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...like no one ever was!!! That's right, this challenge is pokémon themed. And spreadsheet fueled. And all kinds of awesome. Of course I'm doing all the things again, so I thought I'd hop back in with the Rangers to see what you guys've been up to but I've really been focusing on balance practice lately and I want to get more bodyweight stuff and gymnastics going on, so I've decided to move to the Assassins at long last. I've been slipping into their minis for the last few challenges anways I'll start a new job this month (and will also celebrate my 1 year nerdversary this saturday!) so this challenge is designed in a way that lets me adjust the difficulty easily and take a rest if I feel like I need it. I'm using week 0 to figure out the details, so expect some things to change around here (we're currently on version 2.0). But let's get started... I used to play a lot of pokémon in my teens. A lot. I started with blue, then yellow, then silver and then I kinda grew out of it... (yes, I was around when all of these came out first, I'm that old). I was never really one for trying to catch them all, nor did I have a specific type that I liked and would collect... I just tried to get the most balanced, versatile, powerful team I could. So this challenge, I will put together a team of Pokémon and train them by fighting other pokémon I come across. Each member of my team will represent a certain area that I want to improve on and each of their attacks will correspond to a certain task or activity that I want to do. These are mostly things I've done before or am currently doing, this challenge is just designed to keep me motivated and accountable. Because if I don't do these things straight away, my Pokémon will pay the price! A new wild pokémon will appear each day and will attack a member of my team (these will be scheduled, I just have to make made a plan). Fights last until one opponent is defeated, so there can be several fights going on at once. In order to not over-complicate things, the game mechanics will be fairly simple: I chose which attack my pokémon is going to use and also the level of the wild pokémon, which determines how much time it will take to defeat it: each level equals one tomato/brick (25 minutes). So if a wild Lvl 3 Pidgey appears and Charmander uses Ember, I will have to do 75 minutes of bodyweight workouts to defeat it. If I manage to do that on the same day, my Charmander defeats Pidgey and possibly gains a level (getting to lvl 2 takes one successfull fight, lvl 3 takes two fights, lvl 4 takes three fights and so on). If I don't defeat the pokémon and for example only get 60 minutes in, Pidgey attacks and damages my Charmander for the number of minutes that still remain, so 15 HP in our example. If this finishes my Charmander off, it loses a level, the Pidgey scurries off back into the tall grass where it came from and I get to try again the next day. As we all now, the number of fights in Pokémon is largely determined by your willingness to walk around in tall grass for hours on end. So whenever my daily opponent is defeated and I feel like doing a little bit extra, I will walk through tall grass and find some more pokémon to fight. Which means that this option is only available if I have completed my "enjoy the outsides" habit for the day. That suffered a bit last challenge and maybe this will motivate me to do this more often (you know, if I don't go outside, the yoga I've done in the evening might not count as a fight and I'll miss the opportunity to gain a level *gasp*). In theory, I can fight as many pokémon as I have team members at the same time, but once I decide to fight extra, I need to defeat them and they'll behave just like the regular ones. I can't change my mind if I realize I've put too much on my plate In addition to these fights, I will have other options to support my pokémon: Every day where I show perfect eating habits (no white grain, no refined sugar, three meals, one of them warm, 2 of them with veggies, more than 2l of water) I will gain a health potion that heals 50% of the chosen pokémon's health. Every day where I have a perfect habit tracker score I will gain a health potion that heals all my pokémon for 5% of their health. Every week with a perfect housekeeping score will reduce half of the remaining HP of any enemy still in fight. For everyone who hasn't followed my old challenges and who's confused about what a housekeeping or habit tracker is: lengthy explanation in the spoiler Here's a list of all attacks/ things I want to do, sorted by type. For now I've chosen one attack for each pokémon on my team. As pokémon level up and gain new attacks, I will have more options to choose from on how to beat a wild pokémon. Fire: Feel the burn. HIIT or any other type of bodyweigh training. Water: The river goes on and on and on. I'll either swim with my pokémon or cheer them on from the (dry) shore. Swimming, running, biking, skating and anything else endurance goes here. Bug: Lie on your bag and flail your legs. This will either be a leg workout I got from a friend or something along the line of Deftona's P:BA Electric: Focus your energy! Work related adulting, mainly reading for work (and taking notes!), office work for my dad's company and any other paper work that comes along. Flying: See the world from a different perspective, even if this just means being upside down Balancing work or other gymnastics. Normal: Sing, sing, sing. Singing practice for choir or lessons. There are some types missing because I couldn't match them to things I want to do or because I things I came up with weren't really important enough to me to include them here. But one type is missing because I won't use it in my team at all. It will still make an appearance, though: Poison: Whenever I eat something bad, a poisonous wild pokémon will appear and attack me. Level depends on how bad I misbehaved All my pokémon are allowed to help out and defeat it. If unsuccessfull, it will poison my team and drain 10% of their health per level each day. And of course there's badges to be won!! As my pokémon grow stronger and stronger each day, they will need a little bit of an extra challenge. So whenever I feel like it, I can attempt to take down a gym leader and own a badge. Here's what I need to do to defeat them Boulder Badge (Rock): Go bouldering (duh). Friends of mine go and I've always wanted to go along. I'll have to trim my nails for this, but I think it'll be worth it Cascade Badge (Water): Follow the river. Run 5k in under 30 minutes along the riverside. Thunder Badge (Electric): Resist the magnetic pull of my computer. Stay off the internet until noon for 10 days in a row. Rainbow Badge (Grass): Go for a hike in the nearby mountains/woods that are really famous but that I've never been to for some reason. Soul Badge (Poison): Stay away from the bad stuff. Follow my eating habits for 10 days in a row. (The normal kind, not the special one that gains me health potions.) Marsh Badge (Psychic): Let the Sky fall! Hit that high e in a concert. Volcano Badge (Fire): Get sweating. Find a HIIT workout that I can do 1 round of. Come back to it later and do 3 rounds. Earth Badge (Ground): Get close to the ground. Then get away from the ground. Do 10 push-ups in a row. I intend to keep the pokémon theme around for a while so these won't all happen this challenge. These are not set in stone yet, so if you guys have any other ideas for these, feel free to let me know. Here's where the spreadsheet magic happen. This is and old version though, I'm currently figuring out the best way to set things up and calculate most of the things automatically. I don't think I'll stick to the attacks they have at lvl 1 as I originally intended, because I'f like to have special type-corresponding attacks from the start. Way too much office work otherwise So, I think I've covered everything you need to know to understand what's happening. If you have any questions, drop me a note. For now, route 1 awaits Charmander, I choose you! Charmander attacks Pidgey with Scratch (1 hour of office work today). Charmander is defeated! Geodude gains 1 lvl! Tadaaaaa And I see a Rattata lurking around the corner, so I'll be ready for it tomorrow! (Don't be confused, I changed some things around, so this doesn't really make sense anymore )

Starting Measurements: Weight: 135.4 lbs Fat %: 30 Bust: Waist: Hips: Squat: 66 lbs OHP: 31 lbs Bench: 30 lbs Deadlift: 110 lbs ---- Quest #1: Trains to face the Red Bull Being brave enough to face the Red Bull will require an extraordinary measure of strength. Continue SS Programming 3x per week +3 STR Quest #2: Escapes from Mommy Fortuna Escaping from the Midnight Carnival requires dexterity of movement to sneak away from Fortuna and the Harpy. Foam Rolling 3x per week (training off days) +2 DEX Quest #3: Eats a taco Gaining strength and dexterity requires getting enough fuel in the tank. I am not looking to hit numbers for this challenge, because I think that would set me up to fail. Just to get in the habit of tracking. Once I have data for the month, I will look at adjusting my diet to hit the numbers. Track protein & calorie intakes 6x per week +2 CON LUYL #1: Travels on and on It’s a long journey to find the other unicorns, and that requires a plan. This quest is aimed at getting me to consistently plan out my days, so I’m not just floating through my days without know what I’m supposed to be doing. Bullet Journal 5x per week +1 WIS LUYL #2: Sparkles and shines A small habit to get shiny. Shine Your Sink 7x per week +1 STA LUYL #3: Talks to the butterfly I need to actually practice the lessons my coach is giving me. This is a target to build space into my schedule for that. Vocal Practice 3x per week (training off days) +1 CHA

Hello everyone!! Last challenge I came back from a little break and rocked it the first three weeks. Then I got a cold. A big, bad cold, which tried to throw me off my path with bone-rattling cough-attacks and and make me lose my breath by stuffing my raspiratory system with evil, clingy balls of snot. But, no more!!! I'm recovering, gaining back my strength and will continue on the path I have chosen, no matter what kind of bacteria and viruses nature throws at me. Mwaahahahaha!!! ... sorry... got a bit distracted there. Anyways, the thing is, last challenge went great and I think I will continue doing what I've been doing. I've tweaked my goals just a little bit, but all in all, I'll just keep swimming. Here's what I'm up to: Goals and motivation I want to get fit and healthy and strong. Not necessarily in that order. But I'm on a quest to become a better me and part of that is sorting out my diet, using my body in other ways than sitting in front of the computer and getting my life in order. One of my long(ish)-term goals is to finally be able to do a real push-up (I'm at 4-5 knee push-ups right now), another is to find a (second) job. I also want to fit into some clothes I bought back then. I want to be able to run again without getting knee pain and/or out of breath too easily. I want to have the energy to do the things I love and the money to afford them. So, without further ado, here's my challenge No. 5 Quest 1: healthy dieting habits I've made a habit of drinking enough water/tea and avoiding refined sugar and white flour. I won't track the latter anymore (got that down), but I'll try to improve the drinking even more. Last challenge I added "more veggies" to the list, which I'll continue this time. I have noticed that on some days I eat only musli and sandwiches (whole-grain, but still) so this challenge I'll try to eat at least one "proper" meal everyday. Proper means: I cooked it (not necessarily on the same day) and it is not a simple thing like fruit salad, porridge, a sandwich or something like that. Just a regular meal like my mom would have put on the dinner table. drink at least 2,5l of water or tea every day (+1 bonus point for every extra 2,5l/week, -1 bonus points for every day I drink less)have one "proper" meal each day (+1 bonus point for every extra meal, -1 bonus point for every day I forget)eat more (cups of) vegetables than the week before (+1 bonus point for every 2 extra cups/week, -2 bonus point for each week I fail)eat some sort of veggies with two meals every day (snacking counts as a meal) (+1 bonus point if I eat veggies with every meal, +1 bonus point for each day I forget) Quest 2: get moving, get strong I do enjoy physical activity, just not all kinds. Last challenge I got very far by aiming for 3 sessions of some sort of sports (running, swimming, rowing, badminton, workout, whatever), depending on what I feel like. I will continue playing badminton once a week and will try to get back into running (my knees have been acting up the last time I tried, so I'll take it slow). I will also try to get in bodyweight workouts regularly. I will track my progress in a seperate spreadsheet. Yoga didn't go too well last challenge but I know it's something I enjoy once I get into it, so I'll aim to do some sort of practice every day. And I finally want to reach that "one real, proper push-up" goal, so I'll try myself at knee and/or incline push-ups everyday. I like the idea of doing AMRAP, so I see where that'll lead. I don't know yet if that's too much, so I'll adjust accordingly. do some sort of fitness activity 3 times a week (+1 bonus point for every extra session, -1 bonus for every one I forget)do at least 15 minutes of yoga every day (+1 bonus point for every extra hour, -1 bonus point for every day I forget)do knee/incline push-ups every day and track how many reps I can do (+2 bonus points for each week with consecutive better reps, -1 bonus point every day I forget) Quest 3: getting my life sorted out There's a lot (read: A LOT) of stuff I could put on here, but I'm going to focus on the things I want and need to do the most. Top of the list is getting a job. I currently work 2 days a week and while that pays the bill as long as nothing unforseen happens, it's really not a reliable option for the future. I've finally, after a lot of struggling, started sending out applications last challenge and I'll continue with that in the current one. I will also continue reading up background information for my current job and doing office work for my father's business (whenever there is things to do... I might have to adjust the target there). And since I continue to put some of my money into singing lessons, I will make the most of them by practicing in addition to the weekly lessons. send out 2 applications every week (+2 bonus points for every additional application, -3 bonus points every week I send less)take time for singing 4 times a week (this includes lessons) (+1 bonus point if all of these are at least 40 minutes, -1 bonus point if I do less than 4 times)read for work longer than the week before, measured in minutes (+1 bonus point for every extra hour, -1 bonus point if I do less than last week)do office work for 6 (?) hours every week (no bonus points here, since this depends so much on the workload)kitchen counter zero every night before going to sleep (+1 bonus point if I do this perfectly for a whole week, -0,5 bonus points if I do it first thing the next morning, -1 bonus point for every day I don't do it at all) Okay, now to the thing we all know you've been waiting for: my new and fancy pretty purple spreadsheet!!!! *sparkles* (now with automated progress percentages, automated ratings, automated gradings and automated color coding) Phew!! There's still the whole "making my home comfortable" business, so I have another huge printed spreadsheet on the wall next to my computer with all the household chores. No grading here, I just want to check off when I do something to get a feel for how often I do stuff and eventually figure out how often I should do stuff. I've neglecting this a little bit, so I'll try to get to it daily. As well as my financing spreadsheet where I write down what I spend. I'll also try to follow the 52 weeks home organising challenge as loosely or closely as my timetable allows. Aaaand I'll update a list of one-time things that I want to do during the next 4 weeks. Like my taxes. Or throwing a birthday party. So, there's lots to do, but last challenge showed me that I'm well up for it, if I set my mind to it. Which I have! I'm pumped, I'm on point, I'll rock this, I'll... Have a successfull challenge, everyone

"'There's a story in my veins, with scars at every page, It's written on my face, I'm a proud survivor. Staring in the mirror, I'm not holding back the tears, All the hurt that brought me here only takes me higher. I'm gonna let you know I'm not ready to fall, When my back's against the wall I'm gonna come out fighting." MAIN QUEST: Get the hell out of the SSIA. That's it, boys and girls. If you thought my last challenge was basic, this is even more stripped down. (In other words, I'm insanely overworked and can't think of a theme.) QUEST 1: SQUAT (+3 STR) Hey, I finally have access to a squat rack! And my hamstring is getting stronger! And my butt is still flat as a pancake! That bodyweight squat won't do itself, so I'd better get on that. Simplest goal in the books: barbell squats twice a week, pile on weight as appropriate. QUEST 2: STRETCH (+3 DEX) My splits suck post-injury. Also, working on them terrifies me. So yeah, time to get the hell over that with exposure therapy. 6 days a week of hamstring stretches, at least 5 minutes each day. 2 of those 6 days must be >10 minutes and involve DOING THE DAMN SPLITS STARS. QUEST 3: CLIMB (+3 STA) At least I still love the silks, even if I shy away from anything involving double footlock for now. I'm doing well at conditioning to be even more of a beast, so let's continue this trend: every open gym, drill 3 climbs, all the way up (both sides if applicable) and back down WITHOUT TOUCHING DOWN IF POSSIBLE. At least one climb should be something I suck at. If I suck so badly that I can't get to the top (looking at you, hands-only climb), an honest effort counts. LIFE QUEST: SING (+1 CHA) I had a goal around warming up before rehearsal/performance. Then I moved on from the goal and stopped doing the thing, because stars is dumb. NO MORE. Warm up before every call. Warming up in the car only counts if pressed for time between work and rehearsal (pressed for time is not a viable excuse if I just don't want to wake up early before morning call). That's all she wrote.

Happy new year everyone!! This is my 4th official challenge and my first one with the rangers *waves* I hung out with the adventurers June through October last year and had great success with getting fitter and healthier. Then there was a huge gap due to a bad cold, a bad challenge concept and a resulting lack of motivation. Then christmas happened. Now I'm back and I plan on rocking it! I decided to join the rangers since the new adventurers description doesn't fit me anymore and I thought it's time for something new. My quests this challenge sound a lot like jack-of-all-trades so I hope I'll fit right in My overall goal/motivation This whole thing started last June when I saw a photograph of me that did not at all match up with my inner sense of what I feel/look like. I don't have a lot of weight to lose (I don't need to lose anything, but it wouldn't hurt, either) but I want to be fitter and slimmer and replace some of my fat with muscle. It's not only about how I look, though; I've realized during the last challenges that I feel better (physically and mentally) when I eat and act healthy. I want to feel that way again and I want to create habits that I can actually stick with. There's also stuff that I want to be able to do simply because it bugs me that I can't, but more on that later. If that's not tangible enough yet: I want to fit into several pairs of jeans I bought a few years ago and grew out of in a manner of months. I want to climb the stairs to my appartment without catching my breath. I want to be able to run to catch the bus without feeling completely winded afterwards (I'm getting there!). My quests for this challenge Get healthy again! - drink at least 2l of water a day (tea counts, too) - avoid industrial sugar and white flour - eat more servings of vegetables than the week before I have had good experiences with the first two during the last challenges to the point where they were second nature. I will use this challenge to get there again and gradually focus more on what I eat (instead of what I do not want to eat). The third quest is a step in that direction and will gradually get more difficult. I'm usually good on fruits, but my veggie consumption is something I can improve on. I'll track the liters of fluid-intake, the number of meals that were healthy to my standards and the servings of vegetables each day. Get moving again! - do some sort of fitness activity 3 times a week (running, swimming, badminton, rowing or workout) - do more yoga than the week before - do more push-ups than the week before I've had trouble with my knees recently so I'm not sure what kind of fitness I can manage and made the first quest here very flexible. I used to go running two times a week during the last challenges but my attempts to get back into this habit in December were not to my knees' liking. I'll see what I can do there (and get help from the doctor if I must). I'm not really in the mood for yoga right now but I know that it felt great during the last challenges when I made it a daily routine. I also think it might help with the knees, so it's in there. I'll try to find routines that fit into my daily routine, maybe post-running or before bed or something. The last quest here is something that's been bugging me for a while: I can not do one proper real push-up. I've tried many times, I've worked my way to knee push-ups last challenge but that progress is probably undone by now. I really really want to be able to do at least one, so I'll gradually do more and more knee push-ups each week until I get there. I'll keep in mind to do some pulling exercises, too (hence the rowing) and plenty of planks, but I didn't put up individual quests for that. I'll track the number of fitness activities, the minutes of yoga practiced and the number of knee push-ups each day. Life-Quests (since I haven't had enough, apparently) There are several things that I want to work on in the new year. I've already made a plan for all the household work I've been neglecting, but it's not gonna be part of this challenge (I tried to incorporate it all, it's just too much). There are some things I really need to focus on, though, and some things that I've been wanting to prioritize for a long while so that's what I'll do. - send out more job-applications than the week before - do office work at least 6 hours a week These are things I have to do. I currently work a 2-day-job that gets the bills paid and an office job (the second quest) that goes into paying back my student loans. There's not much left for me and I don't want to live on my boyfriend's money. I'll either find a second part-time job or a full-time job this year so I can finally be financially independent and have money left over at the end of the month. - take time for singing 4 times a week - read for work more than the week before I sing in a jazz-choir and take singing lessons, these both count for the first one. Additionally, I want to take more time to practice, learn new songs, learn ALL the lyrics of songs I know and so on. The reading for work is for my part-time job where I need some more background knowledge for some new areas I will work on in the future. I've been wanting to do this for ages but never got around to it. So here goes. I'll track the number of applications sent, the minutes of office work completed, the number of singing-sessions and the minutes of reading accomplished each day. I know this sounds like a lot, but I've already slimmed it down considerably and some of my quests will allow me to ease into it gradually. Plus, my goal is to reach a solid 80% instead aiming for perfect and giving up the first instance something goes wrong. I know I can do it if I prioritize right (and stop wasting lots of hours on facebook and the likes) and I want to do it, if only to prove to myself that I can get my shit together Fancy spreadsheet incoming!! I haven't thought about stat points yet (I've heard there'll be a new system which might make them redundant?) so I may or may not add these later. I added the stat points to the spreadsheet. I think I'm going to stick with this system for now. I also added a new statpoint category called "Willpower" because I realized I need one. It's like stamina for the mind *wooh* I have thought about what to do in case of sickness or other unforseen circumstances. I will allow myself to make some adjustments if I really need to, for example - reduce the number of fitness-activities if my knees give me too much trouble (e.g. if the only thing I can do is swimming, I will only manage to do that once or twice a week) - change the "do more than last week" quests to "do at least as much as last week" if I struggle a lot, get sick or find it unrealistic (this might happen in the job-application quest) - reduce the number of office work hours if there's not as much workload as expected I will stick to my water and food quests (the first two) in any case. I know this is something I can do even when sick (in case of the water, especially when sick) and something that became a habit in the past, so these are non-negotiable. That's all for now. I hope you all have an awesome start into 2016 and great success with everything you've set out to do. I'm looking forward to sharing part of the journey with you ) Edit: Mini-Feats!! Strength Feat: Complete a full body-weight workout, like I used to do; try my hardest to reach my old PRsAgility Feat: do at least one NF yoga mobility video each dayStamina Feat: go to the local pool again and see how many (all-out) lanes I can complete in a row without taking a restRanger Class Feat: Animal Companions: have two clicker-training-sessions with my cats

With the first challenge of 2015 solidly under my belt and my energies reignited, I am back with a new battle log for 2015! In 2014, I lost 15 pounds, ran a half marathon, performed in five shows, and was the healthiest I'd been in my 27 years on this planet thus far, until the last couple of weeks of the year hit and everything fell apart. I used the first challenge of 2015 to get back on my feet and to try out some of the goals I'd set for myself for the year and made tweaks accordingly. So, here is my 2015 fitness wishlist! Become a confident and competent jazz dancer.Measurement: By December 31, 2015, be able to take an intermediate/advanced adult jazz class and not feel eons behind the rest of the class.Be able to do a handstand consistently (90% success rate, pirouette bails mastered for the 10% failure rate) and for a respectable amount of time (at least 10 seconds)Be able to do ONE pull-up and/or ONE chin-upBe able to do forward splits. Side splits will also be worked but likely cannot be mastered until 2016.Figure out how to do cartwheels on both sides. Right now, from the right side is basically mastered. From the left is a MESS.Learn a couple of new physical tricks/skills otherwise that I can put on my acting resume.Running isn't on my list of fitness goals that I want to accomplish this year, but that's primarily because I have no real set goal in mind for 2015 when it comes to running. I haven't been lately, but I do want to get back into it; the problem is trying to fit it into my busy schedule. I will figure it out; in the meantime, I'm not going to get hung up on a running-specific goal for 2015... yet? If I were to theme 2015, it will be simply: GRACE and CHARISMA. Let's make me a more employable actress, shall we~? Also, take this for a personal victory: notice how nothing I said has anything to do with body image or weight or composition? I'm over it now. While I don't necessarily 100% love my body yet, I'm more focused on what it can do in my fitness goals and workout plans versus what it looks like anymore. And that is a wonderful, wonderful place to be.

Hello world! I found this site a couple years ago before the Nerd Fitness Academy existed in its current form, and made "plans" to join some day. We all know how "plans" go sometimes... well fast-forward to now and the weight that I had just started to gain above a not-great-but-manageable baseline has only added up more. Time to stop the planning and start the doing! Okay, I'm kinda talk about myself a lot now, because what's better than telling your life story to strangers on the Internet? Feel free to ignore me. Stats I'm about a month short of my 1/3 of a century birthday (which I fully plan on celebrating more than my normal birthday), just shy of 5'11", and as of last time I braved the scale, about 215 pounds. I have a build where I wear weight pretty well, such that the first 20 pounds I put on a few years ago was barely noticeable; I went up an inch or two in waistline but I didn't really look different, you know? That let me get complacent and I put on 25 more. Damn. Even in my current state I can do at least 20 pushups, tread water for minutes at a time, and can run jump and climb when I need to... just not nearly as well as I used to. And I get way more tired doing it. Life I grew up in NJ, currently live in Austin, TX with my partner (who I may try to get involved on this site, we'll see how he feels about it--he's skinny but eats terribly and is bordering on "skinny fat"). Also sharing our apartment: an 8-year-old dog Basset/terrier mix who still acts like a puppy, a pushover of a black cat who could use some fitness help himself, and two sugar gliders. By day I work for a software company as a QA engineer. I like my work a lot but I occasionally get some serious impostor syndrome. I've had varying degrees of depression over the years, doing okay right now despite being un-medicated. Yet another thing regular exercise and a better body image would help! Fitness/Nutrition background I generally understand nutrition pretty well--when I eat poorly I know I'm doing it, I just love food and don't have as much willpower as I'd like. I know that good-for-you food can taste good--I've had it, I've even made it occasionally. But bad-for-you food that tastes good is quick and easy, and that's the part that's hard to get over. Fitness... I'm kinda a noob. I've done very little beyond some running around my neighborhood/apartment complex, some pushups/situps, and some very simple weight training--always using machines. Free weights kinda scare me, but I have both an apartment gym and a work gym freely available to me and I know I ought to put them to use. Short-term goals Lose some weight, not be tired getting to my third floor apartment. Do it while living my way-too-busy life. Long-term goals Lose lots of weight, get fit. I'd really like a six-pack one day, but I know that's a long way off and there's plenty of milestones to be happy about before then. Nerd cred I call myself a gamer, though it's kinda gamer-lite. Mostly WoW (Guardian Druid main, Alliance on US-Alleria), occasionally a console game here or there. I like them but other things eat my time and the TV is often occupied. I love board games too, I'll go whenever a friend hosts a session. Dominion and Roll for the Galaxy are a couple of my favorites. I play D&D 4e (Zeitgeist--really cool campaign!) about once a month, as a level 11 Razorclaw Shifter Gunsmith Seeker. I love movies, especially Action and Sci-fi. I love fantasy novels; Brandon Sanderson is my absolute favorite. I like TV but prefer it when I can treat it as a movie and binge-watch. Back in the day I would encourage Heroes and Lost marathons (interested to see how the Heroes reboot turns out, but not getting my hopes up). Nowadays it's usually Food Network. Race to Escape is fun too. The other big part of my life is a local community show choir (it's like Glee for adults) and weekly karaoke. Singing is fun; it makes me actually willing to get in front of a crowd, unlike any sort of public speaking, from which I will run screaming. If you just read all that... Why? I mean, I'm flattered, but wow. That's dedication. You're my new best friend.

Dantilla kept her eyes low as the caretaker walked past, pretending to study the pattern on the mosaic table in front of her. Once he had passed, she resumed her actual task--sharpening a blade she had swiped from the kitchen. She frowned at her makeshift whetstone and at the inferior weapon. In her previous line of work, she had become accustomed to much better. But, what was an assassin without her blade? A voice from behind her startled her, and she hurried to hide her items, but knew it was too late. It never ceased to amaze her how silent her caretakers could be. "Oh Young One, do not think it is a secret that you long for your own land. We have no desire for our home to become a prison for you. If you were to feel trapped, you'd never come back!" The caretaker held out one of Dantilla's daggers, which she had not seen since before the...incident. Dantilla eagerly took the blade. “Come.†She led Dantilla out of the solarium, down the winding road through the orchard, to the lake at the edge of their dwelling. "This lake separates our dwelling from from the world you knew.†Dantilla could only barely see the land across the great expanse of water. “When you can cross it, you will be ready to leave." Dantilla looked longingly at the land beyond the lake. She knew this task would require strength, endurance, awareness of her limits, and a leap of faith. Challenge: Some progress in my recovery has been made, but I lost a lot of my previous fitness. I want it back. I have to be really diligent with my disciplines. I need to make my physical therapy things a real habit. All my PT stuff as one chunk—6 days a week CON Meditate 5 min Foam rolling—all of it Transverse abdominus exercises—regular, toe tapping, and butterfly Calf work—calf raises, balance and stretching Hip stretches Sight-singing practice—3 days a week WIS & CHA I must sight-sing SOMETHING. I have to keep this skill sharp, like my blade. Gratitude practice—6 days a week min WIS Everyday I write down 5 things for which I am grateful. A little something I learned from the Caretakers. Exercise—Swim 2x week minimum, 2x week black widow workout STR & STA I WILL CROSS THE LAKE

Music Makers! Wecome to the Practice Room! This group is open to any and all musicians looking to dedicate time to our Perform skill. Any looking to join, first please make a post about yourself and what you do for music. What do you play? What part do you sing? Anything fun we should know? Then, follow the thread. Last time we had some music-related mini-challenges beginning week 2. I think we're going to keep that going! WELCOME!!

Hello Musicians! Welcome to The Practice Room. This group is open to any and all musicians looking to dedicate time to our Perform skill. Any looking to join, first please sign up on the Accountabilibuddies sheet. (We're the purple team in the first collumn.) Second, make a post about yourself and what you do for music. What do you play? What part do you sing? Anything fun we should know? Third, follow the thread. Have a good practice session? Let us know! Roll a 1? Let us know that as well. We can swap tips for making the most of it! Let's make some music!

Because not all Disney princesses are damsels in distress, and anyone who knows me can tell you that I am the exact opposite of a damsel in distress. Hi again! I’m blkhole24601, or Vicki if you want a real name to work with, a former Scout who is learning the graces of Assassinhood through dancing and maybe someday, gymnastics. My main motivation is because of my night job: I’m an actress in the Denver area and musical theatre is my first love, which is all well and good except I’m not exactly what you’d call graceful. Thus, my focus on dance! I’m also trying to pick up other physical skills (see: handstands, cartwheels, splits, etc.) that will make me more employable. Main Quest: Become a physically adept actress! Quest 1: Mulan - Let’s Get Down to Business [+2 STR +4 DEX +3 TBD] I know Mulan isn't technically a princess, but she's part of the official Disney Princess franchise so... This quest is honestly just a fancy way of saying, “I will exercise five times a week.†There is a regimen I want to incorporate into every workout that I do, and this is the easiest way to be sure that I not only find that routine but also continue to learn/perfect the skills I want to have under my belt by year’s end. So, said regimen: TMNT Mobility and Balance 5x/week [+2 DEX] Stronglifts 2x/week, free-for-all workout 3x/week [+2 STR, +3 TBD based on what I do] Jazz/ballet/tap classes don’t count. Not because I don’t think they’re a workout because I know they are, but because my focus is more on technique than a cardio session. Alternatively, other dance classes will count, and any at-home work on jazz/ballet/tap will also count. Tentative plan for the three other workouts will be yoga, running, and at-home dance work/U-Jam/Zumba, but again, NOT holding myself to this in case of Life. Splits/Flexibility Work 5x/week [+2 DEX] If a minimum of 30 minutes of yoga was completed as the main workout, it will also count towards this criterion. A = all 3 criteria met | B = 2 criteria met | C = 1 criteria met | D = for effort | F = zilch Quest 2: Ariel - Getting New Legs [+3 DEX] To continue my ultimate 2015 quest to quit moving like a graceless lummox at dance callbacks, I’m dedicating myself to 3x/week of dancing, with one of those days being at a jazz/ballet/tap class. Ideally I’d love for this to be twice a week but realistically schedules may not always work out that way. Zumba/U-Jam/anything that isn’t jazz or ballet or tap will not count towards having gone to class but will count towards the 3x/week. [3/6/2015 Adjustment: Weeks 5 and 6 will be excluded from the class requirement as long as I spend one dance session focused purely on technique.] A = 3x/week (A- =3x/week, no class) | B = 2x/week (B- = 2x/week, no class) | C = 1x/week, class | D = 1x/week, no class | F = zilch Quest 3: Tiana - Best Cook This Side of the Mississippi [+1 CON] Okay, so my meals will most definitely not hold a candle to Tiana’s, but I do miss cooking like something fierce. Therefore, I will cook once a week. I know it’s not a lot, but it’s all about starting small. I do hope that cooking more frequently than once a week will come naturally as I get into it more! A = 6 weeks complete| B = 5 weeks complete | C = 3-4 weeks complete | D = 1-2 meals cooked | F = never happened Life Quest: Giselle - Happy Working Song [+2 CHA] I don't care that she's not part of the official franchise, I love her and I love this movie. Part One: Sing 6x/week, just to solidify this as a habit. For a contingency should I not be able to sing for whatever reason (sick, voice needs a break, etc.), as long as I dedicate time towards studying musical theory, working on my audition pieces or The Mikado music (such as solfege work or plucking the notes out on my piano to get them in my head), or researching pieces for upcoming auditions, it will count. [+1 CHA] A = 6x/week | B = 5x/week | C = 3-4x/week | D = 1-2x/week | F = zilch Part Two: And now for a proper adulting requirement. I’m bad at keeping my apartment clean. I’m good at Netflix marathons. So, let’s combine the two! I will clean 5x/week for the length of an episode of whatever on Netflix. If I put in something that’s longer than 20-40 minutes, then I will only dedicate myself to cleaning for the first half hour or so. This should also, theoretically, help me declutter, too. [+1 CHA] [3/6/2015 Adjustment: 2 days a week starting in Week 3, as long as I do one chore in the house, it will count towards this quest. Chores mean putting away dishes, starting laundry, putting away laundry, taking out the trash, cleaning the litter box, etc.] A = 5x/week | B = 4x/week | C = 3x/week | D = 1-2x/week | F = zilch In Summary: 1. Workout 5x/week [+2 STR +4 DEX +3 TBD] 2. Dance 3x/week (Class 1x/week) [+3 DEX] 3. Cook 1x/week [+1 CON] 4. Sing 6x/week [+1 CHA] 5. Clean 5x/week [+1 CHA] (see why I basically HAD to go with a Disney princess theme???) Attribute Point Distribution: 2+ STR | 7+ DEX | - STA | 1 CON | 0 WIS | 2 CHA (3 points from Quest 1 to be distributed at the end of the challenge based upon what exercises I do. Tentatively +1 STA and +2 DEX) Weekly Recaps: Day 0 | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Challenge Complete! Mini-Challenges +1 STR earned +1 STA earned +1 CON earned +1 DEX earned +1 CHA earned +1 WIS earned

Hello Again, Musicians! The Practice Room is still around! This group is open to any and all musicians looking to dedicate time to our Perform skill. Any looking to join, first please make a post about yourself and what you do for music. What do you play? What part do you sing? Anything fun we should know? Then, follow the thread. WELCOME!!

Hello Musicians! Welcome to The Practice Room. This group is open to any and all musicians looking to dedicate time to our Perform skill. Any looking to join, first please make a post about yourself and what you do for music. What do you play? What part do you sing? Anything fun we should know? Then, follow the thread. Have a good practice session? Let us know! Roll a 1? Let us know that as well. We can swap tips for making the most of it! Let's make some music!

INTRO: Hello! My name is blkhole24601, or Vicki if you prefer, and I'm a recent transfer from the Scouts Guild! One of my biggest lessons learned from last challenge is that I don't have the time or energy to do everything in the world, which is what it felt like I was trying to do, and I was feeling like it was time to consolidate my acting goals with my fitness goals since outside of work and loved ones, acting is my top priority in life. And an actress aspiring to be in musical theatre productions cannot get away with just knowing how to act and sing, she has to know how to dance, too, and I........... do not. Ahahaha. Plus, there are other physical skills that's always good for an actress to know, and it's in the realm of gymnastics, so really, the Assassins is the place I need to be, I think. So without further ado! MAIN QUEST: Become a physically adept actress! QUEST 1: Inspiration: Josephine - Mastering the Game [+3 DEX, +1 CHA] As I mentioned above, dancing is my ultimate weakness as an actress. I need to work to fix this. And so, I will be sure to spend a minimum of 30 min a session towards dancing 3x/week. Ideally, it will be closer to 60 min a session since I plan on taking classes, but in case schedules don't work out the way I want them to (because in the Denver area, adult dance classes that will be most helpful for me tend to be on Mondays and I have my acting class on Mondays), plus it never hurts to spend time at home towards this and I don't want to risk burning out, this will suffice for this challenge. I'll be taking a ballet class on Wednesdays, but I want to spend time outside of class working on this, too, for at least 30 minutes. The total time will include ballet plus anything I do outside of it. A = 120+ min/week | B = 90+ min/week | C = 60+ min/week | D = 5+ min/week | F = 0 min/week QUEST 2: Inspiration: Cullen - Hit the Training Grounds [+3 STR, +2 DEX, +1 CHA] Part One: Pure Brute Strength, or, Stronglifts 2x/week. (+2 STR) While lifting is not a thing I'm too terribly interested in, I know what it can do for me in my pursuit for everything else I want to do in my life, and I kind of let this go all together over the past few weeks. Time to get back into it! A = 2x/week | C = 1x/week | F = 0x/weekPart Two: Learning New Tricks, or, spend a little bit of time working on a pull-up progression, handstands progression, and splits progression 5x/week. (+1 STR, +2 DEX, +1 CHA because pull-ups and handstands and splits are cool) [EDIT 1/8: Handstands and splits will be 5x/week; pull-ups will be 3x/week] These tie into my 2015 Ultimate Fitness Goals of being able to do pull-ups, a handstand, and the splits. I'm not banking on being able to do any of these (especially not the splits) by the end of the challenge, but all the more reason to be sure to dedicate some time to them! A = 5x/week | B = 4x/week | C = 3x/week | D = 1-2x/week | F = 0x/week QUEST 3: Inspiration: Scout Harding - Tracking [+3 CON] I've fallen off the MFP wagon really hard. So, I'll be tracking my food 6x/week. Simple as that. A = 6x/week | B = 4-5x/week | C = 2-3x/week | D = 1x/week | F = 0x/week LIFE QUEST: Inspiration: Leliana - Bard Training [+1 WIS, +1 CHA] In order to keep this habit up, it's very clear that it needs to be a challenge quest. So, singing 6x/week. For consistency's sake. A = 6x/week | B = 4-5x/week | C = 2-3x/week | D = 1x/week | F = 0x/week SIDEQUEST: Inspiration: The Inquisitor - Explore Ferelden/Orlais No rewards for this since the reward is something that I'll get at work via my health fund if I do this. I will log at least 7,000 steps a day through my FitBit. This will help me get up and away from my computer during the work week for my mental breaks and out of my apartment on weekends when all I want to do is stay inside where it's warm. So, to summarize: Dance 3x/week for at least 30 minutes a session (ideally Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays) Stronglifts 2x/week (ideally Tuesdays, Thursdays) Skills 5x/week (ideally Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays -- bold is when I'll also do pull-ups) Food tracking 6x/week (ideally every day) Singing 6x/week (ideally every day)STR: 3 | DEX: 5 | STA: 0 | CON: 3 | WIS: 1 | CHA: 3 This plan basically gives me Mondays and Saturdays as rest days! Excited to be here with all you fine people!! Weekly Recaps: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Challenge Complete! Mini-Challenges: Week 1: +1 STA earned Week 2: +1 DEX earned Week 3: +1 CHA earned Week 4: +1 STR earned Week 5: +1 CON earned Week 6: +1 WIS earned

Calling all artists - Creative types - those wanting to level up their skills and fun! (How do you generalize the totality, or even partial group of ART in one image?) how many of you have made a goal to do something creative each day, each week, each month? come join me here - (SIGN UP IS EASY - JUST PUT IN YOUR NAME - we are into the second box - so look for the light blue!) My goal is to ART once each day. Notice I said ART... not do art. For me, art is a state of mind, a point of reference, the place my soul resides. I find my joy in my faith and my creativity - and my creativity is an expression of my faith, without being all preachy(I do alot of nature stuff). I admire all sorts of art - and I'd like to encourage that, as we grow and level up. This is where I am a nerd! I'll post something 4x a week for me - what will you post? PLEASE FILL IN THE SIGNUP SHEET, and when I have your thread(battle or challenge) I'll put in the links of those threads that belong to us artists. I'm going to do this for 6 weeks - but I may continue it if we enjoy ourselves! ~Christi And, I decided to add some challenges - just to keep us motivated! week 1 - do something for 15 minutes that is free flowing - free sketch, free music, free writing, scribble your next crossstitch ideas....sketch out your next home gym idea...get the idea? week 2 - week 3 - week 4 - week 5 - week 6 - RESIDENT ARTISTS: ChristArtist - Continues Losing It Folks from last challenge - HansJay - Feowyn Chromaggia - Gobnait cn3wton - ShadowLion - My LIttle Pony - King Leeroy CelebrateCeleste Svella - Ryoko Shatyr Pyrorazor DarKRaideR Teros

I had this moment last night where I was mowing down on rice krispie squares that "I" had made with a friend and realized that I needed some help to be held somewhat accountable for my actions. I hope I am not too late to join the challenge. I haven't had a chance to read everything on here but I figured I should jump in asap. Hi, my name is Emily! Background: I am 27 years old. I'm 5'4, 155lbs, and ~28% bf. I am a software engineer at a small company in Ottawa, ON so I sit on my butt most of the day. At the moment I am going to circuit training with my co-workers 3 days out of the week and really enjoying that, I've already noticed some great improvements (I can do full push-ups now!). I enjoy the social aspects of it also. I recently read the article on Staci's transformation (http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/) and became inspired by that. I've always wanted to focus on becoming stronger and more cut and not just on being skinny but I haven't really had any direction and lack people in my life with similar interests. I don't want to do this alone, and so I am here. My biggest problem with becoming more fit and healthy is the eating part because I absolutely love exercising. I've always been super active but I've also always loved to bake cookies, breads, and cheesecakes etc. I eat really well during the day at work, but when I get home I cannot resist eating terrible sugary food after 8 or 9pm. I live with my sister and her husband who eat exactly everything that I shouldn't and so I end up stealing their horribly-delicious-but-terrible-for-me snack foods that I would never buy for myself. Goal 1: Only eat one snack item (1 serving size) of food, not purchased and prepared by myself, at home each week. (Not sure of a better way to make this measurable, if you have any ideas please let me know) ( Since it's really really cold here at the moment and there's an outdoor skating rink around the block from my house. Goal 2: Go skating for 30 minutes, 3 times per week. Bonus: Get one person to go skating with me at least 1 time per week. In terms of moving forward with working out, I am going to look for a gym where I can get into powerlifting as the gym I am at currently does not support this type of activity (luckily my boss pays for most of that membership). Goal 3: Get a gym membership at a place that has free weights within this current week and then start attending said gym at least 2 times per week for the next 5 weeks. I take voice lessons once a week and attend choir but I rarely make time to practice. Goal 4: Practice singing for 30 minutes, 3 times per week I need to read more on the real life role playing stuff so I will update my goals with those later tonight.