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I've been in this really annoying cycle for the past few years. The cycle goes like this: 1 Getting a wake up call about how far my fitness has fallen, 2. Diving into workouts that are too intense for my current level of fitness, 3. Getting hurt, 4. Having to rest for several weeks, to heal 5. Getting comfortable with laziness, and ceasing healthy behaviors. And repeat. Let's just try it again. The goal right now, is just to workout ..... at all. I don't care the schedule, frequency, style, program. Just to workout at some point in the week and to let that build.

Someone posted an article the other day on the NF- Women's FB page which talked about a lady's experiences with weightlifting which brought her away from extreme dieting and excessive cardio; and how much healthier she felt by doing less. And I thought, I also always do too much; and it either consumes my life, or it becomes overwhelming and then I slowly drop everything. I began to wonder, "how can I do less"?, plan-wise of course,; realistically I've been pretty sedentary for a few years and really need to do more. Here's the background summary: 285 lbs senior year of high school, and largely sedentary, -> 315 lbs by senior year of college, and largely sedentary -> 155 lbs three years later, with a severe ED, and multiple intense workouts a day -> 225lbs by law school graduation, two years later with weight lifting and considerably less cardio, -> now 315 lbs again, six years later, working long hours at a desk job and largely sedentary. I felt the best when I was somewhere between 180-225 lbs; when I was strong, but could still run a 5k in 40 min. The article lady, and the lady she was referencing, both focused more on how weightlifting made them feel, rather than how they looked, (though they both looked amazing). While I do want to lose weight, because I've gained so much back since graduation. I am mostly concerned with feeling better. I don't want to be winded doing simple tasks, like going up and down stairs. Planting season is coming and I would like to lift the dirt, pots and mulch without any soreness. Mainly, it'd be nice to just feel all around capable again. For the past few challenges, I've been trying to do a little everyday instead of 2-3 big workouts a week. Trying to do a little something every day has been somewhat more successful, so I'm keeping that. Also I really want to incorporate more walking into my week, 1). because I miss it, 2). because it's so amazing for building stamina and heart heath, and 3). the days are getting longer now and there is actually sunlight for a whole hour after work where I live, so I don't have to walk around in the dark. I also looked up my current calorie expenditure and my goal weight expenditure. And I discovered that the difference between my current weight of 315 lbs and sedentary, and my goal weight of 180 lbs and active, is just 200 calories a day; 2350 overall. 200 less a day is quite doable. I should note, that I've looked all this up before, but it hit differently this time; so did the idea of doing a simple plan. Usually, I end up with several goals, with subsets, and a complicated workout plan and diet plans. I've gotten smarter, I'm not doing that this time. I have 3 goals: 1. Build Stamina! 2. Build Strength! 3. Sleep more!!! All the other things, like eating less carbs, getting certain grams of protein, drinking a certain amount of water, or particular flexibility flows and workouts at really specific times of the day; those all come together pretty naturally when I start to feel better. At least they did when I lost weight the first time, before the ED took over. So I'm not going to worry about it. Though I have a certain amount of calories to aim for I'm not going to count calories; or even worry about restricting anything right now. I'll just be mindful about my portions, food quality and snacks, without a goal I can beat myself up about if I start to mess up. I'm not going to force myself to drink a certain amount of water, or put the completion of certain physical milestones on my mental wellbeing right now; that's not the goal. Performance is not the goal, certain macros and micros are not the goal, nutrition is not the goal, hydration is not the goal; those are ways to reach the goal, but the only real goal is to feel better in my body. I know all this stuff is discussed a lot on this site, but for some reason it's clicking a little differently this time. Here's the new schedule: Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Church work work work work work Jujitsu Walk Walk Walk Walk Gym 1 Gym 2 Gym 1 I figure if I do 15-30 min. walks just around the neighborhood, several days a week, I can do a slow and steady growth on distance/stamina. Gym days #1. RDLs, bench, and dips. Gym days #2. Squats, shoulder press, and pull-ups (lat pull downs for now). Gym days will begin with 10-20 min. of interval cardio to warm up, and build cardio strength. And will end with a 10 ish min. yoga/stretching. Straightforward and simple. And if I miss a day, or a week, I'm not going to beat myself up this time; because the only goal is to feel better, not to hit certain milestones. I think I might actually have it this time.

Okay so, where to begin. Maybe start with the end of the previous challenge. I did 2 OCR's in a weekend. Due to Covid my 2 planned OCR's for 2020 were rescheduled into the same weekend last weekend. I made sure i kept running, and since May started to mix in some lifting, with a little more emphasize on arm and grip strength towards the end. (Which helped a lot!) The distance was not really a problem (13K on Saturday 19K on Sunday, so a total distance of 32K or 20 miles), even with the aggravated achilles, and a slight sprained ankle we never walked between obstacles, except for when we could already see the next obstacle. Even the dreaded cramps were not present. Which is a big win (cause i had a lot of trouble with that in previous OCRs, and a sign that the prep this time was better). But there were a lot of things that could improve too! So what did i learn this weekend and how does this relate to my challenge(s). The masterplan! Running: My stamina on running is on point. At the OCR running in between the obstacles at a moderate pace made me feel like i was restoring energy. So i just want to maintain that, which allows me to drop a little focus on it. I have been running on and off for a couple of years now, and i have had several times where i needed to rebuilt, which is not pleasant but it takes me little effort to get back to running over half marathon distances with relative ease. And i don't want to completely abandon it, just gonna run maintenance for a few weeks, just to see what it takes keep at my current level. Really hope i can make a better GIF after a couple of these challenges... Strength: Always been a stocky guy. Started out with Powerlifting. After that i really liked Strongman classes at the Crossfit. The most recent development is a "Protege™". It's a young (16 years old) nephew of my wife. He quit soccer (for reasons) and it basically came down to the fact that he wanted me to guide him in getting stronger. We are doing a mix of Powerlifting and random other stuff lately. He really likes to be challenged, so i am working at his weak points (and mine) at the same time. It's fun having someone around to clown around with weights. It comes in real handy i've built a pretty decent homegym, and it's still growing with new equipment. He's back at school now which leaves us with nice windows in the evening to plan workouts. That will be a focus, steering a bit away from dedicated powerlifting to a more upperbody/strongman kind of workouts. Lift weights on do fun stuff in the homegum Body composition: This is where things get ugly. The thing i already know but what really was apparent last weekend at the OCR's. I need to lose bodyfat! I am 1.73m (5'8) and weigh 82KG (180 lbs) my BMI is 27.4. Now i know BMI isn't the best way to measure, but it's pretty apparent that i need to lose fluff. According to my fancy scale i have a bodyfat percentage of 24.3%. That's too much. Losing bodyfat will help me in most of the things i want to get better in. Running, Calisthenics, Summerbody (cause i'm a bit vain). You know just the average, wanna look good naked thing. I just need to lose the excess weight that is not helping me out in any way! Before after If you check last challenge you can see i did quite a lot of running, a fair amount of lifting workouts, and had an average of just over 2 resting days a week. During a time where i also had my summer-break at work. So i can pretty safely say i don't belong to the inactive group. Yet it does not shift my weight. Which means the source of the problem is found somewhere else. I already know where this goes wrong. Next to troubles with portion control, i love the wrong kinds of food (mostly high KCAL). Fastfood, pasta, BBQ and my love for beer. It feels like an impossible task to say no when those things are offered AND it's hard to control my portion size. Now i don't look forward to this, but this HAS to be my main goal! So onto a workable summary for this Challenge: just like Running (weekly): 1 short run (sub 10k) 1 long run (over 10k) Lifting (weekly): 3 workouts with Protege™ Body Composition (weekly): Portion Control (7) No Fastfood (6) No eating in between meals (7) Strict Breakfast (7) Strict Lunch (5) No beer (per exception) (number of times per week for a score on this goal) (Exception will be stuff like my birthday or some other stuff which i feel comfortable exempting for) I want to stay accountable and i'm riding a good wave at the moment. So i will be regularly (almost daily) checking in here. Sometimes posts will be long, sometimes just a quick update. Next to reporting on things i need to nail as a goal i will also be keeping a record of weight and BF% here to see progress. I'm gonna run some calculations where i am now and what i want to get to so i will probably edit that on right here! As for a far away goal i am going to use the Rat Race OCR in May 2022. Which helps cause i just based most of this challenge on previous experiences and realizations i made on the last OCR. Calculations around BF% Weight: 81.6 KG BodyFat% : 23.8% Fat: 19.4 KG Fatfree: 62.2 KG BF 5%: 65,5 KG BF 10%: 69.1 KG BF 15%: 73.2 KG BF 20%: 77.75 KG BF 25%: 82.9 KG I know this is an oversimplified calculation! It's just to get something to work too! I wanted to work to BF15% as the Magical number. Which works out to a loss of about 10% of my bodyweight 8.2 KG in absolute numbers Before May 2022 (RatRace) 8 Monhts or ~1 KG per month average

So I have not posted in a long time, but just to give an update as to what's been going on, I've gone to Colorado to do conservation work for the summer, mainly doing trail building and repair, fence work, and potentially disaster relief, as well as some other odd jobs. I'm at a higher elevation than in West Tennessee, and my current elevation is 7,083 ft. The biggest difference I noticed is that I seem to get winded easily when walking up hills, and there's a lot of them in some places. Anyways, due to limited funds and being on hitches for 9 days straight, I've pretty much decided to stick to bodyweight exercises for the rest of the summer, and to just not worry too much about strength training for now, since I do a lot of heavy lifting and hard work when on hitches and have limited time to workout when away, and I only get 5 days off after every hitch. I've been following Neat Progressions from Neat Strength by Silvio, and although the exercises are great, and I feel some of the effects, I haven't been enjoying bodyweight exercises as much lately. Mainly straight bridges. I also haven't really enjoyed dumbbells as much, either, and have been interested in trying barbell training again, if I could access them. For these reasons, I've considered just focusing on pursuing physical hobbies and sports and staying active for the summer, then worrying about getting strong in the fall. That being said, I can now do 10 push-ups on my first set if I use proper form, I can hit 30 leg raises or sit-ups if I push myself, my arm hangs are getting better, and I can just about pull myself up off the ground when standing under a bar or branch, without jumping up or swinging into it: What I'm saying is, I'm getting closer to being able to do pull-ups, and to me, that and push-ups are incredible signs of progress and are a great physical feat for me. I'm also am getting a little more comfortable with swimming in places like lakes, but usually only if there's a good shore. My only issue with my exercises are stamina. I feel like doing a laundry list of dumbbell exercises gets tedious and time-consuming, and I keep getting exhausted from bodyweight exercises. I don't know if it's lack of stamina, or due to my weight, or if I'm dehydrated, or all three. I'm tempted to try what someone once said they did and just do a bunch of cardio for the next three months and see if that helps with my stamina. Maybe I can practice trail running and rock scrambling. I just kind of wish there was more ways to get stronger just by doing things rather than following workout routines, just like how I'm getting stronger from trail work.

Hiya there, I've been browsing this forum for some time now and am amazed to find so many fellow nerds like me, and, I finally feel ready to tell you about my goals. I wish to gain muscle weight, abs and be strong in general. I also wish to increase my stamina. Right now, I can hardly run for a kilometre at a stretch. As a student, I don't get much time to hit the gym or a good diet (the college provided food is really, REALLY BAD). I have put on belly weight though, to shed which, I've taken to running for the past 4 weeks (daily 1.5 km). What can be a good plan to gain muscle weight without resorting to supplements/protein powder and with my hectic life as an MBA student? Are there challenges for the same? ABOUT ME I am 24 and an MBA student in India I am an eggetarian I like Superheroes, especially DC Comics superheroes (Batman's my favourite!!) I am also into Tennis & Star Wars BASIC STATS Current weight is 176 lbs. BMI is 24.69 Not much junk food, but not able to have a balanced diet either (more into rice, less into veggies) Thanks in advance. I hope to meet some amazing people here on NF and be much more interactive from now on. LET IT BEGIN!!

Hi guys, im just starting out in calisthenics, but im getting tired really quick which disturbs my workout program, therefore i want to start stamina training but i dont want to lose weight because im already thin (i'm 5.7 feet/ 173 cm and weigh about 130 lbs/ 59 kg). Is there any way i could gain weight, stamina and mucle while doing both, or does anybody have any advice/tips on my topic? (btw i eat 3-4 meals a day)

Hello, everyone! My name is Steve. I am from upstate NY. I am a nerd who wants to be healthy. I have studied a martial art called Wing Chun Kung Fu for over 20 years. I have what looks like a beer belly, even though I don't drink beer. No matter what I do, I cannot seem to drop any lower than 208 pounds. It is incredibly frustrating, especially when I don't consume that much junk food AND I work out until I collapse in a sweaty heap of exhaustion. At the moment I do home workout programs like P90X and Insanity. For the sake of variety, I want to sign up and try the Nerd Fitness program, but that would require having some moolah set aside to accomplish such a goal. So that is where my efforts are focused these days. If you want to know anything else about me or just want to say hi, drop a line!

I know what I'm doing! Kicking it off with the first Nerd Fitness Challenge! I attempted a challenge last month in the midst of the holiday craziness, and it didn't turn out well. There was just too much going on at once, and attempting to juggle a challenge? I was driving myself insane. But I'm not giving up! I never want to give up and stop trying. I will continue to come back, push through challenges, ask for help and motivation, and keep my chin up until I have built a concrete and successful routine to better my lifestyle. I did a lot of reflecting on what I need to do in a Respawn Point post, and I plan to dutifully stick to everything as much as I can. I can say that, on an emotional/mental level, I've been doing pretty good! I have been doing things to keep a smile on my face. I'm still learning to accept that being a sensitive individual is NOT a bad thing. I'm no longer pushing myself into social situations that I absolutely do NOT want to be in. Would it be nice to have a few folks to hang out with outside my family? Maybe, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I don't need to do that. The times I have gone out in an attempt to meet folks, I just didn't enjoy it. I tried to tell myself and others that I did, but I was trying to make my self-conscious believe it so that I would keep trying I guess. Our brain works in funny ways like that. I've also been fighting with a lot of past events that I still seem to fall back on at the oddest of times. Bad ex-roommate/friend situations, bad job situations, and just bad or sad things in general. I'm not sure why, but it happens every now and again. There were times when I felt guilty about the roommate/friend ordeal, but I have started down the path that I cannot and should not carry blame. I know, in my heart, that I did everything and anything I could for said group of people. I was there when they needed me, took care of them when they needed it, and gave far more than I should have. In the end, I was labeled as the bad friend, but I know the truth. I know what really happened, and that is what I'm going to remember. As for my work situation, I was not happy with my job. I didn't really like my job. It was stressful (probably too stressful for what I was getting into mentally) and just put a lot of pressure on me. I stayed there because it paid very well, offered me a lot of perks, and I was able to work remotely. I was able to visit family during holidays, and stay for a long period of time. In the end, I just couldn't handle it. Not in the state that I was. I am letting go of these things - these feelings and regrets - and not looking back. I am going to continue to look forward. I am going to learn from these lessons and work to be a better me! ALL OF THAT SAID: 2016? And now I move on! QUEST ONE: YOU BETTER WORK, WORK IT GIRL! I found three workouts that I wanted to do in order to start building up some stamina, muscle, endurance, and what not on Darebees. I plan on revisiting these three workouts as they are good for beginners. This quest is going to help me get back into a exercise routine while burning some calories, greasing up rusty muscles, and hopefully boosting my energy levels! I am also going to incorporate one day of yoga a week. This should help me work on my flexibility, maintain some good energy vibes, and possibly help with some lower back pain. THREE TIMES A WEEK: cardio inc workout | slow burn workout | mermaid workout ONCE A WEEK: various beginner yoga sequences QUEST TWO: MILLIONS OF PEACHES, PEACHES FOR ME! TRACK YO FOOD. That is literally what my second quest is going to be. When I was tracking my food, I was eating better. I was junk fooding less. I was just feeling better because I wasn't eating so much. I know that, in the past so many months, I have gained a lot of weight from overeating. Some of it has been stress eating. Some has been eating out of boredom (which is the WORST). There are a lot of things, but the most important thing is that I get back into tracking what I'm eating. Whether it's through My Fitness Pal, in a notebook, in a Google Doc; RECORD IT. Also, record how much water I'm drinking. I was drinking LOTS of water, but have been slacking. I also need to cut back on my soda drinking. It hasn't gotten out of hand, but I want to go down to one a week. I was down to drinking no soda, but I do enjoy Ginger Ale or Sprite every now and again. TRACK ALL FOOD. ONE SODA A WEEK. MORE WATER. QUEST THREE: OOH-OO CHILD, THINGS ARE GONNA GET EASIER! This one contains a WHOLE LOT of things that, I think, will make life EASIER and BRIGHTER. I may also have been watching Guardians of the Galaxy while writing this up. EITHER WAY? IT WORKS. I want to take time out to just make ME feel better. I want to make OTHERS feel better. I want to take better care of myself and not feel so G R O S S in so many words. Whether it's painting my nails, doing one of my Craftsy classes, working on crafts, or watching a silly movie that I love, I NEED TO DO THIS. I also want to do all of this with MY MOM. She needs lots of laughter and smiles right now and always. If I can keep my spirits up and keep myself in a good place, that will help HER be in a good place. See? IT WILL GET EASIER AND BRIGHTER! DO FUN THINGS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. (Once a day, a few times a week, WHATEVER! Just do it.) GET OUT OF YOUR JIMMYJAMS. (Even if it's to put on sweatpants or leggings or whatever! Brush your hair, take a few minutes to reflect, and smile!) YOU ARE IMPORTANT. (Take better care of yourself, girlfriend. You deserve it!) EXTRA: YOU CAN COLOR MY WORLD WITH HAPPINESS ALL THE WAY! As my extra, I keep picking up and putting down my sketch pads with little to nothing to show for it. My creativity and inspiration is very low almost like that weird snow you get on bad channels. STATIC! It's very frustrating because it use to be on HIGH ALERT for a long time. Apparently anti-depression medication (and medication that messes with your head in general) can cause this to happen. I don't want to force it because then it's not fun, but I want to get SOMETHING going. I've been poking around in my "ADULT" coloring books and working with color palettes. I need to find something to give me a bit of a jump start. There are a lot of challenges, inspirations, and what not on Pinterest and Instagram that I might look through. See what speaks to me and everything. I am ALSO trying to do a silly selfie a day through 2017 on Instagram! I just want to bring happiness and smiles to others, and remind myself not to take everything too seriously. I'm having a lot of fun with it so far. I'm even using some great Snapchat filters to add a little VA VA VOOM to them. It's great because the feeling of laughing just makes the day better. I'm very excited about really taking this challenge and owning it like a champ! I know I have a lot of great folks here to help me along the way, and to help me keep my rear in gear!

Hello all, Somehow I didn't quite make the last challenge <hangs head in shame>. I did my first half-marathon on 8 May and, whilst I have certainly run and trained since then, it's all been a bit unfocused. Time to home in on my goals with surgical precision again! This time last year, when I had yet to discover NF, one of my key goals was to complete a half-marathon, and now I've done that, thanks in no small measure to you lot. My main other goal is to be able to deadlift my own body weight (currently about 57kg). I'm a bit skeptical about this but am going to give it a try anyway. Doing the half-marathon training did mean I lost a bit in terms of strength, especially upper body and arms, towards the end, but I've made some gains again since then. So, my goals for the challenge are: Keep average steps per day above 10,000 and, as part of that, keep running a minimum of 9 miles a week. Walk up to my office at least once a day on working days (it's on the sixth floor). Push-ups - I suck at these again now! To work up to doing 20 proper push-ups by the end of the challenge. Track my food on at least four days a week. I gave up tracking when I was doing half-marathon training because I was just ALWAYS hungry. Now I need to be a bit more focused again. I am resolutely ignoring the whole concept of an adulting goal, because when you've got three teenagers, one with special needs, and ageing parents, one of whom is very ill, then frankly you are doing adulting whether you like it or not. So - adulting as necessary, but having fun as much as possible when it isn't! Doing the half-marathon was just loads of fun, actually. I need more fun, definitely! Great to be back! Off to catch up with everyone else now!

Fanmade video (not actual trailer - is a bit gory!): From the books - Halt's Cabin PS: Taking reader-liberty to adapt the story. This gives the background of how Elize ended up as... The Ranger's Apprentice Choosing Day was the pivotal point in the life of the castle wards. They were orphan children raised by the generosity of Baron Arald, the Lord of Redmont Fief. For the most part, their parents had died in the service of the fief, and the Baron saw it as his responsibility to care for and raise the children of his former subjects-and to give them an opportunity to improve their station in life wherever possible. Choosing Day provided that opportunity. In less than nine hours, Elize realized, she would face the Choosing. Elize's father was a cavalry lieutenant who had died in the battle at Hackham Heath, when Morgarath's Wargal army had been defeated and driven back to the mountains. Elize's mother, devastated by her loss, succumbed to a fever some weeks after giving birth. So there was plenty of room in the Ward for the girl child, and Baron Arald was, at heart, a kindly man. The huge fig tree growing close by the castle's central tower had often afforded the girl a haven. Heights held no fear for Will, her friend and he climbed smoothly into the tree, continuing long after Elize stopped - she was not as comfortable with heights. There was a rustle of soft feathers and a barn owl landed on the next branch, its head swiveling, its huge eyes catching every last ray of the faint light. It studied Elize without concern, seeming to know it had nothing to fear from her. It was a hunter. A silent flyer. A ruler of the night. In less than nine hours, she realized, they would face the Choosing. A long time later, as if in answer upon a silent question, they simultaneously caught the other's gaze. Silently, apprehension almost palpable, they climbed down from the tree and made their way to their respective dormitories. On the morrow they have to face Baron Arald and the Craftmasters, hoping to be each chosen as Apprentice, preferably together. oOo The Craftschool heads entered Baron Arald's room in no particular order of precedence. As a group, they admired and respected one another and so rarely stood on strict ceremonial procedure. Sir Rodney, head of the Battleschool, came first. Next came the Horsemaster, responsible for the care and training of the castle's mighty battlehorses. Lady Pauline followed. Lady Pauline, who had been awarded the title in her own right for her work in foreign policy for the kingdom, was head of the Diplomatic Service in Redmont. It was perhaps only natural that Nigel, the Scribemaster, followed close behind Lady Pauline. They had been discussing matters of mutual interest while they waited for Martin to summon them. Nigel and Lady Pauline were close friends as well as professional colleagues. It was Nigel's trained scribes who prepared the official documents and communiques that were so often delivered by Lady Pauline's diplomats. Master Chubb, the castle cook, came in last of all. Inevitably, he was a fat, round-bellied man, wearing a cook's white jacket and tall hat. He was known to have a terrible temper that could flare as quickly as oil spilled on a fire, and most of the wards treated him with considerable caution. Elize, eyes down, shifting nervously from one foot to the other, suddenly had the strange sensation that someone was watching her. She looked up and actually started with surprise as she met the dark, unfathomable gaze of Halt, the Ranger. She realized that the mysterious figure must have slipped in through a side door while everyone's attention was on the Craftmasters as they made their entrance. Halt stood behind the Baron's chair and slightly to one side, dressed in his usual brown and gray clothes and wrapped in his long, mottled gray and green Ranger's cloak. Halt was an unnerving person. He had a habit of coming up on you when you least expected it-and you never heard his approach. One by one each ward was chosen by a Craftmaster, until only Elize was left. The two (Will and Elize) have garnered quite a reputation for themselves, one scaling the tower to the kitchen's windows, relieving the Master Cook of his pies, still steaming, cooling off on the window sill, while the other kept an eye on the guards. On another occasion Elize wrote quite the missive which saw them getting two whole days off tutoring! Luckily her skills with animals of all kinds had saved them on yet another occasion when they were supposed to be planting fields. The Horsemaster's favourite plough horse had been attacked by a swarm of bees, and Elize and Will had managed to pull him to safety in the small lake, until only his head was sticking out of the water. Elize's continued whispers had calmed him enough that he didn't panic, but ducked his head under with her, and the bees had to fly off. "Is there any one of you who could use this girl?" Baron Arald said. One by one, silently, the Craftmasters shook their heads. "There is something you should know about her, my lord," Halt said. Halt's voice was deep and soft-spoken, with the slightest burr of a Hibernian accent still noticeable. He stepped forward now and handed the Baron a sheet of paper, folded double. Arald unfolded it, studied the words written there and frowned. "You're sure of this, Halt?" he said. "Indeed, my lord." oOo Halt's cottage lay some distance away from both castle and village, nestling under the shelter of the trees at the edge of the forest. The sun was just rising over the trees as Elize made her way to the log cabin. A thin spiral of smoke was rising from the chimney, so she reasoned that Halt was already up and about. Elize stepped up onto the verandah that ran the length of one side of the house, hesitated for a moment, then, taking a deep breath, she knocked firmly on the door. "Come in," said a voice from inside. Elize opened the door and went into the cottage. It was small but surprisingly neat and comfortable-looking inside. She found herself in the main room, a combined living and dining area, with a small kitchen at one end, separated from the main area by a pine bench. There were comfortable chairs ranged around a fire, a well-scrubbed wooden table and pots and pans that gleamed from much polishing. There was even a vase of brightly colored wildflowers on the mantel shelf, and the early morning sun streamed cheerfully through a large window. Two other rooms led off the main room. Halt sat in one of the chairs, his booted feet resting on the table. "At least you're on time," he said gruffly. "Have you had your breakfast yet?" "Yes, sir," said Elize, staring in fascination at the Ranger. This was the first time she had ever seen Halt without his gray-green cloak and hood. The Ranger was wearing simple brown and gray woolen clothes and soft-looking leather boots. He was older than Elize had realized. His hair and beard were short and dark, but peppered with steel gray flecks. They were both roughly trimmed and Elize thought they looked as if Halt had cut them himself with his hunting knife. The Ranger stood up. He was surprisingly small in build. That was something else that Elize had never realized. The gray cloak had concealed a lot about Halt. He was slim and not at all tall. But there was a sense of power and whipcord strength about him so that his lack of height and bulk didn't make him any less daunting a figure. "That'll be your room. You can put your things in there." He moved away to the woodstove in the kitchen area and Elize hesitantly entered the room he had indicated. It was small but, like the rest of the cottage, it was also clean and comfortable-looking. A small bed lay alongside one wall. There was a wardrobe for clothes and a rough table with a washing basin and jug on it. There was also, Elize noticed, another vase of freshly picked wildflowers adding a bright spot of color to the room. She put her small bundle of clothes and belongings on the bed and went back into the main room. "What Rangers do, or more correctly, what Rangers' apprentices do, is the housework." Elize had a sinking feeling as the suspicion struck her that she'd made a tactical error. "The… housework?" she repeated. Halt nodded, looking distinctly pleased with himself. "That's right. Take a look around." He paused, gesturing around the interior of the cabin for Elize to do as he suggested, then continued, "See any servants?" "No, sir," Elize said slowly. "No sir indeed!" Halt said. "Because this isn't a mighty castle with a staff of servants. This is a lowly cabin. And it has water to be fetched and firewood to be chopped and floors to be swept and rugs to be beaten. And who do you suppose might do all those things, girl?" Elize tried to think of some answer other than the one which now seemed inevitable. Nothing came to mind, so she finally said, in a defeated tone, "Would that be me, sir?" "I believe it would be," the Ranger told her, then rattled off a list of instructions crisply. "Bucket there. Barrel outside the door. Water in the river. Ax in the lean-to, firewood behind the cabin. Broom by the door and I believe you can probably see where the floor might be?" "Yes, sir," said Elize, beginning to roll up her sleeves. She'd noticed the water barrel as she approached, obviously holding the day's water supply for the cabin. She estimated that it would hold twenty or thirty buckets full. With a sigh, she realized she was going to have a busy morning. As she walked outside, the empty bucket in one hand, she heard the Ranger say contentedly as he poured himself a mug of coffee and sat down again: "I'd forgotten how much fun having an apprentice can be." oOo

Recap: The Lady Eowyn of Rohan organised for Shield maiden training while her uncle, the King of Rohan, and his men were off fighting Saruman's army. She organised for a formidable team of Ladies of the Realm to arrive on very short notice to help the maidens in their training. The ladies fulfil many rolls: Lady KJ Tauriel (an elf!) was in charge of self defence and weapons training. Lady Normand from the Lightning Mountains, and Lady Chris Tien the Wise help with training in general, getting the women fit and ready. Dwarven Queen Elastiwen of Moria, brought various devices with her to train the shield maidens in strength. The worst of these were the heavy metal balls with handles that the women had to lift and swing. "Control your strength at all times", was the Queen's motto. The last of the ladies who came to Eowyn's assistance was Lady Anny of the Shayr. - a Hobbit-born! She trains those with the aptitude and skill in healing. Elezé enjoyed the slight reprieve from all the training. It was hard going, but she actually thoroughly enjoyed herself. Lady Chris Tien had helped her with the training when she didn't know what or how, while Queen Elastiwen and Lady of Lightning concentrated on drilling her in form and strength. The only lady who was exasperated by Elezé's progress (or lack there of in this case) was Lady KJ Tauriel. It proved early on that Elezé did not have as great an ability with weapons as she had with training, animals and healing. Lady Anny from the Shayr on the other hand, were beaming! Between the two of them they fixed up injuries from small cuts to more grievous wounds caused by the gusto of a good weapons training session! Eowyn sat down next to her cousin in the shade of a huge Acacia tree. They sat in companionable silence for a while before Lady Eowyn spoke: "...No fiction wrought magic lore, but natural was the steed the wizard pressed; For him a filly to griffin bore; Hight hippogryph. In wings and beak and crest, formed like his sire, as in the feet before; But like the mare, his dam, in all the rest. Such on Riphaean hills, though rarely found, are bred, beyond the frozen ocean's bound. Drawn by enchantment from [her] distant lair, the wizard thought but how to tame the foal; And, in a month, instructed him to bear saddle and bit, and gallop to the goal; And execute on earth or in mid air, all shifts of manege, course and caracole; [she] with such labour wrought. This only real, where all the rest was hollow and ideal." Ludovico Ariosto's poem, Orlando furioso (1516) "Those are magical creatures, never seen here before, Eowyn, but oh, how I wish I could fly on the back of such a creature! To be high up in the sky, close to heaven... the wind through your hair... freedom to go where ever your heart takes you...feel the soft feathers under hand and foot..." "Well dear, I don't know about the freedom to follow your heart, but if you accept, you can be trained by a special Lady to fly upon one of these so called "magical creatures" " Eowyn replied. "Eowyn, you jest! Where on Middle Earth are there creatures such as these? Whom are able to tame them, never you mind to teach them to accept saddle and bridle like a horse?" Eowyn told her cousin Elezé of the Lady of Fire Dragon Isle, a magician no less! A lady of light, but a lady also of fire, because she not only tames magical creatures like dragons which breath fire, she also breed and train animals such as the Hippogriff. "Easily offended, hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do." Rubeus Hagrid talking to the class about Hippogriffs The man who delivered this comment was just suddenly there! He had a huge chess-shire cat grin on his face, with a naughty, yet clever look in his eye. Then off in the distance they saw a Hippogriff lying peacefully in the long grass. http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Hippogriff "Master Willes is the name. From Gryffendor Castle on the Fire Dragon Isle. I call these beauties my Gryffendarlings, and this one is called Buckbeak. Gave me a real hard time at first, but once I got to know them, we made fast friends! I take it you're the one we came to fetch. Back to Gryffendor Castle with you to learn all about my Gryffendarlings." Elezé could only stare in shock and awe at the man and the beautiful creature. She was to fly one? Truly?

It's good to have a list of successes. It helps to look back to gain courage to move forward. Today .... minor ..... But I finished BBWW 2! Some exercises are still modified.

Epic quest for adventure 2016 Year of the Viking 2016 will be the year of the viking, this year i want to work towards some strongman runs called the strongviking. SO 2016 will be the year of the viking So i sorta stole this from my fellow doodlies. The idea is to set out a roadmap for the year 2016 and cross things off when i finish them. Boddy goals -Weigh 85 Kilo's -Be able to ro run 15K -Be able to start parkour training -Pick up Karate training -Correct the posture Food goals -Get a grip on my sugar consumption. -Get a grip on my impulse buys regarding food. -Learn 2 new recipes every month. -Control the meal sizes. General well being goals -Learn how to meditate -Meditate once a week -Finish my first year -Get my drivers license -Read 10 books by the end of the year -Start writing short stories Important dates 19/20 march 7km mud edition of the viking run 21 may 13km hills edition of the viking run 11/12 june 19Km water edition of the viking run

Hey everyone! So a year after abandoning my physical health in order to focus on studies, i've finally decided to start paying more attention to my health, although the most important exams of my life are closer than ever. One of the reasons i'm doing this is because the last thing i want is to fall ill right before my papers. I need to get fit again. I WANT to get fit again. MY GOALS They're pretty simple really. I have long term goals and short term goals. SHORT TERM GOALS 1. Be capable of doing 100 body-weight squats and 1000 skips with my jump-rope on any given day. 2. Gradually lower coffee consumption to about a cup every 4-5 days. 3. Stop eating when i'm bored. 4. My arm strength is ZERO, LITERALLY ZERO. Any help is welcome. 5. If I'm not sleeping or working out, i should be studying. LONG TERM GOALS. 1. Ace my exam. 2. Become capable of running 10k on any given day (I could do that earlier). 3. Become strong enough to climb onto the second story balcony of my building from the outside. I'll be keeping a log of my progress. Any one who shares the same goals, or would like to offer me help on working ion my arms (my experience with weights is nonexistent) please reply --Nia

Hello and welcome!!! I am not a Scout, but at the moment I am doing a Toure De Force around the realms, trying out all the guilds and improving different areas they pertain to. At heart, I am a Monk, who is currently trying to work on her conditioning. This challenge will be Flash themed, because DUH! I really do love the current TV show, but I might also borrow from the comic books when necessary. After all, that's where the most crack usually happens and I'm all about the funny stuff. One way or another, I am excited to be here! “What does it feel like when you're running down the street like a bat out of hell?†[+3 STA] Damn, Tom Cavanagh is one sexy gentleman. A moment of truth: I'm not a runner. I know it's perhaps counter-intuitive to sign up with Scouts if I don't like running, but hear me out first. I really need to improve my stamina and things Scouts specialize in are usually the best for that. Since I cannot physically hit the pavement (foot issues galore, let's just say), I found the second-best contraption that will help me torture myself: Airdyne. Look it up, it's amazing. Let's break it down. Airdyne sessions four times a week [Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat] I will be doing 100 second cardio HIIT as shown below. It may sound easy, but trust me, it will hurt. The only exception is if I am in class and coach decides to use Airdyne during class. [+3 STA] – 75% or 18 workouts minimum needed [+2 STA] – 50% or 12 workouts minimum needed [+1 STA] – 25% or 6 workouts minimum needed “We're here to train.†[+3 STA] I'm a kickboxer and having good footwork is key. There are different exercises that I could be doing in order to improve my footwork and improve my stamina. Since I don't always have access to speed ladder, I will be using jump rope. There are rope variations, too, so let's break down this quest. Options: regular single jumps; work up to 5 minutes non-stop, then continuously PR double-unders; first learn, then continuously PR For anybody interested, a double-under is when you jump once and the rope swings twice. It's harder than it looks I still haven't managed more than one at a time, so this should be 'fun' Jump rope sessions [Tue, Thur, Sat] [+3 STA] – 75% or 14 workouts minimum needed [+2 STA] – 50% or 9 workouts minimum needed [+1 STA] – 25% or 5 workouts minimum needed “Lightning gave me abs?†[+3 CON] I don't think that works on everybody. Perhaps this is not the best challenge to be working on my core, but this all goes back to the fact that I'm a kickboxer. Having a strong core helps my entire body stay strong and steady throughout whatever workout coaches throw at me. It's where most of my power comes from. At the moment I find my core strength to be lacking, thus I tire quickly when I am going against other people. This has to change and now is the time. Thanks to the Assassins Guild I found this fantastic channel on Youtube called FitnessBlender. They have a plethora of amazing exercises, so all I had to do was dive into their core section. Since I don't want to get bored (and stagnant) with the same thing for six weeks, I will be changing videos every week. It will be amazing and I'm sure I will hurt. A LOT. A core video three times a week [Wed, Fri, Sat] Week One Week Two Week Three Week Four Week Five Week Six [+3 CON] – 75% or 14 workouts minimum needed [+2 CON] – 50% or 9 workouts minimum needed [+1 CON] – 25% or 5 workouts minimum needed “Oh thank God. It's the food! The food's here!†[+3 CON] I wish sushi was Paleo This past challenge I did not include anything about my eating habits and almost immediately it all went to hell in a hand basket. I love the Paleo diet because it lets me have more energy and a whole lot less bloat. I've decided that in order to improve my stamina, I will return to clean eating. At first, I thought I'd just do gluten-free and call it good, but then I realized that I have to go all the way, or I won't get the results I want. So, Paleo cleanse it is! Keep Paleo six out of seven days per week [+3 CON] – 6 or less cheat days (one a week) [+2 CON] – 9 or less cheat days [+1 CON] – 12 or less cheat days (two a week) I'm going to be strict here, because that's how I will get results. That being said, I know there are few events coming up that will require my participation and not being on strict Paleo I am really excited for this. “And I thought people your age didn't read actual books anymore.†[+3 WIS] What if I write one? I already know this will be hard and I really hope it doesn't end up being like my Spanish quest last challenge. I will be hopeful, though, and write out this quest in full. I will plan my work and work the plan. I can do this! Now, what am I talking about? I've been trying to write an original story for a long time. I have created this amazingly complex, large world and now I am having issues populating it with stories. Frankly speaking, I am just afraid to pick up the proverbial pen and start writing; that blank page is ever so terrifying. This challenge will change it. Here's my plan: Write a minimum of 1,500 words per week, which will total to 9,000 words by the end of the challenge. It is roughly 215 words per day. I really hope that by the end of the second week I will be so neck-deep in the story that I will have no choice but to keep writing. I count on it. I hope for it. Let's see if it happens [+3 WIS] – 6750 or more words were written throughout the challenge (75%) [+2 WIS] – 4500 or more words were written throughout the challenge (50%) [+1 WIS] – 2250 or more words were written throughout the challenge (25%) Beginning Measurements: Neck - 11.75" Shoulders - 44.75" L Bicep - 12" R Bicep - 11.5" Waist - 32" Hips - 39" L Thigh - 23" R Thigh - 23.5" Weight: 181.4 lbs Rewards: - Carmel Macchiato from Starbucks (this will be my constant reward, just saying) - Belgian waffles from The Original Pancake House (OMG so good!) - Sign up for either Krav Maga or Capoeira (yes, my reward for exercise is more exercise)

Introduction: My name is Qiyra, I'm a 21-year-old Australian PhD student who wants to be more physically capable. I'm a healthy weight (163cm, 56kg) but have a suspected hereditary heart condition (coronary fistula). Nothing that serious, it just means that my heart gets tired a lot quicker than other people's because one of the little arteries that sends it oxygen to pump isn't connected up properly. So I've gotta toughen the little guy up! MAIN QUEST: Be able to run for 30 minutes without stopping (STA +1) Quest 1: Run 3 times per week. Motivation = increase cardiovascular fitness (main goal)Attribute = STA +1Quest 2: Do yoga 5 times per week Motivation = to stretch muscles and maintain flexibilityAttributes = DEX +1Life Side Quest: Wash face every morning Motivation = to wake myself up! I find it unbelievably hard to get up in the morning. I'll need to be ready for my run.Attributes = CHA +1The attribute points are awarded at the end of the challenge, depending on what percentage of my goals I achieved (link to calculator). Check point saved... tomorrow will be day one!

Journal of a Beginning Sailor Senshi It takes a long time and many challenges for a regular girl to realise that she has the power take her destiny into her own hands and make of her life whatever she wants it to be. To understand that with regular practice, dedication and faith, she can be strong some day, strong enough to defeat powerful enemies.

ABOUT ME: I'm Cody. I started yoga about two years ago to offset the strain of my job as a baker. Yoga definitely soothes my sore muscles, but I've hit a bit of a wall, as far as strength and stamina. I've since added Pilates and bodyweight exercises, and am starting to see a change. My goal is to continue to improve my strength and stamina by increasing the length of my workouts. Recently, I've begun tracking my food intake in order to see if I've been fueling my body appropriately, and it turns out I eat very little protein. I think after being vegetarian for nearly ten years, the moment I started eating meat again, I assumed my intake was "good enough." Turns out that I actually eat very little meat, and have almost completely stopped eating good vegetarian proteins. QUEST: To improve strength and stamina. OBJECTIVES: Increase length of workouts to 45 minutes for the first three weeks, and to 50 minutes for the last three. [sTA, STR] Currently, I am working out around 3x per week, at 40 minutes each. I will need to complete nine workouts each half of the challenge at the given length of time. Final: 13/18 workouts complete. A = 16 - 18 B = 13 - 15 C = 10 - 12 Eat at least 70 grams of protein per day. [WIS, CON] At first, this goal will be met with Clif Bars and Bolthouse drinks, until I find the right "real food" breakfasts and after-work snacks for myself. I will be tracking with SparkPeople (unless someone has a better tracker to suggest.) MyFitnessPal. (MyFitnessPal suggests that I should shoot for 135 grams of protein per day, but I'm taking the baby-steps approach.) Final: 34/42 days complete. A = 37 - 42 B = 31 - 36 C = 25 - 30 SIDE QUEST: Keep up with or exceed my Goodreads.com reading goal. Read at least three books during the six week challenge. [WIS] Final: 4/3 books read. A = 3+ B = 2 C = 1 MOTIVATION: To have the energy to both work and play. REWARD: oGorgeous Bow My Gawd! yoga bag. My boyfriend offered to buy me new gear as a reward. This was my choice. Though I already purchased it for fear of it selling out, it doesn't come out of the package until I finish a challenge with all A's and B's. MINIS: Mini 1: SMART Choices [+1 WIS]Mini 2: Making Friends [+1 CHA]Mini 3: The Library [+1 WIS]MID-CHALLENGE UPDATEMini 5: The Cafeteria [+1 CON]

WHAT IS UP YOU PIGS IN HUMAN CLOTH- I mean MY NERD FITNESS PEEPS!!! GUESS WHO'S BACK!!! ALREADY!!! Man! Already new challenge forums?! You guys don't mess around! But enough bitching and SHIT! let's get this party started! As some of you may know, I'm BlackTezca, a generally loud, gif addicted, game addicted, movie addicted, etc-addicted big old NERD, who decided to join up here and revamp my health a bit with the help of YOU GUYS!! Just in case you forgot (like I'll let you), you'll also remember me from such topics like From Lurker to (Newb) Rebel!, BlackTezca's Daily Battle Towards Feline Greatness, and my latest hit BlackTezcas' 2nd Trial: An Artsy, Geeky Amazon Must be Strong and with no Back Pain! All of these topics are to lead to one thing...my one main quest... My Main Quest is to be as POWERFUL and BATTLE READY as Wonder Woman (Wonder Woman is here to stay...) Despite some burnout on my last challenge, and a ski trip that I was not super careful with my vegetables on, I managed to push through and Ace it! I will admit, I am a little lost in this challenge...because..uhmm...I haven't put much thought into my quests... But have no fear! I understand that while challenges are meant to push us, they are also meant to be modified and evolve as life changes! So I do have some side quests planned out, especially one that is meant to finally, finally push me to find a Martial Art studio to sign up and participate! So expect some edits as I figure things out, but without further ado...HERE ARE MY QUESTS!!! Side Quest 1:Once a week, do a SUPER EPIC WORKOUT! Details: FitnessBlender has what they call '1000 Calorie workouts'. They don't burn 1000 calories for me generally, so I call them EPIC workouts since they contain at least 25 minutes of cardio (mostly HIIT and something else fast paced), a shorter ab/core component, and strength training and conditioning as well. The shortest one (the one I linked) is 64 minutes...the rest go more than 80 minutes. Well chumps...I'm gonna kick this quest in the ass!!! Contingencies: There shouldn't be any contingencies! I should be able to fit in this workout, especially over the weekend. Tracking: I'll be tracking using MyFitnessPal ( username BlackTezca ) and this lovely thread will be updated. Grading: A for 5 to 6 SUPER EPIC WORKOUTS ( 3 Str 2 Sta ) B for 3 to 4 SUPER EPIC WORKOUTS ( 2 Str 1 Sta ) C for 2 SUPER EPIC WORKOUTS ( 2 Str ) F for all else Side Quest 2: Try out a martial art once a week until one is found by the end of this challenge. If one is found before the end of the challenge, do this martial art class at least once a week. Details: Well...I'm kinda in the monks...and I've been eyeing that Krav Maga gym for a little while now. So I'm gonna check it out and hope it's reasonable in price as well as fun and practical to learn! If not, then I'll keep looking and I'll use this challenge to do so! Contingencies: $$$ is the only contingency my friends. I gave myself a B for the grade if I don't find a class by the end of this challenge, because I'm not gonna ding myself much over monetary concerns with several other things coming up during the summer. So hopefully I find something reasonable! Tracking: I'll be tracking the workout from the class using MyFitnessPal ( username BlackTezca ) and this lovely thread will be updating this thread with the classes I tried. Grading: A for 6 classes attended/tried, Martial Art chosen ( 3 Dex 1 Wis) B for 5 classes tried/ No Martial Art chosen ( 2 Dex 1 Wis) C for 4 classes tried No Martial Art chosen ( 2 Dex ) F for all else Life Quest: (Thank you StillSkies)- Once a week, post a photo or link to at least item to add to a spring/summer wardrobe. Details: I need some cuter clothes that fit me for spring. I have plenty of winter stuff and flannel and all, but nothing cute and adorable for spring. This will force me to get some ideas. Note that I will count shopping trips for this (including if I find something at the Spring Flea event coming up next week) so yay! Contingencies: Other than money, nothing really. This should be easy and I'm pretty thrifty with clothes. Tracking: This thread only. I have a pinterest account, but I only use it really to browse. Grading: A for 5 to 6 shopping weeks of cuteness ( 2 Cha 1 Wis) B for 3 to 4 shopping weeks of cuteness ( 2 Cha ) C for 1 to 2 shopping weeks of cuteness ( 1 Cha ) F for all else Art Quest: REQUEST TIME!!! Have five requests from NerdFitness friends and draw (sketch, full painting, etc) that request! Details: I decided to take requests for this challenge! For those of you who have watched my threads as well as the accountability thread, you have some idea of my preferred subjects and capability. So send me a request (if I have questions I will PM you)! The first five (well four, starsapart requested something from me before ) who post their request in this very thread will have an art done for them, in that order! Fang and Vanille for starsapart Sailor Mars being badass (either Senshi or Miko) for shaarawy Guyver 3 for Strickland5 Anna from Frozen for stillskies Grey Jedi for KishiSo send some of those requests in people!! Contingencies: Hopefully I won't be burnt out. I'm only doing four quests this time, and no life quest, because the last time I had five with the art quest, I got really stressed out trying to finish art and keep track of things. My hope is that my making a smaller challenge this time, I can avoid burn out. If not, then I apologize for the art I make for you all being terrible Tracking: I have an art Tumblr and I also have a DeviantArt (WATCH ME FOR ACCOUNTABILITY). I'll use those for tracking and on a weekly basis...like a weekly update or something, I'll post art on this thread. Grading: A for 5 requests drawn ( 2 Wis + 1 Cha ) B for 4 requests drawn ( 2 Wis ) C for 3 requests drawn ( 1 Wis ) F for all else All right so since this was JUST posted after I finished my last challenge, I'm just gonna copy and past my starting measurements from yesterday's post: Starting Measurements: Date: 04/02/2015 @ 9am Weight: 133.6 ***Body Fat***: 25.1 Waist: 23.5 Waist @ Navel: 25.5 Hips: 35.5 Neck: 12 Chest: 33 Left Bicep: 10.5 Right Thigh: 16.5 Wrist: 6 Forearm: 9 Yup, I'm ahead a game with this . All right so other than the third side quest I'm thinking about, this is turning out to be a decent challenge! Not to much with tracking things everyday (though I probably will to keep ya'll up to dates on workouts and good stuff), but still, I'm hoping that this will be a bit less stressful than last one and hopefully fruitful with the martial arts as well! We'll see . I'm optimistic. Let's do this rebels! Let's make sure to DON'T LOSE OUR WAY!!!!!!!

(Note: I had a much better introduction but my first post was eaten by the inter-webs) Main Quest : Unassisted Pull Up Strength Goal: More pull-ups than week before. Test myself every Saturday. Starting with 3. .5 strength points for each week I have more band-assisted pull-ups.Can be:longer hang-timemore band-assisted pull upsmore negative pull-ups (let downs)3 strength pts Stamina Goal: longer workouts than the work beforeCan be total weekly mileage (runs)Total weekly mileage (bike)Total weekly distance rowed (metric)Total amount of time spent doing cardio3 stamina pts Constitution Goal: Hero's JourneyDo workout everydayTime spent can also count towards Stamina goal3 Dexterity pts Nutrition: Veggies / Fruit at every meal (tracked through Lose It! app)90g protein / day (tracked through Lose It! app)3 constitution pts Lifestyle Goal: Blog at least once a week (and resurrect my blog).3 Charisma pts

CHALLENGE 4 - Getting Fit for the Show Soooo, I waited until the last moment to post my challenge because today was the Open Meeting to be a performer at the Beltane Fire Festival, and I waited to make sure I could sign up. Now it's done and - unless something goes wrong - I'll be performing in the show on April 30th! Yay!! The team I'm joining describes itself as follows: We are an intensive group, both physically and mentally, incorporating acrobatics and acrobalance with a lot of character and vocal work. You don’t need to be super-fit to try out for the group, but we work hard and play hard, so you must be willing to work to get there over next 2 months. So yep, that's basically my fitness challenge made up for me! I'm going to focus on building strength, we'll be rehearsing 7 hours a week (!), so what I'll really have to pay attention to is my protein intake. On top of that, I'd like to do a bit of yoga (nothing hardcore) and stretching, to feel good. For extra motivation, we'll be performing almost completely naked, so the "looking good naked" is a plus Here is the plan... 1. Body Weight Training 3x/week + 5 STR +3 DEX - Rehearsal 2x (4 STR and 2,5 DEX) - Yoga 1x (I'll use Shilpa's Yoga for Flexibility) and/or Origami Workout 1x (1 STR and 0,5 DEX) 2. Full Body Stretching 2x/week +1 DEX With Blogilates Stretching Routines 3. Proteins 3x /day +2 STR +2 CON Protein powder, eggs, meat, fish, lentils, beans, peanut... 4. One paleo meal /day +2 CON 1 cheat day /week. ----------------------------------- Bonuses: ** For every day in bed before 21:30 + 0,2 CHA + 0,5 CON ** 7km brisk walk 4x/week +0,5 STA

The Zombies are after you, better start running or you are done for. I'm about to get real with you guys... I have been lazy, full of excuses and giving up easily. I have been eating when I am not hungry and going for those bad snacks lately. Water? What is that... Juice all the way. It has made me feel like shit and I am tired of it. It has been affecting me in my horseback riding and my life... it needs to stop. These are my zombies and I am going to outrun them for this challenge. MAIN GOAL FOR THIS CHALLENGE: Lose 10lbs by April 5th Sub quests: > Minimum 15 minutes Zombies, Run (or cardio supplement) 2x/week 2x / Week = 2 Points 1x / Week = 1 Point 0x / Week = 0 Point > Minimum 2 Strength workout - Bodyweight, Resistance Bands, Swiss Ball, Kettlebell 2x / Week = 2 Points 1x / Week = 1 Points 0x / Week = 0 Point > Track that Grub (Food Journaling) 6-7 Days = 2 Points 3-5 Days = 1 Point 0-2 Days = 0 Point 6 Points = A.. You outran the zombies... this time 3-5 Points = B.. The zombies are still on your tail, pick those knees up! 0-2 Points = F.. You got eaten by Zombies... Try again LIFE QUEST: Get my head in the game...If I don't it could cost me my life. Be decisive...Be motivated...Be Confident. This part of the challenge is all about mental health and perspective. For this, I will be reading books, listening to music, speeches and basically just pumping myself up for life. If you guys are interested, these are the books I am reading currently. So I guess I could give a little blurb about myself I adore horses and I quarterboard a beautiful Belgian cross mare (non-horse people read: big female horse). I had quite a tumble off her back in October and that resulted in a torn ligament in one of my fingers which is just getting sorted out now with physio two times a week and I have an appointment with a plastic surgeon April 20th. Anyways, a lot of my goals tend to resolve around my riding and getting lighter, stronger and more stamina for that. Horses are a big part of my life, but the biggest love [aside from my boyfriend ] is my Boxer dog Rook He is just so crazy and full of life, he is definitely the best! Aside from those, I like programming, playing video games, reading and doing art. I tend to randomly post art I have done in my thread lol so don't mind that. Starting weight: 248lbs Height: 5'10'' Wish me luck <3 grawwrrrrrrrr

Hi everyone, Background: my dad was once a body builder and he was a pretty big guy (muscle not fat), still is. He has been discussing weight training and weight loss with me. He said that I should take two months to do a routine of lifts where I do about 15 reps per set (where I can lift 15-17 reps max) of lighter weight to build stamina and endurance. That way I can handle the heavier lifting. Then I should jump right into heavy weight training at 6-8 reps per set to build muscle and strength. I trust that he knows what he's doing because he was so successful. He followed all the bodybuilders of his time like Arnold Schwarzenegger. He knows I don't want to be huge but that I want to be strong and build up more muscle than I have now. What he told me kind of conflicts with what I've learned on this site. Just heavy compound exercises. I want to lose fat (I'm probably 90 lbs overweight) and build strength. I'm not sure that this "endurance lifting" will meet my weight loss goals. I'm also not sure that his way is the only way. He claims that by only doing heavy lifting you'll be strong with no endurance. So I ask you, what should I do? Any advice?

Challenge 10 - Playing it cool My main goal is to keep up my good habits through the challenge. There will be at least one and probably two road trips to visit relatives. I have a history of getting stressed out around the winter holidays. This year I want to take a hard look at all the social options and obligations and make better choices. Exercise 1) Shoulder rehab My left shoulder has been giving me grief ever since I made a bad ergonomic change at work last summer. I think my desk set up is okay now but my shoulder had not gotten better. I have lost significant range of motion and the muscles in my upper arm hurt with some activities. I met with my trainer last week and she encouraged me to go to the chiropractor/sports medicine doc at our on-site clinic. Say what?!? We have a sports medicine person on site? No referral required, just a copay. I saw him yesterday. He did exactly what I expect a physical therapist to do: he moved my arm around, tested muscle strength and what movements cause pain. Then he did deep tissue work to break up adhesions and gave me a starter exercise for the first week. The lovely thing about going to the clinic at work is that he coordinates with the trainer. I don't have to have a follow up appointment (with copay) just to learn what exercises to do next. I can meet with the trainer (free) for that. It also saves a lot of time since I don't have to drive across town. My arm is bruised and sore today from the treatment but it still feels better than it has in months. I am sitting closer to my computer so that I don't reach forward with my left arm. That is probably what overextended the muscle and caused the problem. Habits. Gotta watch them like a hawk. + 4 DEX for strict adherence to rehab exercises 2) Endurance and aerobic capacity I've been concentrating on strength and aikido for the last several months. My aerobic capacity has dropped with neglect. I will do two sessions a week, either HIIT or long walks. +2 END for 12 sessions 3) Keeping moving I've found I am happiest when I have flexibility in my exercise plan. I have a good routine of leg & core exercises to keep my knees functional. I have a basic set of upper body exercises broken into a free weights day and a body weight day. I am practicing aikido two or three times a week. I would practice more if I didn't have to cook and keep things going at home. My overall plan is to do something active every day. Some days will have more than one thing. One rest day a week is allowed. Food I'm very pleased with where I'm at on losing weight and eating healthy. I have about 5 pounds more to go to be at my ideal weight. My goal for this challenge is to maintain rather than gain over the holiday party season. Fascinating observation - Most of the time I am good about not snacking at work. I let that go over Halloween. Monday and Tuesday I ate all the leftover candy I wanted. That left me feeling kinda jumpy and headachy. The really interesting effect was in my motivation. I got home after work and struggled to get anything done. Just like I used to do all the time before I cleaned up my eating habits. Yesterday I ate only homemade food (including sweets) and felt much more on top of things. The first week of the challenge I will avoid processed sugar/flour. Whole grains are allowed in moderation, as is fresh fruit. This will be a reset from the excesses of Halloween. The following 5 weeks I will be picky about treats. Homemade pie at Thanksgiving is a special treat. Store-bought baked goods are not. I will cook food with protein and veggies so that there is always something healthy to eat in the fridge. + 2 WIS +2 CON Pass/fail grading by week. Balance This is the tricky one. I struggle with making good choices so that I get things done and take enough relaxation time to not get stressed out. On the positive side, I took a look at my benefits at work (because it is health care renewal time). I have been here long enough that I can take a day off every three weeks. I have more than five weeks of vacation time banked up. I need to take time off or I will max out and lose it. Those of you who were thinking that I need a vacation can feel smug now. I will take off at least two days during the challenge to work on projects at home. I'll continue my previous challenge goals of balancing sleep, housework, projects, relaxing and exercise. +3 WIS +2 CON

Strength training benchmarks set this week. After a few months of 5/3/1 a man is finally satisfied with his strength levels. Now it is time to improve. Weight: 133 lbs. Raw 1 RMs: Press - 130 lbs. Bench Press - 205 lbs. Deadlift - 285 lbs. Front Squat - 225 lbs.