Healthy Living 101

[Tony_SS]

Perfect meal right there!

I pack a lunch everyday.. usually leftovers from the night before. I always include an apple and an orange, a mason jar of water (call me a hippie but I'm avoiding plastics) nuts, raw carrots and leftover beef/shrimp/etc.

I told my wife that since Christmas last year, I eat about 12 eggs a week, drink a half gallon of natural fresh milk from grass fed cow, a 1/4 stick of butter and I'm still losing weight.. down about 8 lbs total. Slow and steady.

[Vegas69]

Sounds like you are in reasonable moderation Tony. Everybody has to find their own way. I'd still urge you to get a full blown blood profile done for your family if nothing else. Numbers do belong within certain perameters. I certainly learned a few things and made some adjustments that have resulted in a better life.

I certainly hope my friends here are reading and learning a few things they can apply to their own life. I realize this thread isn't on topic or near as popular as my Payback thread. I can honestly say that all the changes I've made through personal development are far and away the best thing I've ever done for myself with the exclusion of the people in my life.

I've started to study the philosophy of John Wooden, the great UCLA basketball coach. A couple of my favorite analogies so far:

"Improve yourself a little every single day" -John Wooden

I've found through new associations, associations with the happiest, most successful people, that they do exactly that. They are constantly learning, studying their own lives.

"Invest yourself in someone else with no expectation of anything in return" -John Wooden

This one is really key. Nothing makes you feel better than helping someone else. You always gain a friend, perspective, respect, and self esteem. YOU learn and cement your own philosophy.

Life is a continual challenge and work in progress. Don't rely on yesterday to propel you into today. Your past experiences and wins are just that, past success. Today is a new challenge and it always will be. NEVER forget what got you where you are today. NEVER forget what keeps you motivated and propelled to improve and excel. It's different for every single person in this great nation.

This morning I got off to one of the worst starts of this year. Uptight, pissed off, and just flat out no fun to be around. It's going to happen no matter what. I was able to turn it around by mid morning and turn it into a super positive day. Great lunch with my accountability partner, interviewed a perspective employee, prospecting call to a client that had her spouse die without me knowing and offering my help free of charge, taking my lady out to a great dinner.

Lastly,


"It's not what happens to you, it's what you do about it" My mentor-Jimmy Rohn

[skatinjay27]

update:
ive really been enjoying running lately and today i just did my longest run it was right under 5.5 miles and it was non-treadmill.
i dont know my pace because i didnt log or really pay attention to the time (prolly slow) but i was just shooting for the distance. and i only walked no more than 10 percent of that!

"i feel f-ing great"

oh yeah and i weighed 174lbs this morning.

[Tony_SS]

Originally Posted by Vegas69

Sounds like you are in reasonable moderation Tony. Everybody has to find their own way. I'd still urge you to get a full blown blood profile done for your family if nothing else. Numbers do belong within certain perameters. I certainly learned a few things and made some adjustments that have resulted in a better life.

I probably should just for kicks. But then I'd have to listen to some pharmaceutical rep in a white coat give me a lecture on a whole grain, low fat "diet".

Todd, your HDL is still very low! I think I was preaching to you before about that... eat some good healthy saturated fat! It will not make you gain weight, promise. Actually there were some recent studies done... there kids who were drinking skim milk were fatter than ones drinking whole milk!

Yes, virtually everything we are taught about nutrition is wrong.

"Invest yourself in someone else with no expectation of anything in return" -John Wooden

Love that quote.

[hifi875]

Still running. Getting ready for Derby half-marathon on apr 27. Put in 152 miles in the month of march. Still lifting and got me a iron gym and starting doing chin ups/pullups etc. feeling good!

[Vegas69]

Originally Posted by skatinjay27

update:
ive really been enjoying running lately and today i just did my longest run it was right under 5.5 miles and it was non-treadmill.
i dont know my pace because i didnt log or really pay attention to the time (prolly slow) but i was just shooting for the distance. and i only walked no more than 10 percent of that!

"i feel f-ing great"

oh yeah and i weighed 174lbs this morning.

Good to hear buddy! We need to catch up soon.

Originally Posted by Tony_SS

I probably should just for kicks. But then I'd have to listen to some pharmaceutical rep in a white coat give me a lecture on a whole grain, low fat "diet".

Todd, your HDL is still very low! I think I was preaching to you before about that... eat some good healthy saturated fat! It will not make you gain weight, promise. Actually there were some recent studies done... there kids who were drinking skim milk were fatter than ones drinking whole milk!

Yes, virtually everything we are taught about nutrition is wrong.



Love that quote.

My hdl was below minimum spec when I ate plenty of saturated fat. I'll keep raising my hdl while keeping my ldl the same, thanks.

Originally Posted by hifi875

Still running. Getting ready for Derby half-marathon on apr 27. Put in 152 miles in the month of march. Still lifting and got me a iron gym and starting doing chin ups/pullups etc. feeling good!

Beast....

[Tony_SS]

Any seasonal allergy sufferers out there? If so, I'm sure you can relate to the HELL that is Spring. (especially in the midwest)

I have had them since I was born. Every spring and fall (the 2 best seasons!), itchy, puffy eyes, snotty/stuffed up nose and constant sneezing.

I had some high 'hopes' that this year was different and I'm pretty excited that it is. Spring came and I'm waiting for it... waiting... never came, no symptoms. But I wasn't going to get all excited until I survived a day outside cutting grass. That was yesterday and against my wife's suggestion I did it WITHOUT A MASK and I have to report that there is NO sneezing or any allergy symptoms of any kind!

Since allergies just dont "go away" I have a few theories as to why I don't have them now and I can only conclude that it my diet, since that is the only thing that has changed since this time last year.

I don't know if its one thing, or a combination of all, but the biggest changes have been that I have cut 90% of the dairy out of my diet. I drink raw milk instead of store bought milk. I eat a dozen eggs a week along with organic butter from grass fed cows. I am eating about 80% less wheat/grains and a lot more organic vegetables and fruit in its place. I eat about the same about of meat (pork, beef, chicken, seafood). I eat a LOT less processed foods. So I don't know if its any of that, all of it, or one thing but I can finally enjoy a Spring season.

[Vegas69]

That's one hell of a great payoff Tony. I suffer from some pretty wicked allergies but my nutrition overhaul didn't eliminate them, it did help me retain more energy. Believe it or not, Vegas has some pretty potent allergens due to the wide variety of plants from all over the world used in landscaping.

It's been a while since I've checked in on my thread. I've continued with my disciplines in nutrition, excercise, and personal development. I don't think I've missed a workout all year. (4 min. per week) I'm 165lbs and approx. 12% body fat. One thing I can tell you has changed this year is my recovery from burn out. I tend to push to hard all around. Solid effort at the office, personal development through reading and cd's, excercise, and personal interests. I don't like to rest but it's crucial to listen to your body and mind. In the past, I'd get burn't out for week, two weeks and so on...This year I've been able to recover in a day or two. The decrease from 5-6 workouts to 4 has made it easier, but sometimes you just can't cram any more information into your brain. It's a good time to let it flow. Sit down and have a in depth conversation or write in a journal.

Three of the many things I've been working on lately is how I feel about other people, how I think they perceive me, and not speaking negatively about others.

Instead of assuming the worst, give them a chance until they prove you wrong. Don't come to conclusions without all the facts. This one has been tough for me as I'm breaking a life long bad habit. I have been doing alot better. I'll give you a minor example: I was following a truck down the freeway last week and a couple pieces of paper flew out the window. My first reaction was, what a scum bag to litter up society. Then I thought, maybe he rolled his window down and it flew off the dash? Who knows but assuming the worst isn't a postive influence on your life.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist to some degree and I have a tendency to think that people have a more negative perception of me than is fact. It's mainly an issue with clients. Could I have done this better, followed up after the sale more often, blah blah blah The truth is that a majority have a very positive perception of me and I've been picturing it that way lately instead of the contrary.

When my Grandfather died, my Dad wrote one of the eulogies. He said, "He never spoke negatively about others his entire life". I'll never forget that fact and that's how I remember him myself. That is one quality I really want to cement. It's to easy to get sucked into conversations at the office or in certain circles. Choose the high road.....

Lastly, is a Jim Rohn video. It's one of my many favorites. It's absolute GOLD and every American could stand to watch it and apply the principals. I do.....

[Vegas69]

Attitude is Everything

We've all heard this constantly throughout our lives. I'm a firm believer that making your mind up to have a great attitude is NOT sufficient.

Here are the three major variables to attitude:

Spirit
Mind
Body

Here are the things I work on to improve my attitude:

How I feel about the past- Is it a teacher or a cruch for the future?
How I feel about the future- Are you excited or aprehensive?
How I feel about myself- Do you like who you are today?
How I feel about everybody- Do you give them the benefit of the doubt or assume the worst?
Education- You must input new information into your mind if you wish to think differently.
Influence- The quality of the information you input into your mind.
Association- The quality of people and their attitudes that you hang around.
Effort- Are you doing your best in your relationships, job, etc?
Results- Are you achieving your goals?
Happiness- Are you happy with your current circumstances while you work on getting where you want to go?
Health- If you are sick all the time, how do you expect to have a postive attitude?
Spirit-I'm going to tread lightly here but I've found this to be a huge piece of the puzzle.
Reflection- Are you tracking your results and making adjustments?

Lastly and certainly not least, you don't fix your attitude and expect things to be great until the end of time. Attitude is a daily challenge and it always will be. I've found that creating GOOD habits make a substantial difference.

I now call it the spirit of the day. I start nearly everyday with personal development for 15-30 minutes through a CD or book and say a prayer with thanks for my countless blessings. It sets my day off on a great direction. Then I follow it up with all the disciplines I've worked into my life throughout the day.

I hope this helps you create the attitude you wish to have. Like all good things in life, it takes labor and persistence over time to get where you want to go. It's really a way to diagnose your own life. Until you really break things down, it's extremely tough to put your finger on your own deficiencies. (And we all have many)

[Tony_SS]

I admit I have an attitude problem.. some days its good, other days, forget it. I'm human I guess.. good and bad days. Moving out of the big busy city to a smaller town has definitely helped my case though.

On another note, I've been continuing my paleo-type of diet. My wife is on board too, and she's bringing home all kinds of 'gluten free' items. This week I'm down another 1.5 lbs. I'm not trying to loose weight. I don't limit my portion sizes. It seems my body is just shedding the toxins I've gained over years of eating processed wheat and sugar. I'm down to 157.5 today. I started the year at 175lbs. And the only exercise I get is yardwork and other daily activities.

I've also started subscribing to the idea of nutritional medicine. I listen to Ben Fuchs almost everyday and have been following his advice.

http://pharmacistben.com/

The idea that the body is self regenerating and almost all disease is a result of nutrient deficiency. So I'm really trying to perfect my diet as the core of my physical health. At the same time, I can still enjoy junk food every now and then, like a soda on the weekend, fast food etc. You've got to throw that in the mix to keep the body working out. That's my excuse anyway.