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New to NF! Kaine jumping on a challenge right off the bat!

Kaine

By Kaine
in Level 1 Rebels

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Kaine

Kaine

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Hi everybody!

My fiancée (@Mera) and I found out about NerdFitness recently, and we've both jumped on board to try and get more fit!

Background:
I'm a wandering American from small town Central Texas who's come over to Europe by way of London. After a few years in the big city, I moved on to new adventures and am currently working towards a PhD in Lyon, France (just an FYI, living in France is not the best move for controlling one's diet). I used to be more active a few years ago, doing competitive swimming, and long bike rides in mile high desert, but not so much any more. All of that kinda stopped with the move to London, thanks to pub lifestyle, classic British cuisine, the imminent threat of death by bus-crushing if you risk going out on a bike, and a small but persistent knee pain (so the whole 'I used to be an adventurer like you, but then I took an arrow to the knee' joke has a beautifully ironic parallel for me in this context). Also, I was spending my days in front of a computer at work, and then coming home to sit in front of my 'game of the moment' all evening, which only compounded the problems. So now that I'm working on filling my brains with amazingly cool stuff, it seemed the perfect time to augment my intellectual pursuits with a good dose of physical improvement as well. Gotta keep that mind/body balance right!

I'm aiming to work on my diet, and my (currently not-so-awesome) body composition. I'd really like to look good in a swimsuit. (Well, I've got vitiligo, so I'll always look splotchy without a shirt on, but I like to think it's like my body's way of making sure I'm camouflaged in case of unexpected snow storms, or mad wizards obsessively casting Blizzard all over the place).

I'd also really like to just feel a bit more comfortable in my skin, and feel more able to go out and enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle.

Mission: Regain consciousness

Kaine wakes with a start. The room is oppressively dark. He can't even see his hand in front of his face. "Where am I?"
He fumbles blindly in front of him and hears the crumpling of the pages of an old tome. Exploring further, he wraps his hand around a cold metal cylinder... What is that, a candleholder? It starts to come back to him slowly. He must have fallen asleep while researching the... "Wait! What the hell was that?"
There's a faint grinding, scraping sound in the distance, echoing through long stone corridors. There's the delicate murmur of water trickling down a wall that's close by. Suddenly Kaine realises his throat is absolutely parched, it is as if he is inhaling hellfire. He tries to stand up to find the source of water, but his limbs, weakened from lack of nourishment and numb from sleeping in an awkward position, give out on him as he collapses on the stone floor with all the grace and poise of a beached octopus.

"Well, this oughta be fun..." he mutters to himself as he struggles once again to reach the water he so desperately thirsts for.

Quests for this challenge:

1) Eat a healthy breakfast regularly and avoid complex carbs at dinner.

Reward: A +2 CON, +2 WIS  B +2 CON, +1 WIS  C +1 CON, +1 WIS

 

2) Go for at least 1 run per week longer than 10 min/1 mile without stopping.

Reward: A +2 STA  B + 1.5 STA  C +1 STA   (additional) +0.5 END for each additional run/week up to max +5 END

 

3) Do a bodyweight/kettleball workout 3x/week.

Reward: A +2 STR, +2 DEX  B +2 STR, +1 DEX  C +1 STR, +1 DEX


Long term goals:

Quantitative:
1) Get down to ~180lbs (82kg) with ~15-18% body fat [I'm just a hair under 6' tall, and currently ~215lbs (97kg) with a body fat percentage that is (estimated based on pictures) probably closer to 25-30% range]
2) Tackle the Montée des Chazeaux (~240 steps) here in Lyon in one go at jogging pace!

Qualitative:
3) Develop healthy habits for eating and activity level.
4) Look super-hot for my wife-to-be by Aug 1.




Looking forward to joining the community and becoming a more active guild member once I figure out what this body of mine is capable of doing nowadays!

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Level 2 Adventurer


Quest History: 1


Current Quest


 


 STR 3 | STA 2.5 | DEX 3 | CON 3 | WIS 2 | CHA 0

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Kaine

Kaine

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Alright! First workout! Nothing terribly fancy, but I did manage 3 circuits of the Beginner Bodyweight Workout nonstop, with a 12kg kettleball instead of a milk jug. So a good start, I think. Depending on how I feel tomorrow, I am planning on trying for 4 or 5 circuits on Thursday. As for tomorrow, I'm aiming to get in the first run for the week!

Level 2 Adventurer


Quest History: 1


Current Quest


 


 STR 3 | STA 2.5 | DEX 3 | CON 3 | WIS 2 | CHA 0

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Kaine

Kaine

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Alright! Tonight, I managed to get a jog in. 15 minutes, 2.4km (1.5m). Not a bad start. Only minor protests from my knee. All is good! Looking forward to keeping the momentum!  Thanks to Mera for the support and helping me get out the door.

  • Like 1

Level 2 Adventurer


Quest History: 1


Current Quest


 


 STR 3 | STA 2.5 | DEX 3 | CON 3 | WIS 2 | CHA 0

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Chris-Tien Jinn

Chris-Tien Jinn

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Welcome!!!!

 

If knees are bothering you during a jog, you might check out Runner's World's suggestions on keeping that joint strong and healthy:  http://www.runnersworld.com/health/build-better-knee

 

I injured by left knee years ago (NOT during running ... dumb accident involving high heels and wet grass) and have found some of these ideas helpful over the years.

  • Like 2

Level 4 Human Ranger/Paladin

"We are better than we know, if we can be made to see it, [then] for the rest of our lives, we'll be unwilling to settle for less."  - Kurt Hahn

STR: 9 | DEX: 10 | CON: 14 | INT: 13 | WIS: 14 | CHA: 13

 

 

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Kaine

Kaine

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If knees are bothering you during a jog, you might check out Runner's World's suggestions on keeping that joint strong and healthy:  http://www.runnersworld.com/health/build-better-knee

 

Oh! Aces! Thanks so much! I'll add these to tomorrow's workout!

 

Thanks for the welcome as well! 

 

And, for the sake of my knee, I'll do my best to avoid any situations in which I might find myself in high heels and wet grass. ;P

  • Like 1

Level 2 Adventurer


Quest History: 1


Current Quest


 


 STR 3 | STA 2.5 | DEX 3 | CON 3 | WIS 2 | CHA 0

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Odango

Odango

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Welcome Kaine!

If you're in this with Mera, you'll have an awesome motivation to kill this challenge :D

Your goals are great, very balanced, you'll be in great shape at the end of the challenge! I love your super precise attribute system, I haven't even begun to plan mine ^_^

 

Lyon is a great city (that's where I'm from ;)), I hope you enjoy your time there! Where do you do your PhD? I'm now living in the UK and I find it much harder to be healthy, EVERYTHING at the supermarket has added sugar, mustard, mayonnaise, even bacon!

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Dancing Sylph - Level 9 Monk/Druid

Former Captain of the Nerdians of the Fitalaxy

Current Challenge

"E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle" - We came forth, and once more saw the stars, Dante

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Kaine

Kaine

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 I'm now living in the UK and I find it much harder to be healthy, EVERYTHING at the supermarket has added sugar, mustard, mayonnaise, even bacon!

 

I remember that about London... (Mera and I were living in London up until March) but I think Edinburgh might be even worse. ;) They love to fry everything, and they probably have bacon everywhere... 

giphy.gif

 

Good news is at least bacon is paleo... I don't think andouillette is.

  • Like 1

Level 2 Adventurer


Quest History: 1


Current Quest


 


 STR 3 | STA 2.5 | DEX 3 | CON 3 | WIS 2 | CHA 0

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GingaNinja

GingaNinja

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Hey welcome Kaine!

 

Great looking goals, wishing you best of luck this challenge!

 

I am KingLeeroy an Adventurer Ambassador so if you have any questions don't hesitate to drop me a line on my challenge page or in a PM if you have any questions about anything! Here is my current challenge and some wee tips for using the forum on this tutorial.

 

Good luck with your challenge and see you around!
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Be More Ninja

Current Challenge

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Kaine

Kaine

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Tonight, I managed 3x Beginner Bodyweight Workout, with one modification, I did 15 push ups each round instead of 10. Managed without planting my face in the mat, so that's always a good sign. 

 

Also, to close, I completed the stretches that Chris-Tien Jinn so kindly shared with me!

If knees are bothering you during a jog, you might check out Runner's World's suggestions on keeping that joint strong and healthy:  http://www.runnersworld.com/health/build-better-knee

 

Well, Not all of them, because I couldn't find a box to support my weight without wobbling, and I don't have resistance bands... but I'll make sure to stop by an activity store and get those this weekend! 

 

Thanks to everybody for the support! 

  • Like 2

Level 2 Adventurer


Quest History: 1


Current Quest


 


 STR 3 | STA 2.5 | DEX 3 | CON 3 | WIS 2 | CHA 0

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Kaine

Kaine

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Woohoo! so, I failed to update on the weekend workout, so on Saturday I did 4x Beginner Bodyweight workout, pumping up to 15 pushups each circuit, and 30s of planking! So, hit goals for the first week! *fistpump

 

Unfortunately nothing on Sunday... got sneak attacked by a migraine. x_x  

 

Starting off strong this week with 3x Beginner Bodyweight workout (15 pushups and 30s planking each circuit)... so less than the weekend, but I augmented it with some kettlebell single-arm curls:10-8-5 reps each arm with 8kg. Going for jelly-arms tomorrow!

Level 2 Adventurer


Quest History: 1


Current Quest


 


 STR 3 | STA 2.5 | DEX 3 | CON 3 | WIS 2 | CHA 0

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Kaine

Kaine

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Overdue update!

 

Didn't hit my goal of 3 bodyweight workouts this week. Only managed two. will have to do better.

 

So, on Friday night I did a kettlebell/ab workout, just to change things up.

 

2x Ab set:

10x center crunch

10x oblique crunch (right)

10x center crunch

10x oblique crunch (left)

10x center crunch

20x double leg lift

 

3x Kettlebell/Arm set

10x right bicep curl (8kg)

10x left bicep curl (8kg)

10x right press (12kg)

10x left press (12kg)

10x pushups

 

That left me incapable of lifting my arms on Friday night...

 

Saturday was, honestly, one of the biggest cheat days in a while... Italian dinner and a movie. But it did wonders for the mood in the household, and got me feeling guilty and determined about my goals all night.

 

So, this evening (Sunday) I went for the weekly run. Managed to go for 16 min straight. And I hit the halfway point on my last run a full 45 seconds faster than my last run. made it to 3k. So that is already improving... and I ran up the stairs to the apartment after it was done. I'll count and report tomorrow.

 

Moving along smashingly with only minor hickups!

  • Like 1

Level 2 Adventurer


Quest History: 1


Current Quest


 


 STR 3 | STA 2.5 | DEX 3 | CON 3 | WIS 2 | CHA 0

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Odango

Odango

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You're doing really well! Having a cheat day is okay, as you said, if anything it acts as a kick in the rear and gives us extra fuel!

You've still have a great week, pushing your strength, congrats :)

Dancing Sylph - Level 9 Monk/Druid

Former Captain of the Nerdians of the Fitalaxy

Current Challenge

"E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle" - We came forth, and once more saw the stars, Dante

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Kaine

Kaine

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Tonight I went a bit nuts. I'm nervous about tomorrow already.

 

giphy.gif

 

So... the set:

 

2x Ab set:

10x center crunch

10x oblique crunch (right)

10x center crunch

10x oblique crunch (left)

10x center crunch

20x double leg lift

 

3x modified BBWW

20x squats w/ 12kg kettlebell

10x pushups

20x lunges w/ 12kg kettlebell

10x rows w/ 12kg kettlebell (per side)

30s plank

10x bicep curl w/ 8kg kettlebell (per side)

10x press w/ 12kg kettlebell (per side)

30x jumping jacks

 

1x minor case of death by lactic acid poisoning

5min wandering around like a zombie desperately trying to stretch out but really just moaning and walking about all stiff armed

giphy.gif

 

1x Ressurect spell in the form of roasted chicken thigh, salad and mint tea (care of Mera)

 

We'll see how tomorrow feels. ;)

  • Like 1

Level 2 Adventurer


Quest History: 1


Current Quest


 


 STR 3 | STA 2.5 | DEX 3 | CON 3 | WIS 2 | CHA 0

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