It’s Much Easier Than You Think

I've learned that I can absolutely rip rows... And that I really dislike shirts!

The body is an amazing thing, take a moment to listen to it and it will almost tell you what it needs to thrive. Making big change is not hard, it just takes some commitment and goal setting.

So far, in 2012, both my wife and I have seen some impressive results in the way of our individual efforts to complete short-term goals. For those who don’t know, she is currently on her journey to become a fitness competitor. In a little more than a year, under the watchful eye of trainer Benjamin Ballinger, she has made a complete transformation in the way of athletic performance, body composition, and diet. She has blasted through plateau’s she never thought she’d break through, and has made changes that will changes the way she approaches obstacles on an every day basis.

I, for almost 5 five month’s, have been on my own journey. I have entered the realm of Crossfit, and it has turned out to be the perfect fit. Before I walked into Orange Coast Crossfit in Costa Mesa, CA I had been doing my own circuited, high intensity training in my backyard. Most of my backyard workouts were short-rest, interval workouts that were timed to keep them intense and short. I didn’t know that a sport existed that was basically programmed after this methodology, until I was introduced to crossfit.

Just like my wife, it has been epic and eye-opening, I’ve pushed myself further and harder than ever before. I’ve learned where my strengths and my weaknesses are. Everyday I focus on both, I use my strengths to hit my limits and push myself self further into workouts. I focus on improving my weaknesses to become more well-rounded and a better performer.

Almost daily in our household, my wife and I are always having conversations about the personal barriers we broke. The television is on less, and better quality food is on the table. Energy is much higher and more than anything, support for each others goals is at an all time high. It’s all the name of having goals set, and not just coasting.

Crossfit update: Evolving (After One Month)

Busting out some deadlifts!

I’ve put on 7 pounds while gaining only 1% in body fat percentage in my first full month. That equates to 5.13 pounds of new muscle growth. There’s a good chance that a small amount of that is water weight as well but I’m okay with that. During this time the workouts have also continued to expose my weaknesses and prove my strengths, I have realized that my leg strength leaves something to be desired and that my cardio can make up ground.

The sign on the building at Orange Coast Crossfit reads “We [Heart] Brutal Workouts”, and they are not kidding. This first month HAS been absolutely brutal, but I can feel my body starting to take heed to what is happening. I’ve been going three times a week to allow recovery time in between sessions, rest has been huge as my body recovers from these brutal workouts. My goal is get conditioned enough to complete workouts at prescribed weights a minimum of 5 days a week by summertime.

Diet is also something I’ve changed and been working on further educating myself on. A large number of crossfit affiliates preach the Paleo diet as the recommended way of fueling your diet so I decided to read the “The Paleo Diet for Athletes” to gain some education on the preferred diet of crossfit. I chose the “for Athletes” version because the standard “Paleo Diet” guide is geared more towards weight loss and leaning out, not necessarily towards athletes who are using the food source for fuel in workouts. The Paleo Diet for Athletes is more of a mash-up of standardized bodybuilding dieting technique and the Paleo Diet.

The Paleo Diet is based off of the concept of building a diet around the way our ancestors ate in the Paleolithic Era. A time when food processing was unheard of and the only food sources were able to be gathered by hand or hunted. Experts on the Paleo Diet feel much of our evolution occurred during this era and that we are still not far evolved from this time. The concept is that our bodies have evolved to process the food sources of the Paleolithic era most efficiently. The Athletes version of this diet also talks about how natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables (called fructose) are still our bodies preferred source of re-fueling our muscle glycogen, not the modified starches found in processed carbohydrates (glucose). The writer scientifically proves when the right times to have glucose are (typically per-workout). It also talks about how farm-raised and corn-fed meats are not as rich in nutrients as wild caught or grass-fed meats.

Now, you won’t see me cursing potatoes anytime soon, I love potatoes, but I am applying some of what I learned from the Paleo Diet for Athletes to my diet. What I’ve learned about fueling muscle for brutal workouts has resulted in noticeable increases in my strength later in workouts. I definitely have less “off days”, my muscles feel prepared on most days, and my recovery time is shortened. Not to mention a more simplified diet of meat, nuts, fruits, and limited starches in high quantities is far more fulfilling in regards to taste as well.

 

Poll: Your “Dream”

Southern California After 6 Months

I’ve taken a few risks in my life and a couple involved big moves. I’m certainly not done taking risks, I only hope to take bigger ones as life move on, but the one I always hoped would pan-out was moving West, ultimately I wanted to end up in Southern California. I’m here and it’s been 6 months, so here’s my take on it.

A blue-collared kid from Detroit with empty pockets just can’t justify paying Southern California bills, luckily my good buddies Matt and Josh had a couch for me to sleep on back in 2005.  This couch wasn’t a So-Cal couch though, it was located in Tempe, Arizona. Not at bad start, plus I figured I wouldn’t be sleeping much anyways, which we didn’t. Arizona was a nice place to set up shop for a little while but I knew I was going to end up here one day.

Southern California has a lot of stereotypes, and I’m here to confirm they’re almost all true. The cost of living is high, it’s all about flash, and the beaches are majestic. Not to mention there is a ton of ego and attitude in the air, which people from other parts of the country really misunderstand. It’s tough to explain but the attitude is something you just can’t take personally, which some people find it hard to do. Southern California people have been living life a much higher pace for a lot longer than most places (New York City is obviously a step above), so aggressive driving and a “to the point” way of communicating is part of everyday life. If you can accept this as part of the culture and adapt you’ll realize it flows because of it, and no ones feelings get hurt.

The thing I love the most about California is it has multiple metropolitan hubs that all have different ways of life and identities. You can visit any one of these cities within a days drive and enjoy what’s different about that place. We live in Newport Beach on the Balboa Peninsula in the lower level of a pretty cool duplex. In the beach communities of California this a pretty common setup. We have about half the space of our Phoenix home for about twice the money, but it’s worth every penny. The area we live in is a semi-urban beach community that is sleepy most of spring, fall, and winter, but rowdy throughout the summers with tourist traffic and the bar crowd enjoying the summer sun and beautiful surf. It’s almost like our town gets invaded. The great part is you can go anywhere on the peninsula by way of beach cruiser. Life definitely slows slows down on the weekends here.

San Diego is a 1.5 hour drive South, Los Angeles is about 45 minutes North on the I-5, and Palm Springs is 1.5 hours to the East. Los Angeles is the big city with all the eccentricity you see on TV, San Diego is clean and slower paced. Inside these bigger hubs are many smaller cities that people identify closely with, and they take it VERY seriously. People get angry if you get your stereotypes mixed up. For instance, where we live in Newport Beach on the Peninsula, we are called “Newps” by other cities, other areas consider us snobby upscale beach city. Corona Del Mar is a smaller city that has been annexed by Newport Beach and is where you’ll see your “real housewives” and many pairs of Sperry Topsiders. Laguna Beach is also south of us and is considered a very artsy city. Huntington Beach is to the North, has the nickname “Surf City USA” and is where your “bruiser” crowd hangs out. Lots of tattoos and “tough-guy” types here, but a cool main street area overall. Then there are the “inlanders”, this name is given to those who live in the San Bernardino and Riverside counties, generally because of the lower cost of living. One thing all of the beach communities have in common is they all despise the stereotypical “inlander”, only because they tend to come in large, loud crowds and don’t always respect the neighborhoods of the locals. Of course, these are just the extremes of each area, they’re all great places to spend time over the weekend, depending on what you want to see.

We never get bored here, there is always something going on. Entertainers either live here or love to come here, so there are always events. It’s an outdoors man’s dream, with Ocean and Mountains all along the coast there is a never-ending amount of adventure. I’ve been to and seen some of the most beautiful international scenery and can say the most beautiful place I’ve been is right in the State I live in. California is huge into philanthropy and promoters love to tie it into fun events. Nothing feels better than giving back while networking and building new business, all while doing something you enjoy (like the John Wayne Cancer Foundation’s stand-up paddling events to raise money for cures). The ultimate mixing of business and pleasure, Californian’s have mastered it!

Healthy living is huge here and considered part of the lifestyle in almost all parts. It’s taken so seriously that any chain restaurant with more than 16 locations must list calorie counts on the entire menu. I’ve always been an active person so I like that society here holds you accountable. They say Californian’s love to play, which I would have to agree with, almost all my neighbors are active as well. They’re either going surfing, running, hiking, or doing something outdoors. Active lifestyle is a fixture here and I love that.

“It costs more”, “it’s too expensive”, when I told people we were moving to California that’s all I kept hearing. Well, my electricity bill was over $300/month last summer in Phoenix from the non-stop running AC unit that kept us from melting in our home. This summer my average electricity bill has been $18, the weather is a steady 73 degrees almost all year, a little warmer in summer and a little cooler in winters, but not by much. All we do is open the windows or get the fireplace going, that’s all it takes. That said, it IS a much more expensive place to live, luckily we are fortunate enough to be to cover those costs.

What people don’t mention is that Californian’s spend more than anyone too, so from the perspective of a small business owner I’ve been able to take advantage of the enormous populous and inflated pricing of retail goods. It’s true, there is gold in these hills, sure it costs more but you should ultimately make more. California is where the big boys come to play in business, if you want to see how good you are in your industry this is where you come to check your rank. Like the other industrial hubs of the world (New York, London, Hong Kong) it is tougher to get your footing, but the sky is the limit as far as how big your company can grow here.

I’ve justified the reason why it costs more for less living space here in California, it’s because you’re punching your ticket to endless amounts of fun and activity. After six months it’s every bit of what I would thought it would be and more. I’m glad I can call California home and look forward to building my family here.

I am a Bandwagon Detroit Lions fan!

I’m right here! The guy who hated the lions and now LOVES the team.

Actually I started liking the team when they stopped drafting receivers every year and started making great draft picks like Matthew Stafford, Ndomakong Suh, and Javid Best. They kept the impact guys like Calvin Johnson and got rid of dead weight like Roy Williams, then picked up Nate Burleson on the cheap. Love it!

I gave up on the Lions as a kid, a couple years into the Millen era and honestly thought ownership wouldn’t get the right management in head office. I was wrong! As a football fan I’ve loved every move they’ve made, and have come back to them, not because they’re another Detroit team but because I really dig the set of players. Honestly, I don’t know if they’ll be able to get past the Packers this year as the Pack is probably the best team in football and will probably repeat as champs. I do believe they’ll be competing every year for the next decade if they can stay healthy and add pieces to the team. Just need to stiffen up that defensive line, can’t play against Julius Peppers, Jared Allen, and the Packers defense twice a year and expect Stafford not to take hits (Backus is weak-sauce!).

The Lions are making for some great football, great to see young team stir up the rankings in the NFL. Tearing the Vikings heart out in come-from-behind fashion was all everyone was talking about out West a couple weeks ago. This past weekend when I was in Vegas everyone was on the bandwagon to see Romo get exposed for the flop he is by the Lions. It was great seeing the frowns on all the Cowboy’s trolls that day.

Now I need to go buy a Stafford jersey for when I go to the local pub on Sunday to catch the games. Now that’s some supreme bandwagon action my friends!

Tigers World Series Chances?

Hey participate in this poll about the Tigers playoff chances!

Hello world!

So I decided to put my stamp on the worldwide web and purchase my name and setup a place where friends and associates of mine can read my thoughts and ideas. Subscribe, subscribe, subscribe!!!!