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Hello! I'm a new assassin, so let me introduce myself! This is my 7th challenge overall and before, I was posting in rebels, because I was still deciding what my workout style/class was. I play volleyball and I just started taking Tae Kwon Do. When I workout on my own, it's usually a mix of short (1-3 mile) runs and bodyweight exercises (plyos). I'm always mixing up the way that I work out (I get bored easily), but I thought the Assassin way was most my style. At the end of last year, I was working on a research paper, studying for the GRE test, and applying to Master's programs and that took up the majority of my focus. As you can probably imagine, there was a fair amount of stress eating and exercise took a back seat. This year I want to ingrain the mindset that my health should be my number one priority. Without further ado, my goals: Main Goals Fitness: 10 pushups and 10 bodyweight squats every day (X/7) - I wanted to start this so I could do one small, regular thing to improve overall conditioning Diet: No unplanned snacks (-1% every occurrence) - Basically, no snacks for meals, and no random candy/cookies/etc. just because they're sitting there. Grazing snacks to get from one meal to another without being miserable are allowed (e.g. apples and PB, cheese, seaweed), but only if they're planned in advance! Level up 1: Floss every day (X/7) - This is part of my challenges until it becomes second nature Level up 2: Turn on the light when alarm goes off (X/7) - I did this in one of my previous challenges to help me actually get up on time. It worked really well! Then the challenge ended and I stopped doing it, so this one will also be making a regular appearance until it becomes second nature. Bonus Goals (+1% every occurrence, up to 100%) Fitness: Go for a run - X so far Diet: Low carb meal - X so far Level up: Study Tarot - X so far To explain my system: main goals are things that I want to do regularly. These are usually small and achievable even when things are kinda crazy in life. My bonus goals are things that I want to focus on, but if I get derailed, don't detriment my overall progress. Bonus goals are icing on the cake - I feel an extra shot of success when I get them done, but don't chastise myself when they don't work out for whatever reason. Loot So I'm still trying to find a way to motivate myself while staying within my means. I have a tight budget generally, and especially now that I started taking TKD lessons. Separate from NF loot goals, I budgeted some money that, if I keep a close eye on my gas/groceries/sundry budget, essentially becomes "fun money" for me. If I blow my other budget though, obviously this goes towards paying the difference. To tie this in with my NF goals, I think I'll only get to spend whatever percentage I earned through the challenge. So if I have $100 at the end of the 4 weeks to spend, and I get a 60% overall grade on my challenge, then I'll have $60 to spend on whatever I want. The rest will go either into savings or towards paying down student loans. This is the first month I'm trying this, so we'll see how it goes!

I play in a co-ed indoor 6s league and we had a string of second place finishes (like 7 of the last 8 seasons). Finally brought home another championship. We've won before with only (3) of the same players including me. Before you ask, he's 6' 10" so pushing almost 7 in the basketball shoes he continues to play in. He can play in loafers if he wants. Also, I don't know why the picture the league took is so awful. I assume they'll upload a better pick shortly. They took a bunch.

I need to bring some fun back into my fitness life, so I'm pulling on my lifelong love of the game, to make it happen. The game is..VOLLEYBALL !!! So, my history with the game includes playing on the boys' team in high school (we had no girls' team at the time), and playing my junior year in college (after the first string team was kicked off for drinking). I've never been the best player around, but I've always loved the game, and given it my best. Flash forward to the present day. I'm a 40-something girl playing in a Rec league through the local YMCA. I've been playing with these guys off and on for 12 years. We have a fun mix of players: There are the really old guys who set like a dream and dink the ball where no one can get it. Then we have some young guys out of college who hit hard and dig every ball. Also, we have the high school boys' volleyball team during their off season who are high energy with amazing potential. Oh, and me. I'm usually the only girl in the place. They like me because I make the league "co ed" which means lower nets So this challenge, I've decided to put fitness to work so that volleyball is even more fun. Goal 1 - Jump to the Sky This is my vertical jump goal. I'm going to measure my vertical jump each week and see if I can boost those numbers. I'm not really shooting for anything in particular - just progress. In the past, I've been doing the Academy BW strength workouts, but this challenge I'm going to build my own. This is still a work in progress, but I've been doing some research. I'm going to include some of the following: box jumps, depth jumps, weighted squats, and jump squats. If anyone wants to recommend any others, I'm all ears! I will get points here for completing my lower body strength workouts MWF. I reserve the right to drop Wednesday if I need to. That is my volleyball night, and I'm not sure they will play well together. Goal 2 - Power that Serve I'll admit it. I have a wimpy underhand serve these days. My overhead serve wilted and died some time after I stopped playing competitive BB ball around the time my first son was born. So, here's my chance to build that upper body strength to get it back. I'm still working on the exact workout, but I've read that these are the major muscles I need to strengthen to power an overhead serve: Abdominals, Biceps, Triceps, Trapezius, and Deltoids. So, basically, my arms. I will get points here for the upper body portion of strength workouts MWF. I'll also be serving in the back yard (weather permitting) and testing my overhead serve between games each Wednesday at the gym. Goal 3 - Conditioning This is my running goal. I will continue to run on TTh. My usual route is 5k, and it takes me about 40 minutes. I've already been back to play volleyball once this season. I was amazed at how un-tired I was at the end. I could have played another hour or two! Well, maybe just one. The point is that I am in much better shape then I've been in 10 years. Running just gives me that level of fitness to go the distance, and I need to keep doing it. Goal 4 - Aggressive Play First of all, this means that I need to show up to play volleyball every Wednesday. This is not usually a problem for me because I love it and look forward to it. However, it means getting the family life situated earlier than usual. I need to make sure dinner, dishes, homework, and piano practice are all under control before I duck out for the night. Second of all, this means that I need to be diving and running and going for every ball. This is especially important on nights when we are playing triples or quads. Goal 5 - The Right Fuel This is my healthy eating goal. I'm still working on losing weight at a pound a week. I've plateaued for a while now. Part of that is because of bad choices, but part is because I weigh less now. I'm down 20-ish pounds, so I have to eat less to continue to eat at a deficit. My plan continues to be a checklist of healthy habits. In general, I've got the snacking under control. I just need to be extra mindful of portion sizes at mealtime, and listening to my body. If all goes well, I should be hitting a milestone in the third week. I need to lose three more pounds to move from obese to overweight on the BMI guidelines. I don't put much stock in BMI in general, but it will be a nice mental victory. Ok, that's it. GAME ON !!!

I need help getting back to disciplined eating. Four years ago I began a slow, consistently downward drop in weight that resulted in a loss of 60 pounds followed by a year of maintenance over a 3 year period. Since then I just can't get back into the healthy eating mode and have put 10-15 pounds back on. I am more likely to do "pain eating" than stress eating. I have knee and foot problems that can really kick my butt the day after cross-fit and/or volleyball and these can lead to treats to make me feel better. Even a slow walk on a track can leave me sore for a few hours or a day. I have had on and off chronic knee pain since I was 15 or so. My motivation is I want to have my walking endurance adequate to walk everywhere I want to go if I ever make it to Europe. I also want to have my body looking good enough that I don't hesitate to be in the pictures that are taken. Being able to sprint to balls in volleyball would be a bonus. Speaking of motivation, I would like to get feeling good enough that I am motivated to get the things that need to get done, like housework and yard work, done. Main Quest Drop 8 pounds by end of 6 weeks (as a start to continued self-improvement) and have good eating habits in place Quest 1 Each week do Crossfit, volleyball, yoga, or complete Beginner Body Weight Workout at least 5 days (hoping to get bench press up to 120) Quest 2 Limit my caffeine (regular coffee & decaf, tea, and chocolate) to 10am or earlier (did I mention the sleep issues?) Quest 3 Enter all my Paleo based meals at home (I don't eat out much) into MyFitnessPal so I can make sure I'm getting enough protein and other nutrients and not too much of the bad stuff.

Hi everyone, My name is Robin, I'm a 45 year old artist and puzzle solver (account reconciliations) and currently just over 150lb at 5'7" ... but the scale says my body fat percentage is 36% as a female and 22% as a male. So I either need to work on the percentage or transform into a man??? My highest weight (aside from when I was carrying my son 19 years ago) was 180. I was in a dead-end relationship and stress eating instead of working things out. Now I'm back to being a soccer and volleyball player, a boot camp lover and I have a handful of DVD's such as P90x, Insanity and FitBrigade from Sunrider. My current issues include: 1) motivating myself when I am alone, at the moment I have all the time in the world ... well, in between purging and packing for our move from the prairies to the mountains. 2) remembering to stretch 3) eating veggies - it's not that I don't like them ... I just haven't made enough effort to eat them at 3 meals a day 4) reformed sugar-addict - I've cut out pop and sweets, but, I still need to take it one step further and cut out the hidden sugars! My last issue is getting so motivated reading about everyone's great goals and challenges ... that I forget to shut off the computer and work on my own! Can't wait for the next 6 week challenge!

Main Quest: Phoenix Down I am a newly certified/employed EMT in my mid 20's. With this new job, I've had my regular sleep schedule turned upside down. On top of that, I've also been paired up to face various other challenges, both professional (the fragility of life and experiencing death first hand and frequently in the ER) and personal (conveniently going through a break up, as well, for example). These aforementioned life hiccups have left me swirling in to quite a dark place, sitting on my butt for hours playing video games or browsing the internet just to get my mind off of things. So to combat this I decided to get a weight bench and some weights. Hopefully this purchase can help me get my life back on the right track. I'm realizing the negative energy that my self-inflicted ostracization is creating and I need to change it. This weight bench, joining this forum, and all other movements are attempts to begin the process of resurrection. The process of finding that phoenix down. (What that means in generic terms: To build a bit more confidence in my physique. And with that build of confidence, a radiating contentment with life in general.) Supporting Quest: (+50 Exp each) Work out for at least 30 minutes a day(Excluing sports as I do that as often as possible anyways). Begin monitoring what I eat (it's a baby step, but hey, at least it's a step) by eating at least one healthy meal a day Full body stretch before sleeping, whenever that happens.Life Quest (+100 Bonus Exp per paycheck) Save >$80 each paycheck to fund getting outta town(it's scaled so highly because I struggle to save). Motivation: -To get positive energy flowing. It's a spiderweb theory, if you will. I begin to increase muscularity and endurance which resounds to more confidence, better social interaction and relationships, and eventually self sufficient happiness and pride.-I'd also like to improve my athleticism. I've been playing sports since I was 3-4 years old and the competitive gene runs through my blood. I love giving the sports I play (Volleyball, Ultimate, Soccer, etc) my all. It does get frustrating when I do give it my all and it still isn't enough to "compete." So increasing my stamina and resilience would be a bonus. Current stats: Level 1 Fair-Skinned Cuban ManCurrent Experience: 0Experience to next level: 1000Height: 6'2Weight: 208Current Region: Tallahassee, Florida FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED!! But really, if you guys have any ideas to positively/negatively critique this post or my plan, by all means, fire away. I'm quite a social creature (when I'm not lame and broody) so I'd love to hear from you all. And again, I don't even know if I'm doing this right so if I'm not, tell me!!

Main Quest: To be able to enjoy team sports without aches, pains and injuries. Missions: 1. CORE STRENGTH: 2x per week to prevent back aches 2. LEG STRENGTH: 2x per week to prevent knee injuries and improve speed 3. UPPER-BODY STRENGTH: 2x per week to improve volleyball skills All exercises are a combination of BBW and exercises I was taught by my physiotherapist. I want to combine them into just 3 workouts per week: core & legs, legs & upper-body, upper-body & core. Side Quest: 1. Learn to recognize the bird call of a common bird, one per week. (Hey, you can nerd out on a lot of things...) Motivation: I really enjoy spending time with my team mates and playing team sports. Injuries just take away some of the joy so I want to get rid of them! Grade Sheet: 16-18 workouts --> A 13-15 workouts --> B 10-12 workouts --> C 7-9 workouts --> D 4-6 workouts --> E 1-3 workouts --> F I will of course track my progress in this thread.