“So, what exactly is Nerd Fitness?”

I get this question a few times a day while traveling, and it’s always fun trying to explain to people what I do.

Every time it seems I come up with a different answer.

Today, I want to share what Nerd Fitness means to me. After that, I’d love to hear what Nerd Fitness is to you…I’m feeling in the giving mood today, so we’ll pick one comment at random to win a Nerd Fitness t-shirt, now back in stock!

Nerd Fitness is…

Exactly what it sounds like. A fitness website for nerds. But oh so much more.

A movement that I’m incredibly proud to be a part of.

A judgment-free group of like minded individuals, all working together towards a common goal: a leveled up life.

A community that doesn’t care where you came from, only where you’re going.

A website that allows me to be 100% myself at all times and still feel like I belong.

A home for those that don’t quite fit in anywhere else.

A world where Super Heroes are real, transformers exist, and anything is possible.

A worldwide rebellion that is growing stronger, and stronger, and stronger by the day.

A site that hopes to become THE go-to place for a beginner looking to get educated and inspired to change their lives.

An opportunity to constantly push myself outside of my comfort zone

A constant source of inspiration to become a better person; yeah, YOU inspire me more than you probably realize. Thank you.

Why 2011 was the most exciting, exhilarating and terrifying year of my life.

The reason I am so effing excited to “go to” work every morning.

What’s Nerd Fitness to you?

Thank you; fellow Nerd Fitness Rebel; I feel like I’ve found what I’m meant to do with my life through this community. Thank you for the opportunity to help you help yourself live a better life.

So now I ask you: what is Nerd Fitness to you?

I’d love for you to leave a response, and I’ll pick a winner from anybody that responds by Sunday night at11:59pm EST and send them a free NF t-shirt!

Keep kicking ass.

-Steve

PS - speaking of t-shirts, I know tomorrow’s apparently “free shipping” day; well screw that, I have “free shipping” year on NF hoodies and t-shirts, because I love free stuff…and these things probably are the greatest Christmas presents somebody could ever receive (in my humble, non-biased opinion).

PPS - By the time you read this, I’ll be out in the middle of nowhere on a 4-day safari here in South Africa (Kruger park, to be specific)! Hopefully we’ll get to see things like lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, giraffes, zebras, baboons, buffalo, hippos, and more. No word yet if Simba himself will make an appearance.  If you’ve emailed NF in the past week or so, thanks for your patience, I should be able to get all caught up by the end of next week hopefully!

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Did you know that Darth Vader loves hot dogs?

He’s also a BIG fan of Taco Bell. Huge.

Now, do you think he REALLY knows what he’s eating when chomping down on these “foods”?  More importantly, do you think this Sith lord actually CARES what he’s eating?

Today’s post is going to be a slight departure from normal NF articles, as I want this to be more a discussion about what we eat, why we eat it, and how our eating decisions are made.  If you’ve been following the news recently, you’ll see where this is going.  Ready?

Doing my best Super Mario impression: “Here we gooooo!”

Do you know what you’re eating?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (which would be quite impressive), you probably heard about all of the commotion this week regarding Taco Bell’s “ground beef” and what it’s actually made of. To summarize: a Florida woman has filed a class-action law suit against the restaurant for false advertising; she alleges that the ground beef used in Taco Bell products is comprised of only 36% beef.

Thirty-six percent!

If that’s true, what is it actually made of? According to the actual Taco Bell ingredients label listed here on Gizmodo:

Beef, water, isolated oat product, salt, chili pepper, onion powder, tomato powder, oats (wheat), soy lecithin, sugar, spices, maltodextrin (a polysaccharide that is absorbed as glucose), soybean oil (anti-dusting agent), garlic powder, autolyzed yeast extract, citric acid, caramel color, cocoa powder, silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent), natural flavors, yeast, modified corn starch, natural smoke flavor, salt, sodium phosphate, less than 2% of beef broth, potassium phosphate, and potassium lactate.

Look, I love oats and anti-dusting agents in my ground beef as much as the next guy, but good lord. As stated on Gizmodo, this bin LABELED BY TACO BELL as “taco meat filling” is then shipped out to stores and promoted as “ground beef” (which it shouldn’t be by definition).  To make matters worse, according to the USDA “any food labeled as ‘meat taco filling’ should at least have 40% fresh meat.”

It looks like Taco Bell shouldn’t even be allowed to call its beef “taco meat filling!”

Mark Sisson (of the fantastic site Mark’s Daily Apple) published an open letter to Taco Bell asking them, among other requests, to let people know what they’re actually eating.  The crazy part?  He wrote this article a year ago.

Obviously, stories like this lawsuit attacking Taco Bell are just one of many that have attempted to shed light on the actual “food” we eat:

• “Food, Inc.,” a documentary released in 2008, pulled the curtain back on industrial America’s shady food practices in an effort to maximize profits. The documentary called for consumers to start voting with their dollars by demanding higher quality products, purchasing locally-grown food, and asking for more transparency when it comes to the procedures used to create the stuff with which we feed ourselves and our families.
• King Corn, filmed in 2007, showed just how much of what we eat is composed of corn, and how incredibly subsidized our country’s corn farmers are by the United States government. It’s no wonder our waistlines continue to expand and we continue to get less healthy as more and more of what we eat is created out of corn and corn byproducts.

Watching these documentaries and reading “horror stories” about the things we eat can be quite eye-opening…if you want them to be.  Which brings me to my next point:

Do you care?

I’m interested to see if Taco Bell’s profits take a dive after this recent lawsuit - I have to imagine that the majority of folks who are eating Taco Bell regularly aren’t really interested what the food is made of, as long as it continues to taste good and remains cheap.

Come on, when you can get a drink, bag of chips, and fifteen-pound burrito with 10 types of cheese (that’s what they’re up to now, right?) for three bucks, are you really worried that it’s not the healthiest thing in the world for you?

People choose to eat at fast food restaurants or select the cheaper foods at their grocery store for a number of reasons:

1. They’re on a budget - why go home and cook a meal of high quality food that costs a lot of money (and takes far more time) when you can get it instantly through a drive-through window for far cheaper?  If you have to feed a family, you try to get the most caloric bang for your buck.
2. They don’t know any better – if Taco Bell is out passing off this stuff as “seasoned ground beef” when it’s actually not, then what else is out there that we aren’t being told the truth about? Ignorant customers remain happy customers.
3. They just don’t care - hot dogs (made up of anything), fast food tacos, burgers, whatever: these folks know what they’re eating, they don’t care what the ingredients are, they just want to eat the food because it tastes good.

My thoughts

To be honest, I can’t really say that I’m surprised about the lawsuit - there’s no way that Taco Bell could have been making any sort of profit with a 99-cent burrito unless it was made with less than quality ingredients.  The same goes for the products that cost less than a dollar at restaurants like Burger King and McDonald’s.  Hopefully this isn’t a surprise to anyone.

Also, I can’t say that I fault the companies for trying to make a profit either – that’s their job as producers.  For all I care, they can put cat food in their tacos if it allows them to make more money in the upcoming fiscal year.  Where I can fault them is for false advertising.  In my opinion, I think everything sold should be labeled with EVERY ingredient, where it came from, and how many calories it has.

Referencing the Matrix, a movie I’ve covered in previous articles, I can’t agree with Cypher’s statement that “ignorance is bliss” in this scenario. Unfortunately when dealing with the foods that we consume, what we don’t know CAN kill us (and is killing us).  If a real world exists outside of the Matrix (red pill or blue pill?), I believe everybody should be allowed to choose for themselves which type of existence they prefer.

LABEL EVERYTHING and let the consumers decide.

My fast food relationship: I’ve had Taco Bell a few times in my life, but the last time resulted in feeling like I had a brick in my stomach on a 14-hour drive across Texas.  I haven’t had a burger from McDonald’s since I was probably 12, a burger from Wendy’s since college, or a burger from Burger King since 2006.  I’ll still eat chicken nuggets from Chic-Fil-A if I need a meal on the road (maybe once every two months), and have had Chicken Selects from McDonald’s on rare occasions when there are no other options (every six months).  I know that this chicken certainly isn’t free-range home grown organic, but I feel like it’s better than the beef alternatives (which it may or may not be…weird to think about).

I’ve had my share of meatball subs from Subway (which I’m sure isn’t much better than Taco Bell beef), but I’ve slowly but surely scaled back my ignorant consumption of foods by trying to be smarter about where I stop when I don’t have any other options.

Ultimately, I try to do the best I can. I try to buy organic vegetables, I try to buy grass-fed beef if I can afford it at the time, and I do my best to cook my own meals or grab healthy snacks (like almond butter on apples) instead of resorting to fast-food.

I encourage you to do the same: understand that ignorance is not bliss, that we do have a chance to vote with our dollars by purchasing the highest quality food our budget affords us, and that it’s not these company’s fault for trying to make a profit – it’s our fault for expecting anything more out of them than low-quality food produced for mass consumption.

What Say You?

So, were you a Taco Bell eater before this lawsuit? Has it changed your eating habits in any way?

Do you eat certain fast foods over others? How about Chinese food? How do you make your decision?

Do you know what you’re eating?

Do You Care?

-Steve

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If you’ve been reading Nerd Fitness for a while, you’ll know that us rebels here at the Nerd Fitness Rebellion aren’t a big fan of the Empire.  They try to keep us down, trick us, sell us crap we don’t need, and convince us that the “healthy” foods and products they’re marketing are actually healthy.

I say no more.

Today, I’m exposing the Empire’s plan for world domination. They might not be rebuilding the Death Star (yet…), but that doesn’t mean they’re not still causing mayhem.  In case you haven’t noticed, despite all of these “scientific breakthroughs” and healthy products readily available for sale, we’re certainly not getting any skinnier as a country.  Something needs to change, and it starts with where we spend our hard earned money.

Here are seven foods that have been created by the Empire to prey upon the ignorant masses trying to get healthy.  Have you fallen victim to any of these marketing Sarclacc pits? (see what I did there?)

VitaminWater and Gatorade

The official beverages of Storm Troopers galaxy-wide!

From the VitaminWater website: “For more responsible hydration, vitaminwater is a nutrient-packed great tasting water with added electrolytes. it can provide a step towards better health…”  After reading that, how could anyone be led to believe that VitaminWater is anything less than a healthy alternative to water?

As it turns out, VitaminWater is nothing more than sugar-water with a bunch of synthetic chemical vitamins added. At 32 grams of sugar per bottle (which they disguise by putting 2.5 servings in each bottle), it’s not much better than a can of soda.

Earlier this year, the makers of VitaminWater (Coca-Cola…ruh roh) were sued for making false claims that vitmainwater was healthy.  Want to know how Coke’s lawyers decided to defend themselves? 

“…no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitaminwater was a healthy beverage.”

Epic fail.

Unfortunately, our pal sporty Gatorade doesn’t fair much better. They’ve positioned themselves as the beverage to consume while exercising thanks to the fantastic combination of Electrolytes!  Welp, unless you are running marathons and at risk of severe dehydration, you’re probably consuming more calories than you just burned in that one-hour cardio session (thanks to Gatorade’s disgustingly high sugar content).

Not cool.

“Whole grain” bagels, muffins, and cereal

Everything is “made with whole grain!!!” these days.

Thanks to the Empire telling us that we need to be eating 6-11 servings of whole grains per day, we’re all loading up on things like whole grain bagels, bread, muffins, and cereal!  They’ve been pushing this on us since the 80s, and look where that has lead us.

Want to know how bad it’s become? These are the cereals that are being marketed to our nation’s youth (and the ignorant parents who buy them) as a healthy way to start the day:

General Mills, you’re trying to tell me that Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms are GOOD FOR YOU?

What planet do you come from!? (a valid question in this Star Wars-themed post).  These cereals are so freaking loaded down with sugar and carbohydrates that it’s no surprise that our children are getting bigger and bigger.  For more information, read this article from Businessweek on the fallacies of the food industry when it comes to whole grains.

Let’s look at another “healthy” breakfast food – bran muffins! Bran is allegedly good, these muffins are made with whole grains, what’s not to like?  Unfortunately, muffins are pretty much cake that’s consumed before noon.  They’re so calorically dense that they can be used as a flotation device (don’t quote me on that).

And for those of you that decide to go with a bagel instead of a donut to be “healthy,” it’s possible for bagels to contain twice the number of calories as a donut.  They’re both created with processed, bleached flour and loaded with a comical amount of carbohydrates.  They’re like brothers from another mother.

So what’s wrong with all of these carbs and sugars? Unfortunately, once they get into your system, they’re converted to glucose to be either immediately burned as energy or stored as fat.

Rather than explain why this can make you fat, here’s a fantastic video that I’ll reference until the day I join Obi-Wan:

“Why You Got fat” video

Granola bars

Hippies eat granola bars, and hippies are skinny (usually); therefore, they have to be good for you, right?

Take a look at any granola bar’s packaging and you’ll see a beautiful environment that looks like it came from the forests of Endor.  Check out at Nature Valley’s website if you don’t know what I’m talking about.  Nature, goodness, whole grains, healthy, earth – that’s the vibe I get.

Unfortunately it’s way off.

I practically grew up on Oats n’ Honey bars. Years later I looked at the ingredients label and learned how terrible they really are.  These are the top seven ingredients in this healthy bar:

1. Whole grain oats (there’s that “whole grain” again)
2. Sugar
3. Canola Oil
4. Yellow Corn Flour
5. Honey
6. Soy Flour
7. Brown Sugar Syrup

Uggggghhhhh. Other granola bars can be better, containing more raw nuts, less processed ingredients, and some dried fruit (which can be very sugary too, so watch out),  but for the most part, store-bought granola bars (especially ones from Quaker Oats, yikes) are a poor substitute for real foods.

They’re also incredibly tiny but very heavy on calories, so you’ll quickly be ready to eat again after finishing one (or two, or three…)

“Low Fat” and “No Sugar Added” Labels

Mind tricks from the dark side, my dear rebel.

Everything is “low fat” these days. After all, fat makes you fat, right?!   Wrong; few people (outside of the smarty pants here on NF) realize that there’s a far stronger correlation between carbs/sugar and body fat than dietary fat and body fat.

If you’re curious as to why fat is wrongfully vilified in today’s society, read these two articles and your mind will be blown:

• End the War on Fat
• What if it’s All Been a Big Fat Lie?

Despite all of the evidence that exonerates poor fat, change is extremely slow to come.  For a laugh (okay it probably won’t make you laugh), next time you’re in the super market take a look at the back of a regular Oreos package and the back of a LOW FAT Oreos package.  The low fat package contains more calories and sugar than the regular package.  This isn’t an isolated incident either; it happens in low fat foods all over the place.  In order to make the low fat foods taste good, they remove the fat and replace it with more sugar and sodium!

You have failed me for the last time.

I think the one that makes me laugh even harder is the “no sugar added” labels. Want to know why there’s no sugar added to your new favorite juices, ice cream, and other foods?  It’s because they’re already LOADED with the stuff!  Be smart and look at the back of the label, not the front of the package.

Fruit Juice

Do you start your day off with a huge glass of apple juice or orange juice? I understand why you do, but here’s why you shouldn’t.

Apple juice, orange juice, cranberry juice, grapejuice, etc. might as well be labeled “sugar water.”  Why is that?  When the fruit is squeezed to make juice, you get all of the sugar and none of the fiber.  Throw in some preservatives, extra sugar for flavor, and a few other ingredients and you have yourself a “healthy juice drink made with real fruit!”

Here is a typical amount of sugar for four popular beverages (stats from DailyBurn):

• Orange juice - 21g of sugar
• Apple juice - 28g of sugar
• Cranberry juice – 37g of sugar
• Grapejuice - 38g of sugar

For reference, a can of teeth-rotting, insulin-spiking, fat-inducing Coca-Cola has 40g of sugar.  Here’s a similar statement coming from the LA Times.  Still want that fruit juice, young padowan?

Learn to love water, you will.

Here’s a little known fact that you won’t learn anywhere else:

Darth Vader was a huge fan of cranberry juice cocktail.

Real Fruit Smoothies

Juices might not be healthy because they’re squeezed, but smoothies have the ENTIRE fruit blended in there, so it has to be better, right?

It’s a trap!

When you swing through a smoothie shop and ask for a real fruit smoothie made with real fruit juices, you’ll get some funky concoction with a few pieces of frozen real fruit, eight ounces of “fruit juice,” along with possibly a few other things, resulting in a beverage that has enough calories for an entire meal and enough sugar to make a tauntaun go berserk.

Let’s look at the nutrition content from the 32 oz. smoothies from Smoothie King.  Pay particular attention to the sugar column:

GOOD LORD. I look at the sugar column, and weep for the fate of the galaxy.

I generally advise people to try and keep their sugar content at or below 30g per DAY if they’re trying to lose weight quickly.  Order an 32oz Orange Ka-Bam and you’ll be consuming the equivalent of four cans of coke in one 32 oz. beverage.  Drink enough of these smoothies with regularity and you’ll book yourself a one-way ticket onboard the nearest Imperial Star Destroyer to the lesser-known planet Type-2 Diabetes (weird name for a planet, I know).

If you want a smoothie, make it at home with your own ingredients. Go with either water, reduced sugar juice, or almond milk for your mixing beverage, and your body will thank you.

Salads

Hopefully you know this already, but there is a WIDE range of various foods that can be considered a salad. When thinking about unhealthy salads, I’m always reminded of this Real Men of Genius commercial:

Taco Salad Inventor Commercial

Sure there are green things in salads (yay vegetables!), but the salads are also usually loaded up with croutons, high-calorie, high-sugar, high-sodium salad dressings, and even sometimes fried chicken or other extremely unhealthy.

Check out this Yahoo! article on six salads that are worse for you than a Burger King Whopper.

May the Force Be With You

Hopefully at this point you already know why all of these grains, carbs, and grams of sugar are bad for you.  If not, brush up on your knowledge by reading my Beginner’s Guide to the Paleo Diet, which explains why our bodies aren’t biologically equipped to deal with those types of food.

May the knowledge learned from today aid you in the fight against the tyrannical Empire for years and years to come.  If you’re curious about a particular type of food and whether it’s good or bad for the Rebellion, read the back label carefully – explored the serving sizes, total number of calories per servings, and amount of carbs, sodium, and sugar.  Keep those numbers down, and the battle will turn in your favor.

What other “healthy” foods have I left out?  I would love to add to this list so that people know.

Until Monday from Massachusetts, may the force be with you.

-Steve

Today’s NF Rebel Hero of the day – Shawn D., or Dawsy as he’s known around the Nerd Fitness message boards, is officially the first person in Australia to own a Nerd Fitness shirt.  When he sent this picture to me the other day of him wearing it, I couldn’t help but smile.  With today’s article being Star Wars-themed, I couldn’t think of a better time to share it.

Have you ordered your Nerd Fitness shirt yet? Pick one up (only $20 with free shipping anywhere in the world), and send me a photo – you could be the next Rebel Hero.

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What a crazy eight months to start 2010!

Honestly, back in January, the thought of running my own business, selling fitness guides, and planning some exciting adventures still seemed to be years away, and yet here I am!  By the time you read this, I’ll be on a plane headed back to Atlanta after spending nine days visiting my family up on Cape Cod.  The Rebel Fitness Guide is officially off and running to a great start, so I gave myself a day off yesterday – kinda – which allowed me to finish reading A Game of Thrones (AWESOME).

It’s September 2nd, which means we only have four months left in 2010! I wanted to share my plans for the rest of year, covering my own personal goals and also my goals for Nerd Fitness.

Expanding the Rebellion

Since quitting my job back in June and taking on Nerd Fitness full-time, I’ve received a bunch of emails from readers who are/were in the same boat as me, wanting to know how I did it, how I plan on keeping myself afloat, and what my plans are for the future.  I really enjoy these emails, and I love hearing from other people who are interested in creating their own small business, so PLEASE keep sending them!

This has been planned for months, but I want to expand the scope of my writing here on Nerd Fitness. Although the NF Rebellion began as a way to fight against obesity, conventional wisdom, and nerd stereotypes, I’ve realized that it has also become a rebellion against a life without passion and plans that happen eventually instead of now.

I want to help people who are interested in making changes and improving their lives.

Don’t worry, I don’t plan on abandoning the type of articles that I usually write; I’ll simply be augmenting them with stories about my adventures, experiences from building an online business, and advice for others looking to level up their lives in ways other than fitness.  Even if you have no desire to quit your job and you’re perfectly content with the life you live, these articles will still provide value.

I had this great idea to call the part of the Rebel Army who want to break free “Freedom Fighters,” and then I realized why I thought it was such a good idea: because my friend Karol Gajda already took it like two years ago.

You win this round Gajda!

Travel Plans

Back in January, I discovered the art of travel hacking from Chris Guillebeau and his excellent Frequent Flyer Master book. The guide turned me on to some great communities and killer credit card deals (don’t worry Mom, I pay them off in full each month).  Even though I’ve been minimizing my expenses for the past year, the Frequent Flyer Master has helped me acquire:

• 127,000 American Airline miles
• 110,000 British Airways miles
• 50,000 SPG points
• 25,000 Delta miles

Now that I have freed up my time and my location, I think it’s time for me to start using these points to see the world. Seriously, I’ve never even been outside of North America! I want to step outside of my comfort zone, see some beautiful places, and go on some kick-ass adventures.  In order to afford everything, I’ll be traveling on a tight budget, using every connection I have, applying every travel-hacking tip I know, and cutting my expenses to a bare minimum.  Not only that, but I also plan on getting rid of ALL my crap – my digital piano, amp, dvds, videogames, books, old clothes, and more.

After spending months reading about the clutter-less and experience-filled lives of people like Leo of Zen Habits, Baker of Man vs. Debt, the aforementioned Karol (who is a big hit with old ladies),  Corbett of Free Pursuits, and Evrett Brogue of Far Beyond The Stars, I have fallen in love with the minimalist concept – stop buying stuff you don’t need, sell the crap you already have but don’t use, and spend the extra money investing in yourself and life-changing experiences.

I fully plan on writing two articles a week even while traveling, so you won’t see any drastic changes as far as the format of NF goes.  More details on where I’m headed and when are coming soon!

Immediate Nerd Fitness Plans

The Rebel Fitness Guide is launched, but my work has only just begun. The initial sales of the guide definitely surpassed my expectations, but if I’m going to continue making money through this site I need to really focus on constantly growing the Rebel Army.  I want to put out at least two guest posts a month along with creating my usual two posts per week here at NF, which means I’ll be writing like crazy.

Nerd Fitness t-shirts. They’re coming, I swear!  Now that I have a quasi-income and time to dedicate to getting the project off the ground, I’m ready to finally start making some NF t-shirts!  I apologize to those of you that have been waiting months to get one; obviously quitting my day job kind of forced me to slightly reorganize my priorities.  I have a few different designs that I’m considering, and I’ll put it up to a vote soon to see which shirt you like the best.

My next guide. I want to get started on the next guide as soon as possible: a strength and muscle building guide.  This next guide will focus more on the muscle building aspect of fitness, teaching people how to really build muscle and power safely and efficiently.  It will also have a huge diet component, as your diet is 90% of the battle when it comes to packing on the muscle.  Time to get started!

Leveling Up My Life

I have a confession to make: I completely neglected my own personal health and well-being over the past few weeks while finishing up the Rebel Fitness Guide, and I expect that to continue during Labor Day Weekend (I’ll be in Nashville at the Vandy-Northwestern game, go Dores!).  Starting next Tuesday however, I plan on re-dedicating myself to getting in great shape by the end of the year.

Next Tuesday will also kick off the next 28-day challenge (which will have a twist…).  So be ready to kick some butt on the 7th.

Just because it’s the end of the year doesn’t mean there’s not enough time to do something significant. What do you want to accomplish in the next four months?

-Steve

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Release the biodegradable eco-friendly balloons, I did it!

After a month of planning, four months of writing, 100+ guinea pigs testing, five weeks of editing, a few late-night edit/brainstorm sessions with Jess, a brief launch delay, last minute edits from my mom, and one final all-nighter…

I am FINALLY officially releasing the Rebel Fitness Guide!

Since quitting my day job back in June (and even for a few months before that), I’ve been busting my butt to create a guide that will help people of all shapes, ages, and sizes get in shape without taking up all of their time or breaking the bank.  For less than the cost of one personal trainer session (or less than the cost of one video game), you can get in the best shape of your life with just a set of dumbbells and some determination.  I’m incredibly encouraged by the feedback from the first group that purchased it, as many of them are already starting to see noticeable results after only a month.

Pardon my biased opinion, but the Rebel Fitness Guide kicks ass. This guide is my future, so I’ve done everything I can to make sure its fun, easy to understand, and produces results.

Testimonials

I won’t go crazy with the testimonials, but here are three from the first group of rebels that purchased the pre-release version of the guide that really stuck out to me.  Hopefully you know me well enough to know that I would only use actual testimonials from actual customers:

“The NerdFitness guide is a simple, to-the-point understanding of why a person gains weight, how to eat so you lose weight, and how to exercise without killing yourself.  In 30 days with a strict follow to the guide, I dropped 26.4 pounds…I have much more to go but this is the lowest I have weighed in years!”

-Stephen S., Analyst

“I have been in the fitness industry for 15 years and have seen a lot of fitness programs.  Steve has created a comprehensive plan to better fitness for anybody, anywhere.  Lose body fat and get stronger with an exercise program that really does work and does so without a lot of equipment, a lot of time, or even a gym membership.  Steve guides you with honest, sound advice that is fun to read and easy to understand, helping you ‘level up’ to higher workout ranks.  If you have the drive but don’t know where to start, The Rebel Fitness Guide can help!”

-Jason Varley, fitness professional and owner of corebody.net

“The Rebel Fitness Guide is massive, filled with endless amounts of useful information. I really liked how Steve modifies the workouts so that, even if you can’t do a pull-up, you can still work the same types of muscles. The Rebel Food Fighter is my favorite part of the guide, going into detail about nutritional labels and what’s good and not good for your body. It’s helped me learn how to judge the quality of my food, which I believe is one of the most important aspects of healthy living.”

-Jess S, HalfofJess.com

This is awesome!

-Steve’s mom (she’s the best, and completely unbiased in her opinions of my work)

Well, what are ya waiting for?

So, head on over to the Rebel Fitness Guide Page to pick up your copy today! Whether or not you decide to pick up the guide, thanks for reading Nerd Fitness, and get ready because I have some big plans for this community.

NOTE: If you already purchased the guide last month, you should be getting an update from me in an hour or so with a download to the Deluxe version of the guide with all of the updates. Thanks again for your support from the beginning, your feedback was so crucial in making this guide what it is.  If you bought it and you DON’T get an email update, email me later on today and I will look up your email and then get things fixed up for ya!

Thanks again, let’s go Rebel Army!

-Steve

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Next week, I plan on officially releasing the Rebel Fitness Guide to the world (cue the fireworks).

Back on July 26th, I made a beta-version of the guide available for only 72 hours.  In those few days, over 100 rebels-in-training purchased the guide and have been leveling up their lives ever since.  During these past three weeks, I’ve been emailing, skyping, and g-chatting with these folks to get their opinions on the guide, answer any questions, and keep track of any suggestions they might have on how to improve it.

I’ve been working hard to make this e-book the best and most enjoyable method for people to get started on their journey to a healthy life full of awesomeness, and I plan on many long nights this week as I do what I can to make it absolutely perfect.  Check out the product page if you’re not sure what’s in it.

Because I’m releasing this sucker next week, I figured I might as well give away two free copies! Two is better than one, right?

How to Win Copy #1

You can win one copy here by leaving a comment on this article answering the question:

Why do you exercise?

This is why I exercise: Exercise makes me feel complete.  I have so many things I want to accomplish in life, and I can only do those things if I am healthy and in shape.  I want to be around for a long time, and I know that making an investment now and establishing good habits early will pay dividends later and allow me to watch my great-grandchildren grow up.

I love acquiring new skills (like in The Matrix), and I can only do those things if my body is prepped and ready for exciting activities.  After all, it’s tough to become proficient in Parkour, Capoeira, or rock climbing if all of my free time is spent eating Oreos, watching the Jersey Shore, and going to the doctor for unhealthy issues.  I exercise because I am inspired daily by the Nerd Fitness Community (that’s you!), and I want to continually better myself to be a good example.

I exercise because it makes me happy.

How to Win Copy #2

Become a fan of Nerd Fitness on Facebook, and comment on the latest post:

What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to do before you die, and how will getting in shape help you get there?

I’ll post my answer on Facebook, and then you can do the same.  I’ll pick one random winner from the comments on that post (as long as they’ve been posted before Sunday at 6pm Eastern).

Your Turn

Why do you exercise? If you’re not exercising currently, what will be your motivation to exercise next week when you pick up the Rebel Fitness Guide? (wink wink, nudge nudge)

Simply leave a comment on this post with your answer before Sunday, August 22nd, at 6PM eastern, and I’ll pick a random winner from the people that leave an answer.  If you happen to win and you already have a copy of the guide (thank you!), let me know if you have a friend you’d like to give it to and I’ll send it to them instead.

The rebellion is growing stronger by the day, and I couldn’t be more excited.

-Steve

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photo

Holy crap I wrote an e-book!

Well, a bunch of small books actually. As you hopefully know, I quit my day job back in June and have since been tirelessly working to put this guide together for the Nerd Fitness Community.  Whether you’re just getting started on your fitness journey and don’t know where to begin, or you’re well on your way to a healthy lifestyle and you’re looking for some new challenging workouts, this might be just the thing you’re looking for.

I’ll be launching the guide in mid-August.

This is my first attempt at writing sales copy, so bear with me. Below is all of the cool stuff that you get when you buy the Rebel Fitness Guide.  Check it out!

Note: THIS IS AN E-BOOK.  It’s a product you download to your computer, there will be no physical products shipped to you!

39-page Rebel Fitness Guide

• The Nerd Fitness Training Philosophy – Burn calories and build muscle with effective, efficient routines that don’t require hours in the gym (or even a gym at all).
• How to Succeed - Prepare mentally and physically for the challenges that await you on your journey.
• How to Get Started - Definitive steps that you can take to make sure you get started on the right foot.
• What You Need in Your Inventory -What kind of equipment you can acquire to improve your chances at success.

32-page Rebel Diet Guide

• Diet 101 – Learn the basics of food, nutrition, and nutrients, and why your diet is 80% of the battle.
• The Nerd Fitness Diet Philosophy – Learn what to eat, what not to eat, and what to eat in moderation.
• How to Succeed – The battle with your diet is often a mental one – here are techniques and tactics that you can use to free your mind and free your stomach.
• How to Get Started – Definitive steps you can starting today to start living healthier today.

6 Separate Workout Exercise Books

• Enough routines for over six months of exercise – designed in conjunction with Mike Rickett, a fitness professional with over 20 years of training experience.
  
• Workouts that only require 30-45 minutes of your time and some dumbbells – We all have lives, so I’ve designed challenging workouts that don’t require a huge commitment.
  
• Four separate experience levels of workouts – Advance at your own pace and build up your fitness level with workouts that become more challenging.
  
• Excel files and printable PDFs for each workout so that you can track your progress by hand or online.
  
• Descriptions and videos for every exercise.

What kind of results can I expect to see with the Rebel Fitness Guide?

I don’t have some secret muscle building or weight loss formula (hint: nobody does), so I won’t try to make any outrageous promises. Your success will completely depend on your dedication to the exercises and diets (along with your genetics, experience level, outside factors, and so on).

What I WILL promise is a program that breaks down the whole “get in shape” process into simple concepts and digestible pieces so everything is easy to understand and enjoyable to learn, making it FUN to get started.

If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, you will see results that make you happy.

I have a huge desire to see you accomplish your goals, and I’m willing to do what it takes for you to get there.

Try out this program and see for yourself if it’s something that can help you level up your life, no strings attached, no pressure.

Who Shouldn’t Buy the Guide?

Who puts a “who shouldn’t buy” section into their sales article? This guy.

I’m going to be completely honest with you: if you’re in fantastic shape, know what you’re doing in the gym, a hardcore CrossFit fanatic, and/or a power-lifting Starting Strength disciple, this probably isn’t the guide for you (but my NEXT book might be…).  You’re more than welcome to buy it and see if there’s something in here that you’ll like, but I just want to put that out there.  Instead, consider buying it for your friend who wants to get started, your folks who need to get in shape, or the bum down the street who dances at cars as they pass by.

100% 90-Day Money Back Guarantee

I’ve poured my heart and soul into this fitness guide, and I’m confident it will help you get in great shape. If you’re on the fence about buying it, I want you to know that you can email me at any point within 90 days of purchase and let me know that you’re not happy with it or you aren’t seeing the results you expected and I’ll gladly issue you a 100% refund, no questions asked.

Really, I just want to help you be happy and live healthy. If this guide isn’t doing it for you, I’ll help you find one that will. Why not give it a chance?

How Much Does it Cost?

I’m selling the Rebel Fitness Guide for $??? in Mid-August.

When you purchase the guide, you’ll get instant access to:

• Rebel Fitness Guide
  
• Rebel Diet Guide
• Level 1 Workout – Rookie
• Level 2 Workout – Recruit
• Level 3 Workout – Outcast
• Level 3 Workout – Outsider
• Level 4 Workout – Rebel
• Level 4 Workout – Renegade

Each routine will provide 4-8 weeks worth of exercise, depending on your progress and experience. As you level up, you can choose different workouts to keep things fresh and keep your body guessing! My friend Joe (who did all the design for the guide) was nice enough to put together this fancy flow chart to show how things work.

When Will It Be Available Again?

After working with this first class over the next few weeks, I’ll be officially launching the guide to the public in mid-August at a higher price point (to be determined).

How Does this Change Nerd Fitness?

It doesn’t!

I’ll still be writing two free articles a week, every week, until the end of time (approximately).  This is just one way that I hope to support myself so I can continue devoting all of my time to this site and this community.

Whether or not you buy the guide, thanks so much for reading Nerd Fitness!

Note: THIS IS AN E-BOOK.  It’s a product you download to your computer, there will be no physical products shipped to you, no shipping cost, just a quick download and you’re ready to go!

In this edition of the Nerd Fitness Reader Spotlight, I had to opportunity to interview Matt (67Alecto on the NF Message Boards), a guy who has lost 157 pounds in ONE YEAR.  Yup, Matt is the man.  I love his story because it wasn’t just “running on a treadmill for four hours a day,” it was an adjustment in his diet, mindset, and weight training!

Steve: Hey Matt!  Thanks for the interview man.  If you could, describe a typical day before you decided to change your life.

Matt: Apathy is a good word. I could detail eating 4000-7000 calories on a regular basis, but what it really came down to was apathy. I’d eat without thinking, eat without even really being hungry, and then snack simply because it was the usual time to have a snack.

My activity level was basically nil. I had torn my rotator cuff a few years ago and it took me from playing tennis 5x a week, playing on softball and flag football teams, plus working out at the company gym to nothing. My shoulder wasn’t much better after finishing physical therapy, and I only made a half-hearted effort the following year to try to workout again. It was “hard”, so I quit.

I went from being active enough to where I could at least keep up with the fork, to zero activity and no change in eating habits. I was already overweight, but over the next 4 years it added 100+lbs.

I’d go to work, come home, play computer games, go to bed sometime after midnight, wake up 6 hours later and start all over again.

Steve: What was your motivation to make that change? What put you over the edge?

Matt: The infamous “Ah hah!” moment that all obese people have when they decide to lose weight – I didn’t have one. I knew I had to lose weight, and that my health was horrible (I was taking 4 medications for cholesterol and bloodsugar). I just always told myself I’d get to it later.

I had been vaguely aware of Tyler over at 344pounds.com starting his weight loss blog. Consumerist had a few updates over the course of 6 months, and I had been curious as to how he would do. When he hit 100lbs lost, my thought was “If some random blogger can do it, I sure as hell can”. I set aside the excuses and got to work. I wasn’t happy, wasn’t feeling good, and it was no longer an option to continue this way.

Steve: So that was you a year ago.  What does your life look like now?  What’s a typical day for you?

Matt: Instead of letting the day happen to me, I attack it.

I value time I can spend outside being active. I started in July of 2009 and it was a mild summer. I could work in the yard, go walking in the neighborhood, and hiking on the weekends. I went from playing computer games 20+ hours a week to less than half that. It’s not that I’ve felt I had to sacrifice playing on the computer, it’s just that if I’m going to do it, I want it to be a richer experience rather than doing it just to do it.

Oh, and picking clothes out to wear is actually an enjoyable experience…or at least doesn’t suck like it used to.  In 1 year, I have lost 157lbs, went from 48″ pants to 34″, and in shirts from 5XL to 2X/XL (depending on the cut of the shirt, I wear either an XL or a 2XL to accommodate my shoulders). Shopping for clothes, needless to say, is much easier.

Steve: Congrats man, that’s a hell of a transformation in just one year.  If you could pick, what’s the one thing you think that had the most impact on your weight loss?

Matt: Setting aside all of the bull****. One of my favorite scenes from both the graphic novel and movie “Wanted” is with The Repairman. When asked by Wesley what he repairs, he simply states “A lifetime of bad habits” and then he proceeds to punch him over and over. That’s it right there.

At some point, we all need someone to tie us to a chair and beat the crap out of us (metaphorically speaking) until we realize we have to be accountable for our actions and stop making excuses. [Steve's note: AMEN.]

“I’m tired. I’m hungry. I gained 10lbs after eating a Hershey’s kiss last night. It’s hard. It hurts. I’ll just circle the parking lot one more time to see if that spot opens up. I drank 12 beers and ate 40 wings over the weekend, but I don’t understand how I didn’t lose weight this week. It’s a holiday, so I’m federally required to eat 10,000 calories.”

If you can’t be accountable to yourself…if you can’t stop lying to yourself, then you just aren’t ready to change.

Steve: That’s a helluva attitude Matt, I love it.  This is question I couldn’t wait to ask: wow important has weight training been to your success?

Matt: Extremely. I started out walking, and supplemented it with resistance band workouts every other day. Eventually, I discovered the “No Gym, No Problem” post at Nerd Fitness and started doing level 1. I couldn’t do a pushup, but instead of skipping it because it was hard, I tried it on my knees. Nope, not happening. Should I quit? Nope…do them on the stairs. I started about 5 stairs up and was able to do the sets with wide and close grips.

I couldn’t do pullups, nor inverted rows, so I had to skip those. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t do the squats, lunges, and so on.

Once winter was truly here, I went ahead and joined a gym since walking outside wasn’t an option. The gym is 24×7, and I started with a mix of dumbbell and machine work. Farmer’s carries, squats on the smith machine, cable rows, bicep curls, tricep extensions, seated shoulder press, and so on. It could have been worse, but it wasn’t as good as it was once I discovered Stronglifts 5×5. I started out doing the overhead, bench, and squats in the smith machine because the freeweights were always being used by these two guys who worked out at the same time.

Like most gym goers they eventually stopped coming, and I switched to the free weights.

I started out with the bar, and have worked up to overhead 115, squats 340, bench 165, and deadlift 235. The ego kicks in every now and then about how my bench and overhead are so far behind, but I remind myself that I am running a calorie deficit and can’t expect big gains. I’ve currently deloaded on bench and deadlift and am working my way back up to ensure my form is good.

Steve: Had you tried losing weight in the past? If you had failed then, what has made you succeed now?

Matt: When the mood would strike me, I could lose weight by portion control and working out 5x a week. About 10 years ago I started working for a company that had an on-site gym, and I lost about 50lbs over the course of 2 years. As my job changed, I’d like to say that I didn’t have time to workout, but really what it was was the apathy…I let it drop down in my priorities. I remember just before I started the new position, I bought a pair of 38″ jeans that I couldn’t quite button. I figured that I’d be in them in the next month. Never happened. Donated those jeans a few years later.***

As a young person, you always think that you’ll have time for everything you want to do. 10 years later, I know that I can’t be wasting my time anymore.

The reason why it is working for me now is because I’ve cut out the excuses.

Steve: Do you have any specific advice for other guys in the same boat, trying to lose a large amount of weight?

Matt: 4 things are essential:

• Figure out what your calorie needs are. There are tons of online calorie calculators out there. The one at http://www.phord.com/cc/ is great. Losing weight is “calories in < calories out.”
• Set your calorie goal at a point where you will lose weight regardless of your activity. Don’t let being sick, or getting an injury be an excuse to shovel food in your mouth.
• Keep a food log and track all of your calories. I use http://caloriecount.about.com/ because they were always coming up near the top of searches when I’d look up calorie information. All free, it has online logs for everything, and a giant database of foods and activities that are easily accessed.
• Be more active. Get at least 30 minutes of some sort of activity a day. I started out walking, and shooting around on the basketball court. But do the little things, too. Take the stairs, park in the first spot you find, walk to the mailbox, and so on.

Steve: Thanks Matt, that’s great advice. Onto the Nerd Stuff: favorite video game of all time?

Matt: Toss-up between Max Payne 1 and 2, and GTA: Vice City.

Max Payne 1 and 2 had amazing writing and great gameplay. I keep them together because the sequel had practically no changes to game play and just extended the story. The user mods for it like Kung Fu 3.0 took it even further. I used to love making gameplay movies since the developer keys enabled you move the camera around, slow things down, and more. Here’s one of my videos that has gotten a lot of attention over the years:

Vice City was such an immersive world. I’m still floored about how much they put into the 80s radio stations. Being the nerd that I am, I have ripped those files out of the game and have MP3s of VROCK, Flash, and Wave 103 that I still listen to regularly. I’d just drive around listening to the radio stations and try insane stunts. A big advantage of playing on the PC vs the consoles is having built-in replay functions which allow you to save out all the insanity.

Steve: Are you playing any game right now?

Matt: Left 4 Dead 1 and 2 are the ones I play on a regular basis.

Steve: If you could have one superpower, what would it be, and why?

Matt: Super strength. Chicks dig it when you can open jars for them.

Steve: Hahahahaha, touche’.  What’s your movie to live by?

Matt: They Live. “I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I’m all out of bubblegum.”

Steve: What’s one piece of advice you would give to a random stranger?

Matt: Set a goal and start yesterday.

There ya have it folks – this is what’s possible when you “put aside all the bull****,” start to eat better, and pick up some weights.  And if you’re a female reading this article, don’t think weight lifting is only for guys – just ask Moe: the powerlifting gamer-girl you didn’t know existed.

-Steve

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This is a guest post from Matt Gartland over at HealthyLifestyleDesign.com

What do Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Biz Stone, Mark Zuckerberg, and Matt Mullenweg all have in common?

They’re all geeks – wildly successful and accomplished geeks!

Geeks are creative problem solvers. They perceive and interact with the world differently. They have seemingly divine abilities to conjure remarkable solutions that improve the lives and capture the imaginations of millions. This power is born from challenging conventional wisdom, exploring the boundaries of what’s possible, and taking risks.

And they’re changing the world – from communications, to philanthropy, to publication, to activism, to education, and beyond.

What does this have to do with designing a healthy lifestyle?

Everything!

First, you can learn from their examples and apply their creative philosophies to designing a fulfilling and healthy life.  Second, you can (and should) use the clever creations of the geek-community to empower your healthy lifestyle. Remember, geeks are creative problem solvers. And simplifying the process of getting healthy in a fun and practical way can be tricky.

So, here are five geeky wonders to conquer your heath:

1. DailyBurn – Your One-Stop, Personal Health Headquarters

DailyBurn will mesmerize you at first use. This web-based application has a ridiculously simple and almost game-like user interface. You’ll get hooked. Trust me.

Why give DailyBurn a go?

• Because you have access to over 244,000 foods and recipes
• Because you can track what you eat with a few, simple clicks
• Because you can record your workout data in minutes
• Because you can compete in fun, health challenges with your friends on DailyBurn
• Because you get motivation and support from the entire DailyBurn community
• Because you can easily track your progress with idiot-proof and insightful analytics
• Because it’s FREE

But wait, DailyBurn doesn’t stop there.

They also have a revolutionary mobile application for the iPhone – FoodScanner. It allows you to retrieve the nutritional data of any food item with a UPC barcode. You can enter how many servings you ate of that food after a scan, which automatically updates your food journal in DailyBurn.

It’s dead-easy to use. Watch for yourself.

FoodScanner Demo

2. SparkPeople.com – America’s #1 Weight Loss and Fitness Website

SparkPeople is a jaw-dropper. It’s bursting with information and tools on all aspects of a healthy lifestyle. Whatever your healthy lifestyle passions and goals, you can learn more and find like-minded friends at SparkPeople.

They aim to “make healthy living fun & easy with our tools, content & community.” This fits perfectly with their mission “to help millions of people live healthier lives and reach their goals”.

Why should you fancy SparkPeople?

• Because over 7 million people believe in SparkPeople and have joined the movement
• Because they offer personalized diet and fitness plans
• Because they provide calorie calculators, fitness trackers, and instructional videos
• Because you can connect with certified dietitians and fitness trainers
• Because the supportive community will help you on your quest to greater health
• Because it’s FREE

3. Twitter & Facebook – Life 2.0

What else could possibly be said about Twitter and Facebook? Not much. If you don’t know about these two social network juggernauts I’d check your pulse to see if you’re alive.

But emphasizing Twitter’s and Facebook’s contributions to radically evolving the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle cannot be overstated.

At no point in human history has it been easier to build, connect, and grow communities of supportive and compassionate friends – thanks largely to Twitter and Facebook. Such social relationships are vital to consistent healthy living. Why? Because of the motivation, inspiration, and sense of belonging they provide.

But there’s more.

Twitter and Facebook grant unprecedented access to premier healthy lifestyle experts. You can “friend” and follow renowned nutritionists, acclaimed trainers, brilliant doctors, distinguished healthy publicists, professional athletes, etc. Their wisdom is at your fingertips.

This isn’t about sharing what you ate for lunch. It’s about learning what you should eat for lunch. And so much more.

So get social and join the Healthy Lifestyle Design Tribe on Twitter and Facebook! And if you haven’t already, enlist in the NerdFitness Rebellion on Twitter and Facebook too!

4. FitBit – The Intergalactic Pedometer from the Future

Are you familiar with pedometers? That’s right. Those goofy things you attach to your belt to track your steps.

FitBit is a pedometer, on steroids and from the future.

The FitBit device automatically collects your fitness and sleep data. Specifically, it accurately tracks calories burned, distance traveled, and hours of quality sleep. Seriously, it monitors your sleep – time you went to bed, time to fall asleep, times awakened, actual sleep time.

How can it do all that? According to FitBit, it “contains a 3D motion sensor like the one found in the Nintendo Wii.”

You guessed it, there’s more.

The FitBit device easily syncs with FitBit.com, providing you the ability to track and analyze your daily activity data. Merely walk within 15 feet of the provided docking station and your data will be automatically uploaded.

Oh, and FitBit tracks your steps too.

5. HealthCentral.com – Your All-Knowing Personal Physician at Your Call 24/7

HealthCentral is akin to having unfettered access to a prestigious medical library. It offers intuitive information on copious health conditions, diseases, symptoms, and more. While it has parallels with WebMD, I enjoy HealthCentral for it’s simplicity and quick answers.

What else is special about HealthCentral?

• You can perform a self-examination of various symptoms
• You can watch videos of medical experts
• You can find a therapist in your area
• Everything is FREE

Disclosure - I had the privilege of meeting HealthCentral’s CEO Chris Schroeder at a 2009 conference on how social technologies are changing the future of healthcare and healthy living. Chris was the keynote – a brilliant and impassioned person with a genuine vision for helping others via social technology innovation.

Bonus: Withings – The OMG Scale of Your Dreams

Scales are boring.

Not this one.

The Withings scale revolutionizes the whole idea behind weighing yourself. With old school scales you hoop on, grimace at your weight, hoop off, done. Weighing yourself was an episodic event with no tangible output or call-to-action. And it definitely wasn’t fun.

With the Withings scale, those days are gone. Welcome to new school.

The Withings scale captures not only your weight but also calculates your lean mass, fat mass, and body-mass-index (BMI). It then transmits that data to the Internet via an encrypted WiFi signal where it is accessible via the Withings.com system.

Once online at Withings.com, you can monitor the historical progress of your body composition measurements. According to Withings…

“The web dashboard offers a rich graphical interface with easy browsing over time and allows you to zoom in on the date ranges of your choice. You therefore take pleasure in observing the evolution of your fitness in a simple, intuitive environment.”

It can also integrate with your DailyBurn account or others like Google Health.

They also offer an iPhone application so that you can access your data while mobile.

***

These geeky wonders are just the tip of the iceberg. Many more abound on the Internets. Feel free to look around.

But don’t overwhelm yourself. These technologies (or any other) should make your healthy life easier, not harder. Forcing yourself to adopt anything doesn’t work. So don’t do it.

And when in doubt, do as the geeks – challenge conventional wisdoms and use/create remarkable solutions to transform your life.

Now go forth and geek-out your healthy lifestyle!

What other geeky creations do you use to manage your healthy lifestyle?

What healthy lifestyle challenges are you encountering that warrant a new geeky gadget?

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Matt Gartland is a healthy lifestyle geek extraordinaire, blogger, world traveler, lifestyle entrepreneur, coffee fanatic, web techie, lifelong kid, bookworm, and more. He writes at Healthy Lifestyle Design (HLD), where he unleashes his passion for remarkable and unconventional living propelled by amazing health. Follow Matt on Twitter and join the HLD Tribe on Facebook.

(Photo: pragmagraphr)

A few weeks back, a gamer/graphic designer by the name of “MoePower” found her way onto the Nerd Fitness Message Boards, and talked about how she got into the best shape of her life by lifting heavy weights.

Considering I get a few emails a week from female readers who either don’t want to lift weights because they’re afraid of getting bulky or just don’t consider lifting when it comes to losing weight, I was ecstatic to hear Moe’s story.  She was nice enough to answer a few questions for the first ever female Nerd Fitness reader spotlight!

Steve: Hey Moe, thanks for taking the time to answer a few nerdy questions!  Now, have you always been interested in fitness? Describe a typical day of exercise for you before you started lifting weights?

Moe: My interest in fitness throughout my life sort of varies from here to there. I was in to all kinds of activities as a kid but as a teenager, I became very stagnant. In High School I started gaming a lot more and I fell really far into an Anime fandom that consumed my life for several years. I started gaining weight because I just sat on my butt all the time and ate fast food.

It hadn’t been till now that I realized how chubby I was back then.

My exercise was button mashing my Playstation controller.  In college, I managed to drop close to 120lbs by simply not eating more than maybe once or twice a day.  I was very unhealthy and I could barely walk up the steps to my room without feeling exhausted.  When I DID start going to the gym though, I was nothing but a hamster…running on the treadmill for hours at a time because I thought that’s what women did to lose weight.  I saw no progress and was actually GAINING weight because I found myself eating more to make up for the lost energy spent constantly running.

Steve: That seems to be the belief from many females (and a LOT of dudes) out there who are looking to get in shape: just spend hours on the treadmill or elliptical and hope for the best.  Fast forward to today – what’s a normal day like for you now in the gym? What kind of changes have you seen in your physique since switching to your new program?

Moe: A normal day for me in the gym consists of mostly weight training that focuses on certain parts of my body. A really simple outline of my current schedule follows something like this:

• Sunday: Chest & Cardio
• Monday: Off Day
• Tuesday: Triceps & Shoulders
• Wednesday: Heavy Leg Day & Abs
• Thursday: Back & Biceps
• Friday: Cardio & Abs
• Saturday: Light Leg Day

Once every few months, I’ll take a week off to really give my body a good rest. As for my physique, it has seen some really amazing progress from following a good weight training program and eating healthy. I’m stronger, first and foremost, which is what I was focusing on. Gaining muscle for a female is more difficult, naturally, then it is for a man. I’ve been at it for a good year and a half and I still have a LONG way to go before I tell myself “okay, it’s time to lean down.” There are hints of muscle on my body…my arms are more firm and my butt is definitively more perky thanks to walking lunges! However, I’m most proud of my back. I also find it has improved my posture. My weight hasn’t really changed much from the day that I started. I just simply replaced the fat with muscle. I am not afraid to tell you that I weigh 130lbs!

Steve: Congrats Moe, that’s awesome!  Were you scared on your first day going into the free weight section with all the beefcake dudes?

Moe: I. WAS. PETRIFIED. Thankfully, I had my fiance with me to ease my fears, but on the days he didn’t go with me, I couldn’t help but feel like I was being stared at like a lost puppy who had accidentally found her way into a big dogs only club.  The actual gym itself made a big difference too because it is a very popular gym in our area that we were new to at the time and I didn’t quite know my way around the machines or free-weights yet.

I was literally tossed into a snake pit.

I remember this one time…I sat down at a machine and not a second later some jerk came up to me and goes “ARE YOU DONE YET!? I HAVE TO USE THAT!” like I was just sitting there keeping the seat warm for him. It made me so insanely nervous then. Now (and I hate to toot my own horn) the guys in the weight room are so used to seeing me in there every day that they don’t dare talk to me disrespectfully because they know I’m serious.

Steve: That’s okay, please toot away.  Wait, that didn’t come out right.  Um, moving on!  So, did you have any reservations about lifting weights and “getting too bulky” like most women?

Moe: I did.  I think every woman who wonders about lifting weights gets scared because they don’t want to turn out looking like the She-Hulk and sounding like Arnold Schwarzenegger on helium.

However, that’s where the personal research I did came in handy. I ran across a lot of great articles on bodybuilding.com and read every single “Women’s Transformation Of The Week” interviews and they all looked fantastic! The consistent thing, sans the clean eating, was that all of these women lifted weights! Not only that but they lifted HEAVY weights! Women just simply aren’t going to get beastly and bulky from lifting weights. Our bodies aren’t naturally made to be that way. Some women may be thicker or skinnier than others, but the scary women you see that look and sound like men? They use anabolic steroids. On a similar note, a good documentary on steroid use in America is called Bigger, Stronger, Faster (Steve: this is an Affiliate Link).  I recommend that everyone watch it, but especially my friends who ask me about such subjects.

Steve: Great point Moe – it’s really really tough to get TOO bulky as either a guy OR a girl unless that’s what you’re specifically working towards.  What would you say to the female NF readers out there who are hesitant to start lifting weights?

Moe: Don’t be afraid of the free-weights! Do your research, know the good stuff from the B.S. and just get in there and go!  Steve has a LOT of information in his articles and NF is a great place for anyone to start.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Most trainers or assistants at your gym will teach you how to use the equipment properly if that is what scares you.  Ignore the dumb dudes who may eye you a little. That sort of comes with the territory unfortunately, but you have to realize that guys do that to other guys too!

Start off easy and work your way up. Get to know what weight work best for you for each exercise. You want to make sure that you are giving your muscles a good workout, but don’t use too much weight so that you end up hurting yourself. There really is no reason that women and men shouldn’t do the same exercises…the only difference should be the amount of weight. There are some things that I don’t do, however.  I find that side-bends tend to make women look wider…especially if they carry their weight in the belly section.  I also never use the Inner Thigh machine!  Some women, such as myself, tend to carry their weight in the thigh area. If you are building muscle faster than you are losing the fat, you’re just making it seem thicker.

Fellow ladies, if you want to lose your cellulite – LIFT WEIGHTS!

Steve: Have you noticed a difference in the way people treat you now as opposed to before you started working out and getting fit?

Moe: Definitely. It’s sort of been like a double-edge sword, interestingly enough (though a lot more positive than negative). I never really had a boyfriend in High School and didn’t even get asked to my prom which, at the time, didn’t bug me so much (This is a pic of me from High School). Now that I look back on it, I regret not going and realized that the reason boys didn’t like me was because I really didn’t take care of myself! I was just the girl that “drew those Japanese cartoons”. Thanks to Facebook, I’ve had a chance to reunite with some old friends and schoolmates and have gotten some really nice feedback. On the other hand, I’ve gotten remarks such as “How can you live like that?” or “How can you eat the way you do?”. I just tell people that I don’t do it for others, I do it for myself and for my health. There are certain health issues that run on my Mother’s side of the family (Type 2 Diabetes being the biggest), so I’m really trying now to prevent any long-term health issues as I get older.

I’ll be bench pressing when I’m 80 if I can help it!

Steve: That would be amazing.  Now, you met your fiancee in the coolest, nerdiest way possible – how did it go down?

Moe: Some years ago, he and I used to belong to the same internet gaming forum. We knew OF each other and played Halo 2 a few times on Xbox Live with our mutual forum buddies, but that was the extent of it. One summer, the members of the forum all decided to meet up and have a huge LAN party. That is when we met for the first time face to face…and he and I, at that point, had some negative feelings towards each other because I thought he was kind of a jerk. During that weekend, we ended up talking and worked out our differences.

Some time later, we decided to try and have a relationship. Problem was, he lived in Louisiana and I lived in Maryland. My previous relationship was long distance which sucked, so I really didn’t want to get into another. He ended up doing a college-related internship in Virginia Beach and stayed with our mutual friend which was perfect. Every weekend he would drive up to see me or I would drive down to see him (5 -7 hour drive depending on traffic). In December of 07, a few months after his Internship was up, he asked me to marry him…so I packed up my stuff and moved to Louisiana! We are FINALLY getting married on April 15th this year in New Orleans! (Yes, April 15th is Tax Day…)

Steve: Congratulations!  I’m definitely sending you an elaborate wedding gift (read: a Nerd Fitness t-shirt).  Okay onto the important stuff: If you could have any super power in the world, what would it be?

Moe: Definitely strength. One of my favorite Anime characters of all time is A-ko Magami from Project A-ko. She is just so bad-ass and can take down giant robots with one swing!

Steve: Favorite video game of all time?

Moe: People who know me pretty well know that my most favorite video game of all time is Toejam & Earl for the Sega Genesis. It’s about 2 hip-hop aliens who crash land on Earth and they are forced to deal with crazy Earthlings all while trying to find pieces of their broken ship. I spent HOURS trying to beat that game.

Steve: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a complete stranger?

Moe: As cliche as it is, treat others the way you would want to be treated. I really try my best to live by that motto, but sometimes people need a good verbal slap in the face! Hah!

Steve: Thanks Moe, you rule.

So there you have it guys and girls, don’t be afraid to lift weights!  Don’t know what exercises to do?  Learn how to develop your own workout plan here. Worried you’re going to do something wrong?  Learn how to NOT suck at working out.  If Moe can do it and see kick-ass results, you can too.  I’m a HUGE advocate of weight lifting (especially heavy lifting) for both men and women, so I’m really excited to share this story with you all.

Now, if this isn’t enough to convince you that women can and should lift weights, maybe this 70 YEAR OLD POWERLIFTING GREAT-GRANDMOTHER will:

70 Year old Powerlifting Great-Grandmother

If you want to hear more about Moe and congratulate her on her upcoming nuptials, she posts over on the Nerd Fitness Rebellion Headquarters as “MoePower.”  You can read her intro thread here.

Speaking of message boards and challenges (see what I did there?), because the first NF 28-Day Challenge was so damn successful, we’re starting up another challenge on April 5th!  Expect more details on Monday, but you can get a head start by signing up on the boards now.

Until Monday!

-Steve

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