Staci’s dog has been dognapped! (No, not really.)

Team NF Member Staci’s dog Madi has been dognapped!

(Okay not really. Don’t worry, Madi is okay!)

But in the alternate reality world of Rising Heroes, poor Madi has been kidnapped by a nefarious shadow organization in retaliation for over 2,500 rebels working together last month to track down and capture a hacker operative with ties to the organization.

Alternate reality world? Rising Heroes? Hackers? Madi?

Steve, WTF are you babbling about? I’m lost.

Okay sorry, let me start back at the beginning.

Last month, as I’m sure you heard, Nerd Fitness launched a completely new platform called Rising Heroes, which is our attempt to make ongoing habit-building and self-improvement into a fun, captivating adventure.

Thousands of people joined Rising Heroes in early January. They were onboarded and recruited by one of four factions and immediately began working together to track down and capture a hacker by completing real world daily and weekly missions around a variety of self-improvement topics and categories.

They solved puzzles, found their wingman for accountability, and decoded intercepted, encrypted messages in their hunt to capture the hacker. They walked over a half million miles combined, while also working on better morning routines, healthy cooking alternatives, social missions and personal development throughout the month.

As a member of the broader Nerd Fitness Rebellion, I wanted to give you an update on how this first month went, what we have in store for Month 2, and whether or not Rising Heroes is something that interests you. And I want to leave you with some of the core reasons why it’s working for over 2,500 Rebels and how you can build those benefits into your own system.

To start, let me share an image with from the “Michigan Rebel Squad” a self-formed accountability group of a few guys inside of Rising Heroes. I literally burst out laughing when I read it.

“Lynn… we’re grown as men tracking a fiction hacker by walking in the snow. No need to explain your use of imagination to us.”

HAHA, well said Kenny. Well said.

I realize that for many people, the concept of walking every day trying to hunt down an imaginary hacker is silly. “Why in the world would I do that. It’s freakin’ cold outside. I’m not going to do these small daily and weekly missions just because you make up some story and give me points, Steve?”

That’s fine! If you have a system that’s working for you. Do that! Keep up the progress!

But here’s the thing: This is so much freakin’ fun if you let it be!

What we’ve seen over the last month is the far majority of 2,500+ Rebels really get into and embrace the adventure, the story, and the daily and weekly missions designed to slowly build better habits and level up their lives.

They nerded out, they formed accountability groups, and they used the point system and the deadlines as EXTRA motivation even when they didn’t want to do it… they did it anyway!

Stefanie’s comment reminded me of a survey we had sent out late last year where we got over 10,000 responses from nerds around the globe.

We asked people whether or not they HAD found sustainable change in the last few years. If they hadn’t yet found the habit-changes they wanted, we asked why. And if they HAD had lasting changes and success we asked them HOW.

Most people who have failed to change their lives had cited a lack of motivation, a lack of support, and a lack of time to get things done.

Those who succeeded, however, despite have the same struggles and baggage and busy schedules as those who failed, did things differently:

URGENCY: We all say we’re going to do something, and then we don’t do it unless we absolutely HAVE to. It’s why we always waited til the last minute to write term papers in high school, why we pay our taxes at 11:59pm on April 15th.

When you say you’re going to do something, without a deadline it makes it easy to justify why you can skip it. With a real deadline associated with a goal you’re trying to accomplish, you’re infinitely more likely to do… if there’s accountability associated with the results.

ACCOUNTABILITY: What happens when you skip a workout, don’t work on your book, or miss your training run for your 5k? If it’s left up to you, probably nothing! It’s too easy to skip the things you want to do that require a little willpower. This is why the people who succeed have built accountability into their lives. They know that if they skip their workout they’ll miss out on something, or if they don’t take a certain action it would have consequences. At the same time, completing goals was a positive outcome and thus resulted in a ‘reward’ of sorts for them. This moved the accountability outside of just themselves

SUPPORT: The journey to a healthier life can be a long and lonely one. We often find readers of Nerd Fitness (and members of the team) hide their nerdy pursuits from the world… and once they start the journey to live a healthier life, end up hiding their fitness pursuits from their nerdy friends. We are going to have good days and bad. We are going to have moments when we want to give up. We have things we use to rationalize inaction. Those who succeed have a good group people around them to keep them on target. Always ready to respawn.

Knowing how important those three things were to long-term, sustainable success and an upgraded life, we created Rising Heroes.

And I’m really proud of what we created.

I’m proud because the URGENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, and SUPPORT are really working for people. Slowly, but surely people are seeing real results – while having a lot of fun.

Here’s a few of the people crushing the habit change aspects:

We’ve also seen some very measurable results in weight loss and overall health activity:

Note: Rising Heroes cannot guarantee that you will get ENGAGED during an actual real world mission during the adventure. Despite that, we are so excited for Cal and her new fiancee! 🙂

With Rising Heroes, fitness and health plays a large role, but is only part of leveling up your life:

“Personal victories aren’t always measured in inches or pounds.”

Again, well said, Nicole.

In Rising Heroes, every recruit has to pick a non-fitness specialization that they will devote time and expertise to on an ongoing basis. We’ve had people dust of instruments for the first time in year, enroll in new classes, start back up childhood passions, and picking up new languages and skills.

With our new missions setting up Month 2, many Rebels are turning a spotlight on their finances, their mobility, their morning routines, and their daily physical activity.

And all this is literally just getting started.

Rising Heroes has turned out to be even more than we could’ve imagined. Thanks completely to thousands of Rebels deciding to buy into the process, tracking their success, and truly joining together to take back control of their lives in every sense of the word.

As Abraham Lincoln once said, “Holy shit! That sounds fun!”

Okay, I don’t know if he actual said that, but he might have!

Anyways, this has been a truly game changing experience for both the Nerd Fitness team and our core group of early adopters that are sticking with it and starting Month Two right now.

As with the first month, we have a small enrollment period where new Rebels can join up and try out Rising Heroes. We shut this off on Thursday of the first week of the new campaigns, so that everyone can move through the rest of the adventure and work together to solve mysteries together at the same time.

Rising Heroes is accepting a few new heroes this week until Thursday at midnight EST.

As with the launch last month, we offering a full 60 day try-it-out guarantee. Come see if this fun structure and style helps you see real changes like others have. If not, email us – no questions asked – we’ll get you completely refunded.

We need help taking on (fictional banking institution) Amego Financial in month two. We aren’t exactly sure how deep this rabbit hole goes, but we are starting RIGHT NOW on the inside with missions to #savemadi and research the reach and influence of this new financial institution.

If you are interested in more information, I also recorded a full video walkthrough of inside Rising Heroes using real example from missions and community events from Month One activities.

To get a sneak peek inside the platform, click here and scroll down to the read banner “Steve walks you through the inside of Rising Heroes…”  Super creative naming, I know. It’s the second video on the page about halfway down.

We understand this is an investment and certainly not for everybody, so if this isn’t right for you right now, no worries! We’ll be back to regularly scheduled blog posts on Thursday.

In the meantime though, I have a challenge for YOU regardless:

I want you to take out a piece of paper and write out a plan for 2017.

I want to know three ways you can increase the following, ESPECIALLY if you’ve struggled to stick with your resolutions by now (end of January):

1. What are real ways you can add urgency and deadlines to your habit-based goals in 2017? Can you schedule calendar updates or reminders? Can you create your own missions for yourself? Can you manufacture urgency to help push you? How?
2. How can you add another layer of accountability to your current system? Urgency is a great start, but if you aren’t accountable, you’ll just skip the deadline without any consequence. What parts of your life can you tweak today to have slightly more accountability for the deadlines and urgency you’ve brainstormed above?
3. Lastly, where are you going to go for support? This can overlap with accountability sometimes, but needs to be more well rounded. What will you use to educate yourself? Who will you talk to in moments of weakness? Who will you celebrate with when you hit a streak? There are hundreds of free resources (including most of Nerd Fitness) for you to explore. And it is possible to find and set this up for yourself. How will you do it?

Whether or not you want to try Rising Heroes, I want you to be intentional TODAY about how you will build these three key factors into your own life in 2017.

February can be a tough month for our 2017 goals and ambitions. A lot of people fall off the wagon, but around here we #respawn quickly and get back into the fray.

Let’s keep up the early momentum of January in whatever way works best for you.

We’re here for you!

New YouTube video coming on Thursday around why motivation fails us (and what to use instead), stay tuned!

As you can tell, I’m really proud of this mysterious, goofy, action-oriented adventure we call Rising Heroes. And I appreciate you taking the time to read my giddy Rising Heroes update.

If you want to join us, 2,500+ Rebels and I are waiting for you on the inside. Once you get recruited into your faction, you can start marking off time-sensitive missions immediately. We need all the help we can get, Month Two is going to be crazy.

You have until Thursday at midnight EST to click here and join Rising Heroes for our new February campaign.

-Steve

source https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/stacis-dog-has-been-dognapped-no-not-really/

You Are Flawed. And So Are Your Heroes.

My friend Mike was orphaned before he really got to know his parents.

Fortunately, he was was adopted and raised by a loving family. They didn’t have much, but they did whatever they could to provide for him. Despite growing up with these amazing people, Mike always felt like he didn’t belong.

He did what he could to hide his real feelings: that he’d never belong, that he’d always BE on the outside looking in, that nobody really appreciated him.

You see, the real version of Mike, the part he locked away inside, would terrify others. So he kept it bottled up and put on this act that everything is cool when inside he was deeply conflicted. I was fortunate enough to get to spend quality time with Mike, get to know him for who he really was, and I learned to accept all parts of him.   

My other friend Jimmy is also an orphan surprisingly, though his path has been drastically different from Mike’s.

You see, Jimmy was born rich. Like, Scrooge McDuck rich. He WAS old enough to remember his parent’s accidental deaths, and it crushed him.  Although all of Jimmy’s needs were taken care of (thank you, life insurance policy), this environment and upbringing created some challenges.

I’ve known Jimmy for years, and it’s been tough to watch him work through layer up on layer of destructive, obsessive, rageaholic behavior.

Like many of us, Jimmy’s been searching for meaning his entire life – everything else has been handed to him, and it’s left him unfulfilled. Who could blame him? So he needs more, thinking this will fill the hole in his heart, at all times.

Despite all the money, and toys, and attractive women, and success, there’s one thing he’ll never have:

Enough.

He is hurting internally, and yet he feels like he can’t share this with anybody. After all, nobody wants to hear about the problems a very wealthy, good looking person has, right? “Those problems aren’t real! Try not being able to put food on the table for your family!”

I’ve known both Mike and Jimmy since I was a little kid, and have grown up with them.

Two orphans with tragic lives, two very different upbringings, and real internal pain and shame that they feel they can’t share with anybody.

These tales might sound vaguely familiar to you.

You see, Mike’s real name is Clark. Clark Kent. Better known as Superman.

And Jimmy? That’s Bruce Wayne. Better known as Batman.

Superheroes are flawed. That’s what makes them interesting.

We all have superheroes that we love and relate closely to.

Have you noticed something about the best characters? The ones that are written so convincingly that we can’t help to become deeply invested in them as people?

They have critical flaws and tons of baggage that often sabotage their own efforts. Although they are superhuman, they are – with the exception of Superman – human.

And that’s what makes them interesting.

Every superhero that’s worth a damn has a strong character flaw or weakness. Superman’s weakness is kryptonite, sure. But really it’s that he will always feel like an outsider and feels an overwhelming obsession to save people who don’t appreciate or understand him. Batman’s weakness is the fact that he’ll never be good enough, never sacrifice enough, and never save enough people. Enough is never enough.

Let’s go across the aisle to Marvel, and we’ll find similarly flawed characters in Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Tony Stark’s Iron Man. These guys’ flaws are very plain to see, and it’s what makes us love them. Hell, even squeaky clean Captain America only really became interesting when he was rewritten with some edge and… gasp… flaws!

How about female heroes like Black Widow? Natasha Romanoff was raised and trained as a freaking assassin and will spend the rest of her existence trying to right the wrongs of her past.

We love these flawed superheroes, because it makes them relatable, vulnerable, and REAL. It gives them an identity; as readers of comics or viewers of a movie, we get to look inside these people and know that they feel real pain too, and we see parts of ourselves in them.

We accept two things:

• These superheroes are fictional characters.
• There are parts of them I can relate to and learn from.

We accept these characters for who they are, and know that their flaws don’t define them but in fact, have shaped them into who they are.

Why, then, don’t we do this with our real-life heroes and ourselves?

Our heroes have flaws too

Are you familiar with the term “feet of clay?”

It’s an old term that refers to the construction of a statue – no matter what the statue is made out of (gold, silver, etc) or how well it’s reinforced… if the statue has a flaw like clay feet, it’ll still topple over just the same when pushed.

In psychology terms, it’s a term used to describe when we meet our heroes and realize, despite an otherwise impressive statue, that just like us, at their base they’re flawed and imperfect. Although we accept flaws and chinks in the armor of our favorite superheroes, we are told “don’t meet your (real life) heroes”. Why? Because that’s when we’ll learn that they don’t live up to the impossibly high standards we have set for them – leading to disappointment.

But I would argue that meeting your heroes and learning they’re human is significantly more valuable than continuing to put them on a pedestal and assuming they’re perfect.

When we compare ourselves to the idealized, public facing versions of our heroes – be they a celebrity, a blogger, sports star, or writer – we feel like they’re so special and that we’re incapable of doing what they’ve done.

Wrong. Our heroes are just like our superheroes! They’re people with flaws and baggage and anxiety, and that’s what makes them both relatable and interesting.

It also means that we can learn from them. They ARE us.

Let me share an example from my own life:

Tim Ferriss, 4x New York Times best-selling author, podcast genius, and the guy who pretty much owned the term “life hacking” is known by many as one of the most productive and successful people on the planet. You might have heard one of Tim’s podcast episodes or read The Four Hour Workweek (which was the impetus for me starting Nerd Fitness), and told yourself enviously, “I wish I could be like Tim” or “I wish I had Tim’s life.”

I have said to this myself many times over the past decade.

You see, I had created a superhero version of Tim in my head that wasn’t accurate – I didn’t have the full picture. It wasn’t until I read Tim’s posts like “Some Practical Thoughts on Suicide” and “Productivity Tricks for the Neurotic, Manic-Depressive, and Crazy (Like Me)” that I could see Tim for who he really was: a dude who had been thrust into the spotlight, doing his best to deal with it while helping as many people as possible, and he’s also dealing with a lot of shit that most people aren’t aware of.

I know this was incredibly difficult for Tim to share publicly, and I applaud him for it – I bet many were disappointed that the man they aspire to be didn’t “have it all”.

I bet even more had a different thought, however: “Oh shit, you mean he doesn’t live a perfectly structured life every day? That he TOO has days where he can’t get out of bed and struggles with vulnerability and anxiety and imposter syndrome? Me too!”  

I had conversation recently with my friend Mark Manson, who writes and runs an absolutely fantastic blog at MarkManson.net – he’s also the best-selling author of incredible “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F***.” He has a MASSIVE following (millions), has sold hundreds of thousands of copies of his book, and I can only imagine the amount of hero worship he gets on a daily basis. Mark told me about a guy who wanted to interview him for his “morning productivity hacks,” assuming Mark was superhuman and that his perfectly structured routines led to his success. Mark’s story made me laugh:

“Well, I wake up between 9 or 10AM, because I was up late playing Overwatch. And then I lie in bed and check Facebook and my email. Then I sit down at my computer, drink a Redbull and mess around and then try to get some meaningful work done. Sometimes it happens. A lot of the time it doesn’t.”

Your heroes don’t succeed because they don’t have flaws. They succeed in spite of their flaws, or BECAUSE of their “flaws”. I’m thankful to Mark and Tim for opening the door and showing people that their lives aren’t flawless – that they too are real people who sometimes have bad or unproductive days.

The point I’m trying to make is this: Your heroes are not perfect robots. They have messed-up lives, crippling anxiety, depression, and baggage, just like you. And they have found a way to move forward and achieve their goals.

The more we can look honestly at our heroes and realize they’re just like us, the more we have to look internally at our own flaws and own them…and then succeed in spite of them:

• That “supermom” with 4 kids who stays in shape? She has flaws too and succeeds despite dealing with a formerly abusive husband and a fear of abandonment.
• That guy at the gym you wish you looked like? He hates his home life and is hiding behind steroids and another set of bench presses to find his happiness.
• That author who you wish you could be like? He’s a recovering alcoholic and writes to heal the pain in his heart from a lost child.

We all have baggage. Our superheroes. Our heroes. And ourselves.

Welcome to the club!

Unpack your Baggage: Guilt vs Shame

Brene Brown, vulnerability expert, author, and courageous woman whose TED talk has been viewed 28 million times, has become known for a very important topic:

The difference between guilt and shame.

When we eat bad food (or binge watch TV, or date a revolving door of men/women, or drink a case of beer, or pop a few pills) to escape, when we hide behind a mask of anger, lash out, or retreat further into isolation… it’s oftentimes due to shame and not knowing how to deal with it. As we’re unpacking our personal baggage and taking ownership of it, our reaction will fall into one of those two categories (guilt and shame).

One is significantly more constructive than the other.

In her words:

Shame is a focus on self, guilt is a focus on behavior. Shame is, “I am bad.” Guilt is, “I did something bad.” How many of you, if you did something that was hurtful to me, would be willing to say, “I’m sorry. I made a mistake?”

How many of you would be willing to say that? Guilt: I’m sorry. I made a mistake.

Shame: I’m sorry. I am a mistake.

Shame is highly, highly correlated with addiction, depression, violence, aggression, bullying, suicide, eating disorders. Here’s what you even need to know more: Guilt is inversely correlated with those things. The ability to hold something we’ve done, or failed to do, up against who we want to be is incredibly adaptive. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s adaptive.

Whatever has happened to you in the past; whether it was something you did or something that was done to you, please understand the difference between guilt and shame – apply your thoughts to the action, not your identity:

“I ate an entire pizza today and sabotaged my diet this weekend. I am a failure and a waste of space.” = shame. Not healthy.

“I ate an entire pizza today and sabotaged my diet this weekend. I can’t believe I did that. That was stupid of me.” = guilt. Healthy (though still painful).

Guilt can be constructive and uncomfortable, while shame can be destructive and cause us serious damage. When we’re shameful of our behavior, it can cause us to feel even more shame, and thus seek more quick fixes, or avoid the problem, or sink even deeper into a hole, which we then get ashamed of as well.

It’s a horrible feedback loop that we can get stuck in.

Remember, flaws are nothing to run away from or harbor shame for. Our heroes are flawed, and that makes them human.

So are you. And so am I.

Let’s own it.

I want you to say this to yourself: “No matter what I’ve done up to this point, I am deserving of love and happiness. I am NOT a lost cause. I will hit roadblocks and struggles and challenges, and make mistakes and screw up and do stupid things. I can forgive myself for those things, and move on from them. My heroes are flawed and broken, and so am I. If they can succeed, so can I.”  

Become your biggest fan. And then get to work by taking responsibility.

Take responsibility for your baggage

Just as we can forgive ourselves for actions we’ve taken, judgment-free and shame-free, we can take ownership of our baggage too. Just like our heroes, we must succeed despite our flaws and issues.

One of the articles I’m most proud of writing is about “Personal Responsibility,” the most important trait somebody can develop if they want to start living a better life.

Yes. The baggage that you carry around might be AWFUL:

• You might have really unhealthy parents who taught you sugar was a food group.
• You might have been in terrible, abusive relationships.
• You might have been abandoned by one parent or both.
• You might have been screwed out of a job you deserved.
• You might have a horrible physical ailment or mental illness that is genetic.
• You might have been born in a certain country, of a certain sex, or into a certain religion, that you didn’t choose and have struggled in today’s society as a result of.

Many of these things might not be your fault. Like Bruce or Clark, we are raised in a certain way and don’t get to pick our parents or our upbringing or the tragedies that have befallen us. We’re products of our environment and upbringing and genetics, and it all mixes together in a really weird way.

These things can cause us to feel shame about our place in life, retreating inward, lashing outward, and feeling like a victim or martyr who is doomed to stay stuck because ‘my problem is unique and unsolvable.’ We look for somebody to blame, and we assume our heroes are only where they are because they don’t have the problems we do. And so, we don’t take action, because “we can’t fix it” … the problem is somewhere else.

If you’ve spent any time on the internet lately, you know that victimhood of any kind is IN!

It’s where the money is. Controversy and outrage put asses in seats and bring traffic, page views, and advertising dollars. We’re constantly being reinforced and taught that anything in our life that offends us is somebody else’s problem (shame on them).

It’s that tiny voice in our head that is screaming (and being rewarded): “THEY NEED TO KNOW THEY HAVE OFFENDED ME. I FEEL WRONGED. WE MUST PUT THEM IN THEIR PLACE. IT’S NOT OUR FAULT.”

I don’t say this to make light of the real challenges many have faced, but rather highlight a growing epidemic that freezes us from taking action and improving our situation.

When the voices in people’s heads telling them “I am a victim” is being nurtured and reinforced, when every article or post is an opportunity to be offended and outraged, and when we’re lashing out because we are offended (for ourselves or others), it’s minimizing the impact and help needed for people who truly are victims and need help.

Now, readers of this blog get offended at me all the time and have NO problem chastising me! Telling people to move more, eat less, find more time in the day, build systems to set oneself up for success, prioritizing health, and minimizing distractions seems fairly straightforward and inoffensive.  

After all, these people chose to come to Nerd Fitness most likely because they’re looking for guidance on fixing part of their lives.

Regardless, we ALWAYS have people who rush to tell us how insulting the article was: they can’t change because of ___. And sure, they have a darn good reason or a serious problem they’re dealing with! But they’re choosing to be offended and insulted by our words while the other 99% of the population is choosing to say “okay, how can I apply this to my situation?”

All change comes from recognizing something we didn’t see before, and then changing our behavior because of this new insight. When we choose to see the world with this outrage/victim lens, we’re essentially solidifying the idea to ourselves that: There’s nothing I’m not seeing, there’s nothing I can do differently, the problem is somebody else’s. It does not apply to me.

Instead of CHOOSING this mentality, we need to take ownership for everything that has happened to us, both good and bad. This is a radical departure and a serious challenge that flies in the face of prevailing society these days.

The truth is this: you already have all of the tools you need to succeed/lose weight/make meaningful changes in your life.

That might be painful to read. That tiny voice in your head probably just yelled at me. If you can not react to that voice, and instead look at the situation without judgment, you can also decide that you don’t need anybody’s permission to change your mindset or your situation.

After all, the fact that you’re reading this means you are one of the luckiest individuals to exist in human history.

No, not the fact you are reading THIS article (I’m just a nerd who writes about Star Wars and push-ups in his underwear), but the fact that you exist in this year, 2017, with access to a computer and internet and modern marvels.

Life is AMAZING.

You don’t live in a cave! You have access to electricity! You most likely will not be eaten by a lion tomorrow! Or the next day!

The next part sucks, but it’s essential for growth: When you stop being outraged and assuming your problems are unique, and instead go: “Okay, this is the chaos I’m dealing with. What can I do about it?” you give yourself permission to pick yourself up by the bootstraps and take ownership.

There is somebody out there with your problems who has the life you want. This is great news. This is when change can happen.

You have everything you need to succeed already.

Accepting responsibility is tough as hell, because the alternative is WAY easier!

• If we tell ourselves we’re a lost cause at getting in shape, it makes it easier to sit on the couch, play video games, and eat pizza.
• If we tell ourselves that there are no good men or women to date, it makes it easier for us to justify not trying or potentially getting hurt, not being social, suffering through a lot of bad first dates, and instead sitting at home on a Friday. 
• If we tell ourselves there are no good jobs out there, it makes it easier for us to blame Obama/Trump, the economy, and stay on unemployment or living with our parents and stop sending out resumes.

Did one of those sentences above made you angry? Maybe even… outraged? That little voice is saying, “HOW DARE YOU STEVE. You’re wrong because [reason I’ve been telling myself for years].

We tell ourselves these stories to stay safe and stay in our comfortable misery. We get offended so that we can pass responsibility onto others and justify inaction or failure.  

As I said before, it might not be your fault that something has happened to you, but it’s time to realize that it’s your responsibility to deal with it. Mark Manson said it best in his book:

“a baby showing up on your doorstep certainly isn’t your fault, but suddenly it’s your responsibility to deal with it.”

What if you lived life as if everything was your responsibility to deal with?

I recently had a conversation with a long-time member of the Nerd Fitness community. He let me know that he was disappointed in Nerd Fitness, because after four years he was still unhealthy and overweight because I hadn’t written anything that had inspired him to change yet.

I knew the guy well enough and replied, “Hey man, we all have baggage. You’ve been waiting around for four years and nothing I’ve written has motivated you to change…maybe we’re not the problem? You have all the tools you need and a supportive community. Have you given yourself permission to take responsibility for your success? What specific action are you taking today to improve yourself?”

He got very mad at me and told me off, only to email back a month later with a “You’re right. I know what I need to do, and I’ve been using my medical condition as an excuse. I’m going to take a more active role in my health.”

Bruce Wayne didn’t choose to have his parents killed. Neither did Clark Kent. Natasha Romanoff was brainwashed at a very young age to become an assassin, and she has to atone for that for the rest of her life.

You probably didn’t choose to have [very real problem] or [genetic condition] or [serious obstacle] or [life altering challenge] happen.

But if you stop being outraged, stop deciding you’re a victim, and instead operate under the philosophy that your life as it is right now is 100% your responsibility to deal with, that you are not owed ANYTHING, then you can also realize that you already have EVERYTHING you need to take action on the problem.

I’m already prepared for responses from people who skim this article, with their defensive shields already up, saying things like: “Steve this is very insulting and you don’t understand, because you are [blank] and [blank] and [age]. Shame on you, and I’m offended because [this reason] and [this reason] and you can’t possibly know what I’m going through. I can’t [lose weight/change/get out of this relationship/eat better] because [valid reason].”

These are often the people with the most to gain if they realize they have ALL the tools (and the responsibility) to start dealing with it RIGHT NOW. That many people have succeeded in similar situations as them. That their problems are not unique. Which means it IS solvable.

If this sounds like you, stop taking pride in your baggage, stop proudly being the victim/martyr subconsciously. Instead of indignant, outraged, and unhappy, be responsible.

It’s what our heroes do.  

We all have flaws. We all also have super powers.

Here in the Nerd Fitness Rebellion, we are all disasters. We all feel shame. We all feel guilty.

We are all broken.

Welcome to the island of misfit toys.

Like any motley collection of superheroes, we all have baggage that keeps things interesting. At the same time, just like the X-men, or the Avengers, or the Justice League… along with those flaws we also have superpowers.

Things we can do that nobody else can. Things that we’re better at than others without thinking about it. It might be compassion, empathy, humor, or inclusiveness. It might be a knack for a certain skill or aptitude. Things that if we spent more time focused on, it would make our lives better and the world will be better.

Regardless of how many bags you’ve packed to come here, welcome!

This is a community where you get to be yourself, where you can learn the difference between shame and guilt, and it’s okay to be vulnerable while you work through your shit.

We forgive ourselves.

We know we’re human and that no action we take is something that permanently defines us. Like any superhero, our journey is long and winding, and we have to find our way through the darkness.

We also accept personal responsibility for our place in life and our future.

It might not be our fault where we are right now, but it’s our responsibility to deal with. We choose to not get offended and not to use that to be a victim or martyr. We know that everything is written to offend or to make people feel like victims, and we’re going to stop letting this rule us.

We choose to allocate our brain power to better things.

If this article made you offended and angry and you want to yell me at me for not understanding your particular situation because I’m A, B, and C and you’re X, Y, and Z, no worries! Take a break. We’ll be here if you change your mind in the future.

If you’re ready, willing, and able to accept responsibility, judgment free, for where you are in life…

Welcome to the Rebellion.

You have what you need. You don’t need somebody else’s permission to start. You can choose to stop being a victim. You can be your own hero. And we’re here to support you on that journey. You can solve your own problems, and we’ll be your sidekick cast of supporting heroes ready to step up at every turn.

If you’re in, I’d love to hear from you below:

• What’s one thing you’ve felt shame over that you can re-attribute to non-judgmental guilt: “I did that thing. I can work on that.”
• What’s one thing you’ve felt victimized by in the past that has kept you prisoner, and how can you accept responsibility for dealing with it?
• What is your superpower? What’s something that you do really, really freaking well? That you can succeed with despite the other parts of you?  

-Steve

###

Photo: Daniel Kulinski: Crack, Miguel Discart: Hero Shelf

source https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/you-are-flawed-and-so-are-your-heroes/

How Tim Walked His Way to a 50-Pound Weight Loss. Wait. WHAT!?

“Holy crap! Seriously!?”

It was 1 AM, and I was sitting, bleary-eyed at my computer in a hotel room in Barcelona. Like many people, instead of sleeping I had been messing around on Facebook (oops!) and happened across a thread with a Nerd Fitness reader who said the following:

“Nutrition is 90% of the battle, right? Well I’ve seen that in action over the last few months. I was unable to continue workouts due to a health issue and have had to rely COMPLETELY on walking and nutrition to find results. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

I am completely sold on the principles of the Nerd Fitness Academy. Thank you, Steve Kamb for founding NFA!

I am not done, I have only begun, but now that I can (hopefully) begin workouts again after seeing my doctor in a couple weeks, I look forward to even greater results! Already I have lost over 50 pounds since starting NFA, I no longer need blood pressure medication, and I fit into size 34 jeans…a feat I have not done since grad school 20 years ago!”

What followed were the photos you see above… right!?

My jaw hit the floor when I saw Tim’s 7 month before and “during” photos. I seriously yelled out loud “Holy sh**!” when I saw them, and I couldn’t help but smile. I wanted to share Tim’s success story with you today, because I want YOUR success story six months from now!

Tim, a recovering gambling addict and single dad of 4 kids (!), is a proud member of the Nerd Fitness Academy and based his exercise, mindset, and nutritional strategy on the information presented there. However, I want to point out that Tim had NO gym membership, NO fancy trainer, NO magic bullet, and NO wonder supplements.  

I’ve been bouncing emails back and forth with Tim and noticed VERY interesting details in his success – tons of things that many would have seen as obstacles (or worse…excuses to justify inaction!). Tim, on the other hand, actually succeeded in part BECAUSE of these setbacks.

Today you’re going to learn how to surprise yourself 7 months from now – WITHOUT “EXERCISING”.  

Six months from now, I want you to look at your “before” and “during” photos with a shocked smile. (It would help if you took photos today!)

Why are you doing this?

I asked Tim what prompted his big change, and why did he think he was successful. His answer about Big WHY really jumped out at me, something we talk about at Nerd Fitness a lot too.

I thought [this journey, after failing repeatedly before] would be harder, but after working through the Big Why (several times) I focused on “baby steps” like getting rid of liquid calories, stop putting sugar on things, no ice cream, etc. Little-by-little, I got to where I am today. One day at a time, sometimes one moment at a time!

I looked at what I COULD do rather than what I couldn’t, and that freed me up to find the slimmer, healthier me inside of all the fat and junk that was clinging to me.  I am not fat.  I am not garbage.  I am me, and I am glorious.  I am not a special snowflake, I am a lean, healthy badass (sort of) who will not let circumstances get in the way of me being who I was created to be so that I can be a great example to my kids and loved ones of what a healthy, intentional, good man looks like.

As you’re getting started on your journey, DIG DEEP and really think about WHY you’re doing this. You might need to go three levels deep (like Inception) and keep asking why to get to the root of your reasons for changing:

• I want to lose weight. Why?
• Because I want to feel better. Why?
• Because I don’t like where my life is going and I want to be a better example for my kids. OKAY!

If you don’t have a good reason for getting in shape (“because my doctor told me to” isn’t going to cut it long term), you’ll use any reason to give up along the way! “Shoot, it’s cold out. Can’t exercise today.” “I had a bad day at work – I deserve this treat.” “Meh, tomorrow.”

However, if you have a damn good reason for why you are embarking upon this journey (like Tim did), you’re going to be more likely to actually stick with your plan even when life gets busy, your kids get sick, and so on.

Personally, I’m on this journey because I want to find out what I’m capable of. I feel a responsibility to this community to take care of myself and a responsibility to the future me to be healthy. I’m also doing this because I know how great it feels to hit a personal best, nail a new gymnastics move, and look in the mirror with pride at what I’ve built. It makes me happy.

How about you? Spend a few minutes journaling or writing out your thoughts and dig as deep as you can until you get to the root of your desire to get fit.

The Right Mentality at the Start

Now, this is where most people get thrown off.

After determining your big why, you need to have the right mentality for beginning your journey too.

The NF Community asked Tim what he thought about his transformation looking back at himself after 7 months:

“If you’d told me I could lose 50 pounds in 7 months with just changing my diet and walking, I would have told you to take a long walk off a short pier! I can hardly believe it myself.”

I bet you read that sentence above and thought, “I’ve heard THAT before, on every late night infomercial promising me amazing results if I buy their workout equipment or ab coaster or whatever.” The difference here is that you don’t need to buy anything, you need to change your strategy.

Tim is an actual person (a single dad with 4 kids!) from our community, with a family, a real job, and he’s not trying to sell anything in that sentence. In fact, that sentence was shared privately with our community, and only after he posted it did I ask if I could share it.

Tim said the toughest change he had to make was his own mindset. As a recovering gambling addict (6 years and counting – congrats Tim!), he knew he had mental demons to overcome when it came to getting healthy:

“I did a pretty good job of wrecking my life and found myself seven years ago being forced to do something about it. The biggest thing I learned from that experience of entering recovery (I have six years of sobriety) is that the pain had to outweigh the fear of change before I would do anything to recover.  Unfortunately at that point it was too late for my marriage, my career, and a few other things I deeply regret destroying as a result of my addiction.  

I learned that I do not need to fear change, I just need to recognize it, lean into the pain, and do the next right thing.  So as I moved through recovery from a gambling addiction I soon found that there were other areas in my life that needed change as well.  Shocker!

The pain needed to outweigh the fear of change before I would do anything to recover.”

Two years ago, he stepped on a scale saw “300 lbs” for the first time in his life. Although he never identified himself as big or fat, stepping on that scale shook him to his core and made him realize he needed to change.

Tim found Nerd Fitness in June of 2016, where we talk about the importance of mindset and the right strategies to get started:

In recovery from addiction I was told many times, “If you want what we have, then do what we do,” and that’s the message I heard from you, Steve, and the rest of the Nerd Fitness team: We aren’t here to tell you what to do, we are simply telling you what worked for us nerds, so if you want what we have, then do what we do.

I also liked that there was a monetary cost to [The Nerd Fitness Academy], because it meant I had skin in the game.  The best things in life cost me something, whether it was time, money, blood, sweat, or tears, and I was ready to make a change.  

Sounds pretty freaking badass but believe me, I was not, nor am I, a badass.  I’m just a guy who ran across your program which showed me three things: First, the problem; Second, the solution; and Third, how to implement that solution.   

Although Tim invested in himself, you do not need to spend money to find results. However, having some “skin in the game” might cause you to take this action more seriously – I know it does for me (I hired a friend, Anthony Mychal, to be my virtual trainer to keep me accountable!). And how much is being healthy and happy worth to you? How much can you afford to invest in yourself?

Again, no need to spend money up front to get “skin in the game.” Can you give money to a friend of yours and commit to what you’re going to do, and then he’ll give you the money back? Or tell a friend you’ll donate $X to a cause you hate if you don’t follow through on your goals?

It’s how Saint dropped 60 pounds in time for his wedding – he put his money where he mouth was!

Now, let’s look back at the rest of Tim’s statement above. Tim attacked his problem head-on and had a serious conversation with his brain:

• I need to change. I do not need to fear change. Change is good.
• I’ve tried and failed in the past. How can I try differently this time?

Change is good. This next attempt needs to be different from previous attempts if I’m going to get in shape this time. So, what SHOULD you do?

Do Less. Go Slow. REALLY Slow.

“The less you do, the more you do.”

– Kunu (Paul Rudd’s character in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”)

If you’re like most people, you’ve said to yourself recently, “this is the year I’m going to get in shape.”

And you might have done all sorts of things and maybe even succeeded so far:

• Signed up for a gym
• Gone to the gym every day
• Bought workout DVDs and followed them dutifully
• Drastically changed your entire nutritional strategy
• Started flossing
• Add another 5 things.

Tim’s success, I believe, is due to the fact that he did LESS than ALL of those things above!

When he started his most recent journey, he hurt himself by doing too much during a workout and was told by the doctor he couldn’t strength train for 6+ months!

I bet if you were told you couldn’t exercise for 6 months, then the idea of ‘getting in shape’ would now be gone. But this was, ironically, exactly what Tim needed to succeed. “Oh, I can still walk…” Perfect. That is enough to radically transform your body.  

In fact, I’m going to tell you to NOT work out if you’re starting from a sedentary lifestyle.

Yes, this is a fitness website telling you not to work out.

In fact, I think exercise sucks! I don’t do it. Instead, I train in a fun way that I am excited about.

If you just want to lose weight and feel better about yourself (Like Tim did), going for a walk and focusing nearly all of your energy on nutrition will get you 90% of the way there!  Once you get to a baseline of health and fitness and have lost significant weight, then you can focus on building the physique you want.

So, disregard what people in infomercials or magazine ads look like – those people train 20+ hours a week, have super genetics, are probably on steroids, and/or don’t use the equipment or workout strategy they are advertising. 

Instead, keep it simple and your expectations in check. Tim couldn’t exercise, and that allowed him to focus on just TWO THINGS:

1. Going for a walk. Tim doesn’t enjoy running, so he just went for hikes and walks. That’s it. This allowed him to mentally check a box that said “I did something healthy today”
2. Finally accepting that nutrition was 90% of the battle, so he should be focusing 90% of his mental energy on adjusting that.

How much time do you think about THE PERFECT workout strategy, and if you should do 10 sets of 10, 5 sets of 5, or something in between? Do you worry about getting your heart rate to the perfect “fat burning zone” or anything like that? What about going from cardio kickboxing to yoga to weights to underwater aerobics?

Scale your thinking WAY back.

How can you make SMALL but permanent changes to your exercise strategy?  When you make a change, make such a tiny change that you understand that you are making this change forever. This is what you do now:

• Decide to walk a certain amount of minutes this week. This is what you do now.
• Cut back on one extra soda this week. This is your new normal.

ONLY after that you’ve built a walking habit would we recommend you start to implement something basic like a body weight training routine once a week, or even just challenging yourself to do some push-ups each morning when you wake up.

Nutrition is Everything. EVERYTHING.

Nutrition. Nutrition. Nutrition.

We talk about nutrition more than any other subject at Nerd Fitness, because it’s everything. And that’s not what most people like to hear.

How you eat will be responsible for 80-90% of the success or failure you will have moving forward. So you need to attack your nutrition with a solid strategy.

This means two things:

• ANY workout strategy will WORK with the right diet: walking, yoga, zumba, dancing, rock climbing, strength training. Literally anything physical if you stick with it.
• ANY workout strategy will FAIL with the wrong diet. If you don’t eat well, no amount of training will fix that.

It’s why one of our Rules of the Rebellion is “you can’t outrun your fork.”

Again, most people do best with SMALL changes over LONG periods of time. It’s is how Tim won. In his own words, he was not a big fan of the Paleo Diet (read our beginner’s guide here) mentality, though his nutritional strategy now closely aligns with it.

We’re not gung-ho Paleo advocates either. (We like that it’s a simple mental model you can follow to learn what to eat and what to avoid, but we agree that you should probably dip your toe in pool and slowly wade in). 

This is why the NF Academy Nutritional Blueprint is laid out in 10 levels, and Tim liked the small transitional changes to how he ate:

You said that nutrition was most of the battle, so I chose to accept that, and in doing so I sloughed off the false belief I had been carrying around which told me that nutrition was not the main thing, that working out and burning calories was the main thing.  I had to accept what you and your team said:  mindset + nutrition + exercise = health.  

I started at level 2 (basic calorie counting). I had already been trying to track calories but wasn’t sticking to any good eating habits until I started at Nerd Fitness Academy.

My first official step was eliminating liquid calories. Baby steps work!

I then started eliminating processed foods from my diet one meal at a time. I took a week to eliminate them from breakfast, then the next week I removed them from lunch, the third week it was dinner, and the fourth week was snacks. That last one was HARD. It’s too easy to hit the vending machine rather than bring good snacks for the day!

I would say it took me another couple months to finally get through Level 5 and 6, pasta and bread were staples for me, with every meal.

All-in-all it took me four months to get to Level 7 if my memory is right. I blended it with Dr. Fuhrman’s “Nutritarian” diet mindset, so while I avoid breads, I partake occasionally, and I don’t avoid meats like Dr. Fuhrman would have me do.

READ THAT AGAIN. Tim didn’t go on a diet, and you should NEVER go on a diet ever again either. Tim didn’t say “I’m gonna follow this strategy for 6 months and then I can go back to how I was eating before.” Instead, small permanent changes, and that’s just his new “normal.”

Shift your nutritional mentality and make small changes you can live with. Here’s exactly what Tim changed over FOUR months:

• Minimization of liquid calories. You’ll be surprised how many calories and how much sugar is in ‘healthy’ apple juice!
• Cut back significantly on sugar. Sugar is worse than Jar Jar Binks.
• Cut back on processed carbs (bread, pizza, pasta, etc.).
• Eat more vegetables and fruits (though don’t eat only fruit – that also has lots of sugar!), and some meat.
• Check out intermittent fasting and deciding it worked for him.

When you make these changes gradually over time, it’s much easier to live with and adjust what your body decides is “normal,” building serious momentum.

And NEVER underestimate momentum.

Accountability and Momentum.

Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about two final pieces of the puzzle that helped Tim succeed, and they will help you succeed too.

Having people to help keep you accountable and building momentum.

Tim loved having that level of accountability (and having invested in himself) and having people on the same journey has him to help stay on target:

I find that being able to “tell on myself” when I step out of line to people I trust is incredibly helpful and helps ensure that the momentum in my life continues to move forward.  

If I sit and do nothing, I invariably backslide and find myself worse off. 

As a mentor of mine likes to remind me, “There is no ‘gress’, only Pro-gress or Re-gress.  If you stop you will only move backwards, never forwards.  Keep at it day-by-day, little-by-little, focusing on doing the next right thing and before you know it, you’ve climbed the mountain, reached the moon, or made your kid’s day.”  I don’t do that perfectly, I just try to keep at it.

Sometimes the people around you have good intentions but don’t have the right understanding (of nutrition, health, and fitness) to be supportive. That’s why surrounding yourself with people who can be truly supportive (like Tim did online with the NF Rebellion) is so key. When I asked Tim if he had support at home, he said:

“Yes, they were.  However, when I started using Intermittent Fasting they looked at me sideways.  I am a single father of four kids so they couldn’t do much to object, but my friends at first thought I was nuts.  I had some who were on board and encouraged me, but some of my friends thought I was crazy.  

Now, however, they are ALL asking me what I did to lose so much weight (they don’t ask about health as much as weight, unfortunately).  It’s hard to argue with results!”

Remember, for years and years, broken and god-awful fitness and diet advice has been spread throughout the country and world. Our friends and family often believe things that aren’t fully true, even if they have the best intentions at heart when they question your decisions.

Tim had an online support group that helped keep him in line and to pick up the slack of this real life gap.  It’s called Nerd Fitness, and you’re reading about it! Whether it’s the private facebook groups associated with The NF Academy, Rising Heroes, or our FREE message boards with 30,000+ members, there’s a way for you to get support from others on your journey.

You didn’t become who you are today alone, don’t forge into tomorrow alone either.

Focus on the Next Thing.

I don’t know where you can be 6 months from now. That depends on where you are now, your genetics, your lifestyle, and everything in between.

But neither do you. So don’t worry about it! It’ll get here soon enough.

You can’t fix the past (though you can learn from it), and you can’t control the future (though you can influence it)… so you might as well focus on today, right?

• Focus on your next meal, and add one more vegetable.
• Focus on your next beverage choice, and make sure it has minimal sugar.
• Focus on your lunch break, and see if you can go for a walk.

Do not overthink this. Do not worry about where you will be six months from now. Instead do the following:

• Ask yourself WHY you are doing this. Dig deep. Write it down and hang it somewhere to remind yourself every day.
• Don’t exercise unless you enjoy it. Walking is fine. So is dance, rock climbing, zumba, swimming, and anything else.
• Nutrition is 90% of the battle. Put almost all of your focus there.
• Small changes over many months will give you the best chance for success.
• Invest in yourself. Put your money where your mouth is – you’ll take this next attempt more seriously.
• Stop worrying about how soon you’ll “get there.” Remember that you never really “arrive,” so you need to find a way to make sustainable daily life changes. Keep them simple and small. But permanent.

A funny thing happens when you do the above. 6 months from now, you just might wake up, look back at a photo of yourself from today (you DID take photos today, right?), and say out loud to yourself: “Holy sh**.” And then you can email us and we can share your story with the world.

What’s one decision you can make TODAY that will help you move in a direction of a changed life six months from now?

-Steve

PS: We have over 25,000 students going through their first year of their journey in the Nerd Fitness Academy. If the above spoke your language and you’re looking for more instruction, or looking to make an investment in yourself, consider checking it out.  It has a 60-day money back guarantee.

PPS: I was serious about you emailing us (contact at nerdfitness.com) with your success story! I love sharing them with this community to remind people that you’re not alone; that if you’re an older woman, a divorced dad of 4 like Tim, or a young college kid, the Nerd Fitness Community is here for you.  

source https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-tim-walked-his-way-to-a-50-pound-weight-loss-wait-what/

How to Increase Your Actions Per Day (APD)

This is an article from NF Rebel Writer, Daniel Thrasher 

Have you ever watched a professional gamer play Starcraft on the computer? Seriously, just watch a few seconds of this:

These guys are insane… their fingers fly over the keyboard like hummingbird wings, and their pointer finger taps the mouse button so fast it sounds like a machine gun going rat-a-tat-tat. When professionals play a real-time strategy game, they’re always doing something; usually they’re juggling five or more competing goals at the same time (attacking, defending, building, scouting, and so forth).

In fact, one of the most common ways to measure the skill level of a professional real-time strategy player is in “actions per minute.” In a game of Starcraft, it doesn’t matter whether the player is researching new technologies, issuing commands to their military units, or training a new worker – every click and stroke of the mouse or keyboard counts as an action!

These players usually hit hundreds of actions per minute, up to 300 (APM) being normal for pros and some even top out as high as 600 APM! That’s up to 10 actions per second in a typical game, which is crazy fast! (In fact, I strongly urge you not to try this at home. Your wrists will hate you…)

Professional or a newb, any player in a real-time strategy game cannot afford to be paralyzed by choice… sitting around in a state of inaction and thinking instead of doing something, right now, is going to get you clobbered.

Sound familiar?

Every action we take in these games, or on the quest to lose weight and gain muscle, takes us one step closer our goals. When we fail to take action, we slowly get overtaken by the enemy swarm of inaction, laziness, and a sedentary lifestyle.

You don’t need to be a fan of these RTS games to take advantage of this “actions per” mindset, and today I’m going to show you how it has been the missing ingredient from you taking action in your own life. 

Simply focus on raising your Actions Per Day, and start winning life. 

Success Based on Actions Per Day

The gamers use actions per minute (APM), but we’ll be using actions per day (APD). 

STOP stressing so much about any single decision. 

Instead, look at your total actions over a month. How? By measuring progress in actions per day for at least one week – ideally, for a full month.

For instance, if you’re going to tackle a new exercise goal, here are some actions you can count…

• Did you weigh yourself? That’s one action.
• Did you hit the gym for a workout today? One action.
• Did you click the order button on a new pull-up bar? One action.
• Did you swap out veggies for fries at dinner tonight? One action.

By consciously focusing on taking as many single actions as you can each day, you’ll make so much more progress than you ever could with the haphazard “when-I-feel-like-I-have-time” method.

Some actions you will take are going to be habitual. It might be difficult to start running or eating veggies, but eventually it’s going to be a breeze. These are the best ways to accrue actions because while they may difficult at first, they get easier and easier until they don’t even feel like work. Eventually, you are living a healthier life on auto-pilot.

One-time actions are basically anything else that helps you pursue your fitness or health goal, like signing up for a gym membership or learning to cook a meal. (FYI: Research and reading are great, but for this challenge, they don’t count as an action. Nice try!)

Hopefully, you’ll start counting habitual and one-time actions like these:

• Did you go for an afternoon walk?
• Did you cut out one soda from your normal consumption today?
• Did you make yourself a healthy lunch?
• Did you try a new veggie?
• Did you finally try deadlifting or that new exercise you’ve been researching?
• Did you do yoga today? Or do those mobility stretches?

Over the course of a week, those points really add up, and all it takes is a point here and there to make some serious progress on the path toward a healthy, fit life.

Now, just like in Starcraft, not ALL actions you take are going to be perfect, correct, or even move you in the right direction. But the more times you take action, the more you’ll learn how things change as a result, and the more likely you’ll be in the future to learn and take more informed action. BUT ACTION IS THE KEY!

Remember, we need to get you out of your head and out in the real world DOING stuff.

I want you to start by promising to do just one action per day toward your health and fitness goal. It can be anything – but you have to start somewhere. If you’ve accumulated even just a few total actions by the end of the first week, then you’ve already taken those precious first steps on your journey.

Helpful hint: After coming up with your APD strategy, schedule those actions. If you them on your calendar, you’re more likely to follow through and get your actions counted.

An Example Week of APD

Here you are reading this article. I know what you might be thinking. “How the heck is this going to get me healthy?”

Having tried to get healthy once, twice, or more than a few times, tomorrow you’re going to do at least ONE thing (you’re not just going to try). Then, apply the APD strategy, and focus just on a single action per day, or a total of 7 total actions for your first week.

Here’s an example of what a full week looks like.

Remember, every day that you do an action that improves your health – or deliberately avoid an action that hurts it – you can count each of those actions as an APD! 

Day 1: For your first new health habit, you decide to ditch one of your afternoon sodas at work – one of the ones you use to get through the afternoon slump. That’s 1 APD you can count on your first day.

Day 2: You stick to the new habit and avoid a soda, but you find yourself lacking energy and want a boost, so you snack on some nuts and fruit at 3 pm. A healthy snack and no soda counts as 2 APD for your second day. Nice! You’re already at 3 actions total for the week.

Day 3: Still no soda, plus a healthy afternoon snack, and you’re feeling pretty good. Pumped about your progress, you decide to go for a quick walk around the neighborhood after work. Nothing too big, but you feel good about it. You pick up 3 APD on your third day, bringing your total for the week to 6 actions so far!

Day 4: These new habits are sticking, and you think 7 total actions by the end of the week was too easy (just one per day, pssh!). Way to crush it! You start brainstorming how to get your total actions up to 14 by the end of the week (maintaining an APD of 2). Should you focus on moving more? Or eating better? Well, you know you eat too much sugar with dessert after dinner, so that’s your next goal: cutting your dessert calories in half. It’s a step in the right direction, so with the skipped soda, healthy snack, and walk after work for at least 15 minutes, you clock a whopping 4 APD today, which makes 10 actions for the week.

Day 5: Uh oh. Your day is stressful today, and you slip up and have a soda instead of your healthy snack. With no more motivation, you skip your walk and have a big dessert after dinner too. Just when you want to throw in the towel, you remember you committed to a daily goal of just 1 APD, so you look for something… and do these four yoga movements before bed. You may not be converted into a yogi, but it just took a few minutes and felt good to do something for the day and try something new. That’s 1 APD for Day 5 and 11 APD for the week.

Day 6: Even though yesterday wasn’t your proudest day, you realize you’re still sitting at 11 actions that improved your health so far this week. “Holy crap, I did 11 things this week? Yesterday is just a blip on the radar” you think. With renewed confidence, you stick to your habitual actions of skipping the soda, walking after work, and cutting dessert altogether to make up for yesterday. That’s 3 APD and you’re back on track with 14 actions total this week. (You also research some gyms in your area, which is wonderful, but doesn’t count towards your APD until you actually take action and join one.)

Day 7: It’s the end of your first week, and you really want to boost your APD for the final day. In addition to the other four new habits you’ve been keeping up with, you take the plunge and sign up for a gym membership. Hey, signing up may be a one-time action, but it counts too! That makes 5 APD for Day 7, a total of 19 actions in just one week, and a whole lot of progress toward your health. Isn’t it amazing how quickly these actions add up when you stop focusing on any single thing?

From Zero (APD) to Hero

“Got No Patience For Sitting Around!”
– Starcraft Siege Tank Guy (1998)

After several false starts on my own fitness journey, the exercise habit finally stuck when I just started doing one simple bodyweight workout three times per week – no overthinking required. That really just added up to a goal of 3 actions the whole week, but it was doable enough, and it changed everything.

Soon I was off to bigger things, but it all started with zero actions per day. From zero, doing the beginner bodyweight workout three times a week was an epic win. 

This is the story of literally every person who is now in shape. They started with zero and went from there.

Remember: You’re a battle-hardened military commander, you don’t have the luxury of sitting around and thinking about any single decision. Instead, start making decisions NOW, and adapt as you go. 

Whenever you can, it’s smart to devote some attention to reconnaissance and scout what the enemy is up to – after all, it wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense to execute a plan without any planning whatsoever. But without doing something, anything right now, you’re destined to be destroyed by the zerg swarm inaction and doubt.

Remember: Just take some sort of daily action – no matter what!

On the plus side, the stakes are rarely as high in real life as they are in a military space battle… you probably aren’t going to be blamed for the extermination of your entire civilization (probably).

So, if you have a million things you want to accomplish, just pick ONE goal, and get going now.

Why? Because that’s how you win this real-time strategy game we call “life”!

Tomorrow is a new day. Which action will you take first?

Let me know in the comments.

-Dan

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Photo: skeeze,  Juggling Balls

source https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-to-increase-your-actions-per-day-apd/