Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
DAY VI: MOMENTUM
Momentum is building on Day VI.
Day V featured (1) a nice, slow run/walk: http://www.strava.com/activities/110706888 ; (2) a couple of hours in the park with kids, including multiple sets of tree pull-ups, push ups, stretching, and moving around in bare feet; and (3) a big-ass salad and other solid Paleo nutrition.
Most notable, the tree pull-ups were considerably easier and more fun than a few weeks ago. Today, after 85 pull-ups yesterday, I have very limited lat soreness. For me, this was directly due to reducing carbs and sugar to a minimum over the past 5 days; indeed, I have seen this phenomenon before and it is really cool when it kicks in: limited carbs and sugar = limited inflammation = limited soreness.
It's early in the game, but I am hopeful that I will maintain the momentum. It is very possible that in two weeks I will be able to do very hard, dynamic, ballistic workouts with little to no soreness afterwards. This carrot should sustain the momentum.
Breakfast today was 4 eggs (about 1.33 yokes) and two shots of wheat grass. No training today -- just a short mid-afternoon walk.
Day V featured (1) a nice, slow run/walk: http://www.strava.com/activities/110706888 ; (2) a couple of hours in the park with kids, including multiple sets of tree pull-ups, push ups, stretching, and moving around in bare feet; and (3) a big-ass salad and other solid Paleo nutrition.
Most notable, the tree pull-ups were considerably easier and more fun than a few weeks ago. Today, after 85 pull-ups yesterday, I have very limited lat soreness. For me, this was directly due to reducing carbs and sugar to a minimum over the past 5 days; indeed, I have seen this phenomenon before and it is really cool when it kicks in: limited carbs and sugar = limited inflammation = limited soreness.
It's early in the game, but I am hopeful that I will maintain the momentum. It is very possible that in two weeks I will be able to do very hard, dynamic, ballistic workouts with little to no soreness afterwards. This carrot should sustain the momentum.
Breakfast today was 4 eggs (about 1.33 yokes) and two shots of wheat grass. No training today -- just a short mid-afternoon walk.
| BREAKING OUT |
Sunday, February 2, 2014
DAY V AND SUPER BOWL XLVIII
Play is becoming a lost art, so to speak: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-lost-art-of-play-reclaiming-a-primal-tradition/#axzz2s7zNF5ht
So, yesterday, after some work, it was off to some play. Before my son's 0800 basketball game we ran around with my daughter and some other kids -- randomly dribbling, shooting, and going for steals on a side court (my game is ugly, needless to say). I had a blast in those 20 minutes. Granted, I was at my son's game, not mine, but the opportunity to "play" for awhile was right there and I took it.
I will continue to seek opportunities to engage in more play. For example, I am in the process of creating a few "courses" both on and off our property, using the land (e.g. tree pull-ups; cactus sprints) and conventional sources (e.g. a hoop; dumbbells). The courses will be ever-changing; I have enough routine in my life.
Following the hoops, it was 5 shots of wheatgrass (they gave me a bonus shot because I am the only yahoo that orders two double-shots). That stuff is potent: for about 5 minutes I wanted to jump out of my skin -- in a good way. After a little more work and some good Paleo fair, I added an apple and a banana to prep for a two hour MTB ride. In a few weeks I am hoping that prep will be unnecessary as I will be burning more fat, not carbs.
The two hour MTB ride (no calaries; 24 ounces of H2O) was low heart rate -- well below 134 -- except that in the second hour I did about 12 uphill sprints of anywhere from 5 to 15 seconds on canal underpasses. The one exception was a 66 second blast of what is called "Ivan Dragoo hill." I had a definite tailwind, but it hurt. Here's the overall ride: http://www.strava.com/activities/110494621
A bison burger cookout, with massive spinach salad, capped the day.
I hope we all play today -- Super Bowl Sunday.
So, yesterday, after some work, it was off to some play. Before my son's 0800 basketball game we ran around with my daughter and some other kids -- randomly dribbling, shooting, and going for steals on a side court (my game is ugly, needless to say). I had a blast in those 20 minutes. Granted, I was at my son's game, not mine, but the opportunity to "play" for awhile was right there and I took it.
I will continue to seek opportunities to engage in more play. For example, I am in the process of creating a few "courses" both on and off our property, using the land (e.g. tree pull-ups; cactus sprints) and conventional sources (e.g. a hoop; dumbbells). The courses will be ever-changing; I have enough routine in my life.
Following the hoops, it was 5 shots of wheatgrass (they gave me a bonus shot because I am the only yahoo that orders two double-shots). That stuff is potent: for about 5 minutes I wanted to jump out of my skin -- in a good way. After a little more work and some good Paleo fair, I added an apple and a banana to prep for a two hour MTB ride. In a few weeks I am hoping that prep will be unnecessary as I will be burning more fat, not carbs.
The two hour MTB ride (no calaries; 24 ounces of H2O) was low heart rate -- well below 134 -- except that in the second hour I did about 12 uphill sprints of anywhere from 5 to 15 seconds on canal underpasses. The one exception was a 66 second blast of what is called "Ivan Dragoo hill." I had a definite tailwind, but it hurt. Here's the overall ride: http://www.strava.com/activities/110494621
A bison burger cookout, with massive spinach salad, capped the day.
I hope we all play today -- Super Bowl Sunday.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
DAY IV: STAY HUNGRY
I am awake early, assessing some carnage from yesterday, brewing some SAC, and getting ready to walk for about 45 minutes before dawn (wife is training at 0600 so I need to be up and back early).
I got a little sloppy yesterday. First the good: felt good and ate a good supply of low glycemic fruits, nuts, and carnivorous offerings. The bad: a Starbucks venti, soy, sugar-free vanilla latte (extra hot) tasted great about 12:35 p.m., but it's not good for me -- soy and too much other crap and caffeine I didn't need. Then, more Artisan Nut-Thins. Then, at night, lots of processed meat with added sugar and carbs (that's right, they put sugar and carbs in everything); not a lot of sugar and carbs, but enough to be very uncool.
I tell my vegetarian friends one can be a bad Paleo devotee or a bad vegetarian -- "bad" meaning ingesting processed junk with no benefit as a convenience or crutch. Note to self: HTFU (harden the fuck up).
The coffee is kicking in. Time to walk. Yesterday's semi-carnage is done. Time to move forward. No looking back.
I got a little sloppy yesterday. First the good: felt good and ate a good supply of low glycemic fruits, nuts, and carnivorous offerings. The bad: a Starbucks venti, soy, sugar-free vanilla latte (extra hot) tasted great about 12:35 p.m., but it's not good for me -- soy and too much other crap and caffeine I didn't need. Then, more Artisan Nut-Thins. Then, at night, lots of processed meat with added sugar and carbs (that's right, they put sugar and carbs in everything); not a lot of sugar and carbs, but enough to be very uncool.
I tell my vegetarian friends one can be a bad Paleo devotee or a bad vegetarian -- "bad" meaning ingesting processed junk with no benefit as a convenience or crutch. Note to self: HTFU (harden the fuck up).
The coffee is kicking in. Time to walk. Yesterday's semi-carnage is done. Time to move forward. No looking back.
Friday, January 31, 2014
MARCUS AURELIUS AND DAY III
“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Just as one may revoke bad thoughts, one may revoke bad eating and a bad lifestyle -- with all their attendant downsides. Day III has me feeling solid, and it's no coincidence.
Strong-ass coffee and a really easy run led to a solid morning of work. Here's the run (which entailed much walking to stay below 134 at all times): http://app.strava.com/activities/110173075
Mid-morning "snack" of most of the rest of Wednesday's chicken with some more "Artisan Nut-Thins," which again are gluten and wheat free, and a few gulps of kambucha.
I'll post tomorrow or Sunday on what "happens" the rest of today. In any event:
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Just as one may revoke bad thoughts, one may revoke bad eating and a bad lifestyle -- with all their attendant downsides. Day III has me feeling solid, and it's no coincidence.
Strong-ass coffee and a really easy run led to a solid morning of work. Here's the run (which entailed much walking to stay below 134 at all times): http://app.strava.com/activities/110173075
Mid-morning "snack" of most of the rest of Wednesday's chicken with some more "Artisan Nut-Thins," which again are gluten and wheat free, and a few gulps of kambucha.
I'll post tomorrow or Sunday on what "happens" the rest of today. In any event:
Thursday, January 30, 2014
DAY II PALEO MUSINGS/ACTIVITIES
I awoke semi-fresh and, of course, proceeded to quaff more strong-ass coffee to get the day going.
After some chill time with the family and a 27 minute warm-up, I did some weights and sprints for about 20 minutes -- at times pretty intense. Two double shots of wheat grass then led to a productive morning at work.
At 1100 the 4 eggs that I had scrambled from home (one to three yoke to white) looked too inviting and went down smooth. Then, later, lunch of chopped turkey salad with avocado. More coffee, too.
Afternoon snacks: apple, blueberries, walnuts.
Afternoon walk for 40 minutes.
Dinner: lots of broccoli; tuna fish with vegannese; cashews; a few sips of Zevia
I know: not much variety or spice. But for 20 days I am trying to be pretty strict -- for me. So, for now, I'll leave being a "foodie" to the dorks that like that moniker (apologies to foodies).
"Trying is doing" Eric Orton
CONVERTING TO FAT BURNING: DAY I
The holidays were rough on me. More accurately, I was rough on me. Now it is time to reboot things. Yesterday I started a 21 day period where I intend to revert back to fat burning via Paleo.
I started yesterday with a few cups of strong-ass coffee. Then, a 1:34, 7.6 mile trail run with almost 2K elevation gain -- all at a sub134 heart rate (requiring walking at many points). No food or calories after the run.
Lunch yesterday was going to Sprouts, buying a hot, roasted chicken, returning to my desk, and eating about half of it (the chicken, not the desk). I did imbibe some gluten-free "Artisan Nut-Thin" crackers with the chicken. Later on, mid-afternoon, I had some kambucha with some more crackers and almond butter. Not pure Paleo, but not so bad either. I slipped in an apple in too.
Dinner: grass-fed bison burger with mustard, garnished with some cashews, and some almond milk.
Not too glamorous, but I feel good today. Party on, Wayne.
Important note: In honor of the upcoming Super Bowl, I am using roman numerals to count the days.
PS I have several gurus for this mission, whose websites are:
marksdailyapple.com
http://www.philmaffetone.com/
http://eatingacademy.com/
| BACKWARDS IS FORWARDS |
I started yesterday with a few cups of strong-ass coffee. Then, a 1:34, 7.6 mile trail run with almost 2K elevation gain -- all at a sub134 heart rate (requiring walking at many points). No food or calories after the run.
Lunch yesterday was going to Sprouts, buying a hot, roasted chicken, returning to my desk, and eating about half of it (the chicken, not the desk). I did imbibe some gluten-free "Artisan Nut-Thin" crackers with the chicken. Later on, mid-afternoon, I had some kambucha with some more crackers and almond butter. Not pure Paleo, but not so bad either. I slipped in an apple in too.
Not too glamorous, but I feel good today. Party on, Wayne.
Important note: In honor of the upcoming Super Bowl, I am using roman numerals to count the days.
PS I have several gurus for this mission, whose websites are:
marksdailyapple.com
http://www.philmaffetone.com/
http://eatingacademy.com/
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