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Be The Superhero Version Of You

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I want to talk about a very important fitness concept.

Who you are today, does not need to be who you are tomorrow.

So to kick this off, let’s look at three characters who didn’t start out all that heroic:

  • Wreck-It Ralph is a video game character whose entire existence is based on wrecking things. It’s literally his job to be the bad guy.
  • Black Widow, before she was avenging, spent her life training to be the perfect spy and assassin.
  • Melvin Potter (aka Gladiator) was a career criminal trying to go straight, but his bad choices leave him open to extortion by the Kingpin.

That’s not what’s interesting about these characters though.

What makes them so compelling is that they refused to settle for the cards they were dealt, or the mistakes they may have made.

It wasn’t easy, and they definitely ran into their fair share of hurdles along the way, but they fought to take control of their own destinies because they wanted more for themselves.

And just like these characters, your life has not been pre-determined. Your fate is not woven into the threads at the foot of Yggdrasil.

You can make changes if you want to!
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The Heroes’ Transformation – Stunt Work

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Stunt Work for Fitness - DC Stunt Coalition

This website started with a single idea – That if my fellow geeks and nerds were introduced to physical activities that were both mentally engaging and fun, that they would be more inclined to get off their couch and exercise.

Originally I envisioned doing a web-series on YouTube where I traveled around finding geeky physical activities, trying them out and then grading them for the viewers.

After having this brilliant idea, and starting this website with no forethought or planning at all, (you can see our origin story here) I realized three very important things:

  1. I had no idea what I was doing when it came to making or editing videos.
  2. Even if I knew what I was doing, I would not be able to produce them fast enough to make it worthwhile on it’s own.
  3. Since proper diet is such a huge part of living a healthier lifestyle, a big piece of the fitness puzzle would still be missing. (I don’t think anyone wants to see a video of me shopping for my kitchen essentials!)

Stunt Work for Fitness - DC Stunt CoalitionI didn’t let that stop me though, I had a vision and a goal I wanted to achieve so I just modified things a little and kept moving forward!

If I learned anything from the things that inspired this site, namely Kevin Smith’s book “Tough Sh*t“ (seriously, read it… it changed my outlook on life) and Felicia Day’s single-minded devotion to bringing her web-series “The Guild” to fruition, it is that if you believe in something just do it.

Being scared that you are going to fail, or putting things off until you are “more prepared” is a surefire way to never get anywhere. In fact, this mirrors my view on fitness as well; stop waiting and just get moving! (Check out my thoughts on the Basics of Getting in Shape)

So what exactly am I rambling about?

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Unleash Your Fitness Alter Ego!

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Fitness Alter Ego

Artwork by the amazing Danny Haas

I was talking to my boss the other day, and he told me he finally realized why I just disappear immediately after work and am unreachable by phone or email until late at night. I chuckled and offhandedly told him it was because I was a superhero. He knows I train martial arts, but I guess it just took awhile to sink in that I have a life outside of my job! It immediately got me thinking; my life, in many ways, is very similar to the super powered heroes that live on the pages of my favorite comic books.

  • I disappear from my home and my job, and am unreachable, for hours virtually every day.
  • I have a special uniform that I wear only when I am at the gym.
  • I fight people.
  • I often crawl into bed late at night, bruised and exhausted, long after my wife has fallen asleep.

That train of thought led me to the realization that, in a lot of ways, going to the gym or participating in an activity is very much like a superhero shedding his secret identity and donning his costume!

We set aside the trials and tribulations of the mundane world, put on a “costume” and proceed to get sweaty and sore. I don’t know about you, but it certainly sounds like a normal day for the likes of Green Arrow or Daredevil to me.

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