What up swagmasters,

As an adult in the real world I find myself faced sometimes with problems specific to, and characteristic of, having a regular 9-5(ish) day job. Most of these problems are boring and not worth talking about. But one in particular that I have been trying to address is that of fitness.

I sit at a desk for a third of (nearly) every 24 hour day. I lie in a bed for another third. The remaining hours are mine to do with what I like. I have decided to devote some portion of my life to drawing funny things and posting them here on this magical place we call the internet. I also frequent such places as facebooks, twitters, and other various websites.  Factor in the occasion video game and movie and what you are left with is a fantastic recipe for unhealthiness and couch potatitude*. In an effort to fight the slow trudge of time and the harrowing effects it can take on a body, I try to exercise. But unfortunately, ‘motivation’ is the constant enemy of that most dastardly villain…’procrastination.’ And procrastination can be a hard tyrant to break.

In my quest for greater fitness and better ways to keep myself incentivised, I have found a place here on the internet that has proven to be an ally. It is a site that blends the mystical qualities of a videogame (that can keep you working on that last achievement long after you should have gone to sleep) and the supportive platform of social media to help promote exercise and better health. The site is called fitocracy.

Here’s the basic rundown: You sign up for the site and create a profile, much like with any social media platform. You can join groups and follow other’s workout exploits. You can encourage them and comment on their posts. You have the ability to log your own workouts for others to see. Its pretty standard fare up to this point and is really not much different from facebook or Google+ in these respects. The innovative part is that for each workout you complete, you are awarded points. The amount of points awarded varies based on the intensity, length, and difficult of the specific workout (ie. climbing a mountain would yield a lot more points than climbing a few flights of stairs). As you progress, you level up and gain achievements. They even have ‘quests’ that you can embark on that are structured to get you to try out new forms of exercise that you may not have otherwise tried. And of course, as with any video game, you level up based on teh number of points you earn.

I have been using the site for a few months and I am very very pleased. My experiences have struck just the right mix of encouragement and peer pressure that have definitely kept me more accountable than I would have kept myself otherwise. I highly recommend checking it out if you would like some support in your gym going activities. If you do join, be sure to find me.

Also in an entirely and completely unrelated note, I drew a picture of Fionna. She is the female version of Finn in the Cartoon Network smash hit “Adventure Time.” Why draw her you might ask? Because I am a hopeless and unrepentant nerd, I hypothetically respond.

This picture is dedicated to my friends Josh and Ashley, without whose angelic influence I might never have watched Adventure Time.

*Note: Couch potatitude is not commonly accepted as a real expression in the English language. Yet.