New Member Introduction: Dash

[Dash_D]

Where to begin. I'm obviously new here. I am very excited to find this site, however. I've always been comfortable pursuing and enjoying whatever interests me (I guess that's called being a "nerd" now) and I've been mindful of health and fitness my whole life as well. This site seems like a really great mix place for support, community, encouragement, and education.

 

Let's get the stat-dump out of the way.

 

Species: Human

Age: 29

Sex: Male

Height: 5'11

Weight: 165 lbs.

 

Recent Picture: Here's me, looking tired, after helping a friend move 

 

As this community is the fusion of Nerdiness and Fitness, I'll introduce the two sides of me:

 

Nerd:
I've always loved Fantasy and SciFi. I've been a Dungeons and Dragons player since I was in high school (Thorin, level 1 Fighter) and I started playing PC games on our old 386 when I was about 6.

I have played many (admittedly, too many) video games since then. Lots of Diablo II and Vanilla World of Warcraft as a teen.

Favorites have been . . . opens Steam account Fallout 3, BF2142, Left4Dead, and DayZ, among many others. #1 spot goes to LoZ: Ocarina of Time. I love the Zelda series and OOT will always hold a very special place in my heart.

Other "nerdy" interests, aside from the tabletop gaming that I don't think I'll ever give up, have been PC tinkering and recently quadcopters.

 

Fitness:

I am fortunate that I have grown up in a family that was generally healthy. As a result, for most of my life I have been rather conscious of health and fitness.

I feel like I was also lucky to get pretty good "base stats." Good immune system, no significant medical problems, and a metabolism I can barely keep fed.

I wrestled in High School for 3 years, and in my adult life I have lifted weights on-and-off with wildly varying regularity, focus, and intensity.

I've been eating between 75% and 95% Paleo for longer than I know exactly. Over a year. I really believe in the principles of the lifestyle and it was already pretty close to what I was eating. I don't drink soda at all. Sugar truly is white death. Exercise aside, I feel fantastic on Paleo, my parents tried it for about 6 months and lost quite a bit of weight (not a goal for me) and had much more energy. My dad, for example, went from about 215 to 185.

I am trying to convince myself to like running. I sit a desk all day (IT work) and I know I'm not doing my heart any favors just letting it sit around, so occasionally I'll put on shorts and run 3-4 miles.

 

So, why am I here?

-Lots of reasons. So far, this community seems really cool. I struggle with motivation sometimes (bed feels so good) and I think by connecting with other people, I'll challenge myself to stick with the plans I make for myself. So "making friends" is on the list. aww

 

-Achievements! I know we "work out to improve ourselves" and all that, but the idea of getting EXP and leveling up for being healthy is just too cool to pass up.

 

-Track my progress. Scribbling weights down on a paper in my gym shorts isn't nearly as cool as recording my progress on a forum.

 

-Motivation. Lately, I'd started a new lifting schedule and was really enjoying it. Going pretty regularly, putting on some weight and really starting to feel a strength difference over a few months. I was cooking well, eating well, even running a fair bit (ok, like once a week maybe).

Then I got dumped. It really took the wind out of my sails. My gym bag just sits there. My running shoes do the same. My "95%" Paleo diet has turned into "Paleo + Beer, donuts, and pizza." Beer for dinner, drinking coffee again, back to a terrible sleep schedule - the works. The whole ordeal really took the wind out of my sails, and while breaking up is always hard mentally, I know its been bad for me physically as well.

Geez, I feel like I should have been laying on a couch for that sob story. Nothing like getting it all out, huh?

 

So anyway, that's me. I'm going to poke around the forums and read about the guilds, check out some profiles, and hopefully start up my own little progress thread. If you made it this far, thanks for reading all this! Feel free to say hi!

 

- Dash

[Nedwin]

Hello! Welcome to the boards. Looks like you're settling in nicely!

[Dash_D]

Yes, thanks. This community has been a lot of fun to explore and dive into. I'm trying to pace myself but I'm also eager to delve into all the guild/challenge/raid craziness that seems so exciting.

Thanks for the hello!