Day 91 - Motivation Saturday: Warrior Dash

It is Saturday July 21st. I am off to run my 2nd Warrior Dash. If you are reading this and have never ran the Warrior Dash or other similar "mud-runs", I highly recommend it, they are great fun. Not only will it be something for you to train and work towards, but the even itself is a great way to test your physical capabilities and get covered in mud from head to toe!

Quote of the day:
"Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still."
~ Chinese Proverb

Day 90 - Grow Younger Every Day Step 7: Diet Flexibility

Step 6 on my list of things to a happier, healthier life involves being a realist when it comes to dieting.

I absolutely think that if someone is looking to lose weight, they should be as absolutely strict as possible. Every single little indulgence can either slow your momentum or completely derail your efforts.

On the other hand, if you are an individual who lives a healthy lifestyle, maintains a healthy weight, and is physically active more days than not (I am one of these people), then I say have some 'junk' food every now and again.

I remember a while back when I heard Tony Horton mention his 90/10 plan. I have heard other health and fitness 'experts' use similar numbers, although I would even go as far as to say use an 80/20 plan.

What this means is that 80-90% of the time, you want to absolutely nail your diet. 80-90% of your daily/weekly/monthly calories should come from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, lean meats. The other 10-20% of your calories can be for junk foods. This is important to me for a few reasons.

First, having little treats here and there reminds me how important it is for the rest of my diet to be as clean and healthy as possible. If I was to have an entire 'junk day', I would physically feel like crap that day and probably the next as well. Whereas if I just have small treats here and there, they are essentially lost in the shuffle of eating so well for the rest of the day.

Secondly, by allowing myself to some junk food here and there, I never feel like I am deprived of certain foods that I love and therefore need to go on a bender because I crave them so badly. I am a sucker for homemade cookies, for example. Every once in a while, my wife will make a batch of cookies, but I always ask her to make half a batch. This way, we both enjoy a few cookies, but I would rather us share a half batch than to devour and entire batch of cookies between us!

Thirdly, let's face the facts here. There are times in life when you are in a situation of indulgence. Maybe there is cake at work for a coworkers birthday. Or maybe you have a big family and celebrate every birthday together with some sort of dessert (I do!). In these instances, I never want to feel like I have an elitist personality because I turn down dessert while others are scarfing down. No, I rarely ever care about what others think of me, but I also don't want to seem like I am sticking my nose up in the air because I have chose to skip dessert.

At the end of the day, I like to remember that there are many things to enjoy in life. Maybe your indulgence is a few glasses of wine after a hard week, or going to the local baker on Saturday morning for a fresh pastry. These little things are what makes life worth living at times. We are a very food-influenced species, we love our foods/treats. There is no reason why you can't indulge, just make sure you have your life under control and are being 'good' 90% of the time! Those little treats will keep you smiling!

Quote of the day:

"It isn't sufficient just to want - you've got to ask yourself what you are going to do to get the things you want."
~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

Day 89 - Grow Younger Every Day Step 6: Spend Less Than You Make

Step 6 is taking a short step away from traditional health and fitness tips. Although monetary matters are not entirely related to your physical health and fitness, they are far more involved than most people think.

More often than not, choices made by individuals are either based on how much money they make or do not make. I am not a financial planner, so I am not here to discuss what you should or shouldn't do with your money, that is everyone's individual choice.

What I am going to try and ask you to do, however, is try and curb your spending as much as possible. Debt is one road that, when traveled down, usually ends up causing mental and potentially physical pain.

I understand that not everyone has equal opportunity in this world, I really do. There can be quite large, almost insurmountable differences between those who have and those who have not. But sticking with the theme that you should try and control as much of what you can in your life, I think your best option when it comes to money is to spend less than what you make.

Again, there are times when shit happens and you have to spend your money. Car maintenance, home payments, bills, health spending, etc. These types of things are (for the most part) out of your control, however. What I am referring to is those times when you see that fancy new smartphone, or the "great deal" on new flat screens.

If you really wish to buy something, save for it! I promise you that by the time you save up your money for something that you wish to purchase, that time will give you a better idea of whether you truly do want that item, or it was just going to end up being an 'impulse buy'.

In my honest opinion, I feel many people buy luxury items out of impulse to fill a certain void in their lives. Whether they are dealing with some sort of emotional issue, or they wish to mask the feelings of something else, impulse shopping gives that specific 'high' that lifts the spirits and makes you feel good.

Also, you may begin to better evaluate your life and your priorities. I find that, for myself at least, healthy eating and staying active is what makes me fell fulfilled and happy. Spending time with my family and making them happy is definitely top priority for me, but leading a healthy lifestyle and therefore encouraging others is also high up on that list.

Unfortunately, far too many people dig themselves into deep holes of debt, throwing away countless gobs of cash in interest when it is unnecessary. Next time you wish to go shopping, just think to yourself, "Do I have the money for this?" If so, then ask yourself, "Do I really need this (insert item here), and will this item enrich my life for the better?" You could potentially save yourself a fair bit of money just by taking a step back and analyzing your thoughts first.

Quote of the day:
"Contrary to the opinion of many people, leaders are not born. Leaders are made, and they are made by effort and hard work."
~ Vince Lombardi

Day 88 - Grow Younger Every Day Step 5: Exercise with Purpose

Step 5 in leading a happier, healthier life is all about the time you spend exercising.

I see it all the time, people literally pissing their time away at the gym. On on hand, you have the guys lifting stupid amounts of weight (either because they can or because they are trying to impress others), they do a set, grunt and groan, drop the weights down and then pace around while sipping water.

Then, you have the folks who are using the cardio machines, staring blankly at either a magazine, tv, or my personal favorite - texting while exercising.

Why are you wasting your time?

In previous posts, I have discussed the importance of intense exercise, not to mention finding something you enjoy doing. I would say the majority of the people hitting the gym are not following either piece of advice.

If you wish to be a bodybuilder, then go right ahead and take your time between sets. Use ridiculous amounts of weight. Sip lots of water, etc. However, I am almost certain that most people do not want to be bodybuilders. Sure, ask most of the guys out there, and they will probably say that they wish to be "ripped", so they think that their huge muscles are going to "pop out" of their fat...simply not true.

Or what about the women who feel as though just because they are "in the gym", that is good enough, as if the air you breath while "working out" is going to magically make you thinner...

Most people have busy lives. I have a 7-month old son at home, so even though I thought I had a busy life before, I now know how much free time I used to have. I hate the feeling of wasting time throughout the day, especially when I may only have a small window of opportunity to get my workout done, I need to get shit done, and pronto! (excuse the language)

When I say "Exercise with Purpose", I mean that in two different ways.

First of all, as I mentioned above, when you train with purpose, you spend less time sitting around, and more time working. I highly recommend either hiring a personal trainer, using a home workout video, or structuring a workout for yourself complete with break times, etc. This way, you allot a very specific amount of time for yourself to workout, and you finish on time.

Secondly, Exercise with Purpose refers to having a training goal in mind. For those of you who follow my blog all the time will think I sound like a broken record here, but ALL health and fitness journeys should start with a goal or goals. This should be something very specific. "I wish to lose 10 pounds by August 20th!" "I want to run a 5km race in 25 minutes!" etc.

Once you start with a goal, the more specific, the better, you can then structure you workouts to aim directly at that target. I find, for myself, I get much more mental focus when I am training because I have a very specific light at the end of the tunnel that I am striving for. I get into my home gym and work as hard as I can every day because I know that I have, for example, 60 days to hit my goal, and I need every single minute of my training time to reach that point!

Trust me when I tell you that, setting a goal for yourself, working towards said goal, and then conquering it, is one of the most satisfying experiences you can make for yourself!

Quote of the day:

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
~ C.S. Lewis

Day 87 - Grow Younger Every Day Step 4: Enjoy What You Do

Step 4 of improving yourself involves enjoying what you do.

Some things in our lives are hard to control. Let's not try sugar coat things, people's jobs are a great example of something that not everyone has control over. Sure, there will be those that will tell you to just up and quit your job if you don't like it, but more often than not, there are major repercussions that follow an attempted career change. This is even more prevalent if you have a family that relies on you and your income.

Sure, there are things in our lives that we have little to no control over, but there are many things that everyone does have control over but simply choose to be miserable. I want you to do your best and take control of two of the most important things involved in your life - and enjoy every minute of it!

First is diet.

I will admit that growing up, my family was a very "basic" in terms of what we ate. Our idea of vegetables consisted of corn, potatoes, and sometimes peas. As I got older, and made it out into the world on my own, my wife (then girlfriend) helped and inspired me to try new foods.

I now consider myself a vegetable fanatic. There is still a pretty big list of items that I have never tried before, but the list of things that I now eat is far greater than what it used to be.

This took some time to get used to. Since I wasn't too accustomed to eating certain fruits and vegetables, I would try things here and there, and eventually my grocery list began to change to include far more fresh produce. Now, my wife and I joke about how much of our fridge, beyond just the vegetable crisper, is taken up by fresh fruits and veggies.

The mental approach I took towards eating new and healthy foods is a multi-step approach. First, I would read about the benefits of a certain food. Once I learned how tremendously beneficial something is for my mind and body, I would then learn ways to use it in my meals as basic as possible (free from sauces, as raw as possible to maintain its benefits). Then I pick some up at the grocery store and give it a shot. If it is something that I really cannot bring myself to eat consistently, then I re-evaluate new ways to eat it, ways that I will at least somewhat enjoy!

Sure, there are items of food that you absolutely can't bring yourself to eat, but maybe that is because you haven't found the best way to prepare it.

Also, what has helped me is keeping the mindset that although food and dining should be a pleasurable experience, it really only has one sole purpose and that is to fuel your body. Professional racecar drivers do not use your standard, regular unleaded, they go for premium fuel. I know that if I wish to continue to stay as active as I like to be, then I need to find the best possible fuel to put in my body, which means I absolutely need to find ways that I can enjoy eating said foods.

Secondly, exercise should also be enjoyable!

I can't believe how often I hear folks moan and complain about a workout they "have to do". Who says you have to do anything? I am assuming that if you are reading this blog, you at least have some freedoms and free time to choose what you wish to do at your leisure.

I always shake my head when I hear people complain about their workout, as if somebody, somewhere is cracking the whip on them forcing them into manual, slave labor.

If you are "exercising", but hate doing it, then change what you are doing! Do you have going to the gym? Go for a run outside. Can't run because it's winter? Go for a nice, long, challenging hike. Don't like running? Go for do some lane swimming or buy a bike.

There are SO many options available to people, yet somehow, folks everywhere make up their mind that "exercise" has to be this monotonous, torturous event.

There are days when I hate the thought of doing a specific workout as well. So instead of just skipping it altogether, I change things up and do something I enjoy doing instead.

I feel the problem with most people is that they know they should exercise and eat healthy, but feel that it just isn't 'fun', or requires too much effort. You may even feel relatively healthy at this point in time, so it is hard to see the number of benefits that will be paid back to you as you age gracefully if you lead a lifestyle that is active and healthy.

One thing that I remind myself on a day to day basis is that finding ways to enjoy healthy foods and finding exercises/activities that keep me interested is the best way to stick with something long-term. If you hate what you do or hate what you eat, there is not a chance in hell you are going to stick with it. You have the freedom, opportunity, and resources available to you right now at this very moment to find something that you will enjoy. If you don't have the resources available, then go make it happen!

Quote of the day:
"I was never afraid of failure, for I would sooner fail than not be among the best."
~ John Keats

Day 86 - Grow Younger Every Day Step 3: Believe in Yourself!

Confidence is a major problem for many people. Unfortunately, a lack of confidence can be a vicious cycle when it comes to somebody's personal health and fitness. Allow me to explain.

From a very young age, humans begin to care about what other people think about them. Whether it is trying to impress a friend of the same or opposite sex in school, our childhood years are spent (for the most part) trying to 'fit in'.

Some folks reach a point in their lives when they understand that trying to impress everyone else just ends in sadness and despair for yourself because it is impossible to make everyone happy. Most figure this equation out at some point in their lives, but depending on when this happens, it can lead to these vicious cycles.

Back to health and fitness. Confidence is oftentimes derived from how we perceive ourselves in the world around us; how comfortable we feel emotionally, physically, etc. Many of us are wishing to make a change to try and not only make ourselves 'look better' but to feel better about ourselves as well.

The problem with confidence arises when we believe in the hype and chaos that surrounds us. Let me give you an example. There has never been a time in human history when we have been so inundated with advertisements for how people should look. Product advertisements display unrealistic images of individuals who are more than likely feel inadequate. These advertisements lead to a desire to change something about yourself.

Great, I am all for that, actually! If you are out of shape, do not exercise, and have a poor diet, change can definitely be a good thing. Unfortunately, many folks only see 1 solution to their current problem. They wish to look just like the guy/girl in the advertisement.

Not only that, not only are many individuals striving for a perfect image, but they get this idea stuck in their head that they must do this as fast as possible. Maybe this is a byproduct of our society in general, always wanting things now. No more waiting or hard work for something right? I just want it now.

Because of this, folks turn to magic potions and gizmos to feed this hunger of instant perfection. You have all seen the commercials. You know, the ones where "Just 10 minutes with this ab chair and you can look like this!" Wrong.

Of course none of you have tried those silly things, right? Of course not!

There are a majority of people who turn to "quick fixes" because they do not have the confidence or personal willpower to make a change for themselves. Whether its laziness or just a disbelief that they can live a healthy lifestyle, the vicious cycle begins and continues from there. People believe that they need that extra 'thing' whatever it may be to be their own success tool.

There is a reason why the health and fitness industry thrives on failure. If people did things on their own, made changes to their lifestyle, cleaned up their diet, and made a life-long commitment to change for the better, then there would be a lot of companies out of business.

There is no other industry (that I can think of) that thrives on people's failures. You try one magic gadget, you fail, give up and quit for a while. You then hop back on the horse, and try something else. Rinse and repeat.

I had a similar conversation with my wife the other day. I always think back to the character "Fat Bastard" from the movie Austin Powers. Remember when he says, "I eat because I'm unhappy, and I'm unhappy because I eat!" Everyone gets a chuckle...

But is this really that far from the truth for most people?

Folks are unhappy because they are overweight/inactive/lazy/etc., yet when they wish to make a change in their lifestyle, they try and fix things as quickly as possible with some fad diet or "new fitness craze", which puts them right back to where they started.

Step 3 to become happier and healthier is believe in yourself. Life is a long journey. You have time to grow and make mistakes, but believe in yourself that you can make more positive changes than negative mistakes. Those mistakes that you do make, assess the who/what/where/why/how and learn from it. Move on, and don't beat yourself up.

This step is all about believing that you can make your own decisions and changes for the better. Do not rely on a "breakthrough" pill that helps you lose weight. Spend your time talking with educated folks. Research online and get educated. Use the resources you have at your disposal and start making small changes for the better. Believe that you can.

I will detail in future blogs the steps you should now take to find the foods and activities that you enjoy and do them often. Move often, eat well, believe that you can do that!

Quote of the day:

"Nothing is easy to the unwilling."
~ Thomas Fuller

Day 85 - Warrior Training End of Phase 3: Performance Phase

My performance phase from my Warrior Training schedule went very well. The goal of the performance phase is to take or build upon strength gains from the previous phase, and make the muscles more performance-based or functional.

I used the Post Activation Potentiation (P.A.P.) workouts from P90X2 to accomplish this goal. I will be focusing more on upper body performance during my 'bridge' program between Warrior Dash and Tough Mudder, as Warrior Dash has some more basic obstacles and is more running-focused. So, because of this, I was mostly focused on not only increasing my leg performance for running, but also preparing my feet for running in my Vibram Five Fingers.

I have mentioned this in previous posts that I am intending on running both the Warrior Dash and Tough Mudder in my Vibrams due to the amount of mud involved in both runs. I feel that the Vibrams will keep my feet as mud-free as possible.

I was able to get up to 8.5km in distance in my Vibrams. The Warrior Dash race is only 5km or so, but I am needing to prepare myself for the 18km distance of the Tough Mudder.

A notable adjustment here with my schedule was that I used P.A.P. Upper twice per week for the first 2 weeks of the Performance Phase, but then swapped the workouts out for P90X2 Chest, Back, and Balance as well as a modified Shoulders & Arms MC2 routine from Tony Horton's 1on1 series. I did this so that I could build more upper body strength rather than performance.

I now head into a recovery week leading to Warrior Dash on the 21st of July. During this week I plan on doing a couple light runs, some stretching, some foam rolling, and just general rest and recovery. I think many people oftentimes overlook the importance of recovery, and feel as though they need to work hard right up to an event. In actuality, you have to give your muscles time to actually repair and recover. This recovery period varies depending on the event you are training for, but a good rule of thumb is to allow 5-7 days recovery.

Last year when I ran Warrior Dash, I will admit that I was a bit cocky heading into the event, and did the "Base & Back" routine the very day before the event, which left my legs very fatigued the day of. This year I am not making the same mistake and plan on 'peaking' for the event at the right time.

I will be taking as much video as I can at this year's Warrior Dash and post it next week so stay tuned!

Also, let me know if you have any questions regarding any of the training that I haven't addressed here.

Quote of the day:

"Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking."
~ William B. Sprague