Cleaning Out My House and Mind

I go over this in my mind a lot. I am coming up on 40. I feel like I want the simple life. Simple, with less "stuff" in it. And I mean physical stuff. Things you buy. They clutter your life and your mind. In my current situation, that would mean things like ...

1. Being organized and on top of things at work
2. Having a clean garage and backyard that do not feel uncomfortable when I walk out to them
3. Having an organized inside of the house where everyone knows where things belong
4. Things are clean
5. Kids maintain their spaces and keep them organized on their own
6. Cars are clean
7. Bills are all handled automatically
8. Photos/Family Memorabilia is organized, digitally stored and backed up
9. Desk at work is organized
10. Money in the back as a cushion
11. Will/Living Will is done so family is taken care of

What the Book Is and Isn't

What the Book Is and What It Is Not ...

• This is not a detailed eating and workout routine although we discuss these topics so you can better understand what is out there
• It does not condemn diet books or paint the fitness industry in a cynical light. There is a lot of good information out there and we can pick and choose what works for us.
• This is not the be-all end all and should be used in conjunction with other sources. My hope is that this is a solid foundation that enhances anything else you might read about fitness.
  

"Happy Weight, USA" is a Misnomer

The title of this book came from the the last line of the introductory chapter. I was writing about living permanently in the place you want to be and the idea of "Happy Weight, USA" popped to mind. In reality, the title doesn't make sense, but it is catchy, I think. I was originally trying to come up with a title using a combination of words like fitness, lean, habits ... or whatever. I couldn't really find anything I liked until "Happy Weight, USA" came to mind. In my mind, it is a beautiful place with big trees, swimming pools and happy music playing, but it is really a misnomer. Much like the way scientists say that "The Big Bang Theory" wasn't big and didn't include a bang, this book really isn't about weight, necessarily.

First, I think your body image is one component of happiness, but there is a lot more to it than just weight. It is, though, a great place to start because it enhances other areas of life. And the idea that everyone has to be a certain weight isn't really correct, either. We are really wanting an ideal body composition. I could be 190 and fat or 190 and ripped. But it would be silly of me to argue that, to most people, THE metric people care about most is that reading on the scale. Finally, none of what we talk about here is confined to the USA, of course. It applies everywhere. I just happen to live in the USA where we have, I think, the worst problem of obesity in the world due to plentiful and cheap processed foods, tons of misinformation and plenty of interesting temptations to keep us from being active.

So no matter where you are or what shape you are in, I hope we can all live in that happy place for us.

Overview: The Four Things

Most of us are trying to get to an appearance and fitness level where we look and feel our best. That is why we read books like this and take notice of people who are living examples of fitness. The weight or body composition that makes us feel our best is different for each person. Some need to be ripped with chiseled features and some need much less. The goal is happiness ... no matter what that is for you. Regardless of what you are aiming for, there are four main areas that I feel will provide the best results.

Understand these four points and you will succeed. You will notice they deal more with your approach and attitude towards health than the actual amount of carbs you eat or number of crunches you perform. And some of this may be hard for you to hear. Brace yourself. Later, we will explore each in greater depth.

ONE: You Have to Want It Because It Ain't Easy
Do you want it? Do you even know what you really want? Shedding unwanted body fat is hard work and is not normally very fun. Despite some fat-loss ads to the contrary, losing fat is a relatively slow process that involves sweat, making tough choices and dealing with hunger pangs. We're talking MONTHS here. You will run into road blocks. You will meet detractors (even in your own circle of family and friends). Injuries or illnesses will pop up. Moods will swing ....

Man, I can be a real downer, huh? But I'd rather know what I am really up against than be told some fairy tale and be confused why it isn't all lollipops and butterflies like they make it out to be on TV.

Know this. The work pays little rewards along the way and huge rewards down the road. That is why you must, in a very deep way, want it. At any given moment you might have resolve like, " I want to be ripped! People will bow to me!". Does that enthusiasm carry over more than a day or two for you? Resolutions may have come and gone in your past, so this has to be different. I argue it has to be a deep, well-rooted desire because it is hard to maintain that initial euphoric feeling for the months on end you will need to get and maintain where you want to be.

We will discuss how to cultivate this desire. You will learn to really understand what you want and you will want it if you don't already.

TWO: You ... and You Alone are Responsible for Results.
If you are fat now, it is your fault. You may have legitimate excuses why you have it harder than someone else, but those excuses do not help you. It is not the fault of your parents, your partner, kids, career, bills, genes or friends. There are people living today with more excuses than you who manage to be fit, so what makes you so special that you are the one person who is busier than the rest of us or was dealt the one impossibly winnable hand in the game of genetic cards? You have to take full responsibility from now on or you will always fall back on excuses. I am not calling you a liar, I am just telling you that every excuse, no matter how legitimate, only prevents you from getting where you want. Succeed despite your barriers. You can do it. You just have to work harder.

After reading, you will take full responsibility for your results ... the good and the bad. You will become a more critical thinker in relation to health and fitness. You will trust and be more confident in your choices. And you will figure out why your barriers are some of your biggest blessings. Really!

THREE: Know Thyself and Know the Rules.
You need to collect some data. Data gathering and diligent reflection and analysis will help you know yourself so you can figure out what works for you. And we can't forget the basic rules, too. Calories do matter! I am not even talking about the types of calories you consume yet. We are all subject to the same laws of thermodynamics. Take in more energy (calories) than we use on a daily basis, those calories are going to end up somewhere. For most of us, it will end up as fat deposits. In the simplest terms, expend more than you consume and you will shed pounds. The trick is getting a good idea of how much you expend daily and how much you consume. Unfortunately, this is sometimes tricky and a bit cumbersome, but it is critical. I am a big proponent of tracking calories. It is really the only way to really know what works for you.

We will learn and understand our body composition. We will look at ways to maximize our food intake for satiety and sanity. We will examine why we need real, unprocessed food and not pills or shakes. We will also discover how to leverage technological advancements to make calorie tracking much easier.

FOUR: It's Not Just About Getting There. Live There.
We are talking about healthy habit formation. If you got really ripped, is it about doing all the work, maybe having a photo shoot and then going back to an unhealthy lifestyle? With great energy and focus, you can completely transform yourself in 12 weeks. What then? What will your life be like when you reach the point where you feel you will be the happiest? What kind of things will you have to do to maintain that state? This is all part of the journey. I want your journey to be an educational one. You will learn about yourself. How you respond to food. How your body reacts to different exercises. What works for you. What doesn't. When you get there, you will know you.

You will know how to become a permanent resident of Happy Weight, USA!

Entering the holiday grind.

This is the time of year that is always a challenge. Reigning in the food intake is a real challenge. I am trying to lose 5lbs of fat this year. Go me. This is my first post from the iPhone.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Inspiration Through Men's Health

One of the key components I can help with is providing daily inspiration through personal experience and sharing other things that inspire me.

Why do i think that this is important? Well, I have noticed that during the times in my life I either subscribed to Men's Health magazine or purchased them regularly from the grocery store, I had overall better results. Yes ... the magazine that is universally panned by many in the fitness world becasue of the glossy covers and repetitive headlines (I once had two old magazines that weren't even three months apart and the cover healdines were practically identical except they managed to trim your waist in only 8 days .... down from 9! Progress!!). I get why the magazine is dissed by others, but I think it can have great value.

Typically, I buy a magazine like that and I glance through it and read a couple articles that immediately interest me. Then, it goes into the magazine holder we have in our bathroom. In the morning, when I first wake up, I go the restroom and pick it up. They have lots of little tidbits you can read in a few seconds. Some information on the latest study on blueberries or something small like that. I don't force myself to pick it up ... it is just there and it is easy to read. And I find that just implanting little thoughts makes a huge difference. It has helped me eat a little better and workout a little harder. And over time, it makes a huge difference. I don't work for them or get any benefit from others subscribing through my advice, but maybe I should look into that. :-)

New Goals

So after a long move and remodel ... eating wasn't as good as it should. I didn't get to the gym much. Weight stayed flat but I am "mushy". I feel 10 pounds fatter and I darn well might be even though weight is still in the same range. I am getting back into the routine again now that things have quieted down, but it has been hard to get the endurance back up ... bit I have hope and this week was some nice progress.

I am not going to be 38 forever. I still have all the time I need hopefully to make my goals. Every year, I try to run the Cap10K in Austin. This is always a good day for me to shoot for increasing my running endurance. Last year, I beat my best time by almost three minutes but I was well off my goal of 48 minutes. This year, I have a different set of goals .. and they are more visual.

(note I paused before typing this because I feel almost embarrassed and scared to type it)
I want to cross the finish line with my shirt off ... nto just looking thin or fit ... but ripped. And I want to finish in under 48 minutes. "Ripped" is not very specific. But let's try to make it more specific ... I need to look real f*cking good. That means bigger arms and chest. About 15lbs of fat off my frame and a tight abdomen. Yeeeeehaaa! I need to do this!

Here are some things I really hate ...

1. The feeling of excess fat on my midsection and legs (the first place I gain)
   
2. The feeling of clothes not fitting well
3. Feeling sloppy
4. Starting up again at the gym and feeling weak and out of shape
5. How much more tired I feel with extra weight
6. The not-so-confident feeling ... that sux
7. Not being able to get excited to go to the gym or excercise in general

Hate can be a powerful thing. Because you hate the way you feel, it can inspire you to make positive changes.