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So I am about to graduate high school ***throws confetti in the air*** Though with this ending comes the close of a huge chapter of my young life, I'm looking forward to many new opportunities to come. I've been a reader of the Nerd Fitness Blog for some three years and always took advice, but never really put myself out their in a public forum. I have been weight lifting since middle school, I competed in my first power lifting competition this year, I do martial arts, I run, I love the X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Trek, Star Wars, any action movie at all really, and I'll be graduating as a valedictorian at my school. This is all awesome! I love it! But I don't think I would have gotten where I am without having some sort of end goal, which is why I am starting this six-week challenge (albeit late) as a way to wrap up my senior year and begin my amazing last summer at home. Here are my goals: Have "Push-up O'clock" three days (monday, Wednesday, Friday) per week-- complete 100 push ups or more starting at 6 AM Have "Bed Time Pull-ups" three days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) per week--complete 20 pull ups or more starting at 9 PM The Daily Jug--drain my favorite water jug (1/2 galloon) twice daily Workout Plan--Plan my daily workouts the night before, instead of improvising These are pretty mild, but I know what even the simplest tasks can sometimes slip out of our grasp. Will be posting regularly to update my progress. Thank you, Nerd Fitness!!!

Checked this out around June 2013, rolled my ankle bad and trashed my fitness abilities... So here I am starting my adventure a bit late! Background: Race: Half-Gnoll. Based on a few D&D sites and how I view my current abilities; Dexterity and Constitution seem to be my strong suits. Currently, I am an intro-level endurance runner running around 8-11 miles a week in 2-3 sessions (when I get around to it) and I also play on a Gaelic Hurling team locally and scrimmage with a soccer team occasionally. However, just like full blood Gnolls, I am constantly caught up in the pack-animal behaviors, and only acting at a very reactionary level and then hibernate once I accomplish enough to survive. TL;DR: I run to eat and I run to drink... no consistency and bail the second I get a taste of success. Main Quest: Running a total of 520 miles in 2014, including a Half-Marathon in September 2014. Goals: [STA] Run 60 miles, averaging 10 miles a week. -Grading based on percentage of miles completed. [STR] Weight training 3 times a week, using dumb-bells and bench. -Grading based on percentage missed work outs. [CON] Lose 5 pounds, following the WWP+ program. -Grading based on pounds lost percentage. Life Quest: [WIS] Financial Tracking - Actively track all finances and make sure they are updated at the End of Week. -Grading 6wks * 7days = 42 days, percentage of days tracked. Motivation: Building the better Nerd: Dropping my love handles, seeing my abs for the first time, and get consistent to keep it up. Starting Stats: 36 year old male 5'10" 185.4 lbs -Once I get consistent on weight workouts, measurements will go here, 185.4 may not seem heavy, but you haven't seen me, it's all midsection and legs. Tracking will be done on a Google Drive spreadsheet, which if it works well I will share it out for others to copy and use.

The Story Thus Far... The orc sat in the cave he called home. He could not help but sigh as he contemplated his fate. Though he had no memory of being in the perfect shape, he knew that it was not that long ago that his life was better. There was once a day when the only threat to his life were bandits and mercenaries. Now, his own body was threatening to dispose of him. He weighed more than twice the size of his father before him. He knew that his fate rested in his own hands. But the excess weight made him tired. And his fatigue only served to keep him from abandoning the ever-present weight. He had few friends, one of which was his spouse. She looked at him lovingly, praying that one day, he would shake the chains of his weight off, and that he might live a long and full life with her. His friends also offered the promise of consistent encouragement if he desired it. With a new year came the chance for a new life. One of personal betterment. And for the sake of his loved ones, as well as for the sake of his own life, the bitter old orc stood from his den and swore to take action. Death was no longer welcome to take him because of his weight. From here on out, Durak the Boulder would be known as Durak the Determined, and his life would no longer be forfeit! ...But this would be no easy task. The last several years had weakened his muscles and his resolve. A single push-up was now impossible, and more than a handful of jumping jacks would take the fight right out of him. Surely, workout programs would serve no purpose for him at this point. For now, he had to work his way to becoming active. Current Stats Weight: 370 pounds Height: 6'0" Age: 22.5 Waist: 54" Main Quest "Work" my way to a more active self that will be able to tackle rudimentary workouts later on. Objectives 1. Get active three times a week (M, W, F) for a period of time; eventually reaching 45-60 consecutive minutes of activity. On non-workout days, walk one mile. 2. Add fruit to my daily diet; preferably by replacing all sweets and snacks with fruit. 3. Limit soda consumption to 36 ounces a day. Life Quest Publish a comic book, either online or in print.

Welcome to Dr. Who's Sidekicks Accountabilibuddies Group! We have 7 people that were together through their first challenge and we really enjoyed working together! I'll be posting more through out the weekend but you can sign up here. Please follow the instructions in the doc here as well as we like to track through a shared google doc. Thanks so much for joining us!

My next six week challenge I will be strength training (the Angry Birds workout) three times a week and Doing the C25K program three times a week. I've been eating primal since April. My overall goals are weight loss, good health, and fitness. So would I be considered a Ranger or still an Adventurer (where I have been since April)?

After three hectic months abroad, I'm finally back home in Poland, and actually looking forward to a little stability (which should also be a big help in the goal-reaching area). I still have a lot to catch up on, so I'm going to keep it simple with just three goals this time around: Fitness/diet goals: 1. Resume kung fu training - at least 2X per week (STR +5 DEX +2 STA +1) The first few days will suck hard as my body remembers what it's like to do a push-up or hit a bag for an hour again, which is why I'm allowing myself to start off at just twice a week, and then increase to the normal three times per week after the first month. Grading: +1 point for every training attended. 12+ pts = A, 9 pts = B, 6 pts = C, 3 pts = D 2. "Eat real food. Not too much. Mostly plants." (CON +3) I'm going back to paleo, with the exception of one cheat day per week (mostly for the beer). I want 2/3rds of each meal I eat to consist of veggies, with 1/3 protein of some sort. Grading: +1 point for each fully paleo day. 36+ pts = A, 30 pts = B, 24 pts = C, 18 pts = D Life goal: 3. Write 300 words. Every. Single. Day. (WIS + 4) I failed at this goal last time around, so this challenge it will be my top priority. Since I get paid to write non-fiction, I haven't written fiction in ages and I really need to start flexing that creative muscle more. Grading: pass/fail - 12,600 (300 words X 42 days) or more words written by the end of the challenge.

After a whirlwind of activity towads the end of the last challenge, I am back! I'm really trying to be more consistent, and follow through with my challenge this time. I named this challenge threa with that in mind. What good is a hammer strike that lands weakly? How much of the motion is wasted if not enough force is applied at the end? Sure, I have made progress, but it has been so much slower than it could have been, and this is something that is a reoccuring theme in my life, and something I am really trying to change. Am I in a good place at this point in my life? Yeah, sure. But had I applied myself more strongly in the past, things would have gone much easier for me academically, professionally, as a martial artist, and in my general health. So here's what I have been up to. The Bad Yeah, that promotion I was all but assured of before? Almost impossible at this point. Turns out that position is probably going to not exist anymore...I really don't blame my higher ups, i was not their fault. It just sort of came down the line as one of the things we are going to have to do in order to save money. Oh, and as part of that plan I have been temporarily assigned as a front desk security person until new enrollment of students start again. In what I can only describe as an academic nightmare, my university counselor told me that I had been given bad information by her predecessor and my graduation will have to wait at least an extra semester ending in winter semester rather than the summer. Oh, and I got really sick from a stomach virus for nearly a week. That sucked too. The Good Well, I still have a job! And through some HR wizardry I am still getting my regular pay for basically sitting around and messing with a computer up front. I have recently gotten caught up with Homestuck due to this (Any other fans? I know you are out there...) Sometime in May or June when we start enrolling again I will go back to my normal job as a career exploration instructor and to be honest, that is where my heart is. Although working as a counselor would be a smart career move, this particular position is not my favorite. I would mostly be doing schedules and evaluations which are about as much fun as having one's nails removed. I do not mind waiting it out, finishing my schooling, and finding the right place for my career to go from there. I got a lot done last challenge. I attended my first anime convention (as a chaperone no less! A chaperone in cosplay!) ran a nighttime 5k, and went to a religious retreat that was on my bucket list which I feel deeply influenced my spiritual life. I even got down to my goal weight of 185, although that was more due to the stomach bug than anything. Still, a win is a win and I ain't nowhere near finished. The Plan 3 Modified Beginner Bodyweight workouts a week (Starting next week, I am swamped with term papers this week) +2 STR, + 2CON At least 12 capoeira classes from now until the end of the challenge +2 STA, +2 STA Floss! Floss? Yes, Floss! That can be a goal. Shut up! +2 CHA, + 2 CON Conquering the mighty Acadaemon, All classes B or higher +3 WIS This is gonna be one of those 'Do it more than talking about doing it' challenges for me, I may not be online as much as I have been in the past. So if I do not post on you all's challenge threads, just know it ain't for any lack of love. I am proud to be a monk, and grateful to be part of this community. Now then, as Dr. Who would say and Gabriel would quote... Allons-y!

So I dropped out early of the last challenge once I realized that I was trying to do way too much while spending time on three continents in the span of a month. Since this time I'll only be on one continent (though not my current home and with some traveling as well), I'm giving it another go, though I'm going to keep it fairly simple and not that ambitious in hopes of actually finishing. Luckily, I got some great ideas from you guys about goals and learning to meditate that I get to incorporate this time around. Here we go! Fitness/diet/health goals: 1. Learn to meditate + make it a habit. (WIS +2 STA +1) I've been stressed lately and I think it would help refocus my life and maybe give me more energy during the day. Either way, it's worth a shot, and I've never tried before. The plan: Week 1: start trying out different methods to find one that works; practice every day Week 2-4: 5 minutes of meditation every day Week 5: 10 minutes of meditation every day Week 6: 15 minutes of meditation every day Grading: +1 point for every meditation session/attempt. 42 pts = A, 35-41 pts = B, 28-34 pts = C, 21-27 pts = D, 26 or less = F 2. Work out 30 minutes 3x/week. (STR +3 DEX +2 STA +1) The plan: When I'm home: kettlebell routine, punching bag When I'm traveling: push-ups, Steve's hotel workout when I can, or at least some sort of activity that has me moving regularly Grading: +1 point for every workout. 18 pts = A, 15 pts = B, 12 pts = C, 9 pts = D, 6 or less = F 3. Stop snacking. (CON + 3) Seriously, just stop it. I eat far more often out of boredom than out of hunger, and I need to curb that habit if I'm going to maintain/lose weight when I don't have time to work out as much as normal. The plan: Keep no snacks around the house, only eat full meals (2-3x day), stay out of the kitchen when procrastinating. Grading: -1 point for every time I snack, starting with 50 points. 42+ pts = A, 35-41 pts = B, 28-34 pts = C, 21-27 pts = D, 26 or less = F Life goal: 4. Write 300 words. Every. Single. Day. (WIS + 3) I'm writing a lot, but it's all paid word and all non-fiction. I haven't written fiction in ages and I feel like I need to start flexing that muscle again, so I've started a separate journal for daily writing. Grading: pass/fail - 12,600 (300 words X 42 days) or more words written by the end of the challenge.

Hi Monks! I'm going to do this challenge a little differently. Since the last challenge I focused on fitness and only had one diet goal (which I failed miserably as I got busier with work), this challenge I want to focus exclusively on diet. I will still try to make some sort of work-out schedule, but I will be traveling during a lot of it, working a music festival for 10 days of it that will barely allow for sleep, much less for working out (though I will be biking from venue to venue, yay), and in general my life will be highly irregular during the next few months. Since I won't be home for a couple of months, I also won't be going to kung fu =( That said, I want your ideas on how to improve my diet! My goals are fairly simple: lose fat, keep the muscle I have, and develop a more sustainable diet. Eventually I'd love to get down to and sustain a 20% body fat ratio (around 27% now). My stats: 170 cm (5'7") and around 61-62 kg (135-140lbs). Want to get down to 125-130lbs. My habits: I tend to do OK with a paleo-esque diet, I eat lots of meat and love me some veggies (in meat sauce), but I also still eat bread occasionally and drink beer more than occasionally. My kryptonite: Social eating, beer Diet goals: So, I want you guys to give me three diet-related goals for this challenge! Something challenging but doable given my hectic life, of course =) This will be an experiment for me to see if I can lose fat solely through diet. Life goal: Learn to meditate. I've been ridiculously stressed lately and I think it would help refocus my life and maybe give me more energy during the day. Either way, it's worth a shot, and I've never tried before. The plan: Week 1: research meditation techniques Week 2: start trying out different methods to find one that works; practice every day Week 3-4: 5 minutes of meditation every day Week 5: 10 minutes of meditation every day Week 6: 15 minutes of meditation every day

I'm definitely new to this Accountibilibuddy concept (been MIA for a few challenges), but I was amazed no one else had already started a Browncoats group. So, any (cross-guild) Whedonites out there?

It's been forever since I've frequented the NF forums (or any social media, for that matter), as the past two months I've been working non-stop on finishing a book I'm co-writing. That means I dropped my last challenge midway, went MIA from my virtual and real social life and except for the once a week or so I pulled myself away from the computer to go to kung fu, completely stopped working out =( Between that and the holidays, I'm in pretty bad shape, and now that my schedule is not so hectic I need to get back to "normal", or better =) So, at the very least this challenge is an opportunity to finish the last one I failed and get back in decent shape, so that I can focus on getting awesome in future challenges. Anyway, it's good to be back, fellow Monks! Starting point: Weight = 64 kg (eek!), height = 170cm, body fat = about 30% (double eek!) Fitness + Diet: 1. Lift right! (STR +2 STA +1) Do a kettlebell routine I developed 2x per week, plus 20 push-ups every single morning to wake up Grading: +1 point for every workout done, -1 point each time I miss doing push-ups. 12 points = A, 10 pts = B, 8 pts = C, 6 pts = D, 4 or less = F 2. Train right! (STR +2 DEX +2 ) Go to kung fu training 3x per week Grading: +1 point for every training attended. 18 pts = A, 15 pts = B, 12 pts = C, 9 pts = D, 6 or less = F 3. Eat right! (CON + 3) I recently read Tim Ferris' 4 Hour Body, so I'm going to take this time to experiment with his paleoesque diet and eat paleo 6 days a week with 1 cheat day Grading: +1 point for every day without cheating. 36 pts = A, 30 pts = B, 24 pts = C, 18 pts = D, 12 or less = F Life: 1. Write, write! (WIS + 5) The book is done!!! The writing part, anyway. But now I have to edit the whole thing, plus select illustrations, do the forward, find a proof-reader, etc. So that will consume most of my January, since the whole thing needs to be sent off to get typeset in early February. In short, my main life goal for this challenge is to completely finish the book so my publisher can send it off in February to meet the release deadline in April. (And yes, you know it's real when you have an Amazon page. Gulp!) Grading: This one is either pass (book done) or fail (book not done).