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INTRO 'Olo, you lot! Welcome to my quiet little corner. I am Haniya (pronounced Hun-nee-yah) a Nerdy, Sporty, DND[currently watching Critical Role]loving, Comic book enthusiast with a penchant for arts, Video games, Books, Disney movies, music and Mystery Murder shows [Stranger Things, Sherlock, Killing Eve, The Umbrella Academy and Elementary anyone?] also Neil Gaimann because good omens is a fantastic show and is worth fangirling about. Today I have entered as a ranger to challenge myself. Hopefully, my experiment will help me build my habits and my body. I feel like my true self best fits in this sneaky, lean, strong and dangerously cool class because strength and stamina are the two things that I ideally want and we all wish to master. Hence, here I am and here I go! BACK STORY TIME: WE all know how our health is the MOST important thing in the world--physical, emotional and mental as well--especially when you've been obese half your childhood. Its hard to get back on that health horse when like half of your house hold isnt primed for it at all. Regaining my good healthy self has been a massive struggle, no less a bumpy roller coaster ride of high and lows. Well, I've been at it for quite a while with the NERDS--actually listening and enjoying the company of the people--thus, naturally, I come running back to thine fine health, happiness institute of fittitude! [Gedit] Even though i hate typing, i do try to update as often as I can. Well, anyways! I live in Pakistan (south east asia) where carbohydrate is as important and as common as air and I am not joking! OUR DIET AND CUISINE IS JUST FULL OF IT AND EVEN IF YOU TRIED, YOU JUST CANT SHAKE IT OFF AND IGNORE IT! BUT. I. WANT. TO. CHANGE. MYSELF. I DON'T WANT TO BE ADDICTED ANYMORE AND THAT'S MY MAIN MISSION HERE! BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY! I will go slow this time and not overwhelm myself as much as I am prone to so I'll just go over the basics of my mission. Cus. I. Can. And. I. Love. To. Sound. Very. Official. OH, SHALL WE MOVE TOWARDS MY BASE OF OPERATIONS?! *drumroll* OP 1: Take control of the wheel, agent! As the new agent of SHIELD, it is your duty to physically take care of what you put in your body. Filling in the shoes of Natasha Romanoff is going to be a hard job, recruit, so I suggest you take those shoes seriously and work hard! *There we go, guys. Big shoes to fill* So, clean eating and portion control is the key. Refined sugar and fried stuff is your ENEMY. IT'S YOUR HYDRA! You must defeat the bad side! *telegram* Recruit! We are not that cruel, you know, so we are allowing you a two day cheat treat. Aren't we cool?! Of-course, we are, we are SHIELD! OP 2: Find the lost Tomb of Rorustan You want to be the next Lara Croft? You want to go on adventures and move mountains like her, yes? Change the course of time and history like her? Then, you got to train like her! Her strong and Charismatic body took years and years of hard work and perseverance! Can you keep up? *CanI?* Journey to the lost tombs, human and bring forth power! My objective is to run and do body weight exercises (darebee and skipping rope) 3-4 times in a week with two days rest period. Walk for 20-30 mins daily. CAN YOU HEAR THE SPIRITS TALKING? YES! I DO! I CAN HEAR LARA CROFT! MASTER, I CAN HEAR HER WHISPERS FROM THE INSIDE, SPEAKING OUT TO ME (awksslipawaytoyonder) OP 3: Bend it like Korra! Before she was the avatar, Korra knew nothing of her powers and how to control them but with the help of her teachers and peers, she blossomed into the strongest being we know today! Want to Bend it like Korra? *Heck Yeah* then you must dedicate some time to your education; to learn and grow like the avatar. Daily one or two videos that'll inspire you or give you knowledge about the world and beyond. Study spanish: Duolingo and Memrise streaks, audio lessons from Pimsleur and YouTube video lessons. Dont forget to make notes in your notebook. Meditate to calm your souls. A clear and tension free mind is a happy mind! TAI CHI PRACTICE! Watch David Dorian Ross videos and practice along. New videos everyday to build your 103 long form practice. OP 4: "Be as flexible as Kamala Khan" SUPERHERO BY DAY, REGULAR GAMER CHILD BY NIGHT! Balancing your hero and human life takes a lot of work but you have to do this in order for the world to make sense plus, fun time is fun time! So, here are my humanly duties towards a good future:- Journal writing: habit tracking, Spanish progress and recording my days key features as bullet points to make my life easy Updating nerd fitness with my journey in the form of ratings A-F [A being super awesome and F Epic Wamp] and supporting new people and their journies! *POWER RANGERS, METAMORPHOSIS! Oh, wrong fandom* Read more books by adhering to the 50 books a year challenge: Give 1-2 weeks maximum to my current read by reading everyday for 20-30 minutes Focus on your hydration: Minimum 6glasses to up to 8 glasses. More water! LASTLY NEVER GIVE UP! Speaking of giving up, we all need some kind of push on our behinds, right? That's why I have certain ideals. Certain role models that I look for inspiration and motivation when I am feeling particular down in the ditch. These forces of good are there when i need them the most, to guide me through my epic quest I call life. Someone who I want to be: Inspiration Dice I have so many role models that I look up to! People who have proved to be gigantic and so bad arse--who don't need to be reminded of their worth! People who are amazing enough to inspire and motivate us all to follow our dreams and challenge our limits. They teach us that being kind, resolute, strong and brave--in the face of danger--is the most noblest of things you can do. So, so talented, so powerful and so stupendous. I want to be them and I am honoured to call them my idols: Lara Croft, Black Widow, Korra, Ellie Goulding, Aveline De Grandpre, Aloy, Merida, Captain Marvel, Avatar Aang, Dr 13 and Yasmin Khan, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Jim Kwik, Shuri, Okoye, Kamala Khan etc. I am not promising here but i will try to keep you guys up to date with my daily shenanigans and what-nots. Apart from that, I want to THANK you for YOUR precious time! And I might need you guys to help me with this challenge because my focus on them has been very rocky but I am ready to CHANGE MYSELF FOR THE BETTER! I SWEAR ON MY PRETTY LITTLE HANDS THAT I SHALL TRY MY HARDEST! *CUE RICK ROLL SONG* p.s: i love DND even though i am a complete beginner so talk to me about it or if you are looking dnd players then lets band together! I am all for an epic dnd session!

Ok, seriously. If you haven't seen Avengers: Infinity War and you don't like spoilers ....... move along ....

You probably haven't heard of me. And that's fine. That's the way I want it. My name is Petra Romanova. My sister's name is Natasha. Yes. That Natasha. But she's missing. She left on a mission to Wroclaw a few weeks ago, and we haven't heard anything from her since. Barton's looking for her now, scouring most of Poland along with some of his friends from old SHIELD. He'll find my sister. Eventually. But there's another problem. Nat leaves without telling anyone. It's the way her missions work. And she's always back to fulfil her usual obligations as a member of the Avengers. (Don't get her started on a spy being 'in the public eye'. It involves half-hour lectures on public perception, the idiocy of SHIELD, the US government, and various other entities, as well as the burgeoning power of the Internet and social media, and how all of those tools can be used for our own benefit. It's exhausting...) So everyone's expecting a Romanov to show up for Stark's annual Halloween gala. And to help Steve be the public face of the team. Except she's somewhere, probably interrogating some hapless goon who doesn't realise he or she is being played. So I drew the short straw. I'm going to be the one subbing in for Nat. Going to meetings. Holding press conferences. Being in the public eye. They pulled me out of SHIELD training for this. But what am I gonna do? Say no? After all, I'm a Romanov. And the Avengers are my family. And nothing is more important than family.

So I don't think I did well enough to actually join the Avengers last challenge, so this time around I'm gonna do some training with them before I try to join again! I will also be taking progress pictures and do a weigh in and measurement on the first and last days of the challenge. And I'll have an excel sheet, which I'll post pictures of once I have everything sorted otu for sure and throughout the challenge. Cardio Natasha and Steve have told me it's important it's important to increase my endurance as well as my speed. After all, you can't catch the bad guys if you can't catch up. Sometimes they'll outmaneuver you. Sometimes they'll try to hide. It's our job to stay on our feet, to catch them before they can get away, or at the very least, to hunt them down before they do any more harm. So with this advice in hand, they've given me this menu. I am to pick three activities a week, with one activity being mandatory each week. It'll be hard, Natasha says, but it's worth it. PICK THREE PER WEEK - SJWs - 1 lap (200m) Sprinting, 1 lap Jogging, 1 lap Walking - nine times - REQUIRED EXACTLY ONCE PER WEEK - Run 30 minutes (repeatable) - Dancing (for days when I do not go to campus or run out of time) (repeatable) ADDITIONAL GOAL: Stretch every day. Main goal: Run the 5k at the end of the month (24th) in a faster time than my last one (44:14) Strength Bruce says that while inner strength is important, outer strength can be just as good. Thor agrees with him, and adds that it's important to build up your muscles, not just so you can crush your enemies, but also so you can support yourself. With this advice in mind, Thor has given me a menu of four items that I have to pick two of. None of the items are repeatable. When I ask him why, Bruce says, well, you don't want to get bored. And variety will keep you on your toes. PICK TWO PER WEEK - Dumbbell workout at home - Machine workout at school gym - Body Weight Workout from NF or Start Bodyweight - DDP Yoga Main goal: Improve AMRAPs for pushups and pullups. Current AMRAPS: 12 reps kneeling pushups, 5 assisted pullups (250lbs) Diet Clint's advice is to tell me that you are what you eat. As someone who spends a lot of time doing acrobatics, he knows what it takes to keep your body lean and strong. He also knows that you can't do everything you want to do if you don't have the proper energy source. He also knows that calories aren't the only important thing and tells me it's not just about how much I eat, but also what I eat. Garbage in, garbage out, he says, and gives me these tasks for this month: - 1600-1750 calories, 100-120g protein, under 125g carbs - Aim for hitting at least two per day, ideally all of them. - Track sugar on this diet, see if I need to do a sugar cleanse type thing next challenge - My birthday will be a cheat day, because it's my gorram birthday. Not that I'll go out of my way to indulge, but I'm not gonna cry if my numbers are off. Main goal: Get back down to 188lbs/85.28kg Week 1 Weight (April 3): 190.4/86.36kg Measurements: Waist: 36in/~91.5cm Hips: 47in/~119cm Thigh: 29.5in/~75cm Arm: 135.in/~34cm Week 2 Weight (April 10): Measurements: Waist: Hips: Thigh: Arm: Week 3 Weight (April 17): Measurements: Waist: Hips: Thigh: Arm: Week 4 Weight (April 24): Measurements: Waist: Hips: Thigh: Arm: Final Weight (April 30): Measurements: Waist: Hips: Thigh: Arm: Lifestyle Tony says that lifestyle is everything. While he has a flair for the flamboyant, he's actually suggesting I try to calm things down a bit. Being on the Avengers requires a lot of inner fortitude, and you can't defeat your own demons if you aren't paying attention to them. He knows from personal experience what that's like, so he gives me three goals to help keep my environment and my mind clear. Sometimes that's all you can do to fend off the dark forces. - Earn 5 points of cleaning a week, Monday-Friday. - Meditate twice a week. - Sleep at least 7 hours a night. Main goal: Hit five points of cleaning a week and feel more energized. Cleaning Sheet

Challenge #12 SHIELD Agent Waldgeist in Hydra Prison I Infiltration This is part two of a three challenge cycle with ring training at the core, surrounded by kettlebell work and nutrition habits. Part one is here. OVERALL GOAL: to transform my body into a solid foundation for the life I choose. More precisely: 1) get a flat enough stomach so that I can workout shirtless without feeling embarassed and at the same time reducing the health risks associated with belly fat, 2) be able to move myself around in space as I need/want to Quest 1 - Survive the artistic compound of the Hydra prison [GMB Rings 1 : Phase A2] Easy enough, workout three times per week. This will continue to be my main workout, but obviously improving my muscle-to-fat-ratio with the other quests is gonna be immensely helpful with leveling up on this quest series. Quest 2 - Don't forget your SHIELD training [S&S V of XII] This has been good in April, hopefully I can keep the momentum. 100 Swings and 10 TGUs per day. Hopefully gonna progress to doing one-hand 24kg swings regularly and maybe start 32kg two-hand swings (might get a 32kg kettlebell for my birthday in late may). Quest 3 - Don't fall into the Food Trap [Nutrition Part A: Snacking & Portion Size] Eating habits are hard, but I'm not giving up. Not snacking between meals and control portion size of the meals. Quest 4 - Prison work is supposed to break you, but it will make you stronger [Increase active minutes every day] Active minutes will be defined as those over my heart rate threshold. The goal here is to have more than the day before Quest 5 - Avoid prison food, it's supposed to make you weak [Nutrition Part B: Reduce sweets] One of my big bosses, which needs more continuous attacking.

Challenge #12 SHIELD Agent Waldgeist in Hydra Prison I Fresh Meat Introduction: Hi, I'm Waldgeist, a 28 year old male German. I used to be very skinnyfat, but I've packed enough muscle on in the last years to consider myself average, not really athletic and I'm still carrying around some belly, but I'm working on it. This challenge will be the first of a three challenge cycle, connected by a consecutive Ring quest, a consecutive S&S KB and generelly being active quest and consecutive nutrition quests. None of these are new. I've been doing similar quests or specifically preparing for those for the last challenges. Hopefully in July I will begin a new cycle, probably concentrating on kettlebells and strength. Themewise this cycle will focus on Waldgeist, agent of SHIELD who (after the rise of Hydra) finds himself surrounded by Hydra agents and gets captured. He is sent to prison at an unknown location, where Hydra sents all sorts of troublemakers: Hydra agents who can't be controlled, SHIELD agents who might be recruited into Hydra later or prove useful in another way, low-level enhanced criminals and other scum. Master of this nightmare of a prison is a former Director of a very weird circus, whos has more than one crazy and saddistic streak. It will require some effort, but he has been in worse situations (actually not, but you gotta keep a positive attitude). OVERALL GOAL: to transform my body into a solid foundation for the life I choose. More precisely: 1) get a flat enough stomach so that I can workout shirtless without feeling embarassed and at the same time reducing the health risks associated with belly fat, 2) be able to move myself around in space as I need/want to Quest 1 - Survive the artistic compound of the Hydra prison [GMB Rings 1 : Phase A1] Easy enough, workout three times per week. This will me my main workout, but obviously improving my muscle-to-fat-ratio with the other quests is gonna be immensely helpful with leveling up on this quest series. Quest 2 - Don't forget your SHIELD training [S&S IV of XII] This has been working good for two of three challenges. Need to get back on the track of regular training here. Quest 3 - Don't fall into the Food Trap [Nutrition Part A: Snacking & IF] Still working on two eating habits here. First is no snacking between meals and second is not eating for a period of about 24 hours twice per week. I've had mixed results last challenge, but with some more work this challenge I'm sure I'll get this habits ingrained. A habit that is working out pretty good though, is drinking a litre of tea every day. Therefore this will no longer be part of my quest, but I will still track it. Quest 4 - Prison work is supposed to break you, but it will make you stronger [Accumulating active minutes every day] Active minutes will be defined as those over my heart rate threshold. Judging from my more active days, a baseline of 120 minutes per day should be a good goal for this challenge. Quest 5 - Avoid prison food, it's supposed to make you weak [Nutrition Part B: Reduce sweets] I've made some progress in cleaning up my diet again, but I haven't started to tackle my personal big boss aka SWEETS yet. This will change this challenge.

I'm starting this battle log on a bad day. I hurt my back today and that caused me to let go a little and get junk food and booze. Stupid I know. I'm not going to let this push me back into laziness though. So here I am. I'm here to let everyone know who I am and what I'm here to do. I'm a total marvel and sci fi nerd. I love everything marvel and everything space. If I had more money I would be more into the comics but since I don't I'll have to stick to the movies for now. I have a pretty big DVD collection of sci fi TV shows and movies. I'm a bit obsessed with it if I have to be honest. I actually want to make a sci fi web show one day. I'm hoping that the motivation with fitness will correlate to making films and TV shows. When I started here a week and a half ago I weighed 104.5kg. I've lost 3kg in that time until I hurt my back. I'm planning on getting down to around 85kg by Christmas. In the first time since forever I've actually wanted to exercise. If it wasn't for my back I would have been into it today. The nerd fitness system suits me to a tee. I love the levelling up system. I was a keen skyrim fan. My favourite thing was levelling up. When I hurt myself I was actually trying to get points towards my next level but I hadn't warmed up and I did something strange and twisted my back. I can't wait until my body can keep up with what my mind wants it to do. I've always wanted to skateboard. I'm planning on building some mini ramps in my big back yard. I'm planning on joining the assassin class but it may be a while until I can keep up. I also want to be able to keep up with my kids. I'm nearly 32 years old (32 on 29th of September)and I feel like I won't be able to keep up in a year or two if I keep up this level of unfitness. I have one 2 year old and another one on the way. I don't want them to be able to accidently hurt me even when they're still so young. I want to still be kicking their arses until they're in their 20's. I need to change everything about my wellbeing. I have so many goals and I want to still be alive to finish them all. I want to finish my album of folk music amongst many other music projects I have on the go. This includes a superhero based electro band(like crystal castles). I also am building my own extension by hand. I will get to my ideal weight. I will get more fit than I have ever before. I will be better than ever before. My 30's will be my most productive years yet. I will be a good role model to my kids. Lastly, "The Outcast" is the persona I created just for this. It is my anti hero. I was always an outcast. I never wanted to be one of the group. The norm always bored me. I loved breaking the mould and being different than everybody else. Everybody was unhappy and controlling and I never wanted that for myself or my family. I will not be controlled by money, media, style, religion, politics, bias or power. I will do what I believe is right by my family. "The Outcast" will stay fat and useless until I change and fix myself. The graphics will come soon. They will reflect my own struggles. The Outcast will defeat all that come against him. Unless he jumps off something and hurts his back

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.

I'm hoping I haven't started a duplicate thread, but I'm very curious about this! I've been playing Marvel Heroes 2015 for a little over a year now. It was a very slow-moving leveling process, but I think I've finally gotten the hang of good ol' power leveling. Which is good considering I made the decision to try and prestige level my Captain America. My question is ... does anyone else play around in this game? If you're curious about it, I can tell you that it's free to play and is pretty much Diablo with Marvel heroes/villains/maps. If you do play, or have an interest, you can find me there under the name "NariSparkles" and I have an amazing SuperGroup that I can invite you to!

Hey there, Rebels! I'm heading into my third challenge, and I'm hoping to push myself even harder. I only have 3 weeks left in this semester, but I'll probably stay on campus for an extra 6 weeks to take a "Maymester" and work. Anyways, life will for sure get a bit easier, so I want to start my summer break off strong by finishing this challenge! I'm breaking this challenge into "Fitness" and "Life" goals, although there's a bit of crossover. Thanks for following me on this journey! Current Weight/Measurements: Weight - 120lbs Bust - 34" Waist - 30 1/2" Hips - 37" Thighs - 21 1/2“ Fitness Goals GOAL 1: Run like Wonder Woman. (Run, or Use Elliptical or Treadmill 3 days a week) (Fun fact - my English professor is Lynda Carter's first cousin. Unfortunately, I still don't have an autograph.) Details: I am not a big runner. It's just not something I've ever done, and I've been okay because I've found other ways to stay fit. However, I need to up my endurance. I am only choosing to do 3 days a week because I get a lot of cardio from dance (especially tap) and I don’t want to set too high a goal. Possible Points: +3 Stamina Current Progress: 2/20 Days GOAL 2: Do a Handstand (Take 2!) Details: This was my goal in my last quest, but it didn’t happen. I have managed to stay in a wall handstand for 60 seconds, but I can’t do it consistently. I also can’t get up on my own away from the wall. So, I’m going to try it again! Possible Points: +2 Dexterity Current Progress: Can hold a wall handstand for 60 seconds. Can get into a handstand away from the wall. GOAL 3: Hulk up! (Regular Weight-lifting Details:I am trying to get more into regular weight-lifting, beyond what I do in my tiny apartment. I’ve been trying to use the free-weights at the gym, but I need the added motivation of making it part of my challenge. I'm also partial to bodyweight stuff, so I will probably rotate between that and free-weights. I’m shooting for a bare minimum of 4 days a week - but hopefully I'll make more than that. Possible Points: +2 Strength Current Progress: 2/24 Days Life Goals GOAL 1: Get more sleep. Details: I used to have a very steady sleep schedule, and unlike most college students, I'm not into partying and I rarely stay up late of my own accord. (#nerd) But recently, especially this past semester, I've been getting an average of 4-6 hours of sleep. I didn't notice it until I got a FitBit and started tracking my sleep, but MAN is that unhealthy. So I'm going to work on getting more sleep. Possible points: +2 Constitution Current Progress: 4/42 Nights of at least 7 1/2 hours of sleep. GOAL 2: Pass the Psychology CLEP Test (And not Britta it) Details: I need to knock some of these GenEds out of the way so I won't have so much going on. First up: Psychology! I'm basically gonna be a therapist, guys. Possible points: +3 Wisdom Current Progress: Studied first 4 chapters of Textbook GOAL 3: "I...am not left-handed." (Regular Fencing!) Details: So I've done a little fencing in the way of workshops (and a lot of stage combat, since I'm an actor), but I never had the opportunity to do it regularly. Thankfully, I now have access to a fencing school that has adult classes DURING times I can take them! So I start on the 18th with a weekend intensive, and I'll be doing it regularly after that. I am really excited about it, since it's something I always wanted to do but never had the time. Also, this school teaches historical fencing, which I'm totally into. I'm actually making this a "Charisma" challenge, because it just makes me incredibly happy, and what's more charismatic than a 5'4" chick with a sword? Absolutely nothing! Possible points: +3 Charisma Current Progress:

Overarching Long-term Goal: Get to ~25% body fat Goal 1: Training Last challenge I had a goal of finding a new place to lift and getting under the weights at least once/week. I did that so now I’d like to up it to at least twice per week… ooOOOooo I’d like to continue incorporating cardio, yoga, and BW circuits in my training. Plus we got a sweet pull up bar for Christmas that is all set up! I’ve done probably a total of three jumping chin up holds… Ultimately, I’d like to get the following in in each week: 2 weights sessions1 yoga session1-2 cardio sessions2-3 BW circuit sessions Goal 2: Food Depending on how much I work out each week, I’d like to stay within 13,300 total cals. Given that, this goal also includes some other restrictions: Continue with NO packaged crap candy from the work jarLimit TWO pints of ice cream over the six weeks – last challenge I don’t think I bought one pint of ice cream (yay!) but ice cream in general was definitely eaten at the sporadic party/eventStay below 30% fat for the weekDon’t buy non-paleo items at the grocery storeNote that Clark Gregg is holding sriracha in that pic Goal 3: Life Just a few things I need to get done over the next six weeks. There’s not too much on my calendar so I should have plenty of time to tackle them. Work on (or finish) at least one item per week. Purchase and implement a double-tiered lazy susan – I have the bed/bath gift card I just need to get the damn thingTake down and pack up the holiday decorationsReturn/swap xmas gifts for the correct sizesClean bathroom – deep cleanSort file cabinet and old receiptsDe-clutter dresser surface and nightstand drawers

Hey, So I have always loved superheroes since I was a little girl, but I was always deterred by a lack of money to go buy comics, and then the fact that there's SO MUCH MATERIAL. Where does one begin? YiS, Fia

This challenge is going to see me moving around a lot: my last week in Taiwan, a day in Hong Kong, 2 weeks in the UK, and then home to Michigan, USA. Because of that, I've changed my format up a bit and toned down the intensity. I want to keep moving forward, but I'm ok with slowing down a little. That being said, let's get started! My latest message: Welcome to Level 1, recruit. Your real training is about to begin, but first you have to get to your assigned training facility. With HYDRA still a very real threat, both from within and without, our facilities are now smaller and less conspicuous, and we're not going to draw attention by flying you straight there. Your journey will take place in stages, and at each stage you will uncover what you need to reach the next one. Stay alert, stay fit, and don't let your guard down. Good luck. MAIN QUEST: Become an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. The Challenge: Mission 1 - Stay Fit I know I probably won't stick to a set workout schedule these 6 weeks, but I still intend to be active and get in what I can. My travelling buddy in the UK is a runner, so I'll be working that in as something new, as well as some of my usual stuff. Here's the breakdown: Walking - 1 point/hour (I know I'll be doing a lot of this) Running/Dance - 2 points/half hour Strength - 3 points/half hour Goal: 100 points [to be modified if it ends up being too easy] STR: +2 STA: +2 CHA: +1 Mission 2 - Stay Flexible Yoga is something I know I'll be able to fit in, even if it's just a bit of stretching in the morning or at night. Goal: 15 minutes every day DEX: +2 WIS: +1 Mission 3 - Stay Fueled I'm not going to try to stay paleo for this challenge, because I know myself and know that I'll just end up over-eating junk on vacation if I do. Instead, I'll focus on making a few specific healthy choices. Goal: Protein with every meal. Veggies twice a day. CON: +3 Life Quest - Observe An agent has to be aware of her surroundings. Posing as a tourist with a camera makes for a good cover. Goal: Take at least 1 photo a day. WIS: +2 CHA: +2 Gotta run, or I'll be late for work. Will add more details later!

THE WAYS OF FUTURE PAST Part 1 – Finding My Way Again Last summer when I first found and joined Nerd Fitness, I embarked on a journey that awarded me fantastic results that were both very noticeable, and also came pretty quickly. I have stumbled since then, and it has caused me great regret and disappointment. I MUST find my way again. More importantly, I must find my Hope that this is an achievable lifestyle that I will sustain. Goal: Check in on NF at least 4x/week for all 6 weeks. Part 2 – Beast Mode No more worrying about my body shape. This is what it is. I’ll exercise it to keep it healthy, strong and full of life. …and whatever it ends up looking like? I will accept it. Starpuck and Proud! Exercise goals: Lift 3x a week Mobility 3x a week Other (hockey/bike/run/walk) 2-3x a week Rest –MUST incorporate an actual rest day! Part 3 – Eat, don’t Freak Last summer when I did so well? I wasn’t tracking. I was simply eating what I playfully dubbed as PaleoALMOST. It was more Primaly maybe? I dunno. Basically. Limit the stuff that comes in boxes and plastic wrap, eat more things that have only itself as an ingredient, and most of all, don’t freak out about every last calorie and macro. I know when I am being on track and when I’ve said fuck it. I MIGHT copy Wufkar and get me an Instagram account JUST as a way to take pics of what I am eating and post it for accountability. We'll see how it goes. Goal: 6 weeks of eating without obsessing. Part 4 – Find all the Mutants This is a side project I want to work on because I keep thinking about it and want to start actually DOING it. I love traveling and I have a goal of hitting all 59 National Parks in my adult lifetime. Sine 2006 I have visited 24 of them. I would like to pick a picture from each park to have nicely framed, with a placard showing the year visited, to hang in my office at work. I need to go through all my old albums, and pick out which picture should represent each park. I might even recruit some Nerd help and do it poll style! Goal: Pick out 22 pictures (2 parks will not be visited until after this challenge) for use in this project. Start Weight 155.9

Just a heads up: this challenge will probably contain spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., because I've got Marvel on the brain, and figured I may as well put it to good use! After the recent events in D.C. involving the metal-armed assassins, falling helicarriers, and the resurrection of HYDRA, it seemed the mysterious organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. was finished. I certainly thought so, having been reading everything I could find about them (not much—these guys keep their secrets well) since I watched the news reports of costumed super humans fighting aliens in New York. Everything I found said that they had fallen apart, until a guy in a suit showed up at my apartment, flashed a badge, and asked if I was interested in helping to rebuild a disgraced organization—and maybe save the world a few times in the process. How could I say no to that? Cue a whirlwind of tests, interviews, and evaluations, and then a long silence. I figured I’d washed out, until this little message showed up: Congratulations candidate, your application has made it past the first round of eliminations for S.H.I.E.L.D. recruits, but you haven’t been accepted yet. The next six weeks will be your chance to prove that you have the commitment and self-discipline required to become one of our agents. Succeed and you’ll become a Level 1 trainee. Fail and you’ll join the 90% who didn’t make it this far. Your tasks are listed below. Complete each with a minimum 80% success rate to be eligible to continue. Main Quest: Become an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Goal 1: Strength – An agent needs to be physically strong, no matter what department they end up in. You never know what this job will require you to do. [+3 STR/+2 STA] Body weight training at least 3x/week (20 times total for challenge) Angry Birds at least once a week for progress measurement, the other workouts can be switched up a bit to keep things interesting. Goal 2: Flexibility – Being flexible can be invaluable for getting in to—and out of—a wide range of situations. [+2 DEX] Keep up with sun salutations every morning, and longer yoga practices 2-3x/week (15 total for challenge). Focus on inversions and working up to a handstand. Goal 3: Coordination – Strength and flexibility aren’t worth much if you trip over your own feet. A degree of poise and dexterity can come in handy, whether in a fight or undercover at a high-class soiree. [+2 DEX/+1 CHA] Dance workouts 2-3x/week. Video-based routines that require me to learn steps and choreography, with the hope that by the end of 6 weeks I might have traded my two left feet in for one of each. Side Quest: Eat Well – Good agents know that what you put into your body greatly affects what you can get out of it. Eat accordingly. [+3 CON] Week 1: 40% Paleo. Food focus: soda and candy Week 2: 50% Paleo. Food focus: processed snacks Week 3: 60% Paleo. Food focus: other sugary drinks Week 4: 70% Paleo. Food focus: grains Week 5: 75% Paleo. Food focus: TBD Week 6: 80% Paleo. Food focus: TBD Life Quest: Get Ready – shortly after completing these six weeks, you’ll be headed out for some R&R followed by a relocation to your next base of operations. Make sure your affairs are in order, and don’t forget to pack light. Assignment: Do something each week to prepare for upcoming trip/move. [+1 WIS/+1 CHA] - Get rid of/give away/sell stuff - Finish up UK trip plan/bookings - Sort out money transfers - Stay in touch with people I will be meeting up with - Finalize budget - Plan/make/buy parting gifts for teachers & students - Keep up with other to-dos as they pop up Looks like I have my work cut out for me for the next six weeks—and hopefully a lot longer! I’m off to gather supplies and work a bit more on my game plan. The fun begins on Monday!

Hi! I guess I'm looking for a buddy! Will anyone be playing Wildstar (early release midnight PST tonight!) or is anyone active in any other MMOs? The time I get online at home, I spend gaming, and I've been an MMO/PVP fanatic for the last 15 years. I'm playing Marvel Heroes right now, and been playing League of Legends regularly for the last couple years. I wasn't super impressed with Elder Scrolls Online, so been waiting for Wildstar. I'm going to give weight-loss a serious shot this June, and would love a gaming friend that can keep me encouraged and motivated fitness wise as well. Probably a guy is best, simply because my girlfriend wouldn't like me getting too friendly with random girls online. She hates my gaming and nerd stuff, so that is a challenge alone for me. The relationship has isolated me a bit, so I don't have much of a social circle to draw support from. I'm going to start my first challenge June 9th and do my best to document all my efforts. I just turned 30, about 5'11 and 300-310lbs (I don't want to look yet!) and 50 lbs came in just the last five months. Unemployment floored my energy and motivation, but back to work now and hoping to improve my life. Who's with me!!! <flex>

"The worst thing you can do right now is underestimate Hydra. They hide in plain sight; they earn our trust, our sympathy. They make us like them, and when you hesitate, they strike. If we're to survive, we must learn to strike first." "My" Hydra The bad habits, excuses and temptations that lead to a careless, negative attitude that bends me toward a path I do not want to follow. "My" SHIELD Strength - Retrain my strength.Health - Relearn my healthy habits.Independence - Regain my self confidence by stepping out of my comfort zone.Energy - Control my energy level, rather than let my energy level control me.Love - Learn to love myself again, and start loving those around me better.Discipline - Push through the tough times and temptations. It won't always be easy, but it will be worth it. Hydra has come out of the shadows and into the light. Cut off one head and two regrow to take its place. In short? I had several very successful challenges and, over the course of last summer, got myself to a place of health, confidence and happiness. I thought I had managed to defeat my enemies. I had "cut the head" off of some of my hang ups. And now, after a hard winter and a loss of motivation, I find them replaced with two more where once there was none. SHIELD has been toppled. What do we do now? We survive and we rebuild. Training RegimentStrength Training - 3x/week {STR 2}CV Training 2x/week - (1 run minimum) {STA 1}Mobility Training - 10 minutes/day {DEX 2} Health RegimentCook clean - 1x/week {CON 1/CHA 1}Limit restaurant food to 4x/week or less. {CON 2/ CHA 2} Confidence Building RegimentEngage in one new activity, experience or social situation per week. {CHA 3}Mark off general 'to do' list items. {WIS 1} Starting weight and bodyfat152.5 / 32.5%Measurements (coming tonight)Bicep 12.5Waist 35.5Hips 39Thigh 25 GENERAL TO DO LIST- Make one of those fancy spreadsheets.- Find a primary care doc.- Set appt. with doc.- Find a hand doc and make appt.- Clean out desk drawer.- Clean out tv stand.- Clean out book & cd shelves.- Clean out closet.- Work on vacation ideas.- Get to the shooting range.

Saw the premier last night. Did not expect that ending, that's for sure!