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This challenge is all about discovery and trying new things. I shall call it, "Testing the Waters." (actual photo of where I work! ) My job is ramping up for the field season, starting now. In case you don't know, I live and work on a ship. I will be at sea for more than half of this challenge, and much of my usual fall/winter fitness routine will be impossible. In years past, I've been unable to make a routine that works for me. This year, I will. These are some of the challenges I will face: Strenuous 12 hr working days, 7 days a week.Irregular schedules.No ability to go outside and run, which I love.Unstable surfaces, with constantly changing gravitational forces.Bad weather.Seasickness.Questionable workout equipment.Inability to cook for myself.So my overall goal for this challenge is to try some things out, see what works, see what I can stick with, and ultimately make a plan I can use for the rest of the year when work gets even more intense. I'll obviously have to cut back on running, and scale up some other activities. Here are my individual quests, with some divided into "at sea" and "on land." Run: At sea - 5 miles per week on the treadmill. This one is up in the air still. We got a new treadmill for the ship, but it's not ready for use yet. It's not fully assembled, and we can't find a good place for it. Where it is currently in the workout room, the door will hit the moving tread when it opens, and anyone who gets up on it will hit their head. Not good. Hopefully, we can figure this out soon. Either way though, I will supplement this with time on the stationary bike, and any other form of cardio I can find. This is meant to be very flexible, so no strict scoring. On land - Run outside, every day. I'll be pushing that weather conditioning from last challenge to new limits. It's Alaska, now, not Oregon. It rains a lot, but with much more possibility of ice or snow. Yep, could get pretty epic. There will be a maximum of 12 days to work with, and I'll score it 1 point per mile, with a goal of 40 points for the challenge (no minimum per day this time). Push, Pull, Sit: Building on achievements from the previous challenges, I'm keeping the pushups, replacing sit-ups with crunches, and adding pull-ups. These are all pretty doable on a boat, though kind of weird and challenging when things are really rocking. Mental and physical exhaustion from long working hours are the biggest hurdles. Push-ups - 1 point each, with a goal of 500 points. Crunches - 1 point each, with a goal of 1000 points. Pull-ups - 1 point each, with a goal of 40 points. Stretch: No time limit this time, just keep building momentum and learning. 1 point for each extended stretching session (i.e. more than my usual post-run routine), 2 points for yoga practice, with a goal of 16 points. Weights: I've been thinking of adding some proper weight work into my life, so now might be a good time to try that out. Our workout room has some of those adjustable dumbbells, which should be easy enough to incorporate. 2 points for a solid half-hourish workout, 1 point for a good try, with a goal of 8 points. Life Quest: Finally, I'm gonna throw in two things to make me a better me. Unscored. Money - save it! One of the advantages of my job is that I don't really have any bills. This makes for a great saving opportunity, and since I'm planning a return to the real world soon, saving is what I need to do. Except for some possible travel, I should be able to keep the expenses low and build up the bank account. In addition, I will find and read a good personal finance book, because I could probably definitely be better at managing my money! Likeability - be complimentary. Give at least one person a compliment every day, and be more appreciative when I receive a compliment. This has the potential to get a little awkward, since for most of the challenge, I'll be stuck on a boat with the same twenty-some people every day, and I tend to be really introverted most of the time. Still, I think it could be interesting and useful. (a friendly, happy mammal ) As I mentioned above, the challenges are many, with mental and physical exhaustion being the most significant. With the forum and this challenge, I already have a better plan than in the past. I hope to find the motivation here to have a better year!