The Juice starts now! Day 1

Wow! it's a miracle I was able to turn all that -------->

into juice. Before I started, I put this into a very large bowl and even though I love salads, it would have been some work to take all that in.

So the first few days are meant to be an introduction in my adaptation of juicing for health. You need to find what you like so you will enjoy drinking it. it's pointless to hate every second of it otherwise you will give up on it eventually. I've juiced before, but without a plan to include it at particular points, now I have a plan.

I made the Dr. Oz Green drink (one difference, I have a blender and even though it's meant for smoothies it does not extract out the pulp) so you gotta like the pulp unless you get a VitaMix (want!) or a real deal juicer. I have the Hamilton beach smoothie blender and it's very good but you need to add water, shift the stuff around inside, shake it a bit and blend for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on high for it to get the drink to a good consistency. Here is the thing though, pulp is good, very good for you and without it you are missing out on some kick-ass nutrition with all it's micro-nutrients. Fruits and vegetables work best in a synergistic way, that is together. As a side note, if you cook veggies at too high of a temperature it looses it's potent micro-nutrience benefit. Moreover, if you cook veggies in water it also looses it's benefit, and if you drink juice from concentrate (store bought juices) it has some but much fewer health benefits. It's important to keep it very fresh, organic if possible and all together. Only way to include everything without getting a ton of pulp is to get a VitaMix and add more water. Now on to the recipe!

Dr. Oz Green Drink (Andy's adaptation), serving size ~3 8oz glasses)

*Warning! this is not for everyone, if you like green juice, awesome but it takes getting used to especially with the pulp. You can alter this recipe to make it sweeter and friendlier to your individual pallet

2x Granny Smith Green Apples (chopped and cored)

1x Celery stalk (chopped, they are oddly sweet when blended)

1x Medium cucumber (chopped)

Handful of freshly washed spinach

2 Tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice.

1 Tbs freshly chopped ginger root

1 Tbs milled flax seed (add to the texture and makes it more pulpy)

1 Tbs Wheat Germ (same as above)

2 Tbs Agave Nectar

1 1/2 cups filtered water

Alt. Sweeter version

2x Granny smith Apples (chopped and cored)

1x Celery stalk (chopped)

1x small cucumber (chopped)

handful of Spinach

2 Tbs fresh lemon Juice

1 Tbs fresh lime Juice

1 Tbs freshly chopped Ginger Root

2 Tbs Agave Nectar

1/2 Banana

small handful of blueberries or strawberries chopped

I have had the sweeter version and really like it, but I want to cut down on the sugar, me being diabetic and all, so you may want to include a few fruits to sweeten it up. Try to use local honey, agave nectar, bananas, and or fruits to sweeten these drinks up. Try not to use artificial sugars or sweeteners if possible. All fresh, organic, natural and for realz.

Here is the drink in action, whew look at it go! Don't lie, it looks like something gross does it not? I tell you after a week of this, these green drinks and veggie type shakes taste better and better. It takes your body a while to detox from KFC (ashamed Sunday bucket special (._.) ) Well here goes nothing!!

For the finale, the Dr. Oz & Andy Green Machine! Now to wash it all down with a can of Guinness! oooh yeah....jk, but that was good last night my friend.

Whats the verdict? 6/10 - I need a frakin' VitaMix, but I do like the pulp so just because I like green drinks my six may be a 4 for some people. I do suggest adding less germ and flax and including a banana. It has a very "fresh applesque taste that finishes off with a kick of spinach. Adding a little more water may also help make it smoother. All in all I have a one green drink down for the day :D

The rest of the day consists of a grilled chicken wrap, a banana, ground lean turkey burgers with seasoned veggies, potato, coffee and tea. No exercise for another week or two when I hope to feel better on the eating side. This reboot is just what I need and highly recommend it to others. Happy juicing!

The Juice starts now!

Here is my ammunition, the bags are in the cart and the food is in the fridge. Don't look back because the Juice starts now!

The other night I watched yet another documentary on health and the benefit's of a particular diet or so called way to change your life forever. It's called "Fat, Sick and nearly dead" I will get to this in a bit.

The gripe I have about most of these is the lack of long studies done on a particular diet and the lack of evidence that one will really become healthier and live longer due to a restricted way of eating. Many dieters are yo-yo dieters putting on more weight after a binge or end of a diet and increasing stress levels obviously not good for the heart. I've tried many things and have really only seen one positive way to insure one can not fail with a goal they have...Moderation...Moderation...Moderation and mental awareness. Awareness is key to have the insight to choose to further yourself. The goal must be for YOU and not something or someone else. I've struggled on and off with diets as most and get highly involved into a program if I'm excited about it, problem is...there is a point when the novelty wares off and your back to laying around, playing into technology (like me), eating taco's and dairy queen blizzards..mmmm!

Do we give these foods up forever? Some would say "hell yeah! that stuff is garbage and I will not touch that again as long as I live" Great thought, but difficult as a long term goal and once someone breaks that goal, people tend to succumb to the ol' self pity and give into the controlling nature of food and other people. Ever hear the following; "I just have no willpower", "I've tried and just can't do it", "Diets are crap and I'm happier now eating like crap without limits because I don't have to adapt" You are not alone, and there is a solution...JUICE!

"What? Isn't this just a fad type of diet? Ok I've heard about this before and it sounds great, but expensive, tedious, time consuming, sometimes gross and a pain in the ass" -Agreed! I've seen both sides arguing against meat, causing an addiction to animal fat and damaging cells, and vegetarianism, not having enough protein and feeling weak. A revolution is once again cycling to reducing animal fat's, processed foods, and whole foods to create a super healthy lifestyle. Juicing is a wonderful way to bridge a gap between either a moderation approach or transition approach. "Why should I consider this?" -because you need to to survive! Bold statement on my part, but I believe it. Call me crazy "Crazy!" - shut up!..I mean I understand, but seriously there is a person inside of you wanting to get out, a person that wants to have more energy and create whatever they want in life. Food can help or hinder this, food can imprison you or free you and even if you want to indulge every once in a while, keeping it in moderation will allow you to not feel starved, it will allow your mind to WAKE UP and will allow you to free yourself giving YOU CONTROL over your life and intake.

Food is energy, and what you put in your body reflects the nutritional value in that food. If it is low energy, highly processed and laced with MSG and sugar, then it's not going to do much for you other then allow your brain to produce chemicals (neurotransmitters) of slight to intense euphoria (endorphin's, serotonin). "That is awesome, whats so bad about that?", because other then the good chemicals, there is nothing else in "food" that is usable for a body that sits around all day, it just gets stored in the cells for later use. Back when we had famine, it was helpful to have this stored food, however most of the food then had more nutritional value and less processed chemically produced components. Due to that, even when the stored parts of that food are release back into the bloodstream, it just passes through us and doesn't give us anything useful other then the feeling like sludge seeping out of us (aka detoxing). We train our brain to crave these food to relieve our stress from life and since we can't get that feeling from many other things, it is what we go to chemically and emotionally. This is why we are addicted (more for another post)

"Whoa buddy! Stop shitting on my parade of deliciousness" -Sorry, even though many people know these health facts and feel like all is well, all is not. You know it's not and you know your energy level is not where it could be. Denial is awesome and even needed to survive to reduce stress, but it's time we all woke up.-sounds religious, but it's not, it's just science and just important if you want to be efficient as a human being. "What happened with the all this Juice talk?"-Getting to it my reader.

In the documentary "Fat, Sick and nearly dead" here is the summary from imdb ("talk about being lazy, mr. get up and do something!") "100 pounds overweight, loaded up on steroids and suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease, Joe Cross is at the end of his rope and the end of his hope. In the mirror he saw a 310lb man whose gut was bigger than a beach ball and a path laid out before him that wouldn't end well- with one foot already in the grave, the other wasn't far behind. FAT, SICK & NEARLY DEAD is an inspiring film that chronicles Joe's personal mission to regain his health. With doctors and conventional medicines unable to help long-term, Joe turns to the only option left, the body's ability to heal itself. He trades in the junk food and hits the road with juicer and generator in tow, vowing only to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juice for the next 60 days. Across 3,000 miles Joe has one goal in mind: To get off his pills and achieve a balanced lifestyle. While talking to more than 500 Americans about food, health and longevity, it's at a truck stop in Arizona where Joe meets a truck driver who suffers from the same rare condition. Phil Staples is morbidly obese weighing in at 429 lbs; a cheeseburger away from a heart-attack. As Joe is recovering his health, Phil begins his own epic journey to get well. What emerges is nothing short of amazing - an inspiring tale of healing and human connection. "

It was inspiring and amazing to see the transformation in real people and the real struggle it is to make an important change. "Rebooting" is the process of detoxing your body of addictive chemicals and helping your cells to regain strength quickly without needing to starve. In the documentary, Phil and the other lady drank juice for 10 days to start off. 60 days was the full challenge and changed these people. I've tried juicing times and just didn't stick with it. It's tough and the withdrawal from crap food and laziness caused me to rebound into bad eating habits once again. What makes me think it will work this time? I will do what I did with P90X, just do it, stick with it and never give up. I believe the only way to survive and have a goal met is to adapt and not adhere to every ridged rule given. You must adapt, you must use moderation when the option to juice isn't there. I lost 30+ lb's from p90x and ate like crap until I couldn't anymore and then the weight really dropped. I felt alive and renewed. After p90x, I fell off, ate bad and my excuse was life changes, stress and not caring enough. I forgot my number 1 rule, "do it for yourself". Now, I've spoke with many great people who have inspired me to change something, anything to move towards my goal to become healthier. Not to lose weight, not to look better (mostly), not to be able to eat bad all the time again, but to just be healthier, feel more energy and be able to have the confidence to know if I want something, I can have it.

THE PLAN (My adapted plan, not necessarily yours.)

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PHASE I - Juice Introduction

*Basically, in order for a transition to occur and be effective is to try and do what has worked in the past.

1.Build the desire and reason for change (Check)

2. Buy Groceries for 2-3 days of juicing (must have a juicer or some sort of blender)

a. Produce must be fresh and organic if possible

b. Produce must be local if possible

c. Produce must be consumed within the week of buying them, hence do not buy for a month stock)

d.cost must not exceed $50 for all fruits, nuts and veggies.

3. Take pictures, take measurements and log progress over the next 90 days.)

4. Eat normally, but substitute Juice for breakfast, snack, or lunch.

a. Reduce the amount of meat and processed foods in pantry and eating out over the next two weeks

b. By the end of week two, two meals will be juice (not store bought)

PHASE II - Juice Staple + P90x or hybrid workout regimen + 2 day juice fast prior to workout

1. Start including proteins and lean meats with an emphasis on healthy alternatives.

2. Allow a cheat day if needed (date night or sundays)

3. Juice 2 meals a day.

PHASE III - ? I'll let you know when I get there.

For those who want to documentary rules. It is a 10 day fast (sort of) substituting juice (juicing yourself, not store bought) I can't quite do this due to being diabetic, but I believe I will be able to slowly move into Juice as a staple. Two rules for myself I have are I can have coffee, 2 cups a day, no more then three unless it's decaf and I can have beer, chicken and beer on sundays. Eventually I believe I will not even desire eating a lot of meat and eating fast food. If I cheat, which I should, It will be one day. On days I forgot to juice or am in a situation where it's impossible, use the moderation rule, fill up on water, tea and veggies, eat meat but fill up in other ways.

This is my plan, so good luck to all those wanting to give Juicing a shot to reboot your system. I believe it will greatly improve my health based on research and other studies about juicing (look it up on google, they are there).

Finally a toast(red wine=healthy! (1 glass a day)), To your health and mine, Prost!

Bye Bye Borders

“It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times!?”

Just a few weeks ago another one of the Borders -Books-Music-Café bites the dust and another community feels the loss of a great bookstore.

Borders was for many, more than a bookstore or just a café, it was a place for individuals, families, couples and employees-on off times-unwind and browse through a great selection of new books, magazines, dvds and music while enjoying their favorite cup of Coffee or blended beverage among other options. The staff, regulars and ongoing support in the community for the operations in Davenport was among the best. It was the best combination of people who came to find solace in the written word and a friendly staff who helped you to find exactly what you were looking for. The experience of coffee and books in a warm (or air-conditioned!) atmosphere with friendly people, intelligent, passionate and funny conversations was unlike anything else.

A great day for the Quad Cities happened in 1998 when Borders staked its family roots into the soil of the Quad Cities. Development followed, impacting the community creating a hub for shopping, eating and meeting people.

Back in 2000, my father Jim Vandercoy passed away, but I remember how much I enjoyed the visits to bookstores he took me to including Borders when it opened. I have almost all my books while growing up and barely had the heart to part with my memories over the years. I like many have resold hundreds of titles back into the hands of second hand booksellers for some pocket money. It comes back around however and always love that experience, that feeling of leafing through a new book and rediscovering the lost art of reading. My father and Mother always read to me and had books around to inspire my imagination.

When I went away to college in Iowa City, I was excited to get away and experience the college life including; parties, friends, new classes, psychology, love, life, cheap booze and pizza. I continued my love for books and developed a love for café’s and coffee while living in the college town. Working for Starbucks, I realized coffee allowed me to finish papers, meet people, and keep me inspired. Since I never found a bookstore that truly resonated with me and became a café regular. I also enjoyed the used book stores available to me between classes. I loved the time spent in Iowa City except I always had to stop in Borders during my visits back to the Quad Cities. There was just some warm comfort associated with borders that only certain quaint used book stores could create. I may have lived far away, but In my mind, Borders was always close to home.

I wondered what would happen after Iowa City with my degree almost in hand, not knowing if I truly had one place to reconcile my indifferent feelings about a second home, I would be soon out of my lease and ready to move forward. I almost stayed in Coralville/Iowa City but in 2008, a flood changed my plans causing me to move back home. For a while I really missed Iowa City and I was out of my comfort zone, so where else could I go to find myself and realize my future? Borders.

I started frequenting Borders more and more a few days a week, finding time to relax between work and meeting up with friends. Thats how I was able to meet many wonderful people. I could never forget those who added something great to my life and past employees who made my stops memorable. It was the Café staff and booksellers who truly understood the concept of customer service and what it meant to bring your best face to work. I always value staff and barista’s who know how to joke around, not be perfect, not be stuck up, smile, laugh and have stories to share. The relaxed atmosphere of Borders allowed people to be comfortable and let people just be. My ongoing trips through Borders allowed me to find the resources I needed to pursue my passions and realize my goals. Even during sad times, Borders was a place I could go to, think and laugh with those I had made connections with, even when that connection was a simple smile and “How are you doing today?.” Companies preach about going “above” the expectation for the company to create a true customer connection, but how many just have those sardonic or stolid responses? The staff was genuine and while there is no perfect experience, there was not a single day I felt detached.

Most know the story by now, the downfall and the reasons to Borders demise. It is too bad the proper decisions were not made many years earlier, but the more important thing is to remember the good times. It isn’t e-readers fault or the fact that people used Borders to scope out books, later to purchase on Amazon. Well..maybe a bit, although while connected it was many things and not one or two causing this ship to sink. There was too much expansion for an older college bookstore model-thanks K-Mart(Purchased Borders in 1992). They tried to compete with the large Big-Box stores such as Barns & Noble and did not have the money to back it's expansion into huge super-stores. Also, while Borders had the Sony E-reader(yes I bought one) early on, there wasn't a huge push towards the changing book industry. There was no way to compete with an online wholesale low overhead of Amazon, Borders just didn't change fast enough with the times. The move to partner up with Amazon instead of launching it's own site deemed to be poor decision. These are just what I've read and my opinion, but it all makes too much sense. Are big-box book stores fading? This is another topic, but I think it is the case.

Maybe I was a minority, but I bought most of my books at borders with my rewards and plus reward discounts. Often I received 30-40% of items and free drinks which was on-par with Amazon and allowed me to really decide if I wanted the book I purchased before buying it. It’s difficult to get the feel of a book online in my opinion. Most of the time I spend time looking at books, going to Amazon to get the reviews, waiting for my rewards coupons and buying the item at my local store.

As borders took a speed train through Bankruptcy-land, I like many in the Quad Cities felt our store would not be affected due to the great location and the fact the store seemed busy. I was in denial like many, but tried to find hope the darker prophecies.

I remember spending the day before the court’s decision in Borders bankruptcy reading a book I discovered at Borders originally. Thanks to http://www.Penny-Arcade.com, I went back and started the series. The book was the sequel to “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss entitled “The Wise Man's Fear” (BUY IT!). A passage was a red herring to the near future of Borders and our beloved bookstore. It reminded me of the sadness of the employees, customers and people faced with uncertain futures yet to come. In “The Wise Man's Fear” an Innkeeper past his prime, living from the memories of adventures long ago has a scribe recording his history. The scribe known as The Chronicler recalls the scene about the current state of things. “It’s not just you,” Kote said. “Things are bad, and my gut tells me they’ll get worse yet. It wouldn’t hurt a man to get ready for a hard winter. And maybe see that he can defend himself if need be.” The innkeeper shrugged. “That’s what my gut tells me, anyway.”…”Still,” he said, “you’ve got to make hay while the sun shines.” The inkeeper’s hands gripped and pulled, gripped and pulled. The only sounds were the rhythmic creak of the wood and the slow patter of the cider as it ran into the bucket below. There was a rhythm to it, but no music, and the inkeeper’s eyes were distant and joyless, so pale and green they almost could have passed for gray.”

After the news, I spent the last few days reading, conversing and wondering if I took this store for granted, if I had caused part of the demise. I’m just an ex-poor college student looking for a home away from home and the little money I have, I spend on coffee, books and movies. Although this is our economy I suppose, I still believe we all had a part in the downfall. The final day I bid goodbye to close friends and spent time with my girlfriend Kelsey playing mancala, having a wonderful time with the hint of coffee beans still present in the air.

On Friday, July 22^nd, borders remaining stores went into liquidation and ended the Borders saga in the Quad Cities

The story doesn't have to end here however, it isn’t too late to write a letter to Books-A-Million and let them know how much we cared for our store and our community. It isn't too late to make a stand and say we want and NEED another new bookstore in the Quad Cities. 300,000+ people and 1 big box on the other side of town is what we have. The location is perfect and I believe the numbers will show big business it can survive. Already, the local newspapers have been contacted and support has come from all over outside and around the Quad Cities to save Quad Cities Best Bookstore! The times has and will be posting articles about this for some time, so why not let BAM know we want them here!

UPDATE: Books A Million will be moving into the Dubuque store and is expected to be running before the Holiday season. BAM is not very present in Iowa or Illinois having only one downtown store in Chicago. I believe Davenport could support this great chain and create more jobs. The demand is high so please don't give up and let BAM know we exist, don't stop just because they already bought up one store. If nothing else, Half-Price books is another option and is also a good used bookstore who has a location already in Cedar Rapids.

Please Join “Save our best Quad Cities Bookstore” on Facebook and write/call or both to Books-A-Million

"YOU can help keep a bookstore at the 4000 east 53rd street, davenport IA location!

Let Books-A-Million Know You Care:

Include this line in a Letter, Email, or Phone Call Their Way:

“Save our best Quad City Bookstore:
Make it a new Books-A-Million in Davenport, IA”

Books-A-Million
402 Industrial Lane
Birmingham, AL 35211

Email: support@booksamillion.com
Call: 1-800-201-3550”

What would you like to see move into the Davenport 4000 location?

Make the Choice

It's been a while since I posted anything and to all those who visit my blog, a big thank you! I have received some very positive emails and please keep the comments and success stories coming! That being said, I left with steps to success with a program or a behavior you may want to change. I really have more to discuss but will leave this post up to be discussed in the future.

I Hope everyone made it through the Holidays with as few scars as possible. I know I did have a few setbacks myself, so no one should feel discouraged about any lack in their progress. The fact you are reading this and aware is a start that gives you the key to change. Dig down and go again!

I spent the holidays with my family as usual and really had a hard time finding the courage to turn down that delicious Christmas fudge and cookies. Looking back I could have done better but I realized one powerful behavior change within myself. Although I may have indulged one day, I felt I was missing something..it was exercise! i actually missed exercise! Apparently while my lazy brain had been sleeping and dreaming of that new sansa mp3 player I wanted so bad this Christmas, i slipped into some parallel dimension where I enjoyed it. Well I guess not, but it's amazing what 30 days of consistent action can do to make a lasting change. I think these "try this for thirty days and if you don't like it return it, no questions asked! Money back guarantee" gimmicks are a great marketing scheme! "Ok sure that sounds good!" Buy the time you try something out whether you liked a product or program or not, it became a habit and it became part of "your stuff" or "your life" and you might as well keep going with it. It would take to much to return and what the hell...who doesn't need a Frank Zappa Chia Pet!?

Coming back to reality for a moment (won't be here for too long..it's boring) what is it that forced me to start my routine back up after so many people have already dropped most of their New Years resolutions at this point? It was when I looked in the mirror. Why would I go back to bad eating habits and my old "fuck it" type attitude. It would be such a huge waste of time. I feel good, I am confident, I am more successful and I'm one sexy beast! I had spent a lot of money, time, worked with friends, family and other professionals. I made promises to others and most importantly....myself. Yes this all started for two reasons, My decision to minimize my possibility of health problems to show myself I can do what others have done. Second, a huge event in my life upset me so much that instead of sinking into a developing depression that I've never felt before, I gave myself permission I deserve more, I deserve a better life, I deserve any girl I want, I deserve to be myself. I made that choice, that's a large part of this ongoing development. I made that choice and rose above my faulty belief to show a girl how much I could change....yes a girl.. Isn't it always?..unless your a girl..then i don't know.. I'm not one...that I know of.

I am back on my program, P90X+Insanity+Yoga+Many other workouts designed to create a healthier me.

Do yourself one favor as you finish reading this...
1. Make one choice, just one. Choose one thing you can do to improve your quality of life. Doesn't matter what it is.
2.Find out what steps you need to take, even find the first one. Start NOW, tonight..tomorrow..at 3:15am on a Tuesday..whatever..just...START
2.Eradicate old behavior by telling yourself it is possible with one small step at a time. "Do your best, and Forget the Rest!"Dig Down, Dig DEEP, you have the strength and...know...

YOU CAN CHANGE.


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Goals Completed today

1. Picked up a few applications
2. Wrote new entry in Blog
3. Had a productive work day
4. Kept under 2,700 calories
5. Ate 6 meals today

Tomorrow:

1. Insanity Cardio Circuit
2. P90x Shoulders and Arms

Small steps will make great changes

All you have to do is replace one unhealthy food with something healthy and you will notice changes in time. Post over...ok well maybe I can continue a bit. This is part I of a two part post.

I find that many people try too hard when dieting and losing weight. First the choice of diet, then the gear(The fun part), and now the diet(the reality part)...one week later; busted. You over ate and now it's over, "I didn't like that nasty food anyways", "why can't I just have a snickers?", who said I need have to start something right now? After all it's the holidays and I don't want to miss out!" It is very common to get a goal in mind and aim for some ridiculous number and idealistic way to be. We all do it and it keeps us motivated and able to continue have that hope. TRUTH: It ain't going to happen exactly the way you see fit, unless the goals are realistic and you can chunck down the process.

Step One:
*Choose what you want to achieve. If it's weight loss, how much do you want to loose? Then, chunk it down into digestible steps. Example, I want to loose 40 pounds, that's great! Now how are you going to do that? "Eat all vegetables and fruits, whole grains, exercise in the morning, afternoon and at night and eat two times a day" Hmm, this seems a bit much, how long do you think you could keep something like that up? "Well, maybey this week then this weekend I may not do anything and then do it once in a while after that" Sounds like more dive in programs. A lot of hype, no substance and leaves people feeling angry and drained. How about making one small change or just a few? Maybe instead of focusing on loosing 40 pounds, focus on loosing 6 pounds, sounds a bit better doesn't it? One you chunk down the process, the end result to your goal will seem to come faster and be within arms reach. ALWAYS REMEMBER TO FOCUS ON THE PROCESS AND YOUR SUCCESSFUL STRIDED. JOURNAL AND FIND SUPPORT. Get your friends, family and coworkers to help you with the endever. This makes a huge difference trust me!

Step Two:
*Change One thing in your life, diet, way of behavior. Put on the test trial pants and notice the way it is helping you toward your goal. Let's say I will drink 8 glasses of water a day and cut out soda. ok! Mark your current weight, mood, and begin that journal (Make one or buy something that you are proud to write in!) Make it fun, a challange and something you can and will achieve. So, after two weeks, where are you? How do you feel? Succeed? Ok , make any nessisary adjustments and since you are used to that add one more, now what?..and so on. You will be surprised to see how easy change can become, if you make these small changes. I would recomment a book "Eat this and Not that" by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding.

Step Three
*Take the plunge. Remember that old Nike commercial, "just do it!" this is so true when making lifestyle changes. Too often we say just for X amount of time and then I'm done. Why? Why stress yourself out so much just to go back to the way you were in less time then all the hard work you put in? So start slow

Step Four: (More to come...)

Post-Thanksgiving Goals

So you have eaten the entire turkey will all the stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet corn bread, pies and other delectable deserts. "Crap I should give up, oh well I already screwed it up. I will work on this diet thing later" Sound familiar?

Many times it is easy to lose site with all of the holiday food, friends, family and stress to help encourage bad eating habits. One thing I have done is to make a conscious effort by thinking about how good I feel after jogging or lifting weights. Being able to look into the future at your goals and noticing the small steps is an essential part of your success. I really feel these good habits can and will begin to infect others around you. Remember to eat enough food, exercise at any level for 30 minutes a day or an hour every other day and eat in moderation. That's it folks. Eat less calories then your body requires, put out more effort to solidify successful results.

I am reading a great book by Moshe Feldenkraise called "Awareness through Movement" which may be in reprint thinking about it, but I digress. Moshe teaches about body awesness and how you can greatly change your posture, health and confidence just by the way we hold ourselves. Moshe puts it perfectly from his book and captures how to make changes by becomming aware of progressive changes in the body, especially the small ones.

"Only the experience of change and close attention will convince us to think and direct ourselves differently. Only when this experience of change causes us to discredit and inhibit the accustomed pattern, which appears invalid to us, will we be able to accept this new pattern as habit or second nature.Theoretically, all that is needed is an effort of the mind, but in practice this is insuficient. Our nervous system is so constructed that habits are preserved and seek to perpetuate themselves. It is easier to stop a habit by means of traumatic shock then to change it gradually. This is a functional difficulty and this is why it is important to pay close attention to every improvement and to assimulate it....it is important to know and understand the connection between change and it's causes in order to encourage one to repeat the experience with sufficient accuracy under similar conditions to reinforce its effect and impress improvement deeply on our senses"

Crap that's a mouthful, but I believe this is very important to understand.

Until next post, Namaste

Goals achieved today
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*Morning Run - 2 miles with 3 interval sprints

*Ate breakfast right after run and drank V8 (used to hate this stuff! Love it now..weird)

*Ate a 2.50 Gyro w/o fries for black Friday at Dr. Gyro (This is an accomplishment for me)

*Bought "The Gold Standard" Hydro Whey protein (best natural whey on the market) $30 with gold membership at GNC on black Friday, woot! Trying creatine again (unflavored)

*Ate snacks today

*Weight remained the same since yesterday meaning I survived the super carbs!

*Planning on doing p90x Shoulders and Arm workout along with Yoga-X and then a movie with light popcorn

Total calories projected for the day 1850 after dinner, popcorn and amazing new low carb natural whey protein shake!

Success...yeeeesh!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Click on the "Happy Thanksgiving" title above for a special song!

This is my second favorite holiday mainly because of the Mashed potato's and excuse to be lazy and do nothing but eat, sleep and play video games! Now, there is no problem with this necessarily and many people deserve a day to just say "Ah screw it!" However, does anyone really like the feeling of being stuffed like a crazy obese turkey? I know we (society) tends to push proportions through the ceiling, so after time many people adapt to eating larger portions and learn to deal with feeling full. It's not the tryptophan putting you to sleep, it's the abundance of calories stuffed into your body! It try's to digest all that food which leads to no energy to keep your eye lids open.

I love eating, but HATE HATE HATE being full. Since I've been active and health conscious more and more, I feel sluggish and gross when I am full. But what about all those mashed potato's and chips, shrimp, PIE!!!!!??? Here are some tips to help remind you and I to at least become aware of healthy guidelines. These tips may help to save one of those naps for normal bedtime.

(The following tips come from http://www.healthcastle.com)

• "Don't go to the Thanksgiving dinner hungry: we often eat faster and more when we are hungry - therefore eat a wholesome breakfast and lunch on the day to avoid overeating at dinner time.
• Thanksgiving dinner is not an all-you-can-eat buffet: Fill your plate half with vegetables, one quarter with a lean meat and the rest with a starch of your choice. Eat slowly and stop when you are full.
• Turkey - go skinless: choose your 4-oz turkey portion skinless to slash away some fat and cholesterol Save your appetite for the side dishes and desserts.
• Side Dishes - watch your portion size: go for smaller portions. This way you can sample all the different foods. Moderation is always the key.
• Make a conscious choice to limit high fat items: high fat food items can be found in fried and creamy dishes as well as cheese-filled casseroles in a traditional Thanksgiving meal . For instance, mashed potatoes are usually made with butter and milk; green bean casseroles are often prepared with cream of mushroom soup, cheese and milk and topped with fried onions; candied yams are loaded with cream, sugar and marshmallows. If you cannot control the ingredients that go in to a dish, simply limit yourself to a smaller helping size. Again moderation is the key.
• Drink plenty of water: alcohol and coffee can dehydrate your body. Drink calorie-free water to help fill up your stomach and keep you hydrated"

These are some simple things to keep in mind when working through the holidays!

Also remember to enjoy your family, friends, and/or yourself if you are working or on your own this holiday. Appreciate yourself, others and give thanks to those who have really inspired you and helped you towards your goals. Appreciation may be a slap on the back, a friendly handshake, smile or a simple nod and wink which may suffice in certain circles ;)

Goals Achieved Yesterday and today...(still to come, commenting later)
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*Ate 8 meals today keeping under 1900 calories! Woot!
*Ate peanuts, peanut butter 4tbs, chocolate milk at night, but after
P90X Shoulder's Biceps and Triceps!! Holy crap! If you thought normal push-ups were bad, this takes push ups to the next level..on another note, I HATE FLY exercises! Boo erns! 90 minutes of some kind of awesome hell
*stretching and warming up before working out and also before work this morning
*Adonis Build&Burn II was subbed for P90X, but I will add this tomorrow

"I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land." -John Stewart

OMG Cardio!

TIP of the day: Always remember to eat enough food! Do not starve your body or it will hate you, make you prone to illness, give you insomnia, headaches, and mood swings. If this is what you want by all means have at...otherwise eat enough calories that your body needs.
(link provided in the comments to the American Heart Association)

So I woke up today late from a terrible dream and did not feel very motivated. The feeling from the dream lingered into real life for the first 30 minutes I was awake. I just hate those funky moods don't you? It was rainy and I felt very lazy. "Why not take a day off?" my inner lazy voice reasoned. Inner Dialog: "Running in the rain?" but it's cold and wet, why would you want to do that? How about a grilled cheese sandwich and indoor stretching instead, huh? huh!?" Me:"Damn you, that does sound tempting..but.." ID: "but what? what do ya say..and a MOVIE and VIDEO GAMES!" Me: "He's such a bastard!" I negotiated some options and decided to tell my brain to shut up.

I completed the "OMG Cardio!" workout as I call it (click on the title) + Interval training in the rain. I will break this down;

Warm up: OMG Cardio!
Steady State for 5 minutes (light jogging or brisk walking)
Sprint for 10 seconds at 70% heart rate (use the talk test, more on this later)
rest for 20, sprint for 20 and steady state for 1 minute. And that would be considered a "wave" and this first one is called "Wave I" since it is one minute of sprints and a 1 minute rest. The routine is as follows;

Interval I (once a week), wait until you see Interval II!...I'm going to die
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Pre-Warm up Cardio:
Warm up - 5 minutes
Wave I (1 minute..)
Wave II (2 minutes of sprinting and a 2 minute rest(steady state) )
Wave III (3 min..(6 all out sprinting blocks total for 10 seconds each)
Wave II
Wave I
Cool down & Stretch for 5 minutes
=28 minutes total
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This may not sound too bad, but it kicks your ass! I had trouble breathing..in a good way..hmm not sure how that works.

Following this I completed the "Ab Ripper X" and an additional ab routine set up by a good friend of mine. In one hour I kicked my ass and burned approximately 800 calories = 1 slice of carrot cake at Seattle's Best!! Holy bat flaps! After these workouts you will reconsider eating said carrot cakes. It is ridiculous how much stronger I feel after doing a few of these P90x workouts along with the jogging I have been doing 4-5 times a week. I am so happy! :D

Currently relaxing with a cup of Joe and surrounded by books!

Goals Achieved
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1.Pre Warm Up + Interval I, then breakfast

2.Ate 5 times so far today

3.Completed Ab routines..ouch!

4.Had chocolate milk. Hey that is an accomplishment! I worked for that buddy ;)

Namaste (tomorrow, either Cardio-X or Yoga-X..eek)

Welcome ^-^

Just a quick post. I wanted to start off saying how happy I am to work towards some goals I have had since I was in High School. Every year I would say "This year I want to lose weight and be more active" Every year would pass with little change. This is a real success story in the making and I want to hear about any success stories in health, relationships and personal goals towards doing the things that inspire each of us to dream. Dream no more this is a daily reminder to keep going and bring it!

I will be posting health and relationship related information, but want to use this space as my journal of health each day.

Goals achieved today
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1.Jogging (almost talked myself out of it after work)
-just did it! results = 2.3 miles under 12 minutes

2.Ate Breakfast, a snack, lunch..now dinner

3.P90x Chest & Back workout 80% of the exercises in the workout complete!

4.Adonis Workout (to be continued in about an hour)

-Andy

"A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step" -Lao Tsu