Day 209 - Why World's Toughest Mudder?

There have been numerous instances in the past few months where people have asked me the same question, "Why is it that you are competing in the World's Toughest Mudder?"

Really, it is not a bad question to ask. Why would anyone in their right mind willingly sign up for a 24-hour endurance event, held in New Jersey, in November? An event that is sure to have plenty of cold water obstacles. Plenty of electrocution. Plenty of mud. Plenty of climbing, running, crawling, and just downright miserable things?

Why would anyone want to do these things?

Short answer: Because I can!

I will get into a number of reasons below, but for those of you who do not wish to read the entire blog, then just remember this. As long as I have this body that can run, climb, swim, and experience an event like this, I am going to do it...because I can.

Why else do you have the body that you do? To sit on a couch and watch TV? To stuff your face full of garbage? To obsess over material items that ultimately at the end of your life have no real meaning?

The rush and feeling of achievement I get when I complete something that I have been working hard towards, trumps anything else I have ever experienced. I enjoy testing myself mentally and physically. We have been given these wonderfully complex and amazing pieces of machinery (our bodies), so why not use them to their full potential?

If someone was to let you borrow the keys to a high-end sports car, would you take it to do your grocery shopping and then park it in your garage to collect dust? No, you would more than likely want to go drive that sucker around testing its performance and capabilities. So why would you allow your body to go essentially unused, sitting around being lazy?

Sure there are plenty of other ways to get active and experience life. I get it. There are many other ways for folks to enjoy life and be active. For me, I don't feel truly alive unless I am pushing myself to my absolute limits. I almost get this out-of-body experience, where I stand back and look at what I have accomplished, what I have worked hard towards. When my lungs and muscles are burning, and my heart feels like it is going to pound right out of my chest. Add-in some mud covering my body, scrapes and cuts, bruises and sores. I can look at myself and know that I have given everything I've got. That rush of excitement is unlike anything else...

My Family

My family has been amazingly inspirational to me. My wife just spent over 5 years of her life working towards, and achieving her PhD in Molecular Genetics! The ups and downs I watched her go through were unlike anything I have seen before. The amount of hard work and dedication she put into her studies have been tremendously inspirational to me.

My son who is just 11 months old works his butt off every day. I know, I know, this seems so trivial to many. He is a baby, that is what babies do right, they learn to crawl, they learn to walk, they learn to grow and mature. But have you ever stopped to think and wonder why the rest of us should be any different? Why do we stop working hard to improve ourselves both mentally and physically? Is it because we have reached perfection? No. There is always something you could be doing to improve yourself in one way or another. Stop wasting your time and do it now.

On top of the inspirational side of things, my wife, son, parents, brother, sister, father and mother in law, have all helped me with words of encouragement and through monetary means to get to this event. I work hard and will be doing this event for them!

A Challenge

I truly feel the most alive when I am doing something that pushes me to my limits, both mentally and physically. Like the sports car analogy above, so few of us have truly pushed our bodies to the limits that we are capable of.

Since I come from a scientific background, not to mention an overall passion and interest for the human body and the science that surrounds it, I am constantly amazed at what the human body can do. The symphony of processes that are carried out within our minds and bodies on a daily basis is absolutely astounding, yet nearly all of us have never, or will never use our minds and our bodies to their true capabilities.

This event may not even bring me to that point either. I may have to bow out of the competition early due to extreme exhaustion, or being ill-prepared equipment-wise, but I can safely say right now that I am willing to do whatever it takes to have zero regrets when I leave New Jersey at the end of this weekend. I want to experience this event for all that it's worth and see what my body and my mind can do!

Support

I made mention to my wife in the past at how much support I have received for this event, both financially and morally. It is one thing to receive family support, it is something completely different when you receive the kind of support that I have from either folks I hardly know, or even complete strangers!

I have a tremendous family, and I never want to take that away from them, and I know they will always be there for me. Having said that, I am forever grateful for the support I have received from folks that, as I said, I hardly know or are a complete stranger to me. The overwhelming amount of support that I have received from my community and folks around the world has truly touched my heart. I compete for all of you as well! (you know who you are)

Another Year Older

Let's face it, none of us are getting older. Time keeps ticking away. I don't want to make this all doom and gloom, but just keep that ticking clock in the back of your head!

My upcoming birthday (November 25th), I will be turning 28 years old. Although this is not a 'milestone' birthday by any means, it is yet another year tacked on. In my opinion, there is no better way to celebrate a birthday, than to put your body through the rigors that I will experience at the WTM. Sure, some people may think drinking their face off, or eating a bunch of cake sounds like a raucous time, but not me. I will have a few beers on my birthday, don't get me wrong, but this is also a tremendous way for me to celebrate getting another year older.

When I am old and wrinkly, and aches and pains are setting in, I really do not want to regret the time I wasted by not using my body when it was young and energetic. What's that saying again? Oh yeah, "Youth is wasted on the young!" I look to prove that quote wrong.

I don't know where this fascination will take me next. I ran into my doctor a little while ago, after she had heard about my plans to compete in the World's Toughest Mudder. Jokingly she said to me, "What's next after this? You are just going to keep going, moving on to other things to top this event!" She is probably right. But the way I look at it, if my biggest concern, as I age, is trying to figure out the next thing to challenge me, then I am a pretty lucky guy.

Quote of the day:
"Learn to appreciate what you have, before time makes you appreciate what you had."
~ Unknown


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Day 208 - Weekly Newsletter

Hey Everybody

I will make this week's newsletter fairly short (famous last words right?)

Although I am essentially not working out at all this week, I am still busy with my final preparations for World's Toughest Mudder this Saturday November 17th. I have all of my gear, I have most of my food/calories. I just need a few final preparations and then I am on my way.

Just to note, I will be leaving Friday morning around 9am or so to drive down to New Jersey. It is estimated that I will be driving for most of the day to get there. My hotel I am at Friday night has some internet access, so I am currently planning on jumping on Friday night, but if you don't hear from me until Sunday night/Monday morning, you will know why. I will be off, crawling through mud, swimming through ice water, and getting electrocuted.

A couple reminders:

1. Beachbody is hosting Canadian events in Calgary and Toronto in February. I sent out the registration links last week. If you missed out on the links but are interested in either event, let me know and I will send the links to you again. Tony Horton will be in Calgary, Shaun T will be in Toronto. Will be a great chance to meet either one of these star trainers. I am already signed up for the Toronto event, and am looking forward to meeting those of you who signed up!

2. Take advantage of my November Contest. Now is the time of year to prepare for the New Year and hit the ground running. If you have been thinking about Coaching in the past, NOW is your chance to sign up and have a chance to win yourself a FREE copy of Asylum Volume 2! Not only that, but if you are interested in any of the Beachbody Challenge Packs, keep in mind that as of right now, if you purchase a Challenge Pack, Beachbody will upgrade you to Coach Status for FREE ($40 savings). Challenge Packs are a great way to save some cash by combining a workout program of choice with some supplements.

3. If you are interested in our Challenge Group starting later this year/beginning of next, make sure to join not only our Workout Group but our Message Board Thread as well. Just an FYI, I will be starting Body Beast on December 15th after I move into my new house. I have one other guy who is joining me with Body Beast, but the rest of you can choose whatever program you wish, and start on whatever date you wish, as long as you are pressing play and staying accountable with the rest of us.

Once again, I want to hear from all of you. Let me know how your current fitness goals are going and where you are headed for the future. Also please do not hesitate to get in touch with me regarding any questions/comments/concerns you may have. Talk to you all soon,


Tyler Robbins
Independent Team Beachbody Coach
tylerrobbinsfitness.com
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2013 Challenge Group - Team Fitness for Life

Quote of the day:

"The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live."

~ Elbert Hubbard



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Day 207 - Smart Snacking

Snacking is a great way to actually lose weight believe it or not. Studies have shown that people are much better off eating small meals throughout the day every 2 or 3 hours. The problem many people run into however, is the type of snacks or mini-meals that they fall victim to. Here are some tips to keep yourself on the right track to staying within your healthy weight range:

1. Eat to Maintain Your Weight - as stated in the introduction, many studies have shown that eating every 2-3 hours can help you maintain or even lose weight...if done properly! An average woman requires about 2,000 calories a day, which should be broken down into 5 meals of about 400 calories each. That does not really seem realistic however, so try this instead. Keep your 3 main meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) but make each of those a bit smaller, and eat a mid-morning snack, and an afternoon snack. The idea behind this is to keep your metabolism firing all day and never letting your body enter "starvation mode" where it is simply storing fat. Also, if you are eating snacks, when you reach the dinner table, you will be more likely to restrain yourself from eating too much.

2. Reach for the white stuff - stay away from salt and reach for the calcium. Eating snacks with high amounts of calcium such as dairy products help in multiple ways. Calcium actually helps your body metabolize and remove excess fat from the body, not to mention building strong bones. Salt on the other hand can get out of control very quickly and can lead to such problems like high blood pressure. Not only that, but the more salt that is in your body, the less calcium your body retains, which should be of even more importance for those of you increasing in age and beginning to face problems like osteoporosis!

3. Drink Your Water People - water is a great way to fill up your belly and ward off some hunger pangs. Not only that, but thirst often hides its symptoms as either hunger or fatigue. So the next time you are in your office or at home and feel either hungry or fatigued, go drink a cold glass of water and see how you feel 10 minutes later. Offices, cars, winter months, and the worst of all; airplanes, are all very dry environments that can make you 'feel' either hungry or tired, when in fact you may just be thirsty.

4. Fix Your Own Snacks - prepackaged and ready-to-eat foods tend to be high in sugar, salt, and calories. Protein and sports bars are a perfect example of this. Aim to package your own snacks at home. If you find yourself running low on time throughout the week, then take some time on Sunday before your week begins by preparing snacks for the week and storing them in your fridge, that way, you can just grab and go. Also, if you have a snack with you that you brought from home, you are less likely to be tempted to buy something from the vending machine at work.

5. Balanced Snacks - many of us feel that swapping out that chocolate bar for a pear is a great swap, and it is, but eating just a pear may make you feel hungry again pretty soon. Fruit are mostly carbohydrates with some fiber in them which is great, but balanced snacks should contain all 3 macronutrients; carbohydrates, protein, and fat (oh my gosh, did he say fat?). Eating something like a chocolate bar, or a refined-flour carb (such as a piece of white bread) will cause a nasty chain reaction. Once the carbohydrate begins to break down in the stomach, it moves into the bloodstream within about 20 minutes, peaking your glucose levels. Your hunger alarm then sounds off making you hungry again, not to mention that within the next 20 minutes, that glucose is either used up as immediate energy or stored as fat. Aim for snacks that have all 3 macronutrients listed above (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) and if you can't do that all in one piece of food, then make yourself a combo. For example, reach for an apple, and throw some yogurt and cheese with it. Fiber, protein, and fat all metabolize slower, keeping you feeling full, longer.

6. Kick Stress to the Curb - really focus on your body and train yourself to notice and be aware of your individual signs of stress. Stress causes a spike in the hormone cortisol which increases appetite, especially for sweets. Both men and women succumb to this, but women are especially emotional creatures who really fall victim to stress eating. Try and manage your stress in other ways such as meditation or exercise to help kick your stress to the curb!

7. Don't be too strict on yourself - Remember that we are all humans, and humans need to indulge every now and again, or we will all go mad. Nobody, and I mean nobody on earth can go without a little cheat snack or meal here and there. The problem arises when you make the occasional snack or dessert much more frequent. Think of the 90-10 plan. 90% of the time should be by the book and as healthy as possible, then other 10% of the time you can cheat a little, but still make it sensible. Do not sit down and eat a whole bag of chips in one sitting and think that it is okay. If we do not indulge every so often, we are more likely to crack and go on a binge bender!

Quote of the day:

"The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you choose, what you think and what you do is who you become."

~ Heraclitus

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Day 206 - Health Myths Put to the Test

We have all heard of fad diets and exercise trends that come and go, all promising to "Lose 10 pounds in 10 days" or "THIS miracle food will help you lose 5 pounds instantly" etc. When it comes down to it, an active lifestyle with a balanced, healthy diet is the best and only sure-fire way to get and stay healthy. Below are some popular health myths that I will debunk!

Fat Makes Me Fat - People tend to confuse dietary fat with the body flub that surrounds their body known as adipose tissue. Truth is, dietary fats are an essential part of a balanced diet and should make up 25 to 30% of caloric intake. Dietary fat helps dissolve vital fat-soluble vitamins in the bloodstream such as vitamins A, D, E, and K. Your omega-3 fatty acids are also attributed to a healthy cardiovascular system. The problem people run into is consuming too many saturated and trans fats, the latter of which should be avoided at all costs due to its utter uselessness in the human body.

You see, back in the 1980's fat began to develop a very bad reputation from some medical experts who believed that people were getting fat because they were eating too much fat, which coincidentally has twice as many calories per gram compared to carbohydrates or proteins. This is only partially true, as it is not fat that makes us fat, it is the calories in the fat that makes us fat. You can cut fat out of your diet completely and still become a fat cow by eating too many carbohydrates and protein (which is very apparent in today's society).

One thing to note here, is that since companies all started to jump on this "low-fat" bandwagon, they realized that their food products don't taste as good without fat (humans inherently enjoy fatty foods) so they substitute fat for sugar. Unfortunately sugar and sugar substitutes can make you just as big or bigger!

There are many reasons for humans to consume fats, we just need to realize that since there is twice as many calories per gram in fat compared to protein or carbs, that we need to eat less fat, not eliminate it completely. Needless to say, most people need to eat a lot less of everything!

Ways to incorporate healthy fats into your diet should include olive oil, avocados, nuts, fish, etc. Aim for about 60-70 grams per day (but everyone is different).

Cardio Training is Better for me Than Resistance Training - I see this all the time. Women especially head into a gym, hop on an elliptical or treadmill, etc and work away for an extended period of time, work up a slight sweat, then go home. What good is that? First of all, you are only working a specific portion of your body, not to mention not really burning a whole heck of a lot of calories. Yes, cardiovascular training is important. You need to get your heart rate up to clear the junk out of your arteries and veins to allow your heart to work more efficiently. Second, a longer, slow-burn type of cardio session can do wonders to burning fat, lowering your resting heart rate, and lowering blood pressure. EVERYONE needs to incorporate some sort of strength training into their balanced exercise plan a couple times a week, at least! Men and women a like should work all of the muscles in their body at least twice a week.

Strength training promotes stronger muscles, ligaments, bones, and tendons so that we are less prone to injury as we age. Not to mention working our core (notice I say core, not abs, as your core includes your upper thighs, hip flexors, back, etc.) helps to stabilize our bodies and prevent things like back injuries in everyday life. The biggest proponent to strength training though is the fact that a well-designed, hard-hitting resistance routine burns far more calories than a cardio routine ever will because you are using your muscles to exhaustion which burns tons of calories during and after the workout. Doing strength training properly causes micro tears in your muscle fibers which cause your body to move in a repair the damage afterward. This is what increases your resting metabolic rate for up to 48 hours after a good strength routine! That's right, after a good circuit-style strength routine, your body will be burning more calories at rest than usual...even when sleeping!

Women: "I don't want to lift weights, that's for bodybuilders!" - Related to the post above, many women are afraid of doing any serious weight lifting because they are afraid they will look like bodybuilders. No wonder women have such high incidence rates of osteoporosis, etc! The body basically follows the mentality, "Use it or lose it sister (or brother)." As we age, our bodies decay from inactivity, soooooo, if you are not using your muscles or creating a tactile load on your bones, they begin to decay away.

Truth is, majority of women don't have the necessary testosterone levels in their blood to pack on large amounts of muscle anyways! Women's bodies are built more for endurance so you get that long, sleek, toned look from weight training. Men's bodies are more built for power and speed. (In a general sense) Women should be aiming for timed circuit training or 15+ reps when training, but don't skimp on the weights, you want to push yourselves!

High Cholesterol - Cholesterol, like fat, has been victimized in the past. Cholesterol is now a household name for many as being "bad". Truth is, like fat, cholesterol is a vital part in the human body for regular cellular function as well as bile production to aid in the breakdown of foods. The confusion arises because some people have linked high cholesterol levels in our diets to dietary cholesterol which simply is not true. Studies are increasingly showing that high blood cholesterol comes from a diet high in saturated fats, while foods high in dietary cholesterol have a fairly negligible effect on high blood cholesterol. Foods high in dietary cholesterol but low in saturated fat, including eggs, shrimp, lobster, crab, clams, and other shellfish, can be safely eaten in moderation without having much effect on blood cholesterol levels.

The link between high blood cholesterol and dietary cholesterol seems to have a mixed signal here because non-seafood foods with high cholesterol also have high levels of saturated fats, which is the true root cause of high blood cholesterol. I know, it sounds confusing, but its true. The more and more something like a double cheeseburger creeps into your diet, the higher your blood cholesterol is going to climb...but its because of the saturated fats that do it!

Snacking Makes Me Fat - Remember your mom used to say to you, "Don't eat that snack, it will ruin your appetite!" Well good, ruin that appetite! People may fend off some hunger pangs, especially in the afternoon because they know dinner is coming up. The only problem with that is you then tend to overeat, and overeat very quickly by the time you get to dinner. More and more studies are showing that eating consistently throughout the day helps stabilize blood sugar levels and feeds our bodies with a constant supply of fuel.

Think back to our early ancestors roaming the countryside from cave to cave. They probably did not sit down at a McDonald's at 6pm to grab dinner, they were foraging and snacking all day on fruit and veggies that they found as traveled. This should be the same for you. Snacking does not mean a handful of chocolate or chips though, aim for something with some sustenance to it. Healthy fats such as nuts, or something with protein, or even some fruits and vegetables with fiber. Anything that will digest slowly and keep that slow fire burning in your gut rather than an energy drink or chocolate bar that will be digested and burned off quickly (or stored as fat quickly) causing you to...crave more sugar.

"I exercise, so I can eat whatever I want!" - There is a saying in the fitness industry that's along the lines of, "You can't out-train a bad diet." To live a long, healthy life, you must lead an active life with a good, balanced diet....period! Yes, there are times when we all like to pig-out on a dessert, but that should be VERY rare. You may have some friends/family members that are lucky because they have "one of those metabolisms" that help them burn calories all the time, super for them. You often see that with teenage boys/girls. Boys/men especially generally have more muscle tissue which means that those muscles are needing calories all the time. That also allows them to eat more calories and not worry about gaining weight. If you are getting older and are already fat, with little to no muscle mass, guess what, your resting metabolic rate is going to be low. Yes, you can eat treatsmore often if you are fit and have good muscle tone, but not all the time. Even more reason to hit the weight room...men AND women!

Drinking Water Flushes Out Fat - I have to laugh at this one. Have you ever mixed water and oil together? What happens to that oil? It pools on top of the water in little droplets. When was the last time you went pee and noticed little oil slicks in the toilet? Water does a lot of good for the body, but flushing out fat it does not. Often times, we confuse hunger for thirst, so if you are ever feeling hungry, try a glass of water first. Secondly, a dehydrated person will notice a substantial energy drop which makes your workouts suffer. Some studies have even shown a boost in your metabolism if you start your day with a cold glass of water. If that works or not, it certainly could not hurt!

Quote of the day:
"Too many people are thinking the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, when they ought to just water the grass they are standing on."

~ Amar Dave

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Day 205 - World's Toughest Mudder Training Final

Quote of the day:
"It is during our failures that we discover our true desire for success."

~ Kevin Ngo

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Day 204 - Crossfit and a Missed Opportunity...

We all have our own opinions about Crossfit, but let me share something that I saw on a "World's Toughest Mudder" Facebook group today:

"Well looks like my last intense work out has bit me in the ass. Currently I'm sitting in emergency with a confirmed case of rabdo. So fellow mudder I wish you luck I'm going to be sitting this one out."

When asked by someone how it happened, his response was:

"Crossfit angie"

The thing is, if you go investigate what an "Angie" is, it is 100 pushups, 100 pullups, 100 squats, 100 sit-ups. It is not uncommon for myself (or many others) to do far more than 100 pushups and/or pullups and/or squats and/or sit-ups in a workout. The problem here is that this workout (and majority of the other Crossfit WODs) are structured to be done as fast as possible with little regard for form, proper recovery, safety, etc. In my opinion, there is NO benefit to doing this workout as fast as possible when compared to do the same amount of reps in a properly-structured timing scenario...

I have said it before, and I will say it again. There are risks with ANY type of exercise program you choose to partake in, but Crossfit seems to push the boundaries a little sometimes...or maybe it is just the mentality of its participants that it seems to attract. Either way, it's a shame that this guy has to miss out on the very event he was training for because he trained too hard. Stay safe my friends!

Quote of the day:
"When the best things are not possible, the best may be made of those that are."

~ Richard Hooker

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Day 203 - Motivational Saturday

One week today, World's Toughest Mudder!

Quote of the day:
"The person who says something is impossible should not interrupt the person who is doing it."
~ Unknown

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