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Just wondered how many other folk on here are members of the SCA and how that impacts their fitness goals, etc? I'll start. Aonghus ill ulfr. Active in the Kingdom of Artemisia, Barony of Arn Hold. I spend most of my time doing A&S stuff based around research into everyday life in the viking age, specifically the Norse territories in the Hebrides. (Hiking, woodworking, brewing, leatherwork, cooking and general research.) Just recently getting into heavy fighting after some time out with injuries and such I had to heal from.

I decided to formally go ahead and do a battle thread since it seems like I am actually sticking with this fitness stuff. (Touch wood.) I've never been good at online introductions, but I'll do my best. I'm a nerd, obviously. My hobbies are medieval re-enactment (mainly through the SCA,) archaeological experimentation, woodworking, writing, Scottish country dancing and pipe smoking. I also run a podcast on Viking Age History called Norse by Northwest. I'd always been a fairly outdoorsy person with fair fitness, but I moved from Scotland to the US and gained a ton of weight. (A few images below to show the journey so far.) I struggled with it for a long, long time and just couldn't seem to shed a pound. Eventually I went to my Doctor who went through a lot of options with me and convinced me to try a month of Phentermine. That actually worked really well. I lost weight at a reasonable and healthy pace and was only on it for one month. But it led to a further diagnosis of Chronic depression related fatigue. Basically, I needed a stimulant of some kind added to my antidepressant to really get me feeling human. The antidepressant stopped me from being suicidal, but I was still just trapped in a fog and never able to really engage or get anything done. So I got put on a really low dose of Adderall and it has totally changed my life. I feel like myself again. I have a reasonable amount of energy. I'm actually happy. I get chores done during the day and I'm not completed incapacitated by having to make a decision on a thing. At any rate, I started hitting the gym every weekday on my lunch break. I would do two days of weight training and three days of the C25K. On weekends I'd attended fighter practice for the heavy armoured combat I do. I've now completed the C25K and I am running 35 minutes twice a week and doing weight training three days a week. My 'Big why' is twofold. First, my Daughter, Freya, was born in November of 2017 and is growing like a weed. I want to be fit enough to keep up with her and healthy enough to be around for her for many years to come. I also really want to look better in my medieval garb. I make clothes that I am really proud of and then I put them on and think about how much better they would look if I were a bit more trim. It's vain, but maybe not too bad of a thing. My goals are modest. I don't expect washboard abs or biceps as thick as my neck. I'd like to get rid of most if not all of the beer belly and have better strength and endurance. I'm making good progress so far and trying to just stay patient and continue to make healthy choices. So, on to the pictorial proof. Pictures of me from before I moved to the US where I was in really good shape. Then pictures of me after I moved to the US and was really fat. Finally, a chain of progress pictures showing my weight loss over the last few months.

I've never been good at online introductions, but I'll do my best. I'm a nerd, obviously. My hobbies are medieval re-enactment (mainly through the SCA,) archaeological experimentation, woodworking, writing, Scottish country dancing and pipe smoking. I've always been a fairly outdoorsy person with fair fitness, but since moving to the US from Scotland I have gained a significant prosperity paunch and I'd like to lose that. Going with the spirit of being honest, I've included a comparison image. Me at my fittest ever right after climbing the tallest mountain in Scotland on one of the more difficult routes and me at the beginning of this month. My 'Big why' is kind of a vain one but I'll be honest about it. I really want to look better in my medieval garb. I make clothes that I am really proud of and then I put them on and think about how much better they would look if I were a bit more trim. My goals are modest. I don't expect washboard abs or biceps as thick as my neck. I'd like to get rid of most if not all of the beer belly and have better strength and endurance. As part of the SCA I am just getting into heavy fighting and my arms are jelly three fights in. (Hard to defend yourself with a shield when you can keep the shield lifted up.) So it'd be really nice to be in better fighting shape as well as looking better. I also have my first baby on the and I am really feeling how important it is to be healthier and be able to keep up with the bairn! Here's the picture. Before when I was in really great shape and then the beginning of March 2017. Starting weight is 198.8 with around as much bodyfat as there is muscle.

The name is Aonghus and I do not have a 'Viking bod.' I don't expect to end up looking like something from a romance novel. I'm more likely to appear on the cover of The Very Voluble Viking than the Very Virile Viking. But I am working towards regaining my health and a level of fitness I am happy with. My hobbies are medieval re-enactment (mainly through the SCA,) archaeological experimentation, woodworking, writing, leatherworking, historical brewing, Scottish country dancing and pipe smoking. As part of the SCA I am just getting into heavy fighting and my arms are jelly three fights in. (Hard to defend yourself with a shield when you can keep the shield lifted up.) So it'd be really nice to be in better fighting shape as well as looking better. I'm really just getting back into fitness after a rough couple of years. I moved from Scotland to the US and gained a load of weight. I think I've finally found the Big Why I actually needed to push me forward. I'm just not happy when I look at myself in the mirror or pictures anymore. I just gained an amazing daughter, our first baby, and I want to be alive for a long time for her. Able to play with her and take care of her. The doctor told me I am on the verge of pre-diabetic and that was a big wake up call. But, honestly, the really big thing has been being so unhappy with how I look. And I am just... tired of it. So, I am going to go ahead and try a challenge. I'm working hard on the small changes so that I don't overwhelm myself. Big quest - Actually achieve the 3 smart goals consistently. Smart goal 1: Do my C25K run 3 times a week. No matter what. there are 7 days in the week for me to use for this. Smart goal 2: Work on reducing my sugar intake. Just try to make better choices and keep tracking my food so that I can learn what has more sugar than I realised. Smart Goal 3: START getting my gauntlets or helmet padded. I don't have to complete either of these by February 1st. I just have to actually get out to the armouring workshop and get started on them. It seems like I should be able to achieve these and measure them easily enough. They are also things that'll make me feel better about myself and help to build and maintain positive habits.

Last challenge saw a rather substantial advancement in rank and responsibility. While on pilgrimage to Rome, the Crown of Northshield confirmed me in my office of Seneschal of Nordleigh - a small canton south of the great Barony of Nordskogen, and beholden to the self-same Baron and Baroness. A small and poor frontier territory, with barely enough people to even grant it status as a canton, Nordleigh historically had supported the great colleges of that region, but those seats of higher learned have turned their backs on the people, preferring to stay safe within their own walls. The majority of the officers have fled to the more civilized lands in the Barony proper, while I hold out down in the border lands. It will be interesting ….. Upon returning home, I also learned that their Dread Stellar Majesties had elevated me to the ranks of the (minor) nobility. I was too ill to attend the minor Court at Lupercalia (having invested quite a lot of time and money to go to the big Twelfth Night Festival); so I have not received my circlet and scroll, but word has reached me, and I will try to meet up with the Prince and Princess in a couple of weeks. So, I am ennobled and charged with keeping these lands safe …. And perhaps making them grow and prosper over the next few months. But how??? First, days will be long and busy as Spring returns to these lands. So, my first order of business each day will be a good breakfast!!! I figure if I start the day out with a clean (Whole 30 or Paleo) breakfast, I set myself up for more healthy eating throughout the day. And I start building good habits that will carry me through living alone if I get a new job ... down on the plains of another Kingdom .... but let's not get ahead of ourselves. As a Forester, I need to be ready to outrun the bandits that inhabit our woods. So, I will continue to run 3 times per week, according my my plan. I need to be ready to run 5K for the Zombies Run Virtual Race on April 19th. Archery practice is required weekly, and another strength training session of any kind will happen each week as well. I went out to the range, and people have been practicing already. I was glad to have 4-wheel drive in order to deal with the soft roads and parking lot, however. And, in my new role, I need to defend this territory from invaders. I’ve decided that Ingress will get me out of the house and walking marginally long distances. As a challenge, I will keep all of the portals north of Greenvale Avenue and south of the woods in Resistance hands by going out daily to capture or reinforce them. They tend to get captured on weekends, but our team has been very lax in playing the game (I blame Pokemon); and I have a lot of work to do!!! Finally, following up on my pilgrimage, I will do devotions each morning. I am reading the Rule of St. Benedict with commentary, followed by prayer or other reading as the spirit moves me. I am also going to up the ante this time and track ---- with a reward. If I get 70%, I get one additional item for my SCA garb collection If I get 80%, I get TWO If I get 90%, I get THREE If I get 95%, I get FOUR

Hey everyone! About four years ago I joined nerd fitness as a way to help me lose weight. It was a smashing success and between that and joining the National Guard I lost 100 pds. Then I came home however. I found a great job that I loved (I am a cook) but was forty five minutes away. Stopped working out beyond sporadic stuff, eating fast terrible food, and not sleeping well. Gained back 70 of those pounds. As a note still look much healthier, a full eight inches is still off my waist line. And my eating habits are still much better. I am back though. Found a new job ten minutes from my house walking that I start next month. So I am getting back into working out and eating well. I like roleplaying games, pirates, and all sorts of history and reenactment. So here I am joining the monks for my martial prowess. My current long term goal is get to the point where I can run a 5k without stopping, do forty push ups without stopping, and hold a plank for two minutes with no sagging. After that, joining the SCA to learn how to use a sword! So hello and I hope to see a lot of you!

Good morning! I'm Michelle. I'm an academic librarian and a Beachbody Coach. I've been consistently doing Beachbody programs since January 2014. I'm currently in the middle of Body Beast and working on getting stronger while losing the 20-30 pounds I gained while on anxiety medication. I'm on meds for anxiety and depression. I love lifting. I'm an aspiring author. I'm in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) wherein I fight rapier, just barely getting started in the heavy fighting with plans to get into combat archery, I love helping in any way I can. My persona is Elinor Gyles who lives in Tudor England. One of my current quests is working on a full tudor/henrican court dress. As a Beachbody Coach I motivate people in person and online through their fitness journeys. I've assisted friends in losing up to 70+ pounds and start eating healthier. I'm currently working on transitioning to a lower carb diet like keto. I have 2 cats, Sayuri and Kaylee whom often come out to the gym while I'm lifting to motivate or distract me. Please feel free to ask me any questions!

When I quit my job at the end of last challenge, I kinda threw myself into a frenzy of keeping busy. I took on a bunch of projects so that I wouldn't be sitting around without people contact or achievements to earn, and I was determined not to sit at my computer all day. Hence my absence from Nerd Fitness ..... Mr. Wizard and I joined the Society for Creative Anachronism, and I threw myself into getting ready for our first event. It was something I had always dreamed of doing .... now seemed like a good time to join up. I made outfits and wooden camp chairs (yes, I'll post pics ....), and we both took up archery ..... and went to the local archery practice sessions organized by the Baron. Since our local group was co-hosting, I even jumped in to help get the site ready and cook for the feast. Turned out that preparation was more fun than the event. For one thing, it rained off and on, which put a damper on the archery and fighting events. I did see one rapier instruction session, which looked pretty cool. But the heavy fighters looked like they were just swinging wildly, and the archery targets were drawn images on cardboard - which didn't look impressive. Mostly, people ended up sitting around under canopies and mostly ...... drank. While people were in costume, they were not really "in character" at all, and no one was paying attention to the competitions even when the weather cleared off for a while. They were not even careful to hide plastic and labeled bottles. (The event stewards were pretty frustrated.) When we got home, Mr. Wizard and I just kinda felt ..... Frankly, the Ren Fest would have been more fun, especially in costume. While we could go to another event next weekend, I'm considering going up to the Ren Fest to enjoy the food and music instead. Since tomorrow is my birthday (!), I'm relaxing and enjoying a whole BIRTHDAY WEEK!!! Meanwhile ...... back at the 4-week challenge ....... I am focusing on activities and less on a lot of measurable goals. I have more than a touch of ennui, but at least I'm still trying!!! BIKING Yea ... do it. I am getting out for at least an hour each day when it isn't raining. And I am aiming to bike to do local errands, unless I'd have to carry more than my panniers can hold. 5K Races - September 11th and 18th The 11th is a local run associated with the Defeat of Jesse James Days, and the 18th is my rescheduled Color Run up in Duluth!! I'm going up for the whole weekend for the Color Run. SO ...... I'm doing training runs every other day. ARCHERY Mr. Wizard and I practice at least weekly, and I aim to get in another 1 or 2 sessions at the local archery range on my own. I really need the extra sessions to build up my upper body strength!!! MINDFUL EATING I am still with the Weight Watchers program, in part because of the local group leader is so inspiring and fun. I've hit another plateau ..... after losing 20 pounds ..... but measurements show that my body composition has improved a lot. FIND A PURPOSE I'm chipping away at some house projects, but after the SCA event hit the "RESET" button on unrealistic expectations, I'm casting about for something that inspires me.

Last challenge went really well for the first three weeks, and then some stuff at work really got under my skin. Some bouts of emotional eating combined with the long 4th of July weekend bumped up my weight by about a pound. I really need to take measurements because my clothes continue to get looser as I bike and run and walk. Mid-summer, like mid-winter, just doesn’t have a lot of events to look forward to enjoying. There are a lot of things happening near the end of August, but these upcoming weeks have the potential to really drag in the proverbial “dog days of summer”. And when I get bored, I tend to eat more than I should. When it’s hot and muggy, it’s tempting to stay inside and avoid any sort of workout. But not this summer!!! My main goal for the next challenge is to stay in control of my eating and keep in balance with my activity. 1) Plan meals, including fun foods and treats 2) Stay in points budget 3) Get 83 points worth of exercise each week (how many points does swinging a sword for a 1/2 hour get me??) Have some fun 4) Start archery (target) and practice on rest days 5) OCR training (Dirt in the Skirt round 2 redux) Summer ...... bring it, bitches!!!

Due to family commitments, I didn't work on my last challenge at all. I did manage to keep up with the ranger minis but that was it. I have gained about three kilos and I am back up to 115kg. Not really happy, about that. So it is time to get back on track with this challenge and do what I need to do.Because of my absence, sailing the skies with the crew of the pirate airship Queen Lizzy's Cutlass, the troll has regained its full strength and hitpoints. I too am at full health. Now a couple of things are happening which I want to include here in my NF goals. I have recently started studying a Diploma of Nutrition, this is important to me for my family's health and also a possible new career direction. I also recently joined an Aussie support group on fb called SuperDads. The founder of the group is a personal trainer based in Queensland, He has just created an eight-week course designed to help Dads improve their lives across a broad range of areas, I am lucky enough to have gained a place as one of his test subjects for the course. So over the next 8 weeks [well seven and a half, we started Monday] I am participating in a course that will help [hopefully] boost my parenting skills, life skills, health skills, and become a better version of myself. In other words to become a Super Dad. I somehow want to be able to combine my heathenry, the Broadsword training, Nutrition course into a health and fitness programme/school/academy in some way, I am not sure quite how yet. But the idea is there. This is the start of that journey. Now to my goals. Goal One: Highland Broadsword This is still my focus for my fitness. I will also be adding the monthly SCA combat training to this goal. Attending that is equivalent to three training sessions at home. I want to do 2-4 cateran sessions plus 1-2 SCA combat training drills per week. I have found a youtube clip showing the basics of the SCA heavy combat training that I was shown last month and I will use that as my basis for the SCA drills. I need to become a qualified Broadswordsman in order to teach broadsword, That means regular dedicated training and updates on my Cateran training blog. The SCA is still my primary place to train with other people and a possible source of future students. Goal Two: Runic Meditation It is time to continue with the next four runes; Ing, Daeg, Oethel, Ac. I still need to bring this back up to five times per week to be benefiting the most from this practice. If I perform a monthly Blessing that counts as a critical hit for the week. I have noticed the difference in not doing these meditations over the past few weeks and I do not like the difference. I also plan to move to a meditation upon the Nine Noble Virtues and its derivatives/variations after I have finished with the runes. I think these virtues could be the part of Heathenry that could most easily be adapted to my idea, Goal Three: Workouts I really need to increase my strength to deal with fighting in heavy combat. Not to mention my endurance. I am also having lower back pain from tight muscles and poor posture, so I need to start stretching regularly as well. I plan to stretch as part of warming up/down before any strength workout. Thanks to the last challenge I have started doing push ups every day again, only one set of five but that is much better than none. I want to keep this up and add some stuff to do as a simple daily routine, that will gradually increase my fitness. I can see the old BBWW routine coming back into play again. Goal Four: Becoming a SuperDad I am changing this from a general doing stuff to becoming a SuperDad, as a tip of the hat to the programme I have started. I am going to list the various tasks that I want to be working on over the next few weeks and beyond. Build training shields and swords for the kids to play with and for me to actually train with. Work more on the Garden/House maintenance. Studying my nutrition course. Doing stuff with/for Bec, date nights are still an automatic critical hit. Doing her hair, watching a movie together, a coffee downtown, any shared activity that builds our relationship (excluding shopping and housework). Participating in the Superdad programme Spending more time crafting. Scoring It has dawned on me that the troll could actually wound me four times per week if I stuff up. So I am adapting the scoring and life points to allow for this. I now have 17 life points to allow me to survive if I lose every week of combat with the troll. I am doubling the points the trol has as well to compensate. I am also altering the amount of damage that I can do to the troll in order to be able to kill it in one challenge. 5+ sessions per week is a Critical Hit on the troll and is worth four points. 4 sessions per week is a Hit on the troll and is worth two points. 3 sessions per week is a weak hit on the troll as is worth one point. 2 sessions per week is a block/dodge or miss as the troll evades my attack and is worth no points. 1 session per week is a block/dodge or miss as I evade the troll's attack and is worth no points. 0 sessions per week is a hit by the troll on me and I lose one point.

New Quest List: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ynwB0Zs2zcz-AWzSS-BWBdrqM7ifoh0GK3aVmx_iC4k/edit?usp=sharing *cough* Ignore the formatting nightmare. CATEGORY QUEST HEADING XP POSSIBLE XP EARNED PROGRESS DEADLINE REWARD PENALTY NOTES & BONUSES & PREREQUISITES CURRENT LEVEL 3979 12.5 0% PHYSICAL QUESTS 360 0 0% PHYS1 Reach all three of my weightlifting goals 10 PHYS1 Deadlift 100kg 30 PHYS1 Squat 80kg 30 PHYS1 Bench 50kg 30 PHYS2 Perform an unsupported handstand 20 Cool Party trick! http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/10/24/how-to-handstand-better-than-luke-skywalker/ - It has R2D2 in it, how could I not love this? PHYS2 Practice towards a handstand for 5 min each day for 3 months 10 PHYS2 Perform a 60 second wall plank 10 PHYS2 Perform a 60 second wall handstand 10 PHYS2 Perform a pirouette bail 5 PHYS3 Actively skate outdoors without falling over for 30 min 25 New skates! PHYS3 Skate for 30 mins once a week for 3 months 20 PHYS3 Practice stops for 5 minutes once a week for 3 months 10 PHYS3 Practice turns for 5 minutes once a week for 3 months 10 PHYS4 Have all 6 arrows score at a minimum distance of 20 metres 15 Combat arrows! PHYS4 Attend all Anealan archery training and IKACs for 4 months 40 PHYS5 Reach the top of a rock climbing wall 40 PHYS5 Attend and participate in 1 rock climbing session 20 PHYS5 Attend and participate in 5 rock climbing sessions 15 PHYS5 Attend and participate in 10 rock climbing sessions 10 MENTAL QUESTS 400 0 0% MEN1 Watch an episode in Korean and understand what is going on 30 Don't need subtitles, know what I'm actually singing! MEN1 Practice Korean for five minutes every day for 3 months 10 MEN1 Know how to write and speak the Hangeul alphabet 15 MEN1 Know 100 common words/phrases and how to count to 10 20 MEN1 Read a book in Korean aimed for teenagers or older 25 MEN1 Have a 10 minute conversation in Korean 30 MEN2 Be able to code my own website 25 Self-sufficient. Website. MEN2 Follow the Make a Website tutorial on Codecademy 15 MEN2 Follow the Build Your Own Webpage tutorial on Codecademy 15 MEN2 Register my domain 10 MEN3 Complete an embroidery sampler 35 Hands free hoop MEN3 Plan the layout 5 MEN3 Research and decide on stitches used 5 MEN3 Order/buy thread required 5 Linen w/ silk thread MEN4 Learn to play one song on the keyboard without having sheet music and lettering the keys 40 Fun sheet music? MEN4 Practice the keyboard for 15 minutes once a week for 6 months 15 MEN4 Practice the keyboard for 15 minutes twice a week for 6 months 15 MEN4 Know all 72 chords 15 MEN5 Make 100 glass beads 40 The beads MEN5 Take a class in glass bead making 20 MEN5 Buy all equipment for bead making 10 FUN QUESTS 100 0 0% FUN1 Complete a colouring-in book 25 Drawings to put on the fridge FUN2 Complete my childhood reading list (5 XP per book) 85 FUN3 Cycle around the whole of Rottnest 25 Birthday in Rottnest! Bonus points if I rollerskate? FUN4 Play Cards Against Humanity 50 times 25 The friendships won and lost FUN5 Go on a cruise (min one night) with my mother 50 Thinking moms 60th? 65th? WORK QUESTS 325 0 0% WORK1 Get an article/short story published in a magazine/e-zine 50 WORK1 Write an article/short story 10 WORK2 Publish a novel 100 WORK2 Write a novel 50 WORK3 Attend a writers conference 40 WORK4 Be earning enough money via writing to drop down to part time work 60 WORK5 Build my brand - have a website and social media accounts for my writing 15 ADVENTURE QUESTS 325 12.5 4% ADV1 Travel to a non-English speaking country by myself 75 ADV2 Visit Antarctica 75 ADV3 Go on an overnight/multi-day hiking trip 50 ADV4 Visit at least one cave in each Australian state/territory (8) 50 12.5 WA - 3 in Margaret River, NSW - Jacob Cave @ Jenolan ADV5 See the Northern Lights 75 COURAGE QUESTS 155 0 0% COU1 Go on a rollercoaster 20 COU2 Sit with new/different people at an SCA event. Converse with them 20 COU3 Perform at a burlesque show 40 COU3 Attend a burlesque course 15 COU4 Steward an SCA event 20 COU5 Sit for a boudoir/nude photoshoot 40 FREEDOM QUESTS 210 0 0% FREE1 Pay for housecleaning 15 FREE2 Have a commute of under 30 minutes 15 FREE3 Apart from story research, drop internet use to only 1 hr each weekday 30 FREE4 Own my own home 100 FREE5 Kon Mari all my possessions and contemplate all new ones 50 MASTER QUESTS 1694 15 1% MAS1 Be in a Marvel/DC episode/movie (or work on one) 100 MAS2 Design and build my dream home 100 MAS3 Meat Quest 594 6 MAS4 Wine Quest 800 9 Delicious wines MAS5 Have someone tell me I have changed/influenced their life for the better 100 GRATITUDE QUESTS 410 0 0% GRA1 Marshal 10 rapier, target archery & armoured lists 100 GRA1 Become an authorised target archery marshal 15 GRA1 Become an authorised rapier marshal 15 GRA1 Become an authorised armoured marshal 15 GRA2 Help a refugee 100 GRA3 Leave a $100 tip 15 GRA4 Leave 50 positive reviews 50 GRA5 Donate $10,000 total to Youth Focus 100 LEGACY QUESTS 600 0 0% LEG1 Donate to 10 Kickstarters that are successful 100 LEG2 Donate to 10 Science Experiments 100 LEG3 Mentor someone 50 LEG4 Teach 10 SCA classes 100 LEG5 Sell one million books 250 I wrote this for a page on my Blogger and thought I would cross post it over here for extra motivation and support. I decided to write this as a Quest for Life because for the past year I've been working on a 12 hour day 2 weeks on, 1 week off roster. It was very tiring and much of my week off was spent recuperating and not living. I was made redundant from that job a few days before Christmas so now that I've got lots of time, it's time to get back to living! Travel New Zealand Ireland Scotland Spain England Visit the 7 other Australian States and Territories Drive the Great Ocean Road (Australia) SCA Go to Pennsic Complete one SCA item a month Have some basic knowledge of the lives of my SCA persona's Make my wall tent functional Steward an event Enter 4 A&S competitions a year Make 20 glass beads Enter and finish an IRCC Health & Fitness Move to an 80/20 Paleo diet Go indoor rock climbing Deadlift 60kg Squat 60kg Bench Press 30kg Clean & Jerk 30kg Snatch 30kg Food Try: Snake Meat Crickets Horse Meat Camel Meat Beef Heart Writing Complete 2015 Book List reading Complete NaNoWriMo Complete outlines for 5 stories Complete the first draft for 1 story Misc Go away for a weekend and relax Complete my Diploma Find my cause Find my tribe Find 10 Geocaches Do 2 hikes in Perth

Main Challenge- Attend every HEMA and SCA practice in preparation for the Pas d'Armes and my belt test on the 30th and 31st of January. Side Challenges- Attend one parcours session a week, preferably Saturday mornings. Drink 1L of water daily Perform at least two Spartan Workouts a week (not counting the mental workouts). Use any two FitDecks (choices are Bodily Annihilation Bodyweight [custom deck], Strength Stack 52, Yoga, Pilates, SAQ, and Stretching) at least once a week. Rewards to be determined once the new character creation and quest mechanics are up.

Welcome to my third Nerd Fitness Challenge! Brought to you by fiction, daydreaming, unicorns, stalking and out of character superhero/sidekick/vigilante/normal peoples! Oliver entered the Arrow Cave (he was not going to admit to Felicity that he called it that), pausing at the sight of the short redhead swivelling in Felicity’s chair. “Who are you and what are you doing here?†He asked menacingly, causing the poor girl to squeal and fall off the chair in fright. “I…. I’m Pureleeawesome,†she squeaked. “I’m here for the Superhero Sponsorship program. A… Felicity Smoak? Signed a Team… Arrow & Flash up for it†Felicity winced. “I can explain,†she began before Oliver cut her off. “No. Don't. All of you have supported me in my endeavours, the least I can do is this.†Oliver looked at Pureleeawesome critically. “Well Ms Awesome. Let's see what you're made of.†PURELEEAWESOME'S TRAINING REGIME Food Trainers: Caitlin & Cisco Continue tracking my food daily and aiming for an average of 1200 calories per day. This goal is not weighted. Cook 2 Paleo meals a week. This can include desserts. This does not include reheating a meal. 12 Paleo Meals Cooked: 4 CON points 9 Paleo Meals Cooked: 3 CON points 6 Paleo Meals Cooked: 2 CON points 3 Paleo Meals Cooked: 1 CON point Body Trainers: Oliver & Nyssa Continue strength training three times a week. This goal is not weighted. Complete archery or sword (technically rapier) training once a week. 6 Training Sessions Completed: 4 STA points 4 Training Sessions Completed: 3 STA points 2 Training Sessions Completed: 2 STA points Mind Trainers: Felicity & Iris Complete one yoga session a week. 6 Yoga Sessions Completed: 4 DEX points 4 Yoga Sessions Completed: 2 DEX points 2 Yoga Sessions Completed: 1 DEX point Disguise Trainers: Thea & Barry Complete one item of clothing for my SCA persona Item Completed: 1.5 CHA points 1.5 WIS points Diggle stopped the girl before she practically skipped out of the room in her excitement. “I just wanted you to know that I understand why you're doing this. I've been there. But, this lifestyle is a lonely one. You have friends out there. Don't abandon them.†DIGGLE'S ADDITIONAL Keep in contact and support with the people I've met in my previous challenges. And there you have it! My challenge for the next six weeks, filled with delicious eye candy as a treat (at least, it is for me). I'll do a “fiction†update once a week but the rest of the time I'll be normal. Well, mostly normal. As normal as I can be. It's also my birthday this challenge! On the 20th. I'm going to an SCA event because my family decided to leave me and go on a reunion trip to the Kimberleys. I was invited but the idea of driving six hours on my birthday was unappetising. And then the week after that is an SCA camping weekend. So, lots of potential pitfalls but if they happen I can always rely on Oliver Queen to lift me out of them.

From the all-knowing Wikipedia: Though I prefer the term Úlfheðinn (ulf-r = 'wolf', heðinn = 'jacket of fur or skin'), I went with "berserker" in the title because it is an accepted English word and doesn’t have funny letters. The letter eth, à (capital) or ð (lower case), is pronounced with a voiced “thâ€, as in “this†and “thoseâ€, and is often transliterated as a “d†or “dhâ€. (And thus ends our language nerd lesson.) For more historical berserker details, please visit the Viking Answer Lady. Currently my favorite literary berserker is Soren, in Tessa Gratton's "United States of Asgard" books. Goal 1: Calorie Tracking From Egil’s Saga: To start my transformation into one of “the hardest of menâ€, I am tracking my calories with myfitnesspal. Target is 1.5 pounds of fat loss per week. Goal 2: Daily Training I have set aside a half-hour each day in the early morning for training. In general, I expect to alternate between strength-based and running-based days. I am trying to work in some weapon-training as well. On Sunday, I plan to walk for one hour instead, as an active rest day. Goal 3: Weekly Saving I have recently been trying to rein in my impulsive spending, especially on food and treats. At the end of each successful week, I will put $10 in my saving jar next to my bed. Mission: Wear a silver arm ring at Castle Wars, November 2015, earned through valiant effort in losing 30 pounds of body fat, and purchased with Danegeld from the subjugation of my bad spending habits.

In my quest to Be The Awesome I need to start over after that mess that was 2014. As everyone should know, all good beginnings start with a training montage, right? Disclaimer: I've not actually watched either of those movies, I just YouTube'd training montages. /noshame I'll update the goals below as I go along with what I've achieved. With regards to scoring, I won't be rounding up. For example, with my first goal if I only have 24 Paleo meals, it's still counted as 0%. Harsh, but so is life. Goal 1: Eat 80/20 Paleo (CON - 3 points) What this means: Going by the three meals a day rule, there'll be 126 main meals during the challenge. Rounding up, to 100% achieve this goal 101 meals need to be Paleo. Scoring: 100% (101 meals) = 3 points 75% = (75 meals) = 2.25 points 50% (51 meals) - 1.5 points 25% (25 meals) = 0.75 points 0% (0 meals) = 0 points Meals acheived so far: 13/101 Score: 0% Comments: This is harder than I thought it was going to be. More planning required. Goal 2: Train with weights 2x a week (STR - 5 points) What this means: I thought about putting a time limit on this goal but that's not going to work well with how I'm braining right now. For me, this involves getting outside and lifting my dumbbell's or my barbell. I'll most likely combine this with my Quest for Life goals of reaching 60kg in my deadlift and squat and reaching 30kg on my bench press, clean & jerk and snatch. Scoring: 100% (12 sessions) = 5 points 75% (9 sessions) = 3.75 points 50% (6 sessions) = 2.5 points 25% ( 3 sessions) = 1.25 points 0% (0 sessions) = 0 points Sessions achieved so far: 1/12 Score: 0% Comments: Goal 3: Participate in an SCA training session each week (STR - 3 points, CHA - 2 points) What this means: For those not in the know, SCA stands for Society of Creative Anachronism. As I need a hobby now that I have time for a life, I've decided to rejoin things. Generally the two groups closest to me hold their training on a Sunday but in case that changes I've left it as each week. I've also just remembered that I could go to the College training sessions, which will be helpful for one of the Sunday's where there is a meeting on. I have a rapier blade and a bow (but no arrows, luckily there are loaners!) I'd prefer to start with archery but I'm not sure I can pull the bow I have now... *goes off to check* ... nope, I can't even string the sucker to check. Someone might be able to do that for me though, so I can still make attempts and grow stronger doing so! Scoring: 100% (6 sessions) = 3 points STR, 2 points CHA 75% (5 sessions) = 2.25 points STR, 2.5 points CHA 50% (3 sessions) = 1.5 points STR, 1 points CHA 25% (1 session) = .75 points STR, .5 points CHA 0% (0 sessions) = 0 points STR, 0 points CHA Sessions achieved so far: 1/6 Score: 25% Comments: Archery is fun ouchies. Sub Goal 1: Go to bed before 10pm (CON - 2 points) What this means: Pretty basically, be in my bed by 10pm. I'm not going to say be asleep, and I can even be watching a movie (to hopefully put me to sleep) but I will be in that bed by 10pm. Scoring: 100% (42 nights) = 2 points 75% (31 nights) = 1.5 points 50% (21 nights) = 1 points 25% (11 nights) = .5 points 0% (0 nights) = 0 points Sleepybye's achieved so far: 6/42 Score: 0% Comments: I'm doing it, but it's not working out how I planned. Motivation Antro asked me to update my post with motivation... so, why do I want this? I want to have energy/fitness to do things instead of being tired all the time. I want to look good naked. And have people wish they could see me naked =P I want my clothes to fit. I want to have to use less fabric to make my garb.

Hello! Been following Nerd Fitness for over a year and I've finally made an account. Anyways, my current employment is not the normal 9 to 5 desk job. I am a Logistics Specialist Seaman (LSSN) on board the USS Philippine Sea (CG58), which is at the moment in her last haul of a 9 month deployment and is stationed in Mayport, FL. As a LS, my physical activities range from paperwork to carrying 55 gal drums off the ship. But before striking that rate, I was a Deck Seaman for two years, which consists of work that made Pop Eye how he is, and before that I failed out of the Naval Nuclear program, where fitness was not a big concern for them. Stats: Age: 22 Weight: 180 lbs Height 5' 10" Build: Average Desired class: Ranger A few good things about my life; Big MMORPG player when I'm on shore. Mostly Guild Wars 2 on Tarnished Coast, the unofficial RP server.My job requires me to stay in shape, so if I lose motivation my boss will kick some into me.Rookie Heavy Fighter in the SCA. (Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.)I enjoy reading more than anything else, mostly fantasy and si-fi. (Wheel of Time, Sword of Truth, Star Wars, Dune, etc.)I love to cook. (For myself mostly.)I've been around the world. Mostly Europe, Middle East, and Africa.I've been told I remind some people of a young TIm Curry.A few bad things about my life; Tend to go off track if I get distracted, especially when it comes to fitness.My work currently controls my life, for example duty days, underways, and deployments.My shipboard diet is horrible. It literally has the words on the boxes, "Unfit for human consumption.", If the public schools and prisons don't want it, the Navy will take it!My long-term goals; To achieve Excellent on the Navy PFA. (I'm currently hitting Standard and brushing Good with my runs and crunches.)A beach body of a greek god. ("Dude, your ass is tanner than my face!" - Grandma's Boy)Get selected to become one of the SAR (Search and Rescue) Swimmers for my command.Win a Heavy Fighter Tourament.To live a overall healthly life style both in and out of the Navy.I'm currently doing the Beginner Body Weight Work Out to get things started; 15 to 30 minutes of cardio to get my HR up. 20 body weight squats 10 push ups 20 walking lunges 10 dumbbell rows (Working with 25lbs this week, going to 30lbs next week.) 15 second plank 30 jumping jacksI'm hitting 3 reps in about 15 mins at the moment, and will increase to 4 next week. I'm not sure if I'm going too slow with my work out plan, but I'm currently sticking to, "Slow and steady wins the race." At the moment, I can't really control my diet unless I'm an extremely picky eater and I use N.O.Explode as my pre work out.

I have had a couple of weak challenges in a row, and I was unsure if I was even going to participate this challenge. I decided that at least part of my lack of motivation was not having something to train towards. So, I have signed up for a Half Marathon on 20 September in addition to a Warrior Dash on 4 October. I have done my best when I had a clear, inspirational mission. But I met my weight loss goal in February (and since then have gained it all back, but that is a different story), and had to cancel my earlier half marathon race plans because of scheduling conflicts, and have since then simply slipped into a state of dreary *bleck*. I am taking up some new hobbies, but that hasn't yet managed to motivate me to stay active throughout the week. So, new mission: Half Marathon on 20 September. "Finish or Die Trying" (preferably the former). Current goals: Fitness: 1. Train according to my plan based on this PDF. Three runs per week. 2. Walk or run a total of 21 miles per week, trying to get in at least 3 miles per day. Track with the pedometer on my phone. I have done this before and tracked a walk from Bag End to Rivendell to the Lonely Mountain. It helped to get me moving throughout the day. 3. No less than twice per week, crosstrain using bodyweight routines like these by Neila Ray. I will check in at least a few times per week. I have a two week trip to visit family out of state in the middle, with lots of driving, but I will try to keep up. I like to post on other people's threads, especially if I think that I can help with motivation, but I get anxious in crowds so if there are already fifteen people posting comments then I might just "stalk" there instead.

Mission: Get in the right physical shape to handle at least weekly practices in heavy armored combat with my local group of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). That means I will not fit in the stereotypical monk mold that I have seen here at NF. Less this. More this. During the last half of my previous challenge I floundered pretty badly, because I did not have a clear motivational mission, and also (probably mostly) because I had a really bad time at work, that bled into my personal and fitness life. I think I have my life a little more balanced now, and I will be going back to something that has worked for me in the past: daily tasks. 1. Every day, at least twenty minutes of exercise. Examples: body-weight circuit training, sledgehammer HIIT, or running, with hiking no more than once per week. I plan to specifically get my shoulders strengthened to handle holding up my shield and sword for long bouts. 2. Every day, only eat foods that are intentional (that is, planned) rather than impulsive (that is, driven by emotion or temporary craving). So a treat is all right, if it is something that I planned at least a day in advance and preferably have with other people. 3. Every day, carve out some personal time for meditation/prayer/scripture study. I did this in an earlier challenge and I miss the clarity. I have an application on my phone to help track, and I plan to post here near-daily. Thanks for reading.

Hello good gentles, I'm just seeing how many other NF members participate in the SCA. For those of you not in the know, the Society for Creative Anachronism (or SCA) is an educational organization focused on recreating the best parts of the European Middle Ages (approximately 600-1600 AD). We have everything from armored combat, to royalty, chivalry, music, tapestries and everything inbetween. If you're curious, check out the society website: www.sca.org Also, feel free to ask questions! I hail from the sunny land of Atenveldt and have been playing regularly for about 6 years. I'm primarily into fiber arts and book heraldry. Hope to meet some fellow "dreamers." YIS, Lady Elnor Howard

Is anyone else going to Pennsic? For those not in the know it is an SCA (Society for Creative Anachronisms) Event. It is their biggest event all year. It means that you go and dress up in medieval clothes and do many fun things such as beat people with sticks while wearing armor, or throw axes at tree stumps, or take classes on history or sewing or chainmaile or.... SO MANY THINGS! I'm going to try to get in my bodyweight circuits while there, particularly during first week. During second week, I won't have so much free space within the bounds of my camp to work out. I was thinking of going up to Runestone hill to get in my workout time. Anyone else want to join? We can mutually pick a date/time.

Is anyone else going to Pennsic? For those not in the know it is an SCA (Society for Creative Anachronisms) Event. It is their biggest event all year. It means that you go and dress up in medieval clothes and do many fun things such as beat people with sticks while wearing armor, or throw axes at tree stumps, or take classes on history or sewing or chainmaile or.... SO MANY THINGS! I'm going to try to get in my bodyweight circuits while there, particularly during first week. During second week, I won't have so much free space within the bounds of my camp to work out. I was thinking of going up to Runestone hill to get in my workout time. Anyone else want to join? We can mutually pick a date/time.