They just don’t make superheroes like they used to.
In comics and movies, superheroes are born with little to no effort. They just “discover” one day that they can climb walls, fly, shoot webs, or tap superhuman strength!
This seems really unfair, because for normal people like us, these things just don’t happen. Maybe they used to once, long ago, in a galaxy far away, but not anymore.
In general, we’re stuck with the (usually boring) powers that normal humans get. The dexterity to press buttons on the remote control while also selecting the choicest potato chip from the bowl. The mental fortitude to choose an outfit in the morning, that is not the same as the one worn the day before. The strength and agility to maneuver a full shopping cart through the aisles of our local grocery store.
Okay, so that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s still true that superpowers don’t seem to strike out of the blue very often. But I don’t think that means we’re out of luck. If we put our minds to it, maybe we can create some superpowers of our own. Interested?
To me, a superpower doesn’t have to be as dramatic and being able to fly through the air (although that would be incredibly handy). I think it can be just as dramatic to work hard at something and discover that you can do something you never thought you’d be able to.
What about being able to run 30 minutes without a rest, when previously you couldn’t run for more than 1 minute without falling over? Or being able to feel good about your food choices? When I ran for 30 minutes nonstop for the first time several weeks ago, let me tell you, it felt like a nothing else. It was amazing. And I began to realize that it was just the beginning of what I could do, if I put my mind to it.
Nerd that I am, that got me thinking about video games, quests and superheroes. I spend a good deal of time gaming, leveling up my characters, and trying to improve their stats. How cool would it be if I could apply that dedication to my own life? How cool would it be if I could motivate others to do the same?
I tend to be lazy person, so this idea is a little foreign for me to wrap my head around, but it is the reason why I started this blog, and why I plan to continue my journey and write about it, to keep myself accountable. I hope I can provide some encouragement, information and support to others. Let’s not stop until we find all of our superpowers.
Me, in a nutshell
My name is Devon. I’m a 28 year old web/graphic designer and developer and I live in Vancouver, Canada.
Throughout my life, I’ve fluctuated in weight and fitness, and spent periods in fairly good shape and other periods in states of laziness, not caring about exercise or what I ate.
After graduating from university and spending 5 years in various desk jobs, I found myself out of shape, somewhat overweight, and realizing I needed a “health kick”.
A note about health kicks: My fiance Cory and I have, for the past 4 years or so, gone through times of intense fitness and good nutrition, which we call health kicks. These health kicks never lasted for more than a few months though, and always ended up with us getting tired of them, starting to buy a lot of chips and McDonalds again, and enjoying a period of lazy apathy until we could stand it no longer and decided to go on another “kick”. Sound healthy? Yeah..not really.
In October 2011, I joined My Fitness Pal, a great website (and supporting iPhone app) that allows you to track calories eaten and burned through fitness. It also has a great social aspect, pretty much like Facebook with a news feed, so you can keep up to date and comment on your friend’s fitness and nutrition accomplishments. I totally recommend this site by the way, and it’s free 
The simple fact of having a supportive community around me helped me stay on track, and continues to do so. I owe a lot to the folks I met through MFP, and I have learned a ton. I’ve also lost 20lbs so far and improved my fitness a great deal.
One of the inspirations for starting this site was the community aspect I found through My Fitness Pal. It has really made the difference to me to interact with others who have similar goals, and I hope I can continue to provide support to others.
I’m also getting married on June 2, 2012 which has been a big motivator for getting into shape, but I don’t want it to be the be-all and end-all. I want this to be a permanent lifestyle change. I want to keep my new-found superpowers for good!
Ingredients
