September Rebellion Update: Going Global?
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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The Rebel Fitness Guide is NOW AVAILABLE!
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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How To Become A Superhero In 4 Easy Steps
Last week while watching Kick-Ass, I was trolling around the Nerd Fitness Message Boards and came across an introduction post from Crizomaticus which ended with this:
Crizomaticus is a name I took on with my health kick, which started by doing the warrior dash. It stuck.
I then thought back to my buddy Tony who had adopted the persona “Endorphin Dude” for every time that he ran in a race. Tony has even created a uniform for himself, including a custom headband with “Endorphin Dude” written on it and a cape that billows in the wind as he runs. I can’t believe it took me this long to write this article, because it just fits:
It’s time for you to become a superhero.
If you’re struggling with motivation, or you’re just getting started on your quest to level up and you’re intimidated, building an superhero version of yourself could be the jump start you need. Here’s why:
Superheroes kick ass!
Whether they’re in video games, comic books, or movies, superheroes are so damn awesome because they can do the impossible, giving us a chance to escape the real world and live vicariously through them. They’re lighting fast, incredibly strong, and invincible; they can fly, stop bullets, and scale buildings. They’re brave as hell and enjoy walking into dire situations with a giant smile. They beat the crap out of any adversary, save the girl/world/dog from certain death, and then brush it off with some witty double entendre.
Superheroes are bad ass mofos, and it’s time for you to become one too.
1) Decide what you want to accomplish
You might be overweight, out of shape, scared to leave your house, and embarrassed about your life. However, you can create an alter ego that is the exact opposite of those things, and THAT’S the person that will turn things around. Just think of all of the scenarios that play out in your quest to get in shape:
- You might give up two miles into a race because you’re tired. Your alter ego would push through the pain and finish.
- You might quit your weight-lifting session early because you had a rough day at the office. Your alter ego would get angry (and you wouldn’t like him/her when he/she is angry), get motivated, and power through the rest of the workout.
- You might be incredibly self-conscious. Your alter ego isn’t self-conscious in the slightest, thanks to a “costume” and persona that is different from how you normally dress and act. If people can’t recognize you, there’s no need to be self-conscious, right?
Make the superhero version of yourself do all of the things that you’re afraid of or struggling with. Why? Because superheroes attack problems in way different ways than a normal cubicle dweller. That’s why they exist – to do stuff that ordinary people can’t.
2) Determine your persona
By day, Tony is an ordinary employee for Dolby Laboratories. He hangs out with his dog Chewbacca, creates short films with his friends, and lives an relatively ordinary life. However, practically every single weekend, Tony dons his customary uniform and becomes Endorphin Dude. He has a cape, a custom headband, and a huge freaking smile. Wearing this uniform makes Tony impervious to pain and allows him to finish some excruciatingly difficult races where normal Tony might have failed.
Normally, I’m just plain ole’ Steve. I spend my time working on Nerd Fitness, answering emails, writing articles, and hanging out on Twitter. I’m always really happy and smiling. Things change whenever I go to the gym, however.
I throw on my uniform: a ripped up t-shirt, basketball shorts, my Vibram five-fingers shoes, and a permanent scowl. My headphones are in, I jump around between sets to pump myself up, and get this crazy look in my eyes before every set. I become a much angrier, stronger, and more determined version of me, and it WORKS.
What about you? Some superheroes have elaborate costumes to hide their identity. Others like Superman simply remove their glasses and throw on some spandex and suddenly nobody can recognize them. Some people become funny and confident when they transform; others become more businesslike and hardcore. Some like to work together in groups. Others like to work alone.
Your alter ego can be whatever you want it to be, so dream big, kid.
Each day, as you shed your shirt and tie (or skirt and high heels) from the office, you are transforming. As you start to put on your workout clothes, your daily worries, troubles at home, and anxiety about tomorrow’s presentation cease to exist for the time being – you’re now a superhero and you have bigger fish to fry.
As you’re getting prepped and ready, imagine your pre-workout ritual being filmed with dramatic camera angles and inspiring music playing. If Tony Stark can have a montage, so can you.
3) Pick a theme song
While transitioning from normal Steve to Super Steve, I always turn on music to get fired up. My song of choice is Eminem’s “Til I Collapse” – it puts me in the right frame of mind to get angry and go kick some ass. Seriously, listen to this song and imagine me dramatically strapping on my five-finger shoes and leering menacingly into a mirror. Ridiculous, I know…Ridiculously awesome.
Get yourself a montage pump-up song. After that, make sure you have some other songs that can be used for the other super dramatic or action-filled moments of your super hero life. I have a workout playlist that makes me excited and motivated.
Do you have songs for these moments?
- If you’re a runner, do you have a songs that help you climb those hills when giving up is the easier option?
- If you’re a weight lifter, do you have specific songs you can turn to when you need that extra bit of oomph to finish the set?
- If you’re into martial arts, how many times a day do you listen to “You’re the Best” by Joe Esposito? [just kidding. kind of.]
4) Decide what you stand for
What are you fighting for? Superman adheres to a strict moral code when dealing with crime, fighting to protect Lois Lane and save Earth. Batman does everything in his power to clean up the streets of Gotham, striking fear in the hearts of would-be criminals and thieves.
Whenever I lift weights, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion is in the front of my mind. I exercise to inspire and motivate, because you inspire and motivate me. It’s easy to fight with conviction when you have something worth fighting for.
Think of the NF Rebel Army like a real life Justice League.
We’re all different, we all have unique talents and abilities, and we’re all dealing with our own Kryptonite. We’re also all fighting for the same cause: to become better people, to help those around us, and to leave the world a better place for our kids. We have certain standards that we must live up to, and we know that with each others’ support we can create a movement that is more powerful than anything this world has seen.
We’re the good guys, and we want you on our side.
Who are you?
I challenge you to create an alter ego for yourself. Think up a cool name (not something lame like Super Steve, jeez), pick a theme song, pick your uniform, and pick your special power.
Who is your alter ego, and what special powers can you bring to the Rebel Army? Lastly, what are you fighting for?
-Super Steve (only a temporary name until I come up with something worthy)
Rebel Fitness Guide Update: So damn close to being done! I’m finishing up the final edits today, double checking all of the links, making sure the delivery method is properly configured. Get ready for next week!
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Waiting Is the Hardest Part…
Today was SUPPOSED to mark the official launch of the Rebel Fitness Guide.
This past week, as I was gathering some final feedback from the 100+ people that picked up the beta version, I realized that there was something more that I could add to the diet guide, namely how to prepare a few healthy meals, how to shop at a supermarket, and so on.
Well, that small addition quickly developed into a monster. Five straight nights of working til 5AM and 10,000 words later, I’ve created an additional 60-page guide appropriately named the Rebel Food Fighter. It started as a small project and quickly progressed into something that could probably be sold as a stand-alone product, but I’ve decided to include it into the giant conglomeration of awesome that is the Rebel Fitness Guide.
So, now when you buy the guide (beginning NEXT Monday, August 30th), you’ll receive in an instant download:
- 40-page Rebel Fitness Guide
- 35-page Rebel Diet Guide
- 60-page Rebel Food Fighter
- Level 1 Rookie Workout Guide
- Level 2 Recruit Workout Guide
- Level 3 Outcast Workout Guide
- Level 3 Outsider Workout Guide
- Level 4 Rebel Workout Guide
- Level 4 Renegade Workout Guide
For each of the workouts, you get the full guide explaining the workout, written descriptions and videos for each exercise, and pdfs and excel sheets for each workout so you can print out/type in your workouts and track your progress.
I’ve also made each workout completely scalable with multiple exercises listed depending on your ability and strength, so now “leveling up” is based more upon experience rather than just pure strength. This way, it’s possible for two people of various fitness levels to do the same Level 3 or Level 4 workout and have vastly different experiences. For example, a level 4 workout might call for 4 sets of 8 divebomber push ups, but it also lists decline push ups, regular push ups, or incline push ups as alternative exercises that can be done instead. This means that no matter if you’re a man or woman, young or old, big or small, you WILL be able to level up to Level 4 if you stick with the program!
What’s in the Rebel Food Fighter?
So, what’s the difference between this Rebel Food Fighter and the Rebel Diet Guide? The Rebel Diet Guide deals with the Nerd Fitness eating philosophy and how to mentally prepare for a life of healthy ass-kicking, while the Rebel Food Fighter is all about ACTION.
It’s designed to help out guys and girls who are ready to start eating better but have no clue how to cook or how to buy healthy food at a grocery store.
These are just some of the topics covered in it:
- How to Read a Nutrition Label - A breakdown of everything that shows up on a nutrition label, which parts are most important, and which natural foods give you the most bang for your buck for each nutrient.
- Building a Game Plan – How to attack your trip to the grocery store with a great game plan – what to buy, where to buy it, what to avoid, and how to do it quickly.
- Beware the Camouflaged Enemy – a list of foods that are marketed as healthy, but are actually quite awful for you. Learn what these foods are, how to identify them, and how to pick healthy alternatives.
- My Game Plan and Go – To Meals – I’m not kidding when I tell you that I used to be useless in a kitchen, but I’ve gotten so much better. I include a few recipes and explanations for exactly how I shop, what I cook for my go-to meals, and more. If you’re as clueless as I used to be, this is a great starting point.
- My favorite ways to prepare vegetables and my favorite spices – I didn’t buy my first vegetable from a grocery store until I was probably 22; that’s how sheltered my taste buds were. Now, I can teach you all kinds of ways to cook ‘em! Learn which vegetables in particular are super easy to get started with and different ways to prepare them. Also, learn how to spice up your meals without destroying your calorie count for the day.
- The Best Recipe Resources – Along with a list of my favorite healthy snacks, I also list recipe resources for primal diets, regular diets, vegetarian diets, and vegan diets. Most of these resources list well over 100 recipes (along with great pictures, solid instruction, and even length of preparation time), which means you’ll never go hungry and unhealthy again!
Now, obviously adding a guide of this size was quite the undertaking; I realized yesterday morning that trying to force myself to put all the additions together and launch the product today was a pipe dream. Now that Nerd Fitness is my only source of income, I need to make sure this guide kicks the most amount of ass possible. So, rather than force an incomplete product out the door simply to hit an arbitrary deadline, I decided an extra week of revisions and testing was the right decision.
Winners of the Free Rebel Fitness Guide Giveaway
That being said, I still promised to give away two free guides, one to a person who left a comment on the blog last week and one to a person who left a comment on the NF Facebook page (closing in on 1,000 fans!). Using a random number generator, I’ve selected our two winners.
From the blog, our winner is Dawsy, who answered the question “why do you exercise?:”
I was never one for exercising…I’m a programmer by trade and pretty lazy by nature. Then along came my son, and I realised just how important it is to be able to maintain a high level of activity all day long. Also, I want to be around for my family for a long time. I don’t want to let the team down by dropping off the perch before my time because of my own laziness.
And from Facebook, Peter S. won for his comment on “What do you want to do before you die, and how will fitness help?”:
I want to set a good example for my children. I’d love to be able to keep up with them when they bike, hike, climb, run, or whatever outdoors activity they might enjoy. I know that I started falling down once my oldest started really riding a bike – left me in the dirt. Obviously, if I’m not in shape, I won’t be able to keep up and will have to just watch from the sidelines, which isn’t nearly as much fun.
I’ll be emailing the two winners later on today, so congrats guys and thanks for participating! Lastly, I’m working on a few more surprises for next week’s launch.
Everything listed above will be available in the Basic Training version, and I’m also going to offer a higher-priced version with a bunch of bonuses and 1-on-1 support from yours truly. If you’re one of the 100 that have already bought the guide, don’t worry – you’ll get everything in the higher priced version as my way of saying thanks for buying the first edition last month!
Shipping Up To Boston
Tomorrow morning, I’m shipping up to Boston (well, Cape Cod) to visit my family and friends for a week. I’m looking forward to spending a few days at the beach, checking out a concert by Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers (one of my favorite bands) at the Beachcomber in Welfleet on Thursday, and finishing up this guide for next’s week launch!
So, sorry for the false-start today, but TRUST ME that it will be worth the wait. I’m really excited about what I’ve created and how well things have gone for the first group that have used it.
I’ve got big things planned for the Nerd Fitness Rebellion my friend, big things.
-Steve
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Win a Free Copy of The Rebel Fitness Guide!
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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