6 Week Challenge: April 30th to June 11th

[spezzy]

It’s time to

Level Up Your Life

in the

Nerd Fitness 6 Week Challenge!

That’s right everyone, this challenge we’re going back to the foundations of Nerd Fitness and turning life into a real life role playing game.

Now, before you moan and groan, keep an open mind and remember that this is Nerd Fitness, and we’re going to have fun with this.

If you haven’t already you should probably read this post, which is one of Steve’s greatest and what this is based off of:

http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/05/10/real-life-role-playing-what-is-your-profession/

Challenge Instructions (More details for each step is in the posts below)

Set up your Character

• Pick a race
  
• Pick a Profession/Class
  
• Sign up in the sign up sheet here:
  
• https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...U1htYVVoOGc6MQ
  
• Distribute your starting attribute points
  

Set up Your Challenge

• Pick 3 Diet and Fitness goals and one life goal for the challenge.
  
• Assign attribute points to each of the goals
  
• Set up your challenge thread in your guild’s section of the challenge
  
• Introduce yourself to everyone
  

Participate in the Challenge

• Update your progress on a basis you’re comfortable with (note: DOING is more important than POSTING about it)
  
• Participate in Guild Challenges
  
• Participate in other’s challenges (offer advice, encouragement, etc)
  

Finish the Challenge

• Grade yourself based on an A-B-C-D-F grading scale
  
• Award points based on the grading system listed in the rules
  

If you are getting overwhelmed by this, and don't want to play the game with attribute points, that's not an excuse to sit out.

Just do the challenge like we have always done them:

1) Pick a class/profession from here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15Tsv4_dNRCUMdLuceVtXYP7uSM0SZDEAonoCQ26UxKs/edit(basically just figure out which one is closest to your goals)

2) Pick 3 diet and fitness goals, 1 life goal, and make a thread about it in the challenge section for your guild (organization is why you still need to pick a class)

3) Sign up here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFRoQXVHb0w5VDZybGxuU1htYVVoOGc6M

4) Update your challenge however much/however little you want

5) Grade yourself at the end

Also, please please please do not forget this step, which I've listed a few times below, but it's here:

Once you have created your thread, please officially sign up for the challenge here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFRoQXVHb0w5VDZybGxuU1htYVVoOGc6MQ

Also, warning, this may seem like a lot, but I really just wrote out every little step and detail based on questions I've gotten in the past

Note: A Google Doc Version of the rules of the challenge can be found here (it's prettier!):

https://docs.google.com/document/d/14g_YrZoHGreAO8IAOc8y3K6Gtn2xq4tdBq8OCaRZJEk/edit

[spezzy]

Step One: Figuring out your starting point

The first thing everyone needs to do is pick a class.

[h=2]Picking a Class[/h]

Your Profession, or Class is important as this will determine what group you fit into challenge-wise. We have seven classes to choose from (sorry - you can’t make up your own.)[TABLE]

Class

Focus

Example

Warrior

Strength

Powerlifting, Olympic Lifting, Strongman

Scout

Endurance

Running, Biking, Swimming

Ranger

Mix of Strength and Endurance

CrossFit, Multi-class

Assassin

Bodyweight or Acrobatics

Parkour, rock climbing, gymnastics, bodyweight strength

Druid

Yoga, Meditation

Yoga, Tai Chi, Ballet

Monk

Martial Arts

MMA, Kung Fu, Tai Kwon Do

Adventurer

Everything - Learning

Weight Loss, Beginning Fitness (have not chosen a class yet)

[/TABLE]

More info on each of the professions can be found here (I didn’t want to take up the entire post):

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15Tsv4_dNRCUMdLuceVtXYP7uSM0SZDEAonoCQ26UxKs/edit

If you want to, you can pick a race too - but it doesn't mean anything, it's more for fun (so like, I can say I'm a Viking Warrior instead of just a Warrior )

Your race can be anything you want - it’s more for fun. A few ideas:

Human, Elf, Pixie, Troll, Ogre, Dwarf, Gnome, Orc.

Ok, so now that you’ve picked a race and a profession, we need to go over Attribute Points.

Attribute points

Attribute points are simply points that state out what your strengths (and therefore weaknesses are)

In this challenge, we have six attributes:

• Strength (STR) - physical strength
  
• Dexterity (DEX) - agility and speed
  
• Stamina (STA) - Endurance and Energy
  
• Constitution (CON) - ability to resist damage and disease
  
• Wisdom (WIS) - intuition and sense of things around himself
  
• Charisma (CHA) - force of personality and physical attractiveness
  

You will start out with 15 points that you can distribute across the six attributes as you see fit. To make this the most realistic though, please choose the points that reflect your current situation.

Step Two: Picking Goals

This is where the challenge comes in!

Set Goals

Decide on three diet and fitness goals and one life goal that you will declare to be complete at the end of the 6 weeks.

These goals should be measurable and realistic (well, really they should be SMART goals - here’s a bit on how to not suck at goal setting: http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/01/03/how-to-not-suck-at-goal-setting/)

A few example goals would be:

*Run 5K without stopping

*Squat 250lbs

*Cut out soda completely

*Pay $1,000 towards debt

Can you have more than four goals? Yes. However, the more goals you have, the harder it will be for you to be a rock star and complete all of them.

Assign Attribute Points To Goals

*note: this is completely optional and just for fun, but it helps grading in the end!

You will have the potential of obtaining 15 attribute points per challenge. These will be split up between your goals.

You will decide on your own what attribute points to assign to each goal, based on the type of goal and what is involved.

There is a bit of strategy involved here - you want to put the most points towards either:

• the goal you know you’ll do better on, or
  
• the goal you need the most work with and encouragement to complete
  

So using our goals from above, lets assign attribute points.

1) Run 5K without stopping

• Since this is all endurance, we are going to assign 5 points to Stamina (STA)
  

2) Squat 250lbs, 5 times

• If this was for 1 rep, I would assign all points to Strength. However, since it’s for 5, there’s a bit of endurance involved, so I’ll assign 3 to Strength (STR) and 2 to Stamina (STA)
  

3) Cut out soda completely

• Since this is a diet and health, I’m going to put 3 points towards this and have them all go towards Constitution (CON)
  

4) Pay $1000 towards debt

• I’m going to say this is a wisdom issue. Since I’ve already used 13 points, I’m going to take the last 2 and place them here. 2 for Wisdom (WIS)
  

If at the end of the challenge, you achieve these goals, you can add the attribute points to your character (more on this later)

Notes:

*No more than 5pts per goal

*Every goal must have attribute points associated with it

*You really decide what attribute points, but people may make suggestions

*This is where having less goals is better - less goals to spread out the points between. (Hey, look, strategy! )

[spezzy]

Step Three: Set up Your Challenge

Create your thread

Please create your thread in the Challenge Forum set up for your Class Guild. (If you are a Warrior, there’s a Warrior’s Guild Challenge area, for example)

In the thread, include:

• Background information on yourself (as much as you want/don’t want). This should basically tell your character’s story - where you’re coming from, and where you want to go.
  
• Your starting attribute points, and any other starting info (like starting weight, starting lifting numbers, etc)
  
• A starting photo or video (only if you want, but I recommend you take them either way, even if you keep them just for yourself)
  
• Your goals and the attribute points associated with them
  
• How you plan on achieving your goals
  

Once you have created your thread, please officially sign up for the challenge here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFRoQXVHb0w5VDZybGxuU1htYVVoOGc6MQ

This is simply a organizational thing that will make things a million times easier for us

Introduce yourself to your guild members

There’s a general chat thread in all guilds - go introduce yourself and help eachother set up your goals, figure out what’s going on, etc.

And figure out who your guild leaders are

Every guild has from 1-4 guild leaders. These guild leaders will be helping you throughout the challenge, setting up mini challenges for your guilds, and helping pick winners in the end (so they’ll actually get picked! )

Your Guild Leaders can be found here:

http://nerdfitness.com/community/showthread.php?10726-Please-welcome-your-new-MODERATORS-and-GUILD-LEADERS!

Update Your Signature (if you want)

I’m going to update my signature to reflect my challenge and attribute points.

To update your signature, go to the gray bar in the header, click on "Forum Actions", then "Edit Profile" and then on the left in the side bar you'll have the option to edit your signature

Idea for what mine's going to be like:

Spezzy

Viking Warrior - Squad (squad name)

STR: 5 DEX: 2 STA: 2 CON: 2 WIS: 2 CHA: 2

fun quote about how i'm going to win this challenge

Current Challenge: Challenge Link

[spezzy]

Step Four: Participate in Challenge

Individual Challenges

Over the next 6 weeks, update your challenge thread with whatever you want that’s challenge related. This could be workout logs, food logs, rants about challenges you’re facing - anything! Some people prefer to update daily, some weekly - it really doesn’t matter.

The most important thing that I want to stress is that it’s more important to actually be working towards your goals than it is to update your challenge thread.

Guild Challenges

Every week or so your guild leader will put out a challenge for everyone to participate in. For each challenge you successfully participate in, you will get one extra attribute point to go towards your final number.

Some guilds will be split into squads (if there is a larger number of participants) and other guilds the entire guild will work together as one. It’s up to the size of the guild and the guild leaders.

Help your Fellow Challengers Out

It is always encouraged to help your fellow challengers out by reading and commenting on their threads! Even if it’s just a “hey, great job!” or a “hey, better luck next time” - knowing someone’s reading along and cares really does make a difference.

[spezzy]

Step Five: Grading and Winners

Grading Yourself and Awarding Attribute Points

At the end of the challenge, give yourself a grade on how you did achieving your goals. Then, based on how you did, award points. Partial points are allowed.

A - 100% B - 75% C - 50% D - 25% F - 0%

So using our goal examples from above, lets grade ourselves.

[TABLE]

Goal

Attributes Assigned

Grade

Attributes Awarded

Run 5k without stopping

Stamina, 5

B (made it 4k)

Stamina, 3.75 points (5*.75)

Squat 250lbs 5 times

Stamina, 2

Strength, 3

C (Squatted 250 3 times)

Stamina, 1pt (2*.5)

Strength, 1.5pts (3*.5)

Cut out soda

Constitution, 3

A

Constitution, 3 (3*1)

Pay $1,000 towards debt

Wisdom, 2

D (paid $250)

Wisdom, .5 (2*.25)

[/TABLE]

For a total of 9.75 points

To help with the math, here is a chart:

Picking Guild Winners

Guild leaders will pick a winner from each guild. They will choose based on the following items:

• Points awarded at the end of the challenge
  
• Weekly challenge participation
  
• General participation and helpfulness
  
• 
  

Picking Overall Winners

After a winner from each guild is chosen, we will put up a vote and everyone on the forums can vote to pick the winner of the challenge out of the winners from each of the guilds.

Prize

Guild Winners get stickers

Overall Winner gets a t-shirt or tank top

[spezzy]

[h=1]Challenge Checklist![/h]Set up your Character

• Pick a race
  
• Pick a Profession
  
• Sign up in the sign up sheet here:
  
• https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFRoQXVHb0w5VDZybGxuU1htYVVoOGc6MQ
  
• Distribute your starting attribute points
  

Set up Your Challenge

• Pick 3 Diet and Fitness goals and one life goal for the challenge.
  
• Assign attribute points to each of the goals
  
• Set up your challenge thread in your guild’s section of the challenge
  
• Introduce yourself to everyone
  

Participate in the Challenge

• Update your progress on a basis you’re comfortable with (note: DOING is more important than POSTING about it)
  
• Participate in Guild Challenges
  
• Participate in other’s challenges (offer advice, encouragement, etc)
  

Finish the Challenge

• Grade yourself based on an A-B-C-D-F grading scale
  
• Award points based on the grading system listed in the rules
  
• 
  

[spezzy]

F.A.Q.

Q: Will these points carry over from challenge to challenge?

A: If this works and we decide to continue, they will. That means that people with more challenge experience will have more points to start out with. Starting points do not affect the challenge at all - they are just a cumulation of points earned throughout challenges.

Q: I don’t see any levels here. Where are the levels so that I can level up?

A: We’re all starting at level 1. For now, every 6-week challenge participated in will be a level.

Q: OMFG....?

A: It’s coming. No, this won’t replace it. Again, this is just a test to make the challenge a bit more fun

Q: I don't want to do any of this silly Class/Attribute Point stuff, can I just do it how I want?

A: Well, you need to pick a class so you have a spot to put your thread. You don't HAVE to do attribute points, but it's more fun that way and gives us a fun way to grade ourselves the same across everyone

Q: Can I take part in other guild challenges?

A: Sure, but you only get participation points for ones that are in your guild.

Q: Can I have multiple classes?

A: Sorry - you must pick one.

[Sloth the Enduring]

This looks awesome! I'm in.

Half-Elf Ranger. Charisma is my dump stat

Still working on some short term goals.

[UncleTone]

Awesome! Working on my stats now. I want to do Ranger because two of my goals are to do the Couch to 5k program, and to do some weight training, even if just body weight with some free weights as well, but I am definitely looking for weight loss and still consider myself a beginner so that would put me as an Adventurer.

Hmmmm, even if I decided to go Adventurer I am still keeping my 5k goal and my weight training goal.

[Rivanariko]

YAAAY!!!

Hmmm, to be a scout or a monk... have to consider this throughout today.

[joeyb]

Do we get points for participating in challenges from other guilds? For example, my long-term goals are assassin related, but my short-term goal is to lose weight, so I've been doing a lot of running. It would be beneficial to me to participate in the challenges for both the assassin and scout guilds. I'm going to do it no matter what, I'm just wondering if we get rewarded for it.

Also, you did it again; the title has May 11th instead of June 11th in it.

[Loren Wade]

So excited for this.

[Artinum]

Took me a while to figure out the points system and so on, but posts by other adventurers have cleared it all up nicely for me. I often learn best when I have an example.

[mandy75]

Apparently I am not nerd-enough. That was all way too much information, overwhelming, confusing, generally made no sense, and just seemed over the top complicated to bother keeping up with for 6weeks.. Role playing just isn't my thing I guess. I'll be sitting out this challenge. Good look to everyone else though.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Hmmm... Think I may choose warrior. Orc maybe?

[Loren Wade]

Apparently I am not nerd-enough. That was all way too much information, overwhelming, confusing, generally made no sense, and just seemed over the top complicated to bother keeping up with for 6weeks.. Role playing just isn't my thing I guess. I'll be sitting out this challenge. Good look to everyone else though.

Mandy, it's actually pretty simple. It seems complicated because there's a lot of information. This time, she has tried to accomodate everyone by answering all of the questions and making sure she covered all of the points.

I'm really bummed that you're sitting it out. Please feel free to PM me and I can explain it. We'd love to have you.

[cline]

Apparently I am not nerd-enough. That was all way too much information, overwhelming, confusing, generally made no sense, and just seemed over the top complicated to bother keeping up with for 6weeks.. Role playing just isn't my thing I guess. I'll be sitting out this challenge. Good look to everyone else though.

No way!!! You are in! Join us! You can totally do this. Loren will help. You'll have oodles of support.

[Bumblebee4]

Mandy, it's actually pretty simple. It seems complicated because there's a lot of information. This time, she has tried to accomodate everyone by answering all of the questions and making sure she covered all of the points.

I'm really bummed that you're sitting it out. Please feel free to PM me and I can explain it. We'd love to have you.

Loren it probably seems simple to those of you that have ever done some type of RPG but I'm with Mandy that I got confused as soon as Spezzy started listing examples of Race. I've never done a level up type of game. I get bored with a game of solitaire that takes more than 3 minutes. So I'm overwhelmed along with Mandy. I'm going to think about it today but I'd been working on my list of goals for this time and not really sure how to incorporate them with this format. I'm not putting down the way this is being done at all, I think it looks awesome it's just that those of us that aren't truly nerds and we joined a nerd website, get a little lost when the nerd stuff really comes out.

[joeyb]

Loren it probably seems simple to those of you that have ever done some type of RPG but I'm with Mandy that I got confused as soon as Spezzy started listing examples of Race. I've never done a level up type of game. I get bored with a game of solitaire that takes more than 3 minutes. So I'm overwhelmed along with Mandy. I'm going to think about it today but I'd been working on my list of goals for this time and not really sure how to incorporate them with this format. I'm not putting down the way this is being done at all, I think it looks awesome it's just that those of us that aren't truly nerds and we joined a nerd website, get a little lost when the nerd stuff really comes out.

Forget the race stuff. The basic premise is pick 4 goals, assign some form of value in points to them, and at the end, you earn points based on how well you accomplished your goals. It's just an elaborate and fun way to set goals and achieve them. If you don't find it fun, then just set goals and achieve them.

[Loren Wade]

Loren it probably seems simple to those of you that have ever done some type of RPG but I'm with Mandy that I got confused as soon as Spezzy started listing examples of Race. I've never done a level up type of game. I get bored with a game of solitaire that takes more than 3 minutes. So I'm overwhelmed along with Mandy. I'm going to think about it today but I'd been working on my list of goals for this time and not really sure how to incorporate them with this format. I'm not putting down the way this is being done at all, I think it looks awesome it's just that those of us that aren't truly nerds and we joined a nerd website, get a little lost when the nerd stuff really comes out.

TL;DR Version.

Pick a race, pick a class, assign 15 points to your attributes, decide your fitness goals and give them point values, go do it.

You can do this. It really is that simple. It looks overwhelming because of the information available.

[Loren Wade]

Challenge Checklist!

Set up your Character

• Pick a race
  
• Pick a Profession
  
• Sign up in the sign up sheet here:
  
• https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFRoQXVHb0w5VDZybGxuU1htYVVoOGc6MQ
  
• Distribute your starting attribute points
  

Set up Your Challenge

• Pick 3 Diet and Fitness goals and one life goal for the challenge.
  
• Assign attribute points to each of the goals
  
• Set up your challenge thread in your guild’s section of the challenge
  
• Introduce yourself to everyone
  

Participate in the Challenge

• Update your progress on a basis you’re comfortable with (note: DOING is more important than POSTING about it)
  
• Participate in Guild Challenges
  
• Participate in other’s challenges (offer advice, encouragement, etc)
  

Finish the Challenge

• Grade yourself based on an A-B-C-D-F grading scale
  
• Award points based on the grading system listed in the rules
  

Just follow that. It's very easy. You guys can do it!

[UncleTone]

It was confusing at first since I am not used to RPG games (but am really getting interested!), but then I set up a Google Docs spreadsheet and BOOM it all became clear what I have to do. I also read the Google Doc for this post and it was much easier to follow for me.

Try setting it up and we will all help! You guys can do it!

[Bumblebee4]

Race? Please help us noobs out. Here's my interpretation of each race and I'm sure they mean something else in RPG

Human - Well that's me but seems boring compared to having other choices

Elf - Little, which I'm not. I'm 5'10"

Pixie - little and cutsie, again, not me

Troll - Ugly and kind of creepy, not how I'd like to think of myself

Ogre - Again ugly and living in solitude, not how I'd like to identify myself

Dwarf - Again little and maybe a little cute, but not me

Gnome - cute little garden creature, so not me

Orc - not even sure what this is but it makes me think of an Orca Whale

Please understand I am not saying this is how I judge any of you that pick these particular races, I'm just saying it's how I see each one and why I'm getting stalled before I even get started on the challenge.

[Thrillho]

*rolls dice* You are crushed by a falling Wall of Information. You take 71 points of damage, and must re-start your quest.

[Morrigainz]

Forget the race stuff. The basic premise is pick 4 goals, assign some form of value in points to them, and at the end, you earn points based on how well you accomplished your goals. It's just an elaborate and fun way to set goals and achieve them. If you don't find it fun, then just set goals and achieve them.

I agree with this. If it's truly too overwhelming (and yes, there's a lot of info) then there's nothing wrong with KISS. This just makes it more interactive for us nerds. And if you need help, just ask! That's what we're ALL here for