It's not that exciting...but I'm excited.
Generally, I don't buy into fad diets or workout routines. And I'm not buying into this one. It's free. All this is...is motivation. Nothing more or less.
I would try to get motivated to exercise and it'd last a good month (if that...generally a week or two). Then, I would get tired of dragging my butt to the gym and feel like the hardcore fitness freaks were judging me and my flabs.
I was looking for some fitness tips when somehow I stumbled upon Nerd Fitness in the results. The name caught my attention, so I clicked the link for more information. I ended up reading several different articles. I learned things that Brian had been teaching me from his experience as a fitness trainer. This website is created by Steve Kamb who tells you that you don't need to starve yourself to lose weight--just eat healthy.
He promotes the Paleo diet, which in short is eating the way we once did several years ago when we were just cavemen and women. We are the only species that continues to drink/eat dairy past infant hood and from other species, no less. We have been convinced that we need an abundance of grains to stay healthy, but grains actually don't digest very well. People have been told to count carbs and calories. We have been told that soy milk and nonfat milk are better for you. I checked out our container of soy at work and it has over 260 grams of sodium....bleh. Nonfat milk actually has more sugar in it than whole, so it's essentially healthier to drink whole milk if you are going to have dairy. Basically--this diet gets you focused on what your body needs, rather than counting calories or carbs. You avoid grains, dairy, and processed foods. It's the simplest thing I've ever read and makes sense. It's everything I learned in health class. People forget there are good fats and bad fats. Your body needs good fats. You burn off these fats and have more energy. People who avoid all fats together end up starving themselves and having nothing to build muscle off of.
I think what I love most is that the Nerd Fitness website makes references to SCI-FI movies and various computer games---you know...things us nerds love. Steve talks about games from the 80s to present day and movies such as Back to the Future and Star Wars.
What Steve does is aim to make fitness like a game. It's cool. It's just what I needed, because I love playing computer games and between shifts from one place to another I end up doing more sitting and playing on my phone than I do taking a walk somewhere.
The event I'm excited for is called a 6 Week Challenge. You can start at any time, but there are sign up sheets online you can join with groups together for competition. Winners at the end of the 6 weeks get free Nerd Fitness hats, t-shirts, etc.
So--like a game similar to World of Warcraft or Guild Wars...you pick the class you want. He gives a list on his website. I decided to go with Adventurer for the beginner who isn't afraid to try new things and isn't sure what path he/she wants to take, but knows he/she wants to make a healthy journey.
The next step is to create 4 goals that are easy to follow and are very specific (he refers to them as SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely).
3 of the goals have to be a mix of diet/fitness and the fourth goal has to pertain to some area of your life that you want to improve upon.
I chose these as my goals:
Diet & Fitness
- Go on one hike a week - I feel like this is an achievable goal. I can start with short and basic hiking trails, then progress to longer and more challenging hikes by the sixth week.
- Cut out sweets & junk food - I eat too much junk. I love candy...I have a major sweet tooth. I would love to change my eating habits to be Paleo, but for now I have to start small....goodbye sweets!
- Complete a strength workout 3x a week - I've already tried some of the workouts here just to get the juices flowing. I love the Konami Code Workout. I feel like it's simple enough but can be adjusted to a more intense workout as I progress. I would like to alternate workouts per week, but definitely workout at least 3x a week (if not in the gym, then at home)
Life
- Practice better time management - I am the worst at time management. I'm an assistant manager at a coffee house about an hour away from where I live. I somehow either fall behind during the day or finish on time, but want to stay long after clocking out to continue working. I need to keep better track of my time. I want to practice leaving at the time that I'm scheduled to leave (so I have more time for the husband, friends, and Nerd Fitness-of course).
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After you have set your goals--you are required to check in a minimum of 3x a week online to share your progress with others. You don't have to post pictures (unless that's something you want to do). You can participate by giving feedback or motivating other online members.
There are side "quests" or mini challenges that you can do for extra points.
There are roughly six separate groups. Each group gets one winner every six weeks and are ranked on progress points. They get free stuff.
Really--everyone wins, because you're moving...getting energy...and taking steps to be a healthier and better person.
Each Challenge lasts 6 weeks, but there are several challenges. For each Challenge you can one level up. My goal is to reach Level 4 or 5 before the end of the year. Woo hoo!
I've already had two people comment on my goals and are already encouraging me to go out and have fun.
It's really refreshing to have a group of "nerds" who have the same goal in mind---to get motivated for fitness and find the fun in being healthy.
Anyway--long post...probably sounds like an advertisement...but I'm stoked! Today is day two and my legs are already killing me. Yay! Good burn, good pain!
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