Day Of Rest: Day 151

Evolution Two – week ten

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Hello Folks,

I am really stiff today because of all of the construction I did this past week, which took a toll on my back. I am taking a day of rest from working out and I also had a massage as well. The massage was really needed and totally untweeked a few things. I spent the morning putting together my 80 day time lapse transformation video for youtube.

I have been looking at female bodybuilding sights to get some ideas about how they do it and also to get inspired. I have always been interested in bodybuilding. I actually watched an old video from a long time ago with Arnold S. in it. You know who, the politician. I am mostly excited about the prospect of seeing my abdominal muscles one day...hopefully by my birthday. I don’t think I have ever seen them in this lifetime. The first time I ever did weight training was in high school. My track coach, who was very successful with his students, was a big advocate for weight training to win.

I can’t say I learned a whole lot about how to weight train from school. Most of what I learned was by trial and error and then through reading books about it. I do find it to be one of the most meditative activities...I love the amount of focus it requires to perform a set.

Anyway, today marks the beginning of a new phase...since I ended my 150 day evolution. I am ready to begin to change up my program even more. The quadathlon is this weekend, which will mark the first goal of my exercise program. I am hoping my body will be ok for the event, since my back is still not doing well. I know it is not a good idea to compete when you aren’t a hundred percent ready, but I am not giving up on it, unless I am really bad on the day.

To mark day 151 I am posting before and after pics. I still have many more months until my birthday and hope to see my abs by then. SO ......



Exercise: None

Menu: Protein and veggies

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Rest the mind and the rest will follow.

Overthinking Can Be Exercise: Day 150

Evolution Two – week ten

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Hello Folks,

I have been thinking about why it feels so important to me to get and stay in shape, especially now. The first thing I come up with has to do with how I feel about myself. The funny thing is I believe that we are spiritual beings first and that the body is more of an extension of the spirit. If I believe the spirit is number one, then why address the body first? The only thing I can come up with is that when I take care of my body it somehow magically cultivates my spirit.

What is spirit? The compassionate expression of energy that fully creates something in the universe for the good of the whole. The spirit is unconditional....it is energy...it is light and it has the compassion of the universe.

Shaping my body reminds me of a sculptor with a slab of rock who sees the figure inside the stone or like a dirty mirror that is cleaned. When I don’t feel good about myself it manifests like a dark cloud around my body...I can literally feel the cloud.

The funny thing about health and fitness is that to be successful and long term at it, it requires paying attention to my habits. That kind of attention can keep me very present in the moment, which is the goal of meditation practice...and for some new agers “the secret” to enlightenment.

What is enlightenment? I think it is lightening energy. When energy is dense it is like a heavy weight on the shoulders, not literally but metaphorically. I have discovered for my self that when I take care of my body I feel spiritually lighter. Though my thoughts are more dense and can add weight to my spirit (a good reason to clear the mind), when I feel good, I have more capacity to let go of old habits or be kinder to folks.

I am thinking this, mainly because when I am not taking care of myself all of that breaks down and I find myself being much more quick to blame others for the problems in my life. I think the act of taking control of my health has really helped me to begin to find myself below the surface. I don’t think fitness and health is the only gateway to cultivating the spirit....it just works for me. This is not to say that I don’t have bad days and times where I am unkind or unconscious....it just means I am a work in progress like everyone else.

Exercise: Interval (bike 45 min.)

Menu: Raw food experiment

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: I may be densifying myself by overphilosophizing

Back Attack: Day 149

Evolution Two – week ten

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Hello Folks,

My back is really bothering me today. I am worried about how it will effect me for the quadathlon. I decided to give it a few days rest before the big day and hopefully get a massage this week before the big day. I am really tired, so I don’t have much more to say today. Its funny how I hurt myself not exercising but rather doing physical labor. I think I am more carefull with my body when I exercise. Can you see my pained look?



Exercise: Interval (run 345min)

Menu: free

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Take care of your foundation, your core and the rest will follow.

Spiritual Cultivation: Day 148

Evolution Two – week ten

Monday, July 27, 2009

Hello Folks,
I had another hard day of construction work. This time I held up board and hammered it into the ceiling; I don’t recommend this for folks with neck problems. I am getting closer to my quadathlon. I, hopefully, will be recording the event. Once again I am pretty tired so I am going to keep this short. I took my pics of me in my bathing suit that I will be wearing for the quadathlon. I am actually pretty excited about the event even though right now I am feeling pretty tired from a week of hard labor, hopefully my body will recover enough for the event.

Exercise: Free

Menu: Protein and veggies

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Spiritual cultivation is a daily activity.

Tired And Sore And Sleepy: Day 147

Evolution Two – week nine

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Hello Folks,

Today was yet another day of construction workout. I have a basement apartment I am trying to make livable so that I can rent it out for extra income. I am really excited about the prospect of having a little extra income, but, man, this kind of work is really hard on the body. I have the funniest looking bruises all over my legs and arms; not to mention cuts and splinters. I also have very sore arms and neck; which I suspect has to do with holding up drywall to ceilings and trying to screw them into the beams or maybe it is hammering and removing nails, I don’t know. I do know that I have a lot of respect for the people that do this kind of work every day, it is brutal.

When I see guys using jackhammers I can’t imagine that is good for the body or the ears. My hands are so sore right now I am having trouble typing. I think I will be taking some more Arnica Montana tonight. I will be sleeping like a baby tonight! I decided to only do cardio today and let the construction workout be my resistance training.

I have exactly 7 days until the quadathlon....should be interesting.

Exercise: Interval (bike 45 min.), Construction Workout

Menu: protein and veggies

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: For a true master, sitting on a throne is no different than sitting on dirt.
~Deng Ming-Dao

Work Hard And Play Hard: Day 146

Evolution Two – week nine

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Hello Folks,

This whole weekend I am doing my construction project, so I am pretty sore right now. I am also finding my appetite to be really high. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I used to go swimming all day and I was perpetually hungry. It feels good to be working this hard. I have been taking Arnica Montana at night to help with my soreness. I am pretty beat, so I am going to make this another short blog.

Exercise: Interval (bike 45 min.), Construction work

Menu: Protein and Veggies

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Work hard, play hard....better yet make work and play the same thing and then it won't be hard at all.

Construction Work Killer Workout: Day 145

Evolution Two – week nine

Friday, July 24, 2009

Hello Folks,

I just spent 7 hours doing construction type work and I am so tired and sore it is unbelievable. I decided not to do weight training today, because I feel like I did more than my share of lifting today. I was doing mostly drywall and believe me, by yourself is very difficult. I came up with a little system to assist me when I had to lift up really heavy drywall. Overall I feel really good. But you can see I am not smiling in my picture, mostly because I am tired. Hope you all are good. Talk to you later.

Exercise: Interval (bike 45 min.), Construction work - 7 hours

Menu: Protein and Veggies

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Do what you want, as long as you are not itnerferring with anyone else's right to do the same -this is the definition of morality. ~Dr. Dyer

No Power: Day 144

Evolution Two – week nine

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Hello Folks,

Today I have an electrician coming and I won’t have power all day. So I am going to do a quick blog to get you my pictures before the power goes off.




Exercise: Free

Menu: Veggies and Protein

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Without power how do we see?

Psychology And Achieving Goals: Day 143

Evolution Two – week nine

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Hello Folks,

Why I think the psychological/mental training is more important than the physical training...

Everyone, for the most part, knows what exercise is and how to do it. Everyone, for the most part, knows what eating healthy, well balanced meals looks like....but it is the mind that gets us to do it.

For anyone who has ever struggled with weight or making some changes in their lives, it is pretty clear that it may just come down to believing in yourself; knowing deep down that you are capable of achieving your desired outcome.

For those of us who have struggled most of our lives with not getting the desired outcome in a given area, we have it programmed into our brain that we will fail at it. That programming can be very self sabotaging for anyone.

Another popular pattern is making excuses...an easy way of saying it is not my priority. I have seen people with the most ridiculous schedules achieve their goals because they knew how to prioritize what they wanted for themselves and found a way to do it no matter what.

I am famous for excuses, so I am not saying that it is a perfect science, but I do think that whatever we choose to focus on will dictate the outcome. For example, if I choose to watch TV for an hour a day (which I do sometimes) and then I say I didn’t have time to clean my house, then it is clear that my priority is watching TV; and it really only takes an hour to clean my house.

How do we get our head on straight? Write down our priorities first. Then make a schedule of each day. Then make an action plan for our goals around that schedule. For example, when I know that I have something planned in the evening that will not give me access to my computer, I will plan to blog in the morning on that day. Or when I know that I will be out of town, I start to make preparations early for what I will do to keep to my fitness schedule and eating schedule. I do have days that don’t quite come together perfectly because I planned it to, but I learn how to be flexible with that too.

Planning is key. But there is still the believing in yourself piece. I think I have talked about this before but I believe it must come down to using as many tools as you can to trick yourself into believing that you will achieve your goals. Whether it be watching video or reading books about other people who have succeeded against all odds or forcing yourself to blog and take photos.

Tricking the mind is training the mind to get out of the rut.

Exercise: Interval (run 30 min., bike 25 min.), Continuous training

Menu: Raw food experiment

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: The mind is the rut.

Nurturing Yourself With Exercise: Day 142

Evolution Two – week nine

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Hello Folks,

There are a few factors that I must face in order to keep going on this fitness schedule....

Number one is that I have to expect that I will achieve all of my fitness goals. Since I am still confronted by my progress plateau I am faced with this number one thought. Do I expect to reach my goal? I set the final goal for when I turn forty, which makes me feel like I have a long time to achieve it. However, this can act as a deterrent as well as a motivator. For me, if I don’t set short term goals ~which is what I originally started off doing~ then it makes it all that much harder to achieve my long term goal.

Number two is that if I actually believe in the law of cause and effect (which I do) then as long as I put effort towards this goal there will be results. By working with the law of Karma I can use it in my favor.

Number three is that I have to ask myself how determined I am to achieve this goal. If I can apply inner strength, will power, discipline, and stamina to stay on course then I can achieve anything.

Number four is that I ask myself how much I place value on this part of my life. Do I feel that health and fitness are important and a high priority in my life. This is when I look a little into my past and compare my quality of life now as to then. On many levels my quality of life increases as I “Take Care” of myself. This is really what is most important to me, since exercise and nutrition have been self-nurturing activities for me.

Last is to believe in myself and follow the priniciples that apply to weight loss. Emotional eating can be a big opponent on the path to fitness. The laws that apply say that energy consumption and output leave a blueprint on your body. If I apply these laws and challenge the old opponent I will succeed.

I know that effort is key to success. I am also suspicious that if I learn how to be more present with my feelings and really know them and sit with them in the moment that my opponent “Emotional Eating” will soon lose its power over me. I have a very old habit of detaching from my feelings when I am hurting. What would it feel like to stay with them for a while and feel them rather than placate them with food?

Finally, exercise can be a meditation on all of these things....emotions, self-awareness, staying present. I know when I am present exercising because nothing else enters my mind, because I am so body aware and since body and emotions are truly one and the same, what better place to start.

Exercise: Interval (run 30 min., bike 25 min.)

Menu: veggie and protein

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: If you wonder about the difference between attachment and enjoyment, ask yourself how you would react if suddenly an object you valued was gone.

Gratitude Helps Attitude: Day 141

Evolution Two – week nine

Monday, July 20, 2009

Hello Folks,

I am pretty tired today, so I am going to keep it short. One thing that has been on my mind is how important it is for me to be grateful. I think attitude can affect how our days go and how we see life. Since I am still breathing I am feeling pretty lucky. So many people have passed away recently and it makes me think about how precious it is to be alive. That is the energy I hope to send out to the universe...thank you for today.

Exercise: Interval (run 30 min., bike 25 min.), Pyramid training

Menu: Raw food experiment

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Gratitude can strengthen attitude.

How To Re-Inspire Yourself: Day 140

Evolution Two – week eight

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Hello Folks,

Today I want to talk about how I get my inspiration after working out and watching my nutrition for 140 days. When my workout starts to feel like “ground hog day” and my meals start to look all the same, I go on-line for inspiration. I love to look at articles that talk about the latest nutritional information out there. Here is one website I find interesting...

http://store.rawreform.com/index.php?osCsid=ece91959eb06b5e5746833e433f4904d. The site was started by a woman named Angela Stokes who struggled with her weight and discovered a raw food diet that help her gain control of her weight and life again. It is very inspiring and an interesting sight to check out. The idea of always eating live foods is appealing to me. I have been doing some experimenting with eating raw food, but I am still finding my body responding really well to fish and poultry, so I am only partially practicing raw food eating.

I also like to check out sites that demonstrate the latest in exercise programs. The most popular programs out there of course include cardio/interval training and some superset resistance training workouts. I do get some really good ideas for my workouts that I like to incorporate from various on-line trainers. Some of my favorite sites to go to are http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com/abs.html and youtube exercise videos by Craig Ballantyne at http://www.turbulencetraining.com/youtube-videos.shtml. Both sites have very intense workout ideas and useful information.

I also like to look at other success stories. The only way I think I can psychologically believe in the possibility of achieving anything is to learn from others who have overcome their own obstacles. I think the secret to success really has to do with watching and copying and incorporating all of the techniques that others have used. I like to look at Adam Water’s site at http://rtp-blog.com/ or go to youtube videos made by everyday people who have recorded and achieved some of their fitness goals.

Exercise: Interval (bike 30 min., stepper 10 min., row 5 min.), bodyweight training

Menu: free day

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Learn from those who came before you.

Still Under The Weather: Day 139

Evolution Two – week eight

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Hello Folks,

I was still feeling a little under the weather today, but I decided to make the best of it. I had to get a few things done at home today...and frankly I am feeling like a homebody, so I am going to get out before I have a freak out. Seriously, I need to get some vitamin D...you know, sunshine.

Anyway, talk to you tomorrow!

Exercise: Interval (run 30 min., bike 25 min.)

Menu: Veggies and Protein

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: For everything there is a season.

Trick The Mind Before It Tricks You: Day 138

Evolution Two – week eight

Friday, July 17, 2009

Hello Folks,

Today explained why my appetite went up the last the couple of days. Whenever I get my period I find myself craving more food. I am not a craver of chocolate like some, but more of a craver of bagels and cereal and stuff like that for some reason.
I also wasn’t feeling particularly well today; probably due to a combination of things. I decided to take it easy today, even though I had planned to run lots of errands. I have been thinking about incorporating more visualization techniques into my training. I know that when I focus my progress during a workout I see better results.

As usual this all is an experiment that continues to unfold as I go. There are a few surprises along the way!

Exercise: Interval (bike 30 min.)

Menu: veggies and protein

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Visualize yourself as though you were already there and trick the mind into believing in yourself.

Awareness And Hard Lessons: Day 137

Evolution Two – week eight

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Hello Folks,

Today was not supposed to be my free food day. I was going to have it be on Sunday, but the forces that be were at play. Usually, on my free day I eat various samples of all of my favorite treats, including ice cream, and I am more flexible with my meals. Since I didn’t plan well enough today and I had a few “opportunities” to eat less than optimal nutritionally valuable food, I ended up changing my Sunday free food day to today.

Frankly, I am frustrated about this, because I ate a piece of cake I would never have bought or chosen to eat on my own. I don’t want to fall into the category of putting too much energy into the food issue, because I know it can be unhealthy; But let’s face it, when you are working in an environment that doesn’t support healthy food choices and you are surrounded by a lot of less than optimal options for nutrition, there lies some challenges to a healthy lifestyle. As a result, I am dealing with some of my feelings around this day. I decided to eat the piece of cake (probably packed with 600 calories and no nutritional value), because I thought it was the balanced thing to do, and now I am feeling unbalanced in body and mind.

What I realized though, is I ate it because I didn’t want to be the only one who didn’t eat it and feel left out. I also ate it because I thought it would mean that I wasn’t being freaky about food. However, what I should have done was what I wanted to do in the first place, and not it eat it (I didn't crave or desire it in the first place). Usually, under those circumstances I save it for my free day or figure out how to get rid of it.

The funny thing- is that- if it had been ice cream (my favorite free day dessert) I wouldn’t have these feelings. I am feeling mad at myself for eating something I didn’t want to eat for the wrong reasons. Since, I can’t change what I did I am going to share with you what I learned.

Don’t eat something you don’t want to eat to please others or to prove to yourself how balanced you are...

Use the moment as a learning process to teach you something about yourself.

The final thing I want to add about this is that I feel a little sick now. My body did not react well to the food. My body is reminding me of the consequences. Also, when you look at the amount of calories versus nutritional value, you realize what a waste of calories it is to eat food like that regulary(everyonce in a while is good (the middle way)….and for me especially so, because I didn’t want to eat it in the first place.

One thing I like about my free day is that I go out and get all of the foods I love. I especially love bagels, ice cream, hot tomales, dried mangos, and sometimes pizza. My body doesn’t react too well to most of these foods, so that is why I reserve them for the free day. I have a funny free day palate.

Now that I have splashed my feelings all over this blog, I am going to let it go and use it as my lesson for the week...and know that I am choosing to have these feelings because of my own beleifs. Someone once said before you make a decision, ask your wise self what you would do and see how "correct" that feels. Fortunately for all of us, there will always be more opportunities to test our learning curve.

Exercise: Interval ( bike 36 min.)

Menu: Free

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Listen to the small, still voice within.

Counting Down The Days To Quadathlon: Day 136

Evolution Two – week eight

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Hello Folks,

Since I don’t if I will have time to write this afternoon, I am going to blog this morning. I am getting closer to my Quadathlon event and feeling a little nervous about it. This is the first goal that I set for myself before I turn 40. My main reason for doing it is to support my fitness goals, but also because I have always wanted to do a multiple sport event. I used to run in races, but I never did triathlons or anything like this 4 event race.

I am mainly wanting to finish the race, but since I have been training pretty hard I am thinking I want to push myself to see how well I can do. One of the reasons that I haven’t done many events like this besides laziness is that I had knee surgery in the past and my knee is achy a lot when I run on hard surfaces. I have been really aware of taking good care of it so that I can continue to exercise. I mostly run on soft surfaces, because hard surfaces really pound on the knee.

I better get ready for work. Talk to you later.



Exercise: Interval (bike 45 min.), Metasurge training

Menu:veggies and protein

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Everything in the past died yesterday; everything in the future was born today.

Willpower Vs. Habit: Day 135

Evolution Two – week eight

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Hello Folks,

Today I am thinking about habit versus willpower. The unconscious mind is connected to habits and apparently it controls a very large percentage of what we do each day. The conscious mind is connected to our will or desires (what we want). But what we want and what we think we want may be two different things. So how do we put the two together? Form new habits....consciously through our willpower and intense “emotional” desires - tell our unconscious mind over and over again what we want to do. How do we do this?

1. Set goals: short term and long term
2. Set achievable goals ( who can believe in a goal that sounds impossible to achieve), make it a real goal, but don’t short change yourself either, make it a step up from where you are.
3. Imagine yourself achieving those goals (in the early morning or evening is best) studies have shown that the mind does not know the difference between real or imagined – Brain plasticity will aid in this process.
4. Do it for 30 days (it takes that long to form a new habit)
5. Remind yourself why you are doing it over and over again
6. Focus on what you can achieve not what you think you can’t achieve – remember your mind believes what you tell it –
7. Use every failure as a way to point you to success.
8. Positive thinking may be annoying, but it works - use it.

If you take a brief look at your life and ask yourself about times when you got what you wanted and really studied how you got it, you will find that you got it because you had an emotional reason for wanting it; your mind was focused intensely on getting it and you took the steps to get it.

For example: I remember a time when I really wanted a job that was better paying than my previous jobs, a job that gave me more responsibility. I had been reading and listening to stuff by Tony Robbins, a well-known motivational speaker, and I was pretty certain that I had to overcome my fear of responsibility in order to get that job. I had turned down many jobs that offered me more pay and more responsibility in the past.

Four years before I read and listened to his works, I had imagined myself working for a certain company when I returned to New York. And when I did return I went right to that company and put in my resume. They said they weren’t hiring at that time. I told them to keep my resume if something came up. A week later I got offered a position as a manager and was also offered what I was hoping to make in wages. I knew it meant more responsibility, but I wasn’t afraid of that any more. I also learned from that job how much I really enjoyed having more creative “control” over my role as an employee, it was very liberating. And, truth be told, Initially I saw responsibility as loss of freedom.

I think it is interesting to look at your past to see how it can be a teacher.

Exercise: Interval (run 30 min., bike 25 min.), Continuous training

Menu: Raw food experiment

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Fake it until you make it!

Two Rules for Successful Long Term Weight Loss: Day 134

Evolution Two – week eight

Monday, July 13, 2009

Hello Folks,

I had quite a busy day today. I really had to plan out my food schedule in order to make sure I ate my 5 meals. I even carried some food around with me where ever I went. I find that I am less hungry throughout the day when I stay on track with my food....and I am less cranky.

I just read an article my Tom Venuto who wrote one of my favorite e-books Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle. He was talking about why people yo-yo with their weight. He concluded after years of training people that the number one reason is accountability. Many people know how to eat and exercise, have done everything right and succeeded before, like Oprah Winfrey, but still go back to the old weight and more.

I think I am going to have to agree with him. There is so much information about diet and exercise, so many options, but the people who succeed at it make themselves somehow accountable. I think Richard Simmons must have felt the pressure to continue to keep to his program since he had promised to help others.

I also think there is another reason that motivates people. When I gained weight in the past it would be such a blow to my self esteem that I would basically give up. When I was younger I would sometimes lose weight without thinking about it and then become motivated to lose more. I always focused on exercise as the answer, not nutritional choices, but dieting.

When I started a new programs, I usually tried them for 3 months and if I had little to no success I would give up and go back to the old patterns. I think, after a while, of trying different programs over and over again and failing; there is this point where I think I will never be able to change my weight. It feels like this wall that is so tall that it would take a miracle to climb it. And when I still decide to take action and try again, if I hit a plateau it becomes very discouraging, even though I have made so much progress and the mind starts to think “why do I bother?”

One other reason people do succeed at long term weight loss it what I call the “failure” factor. Not believing you can succeed at it. That is where accountability comes in to play.

I have had some days where I feel really frustrated with my progress. I have had some days where I ate not quite the way I had planned and there is a this little voice in my head that used to be a big voice, that says “if you don’t exercise or you eat that, you are going to be “fat” again. That voice used to be really unbalanced and scary for me. It used to make me quit or make me feel really “restricted” Because of that feeling of being restricted, I would give up, and tell myself - do I want to feel “restricted” for the rest of my life or do I want to train at this level of intensity for the rest of my life? It felt daunting to think into the future like that...and then I would quit.

Success message number one, make sure you are making yourself accountable for your health and fitness; whether it means blogging and taking pictures or weighing yourself or telling your friends.

Success message number two, be OK with the set-backs and find a balance with food and exercise (stay away from extremes like I won’t ever eat that or I have to exercise 6 hours to burn that off)

One of the reasons I chose to do this blog of my weight loss, was because I knew that it would pressure me into staying on course. Since I have a history of yo-yo myself...I have played that game many times, I know how it goes. I also decided to allow myself to be ok if I don’t get the workout in every once in a while or I eat something not scheduled for my meals that day. I have been able to maintain a healthy weight and still feel really good about myself despite my weight loss plateau. And since I have stuck with my exercise and nutrition program my body fat percentage has gone down despite my weight plateau, so there is still success, besides my fitness is still increasing. Those thoughts and my blog are what keep me motivated to continue on, as well as doing the Quadathlon in three weeks to test my progress.
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Exercise: Interval (run 30 min., bike 25 min.), Resistance training

Menu: protein and veggies

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Better to fail than not try at all (I may have used this one before, but I like it)

Plyometrics hmmm...: Day 133

Evolution Two – week seven

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Hello Folks,

Plyometric training has been a part of my workout routine almost since I started this Body Evolution. It is the kind of training that enables our muscles to reach maximal force in the shortest time possible. That means you get more out of your workout. The purpose of Plyometric training is to increase the power of muscles and tendons and the stretch reflex.

It is basically doing functional movements; doing things that we might do during the day only applying more intensity to it. Some examples of Plyometric workouts included jumping in place (jumprope) or standing jumps (jump squats), push ups and sit ups. Through doing these types of exercises more muscles, tendons, and ligaments are engaged for a more balanced training experience.

I have personally noticed an increase in my aerobic capacity while doing other activities that I normally do; like carrying groceries or walking up steep hills. Something about performing those kinds of activities really strengthens the whole body in a balanced way.

Many coaches use plyometric training to get the most out of their athletes; it is used for almost every sport. Bruce Lee, during his career, was very interested in incorporating plyometric training in his exercise routines. He was always searching for functional ways to improve his martial arts.

Plyometric originated from a combination of Greek words plio = more and metric = to measure.

Anyway. I am going to sleep on this and see if I can get a workout dreaming about jumping instead of actually doing it. There have been studies proving that athletes benefit from imagining that they are doing the exercise. I will let you know how that turns out.

Exercise: Interval (run 45 min.), Continuous ( 36 min.)

Menu: Veggies and protein

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: One step back, two steps forward, and one giant leap (plyometric-like)

Quick One: Day 132

Evolution Two – week seven

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Hello Folks,

Well, I don’t have much time to write tonight, so I am going to leave you with my pics for the day. Hope you all are having a great weekend!



Exercise: Interval (bike 45 min.)

Menu: Veggies and protein

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: It is only the very wisest and the very stupidest who cannot change. ~confucius

Time, Money, Survival Management: Day 131

Evolution Two – week seven

Friday, July 10, 2009

Hello Folks,

Ever since I started this blog/exercise program I have encountered that very common issue called Time. It is an old friend that comes and goes. Sometimes Time can seem very long and stretched out, and sometimes it can feel like there isn’t enough of it.

I think being busy, makes me really value my time in a way that I haven’t before. I have spent most of my life trying to find ways to have more free time, especially since I graduated college; because there is that other issue ~ survival.
One thing I have discovered along the way is that I tend to have more when I desire less. How does that work? Well, basically, if you don’t have cable TV or Car payments or House repairs, then you don’t need as much money to SURVIVE.

Which brings me to the question, what is survival? Survival in society has many definitions. Since I spent at least 5 years of my Time learning survival skills of the primitive people I can honestly say that we have it easy when it comes to that topic.

Survival at its very basic level is pretty simple, right? Food, Water, Shelter, and I want to add companionship. Even in the worst conditions of my life I have had those basic needs met. I have lived off of 500 dollars a month and lived pretty well.

So, how do I make more time for myself? Start to look at what I really need and want and realize that my desires are dictating my schedule. For example, if I have a lot of bills to pay, I have to work more to pay them off. That means whatever bills I am paying for are also taking up my time.

The less needs and wants I have, the more time I have. Alright, for some folks, the reality is that they have to work a lot to feed their family and do what they do. But there are definitely ways to save money and therefore time.

When you think about it, money is energy and using energy takes time. Making money takes energy, and therefore the way you spend money is also the way you spend Time.

Now, you are probably wondering what I am getting at? So am I? Seriously, I think that the best solution for creating more time, in part, comes down to changing desires and habits, and of course finding a balance. Look at energy in and energy out.

A good example is: Lets say you have a car, but live in the city, where you could walk to pretty much everything. If you got rid of the car you would not only save a lot of money on repairs, car payments, gas, insurance…etc., but also get more exercise. You add it up and see how many hours you work to pay for that car.

I didn’t own a car for over tens years and saved tons of money, and met a lot of people on the bus…ha. It can improve your social life, because you have to plan ahead to go on trips…etc. It also forces you to exercise more. So you are saving money and getting fit and increasing your social network all by one decision. And if every once in a while you need a car, it still won’t cost as much to rent or take a taxi as it would for the upkeep and expense of a car.
Maybe you are thinking that is not realistic. It may not be realistic, but there are ways to have a car and save money as well; buy a used car, carpool, limit your driving, be efficient with your errands…etc.

This is a long way of saying I am thinking about how to recover some of my time and realizing I need to start prioritizing what is necessary and what is extra. It is a good idea to look at what you think is the most valuable way to spend your time and make a list.

Here is my list:
-spending quality time with my partner
-exercise
-doing something creative
-spiritual practice
-movies/entertainment
-spending time with friends and pets
-helping others
-using the internet
-sleep
-down time
-outdoors

How do I stretch my time. I try not to do everything every day; spread it out during the week. I try to get up early on days I have to get up early anyway, and then sleep in on days I don’t. I sometimes do more than one thing at once, like walking to go grocery shopping (exercise + errand). I try to keep my needs simple. My most consistent desire revolves around getting the things I need to do my HOBBIIES….like books or tools.

I usually buy and sell things on craigslist or at the local thrift stores, which reduces how much I spend on the thing. When I am done I try to get rid of it, for the most part, sometimes I hang on for a while, in case my interest returns.

There are days that I feel like I have no time at all and days that feel very slow, but in the end my choices, my perceptions, and my actions are dictating my schedule. In order to find Time I think I have to look at myself.



Exercise: Interval (run 45 min.)

Menu: Protein and Veggies, Smoothies

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: You are already complete and whole, and nothing external to yourself in the physical world can make you more complete. ~Dr. Dyer

Yoga Heaven: Day 130

Evolution Two – week seven

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Hello Folks,

I mentioned doing some yoga recently. Over the years I have tried many different styles of Yoga. My first experience with yoga was at Kripalu center for yoga and health in Massachusetts. Since I am not very flexible it was a really challenging experience.

My mom was spending her sabbatical there for a year and asked if I would like to join her for a little while. I signed up for a week of Seva (self-less service). For Seva you volunteer your time in the maintenance of the retreat center in exchange for classes and room and board.

The atmosphere was very interesting back then, because of the division between women and men. I also noted that the guru had his pictures all over the place, including the bathroom stalls. There were also some pretty strict policies around meal time. The main thing I noticed was how quiet it was while we were eating.

There is something very different about eating in silence. The food was amazing; it was pretty much all organic and probably a lot of raw food as well. Many of the participants focused on eating really healthy meals, eating slowly and doing lots of colon cleansing.

I steered clear of colonics at the time, but I now I see the benefits. Kripalu is where my mom developed a strong interest in nutrition. She experimented with all different kinds of foods…from juicing…to wheat grass drinks….to vegan diet. I also acquired an interest in nutrition after spending time at Kripalu. I had especially noticed a marked increase in my energy levels; and I even remember describing to my mom a buzzing/humming feeling my body had a few weeks after I left. It was almost as though my body was very satisfied.

The Kripalu yoga classes were very hard for me though. I don’t know if it was because of how uncomfortable I was with my body or if it was because of how inflexible I am. I found myself getting really embarrassed in class and laughing a lot.

I also found myself either taking many breaks during each pose and or being really sore afterwards. Needless to say, Kripalu set the tone for my lack of interest in yoga only because of where I was at emotionally during that time.

Since then I have tried Bikrams yoga. I loved it, because of how the heat helped facilitate my flexibility a little. However, I still had the same problem of being really embarrassed in class and struggling with the poses.

The main reason for my interest in yoga at all is that I recognize the benefits it can offer, like flexibility, strength, and a peaceful mind. When I was in Connecticut I was introduced to the DVD Yoga Shakti by internationally acclaimed vinyasa flow yoga teacher Shiva Rea. She created these dvd’s that have yoga for all levels.

The only one I tried is my favorite, I guess, because I don’t know the difference anyway! The thing that I liked the most about it, besides that you can practice at home, is that it was easy for me to do despite my flexibility and I still felt like I got a really great workout. I did the Yoga on my free exercise day, so I still got a little bit of a workout anyway, without a lot of preparation. The music on the DVD is phenomenal! Anyway if you are into yoga definitely check it out.

Exercise: Interval (run 30 min.)

Menu: Liquid

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: There is nothing, no tragedy too great, no malady so incurable, that we cannot find something to counteract it if we do not forget to go within. ~ Paramananda

Which Brings Me To Today: Day 129

Evolution Two – week seven

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Hello Folks,

It was a little rough staying on schedule with my exercise and diet on vacation. I feel pretty satisfied that I didn’t go too off course; and now I am ready to add some more experiments to my program! I am pretty tired today so I won’t say much more on this topic. It is nice to be home though.

Exercise: Interval (run 35 min., bike 20 mins.), pyramid

Menu: green smoothies and other stuff…..

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: You can live with few clothes or with one meal a day, but that is non simplicity. Be simple inwardly.

Home Again: Day 128

Evolution Two – week seven

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Hello Folks,

After a morning of yoga combined with a bit of arnica homeopathy remedy I was so loose in my lower back nothing could have wigged it out. I was definitely ready to hit the road with my well stretched back. My last day on vacation and heading back to Ithaca.



Exercise: Free

Menu: Camp food

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: It is a fault to cling to fault.

On The Road Again: Day 127

Evolution Two – week seven

Monday, July 6, 2009

Hello Folks,

Back to Connecticut for another visit with family! And once again there was lots of yummy food and friendly banter.

Exercise: Interval (run 60 min.)

Menu: Home cooked delights

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Hatred can only be overcome by love.

Day In Town: Day 126

Evolution Two – week six

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Hello Folks,

I spent the day in P-town checking out all of the stores. I picked up a crystal that tells you the answers to yes or no questions by circling it over your finger. The downtown was bustling with people and energy.




Exercise: Interval (run 60 min

Menu: camp food

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Watching and listening sharpen our senses.

Day At The Beach: Day 125

Evolution Two – week six

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Hello Folks,
Happy 4th of July! Today I spent most of the day at the beach. It was quite an experience to see two different kinds of sand and lots of rocks to massage my feet. I also went in to town to watch the fireworks at night! I went for a run in the morning and am adapting to camp food.

Exercise: Interval (run 60 min.)

Menu: camp food

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: What does it mean to be self-realized?

Hitting The Road: Day 124

Evolution Two – week six

Friday, July 3, 2009

Hello Folks,

After a quick stop in Connecticut for a visit with family, which included warm friendly smiles and yummy food, I headed to Cape Cod. Traffic on 4th of July weekend can be brutal. I worry about throwing out my back on trips like this so I decided to put a pillow behind my back for protection.


Exercise: Free Day

Menu: Veggies and Protein

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: The human voice can never reach the distance that is covered by the still small voice of conscience. ~Mahatma Gandhi

Out Of Town: Day 123

Evolution Two – week six

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Hello Folks,

This morning I am taking off for Cape cod. I am so excited to go somewhere for the summer. I will be gone for 6 days. I will still be taking my daily pics, but there is a chance I won’t be able to post anything until I get back. My posts might be a little shorter until I get back, too!

A friend of mine just told me about how she started taking 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before she eats and she lost 4 pounds in 3 weeks. Apparently, it can control the appetite and help boost your metabolism. It sounds easy, but I suspect it works best with a combination of things.



Exercise: Interval (run 30 min.)

Menu: green smoothies and other stuff…..

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop. ~Confucius

Yuckie Green Smoothie: Day 122

Evolution Two – week six

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Hello Folks,

One more night of planning for my trip and I am off like a rocket. Tonight is going to be tight getting everything I need together. I will be doing a lot of camping, which will require some forethought on my part when doing the final packing.

But first, I wanted to tell you about my latest green smoothie. Truthfully, it was not my favorite version and I will tell you why. First of all, I didn’t have any soymilk, which I almost always put in my smoothie. I started with 2 cups of water and added a cucumber fresh from the garden; then I stuffed a ton of chard in there and blended it.

It looked like a thick soup of chopped up green stuff. It had very little flavor at that point and the texture was funny. I decided to add some fruit to balance it out. I put in frozen strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and bananas. But first, before I put in the frozen fruit I poured out some of the green stuff, because the cuisenart was pretty full and I needed more room. After I added the fruit, though, the consistency was the same, but the flavor was much better.
Where I made a mistake was when I decided to add the green stuff I had poured out earlier back into the drink,to make it larger so it would last all day, thinking it would taste about the same.

It really made the consistency funny, because the stuff I poured out was the most “grainy” of anything else. I felt like cow chewing on blackberry flavored lettuce. A funny experience no doubt. I think next time I will not put as much chard in it and try other vegetables.

Check out the picture of my smoothie...
Makes you want one, doesn't it?

Exercise: Interval (bike 45 min.), Pyramid Training

Menu: veggies and protein

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: I may not be a grazer, but I eat like one.