Success Warrior: The Blog That Embraces ADHD

The Primal Blueprint Cookbook

My copy of The Primal Blueprint Cookbook by Mark Sisson arrived today and I've had a quick scan through it.  Very quick so I don't even have too many first impressions for you but I can say that the Universe is great at answering queries. 

My wife and I were talking this morning because she wants to incorporate breakfast into her plan but she doesn't have time to make or eat breakfast before leaving for work.  I asked her if she wanted me to cook something for her that she could take to work.  I usually have time to cook (not tomorrow - dangit!) so I figured that I could make something while I'm cooking up my eggs and then she could take it with her.

So, I'm glancing through the Primal cookbook, looking at the pictures mostly (but I bought it for the articles, I promise) and I see something that catches my eye.  It's not anything new at all but something that might fit the bill exactly.  Omelets cooked in muffin tins with the muffin wrapper and everything.  How cool is that!  She can tell me what she wants in her omelet, I can make it, and she can take it with her and eat it easily without the need for any utensils.  I have to run the idea by her but how can you not like that idea?  Make up a batch, throw 'em in the fridge, and nuke 'em for a quick bite to eat. 

Score.

Have you ever worked your ass glutes so hard that it hurts to sit down?  Crikey! 

And my calves still haven't healed.  It feels like someone kicked them, like they are bruised.  Now, normally, this is a distinct possibility because of karate class but last week, I was strictly on the teaching end of the hitting and kicking.  This week, I'm going to be on the receiving end a bit as I jump in with everyone else except my #1 student.  #1 went to do a take-down last week and missed the grab and broke his thumb.  All the violence that we share in my class and he breaks his own damn thumb. 

Tomorrow, I have physical therapy but can I just say that I am feeling much better and I have a new BFF.  Of all the painful and expensive procedures that I have had, do you know what has worked the best?

A tennis ball.

Can you believe that?  My therapist told me to go buy a tennis ball (you actually have to buy 3 tennis balls much to Trey's delight with the bonus 2 and now my neighbors delight since those extra 2 balls have now been whacked over the back fence into the neighbor's yard - you're welcome neighbor) and you place said tennis ball on the ground. 

Okay, I was going to insert more parenthesis but my wandering thoughts get long enough that I'm going to give this tangential thought it's own paragraph.  My physical therapist did not say to put the ball on the ground.  She said to put it in this sock thingy so that I could hold the ball in place by holding opposite ends of the socky thingy and lean up against the wall.  I suck at following instructions. 

Anyway, you I place the tennis ball on the ground and then I lay on it.  You move around until you feel the ball on a knot or tender spot and then you stop moving and apply gentle pressure on it for a while.  "A while" being subjective and based on how long it takes before you feel like the knot has released.

Last night, I'm doing this drill and on about the third spot, I feel a release like a soap bubble popping.  Completely non-violent but not the melting away that you might associate with a knot working its way out.  It was there and then it was gone.  And man!  Everything else seemed to feel better too.  I may have even had a vision or something.  There was a ray of light, angelic singing, and some hot chick holding a plate with a medium rare rib-eye on it.  Is heaven like Hooters?

This isn't to say that all the other stuff hasn't helped or done it's part or set this possibility up but last night is the best that my back has felt in 5 months.  The ball and I have a date tonight because I know that, at least for me, that was not a one night stand.

I mentioned this in the early edition of this blog this morning but it's worth repeating again.  I was goofing off between sets while Drill Sergeant was out puking (I keed Chili, I keed - this time anyway, she was just getting some fresh air) and messing around with some of the medicine balls and found a killer ab exercise that requires no motion at all.  It's a plank variation where you aren't moving but oh my gawd are your ab muscles twitchin' and pingin' off trying to keep you from bouncing your face off the mat (and thank goodness I have mats because I failed a few times). 

My abs still aren't quite healed up from last week's "goof off" but I think they will be healed up enough tonight to at least demonstrate both exercises, briefly.  Tomorrow is ab day too.  Last Friday, I sneezed and thought I was going to cry.  You too can have that wonderful feeling if you do these exercises.  I'm talking about working the abs like most people haven't worked them.  You will need a box (you have your box by now right - Come on! You're a SW Blog reader, you haveto have a box) and a couple of medicine balls.  The box adds a whole 'nuther dimension to working out, quite literally. 

I won't require you to get VFFs but I'm loving working out in mine.  One of the students is going to go get some now.  She likes to work out barefoot but likes the idea of having the traction on her feet.  My Bikilas have great traction.  I can dig in on downward dog like nobody's bidness.   And run trails.  And climb rocks. 

I think I'll be doing some more climbing on Thursday.  What I have eyed up is probably too step for Bailey so she may have to stay behind this time.  She's going to be bummed but I'll try to plan a more dog friendly activity the following day or next week.

Stay tuned.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Bedhead Briefing - August 31, 2010

I was goofing around between sets in exercise class and came up with a new ab exercise that I'll have to share with you.  I'll make the video tonight. 

 

Turkey Day

I'm not sure what that means really but I'm cooking a turkey for dinner tonight. 

I should have my Primal Fitness cookbook tomorrow.  I'm looking forward to it although I probably won't be able to cook anything out of it until I've done a bit of grocery shopping.  That will give me some time to look through and decide which ones to start with and make a list for this weekend. 

I think I'm going to enjoy cooking through the winter. 

I got to workout today and I got to lift my heavy dumbbells.  Dude!  It felt like my ass was cramping up when I was doing step ups.  How long has it been since I've done actually heavier lifting?  5 months adds up quickly over time but I'm hoping to undo those 5 months in the next couple of months. 

I'm eating better now and that's going to help.  I'm really trying to get enough protein in right now for muscle building.  I'm not keeping track at the moment so it's going to be a subjective thing but currently, I still eat mostly meat even though I have added fruits and vegetables back into my diet. 

My appetite has returned along with my better health.  Better because I'm not healed and I'm trying to tough through the remainder (don't tsk-tsk me - 5 months is long enough to be out of action).  I'm weaning myself off all the drugs they had me on that didn't seem to work that well anyway.  I'll probably be clean in about a week and that's going to help my body too.

I do have physical therapy again this Wednesday.  I'm being passed off to a different therapist and a different doctor because my therapist and my doctor are too busy.  I'm not happy about it but they scheduled me further out than they wanted because everyone is too busy to see me.  This was the soonest they could get me in and so I'm taking what's being offered.  I just don't like starting over in explaining what's going on.  There shouldn't be too much to explain because both will have certain things that they are supposed to do but still.

Anyway, I'm going to be using that trip as an excuse to stop into REI again.  Like I need an excuse.  Shah!  I do need an excuse that's going to get me to drive that far though.  Once I'm there, I don't need an excuse to stop at REI.  A lot of people around here drive in to the city on a whim to escape but I feel like I lose a lot of time just in the driving to and from the city. 

Okay, have to go get things ready for dinner.  If I'm not at the Bedhead Briefing, it's because I'm stuck in bed still. 

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Bedhead Briefing - August 30, 2010

Puzzle Pieces, Planning, Paleo, and Primal

For me, today is the last day of summer.  Tomorrow brings a change to how my days will go.  Really, it's more of a mental thing than anything else.  I will actually be doing some things differently and I'm going to build some time into my schedule to work on my ACE Fitness Trainer certification.  I've been putting it off but I can't do that anymore.  The trick is going to be in fitting that in with everything else that I have going on.

Tonight, when I return from work, that's how I'll be spending my night.  Putting all the big rocks in my jar or at least planning how I'm going to do it.  I'm on a deadline and there are several things that have to be accomplished in the next 17 months.  The countdown has begun.  Summer is over and I have to hunker down for 9 months before summer starts again.  My schedule follows Trey's.  It's like I get a summer break because he gets a summer break.

On top of that, I'm going to try to cook some different things for the next 9 months.  We are fairly boring eaters and some of our staple meals had grain in them so I'm going to try adding variety to our dinners while staying grain-free.

To that end, I ordered The Primal Blueprint Cookbook by Mark Sisson so that I can try out some meals that match my diet.  My wife isn't going to complain about me doing the cooking.  She's going to be carrying a full load for college this semester.  It's going to be a busy winter for us.

I'm slowly reading through the Paleo Diet book and I think it was a great step forward.  The author still clings to the notion that animal fat is bad and when you think about paleo people and the fact that they used absolutely everything from animals, it goes against common sense to think that they only ate the lean cuts of meat from the animals they killed.  I'm going to finish reading it for the information but I would recommend the The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson as the better book if you want to be more healthy.  You have to love a guy that says there is no such thing as too much bacon.  Seriously. 

Speaking of being busy, that's it for me today.  I've got stuff to do.  Tomorrow, I'm off and running on about a dozen projects (I'm kidding but that's how it feels right now) and I have decided to go ahead and add a bit of video blogging this blog.  Kind of a hybrid system with a short video along with my normal blathering of words.  We'll see how that goes.

Stay tuned.

It's "Just" Water Weight

A thought occurred to me between the sobs of pain this morning*.  I should make this a video blog or, at the very least, add in one or two days a week where this is a video blog.  There are some concerns I have about this endeavor.  First, I need to way loosen up when I'm in front of the camera.  My karate videos are getting closer to the real me and in that format, I need to find the balance between being me and getting the info out that my students are looking for.  Second, I don't have a lot of time for editing or reshoots.  90% of my videos are done in one shoot.  I just say what I saw, do what I do, and put it up on the Internets.  Third, I just don't know about the whole thing thing with the rambling thoughts spewing straight out of my mouth without editing.

I'll be bouncing this around in my head.  What do you think?

*Here's a tip for you, free of charge.  If you haven't been running in a long, long time, I would suggest NOT going out and running 5 miles as fast as you can on hills.  I'm trying to walk around today without using my calf muscles. 

"And how's that working out for you?"

Speaking of being "out of shape", I forgot to tell you something interesting in yesterday's workout.  One of the exercises that I had slated for the morning was Band Push-Ups.  They are pretty tough and require you to keep your ab muscles completely and absolutely tight.  You have to tighten your abs for regular push-ups too but it's magnified hugely when you use the band.  Instead of punishing my abs even further, I decided to do regular push-ups.  Once I decided that, I decided that I should try to do 33 push-ups in less than a minute, where any breaks I took were done in the full lock-out position at the top. 

Why the weird and specific goal?  It was part of this out of shape thing that I've been talking about.  For 5 months now, I've been working out with 5 and 10 pound dumbbells where, in the past, I would have been working out with 40 and 50 pound dumbbells.  So, I'm not kidding when I say that I'm way off peak (a better term than "out of shape") at this point in my life.  Back when I went though the police academy 19 years ago, I had to be able to do 33 push ups in less than a minute with any breaks taken at the full-lock out position in order to graduate.

2 decades later, still trying to recover from an injury, and way off peak, I gave it a shot.

I made it.

Easily.

One thing I'll point out quickly because I've gotten a bunch of new readers lately.  None of what I post here is meant to brag in any way as compared to other people.  There are lots of people faster or stronger than me, by a long way.  When I talk about being a superhero by running 10 minute miles, it is strictly speaking in terms of me and where I am in my life.  Everyone can be their own super hero.  It just means putting out the effort and trying for something that you don't think you can do.  And then doing it.  Even giving it a shot makes you a hero, but if you pull it off and astound yourself, then you are a superhero.

 

When people drop sugars and grains from their diets, it's almost a sure bet that they are also going to drop water weight as well.  For the first couple of weeks on a healthy diet, you are going to wonder truly just how much a person can pee.  It's amazing and you're scale will show it.

"I lost 5 pounds this week!" you'll say excited about the first week on a plan to a healthier you.  That's when the people around you will chime in to poo-poo your achievement with that extremely dismissive, "It's probably 'just' water."

Yes.  Almost certainly.  Most of it is water.

And you should celebrate it!  With all your heart!  You are already on your way to being a super hero.  In fact, if you haven't stuck with a healthy way of eating for an entire week, you might be right there on the edge of super heroism.

That being the case, you need to avoid these kinds of people or else lay the smack down. 

First, let's put this in perspective.  Grab a backpack and a big heavy-duty plastic bag.  Fill the plastic bag with 10 pounds of water and put it in the backpack.  Now, put the backpack on and. never. take. it. off. ever.

How long would it take before this started to affect the joints of your ankles, knees, and the vertebrae of your back?  How long before it started to affect your mood?  How long would it be before you shrugged out of the the backpack and let it drop with a splooshy thud to the ground with a "This is stoopid!"?

It's not like you're a camel that needs to store all your water internally for a trip across the desert.  There is bottled water on every street corner.  You will not die of thirst.  You do not need to carry a bunch of useless water weight around on your body.  It only makes everything harder in life and is a clear sign that you aren't eating correctly.

So, when you make that positive change, and you start dropping the water weight.  Don't dismiss it and don't you dare let other people dismiss it either.  Either avoid sharing your victories with these people if they are people you have to be around or avoid them if they are people you don't have to be around or say, "Let's see you do it!" to the ones that deserve it.

That last one will do the trick.  You see, most people whether they consciously do it or not, dismiss it because:

1.  If it means nothing, then there is no point in them doing it; or
2.  They want you to give up because if you can do it, then that means that they can do it and what a terrible reminder that is; or
3.  It causes all kinds of fear if they are people that are in your social circle because you are threatening the relationship with *change*

Point #3 could probably fill an entire blog post in itself but the important point from today is to celebrate every positive change you see in your life, even if it's "just" losing water weight.  Your joints will thank you, your rings will fit better, your pants will almost instantly feel better on you (I mean, a week is nothing), and everything in your life will be easier.

When you make that initial change and start down the path to a more healthy you and your body sheds the unneeded water, smile that your body is already adapting to the positive changes.  When the nay-sayers show up, either dismiss their dismissal or where warranted, challenge them to do better than you.

Unless they take you up on the challenge, forget about them.  This is about where you are and what you are doing for yourself to make your life better.  They have to choose their own path.  Just don't let them choose your path.  You have more important things to worry about then the poo-pooers.

Like what colors you'll use for your superhero costume.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Today's Lope Was An Actual Run

Holy mother of all that is good and evil!  What have I done to my abs?

My toughest student, Drill Sergeant, dropped the F-bomb this morning.  Her abs hurt worse than mine, or rather, more of her abs hurt and I had her doing a quad exercise that involved the abs to a great deal.  It sounds like her obliques hurt right up to her armpits.  Yes, as a matter of fact, your obliques do go up to your armpits.  I know this because I have done the same thing to myself before.  You know you have worked your obliques hard when your ribs hurt.  Damn.

After working out, I went to the couch with a bag of Cheetohs and some Dr. Pepper to watch American Idle reruns.

Actually, I mixed up some Shakeology and worked on a fitness plan for a friend but it's easy to see how the two could be confused.  Well, except for the fact that I don't eat orange colored styrofoam or drink sugar water and have never seen a single episode of American Idle (and I couldn't even put in something cute there because I can't remember what Idle is - singing contest?).  But, other than those minor technicalities, it's easy to see how the two could have been confused.

After I had Trey off to school, it was time for another experiment with the Fibram Five Finger Bikila.  I went up to Leppy Hills, which is a walking trail here in West Wendover.  There is a 1 mile loop, a 3 mile loop, a 5 mile loop, and lots of hills.  I thought it would be great.  I could head out hoping to get through the 3 mile loop but if it didn't look good, I could cut off for the 1 mile loop.  On the outside chance things were going great, I could hang in there for the 5 mile loop. 

I ended up going around the 5 mile loop and ran the whole way, which I thought was amazing for someone wearing new shoes and being "out of shape".  It was pointed out to me recently by Drill Sergeant during one of my "out of shape" whining sessions (there have been a few over the 5 months of my injury recovery) that while I may be a long way from my peak condition, especially when it comes to strength, my "out of shape" did not actually match the general definition of out of shape.  Only, she didn't caught say it like that.  It went more like this, as I dropped the weights to the mat:

"Sheesh, I'm outta shape."

"Bullshit!"

It's close though, right?

So, I haven't run for several months and setting out on a 5 miler might not be considering breaking back into it easily but there it is.  It felt good too.  Not super fast but that's okay.  As I hit the 2 mile mark, feeling really good, I thought that if I could make the 5 miles in 50 minutes with all the hills, I would be a super hero. 

56 minutes.

I missed super hero status by 6 minutes.  Crap.

I noticed some things on this longer, hillier run than I noticed on my super brief test.  My stride length returned to normal.  It was short in the beginning but as I got back into the rhythm of running, it lengthened out to my normal stride.  I still hit mostly with the ball of my foot.  It was like I would stretch my foot out front and then start the kick before my foot hit the ground.  Coming down the hills put a lot of impact on the balls of my feet.  In fact, I ended up with a blister on the ball of my right foot. 

I sprinted the last hundred yards to see how that felt.  It felt like sprinting.  Don't know what else I can tell you about that.  I didn't feel anything on my heel that was jarring but I wasn't thinking about it much at that point.  I was just see how fast I could sprint after running 5 miles.

I'll have to take some time off from running until the blister goes away.  I saw a place that would be fun to climb but that will have to wait as well.

I also think that a disk golf course would work nicely up in that area.  There are big enough boulders and ravines to keep things interesting.  I'll have to go back and walk the area more slowly.  The city manager has already warned me that the BLM will probably tell me no but I'm going to look anyway.  The disk golf course in Taylorsville goes around with a walking trail so it's something that can be done.  I didn't take my camera with me or even my Droid because I went light.  My VFF Bikilas and my iPod and that was it.  Next time (and there will be a next time because I need to see if I can shave off those 6 minutes to earn my cape), I'll take my camera so you can see the area. 

I found a pic online that kind of shows the "area" but not really the walking trail area specifically.  I'll give you this for today and fix it next time I go.

I was going to talk about dropping water weight in the first couple of week's of a diet change but I think that will have to wait until tomorrow.  Now, it's time to get ready to start the weekend at work.  I've also got to start looking into what I'm going to be doing next week, taking the blister into account.

Stay tuned.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Disk Golf Today

So,

I was goofing around yesterday and did something a bit different for my abs.

I should never let me be alone with my thoughts.  Ever.  It's too dangerous.  My lower abs are damaged.  Not in a bad way (this time) but in a way where they would would rather participate in life for a day or two.

Hey!  So, you know what I did today, right?

In my defense . . .

Actually, I don't have anything to say in my defense. 

I didn't play very much disk golf, if that counts for anything.  My brother couldn't get a babysitter so that day was cut very short, in fact.  We got in one round and then kind of did a speed round that didn't really go so well except that I did have some really good drives today.

I tried out my Vibram Ridge and old habits die hard.  I tried throwing it like an Aviar and it floated right over several baskets.  Several.  Time and again.  Does it sound like me to not be aggressive enough?

We didn't keep score but my brother ceded the day because I was wearing my Vibram Bikilas.  No, not really.  Well, yes I was, but that's not the reason that he gave me the day.  I just seemed to be more on in the second round.  I won the first round by 1 throw and many of my drives in the second round were just pretty. 

I suggested that the next time we are so short on time that we give up all pretense of playing like we usually do, grab 2 disks, and see how quickly we can play through a few rounds.  That would make it different and a bit of exercise on top of that.  Maybe we could even sprint a few holes.  That might be taking it too far.  I will probably try that on my own though.  Standing on the desk.

Since we got done so early, I had some time to kill.  Okay, I never really have time to kill but I had already scheduled to use this time so I felt like I had free time.  On my way home, I took a slight detour out to REI, which is very dangerous but my wife had already told me no.  I made the mistake of calling her.

"Hi.  Hey, I'm going to zig a bit on my way home and stop at REI."

"No."

"What?"

"No."

"I didn't say anything yet."

"No."

"Fine, I was just going to look anyway."

Dammit!

I'm going back next week and this time, I'm not calling her.

"We're missing money from our account.  Did you go to REI?"

"Surprise!  I bought you a daypack.  Can I borrow it?"

I also found out that I'm going to be a kayaker.  There is a bit of problem with that and if you look at the pictures from yesterday's post very closely, you might pick up on what that is.

Anywho, I took a picture of a kayak with my Droid and texted (texted?  The English language is so mashed up) it to my wife.  This, of course, will only lead to future No's and may invoke her to put GPS on my car with a disabler if I get too close to REI.  I'm going to try to sell her on the daypack though with the old, "Hey!  It's not like it's a kayak.  Do you know how much those cost?"

When I go back for the kayak (and I will go back for the kayak), I'll have to hope she has forgotten about my argument or I'll have to come up with something better.  "Hey!  It's not like it's a powerboat . . ."

Today is my last low carb day.  It hasn't been any kind of struggle.  I just did it as kind of a preparation for the next stage, which will be primal + dairy. 

The thing is, unless I've completely lost my mind, I usually eat protein, fruits, and vegetables.  It's not like this is anything new.  I suppose the new part for the next 10 weeks is that I'm going to be strict about it. 

I usually eat this way but I'm also not any kind of purist about it.  For the next 10 weeks, I'm going to be better then usual.

I have also started reading The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain so that I have a better understanding of paleo.  It's not quite the same as primal but I don't think it will apply to me but I think it will be good for me to read.  You know, because I have a bunch of spare reading time.

Wait a tick!  In all my aimless rambling, I forgot that I did actually take a couple of pictures today.  We were playing so fast that there wasn't much time for getting the camera in and out of the bag.  It's too bad.  This late in the season, the Riverdale Disk Golf Course is tough.  All the greenery is in.  Well, you'll get the idea from the two pictures that I actually did take.

 
"I think I see the basket."

That's my brother out there in the thick stuff.  From there, he had to throw a tomahawk roller to get anywhere near the basket.  It didn't really roll though.  It took a lucky bounce off of a log and rolled to a point where he had a putt at the basket, which he made. 

I'm taking this picture from where my drive landed.  Not in the brush and trees.  Most of my drives were right on the mark today.  This is a weird drive too because I throw the disk with about a 75 degree dip down so that it just makes a big up and down arc, moving a little to the left as it goes.  There are all kinds of trees between the tee and the basket, to the point where you can't see the basket.  A lot of the baskets are like that.

 
Case in point

This is a tee pad for a different basket and I can't remember which number it is.  Not that it matters at all to any of you anyway.  The basket is about 300 feet up that path and then about 30 feet to the right of the path.  You can't see the basket.  You can't aim at the basket.  For a lot of people, it's wonderful if they get there disk past those sentry trees and any where near the path.

This is a tough hole and most of the course is very much risk/reward.  I haven't counted but I would say that you have an opportunity to birdie just about every basket on this course if you go for it and make it past the trees.  On the other hand, if you hit a tree way short or end up in some of the super thick brush, you're looking at a bogey. 

For people that are familiar with the course, I'm talking about playing from the red tees.  If you play from the yellow tees, you should probably getting a birdie or at least par every time. 

We came up on some guys that were kickin' it in the shade.

"You playin' off the red tees?" one of them asked.  My brother answered in the affirmative and the group had to briefly move from the shade because they were kind of ahead of the red tee pad.  My brother took the pad and let his disk fly.  It flew flat and straight, between a couple of trees, then faded to the left around a clump of big trees, going about 300 feet and landing in range for an easy birdie.

"That's why you're playing off the red tees," the guy said.

My shot wasn't quite as impressive but it landed close enough to give me a shot at the basket for birdie.  I hit the bottom of the basket for a gimme for par.

Now, back to the rambling for one more short bit.  I think I swallowed a piece of chicken bone and I think it's still stuck in my throat 2 hours later.  Besides driving for 100 miles to a hospital, does anyone have any suggestions (and besides suggesting not eating chicken bones, I've already thought of that one and written it down on a post it so that I can stick it on the next piece of chicken that I eat).

Tomorrow is some kind of lope.  I still thinking about going to the walking trail (can you lope on a walking trail?) but I'm also entertaining the idea of something rougher.

Stay tuned.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Today's Lope (With Lots of Pictures)

First off, in my defense, I would like to point out that puking is an excellent ab exercise.

Now, on to today's post: 

 
"3 Mile"

The goal for today was to run up the road to the base of the rocky part and then climb to the top.  Simple enough plan.

 
Whoever gave me this definitely knows me

I was probably going to need water and I was going to take quite a bit because I had no idea how long I was going to play around.  I don't have a daypack yet (what the hell is up with that?) so I brought out my trustworthy bag that CV gave to me in 1986.  It's sturdy, that's for sure.  I've used it mainly as a carry-on over the last couple of decades but now . . .

 
A Vibram Ridge peeking out.

It stores disks.  Sometimes it holds all my spare disks but right now it's holding all the disks I took on a recent practice trip to the park.  I emptied them out, put in a big jug of water, and my camera in the pocket, then grabbed my iPod.  It was loping time.

"Shhhh.  Be wary, wary quiet.  We hunting wabbits."

Now, Bailey has shunned running with me.  Ever since her last injury, she will not go running with me.  When I used to get ready for running, she would run to the door and whine.  The last time I got ready, she had no reaction and when I grabbed her leash, she went over to the fireplace and laid down.  *Yawn*

Today, her dog senses picked up that something was different and she was all kinds of excited as I packed things up.  So, Bailey went on a lope with me, which seemed highly appropriate and she even got to chase a rabbit.

 
Vibram Five Fingers Bikila

Here's the running loping footwear of the day.  Giving the VFF Bikilas a try on some tougher terrain, including jumping around on big rocks.

When I started out, my left ankle was a bit resistant to the whole idea.  I would alternate between running 50 feet and walking 50 feet until my ankle was sufficiently "warmed up" to the idea of running the entire time.  It was a really sharp pain on the outside of my ankle but it went away so I'm not sure what was up with that.  It's not like it wasn't already warm.  I had exercised this morning in my class so I didn't just hop out of bed and run up a mountain.

 
Slayer was here?

This was at the end of the road.  From here, it was time to go up steeper.

  
Hmmmm

The top is over that way somewhere.  We didn't actually go straight over these rocks.  In most places, there were antelope trails that weaved their way up between these big rocks.

 
"What do I look like?  A frikkin' mountain goat?

This is Bailey at the top of the road, looking in the opposite direction of the big rocks like she's got the whole, "Not tryin' to see dat," going on. 

Oh, we're goin' girlfrien', we're goin'.

 
"What do I look like?  A frikkin' VFF Trek"

These "running shoes" were definitely up in antelope land now.  We didn't see any though.  We found a place where they probably sleep but there weren't any around at the moment.  Maybe they saw us coming.

"Antelope 8 to Antelope 1, come in." *Crackle*

"Go ahead Antelope 8."

"Yeah, we got us a human with the coolest shoes I have ever seen in my life and a Rottweiler heading this way."

"Roger that 8.  Get a picture of the shoes then come back up here and help us with the camoflage netting."

 
Elko is that way.

Yep, about a hundred miles away or so.

 
Ely is that way.

Yep, about a hundred miles away or so.

 
Salt Lake City is that way.

Yep, about a hundred miles away or so.

"Well, ain't this a geographical oddity, a hundred miles from everywhere."

 
West Wendover NV and Wendover UT

There they are.  That's the Salt Flats in the background where the horizon just cuts off because of the curvature of the earth.  The call it flat but it's not really.  It's circular.  You can't follow the curve of the earth and be "flat".

 
The Hummingbird?

My car is down there parked in front of the last house in the city limits.  "Hi Brent.  That was me and Bailey making your dogs bark this morning."

That's part of the golf course in the foreground.  Isn't the green color striking in this environment?

 
"Couldja smile?"

Here's me on top of the rock and yes, next time I'll try to remember to smile.  There was a lot of glare from the sun so I was really trying hard to see what was in the camera shot.  I never did really see it but it turned out okay - except for the lack of a smile.

 
VFF Air Max?

Here's my Bikilas hanging off the top of the rock as Bailey and I took a short break before heading back down.  She looked over this ledge, said "Hell no!" and went off in another direction.  She was doing some scouting while I took this picture but I would end up messing with her plans of taking the easy way down.

The Bikilas performed very nicely for the trip up and they were marvelous on the rocks, especially going down.  They had wonderful grip as all the different pads and toes dug in to nooks and crannies to hold me in place on some pretty steep surfaces.  They just formed themselves to the rocks and the rubber gripped so well.

I didn't notice a marked difference between Bikilas and boots as I slid down some gravel toward a ledge.  Perhaps boot heels would have dug in better.  I dunno.  Truth be told, I was distracted.  I was able to get my heels in enough to keep my wife from saying "What the hell were you thinking?" as she looked down at me lying on a hospital bed.

"Testing Bikilas," as an answer probably wouldn't have gotten me out of a smack to the head.  In fact, it might have earned me an extra one. 

Anyway, the Bikilas worked good enough that I brought myself to a halt and chose a different path.  Bailey had chosen a very different path that didn't involved a mountain slide of loose gravel.  I've always said she's a smart dog (but still not my dog).

 
A shortcut down?

"Hey Bailey!  How 'bout we take a shortcut back down?"

"Hey SW!  How 'bout you kiss my tan Rotty ass?"

Such language.

 
The long way

Bailey, the stubborn dog, took the long way down where she was able to walk on rock.

Me?

 
Sinking into gravel on the "shortcut"

Did I tell you that she's a smart dog?

 
Kickin' it.

While I was sliding down the gravel gully, Bailey took the opportunity to have a break.  You can see how steep the hill is that we're heading down.  She's sitting down and her back just about looks like she's standing.  Made for an easy seat for her though as she waited for me to ski to the bottom.  VFF Downhills?

 
Gravel-much?

At the bottom of the shortcut, I decided that I should empty my shoes.  I had planned on taking a similar picture when I got back to the car showing how little gravel got in my shoes on this entire adventure.  My plans changed when I went for my first slide toward the ledge where I emptied my shoes (and shorts?) and then again at the bottom of the shortcut.  As you can see this was going to make for a not-fun run back to the car.  There was so much gravel in my shoes that my heels were unseated and it felt like my feet were coming out of the shoes. 

 
Max Capacity?

So, in case you were wondering how much gravel you can fit into two Bikilas and still have your feet in them, here's the answer.  This isn't the kind of information you'll get in an Amazon review, no sirree.  I've tested the Bikila in ways few have and recorded it with pictures just for you.  I want you to have a full understanding of these shoes.  Who else does that for you?  There are some pretty big damn rocks in that pile.  Yikes!

 
Not VFF Friendly - Do Not Step Here

With my shoes cleaned out, it was back to easy running back to the car.  One thing that I have noticed with this little outing is that I take smaller steps when I run.  Since I don't have a cushion on my heel to absorb the shock, I take smaller steps so that I can land mid or forefoot.  I don't know what that means for my speed and quite frankly, at this point I don't care.

As much as I love my carry-on bag, it's not made for this type of fun-ness so I'm going to be looking into getting a new backpack.  I've got my eye on the Osprey Stratos 24 Daypack and I may have to make a visit to REI when I go in for physical therapy session next week.  I get free shipping from REI so if I go with trusting the reviews, I may just order it so that it's on its way.  I have a much bigger climb in the works, soon.

This was a great little adventure and I can see that I'm going to have to head into areas farther from home.

Tomorrow is disk golf with my brother.  This time, I am going to be sure to take my camera.  I'm putting a post-it on my disks so I don't forget and leave the camera in the charger again.

Stay tuned.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Changing Supplements Too

Have I mentioned that my 10 week plan is going to be different than anything that I have done in the last few years.  I mean, I'm even changing my hair style for hell's sake (No CV, not quite as long as the pic on that home page).

So, I thought I would completely change up my supplements too and BodyBuilding.com was running a special on a packaged deal so I picked it up to throw into the mix.

Let me point out one drawback to the "change everything" shotgun approach that I'm taking over the next couple of months.  I won't really know what had the most effect or if it was some combination that helped out.  What if it turns out that I'm like Samson and that growing my hair out is what has the most effect and I attribute any changes to eating protein and lifting heavy weights.  I would be so wrong and I might cut my hair not knowing how detrimental that would be for me. 

On the other hand, the actual goal over the next couple of months is mostly just to shake things up.  I just want to change.  If I come out on the other side, pretty much like I am now (except with longer hair), I will still have done what I wanted to do. 

Do you ever get like that? 

I'm not abandoning anything important to me but just changing my approach.  It's like standing on the desk in The Dead Poet's Society.  I just want a different look at what and how I am doing things.  My results are secondary to that.  I don't want to downplay the results too much.  I was injured in April and have been going light for 5 months now.  I fully expect that training hard for 2 months is going make a big change in my strength level and hopefully move me close to where I was before the injury.  I'm also hoping that my new found hobby of VFF loping helps me stay or become leaner. 

I expect results but when I think about my before picture, I know that it's going to be very possible for me to get stronger and not change that much.  I trained for and ran an incredibly tough half marathon 13 years ago (Race for the Angel - for those of you that are familiar with this bit of hell).  Before starting my training, I weighed 220 pounds.  After 6 months of running 3 to 7 miles a day, I weighed 220 pounds.  Do not even ask me how I did that? 

Back to the supplements for the next couple of months. 

Initially, I was just thinking about adding glutamine to what I was taking and calling it good.  Then, right on cue, Bodybuilding.com sent me an offer that caught my eye and struck my "change everything" nerve.  This stack has glutamine in it so what I wanted is there in addition to creatine.  Two things that I think just about anyone can benefit from, especially when combined with some resistance training. 

This stack has something for pre-workout, post-workout, protein, and something for joint health.  It's something that I would create for myself, in fact, or else I wouldn't be taking it.  I actually drink my post-workout/recovery drink during exercise and just start getting it in.  I have other things to do when I'm done exercising (you know, like shower - ewwww) so I just sip on it like I would with water during the workout.

Obviously, at this point, I can't attest to the effects of taking this stack although I have already started taking it.  I want the creatine and glutamine already in my body when I start the attack next week.  So, even though I can't say these particular products work, I do know that the stuff that's in these products work so I can recommend this package deal if someone is completely confused by all the products out there.  The work has been done for you on this one.  Easy peasy lemon squeezey.

Combos Action Star Stack, 4 Bottle Combo, Cookies N Creme / Raspberry Lemonade / Grape 

If you're changing everything or starting out and want a boost, this will help you out, no doubt.  I'm starting to sound like Dr. Seuss.

No more rhymes, I mean it.

Anyone want a peanut.

Enough of that, let's look ahead to what's coming up for the week.

Tomorrow is my lope to the top of a hill.  A steep hill.  A hill that overlooks the whole town.  I'm going to take my camera with me.  I was just going to take my Droid but I don't think that will do the view justice so I'm going to take my camera with me.  I'll take pictures on the way up and from the top (if I make it that far).  My wife has walked in the area and said there are lots of ruts and loose sand.  Pshaw!  Nothing that my new Bikilas can't handle.  Now, my ankles and legs, that might be a different story but my shoes, I'm sure, are up to the challenge.

Thursday is disk golf.  We'll probably play 3 rounds at our favorite course.  I just read an article on what an excellent activity disk golf is because of the low entry cost, zero ongoing fees, and the fact that anyone from 6 to 96 can play it.  Well, I happen to agree.  You can buy one versatile disk for $15 and go play at a free park.  Anyone can.  I highly recommend it.  I just need to move where it isn't so dang cold for so long so that I can play more.  The article said that you can even play in the snow.  I had to give that part a "oh hell no" but the rest of it, I agreed too.  They were comparing it to golf though and with disk golf, it would certainly be possible to play in the snow but I have yet to do that.  Maybe this year, I'll be out there in my VFF Flows, putting barefoot footprints in the snow, chucking a frozen piece of plastic around.  I could just see dinging the post that holds up the basket and cracking my disk. 

Friday is probably going to be a much shorter lope, or easier.  I'm going to go to the walking trails and give them a try.  I've walked the 1 mile trail.  They also have a 3 and 5 mile trail.  We had Trey with us so we took the short path.  He'll be in school so I'll just play it by ear and I'm not promising to stay on the trail.

That was the best part of my trip to Craters of the Moon with CV.  If you're confused by this sudden jump in topics, you haven't read recent comments.  Anyway, trail schmail.  We looked for the "Do not go beyond this point" signs and went right by them figuring that there was probably something good not too much past them.  We were right too.  There are caves all over the place out there.  The lava cooled and left huge pockets in the ground.  Some of them have openings and some of them connect to each other, although we had to belly crawl in some places with the rock scraping our backs to get from one to the next.  Incredibly fun.  We did some climbing inside them too.  Climbing was easy but coming down was really hard.  The person on the ground that was holding the flashlight had to call out foot and hand holds.  We spent the entire day out there spelunking.  Absolutely amazing.

There are caves around here too.  I'll have to see if there is a website with a map or something.  I may have to lope up into the hills and have a bit of a check around.

Saturday and Sunday will be back to the reality of work.  Bummer but I'm going to have a great time between now and then and I will, as always, keep you updated.

Stay tuned.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.