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Hey all! A week late but had a desire to do a challenge. Kind of went MIA when stuff wasn't quite working for this site and me. Personal issues, that ended up leading me to depression in quite a dark place. Bright side I'm working on it, but everyday stuff is still hard even though I can plan 6 months ahead of myself. I'm hoping this challenge shows some daily light to where the conflict is coming from underneath everything. Along with wrapping my head around, having a schedule doesn't make things boring it just adds a little control. Bright side- I'm still trying to continue on! I have professional supports, have things to laugh at/with daily, even with my troubles with my projects I still want to work in the field outdoors. Goals: Sunrise walking- filling a mental, physical and spiritual need to get to close to nature. I will figure out the minimum but being outside for at least 30 mins with the sun up will help. (Sunrise is around 7 at the moment... I haven't decided yet but throwing on clothes and going on a walk between 7-9 am is my goal) Some Structure- I'm needing some structure in my slightly chaotic life. My goal is to plan out my day on my google calendar by my hope to do what for many hours. From checking when my appointments are, eating, and getting myself to the library. Goals- will make at least 1 goal to follow through daily (however small or big, something to move forward with my life) Enough structure to help fend off depression and cope with my anxiety. While also observing what my daily battles are lie for my goals. Side goal- get my social connections/ support links on here. My depression has been very good on cutting myself off, but I love the atmosphere and over 2 years I'm still coming back.

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A fresh new battle log to start off a new year (and finally have a new keyboard!) I've fully accepted now my ability to organize needs to level up. Going to allow myself some freedom and letting go of past posts, and going to keep my posts here. I will joining the challenge threads, but I know now true fully I need to keep my own structure of challenge days for making it easier to follow through. Along with keeping the battle log on my signature and being active in the forums again, so I do get to chat with new people. Since there is a reason why I keep coming back here after all. I love the people here... And am surprised by how people in the real world don't always have the "happier life goals". So following in the idea that what I've been calling my heart, is really my inner goddess trying to make my dreams a reality. Speaking of goals, I realized after having some thinking time of "what is my 'personal philosophy?'" A lot of it came back to finding my joys and following my hearts (especially when I realized there is still quite a bit in my life that doesn't give me joy, but unhealthy habits to give me comfort during my less joyful times). So hoping to take steps toward a life that I can barely dream of. Taking steps in my career toward my fears, and let's spread that to other areas of my life. School Goals - For the next 14 weeks (daily/weekly tracking, and adjusting on where I'm needed): Extra time out of class - Starting this week, I'm starting the goal of working on school stuff for a goal of 25 hours each week outside of class! All my classes have large projects, and 2 out of 3 are starting off with large amounts of reading for the projects. Most of these projects are group based, which means I need to keep my end of the work. This is an intro to my career choice I'm finding, so time to face my fears that I have all over the place. (Reward: 25 cents per an hour finished) Following Through- On top of the work, last year I had a class where I nearly failed because I wasn't turning anything in... (I have an all or nothing mentality where a portion of the time I just give up). So working on rewiring my brain and showing the end results, hoping this will ripple effect into the rest of my life. (Reward: $300 on anything I desire, Penalty: Will donate to an organization that I'm not a fan toward their mission... Am open to ideas for this one.) Health/Spirituality Goal - 1 week at a time here... (Am trying to figure out what is going to work out in my life): Daily Tarot - Spiritual side, doing a tarot has me sitting down and getting out of my head a bit every night before bed. Has been helping with mindfulness techniques, and times for being thankful (3 months 90% Successful - Reward: A tarot deck or something similar for spiritual side). Collecting Underpants- So with school, a new job, and -25 degrees F windchill coming out every few days I'm trying to figure out how to add exercise that I enjoy back into my routine. Walking somewhere was my go to, but with the weather some days I need an alternative. Life Goals: Urge surfing- From buying stuff and eating stuff that makes me feel good. I've found both for my waist size and my wallet, stepping back and allowing "extras" stuff to be a short term reward. Allowing myself to buy a higher quality item once, instead of crappy stuff every day. Will be taking daily note on any encounters, and/or goals for the longer rewards. Self-Love - Kind of collecting underpants here, but realized with trying to find a social life I had many changes but could barely handle my negative thinking afterwards. Over winter break I realized how nasty I'm to myself sometimes (and wouldn't allow anyone else to do to me). Along with how many times I go to escapes for "taking care of myself." If I can barely handle being in my own skin some-days.Starting off by daily sharing a week's worth of daily assignments from Uncustomary.org (a blog I just found and haven't tried too much out because of not accountability). Cutting the Nonsense out: I'm someone that walks away from negative people in my life, so why do I go on facebook? Yeah need to cut it out, especially since I get notifications about groups on my phone for updates on events and stuff (and really do I want to be part of a group of people that can't take the time to email it out, then just facebook). Cutting out Netflix... So many hours. Now and then I tend to fall in a binge, but like sugary treats its not something I want to depend on getting through hard times. Art Maker: A four week course of finding an artistic outlet that I'm trying to figure out. Will be doing writing or actual art projects depending on how I feel or have time for. Creatively I've been feeling kind of stuck, since I realized during NaNoWriMo I can barely wrap my head around writing healthy relationships. Something is off. Will share what I come up with. NF goals: Daily Posts- Really the only way I've found joy in my life is daily posting stuff, next to be a tad bit more accountability. Friends: Posting on someone else's thread daily, would lead me to following at least a few people. Oofda... Just having a lot in my head. There was a point where I couldn't think of any. And then realized all my goals. Color coated while I did it too. Thank god for days off else I wouldn't have been able to do this today.

Haha, finally after a couple of months of working (and years of talking). I finally starting a challenge with some goals! Stopping at a door in a dark hallway, and old building at the corner of Sol Luna Verde Academy of the Practical Arts, shadows long from the nearby magically ran glass lamps on the wall that weren't maintained well. A new area of school I discovered today, where I can finally start my new adventure. I breathed a sigh of relief when I confirmed the numbers over the large oak door open and seeing the flickering of candles shadows. It was late for the night starting a short holiday, peering through the door I noticed a dark haired man sitting at a desk facing away from the door. I gave a strong sturdy knock onto the large oak door that seemed to echo through the old stone halls. "Come in," the professor spoke with a welcoming low voice. I walked in noticing he hadn't moved from his position, but was steadily writing something in large book with a large white quill. My feet barely made a noise as I walked across the aged stone floor, feeling the heightened amount of energy in the room. The candles around the room, high on their wicks told me he was busy with something beyond my own controlled magical abilities. Feeling an eeriness of the silence besides the room's crackling fireplace and the professor etching away with his work. He looked over at me and gave me a nod with a stone face, he gestured the nearby soft chair for me to sit down. I smiled and had taken a seat. "How can I help you," the man asked still with a warm voice, but was still paying full attention on what he was writing. "I've come here to apply for the alternative study program," I said with a clear but shaky voice. The professor's quill stopped moving and the eeriness of power I felt changed, as the candles softened a little, replaced with a gentleness of welcoming warmth. "So you have found me..." He turned to me now with a warm smile, setting his quill aside. "Did you bring the needed papers?" "Yes," I said nervously, quickly opening my knapsack to pull out the small grouping of scrolls for the important papers I was told I would need to apply to the program. Papers that had shown the variety of classes I had taken over the last few years. Some from other schools and the new classes that I had been doing at this academy since I transferred last winter. Along with an essay to share my future goals, and how they may relate to a program that was going to help me get into an adventure. "Thank you," he said when I passed unopened scrolls to him, where he opened and quickly scanned over them. I couldn't help but notice that perhaps his smile was growing as he was looking over the papers. However knowing myself, that could easily be my own hope to get into the adventure's program. "Looks like you are able to meet the requirements for your classwork, everything looks good here." I noticed how he only quickly looked over the essay that had taken me too many painful writing hours. "I can see your passion to enter my program. I more than understand the hope of having a bit more than just being stuck with your nose in the book. I'm taking it you already discussed with your advisor on lengthening your years here. " I nodded and shrugged, feeling a little bit more relaxed after he brought up some of my requirements were met "I wasn't really planning on the fast track anyway." I barely had a clue where I was going, except I knew my joy of studying in the concrete walls was far from a personal joy. "My only worry is knowing how some students try to get into my program who may think this is the easier way through the academy." He was now sitting back in his desk chair turned to me, with his legs crossed toward me. "I hope you have your journal on you?" "Journal?" I felt a little faint. What did I forget, I never heard anything about a journal to have for requirements. "The journal, the academy requires you to have to be a magical user," he stated slowly not seeming worried by my response. "While also hoping you use it as part of the foundation of your magical skills." "Oh yeah..." I gave an apologized look, as I quickly pulled out the hot pink leather journal that I owned for the last last ten months. I gave a small thank you to wherever in the universe that I started a small habit sometime in the last two weeks when I handed it to him. I had good intentions with the journal, my difficulty was more of making a habit out of it. "Looks like you've gotten some work out of it." he noted as he held it in his right hand. Where I then noticed some black tattoos that covered the back of his hand, he closed his eyes for a moment. Not even moving to open the pages. "Hmm, yes a good strength of power in you. But not quite where I can accept you in the program fully... yet." He paused top open his eyes, and hand me back my journal. "Your magic, and use of tools isn't quite balanced." He caught my quick look of confusion, and gave me a look of reassurance. "I mean I would prefer a better habit with the journal. When you enter the program, you will be surprised by how much is in our world that can go unseen easily by everyone. Our world is interesting, and I need to be able to trust that you can survive the tasks I give you throughout your studies. Can't have any dead bodies in this class, the academy tends to frown on that." He gave a soft chuckle to his own joke. I nodded to him, "So what should I do instead Professor...." "Glen, Professor Ore Glen." He offered his hand to me for a handshake, "Nice to finally meet you Bouncer the Resilient. You'll see the last requirements you need to be able to take my class." He pointed to the journal I was working on getting back in my class. "Just a small quest, but enough to see if you can handle entering my program by the time the new year starts." He gave a nod, and a voice of optimism. "If you happen to fail them within the next five weeks. I know we can still work on getting you into the program. However, I have high hopes for you being able to enter soon enough. Plan on coming to see me in four weeks, and we'll see where you are at." He stood up to help walk me out, "Thank you Professor Glen," I said with a smile as I walked out into the slightly brighter hallway. "Remember the quests are in the front of the journal, easy to find and easy to go to. anything you can figure out to help you grow will also help." I nodded, confused what he meant being in my journal. Since I didn't see him open it. But I didn't feel it was the right time to ask question. ---------------------------------------- The walk to my dorm seemed to take forever, but knowing I better wait to check the goals until I could plan it out. When I lit the lamps and candles in the rooms to make it easier to read. Opening it, I found his hand writing on the first page with the black in. To my relief the goals were easy enough, however a tad boring then I had hoped. I already had been doing most of these goals. Taking a breath, I realized that the end of the term for studying was going to be long. But hopefully I was going to figure out how to do something a bit more interesting, soon enough. Copied from last challenge/slightly edited: 5 main goals: Write a "Daily To Do List" daily (technically I have a page for homework and another page for everything else, but if I write anything down on one page I'm more likely to use the other. Getting words on the page to start reserving energy on actively working on my to do list). Write 444 words a day It's NaNoWriMo... I'm embracing the writing, with a tracker within the fun game (so I don't have to remember to actually track it). Walk to work on Sundays the one days the buses don't go in my new town, over 3 miles one way (few hills) this will be nothing but a good training to my dream park job that I found out is 6 miles one way (with many large hills) (or another day of the week to make it up, when my mom talks me into driving her borrowed truck). Apply to a New Job opening or Go to Interview once a Week I need a new second job/I want out of my janitor job... I always get a job if I actively look for one (easy enough goal to work on before winter break, and still have a ways to go on settling in my new home) Study 15 mins a day in both classes until Exams If I do 100% of studying daily, I'm giving myself $200 for free spending money (I can't believe I'm giving it to myself, but this is a habit I've been avoiding. And need some habit before I walk into upper level classes next semester). (Also changed my award from electronics, towards other things toward my goals but still more fun then I like spending). (Note exams are during Week Zero). I'm looking into adding a few goals, along with changes to happen after the first week of this challenge my Fall Semester will be ending (and Spring Semester will be starting probably around the time the next challenge starts). So far I've been 100% for awhile with writing this week (slowly working on catching up). Missed one journal day yesterday. My mom used her witty ways that I ended up driving to work (which was for the better that day in the end). Thinking of walking on Thanksgiving or Friday to the wooded area I haven't been to in over a month. Other goals, I need to write up my present future goals that I want to add. But knowing I need to take it slow. However, I do know sometime this challenge I'm adding an exercise routine, since I realized a dream job right now involves being very active outside.

Hello, well after saying I wouldn't do a challenge... And then I started to procrastinate on the forums... Craving the community, and being on the forums is a little better than binge watching anything that seems appealing. With the start of a new challenge, I'm also realizing how much I need to narrow down my goals.... Back to the basics challenge! Week 1: 1. Powering up my Light Magic: 0/7 A walk in unpaved nature and 444 words of writing a day, helps keeps the worst of depression away. 2. Check in with my BuJo Daily: 0/7 BuJo is happiness of all planners for me, now to just use it every day and keep it with me... 3. Finish the Semester with my Head Held High 0/7 (every day I work on it, may add another count for how many things I get done) This is a boss that I'm fighting that I decided to skip some of the grind in eight levels, and ended up with not enough time and too many levels to muster up quickly in a short amount of time... Tuesday is my last day in my favorite class for Rec & Park, next Tuesday is my final presentation of a research paper that is barely on paper. I'm going to need some accountability help! So posting on here on my next goal and when I get it done.... (Other goals maybe thrown in here if I find myself procrastinating...) 4. Get to work & Class on time... 0/5 (bonus for leaving apartment 2 hours before shift on Janitor job, and 1 hour before Museum job). Things are broken in my mini-van where I'm dealing with the loveliness of having to pull over sometimes because my security system is going off with the horn... (just sounds like I'm honking the horn, not one of those cool siren type sounds....) And I found heat makes it worst.... So leaving early gives me enough time to deal with it, show up, and some down time to cool down a bit before going in... For the month bonus: Survive my van's problems, and hit my other goals every day! (Really feeling this meme at a few points). 0/28 I found out a car horn is the number one sound that can bring my Willpower to zero... I am in my final countdown. I need to get moving, and fly by my pants. Boom! First intro challenge post with all gifs... (While chilling at work...)

Hey guys, I kinda just abandoned my last challenge and then skipped the next one. I fell into a really bad depressive episode so I didn't have any energy - never mind motivation - to work on the challenges (or get out of bed really). I'm feeling a bit better now, so hopefully I can do this one. I wouldn't say it's the last time I get one of these episodes, they tend to come and go in cycles. Also I'm nearing the end of my degree, so I'm experiencing a ton of stress between doing my assignments and thinking about life after graduation. (You guys must get so sick of my FT gifs and pics lol, I should probably try to mix them up with non-FT gifs in the future). Anyway, on to the challenge: Strength: I'm on Level 6 now of NFA, will be working on that. Also, that article NF made on grip strength may be useful for climbing, so I may try that out too. Diet: Since I was in a really bad state, my diet flew out the window. I'm going to have to recover from that by weaning myself off junk and fast food. Week 1: No chocolate or gummy sweets Week 2: '' and no crisps Week 3: No junk or fast food Week 4: '' Education: Devote some time to each module's assignment per week. (I have a habit of only focusing on 1 or 2 modules and then forgetting about the rest until it's too late). House: Hoover hallway carpet once a week (the carpet gets filthy so easily). I don't really care about dirt, but I live with different people so I suppose it's fair to try keep the house a little tidy.

So last challenge I got sick and missed more than half of it. This time we turn things around, or try to As usually I start today monday, and end sunday in 4 weeks (the sunday start mess things up for me Again I changed the goals up a bit to reflect more what works best for me. Lifestyle: G1: Focused exams study time: So around the end of this challenge I have 3 exams lined up, and I need to focus on them. 3/5 weekdays I need to allocate 1 hour of priories study time (no phones // tv anything to interrupt. and 1 weekend day I double up to 2 hours. Fitness: G1: Daily handstand (at least 5 attempts pr day G2: pike/head2toe//SSGM 5 times pr week G3: 10 minute of hip openers 5 times pr week ( Weighted butterfly/frog pose/pancake/cossaq squat) G4: Nail a set of 3 tuck to tucked shoulder stand to tuck on the rings. (I have struggled a lot with those, going fine reverse but its hard from the tuck to the t.shoulderstand. However I seemed to crack the code on the last 2 trainings, and hope it keeps going like that. If I get this in good time then im working to improving the hight of the rings. W1: 0/3 Weekday study 0/1 Weekend study 3/5 Piking 3/5 Hip opening 3/7 Handstand W2: 0/3 Weekday study 0/1 Weekend study 0/5 Piking 0/5 Hip opening 0/7 Handstand W3 0/3 Weekday study 0/1 Weekend study 0/5 Piking 0/5 Hip opening 0/7 Handstand W4 0/3 Weekday study 0/1 Weekend study 0/5 Piking 0/5 Hip opening 0/7 Handstand Total: 0/12 Weekday study 0/4 Weekend study 0/20 Piking 0/20 Hip opening 0/28 Handstand 0/1 Tuck to shoulder stand for 3 reps

Hi guys I am currently in my fourth year of uni and I am struggling to find the energy for both my workouts and my learning. My goal is to loose a bit of weight (currently 73/74kg, would like to get under 70kg) and tighten up a few areas. Atm I am going to uni in the mornings and hitting the gym in the afternoon/evening (3x a week) and I am loosely tracking my macros. The past couple of gym session though I have experienced feeling "flat" around half way through my workout or being so tired when I get home that I take around a long nap, neither of which are good considering the amount of time I would like to spend doing homework in the evenings. I do not experience the "flat" feeling if I go to the gym in the mornings, but I simply do not have time for a morning session monday-friday. I allways eat a lunch/breakfast before training and (although I do not consider myself paleo) I do eat very clean with my lunches often containing things such as chicken, rice, salmon, ryebread, cottage cheese aso. Does anybody have any experiences, ideas or even food suggestions?

Hey rebels! I have a question for you. I'm currently writing an ebook with the name "Cavemen in College". Basically, it will be a guide to all students at university on how to remain Paleo. This includes: - The basics of Paleo, what it is and why people do it - My story, how and why I became Paleo and how this book was established - How to make Paleo cheaper than a "normal" college diet - How to combine studying with an active lifestyle (sports etc, inherently a part of Paleo imo) - Tips for going out, social events,... - Meal planning and templates - Tips & Tricks (for example: Handy kitchen appliances,..) - A big collection of recipes divided in the categories: 1. Spice mixes and dressings 2. 5-minute hearty meals 3. paleo comfort foods 4. make-in-advance meals 5. packed lunches 6. sweet treats Of course, things may still change My question is now: Do you see this as a good initiative? Something that was missing? Would you consider purchasing it? Any feedback is moooore than appreciated! Have a good one rebels, rock on

Introduction: Heyo! I'm Kati and this is my first challenge. I really like active stuff outdoors - I live in the PNW, it's pretty hard not to. Hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, swimming, kayaking...anything outside I am extremely happy about. Unfortunately, I am a lazy college student, so it's pretty hard for me to motivate myself to do things that aren't either sleeping or watching TV. I also am way out of shape (thanks summertime) and struggle to complete any sort of physical activity. I'm high anxiety which makes it worse - if I feel like I'm dying, I go into full blown panic. So that's fun. I joined the rebellion to try to a) have some accountability and actually have fun being active! Everything is more fun if you pretend you're in a video game. Main Quest: Become more athletic and get to a healthier BMI Quest 1: Drink at least 2 litres of water a day. I always feel remarkably better when I'm hydrated, but I'm pretty horrible at drinking water. Measurement: A = at least 14 litres per week for 6 weeks; B = at least 7 L/wk for 6 wk; C = less than 7 L/wk for 6 wk Rewards: A = +3 CON; B = +2 CON; C = +1 CON Quest 2: Do some form of moderate/vigorous exercise for an hour, three times a week. I suck at moving. Horribly. Measurement: A = at least 3 hrs/wk for 6 wk; B = at least 2 hrs/wk for 6 wk; C = an hour or less per week for 6 wk Rewards: A = +3 STA; B = +2 STA; C= +1 STA Quest 3: Some form of fresh veggies and fruits for two meals per day. It's college. Meal plans suck and I gotta make the best of it. Measurement: A = Fresh veg/fruit at 2 meals, 42 days; B = Fresh veg/fruit at 2 meals, 36 days; C = Fresh veg/fruit at 2 meals, 30 days Rewards: A = +3 CON, +2 STA; B = +2 CON, +1 STA; C = +1 CON Life Quest: Save $15 per week. Again, college. I am broke. Like, real broke. $15 per week isn't gonna be a huge difference, but it's a start. Every bit counts. Measurement: A = $90 by end of 6 wks; B = $60 by end of 6 wks; C = $30 by end of 6 wks Rewards: A = +2 WIS; B = +1 WIS; C = +0.5 WIS Motivation: I want to feel good again. I'm so high anxiety and spend so much time doing nothing that I feel sick on some level pretty much all the time, and don't have a lot of confidence. Getting that back would be rad, and health is such a big thing towards how I feel. Also I am considering majoring in Exercise Science and it'd be very ironic if I were to graduate with that degree in the shape I'm in. PS I Have no idea if I did the attribute points right I am very confused and not very good at mental math so

Hi everyone! I'm not quite at the point yet where I could claim any major victory in my body recomposition and fitness projects, but that'll come. Buuuutttt... I HAVE TO share this with everyone I know (and everyone I don't). I'm currently doing my computer science degree. Maths is involved. This is the third time I've been to university, and the first time I've been for the right reasons, and it'll be the first time I graduate. To put this in context, when I went to university the first time round, I picked a MSci in Physics & Mathematical Finance at age 16 because I wanted to escape the village I lived in ASAP, and that degree was the hardest looking one, which meant I could prove something to everyone who thought I wasn't worth ****. Got glandular fever on my second day after leaving home, wrestled with the course for 3 years, and ended up having to leave. I was scraping 10% in exams and getting by on cramming for resits to get the bare minimum and by the time 3 years of this was up I really believed I wasn't ever going to be worth anything, I wasn't as smart as I thought, and I was destined for a life of unwanted minimum wage jobs. Via some kind of magical warp device I ended up chilling out in a bar job 10 years later, had fallen in love with gaming, and decided maybe a little programming course might be a nice idea. I quietly started up a CS degree at the Open University, so I could take my time and add extra modules if I felt like it later, or just walk away with a one semester course if I wanted to. I've been studying now for just over a year, start my software development courses in September, and have just got to grips with the first year maths that made me feel like such a failure the first time I tried it. I was wrong! I CAN do it! I just got my first ever university result that made me cry with happiness. I REALLY AM SPECTACULARLY BADASS AT THE MATHS. Here, I have to tell everyone! Scores out of 100! The most recent one was the hardest paper of the year I'd always wanted to do something absolutely fascinating with my life, and I'm seriously considering changing to CS with applied maths. It would only take me 3 months longer. I'm going to hit up my tutor for a chat ASAP. I got this result 2 days ago and I'm still excited about it, so naturally, it was time for me to make my first post in the woot room! I hope I can come back and update this thread in 3 months to say I got a distinction, because that's the result I'm headed for. I need 85%. To maths: Gotta go, I have a robotics assessment to hand in on Wednesday!

Hi fellows! One hour ago I got kicked out of my study path. I had repeated one year of my own volition and now I didn't pass one subject so they had to kick me out. The examiners were really nice. They said they couldn't understand that, because my grades look good and promising and they are very sorry to tell me that it was just not enough. I struggled with my life since the moment university started, what can be also seen on all the challenges I messed up in here. The topics were awesome, I loved to learn about it, but there were too many things going wrong unfortunately. Now I am trying to find a job as project manager in the automation industry because I am 100% sure this is what I am made for. The question is, if there are companies which take someone who failed. I hope there's a good reason that this happened and I am ready to push my life forward, ready for being more awesome than I have ever been before. Going with you Monks this time, because I finally want to start kickboxing and get powerful. As in the previous challenges, I stick to my role as a shield maiden. I cannot afford the kickboxing course yet and I hope that I am not running out of money until I found a new job. Money problems made our life difficult since always, luckily I got a side job at least. I want to continue studying besides due to entering a study path in the third semester in October. Gotta find out if that is possible. Challenge Part 1) Go for a 5 km walk 6 days a week. I had got used to it once, then it wasn't part of the next challenge anymore and the habit faded. Challenge Part 2) Do this training 3 times a week. I've tried that some time ago and I loved it, high time to do this again! Challenge Part 3) Have one real meal a day. This is a huge problem for me. I am miserable at cooking and hardly ever now what to cook. I'd welcome any suggestions! Life Challenge: from Monday to Friday 1 hour studying project management books1 hour preparing for job interviewswrite 5 applications 1 hour repeating useful subjects from university Time to start living

Hidyhoooo FINALLY, university preparation is over. I don't stress anymore, I have my interview invitations (MIT, Stanford AND Princeton ermahgerddddddd) and all kind of testing is over!!! FINALLY, I have time to go to the gym again (seriously, 30 mins was too much of a 'waste of time', since I had like 1514684 school assignments too >< ), so let's get back to it!! I took my before pictures, measurements etc and am now fully ready to commit myself again.I went to the doctor a few weeks back for my neverending headaches and cramps and lack of energy and after a few blood tests I git diagnosed with gluten and cow milk intolerance, hah! Guess that paleo lifestyle is going to be my thing after all. My battle plan: workout 5 (or more) times a week, including a spinning class on Sunday, active rest day on Mondays (I have harp class ^^), yoga class on Tuesdays, weight lifting on Wednesdays, spinning again on Thursdays (or running, whichever one suits me), bodyweight training on Fridays, more bodyweight (and yoga!) on Saturdays! Concerning food, I'll stick with a daily calorie-limit and try to hit my 90g of protein/day goal along with a max of 100g of carbs/day. My fat intake should be moderate (around 50g?), but I am not exactly sure how much I need. GOALS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER 1. Complete 1 week of doing all the workouts mentioned above 2. Run that 5k again 3. Complete 3 weeks of following a paleo lifestyle 4. Squat your own bodyweight ( ~ 65 kg) this one's funnny cause as I lose weight I'll have to lift lighter stuff haha 5. Take 'progress pictures' after 1 month (25 february) 6. Run 10k 7. Do 50 push-ups consecutively More to follow for sure! If you have any tips and tricks or just feel like you need to give me more courage to start ''MISSION BLACK WIDOW'' (yea she fucking sexy I wanna be like her haha), don't hesitate to do so Lots of love but also lots of peanut butter

Like Thorunn from the series Vikings. Part 2 Background information: When I joined Nerd Fitness about one year ago I was struggling with health problems (probably due to an enormous lack of self-discipline). By discontinuing the birth control pill (instead golden spiral) and taking homeophatic pills for some weeks in order to put the hormone balance back in order I was able to step stairs again without being totally exhausted after only 10 steps. Damn, I was jumping up the stairs from the ground floor to the third floor at university (66 stairs) and felt so proud of it I still prefer to use the stairs instead of the elevator, there are only a few exceptions every now and then. At the end of September I did a 5 day fasting cure and this finally really dragged me out of my health issues. Feeling so awesome and loving life again after only holing up in my room being depressive for 2.5 years. That's an indescribable feeling Last week I did a second 5 day fasting cure but messed up the build-up days completely. Yesterday I gave in to cravings, ate all afternoon long and am still struggling with the consequences Another good thing nevertheless is that I started hitting the gym again with the start of this week. Have been there Monday and Wednesday and enjoyed it so extremely much. I like the feeling of the muscles burning and vibrating like hell - or better said, the feeling you get afterwards Last challenge: Well, I fulfilled only one quest and that's way my Earl Svakhet isn't giving me the permission to go yet but he saw that I am trying and is giving me another chance. Due to the last challenge now going for a walk regularly is something I don't wanna miss anymore. This challenge: Finally stop running away and adapt the new daily routine! Running away: I know I should stay at university and study there but instead I am driving home, eating all day long what is resulting in being overloaded and sick and because of that I can hardly study anything. New daily routine: 6 AM: alarm clock + get ready 7 AM: go to city, study + drink 1 liter water + go for a half hour walk at noon, go for a walk / visit the gym in the late afternoon and then have dinner (if the schedule allows this order) 7 PM: drive back home 8 PM: sleep 10 PM: study + drink 1 liter water and 1 liter tea 1 AM: sleep --> 7 hours sleeping --> 8+ hours studying --> 2+ hours doing sports --> 1 hour eating This is valid for the days Mon - Fri. On Saturday I am heading home at 4 PM and then spend the rest of the weekend doing housework and meeting friends but trying to be at home as little as possible. The Quests: If a quest is not fulfill-able on a day because of a good reason the day gets discarded. Main Quest: Adapt the new daily routine 1) Work out Hit the gym 3 times a week and go for a 5 km walk every "no-gym day". Haven't found any workout plan I want to follow yet anyway. Rather planless training therefore unfortunately. I am going to do this Workout #1 HIIT on the elliptical trainer and try some Crossfit also if that's possible at the gym but basically use this next six week to get used to training again and try out the different stations at the gym. 100% +3 STR, +2 STA + 1 DEX 90% +2 STR, +1 STA, +0.5 DEX 80% +1 STR, +0.5 STA 2) Stay hydrated Drink three two liters water or tea per day. 100% +3 CON 90% +2 CON 80% +1 CON 3) Do intermittent fasting Do a 16 h fast every day from Mon - Fri. 100% +3 CON 90% +2 CON 80% +1 CON Life Quest: Succeed at university 4) Study enough Study 8 hours per day from Mon - Fri. 100% +3 WIS 90% +2 WIS 80% +1 WIS

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening everyone. As I'm new here I figure I'll give a very brief background of my physical activity history. Birth-2013: Any physical activity was virtually non-existent. I hate to single somebody out because of their weight, but in 2012 I began dating somebody who was incredibly "out of shape", and sufficed to say she brought me down with her. But this isn't a complaint, prior to 2012 I was your average guy that didn't exercise very often, when my year-long relationship ended in 2013 I had gained 3 stone, I was unhappy with my body and it was exactly the push I needed to do something about it. 2014 January-June: With a newfound incentive to increase my physical fitness and lose weight, but very little knowledge on how to do so, I set off on my adventure. At first it was gradual, I'd walk my dog for two or three times longer than I had in the past (he was a big old thing so he loved it). Weight began to shift, and I started paying more attention to my diet, removing most junk food and increasing the chicken, tuna, fruit and veg. When the weight loss slowed down I took up running every morning. Unfortunately I must admit I went too far the other direction, I lost all three stone I'd gained and then some, ending up too skinny. June-Today: With a new newfound incentive to increase my physical fitness and gain weight, I started reading more into it, learning how to build muscle and the best methods for it. At the start I was so skinny I struggled with 2.5kg dumbbells, but the more I read the better became my techniques, I began to build back up my weight in largely muscle. By August I was doing compound lifts with equipment Id bought and stored in the shed, with my max lifting being around a 20kg barbell. In August I began seeing a personal trainer, who smoothed out the rough edges in my diet and exercise. Now I'm slightly heavier than I was in 2012 but much healthier, and lifting over 50kg in a lot of my exercises. I may not be the most muscular or the fastest runner, but I shook off 4 stone in 5 months and then managed to gain a stone in muscle (and a little fat on the side) in 2-3 months. I'm healthier and stronger than I've ever been and improving. Now that I'm at university I don't have a high budget, but I have managed to plan so that I can eat healthy and train regularly without getting myself a ton of (more) debt. If anybody's in the same boat I'd love to hear how your fitness has been going since moving to uni. Thanks for reading, -SB

Hey fellows! Tomorrow the new university semester starts. I am lagging behind with the subject matters. I start the 5th semester now and have to deal in addition with 3 subjects from the 3rd semester and 3 subjects from the 4th semester. If I don't pass those I cannot study this study course anymore. So there's a lot of work to do this semester. I applied for a job for preparatory work during the week and working at Saturday near university. So I'd go by bus to the city earlier, do the preparatory work and then walk to university. I need a work besides studying. I've been working for four years every Sunday until March and I really miss it (not the working place where I've been but the physical labour itself). I plan to write some more applications the next days to make sure I get a new job. I am going to fit out my locker at university with all I need for studying and then only study at university or while doing cardio at the gym but not anymore at home. This way I want to get rid of my eating habits (giving in to cravings every few minutes) and procrastination plus have a fixed time for rest in the evening. In the morning I will have a filling breakfast but without grain because this makes me tired so fast. Any suggestions? At lunch I am going to eat at the canteen. I prefer to eat every few hours but preparing food for a whole day which I store in my bento box every evening is nothing I'd be able to deal with for a longer time as far as I know myself. I'll just put some fruits and vegetables in the bento box for inbetween snacking. In the evening I will have some fish (tuna, salmon, ..) with salad. At weekends I will go out with friends and go hiking a lot.This will be rather expensive and I don't know yet exactly how I should be able to afford that but I am sure this whole daily routine will do me the world of good. During the breaks between the lectures I will walk around the building or during longer breaks I will go for a walk outside. As everytime after eating at the canteen I will have a walk afterwards. To reach the gym in the city I have to go 1 km and I aim to go there two to three times a week. If everything goes as planned life would be rather awesome then I guess. At least way better than it's been the last 3 years. Why I am posting this here is to ask you if you have got any suggestions for me. Any things I didn't think of, I missed or any tips for implementation. Like ideas for breakfast or dinner for example. Or ideas on how to find a job fitting to a student's timetable. Whatever. I am scared to mess this all up again and then I'd have wasted 3.5 years at university for getting a degree that you could get in three years but in the end having 'nothing'. So any piece of advice, every idea - no matter how crazy - is welcome. Greetings Magnhild

Hello, hello! I'm Christina, and I've been a lurker for some time now. I credit NF as one of the resources that has re-sparked my interest to become healthier and fitter. I'm a 20-something university student from Vancouver, Canada. Once upon a time, I dated a bodybuilder who taught me lots about exercising and eating right. I was once in shape, but have let years and years of schooling and extracurricular involvement get in the way of being healthy and feeling good. I started my final year in Fall 2013, and just didn't feel healthy. Halfway through, I've made a commitment to myself to live a healthier lifestyle and get back in shape. I finally decided to join the forums because I'm looking for a community of supportive and like-minded people who I can share this experience with. Goals Reduce body fat to 20%Build more muscleWaist measurement of 26'' (66cm)Be balanced: Strength in both mind and bodyFeel, look and be strong! I'm not too concerned with my weight, as long as I get stronger, and achieve my desired measurements. Starting Point About 25% body fatWaist measurement of 31" (~79cm)I've been eating healthier and started exercising in mid-December. Since that time, I've gone down by about 2.5", and have lost 4lbs. I feel much more confident and stronger. I'm finding myself feeling very energized, and have been waking up earlier and not needing coffee to stay awake. So far so good! Exercise Plan 4 days of strength training, consisting mainly of squats, deadlifts, pull-ups and pressesWarmups consist of a 10-15 minute run, along with jumping jacks, pushups, planks and burpeesEvery morning (including off days), I do sets of squats, planks and burpees15 minute meditation each morningDiet Mostly Paleo. Planning on moving to strict PaleoHave cut out grains, dairy and legumesBalance of vegetables and lean meats (mostly chicken, beef and seafood)Occasionally find myself cheating with tiny nibbles of friends' chips or chicken wings. No bueno! Lifestyle Changes Have cut out coffee. Throughout the day, I drink green tea and waterTaking more frequent walksStarted meditating and journal writing again. Great way to keep track of progress and motivate myself So far, everything is working out and I'm seeing results. One of my concerns is cardio. For the goal I have of reducing my body fat (but also gaining more muscles), do I need to prioritize cardio? As of right now, I don't really do much cardio, except for some running for my warm-ups. Another concern is my diet. I started mid-December, which was probably the worst time to start. I managed to survive the holidays by reducing portions, but did break many of my guidelines (ate bread and rice). I've been able to transition to a mostly Paleo diet, but find myself breaking the rules again once in a while. Is an occasional cheat meal okay? Are there guidelines to 'cheating the right way'? Thanks, and looking forward to getting to know you! Edit: forgot to mention my nerdy interests! Back when I had free time, I played GTA, The Sims and Portal. I love documentaries about society, psychology, economics and history. I'm also a bookworm who always carries a book to read. My favourite deck to play in Magic are mono-green and green-red.

Hey guys, I was hoping some of you out there might have a spare 15 minutes for my friends Honours project. He's writing a thesis about sleep and attachments, and the more people who could spare a few minutes, the more significant "power" the results will have. I figure, I love health/fitness and I love pop psychology about things like sleep and relationships, so perhaps a lot of others out there will too. Here is a link to the survey http://cduhes.asia.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_1ZDErOFtAJMvYy1 Let me know if you completed it!