Got Some Things from 2013

To start, if you haven't yet this year, go get some. No, go now. Read when you get back. We are just going to look at a few things that did and didn't happen in 2013, I'll wait for you.

Okay, good. Now lets look at some things. As a year ends, many people look back to see what they accomplished, failed at and never got around to. Generally they also look to the future to see what goals they will have in the next year. And many people with a blog write a post like this saying the same thing. Thanks for reading mine.

The year was a bit of a blur, I think most people feel that way this time of year. It started off with expectations of a race/event a month and ended completing a handful of them.

I was able to run the MudNinja in 2013 (the year prior my appendix and I had an argument and I didn't get to run the event) and have goals of getting top 10 in 2014. I saw my little boy run a couple laps at the Mini MudNinja and watch his love of mud runs grow. I ran the inaugural Survival Race at the Arnold Classic. I came in 29th overall, 2nd in my age group and I'll be looking for a higher place in that as well. I ran the OH Tough Mudder with a new friend and failed horribly. I had calf cramps half way through but he stayed with me the entire way. I hated holding him back but also appreciated the bonding time with a fellow crazy person. I ran the Kentucky Tough Mudder and again didn't go as fast as I would have normally wanted. I had my girlfriend with me and we took the challenge together. Staving off hypothermia and painful IT Band issues for her, we were hand in hand at the finish line.

Half way through the Mini MudNinja.

I also found out, through push ups only, I raised my benching max 25 lbs over the past year. I found out my son could do 400 burpees in a day. Yes, he is crazy, they say he takes after his father.

I still love gorram hills.

I'm learning how to run with someone who isn't at my physical level yet. I love running with my her but I have to find ways to push myself while we go on runs that push her. I repeat hills as we run when we come to them. I might run ahead and double back to her to get more mileage. I also might run ahead and do an exercise like burpees until she catches up. In all the ways I can find a way we both get a good workout while running together.

This post is just to ponder the little things. Perhaps write some of them down from last year for this year. Value what you learned from last year. In all the chaos, I did get a great new workout partner.

Get By With A Little Help...

Probably the largest aspect of our lifestyle is the friends and family we hang around. These individuals influence us daily or weekly, as we influence them as well. We have conversations with them about things  that are silly, current events, social items and things that are important to us. We look to these people in time of need for support and to support them when needed.

There is a theory that you are the average of the five people you are closest too or spend the most time with. Think about the people you hang around, what do they do, how do they act, how do they treat people? When you mention eating better or working out how do they respond? Are they supportive? Do they put you down for it? Maybe they ask questions because they are interested as well. Do these people party every weekend, are they good to their kids, do they treat people well, do they try to stay active, are they what you want to be?

As we move through life many people go in and out of our lives. We stop hanging around someone, then don't text or email as much, then we wonder how they are doing because we haven't talked to them in a while. Other people are in and out of our lives over the course of time. We might not see them for a few months but pick back up like we saw them yesterday. While still others are constantly there, always keeping in touch with us in some way.

There may be a time when tough choices have to be made. You may end up cutting down time or cutting out certain people, even family members. At the end of the day you have to take care of yourself first. Even if you put the kids first or friends first, if you don't take care of yourself, how can you take care of them?

There is good news though. There are people like you out there. There are people who want to start being active, people who want to be active like you and others who are more active and set a good example. There are people who talk the talk and walk the walk of a healthy lifestyle. But even they sometimes need support, even from someone like you.

I have noticed the past few months many online chat rooms, Facebook pages, and communities where people get together and discuss things important to them. These topics range from exercising and eating right to taking care of the kids and many other positive things. These people support each other, give each other new ideas, encouragement and improve the quality of each other's lives just by being there. There are people outside the computer, meet up groups, friends, family, neighbors who are into those same things you want to be or are involved in. Seek them out. Someone I know who never ran finished their first 5K and was supported the whole time by people they didn't even know. Its such a good feeling to have that backing and encouragement, it might even make you want to go further. You might even inspire them.

It has been suggested in the business world that if you surround yourself with successful people, you too will be successful. I think this works in life as well. Look for those people and we will be there. Then we can all get out and GET SOME!

You are getting sleepy....

Do you get enough sleep every night? If you are like many people I know your answer will be: no I don't. Sleep is an important part of a healthy lifestyle especially when you are involving any level up to strenuous exercise. The body needs time to rebuild and recover so it can come back stronger and prepared for the next challenge. Sleep not only helps to recharge your body, but more importantly, your mind.

Do you need more sleep?

For the physical benefits of sleep you may want to consult your physician. Leaving your body fatigued leads to stress, lower energy, and an all around less active day. Another negative of fatigue can lead us to putting negative substances in our bodies to offset the effect such as sugary energy drinks. From reading articles and researching sleep I have found that a good night's rest allows for muscle recovery, building of muscle and time for the immune system to fight off disease. Other benefits can be found here: Benefits of Sleep, WebMD

On the mental side, sleep can also allow the brain to recover. It allows for better focus and memory retention. I'm sure everyone would all like to remember things a little better. Sleep can also help with work productivity. If we have less to worry about at work we can enjoy our time outside work much more. Our non-commitment to taking care of sleep is addressed by James B. Maas, PhD who said, " If we treated machines like we treat the human body, we would be accused of reckless endangerment." More on the topic of sleep and the brain can be found here: APA Strengthen your brain by resting it.

But you have problems sleeping, can't get good rest, and/or always feeling tired the next day. One of the most helpful items I have found on this is turning off the t.v. It's amazing when things are quiet you can sleep better. Even with the volume down, the flashing light from the screen is picked up by your eyes causing your brain to still be active. This includes your must-have-to-live smart-phone. Turn it off, put it away, if you worry about emergencies set it on the other side of the room where you can still hear it ring. Get it away where you won't see the flashing light, check it in the middle of the night or have alerts going off all night. Go to bed at the same time every night. Or close to it. We all have changes in schedules but if you can get consistent, you're body will take the hint and know when to start shutting down. The same goes for the morning, get up at the same time everyday. I am up at 6 am, yes, even on the weekends. Your body may acclimate to it and you might not even need an alarm clock (though I wouldn't recommend that). Other sleeping tips can be found here: A Good Night's Sleep

I am not a doctor but the benefits of sleep are obvious. Consult your physician, research on your own and add making sleep important to your new lifestyle and then get out and GET SOME!

Lifestyle in Eating

As we discuss lifestyle changes the most important is the attitude. One other big aspect is eating habits. I am not a licensed dietitian or nutritionist. I will however, give you some ideas that have worked for me and provide links to sites that will help you understand nutrition and good eating habits.

If this is your first time looking at how you eat there are two very important items that I believe help. The first is understanding that a "diet" is how you eat, not a short term solution to weight loss. Why would you eat healthy (or sometimes unhealthy) for a short time to get results only to return to old habits which will lead to how you were to start with, in need of a diet? You must realize your diet is how you eat, all the time. The second thing you can do is find out what makes up your diet. Many of us don't realize how much or what we eat. Keeping a food journal is a great way to find that out. Get a notebook that will fit in your pocket and write down everything you eat through the day. Try to estimate portion sizes as well, even if its as simple as a large plate of spaghetti. After a week sit down and review how you ate. See where you can make changes. You might need to cut back your overall food consumption. You might need to change from so much fast food to packing a lunch. You can find little areas to begin improving.

I think the easiest way to change eating habits to have a good/better diet is to do it one piece at a time. An entire diet change make be too much for some people to handle. If you are a cold turkey kind of person then by all means, make the entire change at once. For those others, we should start with the essence of life, water. Most people don't drink the recommended 9-13 glasses (its not 8 anymore) of water a day. Water is free and easily transportable.

Next is making food changes. Many people think eating healthy has to be expensive. Here is a link to help with that: www.choosemyplate.gov/healthy-eating-on-budget.html. Now, start taking items out of your meals or snacks and replacing them with healthy alternatives. Instead of a candy bar or bag of chips mid afternoon, have an apple or banana. You might try celery with peanut butter. Possibly replace regular pasta with multi-grain pasta and then to whole wheat. If you are interested in gluten free diets I suggest speaking with your doctor to see if you need one. Less then 1% of people are allergic to gluten according to some studies. You might be better off with whole grains getting their full benefit. WebMD talks about gluten allergies here: http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/wheat-allergy.

Don't be drastic in my opinion. Have days where you eat a brownie with ice cream. Have that extra creamy cheese sauce on your pasta sometimes, but the majority of the time make the conscious effort to eat healthy. You might even learn that healthy foods actually taste good and you like them. My 8 year old's favorite meal is salmon and broccoli. I love that.

I highly suggest once you have moved to proper eating habits you instill those in your children as early as possible. If children grow up without putting too much salt on everything they won't miss it when you try to cut it out of your diet. If they grow up eating healthy foods they will be used to it and it will be a part of them. There will be less arguments about eating fruits and vegetables verses more french fries. And with you setting the example, they will learn the right things. Good job mom and dad.

There are many places you can learn healthy eating habits. Speak with your doctor, use www.choosemyplate.gov, and other medical or government sponsored sites. Choosemyplate also has sections for weight management, tracking tools, and physical activity. Share meal ideas with friends who are eating right too. You could even have a healthy food idea night and have friends bring different dishes to share.

After fueling up with a healthy meal, get out and GET SOME!!!

Have an Evolution, not a Resolution

One definition of insanity to try the same thing over and over expecting different results. I feel many people are insane with their New Year's resolutions. Each year they want to stop smoking, want to lose weight, want to start working out. Maybe they start the process but by the next New Year's Eve they are saying the same thing. That sounds insane to me, who wants to live like that?

Also, I don't like NY resolutions, if you want to change things why wait until New Year's Day? Do it when you think of it, when you are ready, Carpe Diem as John Keating (Robin Williams) said in Dead Poet's Society (good flick by the way).

Why have a resolution at all? The definition of Resolution according to dictionary.com: a formal expression of opinion or intention made. You have an intent to do something. How many of us intend to do things and they don't end up happening? Small daily tasks get put off. How can we lead a life changing event to a resolution. My friends, lets have an Evolution.

Evolution: any process of formation or growth; development: the evolution of a language, the evolution of aircraft. In biology-change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processes asmutation, natural selection, and genetic drift.

Its time to Evolve. Its time to grow. Its time to develop. Become the person you want to be. Not just talk about it, do. But how?

To evolve, set goals. Attainable, measurable, specific goals. Write these goals down. Many studies have been done showing the effects of writing down goals, which included accomplishing them. When you write down your goal it is no longer an idea, its an end point. A tangible thing for you to see. You have just started a written plan. Next make sure your goal is specific. I want to lose weight, is not a goal, its an idea. I want to lose 10 pounds every 3 months, is a goal. At the end of the year you will have lost 40 pounds. Raise the goal if you need, just make sure its achievable. Maybe you want to run a marathon. Set your specifics, run a 5K on March 1st. Do a 10K on May 1, do a half  marathon in Aug and a full in December.

Track your progress. What will keep you going to these goals? One big thing that will is seeing results. Not only seeing them, but feeling them. It's an amazing thing to feel how you became stronger or faster or less fatigued. This will make you realize that you can do this.

Contingency Plans. What if you don't reach a part of your goal? What if you can't workout Mon, Wed, and Fri for two months. Have back up plans in place.

Look at the Now. Don't look at the 50 lbs you have to go or the 20 more miles you've never ran before. Look at what you are doing right now the whole way. Look at the progress you have made and what your next step is in your goal. Looking at 5 more pounds to lose or 3 more miles to run is much easier. Don't make it bigger than what it is. Until the year is over and you look back and see what you did. Your steps will be small but the accomplishment will be huge.

Find a Friend. If you know you have difficulty holding yourself accountable, find a friend who will. Have them text you, put up facebook posts, call, leave nasty letters on your car, whatever it takes. Let them be your cheerleader or drill instructor, whatever you need to motivate you.

The biggest ingredient to this evolution is you. You are the key and the great thing is...you can do it. You aren't trying anything that anyone hasn't done before. Other people have lost weight, other people have ran a marathon, other people have done what you are trying to do. And you can too. The last and most important thing you need to do...is GOAT. Get off your ass and train. Do it. Its really that simple, you just have to do it.

Now get out, and GET SOME!