Have you ever turned fitness into a game?
Nowadays, there are plenty of apps and websites out there which try to do this very thing. There is the app that you actually give money to, and if you miss a workout it takes your money and gives it to someone elseYea, that’s real. There are other apps out there that turn reps, weight and consecutive days into points in which you earn badges and level up.
There are all sorts of things out there, and around January they are the most downloaded and used apps on the market. But come March they will be the most forgotten and uninstalled apps on the market
In my opinion these apps are too time consuming, too detailed and often focus on the wrong aspects of fitness and health. They are cool at first, but then it’s just too much.
So let’s make our own game. The last health and fitness game you’ll ever need:
- The Better Human Game
The key to this game is simplicity. No over thinking. No complex algorithms. There is only one rule
- You must earn 40 points per week.
That’s it.
I am not talking about weight watcher points or zone blocks. No, earn 40 points per week playing The Better Human Game and I guarantee you will be the healthiest and fittest you have ever been.
Ready to play? Here is how you earn (and lose) your points:
Let’s gamify your life!
Awaken the CNS – Lift Something Heavy
The Central Nervous System doesn’t give a crap about isolation exercises or long slow distance running. It has to be forced to care about what you are doing to give you the benefits you want. If you want to stimulate you genes and increase muscle strength and power, increase bone density, improve insulin sensitivity, stimulate growth hormone secretion, and consume stored body fatYou will need to lift something heavy.
Men, women, young and old. LIFT something heavy!
How to earn points:
- +1 POINT = Jump, pull, push, lift, squat, etc. heavy weight.
Gamify Grit
Let’s make mental toughness a game too!
Building your mental toughness; this is actually similar to a principle I lay out in day 17 of the Mental Toughness Militia, but we are changing it for our purposes here. In the Militia members earn “bricks†anytime they find themselves in an uncomfortable position and they start to cope and get comfortable in the uncomfortable.
We are going to take that principle into our fitness game here. Anytime you are really pushing yourself and know you are challenging your brain you earn points for getting to that position and pressing on. This can be in a run, a CrossFit workout, interval training, cycling, etc.
How do you know you are there? If your brain ever suggests quitting, and you keep going, you are building your mental toughness.
How to earn points:
- +5 POINTS = Going “thereâ€.
*You can only earn max 15 points per week in this category. This is the only complicated rule, but if you think you are going “there†every single dayyou probably aren’t actually there. It is a scary place.
Old School-ify your diet
You know, old school. You can say caveman-like if you want, or how about like your great great grandpa who had never heard of a pop tart or gogurt. To make it simple…
Eat: Meat, fowl, fish, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, high-fat dairy (if you CAN), fats, healthy oils, tuber, roots, bulbs, avocados and coconut.
Don’t Eat: Sugar, high fructose corn syrup, wheat, seed oils, trans fats, artificial sweeteners, “diet†and low-fat products and highly processed foods.
Boom! It is that easy, don’t overcomplicate the diet.
How to earn your points:
- +1 POINT = Eat a meal that only has what is listed in the “eat” category above.
- -5 POINTS = Eat anything in the “Don’t eat†category or other crap fast food.
*+10 POINT WEEKLY BONUS = Grocery shop only the perimeter of the grocery store with ONE or less trips into the aisles.
Solarize Your Life
The sun, rather Vitamin D, can reduce the risk of cancer, and heart disease, and improve your immune system, on top of about a dozen other health benefits.
Roughly, 10,000+ IU of D3 can be produced in about 20-30 minutes of afternoon sunlight. To put that in perspective, a top Vitamin D supplement provides about 2,500 IU per pill. So unless you have to spend a lot of time indoors, or during the winter time, you can just go outside to get your daily dose.
This alone will pay off BIG TIME in your overall health!
How to earn points:
- +1 POINT = 20+ Minutes outside in the sun.
*Too cold? Supplementation has been proven to be safe and effective, so if you live in a cold or gloomy climate supplementation will also equate to +1 POINT.
Dash, Bolt, or Sprint
Call it whatever you want, but lets get you running at top speed at least once a week. I am frequently amazed at a.) how many people are completely destroyed after a single sprint or b.) have no idea what would happen to them if they were to sprint at top speed RIGHT NOW.
There are numerous benefits to sprinting such as weight loss, it boosts growth hormone, improves insulin sensitivity, and it makes you faster, more explosive and gives you the ability to jump higher.
You should be sprinting!
How to earn points:
- +10 POINTS = Complete Sprint Workout
*You can only earn 10 points per week.
More on sprinting here, here, here and here.
Alright that’s it! Lets take a look at a sample week to earn 40 points. Let’s say I had a really good week…
So, in 7 Days
- I lifted heavy weight 4x = 4 POINTS
- I went “there†3x = 15 POINTS
- I ate 15 healthy meals (snacks included) = 15 POINTS
- I ate two really crappy meals = -10 POINTS
- I perimeter-shopped = +10 POINTS
- I got outside every day = +7 POINTS
- I did one sprint workout = +10 POINTS
TOTAL = 51 Points
There is, of course a little wiggle room in this game, and by no means will it make you perfect. But if you get 40 points per week, you will start your path towards legendary status.
Want to play the Better Human Game?
Share this with your friends and family and get competitors in your game. See who can get the most points!
Good luck!
-Jerred