football, and my female friends, with whom I would very soon wish to start relationships, had their gazes upon me too, judging me and crossing me off in their mental Books of Life for potential partners, and instead circling that childhood bully who's been playing select hockey since he was six. I knew that something had to give, and the responsibility fell squarely in my lap. It was time to stop thinking that I could step into the fire without ever even being in the frying pan. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you: MY MAIN QUEST: DO TEN SQUATS WITH A 45-POUND BARBELL (and begin learning exercise discipline and healthy habit-making skills in order to create a platform for future improvement) Unfortunately, due to the fact that I will be joining this challenge about two weeks late, I can only hope to gain a maximum of ten points if I get A's in everything. As such, my point concentrations for awards have to be lowered significantly. I only write rewards for A's as benchmarks, and remove points to my own judgement for lower marks. For example, if I walk for 10 minutes every day but don't do any leg presses in Quest 1, I'll remove STR and END because I didn't really gain anything there. Recipe for Success (Quests) Improve leg strength (my weakest muscle group) by walking at least 10 minutes (excluding walk to subway) per day and do a set of leg presses (essentially negative squats) of at least 30 pounds at least 3x/week. REWARDS: A: STR +1, END + 1; END + 1Do as many reps of 20lb goblet squats as possible within 10 minutes 4x/week. REWARDS: A: STR: + 2, CON + 1, END + 2Cut down on snacking, especially late at night, to prove to myself that this is real and a permanent change for the better. REWARDS: A: CON+1, WIS +1Life Goal: Become someone I would be proud to date/have a relationship with, physically, mentally, and socially. I know it true to myself that I am a massive teddy bear and would be affectionate and sweet to a fault if I were dating someone... However, I would also be a know-it-all, pedantic, and too blind to social cues to garner the foggiest clue if asking someone out would elicit a "yes". Not to mention the fact that all of the girls I know also have the option of going out with strong, athletic, and admittedly handsome boys who always know the right thing to say and can carry a conversation like a camel carries water. If I want to stand a fighting chance to letting these girls see the affectionate side of me, I need to put on the pants in my relationship with my reclusive "blerch" (credit The Oatmeal) and get out there. I'm going to start by planning a hang-out – just a simple hangout – with a girl who I know just likes to cuddle, relationship or no, and see if I can (genuinely, no manipulation here) make her comfortable enough to want to. Motivation: The song "Creep" by Radiohead. I only very recently heard it, but I am now thoroughly obsessed. Saying that I relate to its lyrics is a bit of a hyperbole, but I don't want to say "I don't belong here" any more, and may I never know the pain of "she's running out again." Wish me luck, and thanks to everyone at Nerd Fitness for bringing me here, the first step of my new, healthier life!

Hello everyone! This is my second third challenge as a Ranger, I bailed on the first second because turns out writing a doctoral dissertation is really time consuming. Now I return to resume my quest to be an awesome Viking, but with a more specific goal in mind: In January I'm going to Guatemala to backpack through the jungle! It's going to be exactly like this. Exactly. So there is no way that I am going to become Arnold, ever (not in my genetics as a lady-type person) but I'm going to need some Strength and Endurance to get through my jungle trek. Especially if I run into a Predator. Quest the First - Endurance Endurance is not built up overnight, it is made by consistency and perseverance. As I am a triathlete I'm going to stick with cycling and running. I actually have a race on September 21 so the first week of this challenge is going to be pretty mellow, but to fulfill this quest I'm going to Run or Cycle 3x/week. Quest the Second - Strength I'm not sure yet how heavy my pack is going to be, but I do know that even a light pack feels heavy if you carry it all day. So I am going to do Strength training 3x/week. I am probably going to get a gym membership at 24-hr fitness, since that's where a couple of friends have memberships, but I will count any at-home bodyweight training as long as it's at least 30 minutes. Quest the Third - Fuel up Right My very first challenge, I challenged myself not to get delivery food, for I have a weakness for delivery food. In the jungle I will not be seeing any friendly people with boxes of pizza. So Restaurant/Delivery food max 3x/week. I'm not giving up Taco Tuesday because it is the best lunch when I have to teach morning and afternoon labs, and then I get two other times. This is pass/fail per week but I'm going to be a little more forgiving on this IF it is an outing with friends that's spontaneous, like I don't want to stay home because I already had my restaurant food that week, but then that will carry over to the next week, so I can "pass" going out 4 times in a week if the next week I only go out twice. The point is to make food myself at home! Quest for Life - Get a Job This is less related to the trip, but trips cost money! I am currently working part-time, which means my other part-time job needs to be finding a permanent (ish? Post-docs can be like one year) full-time position. I want this job to start in January, after I get back from my trip, which gives me basically three months to find it. This quest means 30 minutes every weekday of job searching/resume building. I mean ideally I'll do more than that, but there's the bare minimum. I didn't do an RPG thing last time, so I think I'm going to go back and edit my signature to start doing that. Here's my grading system for this challenge: First: 16-18 runs/rides = A, +5 STA13-15 runs/rides = B, +4 STA10-12 runs/rides = C, +3 STA7-9 runs/rides = D, +2 STA6 runs/rides = you tried? +1 STA<6 runs/rides = F +0 STASecond: 16-18 lift = A, +5 STR13-15 lift = B, +4 STR10-12 lift = C, +3 STR7-9 lift = D, +2 STR6 lift = you tried? +1 STR<6 lift = F +0 STRThird: Pass six weeks = A, +2 CONPass 4-5 weeks = C, +1 CONPass 3 or less weeks = F, +0 CONLife: Pass six weeks = A, +3 WISPass 4-5 weeks = B, +2 WISPass 3 weeks = D, +1 WISPass <3 weeks = F, +0 WISEXCEPTION: Finding a job = automatic A+! And that's my third challenge! Hopefully this time I'll manage to...

New challenge means a new focus. So yeah - new challenge! Woo! I had a heap of good progress in the last one, and I feel really good about it. But, I can't help but feel... "What's the point?" Personally, I think that this strength I've worked up should be put to use. So, I'm finally going to try pursue something that I've always loved and wanted to go for; This challenge, I'm learning/training Parkour. I used to train and practice quite a lot, in Scotland, before moving to Australia. Vaults, climbing, falling off of things - it was fun, and it was good exercise. I've never really continued with that, until this challenge. There's a group of traceurs in Australia - the APA, or Australian Parkour Association - who count among their instructors a member of Nerd Fitness (Hey, hitlionsoul!). So, imma be going to some training sessions and just generally working on parkour movements and techniques this challenge, with a little bit of lifting included so that my progress doesn't go to waste. So, onto the details! Exercise Parkour So, I've planned out 6 sub goals for me to progress with throughout the challenge. The aren't exactly progressive, but they cover what I consider the primary steps/areas of parkour. Of course, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong! Running and Falling - Perform a passable roll over both sides of my body Climbing and Precision Jumping - TBA Vaults I - Side, Monkey Vaults II - Speed, Dash Vaults III - Kong, Lazy Movement - Quadrupedal and BalanceEach sub goal will be performed as well as the previous goals. Ambidexterity is important here - I'm terrible with my left side - but thats just down to practice. Ill also be running at least 2km - 3km as a warmup for this. Lifting and BW Exercises At the advice of those much wiser than I am, I'm going to be using lifting simply as a maintenance thing this challenge around, combining it with body weight exercises for a fuller workout. So, the lifting will involve; Squats - Current working weight of 80kg. Deadlifts - Current working weight of 65kgOHP - Current working weight of 50kg Pretty simple, right? Ill be warming up with the bar (10 reps), then doing half working weight (10 reps), 10kg under working weight (5 reps) then working weight (3 reps) for each lift. The body weight stuff can be found at [insert link here] this link - its a fantastic looking bodyweight routine that I think'll do me a lot more good than the standard NF bbww or abww. Goals Achieve competency in all vaults attempted - +3 STA, +2 DEXMaintain or increase lifting weight - +2 STRAttend at least one APA training session - +3 CHAGet uni off to a good start - + 2 WISSave $1000 - +3 CONTimetable Monday - ParkourTuesday - Lifting/BWWednesday - RestThursday - ParkourFriday - Lifting/BWSaturday - ParkourSunday - Rest Good luck to you all, check back in every week for updates (TL:DR - Parkour challenge with some lifting and bw stuff thrown in. Woo!)

Main Quest (creative story line to be added … soon?) Quest 1 Learn it: First and foremost- My Master’s Class and Certification Training. For the next 7 weeks I am in student mode. First priority is maintaining my GPA. Quest 2 Work it: I’m tired of trying to track maintaining the house /garden/yard. These are not things I keep track of, and trying to keep track of them is making me nuts. So I’m not going to. What I am going to keep track of are what I schedule i.e.: training at the dojo, 5K training runs, walking the dogs. 5 days out of every week I will be doing something that involves me being a sweaty mess. It’s up to me to decide what days I want to do what on, as long as I do 5 a week, it doesn’t matter what activity I do. Quest 3 Track it: Keep track of what I have and have yet to do each week. Keep up with the mini quests. Keep track of when things are due. Keep track of my accountability buddies and the forums. Quest 4 Lose it: Drop 5 pounds Target 188 lbs. Have a side of happy… I’m going to go through my clothing and remove anything that is unfashionably large. For every 4 shirts I can’t wear anymore I can have 1 clearance sale new shirt. For every 2 pairs of pants I can’t wear anymore I can have 1 clearance sale new pants (only if they are work type) No single item may cost more than $15.00. I need to be properly dressed at the office but I’m not spending much time at this weight class so no need to spend a bunch of money here. This was added because a favorite outfit no longer fits properly and my décolletage is not as discreet as it should be, especially with my ID badges pinned on.