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Hello! Today I woke up after a terrible night of sleep and I felt sick and tired but I was planning on going for a swim and lifting so I went to the gym anyways. I ended up walking on the treadmill for like 20 minutes because I was too tired to do anything else and I had a really hard leg workout yesterday so everytime I tried to run I would just burn out after like 20 seconds. I always feel so guilty whenever I miss a workout and I spend the whole day feeling like a fat ass and a loser. On my rest days I always feel guilty for eating and I don't know how many calories or carbs or fats I need. I haven't taken a day completely off since January ( I have taken rest days for either lifting or cardio but never from both) yet somehow I still feel like I am lazy and all my gains will be lost. I am supposed to be putting on weight anyways because I had an eating disorder and I now weigh 110-112 pounds at 5'8" but I worry after skipping a day I will just put on a ton of fat. I just don't know how to eat on my rest days or what to do to calm my brain. Any suggestions?

My goal for 2015 is to be able to do one pull up, well. I'm a 32-year-old woman, 1.7m tall and 70.7 kg. I haven't done a pull up since . . . maybe middle school? Maybe elementary? I've been doing bodyweight on and off since September, and am much stronger and lighter than I was. I am still stuck on what I call "modified jackknives" in my pull up progression, though. (http://www.startbodyweight.com/p/pull-up-progression.html) I use the middle bar, and am in a more or less 90° "sitting" position midway between fully extended arms and the full pull up. I might be able to do a jackknife, too, but I'm working out at a park, so there's no chair to use to test it. Anyway, I'm not getting to progress to the next step, eccentric pull ups. This six weeks I am continuing my bodyweight work, but want to add something to my ranger mini-challenge that will help me reach my goal. Any advice on what,other than push ups, pull ups, and horizontal rows, I can do to move toward my strength goal of doing a pull up? Moose is my mini-challenge "spirit animal".

What, a GL telling people to not do their challenge? What is this Madness?! Hear me out. I've been reading a lot of threads recently which are talking about how burnt out they feel. Or maybe an injury is holding them back. Or life is pushing them down a bunch because it's a jerk that does that. So here's the deal. I love challenges. They push us, they give us direction (which has been shown to help human happiness), and can help us test our limits. Sometimes, though, we just need to survive. So the challenge this week is to listen to the slightly-more reasonable voice in your head. Burnt out because your challenge has 47 things and work is stressing you out? Cull that list down to the essentials and keep moving. Feeling like humanity is a horrible group of people out to get you? Let us know - we love you all and want to help you vent! Injured and can't feel motivated to go do your normal routine? Try to find an alternate to keep yourself moving (he says to himself)! This is not a "You can slack off" Challenge. This is an "Embrace that life happens and we are here for you" Challenge. A "Speak what's your issue and find a way to over come it" Challenge. Challenges are great, but if they break you because you use up all your energy, you are less likely to want to continue. We have 2 weeks left, and another 2 until the end of the year. Keep yourself going, fall back on the GOOD habits you've made. Even if you don't make new ones, keeping steady is better than a burn out and a back slide, any day! So tell me what's ailing you. Tell me what you need help with over coming. This isn't an opportunity to slack off, but to help you refocus on what YOUR essentials are, especially after you've done so well through this challenge!

Hey guys I have a question for ya. Would it be beneficial to do yoga routines in between work outs on rest days? I'm a beginner trying to build up some muscle and strength and the idea just popped into my head. I've never done yoga before so some basic routines and tips would be much appreciated.

Hi there, I'm new. Last month I started walking and my consistency was hit or miss. This month, my goal is consistency. I have joint and back issues, so I mostly walk or do physical therapy (for back). Sometimes I ride my bike if I have a vehicle to take it to a place where I won't get hit by a car. By the end of the month I hope to have a YMCA membership so I can start to try more and see what I can and can't do. Their "coach" is also a PT assistant, so I feel more confident in starting weight training under her supervision. Also they have a pool. Right now I do only 20 minutes each day. Will increase the time next month after I get the consistency in place. With all this in mind, should I be doing something every day or only 6 days/week? Today would be my 7th day and I'm not sure if I should get in the habit of having a rest day or if I should do the most I can. This week: 3 20 min walks a 40 min bike ride (slow, just got the bike) 2 days of PT routine Thoughts?