04 Monday Nov 2019
Posted in Workout Routine
Tags
Cardio, Discipline, Exercise, Feeling Good, healthy living, Optimal health, Treadmill, weight lifting
Here’s my routine, folks:
I’m also meeting with my chiropractor this week. I highly recommend this practice. I visit her monthly just to keep everything in tip-top shape.
See you at the finish line!
Dave
23 Wednesday Oct 2019
Posted in Wisdom Wednesday
Tags
Consistency, Exercise, Healthy Food, Meditation, Sleep, Water
Today’s wisdom is about the wisdom of living healthy. There is so much hype surrounding supplements, exercise routines, and what to take, and how much exercise and what type of exercise to do. Let me simplify health advice for you:
How much water? 8 glasses a day (I try to drink a gallon, but rarely make it)
How much exercise? 30 minutes a day comprising cardio and strength
Sleep? 7-8 hours or more if you can pull it off
Eat enough food? At least 3 meals a day with a mix of carbs (fruits, grains, vegetables), protein(beef, pork, chicken, fish, tofu, vegetables), and healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds)
Meditate (10-20 minutes each day)
These things are addressed in hundreds of articles every week. The challenge is discerning what is true and not. I’ve read articles about eggs being bad for you, only to be contradicted a week later. I’ve read articles about red meat being bad for you, only to be contradicted a week later. I’ve read articles about which exercises are the best and worst, how long a person should work out, and on and on and on.
Avoid reading articles about food and nutrition that are not well-cited and supported by serious research. Avoid articles by people who are selling you something or are represented by constituencies like the dairy or sugar lobbies, you’re just asking to be lied to.
After 3-4 years of reading and researching about various aspects of health, I can tell you that 90% of what you read on the web that is not from a trusted authority like the Mayo clinic, are absolute bullshit. Listen to your own body. Pay attention. What benefit does the information do for the author. Does it spur you to buy their product? Does it motivate you to buy a certain type of food? Buyer beware.
I used to love Squats and Deadlifts. After back surgery in 2003, those are both a no-go for me. You can still get the same benefit from other exercises. I’m not a big fan of cardio, but it’s necessary to keep your blood pressure and circulatory system healthy. I love strength training and this is also a necessary component of any exercise program.
If you can’t afford a gym, you can use bodyweight exercises and get yourself an inexpensive bench and some dumbbells. You could also get exercise bands. Anything that provides your muscles resistance will work. Your body is stupid. It doesn’t know whether you are using a commercial-grade piece of equipment or a dumbbell set in your garage or basement. The same goes for cardio. You can get a good workout on an elliptical, cycle, treadmill, or stair-stepper. You can also get the same workout with a walk or jog around the block in your neighborhood. Heck, you can even buy yourself a bicycle or get yourself some hiking boots and hit the trails.
I have always liked Occam’s Razor. I’ll paraphrase. Occam posited that the simplest solution to a problem was one that required the least amount of assumptions. Drink water, get enough sleep, eat enough healthy food, exercise your body, and reduce your stress through meditation. You do these things, and you’ll be better off.
Why does a country as rich as the United States have an obesity problem? We eat too much easy-to-make (processed) food; we don’t get enough sleep; we don’t meditate; we don’t drink enough water, and we don’t exercise and move around. We sit in front of a computer all weekend, sit in front of a computer at work, and our bodies pay the price.
If you want to gain weight, eat more. If you want to lose weight, eat less. I used to be really worried about weight and all the rest. I don’t anymore. I worry about being healthy. I worry about being able to take care of myself and have a decent quality of life as I approach my senior years. I worry about keeping my brain healthy and maintaining my ability to think and learn throughout life. All these things are possible if you take care of yourself consistently. You can’t cram for a health exam. Health is consistency. If you want to feel good consistently, you have to work on your health consistently.
I hope this helps some of you avoid all the things I didn’t. Ignore diet hype. Ignore exercise hype. Ignore supplement hype. Most of it involves you parting with your money for something that most health organizations cannot verify. Some of these companies are even scummy enough to use questionable ingredients that could put your health at risk.
When you read anything online, consider the source and their motivation. In most cases, you’ll find it is about gaining followers for their newsletter, getting your hard-earned money for one of their unverified claims, or convincing you to pay a subscription fee for one of their apps. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against someone making a living. What I am advocating is to let someone else support that person’s living. You stick with the basics I’ve presented here. There is no diet, magic pill, magic supplement, or food that will achieve your health. It is a combination of water, sleep, healthy food, consistent exercise, and meditation. Nothing more, nothing less.
Have a great Wednesday, folks!
Until next time…
Dave
09 Monday Sep 2019
Posted in Motivation Monday
Happy Monday!
This week I’ll be doing the following:
Routine:
Exercise Routine:
I’m currently reading The Final Days by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein
I’ve learned over time that for me the best way to attain my goals is to develop routines that tackle all the areas in my life I want to improve. I love to learn new things and take courses to accomplish that. I like feeling good and enjoy a good session at the gym or a home workout. I like to socialize and get to the local library or a coffee shop to meet new people and talk with them. I enjoy making progress toward my goals, even if I only do a bit each day. It is the daily actions that drive my achievement. I like being balanced and grounded and read my Bible and do my daily spiritual exercises. The small actions I take everyday move me a little closer to attaining the goals I want to achieve.
What are you working on? What do you do to move the needle a little each day?
I hope all of you have a terrific week!
Until next time…
Dave
02 Monday Sep 2019
Posted in Workout Routine
Tags
Bodybuilding, Cardio, Exercise, Full-Body, gym, healthy living, Pilates, Weekly Schedule, Weights
I got the feeling it was pretty boring reading my workout everyday, so I’ve opted to put down my schedule for the week. Feel free to use this for yourself if you are so inclined. This is what I’ll be doing this week, as I head back to the gym. It is a very basic workout, but one that will slowly get my body used to moving some weights. I’ve been out of the gym and doing home workouts everyday to get my habit back, after some inconsistent exercise warned me that I had lost the exercise habit.
Now that the habit is back, it’s time to start crushing the metal again.
Here’s my workout schedule this week:
Tuesday – Thursday – Saturday
Wednesday – Friday
See you at the finish line!
Dave
02 Monday Sep 2019
Posted in Labor Day, Motivation Monday
Tags
Blogging, Exercise, Goal Achieved, Labor Day, Meditation, motivation, My Schedule, Reading, Writing
This week’s schedule:
Labor Day – Celebrate!
Tuesday – Saturday:
Goal Achieved – 48 Books read this year. YES!!! (I’ll be upping this to 60 next year and will continue reading one chapter a day or more in 2019)
It’s the little things you do daily that build to big things over time. The above schedule will help me achieve my physical, mental, spiritual, and social goals this year. Get ready to attack your schedule tomorrow!
For those of you who celebrate, Happy Labor Day!
Until next time…
Dave
19 Monday Aug 2019
Posted in Motivation Monday
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Happy Monday!
My nephew is visiting, and it’s a great time. We are catching up on things that are happening in Arizona and enjoying his company. My Mom and Dad are thrilled he is here and enjoying the time with him.
This week I’ll be writing, exercising, meditating, programming, reading, and learning. I’ll also be doing some stuff with my nephew and getting ready for a religious retreat this weekend. It’ll be a great week!
I was pondering the reasons why I do what I do. I do the things I do because I enjoy them. I like to write because it helps me clarify my thinking, organize my thoughts, and express myself. I like to exercise because it provides a sense of accomplishment and I feel good after I’ve completed it. Exercise for me is a daily battle but one that I typically win. I try to exercise early in the day to get it done. It sets the tone for the rest of the day. Meditation is a no-brainer for me. The benefits of consistent meditation is just too good to miss out on. I enjoy the mental clarity that comes from meditating, along with the focus I am able to achieve. Learning and programming have always been passions of mine. I am currently working through a Python course and taking a writing course. Both are ways for me to improve myself and learn something that I can use for an income. Reading is always a joy. I enjoy reading because I learn from the authors I select and it is entertaining.
I like having a format to my day. I like waking up and looking at my to-do list, the bulk of which is recurring. There are always things that I need to do that pop up now and then but for the most part, my schedule is pretty consistent.
What is your why? Why are you pursuing what you are pursuing? Why do you have goals? Why do you want to achieve them? These are great questions to ask, particularly if you are finding that you’ve lost interest in what you are doing or need to alter what your game plan is for the day. I tend to do an inventory of these things a few times a year. Sometimes I get burned out on taking courses, so I’ll take a break from them. Sometimes I enjoy reading multiple books at once. Other times I enjoy one book. My exercise fluctuates from going to the gym every day to doing a home workout. My meditations use an app some days and do not use anything other days. I keep my days fresh by redoing my inventory of doing things once in a while. I never drop my goals, but I do change what goals I am focusing on, just to avoid monotony.
Most of my goals now are bucket list items. These are the things I want to accomplish before I leave this Earth. Writing a book or two, attaining and maintaining a certain weight, writing a mobile app and a computer app that I can sell are also bucket item lists. These are long-term goals. I have some short-term goals (yearly), like taking so many courses, reading so many books. I also have some indefinite goals or things that I pursue all the time that do not have a finish date or final state of being. Goals like weight loss, eating healthy, and maintaining my financials are ongoing, never-ending goals.
Take a few moments to understand why you have the goals you have. Are you making progress? Are you driven to attain them? If you find yourself resisting goals you want to achieve, try to understand what is driving you to achieve that goal? Maybe your why isn’t strong enough. Maybe you’ve lost interest. That’s ok. Move on to something else and put that goal on hold for a bit. It doesn’t mean you’ve quit, it just means you want to focus on goals you are really driven to achieve in this moment. You can always return to it later.
Well, that’s it for today, folks. Have a great Monday and a great week!
Until next time…
Dave
17 Saturday Aug 2019
Posted in Workout Routine
Workout:
See you at the finish line!
Dave
08 Thursday Aug 2019
Posted in Workout Routine
Today’s workout was a combination of exercise bands and pilates. Pilates is nice because it works the core and keeps my post-back surgery body stable.
Here are the exercises I did:
Exercise Bands:
Pilates:
See you at the finish line!
Dave
20 Saturday Jul 2019
Posted in Workout Routine
Tags
Consistency, Exercise, Learning About Yourself, mini-habits, Saturday, spirituality, Weakening Neural Pathways, Wiring Your Brain
Happy Saturday!!
It is hot today in Michigan. The heat index is above 100 in most parts of southeastern Michigan. Today was an indoor day of reading, coding, writing, exercise, and spiritual study.
I was pondering consistency today. Why can we do certain things consistently and other things inconsistently? I have no problem reading, coding, writing, and my spiritual studies and exercises. I have always had trouble with consistent exercise. Why is it so hard?
I didn’t have any trouble with exercise in the Army. We exercised Monday – Friday without fail. Why do I have trouble now? I don’t have someone else telling me to do it every day. I have to tell myself to do it. That’s the part that is difficult.
Self-management is hard. It is hard because no one cares whether we do something, unless it is something we obligated ourselves to. Did you miss a workout? No problem. Did you miss a workout with your trainer or workout buddy? Big problem.
So how do you solve the problem? You solve it by making the self-management task so easy that your mind doesn’t fight it. You start with a mini-workout to get yourself into automatic mode. Once your mind expects to do something, the workout gets done because you trained your mind to expect the workout to occur. It has automated the workout task in its wiring. Once this rewiring occurs, the mind expects it to happen, and it solves the problem.
What I learned recently is we can undo this wiring. Fail to workout for a few days or weeks, and the wiring, which was strong initially, fades. You lost the habit, the neural pathway supporting this habit deteriorates, and BOOM—no more habit.
So now, I’m going back to the mini habit foundation phase. This requires doing something small every day so that your mind doesn’t resist it. One exercise for a few reps and that’s it.
If you are struggling with your exercise routine or need to establish one, here’s a great book for you to read, which tells the tale of Stephen Guise and how he started a healthy workout routine and diet by doing 1 pushup a day. The title of the book is Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results. Click on the link if you’re interested. I am not an affiliate. I enjoy recommending good books to my readers.
Well, that’s it for today, folks. I hope all of you have a terrific Saturday.
Until next time…
Dave
15 Monday Jul 2019
Posted in Bonus Content
Tags
Achievement, Bodybuilding, Cardio, Exercise, healthy living, Persistence, Self-discipline, Weightlifting
My wife and her trophies
