madamevoilanska Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 No, no, as much as I adore Danaerys Targaryen, I am NOT the mother of dragons! Hello fellow nerds! I suppose after lurking around the forum and the NF website for a fair while, its time I introduce myself! I'm Jess and turning 23 this year, and no matter whatever stereotypes are out there of Asians being skinny, I'm not one of them! Calling myself a "dragon" is just a reference to the two years I spent rowing in competitive varsity Dragonboat races, where, combining intense weightlifting twice a week, weekly sprint intervals, and hours and hours and HOURS of rowing, I developed the physique of a warrior, but under a layer of fat. I blame this on the misinformation that is conventional wisdom (that's why we're all rebels here, eh?) and a diet heavy in carbohydrates (rice, wheat, pasta, pizza, bread, ugh!) If not for those two years in competitive dragonboat, I would never had the courage to enter the gym and discover the beauty of the barbell. I began to love getting the incredulous looks on guys' faces when my girl teammates and I would saunter past them to the free weights, doing bicep curls with 10kg each side, knocking out 10 pullups in a go, and benchpressing some serious weights. I loved that I was getting strong. Being a strong woman was such a novel concept to me then, but it was also so empowering. But then, I hope no girl or woman ever has to hear the words I would always hear, especially since their self-esteem can take a beating: you look like a man. I heard that from my mother, my friends, even from my teammates. I wondered why I would lift and lift and lift just as much as they did, but they always seemed to remain lean and strong while I just kept getting bulkier like the she-hulk. I felt like I lumbered around, laden down with too much muscle that I didn't need. Thus after two successful years I quit dragonboat and, being once again sadly misinformed, was told to engage in Chronic Cardio and spend countless hours pounding the pavement to slough off all that extra bulk. It broke my heart to not be able to step into the gym again (okay I'm being melodramatic, but you get the point). Around this time, I flew to the UK for 6 months on a study abroad student exchange, and combining not being used to the cold (I'm a tropical girl: I really live in the "Far East), having to pay 100GBP for a gym membership, and a meal plan that involved potatoes, peas and pasta every night, I put on 15 pounds. When I came back home, I couldn't recognize myself. I was appalled. Then I discovered paleo eating and Marks Daily Apple, advocating functional strength, ditching long hours in the gym or on the road, and a return to a healthy, revolutionizing way of life, and I. Was. Hooked. I lost all the weight I had gained on exchange and then some. But I was still restless. While Mark at MDA advocates moderation, a balanced lifestyle, and not too much in excess, I was competitive by nature. Two years rowing in a high-level varsity sport that regularly brought home gold medals for my uni had given me the desire to slay dragons (not myself), to push my limits, to strive for something beyond. And that, my fellow rebels, is where Nerd Fitness comes in. Ever wonder why we tend to categorize and label people, as if those labels defined who they entirely were? Athletes were supposed to be dumb, or not as smart, because they spent so much time training. You know what? Half my teammates graduated from uni with a second class uppers degree or higher. Nerds were supposed to be reclusive, bookish, unfit. You know what? I love Tolkien, I love Star Wars. My favourite activity is discussing fandoms with my similarly inspired nerd friends, on the beauty of Smaug in the Hobbit movies, to our ultimate favourite scenes in the Avengers. And yet here I was, an athlete. And that's the very thing about NF: you are free to be exactly who you want to be, without labelling, without stereotyping. I fell in love head over heels. I'm in love with the idea of "levelling up your life" because if you think about it, there is almost no limit to what we as humans can do if we're motivated. The sky is the limit! All the past fears that I once used to have are falling away, all because of Steve's advice: be the character in real life that you create in a video game. Live the life that you want in real life, not in a game. With that in mind, I'm throwing myself wholeheartedly into this! The sky's literally the limit. I want to get strong again, to enter the gym and lift weights and not be afraid of my image. I want to try bodyweight exercises and parkour and MovNat because there's just something so primal about unimpeded movement, and also because I want to have the flexibility to chase after my 5 year old brother. I want to be able to hop on my mountain bike and explore the trails, or to hike through the woods without having to worry about not being able to last, to climb mountains. I want to be able to say yes to all that life has to offer. In the words of Aragorn in the Paths of the Dead, "What say you?" 5 Quote Link to comment
Why not? Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 Welcome! Much like Aragorn, you sound like Ranger material 1 Quote Long Term Goals: Spoiler 200# 245# Snatch 300# Clean and Jerk 380# 465# Back Squat 450# 500# Deadlift Planche Human Flag Front Lever 285# Log Clean and Press 1k Row under 3:20 Back Flip Bodyweight Turkish Get-up For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8 Never compromise. Link to comment
Basement Cat Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 Welcome to the rebellion, Madame Voilanska! Pay no mind to the haters and nay-sayers. Do what makes you happy then do it some more! Good luck with your goals and keep us posted! Quote Current form: Chubby House Cat (lvl4) Weight objective: 20% S. 4 P. 6 E. 4 C. 7 I. 8 A. 4 L. 5 Battle log Current Challenge Handy linky. Link to comment
RES Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 Welcome to the rebellion! 1 Quote RES...and I want to live days worth dying for Current: RES: Life is not Always SET Spoiler Really Eclectic Scorpio, Level 87 |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30|31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40|41|42|43|44|45|46|47|48|49|50|51|52|53|54|55|56|57|58|59|60|61|62|63|64|65|66|67|68|69|70|71|72|73|74|75|76|77|78|79|80|81|82|83|84|85|86|87|88|89|90|91|92| | My Character Page | Tracking Spreadsheet | My Blog | Growth happens when you care more about the well being of your future self than the comfort of your present self! "Pass on what you have learned. Strength, mastery. But weakness, folly, failure also. Yes, failure most of all. The greatest teacher, failure is." -Yoda Link to comment
madamevoilanska Posted February 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 Welcome! Much like Aragorn, you sound like Ranger material Awwww thanks! I haven't done my first challenge yet, but when its time for me to join a guild my first choice are the Rangers! I was so inspired by Aragorn and Faramir Quote Link to comment
madamevoilanska Posted February 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 Welcome to the rebellion, Madame Voilanska! Pay no mind to the haters and nay-sayers. Do what makes you happy then do it some more! Good luck with your goals and keep us posted! Thanks! I've learned to shut them out, just like I've learned to ignore conventional wisdom! Quote Link to comment
Why not? Posted February 14, 2014 Report Share Posted February 14, 2014 Awwww thanks! I haven't done my first challenge yet, but when its time for me to join a guild my first choice are the Rangers! I was so inspired by Aragorn and Faramir Yesss! Join, you must! Quote Long Term Goals: Spoiler 200# 245# Snatch 300# Clean and Jerk 380# 465# Back Squat 450# 500# Deadlift Planche Human Flag Front Lever 285# Log Clean and Press 1k Row under 3:20 Back Flip Bodyweight Turkish Get-up For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8 Never compromise. Link to comment
Calen Maethor Posted February 14, 2014 Report Share Posted February 14, 2014 Wow Madame Voilanska, I love the fire! You sound like you've already achieved an attitude that so many others are working toward. Keep up the good work. 1 Quote Level 3 Half-Elf AssassinSTR= 9.5 DEX= 14 STA=4 CON=3 WIS=3 CHA=2 Current Challenge "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't... you're right." ~Henry Ford Link to comment
Igi Posted February 14, 2014 Report Share Posted February 14, 2014 Ahaha! You seem to be a very lively, self-motivated person with strong love for anything life has to offer. I can relate! Welcome, and I hope I'll be seeing you around. I agree, there's nothing worse than being shut and labelled just because of the things you do. I'm a nerd not only in the sense of loving books and movies (yay for our shared love, Aragorn! <3 ), but also academic discussion, philosophy and higher mathematics. And yet I'm here - and by the help and motivation from this site, I hope to become a real-life Assassin, a heir of Altair, Ezio and Connor, working in the dark to serve the light. I loved your descrition, the spirit that shone through it. Keep it, madam! Never let it leave you, and welcome aboard! 1 Quote Nothing is true. Everything is permitted. Words have power. Second Challenge Rebel (Assassin)Current Challenge: Assassin's Quest - Igi's Journey II [Level: 2 | STR 1 | DEX 2 | STA 1 | CON 2 | WIS 2 | CHA 2 ] Link to comment
Kard Posted February 15, 2014 Report Share Posted February 15, 2014 Welcome Madameviolanska! Quote Take a deep breath, center, LEAP! Link to comment
madamevoilanska Posted February 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 I feel so inspired by all the support this community gives! As Steve would say, For the rebellion! 1 Quote Link to comment
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