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It's been a loooong while I haven't kept a regular schedule for my personal purposes. Schedules and to-do lists never worked for me because they triggered a lot of anxiety, so I have always been more about: do this a couple of times a week, whenever you feel like it. Which is ok, but I also tend to slack and do half of what I really wanted to do. Since this has been getting better -me being more responsible- and my anxiety levels are the lowest they've been in my whole life, I am going to give it a try and follow a schedule. I am also in a better mental place now than years ago, to understand that plans won't always work the way I want, or that there will be days when I'll need to be flexible and drop a couple of things, but I'll try to be disciplined, because I've been feeling I really want to level up, I mean REALLY LEVEL UP, and the best I can do to achieve this is not to miss workouts and/or practice sessions. What do I want and how do I achieve it: Physical I want to run faster and longer ---------> I`ll go for a run twice a week instead of once. I'll keep working on sprints but also on extending my usual last run. I want to be stronger ---------> I'll work on push-ups, pull-ups (only dead hang by now), abs and planks. I'll add 5” to my dead hangs every week, and also 1-2 push-ups to the same set (my trainer at self-defence recommended fist push-ups yesterday when I asked him about improving my wrist and fist strength and control when punching, so I'll work mainly on those). Base line for fist push-ups still to be determined, same for the time I can hold a declined plank (almost handstand). Abs twice a week. Dead hangs and declined planks are unscheduled because they will usually happen at any free moment along the day. I want to be more flexible and improve mobility and posture -------> Yoga everyday. First thing in the morning, last thing before bed. Animal flow once a week. I want to improve blood circulation (amongst others) and go ahead with the WH course -------> I'll add 5-10” seconds to my cold showers every week. Musical I want to play more freely, to feel I enjoy playing my flute instead of fighting against it -------> I've been journaling a lot about this, and I've decided the first thing I need to do is to be consistent. Rather than working on refining or perfecting things, I'll work on reducing “mistakes”. The biggest one is, no doubt, random practice, so from now on, no day without practice, no excuses. Once this “mistake” is fixed, others will be addressed. Mental I'll journal about those things that upset me, and whenever I feel ready/comfortable I'll choose some things to share at NF. I will keep a “thank me” journal. Everyday I'll write down what I did to take care of myself. MAGIC SCHEDULE! MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN WAKE UP: BREATHING + YOGA WAKE UP: BREATHING + YOGA + PUSH-UPS WAKE UP: BREATHING + YOGA WAKE UP: BREATHING + YOGA + PUSH-UPS + ABS WAKE UP: BREATHING + YOGA WAKE UP: BREATHING + YOGA + PUSH-UPS WAKE UP: BREATHING + YOGA + ABS MORNING: SELF-DEFENCE MORNING: INTERVAL RUNNING MORNING: SELF-DEFENCE MORNING: ACTIVE RECOVERY DAY AFTERNOON: PLAYING WITH ANIMAL FLOW MORNING: INTERVAL RUNNING MORNING: ACTIVE RECOVERY DAY NOON O'CLOCK: MUSIC PRACTICE NOON O'CLOCK: MUSIC PRACTICE NOON O'CLOCK: MUSIC PRACTICE NOON O'CLOCK: MUSIC PRACTICE AFTERNOON-EVENING: MUSIC PRACTICE AFTERNOON 18:00: MUSIC PRACTICE AFTERNOON 18.00: MUSIC PRACTICE EVENING: JOURNAL + YOGA EVENING: JOURNAL + YOGA EVENING: JOURNAL + YOGA EVENING: JOURNAL + YOGA EVENING: JOURNAL + YOGA EVENING: JOURNAL + YOGA EVENING: JOURNAL + YOGA

So..., joined the Academy last Friday. I've spent the past five days reading, plotting, planning, and doing the work on my Level 1 Nutrition Quest. I read ahead to the workouts and for some reason, started to panic. LOL. I'm really doing this. I'm really about to make some major, positive, health and life changes. After a LIFETIME so far of false starts, quitting before I got ahead, and watching time pass by, it feels a little scary to just think that this could be what gets me the confidence and self-esteem I've longed for. Oh well, enough of the poetic prose. Time to get cracking eh. I jumped into the Nerd Fitness Challenges with "The Force Awakens" - you can check it out in the Druid section. Not only was I overly optimistic with what I believed I'd be willing to accomplish, but I jumped ahead in the movies too. Sigh. Story of my life, leap before I look or better yet, doing things bass-ackwards. But after reading through the Academy stuff, I'm realizing I need to start a little slower, with fewer, yet more realistic goals. Enter "A New Hope". That's what I have as I begin to believe this just might work. Starting stats: Neck: 13.5" Chest: 41.75" Biceps: L - 15.5" R - 15" Waist: 40" (ACK!!) Hips: 47" (WTF?!!) Thigh: L - 27.5" R - 27" Calf: L - 16.25" R - 16.75" Weight: 207.3 lbs Body Fat: 36.7% (per the not so reliable Weight Watchers scale I bought a year or so ago) Age: almost 49 (Bday is in a week and some days) I won't post daily but instead will be back with weekly updates on Sundays. I've got a WordPress blog and a couple of novels I'm working on so adding yet one more thing to write is a bit of a stretch, but accountability is one of the keys to making this work, so I've got to report somewhere. I'm still learning how to use the forums so forgive me if I'm long in responding and or commenting. I'm sure as things go along, I'll get better. So, that's it. I turn my face into the future, and indeed, am beginning to feel a measure of hope I haven't had in a long time. What you should expect on this Sunday's Check-In (6/26): Week 1 of Level 1 Nutrition Quest Back on track with my daily plan (will have a picture for you of what it looks like) If you don't see those items, then you can fuss at me to get back on track ;-). Alright, that's enough sitting. Gotta get out and get some groceries. Until Sunday.

Hi Rebels! 25-year-old UK nerd originally from the East Midlands but now dwelling in darkest North Essex. I've joined NF because after about five years (I know, I know) of trying and failing to get healthier, I'm finally ready to actually do it. Currently I'm at my highest ever weight (173lbs at 5'5") and feeling sick, fat and, frankly, miserable. I got married to my awesome partner in crime last summer and we have both unfortunately packed on those happy pounds. He is super supportive and on his own level up mission. My mission is essentially just to lose my jiggle and my sad, and get my awesome back. I've started back at the gym after a long absence and so far it's going ok, I hope. I tend to do about 30min of cardio (broken down into 3 X 10min sprint sets, because I have no stamina) and the rest is free weights. I'm aiming to continue training 3-4 times a week, but I really need to put a battle plan together as I go in there with no clue... As for food, I'm fairly sure I'm addicted to sugar and am trying to break the snacking habit. I love unprocessed foods and veggies, and love to cook, but I think portion sizes let me down more than what I eat. Going to start prepping lunches for when I am at work as per the awesome recent posts on meal planning. Now the important bit - nerdery I'm into a little bit of everything. I'm a console gamer (the Fallout series, Left 4 Dead, Portal, anything by Telltale) and Clasher, Harry Potter, A Song of Ice and Fire and Discworld lover, Batman fan, member of the Rebel Alliance, and also love Marvel comics/movies. Favourite TV is GoT, Star Trek (esp TNG), X Files, Buffy, Breaking Bad, Blue Bloods, Castle and Dr Who. On the non-pop culture side of things, I'm a linguistic nerd, speaking English and Spanish fluently, French passably, and butchering bits of Italian and German whilst attempting to learn them. Looking forward to getting back on track with life and meeting some fellow Rebels. <3 sorry for the essay, if you got this far thank you for sticking with me

The BALANCING ACT Do you find yourself wanting more balance? We are all about moving from one place to the next. That's what Scouts do. How can we do that with more finesse and dexterity? Do you want to be able to do something that you haven't yet accomplished? Improve something that has been just out of reach? YES! I'd be so excited if I could... ... run trails with awesome turns and sudden drops. ... do slacklining. ... pull the same amount with both arms while doing the freestyle part of my swim program. ... maneuver through traffic more confidently on my bike. ... walk on icy sidewalks. We all could use more balance in our lives, physically and otherwise. So this mini is going to work our balance skills and help us progress to the next level. Where do you want to be in 6 weeks? I personally want to be able to do the Frog Stand. This is so cool to me! Not sure I'd do it with black socks on, but...I also want to be able to do a proper lunge. Hum? Which comes first: the frog or the lunge? What's on your wish list? rock climbing handstands surfing or maybe pistol squats No matter what you chose, you need to know where you are now. So testing your balance is week one. Let's test our on one foot abilities first. Progress through these steps as far as you are able to comfortably. No injuries allowed. Tell us how it goes. 1. Single Leg Balance: this involves you standing on one leg, for example on your right leg whilst lifting your left leg up and forward slightly in front of the body. Ensure the right knee is very slightly bent, the hips are square/even, your spine is straight and your core is engaged at 50% of your maximum contraction. Find a focal point out in front of you and keep your eyes on it.Hold for 60 seconds, repeat on left leg. 2. Single leg balance tossing tennis ball: same as above except now toss a tennis ball up and across your body from hand to hand whilst maintaining your focal point.Repeat tossing for 60 seconds 3. Single Leg Balance standing on pillow: fold a standard pillow in half (or single layered if you prefer) and stand on it to increase instability under your foot.Hold for 60 seconds for each leg. 4. Single Leg Balance with eyes shut: please start by standing near a wall or chair so you can touch or hold it to prevent falling.Hold for 60 seconds for each leg. 5. Single Leg Balance with eyes shut standing on pillow.Hold for 60 seconds for each leg. Now try this:*remember to keep your core tight and don't go too quickly* Okay that's it for week one. Scout balance, ftw!

Hi everybody! I apologise for the long wall of text that is coming, but I kind of need to talk this through to myself. Those of you who already know me, also know what troubles me: anxiety, stage fright, low weight... and of course, being unable of doing that damned first push-up. I've been working a bit on all this since I came first to Nerdfitness, and lately I've been focused on my anxiety. I've done a rather good work these last months, and I can perceive how much better I am compared to last scholar year beginning in 2013. Now that I've put almost everything on place, I would like to spend this challenge just trying to get everything in my life going on and keeping anxiety in the lower levels. I've designed 3 main goals: physical care, mental care and brain food. Everyone of them is a tool to achieve a lower level of anxiety, not a “goal†by itself. I want to be stronger, and faster, and have more stamina, and to put on weight, but that won't be the point this challenge. Physical care will include exercising but also resting and taking care of food intake. It's divided in 8 areas which have different demands: Running: 2 or 3 times a week (I am more or less following the C25K program, 4th week right now). Lifting: 1 or 2 times a week. Tap dancing: 1 or 2 times a week. This means I have a lot of flexibility on which kind of exercise I do, but I expect to workout 4-5 times a week. Eating. Eating well. Eating more fat. Not letting anxiety lower my appetite. Chewing what I eat. Staying warm. Not letting winter, cold, rain or snow make me feel I have to hibernate because it is too cold to do anything. Assure myself I am warm at home while I am not moving, try to keep my feet warm, take hot beverages to keep the heat, put my feet in warm water... Whatever helps. Go outside. Yes, it is cold, but outside is good anyway. I run in the country, so I'll be outside everytime I go running, but it would also be nice to go for more walks, or hikes if I have time available. Rest. A rest day between workouts, where I can work on stretching or Feldenkrais movements. A time a day to take a nap or to slow down, or to do something fun. Mental care will include 6 activities: Meditate. At least 4 times a week, but would like to meditate 5 to 7 days a week. Breath. A short break once or many times a day to just focus on my breath for 4 or 5 minutes. Rest. This is similar to physical rest, but if what I am doing is reading, or watching a series instead of just relaxing, breathing or taking a nap, that is not mental rest, it's only physical rest. I need both of them. Anxiety workbook. I've been working with this book last weeks and it's proving itself very helpful. I am only half way in the book. I'll work on it (reading, writing about what I read, working on the exercises proposed) 4 to 7 times a week. Positive things. As an anxious person I have this tendency to give more importance to negative things or to think they are more frequent than good ones. So I'll keep a list, 5 to 7 days a week. I've been doing it for a while and it helps. No-procrastination mode. This is hard, yes. But procrastination is responsible for lots of anxiety moments. Brain food. This includes only 2 activities, just for fun, for distraction, and to educate myself at the same time. They can serve as physical rest moments: Learning icelandic. Reading. Some of you may think “hey, that is a lot of work!†but in fact everything is more or less in place already, as I've been working on slowly adding activities one by one while keeping my anxiety low. So all I have to do, the real challenge, is to keep everything in place, to make it keep going, without anxiety piling up. If it does pile up, then activities will be reduced to anti-anxiety-emergency levels, where there will be only 5 activities that must continue whatever it happens because they are what most help me to reduce anxiety: Meditation. Breathing. Running. Resting. Icelandic. These may surprise some of you, but this really makes me break away from everything. While I am at it, nothing else exists and anxiety about other things in life dissipates. Plus it is really fun. Gradings: Physical care: I exercise as planned and rest everyday: C. All that + good eating, slow chewing and taking care of staying warm as much hours a day as possible: B. All that + extra outside time: A. Mental care: Meditation, breathing and resting: C. All of that + positive things list and time dedicated to the anxiety workbook: B. Everything said + no-procrastination mode: A. Brain food: Icelandic: C. Icelandic + reading: B. Icelandic + reading books on different subjects or areas: A. If I must stay one, or two non-consecutive weeks, at an anti-anxiety-emergency level for justified reasons, I will still pass the challenge. If besides all that, I keep a regular musical practice schedule: A+. Rewards: As challenge goes by, it will be harder to keep everything on place, so the rewards planned this time will also grow in value (value not meaning necessarily more money, but them being more expected or desired). At the end of the first week: my already traditional box of raspberries. At the end of the third week: a slow cooker. Final reward: head massage. Character points: Grade A: Strength 1 point Dexterity 1 point Stamina 2 points Constitution 4 points Wisdom 5 points Charisma 2 points Grade B: Strength 1 point Dexterity 1 point Stamina 1 point Constitution 2 points Wisdom 2 points Charisma 1 point Grade C: Strength 1 point Dexterity 1 point Stamina 1 point Constitution 1 point Wisdom 1 point No charisma points Now, let's do some work!

Hello Rebellion! I've been reading the NF blog for a while now, but decided it was time to join to the community in order to dedicate myself that much more. A couple months ago, I hit my 29th birthday. Being one year away from thirty caused me to take a look back and reflect on the previous year. I was pretty shocked; I realized that I wasn't living the life I wanted, in any way. I was at a job I hated, was overweight and had been for most of my 20's, hadn't been on a date in a while, finances were a bit of a mess, and ultimately wasn't happy. It was quite a wake up call. I decided then and there, that this year would be different, and I'd finally make all of those changes that I'd wanted to do for years. Reflecting on the past year, the thing I was most proud of was completing a Warrior Dash with a couple friends. I was hesitant at first, but they coaxed me into it. I didn't do much to prepare for it; just went on a diet (a very poor version of one as I've now learned) and started a bit of cardio about three weeks prior. I was incredibly nervous the day of the event, but I decided I wasn't going to quit. It wasn't super easy, but I made it through. The happiness I felt after completing something I had thought I could never do was incredible. An accomplishment! An achievement! Afterwards I figured I deserved to go out for a big meal and drinks with friends, and I could take a while off from working out, and blah blah blah blah, fastforward to February of this year where even those meager habits I developed back then have evaporated, and I'm still fat and unhappy. That was when I realized that I needed to make serious changes in my life, fitness being at the top of the list. I scoured the interwebs for resources, initially finding Whole30 and the book It Starts With Food, which I read in one sitting. It was eye-opening. As soon as Paleo was on my radar, it didn't take long to find Steve's articles and Nerd Fitness. Finally, something that made sense! Not a quick-fix, unnatural, and depriving "diet", but a long-term lifestyle change. I jumped headfirst into Paleo and haven't looked back since. Fastforward again to the present. I've stuck with Paleo/Primal eating. I quit my old job, moved, and found one that actually makes me happy, instead of filling me with dread. I'm getting my finances on track. I've begun walking to work, hiking on weekends, and have more recently started the BBWW 3x weekly. I'm happy to report that I've gone from 239 to 214 lbs! I decided to finally join the community as a means of keeping me on track even more. You know, accountability (especially with the upcoming 6 week challenge). I've come to realize that it's not about a starting point and an endpoint, it's about continually striving for more, and "leveling up" in every way. Ok, enough with all that crap, Nerd cred time. I'm a sci-fi book guy. I love Tolkien, Asimov, Heinlein, Card, Adams, and of course, George R. R. Martin. Throw in some Stephen King and Kurt Vonnegut too. I've lost countless days playing all the Assassin's Creed games, both Portal installments, and spent way more time than is healthy playing Skyrim. I'm also thoroughly addicted Star Talk podcasts. And, I like Sleestaks. Happy to be part of the Rebellion! -Cheers

Hi NF Family, name is Kat - been here for a while - watching everyone else level up, gear up and move on. I have had a couple brief wins (lost about 15 lbs a few months back) but I failed to keep my head in the game, got lazy and complacent assuming what I had done would just carry on without effort and now I am back to the start zone. I am no spring chicken (whatever that means) yet I refuse to let age be a factor as I intend to stay active for many years to come. However, I am not happy in my skin. I am flying solo and really want to meet a nice guy and I know you attract what you put out - I cannot be a slobby troll and expect a hot Blood Elf to want to take me out for a spin on his flying carpet. As you can see, I am an MMO addict -WoW, GW2, Rift, LoL, PoE (latest time suck) and the idea of turning RL into game like missions and quest is encouraging. I just need some scary ORC to come beat on my door at 0600 and tell me to run for my life to get me off my butt. Any volunteers?? I know what to do, how to do - I just need to dew it, so I am here for the support aspect that is missing, the accountability factor. I am going to post my short term and long term goals on the tracker post. Feel free to chime in with words of encouragement, etc. I am really looking forward to making some new friends with similar goals and interest.

I was laying in bed, awake, the other night, completely hopped up on too much coffee (and not able to sleep anyway because my sleeping pattern is all over the board due to vacation) when I had an idea for getting myself healthy again. I became so excited about this idea that I couldn't sleep for another hour while I processed everything through my head. The next day, I wrote about it in my journal and my idea sounded ridiculous, so I pitched it to my husband and the response I got was not inspiring. It was something like "hrms?" - granted, he was playing wolfpack on ACIII, and he really likes that focus bonus... Either way, I was not encouraged to bring this into the light of day. So, I did what just about any female does... I took my idea to a friend instead- some of you know here around here as PrincessHeather. She was highly encouraging and didn't even think I was being that weird. Which, in and of itself, might be odd. Anyway, I decided to suck it up and make my journey public because *HOPEFULLY* it will keep me accountable. And hopefully I won't crap out, and hopefully I can do this. Do you love how I'm saying "hopefully" as if my decisions and actions have nothing to do with it? Ugh, back to Responsibility 101. Here goes my fitness plan for the forseeable future: I'm going to follow the Rules of the Rebellion. Doesn't seem exceptionally earth shattering does it? But, here is where it gets a little crazy... and by crazy, I mean I'm psyched!. By following the Rules of the Rebellion, I'm going to be putting myself through each and every rule as a personal six week challenge (inspired by NF Official 6 week challenges, which I've done in the past). Each rule gets a devoted 6 weeks +1 rest week. I will be taking 6 weeks to meditate on each and every rule in regard to my fitness and to all areas of my life. I plan on getting stronger, physically, mentally and emotionally and taking some actual steps to smack down some life goals. For those of you doing the math: there are 11 rules, technically 7 weeks apiece = 77 weeks = a year and a half. 77 weeks dedicated to being INTENTIONAL from the ground up in order to make myself healthy and to make my life a life worth being healthy for. Now, I haven't got all the kinks worked out just yet... like rule #5: We understand that fat is not the enemy. How is that a life goal? I'm not sure - I'm hoping to have a Yoda moment when I get that far. But I do think this is possible. And I do think this is worth doing and so I'm going to try my darndest to take care of business and accomplish some big things in my life in the next year and a half. Why now? I'm ready. Mufasa came out of the clouds and said "It is time." Last year, I jumped into the healthy pool and swam around for a little while, and then got out and sun tanned and forgot what it was like in the the healthy pool. Over Christmas, I saw my stomach return flabby again, and I have been noticing my migraines returning since my diet turned crummy (I'm one of those people where light and sound hurts my head and I usually puke and have to sleep for a couple hours to get rid of the pain). Also, my husband would like kids sometime in the next couple years - I would like to be healthy before that happens (Ladies, could you imagine migraines and morning sickness? With my luck, it would totally happen.). I want to grow a healthy kid, and have that healthy kid lead a healthy life. Habits for that lifestyle need to be established now. As a teacher, I see way too many kiddos come to school who are lethargic and can't think straight and who have weird behavior impulses. Moms and dads give the kids suggary snacks and Starbucks(not kidding) to counter the lethargy and then get angry when their child gets in trouble for bouncing off the walls in class. I cannot be that parent. So yeah, now is the time. It feels right. Time to get to work.