Monkey and I like video games, and I like small steps. I especially like when the two align. In our attempts to be healthier, we have leapt to extremes: training for half marathons, booking big climbing trips, considering full-time juicing after watching Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. Lately though, we’ve fallen out of our prior habits of leading very active lives. Enter my digital minimalist guru Leo Babauta.

I read ZenHabits every day because Leo’s articles remind me to live consciously, and slowly enough to move forward at a steady pace. He likens building habits to leveling up in a video game, which resonates with me because it is both brilliant and fun.

I’m the kind of lady who describes her preferred aesthetic as “8-bit fairytale”, who dressed up as Ms Pac Man for her birthday party, who stores her files on an external hard drive made out of a Tetris game. I am Vanellope from Wreck-It Ralph (mixed with Lady from Lady and the Tramp). Why not treat exercise and health like a video game as well?

We’re most of the way through Level 1 now, which is just walking a little bit – we’ve been going for little walks in the morning, before the sun comes up here in ever-darkening Edinburgh – and eating a little bit less. At the end of the day we draw little stars on our calendar (gold for Monkey, silver for me) to track our progress. Leo calls it a Weight Loss challenge, but losing weight doesn’t motivate me as much as the idea of more energy and feeling stronger.

Want to level up with us? Send me a tweet or comment below and we can cheer each other on!

P.S. 13 ways to life yourself out of an energy slump