Search the Community

So I used Nerd Fitness for a bit a few years ago but stopped after a while when Uni became all consuming. In that time I've put on more weight and my willpower has decreased, I've tried multiple times to lose weight but it's never stuck. I feel like a hamster stuck in a wheel, just going around and around, doing the same things and nothing working. Thinking back to when I had my largest and most stable weight loss, it was here, on Nerd Fitness. So I'm going to try again and I'm going to start now. I'm off to the gym in a few minutes, I've got a slight plan in my head not the best I know but if I spend any more time trying to figure out what I'm going to do I'll never leave my house and spend the rest of the night indoors, eating leftovers and watching Netflix. Over the coming days I'm going to up my game plan but for now I just need to open the door and start my new adventure. See you when I get back.

Ok, so. After the total disaster that was last month's challenge and then completely falling off the wagon this week due to grief (a friend of mine died, found out Monday. Since Monday, I've watched a season and a half of Community, eaten a good 20,000 calories of junk food and fast food, done exactly 3km of walking and that's it for anything physical, stopped setting daily goals and checklists at work, and had like two servings of vegetables spread across four days. I am grieving, yes, but this is not a healthy way to go about it. I need to get my shit together again.), I need to respawn. My goal this month is simple: Each day, set three healthy goals. Can be whatever the fuck I feel like doing that morning. Check them off completed by end of day. That's it, that's all. Full stop. EDIT: Sorry for the cursing. I was brought up an army brat, stress brings it out (along with bringing out my stutter in meat space). I'm not sure what the language rules are here, and I've tried to keep it to a minimum, but I'll try to tone it down more if it needs more toning down.

Lincoln's Log Respawn Report Stardate [-4]94697.4 First off, hi. Fist time posting here. Usually I post in my Daily Battle log cleverly titled "Lincoln's Log," hence the header with the stardate of the beginning of this post. I suppose some background is in order. I've found my biggest road block in my health and fitness journey, and actually in all things that I struggle with, stems from my at the moment thoughts and feelings towards romantic relationships. More accurately in my case, my lack of said facet in my life. I'm going to be 24 this Friday (not that big of a deal for me, I actually dread my birthday since I'm an introvert), and I've been single for the last eight years or so. When I say single, I mean REALLY single. Like I've gone on two or three dates in that time span. Part of this is due to my depression cycles. During them, I find no redeeming qualities in myself. Actually the best thing I've found to help me out of them is a quote from Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2, where Darth Traya tells the character that she can tell they are a Jedi by their posture. Helps for some reason, I don't know. Anyway, yesterday I faced my fifth rejection in the time I've been looking for a relationship. I suppose my self confidence is improving, as three of those rejections have occurred within the last 14 months, and all three of those aforementioned dates have been within the last 10 months. I'm getting used to being rejected honestly. Over time, my recovery rate from the initial depression onset has gotten faster. I'm almost healed now. But, for a long time my fitness and health journey has been at least in part fueled by my wish to start a new relationship. With my rather abysmal success rate in that field, I'm starting to drift away from relationships in general (I'm almost to the point where I prefer to be alone), so I've been searching for some new thing to guide my drive to succeed. Other than looking like, and maybe eventually cosplaying as Alex Louis Armstrong from FMA Brotherhood, I'm in an admitted deadspot (though cosplaying as the most manliest of men that I've seen in Anime might very well be motivation enough). So yeah, there's my first respawn report. Hopefully I won't post too many of these, but everyone needs to be heard once in a while. September 12, 2017 14:04:36 End of Log

Sometimes, a network gets it completely wrong and cancels an incredible show because ratings are beginning to falter. As time passes, interest slowly renews in the darkest recesses of the internet, growing into a clamour, and eventually Netflix cobbles together a reboot. In the grand tradition of these shoddy and shameless rehashings... The Arrested Development of SomeGuyFromScotland A select few of you may remember me. I came, I did some challenges, I dropped some weight, and then life started life-ing me and I disappeared. In early 2015, I weighed 255 lbs. I joined a gym, started eating better, found NF, and in around 18 months, I'd just about scraped under 200 lbs, got myself a nice suit, and life was going... better. But interest started to flag, and a combination of work-related stress, family dramas, injuries, illness and dark depression took hold, and I went under the ice for a while. It started with some niggling aches and pains, which, after an extended period of doctor and hospital visits, were diagnosed as calcific tendonitis in the rotator cuff, and bone spurs in the neck. As I attempted to get those under control, my wife lost her mother as my own's dementia gradually progressed. She suffered a series of falls and spent a large chunk of the early part of this year in and out of hospital for weeks at a time. We're getting some support with her care now, which is helping greatly, but the dementia is only going to worsen as time passes. With all of this in the background, I completely neglected my own well-being, quit exercising, ate like crap, didn't look after myself mentally, and spiraled into a dark place. I could feel my health worsening as my weight increased, to the point where everything was becoming uncomfortable, and I felt constantly sick, tired, and sore. A month ago, I made the decision to rejoin the gym and go completely cold turkey from my arch nemeses, chocolate, cakes and fizzy/energy drinks. On my first visit back to the gym on August 1st, I weighed myself. 257 lbs. Back to square one, literally. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $100. So tomorrow will be four weeks clean. I'm treating this like the addiction it is. One day at a time, one decision at a time. This is my life now. Still, though, one thing was missing. And I've known all along what it was. My support system here at NF. Let the reboot begin.

I've been realizing recently that I am in need of some re-branding. I need to start seeing myself differently than I have before if I'm going to make the changes I want to see in my life. I need to really commit, and decide what is most important. And I need to have some more meaningful inspiration. I've recently found that inspiration in an assassin of old, Teancum (pronounced tee-ANG-come). He was a stalwart general, and a deadly assassin. He was fit in body, mind, and spirit. He is someone I would like to emulate. In order to re-brand myself, and have a fresh start, I decided I would like to change my display name to Teancum, but that first I have to earn it. As such that will be my reward if I can live up to the name this challenge. Teancum was strong, active, faithful, and disciplined, so I must be too. This might be particularly difficult, as I will be away on vacation for 2 weeks during this challenge, so I have built some contingency plans into each goal. I think this test of continuing even when it is difficult while I'm away is exactly what I need though. I've also had trouble in my past few challenges accurately measuring my progress, so I've instituted a scoring system with clear pass/fail marks. My challenge will be as follows: First: Never miss 2 in a row - I will never 2 bad health choices in a row (ex. missing a workout, eating junk food, etc.). If I miss a workout one day, I will do it the next day. If I have a bad meal, my next one will be healthy. I think it will be so important for me to finally get this down, so that I avoid going into my spiral of apathy and giving up that tends to happen at the end of each challenge. Scoring: missing 2 in a row even once = challenge fail With that overarching goal, I will emulate Teancum by being... Strong - NFA Body Weight level 3 work out 3x per week Contingency: Do equipment free exercises of same type (ex. push, pull, legs, core) Scoring: 3/week x 4 weeks so Score/12, 90% is pass, zero week workouts are bonus Active - Skills training 3x per week on off days (Assassin skills: balancing, climbing, parkour, crawling, hanging, etc.) Scoring: 3/week x 4 weeks, so Score/12, 90% is pass, zero week activities are bonus Faithful - Scripture study daily Scoring: 7 days x 4 weeks, so Score/28, 90% is pass, zero week sessions are bonus Disciplined - NFA modified Level 4 diet (no sugar or fast food, vegetable daily, whole grains). If I cannot meet these guidelines (ex. fail to pack my lunch) I will fast for that meal to build self control and prepare to eventually try intermittent fasting. Contingency: While traveling I will need to eat out, but I will pick healthier option from menus (ex. Substitute veggies for fries, etc.). For sugar, if I feel I really can't refuse or make a better choice in a social situation, I may have one small serving, and never 2 in a row. Scoring: pass if above guidelines followed all month (I couldn't think of a proper way to score this, so it is just do or do not do. I think I have the right contingencies in place to allow enough flexibility to do it properly) I am really looking forward to this challenge, as I know it will be difficult, but I think it will be just what I need to change my mindset and my view of myself such that I can continue to succeed in the future. Also having a reward based on something inspiring to me will help increase my motivation. I'll try to post daily to update scores and get some encouragement!

I'm just going to put this here for a moment: Challenge Spreadsheet.

It took some time but it’s only a failure if you quit and don’t try again… So after beign away for quite some time I decided it’s time to pick up „Level Up Your Life“ again and do a respawn both working through Steve’s book again (but this time with a little more discipline) and also to get back to the rebellions forums. So here we go Assasin no more (for now at least) but looking to find a new profession that works with the goals and hobbys that developed while beign busy with life The Challenge: „After the holidays Schaengel was eager to go back to Hogwarts…not because oft he learning but because of this special sport…Quidditch. Counting the day’s he could already here the voice in his head:“Ready?“…“BROOMS UP!“ I started playing Quidditch shortly after coming to Berlin. Normally I would spend the next 20 minutes justifiying why I spent my time playing and training for a „invented sport“ (the people always look funny when you point out that neraly all sports have been invented by someone ). But I’m sure I don’t have to do that here. If you don’t know Quidditch here’s a quick introduction: Want to see more try Mudbloods on Netflix But back to the Challenge I’m playing as Keeper/Chaser at the moment but got it stuck in my head to try to play Beater as well sooner than later. Problem is you need more endurance for Beater than or Keeper and my endurance suffered over the last half-year…so this Challenge will tryto get me in a better shape in general. Another focus of this Challenge will be Mindfullnes and getting in control of my own brain…so here are the Quests: Quest 1: Occlumency Harry needed to learn to keep the Dark Lord out of his mind… I need to learn to keep stress and anxiety out of mine. So like Harry did (or more like should have done) it’s time to practice Occlumency. Since I don’t have a Snape to teach me (thank god ) apps will have to do. Goal: Do one mindfullnes exercise per day ( Passing when done 20 mindfullnes excercises) Goal Two: Try both Headspace and Calm and decide whats right form e at the end oft he Challenge Quest 2: Hogwarts Feast One questions that was bugging me always when reading Harry Potter was how did they all stay sporty and helathy with all the feasts, all the good food and no sport in school whatsoever? Did they have a diet magic? Andi f so where can I get it? I would like to get back to eating more good food. Inspired by @Jonesy I’ll start by just tracking the food that I eat fort he next 4 weeks Goal: Track what you eat daily (Passing with 20 days tracked) Goal Two: Try 2 new low-carb recipes. Quest 3: Brooms up Harry was a good Quidditch player because he new how to fly instantly. Sadly our brooms don’t fly (yet ) so I have to rely on my feet when playing Quidditch. I want to be a better quidditch player so I have to do a lot of training. And tob e better than the rest I’ll have to do something every day. I already starte das part of my challenges for Level Up your Life to do „The sally“ challenge ones per day with push ups, squats and planks so to keep motivation up I’ll take that and add a little. Goal: Do 1 set of Sallys every day (passing with 20 days done) Bonus Goal: Do 200 Crunches Quest 4: Getting back in the Game This Quest isn’t Hogwarts related (because I don’t know how connect it…open for suggestions… ) So to keep up the momentum I have at the moment I need to get the support systems back in order and that’s what this Quest is about. Goal One: Post an update at least every second day (passed with 14 posts) Goal Two: Spread Quove, follow and support 2 other rebels (passed with 20 posts in total) Goal Three: Back tot he Muggels, do two adult things per week (passed with 8 adult tasks done)

For almost a year now, I’ve been on the quest to travel to foreign lands and find the healing herb that can save my husband. For the last half of that journey, I’ve been sitting in a horse-drawn carriage, eating my way through the enchanted cotton candy forest. I can see daylight break through the pink clouds of sugary hell, so it’s time I prepare myself for the rest of the journey - I’ll be no use whatsoever in my current state once I get out of here and actually have to walk and possibly even fight monsters. Oh the horror! [My husband got really sick last year. He’s had three surgeries and is taking medication, but so far it’s not gotten any better. My apprenticeship ended in December last year, and I’ve not been able to work since then, in parts because I had to stay home and take care of him/be his translator at local doctors’ offices and hospitals, and because I haven’t been able to find a job. I tend to embrace laziness in times like these instead of using my time to better myself. Aka eat my way through cotton candy forest while letting the carriage do the moving for me. That needs to stop now.] Main Goal: Get ready to leave cotton candy forest [stop being lazy and get back into the habit of actually doing things] Life Goal: Find a good side quest line to replenish the funds for my journey. All that sitting and eating hasn’t exactly helped replenish my little chest of gold, and my benefactor has forgotten about me! It’s time I help someone herd their kittens or farm some crab meat to fill up my chest again. [Check job adverts. Send out applications. Ideally, find a job. But mostly, don’t give up hope and keep putting myself out there.] Diet Goal: Cleanse my body with the orange potion of gut health All the cotton candy has wreaked total havoc on my body and the wizard I’ve met along the way has given me a big cauldron full of orange potion. It looks quite vile, and I need to gulp down a lot of it at a time or it won’t work. But I gotta be strong clear out all the remnants of sugary webs the cotton candy spiders have spun in my body. [Drink fiber at least twice a day, ideally three times. Before meals. Add laxatives to one drink per day. I started that to help out my husband, since he has to do it and that’s one small way I can support him, and noticed that it makes me feel a lot better, so I want to stick with it.] Fitness Goal: Shake out those stiff bones and get out of the carriage! I’ve been sitting for so long, I don’t even remember what standing up feels like. Or walking. And dear god, don’t even get me started on running or pushing the carriage out of the sticky cotton candy puddle it’s currently glued to. I’m going to have to start moving if I want to make it out of those forest - especially if I want to continue with my quest! [I’ve been lazy. I haven’t exercised properly in forever. Rather than setting myself two different fitness goal, my goal is to move. Every day. In whatever way feels good that day. I’d rather have a five minute dance party with myself and make that count than getting frustrated with myself for not doing a certain workout on a certain day and giving up because of it. Any movement counts, but I want to focus on the following especially!] Train like a warrior! [strength training at the gym] Run circles around the carriage! [go for a walk/run/any combination of the two] Dance among the stars! [have a dance party with myself - e.g. dance a couple songs on Just Dance or turn up the music and dance around the house while doing the laundry] Stretch like a cat! [Do yoga or any other stretchy thing that looks good to me, like floor ballet] Seek guidance from my coachmen and -women! [Attend a class at the gym] There is no one way for me to start moving again and fight my way out of this darned forest. The only way I can continue instead of returning home without the cure is to just start moving and not stop, and to take tiny steps on days where the big ones seem like too much. TL;DR: Life goal: Actively try my best to find a job Diet goal: Drink fiber drinks Fitness goal: Move every day I am still tweaking my workout. I am aiming for a full body workout rather than split workouts at this point, because chances are I’m not going to be going to the gym every day all of a sudden, so I want to make the most of it when I do. I would appreciate any advice you have on how to improve that workout! Right now, I’m going for lower weights/more reps so I can get used to the movements and learn to do them correctly with lower chance of injury. I’m planning to change that up once I’m more comfortable with the exercises. Gym workout plan: Warm up on bike/run a couple laps 3x10 shoulder press (machine) 3x10 chest press (machine, the one that’s sorta like a bench press but without having to have someone spot you) 3x10 butterfly (machine) 3x10 triceps pushdown (cable machine) 3x10 wide-grip lat pulldown (cable machine) 3x10 1-arm bent-over rows (each arm) 3x10 (decline) crunches 3x10 deadlift 3x10 glute bridge variations (add weight, incline or lift a leg - or all of it!) 3x10 dumb bell lunges 3x10 inner & outer thighs machine If any of you have suggestions, recommendations or advise regarding that routine, please feel very free to let me know. I would appreciate it! I'm going to the gym with a friend today and will do each of those exercises so he can check my form and give me advice and help where I need it before I just try it all on my own and screw up my back. I'll add my starting weights to it afterwards. Time to channel my inner Xena and escape this sweet, sticky forest!

Hey! So this is my first challenge and I'm coming in late/ have no idea what I'm doing. But! Here goes! I'm a 25 year old trans man living in London. I started a new job 2 weeks ago (win) and am working my way through an online access course. I used to be involved in adventure sports like climbing and downhill mountain biking as well as gymnastics. I've been super sad recently that I let all that go because of some silly preoccupation with no longer being in the shape I used to be. So starting now I'm concocting a plan to rehone my assassin skills. My long term goals: Over the next year: Build strength back up to being able to hold a good form iron cross on the rings Get better at bouldering Develop musculature so that good definition is visible, increase size/strength and reduce overall body fat to 10-15% Learn how to sword fight Eat better without falling back into the ultra clean eating trap that messes with my MH Finish my access course & apply for uni (get accepted) Undergo chest surgery revision next year Move to Manchester Medium/short term goals: Get back into bouldering & join a gym Be able to do 5 unassisted pull ups & chin ups Learn more about calisthenics & develop solid work out program. (Stick with it) Go outdoor bouldering Do good at New job Goals for this challenge: Create a good body weight & flexibility program and stick to it (twice per week) Attend a refresher bouldering class Take home cooked food to work instead of pot noodles! Complete 50% of current course assignment Wish me luck!

So.. here we go again. I'm trying to get things on track again, after many changes. I decided to come back and do a challenge, to get the ball rollin'. I'm a biologist now, and started my PhD study a few months ago. Days have been crazy. Keep it simple, Joaquin.. Ok.. here, beginner mindset. Diet 1 soda max every week. Eat vegetables with at least one meal; and 1 fruit every day Fitness 3 yoga classes per week Level Up Your Life 5 minutes meditation daily. I've started journaling, almost everyday. I'll write these quests on a page and check them every night. Good riddance!

She blinked as she woke up. She reached for her glasses on the nightstand...good god, it's covered with stuff. What happened to the sleek modern nightstand with a couple magazines and a fancy ipad that controlled the lights? This place is a wreck. She finds her phone...it's 7 am. She never wakes up that early without an alarm. Slowly she begins to remember. She's not in London anymore. The view outside her window is no longer the impenetrable Tower of London, it's...a two-story 1960s LA apartment building. She can see the smog in the distance, and it's already pushing 85 degrees. The mission was a success. She ran through the tasks: the dry suit diving at the Churchill Barriers to get the keys to the Tower. The coded message from the shepherd in the highlands, delivered in morse via sheep shears. The unexpected rendezvous with an agent she'd known since childhood. The coordinates, hidden in plain sight at Westminster. And finally, the disaster thwarted when she returned the missing treasure to its spot in the Tower. It had been a great success, and no one would ever hear about it. And now she was back at home, awaiting the next gig. Maybe this time she'd try to settle down. Work a regular job, that kind of thing. It seemed impossible, but who knows? Stranger things have happened. ---- Well, I'm back from a 3 week vacation in Scotland & London and I barely know what real life is anymore. I'm crashing hard from the long time away from work, all the walking, the good food, the time outdoors, and of course, all the people and problems I ignored while I was gone! I'm trying a gentle re-entry challenge to get my head back in the regular day-to-day, with a little bit of travel inspiration thrown in. What I love about traveling: I don't worry about anything that isn't actually important. I see lots of cool new stuff and have a lot of time to think. I have far fewer possessions to deal with and all of my possessions get used regularly. I intentionally use things up rather than saving them for a just-in-case scenario. What I don't love about travelling: I don't take care of my body as well (eat bad food, don't work out, don't hydrate) I spend too much money My quest for this challenge: To retain the magical spirit of vacation but also To rebuild the habits that support me (It's also the one-year anniversary of my last re-spawn, as well as QUEST #1: Work out 2x per week. Although I'm behind on my yearly workout goal by 9 workouts, now is not the time to go crazy on adding workouts! Before the trip I was solidly at 2x/week and I am sure I can achieve that again. QUEST #2: Eat vegetables every day. I have a lot of support here from my partner who is also lamenting the large quantities of potatoes we ate in the UK. QUEST #3: Get to bed by 10 pm every work night. I will sleep minimum 8 hours per night, and get to bed before 10 pm each night. QUEST #4: Write and post a poem every day. I'd really like to do more here (like get my Patreon page set up) but for now I want to just keep up the momentum I had on this project while I was travelling. I'm also trying some new strategies for managing my day-to-day life that I'd like to record here without making them part of the official challenge: Don't fill up your to-do list just because you have things to do. In fact, if you fill it up, you're doing it wrong. To-do list should be reserved for things that are actually going to get done, not things you are idly considering. Clothing diet: this is something I've done after trips before, where I wear the same clothes I wore on my trip for about a month after I return. Often the things I packed for the trip are among my favorite clothing and it reminds me that I can get rid of clothes I'm not wearing AND I can get by with fewer clothes. One fun thing, one work thing: I gotta keep doing laundry and stuff but I don't have to only do laundry. I will prioritize one fun activity every day. Save money wherever possible. Stay in, eat in, prep lunches. Okay, it's about 3 am according to my body so off I go to bed. I'm excited for the challenge ahead and really trying not to overstuff it.

So I'm back up to the weight (or something close to it) and size that I was when I first joined Nerd Fitness and started working out. The last three years have taught me that weight and size don't really matter to me though; it's strength and flexibility I'm after. I want to be able to crush watermelons with my thighs! I want to be able to outmanoeuvre people bigger and stronger than me if we were to wrestle. I know that it took me about four months to get to a shape I was proud of the first time I did this, and I got there through calorie reduction, BBWW, and swimming. I know I can do it again. The Plan: Stretch/yoga M/W/F Gym/swim T/T To Do: Fix the brakes on my bike and do an annual tuneup Get in the pool if I'm not going to the gym Buy new gym shoes since mine went missing Find a place for the self-defence classes offered by my friend's friend to happen because wrasslin? F YEAH. Find my sledgehammer Get a pullup bar installed in the garage PARTY And because I feel like I need to say it now more than ever ... Disclaimer: I'm a queer, genderqueer (they/them pronouns), poly, kinky, social justice tank. The photos I share here will be SFW, but if you follow the link to my Instagram page, you will probably (definitely) see things that are not. Don't be a creep! Don't click through if you don't want to see! Cool? Cool.

After falling off mid-challenge back in Feb, and going through some life issues that ultimately ended in falling on my face. See re-spawn if you care to read the novel: At the heart of a the worst storm the lands had seen in generations, Ruby-wan found her dolphin-pulled dingy spiraling out of control. The sole survivor of her once mighty crew, she struggled to take the reigns. Up to this point, her life had been one endless struggle after another, and fortune didn't seem to be turning. This storm would not break, but neither would she. As a nearby barrier gave way Ruby-wan freed the dolphins from her reigns, and found herself torn from her ship moments before hearing it shatter against the exposed craggy rocks. She was instantly swallowed by the rampaging sea and sucked through the newly opened way that flung her to the far side of the strange islands. She suddenly remembered why she was in this situation -- an idol. However important it was rumoured to be, it certainly didn't seem worth it now. There would be a huge pain-in-the-ass fee slapped on its price tag if she managed to live through this and haul it home. Focusing on the score got her through a lot, but before she could really distract herself with monetary qualms, she found herself thrown onto shore of an even stranger, more sinister island apart from the rest. Though the other isles in the collection were technically uncharted, they were at least known of in some of the world's archives and old tales, all thirty-five in one account or another. This one made thirty-six. No one mentioned a thirty-sixth island, in record or rumour, nor did it match the description of any. Shrouded in fog and mist, the odd nature of the island was hidden from passersby -- it was completely detached from the sea looming over a bottomless crater. Horrified by the sight of the sea falling abruptly off the edge into oblivion, Ruby-wan wondered what the hell she had gotten herself into, and how was she going to get herself out? Ranger Challenge: Surviving the Island Of Lost Souls Life Challenge: get out of bed by 9 am everyday. The island is awake at night in the worst of ways, and shielded by a perpetual fog sunlight is scarce. Make the most of your waking hours, particularly in the daylight. Fit Challenge: workout in some form everyday. Time is of the essence, and no one alive can afford to linger on this island. If you wish to escape, you'll have to survive long enough to find a way off. Diet Challenge: eat cleaner protein (no fatty, greasy stuff, fried junk, etc.). Food sources are scarce, but you have seen a few birds and the occasional rabbit. Make it count. Diet Challenge: eat whole grains and complex carbs (no processed, bleached carbs). Several strange species of grasses and root-vegetables grow on this island. They seem safe enough.

Okay! First, read this. I'll wait. http://www.laurawitwer.com/2017/06/29/post-laura-witwer-ego-smashed/ That blog post hit me preeeeetttty hard in the feels. When my circus gym reopened after >1 year, I somehow expected to pick up right where I left off. Amazingly, this did not happen. I spent a few months bootcamp-ing, aerial style and when i had some strength back, jumped back into a skills class. My ego did not take this well. I'm finally to the point where I'm feeling somewhat strong most classes, but I definitely have the "Comparing myself to myself" moments come back and bite me in the butt. So, it's time to focus on improvement from where I am now rather than comparison to where I was then. To help with keeping my focus in a forward direction, Hatter and I are going to do a PVP-ish challenge. Goals and scoring are below. Structured Circus – Class at least once per week (silks/rope) +5 points per class Stretchiness – At least 2 out-of-class stretching sessions (at least 10 mins each) per week. One of these can be body-maintenance type stuff (foam rolling, etc.) if desired. +5 points per session (additional sessions per week can count for additional points) Abs – Video Challenge at least once per week (alternating who chooses each week or we each choose one each week for both of us to do). +5 points per video completed (each video can count more than once if done in the week it is the Video Challenge) Life goal – Mindful eating. Cut the random snacking. Eat meals. Consider whether you're actually hungry or just bored. Don't eat just because it's time to eat if you aren't actually hungry. Unscored Bonus – Photo or video progress on crow pose. Eventually I'd like to get to firefly, but one thing at a time, here. Unscored Extra Double Bonus – Plan vacation. Huge work stresses mean our usual summer vacation plan has been pushed back. Something not terribly far away or stressful to get to and inclusion of some fun activity and forced relaxation all at the same time. Alrighty, aside from all that, work next week is going to be exhausting as we have a huge inspection/accreditation visit that will take up most of my working hours for the entire week. I'm hoping circus will help keep me sane. And on the fun side, the beta for Destiny 2 is out on July 18. yay! Right after hellish work week, some time to play. Is that it? I think that's it...

Complete and total respawn! I've wiped the slate clean. All goals from the academy were wiped at the end of June, and I'm working from the ground up. In general, I classify myself as a ranger, but for this round, I humbly begin where I started once before (a little wiser and more realistic). My goals are very general, and simple for now... But it's what feels right, so I'm going with it! 1) Sit down with family at least once a week for dinner 2) Do workout every MWF 3) Walk Ellie every day after work to help curb puppy energy 4) Check off at least 3 “daily” chores and one “today” chore every day with MoMo app

NNNNNEEEEEEERRRRRRDDDDSSSSS <3 <3 <3 My goodness it has been FAR TO FREAKIN’ LONG! After Nerd Fitness being blocked at work, losing my personal computer to cat aggression, and then slipping a disc in my neck my NerdLife™ has been severely lacking. But I finally got a new computer, am more or less recovered in terms of my neck, and am ready to start moving forward again. I need to get over my mental hurdle/fear of lifting again since I’m so terrified to put weight on my back again. Mind you, I messed up my neck SLEEPING, because sure that’s a thing now. But barbells are looking awful scary to me these days. And if I know you Nerds I know I can get some support in helping to get through this fear here For those of you who don’t know me – HI! I’m Raxie! I have been on Nerd Fitness since September 2013 and did not miss a single challenge cycle up until December 2016, when I dropped off for the above reasons. I am a sufferer of RangerBrain™ but my primary fitness focus is power lifting. I supplement this with rowing and yoga, and once I get back into the swing of things again will be trying out boxing! I went to Camp Nerd Fitness in 2015 and 2016 and it was life changing. And I just returned from Tank’s wedding in TX feeling extra inspired and full of NerdLove™ and needing to get back on here by any means necessary! I have a tendency to go really above and beyond for my challenge set ups, but since it’s been a while I need to ramp up a bit slowly. This challenge I’m going to go simple and straight forward. I need to start really working on my strength again – I’ve been primarily just been doing yoga and walking since I hurt my neck in February. Next month I can hopefully get my normal challenge on and do some fun nerdy D&D kinda stats and storyline. I figure for now I need all the energy I can get and no one brings energy and sick dance moves like the Backstreet Boys. (Except for myabe NSYNC. *shrug*) The plan is to do 2 weeks of body weight work to build up to getting back to the barbell, and then taking up Strong Lifts again. I also need to get my brain back in the game so I want to make this challenge about participating on the forums, and keeping my home life in order to make sure I am always in the zone! So without further ado – my goals are below. EVERYBODY -- ROCK YOUR BODY {get moving} Beginner Body Weight Workout + NF Rings/Handstands 3x/week for the first 2 weeks Strong Lifts + NF Rings/Handstands 3x/week for the second 2 weeks OH MY GOD THEY'RE BACK AGAIN – BROTHERS SISTERS EVERYBODY SING! {communicate with my nerds!} Post to my thread 3x/week Post to mini challenge 1x/week Post to guild hall 1x/week GONNA BRING THE FLAVOUR SHOW YOU HOW {eat dat good healthy food} Eat out only 1x/week GOT A QUESTION FOR YOU BETTER ANSWER NOW {create a positive environment for my fitness adventure kick-start} Clean per Fly Lady plan 6x/week Meditate via HeadSpace 5x/week ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ And that's that -- let's do this thing!!

Well, dear Ranger family, I’m back. Again. I’ve been off and on this challenge train for a few years now, and I think it’s finally time this stuck. I’m feeling good about it, I’m in a good place in my life, so why the hell not, right?! As this is a total respawn for me, I’m starting from the lowest rung on the ladder. Over the last 2ish weeks, I’ve been updating my Battle Log waiting for this challenge to start. For those of you who haven’t seen it, I’ll summarize the last 6-7months since I've been here (in no particular order): -I left an unhealthy and, in hindsight, emotionally abusive relationship -Been doing a whole load of nothing health-wise -Lost a bunch of weight (~15-20lb) in a very short time due to stress/depression and not eating -Gained all the weight back, and more -Opened up to a new relationship -Adopted a baby Hedgehog, whom I’ve named Bean. He’s now 5 months old -Left my soul-sucking job for one that I actually enjoy going to and doing -Stopped going to therapy and am no longer and anti-anxiety medication (YAY!) -I'm in a much improved mental state -Moved into a new apartment this past weekend (6/24) -Added to my tattoo collection with two new arm pieces (part of a planned half-sleeve) and a calf piece Don’t worry, there will be plenty of pictures of the little Beansicle for everyone to see On to the challenge stuff…. I’m going to be focusing on a few general goals over the coming months/year: -Losing weight/dropping fat and gaining muscle -Cutting down on my spending -Learning a new skill -More me time/self care Lose the weight The new complex that I moved into has it’s own fitness center - and it’s in my building! That means I have literally no excuses not to work out. It is mostly limited to cardio machines, but I have a set of adjustable dumbbells and my own bodyweight to use towards strength training. Plus, I have a set of Monkii Bars 2 on order via Kickstarter (they’re like the TRX system). I’m not sure when those are coming in, but it should be soonish. The basic plan is to work out 3x/week, for no less than 40min. I plan to do 20-30 min of cardio, and however much time I need to complete the strength training. Cardio will be whatever I feel like doing that day - stepper, treadmill, bike, etc. I will likely be following along with Zombies!Run for the interval training. For strength, I will be following the NF Academy Bodyweight workouts, switching between A and B. Workout 3x/week, or a total of 12x during the challenge. One of the really bad habits I’ve picked up since the start of the year is drinking a lot of Red Bull. Typically, I have one in the morning to start my day during the workweek. On weekends, I don’t drink them as much, but if I’m out and about it’s highly likely that I will stop at a gas station or convenience store to pick up my dose of caffeine. This needs to stop. The plan it to cut down to 3 every week. It’s going to suck, and I’m going to hate it, but it has to be done. No more than 3 Red Bulls/week, for a total of 12. Cut down spending Another area in which i’ve been terrible is keeping to my budget. I do have a budget, I just have a way of not really following it, and then I end up screwing myself. So, here’s the deal: I get paid every other week, the next time being the 7th - right before the challenge. Every paycheck, I will allow myself to spend up to $40 out of budget. This is money that I need to have in cash - I cannot use my card because that’s how things get out of control. I can spend this money on: Red bull (for the previous goal), take out or dinners out with people, clothes, art supplies, video games or other gaming items, and pretty much anything else that either isn’t already budgeted for or is considered ‘unnecessary’. On Saturdays, I will also evaluate my spending for the previous week and see where else I can improve and take note of it. Spend no more than $40 every other week on non-necessity items, total of $80/challenge. Learn a skill: Digital Art For Christmas, my dad bought me this awesome drawing tablet. It has a full screen display and everything - it just plugs right into my computer and I’m off. As cool as it is, I’ve used it a total of 1 time As I’ve been itching to get back into drawing and sketching, I figured why not incorporate this awesome new tool! Digital art is something I’ve been interested in for years, well, actually it’s probably closer to a decade now that I think about it….man, I feel old haha. I’d like to spend 30-60 min, 3x/wk learning to use the tablet, and to complete one art piece by the end of the challenge. I’m not yet sure what that will be, but I’m brainstorming and going to look into tutorials. It’s so much different from classic drawing, that I’m sure it’s not going to be that great starting out - but that’s why I’m doing this in the first place, right? Spend 1.5-3hrs a week (split into 3 sessions) learning to use my tablet and creating a drawing. More ‘me time’ Yeah, yeah, heads out of the gutter please I’m talking about self care here, time spent focusing on myself and my mental health. As well as I’m doing now in comparison to where I was a year ago, I still struggle regularly with bouts of depression and anxiety. In order to increase the number of good days, I need to make time for me. This could be taking a nap, crafting, playing video games, taking a bath, walking, reading, whatever. Anything I need to lessen the stress and relax for a little bit. This doesn’t mean I can’t do those things outside of this time, this just happens to be scheduled. Schedule 1hr every week to do something just for me. That’s it. Let’s get this shindig started, shall we? Edit: This challenge isn't themed, I'm just all up in the hype for Destiny 2 haha

Hello everyone! My name is Drew and I signed up for NerdFitness a LONG time ago, but failed to get any accountability to go with it, so it totally fell by the wayside. Well, now my brother has signed up, and is going through the Academy, so I'm respawning as he starts out. We're both teachers, so as the new school year looms, we have the opportunity to establish healthy habits and schedules this time around. It will be my fifteenth year teaching, which is kind of hard to believe, but the great thing about teaching is that the structure of the year builds in a forced respawn in terms of your teaching practice every 12 months. Now, I'm hoping to include fitness, diet, and all the NF goals in my "New Year" routine. The next 4-week challenge is going to be a great chance to structure that and help get my brother and me follow through and do it. Thanks for setting up this message board community! I hope it becomes a positive part of the journey for us brothers.

I failed spectacularly. I have gained almost ALL my weight back, and I've been sick for the last 7 months with colds, sinus infections, bronchitis, and then COLDS. A nurse kindly said to me "It's very easy to neglect your health." and I realized being sick had become normal. I didn't think I was neglecting my health, I thought I was taking care of my loved ones and being a good family member. Just because I gained all my weight back and couldn't breathe without coughing, I mean... Yeah okay. I neglected my health BIG time. I knew I should be working out, I knew I needed to eat better, and I knew that I wasn't working. I was depressed, and all the things I was working towards seemed pointless and impossible. I lacked purpose, I lacked meaning, and I lacked a sense of self and life. Then I went to Ireland. Where I got an airplane cold (laughs bitterly) but it was an amazing experience! I drank beer! I had Guinness and Beef Stew! I had the best vegetable soup in the world! I climbed steep hills (coughing along the way) and I saw amazing views. I met people who were kind, grouchy, silly, and quiet. I saw ruins, I saw SO MANY SHEEP, and I had a wonderful time going somewhere with just my mom. And while I was REALLY happy to come home and recover in my bed and finally sleep, I finally understood why I failed so completely: My "Big Why" was not good enough. I mean, it's a good "Why" but it's not the "why" I need at this point in my life. My "Big Why" was someday I was going to have kids and get married and I wanted to be in great shape for all the life we were going to live together. I was saving for a down payment on a house, so I could move out of my parents' house. I was so excited to get ready for this life that I didn't have. I wasn't even dating. I'm NOT even dating right now. I have no interest in dating right now. The idea of moving out and living alone feels really sad and lonely to me if we're being completely honest. I LIKE having someone to say hello to in the morning. Eventually I know I'll move out and probably live too close to my parents, but right now, this is okay. So how can I work for a goal when it's not really what I want RIGHT NOW? What do I want? I want to travel and see the world! I am willing to work, to lose weight, to save, to live well and healthy for the end goal of traveling somewhere new. I want to climb up hills without the additional 100 pounds. I want to pack smaller clothes in my suitcase so I can pack more clothes I want to be strong and have the endurance to keep up with 4 hour walks seeing beautiful sights without melting into a pile of sweaty goo at the end of the day. I want to feel healthy and stop getting sick. I want to stop buying frivolous things and save my money, and I want to work and REALLY be successful so I can earn enough to travel more. Because I can say "Someday I want a family." but what really works for me is saying "The fall of 2018, I want to go to tour Tuscany and take a cooking class about making pasta and tiramisu." OH HECK YES. THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. A concrete goal, a firm deadline, and something I am almost guaranteed to do (provided they don't cancel the tour two times ) Having changed my Big Why for now, I feel motivated to really take care of my life, to stop hiding from the world, and LIVE. I have a reasonable weight loss plan. Eat 3 meals a day and drink lots of water. Alternate workout intensity every other day. So maybe one day is strength training and hiking, and the next day is yoga. Or one day is yard work and swimming, and then the next day is going for a walk. YOU GET IT. Sundays are my day off. No working out. Still three meals, but this is where dessert and fried chicken can have a spot. Or Irish coffee, RIGHT? Eating healthy meals, working out, and getting enough sleep. All important parts to losing weight and staying healthy. Working more. I work freelance, and I've let my business SLIDE. So now I'm back to work with renewed energy and motivation. I have something to earn money for that is in the near future, not just some "Wouldn't it be nice" dream. I might get a part time job to help save money when I'm between clients. I can do this! Getting out of the house and having a life between traveling. Spending more time with friends, going out to the movies, festivals. Climbing out from under my laptop to DO things. Take a class, join the local YMCA, explore the local museums. Lots of things to do by myself and with good company. It's funny, because a lot of what my plan is looks very similar to past plans. But it feels like it's purposeful now. I feel like there's a point. I have my Travel Wishlist, and I'm going to take the next few years and fulfill it. I'll come back about once a week or so to keep you updated on how the Respawning is going Have a wonderful day, and thanks for listening!

Fnnngh. FNNNNGH. FNNNNNNGHHHH SIZZLE POP! Ah, that's better. Salambander here, although I guess I'm Gurdris now. Named after my most recent D&D character, Gurdris Frostbeard. I have respawned as Salambander so many times I felt like a fresher start. So, not a respawn but a regeneration entirely. All knobs have been twisted back to zero, and the neutrinos have mutated back to their original states. Long time no see! Things have happened. I'm engaged! And the ring didn't fit a month ago but now, 5kg down later, it does. It's a handy () reminder of my weight goals. I have a personal trainer! And he is a wizard with a foam roller. DOMS fear me now. But he can't speak any English so it's a little tricky. I got promoted! And now I'm in a leadership role and have to control my emotions much better. Eep. So, respawn. New goals, new 4 week quest. I'm starting early and I figured I'd keep things simple by having it all in one battle log, since I don't want to burn out and disappear again. I think I'm going to run this planning week as a tutorial level though. Oh, hey, have you met Kaeilia? She's awesome; we live in the same city and today I introduced her to NF, and now we're accountibilibuddies and eagerly anticipating this challenge. Without further ado, les goals for le now Fitness - complete a streak of 10 unmissed workouts, totalling 20 with my trainer Nutrition - track every bite on MFP and follow my trainer's diet plan Mental - read before bed every day Life - do laundry twice a week (folded and put away) Tracking them in my spreadsheet. Starting small and planning to go big. July is going to be much harder as I'll be in Dallas and everything usually falls apart around then.

Welp. I joined The Academy around Christmas, and my new semester of grad school did me in. It's time to start this over again and differently. Now that I know the challenges and forums exist, I am giving those a whirl. My goals for this challenge are: Drink 64 oz of water a day five days a week Cook at home at least 2x a week (to help give Hubster a break.) Walk 5 minutes every day and yoga 3 times a week Spend ten minutes cleaning each day six days a week They are simple, but I think I need to start over at simple and move forward. The last time I was active in NF, I squashed a nasty caffeine habit, started eating veggie again, and lost 15 pounds. I want to lose 15 more pounds over the course of the next six months. Fingers crossed, eyes focused, mind determined. I am looking forward to hearing from, reading, supporting, etc. fellow Nerds on this journey!

It's been a while since I've been doing stuff with NF, so I am going to consider this my respawn. I've been using Habitica for a lot of my dailies tracking and habit-building, but posting here for accountability. I'm currently interning abroad in Portugal and my apartment has very much become my home. I have to taxi everywhere, so the combination means that when I have a bad day or a lot of work, I mostly just stay indoors and don't leave. While this saves me a lot of money, it means I'm not taking advantage of all there is to do here. Today might be a bad example since it's almost 100 degrees and probably will stay in, but otherwise my goals for the next challenge are as follows: Quest: Lose 10 lbs. No more delivery: Prep meals ahead of time, 3x/week Practice Yoga with Yoga With Adriene (5x/week) -- next challenge will be doing yoga around others! Try the gym in the apartment complex (just once! — it’s scary but just go once and walk on treadmill for 15 minutes in a week) Quest: Get Into Grad School GRE/Test prep, 30 min (3x/week) Quest: Blog Consistently Write at least 250 words, every day on a topic related to student traveling I'm hoping this'll work out well. I know it's technically 5 goals instead of 4, but I figure my goal of getting to the gym shouldn't be as big as I've made it out in my head. The gym is in the center of the complex near the garden, and has a glass wall so you can look in. I've felt too self-conscious to go. LET'S DO THIS~

I'm writing so I don't psych myself out of it. I joined Nerd Fitness academy a year ago and did great a couple months then fell off the wagon. I stumbled upon the 4 week challenge and thought I need this!!! I gave up soda and all liquid calories except a morning coffee and also gave up smoking my first time around. However my job is sedentary and I have just gained weight. I am not at my highest, but I hate my body. I'm happily married, 45 yr, and my daughter is getting married next June. My husband and I are ready for new adventures and to redo life for activity and nutrition. I recently bought a treadmill and love it!! But I forget to use it, literally, I forget - because exercise is just not a part of my life routinely...YET!!! So I will complete the challenge worksheet, but don't really know where to go from there. But come hell or high water, and unfamiliar how the hell to do this, I"M DOING IT!!! So please help me out and anxious to RESTART!! :-)

I haven't been around in quite a while. While I was doing a challenge, I found I had to go to the doctor, because some stuff just wasn't right. I just couldn't make the goals I had for sleeping, loosing weight and a few other things. I already knew I have Sjorgren's syndrome and Fibromyalgia, but I didn't know I had sleep apnea as well. It's taken a lot of time to adjust to my cpap machine and find the correct mask. Then the doctor assigned me to get physical therapy 3x per week. (I was hit by a pick up truck in 2014 and still have a lot of trouble with my left knee because of that.) That's when I found out I also had Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), which the physical therapist fixed. Then I fell at work... and got a few previous diagnoses confirmed: Sjorgren's syndrome, check; Fibromyalgia, check; congenitally malformed spinal foramen which impinge on nerves when I have any inflammation, like when I fall. That doc sent me back to PT for three months. By then I'd kinda forgotten about Nerd Fitness altogether, but a friend has been posting about his progress with loosing weight and such on FB, and inspired me to come back and do a challenge again. In May my son devised me a challenge -which I started, but I didn't post it formally here. The challenge I'm posting is based on what he had me do (which was working exceptionally well ---until I fell in the kitchen and broke my nose... at which point I lost my momentum.) Diet: Drink 500 ml water every day --> Be drinking 2 liters by the end of the challenge. Fitness: Stretches: Warm up and cool down 5 min every day. Any of a variety of stretches from PT and other sources that feels right at the time. Climb stairs (Body-weight): Climb 1 flight of stairs to start. Increase by a flight as feels appropriate --> be doing 4 flights a day by the end of the challenge. Alternate with a 5 minute walk as necessary if my knee is acting up. Level up life: Be habitually getting into bed by 10 pm by the end of the challenge. It's kind of free-form, but I'm trying not to over-think this. (I've planned some of the previous challenges like down to the second - "do x amount of this exercise/stretch on this day" - and when I blow the goal because of my knee or some other random problem, I just stop.) Weight: 181 Waist: 39,5 Hips: 45.5 Bust: 44 L thigh: 19.5 R thigh: 20 Neck:14.75

My 4 week challenge goals are going to be pretty basic as I want to SUCCEED for my respawn and make life changes!! Diet eat a vegetable with at least one meal daily Fitness some form of exercise every day Level Up Your Life Meditate/pray daily