I Want to Be a Superhero (Or at Least Feel Like One!)

[TheOxfordComma]

Hey, everyone! I'm Allie, you can call me TOC or OC or Oxford or whatever you prefer to use. This is my first time using this screen name (normally I'm a creature of habit) but I thought this screen name might be the most appropriate for my goals on this site.

As a geek, I've always been really enamored of the whole superhero aesthetic: strong not only in one's convictions, but in body too. As a kid, I used to go around standing up to the boys in my class who would pick on my friends even though I was "just a girl". Since violence isn't exactly how your parents want you to learn to solve playground problems or even (especially) complex moral issues, the Power Rangers got turned off, my broom-handle "sword" got taken away, and I was discouraged from exercising in the ways I had been previously (ie roughhousing with the boys and trying to rub their faces in the dirt). My parents put me in intramural soccer instead-- which I hated, and when athsma got added to it, I quit. The same thing happened when they tried to enroll me in women's tennis. I kept gaining weight rapidly, from bad living habits all around.

In high school, though, I convinced my mother to enroll us both in a local Taekwondo studio. I loved it. I loved feeling strong. I loved feeling like I could kick ass and take names and stand up for myself and my friends, and I loved that I felt a little more like a superhero. I stuck with TKD all the way through high school, so 4 years, which makes it the longest physical activity with which I've ever voluntarily kept up. I even tried to continue taking it when I went to college, but found that the TKD courses on my campus were not equipped for basically anything but beginners, and so didn't get much in the way of new instruction or camaraderie. (Sparring against people who can't block and who you have to hold back to fight is not very fun at all.) So, combined with the weight of my studies I dropped that, and basically took the bare minimum of yoga and physical meditation courses I needed to fulfill the PE graduation requirements. I did however, my last semester, get to take a kickass Stage Combat course which, while probably being more of a fun romp than a workout, still managed to actually make me excited to get out of bed at 8:30 am and exercise by pretending to hack at people with swords.

What does this have to do with my screen name?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3792[/ATTACH]

That's me, dressed up for a school event as a "Second-String Superhero," called, yeah, The Oxford Comma. (Yes I'm an English Major.) I'm hoping that by associating my desire to get into shape with my enthusiasm for "superheroic" ideals and activities, I can make the switch to a lifestyle that will actually help me feel strong, confident, and a bit more like a superhero. I'm guessing that a place that associates itself with nerd culture AND physical health would be a great support network, so I'm glad to meet you all!

Current goals and plans:

• Do something physical every day, even if it's just taking a nice walk!
  
• Do 30+ minutes of good, solid workout 3 times a week.
  
  • Currently looking at NerdFitness "Beginner Body Weight Workout"
    
    
  • Investigating local parkour/freerunning and taekwondo/martial arts classes
    
    
  • ??? Suggestions ???
    
    

  [*]Begin recording food intake information (Type of food, calorie #, protein #, fiber #)

  • So far I have discovered that a low-cal, high-fiber diet seems to give me the most energy and helps lose weight
    
    
  • Will investigate Paleo diet, but nervous about whether it'd work for me. Suggestions?
    
    

Right now, I feel my goals are very vague. But I also feel like I a) don't know very much what I'm doing and have become very unused to an active daily lifestyle, and don't want to burn out right away. So I was figuring that easing basic activity and food awareness into my daily routine would be better to do that jumping right into it. I know my long-term goals are these: I would like to be able to go to a con dressed like Ms. Marvel and feel both attractive and like I could kick some ass, and (more specific) I would like to be down 60 pounds, because I know where I'm at now is considered an unhealthy BMI. (It's like 35, yikes.)

I would really like your support in helping me stick to my current goal of daily exercise/food awareness, and also suggestions for how I can work to add more specifics to my goals, since I have constantly heard that specifics in physical goals help in attaining them.

Thanks,

TOC

[CakeBanisher]

Welcome, Superhero Oxford! I'm impressed you were excited to get up for an 8:30 class - I had 8 am classes every day and no matter how much I like Spanish, I wasn't thrilled about that whole morning thing. Good goals, too! As you start figuring things out, you'll find it easier to make your goals more specific, but you have a good starting plan, in my humble opinion. I'm doing the Beginner Body Weight Workout right now, and it's serving me well. But you really seem to like your martial arts, so maybe use the BBWW as a bridge until you find a local class you like? Feel free to ignore me if you have different ideas I've also found that simply by tracking food, I tend to eat better, because I have a permanent record of everything I've eaten and I don't want to see junk on there when I look back. Paleo, in my brief experience, seems to work pretty well, but takes a whole heck of an adjustment. I eat as close to paleo as I can without going insane, and it does make me feel a lot better, but my family (I live with them) doesn't eat paleo, and that makes it really hard. Just my two cents. Best of luck on your quest to become a Superhero!

[TheOxfordComma]

Thanks, CB! Your two-cents are much appreciated.

I'm actually investigating a local parkour group that meets where I live (or will live starting in July, since I'll be moving away from campus). They hold regular practices three days a week, and they said that the fact I've never done it before wouldn't be a problem. I'm going to check them out tomorrow; if I like them, then when I make the move, I can start going regularly. (Until then-- BBWW!) I am also asking my friends if they're interested in "gym dates," where we go to the gym at the same time, or at least check in with each other about exercising every day; there was an interesting article on the blog about "accountability" being helpful in sticking to a new habit. Do you (or does anyone else) know if there are similar groups on the forums, maybe? Checking in on the forum every day and posting progress might be kind of a fun thing to do.

[CakeBanisher]

Here's hoping that parkour group works out for you! I think it would be tons of fun to try, but I am so badly out of shape right now it's a veeeeery long term goal I'm pretty new to the forum, but I know people keep blogs. Maybe get a group together to read each others on a regular basis? That way if someone misses posting, the others can pester them. Always good for accountability. I'd be game - if I knew someone was keeping tabs it'd keep me from slacking when I'm out of town. I don't know if there is anything else for that purpose specifically on here, I'm still exploring. Let me know if you find anything!

[TheOxfordComma]

Hm. Well, I'll investigate those blogs. For an accountability group, I checked out the meetup thread for MI-- where I notice you also live. Maybe people could get something going in there.

[CapN_Tommy_Sunshine]

I just welcomed you in the Mitten thread, but figured I should give you a proper one in your intro. Welcome to the Rebellion!