{"id":46878,"date":"2016-01-13T07:15:00","date_gmt":"2016-01-13T12:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=46878"},"modified":"2016-07-14T16:02:49","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T20:02:49","slug":"nerd-fitness-steve-kamb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/nerd-fitness-steve-kamb\/","title":{"rendered":"Nerd Fitness: 7 Ways to Train Like a Superhero"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Nerd
Photo courtesy Rodale Books<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Raise your hand if you\u2019ve ever felt overwhelmed, exhausted<\/a>, bored or discouraged by a new diet, lifestyle or workout routine. (All hands go up.) For many, the idea of making these changes is a chore. Steve Kamb, the founder of NerdFitness.com<\/a> and a self-proclaimed nerd, doesn\u2019t see it that way, though.<\/p>\n

Whipping yourself into shape is all about having the right mindset, Kamb says. The mindset, that is, of a superhero or a gamer on a quest to advance to the next level. \u201cIt\u2019s as simple as thinking of your life like a video game,\u201d Kamb says. \u201cExcept unlike Mario Kart, you only get one life, so the goal is to train and use it wisely.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his new book, Level Up Your Life<\/em><\/a>, Kamb explains how to structure your life and your goals so you can go from Average Joe to Captain America. We got Kamb to share his top seven hacks for taking your life to the next level \u2014 so get ready to press start.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Are Virtual Workout Buddies the Future of Fitness?<\/a><\/p>\n

7 Ways to Unleash Nerd Fitness on Your Life<\/strong><\/h3>\n

1. Create an alter ego.
\n<\/strong>\u201cAll my favorite heroes have day jobs,\u201d Kamb says. \u201cIt\u2019s their secret identities that make them amazing.\u201d Indiana Jones was an archaeologist, historian and college professor; Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a high school student at Sunnydale High; and when Clark Kent wasn\u2019t saving the world as Superman, he was a reporter at The Daily Planet<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cApply video game mechanics by being really specific and having mini battles on the way to your ultimate goal.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Just like you, these heroes have a lot of daily responsibilities. \u201cYou have to find a balance, and figure out what kind of superhero you want to be,\u201d Kamb says. \u201cYou still have to go to your job, go to class, pick the kids up from school \u2014 but you can also have an alter ego version of yourself.\u201d Maybe your alter ego is a marathoner<\/a>, a mountain climber, or someone who goes on epic weekend trips<\/a> with your kids.<\/p>\n

Develop an identity beyond your 9 to 5 and let that person be the Superman to your Clark Kent. Parts of your superhero character will undoubtedly start bleeding over into your everyday life. \u201cIndiana Jones is a more confident professor because of his international adventures,\u201d Kamb says. \u201cThe things you do in your alter ego help you build momentum in the rest of your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 19 Reasons to Work Out (Beyond the Perfect Body)<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Build an Epic Quest List with mini battles along the way.
\n<\/strong>This time of year, goals and resolutions<\/a> are all the rage. But there\u2019s a big difference between saying you want to \u201close weight\u201d and saying you\u2019ll \u201close 15 pounds by June.\u201d \u201cComing up with a list of big, undefined goals makes it hard to see the direction you\u2019re headed with them,\u201d says Kamb. \u201cApply video game mechanics by being really specific and having mini battles on the way to your ultimate goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of \u201close weight,\u201d resolve to eat three healthy meals<\/a> per day for the next three weeks, or go to the gym three times per week. This way, you know exactly what you need to do to complete your task and get to your next level. Your Epic Quest can be anything from being able to hold a two-minute plank<\/a> to running a half-marathon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 5 Tips for Setting a Totally Doable Weight Loss Goal<\/a><\/p>\n

3. Embrace gamification to persevere in the face of obstacles.
\n<\/strong>In games, you\u2019re trying to kill the bad guy or explore a new place. In real life, it\u2019s about setting a personal best by lifting a new weight<\/a> or running a new pace or distance. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about looking better,\u201d says Kamb. \u201cIt\u2019s about staying motivated, excited and energized, and improving as a character in this game called life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The key is to stay focused on the task at hand, Kamb says, and not worry about what\u2019s next. \u201cStop thinking about processing payroll while you\u2019re doing a deadlift at the gym<\/a>,\u201d he says. \u201cYou need every ounce of concentration you can get to keep reaching your goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 4 Science-Backed Ways to Motivate Yourself to Work Out<\/a><\/p>\n

“Surround yourself with people who encourage you…Create your most powerful Jedi Council.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

4. Hack your productivity habits.
\n<\/strong>Don\u2019t give yourself a chance to <\/span>make excuses<\/a>. \u201cSo many people say things like, \u2018I wish I were motivated to work out today\u2019 or \u2018I don\u2019t have the willpower to say no to cake,\u2019\u201d Kamb says. \u201cBut screw motivation \u2014 manufacture discipline. If you rely on willpower, motivation or inspiration \u2014 which are great to get you started for a day or two \u2014 you will fail.\u201d Instead, create discipline so you <\/span>can\u2019t<\/em> cop out or be influenced by your environment. (Real-life application: Stop taking the route home that you <\/span>know<\/em> passes a McDonald\u2019s, Chick-Fil-A and Burger King, and opt for the less, uh, scenic route, even if it takes a few minutes longer.)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBruce Wayne structured his Batcave to help him become a better Batman. Do that with your office, your car and your time at home<\/a>, so you\u2019re not relying on willpower to get to the gym,\u201d Kamb says. Sleep in your running clothes so you won\u2019t hit snooze or put your alarm clock across the room so you\u2019re forced to get up when it goes off.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Avoid a Home Gym Fail<\/a><\/p>\n

5. Train your body like Jason Bourne.
\n<\/strong>\u201cJason Bourne was dropped off in the middle of nowhere, and had to survive,\u201d says Kamb. \u201cHe learned great skills that allowed him to thrive and survive in any environment \u2014 and he didn\u2019t go to a gym.\u201d Learn to be as efficient as possible<\/a> with your workouts so you can be prepared for anything. \u201cAs long as you can find something to hang from, you can do anything with just your bodyweight<\/a>,\u201d Kamb says. \u201cLet the world become your gym.\u201d You don\u2019t need a fancy yoga mat<\/a> to do squats, lunges, push-ups, dips and pull-ups. Use what you have, wherever you have it.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Got 10 Minutes? 3 Fat-Blasting Bodyweight Workouts<\/a><\/p>\n

6. Build in rewards and accountability to succeed.
\n<\/strong>You know that political issue you hate? \u201cGive a friend $50, and tell him to donate it to your least favorite cause if you don\u2019t get up and go for your run,\u201d Kamb says. \u201cOr schedule a really embarrassing Tweet to go out unless you get up when your alarm goes off to stop it.\u201d Accountability is key when you\u2019re working to build habits. Recruit an ally, like a friend or coworker, to check in on your goals and progress.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, when you do hit your goals, reward yourself! Just try to avoid rewarding yourself with food or bad habits. \u201cThat\u2019s taking three steps forward and three and a half back<\/a>,\u201d says Kamb. \u201cIn video games, you get rewarded with something that rewards you back, like an extra life or shortcut.\u201d Find a reward that will further encourage you down your path of health and fitness. If you run a mile every morning for a week, at the end of the month go buy yourself a new pair of shoes<\/a>. If you go to the gym every day for a week, treat yourself to a session with a personal trainer<\/a>. \u201cReward yourself to reinforce your healthy new identity,\u201d Kamb says.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 15 Tricks to Actually Stick to Your Workouts<\/a><\/p>\n

7. Choose multiplayer mode and build a legendary team.
\n<\/strong>\u201cSay you\u2019re playing Call of Duty, and you have the choice of joining Team A, which is a group of absolute badass guys who are all at a higher level than you and have been playing the game longer, or joining Team B, where you\u2019re the star of the team and the rest of the players aren\u2019t very good and don\u2019t go very far, but you get to the be the best,\u201d says Kamb. \u201cThe choice is simple, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

So often in life, though, we don\u2019t<\/em> do this. We don\u2019t run with the faster runners for fear of being the slowest or getting dropped. \u201cDon\u2019t get stuck surrounding yourself with bad influences,\u201d Kamb says. \u201cWe are the average of the people we associate with \u2014 our coworkers, friends, relationships. So surround yourself with people who encourage you, inspire you to become better, and have succeeded in a way you hope to succeed. Create your most powerful Jedi Council.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, remember, that we rarely win video games on our first try. \u201cIt\u2019s OK to fail,\u201d Kamb says. \u201cIt\u2019s OK to miss a lift, to look awkward at that first Zumba class<\/a>, or to slip up on your diet. We all started somewhere. And so often we only see that end goal\u2014and not all the years of work that go into it.\u201d Step one is just hitting that start button.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Turns out, all you need to do to get into superhero shape is to, well, pretend you\u2019re a superhero. Just try these strategies from Nerd Fitness founder Steve Kamb. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6,14],"tags":[32,289,103,281,341,343],"class_list":["post-46878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-strength-training","tag-bodyweight","tag-exercise","tag-motivation","tag-strength-training","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/77"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46878\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}