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Valkyrie approached the cliff face, eyeing the sheer surface askance. "I can't do this," she mumbled, shaking her head, "it's too hard." Doubt gnawed at her like vicious rats. Looking over her shoulder, she thought, "I could stay here, it's comfortable, and safe and easy." But she knew it was a lie, because what lie behind her was a mirage, and the comfort would be fleeting. No, she must press on. "I can do this," she said softly, then again, in a louder, stronger voice, "I can do this!" Rise of the Valkyrie: Val's Take on Tomb Raider (the Reboot) Playing the Tomb Raider reboot inspired me to get strong, because if Lara couldn't do a pull up, she'd have been dead about a hundred times. Throughout the game, she is faced with insurmountable and terrifying obstacles, to which she responds, "I can do this..." And she does! I'd like to be Lara Croft when I grow up, but barring that, I want to be able to do cool things, including, eventually, a pull up. That means I need to be consistent and keep trying hard, all the time! I've split my goals into skill tree categories: I have 2 fitness goals and 2 nutrition goals which fit into the Survivor, Brawler and Hunter skill trees and come with their own points, which cumulate to affect my rank at the end of the challenge. I start out at Rookie, and if I get enough skill points I level up to Hardened, and then Specialist. If I get to Specialist, I get a prize! (which I have budgeted for, in compliance with my ongoing goal of Budgeting). There's also a Domestic Rangering goal, which I'm listing under Make Camp. The domestic rangering goal is, unfortunately, one of the most important this time around. I HATE to clean. I am, truly, a slob. It's unfortunate that it takes so much before mess starts to bother me, because now I'm floundering in clutter and mess and I feel overwhelmed and end up not doing anything but adding to it. But I need to clean it up before my boyfriend arrives in February. I need to make it a nice livable space for my own peace of mind. I need to declutter and organize to make the packing process easier for my move later this year. So, it's gotta be done, and it gets it's own category and point system, and a reward that I'd really, really like to get. Make Camp Clean bedroom 10' a day (1 point per day, 35 points total) Reward: 90%+ compliance (minimum 32/35 points): Lipsense Lipstick (I want so, so much) Survivor Drink 100 oz H2O daily (1 point/week, 5 points total) Brawler Complete Scheduled Exercise Days plus Yoga(1 point/week, 5 points total) Exercise will progress: 3 days, 4 days, 4 days, 5 days, 5 days Hunter Track all scheduled days (1 point/week, 5 points total) Tracking: 3 days, 4 days, 5 days, 6 days, 7 days Extra Credit Extra days tracked: 1/4 skill point Extra Workout Days: 1/4 Skill point Total Available Skill Points 15 Ranks Skill Points Reward Rookie: 0-6 N/A Hardened: 7-13 Self Respect Specialist: 14+ Workout Clothing Item (soccer shorts or nerd shirt)

Hello, My name is Amber, and I recently decided while watching amazing people doing amazing things on shows like American Ninja Warrior that there is no reason that I can't do what they do. That being said, the absolute best representation of the skills I would like to have is Lara Croft, so this four week challenge (my first) is all about becoming a tomb raider! Field Log If I am going to be a successful adventurer like Lara Croft or Nathan Drake, I will need to start keeping a journal. I have decided to start a bullet journal to keep track of meal planning, finances, good habits, etc. I should write in/upkeep the journal at least two (2) times a week. Fitness Continue to work hard on body weight strength training three (3) times a week. Bonus: Measure out and improve on a standing long jump. Bonus: At the end of the four weeks, I want to beat the boss and move up to BW6. Skills Practice archery three (3) times during this four week challenge. Go bouldering at the rec center two (2) times a week.

This will be a multi-part challenge, spanning at least the first 3 challenges of the year. I'm keeping the first one simple, and will focus on some good foundational stuff. Like Lara Croft, parkour, climbing, combat, and outdoors exploration are all totally my jam. I even have a passing interest in ancient civilizations, and will likely be scrambling around some Mayan Ruins in the early spring. Main Quest: Parkour all of the things!!! Climb all of the things!!! Balance in mind-bending ways! Play with weapons! Look like someone who could compete on ANW. 2015 and how we arrived here: Major goals for 2016 My overly full schedule: Goals for this challenge: I'm keeping things very simple and foundational this challenge, as I already have an overburdened schedule. Goal 1 - Be agile like Lara (fitness) Lara can balance on challenging objects, pull up easily onto things, and perform flips without breaking a sweat. My goal is to collect an average of 10 minutes of skill work/day, the skill work divided between: Kipping pull ups, Rail walking, Front walkovers, Back walkovers, Forearm stand/scorpion, and weapons play. Right now, I can do kipping pull ups, but I get nothing at all from the kip as my technique is poor. But kipping is much more efficient in parkour and will also lead me to a muscle up much sooner. Forearm stand and scorpion will help with the core and shoulder engagement needed for handstands. Rail walking is important for parkour, and I constantly need to improve. I'll post a video of my current status with the walkovers. And weapons are fun! ungraded sub-goal: I'm horrible about prehab and foam rolling if I don't force myself to do it. So, the goal for this is to also average 10 minutes/day. Goal 2 - Proper fuel for exploration (diet) Surviving in the wilderness is impossible without proper fuel. This goal is simple: Track protein, and manage 110 g/day (I'm open to suggestions on the number. I weigh 145 lb). ungraded sub-goal: minimize soda and alcohol. Goal 3 - Stay mentally sharp in the wilderness (life) Lara had to be mentally sharp to explore, find new artifacts, do tons of parkour, and thrive in the wilderness. And this requires excellent sleep. For me, sleep is the foundation for improved productivity, good muscle recovery, and reduced anxiety for me. The goal is to set a solid bedtime routine, where I stop eating food after 8:30 pm, I drink some calming herbal tea, electronics are turned off by 10:00 pm, and I read after that until falling asleep. On weekends, everything can shift back an hour. The goal is 6 days/week of compliance with this plan. ungraded sub-goal: Make at least 2 animated graphics for Xcode apps. Continue working through tutorials and messing around with some of my partially finished apps.

HELL WILL COME BEFORE YOU GROW! Indra Respawns This will be my first challenge since back surgery. I am excited and a little nervous. I have been doing nothing as I heal for so long and screwed myself up even more when I pushed too hard too fast before… The goal now is to find the happy medium. I need to get back to regular workouts but NOT push so hard that I hurt myself again. Sometimes we need to stop pushing at the wall in front of us. I want so bad to be back to the strong, confident, thin me that I keep trying to do what I could then…… but… I can’t. I keep pushing for it but all I am going to do right now is hurt myself. I need to start over. Sometimes backing up to your origin and taking a completely different path is necessary. I found this song and it really is what I need to do right now. https://youtu.be/PscXGpsF3dY Had to lose my way To know which road to take Trouble found me All I look forward Washed away by a wave I'm going back to my roots Another day, another door Another high, another low Rock bottom, rock bottom, rock bottom I'm going back to my roots I know it’s gotta go like this, I know Hell will always come before you grow I have come from being severely obese to within 25lb of my goal weight I am back to being overweight. I know how to do this. I just need to go back to where I started and do it again. I was playing Tomb Raider the other day (because I’m obsessed with finding EVERYTHING and EVERY trophy before I will put a game away) and realized that this is exactly what Lara Croft had to do when she was shipwrecked on the island. She has nothing. Just her knowledge of what she had come there to do. Right now that is me. I have nothing to show for my two years of hard work. All I have right now is the knowledge of what worked before. I just need to back up. Stop playing head games with myself and get back to my roots. MAIN GOAL: To stop pushing against the wall of what I WAS, back up, and take a completely new path to lose 12-15lb in this challenge! Battle 1: Become the hunter. Lara only had certain food to survive. No junk food! I have had far too much crap/junk food. I gave in to pain eating when I was injured and that led to stress eating and I am DONE with that. Battle plan: I need to learn what sets me off. Are there places I need to avoid? Do certain situations lead me to binging? Find these triggers and eliminate them. Get back to the clean eating basics. I remember before macros and Fat Shredder and No Carb. I just ate good food. I knew that pizza, salty chips and deep fried crap was a definite no. I need to get back to that. Stop overcomplicating it. I know what not to eat.. Battle 2: Workouts. Body weight Basics Again. Back to basics. I have spent too much time trying to come up with all these fancy ways to get fit again. Join this, and do this, run this day and classes this day, join this group and make sure your at this event…… all this is doing is stressing me the F#$k out. That is NOT helping my stress eating. Back up… stop hitting a wall that will not break down. Go back to the beginning. Basic workouts in my house with basic equipment. Battle plan: Get back to 6 workouts a week and keep them simple. Go back to the beginning. Basic workouts in my house with basic equipment. Lara only had her body and a pick to get around during most of the game. I have a basic six week plan together. I have the workouts planned out. I just need to stop making excuses and get my butt up to do them. Not later today. Not next week. NOW! Battle 3: Remember the most effective way to lose weight. PORTION CONTROL! I let old habits come back in full when I was giving in to pain/stress eating. NO YOU DO NOT NEED SECONDS! Battle plan: Back to basics. Look at the serving size and follow it Lara could only carry so much gear with her and still be able to move quickly. I need to focus on the same. Food is fuel not feel goods. Stop thinking I have to have more. There will be plenty left for a chance to enjoy it again later. Why do I have this mentality that I need to eat it all right then and there or pile a ton on my plate to begin with? Life Quest: Life Battle 1: Finish Christmas gifts!! I have dragons and sprites and necklaces to make with chainmaille and I AM SO BEHIND! Battle plan: Work on projects for at least ½ hour a day on workdays and 1-2 hours on days off. I love homemade gifts for Christmas but I am ALWAYS floundering at the last second to get them done. I have some pretty intense projects planned this year. I know if I focus and really sit myself down to work on them that I still have plenty of time to get them done. Lara had to salvage gear around her to make things work out. I need to hunker down at base camp and get it done. Scoring: This time around I am not going to score myself. I want to concentrate on getting it done or not getting it done. I will be using the Daily Success app ( https://play.google....lysuccess&hl=en) on my phone to track daily progress to keep me accountable but I think I will keep it at that for now. No level up …. at least not numerically. ;}

Hello, hello, fellow nerds! I'm increasing my intensity a bit for my second ever 6 Week Challenge. It's a long(ish) list, but all pretty simple. Hoping I can stay on track! 1) Run 100 miles 2) Lift 3x a week (currently just 2x) 3) Switch from Special K to oatmeal with nuts / berries for breakfast 4) Stop buying bread! 5) Track EVERYTHING I eat on MyFitnessPal 6) Do 5 minutes of French practice every day 7) Go on at least 3 dates 8) Follow my "sweets program"* and stay under 40 points 9) Stick to just one beer a week CW: 175 GW: 165 UGW: 150 Height: 5'10 Gender: Female *Sweets program (I really need to come up with a cool name for it) is a program where I add a "point" to my calendar every time I eat a naughty sweet (cookie, yogurt-covered pretzels, cake, pain au chocolat, hot cocoa, etc.). We're playing it like golf -- the less points I have at the end of 6 weeks, the better I am! Already got 2 points today (great start, me), so I have to seriously step up my game so I can stay under 40 in the next 42 days. HERE WE GO!

Hey everyone! So. Total newbie to Nerd Fitness, mostly newbie to fitness in general. I was never thin, but I always had a decent body and was happiest as a size 6 - 8 (beginning of college). During my senior year of college (2 years ago), I gained about 20 lbs, am somewhere between a size 10 and 12, and I just can't seem to shake the extra poundage. I kept trying to "get fit" over the past couple of years (gym, yoga, hiking, weights classes), but nothing really stuck -- until now! For about 2 months, I've finally been consistent about going to the gym, and doing a nice mix of weights and cardio. I even went from doing a 14-minute mile to running a 5K every Wednesday with my friends. It's good, but I want to be even better! I'm slowly getting stronger and faster, but I haven't lost any weight because of... sweets. Baked goods, mostly. Cookies, pie, biscuits, or a spoonful of Nutella in a pinch. I got used to having a little "dessert" with lunch and dinner. Nothing huge, but still - that's a bunch of extra, unnecessary sugar! My ULTIMATE goal is to go from my current 175 lbs (I'm a 5'10" female) to a strong, badass, quick, flexible size 6 / 8 (somewhere around 155lbs for me, I think. Maybe 160 if my thighs keep getting muscle-y!). I want to feel like Lara Croft (i.e. join the Ranger guild!) -- to know that I can outrun the bad guys, jump over obstacles, kick ass, and just feel like a powerful, independent woman through it all. But I realize that will take a lot of baby steps, and I'm so excited to make the next leap with my first ever six week challenge. For my six-week challenge: 1) My best friend is getting married on June 1st, and I want to run 100 miles between now and then -- I want to know I have the endurance to dance for 4 hours! (I started this last week, so I'm trying to average about 13 miles per week.) 2) Trim down the dessert to ONE sweet per day. 3) Stand in front of the mirror in my underwear every morning while brushing my teeth and tell myself I'm sexy. 4) Ask a guy out on a date. (I have been shy / single for too long. Time to woman up!) I'm really happy to be going on this journey with you all! I love the sense of community I see on the message boards, and can't wait to be more involved. Here's to TOTALLY ROCKIN' IT!

Back for challenge number 2! Last challenge I found it really helped for accountability to not just have goals in my head but to write them out and keeping focused on how I’m getting along with my goals. After a discussion with my psychologist I’ve decided to make my goals more effort based than result based. It’s important for me to have victories I have control over she says. So no number of push-ups to be done, but instead the number of trainings. The themes people used for their challenges last time really inspired me, so I’m using that idea for this challenge: Tomb raider training: becoming Lara Croft Time to set goals for the next six weeks. Run into (and out of) danger (Run 3 times a week) Sta 3 If there’s one thing Lara Croft does a lot of is running. Running right into danger and back out of it again. Training 3 times a week will get me ready to run into any danger. That’s 18 times over the course of the challenge. For added effect I’ll keep using the zombies run app. Planned days are Tuesday, Friday, Sunday. A = 17-18 runs B = 15-16 runs C= 13-14 runs Climb to the top of the tombs (3 strength trainings per week) Str 3 Dex 3 Lara Croft climbs, swings, jumps and pulls up on her way through the tombs, getting down may be easy, but getting back up requires superhuman strength. So on my quest to become Lara Croft I’ll do 3 strength trainings per week. On Monday nights I’ll join a body pump class in the gym, Wednesday and Saturday are workouts from the Rebel rookie fitness guide. If necessary I can switch days around. A = 17-18 trainings B = 15-16 trainings C= 13-14 trainings Seduce nerds with killer body (Eat +/- 1700 calories a day) Con 3 What is Lara Croft known for if not her killer body?! Now I considered getting breast implants size EE to look like her, but decided the rest of the body is more important. And the quickest way to get a better body is to drop my BF percentage (37% according to the exaggerating scale) which is way too high. So next to working out, what I put in my mouth will effect this. So, I’ll stick to my calorie goal. It’s fine to be under one day and over the next, over a week it should be in balance. A= 6 weeks B= 5 weeks C= 4 weeks Always look fantastic (Take a shower after exercise) Cha 3 No matter how far Lara Croft has ran, no matter how many obstacles she faced, no matter how many spiders live in that tomb that should life spider webs in her hair, she always looks fantastic. Me, not so much, I sweat, I get a red face and my hair gets messed up (but remains free of spider webs). Part of my depression is that I care a lot less about my physical appearance, which often means skipping a shower or putting it off to the next day. Yeah, not really pretty and very smelly, also my boyfriend is less than amused about this. So, time for change. I will take a shower after workouts. A= every workout -2 B = every workout -3/-4 C = every workout -5/-6 Added in this goal later as life said I needed it. Postponing the sequel - (don't push myself to hard) Int 3 Tomb raider 2013 came out earlier this year, after a long long break. Guess Lara Croft needed a long vacation as well! When necessary I can take a break from my other goals and give myself intelligence points for this*. So, for example I might today decide that my mental state clearly says I need to take a rest day. Or I might feel that a day or two at higher calories will help me manage my emotions a lot better. I've always been very sensitive emotionwise to what I eat and this depression just made it worse. The important thing here is that it needs to be a concious decision to skip a workout or eat more. And it needs to be because mentally I need a break. Preferably before I break down and cry Skipping because it's bad weather or I didn't plan right or because it's Monday will not get me any intelligence points

Greetings all! I have enjoyed skulking about lurker-style for a few months. I really like it here. The thing that moves me to post today is my great feat! (feet?) Yesterday, I ran a mile in my toe shoes without stopping, and for the first time ever, my calves aren't angry or stiff. It was momentous. Feel the awe. Thanks for being motivational and keeping me thinking about outrunning zombies and tigers and things. One day, I will have no problem dead lifting boxes full of treasure. My goal is to become as awesome as my imaginary childhood hero. One day. Eventually. Minus all of the crazy murder. http://images.elephantjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Lara-Croft4.jpg Anybody have any tomb raider exercise sets?