My first Vlog: Day 57

My First Vlog: Day 57

Evolution one – week nine

Monday, April 27, 2009

Hello Folks,

Today was another very busy day. I didn’t get a lot of sleep again last night, and I am feeling it! This morning I recorded my first video log. I am thinking it might be nice to use my vlogs to share with you my progress and strategies for weight loss as I continue to meet my goals.

Let me know what you think!

If you look to the right of this screen on the sidebar you will see two video collections. The top one is my first Vlog!

Exercise: Interval Training (35 mins. Spin), Pyramid Weight Training

Menu:Veggies and Protein

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: When one eye is fixed upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the Way

Evolution one – week eight

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Hello Folks,

Today was an action packed day, filled with running and kayaking and weight lifting. The kayaking actually took the longest. I went to the farmer’s market and back. It was such a beautiful day I had to get out!

This is going to be another brief blog posting, because I am sooo busy today!

I found a Quadathlon I am going to participate in to fulfill my goal for before I turn 40. More on that later!

Exercise: Pyramid weight lifting, Interval (Run – 30 mins.), Kayaking 2 hours

Menu: Veggies and Protein


Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Better busy than bored.

Evolution one – week eight

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Hello Folks,

I had a very action packed day today. I love the weekends! I had softball practice, which is kind of like the bad news bears for me, because I am so bad. I make up for my lack of skills with lots of enthusiasm.

I had to squeeze in my workout this afternoon, which worked out fine. I timed it where I ate at least an hour before exercising, instead of right before. It is quite a challenge to try to eat 5 meals a day and make it so that I have at least an hour before and after exercise where I don’t eat. Sometimes I feel a little nauseous when I eat too close to exercising, anyway. Overall, I had a very good day.

I have a few thoughts I want to share about the four principles I am applying to my body transformation experiment.

Here are my thoughts...

The first principle I am using in my experiment is Think. The mind is a powerful tool; especially the mind of someone determined to achieve something, for good or bad.

The amount of desire someone has towards a goal will inevitably dictate the outcome. I have said this before, but I am going to say it again....it doesn’t mean the outcome won’t have a few twists along the way. I also think that if you are choosing a desired outcome there will be obstacles and challenges to test your strength.

It is a important that your heart is in line with your head...meaning that what you think you want consciously is connected to your hearts desire, ulimately. First, though, comes thought, which is, in part, connected to desire. The first thought becomes the idea. The idea is very important. Some say that if the idea comes to you three times then it means you are meant to follow it.

As someone who is always coming up with new ideas, sometimes I wonder which ones are fleeting and which ones are solid. What I find for myself is that there is this deep intuitive side dying to get out of this very mentally heady side. The deep intuitive side is actually the clearer side of the two, but also the most illogical.

Meaning, when you come up with an idea or when you plan to do something and everyone believes that it is not possible, that is the exact thing you must go after. Alright, maybe not all the time, but you get the point. That is why I study people who succeed despite support from others. It is helpful to see others are doing it and then try to experiment with some of their techniques.

One of my heroes is Rosa Parks, because of her incredible strength. I am sure many people thought she was crazy for sitting at the front of the bus, and yet, against all better judgment, she could no longer do what was against her heart. She believed, truly, that she deserved better, that she was equal to all people and that she was no longer going to allow others to dictate her position in society.

Helen Keller said it best when she said, either you make life a great adventure or nothing at all. I choose making life a great adventure.

Here are my pictures...



Here are my stats...

Day 1 Day 28 Day 56 Total dif.


Height:5 feet 4 in.
Weight:145.4 lbs. 133.5 lbs. 131.5 lbs. 13.9 lbs
Left thigh:22 in. 19 in. 19 in. 3 in.
Rt. thigh: 22 ½ in. 20 in. 19 ½ in. 3 in.
Waist:33 ¾ in. 29 ½ in. 28 in. 5 in.
Chest: 37 ½ in. 33 ½ in. 33 in. 4 ½ in.
Rt. bicep:12 ¼ in. 11 in. 10 ½ in. 1 ¾ in.
Left bicep:12 in. 11 in. 10 ½ in. 1 ½ in.

BF percentage: 20.5 percent

Exercise: Continuous Training

Menu: Veggies and Protein

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: First you must Think

Sleep Deprivation Takes Its Toll: Day 54

Evolution one – week eight


Friday, April 24, 2009


Hello Folks,


I had another long day. I ended up working out in the afternoon, which was, actually, not too bad. I am really tired though. It is almost time for me to get some sleep, so I am going to keep this pretty short. I combined my continuous training with Interval training on a bike.

I was hoping to talk t a little bit about a detox diet I did a few years ago, but I will save it for tomorrow. I am too tired to think right now. So I am just going to post my pictures and see you tomorrow!


Exercise: Continuous Training (chest, shoulders, abs, back, quads, hams, biceps), Interval (bike – 20 mins.)


Menu: Veggies and Protein


Until next time…


Think, Believe, Act, Achieve


Dakota


Today’s Mantra: Get sleep now.

Evolution one – week eight

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Hello Folks,

Another Free day. Even on a free day I try to pay attention to how MUCH food I eat, but not WHAT I eat. Food is the more challenging discipline for me than exercise; so I know I have to be on top of things in that area. Also, I tend to feel better throughout the day when I don’t stuff myself. They say it takes your body 10 minutes to recognize that it is full; a good reason to eat slower!

I want to talk a little bit about Tai Chi Chuan. I did Tai Chi for seven years as a discipline. The form of Tai Chi I practiced was called Taoist Tai Chi . I learned a series of 108 slow movements that made up a form. Each movement had a symbolic meaning as well as a physical purpose. At first, I found it challenging, because I am an active person and I generally like faster paced activities. I also felt like I wasn’t getting any exercise from it.

However, since I first started practicing Tai Chi, I learned many things about how much it exercises the body; which means I can’t ignore the benefits. When I first started Tai Chi, I remember witnessing other people doing it and breathing hard. I remember, also, thinking to myself "why is he or she breathing so hard when I don’t feel anything at all?"

After a year of intense training, with lots of correction, I started to breath heavier while doing the set. After three years of training, I had my first realization about the discipline. My breathing was lining up with my movements. I was breathing through my belly instead of my chest. The more I practiced Tai Chi the stronger my body became.

I had knee surgery as a result of an old childhood injury, and recovered quickly. I think my fast recovery was because of Tai Chi. The Tai Chi movements (108 moves) are so slow, your muscles, ligaments and tendons become stronger without injury. It is like you are gently guiding your body to function more efficiently.

Supposedly, the movements help posture, balance, breathing and movement of blood and oxygen to all of your body’s organs. The idea is that you keep your body’s internal fluids moving and it acts as a lubricant for all of your joints and organs, which keep them from building up toxins and becoming hard and useless.

The movements keep your internal body young and supple. When I think about Tai Chi it reminds me of weight training. There are many fitness experts who recommend breathing through an exercise, and suggest slower movements to fully benefit from any given exercise; much like Tai Chi.

I wonder what Tai Chi blended with weight training would look like? I will have to experiment with that and report back. I will call it Tai Chi Weight Training (ha), stay tuned! Next time I am going to talk about toxins and weight and health.

Exercise: softball practice

Menu: anything I want

Until next time...

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Breath. Breath. Breath.

Body Evolution – The Great Experiment: Day 52

Evolution one – week eight

Wednesday, April 22, 2009


Hello Folks,


What a long night I had! I still dragged myself out of bed and did my workout for the day! There is something really motivating about knowing that I will have to take pictures and record my progress on-line! Also, yesterday my weight dropped a little, which inspired me!


I wanted to talk a little bit about why I decided to tackle a body transformation. Besides the usual, I want to lose weight and feel better about myself, I have a few other reasons.


The most important reason I am doing this is because I really want to change my life condition. I have spent years reading everything and anything about the psychology of self-creation. I studied books like the Tao of Physics, The Law of Attraction, The Seat of the Soul, Chicken Soup for the Soul…etc. I watched movies like The Secret and The Matrix and What the Bleep Do We Know.


After years of reading and pondering over the ideas presented in those materials, I grew to believe that everything that I experience is, in part, a result of my perspective and view of the world (my own creation). I also believe that my thoughts, attitude, resiliance, courage and acts play a role in my experience.


The problem is that, despite all of that learning and philosophizing, I still deferred to the victim role. I still, deep down, felt like a victim of circumstance. So, one part of me believes in the power to create whatever I want in life; whatever I desire, experience and achieve. Another part of me resists that idea.


So, last year I re-visited all of the old books I read, and watched the Secret over and over again. It was a rough year for me. My favorite book that I tend to re-visit when I am having a hard time is “When Things Fall Apart,” by Pema Chodron. She says when things fall apart that it is better to lean into the pain than run away from it.


Last year, for the first time, I broke a pattern I had fallen back on for so many years. I didn’t run away from my pain. I faced it head on, like Pema Chodron says in her book. I thought that if I face it head on the pain would heal quicker. The pain didn’t heal quicker, but I learned one very important thing about life. If you face your pain and fear head-on it loses its power over you.


For once, I was so much more conscious of what I was feeling day to day. I wasn’t in a daze at all. Which, at first, is actually more painful than trying to forget about the pain and move on. After a very long year, which I survived thankfully, because of a dear circle of friends who held me, I recovered from my loss and moved on.


I had a few more challenges in my life this year and decided I was going to REALLY change my life’s condition. I decided that I no longer wanted to sit back and be a victim anymore. I decided I wanted to make some big changes.


And finally I decided to make those changes by applying the Law of Attraction!


I decided to combine the law of attraction principles with Pema Chodron's ideas about leaning into your pain.


I am making this my great experiment with life. The Dalai Lama always says that if you don’t believe, then try and see if it is true for you, if it is – GREAT, if it isn’t, then find what is true for you. I am using this Body Evolution experiment as a platform for testing and applying the law of attraction.


I chose weight loss, because it is the one thing in my life that has eluded me the most. I truly struggle with believing in my ability to change this particular part of my life. I have always felt victim to it.


I figured that if I could take my most difficult challenge and apply the law of attraction and succeed at it, that I could do anything and create anything I want for my life!


I am an idealist for sure! I am also a realist, in that, I know there will be challenges along the way. It is inevitable, or life just wouldn’t be that interesting, eh? I am using this experiment to prepare my mindset to use any challenges as a guide for success, rather than quitting.


This is just one of many experiments I will be conducting to see for myself if the law of attraction really works. I am hoping that by sharing them with you, I will inspire you, too!

Here are my pictures...


April 22, 2009: Day 52

Exercise: Interval (30 min. Run)


Menu: Veggies and Protein


Until next time…


Think, Believe, Act, Achieve


Dakota




Today’s Mantra: : Lean in and apply the law of attraction

Mind Over Matter: Day 51

Evolution one – week eight

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Hello Folks,

Today was a really inspiring day for me. I was able to get myself up pretty early. I took my dog for a walk before working out, because he barks like a mad-dog until I do. I did a really intense Continuous routine. I shortened how many sets I did, but increased the number of exercises.


I was using this workout as a test for my routine when I travel. I incorporated my abdominal exercises with it.


Which leads to my next series of thoughts…


Is spot training effective in getting rid of fat in the bulkier areas of our bodies?


Here is what I found out…

If you focus on lowering your body fat percentage, then the areas that you tend to hold fat will eventually be revealed. However, it is useful to workout the muscles in those areas, because when you do lower your body fat percentage you will see what is underneath all that skin!


Exercise: Continuous (back, chest, ham, quads, biceps, triceps, abs, jump-rope, spin, and jump squats)

Menu:Veggies and Protein


Until next time…


Think, Believe, Act, Achieve


Dakota


Today’s Mantra: Mind over matter…