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Hello and welcome! Come on in, grab a beverage of your choice, and have a seat by the fire. This is the place we can all chat and get to know each other. Questions? Ask away!

Hello and welcome! Come on in, grab a warm beverage of your choice, and have a seat by the fire. This is the place we can all chat and get to know each other. Questions? Ask away! 

Hello, all and Welcome Fall! Come on in, grab a warm beverage of your choice, and have a seat by the fire. This is the place we can all chat and get to know each other. Questions? Ask away!

Hello! It looks like the Druids haven't had a little cabin getaway in a few challenge cycles - let's use this space to get to know each other, ask questions, share milestones, post gifs, and just generally hang out. I'll start. Hi, I'm Darkfoxx - previously an Ambassador with the Rangers - and this is my 59th challenge cycle on the NF Forums. I'm currently working to rebuild my yoga practice, while I continually come to grips with the lack of consistent schedule in my life. I can't wait to get to know you all!

Good morning! So I finally decided to commit to living a better life. This means keeping a cleaner house, creating meal plans that can feed two adults, and two toddlers while still packing big nutrition and enough calories to fuel our shenanigans, and completely restructuring how we think so as to be productive to our goals instead of undermining. I hope that in joining this community that I can get some advice from other like-minded folks. So my first questions for my fellow Rebels are as follows: 1.) As a half-time online college student and mother is it really possible to pull off something like this while still giving my children the attention they need and deserve? 2.)What are some sample meal plans that are healthful and simple enough to fit into a super busy life that are also desirable to the carnivorous hubby and picky kids? 3.) Has anyone else been able to regain their body after having two kids close together? and 4.) Does anyone feel comfortable sharing their struggles on this journey and how you've overcome them? (It doesn't have to be super detailed, I'm only asking to gain a sense of confidence to be able to surmount the challenges that are sure to come.) I know nothing worth having comes easy. I've been there, heck before my husband and I were married I was at the peak of my physical fitness, I was strong, at the lowest weight since middle school and I had confidence. While he still complements me and truly has a high opinion of me I have lost all of my confidence, that fire that drove me, everything I was before. This is mostly due to the depression but also because I've learned so much in the last four years about health and diet, and even things like organizations that I've found that the majority of what I had confidence in back then was a lie. I'm here not to mope about the past, or even to recapture it. It was a wonderful time in my life, I found my love, and found a deeper purpose as a wife and mother, don't get me wrong. It's just time to move forward, and be the best me from this point forward. More people depend on me now than they did back then so this beginning is very important and admittedly, I'm going to need a lot of support from a solid community. There it is, I admitted to needing help! There's one accomplishment already! Ready, set... Go! Let's get started!

Welcome to the new Challenge! Stellakin and I decided that there was a lack of anywhere that we Rebels could gather together, so we decided to resurrect the Juice Bar. Anything belongs in this thread, any question, encouragment, motivation, adorable gif, etc. Feel free to make yourselves comfortable here as we approach the middle of Week 0, and begin gearing up for the Challenge! We're glad to see you here and begin this new start together!

Hey y'all, so glad to be here! I found this site after a post about the camp last week, and I feel like I've found my people. I'm a major book nerd. I have zero eye/hand coordination for gaming, and am not very good at the maths, but if you want to talk books/authors/cats, I'm your girl! I've already had two NF people friend me on FB, and I feel so loved! I've been leveling up with fitness for over a year, after leaving the comfort of my couch! I'm very attracted to the baby-steps philosophy that NF promotes, and I'm really having fun with the idea of going on quests! At the same time, I've found that weight loss, future health, yadayada means jack to me. I need immediate gratification! Bets with myself, points and rewards, and reduced stress are much more tangible, daily results and keep me going. I like to go sloooooow, but NF emails and workout challenges have been very helpful. I don't go as hard as I can when left to my own devices. Already starting to see increases in strength and flexibility in just the first few days! I tried to the body weight beginner video from the email. At first, I was like nope nope nope! BUT, I actually did it. Perfectly imperfect, but still, I was so proud of myself. Getting out of my own head (who I think I am versus who I can be) is my biggest challenge. As for more me: I LOVE swimming. Like crazy obsession LOVE. It's my go-to when (exercising, stressing, adulting) starts to get overwhelming. It's not fitness - it's life. I also enjoy yogas, and running is very efficient to shake all the anxiety out, although I still don't have as much endurance as I'd like. I hope to improve there. I also recently tried a strength training class, and it was awesome! I love feeling strong! Right now, I'd already challenged myself to a 30 day fitness bet. It's 30 days, 30 minutes, and $300 (bets: see above). It's actually the third time I've done this challenge, and I'm straight up rocking it! I'm all about getting guilt-free money to go purchase new gear. I've also found it helps reinforce my commitment to fitness, when I start to drift off with excuses. It was awesome fitness karma that I found NF during this cycle! So, that's my first part of the 4 week challenge, although I'm a little late to the party. Nutrish: I know nutrition is 80%, but I am so not into "diets" which usually mean restriction which always morphs into REBELLION! So, I have a very strict add, don't subtract philosophy. I love setting good, healthy goals. My goal is to drink a glass of water each morning, and carry my water bottle with me out the house. I have years of experience in ED recovery, so I'm not likely to discuss weight loss, numbers, or good/bad food (the idea of "clean"/dirty??? food is so messed up imo - to each their own). After years of practicing ED recovery, I am very experienced in mindful eating philosophies, if anyone is curious about it. Books recommendations too. LevelUP: I love the idea of meditation. My last little goal is to set aside 5 minutes each morning. I used to think I needed 45 minutes each day so I never stuck with it ( . . . Jon Kabat-Zinn, not helpful!) I can do 5 and get that habit solid. Anxiety/depression/stress are all real challenges for me, so this will actually help give me some grounding to rock all these other habits. So, that's me. I was thinking I wanted to join the Rangers (Tanis Half-Elven, amiright?!), but I'm not sure how I go about it. I'm all over the place when it comes to fitness, with a touch of the ADD, so I like the "jack of all trades" description. Plus, my hunnie told me that rangers in gaming usually are associated with animals, and I'm like Snow White with all the little animals flocking to me IRL, which works. I *really* don't want to CrossFit or Paleo though, since that sounds awful. No offense, just not my thing. I like to wander, I like a lot of different workouts, and am a bit of a loner, so I hope it'll work out. I hope I don't have to be an ogre! I'm also not quite sure how the points work. I've gotten some points from the emails, but I don't know where to put them. I don't have to start an excel spreadsheet, do I? Don't make me excel, I'll be lost tinkering with it for days! If anyone knows how it works, I'd appreciate help! With points, not excel. So, books, books, I promised books. Favorite fitness book: No Sweat, Michele Segar Favorite book about human endurance: Unbroken, Laura Hillenbran (audiobook is amazing) Favorite book, just because books: Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss (write faster dammit!) Currently reading: The Tsar of Love and Techno, Anthony Mara So nice meeting you!!!

Hey Rebels Welcome to the Rebel Stronghold You can find all types of things to do and ask each other questions, celebrate wins, and just have some fun chatting about whatever you choose. Rules are simple: Be respectful, that is all. We're all battling the dark side and their cookies are hjard to resist. But we will prevail. Each day will be better than before. We will learn and grow wise. We will laugh and cry without shame. We will live! What say you??? gifs and such happily welcomed

Dear new-comers to yoga, Hello! I am a soon-to-be certified yoga instructor; my official license comes at the end of the month. My styles is based on cultivating complete body+mind awareness and increased strength, flexibility, stamina, and focus. Many of my routines alternate and often combine elements of deep muscular restorative, yin yoga and strengthening, flow-based asana. If you have any questions about yoga, whether you are just starting out or even stuck in a yogic rut, come on over and give me a message! I want to help out as many people as I can; you DON'T have to be flexible to be able to practice yoga. If you can breathe, you can do yoga, as my mentor says. So please, don't be shy, ask away! Do you want to know how yoga can enhance your routine? Make you a better lifter, a better runner, a better person? Or are you just dying to know how to hold that backbend? Again, drop me a message, and I'll be more than welcome to lend you a hand! All the best, Sam (It is also a privilege to be able to join the ranks of the Nerd Fitness Army; my intro can be found here:Don't Slay This Dragon…)

Hello fellow rebels! I’ve been visiting the NF website for over a year and I have preached it to many people (specialy the “Beginner body weight work outâ€. But, like many others, I sometimes fall back into old habits and I haven’t fully achieved my goals yet. Thus, I decided to join the community and today is my first step: starting this forum post! So here are my goals and my strategy on how to achieve it. Feedback is more than welcomed! Goal: Reduce weight (fat) by 5kg whilst losing body fat, not muscle Strategy: Focus on healthy clean eating with portion control and minimum “treats†until goal is reached PLUS strength training. Tactics: train 3-5 days a week (currently doing 5-6, but makes it difficult to manage time and cook meals, meaning I end up not eating right) Walk 20 mins a day (to and from work) Cut down sugar and simple carbs (a bit paleo, but not full because it’s too extreme for me at the moment) Eat when I’m hungry, not bored/stressed, etc. So here is go. Day 1 Wish me luck! P.S.: I’m off for a run and some body weight exercises.

I apologize in advance if this is posted in the wrong spot. Anyway, has anyone heard of MovNat.com? Looks like it meets rebel standards. I was wondering if anyone in the Nerd Fitness community has tried it before. Thanks!!

So, I'm 30 (about to turn 31) and, as seems inevitable these days, all of my college friends have started running (and posting updates on Facebook, etc. about their runs and how happy they are about how fit they're getting). I'm in pretty good shape (6'0", 175 lbs), but I'd like to lose about 2" off my waist and hips, which usually correlates to about 7-10 lbs of "weight loss". Until about 6 months ago (when I moved across the country for a job), I had been lifting weights regularly (2-3 times per week, for about 8 months) and doing Pilates (once a week, for about two years). But I wasn't really doing any cardio, and while I know I was getting strong, I wasn't really losing any inches. In fact, I gained a few inches (increased muscle mass under stubborn fat), which I found immensely frustrating. So I decided to take up running. I decided to use the Couch to 5K program, and I got some new shoes from a local running store (they called them a "neutral" shoe, and they talked me out of getting a minimalist shoe, since I was newer to running). I also did a "Good Form Running" class at the same running store, and was told that I have good form (good upright posture, not heel-striking, etc.), although I need to work on relaxing my shoulders. I was very encouraged by all of this, and so I started the C25K program, but I didn't get very far. The first few weeks were great, but then I hit the transition from week three to week four. I can run for three minutes straight (middle "interval" of week three), but not for five minutes straight (middle "interval" of week four). I asked the instructor of the Good Form class about this, and he said that he suspects I'm pushing myself too hard during the "run" parts of the run/walk C25K program. He said I should move more slowly, while still keeping up my tempo, and I'll be able to get through it. When I did as he suggested, I was able to make it through the 5 minute segment of week 4's program, but I was jogging, not running. I didn't know if that was bad. I define jogging as taking smaller strides and moving more slowly and running as taking longer strides and moving more quickly. I can actually do the first week of C25K alternating between jogging really slowly (basically the same speed as a brisk walk) and jogging a little more quickly. So is it okay to be jogging? I just am worried about my form. I am trying to keep up the tempo of my jogging (3 steps per second, or thereabouts), per the advice I received at the Good Form Running class, the same as I had been for my running, so in theory my form should be good, but jogging just feels so much less... I don't know, productive, I guess. Any thoughts? Suggestions? Tips? Should I just stick with it and eventually I'll get there? Thanks, Megan

Hello all, I am a 20 year old FPS and ex RPG player. I have let go of myself over the last couple of years though I did quit smoking cancer sticks I still have not got back on the exercise wheel and now I have hit 200 lbs which I couldn't believe. I have been wanting to get into shape but I completely lack the motivation. Until now! I just happened to stumble on an article about this site and I think it is the best idea ever, make exercise into a RPG. I don't really know how to explain it but this is honestly going to help me so much, making life into an RPG were you level up for getting healthier is the best idea I ever heard I hope whoever came up with this is a millionaire cause it really is a million dollar idea. But anyways. I just want to know the basics, how exactly do you level up? How do you join "guilds"? And anything else I need to know please let me know. I really want to become a part of this community! Thanks!

Preface: Sorry that this post is so long. I have a tendency to be very thorough I guess under the guise, "if you provide half the information/truth, you will only get half the help." Thanks for being patient in advance. So... I'm (obviously) new to this challenge thing as well as NF in general. I'm really excited to find something like this because I've been toying around with the idea of getting in shape for the last eight years or so but my hesitation has always been in actually going to a gym and working out around other people. I'm pretty self conscious. I guess my ultimate goal is to feel completely comfortable being naked in front of someone but I know that's not a very measurable goal. My idea of being in better shape includes building a nice chest, getting back six-pack abs, and lose the scrawny arm thing. I never really saw a way of doing this without going to the gym and if I did, the idea seemed overwhelming. So, needless to say, I am really excited to have found NF. While I am not completely out of shape I'm no where near where I want to be but I know there is hope and I'm willing to put in the effort... I just need a bit of support and direction. So, I guess a little bit about where I am right now / what I've been doing... Diet: Started a ten-day detox thing on Tuesday 3/4. The detox thing is basically eliminating anything containing sugar or flour (ie: no carns, no sugar.) It's almost Paleo but at this point I am not ready to give up dairy and don't know that I necessarily will ever be... we shall see. The main change that this diet has done comes in the way of breakfast. For breakfast, I have a shake that is composed of: cranberries, blueberries, lemon, avocado, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, almond butter, almond milk, coconut milk and water. I've adjusted it a bit to include a half banana to help with the overall taste. (All this wasn't for naught... it'll come up later in my goals.)Exercise: Over the last few months, I've been doing pushups on and off and I ride my bike and walk a lot because I don't have a car. I found the "Angry Birds" workout on NF and it seemed like something I could get into... it's simple, it's easy to track progress, and there is a definite advancement schedule or whatever with it. I'm all about tracking progress and shit. I've done the "Angry Birds" workout on 3/6 and 3/8. I tested myself to see where I would fall in with the levels, and I pretty much place at least at level three with everything. I've also run on the treadmill a bit at 5mph... got in about 1.5 miles on the first day and like 2.1 miles the second day at 5mph. My endurance was limited by the fact that I'm a cig smoker... but I'm trying to quit in the spirit of better health. Today is day 2 without a cig... down from half a pack a day. So, I guess the part where I need help: 1.) I would like some insight as to whether I am setting these goals in a way that makes sense with this whole challenge thing. 2.) I would like some insight as to how to keep track of my progress. I kind of want to include some stats in this post and consider the same stats after the challenge over. I love NF because I am a TOTAL nerd of a mathematics major and rely on numbers and shit more than subjective ways of evaluating progress. What kind of stats should I take (ie: height, weight, waist/hips, bicep, chest, etc...?) and how would I go about taking them? Is body fat a good thing to track? 3.) Would it make more sense to do the beginner strength training workout or whatever? Or, could I alternate days between Angry BIrds and Beginner Strength Training or would that be too much? 4.) I'm about 5'8.5 and around 155#. I want to gain muscle but lower my body fat percentage. Any tips or advice as far as diet? My Goals (maybe?) Main Quest Reduce body fat percentage to around 12% Drastically improve bicep and chest measurements and attain 6-pack abs Have the ability to run a marathonChallenge-Specific Goal Establish a routine of working out and watching what I eat. Mini-Quests Continue doing "Angry Birds" workout on even-numbered days. Run on even numbered days with the goal being able to run established 5k (3.2 mi) circuit without taking a walking break, getting rate up to 7mph from 6mph Continue pattern of diet where carbs and sugar are eliminated (ie: avoid all processed food to best of ability).Side Quests Find a job. Remain tobacco free.Scoring +2 points for each ABW completed [28 possible] +1 point per circuit complete with walking involved; +2 points if circuit ran in full [30 possible] +3 possible points for diet rating eliminating carbs and sugar (ie: processed foods) were avoided [87 possible] +10 points remaining tobacco free through 4/6 +10 points for securing employment [10 possible] Total possible points: 165 points Score = [Points accrued / 165] * 100 A = 90-100% B = 80-89% C = 70-79% D = 60-69% F = >59% Any and all insight and feedback would be GREATLY appreciated. I've just been doing way too much reading and thinking. Haha.

Hello. I've been looking around at different message boards and this one seemed to have the most favorable mix of knowedgable and not-scary. Physical fitness is weird for me. I've always been somewhat aware of it, but never really engaged in it, so it's like when you can follow a conversation but don't know enough to contribute to it. Anyway, I'm 28 years of age, about 5'8" and used to hover around 135lbs for my entire adult life until I took a somewhat strenuous job ten months ago and dropped down to 123lbs. I look pretty under-weight. I certainly sort of feel it and could overall use an increase of useful mass. On a whim, I bought one of these things: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007RQ0F8W/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 First I tried the doorframe kind, but then I discovered my studio has no doorframes it could fit in, so I said whatever and purchased that behemoth. Luckily the pull-up bar is just short enough that I can do those without flattening my skull. But other than that, some dips, that thing where you suspend yourself and move your legs up and down, along with basic things like push-ups and such, I didn't really know what exercising entailed. I also don't know anything about proper dieting. So on came the questions! (Numbered for convenience) 1. My biggest question so far, is how much is too much/enough? Some people say exercising 6-7 days a week for two hours a day with all kinds of weight machines/free weights/etc. are the best results. Then I've seen as little as an hour or so three days a week doing bodyweight stuff is plenty for optimum gains. Is there any accurate, hard data vs. personal preference? Does it depend on what you're going for? It makes sense in my head that more = better, but doing less while targeting multiple muscle groups at once makes sense too. If time isn't an issue, what's the absolute most I can do for optimum results before I start getting diminishing returns or risk injury? I'd like size, definition, strength, and endurance. The quadfecta! Also as little fat as is healthy to walk around with. The quinfecta? 2. Is there a consensus on bodyweight vs. external weight? Personally, I'm not into gyms or using weights. I don't want to buy special pants or a sweat towel or heavy things I might drop on sensitive areas or trip over in the night. Plus, they're friggin' expensive and you end up out-growing most of them anyway. I'd read (on The Internet) that gymnasts train mostly doing only bodyweight exercises. Those folks can do some pretty awesome stuff and despite not training with (many) actual weights, could lift the same or more as someone who focused exclusively on them. But this was also from a guy trying to sell a book on bodyweight exercises. Having smaller, but denser and most importantly, highly functional muscles is the most appealing to me. If I'm going to put all that work into building them up, I want them to be able to do things besides look good or be able exercise more. What would I be missing out on if I never set foot in a gym and never touched a dumb nor bar bell? I have the Dreaded Aparatus linked above and also have a pair of rings on the way. What more could I want? 3. Where do you GET all that protein and calories? The simplified rule of thumb is 1g protein for every pound you weigh, right? I did a quick tally of my current diet and found I get maybe a quarter of what I need. If that. Depending on the day. My daily calories are maybe half what I'd need just to maintain. I'm already a careful shopper and rarely buy junk food except when it's on sale and my food budget is already stretched. I can dip into my savings for the bulk-up portion, but just maintaining would be rough unless there's some miracle foods high in the stuff I need that hardly cost anything. Is there a good resource for this sort of thing? I'm not a vegetarian or vegan, but I'm also not big on eating lots of meat. Unfortunately where I live, most of the fresh fruits and vegetables look and taste terrible (when they have taste at all) as well as costing more than meat. The bits I've seen of the Paleo Diet also appears to warn against grains, dairy, and a third thing I forget. I bought a jug of protein shake... powder.. stuff..., but I like real food. What's left to eat?! 4. Does a "rest day" literally mean "do nothing"? An off-shoot of question 1, some workouts I've seen have "rest days". Does that mean you just don't exercise at all? Is it a matter of whether or not your body can take it yet or is there stuff going on in the background that would actually be hindered by more exercise? 5. When do you stop a set/how many sets? I've seen some workouts recommend a set number of reps per set to shoot for before increasing weight/difficulty and others recommending "until fail point". I've also seen the magic number being "three sets of ten, max resistance you can handle". But then other workouts will have the sets/reps/resistance all variable. Is there an optimum thing here? Does it depend on the person? What am I supposed to be looking for? I can manage sixteen pull-ups before I can't get up there again, but if I had to do three or four sets of them I'd fall off or my heart would explode somewhere during the second set. What gets me the most returns? 6. Why is this all so difficult? Seriously. It seems like so much of the information floating around outright contradicts each other. My basic understanding of exercise has always been, "move against resistance, keep doing that". Is everyone just arguing over what method they like best or is there actual evidence of movements/resistance levels/etc. for what actually works the most that gets drowned out? I bet I have more questions, but I forget at the moment.

Hi there! Ok so my routine does not really consist of muscle building but im geared to that(i still do my cardio and watch my diet). Lately though my friends and I have been arguing on this topic, with one side saying that building muscle for muscle is bs, while the other saying that fat people should build muscle to gain more metabolism=more fat loss. Im stuck at between and im confused here, so could someone help me out?

Hey I don't attend a Box of anything, but I have a teeny interest in crossfit, so I have an app with the WOD and sometimes I do them. But I have some questions! 1. Today's 130711 crossfit total, back squat shoulder press deadlift. Is this any weight? Max weight? What? And is this one that is AMRAP? 2. Tuesday 130709 Diane 21-15-9 225lbs deadlift, hand stand pushups. Post time... Does everyone do this? What if you can't do the weight listed? That's all at the moment, been too busy to do them lately but each day I realise I have too many questions, I did want to do today's though, but I don't know what weight to do, Thanks in advance,

I really want to start training in parkour, but I am flat footed so arches in running and tennis shoes are very painful to me. How much does running and tennis shoes improve parkour compared to skateboard shoes? I have tried seeing a foot doctor (can't remember the name for now) but nothing has worked. I am doomed to eternal flat footedness!

Anyone out there using EPIC in the healthcare industry? Our hospital is going to embark on this journey within the next two years and I have questions... Biggest (at this time) is what kind of questions are on the Assessment Test?

Two quick questions--I don't know if this is really where should ask them, but I didn't really know where else I could. 1) What are the ranks? above the profile pictures whenever people post? Newbie, Rebel, Renegade, Recruit, etc. And how do you get promoted from one to another? 2) What are the dots underneath the profile picture? Thanks!!

If this is elsewhere then please direct me. I have been doing 85% paleo since last Sept and really enjoy not crashing all the time and feeling full without feeling yucky. Also, I am noticing that I am building muscle in areas, like my abs, that is starting to look good. But I am a little concerned about my chest area. My ribs are starting to really show. Is this normal? Do I need to start working on my chest in strength and weight training? The rest of me is starting to look good except for this one area. If I do need to focus on my chest for a while, what exercises are recommended? My level up for this year: Be able to do 5 correct push-ups in a row Be able to perform 1 standard push-up Body Fat % = 18%