Welcome to the Nerd Fitness Rebellion!
These are the rules that explain who we are, why we’re here, and how we are leveling up our lives!
If you’re wondering if Nerd Fitness is right for you, look no further than this list.
Hopefully the ideals that we stand for resonate with you – we’d be glad to have you.
#1 We don’t care where you came from, only where you’re going.
We believe fitness is for anybody in any body.
“Being fit” looks different for everyone too. We are all shapes, sizes, ages, and genders. We all have different backgrounds, genetics, social statuses, nerd allegiances, and commitments.
Like creating a random character in a role-playing game, we were all “dealt a hand” we had no control over. Although this is not our fault, it is our responsibility to play that hand to the best of our ability. Nobody is coming to save us, which means we have to be our own hero.
This community is home to people who have never set foot in a gym AND Olympic athletes. Vegans and people who have never eaten a vegetable.
There’s no ONE right way to exercise. There’s no ONE right way to eat either. We’re all on our own journey, we’re all weird in our own way, which means we need to find things that work for us.
We do all have one thing in common though: we help each other become a better version of ourselves. We level up our lives.
The past is just that: the past. Today can be the first day of the rest of your life if you truly believe that.
#2 When you join The Rebellion, you’re in for life.
The Rebellion is full of nerds who are interested in learning to prioritize their health, physical and mental strength, and being supportive of each other.
We don’t believe in 7-day detoxes or 30-day challenges; those are temporary changes that create temporary results. Instead, we promote long-term sustainable progress!
As a result, this is a lifelong community.
Nerds have met at our events and are now married. Decade-long friendships have formed in our groups. Some of my favorite people on this planet I’ve met through Nerd Fitness!
When you join, you’re in for life.
This means if you need to take a break, you want to try another community, or life gets in the way, we’ll be here when you come back.
#3 We Exercise because it CAN Be fun.
If you can find something that makes you happy, gets your heart pumping, and will keep you in shape, do it!
It all counts. Yoga, karate, cycling, Belegarth, whatever it is—find it and do it.
“Cardio” doesn’t mean running on a treadmill. It’s anything that gets your heart pumping.
A “workout” doesn’t mean 50 minutes in the gym. It’s whatever you want it to mean.
We can have FUN with movement!
We don’t have to exercise. We get to exercise. We know there will be one day in the future when we would give anything to just go for a walk.
If you “don’t like to exercise,” it’s possible you just haven’t found the type of exercise that’s fun for you…yet!
There is something out there for everybody, so keep searching and keep pushing until you find something that gets you excited to leave your Hobbit Hole and exercise!
And at the same time, it’s okay if you still don’t “like to exercise” the way that others might. We can still fall in love with the results and how it makes us feel after. We’ll help you build a system to make this a more enjoyable outcome.
#4 We know Strength Training Helps us become Antifragile
Getting stronger is one of the key tenets of The Rebellion.
Although you don’t have to strength train, if you want to build an antifragile body capable of withstanding the rigors of real life, then some basic strength training once or twice a week can be super beneficial, especially as you get older!
It’s kind of like flossing and wearing pants in public; strength training is one of those things we should do.
By the way, “strength training” doesn’t just mean picking up weights in the gym.
“Strength training” just means we’re forcing our muscles (and bones and joints) to get slightly stronger with each workout – this is called progressive overload.
But how you do that is totally up to you!
- Kettlebell workouts
- Barbell training
- Bodyweight training at home
- Weight machines
Whatever gets us stronger and exercising counts! Here’s how you can build your own workout.
#5 We know Food is more than fuel
Nutrition is simple: we need to eat the correct number of calories for our goal weight (if we have a goal weight!).
Nutrition is unbelievably challenging: hormones, medical conditions, work, stress, kids, crappy bosses, how we were raised, all factor into our relationship with food.
We want people to have a healthy relationship with food, which might require some mental health work!
We love making small changes over a long period of time so that we can make permanent, sustainable progress.
Everybody has different goals, which is awesome.
But let’s say somebody has a (understandable) goal of weight loss?
Any diet that creates a calorie deficit will result in weight loss because of behavior change and math, not magic. It comes down to adherence over months and years.
For that reason, we’re not big fans of restrictive, unsustainable diets like Keto or Paleo (though feel free to do them if you want, you do you!).
Lastly, we don’t think “food” is a moral issue. There are no good foods or bad foods. There’s no such thing as a “cheat meal,” because eating McDonalds with our kids isn’t a moral failing.
It’s okay to prioritize for something other than “optimal wellness” some of the time!
You can read our guide on “healthy eating” to learn more!
#6 We KNow There’s No Such Thing as “Normal.”
We know it’s important to have a plan when getting started. We also expect things to NOT go according to plan as soon as we get started. That’s just how life works!
When exercising, we have a workout plan to follow, because we know having goals and benchmarks can be really powerful motivators.
We also know that all diets work, as long as we can stick with them. We know that temporary changes create temporary results, so we focus on changes we can stick with for the long term.
We also have fun! We can plan out what kind of superhero we want to be, pick our own super power, and work every day toward becoming that superhero.
And at the same time, we know that life will happen. “Normal” doesn’t exist. Sick kids. Busy work days. Flat tires. Days when we are too anxious to leave the house.
We expect these things to happen, we’re not surprised when they do, and we try our best to make progress even when life is chaos.
We practice self-compassion, because we know this is a long journey!
#7 No Rebel Left Behind
We’re all in this together, and we’re here to support each other.
Although we have friendly competitions, it’s all in good fun to keep us accountable.
If you are training or leveling up your life with friends in real life or online, pick them up when they’re down, motivate them when they’re tired, push them when they need encouragement, and yell when they need tough love.
They’ll do the same for you one day, and we’ll all be better off because of it.
People are amazing, and we want you to be proud of your nerdiness! Everybody has a superpower, and everybody has a hobby (or 20!).
The world needs more heroes, and we need your superpower in OUR Rebellion!
We have a free Facebook group that you can join too.
No Rebel left behind!
#8 We Ask questions like Scientists
The Rebellion exists to open our minds to a world in which the impossible is possible.
We like to question our own story about ourselves, because it might not be true: maybe you CAN get healthy, or run a marathon, or do a handstand. We will help you prove this to yourself with small wins and compassion!
We also like to think of our life like a giant science experiment. We are always testing assumptions and hypotheses to find the path that works for us.
We know that everybody is on their own journey, and there’s no “PERFECT DIET” or the “ONE FOOD WE MUST AVOID.” That’s unhealthy thinking!
This is why we also question all of the pseudoscience and claims we see on social media. After all, they’re incentivized to shock and scare you into buying nonsense!
Here’s how we avoid getting sucked into the toxic diet industry vortex:
- Step 1: We believe in science, thermodynamics, and math: we should be eating mostly plants, whole grains, and lean protein. A calorie deficit is required for weight loss, strength training is pretty helpful, cardio is good for lung and heart health.
- Step 2: “That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.” Anybody can say anything on the internet, it’s on THEM to prove it, not on you to disprove it. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Step 3: Be wary of anybody who tells you to that specific foods, macronutrients, or ingredients are the problem. With VERY few exceptions, this is fear-mongering and can lead to disordered eating.
We are scientists conducting a lifelong experiment. It’s up to us to take what we’ve learned, question it, and find a way to apply it to our lives.
#9. We level Up Our LIves
Getting fit is part of what we are, but not at the expense of who we are.
If you’re a gamer, keep gaming! If music makes you happy, play music! If you enjoy pizza with your spouse on Friday nights, let’s find a way to fit it into your eating strategy!
We love being nerds, because that’s what brings us joy.
We also have obligations to our families, employers, and friends—we do what we say and we say what we do:
If you’re a parent, you better show up at your kid’s soccer game instead of staying late at work!
We all have things we love in life, things that are important to us, that make us who we are.
As long as these things aren’t detrimental to our health, then keep doing them!
We want to be fit nerds. There’s something powerful about a physically strong, mentally tough, KIND nerd. Let’s all do that.
#10. We take pride in ourselves.
We want to be better spouses, partners, parents friends, humans, people, nerds. We want to be stronger, faster, healthier, and happier – we know it’s going to take a lot of hard work and determination to get there.
We welcome the challenge.
The more daunting the task, the sweeter the victory. We like being the underdog, because everybody loves a good underdog story.
Life is hard, and this stuff isn’t easy. I’m glad you’re here, because we’re going to do this together.
I want to be the best damn Steve Kamb I can be, and I want to live a long, healthy life. I want to find out what I’m capable of. I also know that I want to have fun, so I don’t freak out about every meal. I don’t mind staying out late or enjoying an extra drink with friends, because these are the experiences that make life worth living.
I’m doing what I can to help build a group of incredibly intelligent, efficient, informed, and fit nerds. That’s you!
Don’t worry Mom, when we take over we’ll be using our powers for good, inspiring others to transform their own lives.
Ultimately, we just want to make Optimus Prime proud.