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It’s been a year since I was in the gym regularly or doing any physical training in any recognizable fashion. Over the last couple years, I’ve focused on Druidics, deepening my abilities and establishing a bedrock. This is good. But it’s time to come out of the cave and stand in the sun, even if it’s the thin light of winter. 2022 begins the Paladin Build, and I’m not going to sugar-coat it: I’m intimidated. I have no idea what I will be able to achieve. I have lots (lots) of self doubt on this front. If I learned anything in the Deep Dark Druid forest, it’s that we can only solve a problem we are willing to have. Simply put, I can’t scale an obstacle that I’m unwilling to face. Join me as I muster my willingness to walk back into the gym and see what I can do, and how often I can do something, anything once I am there. In this, I’m turning to my long-ago skill tree to help guide me through. There is one goal this round: Get in the gym, whenever I can, without judgement. If the core of druidics is “Be here now,” then the core of this challenge is “do something now.” I always know what to do once I’m there. Any of these: Strength: Lifting heavy things Intelligence is a weapon like no other: Reading, writing, classes Wisdom to know how and when and where to fight Constitution: Sleep, eat, water, Wellness Wednesday (acupuncture/massage, milk & eggs) Dexterity: Body-weight training (pushups, core work, yoga) Endurance: Just keep moving (swim, stationary bike) Charisma: Sauna, sleep

Hello, this is One Dank Medic, ....or at least, that's what I hope to become. Like him Or him But will probably end up like him at best I am a 22-year-old female, recent college graduate and working as a Lab Technician is an urgent care. My main life goal is to become an excellent physician and live life to its fullest. I found Nerdfitness about a year or so ago loved the concept. The idea of making your life into a game/adventure/quest was a childhood dream of mine! I also am nerdy ad love video games (LoZ is my favorite!) I am looking to finally maintain a healthy lifestyle. Ever since I was 16 I have yo-yo-ed on so many crash diets and never have been able to sustain any weight loss. Sugar is my kryptonite, and other than working a 12-hour shift, I don't do much exercise (And wouldn't you know people bring sugar to work EVERY DARN DAY). Exercise has never been a priority for me, except lately I have been developing anxiety and its only been getting worse. I know exercise will be able to help me manage that, so I need to formulate a plan that I will stick with. I appreciate any advice on how to fit in an exercise schedule on a tight time budget! I am looking to improve my life. I moved out on my own about 6 months ago (one goal made!), but I still don't lead much of a life. After class/study or work I just go home and scroll on the internet/ watch Netflix until I fall asleep. That's no way to live, not what I think how a rebel should live. As I start this quest of life I would like to build it into a full and active life (once I get to med school though, that's going to have to be compromised). I have one other goal that I will be tracking: my grades. While I am pre-med, my grades are low. I have been fighting for the past 2 years to build my GPA and still fighting. I am going to be tracking my study hours and habits to make me a better student! I humbly ask for your gracious support, I will in return to my best to support this community!

WORLD AT WAR AERI'S WAR FOR MASTERY Among the very particular things you must know before setting off to follow the path of an Apprentice of Intent; one who cultivates power, the art of seeing and mastery of the will, is exactly what makes a warrior. The Way of the Warrior A warrior thinks of his death when things become unclear. His ultimate weapon is the power of decision, as a master of his choices, executing them at his best, living strategically. Prepared for battle, gear carefully selected, every struggle is a warrior's last battle on earth. 'We are luminous beings,' that much you've heard. But it doesn't end here. There are ally and enemy forces in this world, and all can be turned. In order to conquer each of these forces a fearsome battle must be fought. When you least expect it, with or without your knowledge, you will be facing that which you thought your ally in one last stand. Enemies turned to allies, allies to enemies, to be defied and defeated only by those who will it, those who fight on and yet see. The ultimate goal of an Apprentice of Intent is to become a Lord of Knowledge. For that, one must develop unbending intent, and as a warrior, challenge and defeat one's four natural enemies: Fear, Clarity, Power, and Old Age. ______________________________ STORY INDEX Origins I: Dreaming Origins II: Forces Origins III: Planning Origins IV: Restart The Messenger The Trials The First Enemy The Rematch Meeting The Master ______________________________ EPIC QUEST LIST Woken by unseen forces, Aeri plots to bring about a revolution in the old ways and build a new world; she shall soon be known as: "The Light Bringer" . . . Beginning her journey as an apprentice, the first task given to her is to make contact with fellow newbies, seasoned warriors, and elders; set a line of communication and always take notes of progress and details of undertakings. It is through the ups and downs of each battle that one can improve tactics and scale them for winning the war. Below are the areas that must be covered to come out a victor in the war for mastery. It is a long list, I warn ye. Specifics for each quest can be seen in my Character Page, they will be updated as they come up for pursuit. Tales of major battles in the War for Mastery will be posted in this very thread. Whereas minor battles, result summaries and upgrades will be posted in my Battle Log. For bearing with the long scroll, thank you, - Aeri

My 4 week challenge goals are going to be pretty basic as I want to SUCCEED for my respawn and make life changes!! Diet eat a vegetable with at least one meal daily Fitness some form of exercise every day Level Up Your Life Meditate/pray daily

Hey guys I am new here. I 've got the following routine: 1st day legs and delts, 2nd day chest and triceps and 3rd day back and biceps. I want to level up and try some strength exercises such us: deadlifts, bench press, squats, shoulder press, sled drag etc. Do I have to change exercise routine? Or I can add them to right day? (e.g.: squats to the leg day and bench press to the chest day). If yes, how to put the others that require the whole body (e.g.: deadlifts, sled drag) ?

The phrase "drop the hammer" never really made sense. If you drop your warhammer, what are you supposed to use to crush your enemies? I'm starting this thread because it's easy for me to put things off and justify my procrastination. I'll be posting my fitness and workout updates, but the most important challenges I face are in my career and family life. My fitness goals fit best with the Rangers, I believe. I want to be able to mountain bike long distances, ride a slackfline, and have the strength and endurance to snowboard all day with my kids. A sub-goal is to lose weight from 243 pounds to under 230, or to reduce my body fat percentage from 22% to below 20%. On to the important things. Career - My goal is to find to a new job. My current job has changed significantly from when I accepted it. It has turned into a grind. I need to find a new job, allowing me to use my skills of working with people, learning quickly and performing under pressure in addition to being good with computers. I would like to find a job with the same compensation or better, but ideally will find a job that brings back my excitement to help others. Family - I think my family is pretty awesome. So, this goal isn't necessarily to improve the relationship I have with them, but that is always something I want. More than five years ago, my wife and I saw a video of a family who was traveling and decided that was what we wanted to do that. Since then, we have run into multiple roadblocks; many of them in my own mind, where my own doubts and fears gave me reasons not to move forward. Within a year, I want to be able to start traveling regularly with my family, while being in a position to continue providing financially for my family. Stay tuned. More to come.

Video games are my favorite thing ever. At 36 years of age, I'm finally going to attempt to control the amount of time I spend on them. I recently posted on the Academy Facebook group that I'm just going to give all my games away. I've decided I can still enjoy games if I schedule it out a certain way. (Don't worry, people who made their claims will receive their Christmas presents. I've already sent them out.) So this is my plan. Batched Gaming January through November: NO GAMES. Let's just see what I elect to use the time on when video games are not an option. December: ONE YEAR OF GAMING COMPRESSED INTO ONE MONTH. So I'll be really playing a lot during the holidays. 2017's already got some games on the list yo! FF12 HD, Dragon Quest XI, perhaps a little Mini NES Classic (if I can get one), Perhaps something from the Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary collection. It's going to be a lot of gaming in December and I think this will work well because the alternative is spending a couple hours each night and a lot of time on weekends playing games. I really want to use that time to work on my career.

Wow. What a wonderful ride it has been over the last few years. I am absolutely impressed with the difference small changes over time have wrought, and I feel as though I am standing on the peak of a mountain, valleys, streams and waterfalls around me, held by the love of the universe. And the way before me shows higher peaks yet, beautiful vistas for the journey, and I face them with strength and serenity. This challenge will encompass summer, with all the strange and delightful and at times surreal energy that comes along with an abundance of sun. Summer classes run from 20 June - the end of July for me, and I’m looking forward to a whole new kind of development. My focus is on the weekly accomplishments: Lead Development 2 books 2 TED talks Create 501c3 paperwork EIN Articles of Incorporation Offices Bank Account Newspaper - possibly next challenge, but lay the framework here Live Hike Acupuncture Yoga therapy Library Day Market Day Love the support of a daily routine In bed at 10 Out of bed at 6 Spend nothing, because you have everything Gym Walking Speak Out Response article Response Paper for Andy Response Paper for Jenny Tweet for Justice Tweet for Community Paper: The Power of Pamphleteers Mental Health Article Financial Freedom Article

After three months of fairly consistent workouts, it's time to put my newly added hip strength and mobility to use and focus more on Karate. 1 - More Karate training - Karate class at home each week Ever since one of my Senseis, who is also my Iaido Sensei, retired over two years ago, I no longer have the same amount of fundamental training that I had back then. I am told by my kata coach that my basics are very good but I still feel that need more of the back and forth drills that I used to do in class each Thursday night. With that said, this time, I have to get in that second Karate workout each week at home along with my formal Karate class each week. 2 - Kick, kick and kick some more - Kicks at least 5 days a week Now that my hips are starting to cooperate, it's time to work on some kicks again. Sets of 5 kicks with each leg to start and I will see where it goes from there. 3 - Time to cut the fat Doing all the workouts I did over the last three months really helped me pack on some leg and glute mass but it also helped me gain over 15 pounds and some of that is in my waist. Needless to say, I like the smaller waist and I do feel that I am carrying a bit too much weight even though is has had any impact on my endurance. I'm eating less now than I was before so I am not totally sure where the weight came from but I want to spend the next four weeks figuring out how to take it off. Life challenge - Level up my life I recently bought Steve's excellent book and am about a third of the way through it and I really like what he is saying. I have read many self help books and I went to see Tony Robbins last year but for some reason, I have this big motor and my tires are spinning instead of it taking my life forward. With that said, I want to finish Steve's book and starting implementing what he suggests over the next 30 days. I think I already have my alter ego picked out and now it's time to get going with it.

My first WOOT post because I levelled up to level 2 in the academy today! Hopefully the first of many levels in the foreseeable future.

My journey to becoming a curvy, strong, and flexable badass. I am currently working on : Flexibility- a full Herron with leg straight Endurance- run two miles without walking Strength- Squat: 3x10 with 75 lbs Dead lift:3x10 with 90 lbs

Im a father, biker, home brewer, leather worker and new to the Rebellion. I heard about this site on the art of manliness podcast. I thought it was worth giving a try. Im on day 3 and Ive done the at least 10 minute walk twice so far and I have cut out all sodas. Its baby steps I guess. I want to keep at this and see where it goes. Saying and doing is two different things. I start back at school in a few weeks and as a father to a 12 and 3 year old there is not enough hours in the day it would seem. Ill get a before picture soon. Hopefully this gets my wife into wanting to try this out.

Hi there! Username is Lady Ninja, but if you're reading this, you've just earned the ability to call me Aly J (Alyssin June). It'll be a great inside secret for us who read and welcome other new members such as myself! I like lists. I am: -a soccer player/enthusiast -a martial artist -lifter -avid reader -in college because degrees are a thing -obsessed with sugar I like: -lists -sugar -blankets -April 25th, because it's not too hot, and not too cold... all you need is a light jacket Who am I..? Well... I used to play soccer in high school. In college, I became a fine arts major, had no time to devote to team sports. A year passes. Then, I started kickboxing. It became my LIFE. I loved it. I loved the mat. My instructors, my partners. It was a family. I was on the mend, but a day after getting my first belt, it was time for... Knee surgery. Invasive, but not to the point where extensive surgery was needed. I have Osgood-Schlatter's disease in both knees, and my left was so bad that I needed to get a bone chip removed. All I needed was one month to heal, then six or so months to make a full recovery. Doc said I should be able to pretty much resume everything in that first month I had been doing previously. But school started again, and I went back to a university that had no kickboxing gym or classes anywhere nearby. I fell into what was probably depression, and tried to do >100g of carbs a day... cold turkey. I ended up gaining fifteen pounds, which, in all honesty, probably was somewhat healthy for my non-feminine figure. I picked up another style of martial arts, but it wasn't the rigorous training that had me looking like a Rousey wanna-be. Went back home for winter, did more kickboxing. Transferred schools, no time for consistent martial arts with my internship. But... I picked up a personal trainer. He taught me how to weight-lift. In six weeks, I dropped 3% bodyfat without it being my goal! My goal was to learn how to use weights and learn exercises that would keep me interested. Now I am an avid lifter. I train martial arts, life and do interval training when I can. I recently finished my five-and-a-half-week stint as a camp counselor (loved it), but my diet was whatever we had in the dining hall and s'mores, and my exercise program suffered because, well, you just can't outrun your fork. My body and my mind? Well... not exactly ring-worthy. Without further ado, I present Lady Ninja's (Tentative) List of Goals: ATHLETIC: -Run a 5k comfortably -Be able to do two consecutive non-assisted pullups -Have a solid routine -Lose body-fat PERSONAL: -Have a better outlook on my personal body-image -Sleep better DIET: -Set long-term, tasty, attainable goals -Learn how to cook!! -Go back to eating as clean as possible -Figure out a way to control my blasted sweet-tooth I say tentative because I would love suggestions about how to attain these goals/modifications to them. The body-image and sugar control are my two biggest concerns. Once I've committed to any/all of these goals, I'll boldface them Thanks for reading, and for having me as part of the Rebellion! Talk to me about books, fashion, movies, martial arts, soccer, nerdy things, whatevs! I love being part of a community, and I can't wait to get to know you! ~Lady Ninja (Aly J)

Woot Ding, just got level 7 scout

Hello all, I am happy to say that I just completed the LOTR: Fellowship book. While I can't say that I remember all the details of the novel, I can say that it was a very good book. I do think that to complete the series, I may opt for the movies (none of which I have ever seen)....I know "bad nerd". I also started Star Wars Rebels this weekend. One of my other posts about Thrawn Trilogy led me to begin looking closer at the newer Canonized Star Wars Universe, instead of going back to the older books. So Rebels is my first step. I didn't watch all of Season 1, but watched enough to know what was going on, and then watched the Season 2 Premiere. I will also be going back and watching Episodes IV, V, and VI with both my daughters this weekend. My daughter and I are also going through the list of Marvel Universe Phase 1 and 2 to get ready for the upcoming movies. I am happy to say that I have turned her into an Avengers Angel (I liked the alliteration better than saying Marvel Nerd). We began with Captain America: First Avenger, and have made it through Iron Man 3 so far. Next on our list is Thor: Dark World, Captain America Winter Soldier, then to see Age of Ultron (again), and Ant-Man. Next on my list of books will be Game of Thrones. I haven't seen any of the HBO shows, but I am still looking forward to it. So, anyway, that is my "Leveling Up in the Nerd Universe" update. Now it's on to Level Up my Diet and actually stick to it. More to post about it later. If anyone has any suggestions about what they recommend for what's next, feel free to share.

Hello Monks! After taking over a year off from Nerd Fitness, I realized that I need support as I face my greatest challenge yet: the Krav Maga level 2 test. My gym takes belt tests quite seriously. I wasn't ready for the most recent test in February, but that may have been a good thing. It was five hours long and the final drill was to bear-crawl through the snow while being attacked by Disturbers. What are Disturbers you might ask? Hang tight, I'll explain in due time. Back story: You may have heard about Krav Maga. It may have been something like this: Regardless of what you might think, it's an awesome workout and tons of fun. If you want to know more, we made a pretty sweet video (I'm the biker chick in the black jacket) demonstrating the awesomeness of Krav Maga last year. I feel like I can safely say 'awesomeness' since The Awesomer featured it... Over a year and a half ago, I completed my first NF challenge that was geared towards passing the Krav level 1 test. I blew it away, met my goals, and tested up successfully. Then life happened... graduate school got crazy and I started working 10-12 hour days rather than staying sane and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Consequently, NF and I grew apart. Since I tested up in Nov. 2013, I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't made any progress towards leveling up. Instead, I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water with my health and fitness goals; no where near the badass that I would like to be. Well, I will tread water no more! It's well past time that I leveled up. Join me as I prepare for to test up on May 30th. The Test: 3-5 hours total of good-natured hell with no more than the occasional 30-60 second break. Hour 1-2: Being driven to exhaustion with some combination of constant drills (hammer-fists as fast and hard as you can for 60 seconds, etc.), burpees, pushups, combative sit ups, sprints, holding plank position while being kicked in the abs, etc. Hour 2-4: Technique demonstrations, working through entire level 2 curriculum Hour 5: Final Drill... this always changes and is ALWAYS insane. One year, it was carry your partner while you swim/paddle across the Cape Fear river. As I mentioned for the most recent test, it was bear-crawling through snow while fending off attackers. You can't really prepare for this, you just have to keep moving and survive. I should also mention... at any time during the test, you can be attacked by Disturbers. These are senior students (at least one belt/rank higher than you) wearing masks (I prefer a purple lucha libre mask when I disturb for the level 1 tests) who can make you do situps/pushups/etc. and generally make your life hell at any moment. The bonus for the level 2 test is that they can try to black bag you, attack you, and/or pull you into an extended sparring session which you have to be able to fight off. The Challenge: After much thought, I've decided that to prepare for this boss battle, I really need to target 3 major areas: technique refinement, strength, and endurance. Goal #1: Technique Refinement Attend Krav classes 3x a week I know the entire level 2 curriculum, I just need to perfect things here and there. Goal #2: Strength 100 pushups, situps, or burpees every day I have no idea what crazy physical feats of strength will be required, but if I can bang out 100 pushups in a row I would definitely be in good shape for the test. I'll be starting out with 4 sets of 25 and ramp up the size of each set throughout the challenge. Goal #3: Endurance Run 4 miles a week I hate running. With a passion. Therefore, I should probably work on it a bit. I envision this as being a goal of running 4 miles total, so I could do 2 2 mile runs or a giant 4 mile run. If you'd like to follow along, I made a spreadsheet to track my progress.

The Second Confluence: (+100 points to whoever gets the reference ;D) Hi guys, this is my second challenge and it feels awesome to move on from the Recruit forum, woo! (see my first challenge here if you're curious) I'm hoping to tackle a few problems that came up in my last challenge revolving around food and some ineffective SMART goals. I also want to continue my Corpse Bride t-shirt saga, and will post up progress photos every two weeks, donning this miraculously stretchy shirt of mine (see below). Starting Measurements: Bust: 40" Waist: 34" Hip: 40" Thigh: 27" Upper Arm: 12" Starting Weight: 179 pounds My Main Quest: To quit food binging. This was a problem I wasn't aware of until halfway through my first challenge. I had "upped my game" after two weeks of success, overwhelmed myself and became on the verge of giving up altogether. While I fought through this, the rest of my challenge was littered with binge nights, usually twice a week. I want to beat this by catering my challenges towards this goal, and hopefully set myself on the right path to true nerdy awesomeness. Day 1 photos (taken from Day 42 of the previous challenge): Quest 1: Complete three exercise routines a week. I've recently discovered NR neilarey.com, and after a lot of consideration I've picked out these three workouts to complete - The Uncharted Workout, Lara Croft and Power 10. These should help strengthen a variety of muscles over the next six weeks and also ramp up the difficulty from the BBWW I completed previously, which became quite easy towards the end. I'm also hoping to complete at least five deep push-ups before the challenge is done too. A = completed 18 workouts [+3 STR], B = completed 12 workouts [+2 STR], C = completed 6 workouts [+1 STR] Quest 2: Eat less. Part of the binging problem was the portions of food I had. A common phrase I hear is that "All food is good for you - in moderation". While I think some foods are just inherently bad for you whichever way you look at it, I do agree with this statement and I want to keep a better eye on my food portions these next few weeks, specifically for dinners and snacks. I will make the effort to correctly portion out both my snacks and meals every day with scales before eating them (or looking at the back of the packet to see how much a portion is), so I don't eat anymore than I need. By Day 42, I want this habit to be well ingrained into my head so I don't deviate from this again. Measurement: A = 35-42 good portions [+3 CON], B = 28-34 good portions [+2 CON], C = 21-27 good portions [+1 CON] Quest 3: Have two cups of tea or a pint of water every evening after dinner. This sounds easy to do and hopefully will be, but the secret plan here is to fill my stomach up with liquid rather than food and stop me from snacking as much during the evenings. Note that I'm not banning snacking completely as I hope this quest will work well in conjunction with quest 2 and limit the quantity of my snacking. I also don't want to outright ban myself from eating certain foods, but instead develop a better and healthier relationship with eating over time. Measurement: A = 35-42 hydration [+3 WIS], B = 28-34 hydration [+2 WIS], C = 21-27 hydration [+1 WIS] Life Quest: Start and complete a Games Design Document for a game idea I want to develop. The idea in my head is extremely vague right now, but if I complete a decent GDD in the next six weeks, then I'll have a concept that can be developed further. I've done a few GDD's during uni, so I know the general structure of the document, what content needs to be included and to what depth. With any luck by my next challenge, I'll have a game to start creating! Measurement: A = 100% GDD [+3 CHA], B = 75% complete GDD [+2 CHA], C = 50% complete GDD [+1 CHA] Motivation: I want to become the fitter and healthier me and set myself up this way for the rest of my life. Plus it never hurts to be stronger than the average person! I also want to be able to cosplay more often and I refuse to do this without better physique. If I'm gonna nerd out, I'm gonna do it properly. ;D So now that's all typed out, do you know what time it is, Adventurers...? Time to kick ass.

Hello! It's a me, Mario! Ok not really. Shawn here, if you don't know me yet, lucky you! After reading all the rules about the challenges and the guilds, I just couldn't get into it. To be honest, I was never interested in those types of RPG's. As a kid, I was more of a Mario player. My childhood consisted of dodging turtle shells instead of arrows. So to keep true to the purpose of Nerd Fitness's idea of "Level Up Your Life," I created my own challenge for the journey my girlfriend and I are on to build strength, lose weight and live a more happier life. (Follow us on Twitter, link is in our signature.) We just started this challenge today so we may need to make some tweaks along the way as needed. I have broken down my idea into sections below for easier understanding. I have attached 2 pictures for reference. Basics The objective is to go through each level (week) and try to obtain coins and avoid bosses to level up to the next world. All progress is tracked on a chart on our fridge. What is a level? A level is 7 days long. How do we advance to the next level? We have to earn 12 coins. How do we earn coins? We get 1 coin per day for a total of 7 coins. To earn the additional 5 coins we need to complete the level and earn a star, we have to do little challenges or other things that will level up our life (ex. reading a chapter in a book, putting money in our savings or towards a bill, cleaning our cars, etc.) Monday is our weigh-in day, if we lost weight, we get a coin. We can only get 12 coins per level to avoid earning too many coins early and slacking off the remaining levels. We need a total of 4 stars (48 coins) and a minimum of one 1-up mushroom to "warp" to the next world. More on the 1-up mushroom later. How do we get a star? We have to cash in 12 coins to earn 1 star. A total of 4 stars allows us to warp to the next world. What is a world? A world is a commutation of 4 completed levels. To warp to the next world, we need a total of 4 stars. After successfully completing each world, we can buy ourselves a maximum $10-$20 Prize each! (ex. LEGO's, new clothes, iTunes gift card, DVD, can opener, bubble wrap, w/e we want!) We can also save the cash each world to buy something bigger and better later. Oh and of course bragging rights to our pet. That's right Peter our rabbit, we're king! Can we lose coins? Absolutely! If we go about our day and do what we are supposed to, we get our daily coin no questions asked. However, if we encounter a boss and he defeats us, we lose all chances of earning a coin that day and need to earn that coin back on another day. What do you mean bosses? Bosses are different for everyone and should be specific to your own life. Bosses are things that represent our goals, our chores, our mentality, etc. The way a boss "defeats" us is by us not doing what we had planned to do. Bosses for us include not going to the gym, letting our depression take a hold of me, not having at least 1 game/movie night a week, not doing our chores, going over our calories on MyFitnessPal, etc. I included a picture of our "key" which shows you our bosses and the character that represents them. If the boss defeats us, we have to put his picture on our warp pipe for the whole level as a constant reminder that he won that day. What are red mushrooms for? We are given 3 red mushrooms in each world to be used as a free day where we still can get our daily coin even if we royally screwed up. Once we use them, we lose them until we start a new world. What are green mushrooms for? The extra life green 1-Up mushrooms are earned by trying something new and out of our comfort zone, whether it be a new food or a new activity. We need a minimum of one 1-Up mushroom to warp to the next world and we can earn as many as we want. Today I earned one by trying dehydrated jalapeno kale chips my coworker offered me, win! Is the Doctor in? If we are sick one day, we can call Dr. Mario and he will prescribe us a day of rest. If we're faking it however, he will charge us 1 coin so we have to be honest with ourselves and hold each other accountable. Doctors aren't cheap! How the chart works We tape our character to the pipe that is the current day and tape either our bosses or our coins to the pipe depending on how that day went based on the instructions above. Each day we move only our character to the next pipe leaving the previous days items still attached. (We laminated ours to make it easier and we can draw on it with a dry erase marker. Benefits of dating a teacher!) I put the star we're after on the last day for something to aim towards. We put the total number of 1-Ups, stars and coins we've earned to date next to the icons. We put the number level we are on and world we are on as well. We put our weight under our name. An example of what it should look like once we get it going is attached. What are those mystery boxes? Mystery boxes are something to add fun to the week. They can be anything we want. We saved a bunch of these box photos in a folder on our desktop and renamed each photo a specific item so we just open up the folder, hold the arrow key down to scroll through all the pictures at light speed and when we release the button, whatever picture we land on we read what it is titled and that is what we win, or have to do...mu ha ha ha! Some of our examples are: Do 15 jumping jacks, Other person has to do a plank, You pick next movie, Other person has to wash your car windows, etc. I know it sounds confusing but it really isn't. We hope it will bring an element of fun to our journey so we will no longer live like Gumba's! Think this is cool? So did the following: The NY Times calls it, "That was 6 minutes of my life I'll never get back." Borat said, "Very nice, great success!" Lil Jon screamed, "What!? Ooookkk!" Why be Mario if we can Super Mario! Thanks for reading!

I'm taking inspiration from Doctor Who for my fitness training. Companion training Necessary abilities: running away, thinking quickly, throwing the occasional punch Fitness plan: Sprinting, Yoga, Beginner Body Weight Motivation: - To run with the Doctor - Depression is a thing and if I started exercising, maybe the endorphins would help me through that - My dad was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes and I don't want that to be me Goals: Lose 2 inches on waist (or 10lbs) by Feb 15th The end of this challenge corresponds with the Gallifrey One convention and my River Song cosplay did not fit me so well at Comikaze. Alex Kingston will be at Gally this year and I'm so excited about the opportunity to meet her! It's seriously motivating me to want to look good for a photo op. Longer term goals: lose 5 inches total by June, lose 8 inches total by end of year (and keep it there). Measuring my goals in inches makes more sense to me because I care more about how clothes fit and I want to gain some muscle too. Currently 5'10" 190lbs 35in waist Known weaknesses: allergy/sinus problems (running can aggravate this, especially outdoors), money issues, getting lost on the interwebz, french fries Known strengths: swing dancing, flexibility, weight training, thriving with people/social activities =========== Since I'm posting late, here's what I did last week: Fitness - yoga class on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, 1hr each Food - haven't sat down to create my food plan yet, but I took salads to work every day for lunch and snacked on almonds and cutie oranges while at the office. Breakfast and dinners followed Paleo 70% of the time I am currently using a Groupon for unlimited yoga classes that goes through the end of February and I have another Groupon for a month of martial arts classes that I need to activate by the end of January. I am going to do the Beginner Body Weight through this month and then switch it out for the martial arts training. Beginner body 3x week Yoga 2x week Sprint training in between Swing dancing nights may replace sprint training on occasion, as it's still an amazing cardio workout. And if I watch a Doctor Who episode, I have to follow this: I am going to slowly go into eating Paleo again. I did a full speed ahead Paleo diet a year ago with my sister's wedding as the goal and stuck with it for about six months. Because time and money got in the way, towards the end of that six months, I ended up eating chicken and broccoli for almost every meal. I got tired of making every single meal and wound up either not eating enough calories or binging on fast food. I'm looking at how I can do a weekly meal prepping as part of my schedule so I don't eat unhealthy things because I'm too hungry to wait to make something. I'm not entirely sure which class or profession I fit into yet, so we'll see.

This is going to be a challenge worthy of the name. I have loads of work this trimester, so this will be a good moment for me to learn that I can be hyper-busy while keeping control of my life and attain my goals without letting anxiety overflow. Goal 1. Be zenLara. Meditate, breathe, move, rest, and read and think my affirmations. Goal 2. Music is life. 1 hour of flute practice 5 to 7 days/week plus extra time on weekends, including stage fright preparation, plus half an hour 3 to 4 times a week for the recorder. The difficulty resides on finding time for an extra instrument in a period of the scholar year where my performance duties have already increased. I have also several projects at work with my students that can't be postponed. I should include here the tap dance solo I need to get ready for the end of this challenge. Goal 3. Keep moving! It belongs to the anxiety group of activities, but as this is a very important item I'll treat it as a goal on its own. Strength workouts, tap dancing lessons, running and walking outdoors, short mobility work before sleep. What changes from last challenge is that I'd like to be more organized. Goal 4. The key goal. Be disciplined, be organized, keep track of every task, but have fun and don't be judgemental. Procrastination is not allowed, but neither are critizicing or judging. Focus on the process and stay positive. Write down a positive things list. Mentally rewards after every action that helps me leveling up. Goal 5. Life support goal. Eat big and fatty, chew my food, take supplements and sleep well and enough so everything else is easier. Emergency alert. If I feel anxiety is piling up and I don't seem to be able to handle it, I'll do like I did last challenge and stop some activities for a few days: work goals will be put on standby until I recover and I'll do less of everything. Health and peace of mind are more important than work or good performances. Rewards. I want to focus this challenge on immediate mental rewards. I want to learn to reward myself for those little everyday actions I do against chaos. If I finally plan some mid-challenge, fourth-week or final material rewards, I think I'll better choose things that will help with anxiety, such as taking a massage or having a day-off or going to some beautiful place. Points to achieve level 6. STR 1 If I get to do at least 8 strength workouts (goal 3) DEX 3 If I get to finish my tap solo for the end of the challenge (goal 2) STA 2 If I go out for a run at least 8 times (goal 3) CONS 2 If I sleep and eat well regularly so my energy levels don't go down (goal 5) WIS 5 If I succeed at goals 1 and 4 so I clearly level up (goals 1 and 4) CHA 2 If my work projects are done on due time and I get good results from my musical practice (goal 2) Here in Spain we are still on holidays and as I want to give myself every bit of this off-time, and also have to travel to Lisbonne and back next weekend, I don't think I'll start my challenge until january the 12th instead of next monday. Maybe I'll extend it another week to make up for the delay.

I have seen the face of death. I have seen the alluring visage of the destruction of the world as I know it. It is a beautiful and seducing creature, complacency. Like Sephiroth to Zack Fair, it lulled me into a sense of security and trust, only to reveal its true nature, and its true mission: The undoing of the world as I know it. This proverbial Sephiroth dreams of my unravelling, and would have me left in a chair, drowned in my own thoughts and dreams, bereft of all motivation. I do not intend to allow this to happen. I am reclaiming my world. I am living my own life, one of Dreams and Honor! But in order to do that, I need help. Not only in the form of an adventuring party (my friends and family) but I intend to create an arsenal of momentum! Much like the Materia provided Cloud with the power to overcome Sephiroth, I intend to collect my own "materia" in an effort to create momentum to overpower any obstacles in my own life! In order to accomplish this, I have enlisted a group of adventurers to aid me, including my very own Vincent Valentine, and have created my list of Materia to master in order to be ready for the final fight, and to acheive Level 50. Items marked with an asterisk (*) are epic enough in my eyes that they bestow an immediate level. Materia Summon Summon Materia conjures creatures from thin air to help you do battle. While I can't summon a dragon, there are a number of things I would like to create myself. This category wil cover these things. Make a studio albumMake an EPMarket my own Wine, beer, or liquorMake a music videoWrite a mangaMake a TV show/web seriesMake a MovieDo a remake of the movie OresamaDo a modern take of a Kurosawa classic filmMake my own board/card gameCreate my own clothing lineMake video documentary of an epic road trip or tourBuild/own a castle*Voice an anime characterAct in a movieBuild a 24' miniramp in my backyardBuild a Ninja Warrior training course in my backyardBuild Bunsylvania Castle (a castle-themed habitat for my rabbits)Build my own piece of furnitureAdditionally, I would like to own a number of exotic animals (and know how to take care of them!) I feel this fits well within the idea of creature summoning! IguanaA flock of chickens (or other large birds)FoxLlama/alpacaGoatFlamingo*Big Cat (Likely a snow leopard)*Koi PondMagic Magic Materia is used for casting spells. And we all know that spell casters have to be smart! This will be my chronicling of scholarly pursuits. Get a Bachelor's DegreeGet a Master's DegreeGet a Ph.D*Learn JapaneseLearn Tolkien ElvishCommand Command Materia provides extra commands in battle like Throw or Steal. While I have no desire to go about beating people up for money, I do have some skills I'd like added to my own screen. Master Kenjustu*Learn to play drumsLearn to skateboardLearn ParkourLearn to play a shamisenLearn Wood WorkingLearn Metal WorkingLearn Leather WorkingLearn to SnowboardLearn Armor Making (Leather, Chain, Scale, or Plate)Support Support Materia is typically linked to other materia to create a greater effect. This category is for goals that will likely hinge on the aid of others. Tour in a bandTour with a band I admireCollaborate on a music project with an artist I admireWork with Greg Graffin in any capacity*Be a heroTour in a foreign country with my bandPerform on the Warped TourTake my mom somewhere incredibleSpend an entire weekend playing through the compliations of Final Fantasy VII. (Could be done alone, but much better appreciated with friends)Play an impromptu concert and get shut down by the policePlay an impromptu concert and get away with itCompete in The Tough Guy Competition in Staffordshire, England*Help with a major environmental cause or initiative*Swim with sharksRecord at Jingletown StudiosRecord at the Blasting RoomTake my wife to an Awards Show (Grammy's, etc.)Independant This is typically a stat increasing or auto-ability providing materia, therefore these will all be fitness goals, and also goals that I can complete completely on my own. Have legitimate 6-pack absBe at 10% Body FatRun a full marathonDo 25 pullupsDo a muscle-upDo a flag holdDo a hand standStage DiveSmash a guitar after a performanceSign a legitimate autographTake a full week (seven consecutive days) off of all responsibilities to do nothing but record musicDo stand up comedyCompete on American Ninja Warrior^Complete Round 1 (then 2, then 3, then 4...)Compete on Sasuke (the amazing original Ninja Warrior)*Play in a Magic: The Gathering Worlds TournamentDo a completely absurd, yet successful punk coverBuy a shit ton of land for natural preservation purposes*Score a film or video game soundtrack*Sponsor an animal (at a zoo or otherwise)Hear one of my songs on the radioSee one of my music videos on MTV*Be featured in a newspaper or magazine for my workBe a musical guest of honor at an anime conventionBe entirely debt freeTattoos. Lots and lots of tattoos.Enemy Skill This Materia functioned outside the realm of any others, allowing you to assume the powers of many of the various cratures found throughout the world. Therefore, as an avid Cosplayer, I feel it is the perfect representation for the lofty number of cosplay costumes I hope to someday create. Vash the Stampede (Trigun Maximum version)Updated Gaara (Naruto Shippuuden)Genesis Rhapsodos (FFVII:CC)Cloud Strife (FFVII)Cloud Strife (FFVII:AC)Alucard (Castlevania: SOTN)Shido (Night Walker: Midnight Detective)Eva Unit 01 (Neon Genesis Evangelion)*Ashram (Record of Lodoss War)Klaha (Malice Mizer, Beast of Blood video)Priss Hardsuit (Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 group Xplay)*Bahamut summon (Advent Children version)*Ryuk (Death Note)Snow (FFXIII)Kougaiji (Saiyuki)Sebastian (Kuroshitsuji)Allen Walker (D.Grey-Man)Hector (Castlevania: CoD)Hagi (Blood+)Jin (Samurai Champloo)Kyuzo (Samurai 7)Gantz Suit (Gantz)Gabriel Belmont (Castlevania: LoS)Trevor Belmont (Castlevania: LoS: MoF)Prince Lotor (Voltron)Noctis Lucis Caelum (FFXV)Kakashi and Pakkun (Naruto)Sith LordDarth RevanWorld Map One other facet of any worthy Final Fantasy is map exploration! If you haven't explored every nook of every continent, you have clearly missed something encredible and it will be your downfall in that final battle. As such, I intend to explore my world map with ferver! Visit all of the continentsVisit all 50 statesSee the Cherry Blossom Festival in JapanWalk the Great WallPlay a concert on all of the continents*Visit The Shire in New ZealandTour Scotland's castlesGo on a Three Sheets drinking tourVisit both of Vlad the Impaler's castlesGo to Greece and see the various temples and monumentsGo back to JapanHave a permanent residence in Japan* Vehicles One of the defining moments in any Final Fantasy is when you get a new ride. Whether its getting access to the airship, or getting your chocobo license, at some point in time you get the ability to ride around in style and traverse said world map a lot faster. There are a few items of the vehicular persuasion that I have a particular desire to own. Working Replica of Cloud's Hardy Daytona motorcycle*Working Replica of Cloud's Fenrir motorcycle*High-performance MustangLamborghini Side Quest: The Weapons I am a member of an awesome community of positive people focused on fitness and living life to the fullest (Not unlike our wonderful Nerd Fitness community!). I'm speaking about a health and wellness company called AdvoCare. Along with incredible products, there are leadership levels within the company that you can earn by helping others achieve their own goals. Amazingly enough, they are named similarly to the FFVII Weapon creatures! SilverGold3-Star GoldRuby*6-Star RubyEmerald*9-Star EmeraldDiamond* As life is a constant work in progress, so to is this list. I'll continue to add to it over time and hope that someday I can look back at this initial list and laugh at how easy some of these goals were, regardless of how difficult they may have seemed at the time. I have already completed one item that was on my list, and it was an amazing experience, so I hope to ride this recent momentum and crash into the rest of this list with a level of tenacity typically found only in video game characters! Current Level: 2 Progress toward Level 3: 60% Level 1 Go to Japan (10/18/12) Run a 10K (3/16/13) Run a half-marathon (10/20/13) Complete a Tough Mudder (5/10/14) Run a second half-marathon (10/19/2014) Level 2 Completed Cosplay: The Joker (12/31/2014) Be A Hero (01/10/2015) Go to Greece and visit the temples (06/01/2015)

Greetings NF community. I am a relative newbie. I joined the NF Academy at the end of August and I have been faithfully doing the body weight brigade workouts, daily walks and primal blueprint diet ever since. I started following PB before joining the Academy. Since joining I have lost weight and I am feeling better. I have never been a great runner and I can honestly say that during my adult life, I have been more of a couch potato than a chronic cardio kind of guy. That said, I have decided to challenge myself and I am reaching out to see if anyone in the NF community wants to join me. I live in the Tampa area and every year at the end of February we have the Gasparilla Distance Classic. It consists of a 5K, 8K half-marathon, and marathon. Needless to say I have ever run anything close to a marathon so The last two are out for me (maybe next year). Since I have plenty of time, I have decided to train for the 8K. I started the couch to 5K program last week. Since this is a 9 week program, I have plenty of time to work up to 8K once I finish. Having never run a race before, my goal is not to be in the first group that finishes, I just want to finish without feeling like I'm dying. By race day, I plan to have a NF t-shirt to wear in the race. Is anyone in the NF community interested in joining me? you can get details on the race here.

I've started two challenges and am yet to finish one. This time around, I'm going for the smallest of baby steps to keep me on track to getting fitter and eating healthier. Step one: walk to mordor! Walk one kilometre every day. That's it. One measly km. every day. I'm tracking this on runkeeper, where I have a goal set up with 2,846 km—the distance to Mordor and back, from the Shire. ATTRIBUTE POINTS: STA 3 CON 1 Step two: yoga every damn day I want to get as flexible as I was when I was younger. Well, not quite. I want to be better than I was then. I want to be able to do a proper handstand. I want to do the things I see on my Instagram feed. (I follow a lot of yogis). So my goal is to do yoga every day for at least ten minutes. ATTRIBUTE POINTS: DEX 3 STR 1 Step three: paleo central I was a vegetarian for eight and a half years. I recently got back to eating meat (a personal choice) but I want to do it the healthy way. I want to eat real food. I'm allowing dairy for this challenge because I'm fairly sure my digestive system is okay with that and also because it's my way of easing myself into the new way of eating. I'm giving myself a score out of ten for every day, depending on how well I eat and how I feel physically and mentally about it. ATTRIBUTE POINTS: CON 3 Extra motivation My life quest is to be a better person. I know this isn't a quantifiable goal so I'm using the medium of SuperBetter to express it—I want to get more resilient. SuperBetter is a game designed to help you level up in life. You can power up at any time, fight bad guys, complete quests and make allies to improve your resilience and get happier. My resilience started at 280 and, based on the max points you can gain in a day, my goal is to get 470 points, so up to 750 at the end of this challenge. Some of the power ups and quests will be a part of the goals I've already outlined, and some will be extra credit. ATTRIBUTE POINTS: CHA 2 WIS 2

As my journey through life has progressed, I have come to realize that I need more out of it. My journey has been long, but it hasn't really taken me anywhere. I feel like, just maybe, there is way more to living than eating and breathing. Recently I came across an artifact that I had heard of, but never before seen with my own eyes. I feel, if I could just unlock its wonders, its secrets.. its power.. than I could harness some of it. I could become more than what I am right now. Brothers and Sisters of the Rebellion, I show this to you so that you might help me glean some insight into its purpose and its power. I don't yet know how powerful it may be, but perhaps you may ALSO gain something from it. At least, I hope so. Thus, I submit to you.. The Map of Infinite Pathways Gather close and follow me, the World's bigger than you may see. Your hearts desires, I unfold. Untold Power, I yet hold. Travel well these Paths I show Scratch them off as time will flow More appear, but little fret You, yourself, your biggest threat Landmarks on the Path of Mortal Travels: Step foot in Japan - During the Cherry Blossom Festival Wander Iceland Explore a rainforest Travel to Scottland - Do some Scottish Country Dancing at a festival Enjoy the sights of New Zealand Board a boat on the Pacific Ocean Bask in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean Revel in the joys of Comic Con Attend a Ballet Witness the performance of - MC Frontalot - Schaffer the Darklord .... .... Productions in the Path of Skilled Hands: Hand Craft and Wear Cosplay of - Shannon Casull - Scrapped Princess - Vincent Valentine - FF7 - D - Vampire Hunter D - Legato Bluesummers - Trigun - Alphonse Elric - Full Metal Alchemist - Richter Belmont - Castlevania - Hard Suit (group cosplay) - Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 - Vicious - Cowboy Bebop - Rin Okumura - Blue Exorcist - Kraft Lawrence - Spice and Wolf - Yuri Lowell - Tales of Vesperia - Voltron - Voltron: Defender of the Universe - Gene Starwind - Outlaw Star Construct a Bookshelf Produce a Comic/Manga Finish a painting Work to improve someone's Home .... .... Lessons Learned on the Path of the Mind: Learn to Speak in the Foreign Tongues of - Japanese - Gaelic - Spanish - Mandarin - German Become an Adept at - Drums - Bass Guitar - microKorg Get a Degree .... .... Prowess on the Path of the Body: Learn the Art of - Fencing - Capoeira - Jeet Kun Do - Parkour Become capable of 20 push-ups - Push harder: 50 push-ups - Evolve power: 10 Handstand Push-ups Endure a Warrior Dash Endure a Tough Mudder Endure a Spartan Run Become competant at skateboarding Complete a 5 mile run Break the habit of cigarette smoking Go rock climbing Walk from Ames to Boone - Faster now: Jog to Boone Go bouldering 4 times in one month Compete on Ninja Warrior .... .... Events on the Path of Success: Become financially stable Start a band Accept payment for performing Music Accept payment for producing a work of Art Act the Voice of a character in a game or animation Maintain motivation for something for a Month - Motivation maintained for 6 Months - Motivation maintained for 1 Year Become Self-Employed Create a Line of clothing Publish a Book Publish an Album Get married .... .... Objects on the Path of Gain: Become the owner of motor vehicle Purchase a 40"+ flat screen tv Own a sewing machine Be the owner of a pinball table Purchase a fine pool table Put together and own a desktop computer Buy a home Have a home theater .... .... Delights on the Path of Fanciful Longings: Own a Castle Discover a new creature Attend 5 conventions in a single year - Attend 10 conventions within a single year Discover "Magic" Get a half-sleeve tattoo .... .... .... .... Current Level: 2 Progress towards next Level: 0% *Afternote- It seems that this artifact continues to grow over time. I will endeavor to keep you all updated on what new information it reveals to me. Until then, may your own journeys lead you down a successful Path.

First challenge as a member of the Warrior Guild, having just completed the level 1 Rebel challenge I'm looking to maintain and continue to build some momentum towards completing my Main Quest (being in the best shape of my life by my 35th birthday – 25 June 2015). In the past, when I've abandoned fitness, it's usually been because working out changed from being fun to a chore. So, in the spirit of keeping things fun, I've devised a point based game for me to complete this challenge and “level up.†My reward for successfully leveling up? Increasing my badassity quotient. My penalty for failing to level up? I will shave my beloved beard. And what is a Warrior without a badass beard? So those are the stakes. Here's a rundown of the basic game rules I'll be following: Total points needed to Level Up: 300 Ways in which I gain points in this challenge: -Complete a StrongLifts weight session, +10 pts -Complete a dedicated conditioning session, +10 pts -Walk, +1 pt per mile -Bike, +1 pt per mile -Hike, +2 pts per mile -Pushups: +25 pts per 1,000 pushups completed during the challenge. My goal is 4,000 for the challenge, which would require me to average almost 100 every day. If I get all 4,000 pushups I will award myself an additional 50 bonus points (in addition to the 100 pts I would already have earned from the 4 – 1,000 pushups completed) -Yoga class, +25 pts (I've never done yoga. It's been something I've wanted to try for a long time, so if I motivate myself and actually take a class, I'll award myself a healthy bonus for kicking ass and getting out of my comfort zone). -Successfully reach 250lbsx5x5 barbell squat, +25 pts -Successfully reach 225lbsx5x5 bench press, +25 pts -Successfully reach 315x1x5 deadlift, +25 pts On this quest, I may encounter enemies who drain points thusly: -Any eating of the “Forbidden Foods†will deduct 50 points. My Forbidden Foods for this challenge are: pizza, chips (any kind: potato, tortilla, etc), hot dogs, and bread. -If I drink alcohol more than 2x per week during this challenge, I lose 50 pts for each additional day So that's it. Those are the parameters of this challenge. To be successful, I need to hit my StrongLifts sessions 3x a week for 6 weeks (180 points), and supplement this with conditioning sessions, low impact walking and biking, and working towards my pushup “vanity†goal of 4k pushups in 6 weeks. As long as I remember that I can't out-train a bad diet (avoid Forbidden Foods and moderate my drinking), I should be able to reach 300 points and retain my beard, and move onto the next challenge in my Quest to become one BAMF by age 35.