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The year was 1993. Pre-teen me was hanging around in my older brothers room, bugging the crap out of him as always, when an ad for a new TV series came on his TV. Thanks to my dad, I was already a Sci-Fi fan, so this new series about aliens and monsters instantly appealed to me. A few days later, I sat down to watch this new series And just like that, an obsession was born This challenge is a homage to the show that turned me into a full time nerd. Not only did I watch The X Files religiously, I spent all my pocket money on the tie-in magazine, the comic book series and the video boxsets (yep, video tapes,I am an old) and watched them over and over again. I stuck with the series until it started to ditch the Monster of the Week stories, leaned heavy on the conspiracy stuff and got a little batcrap crazy. But even though it completely lost it's way as time went on, those earlier seasons will always be special to me. Monster of the Week If you want to chase monsters and escape the alien bounty hunters, you need to be in good shape 1. Run - 3-4 times per week incl. 1 speed work or hill session & 1 long run As I've got a half marathon this weekend, week one will be a running recovery week which means I won't be doing any speed or hill work 2. Strength - BMF once a week / Lifting or climbing once a week Tooms No, I don't plan on eating 5 human livers during this challenge, Eugene Victor Tooms may have been the creepiest bad guy ever, but that dude was flexible! Stretch for 10 minutes everyday I've been getting some niggles lately and I can't afford to get injured just as race season is kicking off! Prepare for the alien invasion You can't prevent an invasion of you aren't organised! - Write to-do-lists and do the stuff on the list! - Build a proper bed time and morning routine / no snooze button allowed

I’ve seen so many people preparing for a zombie apocalypse. Personally, I know that that’s not where the danger lies. We’ll be invaded by aliens long before the zombie apocalypse happens (not that I doubt it will happen. It just won’t be first). While the zombie apocalypse is obvious and, well, apocalyptic, the alien invasion will be much more subtle. They’ll slowly begin to take over, but we won’t know about it. Which makes being prepared even more important. And even though I know the Doctor and Mulder and Scully are going to save us all from the aliens eventually, it’s up to each of us to survive until they do. And besides, if they need help I want to be ready to assist!! FITNESS AND DIET GOALS: 1) Strength training. Physical strength should help me to resist any kind of mind-control they have going (black oil anyone?) and it’ll also help with any physical things I have to do to get away. (+3 STR) A: M-W-F scheduleB: 3x a week, but not M-W-F. (this because I’m trying to get a standard workout schedule)C: 2x a weekD: once a weekF: none 2) Interval/karate training. I know they’re not the same thing, but bear with me here. I need interval training to improve my endurance (because if I ever meet up with the Doctor, I just know there’ll be running involved). Karate is because, well, I want to be able to beat up any aliens I might come across. If a shape-shifting bounty hunter starts stalking me, I want to know that I can stick a needle in the back of his neck instead of the other way around. (+3 STA, +2 DEX) A: 2x a weekC: once a weekF: none 3) Eat well. (I’m honestly not sure if I’m doing Primal or Paleo, mostly because I’ve seen people reference Primal but not clearly define it. Basically, I’m doing Paleo but with dairy.) A good diet will improve my mental and physical functioning, making it generally easier to outsmart and escape from the aliens. (+3 CON) A: Have only 1 non-Paleo food item per week.B: Only 2 non-Paleo foods per weekC: 3 non-Paleo foods per weekD: 4 non-Paleo foods per weekF: 5+ non-Paleo foods per week LIFE GOAL (other than continuing to live): 4) Get enough sleep while I can. After all, if the aliens ever come after me, I may be up all night trying to get away. After all, Mulder never hit the sofa when things got crazy for him. Best to be well-rested in preparation for when it happens. (+2 CON, +2 WIS) A: average 8+ hours of sleep per nightB: average between 7 ½ and 8 hours of sleep per nightC: average between 7 and 7 ½ hoursD: average between 6 and 7 hoursF: average less than 6 hours SCORING: #1–3: I’ll score each week and then average them all together for the final score. #4: I’ll just find the average amount of sleep I got per night during the challenge. Total possible points: +3 STR, +2 DEX,+3 STA, +5 CON, +2 WIS MINI-GOALS: I got this idea by reading an old Challenge thread (I can’t remember whose!). I’ve got two reasons for doing this: first, I have waaaaay too many personal goals to just pick four that aren’t really eight in each; b, the aliens are a deadly threat. I need to prepare as much as possible; three, I want an excuse to make more references to Doctor Who and X-Files(; So, I’ll assign a certain number of points for each mini-goal. Depending on how many points I manage to accumulate by the end of the challenge, I’ll give myself some reward. If I reach 85 points (number possibly to change if I realize that's just stupidly unrealistic or easily achievable) I'll get a NF something. Probably a tank top. 1) daily slow kicks (better kicks = easier to kick alien butt): 1 pt/week 2) lose ten pounds (smaller me = easier to escape through small spaces): 2 pts/lb 3) stretch daily (more flexible = better kick height = kick alien butt!): 0.5 pts/week 4) go to as many karate classes as possible (to kick alien and Syndicate-goon butt): 0.2 pts/class (5 classes possible per week) 5) walk 10,000 steps every day (because you never know when the government conspiracy will disable your car): 1 pt/day 6) have a big glass to constantly refill with water whenever I’m home (if I have the glass there, I’ll continually refill it, but if it’s not there I won’t bother getting one) (because better hydration = faster running = keep up with the Doctor): 0.2 pt/day 7) finish homework as early as possible (so I have more time to improve my CSM-25 Countermeasure Filter so I can talk without being overheard by the Syndicate): 0.2 pts/day 8) singing practice twice a week (because song can inspire people to believe): 1 pt/week 9) use tanning lotion every day (because I don’t have time to tan while fighting aliens): 1 pt/week Total possible points: 104 Wow. That was pretty crazy long But I'm really excited for my first challenge. I'm ready to dominate it!!!