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Hi friends! It's been soooo long. I started a challenge in the beginning of the year and I stopped again. For some reason I couldn't follow through. But I'm back again. I missed you guys. I have been keeping up with fitness and nutrition (with varying success), but a little accountability couldn't hurt 😅 So without further ado, here are my goals for this challenge: Nutrition I've been on Noom for a bit now, following their course. I know, there are many people who say it's not good for you. And I see their point (I really don't like their color system). But there is also a lot on there that IS good for me. I've been learning a lot about the psychology side of eating. I've had quite a few aha moments. So my first nutrition goal is to continue the noom course, maybe I can even finish it within this challenge as I am over half way. Noom has been talking about different eating strategies. Like paleo, keto, and intermittent fasting (IF). I've had lots of success with IF in the past, until I hadn't. When researching how to do IF when you got a female body I stumbled across the book "Fast like a girl". And it talks on how to do fasting in sync with your monthly cycle. This should take care of the side effects I was having when trying it in the past (hair loss, irregular period etc.), and should even help fix some issues I've been having for ages but my doctor can't help me with like stiff muscles, fatigue and painfull periods. There are 2 versions: a beginner one and an advanced one. I'm going to try the advanced one, but will fall back to the beginner one if necessary. (The beginner one is in parenthesis) So this is going to be my fasting schedule according to my cycle. Day 1 is the first day of my period, and I have a 28 day cycle (more or less). Day 1-5: 15 (13) hour fast Day 6: 24 (15) hour fast Day 7-10: 17 (17) hour fast Day 11-15: 15 (13) hour fast Day 16: 24 (15)hour fast Day 17-19: 17 (15) hour fast Day 20-28: 13 hour fast (no fasting) Fitness I found a zumba class that's a 5 minute walk from my house! So I'm going there once a week. I even got a punch card instead of a subscription, which is so perfect for me. I'm never leaving there. Next to this I've been trying so many different workout schedules and styles. Now I'm doing ringfit (nintendo switch) for an hour twice a week. I had been having trouble with hitting a wall 30 minute into my workout. Then I came across a video about pre-workout. I thought that was just for body builders, but apparently it's for when you want to workout longer. I found one without cafeïne or other stimulants, because I can't sleep if I have more than 3 cups of coffee a week (yes, a week you heard me right). And the stuff is epic! No more wall. Sure, I get tired and sore from the workout, but there is no block that makes it feel I'm standing in quick sand while trying to workout. I have no side effects. I researched the ingredients and everything I found says the stuff is save and you won't develop a dependence on it. Enrichment I should read more. I want to. But my phone and pc are such an easy distraction. So my goal this challenge is to read 10 pages a day. Of any book. I think that's it. I'm going to find some Doodlies now to say hi to. If they're still around here that is. And if you want to be friends, just drop a message below. It's fun meeting new people here 🙂

Time to kick off 2021 and this year is all about moving forward. You might expect something like this: But this challenge will be more like this: FITNESS First order of business is to actually get moving. I'm going to break through this mental block that has kept me from getting back to any type of fitness. It's something I need and I want, but I just don't want to, you know? I'm going to keep it simple with any gentle movement, anything. Yoga, stretching, going for a walk around the dog park, or the block. Pick up a sledgehammer and do a little bit of shovelglove. Anything counts. 1 point for any activity. GENERAL HEALTH This goal pertains to nutrition and all that revolves around food decision making (mindfulness, stress, sleep, hydration, negative thought patterns). The goal will change weekly, or as often as needed. I'm following the Noom program so I'll tailor the goals depending on where I am with that. PERSONAL A new semester starts for the kids. They have had a really tough time. To be fair, this is a not a new problem. They are both smart kids but Qbert procrastinates and gets stressed out and Peach just refuses to try that hard. So I'm plan to be on them like white on rice from the beginning. Stricter rules will be in place for bad grades but I can only enforce those rules every other week when they are at my place. Qbert also has to work on some scholarship applications. To counteract all the nagging, I'd want to put more energy into family fun night. It's tough because they are busy on different nights and then want to use the other nights to hang with friends. Ah, teens. HOME My goals for this quarter are to finish the basement closet (need), redo my master bedroom (want) and (declutter) the cupboards under the bathroom sinks. Hopefully there will be some progress made on these during this challenge. If anything gets finished maybe I'll post pics to Insta. I'm not sure about the new grand forum idea but I am using it as an opportunity to tag as a Ranger, because that's what I am, and Rookie, because I am considering this a respawn and I'm starting over. I need all the help I can get.

How is it that every time I want to jump back on the forums the challenge has almost ended? I just decided to ignore that fact this time and post anyway. Since last time I got back to exercising and eating healthier (nothing extreme). Summer vacation is almost over so it's time to get a good plan and get back to business! I just stumbled across #75hard. And as much as it sounds crazy, it might just be crazy enough to work There are 5 rules: Follow a diet I'm going for the no-s diet Workout twice a day I had started with Cloe Ting's workouts, which I love. So I'll follow one of her programs for the first workout, and do yoga/stretching/mobility work on the rest days. And for the second workout I'll go for a walk [edit] EXCEPT when I'm home alone with the kids and the weather is bad. Drink a gallon of water each day (about 3 liters) I've actually been doing this for the last two months, and it's not that hard, but I do need to pay attention Read 10 pages of non-fiction a day. I have a few books I still need to finish and have ordered a few in the library. I really like this goal actually, I might actually learn stuff Take a progress photo every day This will be the hardest. I hate taking photo's of myself. I'll definitely not be sharing them 😛 I have made an awesome chart in my bullet journal (which I have been using a lot, see I didn't sit on my but the time I wasn't here )

Welcome back to my challenge! In this one I'll be making change. Change as in coins I mean I'm going to reward myself with euro's for things I did good, so I'll be able to buy new sims expansion packs that will becoming out this year. Credit must be given: I totally stole this idea from the amazingly clever @Snarkyfishguts 😘 I can earn euro's by: - Going a whole day without eating sugary stuff - Doing exercise for at least 30 minutes (ringfit, walking, yoga etc.) I can earn 50 cents by doing chores I hate doing: - changing sheets - vacuuming/dusting/mopping one floor - cleaning the bathroom and half bathroom - cleaning the kitchen I started earning coins last challenge. This is how far I've gotten: (This page is in my bullet journal. The page on the left has a recipe for chocolate chip cookies 😎)

I'm back (again). Things got a bit crazy the last couple of months, and I had to take time for myself. Do some soul searching and such. But yeah, I really missed this place. For the people that don't know me: I'm Terah*. A 35 year old from the Netherlands. Fitness enthousiast, dance fanatic, and I love playing sims I'm married to William, also 35 years old And we have two awesome sons: Peter (9) and Cory(7) We live in a small city in the Netherlands. We bought a new home two years ago and are loving the new environment. (It's actually in the middle of a row of similar homes, but that was a bit hard to copy in the sims) Mental health update Early December I came across a youtube video were someone talked about the differences between men and women on the autistic spectrum. And with every characteristic she described in females I thought "that's me". So naturally I asked doctor google, did a few online tests, watched some more youtube video's and now I suspect that I am on the spectrum. It explains so much: why I don't like being touched, why I have trouble making eye contact, why I'm often weird in conversations, why I can't follow a group conversation, why everyday tasks sometimes seem insurmountable. I don't know if I want an official diagnoses. I want to try to make sense of it on my own first. And on top of that: a few weeks ago the child psychologist that runs the Social Skill class Peter visits told me she suspected him of having autism. Which didn't came as a surprise after everything I read about it. She still needs to test him to make sure though. No more dancing classes My boys have started official swimming lessons. I had tought them all I could, and I thought it would be a good idea to let a professional take over. It's twice a week and they love it But then, at the end of Christmas break my dance teacher announced a change in schedule. The dance classes I took were transferred to Mondays and Thursdays. The same days as the boys swimming lessons. I thought: I'll try to make it. Which ment: Go to swim class at 16:15, be home at 18:30. Change clothes and hop on my bike again to make the class at 19:00, which ended at 20:45. So I'd be back at home at 21:15. I tried it for a month before I gave up, it was just too much. So I paused my subscription to the dance classes. I'll be back once the swimming lessons are over, probably October The challenge This challenge I'm going to gamify my fitness. Just to make it a little more interesting I bought Ringfit for the Switch a month ago and I'm loving it! Fighting monsters doing squats is totally my thing. Also I'll use the Bodybuilding aspiration from the Sims 4 as my goals. I realize this is in Dutch, so here is the translation: 1) Basic trainer Train for 8 hours Train at a gym 2) Training devil 3) Fit with an F 4) Bodybuilder So my first goals are to train for 8 hours and to train at a gym. Since I don't want to pay to train at a gym once, I'll see this as doing something different. Like following a YouTube workout or something. (Yes, I totally put the tv on the coffeetable to workout. IRL I just move the coffee table ) *All names have been changed to protect our secret identity. As all superheroes have

I know. I said I wasn't going to do challenges anymore. I guess I just couldn't resist the 10th anniversary hype. And also @Tanktimus the Encourager's necromancy skills are on point! So here I am, doing another challenge, the Anniversary Special. To celebrate the 10th anniversary everyone is getting all nostalgic. This year will be my 6th nerdversary. So much has happened during my 6 years. Like many of you, Nerd Fitness has changed my life. I may not have reached my ultimate goals yet but I've learned a ton about building habits, perseverance, fitness, and myself. I've gained a lot of friends, met a few nerds in person, received a lot of support and tried to support others. During my journey so far I've lost a lot of weight, gained some of it back, lost again, maintained. I've run my first 5K, started lifting, started sledgehammer workouts, and ran a HammerRace. My journey here has also included going through a divorce and starting over. I've started dating someone new and we are working on building a life together. I have a goal to lose 20 in '20 and I'm not off to a great start. I can't seem to stick to anything that used to work and I feel like I'm starting all over again. The goals I started working on just before the holidays seemed to be a good starting point. I've had trouble getting back to them since the new year so I figure I'll start over from there. Since this is the 10th Anniversary Special my goals can earn me up to 10 daily points. Since I've had so much trouble staying connected and posting regularly I will also earn a bonus point for posting daily. Goal 1: Intermittent Fasting This seems to work well for me. If I eat earlier than 14 hours it's never anything good anyway. It keeps me from eating late and keeps me from snacking in the evening. 3 points for fasting 14 hours 2 point for fasting 13 hours 1 point for fasting 12 hours Goal 2: Eat Your Freggies I don't really care about freggies but by trying to get 3 servings in and fasting for 14 hours it makes it more difficult to eat junk. 3 points for 3 servings 2 points for 2 servings 1 point for 1 servings Goal 3: Steps I can be really lazy. I'll try not to be. 3 points for 10,000 steps 2 points for 8,000 steps 1 point for 6,000 steps Goal 4a: Workouts Edit - Goal 4 will be a Pass/Fail goal to post every day. I have been having trouble with this for the past year. This is the habit I need to get back to. Goal 4b: Workouts EDIT - BONUS GOAL I know I'll struggle with this one. I've found it very difficult to make time for this. I haven't made it a priority. Anything counts for this goal. Pass/Fail. 1 point for doing something.

I've been away from NF for so long. I really needed to sort myself out. Don't get me wrong: I love you guys and I have missed you <3 I used to be with the Druids, but it's time for me to step out of my shell, and become what I truely am: An Assassin I always sorted my challenges in diet, fitness and life. I think I'll stick to those cathegories once more. I will tell you where I started, what I've realized in the last months I've been away and what I'm planning on doing this challenge. Diet Diet culture is a lie. I've been on diets since I was 8, and I'm still overweight (yes, that rhymes :p ). I've been trying and trying, before NF, during my time on NF. All it led me to do is enter the diet/binge cycle. Basically I didn't like what I saw in the mirror/on the scale. Decided on going on a diet, searching the interwebs for the latest craze. Ended up only eating fruit and veg. Not eating at all for two days straight. Going as low as 1200 kcal a day (my TDEE is around 2300 to give you an idea), or even just 500. I've put my body through so much, and to what end? Than I felt really bad (obviously), I got digestive issues, felt really weak, didn't sleep well, got cranky and all other kinds of weird (and sometimes gross) side effects of those diets. So I ended the diet and my body grabbed this opportunity to let me binge ALL THE THINGS. The more processed the better. I thought there was something wrong with me. I thought I wasn't strong enough, so I tried again and again. I started to realize this a few months ago and hopped on the Intuitive Eating wagon. Which ended to be a diet too, ending in binges. Although it took so much longer before the binge started. After a lot of soul searching, reading books and watching youtube video's I came to the conclusion that diet culture is a lie. A big nasty lie to sell stuff to desperate people. Whether it be books or supplements or to gain add income. I decided not to fall for it anymore. Also I came to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with me. My body is doing what it's supposed to do: binges after restrictions are normal. And during those binges I ate mostly processed foods. I also realized that I needed to learn to really listen to my body. And processed foods are not going to help me with that. It's like learning an instrument while the whole orchestra is already playing. Eventually I'll be able to hear myself through all the other noise, but I need to learn to listen to my own sound first. So that means: focus on whole foods. Really notice how they make me feel. And not all whole foods are going to make me feel good (eggs are still a no, as they trigger a mild allergic reaction for example). Processed foods once in a while are totally okay, but I do need to realize that they will f*ck with my hunger cues and listen extra carefully during that. Fitness A workout doesn't count if it takes less than 45 minutes and doesn't leave me sore and sweaty, right? WRONG! Feeling sore and extremely tired after each workout is not okay. Off course, if you just start a new routine, some soreness is to be expected, but it shouldn't last. I was training way too hard, too long. And as a result I was so sore and tired I didn't want to workout anymore. And some days I won't feel all energized and ready to crush those weights. It's okay to do a lighter workout during those days. It's okay not to go to the max every single time. So I bought myself a starter workout program. It's simple, fast and doesn't leave me feeling dead in the end. I'm still able to do all my stuff during they day. And now I'm actually looking forward to working out. How about that? I also dance twice a week for two hours, and used to feel so guilty when I missed an evening. But I started looking around during dance class, and most people there don't make it every class (except for a few really hard core galls). I don't strive to be an excellent dancer, I don't want to perform every chance I got. I just want to have fun. And if that means skipping a class, or going for one hour instead of two, that's okay. So this challenge I'll continue te starter workout program (about 20-30 minutes 4 times a day, at home), and go dancing to have fun and for no other reason! Life I want to be more productive. Get more done, be more awesome. But every time I expand my todo list, try to get more done I retreat in a corner of the internet only to come out when I HAVE TO do stuff. So here too: I have to me more gentle towards myself. My goal for this challenge: get on top of housekeeping again. My business is running smoothly, my boys are doing great. This is the only thing that keeps falling through the cracks. Whenever I'm falling behind, my go to is laundry. It's like the stepping stone to all other chores. So I'm going to do a load of laundry every day, including folding and putting it away.

Hi all. It's been forever, but I'm back. Warrior's Barracks Challenge 1 Finishing 30 day challenges: Plank Challenge: on day 13 Russian Twist Challenge: day 5 Challenge 2 Weights/bodyweight exercises or cardio 5 days a week Challenge 3 Ranger Mini challenge: Doodlie challenge Athenaeum Challenge 4 Journaling/writing every day Read 1 chapter a day of: On Writing Well by William Zinsser Monk's Temple Challenge 5 Read 1 chapter a day in my chronological Bible

Hey Doodlies, how are you all doing this lovely fall? I've been away for a while, but now I'm back. And I'm really feeling like starting another pvp challenge. Don't know what a Doodlie is? No worries, you're still welcome We're a weird bunch that have been around NF for I think 5 years, maybe even 6. We worship the Great Yak, talk a lot of smut and just have fun accomplishing our goals. We divide yourselves into two breakfast items: pancakes and waffles. And sometimes French toast (or Flip Bitches) if our numbers are great. To get us started I'm proposing a simple scavenger hunt. In the past we've done really elaborate ones, but the tracking was a pain. Each team gets one point per: -10 minutes of exercise (this can be strength training, running, elliptical, taking a class at your gym etc.) - Number of different freggies (fruits and vegetables) you've eaten in a week. Potatoes and beans count too. Grains don't count. If in doubt, just ask here! - 30 minutes of doing something of self improvement. For example, but not limited to: reading a book, learning a language, doing an (online) course, meditation, practicing an instrument... If you're not sure whether or not something can be used for this challenge, just ask and we'll decide together Links Want to join? Sign up here. Format Points sheet (copy for your own team to secretly keep your score) We start October 23st Tagging former Doodlies here. Feel free to tag others I forgot! @deftona @Shello @Björn Járnhamar @DrFeelgood For some reason it doesn't let me tag more people, so I'll do it in the next post.

I've been away from NF for so long. I really needed to sort myself out. Don't get me wrong: I love you guys and I have missed you <3 I used to be with the Druids, but it's time for me to step out of my shell, and become what I truely am: An Assassin I always sorted my challenges in diet, fitness and life. I think I'll stick to those cathegories once more. I will tell you where I started, what I've realized in the last months I've been away and what I'm planning on doing this challenge. Diet Diet culture is a lie. I've been on diets since I was 8, and I'm still overweight (yes, that rhymes :p ). I've been trying and trying, before NF, during my time on NF. All it led me to do is enter the diet/binge cycle. Basically I didn't like what I saw in the mirror/on the scale. Decided on going on a diet, searching the interwebs for the latest craze. Ended up only eating fruit and veg. Not eating at all for two days straight. Going as low as 1200 kcal a day (my TDEE is around 2300 to give you an idea), or even just 500. I've put my body through so much, and to what end? Than I felt really bad (obviously), I got digestive issues, felt really weak, didn't sleep well, got cranky and all other kinds of weird (and sometimes gross) side effects of those diets. So I ended the diet and my body grabbed this opportunity to let me binge ALL THE THINGS. The more processed the better. I thought there was something wrong with me. I thought I wasn't strong enough, so I tried again and again. I started to realize this a few months ago and hopped on the Intuitive Eating wagon. Which ended to be a diet too, ending in binges. Although it took so much longer before the binge started. After a lot of soul searching, reading books and watching youtube video's I came to the conclusion that diet culture is a lie. A big nasty lie to sell stuff to desperate people. Whether it be books or supplements or to gain add income. I decided not to fall for it anymore. Also I came to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with me. My body is doing what it's supposed to do: binges after restrictions are normal. And during those binges I ate mostly processed foods. I also realized that I needed to learn to really listen to my body. And processed foods are not going to help me with that. It's like learning an instrument while the whole orchestra is already playing. Eventually I'll be able to hear myself through all the other noise, but I need to learn to listen to my own sound first. So that means: focus on whole foods. Really notice how they make me feel. And not all whole foods are going to make me feel good (eggs are still a no, as they trigger a mild allergic reaction for example). Processed foods once in a while are totally okay, but I do need to realize that they will f*ck with my hunger cues and listen extra carefully during that. Fitness A workout doesn't count if it takes less than 45 minutes and doesn't leave me sore and sweaty, right? WRONG! Feeling sore and extremely tired after each workout is not okay. Off course, if you just start a new routine, some soreness is to be expected, but it shouldn't last. I was training way too hard, too long. And as a result I was so sore and tired I didn't want to workout anymore. And some days I won't feel all energized and ready to crush those weights. It's okay to do a lighter workout during those days. It's okay not to go to the max every single time. So I bought myself a starter workout program. It's simple, fast and doesn't leave me feeling dead in the end. I'm still able to do all my stuff during they day. And now I'm actually looking forward to working out. How about that? I also dance twice a week for two hours, and used to feel so guilty when I missed an evening. But I started looking around during dance class, and most people there don't make it every class (except for a few really hard core galls). I don't strive to be an excellent dancer, I don't want to perform every chance I got. I just want to have fun. And if that means skipping a class, or going for one hour instead of two, that's okay. So this challenge I'll continue te starter workout program (about 20-30 minutes 4 times a day, at home), and go dancing to have fun and for no other reason! Life I want to be more productive. Get more done, be more awesome. But every time I expand my todo list, try to get more done I retreat in a corner of the internet only to come out when I HAVE TO do stuff. So here too: I have to me more gentle towards myself. My goal for this challenge: get on top of housekeeping again. My business is running smoothly, my boys are doing great. This is the only thing that keeps falling through the cracks. Whenever I'm falling behind, my go to is laundry. It's like the stepping stone to all other chores. So I'm going to do a load of laundry every day, including folding and putting it away.

Hi everybody! I missed you <3 So, I've been away for a bit because I've fallen off the wagon. Big time. I started dieting again: counting kcal, fasting, over exercising. Just pushing myself way too hard. *actual footage of my feelings On top of that life happened (details on why my life sucked really hard 1,5 weeks ago in the spoiler) So anyways I started skipping dance lessons. I stopped practicing dance at home. And I spent way too much time playing the sims and not so much doing chores and work. I had to quit dancing early yesterday because I just couldn't. I couldn't remember the steps, I felt so tired and lethargic. On the bike ride home I realized something needed to change. So now I'm back. And the title of this challenge? It's because of this youtube video I just watched while my intestines were throwing a tantrum in the bathroom (seriously, my body is not happy) My goal for this challenge is to get my life back together. To get healthy, regain my sanity and just feel great again. 1. Make todo lists These have always been a life saver for me. They keep me from becoming overwhelmed. I want to get back on top of my work and keeping the house in slightly less disarray. 2. DANCE! Practice my routines twice a week before my home workout. Don't miss practice again, unless I'm actually sick or out of town. 3. Home workouts They make me feel great and help improve my dancing. I'm going to do them twice a week, AND NO MORE THAN THAT! Duration: 30-40 minutes. If I'm not feeling good I can scale them down to 10-15 minutes, lower the intensity or just dance for a few minutes. 4. Gentle nutrition Why did I ever stop eating intuitively? I'm rejoining the NF Intuitive Eating group to learn and to share what I know. The tracking apps are deleted of my phone, my fitbit is in the back of my nightstand drawer (trust me, it's impossible to find anything there )

Welcome back to a new challenge! After going through many restriction/binge cycles I stumbled onto intuitive eating last October. I went through the steps, read "Brain over Binge" and now I'm completely binge free, and have a much better relationship with food and my body. But now I have to figure out what "normal eating" means for me. Two challenges ago I tried to count kcal again, but that caused binge thoughts, so I quickly stopped (after about 2/3 weeks). BUT all that counting did made one thing clear: my protein intake was really low. So last challenge I focused on eating more protein rich foods. I didn't count, didn't restrict, just made sure I added protein wherever I could. This made me feel a lot better during the day: more stable energy, less cravings. I also started intermittent fasting (IE) again. Intermittently that is When I was really hungry I ate. When I thought I could go on for a bit, I fasted. I never want to go back to binging, so I made it a point to listen to my body as best as I could. IE makes my asthma go away, and with that improves my energy and makes my digestion feel a lot better. It's also good for my mental health: knowing that I don't HAVE TO eat when I'm not hungry, or when nothing sounds good to me. I won't die from starvation, or faint from lack of food :p So this challenge I'm going to play around with my macro's even more. I've always been used to a high carb, low protein, moderate/low fat diet. I'm curious to see what will happen if I change this completely. So I'm going to start with a complete 180: high fat/moderate protein/low carb. Not counting anything, just winging it. I've counted long enough to know what foods are high in carbs, and I can read labels if I'm unfamiliar with a certain food. But I'm not going to let food interfere with life: parties, family get togethers, and just family dinner (although that's pretty healthy and not too carb heavy already). Just trying to keep a healthy balance Let's see how this will make me feel and move on from there. I want to do this for the length of this challenge, but if I start to feel like crap I will adjust sooner. This challenge I'm keeping up my fitness routine: dance twice a week and lift twice a week. Last challenge I toyed with circuit style workouts. It reduced the time of the workout, but it also reduced the weight I could use. So last week I tried to watch netflix on my laptop while lifting. So far it works. Workouts are about 30 minutes (including warming up and stretching afterwards), and rests aren't that boring. I'm going to keep this up until it get's boring again and then I'm sure I find something else to make it more interesting

Hey Doodlies, and welcome to a new challenge! This challenge is only open to existing Doodlies, you know who you are! If you're not a Doodlie, I'm sorry this is not for you. This time we're playing hangman. But no ordinary hangman, it's Doodlie hangman! We're having two teams again: Pancakes and Waffles. Sign up here if you want to join. So how do we play? I've got a list of challenges here. Each challenge will earn your right to guess a letter. There is no taking turns. The faster you finish your challenge the sooner you get the right to a letter. If you think you know the word: too bad, you still have to guess each letter separately (you'll just be guessing them right). You work together on completing the challenges. For example: one of the challenges is meditate for an hour. You meditated 10 minutes and one of your team mates meditated 50 minutes. You now have completed this challenge and earned the right to a letter. You win when: You're in team pancake The other team will pick a word of x letters (the words of both teams have twice the amount of letters as there are teammates in the team that guesses the letters). The team that guessed the most words at the end of the challenge has won. If a new team member wants to join mid challenge, or if someone wants to leave the challenge, they may do so when there is a new word to guess. We'll start February 11th (Monday) Until then: - What do we need to change about the rules to make it more fair? - Do you know any more challenges we can add? - What challenges need to change to make them all as equal as possible? - Anything else you like to add? Links: - Challenges list - Sign in sheet

Hello everybody, and welcome to my new challenge! 2018 was a year of recovery where I re-discovered Intuitive Eating, and in 2019 I will build on this. My ultimate goal is to feel healthy, fit and to be still kicking ass when I'm 80 years old. To do this I'm building habits this year. Slowly. January was meditation month. I meditated every day. February will workout month. BUT I've been working out consistently since November. So I feel like I can add a little something else this month: Intermittent Fasting. So, how will these things help me achieve my ultimate goal? Let me summarize it for you: Meditation It's been proven again and again that too much stress is detrimental for your health. I've got a few things that help me manage stress (like dancing, watching netflix). But for those days that I need a little extra meditation will help me a lot. I've been meditating every day, but I feel it's okay to just do it when I feel like I need to (which will probably still be almost every day). So that's what I'm going to do. Working out It's been proven that working out helps to reduce the chance of osteoporosis, reduces stress, reduces the chance of a lot of scary illnesses. And it makes you look good naked. After a few months of consistent workouts I already notice that I'm stronger (I can open tight jars by myself now ), and my back feels a lot better. For those who don't know: I own a webshop where I sell products I'm making at home behind the sowing machine. And that's not good for your shoulders and back. Working out has been proven to eradicate the pain in my shoulders and back, which means that I'm more productive. My goal is to do a strength workout twice a week for now (I'm following the NF academy workouts, I'm at Gym level 3). Intermittent Fasting It's been proven to be great against insuline resistance and your mental health. But my primary motivation is that it completely takes away my asthma. If I fast I can breath so much better and have so much more energy. Mind you: I don't count kcal. I still eat intuitively during my eating window. Right now I'm doing mostly 16/8 (eating between 10:00 and 18:00 hours), sometimes my eating window extends a bit into the evening if I'm really hungry, and I will eat sooner if I feel like I'm starving when I wake up (which hasn't happened yet). This hasn't been a goal yet, so this will be my new, additional goal for February.

*emerges from the murky depths* oh wow hey look it's been...nope not even contemplating how long it's been since i've been on here. one goal: check in and reflect. one sentence. also! for those who're wondering: i'm back at school! i'm about two weeks away from finishing my first semester and i'll (FINALLY) graduate in the spring. HURRAH! more details to come? maybe? also if anyone is on discord lmk because that is my primary mode of communication these days

Hey there, it's time for a new challenge! And I've got my Road Map locked and loaded Okay, it's not completely ready, but the basic structure is there. This first challenge of 2019 I'm going to focus on reducing stress, as to lay a foundation for the rest of the year. Stress is also one of the four pillars of health, but if you read my Road Map you already new that This challenge I'm going to build the habit of Meditating. Every morning, after the boys have gone to school OR after brushing my teeth when there is no school I will meditate for at least 5 minutes. Not that I have an ocean to meditate to, but you get the idea Just one goal you ask? Well, this is my most important goal this challenge. But off course I will keep up the habits I've already established last year. Which are: - Intuitive eating - Strengt training - Dancing - Keeping my house clean Those are not that exciting to me anymore (I mean, that's the idea of a habit, right?). Let's see if meditation will become a habit that is beneficial to me this challenge!

The last couple of challenges I've been working on my relationship to food. I've stopped binge eating/restrictive eating completely with the help of some awesome rebels in the Intuitive Eating accountability group <4 The last step of Intuitive Eating is "Gentle nutrition". Which basically means: eat like a normal human who cares for their health :p There are some more things that I want to be working on this year, but this time I'm not going to try to do them all at once. As many of you know, I love watching YouTube, and one of my favorite youtubers posted a video yesterday about how to make your goals stick. (Video embedded in the spoiler if you're interested) So this year I'm going to create one habit each challenge. To guide me, I'll use the "Four pilars of health" namely: Stress, Sleep, Nutrition and Fitness Goals to reduce stress in my life: Mediation, walking, dancing, reading, todo lists, yoga Goals to get good quality sleep: go to bed on time Goals for gentle nutrition: Eat in a way that makes me feel good, like: implementing intermittent fasting, eat nutrient dense foods, find new recipes to try Goals for fitness: Strength training, dancing, yoga (Challenge dates copied from Spezzies post) Challenge 1: January 7 to February 3 Stress: meditate every day Duration: at least 5 minutes When: When the kids went to school, or after brushing my teeth when the kids don't have school Challenge 2: February 11 to March 10 Fitness: 2 strength training sessions each week Duration: As long as it takes to perform the workout When: to be determined Challenge 3: March 18 to April 14 Nutrition: Intermittent fasting. I'm thinking 3 18 hour fasts or one 24 hour fast a week. Or mix those two and see what works best for me. Challenge 4: April 22 to May 19 Sleep: Screens off before 21:30 When: Every night except Friday and Saturday Challenge 5: May 27 to June 23 Stress: Do yoga When: twice a week Duration: at least 15 minutes Challenge 6: July 1 to July 28 Fitness: Step it up: get an average of 10,000 steps in a day. SUMMER BREAK (2 weeks between challenges) Re-evaluate the challenges I set out for myself for the rest of the year Challenge 7: August 12 to September 8 (Zero week will begin August 5) Challenge 8: September 16 to October 13 Nutrition: focus on nutrient dense foods. I won't eliminate any foods, but the majority has to be nutrient dense. Challenge 9: October 21 to November 17 Sleep: Be in bed before 22:00 on weekdays Challenge 10: November 25 to December 29 (5 week holiday challenge) Stress: Read every day in an actual, physical fiction book Duration: at least 5 minutes

Last challenge I rediscovered Intuitive Eating thanks to @Ensi This challenge I'm going to continue on this path. Quest1: Eat Just eat something when hungry! Don't worry about what is "good" or "bad" foods. Just eat what I'm craving and makes me feel good. I mean, sure eggs are considered "good", but if I eat them my asthma flares up and if I'm really lucky I get bloated too :p Quest2: move Do what I love (dancing and yoga) and what makes me feel good. So no more working out when the sharks are at their peak or when I am dead tired. And I will add a workout at home when I think it will make me feel good. Quest3: life Do what I can, delegate as much as possible and don't stress about the rest. And off course: keep the rhythm I created last challenge alive!

Welcome all Doodlies*!! *I'm sorry - this is a closed group, open to all Doodlies. Once a Doodlie, always a Doodlie. You know who you are. There is much Doodlie lore, with a long and smutty history. We've always dreamed of our own island where we can escape the drudgeries of life and come together to be with our people. Alas, it has been found! Land ho, Doodlie Island exists! Unfortunately, the Breakfast Wars have been rekindled. The pancakes and waffles landed on opposite shores and must battle for the rights to the island. What will we do? Who will win? Ready to Play? Sign up here The Battle for Doodlie Island OK, I am hoping everyone is up for a competition this challenge. If not, the battle can be postponed to some other challenge. But if we are up for it.... here is the gist. There are also a few holes in my idea to fill in during week 0. Orange tiles are pancakes home base, green for waffles. This is a battle for all the tiles on the map. Every 10 minutes of exercise yields 1 unit Cardio units = defense on existing tiles Strength units = offense on other tiles yoga/stretching units = range attacks (range of 3 but extra units can be added for each additional tile) You can not take over another tile with a range attack. Each blue tile has a basic defense of 1,2, or 3 determined randomly The Doodlie Castle has a basic defense of +10 and is immune to range attacks. Each team works to accumulate points/units and then decide where to place them. The map tiles will change color as we battle it out. I don't know if this is a daily battle, weekly, or something in between. Do we take turns? Do we apply points all at once? Also, the map has a few gaps. Throw your ideas out for location names and we can fill in the rest of the map.

I'm shooting for a trifecta of pseudo-successful challenges. By successful I don't necessarily mean that I stuck to all my goals but rather I've been successful in turning the corner on getting back to healthy habits overall. For those who are new, this year started off at a low point and just got lower for what felt like a long while. It was particularly devastating to my goals coming off of a less than successful year in 2017. The timing is impeccable though, since this challenge ends right before the holidays. I have no intentions of losing any weigh over the holidays; I will be right happy if I maintain, especially given the quantity of cookies and other baked goods I intend to eat for the holidays. I'm extending this challenge into this zero week and a bit into the proceeding zero week, ending the day before Thanksgiving, giving my 5 -1/2 weeks of challenging to make as much progress as I can muster pre-holiday season. I'm keeping my goals simple and focused again on just food and fitness. I'm sticking to a points based challenge, including bonuses, for maximum motivation. The streak was not my friend last challenge so I'm making a few tweaks to avoid that in the event of another fit of plague or otherwise goal busting life event. Rather than aiming for a streak and awarding chain bonus points, I'm simply removing the streak and just awarding points for hitting certain milestones. I'm also simplifying the points (or I'm making it more complicated). I really only cared about getting the highest points for each day so I'm essentiall removing the tiers. I get a full point for meeting the goal, a half point for doing some basic minimum. I am including 1/2 point bonuses for going above and beyond. And now for some random gifs since this challenge has no theme...... Food Goal I'm not making many changes to this goal. Last challenge I reduced my MFP calorie goal to 1800 with the intention of staying below it and only approaching it occasionally. I approached it a bit more than I am comfortable, especially near the end of the challenge, but I also like the freedom of having the extra wiggle room. I mean, I'd prefer a little extra wiggle room in my clothes but we're going for balance and sustainability. I primarily stick to IF but I am flexible. If I am truly hungry, I will listen to what my body says and eat earlier than my normal window. However, I'd like to increase my fasting window by an hour. I currently fast about 13 hours. 1 point for staying under target 1/2 point for at least having a deficit of 750 according to Fitbit +1/2 bonus point for eating at least 5 servings of freggies in a day Bonus Points - awarded after hitting successful number of day milestones. There are 38 days in the challenge, having 35 successful days, or 35 points, is considered a 'perfect' score. 3 days = +3 7 days = +5 10 days = +10 (plus additional +1/2 bonus point saver to be used at any time) 15 days = +20 21 days = +50 (plus additional +1/2 bonus point saver to be used at any time) 27 days = +500 35 days = +1,000,000 Fitness Goal Last challenge I tried to raise the bar and I fell right under it. I'd rather be doing something consistently than doing more inconsistently. So it's back to an anything goes mentality for fitness. I'd still like to avoid only doing the bare minimum so the points will help incentivize something slightly above bare minimum. A bare minimum workout (BMW) is hard to define but I know when I've done it. Simply walking around the block is a BMW, walking the entire neighborhood is not. Rucking around the block is not. Walking, rucking, shovelgloving, BW, lifting, ellipticalling all count as workouts but as I am still aimless on the gym front I have no clear lifting goals. Expect to see more cardio than anything else. 1 point for anything above a BMW 1/2 for a BMW +1/2 bonus point for hitting at least 10,000 steps Bonus Points - awarded after hitting successful number of day milestones. My goal is about 5 workouts a week. Given a 5-1/2 week challenge, 27 workout days, or 27 points, is considered a 'perfect' score. 3 days = +3 7 days = +5 10 days = +10 (plus additional +1/2 bonus point saver to be used at any time) 15 days = +20 20 days = +50 (plus additional +1/2 bonus point saver to be used at any time) 24 days = +500 27 days = +1,000,000

I'm hoping to carry over from a successful challenge in hopes of another. I'm still a long way from where I used to be but for the first time in a long while, I'm happy with where I am now and the progress I am making. The format from the past couple of challenges has served me well but I still have not perfected the streak. I plan to stick to the same format until I earn the 1,000,000 bonus points for a perfect streak... or until I realize I can't... and well, admitting defeat is not an option. Only this time around, I'm just going to make it more difficult. The goals are a bit tougher and there are less streak savers to help me achieve success. Food Goal I got further and further away from eating 'clean' but using it as a guide helps me stay under my target. I'm going to stick with what works only I've trimmed my MFP calorie target. Last challenge it was set to 1900 though I rarely got that close to it. So I've shaved that down to 1800 just to eliminate the temptation. The points are the same though I will admit that I haven't put that much thought into the 1 and 2 point goals since I am aiming for 3 points every day. 3 points for staying under calorie goal or eating 100% clean 2 points for maintaining a deficit of at least 750 calories (per Fitbit) 1 point for eating at least 3 freggies Fitness Goal I was pretty consistent last challenge but I'm still not putting that much effort in. My 'workouts' are bare minimum and barely deserve to be called workouts. I've been feeling the urge to pick up the plates again and start lifting but I'm holding off on reinstating my fancy gym membership until my office moves across town in November. I can go for walks, rucks, or do some tire swinging but I have really been struggling with pushing myself. I need something prescribed so it's back to Darebee. I'll follow Athena's Playbook for the entirety of the challenge. My challenge begins today and will end on the last Friday of the challenge, 32 days. That means I can skip only 2 days in order to complete the 30 day program. I will juggle the workouts as needed for time but I plan to complete 1 every day. 3 points for completing the Athena workout of the day 2 points for getting at least 8,000 steps 1 point for doing at least some activity Chain Bonuses: The streak has motivated many workouts and I'm more determined than ever to get the 1,000,000 point bonus. Bonuses are tweaked a little for this 32 week challenge. There are less streak bonuses and they only add a +1 to whatever my score is, rather than an automatic 3 points. Achieving at least 1 point for either goal awards the following points: 7 days = 1 bonus point 10 days = 3 bonus points 15 days = 5 bonus points 21 days = 15 bonus points 27 days = 25 bonus points 32 days = 100 bonus points Achieving at least 2 points for either goal awards the following points: 3 days = 1 bonus point 7 days = 3 bonus points 10 days = 5 bonus points 15 days = 10 bonus points 21 days = 25 bonus points 27 days = 50 bonus points 32 days = 1,000 bonus points Achieving at least 3 points for either goal awards the following points: 3 days = 3 bonus point 7 days = 5 bonus points +1 Streak Saver 10 days = 10 bonus points 15 days = 20 bonus points +1 Streak Saver 21 days = 50 bonus points 27 days = 500 bonus points +1 Streak Saver 32 days = 1,000,000 bonus points

Life has been really busy now school has started again, and I'm having trouble keeping up and getting the stuff done that I want. To top that off, I got a nasty cold. It's getting better though My challenge this round will hopefully give me the structure I need to get everything running smoothly again. I love structure and schedules and lists. These things give me piece of mind, and help me "allow" myself to do things just for me. Update: I don't like my first challenge draft, and I'm going to completely change it. Quest 1: Eat healthy I've been logging all of my food in My Fitness Pal for over 5 months now. It has been good to get a sense of what I'm eating and how much I should be eating to create a deficit. But I'm starting to get obsessed by kcal and I'm not paying enough attention to food quality. Besides that: the binges have returned. I've been binge free for so long, and this feels like a real setback. I think the cause is that I don't eat enough nutrients and my body wants more. Stressing about staying within my kcal limit doesn't help either. So new plan: I'm going to eat 3 meals a day, one, maybe two snacks if I'm really hungry in between. But there are some rules: - The food has to be healthy (not heavily processed, made from scratch as much as possible, whole grains, fruit and veggies, that kind of stuff.) - I stop eating when I'm satisfied, not overly full, but not still hungry either - I can have a treat on special occasions like birthdays, parties etc. Quest 2: move Zumba and dancehall are still my workouts of choice. I want to get back to body weight training, but it has been proven hard to schedule that in. I've been making excuses not to have to workout. By the end of the challenge I want to have at least 1 body weight workout a week. But preferably 3 I was doing workouts in the morning, but my mornings are kind of full nowadays. So I'm thinking of doing them in the evening, see how that makes me feel. Quest 3: Adulting Back to lists! Lists make me feel in control and give me piece of mind. So I'm going to make lists with everything I need to do each day.

Soy un perdedor. But instead of losing weight in the last challenge I lost my mojo. Time to try again, as always. My attempt to get back in the gym was mostly positive until I got derailed, so I'm going to rerun the same program and hope for better results. Eat - planned deficit every day, slightly higher targets a couple of days per week. Be mindful of nutrition, but don't be needlessly restrictive. Lift - Stonglifts 5x5 two days per week (Tue & Fri) with 20 min. HIIT (bike) after the barbells. I'm completely disregarding my cardiologist's advice (Suck! It!) and just going back to lifting heavy. Sleep - in bed on time every night of the week. Weekends allow for later sleep. Spreadsheet is fabricated and ready to go. I'll get an initial check-in with scale weight this weekend before kicking off in full. Let's get leaner and stronger.

I've been a little inactive here lately. The boys have their summer break, and for some reason they want and often need my attention a lot (J is 5 and A is 7 years old now, almost 6 and 8 ). And the time I do have left I have used doing my chores, some work, focusing on getting at least some exercise, tuning my diet and watching youtube :p But now SH (Super Husband for those who didn't know) is home for the last two weeks of their summer break giving me some more time to do the stuff I want to do. Like getting back on Nerd Fitness. I've been playing around with intermittend fasting and kcal counting since May, and I have lost 9 kg's since then. But now my weight loss seems to have stalled a litte, so back to the drawing table it is. My favorite youtubers have given me lots to think about and inspiration for this challenge. For those interested, these are the health and fitness channels I'm following right now: Miss Fit and Nerdy Thomas Delauer Jeff Nippard Grafity Transformation They all use science to explain why some stuff works and some doesn't. They are about health, not a quick fix, not just weight loss. And they all like fasting, but also believe that you should do what works for you. One other channel that I've been following okay, binge watching is Dog Vlog. It's a comedian and his service dog who are hilarious. The comedian got a stutter through an accident, but instead of letting it defeat him, he turned it into a strength. I love his mindset. Now the moment you've all been waiting for: my challenge goals! Main goal: Lose 3 kg before September 3rd while staying as strong and healthy as possible This will make me win my DietBet this month. I haven't lost one yet, and I'm not going to start now :p That said, my pre-game has been strong (the few days between bets when all bets are off, so to speak) and I've gained some weight every time. That's why I joined a transformer. I have to keep up the weight loss for 6 months to win (although I have to lose less weight for a transformer than a kickstarter). So how am I going to do this? Quest1: Food Eat 1200 kcal (40% deficit) each day I can go over by 800 kcal in an entire week. So for example 2 1600 kcal days or one 2000 kcal day (maintenance) I eat 3 meals a day. No snacks, except for the higher kcal days. Some days I will fast, but most days I won't, because eating this little makes me hungry and eating 3 times a day makes me less hungry and less likely to overeat. Yes this will suck, so I will add a diet break after September 3rd where I will eat maintenance for a week. This is proven (according to youtube) to help keep the weight off and to help stick to the plan. Quest2: Fitness There are less zumba and dance classes during the summer break But once they start again (in two weeks), I will go to all of them again. But for now it will be only 2, maybe 3 classes a week (two of them on Tuesday evening). I'm still following the Fitbit Coach program, but added a Darebee workout to increase upper body strength. Because I STILL CAN'T DO A SINGLE PUSH UP. And I'm really frustrated with that. I realize that cutting kcal won't allow me to gain much strength, but I will fight to at least keep the strength I have, and if I gain strength that will make me really happy Quest3: Don't be so hard on myself Even though I lost weight, I'm still overweight. Even though I have gained strength in the last years, I'm still not strong by any means. Even though I work hard, I still struggle to keep up with my chores and don't make a lot of money (barely any). But I'm not going to let this define me, I am not going to let this bring me down. I have persevered all those years and made positive changes, and I will continue to do so. Those brain weasels will be sorry they ever entered my head! So when I screw up, I'll take a step back, see what went wrong and learn from it. Let's do this!

Boy has it been a year. There was a point last year where I really felt I had my fitness identity figured out and I knew what *I* needed to do for success. But I had some mental health and relationship issues to take care of first and that blew everything else out of the water. It's been really tough to get my head back in the game, so much so that I had completely lost track of what was starting to work before. This year has brought a few ups, and many downs. But my head is finally in the game and I feel ready to make some progress. I think I've blown enough of the cobwebs off of my fitness brain and I'm ready to . . . Kick Names and Take Ass While trying to get my head on straight I started assessing all the underpants I've collected since starting NF and tried to do some decluttering. I'm left with the underpants that work and make sense for me. It's a constant balancing act between what works and what works AND I can stick to. I still don't have a full picture of what all those underpants looks like together, but it's getting less foggy. So before I ramble anymore, on to the goals! Food Goal: Here is what I have learned from collecting underpants... I know I need to find a way to strike a balance between being too restrictive and then not being restrictive enough. I enjoyed doing the Whole30 because of the 'freedom' to eat without logging. Eating real food just makes me feel better and makes it more difficult to go off the rails. Paleo speaks to me but I'm not willing to cut out all the foods that are restrictive with Paleo or Whole30 long term. Until my spiral, I was able to find a good balance between logging food and eating Whole30(ish) Logging food is beneficial, maybe (and hopefully not) permanently, but it works. I finally took a look at some of Michael Pollan's food rules and they speak to me in the same way but are less restrictive. Eat Food. Not Too Much of it. Mostly Plants It occurs to me that the Paleo-ish I've been striving for is really just clean eating and Pollan's rules line up quite well with that ideal. So that's what I'm aiming for. Ideally, my goal would be to eat clean 80% of the time, and only log food if I venture into non-Food (processed food). But since I'm also in the healthy living program at work, I''ll stick with logging my food all the time. 1 point for eating at least 3 freggies a day 2 points for at least eating with a deficit (preferably over 750) 3 points for either eating clean all day or staying under MFP calorie target.(I haven't actually decided what this limit should be. Last time I was really successful it was around 1500 but that was tough to stick to. I've been at 1900 for awhile and it seems to be just under maintenance.) Fitness Goal: More underpants.... Being more active daily can only be good My workouts need to have a higher intensity. This brings results and keeps me motivated Do what you enjoy. I enjoy playing with sledgehammers and barbells* Never miss 2 days in a row Rest is also beneficial Consistency is key Ideally I'd like this to be a good old fashioned rucking and sledgehammer challenge. I'm still working on getting a good tire to have at home. I don't have access to the one at fancy gym now. But really anything goes as long as the intensity is there and it's something I enjoy. 1 point for at least doing something 2 points for at least getting 8000 steps 3 points for either getting 10,000 steps or doing a workout. Rest days also count as 3 points for purposes of point streaks but only up to twice a week. Low intensity workouts (along the lines of yoga and housework) can count once per week Chain Bonuses: I really like this aspect of my past few challenges, I just need to not be lazy. I want that 1,000,000 points but I want to earn it. Since I'll be challenging for 35 days, I've adjusted the points accordingly. The MN State Fair is during this challenge and don't think there is any clean food in sight, it just won't stay on the stick. So I'm counting the fair day as a freebie for the food goal. To balance that out, I can count one of the driving days as a freebie for the fitness goal. *not a euphemism