In the inaugural post of the Geek Fit series I may have painted a slightly misleading picture of “the geek.” I was an overweight couch potato, but obviously not all geeks are. I once had a discussion with some friends via Twitter regarding the modern day definition of the word “geek.” We came to the conclusion that geeks are not just people who read comic books, adore gadgetry, have at least 5 level 80 characters residing in Azeroth, and know the words to every Rush song ever. Instead we agreed that a geek today is anyone who has a passion for something that leads them to near-obsessive and sometimes annoying level of fandom or appreciation for a particular subject. It is at the nexus of this definition and the classic stereotype where this series exists.

That said, I believe I gave the impression that this series would only be beneficial to people that were in my particular situation (overweight and sedentary). The fact is that the vast majority of my friends who were (and are) geeks are all variety of shapes and size. I have had the privilege of working out with and learning from a variety of different individuals. You see, part of what made getting in shape possible for me was that I truly geeked out about it. I became passionate and as such wanted to learn as much as I could about fitness and getting in shape. I would take learning directly from someone else’s experiences rather than just reading books and so I began to really pry into the fitness habits of my friends and colleagues.

I love all variety of gadgets. I tend to jump on the bandwagon being pulled behind any new and interesting technology as fast as my wallet will let me. Sometimes I am rewarded, sometimes I’m disappointed, but I always enjoy the thrill that comes from experiencing vast leaps forward in technology. When Jawbone introduced the UP, I was in the middle of my fitness revolution and was immediately excited to try it out.

Not only does this little bracelet count your steps like a standard little pedometer, but it also tracks your sleep cycles. Jawbone promises that the UP’s gentle vibrations would wake you up at the optimum time in your sleep cycle to ensure a pleasant waking experience every day. Combine all of this with a colorful, fun iPhone app and you’ve got me hook, line, and sinker! I picked up this cool little device as soon as it hit the shelves of my local Target (Target always has all the coolest stuff).

There is one universal truth that I have discovered in my short existence on this planet and that is, if it isn’t fun, then I am likely not going to be able to do it very long. It’s a weakness that, in truth, has probably cost me quite a few opportunities throughout life. Boring teachers meant failed classes, not being handed a sword on the first day of Karate led to me giving up my ninja aspirations, and fitness was most certainly never something I was interested in. I have come to recognize this flaw and that allows me to properly prepare myself for all variety of scenarios. For example, when I made my decision to get healthy I knew it would have to be accomplished in a way that was fun and provided me results.

Welcome to Geek Fit, Readers of Doom! No doubt you are curious as to the nature of the posts that are soon to grace the fine pages of Geeks of Doom under the banner of Geek Fit. I’ve decided to provide you an introduction to myself and my vision for this little column in this, my inaugural contribution.

First and foremost, I have always been a “geek.” I grew up like many of you, playing video games, reading comic books, dreaming of having my own super powers, and what it would be like to shake hands with an Aes Sedai, or battle a beholder beside a loveable rogue and a brutish barbarian. My life revolved around the imaginary worlds created by the likes of Stan Lee, Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman, Gary Gygax, George Lucas, and Shigeru Miyamoto. Unfortunately my passions offered little inspiration for me to leave my couch.