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I'm a wishful Roller Derby girl trying to make that dream a reality. That and a deferred half marathon put me at the starting point of a daunting yet intriguing journey. I choose these goals because they scare me. And we should always do what we are afraid to do. At least that's what Ralph Waldo Emerson says. Cool cat. Main Quest: Get better, faster, stronger and start putting my body back into whack so that it is not susceptible to injury so easily. Main quest will be accomplished in the following ways: 1 Strength training : I have definitely caught the powerlifting fever. I will be tracking my every exercise in my "I lift things up and put them down" notebook. I have ambitions of deadlifting triple digits by the end of this challenge. 2 Improving Balance : Do my chiropractor-ordered stability exercises 4 times a week (to be tracked along with my strength exercises) 3 Flexibility : I'm notoriously bad at remembering to stretch before or after my workouts. I've had muscle/joint strains in the past due to this bad habit of mine. Super important for me to stretch after every workout. Life Quest: Finish designing and finally publish my portfolio website. As a graphic designer, the fact that I don't have my online portfolio up and running on the internet is nothing short of a crime. Six weeks is more than enough time to gather my necessary resources, hole myself in the library for an hour after work everyday or so, and get this monkey off my back. { Also, as a personal quest of accountability, I will be posting my workouts and stats daily on a blog I created just for NF challenges. Feel free to follow if you like. It's more of a way of keeping track of measurements and food for me, but I'll also post useful links to stuff I stumble upon since I'm researching a whole lot on powerlifting and the works. } I'm super motivated to take on my first challenge. I've been training regularly at a gym since April now, and between then and now have come across some speed bumps, as we all do in life. We can't forget ourselves and our health, especially when things get rough. Coincidentally, I've had a significant life event/family crisis this past weekend that has really shaken me, but I was so glad to still make it to the gym on Saturday. The heavy weights drove my focus away from the anxiety and uncertainty of what was happening in my life at the moment and had me focusing on not losing control of the 30 lb dumbbells in my hands. In short, weight lifting keeps me sane. What I'm most excited about in joining this challenge is the prospect of kicking my procrastination habit. In true nerd fashion, I think of this as moving away from the Dark Side, or any villainous situation basically. You know how villains just sit in their caves, poring over a blueprint, or a map, or some kind of battle plan, just scheming away, cackling and rubbing their hands together in sweet, evil anticipation? That's me. Poring over my to-do list, or my life goals. Meanwhile, the good guys are already jumping into action because, well, the city is in chaos, the Bat signal is in the sky – they don't even think twice about it. It's time to move. Jump in the Batmobile and save Gotham. Do work. Get s*** done! It's time for me to be a superhero.

Right: This is going to be horribly self indulgent, so be warned. I’m currently putting off/building up to writing an article I’m submitting to a magazine so here’s a warmup. I suck at keeping to stuff, I have no willpower and horrible organisational skills. Many of the latter springs from developmental dyspraxia which also affects fine motor control, balance and spatial awareness. So naturally I took up roller derby. Its possibly the worst thing I could’ve chosen, but hey, some mother******s are always trying to iceskate up hill. I love roller derby as a spectator and as a participant in the community. I’m currently studying towards my minimum skills and referee tests to be a referee for Severn Roller Torrent of Gloucestershire, England. It’s a big ask for someone like me but I never don’t like it. The problem with this is although it is great for my legs and core, it does nothing for my upper body (on which I have awful muscle tone!) so in between thrice-weekly practices, I’m going to try and work on my arms and shoulders a bit more, with the ultimate aim of being able to do a full proper push up (trust me, that’s bits) On top of all this, it’s a confidence thing. I am very anxious and often suffer from my anxiety. Exercise+Eat well= feel better. It also means I’ll do better at derby and that will improve my confidence too. Meditation couldn’t hurt either Day Minus 1: Per Dyspraxia Ad Astra Didn’t start well, dyspraxic organisation skills kicked in and I forgot to pack shorts and t-shirt for derby practice! So I had to go and buy some from the charity shop in the business park near where I work. This meant I couldn’t change my outdoor wheels for indoor as I ran out of lunch. So I decided I would skate from the bustop on my outdoor wheels. This was a mistake given the awful quality of the paths, In the end I walked half, got back on my skates and skated all the way to practice and straight in but was still late! I’m really pleased I even tried it and picked up some decent speed when the pavement was smooth. I didn’t want to go to practice, but put my hard hat on and go. (My helmet is a literal hard hat ) Practice was okay. Softer wheels were good for crossovers (stepping over in corners) but rubbish for stopping. I’ll stick to harder wheels for now! My positional blocking was okay but I kept getting pushed forward by the jammer. When doing a core warm up planking was harder than usual. However Squats were easier. I took hits quite well and even knocked someone down myself! I might have a few bruises today though Oh, I also ate quite well, carb heavy by most standards but I was short on time for lunch and dinner. This is all really meandering. I guess it wasn’t necessarily for you.

This is actually my second challenge, but I didn't successfully finish my first one [one of my goals just pooped all over all the other goals], so I'll join you all here for this one! Some of my goals will be similar to the first challenge, but the tough goal has been completed [finished all my papers for second semester and got acceptable grades!], so I have a lot more time to focus on them. Just got back from vacation yesterday, so I'm jumping in a bit late. We may plan another week or so somewhere, too, but I'll deal with that if/when it happens. Overall quest I'm fresh meat on a roller derby team and recently started serious powerlifting training [deadlifted 100 kg / 220 lb today, woo hoo!]. I'd like to start competing in both sports this fall without completely embarrassing myself. Our bout season starts in September, I believe - I'd like to be ready to play by then, or in October at the latest. There's also a powerlifting meet nearby in late September. I'm not expecting to be a star jammer or break any world squat records, but I'm looking forward to testing myself [and, in the case of roller derby, hopefully being an asset to my teammates] by competing. Goals 1: Lift. Stick to my gym's powerlifting training schedule of four times a week. 2: Skate. Skate at least three times a week. August is my team's month off, but those of us who are around will meet up a few times to skate/practice outside or in a parking garage, and I'd really like to skate along the ocean as much as possible. Some focus on minimum skills wouldn't be a bad idea. 3: Stretch. Do yoga at least two times a week and foam roll at least two times a week. 4: Clean. I'd like to get the house to a point where I don't freak out every time someone comes over on short notice, and my e-mail inbox and hard drives are a mess. I need to de-clutter, sort, and deep clean. I'd like to do at least one task every day that will bring me closer to physical and virtual tidiness. Method There are a lot of other projects I'd like to work on this summer in addition to the goals above - things like finally catching up on my blog, studying more Portuguese, reading some of the authors I learned about in the first year of the master's and preparing for the thesis in the second year... I've heard a lot about how you should only really have three things on your to-do list each day so you don't get overwhelmed. I'm planning to do that, but with a little bonus twist. Each night [or, at the latest, first thing in the morning] I'll figure out three tasks that absolutely have to be done - but I'll also add two bonus tasks. For each day I do all five tasks, I'll get a bonus point. For each day that I don't even do the three must-do tasks, I'll lose a bonus point. If, by the end of the challenge, I have at least 21 bonus points [that is, three weeks' worth, or half of the challenge], I'll get myself...some kind of reward! Right now I'm thinking maybe a kettlebell, but I'll keep thinking - suggestions are more than welcome!

So I'm squeaking in under the bar for the start of this this week. I wasn't going to participate as I was unprepared with all these things changing around here with goals and such like. MAIN MISSION: drop 10% body fat This will be ongoing, I expect it to take a few months obviously. I'm starting at basically 31% body fat, which is better than this time last year. I want to be strong and made of muscle and not just jiggly fat. I can see some definition starting in my legs and arms and I want more please, kthxbai. BUT WHY?! I went to roller derby practice today, and got to scrim (play against other girls) and have come out battered and bruised having been hit, fallen, and hit and skated my legs off. I am a newbie and I played against the big girls. And I am STILL on an endorphin high. Then I got a text from my coach asking if I was prepared to knuckle down and get through my minimum skills tests IN THREE WEEKS. I said yes. And here I am. So I want my body to perform better, as good as it can be. And hefting less of me around will aid that exponentially. To do this I will be doing derby/fitness related/diet stuff to LEVEL UP MY LIFE. HELL YES! HOW?! 1. Get up at 7am on weekdays and DO something productive before work: workout/walk the dog/prep lunch. I'm finding it hard to get my ass outta bed, and I'm wasting a good portion of my day because of it! +2 CHA +2 CON Each day I will record my get up time at home and allocate point accordingly based on percentages, rounded down to the nearest 0.5pt 2. Stop snacking on crap! Allow myself one item of "junk" per day - this includes servings of carbs. +2 CON Record my food in myfitnesspal, so I can be accountable for the stuff I put in my facehole. 3. Workout 5 days a week, either a run, or a strength workout (I have a PT workout, but I'm a bit bored by it, so I'm mixing it up with some of the off-skates circuits we do, and mixing lower/upper body and core, so I'm getting a full body workout) This is on top of my two days skating a week. Workouts can be short or long, just DOING IT is the key +3 STR +2 STA + 2 DEX Again, I will record this on my getup sheet (I'll make a little poster and stick it on the bathroom cabinet with a pencil by it!) and allocate point as percentage complete LIFE QUEST Read more! Try to fit in 30mins of reading for pleasure per day to help switch off my mind +2 WIS If I haven't finished Game of Thrones by the time this challenge is done I get ZERO. Simple. Also, I lost my way a bit last challenge, so I'm going to steal some tips from mrrrichpearson and put my goals as my lockscreen on my phone, and up around the house in places (along with: DERBY STANCE!!) so I cannot put it in a box on a shelf in my mind. OH YES GOALS YOU WILL BE OWNED THIS TIME. Yeah, so um. I think this might be my last adventurer challenge, as I guess I'm turning into more of a ranger as my goals and fitness progresses!

Epic Quest = Enrich relationships with the people I love. 1. Run a 5k in less than 45 minutes with my husband. My parents-in-law are also training to run a 5k for this challenge, so we can encourage each other and share ideas about training. My husband and I will train together, and we plan to run 2-3 times per week to build up our stamina and increase our distance to be able to run a 5k race before this challenge is over. (2 STA, 2 STR) 2. Complete a 6-week Marriage Fitness Program designed by my husband BigBen. We are happy, but are always looking for ways to enrich our marriage by learning new skills, having new adventures, and learning new ways to show our love for each other. (3 CHA, 1 WIS) 3. Learn to play three songs with my electric guitar by the end of this six week challenge. My husband is working on the same three songs, and is learning the bass parts for each song, and my father-in-law is working on the drum parts for each song. In six weeks, we should be able to jam! (3 DEX) Life Quest = Change TV time to workout time. Anytime I watch a TV show or movie at home during this challenge, I will spend at least half of the air time doing bodyweight workouts. (3 STR, 1 WIS) **I'm in the off-season for roller derby now, so I'm trying to find other ways to stay fit during the break. This is my third NF challenge. Bring it on!

This is my second Nerd Fitness challenge, and I am excited to rejoin the rebellion. I first joined the Rebellion last fall. One of my fitness goals then was to join a roller derby league. I thought, "Hey it looks fun, I like to skate, and maybe it will be a fun way to get in better shape and meet new friends." I can tell you that in the past eight months, my life has changed for the better by becoming involved in women's flat track roller derby. My derby name is Tornado Allie. I feel stronger, more powerful, and far more confident than ever before. I. LOVE. DERBY! For this challenge, I am focusing mostly on establishing or improving the good life habits that I want to maintain throughout my life. I've found that it's easy for me to fall into a routine of just living day-to-day without much of a plan for what to do with my day. My family's essential needs are met, but not much else gets done. I much prefer being intentional with my days, and planning my time more carefully so that I can accomplish more creative and meaningful things in my days. It takes more work, more planning, but it is SO worth it. I'm glad for this opportunity to think about and set goals, to make a plan for achieving them, and for this forum of support and encouragement. Here are my goals: 1) Diet: Eat a full serving of fruits or veggies with every meal each day. -Plan: I try to eat mostly natural and raw foods instead of processed, and I try hard to give my family healthy food choices also. But sometimes I go in waves; I want to be more consistent with making sure I get a healthy amount of fruits and vegetables each day. I will shop for groceries once a week and get enough fresh produce to last for the entire week. I will keep a simple food journal to track fruit and veggie servings throughout the day. Weekly assessment: A=7 days of 3+ servings, B=6 days, C=5 days, D=4 days, F=3 days or less CON=3 2) Fitness/Health: Skate 30 laps in under 6 minutes -Plan: Currently I can skate 25 laps just barely under 5 minutes, and I am exhausted by the end of 25. I want to increase my stamina and endurance by increasing to 30 laps and maintaining a good pace the entire time. I will periodically test myself before or during a derby practice to gauge my time with 30 laps, and work toward being able to accomplish this goal by the end of the 6-week challenge. Final assessment: A=30 laps <6 min, B=30 laps <6:15, C=30 laps <6:30, D=30 laps <6:45, F=30 laps >6:45. STA=3, STR=2 3) Fitness/Health: Weekly partner workouts -Plan: I will plan at least one exercise routine per week that will be done with my husband. I will take time to brainstorm ideas before we meet for our workouts so that they will be fun and creative. Final assessment: A=6+, B=5, C=4, D=3, F=<2 CHA=3 4) Personal: Increase personal study -Plan: I will read at least 10 chapters per week from the scriptures, and at least one article from a Church magazine. Weekly assessment: A=10+ chapters & 1+ articles, B=8-9 chap & 1 art, etc. This goal may be more difficult to assign partial credit to, so I should just plan on hitting or surpassing my weekly benchmark of 10 &1. WIS=4 Here... We... Go...!

Hello! Hi. This is my first time here, so a bit of introduction: female, 27, originally from the US [Wisconsin!] and living in Portugal these days. Recently got involved in roller derby and will probably start actually playing in bouts starting in the fall. Getting more and more interested in weightlifting - have been doing Stronglifts on and off. Have never really been at a normal, healthy weight / body fat. Luckily, I don't hate my body or anything [most of the time!], but I know it's capable of so much more, in terms of both strength and aesthetics...so it's time to really go at it, especially now that the semester is winding down and I'll have more time. Side note: Despite being involved in roller derby and enjoying running [some days more than others...], I won't have any goals related to those because I'm trying to figure out some foot pain. I think it's extensor tendonitis, resulting from overuse [started with a lot of activity after a few months off with an injury] and/or trying to get into minimalist running [Vibrams, also after a few months off - was using C25K and taking it slow, with only a maximum of eight straight minutes of running after several weeks, but maybe my form still wasn't quite right, or trying to get into minimalist running while also skating several times a week was the problem...]. Anyone have experience with this? I could babble on plenty more, but I have six whole weeks for that... #1: Consistent strength training Joining a powerlifting gym tomorrow! I want to follow a consistent program and see where that gets me. Will either continue with Stronglifts or see whether the owner has any particular suggestions or programming that he thinks would be good for me [at first, this may be more about working on form than a set program, since that's what we focused on when I went there to check it out]. He'll be busy with a week-long meet this week, so I'll probably just do a few Stronglifts-style workouts to see where I'm at after taking some time off, but hopefully I'll have something concrete figured out by the week after next. The main point here is to do strength training at least three times a week, preferably with some kind of consistent programming. #2: Mobility/"pre-hab"/flexibility I usually do a bit of stretching after workouts, but I could be doing much more. I want to do at least two hours of yoga and two sessions of foam rolling each week. #3: Nobody likes cookies, anyway I've been eating a lot more salads and vegetables in general lately, but some delicious cookies have been my downfall - I open a package and go a little wild. So...no packaged/processed desserts / dessert-y snacks! And I'm really referring to things like store-bought cookies, not, say, Greek yogurt, even though of course it comes in a package, too. Dark chocolate is okay. I bake occasionally and go a little wild then, too, but it happens much less often than reaching for a package from the pantry, so it's not a focus this time around. #4: Do it nooooooow My procrastination just seems to be getting worse and worse, and it's one of the things I like least about myself. Aren't I supposed to be an adult who doesn't do that sort of thing now? It'll be a long, tough struggle to work on this aspect, but I'm trying to make more of an effort to apply the "do it now!" principle to my life. The end of last semester was miserable for me because I put off my term papers so long that I had to do all of them in just a week or two and I had no time to relax. It was awful and I don't want it to happen again this semester. I have four papers to write, so I'm going to give myself a week to do *each* of them, with one each "due" on June 9th, June 16th, June 23rd, and June 30th. And they need to be done in a relaxed way, not entirely in the two days before each deadline! Ideally, they'll all be done just in time to have a completely relaxed week in Italy the first week of July. When I get back from that, I plan to apply "do it now!" more to keeping the house in a reasonable state. Some aspects of these goals are still a bit vague, but since it's my first time doing this, I want to see how it goes and what I'm capable of. I'll grade each goal on a weekly basis and average it all out at the end. And like I mentioned, there'll be one week of vacation - I don't plan to get out of control or anything, but I'll be suspending the challenge for that week. I'll also be spending a long weekend in England to cheer on my team [and spend a little time in a country where I understand (almost) everything going on around me - that'll be nice!] in a couple of weeks, but it shouldn't disrupt things too much. Sorry, I get wordy sometimes! Any feedback/input/etc. is definitely welcome. I'm ohnonebraska on Fitocracy, as well. I'll try to keep up with a few other threads, too, but hopefully not to the extent that it gets in the way of my fourth goal!

Hi Everyone!! I'm very new to Nerd Fitness and I'm a day late but I'm so down for this 6 week challenge. I play roller derby in Northern Colorado and I'm doing this because I really want to step up my game. I broke my collarbone 3 years ago at derby practice and it took a long time to heal, but I started playing again at the beginning of the year. I've been lifting weights and doing circuits focusing on my lower body, I have derby practice 3x a week, and I eat pretty clean (85%ish paleo) My goals: 1) Climb 14,000' up Mount Bierstadt. I'm doing it with a group and the date is set for June 30th - so there's no backing out. 2) Become a skating ninja! I want to skate fast and hard, be agile, solid and balanced. I plan on doing this by kicking up the strength training. 3) Do 5 pull-ups. I can't even do a complete one now... we shall see! 4) I want to be more assertive and confident. As a human resource generalist, these are 2 important qualities to have - which I lack. I will no longer be a door mat!!! So this is what I have ~ Finkzilla #51

Last challenge was awesomesauce. This one is going to be better. Goal One: Getting closer to 100. Add 15kg to Deadlifts. My last challenge got my deadlifts to 70kg. This challenge I want to increase to at least 85kg (187lb). This is in order to move toward 100kg for my NEXT challenge. I so want to hit triple digits. Ideally I want to be hitting 1x5 at 85kg by the end of the challenge. But if I really struggle I might accept fewer reps, and will just minus some points from grade. Will grade by: A+ - Above 85kg A - At 85kg B+ - 83kg B - 80kg C+ - 77kg C - 75kg Goal Two: Use that booty, properly. Add 10kg to squats WITH GOOD FORM. Current squats are at 60kg (132lb). I want to take this to 70kg this challenge, but it MUST be with good form. This will probably include lots of videos of my form, and may include a session with a personal trainer if I get to a point where I can't pinpoint what's going wrong. I THINK I'm pretty close to getting my form to a good place, after focussing on it a lot last challenge. But as I increase the weight, keeping the form is going to be hard. Will grade by: A+ - Above 70kg A - At 70kg B+ - 67kg B - 65kg C+ - 63kg C - 62kg Goal Three: Take a bitch out. This is my derby goal, as part of my bigger picture goal for the year of "be the best blocker on my team". At this stage of my derby-career, I'm a pretty good blocker. I am good as a positional blocker, but I'm not a massive hitter. I'm more fast and agile than I am big and smashy. But I've realised recently that a big part of why I don't hit more comes down to confidence. There are a group of girls in my derby league who have been skating for about a year longer than me - they started our league. They are all really strong skaters and really strong players. I want to take one of them out (ie knock one of them down). This must occur during a scrimmage (ie a practice game), not during drills. We have a game coming up during this challenge against another team, which also has some star players on it from our national team - taking one of THEM out would also be a 'win' for this goal. This goal is not, as it may seem, about hitting as much as it is about upping my own confidence and pushing myself to be more aggressive on the track when needed. (If you don't know what I'm talking about with all this roller derby stuff, check out this clip from about 35 seconds. At 132lb and 5'6" I'm probably not going to be able to take someone out this way, but I can do it. I hope. This goal is either win or lose, though I may add/subtract points depending on what happens. Every derby practice I MUST work on my confidence in a mindful way if I want to complete this goal. It's not just going to magically happen one game, I am going to need to try new things, be prepared to screw them up at first and NOT beat myself up or let my confidence drop. Then I'll have to get back up from the ground (where I inevitably will end up a lot while attempting this goal) and try, try and try again. Goal Four: Save the MnMs. Sob. I love sugar, so much. But I've got a very, very bad habbit of snacking on little bits (ie 2 MnMs). I will never eat a whole packet of chocolate in one go, I'll stretch it out for 1-2 weeks. But this is BAD for my teeth. And let's face it, I do NOT need little sugary snacks all the time. I just really, really, REALLY like them (my office has a giant MnM jar even!!!). So, this challenge my aim is to have zero sugar (which means none in tea/coffee, no chocolate or lollies) Monday - Thursday each week. Fridays I'm allowing because I'm often bloody tired by Friday and Saturday and Sunday I'm generally pretty relaxed about food so sugar is okay then too. I'm going to monitor this goal by the number of MnMs I AVOID eating (the MnMs at my office are by far my worst habit right now). I probably eat about 5 MnMs a day at the moment, plus at least 2 teaspoons of sugar in coffees. A - Saved 120 MnMs from certain death! (No MnMs at all Mon-Thurs all challenge) B - Saved 90 MnMs! (Six days during the challenge I eat MnMs) C - Saved 60 MnMs (Twelve days during the challenge I eat MnMs) Goal Five: Puppy love. Life goal - was planning something around quality time here, but I'm currently feeling very guilty about my dog. I used to run a lot (did a half marathon then a marathon a few years back) so did lots of running with her. We also used to live by the beach so I had somewhere beautiful to run. Then I got pregnant, and we moved house, and I started roller derby and now weights....all of those things mean my lovely dog gets far less exercise than she should. So, this goal is around spending more time with my dog. I can take her for a run, or just throw a ball for her at the dog park, or take her for a walk to the reserve. Anything, so long as it is just me and her (ie no kid, as when we got out with kid it means dog doesn't get quite the same attention). Goal is one outing per week with just me and the dog. I'm tired, and it's late, so I'm going to work out the grading for this last goal LATER. EDIT: I'm adding goals. I don't know why, since I've already got five, but I feel like I will really benefit from doing these two. And I like having goals, so why not. Eat at the numbers - the sequel. This goal from last challenge is going to make a second appearance, but with my new increased numbers of 1900. Must eat at least 1900 calories per day, use MFP for tracking. Will grade each week according to any days with not enough calories, and then average my grade out at the end. Roll that ass out. I must roll, or stretch (or both) after EVERY exercise session. I currently stretch a grand total of NEVER. Which is BAD. And is probably causing some of my knee pain right now. I've always found stretching "boring" (yes I know it sounds dumb). If it doesn't feel like it hurts and makes me sweat, I don't want to do it (general mindset I tend to have). But that's stupid, and I need to get over it and stretch my legs, hips and ass. Grading: Stretch on all exercise days AND add in some stretching on rest days - A+ Stretch after all 36 exercise sessions of the challenge - A Stretch after 30 exercise sessions - B Stretch after 20 exercise sessions - C

Name: Kingclumsy Class: Ranger Strength (STR) - 2 Dexterity (DEX) - 1 A ranger without dexterity? Its in the name. I'm clumsy, I'm awkward Stamina (STA) - 3 Given enough focus, no power in the universe can stop me... hopefully. Constitution (CON) - 3 Wisdom (WIS) - 2 I'm smart? Yes. I'm wise? No Charisma (CHA) - 4 I set myself these tasks over the next six weeks. Fitness Goals Skate Like the Wind: I'm not ashamed to say I've fallen in love with the sport of Roller Derby. I started their last frsh meat back in february but stopped due to lack of confidence and a fractured rib (mostly the latter) their next intake will probably be not long after this challenge finishes and I really want to take part with the eventual aim of being a referee. I suck royally at skating but absolutely love it. Currently the only place to skate is outdoors so I've purchased outdoor wheels. My Goal: 24 Hours of total Skate time over 6 weeks. Even if for fifteen minutes, it all helps. (weather permitting) (+3 STA, +1Str) Start with myself and the world will follow hart what I eat: Using Myfitnesspal . keep track of what I eat. aim for 100g of protein a day (especially on excercise days) and to hit the correct no. of calories (+2 Wisdom +1Constitution) Go to the Gym twice a week: This is a minimum. If the weather sucks and I cannot skate, I should go more often. I walk past it on the way home from work, I have no reason not to. +2 STR, +1 WIS Derby Stance!: If there is one excercise that helps me skate, its squats. So I've set myself the challenge of squatting 70kilos for five reps by the end of the challenge. I can currentl comfortably squat 50kg so this isn't too much of a challenge. +3STR Life Goals: Keep the House tidier: Clean up after myself around the house, simple enough. +2 WIS. I'll need help for this, this is my fourth attempt. follow me on twitter @king_clumsy and if you're on myfitnesspal I'm kingclumsy. Onwarrrrdd!

Well, hello friends! I have a familiar story... overweight most of my life, didn't play sports, wasn't very active (though, I could play the heck out of the playground!), battled self-image issues, tried a few things with no success, and was genuinely unhappy when it came to all things body-related. It's not all depressing though - I have learn to compensate in other areas of my life - a strong sense of self, a dark and twisted sense of humour, and a huge amount of creativity being the primary ones. A little bit more about my story... about three years ago, I discovered roller derby and fell IN LOVE. Coming from my background, it has been a huge physical and emotional challenge (still is most days). Now I am going into my second year on skates. I skate about four hours a week (mostly on the weekends). I haven't lost any weight - though, I know I have increased muscle mass - especially in my legs. I have started to morph into a T-Rex. I have this MASSIVE LEGS AND THIGHS... and itty-bitty arms. I am not well-rounded at all. Plus, add in the fact, that my energy is almost non-existent and I feel really slow compared to a lot of my team mates. After having a less than stellar rookie season, I have decided that this year will be different. After 38 years, I wanna drive my own evolution. My issue lays mostly with my diet. It's crap. I have portion control issues and emotional eating issues. I know that diet has been and will always be my biggest struggle. I am analyzing my plan of action. I was a terrible vegetarian for a number of years (substituted meat with pasta) and I don't have the fortitude (or inclination, frankly) to adopt the Paleo lifestyle (a number of my team mates have with great success though). I want to try an maintain a balanced diet (perhaps using the Canadian Food Guide - maybe?). But it will be tricky because I can talk myself out of anything. I'm a jerk sometimes. Battling the voices will be my toughest challenge! I have decided to focus on small steps and small goals instead of a magic number that comes off the scale. Small goals like maintaining a consistent food log and exercise log. And then creating a bigger goal for ever six month - the current one being participating in a Spartan race in August. It will help me to keep focused with something concrete and something that will happen instead of some obscure number. If I don't train or eat better, that Spartan race is going to kick my butt and I really don't want that to happen. And if a side effect is some weight-loss, feeling better when I play roller derby, and improving my game, then THUMBS UP! At any rate, I'm excited to be here. I dig the site and this forum seems to be a pretty fantastic place too!