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Life has been a lot. I realized a few months ago that, while I haven't felt miserable or unhappy, my current trajectory isn't great. I can feel my mental health slipping and some bad habits returning. However, two specific things have helped re-direct my mind towards my goals for this challenge. First, my daughter bought be a kettlebell for Christmas. It sort of started as a joke. She texted me and asked, "What do you want for Christmas?" I responded that I kind of wanted a kettlebell, not really being serious. Her reply: "I can do that. What weight?" So I asked for a 35lb/16 kg, what the Russians refer to as one "pood". My daughter ordered the kettlebell early, so for the past few weeks I have been training with it using a plan known as Simple and Sinister, designed by Pavel Tsatsouline, a man often credited for starting the kettlebell craze here in America. I'll explain S&S more in a later post. Second, I saw an ad online for the Discipline Equals Freedom Reset, hosted by Jocko Willink's leadership organization, Echelon Front, and Jocko Fuel. While I know Jocko and his military brand of motivation isn't for everyone, I admire the man and am often motivated by his message and his story. Short background: I was in Marine Corps JROTC in high school and would have enlisted if not for epilepsy. This may explain why I respond well to someone like Jocko. So, without further delay, below are my goals. They are modified to nearly mirror the goals of the DEF Reset Challenge: Objective: Develop and/or strengthen healthy habits within my life. Set achievable goals for each category. Use the DEF tracker to track daily/weekly progress and report here. This challenge is a 4 week challenge. In addition to daily challenges, there will be weekly challenges that will focus on two daily challenges per week to be posted on social media and to be entered into prize drawings. GOAL 1 — UP BEFORE THE ENEMY: 0415-0430 wakeup GOAL 2 — GET AFTER IT Morning run or walk (at least 2.7 miles) Kettlebell workout (Simple & Sinister) GOAL 3 — PRIORITIZE AND EXECUTE Identify the top three things to accomplish each day and then execute! GOAL 4 — HYDRATE OR DIE Drink at least 120 ounces of water per day GOAL 5 — FUEL Keep it simple: Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants; avoid boxed, processed foods (i.e. "fake" foods) GOAL 6 — SUGARCOATED LIES No blatant sugar (cookies, candy, cake, ice cream, sugary drinks, etc.) GOAL 7 — BACK TO THE BOOK Spend at least 20 minutes a day on personal development (reading, journaling, etc.) Meditate/pray at least 10 minutes a day Write at least one poem a day GOAL 8 — REMEMBER Write down at least 1 thing I am grateful for each day BONUS (as challenged by Jocko): 100 burpees in less than 10 minutes or 10 minutes of burpees WEEKLY CHALLENGES: WEEK 1 — UP BEFORE THE ENEMY/GET AFTER IT Post a photo/video of how you are getting up early and/or completing your daily physical activity, use #DEFReset, @echelonfront, and @jockofuel to enter to win WEEK 2 — PRIORITIZE AND EXECUTE/HYDRATE OR DIE Post a photo/video of how you are accomplishing tasks and/or hitting your hydration goals, use #DEFReset, @echelonfront and @jockofuel to enter to win WEEK 3 — FUEL/SUGARCOATED LIES Post a photo/video of how you are sticking to your diet and avoiding junk food, use #DEFReset, @echelonfront and @jockofuel to enter to win WEEK 4 — BACK TO THE BOOK/REMEMBER Post a photo/video of how you are spending time on personal development and honoring those who sacrificed for us, use #DEFReset, @echelonfront and @jockofuel to enter to win

Hello. I'm Eric. I'm a guy in my mid-50s. I'm a massive Star Wars nerd. I was a long-time regular here on the challenge forums and regularly struggled with time management, over-commitment and in late 2019, a massive change in my family structure when my ex-wife passed away and I gained full custody of my two teenage children. I tried to stay active here but the last couple years have been rough at best and I haven't been here for quite a while due to a variety of factors that I won't bore any of you with. I was a skinny teenager, I gained a bunch of weight as an adult, and then I finally got healthy in my mid-40s. I spent some time kicking around a second career as a personal trainer but never got certified. I also got into Obstacle Course racing. At first I just did a LOT of races and piled up a substantial "I crossed the finish line" count but eventually I got decently good at it, meaning that on certain weekends with certain turnouts I could place in the top 10 of my age group in the "Competitive" category of a Spartan Sprint. That feels like a long time ago. I am effectively starting over. I've gained about 30 pounds in the last three years. I have lost most of my functional strength and all of my cardio fitness thanks to Long COVID. I have arthritis, which has really done a number on my feet and my grip strength. I have lost my 10-year relationship with the gym where I was a founding member as it has been sold and I no longer know anyone there. That seems like a lot of bad news. The good news is I have Hope. And this is why I'm back here. Goals for this challenge: Be Active One of my friends joked that I am a long-winded speaker and now I'm constantly out of wind and if they had known that all it took was an infectious disease to solve that problem they would have coughed on me sooner. It's been hard to want to be active when I can run out of breath while speaking a medium-length sentence (again, thanks Long COVID). I'm at my happiest when I'm active, and vital. Yes I'm seeing a doctor as I get back to being regularly active. I won't do anything dumb like start running every day or doing high-intensity workouts four days a week. But I will be active. Walking, running, bike riding, "Prison Cell" workouts in my home office during the day. Those kinds of things. Goal: 30 minutes of activity every day. Be Positive I've noticed over the last three (four? maybe) years that my levels of social anxiety have spiked. Part of that may be getting older, part of that may be me keeping far too up-to-date on the worst parts of society, part of it may just be the built-in relationships I've had for the last decade going by the wayside. It's easy to find the worst in every situation and even easier to find the worst in others. That's unproductive and unhealthy. Goal: Start a journal and write down at least three positive affirmations each morning, and note three positive things that happened at the end of each day. Be Present When my office closed in March of 2020 due to the global pandemic, I made sure I had a support system. I'm an introvert by nature, but there's a difference between having some alone time and being lonely. Now that I'm working exclusively from home - permanently - I'm going to need to find ways to make sure I am not staying isolated. Part of that is coming back here and posting regularly to the forums. I'm at my best emotionally when I'm building relationships and being supportive of others. Goal: Post an update here every day of this challenge, even weekends. What's Going On During This Challenge I used to have a laundry list of stuff - as I said, over-committed. Right now I don't. My most pressing project I'm working on right now are some updates to the deck I built during June of 2020. Also, my oldest son is moving out of my place into his own apartment on the First of November and I'll be helping him move all his stuff, which also means we'll be doing some major rearranging around here. This means I should have more than enough time and emotional energy to put some focus on regaining my health. I can feel what the cooler weather is bringing.

Hello, Nerds. A re-introduction is in order. I used to be here regularly. I went from skinny in high school to overweight in college to sedentary and obese as an adult to finally making a change ten years ago and losing a lot of weight and getting pretty fit. I stayed that way for several years. When COVID hit, I went from a routine that worked for me to needing to protect my immunocompromised family members, which led to a lot of regression to bad habits that I thought were gone forever. Turns out the world is round and you can wind up right back where you started if you aren't careful. Fortunately, the world is round and you can also keep moving forward and wind up right back in a good place, too. You just have to do it intentionally. I'm older than I was when I got healthy the last time. I deal with the effects of arthritis on a daily basis. I'm going through a major transition with work over the next year and right now it's kind of a time sink. I am now a single parent and I'm trying to completely integrate my fiancé into my family and even though we've been together for years this is a long, exhausting process. These are all things that weren't challenges when I was in this place health-wise last time. They're just things to overcome. The good news is I developed a LOT of healthy habits over those 7-8 years and I know the things I need to do. Move Intentionally I had joined a gym in January of 2013 and stayed with it until this past summer, with a major break for the COVID shutdown that sent my gym remote. It was during shutdown that everything sort of went sideways. I completely stopped running and I haven't worked out regularly in... yeah, it's been a long time. When my kids went to distance learning, it also meant I spent a lot of time sitting shotgun to make sure my kids did homework, and I went from commuting to work to working from home and being able to mentally disconnect from the office most of the time to it just being ~here~ and it's a challenge. Goal: Move Intentionally, one hour per day. I have resources and I want to be able to do a 5k again by April. Eat Mindfully For almost seven years I was able to successfully track macros and make solid food choices. I knew when my treats happened and I dealt accordingly. I have fallen WAY off that path. I know how to do this. I'm going to set a sensible calorie and macro target that will allow me to drop this excess weight and still fuel my workouts. I'll adjust as I go along. Goal: 1850 kCal/day. I need to set my underlying macros. I'll post that separately. Embrace Self-Care I have allowed this to happen to myself and I need to do two things: Not lie to myself about how it happened, so I can move forward away from this place in my life Not lie to myself about the effort it's going to take. It's going to take an lot of labor - physical and emotional - to get where I want to be. I need to be sure to be kind to myself along the way. I need to remember that progress is not linear. Goal: 30 minutes per day with no screens, no work, and no living the drama of others. This includes my family. I'm looking forward to being here regularly in a place I called home for so long.

After a long hiatus, it's time to get off my a** and do something about my health. My goals this challenge: Take readings of my CGM so there are no more than 10 gaps in readings Go for a 15 minute walk at least 3 times each week Complete 10 Academy quests

I fell flat two weeks ago. Just stopped doing my challenge for no very good reason. And then I had a weird FB altercation with my SIL which emotionally drained me. She had the gall to try to use my playing video game twice with her child as an insult. Argh! Still processing. I'm taking this as a sign to just maintain. And eat cookies. The goal therefore is to just maintain fitness, health, and home. I was doing better socializing here, so any extra energy will go to spending some good nerd time.

Hello rebels! It's been a very, very long time. I left off being this super cool badass that ran a Spartan race and accidentally did cross-country-runs through landmine-infested forests. I'm a long, long way away from that. Currently I work 60-100 hours a week. I had 4 weeks of forced vacation in April, and even though I couldn't leave my apartment due to COVID-19, I felt the best I have in a long time. My vacation was due to the fact that I got fired for wanting to work from home, and I can't even describe the weight that was lifted off of me. To make a very long story short, my termination was revoked, I'm back at work leading a team of very unhappy people. So on top of the crazy workload, there's a whole lot of emotional stress. I went from enjoying every minute of every day to basically just working and sleeping. Having this very stark contrast now, things need to change. Because there's a lot of things in my life that prevent me from working on my fitness and diet, I'm going to split the challenge into 2 fitness/diet goals and 2 life goals, just to get me started. And I will use the time leading up to it to properly prepare. So! Let's get started. Long-term goal: Be comfortable in myself and my environment I am not super happy with my body. Not super happy with my mental state. Not super happy with my work environment. Not super happy with my home environment. But I really want to be happy, and I know I can be, with a few changes. Fitness goal: Do something for my body - every day. I'm gonna start with a very, very forgiving goal just to lower my chance of falling off the wagon. I am very open to suggestions for short fun things. Currently on my list (I will edit and expand this as I go along): Forward Space workout Yoga with Adrienne Going for a walk/run Meditation on needle-mat Dance-off Work on burlesque act Diet goal: Less sugar I have a new coworker who constantly puts candy on my desk, and always has a literal pile of it on her own. I was never much of a candy-eater, but now I'm craving the stuff. I'm gonna try and buy some fruit to keep in the office so I can snack on that instead it. I'm also gonna try and make a pot of tea in the morning, to drink instead of coke at work. I only drink tap water at home, and never buy candy myself, so the diet goal is solely work-based at the moment. Life Goal I: Unfuck my habitat I moved almost half a year ago now. My place is a total mess. There's a couple things on the list here, I don't have to do all of them, but I'm hoping to do at least one per week. (I will edit and expand this as I go along): De-trash, including the moving boxes and other shit I don't need De-clutter Finish setting up my shelves Get rid of the furniture I don't need (tv stand, clothes hanger thing) Set up my desk Deep-clean the whole apartment (in sections) Life Goal II: Something fun and something important I have found tons of ways to have fun. The biggest one being drawing. But I don't have time to have fun at the moment because I only work and sleep. So - I want to prioritize having fun, while also working on creating more space for having fun. Something fun: DRAW. At least once a week, make the time to draw something. I would be super happy with little drawing challenges/inspiration by fellow rebels, although I can't promise the drawings will be great, I'm still learning. Something important: Apply for a job, at least one per week. Even if I can't find one I'm super happy with, just to get practice.

So... I fell off the wagon in 2017, rolled into a lake that went up in flames and was hit by an asteroid. Basically. It is now 2020 and the world is on fire. At least I'm fine now and ready to undo all that damage, lol. Previously, I would do some sort of story arc for my quest and that is something I will probably post in a later comment here, or just save once I'm out of the tutorial that is challenge 1. For now, my main goal is solely to hit my goals and stay consistent so as the long overdue reset my goals will be thus: 1. 1.4K cut-off -- log 1400 cals or less with a grace range of about 40 cals. I think my requirement is something like 1432 cals/dy but the number 1400 is easier. 2. Hit 5 min of strength OR 10 min of cardio at least 5 days/week -- this seems like a painfully low goal to me but my life has been filled with overdoing and overexerting myself until I wipe out GTA style. cue slow-mo desaturated footage and WASTED graphics... 3. 5 meals to eat out / week -- I may revise this goal due to the quarantine. This sounds like a lot but I was doing much worse just last month I assure you. Even still, I must be able to track this in order to hit goal #1 for my food log, so I can't go crazy. I found a hamburger + half-order fries at in-n-out is about as splurgy as i can go to stay in range. since pizza is my kryptonite i think i best steer clear if i cant get nutrition facts for it. most of the time tacos (real ones), salads, sushi and panda express are probably my best bet given what I tend to order. Life Goal: 4. write or draw 1 hr/day at least 5 days/week -- after 2 yrs of not drawing and wondering if i'd ever get out of creative burnout I got to explore a whole other side of myself. Part of that was accepting my limits and never forcing creativity. That's how I lost it in the first place. When I broke the block in Jan 2019 with writing, a brand new story came flooding out and whenever I could grab a spare 10 mins here and there I worked out a story more complete than anything I had previously done over the course of years. I now have a (albeit rough) skeleton story that just needs fleshing out. It wasn't until the end of July 2019 that I picked up a pencil again. In a matter of a few days, I was already drawing better after a 2-yr break than I ever had. While I'm still trying to lock the art for this project, writing is my current priority but I'm not blocking myself off to one or the other, just doing whatever I feel like doing each day as long as I do something. To expand the story, I just started focusing on short stories about characters and the universe. My bad this started getting way too wordy the further I went (lmao look at that progression...) I'll just stop here. There was a lot that went into my hiatus and the new things I'm struggling with just trying to get back on the wagon, but I'll add anything else necessary later and if anyone has any questions I'm an open book. Oh and lastly... I'm very glad to back.

ok, so... I'm missing this place! but I'm in a different place that I was. my Exercise program is in shambles, old (good) habits have been lost, and the passion that I try to bring to all my efforts was less so- I need to get it back. and part of that means coming back HERE. telling y'all that I will do better and being accountable to someone for Doing it! ofc, its midchallenge, but there's always a reason to procrastinate... THAT (procrastination) must stop! it must stop today. --- about the only thing to add is over the summer I fell back in love with Chess and I am truly trying (again) to improve. chess is important to me, as its a sign of clarity of thought and a challenge of unbelievable difficulty. Even my big 100 miles walk (which IS happening again in 2019) it Not, IMHO, as daunting and difficult as improving in chess. due to long experience I even have a number/rating to fit the accomplishment and If I can claw my way to 1600* (online) it would be a big, big deal.** ... I feel a little awkward about dissapearing from you guys lives like that. I really appreciated the effort some of you spent in encouraging me last year. and I probably need it more than ever. so I'm BACK! I hope I can post regularly. maybe NOT like the old days but I NEED to get back to old habits and this is a good place to sart *FYI, I'm sure a Rating like 1600 doesn't mean much to anyone around here. but I feel the need to explain it. First as you might guess, computers are Really, really good (at chess)- they NEVER make a mistake and look at millions of potential positions. they play around 3000. you might call that near perfection in chess. as for how Low people go, well I would say that the average uneducated (but having some promise) adult would be about 800. an "expert" is both a good player and a suprisingly defined chess player. if you are above 2000, you are an expert. so 1600 is definitely an intermediate player- good enough to beat newer players with ease; yet would Not win against an expert. ** BTW, if your curious, actually, chess and exercise go together very well. for a sport that involves long hours of sitting, it is Really strenious (at high levels) to keep the concentration and focus like that. Exercise gives muscles the ability to endure. and endurance is Everything in high level chess.

Any chance we could maybe get some reset options? I'm coming back after some time away and want to clear everything, so I can start shiny and fresh. I'd love if there was a way to reset the account as it's a little demotivating to have to uncheck everything you once accomplished, or at least it is for me, lol!

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

Hey, I have finally decide that it is time to hit the reset button when it comes to my health, and well being. Had quit a few stumbles in the past year but slowly making progress towards smashing my goals once again.

Ok guys, here we go again. I'm fighting again towards a healthier lifestyle. I have not been successful in the past several months, and I've gained back a lot of weight. Time to turn this around. I just got back from a short trip. On Thursday a friend of mine and I drove 5 hours to Kansas City, MO to see Markiplier's You're Welcome Tour. It was hilarious and a lot of fun! We then dropped down to Branson, MO for a couple of days. While there we went to the Titanic Museum, Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum, the Wax Museum, and played mini golf. Tons of fun! A lot of junk food though. So I am once again addicted to junk food. I have GOT to kick this. It's time to wake up. I may not have been trapped in the Sacred Realm for 7 years, but it almost feels like it. Time to wake up and get back on task for my quest. BIG WHY! - First I'm going to remember what my big why is. Why am I doing this? Why do I want to succeed? My big why is that I want to enjoy life. I want to be able to do more with my life and experience more. I want to be able to go hiking, zip lining, kayaking, and a whole bunch of outdoor stuff without being exhausted. I want to have the energy to take care of myself and those around me. I want to be able to buy clothing from a regular store. There are so many reasons for me to take on this task, but my primary reason is for health and happiness. Goal 1: Stop eating out - Tonight I'm going to the grocery store, and I'm going to stop eating out so much. I am allowed eating out twice a week. No more than that. I have to make that count. If I do end up going out to eat more than twice a week, the other times must be healthy options. Goal #2: Hydrate! - So, my goal here is going to be to drink more water. My goal for now is 64 oz of water each day. I think this is doable. Goal #3: Practice Sword Fighting - I have wanted to go back to Kendo for a long time. I'm finally going to do it. By the end of this month I want to go to at least 3 Kendo classes. I want to get back into it. Maybe it'll give me more motivation to hit the gym. Goal #4: Schedule Down Time - I have started to fall into the trap of planning too much for myself. There's so much I need/want to do that I haven't been taking time for myself. I'm going to practice self care and do better starting now. Ok, let's get this started. I'll need your help and support to get back on track. This WILL happen damnit!

HAPPY NEW YEAR PEACHES! It's back to basics for me this year. I need to be ACTIONABLE and ACCOUNTABLE. I know I know, that's what my GOALS are supposed to be. but it's not about them, this is about ME. I need a firm reboot and a hard reset and I need to get my head back into the game and out of the clouds and some other silly analogies etc etc etc. I have too many I WANT TO DO'S and not enough THIS IS WHAT I AM DOING, and I need to get back on to a plan before I can start to really attempt the millions of shiny that I want to chase. So, January is for resetting. Goal 1: 30 days of yoga My body is wrecked y'all. I mean, I'm not INJURED or anything - but I'm stiff and sore and I have twinges and I do yoga now and then and don't have the mobility and flexibility that I really want to do. So, I'm signing up for the 30-days of Yoga by Adriene on youtube, and I'm going to do it every day. * FYI potential yoga people doyogawithme also has some great challenges but the durations of classes is between 15 minutes and 75 minutes for them, and I really just don't have the time in the morning to do this. Goal 2: track food I haven't been tracking at all for ages! so, every day, track the things in loseit. EVERY DAY. just write it down! what's the big deal? Goal 3: push-up progressions This should be simpler than it is, apparently. 3x8 of push-up progressions. do them every day. there's a lot of push-up progression options out there. I'm at counter height, I'd like to move to chair height, and then a lower box or negatives. SIDE PARTY also, start to seriously look at things you want to do. * I mean, do I want to run? or am I just feeling lazy / it's 5 deg F outside right now? * what about weights? if I start weight lifting on tuesdays after tkd with my dojo owner, how can i fit more weights in? dust off the new rules of lifting for women? work on that at the same time? * what will my mornings look like next month? will I have time to keep doing the yoga? * what does my diet need to look like to get where I want to be? or at least, to get a little less holiday belly? * oh, did I want to try pole dancing classes at that place near my house? these are all complicated things that I don't know the answer to. THEY REQUIRE RUMINATION. Also in the interests of SUCCEEDING I declare a monday start. also, still doing the tae kwon do, etc. etc. etc.

Hey all, just reseting for the second or third time now. I've been thinking about why I could make progress and quit mid progress. I think the key was I took everything too quickly. I would cold turkey, breads, pasta, soda, and start going to the gym daily. Now that I have my wife on board with the nerdfitness program (note not just supportive but actively participating with me) And we've been working toward financial peace, I see that I really should slowly go through and change my default habits. I still don't know what class I should be. I'm a huge character creation fan, and I think this sums up my outlook on life. I like starting a whole bunch of stuffs with a lot of detail. But don't follow through well. I actually just finished my first project at my job and felt immensely proud! So I'm taking this mindset and working through like the Tortise. I would like to find out my class for rpg purposes as well as training purposes. I like the idea about being a younger Gandalf (The high level dex based fighter with a few tricks) I'm thinking this is probably Ranger, Monk, or Rebel. Also, neither my wife or I have social media so we can't join the Facebook group. I would like to find another accountability partner as well as someone who may have done something similar and exchange emails. Anyone have any questions? This week we are working through the mindset modules. We've been tracking food for a while so we are minimizing liquid calories and will start walking.

But, but, but RedStone! Zero Week is almost over! You missed it! It's yesterday's news!! Okay, yeah. This past week has been a teeny bit busy. I was wrapping up my cramming studies and trying not to freak out about the test, but happen to be an irrationally nervous test taker. Even now, how many years after school... the anxiety peaked on Monday/Tuesday ish, chilled on Wednesday, then woke me up, bright and tweak eyed Thursday morning before the test. Top priority was getting through the week. It is now Saturday, and heyo, I'm still kicking! (Though TBH it hasn't really sunk in that it's over yet...) For me, Zero Week is about reflection and analysis. Pre-season is ending, a new stage is beginning. Work has been done, work will continue to be done. It's time to look at what's been accomplished and see how it's going to be applied to the next stages. It's kind of like New Years introspection, except it's always happening... rolling along with action. This past challenge in particular, along with this new one here, straddles a few important calendar dates for me: a year of being active on NF, a year of heavy lifting. The beginning of my transition to functional eating and healthy metabolism, as well as a new respect for what relapses can look and feel like for me. AH, and yes, becoming certified for personal training by the American Council on Exercise Everything was timed out nicely... study until my brain melts (check), take the test (check), pass the test (did that really happen??), go on vacation. I don't know about you guys, but I find travel extremely invigorating. Even just a local-ish weekend away looking for geo caches (seriously try it, it's awesome!) helps me hit the reset button. On Tuesday, Mr Red and I will be taking a week long road trip from Miami ---> St Augustine. Special events include a Mets spring training game on Mr Red's birthday, and a wedding for one of my dear Kung Fu brothers (and the initial spark behind the trip.) There will also be dancing and Everglading and botanical gardening maybe, and a whole lot of walking around. Since test week was Zero Week (ZERO WEEK!) and week 1-2 is travel, I debated skipping the challenge this go around. Then I found myself nearly writing a novel on my battle log, and also being relieved that now that the challenge was over I could start skipping breakfast. So, I made a tracker to keep me inline! Food and water weren't great surrounding the test, and I'm feeling that this will have to be a focus while I'm traveling. Eat to 1650 as close as possible, don't eat junk, reduce sugar, cause damn girl, you're getting hooked on the sweet stuff again. _____ WAIT. OK. Before I get ahead of myself... I should get back to Zero Week. (ZERO WEEK!) Since my schedule is so inconsistent during this challenge, and since I'm kind of at a personal cross roads in my life, I'M GOING TO HAVE ZERO WEEK FOR EVERY WEEK of this challenge Each week will have a new set of goals based on all of the new things going forward, and I will keep the goals even simpler than usual so as not to overload. For example, I usually include training on my trackers. But I always train no matter what. So... I don't have to include that... unless... I want to see boxes colored in. Which I usually do. (And why I usually include them on my challenges.) Hmm, very nice circular logic RedStone. Didn't really go anywhere though... _____ TLDR: new goals every week: just a few, simple and effective goals geared towards moving me forward in the next stages of my grand schemes. I dunno. TBD every week. That's the point _____ SO. The rest of this week = getting away from the junk I've been eating the last few days (OMG after the test... yeah. Jeez. White Castle. Don't think I've had that since 2001. I'll tell ya'll about that later...) while not loading up on groceries since leaving on Tuesday. Figure out training program with Lou. Get ready to peace out and get some sun, pamper: hair, maybe nails and clothes. PLAN TRAVEL GOALS for Zero Week Mach II. HIT THE DAMN RESET BUTTON. Let's do this.

Hey there folks. I don't know if this is a long story, or a short one,but I know it is not a total reset as I have at least been consistent with my gym schedule. Anywho, I am having trouble with passions. I find myself deeply entrenched in a rut of boring cubicle work, thought the cubicle is at home now, and find it hard to get excited about a lot of things. I used to be really into Star Wars and other fandoms and stuff, but I have lost my way in terms of an idea that can really get me excited day in and day out. What have you guys done to get yourself back on track, or finally find something that holds you. I keep trying things and they either do not spark me, or I cannot be sparked and I make excuses or decide endlessly trolling the web is a better choice. Thanks,

When we last left our hero, she was preparing for her journey. She started off strong, but got distracted by holiday sweets and busy with friends and family that her preparation took a back seat. With the holidays over and a new year on the horizon, it is time to hit the reset button and start a new game. Back to training. Feeling like she has fallen behind and has not made much progress, RhiaWolfe trains to grow stronger. Can’t fight battles with Stalfos and Moblins if you’re not strong enough to swing a sword and take a blow to the shield! Goal 1: Back to Training – go to the gym/workout 4 times a week Eating all of sugars and sweets at the Kokiri Christmas festival leaves RhiaWolfe feeling lethargic and without energy. It’s time to put away the cookies, candy, and other sweets and get back on track! Goal 2: Less Sugar – No more than 2 heavy sweets a week (candy, cookies, cakes, etc.). Without all the carbs and sugar, a hero still has to get energy from somewhere. Instead of stopping by the Kokiri inn and grabbing a meal full of fats, carbs, and high calories, instead maybe stay home and whip up a batch of deku stew? Goal 3: Cooking Skill – Eat out no more than twice a week. We’ve hit the reset button and started a new game. Let’s see if we can get this new year started right!

This will be the second time that I've re-spawned here. I'm not really upset about it. In fact, I'm quite excited. There's almost no better feeling that a fresh, clean start. I've struggled for the past six to seven years to get this right, but I've finally come to truly realize and accept that "right" and "perfect" don't matter, only what works for me. I have a tendency to do too many things at once, big or small. I stretch myself too thin, keeping up with so many places where I've set goals. I forget what those goals are very easily. I lose sight of my commitments, and therefore forget myself and my value. It's hard to make changes when you can't remember what you're changing and why. I'm here not to let go of all that, those things that I've learned do not work for me. My past threads are just that, like old tactics and beliefs, things better left in the past. I'm starting from the ground up, here and now, with what I know works best for me. Slow, steady, and simple. So, Let's Henshin!

It's been a full year since I uprooted my cozy little life in Iowa and moved to Oklahoma. While it's been full of new and exciting things as well as some unexpected difficulties the one thing I really regret about the move is how much I've struggled to stay fit--especially in the last few months of battling pain I've lost a great deal of strength and gained a good bit of scale weight. Today I'm getting back in the game (again) and turning the momentum around. The last challenge started strong but fizzled early, so I'm determined to start "next year" a month early. To that end, I'm going to finish off 2016 with a full December challenge: 31 days of mindful fitness working toward my usual cadre of specific goals. There are plenty of obstacles--in addition to the Christmas holiday there are two family birthdays within a week of each other--and I'm still not certain of my current capabilities, but I'm going to do whatever I can to keep from having to buy larger clothes. Goals: 1. Workout - 3 times per week for 60 minutes per session; focus on core strength, flexibility, and mobility; incorporate the at-home portion of my previous OT/PT that has been completed. Generally work up a sweat and stoke the metabolism. 2. Eat - 1800 calories per day. Macros don't matter, but as always the plan will be to stick to Primal-ish foodstuffs. 3. Drink - Water. No liquid calories. No excessive caffeine. One can of Diet Dr Pepper is permitted before noon each day. 4. Sleep - Get back to a regular bedtime schedule. Time to make the donuts...

I started Nerd Fitness in June and was doing well up until the beginning of August, at which point I got derailed. I went to Minnesota for a week and got Lyme Disease from a tick bite I didn't even know I had. I grew up going to my family's cabin in north-central Minnesota and I've had plenty of mosquito and tick bites but never got sick. Lyme disease is A-W-F-U-L. To make a long story short, after I got diagnosed properly (that took 2 weeks) it then took me another six weeks to get through the antibiotics and get to a point that I feel like I have enough energy to do a strength training. I'm super hyped with the new launch of updated bodyweight workouts (I'm not at the point of using the new ones yet) and really want to restart here in October for the Bodyweight Workout Month. The problem is having time available. I've had to take a second job to make ends meet in September and I am trying to find a new job that will pay enough to live on by itself, but nothing so far. So, I work A LOT and don't have much time for bodyweight workouts (which I prefer to do in my home), BUT I DO have time to do it. It's just tight. Therefore, I am telling you all that I am making a commitment to start bodyweight training again and GET IT DONE! Here is my plan: Wednesday evening from 5:30 to 6:15 PM, then eat dinner with my son who lives with me; Friday from 7:00 to 7:45 PM, which is when my kids get back from their mom's house and are with me for the weekend; and Sunday evening from 7:00 to 7:45 PM, after my kids go back to their mom's (my son who lives with me can drive them to their mom's). So I DO have time to workout, in spite of how it feels. It feels like I have NO time and ZERO money...both are lies in my head. I am becoming the kind of guy who sees reality and works with that, rather than cower at shadows dancing around in my mind. This is my reset after an illness which knocked me off the horse...this is me getting back on the horse and not letting go!

I started writing this long tale for Ki, my NF alter ego, but it started to become a stand alone story rather than a post, so I'm posting as me, or this post will never happen! I'm back on track and feeling amazing. I had a few weeks away. I caught one of those awful viruses going around and it took me out. I basically slept all the time. During recovery, my sinuses took a beating and I picked up a sinus infection. And after 6 weeks of being seriously down and out sick, sickness depression set in. It took a lot to drag myself out of that hole, but I'm not only back, but back on track and already digging into this challenge. First, the last challenge was my first, and I definitely bit off more than I could chew. Too many small challenges, too much to track. I hung in there, but i was a bit overwhelmed. This time around I'm keeping it simple and doing more to set myself up for success. So here's my take this time around: Work out 5 days/week - 3x StrongLifts/week - 2x swimming - 1x spin class - 10k steps/day I'm really focusing on the walking for the next month because SDCC is coming up and I am not ready. Last year I walked 53 miles in 4 days, and I don't feel like I'm up for that just yet. So putting in some walking miles is my goal between now and the con. Track food every day. This is so huge for me. When I log, I stay on track. I've also started intermittent fasting this week. I'll be honest, I wasn't sure I could do it, but day 2 is down and I'm still alive and I have no bodies to bury. It's definitely something to adjust to. What I can see already is that I eat out of habit, or not even paying attention. The urge to eat is there even when I'm not hungry at all. It's tough, but I promised myself I would stick with it for two weeks and see how it goes. So far, so good. It definitely does curb how much I eat, but I have to work to find a balance. On the first day, I only ate 850 calories, which is insane. My daily calorie goal is 1460. But I ate two big meals and I just wasn't hungry, not even for snacks. Today I did better, but I still had to eat until I felt a bit overfull, just to reach 1400 calories. Either I'm not doing something right or it's just an adjustment my body will make. It was a quick and dirty post, but I felt like I really needed to get something on the board and get going. Last goal is to drink 64-80oz of water a day. And that's it. Work out, log food, drink water. I'll add more to it next month, but after the past couple of months, I need some wins. Now I'm looking forward to catching up with how everyone else is doing!

IT'S DOCTOR WHO TIME! The Doctor is a Time Lord. He is able to travel in time and space and, along the way he helps people in need. Well, I’m in need of a reset and I’m hoping the good Doctor can help me with it. Let’s go back in time and start from scratch. Strength to do what is right (STR +3) I used to be really diligent about weight lifting but I have strayed. It is time to get back to being a badass. Big muscles won’t grow themselves. Challenge: Lift 3 times a week (Mon, Wed, Fri) 12 days = STR +3 9 days = STR +2 6 days = STR +1 I don’t need a sword! (DEX +3) Instead, I have arms and legs to do my bidding. Unfortunately, I’ve neglected their conditioning and now I have to catch up. A lot. Since I am grossly out of shape I now have to make sure I participate in as many kickboxing classes as I can. Challenge: Kickboxing 3 times a week (Tue, Thur, Sat) DEX +3 = 12 days DEX +2 = 9 days DEX +1 = 6 days Bonus, if I do at least 12 days a month, I get $20 from my insurance I’m down with extra money! I like bananas. Bananas are good. (CON +3) In order to lose the pudge I’ve gained over the past 3 months I have to really clean up my diet. No more crappy food, we’re going full on clean eating. Primal diet, here we go. Challenge: Keep strict Primal for the entirety of this challenge CON +3 = 4 cheat days or less CON +2 = 6 cheat days or less CON +1 = 8 cheat days or less I am accounting for the fact that I have a cheesecake challenge going on this year and I don’t plan on taking a break from it. Let’s hope a tiny slice a week doesn’t derail change If you see water on Mars, run. (CON +3) I have an incredibly hard time drinking enough water every day. I live in an arid state so I still dehydrate myself on regular basis. It’s time for a reset. Let's hope this reset will help make this better. Challenge: Drink a minimum of 90oz of water per day CON +3 = within 90% of the goal CON +2 = within 80% of the goal CON +1 = within 70% of the goal This will require some detailed tracking. I am hoping it will help get me in gear. Why do dreams have to fade so quickly? (CON +3) This is always the most difficult one to accomplish for me because I am super addicted to watching things. Once I get on YouTube, it’s at least an hour that gets wasted and I get easily addicted. Let’s hope I can make a change. Challenge: Go to bed by 10:30 on work night and by 11:30 on off night. CON +3 = 6 days/week or more CON +2 = 5 days/week or more CON +1 = 4 days/week or more Hello Sweetie! (Extra Credit) Cheesecake challenge continues! I have religiously (almost) made a cheesecake a week for the past 8 weeks and I’ve made some really interesting recipes. This trend will continue here. As a note, this isn’t a part of my challenge, but it will be a good place to keep things in order. I’ll be making the following: Cookie Dough Cheesecake Mint Oreo Cheesecake Cheesecake Brownie Swirl Low Carb Coconut Cheesecake

Last year I conquered the Empire and shed most of the excess body mass I wanted to get rid of. I didn’t meet my overall target for losing scale weight, but that’s mainly due to the added muscle mass I built while burning fat and improving my fitness. I also came up short on my goal of doing 10 pullups by year’s end, but I went from not being able to do a single one (for months!) to being able to pull 8 in a single set. That’s progress no matter how you slice it. I found tremendous success in sticking with my first year of NF challenges--all 6 of which were focused on eating, exercising, and sleeping well. In just five months I shed nearly 50 pounds of scale weight, and I reduced my bodyfat by half. I had a few minor stalls and setbacks in body recomposition, but I was still seeing strength gains at the gym and making progress toward my goals. Along with my personal fitness goals, I decided it was time to start working to improve my professional life as well. I began a job hunt that eventually landed a promotion and relocation from Iowa to Oklahoma. Accepting that job meant a lot of upheaval and a ton of work to get ready for relocation, and I deliberately set aside my fitness goals for the sake of making the move. After two solid months of finishing up projects on my house to ready it for sale and finalizing my last projects at the office, I finally packed up and headed out. An early attempt to get back in the fitness swing was rebuffed by a mild-but-persistent bout of depression. A second effort was countered by a physical problem that kept me down and out for a good bit. A planned third press of the reset button got thwarted by holiday/birthday/anniversary celebrations, and a visit from my wife—whom I hadn’t seen in a month—to help find a house in our new town brought an additional six days of feasting and shunning of exercise. So my fitness force has been in slumber since the end of September, and my body composition, strength, and general mood have taken a major hit. I made strides last year and I haven’t fully reverted, but it was terribly easy to fall back in to my old mindless patterns of eating, drinking, and sleeping whatever and whenever I felt like. It’s time to start being deliberate again. To that end, I’m going to start this year just like 2015—with simple achievable goals designed to turn my body into a machine: Goal 1 – Workout - Continue my barbell regimen (based on Wendler’s 5/3/1 “Boring but Big†program), picking up where I left off in September but dialing it back to accommodate some loss of strength in the intervening period. - Incorporate the NF BBWW twice per week to bring back some of my cardiovascular losses. - Rest on planned rest days. Goal 2 – Eat - Stick to eating clean, whole foods that are high in protein, natural fats, fiber, and micronutrients. Avoid refined carbs and sugars. - Follow my previous calorie zig-zag program for burning fat at a programmed rate of 1% of bodyweight per week. I might actually have enough muscle mass to call this a legitimate “cut†now. Goal 3 – Drink - Only water throughout the challenge period. I’ve allowed sodas to creep too far back in to my habits. Goal 4 – Sleep - In bed on time every night. That’s 10 pm before work days and 11 pm all others. As usual I’ll employ MyFitnessPal to track my eating, though I’ll be relying a little more on estimates until my kitchen gear arrives from Iowa and we get established in a new home here in Oklahoma. I have a dandy spreadsheet modified for the new challenge format to track progress on my workouts, and I’ll keep an updated chart of my challenge goals (strictly pass/fail) here in my challenge thread. For 2016, I have three specific things I want to accomplish: - Reduce my body fat to 10% of total body mass at least once, maintain below 14% thereafter. - Join the 1,000 pound club for combined deadlift, bench press, and squat in a single session. - Do 3 sets of 10 pullups in one session. Not one of those has anything to do with scale weight (although pullups are easier when I’m lighter ). I haven’t seen a scale in months. I’m not even sure what I weigh at the moment, but I do know that I’ve had to relax a few belt notches and my new “skinny†clothes are getting awfully tight. You’ll notice a lack of shirtless progress pics in this challenge, too, since I don’t have my mirror yet. I also no longer have access to my prior measuring tools for body composition, so I’ll need to dig in to see what’s available at my new duty location. For this first challenge at least, there won’t be any start-end comparisons of body measurements or progress photos. All I’m focused on right now is meeting my goals and getting back to my good fitness habits. There’s been an awakening in the Force. Have you felt it? It was (mostly) fun indulging in the Dark Side for a while, but now I’m heeding the call back to the Light.

Presses [reset]. Hey all! I’m Morgan. I’m a 22 year old cis!female from Minnesota who has tried several times to get healthy. I struggle with clinical depression and am currently in a really low swing, but I’m hoping that focusing on these challenges and being surrounded by community will help. The above photo on the right lists my goals for the next six weeks. I’ll be posting a journal with my current stats (weight, measurements, etc) as well as a full body shot tomorrow. Cheers! -Morgan

After last challenge I clearly need to get back to basics. Soon I will be revealing that plan but now I need to do terrible things to asphalt. Okay: Goal 1) 3 work outs per week. Days to be declared at the beginning of the week Goal 2) Track food, meet the calorie goal my trainer set out for me Goal 3) Keep up with YNAB.