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It's been a while since i was here on this site but I'm excited to get back at it and get started with taking care of myself. Apart from quarentine, I've gotten divorced, separated from my children and have worked endless hours to make up for understaffing in the care home i work for. i'm glad to have a job, and I'm glad to be healthy, but this year(as with so many others) has really taken it's toll on me. I'm ready to start moving forward so here I am! I'm looking to just do the ring fit workout on switch three days a week, play music one day a week, and do intermitten fasting daily. my goal is to stop eating at five in the evening so i can have breakfast at nine or ten in the mornings. When i was doing well, these are the things that worked for me and I know a lot of that is just creating the pattern and so that's what this month is about! So excited to be starting again!

My heart pounded and I doggedly sucked in breath as I slowly climbed the hill trail, feeling my way over lumpy roots and unexpected mudholes through the intense darkness that hung heavily over the entire landscape. The plague still raged on many months after I had initially confined myself to my cottage, and now, a silent, creeping darkness of spirit had spread softly across the land in the wake of the deaths and losses of livelihood. Despair - it hung on people's bones like old cloaks and shadowed their faces like an early nightfall. The plague showed no sign of relenting, and the traditions and gatherings that people had clung to for hope were rapidly unraveling. People needed hope. They needed a light to guide them through the dark, desperate months of winter. I paused to lean against a dead tree, holding out my right hand to grimly survey the intense blue glow of my ice powers in the sharp runes across my palm and up my arm. The fact was that I was in need of light, too - the darkness had ruthlessly pushed itself into my bones, dampening my healing powers, pushing them further and further inside me as my ice powers strengthened and threatened to take control. The cramping, freezing pain in my veins had intensified to the point that I often couldn't eat or sleep, and when I tried to work, it twisted me into near-fetal position, as flashes of ice surged through my body and left me shuddering and sick. Love, hope, light, joy - for days at a time they felt like faint memories from another time. The Voice hissed like relentless sleet against the back of my mind, spitting doubt, fear, and despair into every rune and every wound on my body; and by now, I had begun to think it was my own Voice, speaking my own real truth and inflicting the pain I truly deserved. Scars I thought had long healed creased open again and filled with ice. I was very sick, and I needed hope as much as any of the other weary souls I saw above my mask in the marketplace or at the house of worship. As I gazed quietly at the pulsing blue light in my wrist, a soft step arrived at my side; and Eamon's large hand gently closed over my palm, covering the wounds and thawing a little of the ice with his warm, strong grip. "You're shivering, Sky. Acting up again?" he asked kindly. "A little," I said through chattering teeth. "Do you need to rest? Can I carry your knapsack for a while?" I opened my mouth to say "no," but paused. Eamon's broad shoulders could easily carry my small knapsack, and that would free up my flagging strength to get to the end of this trail. "Thank you," I said sheepishly, and let him lift it from my tight, aching shoulders. He took my hand and squeezed it gently. "You know it's my pleasure to help. Lead the way, I'm here with you." A half-hour and several unexpectedly steep ravines later, we struggled to the top of the hill and stepped out into the clearing, looking down across the sprawling valley sprinkled with lights like stars in the sky. Villages lay in clusters like nebulae, the river valley a curving galaxy of houses and barns. And far off in the distance, I could see a faint arc of light along the horizon, so slender that I wasn't sure I really saw it - but I did. My heart swelled and for the first time in weeks, a bit of the pain faded in my bones. The darkness had an end. It was not infinite and it was not invincible. And no matter how heavy it lay across our land, it had not put out the little lights glowing in each home, farm and village across the valley. It could and it would be defeated. "Sky!" Eamon's voice was soft and I heard him smiling as he put his arm around my shoulders. "Look at your hands!" I looked down and was startled to see white light, not blue, glowing under my skin. For the first time in a long time, I heard the Voice's hiss in the back of my mind, but was strong enough to parry and deflect its lies. I was not the Voice and it was not my friend. And it was not going to have the final say in my heart any more than the darkness was going to put out the lights in the hearts all over the kingdom. As I turned from looking at my hands to look excitedly up into Eamon's face, my gaze was interrupted by the sprinkle of winter's first snowflakes drifting lightly into view, crystalline white and hopeful against the heavy darkness of the sky. "What's happening?" he asked, his face just barely visible in my glow, as I slipped my hands into his. "We've found the edge of hope," I replied. "And we're going to chase it until we find it."

This is a short cycle, but I’m determined to roll into this new year on track. At the start of this challenge, I’ll be on vacation celebrating my 40th(!!!) birthday with friends in a place I never imagined I’d actually get to visit. I plan to OD on junglescapes, Insta-worthy healthy food, yoga, boutique shopping and (hopefully) some culture. While I’m put, my goal is to maintain or increase my yoga schedule (a solid 2x a week - hoping for 3), and look into which other classes I might want to get into. Word around the campfire is that more friends are moving on, so I need to do what I can now to mitigate that shit. I will also continue to try and not eat like an asshole, aim to finish at least 1 more sewing project, will continue working on dog training, and hope to spend more time outside and off my couch. It is the “good” season, afterall. It would be a shame to miss it. Holiday 2019, let’s do this!

Charlie Quinn's Holiday Challenge Probably a poor choice of song, seeing as it's not really about drinking cocktails on a beach. I'm off to The Dominican Republic on the 4th of November for 2 weeks, so this is more of a battle log than a challenge. But I'm putting some mini goals in place for while I'm away so I don't spend 2 weeks doing nothing but eating and drinking on a sun lounger. Before I escape: Keep moving - Any form of exercise at least 30 mins per day (one rest day allowed) For the first time in a while, I don't have a race to train for until next year. The aim is just to keep things ticking over until I'm back from holiday. I'm expecting to lose a bit of fitness while I'm away, but I want to limit the damage by keeping things up for the next few weeks. While I'm away: This will depend on what facilities I have available to me when I'm on holiday. I think there is a gym at the hotel but I'm not sure what equipment it has. Running: If there is a treadmill, then I'll aim to run 3 times a week - If there is no treadmill, then I'll get in as much swimming as possible. I don't think running outside is going to be possible due to the heat. I really hope there is a treadmill, as I've stupidly signed up for a run the day after we fly back! That was very bad planning! Strength Training: If the gym has free-weights, I'll aim to be 2 workouts a week Bodyweight training: If there isn't any free-weights, then I'll work on bodyweight movements. Pull ups probably won't be possible, but push-ups, BW squats and dips should be easy to do in the hotel room. Handstands: If there is nothing available then I'll use the free time to work on handstands again. It's something I've always wanted to do and never found the time to fit it into my workout, so seeing as I'll have plenty of time available, I figure, why not give it a try? Before and during my escape: Don't eat like an asshole I'm not fussed about being "beach-body ready" (I'm shuddering just typing that ridiculous term), but I get bloated and uncomfortable when over-eat or eat too much junk, and I don't want to spend my holiday feeling uncomfortable. The hotel is all inclusive so this is more about self-control and "conscious eating". Just because the food is there, it doesn't mean I have to eat it. But it doesn't mean I'm going to deny myself if there is something I really want to try. I should have WiFi in the resort so I might be able to post a bit while I'm away, but I'm going to try to switch off a bit while I'm away. I'm not good at doing nothing but I'm going to try to relax as much as possible without getting completely bored!

It's been a good few months. I've made challenges and succeeded at most of them (still trying to get those splits!). I'm training for a race, never thought that would happen. Queenie's looking amazing, so now I'm just waiting for her to drop down dead(she would totally do that just to spite me). And I'm going away. On a plane. Without parents. For the first time. In less than a week. Barring the runs, which I absolutely intend to continue whilst away(I mean running on the beach, that's an experience right?!), I'm gonna take the next four weeks easy. Focus on relaxation, and eating right, and just chilling out. And what better way to chill out than to abandon the world in favour of a fantasy one? Enter challenge Bookworm! Main Quest: Read 4 new books in 4 weeks (18XP CON+2) -Buy 4 new books (18XP STA+2)] Yes, I'm totes using this as an excuse to get new books. Why? Because I love buying new books. I love the book store. I love the comfy chairs in the bookstore. I love the zombie section of the book store. I love books. Books!! -Read in different places, gardens, fields, beaches, in a tree, etc.. (16P WIS+1) I used to just read in bed, but I kept falling asleep. As this is quite a sedentry challenge, I'm going to make a point of exploring new places to read. Though, going on holiday will defintely make one week easy! -Occassionally read out loud (16XP CHA+2) If I'm reading, I'm not socialising. I'm terrible at talking. I flub my words so bad people often think I'm drunk. It comes down to being very shy and quiet, then getting braces and learning how to talk around them whilst getting into my drama class in high school, then getting them taken off 5 years later and having to learn how to talk all over again. Talking is difficult. Let's practice without the pressure of actually having to talk to people. -Focus on running and healthy eating when not reading (16XP STR+2) Still training for this 5k. I can't afford not to, I want to do well. Or at least just do it. And my diet's gone out the window recently due to lack of money. So let's work on those things. Side Quest: Teach Hutch a new trick. (16XP, DEX+2) He hasn't learnt a new one since BANG, and that was a while ago. I'm off to town tomorrow while Honey's at the vets, 1) to try and keep my mind off it, 2) I need more shampoo and conditioner, and 3) to buy these books. BOOKS!

Placeholder at the moment, but there will be housework-related goals, some focus on positivity after a few months of being peeved at feeling fat and useless, loads of pictures of me jaunting around Thailand and preparation for doing so. SpecialSundae sparkles with positivity Look for something in every day that is positive and share it. Bounce with happiness when I can. Try to ignore the demons but share them to allow other people to help when it's bad. Say something positive about every workout. Do your accessory work (maximum two sessions compressed into one, which means two sessions a week at minimum, aim to do it after each actual training session but we all know that won't happen) and aim for progression. SpecialSundae sparkles with innovation Find a way to get the letter of authenticity for REPS registration. Plan out the first four weeks of the barbell training course Plan out social media engagement and announcements Plan out booking scheme SpecialSundae makes her house sparkle too Clean the kitchen and bathroom every weekend until I go away Hoover the living room and bedroom once a week Change the sheets once a week Do at least two loads of laundry a week Put away all laundry at the weekend SpecialSundae spreads some sparkle to her spouse Spend quality time with Grant Spend at least one night a week playing Marvel Superheroes with Grant until we go away Leave the phones in our room (or at least switched off) for at least one evening meal out of two whilst in Thailand Spend time with Grant planning a few excursions and pre-book as needed - thinking of doing a cycle tour in Bangkok and a visit to a Thai boxing match in Ao Nang In the meantime, here's my thought for the day from yesterday... Any time you feel strong, squat with someone who lifts triple what you do. You'll suddenly feel very weak and insignificant!

Here's a little fun for us while we are in between challenges before the new year arrives. Let's play Battleship! I just randomly dreamed up this game while making my next challenge... so let's play! The Challenge: Each day, a fitness challenge will be set out (ie walk/run 2 intentional miles, 100 squats, 5 pull ups…) Each person on a team who completes this gets one shot (completion is honor system - don't be a cheat!) With 5 people per team, this means you could have up to 35 points per week You have approximately 24 hours to complete the task and post here. (completion posts will be accepted until the next daily task is announced) Once you complete your task, you announce which ship you’re taking your shot at (this is done by posting that you have completed your task and announcing which ship you're firing at here) I will update the shots fired each morning and and sunken ships from the battle that occurred overnight Whichever team sinks the most ships by the end of two weeks wins! How to Join: Sign up using this Google Form! I’ll use a randomized to mix up the teams to keep things fair and fun and a surprise! If we get more that 5 v 5, I’ll adjust the amount of shots per ship so that it’s still a challenge Until We Start: Chit chat! Make friends! Make enemies! GET YOUR GAME FACE ON. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ BATTLE STATS Team A (aka Team Pancake) 4 shots sinks the Destroyer Status: Still Afloat 8 shots sinks the Submarine Status: Still Afloat 12 shots sinks the Cruiser Status: Still Afloat 14 shots sinks the Battleship Status: Still Afloat 18 shots sink the Aircraft Carrier Status: Still Afloat Team B (aka Team Waffle) 4 shots sinks the Destroyer Status: Still Afloat 8 shots sinks the Submarine Status: Still Afloat 12 shots sinks the Cruiser Status: Still Afloat 14 shots sinks the Battleship Status: Still Afloat 18 shots sink the Aircraft Carrier Status: Still Afloatt

Main Quest: Attend the Nutcracker's Wedding Now that it’s the holiday season and fall, I don’t want to lose my progress. My main goal is to not gain weight. That’s it. If I maintain or lose that’s fine, but no gaining weight. Get Dressed: I want to look my best for a wedding. In order to do this I will continue mermaid training once or more a week, along with yoga twice a week. Bring Wedding Presents: I plan on sending my friends back home some presents this year! Only problem is I usually suck at remembering to do that kind of thing. So it’s a quest now. I plan on sending 10 packages. This quest is broken up into three parts: acquire gifts, wrap gifts, send gifts. Enjoy the Banquet: 'Tis the season for food, and while I don’t want to deprive myself or miss out I also don’t want to gain unhealthy weight. I will control my calorie intake for the next 6 weeks. Dance the Night Away: I’ve have been wanting to get back into ballet and have been holding back for stupid reasons. My goal is to sign up for classes and attend 6 ballet classes for this challenge.

My ultimate goal is to fit comfortably into UK size 14 trousers. To do that, I need to drop a dress size and I want to do this by losing fat. I feel like I've got a good grip on workouts and food / diet so this challenge is about getting through a stressful time at work by looking after myself and really making me the best sozzielou I can be. 1. Bikini rebellion! CON+1 WIS+2 CHA+2 The #bikinirebellion is a free course by Neghar Fonooni which works on both mind and body. I'll be immersing myself in it and completing the instagram challenges. A = Completed all the days B = Missed a couple of days C = Did the majority of days F = Didn't really keep up with it. 2. Canada! WIS+2 CHA+3 I'm going to be visiting my BFF in Canada this August, so lots of things need planning! A = All planned and paid for B = Mostly sorted, forgot something small C = OK but forgot something fundamental F = Never made it to Canada 3. ACV! CON+2 CHA+2 STA+1 I've heard many great things about apple cider vinegar, so, having weighed up the pros and cons, I've decided to try it out. My goal is to have 10ml diluted in a glass of water twice per day. I'm treating this like a 30-day hard hat challenge for the whole of the 6 weeks. Pass = Never miss 2 days in a row Fail = Miss 2 or more days in a row.

Hi, I am new to the forum. Not new to dieting - I am half a century old and have tried most diets in the book, hell I could have written the book! All of the 'lose 10 pounds in 10 minute' crap has sucked me in time after time. And I have had ENOUGH. A year ago I took up boxercise and I love it. I do it 3 times a week every week. It has made me fitter and stronger than ever but I am still overweight, because I overeat. I joined the gym and did go regularly but that has dropped off this year and I have hardly been at all. Just no motivation. With my lovely husband and teenage daughter I am moving house this Summer to a warmer climate so I will need that bikini bod to be a permanent fixture. And that is why I joined nerd fitness. My MAIN GOAL is to get down to 140 pounds, this is a loss of 28 pounds. My goal by 5th April is to lose 10 pounds and get into a particular dress - it is important for me to do so as my stepson is getting married on the 10th April and BOTH my husbands ex wives will be there. Now after 18 years together I am not worried about him running away with either of them but I would like them to see how well he has done for himself. To realise this goal I have set the following SMART goals; Eat veg/salad with my meal or as my meal at least 4 times a week. ( I am not a big veg eater)Drink at least 2 litres of water a day (don't like the stuff)Add a 20 minute walk to my routine at least 5 days a week.To measure these goals; Eat veg/salad 4 times per week = A, 3x = B twice =C less than 2 = fail Drink 2 litres of water 7 times a week = A, 5x = B, 3x = C less than 3 = fail Walk 20mins x5 = A, 4x = B, 3x = C less than 3 = fail I am going on holiday on Wednesday, also to house hunt. So I picked now to start deliberately. I think I will be able to do the salad thing and hopefully get used to it for a week, will definitely walk every day and it will be hot so drinking water shouldn't be so hard. I am hoping that this will be the kickstart I need for when I get back. I also want to start back at the gym properly - 3 times a week but will need help with a routine. I was doing arms, legs and shoulders/back on different days but want a whole body workout if anyone has a good one. I find it impossible to do a proper push up - even on my knees I can't go all the way down - are my upper arms just too weak? And a pull up - nope, not even close. Oh and because we are looking to move this Summer I have also set myself the goal of decluttering a room a week!

Welcome!! This accountability group is a little different - we're playing a game together in the hopes of getting through the upcoming holiday season with both our waistlines and our good spirits intact. You are welcome to join us!! This is a cross-guild group, and even Level 1's may join in if you like. The game is modeled on several easy kid's games, such as Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders. No copyright infringement is intended. Also, it is NOT a well-designed or carefully constructed game. I was going to play this by myself, but the idea intrigued other people; so let's give it a whirl. There are no winners or losers. I hope that everyone gets to the end of the board by the end of the challenge!! We're here to cheer each other on. Maybe engage in a little good-natured ribbing. But I hope to see everyone in the Celebration Square at the end of the challenge!!! Most of the activities you'll undertake to play the game will be decided by YOU. I'll share my lists of adventures, rewards, forfeits (ugh!), and challenges, but I really want this game to be customized to your needs and circumstances. I'm creating some resources that you can download and print out, but those are optional and the game can be played by using dice or rolling random numbers any way that you can (such as using a random number generator on your smart phone). You will need a Google account in order to access the online board. So, if you are interested, read the (yes, rather long) rules post and add your name to the game board. We'll start the game when the challenge begins!

Hi all! So thanksgiving is coming up and mine will be a 3 day stay (2 half days and 2 full days) stay with family. They are not very healthy eaters (meals are ok but lots of snacks and not very supportive of my healthy eating endeavors or exercising). I do count calories, but I won't be able to measure so I will have to estimate. I won't be able to do my exercise but I will try to fit in 10 min of bodyweight training a day. I don't want to cause friction by refusing all the foods I used to eat growing up so I think I may just take them when I need to and try to make the healthiest and lowest calorie (while filling) choices when I have control. I am going to really try to stick to my calorie goal (2500) (not trying to lose just maintain/gain muscle). Any suggesting for surviving the holiday? What do you do? Is there anything I should try hard not to do? How will 4 days off my regular diet and schedule affect me? Will I lose muscle/strength progress? Will I gain weight?

Ok, so I've only been on this diet/lifestyle change since Saturday morning. It has been 4 days. I've very mostly very good.... I did, however, spoil myself yesterday and have a hot chocolate (100% cocoa, hazelnut milk, 3 sugars), as well as some squares of high-grade dark chocolate. So not perfect but not awful. And today, my two colleagues and I were rewarded for exceeding our commission targets and beating 80+ other stores (HELL YEAH!). We were rewarded with a big box of Cadbury's white chocolate fingers. In the past I'd normally have 15-20 of them, and more if on offer. Today, I had 5. So I enjoyed them, rewarded myself for the hard work, but didn't go overboard. And I think that's what important - not that I had some bad things today, but that I had a small amount as a reward and made a conscious decision to not eat any more. Anyway, back to the topic in the title. So I weighed myself 4 days ago, and wasn't going to weigh again until I was 2 weeks into this whole thing. But because I had the hot chocolate and things, I wanted to weigh myself today. 6lbs I've lost. 6lbs!! I don't know if this is water weight, if this is a little, a lot, or average. But the fact that I've lost weight in such a short space of time...well...it gives me great self-esteem and further motivation for..... ....my trip to Serifos in October!!

So I'm off to Serifos in late October 2014. My goal is to lose as much weight as possible, but sensibly, between now and then...but also changing general lifestyle. Anyway, I'm currently 5'6 and am a size 20-22 (UK), depending on what style of clothing I'm wearing. Today I needed to get a nice summer outfit that would be a goal to fit into. Here it is: From Tesco, so not expensive. The top is loose and will have a tanktop with it eventually. It's a size 14. The shorts are a size 14. 22 to size 14 is a lot... but I tried them on earlier and, surprisingly, there is only 3 inches that I need to loose before I'll be able to wear these with the button done up. So I think that's pretty attainable. I had two books arrive today (Paleo food book, and a Primal Blueprint book), as well as 20-min workout DVD that only cost £5. So I am keeping motivated, for now. Long may it continue!! Night all Bluehorn out.

I am going to check in here for the next week and a half. Goal is to get to the gym five times between now and Jan 3rd. Gotta start building up the habit again before the next challenge! Let's do this, mini challenge! ALLONS-Y!

I'm so glad I don't have to wait 2 whole weeks for a new challenge! Weight loss is still my primary goal and will be for a while longer. Goals for the next 2 weeks: Goal 1) Go to boxing class at least 6 times. Goal 2) Go to yoga twice Goal 3) Sort through my collected underpants, decide on a strength training program to start and start it Goal 4) Clearly define what I mean by paleo-ish eating for 2014 and start improving in that direction. Merry Christmas from my family!

I considered making legit, fancy goals for this between-challenge period, but I don't think that's going to happen. And I think I can do better with something a bit more nuanced that takes into account all the buts and becauses and wherefores and so on. So roughly, my goal is to a) survive Christmas and recover from it enough to hit the next challenge at full speed. The Christmas survival thing is tough. I'm visiting my parents, and without going into too much detail, there are both massive fundamental issues between us and minute-to-minute annoyances that make things pretty tough. (And that's not far from literal; it would be an exaggeration to say that a full 60 seconds never goes by without my dad screaming about something or my mom trying to put food in my face, but I don't know that it would be an exaggeration to say that a full 5 minutes never passes without one of those things occurring.) Moreover, we were visiting my brother's in-laws for Thanksgiving -- since they host a big party, my parents were on their best behavior then. But now, it's just me here, so they can be themselves in full force. I'm not calm and won't be until I leave, which is mercifully only three days away. And I haven't done well with my diet, but I'm trying not to stress out too much about that -- again, it's a short time to deal with it. I have established the precedent of taking long walks on my own, which helps, and I also brought some work to do... I think it will be fine. After getting home comes the ramping up to full speed for my next challenge. That will involve restoring the diet to what it should be (and ideally reaching the same weight I was at before the holidays), getting back into my exercise routine (which involves classes with instructors who push me, rather than being solely responsible for myself), and re-acquainting myself with a writing project that I've pushed to the back burner for the past couple months. I should also actually formalize and write down my goals for the next challenge -- I've got plenty of ideas in my mind, so it's really just a matter of picking them. Also, I need to find a polite way to say "Flying from Chicago to Florida so that I can take a road trip to New Jersey with a woman who has to chirp about something meaningless constantly and a man who never seems to be able to put his wants into words but compensates for that by expressing them at ever-increasing volume sounds like an extraordinarily bad use of my vacation time next year." Is that possible? Oh, yeah. Serenity.