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Fellow soldiers of the world, hear me! I am the powerful Ares, and I have returned to you after a long hiatus to make up for past mistakes and forge a brighter future for us all. Firstly, let me express my regret at leaving you to your own devices. I chose to leave to pursue an even more fearful enemy, one I have not known for a long while. Since that enemy has been satisfactorily defeated, I am returning to begin anew the battle we all war against: the war of self. Okay, enough of that, then. I'm here again 'cause I entered into a new relationship, but back again because I don't want to be fat and happy anymore, just happy. Here's my goals for this challenge: 1.) Log in 13km weekly. Measurable, more than do-able. This does not include my mileage from the weekend, which I can usually do up to 10km just on Saturday. This will be during the week, and in reality, if I go out two or three times a week, I should be able to do this easy. My usual run is about 4-5km anyway. 2.) Eat bread no more than once a week. Measurable, more than do-able. I should also be tracking meals to keep up my food log and monitor calorie consumption. I'm not actively cutting calories, but I'm trying to stay under 1500, even on "bad" days. 3.) Strength training twice a week. Measurable, more than do-able. These goals are pretty easy, I think, but this is more to get back into doing the things, rather than telling myself, "Eh, you can run tomorrow," and then never doing it.

Try as I might I just can't seem to get my good fitness habits firmly re-established yet this year. It's been a busy and distracting few months, sure; but I compare what I've done so far to the same time-frame last year and I can't deny that my discipline was far stronger than it has been so far in 2016. Whereas before I had much fat to lose and many noob gainz to be gained now I'm simply working to trim up and get back to my leanness levels before life went all haywire (mostly in a good way, but not for my fitness) in October. Instead of being excited at the prospect of finally getting healthy and seeing amazing results (last year) I'm muddling through irritation at having fallen so far so fast oscillating with just plain old malaise. Since I can no longer rely on my former unbridled enthusiasm (or my IRL Gym Buddy who still lives in Iowa) I'm left to pursue fitness with sheer steadfastness (some dynamic amalgam of willpower and habit). To my credit I've stuck it out, and my efforts so far have been better than half-hearted--more like three-quarters-hearted. Still, I miss the momentum I had last year. I've got to be careful that disappointment doesn't start breeding. What I really need to do is forget last year and learn to focus on what's now and ahead. Ironically, I've built this challenge based on one from last year (15-2) that I enjoyed quite a bit. My barbell program was getting a little stale, and honestly I wanted to shorten my gym sessions a bit so I hybridized it with the Stronglifts 5x5 plan I had so much success with last year. I'll still work up to progressive maxes in the 5/3/1 style, but I've added a couple of sets to the big lifts and nixed the accessory lifts. This should make for a tighter workout that doesn't get quite as repetitive as doing all 4 barbell lifts every Wednesday and Friday. Otherwise this challenge will be pretty much identical to the last two: I'm going to keep at the same goals until I get them right and ingrain those habits back into my fitness life: Goal 1: Workout - Warm-up and stretch at every workout. Use warm-up time to build aerobic capacity with moderately intense calisthenics. - Continue my barbell regimen with the aforementioned tweaks. - Progress with my accessory work, i.e. pull-ups, dips, rows, etc. Goal 2: Eat - Stick to eating clean, whole foods that are high in protein, natural fats, fiber, and micronutrients. Avoid refined carbs and sugars. - Log all food and keep weekly calorie total under 13,900 with a balanced macro profile Goal 3: Drink - Only water throughout the challenge period: I'm keeping this rolling at least through May. Goal 4: Sleep - In bed on time every night. That's 10 pm before work days and 11 pm all others. - Rolled over from Challenge 16-2: Train myself to sleep on my side and/or back instead of my stomach. I got the new mattress so now I just need a few more pillows for positioning. - New for Challenge 16-3: Read from a printed hard-copy book for 30 minutes before turning the lights off. I need that time to help settle my mind, but reading on screens just doesn't help. First book on tap is Steve's Level Up Your Life. Allrightythen, Round 3 is on the schedule. Initial stats will be gathered on Saturday morning. I'm looking forward to some measureable improvement in March.

No Fear of the Setting Sun The icy water felt like a million tiny knives against the skin of his face and yet there was something invigorating about it. Little more than a boy, he stood by the stream as tall as he was, discretely watching the seasoned men around him take care of the camp chores. It was his first expedition and, in fact, the first time he had been that far from the farm. “Com’ here, boy!â€, Halfdan called him to the center of the camp. “I’m gonna teach you how to set up a smoking rack†Eager to learn from the Jarl’s man he walked to the fire carefully staging a careless attitude… he didn’t wanted to look like an excited little kid in front of that group of explorers, hunters and warriors. “That’s a quick learner right there†said the man as the boy finished lashing the spars. “Alright, will you teach me to use a sword then? You said you would!†The flourishing young man gave place to the kid in him once again. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. This again? I already told you: Once you learn how to use that empty head of yours; once you acquire some shade of bloody discipline… then and only then I will teach you to fight. Now, get to work or you’ll fell the back of my handâ€. Halfdan had a really short fuse. He was a good man, but the pain made him a taciturn fellow. Old battle wounds ached all over his body, but worst was the pain of his soul… some nights he could still hear the screams of his wife and see the raging fire, the lifeless eyes of his son. Back in the farm the fire was always crackling, but there it was his job to start it. Halfdan taught him how to do it, as well as how to build a tripod and tan the skin of the deer the hunters brought from their expeditions. “I’m acting like a child. I should be grateful for Halfdan’s lessons†the boy thought while preparing a stew of freshly gathered roots and some meat and bones. Definitely not feasting material, but anything’s better than starving. He left the stew to cook and went looking for Halfdan to apologize, but the man was nowhere to be found. He headed towards the river and walked downstream. There lying on the dirt was a small pouch. He crouched to get hold of it and suddenly a hand covered his mouth and Halfdan’s voice whispered on his ear “don’t make a sound kid. The forest is boiling with Kandajarâ€. He was talking about the native inhabitants of the land. They used to be pacific people who lived of the land and made those forest their home, but when the settlers began to occupy their lands hostilities began and disputes over hunting game or women quickly became a blood feud that transcended time. Generations where born and passed away and the origin of the enmity was forgotten. Only the hatred remained and now the Kandajar were after the tracks of the trading party. The boy and the man rushed back to the camp to warn their men but the natives were already there. Fur clad figures flooded the campsite as wooden clubs clashed against round shields. Warcries, screams of pain and terror filled the air. Steel axes and swords cut through the fur sending Kandajar to their gods at the same rate that wooden clubs sent warriors to meet the Allfather. The boy thought his first battle would be a glorious event, where he would prove himself to his comrades but there he stood, confused and terrified, at the edge of pissing his pants. An enormous hand shook him back to reality. “Run kid, hide!†Halfdan crushed a Kandajari’s face with his shield and finished him up with a thrust of his sword. The boy ran towards the tree while smoke filled the air: some trees where catching fire. He took a last glance over his shoulder. Halfdan was surrounded by enemies, swinging his sword with absolute mastery, striking fear into the Kandajar’s hearts… dying a warrior’s death. Halfway to the top of the hill he stopped running. “Halfdan! I left him there, he could still be aliveâ€. As foolish as that thought was, it expressed how much he looked upto the seasoned warrior. The boy unsheathed his knife and turned around to face the campsite. A fur clad figure came rushing from the bushes and bumped into the boy. They rolled on the ground throwing punches and kicks at each other. The Kandajari’s warpaint rubbed off against the boy’s clothes revealing the face of a 12 o 13 kid, the same age as the boy who now was being choked to death by the Kandajari lad. The savage fingers were like hooks around his neck. His lungs burned and his vision blurred. He was going to die at the hands of a wild kid… and then he remembered the knife. His hand was still clinched around the knife’s handle. With the sick rage of desperation he frantically stabbed the Kandajari on the side, the ribs, and the belly. The kid dropped dead upon him but the stabbing didn’t stop. After what seemed like the hundredth stab, the boy slipped from beneath the dead body. There, covered in blood, alone, he cried. Tears rolled of his eyes for he knew that there was no returning home, Halfdan was dead and soon he would be too. So much for the glory of the first kill. It was all a lie. Once he ran out of tears, the truth stroke him like lightning: He was on his own. For the first time in his life he was on his own and whether he lived or died depended entirely on him. “Time to be a man. Alright, think… we reached an outpost two days ago. That’s it! If I can survive and march two days to the outpost I might get to tell the tale†suddenly he realized he was thinking out loud. He assessed his possessions: A knife, a whetstone, flint and a steel striker. He seized the Kandajari’s blood-stained fur clothes; they would be of much use at night. The first night was cold and it took his full effort to get a fire burning. The boy munched a few berries and fell asleep by the fire, wrapped in furs, smothered by fear. Fear of the Kandajar, fear of wild beasts, of the dark. He woke up at dawn and resumed the march. A constant feel of being watched was making him more and more paranoid. A stick broke somewhere behind him. The boy was trembling. A muffled sound of metal against metal. Enough. He started running blinded by fear and his stalkers race after him. The warcries of his pursuers put wings on the boy's feet as he sprinted through the woods. He reached the edge of the forest and slipped on a patch of naked stone causing him to fall downhill into the rushing river. The kid was dragged by the current and hit his head against a floating piece of wood. Many hours he lied unconscious on the river bank, until the kick of a heavy booted foot awakened him. There stood a tall man, his torso covered in leather armor, carrying weapons and a shield. “Get up lad†the stranger offered the boy a callused hand. “Attacked by the Kandajar, weren’t you?†The boy told the man about the events of the last few days and even if he didn’t knew the stranger; he had to get something out of his chest: the fear. He told the man about the fear he felt at night. The stranger gave him a lupine look, “How old are you, kid?†“I’m 12 sir†the boy answered. “Twelve… If you start training now, we’ll be on time to get you initiated before you are too oldâ€. Only then did the boy notice the other men, carrying similar armor and weapons.â€You’ll travel with us!†the kid was in no position to reject such an offer â€Just stay close to me, in case one of my comrades turns… we’ve got a full moon on the way†“Turn?†the boy asked. “You’ll see soon enough†The enigmatic stranger showed a grin for the first time. “Name’s Ragnar by the way… cheer up, lad you’ll be safe. We’ve got no fear of the setting sun†Before he became a wolfwarrior, the main character of my challenges (the kind of man I strive to be) was just a kid who was lucky enough to run into the right mentors. But let’s cut the boy some slack. If he didn’t had the basic survival techniques taught to him by Halfdan, he wouldn’t have made it through the woods. And that will be the special aspect of this challenge. GOALS Do some research on survival techniques and try one each week - (15%)Practice pull-ups and chin ups every day following a GtG plan. - (15%)Eat Paleo every day with just one weekly variance (add description and/or picture of every meal) - (45%)Keep on practicing my bodyweight skills at least twice a week - (15%) SIDE QUESTS Perform an action in relation to reenactment each day - (5%)Stuff to Do Lists(this time the number of items may range from one to four) - (5%) Last challenge I fashioned a list of rewards depending on my score. In the end, despite of having earned the new pack of plates, I won't be able to buy them because unexpected expenses left me with less money than I had thought. So option 2, pull-up bar it is!(and "the primal blueprint" for kindle 'cause is not that expensive) REWARDS A- Full sirvival Kit B- Fire Starting Kit C- New spice rack to upgrade my batch cooked meals with.

Hello fellow nerds! I´ve hung out here on and off for a couple of years, sometimes getting shit done, sometimes not so much. A couple of weeks ago i moved from Berlin to the northern shore of germany and am starting a new part of my life. I found out a couple of years ago that i like bootcamp and cross fit oriented workouts. So one week after moving i found a box and since i can't afford the membership the owners agreed that i can clean the bathrooms in exchange for training!!! yes! this week i started with two workouts especially designed for beginners and one 2 hour cleaning session and am now very sore and happy. i came back for this short challenge to be able to hang out with other cross fitters, learn as much as possible and share my joy about kicking ass while being fat and almost 49. my 2 goals are simple but effective: 1) KICK ASS - go to every training scheduled for you by the coach ( 2 days a week and adding more gradually) and give it your all. 2) EAT SMART - you can only spend 30Euro on food a week. Make sure there is veggies and lean protein on your plate every day

Main Quest: Lose 10 pounds. Based on this chart, I would consider myself an Endomorph. I’m not skinny, and I’ve been told I have ridiculously broad shoulders. One guy asked if I had trouble finding shirts that fit. Given that, my height is 5 feet, 10.6 inches. I currently weigh 241 pounds with an end goal of 180-185ish pounds. With 4 weeks, I would like to lose 8-10 lbs. To do this, I plan to complete the following side quests: Side Quests 1. Eat one vegetable per meal. One vegetable meets the requirement, two is the goal. If I have something that doesn’t really go with the vegetable and I really want to eat it, maybe I’ll make a green drink and down the veggies that way. A – Two vegetables each meal. B – One vegetable each meal. C – Two vegetables in one day. D – One vegetable in one day. F – No vegetables in one day. 2. Get a work out in each day. I will utilize the fitness classes they have at my gym. My wife likes those, so it’ll be sort of like a gym date. If I get lazy, I have a weight bench and a couple free weights so I can do most exercises at home. I’ll also have the Nerd Fitness Bodyweight Workout as a backup. I also want to try out the Zombie Run app. Six days a week, I’ll have a “traditional workout.†Once a week I’ll do something less intense like yoga or do some kind of outdoor activity. A – 7 Workouts in a week B – 6 Workouts in a week C – 4-5 Workouts in a week D – 2-3 Workouts in a week F – 0-1 Workouts in a week Life Quests 1. Complete all assignments for my EMT course ahead of time before they are due. I will complete the readings, block objectives, pre-tests, homework, and post-tests in one week. That way I can devote my time to studying for the block tests and practicing my skills more before I am tested on them. A – Complete homework in 5 days B – Complete homework in 6 days C – Complete homework in 7 days D – Complete homework in 9 days F – Complete homework in >9 days 2. Write 10 pages a week. I like writing and I don’t do it enough. If I didn’t have to worry about money, my profession of choice would be a writer. If I don’t write, I can’t really call myself a writer. I think 10 pages each week is manageable. It’s just a little more than a page a day. A – Complete 12 pages B – Complete 11 pages C – Complete 10 pages D – Complete 9 Pages F – Complete >9 pages

I thought I would put this topic out there (it likely already exists, but no matter) since I tend to hit this level and struggle to beat it every time. The longer it takes you to recognise you're fighting this epic boss, the more damage it does, and the harder it is to respawn. I know this because I have respawned so.many.times. There is victory in coming back and pressing "start" again, however. And sometimes it doesn't hurt to look up a walkthrough (like the NF forums and articles) to help you out when fighting this evil. So I'm curious to hear from other rebels about how they deal with this situation. It goes something like this: you've committed yourself to healthy eating and a great fitness regime. You've lost/gained weight and are moving closer to your goal, you're proud of your achievements and heading in the right direction. Life is great! Then something happens. Be it a life event, a gradual change, or something else, you lose your momentum and begin to regress. You stop keeping track of what and how much you're eating. The fitness commitment decreases and then stops altogether. All that awesome progress you made starts to dissipate and suddenly you're heading in the complete wrong direction. As I said, time is of the essence in this fight. Sometimes it has taken me mere weeks, other times months to years to realise I'm in the trenches, to put up a defense and stop the damage before I can start heading in the right direction. Have you faced this beast yourself? What was the cause and how did you turn it around? How many times do you think you've respawned?

Ok so it is way past my bedtime (off to a great start, aren't I??) so I will throw down these goals really quickly and elaborate later as needed. Since last month's challenge was a mediocre success, I am tweaking the formula but going with the same basic goals. I will repeat what needed more work, and I will amp up the goals that I was successful in achieving. Based on my learnings from last challenge, here goes: Diet Reduce coffee-with-cream drink at office to one per day, after that, consume only black coffee or herbal tea drinks (round 2 - need to make this a habit!)Meet my MFP calorie intake goal 5 out of 7 days of the week (I have committed to a 500 cal/day deficit - on the other two days I will not eat more than I burn)Side note: I have converted to MyFitnessPal for food logging because it lets me delete the Fitbit's ridiculous calorie adjustments and helps keep me real. More discussions to come. Have you also had this experience?? Reply to this thread and let's chat about it!It's official: this round the goal IS weightloss. I'll start small, and while aiming for a pound a week, I'd take half a pound also. The point is that I'm sticking to the realistic calorie deficit and aiming to shed some weight! Fitness Meet my Fitbit activity goal of 5 active days per week (go for a 40+ min walk, use stationary bike 30+ minutes, cardio or yoga, etc) Level Up Your Life Wake up no later than 6 am on weekdays, and 8 am on weekends (If I have not slept enough I will give myself a free pass on Sundays for a reduced grade, but I'm hoping to not need it)As evidenced by the fact that I'm posting this at midnight, I'm clearly a night owl and I struggle with sleep like nobody's business. I'm hoping by forcing myself to get up early it will help create a more habitual routine that will have me falling asleep earlier at night (although chances are I may become prone to napping and narcolepsy... well, we'll see lol)

I started going to a 24hour Fitness near me around December 2015 and was awesome for four reasons - 1.) found an excellent trainer who knew about knee injuries 2.) it is located very close to school 3.) I get student discounts on training and membership 4.) a friend joined with me - super helpful! They quit later but I needed that initial push. However, my trainer did not really like that gym very much for whatever reason, and she quit one random week:-( I lost 15 lbs when we were working out together, so I think, something was going well. For some reason, they won't give me my old trainer's notes, and I did not keep track of the workouts we did together Now, they have just found me a newbie who I am having a very hard time adjusting with. She just joined her first gym, is a fresher in college (I feel old around her), has no idea about injuries (I busted my knee and femur few years ago, and some exercises bother me), and I cannot stop comparing her to my ex-trainer. That has resulted in losing motivation to go workout or even thinking about it. (I am sorry for the rant, this is upsetting) Reasons I think I need a trainer: I get intimidated with the chiseled guys and hot gals there who know what they are doing, and I don't have that confidence just yet.I very strongly believe I need someone to spot me for form, or I'll end up with another injury and relapse to the whole no workout for you mode.A scheduled training session makes it hard to skip a workout.Motivation In short, what I need help with is - What to look for in a trainer? Can I get by without a trainer? And if you tell me YES to Q.2, also please tell me how to train without one - without being scared. It is the knee that scares me the most. The NF beginner workout has a lot of stuff that bugs my knee, so that is out. Thanks a lot for reading.

Saturday I participated in a bike ride as a part of the training series for the MS150 in April. I signed up for the 50-mile category. I went with my husband, and it was all lovely and inspiring until RestStop#4 (mile 38 - that was already farther than my last best of 36). After that, it became brutal. The strong headwind and uphill terrain - I was cursing, and it was extremely stressful. At the same time, very introspective. I kept thinking of short term distances to achieve - next goal: that postbox, or that pole, or that traffic signal. My husband was not doing great either - when we had five more miles to go, he said in his whiniest tone - "Why are you making me do this? I didn't even sign up for the 150." Neither of us suggested quitting, and neither of us wanted to stop - I've got some big ego issues when it comes to quitting. At some point,"Think of how awesome it'd be to post this in the Woot Room" crossed my mind. I believe we came in the last or maybe 2nd or 3rd from the last. Honestly, I do not care about that. Right now, I am not working on my time or my speed very much. However, worth mentioning is that my recovery was so much faster than before. I had a mild fever for a few hours but evening, I went for a dinner and next day went bowling. This is important because the 150-mile ride is divided into 2 75-mile rides over 2 days. Anyhoo, here goes: PS: I am updating my progress bar below

Howdy from Texas, I came across NF reading Pinterest boards for how to add more veggies to my diet. Once I got a hang of the forums and the articles, I was hooked. However, this seemed to be a different forum than the other weight loss/fitness forums out there. This has got people who do believe in scientific research and do not think that getting good health = spending more money. Plus, it caters to the young, poor, demotivated and non-celebrity types - oh wait, that's just me! I decided I won't jump in and introduce myself until I reached my first goal of losing 15 pounds. I continued to read people's intros and challenges and articles. I really wanted to join in the Feb challenge, but I had to show it to myself that I was serious. Yesterday's weigh in was my first milestone!! I posted all about it in the Woot Room: Doing it the healthy way this time Yikes, I blab so much. So here goes: 29yo female, grad student, can't run because I have a bad knee. But I love dancing, biking and using my Fitbit. One day it occurred to me that a good way to lose weight safely was to join a bike challenge of some kind. I registered for the MS150 in mid-April, where one has to raise $400 to participate in a 150-mile bike ride (over two days). I was not sure about my dedication until I received my first donation. Hah, can't chicken out now. I have got to finish because people put their money in my campaign. The training, I believe, will help my weight loss goals. And talk about that new endurance - physical and mental!! Why am I in this? I found my answer while reading GeekOnFire's post http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/78412-new-to-the-cause-this-is-where-im-at/?p=1818043 From this community, I am looking forward to sharing my successes, slip-ups, getting advice and daily motivation and recipes. Without the judgement, with open arms and tons of "You go girl!!" Thank you for reading.

I have done this before. Yes and I got to where I wanted and then I gained it all again. The last time I did it, it was for the stupid (but oh, so gorgeous) wedding dress. But it was not healthy. I did some stuff I am not proud of. And of course, after the honeymoon, it all came back - at just the right places - belly, arms, thighs you name it. With the fat came the gifts of stress, L, XL clothes and diminishing desire to be social (unless it was a happy hour). Ok, why am I posting in the Woot Room? I started at 173, 2.5 months ago and this morning the scale smiled at me and said 'girrl, have you lost weight? You are at 158' (yuck, terrible poem). And I really really wanted to tell someone so here I am. The thing is I have been here before. But this time, it is different. I am not in a rush. Well, the summer is around the corner but no big deal. By the time I get to my ideal weight, there will be summer in some part of the world, right? I am doing it in a relaxed, healthy way. An occasional treat, why not? The one beer? Absolutely? Valentine's day cupcake with a heart? Totes! Because I logged it in my phone and the next day I know I will attend a spin class and burn it all up. I feel good, and I pack my lunch every day (bonus points for saving money while in grad school). On top of it, I am doing stuff I like - Zumba, spin, and weights. I am not one to give people tips but these are some things that are absolutely helping me:Myfitnesspal Waterlogged My Fitbit Blocking time off as gym hours in my Google Calendar Joining a gym that is 6 min away from work - no excuses. Plus I get a student discount there. Signing up for a 150-mile bike ride in April Turning down free grad school food. So... woot!!(I will also give myself a 2nd mini woot for posting my success here on NF - I am so glad I found this)

Hi, guys! It's been a while since I've posted on here. When I started here - I think it was May last year - I was jobless, friendless, and 5' 7'' weighing in at about 215 lbs. It's February now, 7 months since joining. Now I have a job that, though doesn't pay as much as I'd like, pays fairly and I love it. I have friends. And this morning I weighed 191.8 lbs. Perseverance, portion control, confidence. They go a long way. And if you are like me, and you struggle to find reasons to be self confident, just remind yourself that you are your nemesis and you need to show other you who wears the pants.

Last year I conquered the Empire and shed most of the excess body mass I wanted to get rid of. I didn’t meet my overall target for losing scale weight, but that’s mainly due to the added muscle mass I built while burning fat and improving my fitness. I also came up short on my goal of doing 10 pullups by year’s end, but I went from not being able to do a single one (for months!) to being able to pull 8 in a single set. That’s progress no matter how you slice it. I found tremendous success in sticking with my first year of NF challenges--all 6 of which were focused on eating, exercising, and sleeping well. In just five months I shed nearly 50 pounds of scale weight, and I reduced my bodyfat by half. I had a few minor stalls and setbacks in body recomposition, but I was still seeing strength gains at the gym and making progress toward my goals. Along with my personal fitness goals, I decided it was time to start working to improve my professional life as well. I began a job hunt that eventually landed a promotion and relocation from Iowa to Oklahoma. Accepting that job meant a lot of upheaval and a ton of work to get ready for relocation, and I deliberately set aside my fitness goals for the sake of making the move. After two solid months of finishing up projects on my house to ready it for sale and finalizing my last projects at the office, I finally packed up and headed out. An early attempt to get back in the fitness swing was rebuffed by a mild-but-persistent bout of depression. A second effort was countered by a physical problem that kept me down and out for a good bit. A planned third press of the reset button got thwarted by holiday/birthday/anniversary celebrations, and a visit from my wife—whom I hadn’t seen in a month—to help find a house in our new town brought an additional six days of feasting and shunning of exercise. So my fitness force has been in slumber since the end of September, and my body composition, strength, and general mood have taken a major hit. I made strides last year and I haven’t fully reverted, but it was terribly easy to fall back in to my old mindless patterns of eating, drinking, and sleeping whatever and whenever I felt like. It’s time to start being deliberate again. To that end, I’m going to start this year just like 2015—with simple achievable goals designed to turn my body into a machine: Goal 1 – Workout - Continue my barbell regimen (based on Wendler’s 5/3/1 “Boring but Big†program), picking up where I left off in September but dialing it back to accommodate some loss of strength in the intervening period. - Incorporate the NF BBWW twice per week to bring back some of my cardiovascular losses. - Rest on planned rest days. Goal 2 – Eat - Stick to eating clean, whole foods that are high in protein, natural fats, fiber, and micronutrients. Avoid refined carbs and sugars. - Follow my previous calorie zig-zag program for burning fat at a programmed rate of 1% of bodyweight per week. I might actually have enough muscle mass to call this a legitimate “cut†now. Goal 3 – Drink - Only water throughout the challenge period. I’ve allowed sodas to creep too far back in to my habits. Goal 4 – Sleep - In bed on time every night. That’s 10 pm before work days and 11 pm all others. As usual I’ll employ MyFitnessPal to track my eating, though I’ll be relying a little more on estimates until my kitchen gear arrives from Iowa and we get established in a new home here in Oklahoma. I have a dandy spreadsheet modified for the new challenge format to track progress on my workouts, and I’ll keep an updated chart of my challenge goals (strictly pass/fail) here in my challenge thread. For 2016, I have three specific things I want to accomplish: - Reduce my body fat to 10% of total body mass at least once, maintain below 14% thereafter. - Join the 1,000 pound club for combined deadlift, bench press, and squat in a single session. - Do 3 sets of 10 pullups in one session. Not one of those has anything to do with scale weight (although pullups are easier when I’m lighter ). I haven’t seen a scale in months. I’m not even sure what I weigh at the moment, but I do know that I’ve had to relax a few belt notches and my new “skinny†clothes are getting awfully tight. You’ll notice a lack of shirtless progress pics in this challenge, too, since I don’t have my mirror yet. I also no longer have access to my prior measuring tools for body composition, so I’ll need to dig in to see what’s available at my new duty location. For this first challenge at least, there won’t be any start-end comparisons of body measurements or progress photos. All I’m focused on right now is meeting my goals and getting back to my good fitness habits. There’s been an awakening in the Force. Have you felt it? It was (mostly) fun indulging in the Dark Side for a while, but now I’m heeding the call back to the Light.

All excuses aside, I'm going down this month. My main quest is weight loss, and I've been to wimpy to reflect that in my goals lately. I've had some lovely side quests. I found some delicious foods to cook and I've squatted an intimidating bar. But my weight loss goal has plateau'd because I've been avoiding it, plain and simple. Holidays are over, and I am striking back with a vengeance. Goal 1. Healthy Eating I am shooting for six out of seven days of healthy eating. This works with my own personal checklist that includes eating lots of vegetables and reasonable portion sizes. I will use it to lose a pound a week. In addition, I'm adding two sub-goals A. No french fries. Seems like we've been eating out an awful lot lately. If it's just once and a while, it doesn't hurt to eat some fries. But it's become a habit, so I'm cutting them out entirely for the month of January. B. Kid vegetable challenge. This isn't my own eating, but we've made a New Year's Resolution in our house. Ok, the "we" is a little misleading. Mando Baxter and I are 100% on board. The Nickster and the Golden Boy are complying only because we've linked the goal to screen usage. Ha! Ha! Ha! Evil parent laugh. Since one child eats vegetables occasionally and one child never ever eats any, we're starting small. For January, every child must eat 1/2 cup of vegetables a day before he can turn on a screen. The goal for me is to make this stick through the whining and complaining. Goal 2. Stay Active I'm using my fitbit this challenge to help keep me going the extra mile. I've signed up for the walking PVP and I'm going to walk 100 miles this challenge. That is an average of between 8000 and 9000 steps a day on the fitbit. I test drove the fitbit for 20 days in November. I became a little obsessed, and finally took it off when I developed a blister on my wrist under the band. This time around, I'm going to be less obsessed. I will not be measuring my sleep quality and will be taking it off from time to time. But the numbers from November gave me a good idea of a decent goal for myself. 100 miles will be hard - but obtainable. Goal 3. Work Out This is my usual morning routine. It's proving to be the part of fitness that I look forward to the most. I do strength MWF and cardio TTh. Outside cardio will boost the fitbit numbers, so I'll shoot for at least two this month. So, I'm looking forward to seeing the new changes here on NF. The four week challenge will be tricky for me come February. The family is going to Disney the first week, so I will be tempted to skip the whole month. Probably not what the NF masters intended with the new shorter format, but I'll worry about that later. For now, watch out plateau!

So I am back and doing my best to respawn since getting royally pwned by life a year and a bit ago. To account for the absence I took myself down to level 1 (and adjusted my stat points accordingly). I'm restarting in the rebels since I don't feel that I can commit to any of the specific guilds just yet. I will continue to eye up the Warrior guild however, as I felt most happy lifting heavy things and for the first time in ever I saw progress I was loving and I didn't care about the scale at all. Maybe one day I will be able to make it back to that level of commitment, but baby steps, for now. Since I left NF, my weight hasn't really changed, but my body composition sure has. I've always had a 'base layer' of extra fat on my body that puts me into the overweight BMI category. I would use that Cartman excuse "I have big bones" and that may be somewhat true, but facing facts I know I overeat and I would really like to burn off some of that fat. I've read the paleo/weight lifter opinions that you need to strength train and eat lean proteins/veggies/fruits while avoiding grains and dairy to lose the fat and I totally respect that - but the intense paleo diet is too big of a commitment for me. I keep some grains in my diet - the whole ones, while mostly omitting breads and baked goods. Regardless, my current goals are calorie in vs. calorie out in nature as well as healthy foods in. I'll work my way up to the more intense diet plans perhaps, but for now I know it's not sustainable for me and I need to aim for something more realistic. I have always had good success with meal and fitness tracking when I was very determined to lose weight, but I found it easy to ignore my apps if I was feeling guilty about not living up to my goals. The most challenging part about having to enter all of your diet and fitness into a tracking app is that sometimes it's hard to know just how many calories you burned in a day (I don't know how far I walked or what my heart rate was) and many home made foods are tough to account for in terms of calories unless you enter all the ingredients separately and weigh/measure everything. It gets tedious. I wanted to try the Fitbit Charge HR to take some of the guesswork out of the calorie burn side of the equation. I've been using it since the beginning of December and am proud to say I have been consistently logging my food intake again (though home made foods still pose a challenge). Over the last month I have learned/confirmed a few things: my new job is resulting in me being more sedentary than ever before; I do not get enough sleep; I eat or want to eat much more than I burn in a day - even if it is nutritious food. So, with all that in mind, I set for myself the following challenge: Diet Reduce coffee-with-cream drink at office to one per day, after that, consume only black coffee or herbal tea drinksMeet my Fitbit calorie intake goal 5 out of 7 days of the week (I have committed to a 500 cal/day deficit - on the other two days I will not eat more than I burn) Fitness Meet my Fitbit activity goal of 5 active days per week (go for a 30+ min walk, use stationary bike 30+ minutes, cardio or yoga, etc) Level Up Your Life Go to bed 10 minutes earlier each week While these goals don't sound tough, I have been struggling on my own with them for some time - so hopefully some accountability will push me over the wall! Happy New Year and good luck to everyone!! ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ While this is unnecessary for the challenge, I'd like to celebrate some Past Achievements (things I'm already doing that I would like to continue): Diet: Only sweeten coffee/tea with stevia instead of sugar, or do not use sweetenerEating nutritious, whole foods - organic and local as much as possibleIncreasing produce purchase from local farmer's marketMeticulous food intake entry into calorie tracker appLevel Up Your Life: Choosing a few new recipes per week from my Clean Eating and Power Foods cookbooks - trying new ways to keep my diet clean and healthyReading 1-2 books for pleasure per month (brand new library card - aw yeah!)

Oh hello. Cheechoe here. I'll let you nerds in on a little secret. I kiiiiind of have this thing where I forget to be awesome. I just wake up on a normal day, and go about it in a reckless manner only to find the moon has been pushed up all before I had my chance to hang it. That bastard. So this is my challenge where I remind myself everyday to be awesome. 1. Do the Awesome Things. Get back in shape by... TKD 3x/weekGym 1x/ week1 longish run 1x/ week ( 4-6miles)+2 DEX, +1 STR, +2 STA 2. Feed the Awesome. Loose weight/lean up by... Batch cook 1x/weekTrack on MFP everyday w/ one day cheat +1 WIS, +2 CON 3. Don't Forget To Be Awesome. Weekly Adulting ToDo list (Graded proportional to adulty tasks completed)Awesome Aunt Playtime 1x/week (Because my nephew's worlds are smaller than mine)Go out of my way every work day to do something helpful for someone - I get "me" time on weekends, but one selfless act (however small) that I would normally avoid+2 WIS, +2CHA 4. Avoid the Unawesome One positive self thought at the end of everyday (Stealing from SevenFootGeek)Cheat jar: $5/day for everyday I go over my MFP limit +2WIS, +1CHA I know this sounds like a lot, but I am counting on the extra energy since this is only a 4 week challenge. I can do anything in 4 weeks, right? So I challenge myself to find happiness in my accomplishments and encourage myself to actually DO what I can be capable of. LET THE AWESOMENESS BEGIN!!

Hello, I'm Bluethunder.... I joined NF last month in between challenges and started a Battle Log, but was encouraged to join a challenge....so here I am. I'm using the template for level 1 Rebel Challenge sorta.... I have one major diet challenge and that is cinnamon toast which I have a bad habit of eating til I explode. So I need to stay away from that at all cost. My next goal is fitness and diet?... I'd like to lose 4 pounds by the end of this... Last goal is fitness related.... I just recently upped my treadmill speed to 7.5 which is slightly out of my comfort zone. So I'd like to make it all 4 weeks at that level My "level up my life" goal is to read one book in the next 4 weeks Below is a condensed version of my goals LEVEL 1 REBEL CHALLENGE: Diet Stay away from cinnamon toast! Baaaaaaaaaaaaad Fitness Run at 7.5 speed on treadmill (slightly out of my comfort) Lose 4 pounds Level Up Your Life Read one book in the next 4 weeks. Well....I hope that its ok if I crash the Rebel party with my lame goals..... I'm ready for the REBEL CHALLLLLLLLENGE!!!

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

Long time no see, my friends.... This is about how I feel right now. So, my last challenge failed in a big way. I basically just stopped doing it. Then I decided to just not do much of anything to better myself. I took a landslide in the opposite direction I want to go, and it's been really, really bad. Also, entered into a relationship, which has had the "fat and happy" effect on me. BUT THEN.... I took a look at myself in the mirror last night. I feel gross, I think I look gross, and I generally don't want to be in the shape I am now. I was doing really good, and I know I can again, I just have to make the effort that I used to. Right now I'm making......oh yeah. No effort at all. So, really, anything is better than this. My goals for this challenge are as follows. I feel they are SMART. Main Quest: To rid myself of excess pounds and get my life back on track to healthy. Goal One: Run 150km. I love running. I really do. I just don't do it as much as I used to. That's gotta change. With my trusty GPS watch, I will track everything I run and by the end of these six weeks I will have accumulated 150km or more. More is always better. This requires me to set a schedule for runs, and complete at least 4 weekly. Run 4 times a week, to total 150km by the end of this six weeks. Goal Two: Break the cycle of addiction to sugary drinks Whether it be soda, tea, coffee, or just a gatorade, I am in love with sugary drinks. For six weeks I will be drinking water, black coffee, or unsweetened tea. A night of socializing with drinks is allowed once a week, as I really don't have a social life without that one day a week. Drink 3L daily water, unsweetened tea, or black coffee only, with the exception for one day a week. Goal Three: Stop the bread train. I love bread. It's my favorite thing in the world. I found out long ago that it's my worst trigger food, and when I have a little, it ends up being a lot, and I don't stop until my stomach is full of that good ol' carbalicious goodness. So, in order to get back on track to the paleo diet that was working wonders for me, I will not be eating bread. Bread will not be approaching the landing zone of my mouth. Life Goal One: Bullet Journal to Success. I've recently noticed a lot of my friends who have their lives together use a bullet journal. So, I'm gonna try it out. For the six weeks of this challenge, I will be bullet journaling my heart out. It'll probably be a mess, it'll probably be really unorganized and weird, but I'm gonna keep to it and see if I like it. I'm usually not the best with journals, but I like that bullet journals are like a journal, organizer, schedule, budget maker, and whatever else you wanna put in there all at the same time. Bullet journal to get your life. Life Goal Two: Show Me the Money. I'm trying to save up money for a car. So, by the end of this six weeks, I'd like to be well on my way to getting that, meaning about 700 dollars closer to that goal. Also, to have gotten my license changed over (since my license is American and I live in Korea, I just need to go get it changed over to a Korean license). Get a license, save for a car. So, now I've got these goals. I WILL get back on track to a happier, healthier me. Cheers.

Introduction: Day 0 There's nothing out here but a wasteland of misery and destruction- and a shit-tonne of dust. I am weak, and ill-prepared. If I am to survive, I will need to find shelter- recover my health, and build my strength. I shield my bleary eyes and look up to where the sun lays, giant and aggressive at the crest of a cliff, it's unending shower of painful rays strangling out the last shreds of moisture from the choking landscape. I gaze so long I begin to see dots- dark smudges against the backdrop of fierce, fiery orange. Strangely still for a trick of the eyes. that is when I notice it is not a trick of my vision at all, but an actual, physical object. A shack, standing strong in the nothingness that surrounds it. It is ramshackle, it will surely need a great many repairs to fortify it, but it is there, and it is real. Shelter at last. Ashtree's 6 Week Challenge! My name is Tree, and this is my first 6 Week Challenge, and my theme is Post-Apocalyptic Shelter Repair! i.e- I'm gonna clean my garage and turn it into a dance studio/gym! My long-term goals are fitness and recreation based- in my youth I was a member of a scout-like club called "Pathfinders" and I did so much outdoorsy-fitnessy-healthy stuff, but I have since gone way off the rail. The past 10 years have been a struggle of fighting mental illness and fixing myself emotionally- now that I have it under control (not cured, but controlled) I want to rebuild myself into a greater version of who I was before. Nerd Fitness is how I hope to attain that! So, without further adieu, my 6 Week Challenge Goals: Main Goal 1: Clean the garage, turn it into a great studio for fitness. A good survivalist has priorities: Shelter is one of the highest. This is something I HAD to do anyway (the cleaning part) so why not make it a goal, amirite? To achieve this, I need to do the following things: Sort and organise camping equipment.Find containers or storage for gardening stuff- especially the fuel.Sweep the entire garage.Debug. Despider (move them outside nicely)Purchase and lay-down foam flooring.Purchase and set up new "studio mirror" (it's an old dresser with a giant mirror...)Set up curtain dividing storage space from studio space.Attach power source (no power at the moment)Purchase and set up punching bag and frame.Set up lighting. This goal will be graded based on how many of the items I complete- 10% per item. Main Goal 2: Swimming, at least Once a Week! A good survivalist makes use of accessible resources! Both of my housemates go to aqua-aerobics, and also just plain old swimming, twice a week. I'm not in the financial-space to pay for sessions, but there's no reason I can't go to the pool with them and just swim. I also live near beautiful beaches, with ocean baths- that are free. It's hitting summer here, so I should really make use of those. Grading wise, I'll assign 10% to each session, which means I *won't* be able to make 100% just by attending. The extra points can only be made by swimming laps while there (I tend to just...float and splash). 5% per lap. Main Goal 3: See Doctor, Create Weightloss Plan: A good survivalist takes care of their health: I am a fats. I have always been a fats. What I have not always been is unfit. As a child, I was involved in everything- camping, hiking, sports, orienteering, canoeing, band camp- if it was an optional activity on a sign-up sheet, I was there. Since mental illness took over in my late teens, I have neglected myself in a big way. I am no longer able to hike 25km in 2 days with a 15kg pack like I could when I was a teenager. That was something I loved doing and something I miss greatly- as you can see in my "goal bars" below, I want to- however long it takes- get back into the rough scrambler mode I once was, and hike a cumulative 100km with a pack. To get there, I need to get myself in shape- my pack belt doesn't even clip around my waist anymore. I don't know how much I weigh but it's more than conventional scales can display, so my only step for this goal so far is to see a doctor about my weight, make some plans, find out what I actually weigh and go from there. 100% just for seeing the doc on this one, because I have been putting it off a long long time. And now- just for fun- Side-goal: Just be a little bit tidier in general, geez Tree... A good survivalist is neat, tidy- with a solid working knowledge of their inventory. This one is easy- over the next few weeks of this challenge, I just need to progressively tidy up, get rid of stuff I don't need and organise what I do need. I'm about to start a course online, so I need to make sure my work-space is workable. I have to share that room with my housemates, and it's also where I feed my cat- so it *really* needs to be organised. As well as my room. And the bathroom- the sinks have standing water in them that need to be fixed too- I basically need to make this a livable environment. Grading? 50% for initial clean of whole house next week, 5% per "upkeep" job thereafter. I think that's everything covered now- WOO! LET THE APOCALYPSE BEGIN! -Tree

So it looks like I'm finally starting to break through my weight loss plateau. I had a weigh-in today with my trainer (we do body fat % and weight once a month) and I am down 4lbs from my last weigh in! Finally. I've been stuck around the same number since May! Let's hope the scale keeps moving.

Long time lurker, sporadic participant and dedicated student. I have tried doing the challenges, but the timing never works out for me, so I am going to give this daily log thing a crack. My goal: Do a pull up. Then do some more. And get stronger and lose a little weight (goal is to lower bf%). Stats: Female 150 lbs 5' 3" 21 yr Chest - 38" Waist - 31" Hips - 40" former athlete Approach: 1. Bodyweight training 2. Karate 3. Active Rest Days 4. No binge eating! My diet is pretty clean, so I need to focus on energy in/out. It's the student stress life that really gets to me and makes me just eat loads of food at 10 pm. I will not go full paleo, but I do have my own kitchen and plan on making pretty much all my meals. So far, I have followed a MWF bw schedule with Karate TR and active rest on SaSu for the entirety of August (from sedentary). Using startbodyweight.com I will basically follow that schedule. I am switching to a split schedule in September so I can do more exercises for bw. This is my schedule this week: M- 6/6/6 split squat, 30s/30s/30s alt. lunges, 6/5/5 pushups, 4/4/4 inv. body row, 45s/45s/45s plank T- Karate, W- 7/6/6 split squat, 40s/30s/30s alt. lunges, 6/6/5 pushups, 5/4/4 inv. body row, 45s/45s/45s plank R- Karate Skipped b/c of sprained ankle F- 7/7/6 split squat, 40s/40s/30s alt. lunges, 6/6/6 pushups, 5/5/4 inv. body row, 45s/45s/45s plank Sa- active rest Su- low intensity bike ride to campus (~2mi) This is currently a mix of the bw guidelines from the NF blog and the startbodyweight program, but as I said I will be switching things up to go full startbodyweight in September. Not too sure what will be daily in this log, maybe food? I have problems finding cheap/no time recipes so maybe that will be my daily approach. Edit to add some info I might have left out: Yes I have goals to get stronger and lose weight, but I know they don't always work at the same time, so I want to lose the weight first.

I finally got it up! It was a crazy week. This is my 4th challenge!!! I've lost almost 25lbs since I joined the rebellion in June. If you'd like to know more about me, check out my battle log. This time I'm trying to get a little more into the quest. Tackling each goal as a youma. When it comes to writing I don't feel so creative but I gave it my best shot! With a new pendant in hand. Doe emerges from the battle. Burgundy ribbons falling over her shoulders. Her old fighting wears: oversized jogging pants, old grey work shirt, and pink canvas sneakers have been replaced with sparkly grey leggings, Nerdy Shirts, and a new awesome pink and grey sneakers with the ankle support she needs to continue the good fight. The first week may have threw her off balance, but she aims to be victorious over the next 5 weeks. The light is at the end of the tunnel, but many obstacles lay ahead. Four youma appear, and the only way to beat them in through steady Kujichagulia: self determination. It's a principle/day of Kwanzaa. Self determination:"To define ourselves, to name ourselves, speak for ourselves and create for ourselves." or as Sailor Moon might say... A pink sparkly engineer that goes to the rooftops? Now that takes Kujichagulia! Temptation Last time it was proven: calorie counting works. I won't fall into old habits, it always seems like "oh okay I got this healthy eating thing down now..." But when you're a short girl with a short attention span and a sweet tooth, it's easy to get tempted I have a clear calorie goal to meet. 1200-1500 depending on day. 1200 regular days 1300 on dance days, 1500 on gym days or full field days 5% tolerance (1800 on Thanksgiving because the day after thanksgiving will be a free day - going to Napa) 35 HP A. 30 Points or better B.21 -29 Points C: 18-20 Points F : Less than 18 Points +2CON Row on!:60,000 meters on the rowing machine Last time I really enjoyed having a quantifiable fitness goal. It really gave me something to aim for. I've really started to like the rowing machine. It's such a good workout and not boring like some other things. A:50,000m or more B:40,000 - 49,999m C:30,000 - 39,999m D: 25,000 - 29,999m F less than 25,000 +2STR +1DEX +1STA Temporal Tempest I'm studying for the FE Exam (Engineer in Training Test - if anyone else happens to be studying let me know!) I need to study at least 8 hours a week (it is a 6 hour test after all, used to be 8) and work problems 30HP A:25+ hours B:15-25 hours C: 10-15 hours F: less than 10 hours +3WIS +1STA Chaos This demon tempts one to plunge right in, no need for planning or refection. That's not so! In order to win the war, I need a plan. I need to plan to make that plan. Goal Set aside at least 30 minutes on Sunday to Plan week. 10 minutes each morning. 5 minutes for reflection. 3 pts for Sunday planning. 2 points for morning planning. 1 point for reflection. I've got ADD, a textbook case so this is going to be incredibly hard but I am determined 24 possible points a week. 123 HP A:110 Points or Better B:90 - 109 Points C:75 - 89 Points D: 60-74 Points F: Less than 60 Pts +2WIS +2STA +1CHA

Hello fellow adventurers! This will (hopefully) be my first successful challenge here on NF. I terribly messed up during the last challenge, despite all the support I got from the incredible people here, but like I said in the title, I believe in second chances and can't wait to embark on a new adventure with you guys. Why did I fail last time? Because I underestimated my mental issues. I have suffered, and am still suffering from depression, insomnia, social anxiety, a low self-esteem (and the list probably goes on), and I pretended like those problems didn't exist. I was worried my goals wouldn't be good enough for change, but I pushed myself too hard. For example, signing up for a kick-boxing class wasn't a very good idea because I had been bullied in another dojo a few years ago (I was actually quiet fit back then), and now I'm too self-conscious to exercise in public. It is even worse, since I'm overweight. I can't stop thinking I'm a giant elephant running around in people's eyes while I exercise outside my house (I know all the reasons why this is silly, I swear, but I can't help it). What am I going to do now? I will be more humble. It's actually my motto, you can read a quote about humility in my signiture Anyway, I will consider this entire challenge as one small step to a healthier life. Main Goal: To weight 70 kg (height: 1.64 cm). This doesn't necessarily have to be completed at the end of this challenge, I just need to get at least halfway through for this one. I'm around 90 kg right now. Quest #1: Tracking my calorie intake by using My Fitness Pal. I used it before, and it worked for me. I won't take more than 1500 calories per day. Quest#2: Excersizing 3 times a week. I have a 30-minutes aerobic video I used to enjoy doing, I'm going back to that. For some reason, I get easily bored with strength training, so I will do something I enjoy. Quest#3: Wake up at 10.00 AM every morning. I'm an insomniac, so scheduling a bedtime only stresses me out more. Waking up at a specific time is easier and it also gradually helps me to go to bed earlier at night. Life Quest: Learn 3 new GRE words every week.