1.1 Physical and Mental Health

Hello, Young HTBs!

Before we dive into the world of costumes and capes and spandex, there are a few preparatory things you must consider before you decide to become a fully fledge superhero. First things first, it is your physical and mental health. You must be thinking, this is silly why do we need to listen to this? This is so obvious. Well, young HTB, if you have seen the movie Kick-Ass you will know that the protagonist of that film is grossly unfit for a roll as a superhero. Why, you ask? Because even though he's full of hope and dreams, he's not physically healthy and fit enough to do much at all.

So, before you embark on your journey, I suggest you work out a bit. And by a bit I mean a lot. You want to go to the gym or out to the park to go running every morning to build up your stamina and your cardio. The worst thing a hero could do is pass out half way through a chase due to a lack of energy. You want to do squats and sit-ups and push-ups to make sure you've got enough core muscles, which are very important for stability. Lifting weights is not essential. Don't waste time building up too much muscle, just work on your stamina and core strength, the lifting weights can come in later. If you do decide to lift weights, start small. Never feel embarrassed by having to take a small weight, if you immediately go for the big one because you think you can do it, you'll be in for a bad time and a pulled muscle.

That's the physical health stuff sorted. As a measure, if you can run a half marathon in 1 hour and 30 minutes, you're good to go. You must be thinking, "But this is only teaching me how to run away! I want to fight!" That will come next, do not fret young HTB. Just know that you cannot put up a good fight if your stamina is low and you core muscles are weak.

Next, mental health. Why should you care about mental health? Well, because it's important. Think about it this way, would you want a person with Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)? I don't think so. Honestly, if you had to deal with the Hulk al the time, I think you'd get tired of his uncontrollable, unexpected rage times. Try to get yourself diagnosed for any mental illnesses you may have, hopefully none. It is not impossible to be a hero even if diagnose with a mental disorder, but it'll be harder for you in the long run. Imagine if you have ADHD, sure that'd keep you active and excited all the time, but as a hero you need to be able to focus. Not to mention it's probably best to not be on medications while heroing.

Once you have all of the above sorted, you'll be able to move onto the next section, which is training.

Tip: Eat healthy! Lots of vegetables, carbohydrates for energy, don't consume too much oil. All these things will help you stay fit for work and make sure your stomach doesn't feel like throwing out its contents while you're out and about being a superhero. Avoid fast food when you can, the preservatives can really irritate sometimes. Also avoid energy drinks such as Redbull as they will just cause hyperactivity most of the time.

Keep solid and well, young HTBs!
- TM