Okay, so there are a million different workout plans out there and all of them fit different life styles and schedules. P90X is great, but damn it's hard to get past the excruciating soreness of week 2 or 3 and an hour and a half can be hard to find when you have young kids. I've been reading about the HIT (High Intensity Training) plan and I wonder if that actually works or not. Then are there are all of the little plans that have any where from 3 to 5 exercises in them that are supposed to sculpt your body in 15 or 20 minutes a day.
I've been thinking about mixing things up. I would do the HIT plan for 3 to 4 days a week with a light workout on off days that included cardio and movements like body weight squats, push-ups, and pull-ups. I would do that for about 4 weeks and then get into P90X for 13 weeks. The HIT plan would build and strengthen muscle, the light workouts would boost my cardio and keep me active to reduce soreness, and then P90X would put it all together and get me in great shape.
Of course, with a workout plan, you have to have a good diet. I have to change my mindset of how I think of food. Food is no longer a luxury or comfort thing, it is FUEL. If I take in good fuel, my body will run better, just like a high performance car. If you owned a Ferrari, you wouldn't put regular unleaded in it would you? Of course not, you would put the premium fuel in it to keep the engine running well.
Now, I'm not saying that I'm going to only eat tofu and bean sprouts. I have to be able to enjoy what I'm eating or my diet won't last. I'll be eating more chicken and fish. I'll be using more spices, less salt/sodium, and eating good healthy food. Sure, this means I'll need to cook more, but luckily I really enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. I especially love using my grills which I can roast or smoke chicken and fish on. For burgers, instead of ground beef, I'll use ground turkey. I'll also go ground turkey in meatloaf, tacos, and any other dish that usually has ground beef. My boys can't tell the difference and my wife enjoys the ground turkey as long as I season it correctly.
Eating out will become more rare for my entire family and we'll mostly do it to celebrate things like good grades on report cards. Restaurants make life easier for us, but can also be bad for our health. Sodium in dishes, fat content, portions sizes, etc., can be much higher than what you cook at home. We just have to resist the urge of getting lazy and going out for fast food after baseball practice or after a rough day at work. The extra up side to this is also the money we'll save.
Along with what you eat, you'll need to plan your meals out. Occasionally I'll plan my entire week's meals, especially lunches. On Sunday, I'll grill up 3 or 4 different types of chicken breasts (lemon pepper, adobo, teriyaki, barbecue, or jerk) for the week and then put them in plastic storage containers with brown rice and/or frozen veggies. For dessert, I enjoy having one of the chocolate sugar-free Jello pudding cups that are only 60 calories. The big lesson I learned here is that planning things out in advance, even if it is only one day in advance, will help you control what and how much you eat.
With regular meals, I also take into account muscle building from workouts, so after my workouts I include a 16 oz whey protein shake. Add this to a light dinner or make a meal replacement smoothie with the whey protein instead. If you're going to break down muscle, you need to be able to give your muscle what it needs to fully repair itself. Also make sure to get some Omega-3's in. I take flax seed oil capsules with every meal as well to help keep my heart healthy.
There are things that you have to omit from your diet as well. I'm getting rid of soda's, both diet and regular. I'm minimizing sugar intake by purchasing reduced or sugar-free goods. I also have to cut back on soy based products due to kidney stones (calcium oxilates are bad). I've cut way back on caffeine by cutting out sodas and tea (again, calcium oxilates are bad and tea has high amounts). What I've increased in my diet is water, water, water and fiber. I try to get around 30 grams of fiber a day and drink about 64 ounces of water a day, more if I sweat a lot during a workout.
Now, I'm not in the greatest of shape right now, in fact I'm overweight. I know this and I'm struggling to get back in shape. Everyone has their own reasons/excuses for being overweight and I have mine too, but no one cares what those excuses are. The important thing is that I'm changing my behavior and accepting that this is my fault... no one else's.
Obviously, I'm not a fitness trainer or nutritionist, but this is what works for me. Everyone has their own needs when it comes to working out and staying on their diets. Also, make sure your doctor knows what you're doing, so if you run into any cardiac, respiratory, muscular, or skeletal issues your doctor will be aware.
I'd love to hear what you are doing for your diet and/or fitness program. What foods are you having to cut out of your diet? Are you struggling? If so, with what? I'm always open to suggestions to tweak my plans.
A lot of people tell me that I'm quiet, except at sporting events, and then these same people are very surprised by how much I know about things that are going on with them and other people that I've been around. Though I may not have long conversations with everyone I know, I listen even when I'm not in a direct conversation with that person. I listen to everything around me all the time. I know I'm not the most sociable person in the world, but I'm okay with that and that's all that counts.
I'm an observer. I don't care about what's going on with celebrities, I don't care what's going on with people I don't know or don't have a relationship with. I care about those who take the time to get to know me beyond work or what I do volunteering. And I make the time to get to know them and understand them as well. That's what makes friendships work. This doesn't mean I'll put anyone in danger, I'll always make sure everyone is safe, but I just don't care what goes on with these people after our shift unless I'm friends with them. Does this make me a shallow person? Maybe in some people's eyes, but for me it's about minding my own business and staying focused on my life and those in my life that matter like family and friends.
With that said, I always listen to everything going on around me. I learn from not just my mistakes, but by the mistakes others make. I learn by understanding how things develop around me. I learn by just understanding how people may or may not react to different situations. This is something that I was forced to develop growing up. In the 7th and 8th grades, I lived in an area that had a high gang population, so I always had to be aware of what was going on around me to keep myself safe.
As a parent, I think this method of thinking is the hardest thing to teach your kids. I hate the fact that I have to let my kids fail sometimes so they can learn from the experience. I doubt my kids appreciate that yet, but hopefully one day they'll understand. Letting them fail in school is especially tough, but the couple of times they have failed, they have learned from it. They study more and work harder and hopefully they continue to learn this into Middle School and High School.
One thing I don't do with my kids is sugar coat things. I don't tell them that it was a good job when it wasn't. I don't reward them for failures or for giving it a good try and I don't baby them. However, when they do something right, or make a great play, or ace a test, I praise the heck out 'em. They definitely know when they are doing things right. As long as they are constantly learning, not just book smarts in school, but also street smarts and what is going on around them, I think they'll be fine in the long run. Teaching them to listen to everything around them will help them in all areas of life. They'll be able to keep themselves safer, they will learn about people around them, they will be able to learn about the environment, and if they become a lot more sociable than me, then I think they'll develop better relationships as well.
I am by no means an expert on parenting, psychology, or anything else outside of the IT world. I know I don't know everything, but I do enjoy sharing what I have learned and how I perceive the world around me. I'm always open to what others can add to my thoughts. I'm always open to listening and learning from others around me.
So, I saw this video today on CNN.com and I've gotta say that I like the Judge's ruling on this. Driving is not a right, it's a privilege and people need to start treating it as such. I'm a firm believer that anyone who gets a second DUI\DWI should instantly lose their license for life, regardless if they hurt anyone or not. If you're irresponsible enough to be under the influence of any drugs or alcohol while behind the wheel (or handle bars) twice, then you should have your license taken away for life. With that said, I think the drivers license should be taken away for a minimum of 5 years from a person who is convicted of their first DUI\DWI with an additional minimum of a 10 year sentence in jail for every person that is killed. I just don't think laws, or the enforcement of laws, is stiff enough for drivers in this country. If the laws and enforcement of those laws were stiffer, we would have better drivers in this country.
My Uncle was killed by a drunk driver when I was about 5 years old. I never got to know my uncle, but my Dad always tells me stories about his brother. My uncle was a fun loving father of 4 who loved cars, camping, playing pranks on friends, and just having fun. He owned a Sambo's restaurant chain in Alabama and I remember visiting him there once and he gave my sister and I these huge stuffed Sambo's tigers. I really wish I could have grown up with my uncle around, but one irresponsible person who thought he could drink and drive took my Dad's brother away.
Drunk drivers don't just affect one person, they affect many people for decades, but they don't care...
So, a friend asked me the other day, "If the glass can't be half full, then what's the point?" My response was pretty simple, "Well the glass can be empty, which is a good thing if you're drinking beer or some other alcoholic drink. Then you can just go get another full one."
The point is, your outlook may be bleak, but you can always start over and things may just work out for the best.
For the me, the whole question of, "is the glass half full or half empty?" is a question of your mental state. For me, it depends on what's happening. If I'm building things up, then it's half full, but if I'm taking things apart, then it's half empty. An empty glass isn't a bad thing though. I always look around myself and give myself contingency plans and I don't let a bad situation get out of hand. Yes, things will stress me out and I'll get down on some situations, but I'll always work myself out of it or I'll get in a state of mind that will put a positive spin on the current situation.
This may not work in all situations. I'm sure people with cancer, as an example, may not have the best outlook, especially if they are in stage 4 or 5. By no means am I saying they should accept death, but some may and that will put them at ease knowing they are going to a better place. Some may say that they are going to fight to the end and that will give them purpose, drive, and will give them a more positive outlook. To each their own in situations like this. For me, I would always hope my loved ones would fight to the end, but if they accept death for whatever reason, then I'll be there supporting them. You have to support people and their decisions as long it's best for them and their happiness.
I saw my Grandfather accept his death when his kidneys failed. He was smiling and he told me that he loved me. That was good enough for me. I didn't like that fact that he was leaving, but seeing him at peace before death helped me. He was always my role model and out of everyone in my family, I'm more like him than anyone else, so losing him was huge for me. His outlook was always positive though because he always had a contingency in place. If something broke and he had to go back to square one, he was okay with that and just started over. Most of the time, he fixed something to the point where it was better than it was before it broke.
Focusing on half full or half empty is just kind of pointless... either way, you're still in the same place. Just build up or break down what is in front of you, and in the end, the outcome is what it is. It's what you do with what is in front of you that counts.
Anyone else suffer from allergies? I do, in a bad way. I even took shots once a week for 3 years to curb them, but I think my body just adjusted and now they're pretty bad. Today is supposed to be a light day according the pollen forecast and it's only supposed to get worse this week, so I'm in for a long week. Over the counter allergy medicine doesn't work at all for me. The only thing that remotely works is Sudafed and NyQuil. Both of them put me to sleep though, especially the anti-drowsy meds. Yes, I'm one of those people who fall asleep with the anti-drowsy meds. I took some Dayquil and that's not really working either. Ugh... I don't understand how I developed allergies though. I didn't have allergies until I moved to Northern VA from Alabama after college. I keep telling my wife that we should move to Santa Fe, but she's not going for that. Oh well, I just have to suffer through it like so many other people do.
Ever wish you could just disappear for a few weeks and go where you want to go and just do whatever you wanted? I definitely do. I would travel to Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Peru to see Machu Picchu, China to hike the old Great Wall of China (not the rebuilt tourist section), and hike the Glaciers in Alaska.
Yellowstone fascinates me because it's an active super volcano. Not active in the sense that it's erupting, but the caldera is filling and is shifting the land to the point where the lakes in Yellowstone are shifting. I'd love to see Old Faithful just get a sense of the volcanic activity around me. The wild life is also something I really want to see in Yellowstone and hopefully I would be able to get a photograph or two of them. Seeing pictures that someone else took just doesn't do it for me, as it doesn't for most people.
Yosemite is something I would love to see because of all of the geologic beauty and wildlife. The area was formed by glaciers and from pictures it just looks amazing. Just like Yellowstone, Yosemite has a lot of wildlife throughout the park and I would definitely like to get some pictures there too.
Machu Picchu is a Wonder of the World for a reason. Built by the Incas high up in the mountains, the architecture has stood the test of time. The stones are cut with such precision, that you can't even fit a piece of paper between the stones. Some think it was built by aliens because the stone cutting is so precise. It's a large city where they also farmed their food on stepped terraces. I just want to hike all around Machu Picchu and also head into Lima, Peru to get a taste of the people, food, and culture of Peru. Since I don't speak Spanish, luckily a lot of the people in Peru do speak English fluently, so I won't be too lost.
The Great Wall of China is another Wonder of the World. The pictures you see of it on TV where it is completely built and tourists are walking on the way is a section that was actually rebuilt by the Chinese government to bring tourists in. I have very little interest in this section of the wall because I am not a fan of touristy areas. I want to hike the ruins of the Great Wall through the Chinese country side. I don't feel the need to hike the entire distance, but I would like to hike a large section while looking at the ruins, seeing villages near the wall, and just experiencing the Chinese country side. This of course would take a lot of planning, but I think it would be so worth it in the end.
Hiking the Glaciers in Alaska is a dream of mine. Now, you're probably thinking that I'm crazy for wanting to go into such a cold harsh environment. I LOVE the cold!!! I'd much rather be cold than hot, so Alaska is my cup of tea. Hiking the glaciers would be like walking on another planet to me. It dangerous, it's exciting, it's beautiful, and it would be one hell of an experience for me. Glaciers slowly diminishing by melting and breaking off at a fast rate, so the earlier I could hike the glaciers, the better.
That's my short list of what I would like to do if I could just disappear and do whatever for a few weeks. I'm not much of a party guy, so I won't be disappearing to Vegas and drinking myself to oblivion. Now, I could do this alone or take my boys. I'm not sure my wife would want to do this at all because she's not an outdoors girl, especially when it comes to hiking, but I think my boys would have a great time and would be in complete awe. It would also show them how big the world is and just how small they are. There is a saying that I've heard that I truly believe in, "The more one travels, the more one realizes how little they actually know and how insignificant they are." I have no idea who originally said this, but I think it's a 100% true as long as you're truly taking in everything around you.
OK... I'm an IT guy and I read warnings that come up on my PC. Most of them tell you what you need to do to fix the issue or avoid an issue, hence the reason they are called warnings. But why is it so many people are afraid of READING these warnings and doing what it says? And it's not just warnings... People won't do simple setup of Internet Explorer and then they get all mad that the setup comes up every time they open Internet Explorer. It has a wizard, so all you have to do is READ and go through the steps. Now, I realize that I'm computer inclined and a lot of people aren't, but really I just read everything that is in front of me. I think people would be amazed how simple computers are if they just read what is in front of them. It's not like the old days where you have enter DOS code to get the machine running. Everything is made very simple for people in software.
Is it laziness? Is it stupidity? Do they just have a PC phobia? Computers aren't going to blow up on you, especially if you read everything in front of you. If you read what is in front of you on your PC, you'll learn a lot about software and your PC, you won't kill your machine, people will begin to think you're really intelligent because you know what's going on with your PC. If you don't understand something your reading that your computer is trying to tell you, then Google it... Guess what! That's what us IT guys do if we don't understand or don't know something. All the information you need is out there on the web. Be resourceful and go look it up... You'll save yourself a ton of money by not having to call IT support for simple things.
Retailers with IT support make a ton of money off of people who are just too lazy to read and fix the machine themselves. I overheard what a big retailer IT support guy was telling a customer at the counter once and I just shook my head. The problem was a 2 minute fix, but the big retailer IT support guy was giving the poor woman this long BS explanation and it was going to cost her $50 to fix it. Save your money people... READ! Computers aren't these scary things that are going to blow up if you click the wrong button. The worst thing that could happen is that you may have to uninstall a piece of software and then install it again. That's better than spending a ridiculous amount of money.
I know sometimes you can have a problem and you get frustrated and you just want to throw your machine out the window. I have those days too. That's when I get up, walk away, get my mind back in a more stable place, then I'll go back and look at the error. I'll research it by Googling the exact error message and I'll usually find the answer. Sometimes you just need to take a step back and relax and then go back and figure it out slowly.
Bottom line is that you don't need to be a computer expert to fix most software issues, you just need to take the time to read everything that is in front of you and if you don't understand, look it up. Laziness drives most people to call their IT support and let me tell you from personal experience, that is the best way to get on your IT support person's nerves. And be sure that after you hang up, that IT support person has you labeled as an idiot. If you don't want that to happen to you, do your homework and look up the issue and try a resolution or 2 before calling. If those don't work and you need to call your IT support, tell your IT support person what you have tried and they will think highly of you for reading and making a valiant attempt to troubleshoot your own machine. Oh, and remember that details are very important to your IT support person when you call.
