Unleash Your 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.

There is a lot to be said for setting the day aside and accessing a different part of your personality; a side of you maybe you aren’t particularly comfortable with. Believe it or not, that is a very common thing. Just think about it… people will do whatever they can to just let go of the stress of their lives and lose themselves in something else; whether it is watching their favorite TV show, religiously following a sport, signing onto a MMORPG or curling up with a book. In our case, as fitness minded individuals, rather than opening up our laptop and logging into World of Warcraft to gallivant around Azeroth as “Sheldor” for the night we hit the gym to embrace our inner Hulk instead. Same thing really, just with very different results!

Let this shift in perception empower you to do things you might feel out of character for the lifestyle you have been living!

Let’s use me as an example. My days are spent as a mild-mannered IT consultant, but at night when I turn off my work laptop at 6pm a transformation occurs. Much like Batman gathering his gadgets and stocking his utility belt with shark repellent, I also go through my ritual of preparation; guzzling some water, grabbing my costume/gear and steeling myself to go to training where I exercise rigorously and try to choke people. My concerns have switched from preparing for the next’s day’s business meetings to not getting my arm broken or getting kicked in the face. It is freeing in a way, I can become the person no-one else sees and focus 100% on my personal mission – bettering myself and my health!

“But Mr Mighty Jerd sir, what if I don’t want to fight people?!?”

First off, why not? It is awesome! More importantly though, it doesn’t have to be something as intense as serious martial arts training. It can be anything:

• Want to cycle? Slip into your lycra, strap on one of those alien looking helmets and get to riding…
• Want to lift weights? Find that comfortable pair of shorts and t-shirt, grab your iPod with the perfect playlist and pick up heavy things…
• Want to relax and get flexible? Roll up your lucky yoga mat, pull on your yoga pants and go get your “Aum” on…
• Want to BOOM! Headshot! fools? Safety check your paintball/airsoft gun, put on your BDUs and hit the playing field…
• The list goes on and on…

The key is to take that time getting ready to clear your head of the day’s worries and to become mindful for the task ahead of you. This mental deep-breath can really make the difference between a mediocre workout and a superior one! Not only will it impact your performance positively it can also save you from talking yourself out of getting done what you know you need to.

We all have been there. Tired, beat down from a long day, wanting nothing more than to plop down in your favorite chair and grab the X-box controller to finish out the night. The siren’s call of nerd hobbies is strong and oh so enticing, I know! Instead of going through that inner rationalization where you tell yourself “it’s okay, I stuck to my diet today so I can chill” or “I will do my workout tomorrow when I am less tired” as you slip into the warm and cozy embrace of your sofa have it instead as you start grabbing whatever gear you need for your particular fitness regimen. I guarantee you that as you are tying your running shoes, the excuses will feel hollow and weak and you will be more inclined to get your workout in!

Use that 5 minutes you need to get ready as a way to adopt the mindset of the superhero version of yourself!

Think about it.

When do superheros always get in trouble? When they are distracted from the task at hand. I mean Two-Face never gets the drop on Batman unless he is busy stewing over Alfred burning his breakfast or something. What often makes these sorts of activities appealing to a lot of people is the nature of leaving the day behind, so use that to your advantage! Any coach worth his salt will tell you, the only way to get 100% out of your practice/workout is to leave your bad day at the door. It is so true! If you are focused on your crappy day, you will be distracted from your workout and get less benefit. So the point of all this rambling is that if you are having a hard-time motivating yourself to stay on track or getting through your workouts we want to actively create a fitness alter ego to help!

Let yourself be free to be someone entirely different when you workout!

“Regular Jeff” is a laid back desk jockey during the day, but at night he becomes “The Mighty Jerd” (cue theme music); dynamic and eager to get going! You see “Regular Jeff” doesn’t want to do squats, but “The Mighty Jerd” relishes in the sweat and discomfort. “The Mighty Jerd” loves fight people while “Regular Jeff” would prefer to not get punched in the pancreas.”Regular Jeff” wants a cookie, but “The Mighty Jerd” sneers at the empty carbs and wants a tuna steak instead.

While it might sound silly, until you get yourself firmly grounded in a healthy and fit lifestyle you need to use every trick in the proverbial book! Think about it as LARPing if that helps, do whatever it takes to find that part of you (no matter hidden it might be right now) that desires to be a real life superhero and construct whatever rituals and mental games it takes to bring it to the surface. Don’t scoff until you try it, so see if this works for you; I bet for a lot of you it will!

So who is your fitness alter ego and what do you do to get in the proper mindset?!? Let the world know by dropping a comment below (no need for secret identities here)! Also, be sure to follow us on Facebook or Twitter and be sure to Sign up for our free newsletter! (No spam, I promise!)