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The story so far... After years of living a normal life, Vidd remembered his past as a vigilante hero, and decided to turn away from his normal corporate 9 to 5 life to live a double life: Accountant by day, hero in the night. The past two months involved grueling training sessions, a rehaul of nutrition, and countless hours of study to further hone his financial skills: An important trait in getting to the bottom of the shady dealings of the local crime syndicates. Now he was met with a new obstacle. If he was to infiltrate their operations, he would need to be indistinguishable from other members of their gang. Fortunately, he was able to collect a large amount of phone calls through wiretapping between their members. Vidd walked over to his desk, and he turned on his console, illuminating the area around him. In a few clicks he used an advanced AI program to convert all of those calls into text, and then projected them holographically before him. It was time to master their dialect. Day by day he would do this, so that when the time came he would blend in and be able to slip through their ranks smoothly, without rousing suspicion. While it may seem a small task, it was critical for survival. Hey all, so I am still celebrating the passing of my 4th and final CPA exam. I really cannot top that. It was a goal nearly two years in the making and I'm feeling great. I want to keep this positive momentum rolling, but this next challenge is going to be a little less hardcore and this is intentional. I want to give myself time to catch up on some video games I've been neglecting. I think I deserve it after all I've put myself through This challenge is going to build off the former challenge where I am tracking my daily habits in an app. The notable additions are I'm going to actually track my protein intake and ensure I'm getting 1g/lb of bodyweight. The second addition, and the one that is the theme of this challenge is at least 30 minutes a day I'm going to read a novel out loud to myself. Since my early teens I've had a stutter. Where speaking comes naturally to many, it's something I still struggle with. Although I've notably improved since my teens, it still holds me back in some ways. One of my first jobs was front desk at my local gym, and the sales manager overheard me talking with an older guy just starting out, and he walked over afterwards and told me I'd be great at sales due to my ability to connect with people. I didn't believe him cause of my stutter, and he told me his best friend dealt with the same thing, but what he did was read out loud every day, and eventually he became an even better talker than him. The interesting thing is if I am reading to myself my speech is perfect. And the idea is, the more I hear myself speaking perfectly, the more it will program my brain into that being the expectation. This may not be something many can relate with but it's only one aspect of the challenge. Here is my daily plan: Charisma - 30 minutes of reading out loud per day Nutrition - 1g protein per lb of body weight Nimbleness - 15 minutes stretching per day. Agility - 20 minutes cardio per day Training - Gym five days a week Meal Prep - Batch cook lunches Thursday and Sunday. Recovery - Sleep 7+ hours a day

It's that time again.... Doodlie PVP time. Doodlies are all about competition, being supportive, kicking butt, breakfast foods, a little bit of smut, and being competitive. Did I already say being competitive? In order to check all those boxes, the Doodlies are once again opening their PVP halls to all rebels, to play side by side. This time around Doodlies and rebels will fight not against each other, but with each other. In an epic battle, Light will be battling Darkness by competing in 4 categories, fitness, personal enrichment, self care, and general healthy behaviours. More details to come... Want to play along? Just pick Darkness or Light and sign up here!

Every super-person has an alter ego and I feel like this is a site where many create theirs. Whether you have one in your head or are looking to transform yourself into them I'm curious who your superhero alter egos would be. Mine is basically Kim Possible with a little Deadpool humor thrown in. I'm looking to become far better in the fields of gymnastics and general movement, but I love adventure. Please feel free to share yours as well! I'd love to know. By the way, my name is Emma. Superhero name suggestions always appreciated

Another challenge, another chance to conquer. Let's do this! I'm super stoked for this challenge! I'll be doing a five-week challenge this time around, but I will be evaluating me quests on a week by week basis and edit, change, swap, or remove any quests as necessary MAIN QUEST Land a new job and get fit doing it WEEK 0 QUESTS QUEST ONE: badland training (WEEK 0) alternate between strength training and running in the mornings and do x4 per week (I'll be using the superhero app from six to start for strength and a C25K app for running) QUEST TWO: saving food rations (WEEK 0) meal prep breakfast, snacks, and dinners (lunch will be dinner leftovers) find out the family's schedule so meal portions are enough find recipes for meal prepping hunt down the food cook the food QUEST THREE: bunkering down (WEEK 0) read a book +30 minutes before bed/ go to bed before 11 pm and wake up early/ get+7 hrs of sleep LEVEL UP YOUR LIFE QUEST: badland bounty hunting (WEEK 0) sit down after morning routine and send out at least 3 applications WEEK 1 QUESTS QUEST ONE: badland training (WEEK 1) alternate between strength training and yoga in the mornings and do x4 per week superhero app from six to start for strength and a youtube yoga videos) QUEST TWO: saving food rations (WEEK 1) Count calories and input water into MFP at least x5 per week QUEST THREE: bunkering down (WEEK 1) Shut off all electronics before 10:30 pm, read a book +30 minutes before bed/ go to bed before 11 pm and wake up early/ get+7 hrs of sleep LEVEL UP YOUR LIFE QUEST: badland bounty hunting (WEEK 1) sit down after morning routine and send out at least 3 applications

2 years ago, I weighed about 235-240lbs. I was told by multiple people, at multiple locations, that I looked like Tom Welling from Smallville. Fast forward 730 days, and I've been told I look like John Belushi. OUCH. (No offense John) I want to go back to my healthy, sexy self. Along the way, I will be fighting a few Monsters: 1. BiPolar Bear - His sharp teeth and claws are great for tearing apart your plans. 2. The Depresssionator - His foul attitude and bad hygiene would be enough. But his "just stay in bed with skittles" attack is legendary. These monsters have followed me closely my whole life, but I am determined to beat them. This week's goals: 1. Continue Paleo lifestyle changes. 2. Increase daily walk to 7 minutes 3. NO SODA AT ALL. Sunday's Progress Report: Slept all day, due to being up all night Saturday for a karaoke contest. Ate at Golden Corral for breakfast (brother's treat), but ate wisely. Going for my seven minute walk right now, then in bed by 2300 hours.

Jon Firestar, Superhero Part 1: Secret Origins I’ve said previously that the uber state is to look and perform like a superhero. Well unless you happen to be born Superman the only way to reach that state is through hard work and discipline! Every superhero has a their secret origin story. The tale of how they became so awesome. This is the start of my own road to awesomeness Discipline I need to continue to lose weight, and change my body composition. I need to keep giving my body the things it needs during this time so that I can maintain the physical stresses I am asking myself to endure. Food Plan and log: Continue to use MFP to plan and log all food every day. Stick to my calorie and macro targets. Water: At least 2 liters of water per day Time to contemplate and relax 5 minutes of contemplation per day. Super Strength I am not Superman but I am strong and I can be much stronger! My current program has me hitting the gym Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The days rotate through the four main lifts, Bench, Deadlift, Squat and OHP, so all four takes more than a single week. The challenge is to hit the gym at 6:30 am before work three days per week for the 5 weeks. Super Speed I am driven to run! I really want to do OCRs and one of the things these involve is a lot of running. For the first time in my life I’ve started to enjoy running. I want to pick up speed and I want to run further. My program has me running 3 days per week with an easy day on Tuesday, a tempo/speed run Thursday and a long run on Saturday. These need to be done at 6am before I leave for work. I can wait for daylight on Saturday . The program is built around slowly and steadily building my milage. I’ve signed up to a little 5k run at the end of February. Not a race, just a run I’m hoping to hit my sub 30 min 5k on that run although I’ll know closer to the time if I’m ready for that. It’ll be a bit of a practice for my first OCR a couple of weeks later Tech Genius Some hero's aren't born with power and must use technology to enhance their natural gifts! I work in IT as an infrastructure and network engineer, senior support dude, occasional devops and general point of call for confused support desk guys, oh and somehow, some when deputy manager (wtf). I’m very good at my job although I am a bit of a generalist (RangerBrain!). I could be better. I work in an industry with an infinite level of depth and I’ve managed to find a niche that I really enjoy and would like to focus on advancing my knowledge in that direction. I have my network exam coming up in February. The exam is not very high level and it’s not the course I want to do. I want to do the next one but I can only get the next cert if I have this one. I already know 90% of the stuff I’m studying and while I do think it's good to know the basics and to study and brush up on the basics it is a little boring. I need to buckle down some more and commit to 20 minutes of reading a day or one instructional video plus 30-60 minutes on the weekend to do some labs. On Saturday I can play video games only after study Sunday is my day off. Secret Lair Every superhero needs their secret lair. I call mine ‘my house’! Domestic rangering at it’s finest! One of my more nebulous goals for 2017 is to be more time efficient. This means keeping on top of the domestic rangering so that it doesn’t overwhelm. Therefore, the todo list makes a trumphant return! Fill Dishwasher, remember to hit play. You do need to empty it before filling, daily Make Bed, daily, change bedding on the weekend Clean Kitchen, 4x times per week after big cooking day. Mop Floors, 1x time per week. Clean Bathroom, 1x time per week Clean Living Room, 1x time per week Clean one other room, 2x times per week. Do Laundry: 3x times per week, wash fold put away. If it ain’t in the closet it doesn’t count. Prep Lunch: 1x time per week Prep Breakfast: 1x time per week Even Batman Needs Sleep Because it is still broken, I’m still working on my sleep goal. I want to work up to going to bed at 9pm but for now I’m going to settle with getting into bed before 10 for at least 7 hours sleep. Will be graded on in bed and lights out rather than quality of sleep because I suck at sleep.

Superhero Challenge is here at last! I've had this one in the back of my mind for a minute, so this should be fun. It's also influenced by some things I've seen @Tanktimus the Encourager, @Sloth the Enduring and @Atrytone do over the summer, and credit for the title goes to @deftona So I wanted to do a very serious superhero challenge, and I spent a lot of time pondering who the right superhero to model on. Superman? Wonderwoman? The Flash? So many choices... I needed someone who hit all the points and inspired me and suited my personality. And then I figured it out.... Yes, it's THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO!!!! Now, I know what you are thinking. Wasn't Ralph Hinkley, the Greatest American Hero, kind of a doofus? Wasn't he constantly screwing up and flailing? Didn't he lose his own instruction book? Did he have any idea what he was doing at any given time? All these things are true. But isn't that all of us? I have a constant, ongoing conversation with my training partner, the Mantis, about what I am training for. He helps design my programming, and when we are working on it he's always asking me "what do you want to do? Triathalon? Power Lift? Crossfit? You have to tell me why you're doing this so I can figure out what you need to do." And I'm always like, Fuck, I don't know. I want to do everything. I keep thinking, there has to be more to this. It can't just be about trying look good naked and be less fat and show off in the gym. I would have given up long ago if that was it. (Especially the be less fat bit. Sigh.) There has to be something pushing me other than utter vanity. And a few weeks ago, one of the trainers at my gym happened to be asking me, "so what are you training for? Why are you here?" - the eternal question - and just as we were chatting I happened to look up at the TV in the gym and the news was showing the flooding in Virginia (Louisiana would come a few weeks later) and the shot was of people taking their little shitty johnboats and canoes and whatever they could find, and going BACK into the flooded areas to rescue other people, sometimes people they didn't even know, from the flooding. And in that moment it crystalized for me and I pointed at the TV and said "because I want to be that guy." Look, it would be awesome to be an invincible beast that never got hurt, helped the helpless, did the right thing, showed up at the right time, saved the world, AND remembered to file their taxes quarterly. I would love that. But I'm not. Especially the taxes part. But I can be Ralph. I can be as fit as possible to be as useful as possible, as best as I can. And until I am called upon to save the world, I can be an everyday hero, and I can rescue cats and help the neighbor with her groceries and whatever. It's what Ralph would do. Okay, on to the actual challenge training and goals: Everyday Hero: Be Kind: give one random compliment or helpful thing per day. Be Useful: learn one thing useful in emergencies per week. CPR, emergency first aid, change a tire & jump a battery, evacuation techniques for injured people, etc. Make it better: make one donation or volunteer one hour per week to a good cause. Let yourself fly: Ralph, famously, could fly but never figured out how to land. I have some ideas for stuff that I want to do that I keep shrinking from because I'm scared to fail at them. I need to take those risks and let the landing sort itself out. Strong like Hero: I have three gym workouts per week. They are: PHT A: 10 mins rower then 4 circuits: 1 arm rows glute bridge bench press leg extension delt raise jump rope incline press KB swing tricep extension prowler push pull-up (still working on these) PHT B: 10 min rower 4 circuits: deadlift t-bar row step-up bench press hamstring curl military press jump rope push up kb swing sled pull walking lunge inverted row HIIT/Cardio: I do three rounds of this, with 5 min rest between rounds. I do the rower first, then 3x of the moves in italics, then finish with the sandbag run. Rest and Repeat. 250 meter row 10 kb swings 10 wall balls 30 sec battle ropes 200 meter sandbag run Non - Gym workouts: Bike 2-3x week, plus skate, jog, kayak, whatever, as it fits in the schedule. So that's it! Should be a fun challenge; these are cool workouts and I'm looking forward to them. Let's do this Edited to add: Have to shout out to @Phoenix Burning for introducing me to the book Natural Born Heroes and Georges Hebert and the concept of "be fit to be useful" several challenges back. I stand on the shoulders of giants. (or at least their reading reccomendations)

okay so i'll be adding some of my workouts here. i'm basically working out bodybuilding style with decent amount of aim in functionality of this carcass. i have tendency to be somewhat maniacal in my goal setting but i suppose writing them down into my challenge section would help with keeping myself in control... if it looks that i'm losing it, someone say it straight because no matter what the goal is i'm probably gonna get to it no matter the cost.

I decided that March needed a mentally strong month for me. I will likely be limited physically due to my knee/ankle injury and it will take a high level of mental fortitude to keep my spirits positive, clean up my food choices and exercise as much as possible give my physical limitations. Jean Grey (aka: Phoenix) is one of the most powerful mutants through her powers of telepathy and telekinisis. Also she absorbs the Phoenix Force that renders her even more powerful with crazy amazing abilities. I am going to focus on the two original power of Jean Grey with the end focus of being reborn through the trials of fire (surgery or nasty PT for the knee) to be reborn into a new and powerful me! Telepathy – I will use the power of my mind in many ways!!! 1. I will use the power of Telepathic manipulation to perform Personality Alteration on myself. EACH and EVERY post to this challenge thread will have three bulleted points of gratitude. If you see a post from me with out these bullets call me out!!!! a. A family gratitude b. A personal gratitude c. A wildcard gratitude 2. I will use the a Telepathic Defense and Psionic Shield to protect me from poor decisions and peer pressure (including from my own family) when it comes to the food choices that I make this month. I need to eat paleo for my health and eating healthy for me will improve my chances of a quick recovery. Clean paleo eating is a must for me right now. And here is what I need to do to clean it up: a. Get rid of the dairy/cheese. This has been a stress food for me lately and I just need to get it out of my diet. Its in the house because other b. On occasion I eat corn or rice, but they have gotten too frequent and the impact is not good. So no grains at all this challenge! c. Veggies have been lacking lately so I will increase my veggie intake this challenge. d. Potatoes, while arguably paleo, are a comfort food to me and I need to minimize my intake of them. So one potato serving per week (I’ll use this as a treat) Telekinisis – I will use my mind to move the things that I can! 1. I plan on maintaining my attendance in the BJJ classes this month. a. It part because my attending class will keep my family (especially the hubby) moving and attending classes. b. I will also participate in BJJ as much as I can. I might not be able to do much while protecting the knee/ankle but I can do stuff. Professor wants me to keep attending and is willing to help me work on skills that stay away from my injury. c. Conditioning classes often include working on abs and upper body strength with free weights and I can still do these things. So attendance in these classes will continue. 2. I will also make an effort to make things in my spare time. Once I week I will get down to my craft room and do something productive. a. The room still needs some cleaning… b. The weekend of March 18-20 my girls and I are planning on doing lots of work for the cruise gifts that we are making for our summer vacation… If I need it I will ask for my sewing machine to be brought upstairs for easy access… In the end I will channel the energy and power of the Phoenix Force to rebuild myself and come out of this setback a stronger and more resilient superhero!!! Below is a selective excerpt from http://x-men.wikia.com/wiki/Jean_Grey on Jean Grey’s powers. Telepathy: She can manipulate and control the minds of others and even higher order animals within a vast, potentially limitless radius. Her notable powers include: Telepathic Defense: She can manifest her telepathy in a number of defensive ways. Psionic Shield: Ability to erect a psychic shield for protection of herself and of others minds. Telepathic Illusions: She can create realistic telepathic illusions and cause people to experience events which are not actually occurring. Telepathic Manipulation: She can manipulate other people's minds easily, achieving a variety of effects. Mind Control: She can control the thoughts and actions of others. Personality Alteration: She can alter the minds of others by force of will, permanently changing their personality partially or entirely. Mental Paralysis: She can induce temporary mental or physical paralysis. Heal Trauma: The ability to erase a person’s memories and to heal mental trauma through “psychic surgery,†the power to stimulate or deaden the pain and pleasure centers in a persons brain. Mind Link: Ability to develop a mental link with any person which remains as a connection to that individual. Telekinesis : telekinetic abilities enable her to levitate herself or other objects, propel or manipulate them however she wishes, stimulate individual molecules to create heat, and generate concussive force or protective shields. It was later revealed that Phoenix had a secondary mutation. This mutation makes her the physical embodiment of the Phoenix Force; she and the Phoenix itself has stated that they are in fact one and the same being. The Phoenix powers are infinite. She is able to manipulate matter and energy on a sub-atomic scale, although there is substantial variation in the amount of power she has access to at any point based on her current health, mental blocks (natural or constructed - by herself or others), and sometimes for other more esoteric reasons. Phoenix Force Avatar: A cosmic entity which embodies creation and destruction, and derives its power from those yet unborn. Phoenix's body is permanently tied to the Phoenix Force as a nexus. Phoenix Force thinks of Jean Grey is its "host, body, and self." The Phoenix Force gives her vast psionic ability to manipulate time, space, matter, and energy for virtually any purpose. Phoenix (Jean) can also revive, absorb, re-channel and preserve any kind of life-form, since the Phoenix is the sum of all life-force. The Phoenix Force can significantly boost her mental abilities allowing her to rearrange matter at a molecular level, to fly unaided through space, create intense heat and thermal energy by stimulating molecular activity to create fire, flames, and concussive blasts. She can create fire under any condition, including while submerged, and she can manipulate thermal energy in her vicinity. She can also manipulate the voluntary and involuntary responses in the human body.

***QUICK NOTE: This is an RP tavern, please play in character. All things are permitted, including magic. However, please no god-modding and magic use should be reasonable, ie. you can't stop time, which applies to god-modding anyway. Have fun, and I really hope this takes off. Any questions, feel free to ask.*** As you approach the new tavern, you spot a sign with the following information: #============================================================================# Welcome To Ojara a'Lenendra's Tavern o' Fantastical People! We has a few rules, keep em and we'll be fine. 1.) Be true. 2.) Be you. 3.) Support the crew. 4.) Drink up me hearties, yo ho. (Protein shakes of course!) 5.) Alcohol on hand for the respawners and a special gift. Special gift: A hug from our pet monkey. 6.) Do NOT attack the monkey, reward listed below if you do. Reward: Meet Gustav. 7.) Have a great time! We currently offer three delicious flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, and Pina Colada! Have a nice stay, ya hear. #============================================================================# MEET BOSCO: (Isn't he cute?! He loves to hug all those who decide to respawn.) MEET GUSTAV: (Once known as Clark Kent or Superman, he changed his name to Gustav when he finally decided to get serious and kick some serious tail.) Note from Gustav Clark: Greetings, I claim full rights to eject those I find 'unsavory', do NOT test me. I'm not gullible anymore. ***************************************************************************************************************************** As you enter the tavern, you notice the typical setup. Tall mahogany chairs are encircled around small tables within the center of the softly lit tavern. The outer part of the bar is lined with elaborate booths all lit with small lanterns in the center. At the back corner booth sits Gustav glaring wildly in seemingly all directions for something to do. Your gaze turns towards the bar and Ojara raises his hand in greeting, "Hello there? Welcome to ma tavern." As you approach the bar you notice Bosco sitting patiently next to Ojara who is petting him ingratiatingly. "What cannai getcha?"

A Superhero Story In Paris by Lilith I’m a dreamer, and I love fantasizing. I love going to bed early, to live for a bit in my own stories. Stories I thought up based on universes from books and series. They are my escape. In those stories, I can be whatever I want to be. I can have magical powers, or be a parkour goddess, or survive outside with no other means than the weapons I carry. By itself that is not a bad thing, but I usually use it as an escape too. An escape from reality, when I don’t like reality as much anymore. Pressure from university, the struggle with my weight… No I’d much rather dream. Spend my energy and time on that. Lay on the couch during the daytime, just dreaming away. (See, this is a great example of what I want to do to my responsibilities. POOF YOU'RE GONE) But this is not healthy for me. I write my own reality, my actions are my story. I need to be the superhero of my own story. So far, I’ve been the typical hopeless case, avoiding responsibilities and hard work. But hey, EVERY superhero story starts that way. The superhero is never actually born as one, but becomes one. And that stark contrast, that is what inspires everyone, makes everyone love the superhero. Well today I’m starting on my superhero story. This is the moment things change, and I really work on leveling up my life. Making my life awesome, because it can be! I will live, instead of dream. (Yes I think Emma Stone is a superhero) The start of the challenge is actually my first day in Paris. I'm there for 7 months, doing an internship abroad. If that isn't an epic start of a story.... So below I will list my goals. But my challenge goals are more than the things written down below, it is also a change in mindset. It is believing in my own superhero powers, and not escaping into fantasy worlds anymore. Goals Walk 10.000 steps every day (fitbit) Follow GMB Elements Do 1 Vibram Run per week Follow Focused Flexibility (first week in Paris you can do just one stretch, to get used to everything first) Do at least one 10 minute meditation a day I'm already following GMB Elements, so I will be on my third week the start of the challenge. I love Elements so far so I see no problem with keeping it up! It's like I'm discovering my body tbh, even in normal life now I am so much more aware of my body it's amazing! (Well, that's the idea this challenge anyway! I will rock it!)

Last NF Challenge of 2016 - - I am a SUPERHERO I’ve been thinking (dangerous I know!) and I have decided that I don’t need to become anyone other than myself. I will always keep Black Widow as a role model for many reasons, but there are so many other superheros that have admirable traits and are inspiring. Yet not any one of them are me so I think I will be come my own SUPERHERO! What does it mean to be a superhero? I asked my family what they thought a superhero was and this is what they came up with: From the kids - Strong, smart, agile, loyal, protective, fit, bulletproof and â€I'm Batmanâ€From the hubby - put lives at risk to save others and self sacrificing (it is important to separate these because his answer are very telling of his mindset)What I think – Smart, positive, strong & agile, problem solving, never quitting and fighting for what they believe in. I will find motivation within me. I have so many things I want to accomplish and who knows what will come up tomorrow that I might want to try. Right now that bucket list has many things on it and I don’t imaging the list will get shorter anytime soon as I am always adding to it. As of right now I am still registered for a half-marathon on Feb 21, 2016. I don’t know if this is possible as I am healing up from foot surgery on October 5th, but rehab and running will be a focus for the next few months. And then rucking – OMG I think this might be my thing!!! Also lifting heavy things and skiing and hiking and tennis and volleyball and archery and…. I think you get the picture. As always my children and hubby are the largest source of external motivation for me. I want my girls to be happy, healthy and successful so I need to be the best example that I can be for them. I will support them in most any endeavor, cheer for them, be there when they are down/struggling and in general be the best parent they need (not the parent they want.) A successful parent raises their children to be successful adults!!! As for my hubby; well look at his superhero trait suggestions above! There is not much I can do other than encourage him to take better care of himself while helping to minimize his guilt. I don’t know why taking the time to take care of him self causes such guilt, but it does… Both the kids and the hubby are considering attending Ju-Jitsu classes and I will encourage them all!!! I am starting this challenge on October 26th (week 0) and I’ll end it on December 22nd (week 7.5) because I want to do as much as I possibly can before we leave on Christmas vacation. It’s a vacation where I want to play hard and enjoy the beach as much as possible. So 8 weeks and two days it is for me!!! Goals are in alignment with superhero traits but as simple as possible to ensure success! · Superheros are strong, agile and fit: I need to get back to regular exercise! o Lifting – I will get back to the Stronglifts program but with a quicky-lifty bent. I’ll do the lifts but I won’t rest as long because who has that much time and a life!?!?!? I will take baby steps because I’m starting over with the bare bars. And for Christmas I am asking for a personal training session with some Olympic weightlifting coaches that I just found here in town!!! § Stronglifts 2-3 times per week § Daily body weight stuff in my office for 10 minutes, twice a day, 4-5 days per week: pushups, squats and abs o Walking/running – I’m starting this challenge in my walking boot so this will have to be a progressive goal. My goal is to make progress from walking initially to running and hiking at the end of this challenge. I will of course listen to my doctors and I reserve the right to make any changes here as needed. Goal is 30+ minutes 3-4 times a week § In the boot: 30 minutes on the recumbent elliptical § Walking: outdoor or on treadmill – § Running: when allowed § Hiking: when the weather allows o Yoga/stretching/physical therapy/foam rolling - This is an as needed task that will be better defined after seeing a physical therapists. That being said I want to get back into the habit of yoga § Physical therapy – as needed § Yoga – once a week o Skiing – once we get an active ski season going on (opening day is tentatively scheduled for Nov 27) skiing can replace wither a lifting or running workout (but only one or the other) · A superhero has lots of energy to fight the forces of evil: Food is very important to me. My food choices can make or break a challenge. I thought I was eating OK and I hate to log every bite that I eat. Despite this I experimented with MFP recently and it was a revelation. I need to keep track of my food as a tool to keep my macros on track. So I keep tracking on MFP will aim for: o 1500-1700 calories per day o low carbs (below 100g always, aiming for 50g per day) o at least 100g protein per day but more is better o what ever else in fat. o I reserve the right to adjust if needed o I will take Thanksgiving Day off from tracking and guilt! · A superhero is a smart problem-solving machine! Sleep is one of the most important things that I can do to help keep my mind sharp, stay productive and maintain a positive outlook on life. So this one is simple: o If I go to work the next morning bedtime is 10:30pm o If I get to sleep in tomorrow bedtime is 11:00pm · A superhero always takes care of the things that they believe in. I believe in myself and my family. So to best do all of the above to take care of myself and my family one key is to keep stress to a minimum, therefore I will do the following: o Get x-mas done early – by Thanksgiving (before if possible!) o Pack early – 90% done over the Thanksgiving weekend with a list of the last minute packing so I don’t forget something important. (I pack for me and the girls) o Take time for me – I’d like to do a girls night out with friends and take the time for a mani-pedi before my vacation o Stop reading crap – I’ll read only the good stuff and the overall amount of reading will be reduced. o Take time to spend with each member of my family 1-on-1 – This translates into the plan for at least one 2-4 hour “date†with each member of my family at least once in the next 8 weeks · BONUS Superhero action: o Superheros are good examples for others to follow (usually) and they help when they can. I will be a superhero for my hubby. He needs the support when it comes to sleep, exercise and eating healthy. o A superhero makes things therefore I will make things § Clutches (gifts for a cruise summer 2016) § Cross body bags (gifts for my girls and nieces on that cruise) § Pillows for the outside furniture o A superhero is clean?!?!? § My craft room is a mess, so I'll clean it § Decluttering and selling items will happen in a random fashion That looks like a lot but it really is the basics: exercise, food, sleep and family I need a superhero name, or do I? Maybe I’ll just traverse the challenge and my superhero name will arise…

So, who is SomeGuyFromScotland?: I joined NF a week before the April 6WC started. At that point, I was five weeks into a new workout routine, and nine weeks into attempting to eat better. There are links to my introduction/origin story and my first four challenges in my sig below. Feel free to go rummage around in there. I’ve gone from 255lbs at the end of January, to 232 at the start of my first 6WC, 223 at the start of my second, 211 by the third, 203 by the fourth, and 196 as of right now. It’s a work in progress. There's no specific weight number in mind (yet - this might change as the challenges go on), but I suspect it might be somewhere around the 175-180 range. And what does he want?: There is an ongoing life goal to dress like a proper grown-up adult man, in clothes which actually look good on me, and make my wife proud to be seen with me when I take her out. The general aim is to continue to overhaul my entire wardrobe, getting rid of anything which falls into one of the following categories: baggy, sagging or ragged. Over my first four challenges, I set a specific goal of getting properly fitted for a good quality, tailored, three-piece suit, and get a good photograph taken wearing it, because I was sick of being disgusted when I looked in the mirror or saw a photo of myself. This goal having now been achieved, I’m starting to think about the next level. There are two things I would quite like to do in 2016. One of them is write a novel and self-publish it on Amazon. I’ll probably hold off on starting that until the first challenge of next year, and make it an ongoing item in the 2016 challenges. The other, I’m going to start working towards in this challenge. So, without further ado, I bring you: Issue #5: SomeGuyFromScotland vs. The Cartel of Carnage Every good superhero comic needs one or more bad guys. Arch enemies, Supervillains, or just plain old Asshats. Spidey had his Sinister Six. Dredd had the Dark Judges. Every Avenger has his Dark Avenger, and SomeGuyFromScotland (with occasional comic relief from his exotic dancing alter ego Buff McSavoury and comedy sidekick Tartan Temptress) has… Mephistopheles – The self-styled Father of Lies, and the evil mastermind behind CoC. His true power lies not in his wisdom, but in convincing you that yours is false. Stronghold – The Cartel’s enforcer, he is brutality incarnate, a wrecking ball of strength, power and rage. Alluria – She is a succubus, the addiction who calls you like a siren. She looks good, but she is poison. Succumb to her, and your strength and willpower will be gone. Heisenburp – A former high school gym teacher who was driven to insanity by, oddly enough, the Insanity workout. Following his escape from the asylum, he was recruited by the Cartel to eliminate threats by forcing them to perform burpees until death from exhaustion. The Five Thousand – The terrifying result of genetic experimentation, The Five Thousand is a constantly regenerating being with a myriad of heads and arms. Chop one off, and more appear. The Five Thousand cannot be truly defeated, simply survived. Note: Targets adjusted on 30/11 to compensate for a complete bust of a phlegmy, sweaty, viral sick week. Quest 1: The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (The Five Thousand) “Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light†The last chapter ended with the line “And when the hand touched my shoulder again, I somehow found the strength to run.†Now begins the next stage in my journey. I have always hated running. It’s time to get over that. I’ve identified a six week beginner’s 5k training plan and this is the first step towards my next small life goal, to compete in and complete an actual 5k. Beyond that? Who knows. Maybe I’ll tackle a 10k. Maybe I’ll never run again. This training plan calls for 18 sessions, three per week. I’ll record my time taken to complete 5k on each run, and hopefully the walk : run ratio will change significantly over the 6 weeks. Achievable Points: +4 STA A: 15 sessions (Points x 1) - Current Progress B: 13 (Points x 0.75) C: 11 (Points x 0.5) D: 9 (Points x 0.25) F: < 9 (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 2: Iron Sharpens Iron (Stronghold) “Never easy, never clean, to be a beast among human sheep.†This is a fight to the death. As iron sharpens iron, so I must get stronger by battling the epitome of strength. The focus of the last couple of challenges has been primarily weight loss and fat burning, so cardio has taken priority. Now that I’m getting more comfortable, it’s time to re-establish a good lifting regimen. Two workouts a week with a focus on weights. Workout plans will be detailed below, but it’s based loosely on Stronglifts 5x5. I have no idea what my baseline will be, but the targets will self-adjust as I progress. Achievable Points: +4 STR A: 10 sessions (Points x 1) - Current Progress B: 8 (Points x 0.75) C: 7 (Points x 0.5) D: 6 (Points x 0.25) F: < 6 (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 3: He is the Danger (Heisenburp) “You all know exactly who I am. Say my name.†Trapped in the lunatic Heisenburp’s underground lair, the only way to escape is burpees. He may be the Danger… but I am the One who Rocks. Achievable Points: +1 STR, +3 DEX A - 830+ (Points x 1) - Current Progress B - 750-830 (Points x 0.75) C - 670-750 (Points x 0.5) D - 590-670 (Points x 0.25) F - < 590 (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 4: Lead Me Not (Alluria) “We gain the strength of the temptation we resist†The power of the succubus is temptation. Alluria is beautiful and almost impossible to resist, but she is poison. Do not succumb to her. Eat mindfully and continue the good habit of maintaining a daily deficit. Tracking purely on food logged against a daily fixed calorie target this time, instead of including exercise calories. Achievable Points: +1 CON, +1 CHA A – 40+ Days on Target (Points x 1) - Current Progress B - 39 Days (Points x 0.75) C - 38 Days (Points x 0.5) D - 37 Days (Points x 0.25) F - <37 Days (Fail. 0 Points.) Quest 5: The Wisdom of Solomon (Mephistopheles) “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding.†There is only one way to defeat the Father of Lies: with Truth. Slightly different reading challenge this time, with apologies to Doc Feelgood for completely ripping this idea off from his recent challenges. I’ll use my YouVersion bible app, choose some reading plans and begin each morning with 15 minutes to read and absorb that day’s word and get myself right for the day ahead. Ideally, it’ll be six 7-day plans, but we’ll see where it leads. Achievable Points: +1 WIS A - 42 Days (Points x 1) - Current Progress B - 40 Days (Points x 0.75) C - 38 Days (Points x 0.5) D - 36 Days (Points x 0.25) F - <36 Days (Fail. 0 Points.) Minis: #1: Hoth Battle - Done! +1 STA #2: Yoga with Yoda - Done! +1 WIS #3: Combined Force #4: Recipe Book #5: Helping the Pilots #6: Blaze of Glory IRL Things: Following my triumphant performances as "Doo-Wop Backing Vocalist #4", Queen tribute Granny Tranny, Scar's Hyena Sidekick, and Augustus Gloop, I can now officially announce I will be making a return to the stage on the 7th and 8th November playing a WW2 soldier in our church's annual fundraising show, which this year is a seriously emotional musical named Hope & Glory. Thankfully, no speaking part this time. Just as a bit of background, every single penny raised at the shows, either from ticket sales, or the associated auction and raffle afterwards, goes to our Christmas giveaway where we give toys and food parcels to struggling families in our local community. At last count, the total given away over the last six or seven years is somewhere around £90,000. The Wolverine and I will be making a road trip to (not so) sunny Bradford, Yorkshire from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd November for our annual church conference, but I’m not going to use that as an excuse to go off the rails, even though we will most likely be faceholing the world’s best curry at Akbar’s on the Saturday night, and if previous years are any indication, an outstanding fish and chips at Murgatroyds on the Friday. I do have two days’ wiggle room on the calorie challenge, but I’d rather not use both in the same weekend. I’ll be logging food as normal for those days, and attempting to make good decisions. In terms of workouts, I’ll just need to make sure I either have my schedule nailed, or get a slight cushion built up just in case. Oh, and this challenge ends right before my birthday. Pleasing.

Welcome to my third Nerd Fitness Challenge! Brought to you by fiction, daydreaming, unicorns, stalking and out of character superhero/sidekick/vigilante/normal peoples! Oliver entered the Arrow Cave (he was not going to admit to Felicity that he called it that), pausing at the sight of the short redhead swivelling in Felicity’s chair. “Who are you and what are you doing here?†He asked menacingly, causing the poor girl to squeal and fall off the chair in fright. “I…. I’m Pureleeawesome,†she squeaked. “I’m here for the Superhero Sponsorship program. A… Felicity Smoak? Signed a Team… Arrow & Flash up for it†Felicity winced. “I can explain,†she began before Oliver cut her off. “No. Don't. All of you have supported me in my endeavours, the least I can do is this.†Oliver looked at Pureleeawesome critically. “Well Ms Awesome. Let's see what you're made of.†PURELEEAWESOME'S TRAINING REGIME Food Trainers: Caitlin & Cisco Continue tracking my food daily and aiming for an average of 1200 calories per day. This goal is not weighted. Cook 2 Paleo meals a week. This can include desserts. This does not include reheating a meal. 12 Paleo Meals Cooked: 4 CON points 9 Paleo Meals Cooked: 3 CON points 6 Paleo Meals Cooked: 2 CON points 3 Paleo Meals Cooked: 1 CON point Body Trainers: Oliver & Nyssa Continue strength training three times a week. This goal is not weighted. Complete archery or sword (technically rapier) training once a week. 6 Training Sessions Completed: 4 STA points 4 Training Sessions Completed: 3 STA points 2 Training Sessions Completed: 2 STA points Mind Trainers: Felicity & Iris Complete one yoga session a week. 6 Yoga Sessions Completed: 4 DEX points 4 Yoga Sessions Completed: 2 DEX points 2 Yoga Sessions Completed: 1 DEX point Disguise Trainers: Thea & Barry Complete one item of clothing for my SCA persona Item Completed: 1.5 CHA points 1.5 WIS points Diggle stopped the girl before she practically skipped out of the room in her excitement. “I just wanted you to know that I understand why you're doing this. I've been there. But, this lifestyle is a lonely one. You have friends out there. Don't abandon them.†DIGGLE'S ADDITIONAL Keep in contact and support with the people I've met in my previous challenges. And there you have it! My challenge for the next six weeks, filled with delicious eye candy as a treat (at least, it is for me). I'll do a “fiction†update once a week but the rest of the time I'll be normal. Well, mostly normal. As normal as I can be. It's also my birthday this challenge! On the 20th. I'm going to an SCA event because my family decided to leave me and go on a reunion trip to the Kimberleys. I was invited but the idea of driving six hours on my birthday was unappetising. And then the week after that is an SCA camping weekend. So, lots of potential pitfalls but if they happen I can always rely on Oliver Queen to lift me out of them.

Here lies my workout battle log!!! "Operation Avenger" is something I started in my head about a month ago but was touch-and-go with for the first two weeks. I want to collect all the Funko Pop! Avenger bobbleheads, but can't really justify just purchasing all of them. So Operation Avenger is my reward system! Whenever I go down on the scale by five pounds (reward scale subject to change as I get more involved in strength training), I get to buy the next bobblehead! I started with Captain America, and he's proudly sitting on my desk at work. (Shut up, Steve, you know you like it up there with my stapler) Next one will be Black Widow. Because BAMF. Aside from the beauty of bobbleheads, though, Operation Avenger is also a silly-wonderful-geeky way to label my road to superhero fitness. Get stronger. Faster. Better. Time to level up.

CALLING ALL SUPERHEROES! Okay, guys. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Comrade Talls. I’ve been on my fitness journey for a few months now and a NF Academy Member since May 2015. I won’t give you my life story in the first post, but if you want the full scoop, my forum introduction is here. But here we go: First challenge. -- Up until a couple of months ago, I hadn’t read a comic book since I was a kid. I used to have a fairly respectable collection of comics when I was younger, but as I got older, I just kinda’ grew out of the hobby. FLASH forward 20+ years. I had been on my fitness journey for a month or two when I came into possession of a Green Arrow trade paperback. I consumed it in a day or two and completely fell back in love. I felt like a boy again. Maybe it was because I was on my own journey now, as well, but I found it to be completely inspiring. So I bought more. Soon, I was buying vintage Green Arrow comics from the 1980’s on eBay. In an effort to expand my superhero horizons, I decided to start following a second hero. Wanting to stay in the DC Universe, I took a leap of faith and picked a hero I didn’t really know anything about…except that he was the fastest man alive. That’s right. I’m talking about The Flash. As I began brainstorming my first 6-Week Challenge, I noticed a lot of themed challenges in the Rebellion Forums. This clicked right away with me, and I decided to channel my new-found superhero obsession by incorporating them into my NF challenges. So without further ado, I present to you my first 6WC: Superhero Training I: Main Quest: I don’t know that I’ve ever went on a proper run in my entire life. Sure, I’ve went on ‘jogs’ here and there…and I do a lot of walking, but I’ve never committed myself to being a runner. So my main quest is this: Run a 5K. I’m nowhere near this goal now, but my 6WC will be tailored to help me work towards achieving this. Goal #1 – Run at least 2x/week by starting the C25K program. I know the program is set up for 3x/week, but I’m 236lbs. and I don’t run at all now, so I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. However, I will strive to get that third run every week. Every time I complete 3 runs in a week, I score a *bonus run* for that week. If I complete at least 4/6 bonus runs, I will obtain Flash's famous SPEED FORCE and buy myself a Flash-themed item at the end of the challenge. I’m thinking an awesome figure, statue or t-shirt. But the item is TBD. Goal #2 – Complete 3 Bodyweight Strength-Training Routines per week. I already do this now with NF Academy workouts (7 weeks strong, no misses!), but for my 6WC, I’m going to alter my routine up to be more Flash-friendly. The new workout schedule will look something like this: MONDAY – NFA Workout: Bodyweight Brigade Level 2A WEDNESDAY – NFA Workout: Bodyweight Brigade Level 2B FRIDAY – FLASH FRIDAY: Neilarey’s ‘The Flash’ Workout – Level 1 I also will be incorporating a variety of moves from The Flash workout into my Monday & Wednesday workouts to help jumpstart my superhero powers. Goal #3 – Eat a minimum of one fruit and one vegetable per day, at least 6x/week. Garbage in, garbage out, as they say. But if I’m going to go from absolutely no running to 3 workouts and 2-3 runs each week, I need to be eating the right food. I’m going to shoot for doing this every day, but I’m giving myself a 6x/week goal in anticipation of unforeseen circumstances (like a mini-vacation in August). Life Quest: Hit the books! I’ve been concentrating so much on my health and fitness the past couple of months that I’ve pretty much put my studies on the back burner. Currently, I’m taking a self-paced online course that I’m only about 1/3 of the way through. So as my optional side quest, I’m committing to studying at least once a week for a minimum of 2 hours. It doesn’t have to be two hours in a row, but I have to get the two hours in somewhere. Small steps to get myself back on track! Scoring: This is the part I’m a little shaky on still, but here’s what I’m thinking for my attribute points. If I do any of this wrong, feel free to let me know so I can edit it before the challenge begins. Goal #1 – Run 2x/week (12 base runs, with 6 optional *bonus runs*) 12 Runs – 100% | 11 Runs – 75% | 10 Runs – 50% | 9 Runs – 25% | Less than 8 Runs – 0% Upon 3 Week Completion: +2 DEX, +1 STA Upon 6 Week Completion: +1 DEX Goal #2 – Complete (3) BW Strength Training Routines per week, including Flash Friday Workouts (18 workouts total). 18 – 100% | 17 – 75% | 16 – 50% | 15 – 25% | Less than 15 Workouts – 0% Upon 3 Week Completion: +2 STR, +1 STA Upon 6 Week Completion: +1 STR Goal #3 – Eat a minimum of one fruit and one veggie per day, at least 6x/week. (36 possible days, excluding one available miss each week) 36 Days – 100% | 33 Days – 75% | 30 Days – 50% | 27 Days – 25% | Less than 27 Days – 0% Upon 3 Week Completion: +2 CON +1 WIS Upon 6 Week Completion: +1 CON Life Quest – Hit the books! Study for a minimum of 2 hours per week. 6 Weeks – 100% | 5 Weeks – 75% | 4 Weeks – 50% | 3 Weeks – 25% | Less than 3 Weeks – 0% Upon 3 Week Completion: +1 WIS Upon 6 Week Completion: +1 WIS SPEED FORCE BONUS: I’ve found that rewarding myself with new loot seems to be a great motivator for me, so I added a couple of bonuses to my challenge: Complete My 6-Week Challenge 100% - I buy myself a NF Flag to hang in my workout room. I’ve wanted one of these for a while, but this way I’ll be making myself earn it. Complete at least 4/6 of the optional *Bonus Runs* - I'll obtain the SPEED FORCE and buy myself an awesome Flash-themed item as mentioned above. Okay, Rebellion. This is what I’ve put together for my first 6-Week Challenge. How’d I do? Any and all feedback appreciated. Good luck to everyone else on their challenges, and I'll definitely be following along. Here's to an awesome 6-Week Challenge, Rebels!

Hey everyone! My name is Derek, and im going to become a superhero. Ive been lifting every day for about 10 months now, and im looking to really dial in my physique. My current goal is to work on my aesthetics so i can have more confidence at the gym and in my life in general. Then after that its time to build up some more strength. Maybe even compete some day, who knows? Anyway I just wanted to start becoming a part of the community since ive been readng articles from NF for close to a year. Nice to meet you all! Edit: realized i should probably throw up some stats (not sure if thats okay to do here) Currently 6'1" 195 lbs Guessing im around 10-12% body fat 32 waist 46 chest 16 arms and calves 25 quads hoping to up chest to 51, arms amd calves to 17, quads to maybe 28 and my waist honestly cant change much. Any suggestions or tips are always appreciated!

So, I flamed out last challenge and I haven't really gotten back on the horse just yet. I was going to start working out today (really I was!) but my sister in law woke up feeling sick and I had to spend what would have been my workout time watching my daughter until she started feeling better. Anyway, I recently discovered the Art of Manliness podcast and I have been sort of binge listening to catch up. I got a bunch of ideas about health and fitness in the process and I tried to work one or two of them into my challenge this go round. As I was putting it into a spreadsheet this morning my daughter kept running over to me, banging on the keyboard and running away giggling. I got frustrated but not mad because a) she's one and a half and b ) she is adorable. But I ended up taking the computer somewhere she can't reach and finished up. When my sister in law was feeling better, I went to work and began listening to the AoM podcast again and one episode featured a strength/fitness trainer who was discussing his philosophy which involved tailoring workout programs to the individual. He mentioned that, as a father who doesn't really compete anymore, his workouts are structured so that he won't be a wreck the rest of the day trying to recover and said that the workouts he formulates for people take their life into account and sometimes he just fits in some exercises while he is on the playground with his kids. I processed this for a minute and then revelation: WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING!?!? I just got frustrated with my daughter for trying to play with me while I spend most of my mornings segregated from her lifting heavy thing or copying the movements of some guy on a screen! After the initial feeling of remorse/stupidity, I decided to make a few adjustments to my challenge. My Primary goal for every other challenge has been: "Build muscle, loose fat, look like a superhero" This time it is: "Become Superdad" Of course I know there is more to being a superdad than spending time with your child and being able to bench press a truck. But this is a start and we will evolve from there: Q1: Physical play with my daughter at least two mornings a week. (it's not as stingy as it sounds, I do play with her every evening and put her to bed every night) Q2: Lift Twice a week, sprint once a week. (As beneficial as play can be, I need something a little more challenging than my daughter can provide, plus I want the big muscles) Q3: No grains or processed sugar on weekdays. (Dipping my toes into paleo seeing how it works out) SQ: 95% completion of my work goals BTW: I turn 30 on the fifth. First challenge as an old man! Superdad AWAY! *jumps* *fallsonface*

So, I’m just a little excited for the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron in a matter of weeks! As I was going back over some old 6 week challenges, I was reminded of Steve’s blog post about the Avengers from 2012. This led me to some of his other posts about becoming a superhero: How To Become A Superhero In 4 Easy StepsHow to Create Your Own Super PowerCombining my excitement about Age of Ultron with my desire to be a superhero, I shall become tenaciousglee: The Skinniest Avenger! Before I can take my place among Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, I need to hone my body and skills to be more like them. As such, here are my goals for this challenge: Goal 1 - posture as straight and true as Hawkeye’s aim As most desk jockeys do, I often find myself hunched over my keyboard, or sometimes just beating my head against my desk. I also find myself slouching when I stand, so I want to improve my posture. I am going to attack this goal by completing daily posture exercises (tracked on HabitRPG). Hat tip to Phayze for the exercise suggestions and push to join HabitRPG.I also recently discovered the site Bony to Beastly, where they are all about fixing posture to improve not only your appearance, but also your muscle-building ability!Goal 2 - the neighborhood friendliness of Spiderman While I would love to crawl on walls and swing between buildings, that powerset still eludes me. So how does a non-web-slinger get around the neighborhood? Walking! My reason for making this a challenge goal is to build the habit and also because walking is a good way to burn calories without catabolizing my precious muscle. I’m stealing a page out of Waldo’s book for this one. He always seemed to walk regardless of whether he was bulking or cutting I’m going to track my steps with my UP by Jawbone wristband with a goal of 30,000 steps per week. It’s a little over 4,000 steps a day, but I’m still a desk jockey and trying to start small to build the habit. My plan is to either walk 15 minutes on my lunch break, or potentially after work with the kiddos to boost my numbers.Goal 3 - the genius-level intellect, mystery-solving ability, and body recomposition powers of Ant-Man/Giant Man/Hank Pym My longtime goal has been to pack some muscle on my skinny frame and that’s not about to change. I’ve been trying to eat above maintenance calories for the last few months, but I have been slack about tracking my calories. I’d like to pack on 5-6 pounds over the next six weeks, so that means 500 extra calories a day, or some variation to get to a surplus of 3500 calories per week.As for imitating Hank Pym’s intellect and mystery-solving ability, I’m going to continue to analyze the data I’ve collected over my past 19 challenges to look for patterns of what worked and what didn’t as I tried to gain weight or get lean. I’d like to have the ability to know what needs to be done diet/exercise wise based on my goal at any given time.Goal 4 - the indomitable spirit of Captain America I’ve been fighting a bit of burnout at work and it carries over to my home life as well. I’ve been working on a project for almost 18 months now and we’re already 3 months past our original Go-Live date and struggling to pin down a new Go-Live date. There are a lot of reasons to be stressed out.So my goal is to shift my focus from things that are stressing me out to things that make me happy. My plan is to list at least one thing by the end of the day that has gone well, either something positive at work, or something that I enjoyed about my kids or my wife that day. I’ll be tracking this in HabitRPG as well.I’ll be working out 3 days a week, following a modification of the Avengers workout from Steve’s article. I’ll do the A and B days on Monday and Friday, with a bodyweight progression day on Wednesday. Trying to keep everything simple: push, pull, legs, core. On a final note, I'm succumbing to peer pressure from my last challenge and posting this in the Assassin's guild instead of the Rangers because so many of my NF buddies are now Assassins. I'm looking forward to seeing what all of you are up to this challenge!

I've made it down to 279 lbs. I'm almost half way to my goal. I was 347 in June, and was at 329 when I started changing my lifestyle in December. In total, I've lost 68 lbs so far. Since December 1st, I've lost 50 lbs even. I want to be around 210-220 with muscle and built like Gerard Butler or the Cap. Not huge, but not scrawny either. Okay... So I kinda stopped training for a few weeks. I was car shopping because mine wasn't going last much longer. I had the gym on my mind the whole time although I let my diet get out of control. Not so much what I was eating as much as how much I was eating. I still managed to lose 10 lbs in 3 weeks. I got back to the gym last night and it's exactly what I've needed. I'm back on track as if I never stopped. I had a chest day yesterday (a routine I designed) that supersets chest and core. I'll list the routine below if anyone is interested. It was pretty killer and I went to do my pushups and my arms gave out. Such a great feeling to know that I have worked that hard. School has been going well so far, I'm still at an A. I'm signed up for a summer minimester, but I'm still figuring out how I'm going to pay for my fall semester so I'm waiting to sign up for that. I know for sure I'm going to take 1 class, but I'm trying to find out about taking more. Since I dropped off on the last challenge, I'll keep the same goals and finish them this time. Goals ++ Increase Squat weight by 40 lbs (+4 STR) ++ Drink 64 oz of water every day (+4 CON) ++ Get down to 260 lbs (+3 CHA, +2 DEX) ++ Get an A in my programming class (+2 INT)

edX have just started a super-nerdy, superhero short course. Enjoy!

Hello, You may call me Captain or Inzane or Captain Inzane. Depending on how fast you can run I suppose you can call me other stuff as well. So I've been telling people that I'm training to be a real life superhero. Stephen Amell (Actor who plays Oliver Queen in Arrow) is an inspiration to me and I hope to be as fit as he is. I'm starting late in this challenge so I'm not sure if I can allot myself points for what I accomplish however I still have some goals I'd like to complete within the next 2 weeks. I'm an aspiring Android Developer and need to brush up on Java so my goal is to read at least two chapters of Java Head First and to complete all the assignments for those chapters. I'm currently on Chapter 12 learning gui's for anyone who is a developer. +Wisdom I recently injured my arm moving and it's just now starting to get better (used some tiger balm amazing stuff) so I'd like to gradually enter back in the gym and by the end of two weeks hopefully be at 100%. So the goal is to go to the Gym at least 3 times a week. +Strength I'm able to workout while I'm at work (awesome right get paid to workout! who wouldn't do it?...me) so one thing I'd like to change is bicycle (10-12 mph) or walk at 3.0mph with a 4% incline for 1 hr a day. At least 4 days a week. +Stamina I just started the Paleo diet and went grocery shopping for the first time since last night. I didn't get anything that wasn't paleo approved. I'd like to continue my paleo trend and have at least 5 days where I maintain a 90% or higher paleo diet (I don't make my own spice mixes yet or salsa). +Constitution I'm not sure where Dexterity and Charisma would come from. I'll surf other people's challenges and see how they decide to add additional agility and power or if anyone would mind chiming in I'd greatly appreciate it. Question for everyone should I make this a mini challenge and just give myself +.1 points for these things or if I meet my goals give myself +1 point. I'm not really sure how to do points because of the time difference. I will say though so far for this week I've met all my goals that I have above so technically would be 3 weeks but again not sure. If I need to wait till the next challenge time then I'll wait not a huge ordeal for points just seems like a fun thing to do. Did I do this right? Any tips?

Hey everybody, Hows it going? Are you ready for this next 6 week challenge? I am. My first challenge went pretty well. It definitely helped to keep me accountable for my water intake. I'm getting better about drinking at least 64 oz of water a day, but not there yet. Below are my goals and the scores assigned to them for completion. A little about me: I am an IT guy and I play emo rock in my free time (theeffieafton.bandcamp.com). When I'm not doing those things I like to play Magic the Gathering, video games, Dungeons and Dragons, as well as read comic books. In June I went to my doctor for a gout inflammation and weighed in at 347 lbs. I began my journey on December 1st. I started changing my diet and exercising regularly. The first time I weighed myself since June was December 6th (when I bought a scale) and I was at 329.1 lbs. I have been eating clean (mostly, though not paleo) since December 1st and can't imagine going back to the way it was. I don't feel like I'm missing anything or deprived. I feel healthy and strong. As of last Friday (weekly weigh-in), I was at 300.7 lbs. I'm hoping to cross the 300 lb threshold tomorrow morning at my weigh-in. Goals ++ Increase Squat weight by 40 lbs (+4 STR) ++ Drink 64 oz of water every day (+4 CON) ++ Get down to 285 lbs (+3 CHA, +2 DEX) ++ Get an A in my programming class (+2 INT)

Hi friends! I'm looking for an online sidekick (or multiple sidekicks)! I would love to just chat, encourage, and keep each other accountable. I'm new to the forum, but a longtime Nerd Fitness fan. Here's some stuff about me: 20 Years Old College StudentMarvel Comics fan (been reading them since I was 6 years old!) Some Other Things I Love: Doctor Who, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Firefly, Sherlock, and DisneyHobbies: Musical Theatre, animation, and cooking. I know, I'm weird. My fitness goals/info: I'm trying to gain muscle and stamina. Losing weight isn't a huge need for me - I'm an "Elf" looking to become an "Assassin". But I'd be totally okay with shedding a few pounds! I have been on a Paleo diet for 2 years. (I'm allergic to gluten and lactose intolerant, so it kind of made sense. ) I have tons of paleo recipes and tips if you're looking to join the club!I'd LOVE to get into parkour, but haven't figured out how yet. What I'm looking for in sidekicks: People who want to work together and motivate each other to reach our goals and be healthy. Gender doesn't matter. (Although I especially love to meet other SuperWomen!) Similar health goals would be great, but is definitely not a necessity. I prefer people around my own age. (18-25ish) Would be good with e-mail/forum/pm conversation. Just wants to make friends and get fit!Sorry I know that's a lot! lol But if you're interested, just let me know. I love to virtually "meet" new people so don't be shy.