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For 2017, I chose a word to help guide me through my goals for the year. My word was 'Connection' because I wanted to be more outgoing and connect with people - being an introvert I actually need to remind myself to do that. I wasn't sure how I'd done, but when I mentioned that word and goal to friends of mine at the end of the year, they said they could tell I was putting myself out there more, so that was nice. For 2018, I've been struggling to find the right word for what I want to achieve, because frankly I have lots of goals. 'Center' was one thought, and another possible word that I really liked was 'Win'. But they weren't quite right - too focused on me, when I'm trying to be more outgoing toward others. Then today in church, the sermon focused on a favorite verse of mine. Isaiah 60:1 - 'Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.' As part of his sermon about how we can shine in our lives every day, the pastor used this phrase - 'Be Extraordinary at the Ordinary.' And suddenly I had my perfect word for the year, a word that will motivate me to do my best even at the little goals, and to shine all the while with a positive attitude and kind words for everyone around me. SHINE Since the RPG leveling up side of Nerd Fitness has never motivated me much, I'm going to add stars - - to my signature when I succeed. Then I can keep better track of things and have that visual reminder of my progress as I go. My goals for this first challenge are fairly simple, and I'm using the 3 R's of forming a habit to try and make them stick. Reminder, Routine, Reward. SHINE has the bonus connotation of constantly reminding me of Firefly. So I got myself a nerdy/geeky theme to boot! Yay me! Goal #1 - Sleep More I'm supposed to being getting 7 hours of sleep minimum, but lately I've fallen back into bad habits of staying up far later than I should. My goal is lights out by 11:20 on work nights. Reminder - I have two alarms set for 10:30 and 11:00pm nightly. Routine - Shut down the computer at 10:30 sharp, the first alarm. That gives me half an hour to get ready for bed, pack my lunch for tomorrow, read a devotion, or whatever. And the 11 pm alarm will give me time to crawl into bed and read a book or brush the cat for a little while before lights out time. Reward - for 15 stars or more on this challenge, my reward is too be better rested. But I further shall reward myself with a new book. Maybe this one... Goal #2 - Drink More I really need to drink more water. Once upon a time, I drank tons every day at work, but I'm so busy I don't think about it these days. However I can tell that I'm dehydrated, and I also think I have the tendency to think I'm hungry when what my body really wants is H2O. So... Reminder - This one is trickier. What can I do to remind myself to drink? I do have to run to the copier, and to my co-workers cubicles to drop off work - coming back into my own cube could be my cue. Routine - When I return from getting copies, I will take a drink before sitting down. I might not do it every single time, but my goal is to drink eight glasses - 64 oz of water at work every day. Reward - for 15 stars or more on this challenge, my reward is be better hydrated. But I will reward myself by upgrading my next massage to a hot stone massage. That's very motivating, right there. And so is this... Goal #3 - Exercise More In early March, we have the annual Fight for Air stair climb by the American Lung Association, in my building which is the tallest in the state. I work on the 15th floor, so I can train for this challenge, I've already climbed the 600 steps from my floor to the top once already, and I know I need to do more. This is prep work that I can do while the weather is crappy, to start getting in shape for a 5k. Aside from lunch hour stair climbs and my weekly Zumba class, what I really need to add back into my routine is a home strength program. Reminder - When I come home from work the first thing I do is take off my boots. Routine - When I take off my boots, I'll also change into work-out clothes and on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I'll do some kind of strength training - I haven't figure out what quite yet. Reward - for 8 stars or more on this challenge, my reward is that I'll start converting some of this fat over to muscle. But I'll reward myself with a new top. Goal #4 - Floss More Seems silly to make this a goal, but I recently had a root canal - Yuck! And I switched to a new dentist at the same time for my regular cleaning and check-up. The hygienist was friggin' BRUTAL. It was like being in a torture chamber while she worked on me. I gotta go back and face that again? I don't know, maybe it's me and I just really need to take better care of my teeth. Or maybe it's her and she's psycho. But either way, I ought to floss more than I do, which is very little at present . Reminder - I've put a bowl of floss sticks right next to my toothbrush and paste, super convenient. Routine - Whenever I brush, I will also flush, either before or after. Reward - for 20 stars or more, my reward will hopefully be kick-ass checkup the next time I go to the dentist, but that's not until June. In the meantime, I'll reward myself with a new movie from the bargain section. I already have this one, clearly.

I just started here, and am going on my first epic quest! I cribbed it from the Sample Level 1 Revel Challenge. I'll build on that: Main Goal: Live longer by being healthier. Motivation: a have a 3-year-old, and that girl can outrun me. Baby steps: Diet Eat a vegetable with one meal every day Substitute one sugary coffee drink per day for black coffee or tea. Fitness Participate an active social game, like frisbee or kickball, at least once a week (preferably with your family or friends who are also trying to get started!) Level Up Your Life Notorious for being late? Start with making Mondays special - on Mondays you are never late for anything. Floss at least 15 seconds each day

My ultimate goal is to fit comfortably into UK size 14 trousers. To do that, I need to drop a dress size and I want to do this by losing fat. I feel like I've got a good grip on workouts and food / diet so this challenge is about creating new routines and adding another level of automation into my daily life. Being more active outside of workout sessions and looking after my body are my main focus areas for this challenge. 1. Activity! STA+2 CON+2 Be active outside of workout sessions. Minimum is walking for 10 minutes per day. This is continuing from my previous challenge but is being made more difficult by a higher target. A = 30 or more active days B = 26-29 active days C = 22-25 active days F = 21 active days or fewer. 2. Spring clean! DEX+1 CHA+2 WIS+1 The start of spring is approaching and my body is beginning to show signs of winter wear and tear. I have made a list of activities I need to do to look after my body, and I have attributed points to those activities depending on how difficult (how likely I am to do them) they are. A = 100 points or more B = 75-99 points C = 50-74 points F = 49 points or fewer. 3. Floss! CON+2 CHA+2 I'm treating this like a 30-day hard hat challenge for the whole of the 6 weeks. Fairly simple, I want to automate my flossing routine, put floss everywhere and make sure to floss daily. Pass = Never miss 2 days in a row Fail = Miss 2 or more days in a row. 4. On your bike! DEX+1 CON+1 STA+1 I received a folding bike for Christmas and it's really easy to get out and about with it. I want to fit my bike in my car and take it to work with me. I hope to make a new activity out of bike riding and my initial aim is to ride my bike once per week. A = 5 bike rides or more B = 3 or 4 bike rides C = 1 or 2 bike rides F = No bike rides.

All of my goals this challenge are set with the aim of building habits, rather than achieving something specific. I don't have a specific goal at this point, however I do have a life in flux, so I want good habits that will carry through and that are easily adaptable to change. Main life quest: Balance Generally, to achieve a healthy balance in all aspects of my life: eating vs exercise, work vs play, rest vs activity, alone time vs social time, etc. The area where I feel I need the most work eating and my tendency to overeat. Goal - end overeating - step 2 WIS +1 CHA +2 - slow down and enjoy every meal - stop eating when I am full (or if this doesn't work: take smaller portions and wait before taking more OR measure out portions) - this is new this challenge Grading: This is a daily yes or no. As last time, I'm looking for progress, not perfection, so I'll tend to be easier on myself at the beginning and harder toward the end. I'll grade myself based on the percentage success out of the 42 days. Fitness + Health goals Movement STR +1 DEX +2 STA +1 (bonus as below STA +1) 30 minutes of activity every day, ideally outdoors. This is not limited to one specific activity, but can change depending on how I'm feeling, the weather, and other life circumstances. This includes, but is not limited to: walking to work (which I usually do 4 times per week already), running, yoga, Pillates, strength training, aerobics, serious walking to do errands (at a good pace, not wandering, unless its for a very long time). bonus - 3 times per week, movement gets my heart rate up & I get good and sweaty Grading: Total days missed through whole challenge: 0 - 6 = 100%, 7 - 10 = 75%, 11 - 15 = 60%, more than 15: FAIL (I am allowed to miss up to one day per week, average, and still get 100%.) Bonus is counted separately: 16 - 18 = 100%, 12 - 15 = 75%, less than 12 = FAIL Food WIS +1 CON +1 eat fish / seafood at least twice per week - should be easy with lent starting (& my husband is Catholic) plan meals in advance - include leftovers / batch cooking freezer food for lunches create a list of quick meals to make when I haven't planned for something - using basic ingredients start a searchable database of favourite recipes for easy reference and planning Grading: The fish is easy to count. 12 or more = 100%, 9 - 11 = 75%, 7 or 8 = 50, 6 or less = FAIL -> worth 50 % Planning meals -> I'll give myself a weekly grade to see how I did. This is hard to judge so I'll do my best to be honest. -> worth 40% Creating list + setting up database -> this is something I want to incorporate for the future, again, I'll just judge and see how I do -> worth 10% General Health CON +2 floss every day get up and move / stretch every hour set timer on phone drink more water + tea to encourage more getting up Grading: This is a daily yes or no. I'll judge myself based on the percentage of successful days out of the 42. Life Goal Reduce Stress (with a clean house) CHA +2 CON +1 I have this weird emotional attachment to "stuff" and can have a hard time getting rid of things. Not always, but sometimes. I need to stop. Just because something was a gift, doesn't mean I need to keep it, for example. So, my life goal for this challenge: PURGE - get rid of stuff - don't just "organize" it! clear out the two closets in the spare room / office the bookshelf (aka dumping ground) beside my bed - I hate looking at that mess first thing in the morning! CLEAN - second priority, but still important - clean the house, especially the ever-present nemesis - the shower Spend at least 1 hour per week (not necessarily all at one time) working on this goal. Grading: Total weeks missed through whole challenge: 0 = 100%, 1 = 80%, 2 = 65 %, 3 or more = fail