NSMB Healthiest Me 2013/2014 intro and goals thread

and we're off!
we'll run this for 90 days, starting on Dec 1st 2013 and ending on Feb 28 2014
there'll be a prize of a large NSMB jersey for the winner but you must register in this post by 12:01am on Dec 1st to be eligble. even if you miss the cut-off date for the prize you're still encouraged to participate.

-tell us who you are, what your goals are and possibly why.
-the goal is to challenge yourself and see what you can accomplish.

we're here to support and help each other and to be accountable to each other.
this will help us all work towards reaching our goals.

here's a template based on a post from Kever (I've changed some things) that you can use to state your current condition, goals and percentage completion if you like:

Physique
- current bodyweight of 170 lbs, goal is 180 lbs, 0 of 10 achieved, 0%
- current body fat percent of 20%, goal is 16%, 0 of 4 achieved, 0%

Cardio
- can run 10min mile, goal is a 9 minute mile, 0 of 60sec achieved, 0%

Strength - 6RM (6 Rep Max) - You can choose what you want though
- 135lbs bench press, goal is 175lbs, 0 of 40lbs achieved, 0%
- 185lbs squat, goal is 225lbs, 0 of 40lbs achieved, 0%
- 10 pull ups, goal is 14, 0 of 4 achieved, 0%
- 15 dips, goal is 20, 0 of 5 achieved, 0%

FYI, for the purpose of this contest when it comes to strength based movements, we'll use recognized standards for the movement. this means using a full range of motion. if you're notn sure about proper movement for an exercise just ask.

for example:

squat = thighs parallel to floor
bench press = bar to the chest, butt on the bench and no bouncing off the chest
chin-ups = underhand grip where your palms face you, a narrow grip usually about shoulder width
pull-ups = overhand grip where your palms face away from you, a wide grip that is more than shoulder width

A WORD ABOUT SAFETY

exercise can be inherently dangerous if done incorrectly or without proper guidelines. so as we're here to get better and not injure ourselves, when it comes to exercise technique if you are new to something or are not sure if you're doing it right it is highly recommended you get advice or instruction from a fitness professional. there are a number of good resources on the web, but personal instruction is the best. you can often get advice for little to no cost at your local public recreation facility.

List of Competitors:

DARTHYOGA
dEVoRider
Onegear
rewoga
DarylMac
KazYamamura
Kever
morgman
fattirerider
Rat
Butters
syncro
MrBond
heckler's better 1/2
tacklesquakbox
Tracer Tong

Hi my name is Darth and I am a lazy dirt bag.

My goals are to get stronger and faster, so I can race DH in 2014. Racing will push me past some of my limits and I want to see what I am capable of on a bike. Fitness has always been elusive for me, it seems like I can only go so far so I am hoping to push through that this year.

Hi everyone!

I hope my idea for a healthier me challenge takes off and that we all achieve our goals!

big thanks to Syncro for setting everything up and taking a lot of initiative.

Anywho, I'm Aidan and my main goal is to lose weight (fat) and gain cycling endurance.

I used to race road and occasionally mountain bikes but a badly broken leg 1.5 yrs ago and subsequent surgeries have left me out of shape.

Before the accident I was fit and weighing in at 145 lbs and months after the accident I ballooned up to 180 due to poor eating habits and inactivity.

Right now I am able to ride well, albeit slower than normal and I weight in at 170lbs.

My goal is to be down to 150 lbs and healthy (low Bf%) and also accomplish some long fun rides.

cheers,

A

Name: Ashley Age:35, 2 young kids age 6 and 4
I ride the road, MTB and race Cyclocross, and I was on track for a great season. Here we are midseason and I am back down at lower mid-pack.
As a result of a recent injury, readjusting to a changing work load, and battling some health issues this summer, I have gained about 20-24lbs.

Current Weight:210

Goals are as follows:

Gain Endurance, both in cycling and running,

Sub 25:00 5k, I can run about a 30-31 right now. -6mn/ 36% Achieved Dec 16. 28:48 -2:12
Maintain 30kph over my 75km training route. 27kph +3kph/0% Achieved

Gain Power, stronger sprints max interval of 58kph on the Iona flat no wind. Current max is 54. +4kph/0% Achieved

Lose 27 lbs, 212(starting weight)-185 27lbs loss
210 on dec 16,2013 /7% Achieved
I was at 187 and being super strict with my training at same time last year and fell off the wagon hard. I know it will take longer than 90 days to hit this mark.

Gain better eating habits,
f' me I can get in to a sugar binge session due to stress eating.
Get the shit out of the house. First goal achieved.

And most importantly,

Gain Motivation through support and being held accountable by you people aka my peers.

Hi! I'm Andrew and I'm a bacon-aholic!

I have shared / joint custody of an 8 year old boy, and a rocking girlfriend.

I work as an engineer, and thus spend 6-9 hours a day in front of a computer.

I have recently started doing the majority of my in town trips by bike - and I am already hungrier.

I currently weigh 200 lbs, and don't think I need to lose a lot, but BMI and other indices think I should weigh 185….

I'll aim for a solid 195 lbs.

My short term goal is to quickly build some ski fitness. I have an in-home gym, and will be focussing on squats, lunges etc.

I also want to continue to build upper body strength (always the kryptonite of the hard core biker) by doing bench, curls, tricep exercises etc.

Flexibility - I was going to yoga regularly, but can't seem to fit it in my schedule anymore. Need to just do it on my own.

Finally - core - core - core. I have a couple of compressed disks in my back, and if I am not careful and get too tired / tight they can flare up. I need to keep working on / strengthen my core more all the time.

Overall, I want to be fit for skiing (including as much back country as I can schedule) and build fitness into next spring / summer for biking, rock climbing and hiking.

As a measurable goal - I am going to aim for 3 work-outs a week with the weights, maintain my 90% of in town trips by bike standard, and go for a body fat percent reduction. My scale measures that so Imma check it on Dec 1.

So how's this going to be run? Is this just a lose weight challenge?
Weekly weigh-ins with scale pics?

So how's this going to be run? Is this just a lose weight challenge?
Weekly weigh-ins with scale pics?

well as there's no official prize or anything we can just go on the honour system with regards to results. when it comes down to it there's no point in cheating to win, all you'll do is short change yourself. just state what your goal is that you'd like to achieve within the 90 day period. if people want they're welcome to share before/after pics, measurements or peformance numbers and to also chart their success as things progress. at the end if there's interest maybe we can hold a vote to see who's made the most dramtaic change and also maybe who's achieved the most difficult goal.

what you get out of this is really up to you, the community is just here for support and encouragement.

If I could offer a piece of advice:

The more ambiguous your goals, the more difficult it will be to achieve them. A goal that is easily and consistently measured will help you immensely.

57 yr old hAZN male, some lazy tendencies but I still like to go for long walks on the beach

the only goal is to ski 100+ days/drink beer/ have fun [HTML_REMOVED] knock off the Everest challenge

I've been doing this on my Own for the last few years. I call it "Manuary". Basically, I set a personal improvement/wellness goal as my New Years resolution and then refuse to shave until I complete it…

My first year my goal was run 100km in a month. I was clean shaven by the end of February. Two years ago my goal was swim 2km. I had a beard until Father's Day (had to learn how to swim/had no idea how far 2km is in the water). I've challenged myself to lose weight (25lbs/took 3 months), and do a Triathlon (UBC Tri/Du/took until March) as well.

This year I am stumped. I did my first half-marathon this year so that's out. Don't have any interest in doing a full-marathon at this time… So I can try and better my time or go in a different direction.

I'm kicking around the idea of training to be able to do 100 push-ups/1,000 crunches/25 pull-ups - but to be honest I think all of those may be too ambitious. While I'm not adverse to challenging myself I don't want to set myself up for failure (I came close with the swim challenge).

Thoughts? I know there are personal trainers here: any tips that would help me succeed at the push-up/chin-up/crunch challenge? Should I figure out where I'm at right now and then adjust my target goals to be "X" times my current ability?

If I could offer a piece of advice:

The more ambiguous your goals, the more difficult it will be to achieve them. A goal that is easily and consistently measured will help you immensely.

totally! having a specific and measureable goal is the only way to go. besides that, your goals need to be realisic though too. if one has never been in the weight room before setting a goal of say squatting double your body weight in 90 days is totally impracticle

some good examples:

-sub 30min 5K run time
-deadlift and/or squat your body weight
-lowering bodyfat percentage by 20% of your current level - ie going from 20% down to 17%
-even something as simple as comitting to exercise a minimum of 3 days a week can be beneficial as long as you chart your progress in terms of BF% and RHR

I'm kicking around the idea of training to be able to do 100 push-ups/1,000 crunches/25 pull-ups - but to be honest I think all of those may be too ambitious. While I'm not adverse to challenging myself I don't want to set myself up for failure (I came close with the swim challenge).

You're missing a critical piece from your goal. In what time? All at once? Over a day?

25, full-extension/full-hang pull-ups, to above your chin, all in a row is fucking hard. That said, it's a hell of a goal.

Personally, I'd ditch the crunches. If you want core strength, pick up heavy things.

You're missing a critical piece from your goal. In what time? All at once? Over a day?

25, full-extension/full-hang pull-ups, to above your chin, all in a row is fucking hard. That said, it's a hell of a goal.

Personally, I'd ditch the crunches. If you want core strength, pick up heavy things.

yeah ditch the crunches - they are functionally pointless.
a much better option is to do a superman plank.
maybe shoot for 50 push-ups in a minute and 100 total.
25 pull-ups is a pretty good goal though.

well as there's no official prize or anything we can just go on the honour system with regards to results. when it comes down to it there's no point in cheating to win, all you'll do is short change yourself. just state what your goal is that you'd like to achieve within the 90 day period. if people want they're welcome to share before/after pics, measurements or peformance numbers and to also chart their success as things progress. at the end if there's interest maybe we can hold a vote to see who's made the most dramtaic change and also maybe who's achieved the most difficult goal.

what you get out of this is really up to you, the community is just here for support and encouragement.

Winner gets a large nsmb jersey. The very first one we made.