This may change your life, pass it on to friends.

I am excited at how many people have told me that these journals and my dedication to my various missions are inspiring them to take action within their own lives.

I am making my diet available on this link:

http://fitday.com/fitness/PublicJournals.html?Owner=nutritionfitnesshealth

I started using the same site for my exercise, but it’s not publicly available, so I’ll think of something.

Here are some of the comments thus far. Definitely inspiring me to continue, and add information as it presents itself. Skip down if you don’t want to read them, there’s still a full journal.

Hey Ryan,

I never thought I'd be eating uncooked oats but your oat cereal tastes great and it's simple to make.

Keep up the positive energy, loving it. I’m going to actually forward this on to a few of my coworkers, as they to enjoy being in involved in Marathons.

You're efforts are inspirational and keep up the great work!

Love the blog! Thank you for setting this up!

Congrats on your first long run!! Sounds excellent.

You're inspiring me.

I'm proud that you are working so hard at being healthy, and I know that it takes a lot of hard work to establish a good diet and to work out every day even when you might not feel like it.

Hi Ryan ... I was thinking about it more yesterday ... you should start a blog.

I enjoyed reading your journal. Great motivational encouragement for this 50 year old half drunken bull rider.

I am so enjoying your journal.

You're inspiring me work at it.(Referring to diet)

This is a great blog! I love your dedication. This core workout looks like something I'd enjoy.

Your blog is awesome! So inspiring. I am going to try some of the stuff you've posted on here :0)

Thanks a lot everybody!

Now to the journal…

It’s surprising that it’s already been 2 weeks of journals and about 3 weeks of my new diet. Lots of people still wonder how it’s possible to exclude meat and drastically change a diet, and the only thing I can think of as a response would be that they would be doing the EXACT SAME THING if they felt like I do everyday.

I really believe that nutrition and exercise can prevent the majority of diseases. We are a nation that is now one of the least healthy, yet we have the monetary resources to prevent and cure most ailments. Some ailments are beyond our money and technology, but someday that should be different. If we are able to incorporate a lifestyle that takes pride in being fit and healthy, and only allocating funds towards the problems that require money to learn the technology, our healthcare budget will decrease, universal healthcare would be possible, and we would be one of the healthiest nations.

It’s no question that our healthcare system needs a major undertaking at the preventative level. We NEED to limit all forms of obesity. It’s leading us on a path that will make the universal healthcare impossible. If people exercised an hour everyday, and consumed food that couldn’t survive for longer than a 2 weeks without molding, we could allocate more funds to programs that promote prevention and education. Everybody should know that obesity leads to diabetes, heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, lower quality of life, depression, and a huge allocation within our national healthcare budget.

There’s no 1 company or person to blame, but there are a mighty many that are freely jamming products and ideas down our throats, making us ignorantly believe that we can lose 5 pounds every week and remain healthy, drink soda and have more energy (maybe for 45 minutes, not during our life though), don’t even get me going on the Atkins diet or any other “diet,” life is about moderation and doing positive things for our bodies.

Here’s a list of things that I don’t agree with:

Pharmaceutical companies being allowed to advertise on television and give doctors incentives to prescribe their products to treat one problem and then add a number of side effects, let alone other problems down the road. Take the time to learn and practice, it will save your life.

Large scale food corporations selling ground up corn and fake food as real products. Look at the ingredients on your food labels, it’s appalling. I consider most of this audience fairly intelligent and capable of understanding and caring what’s in our food, but think about the rest of the country, that either hasn’t been educated on the matter or doesn’t care.

The government allowing ridiculous corn subsidies, do you think they would do it if 50% of the products entering supermarkets weren’t made of corn, and made by the companies with huge lobbying budgets? So the government is paying for a large amount of our obesity, SWEET.

Companies “safely” spraying pesticides on a lot of our food. Believe me, it’s not just vegetables, fruit, corn that’s fed to cows.

Companies feeding our livestock(if you can even call them alive) with soy and corn, living in small pens/cages for a few months until they’ve been fattened up enough to slaughter inhumanely and sell to people are luxury goods. Also think about how sick the animals are from living on a diet they aren’t meant for, and being unable to exercise. Imagine if your diet consisted of pesticide laden corn and grain, and didn’t get any exercise. Now imagine eating meat and drinking milk from these really healthy animals.

Here’s a list of things I do agree with:

Holistic health approaches, being aware of what you are consuming, and taking into account where it is being shipped from, because most products are not created anywhere near where you live. Produce grown in California shipped to Middle America, not exactly efficient.

Eating locally, and not in excess. Stop spending so much money on food, the more you spend, the less healthy(think of snacks). I probably spend about 5-8 dollars on food per day, and that’s a really high estimate. I have routinely been around people who have spent 10 dollars per meal, not including snacks or alcohol, so at least 25 per day. I certainly don’t make a lot of money, yet I’m able to eat and live a lifestyle that allows me to stay healthy, save money, and be fulfilled.

Again here’s what I consume:

Oatmeal and some additives (raisins, cranberry, macadamia nuts, almonds, cinnamon, fiber, bran, soy milk, a bunch of seeds)

Fruit as snacks

Salad (lettuce, spinach, seeds, legumes, some dressing)

Brown rice with legumes, and seeds

Vitamins at night to make sure I get everything.

Lots of water

I am essentially living a gatherer lifestyle with supplements and I’m getting all of my complete proteins, vitamins, fiber, spending between 5-8 dollars, and best of all not starving. I’m in the best shape of my entire life. And I’ve been doing this for a few months, I can’t wait until the marathon. A while ago I was overweight by like 15 pounds, never again, I feel way too great.

Exercising and becoming involved in local physical activities, the list is endless. It may change your life in ways you could never imagine.

I’ll go off the top of my head

Biking, jogging/running, hiking, swimming, rowing, kayaking, yoga, pilates, aerobic classes, lawn bowling, bowling, baseball, basketball, golf, tennis, racquetball, walking, rollerblading, skateboarding, weight lifting, climbing, gardening, constructing/building, handball, squash, soccer, cricket, darts(just because it’s awesome).

I’ve never participated in a bunch of these, there are lots that I’ve probably missed but it’s simply something that needs to be done in order to live a full life. In the last year I have done 17 of those. How many have you?

Here is my exercise routine last night after working 9 hours, it took some motivation, but afterward I felt incredible, and slept really well.

10 minutes biking

5 minutes core: upper abs, obliques, lower abs, lower back(2 exercises)

5 minutes jumping rope(I’m going to the library and picking up a book on jump roping)

10 minutes biking at really high intensity

5 minutes core again

23 minutes doing pecs, biceps and shoulders

15 minutes biking at moderate rate as a warm down

10 minutes stretching

And then biked home at 11pm.

Sorry to make this journal somewhat negative, but it’s what people need to hear. I keep saying it, but if you would mimic at least part of my routine, you will undoubtedly feel healthier. I don’t miss alcohol, unhealthy snacks, staying up too late, all because I know they aren’t beneficial, and they lead to the following: hangovers, lethargy, and tiredness/headaches.

50% nutrition + 50% exercise = 100% body satisfaction. It’s not an easy path to drastically change a lifestyle, but it’s entirely possible and will do wonders for every aspect of your life.

If you like to sleep, wouldn’t you want to have a better quality of sleep every single night?

If you like eating unhealthy food, wouldn’t you feel better knowing that your metabolism could handle it by way of exercise?

If you like reading, walk/bike to a park and read there, then walk around the park and just observe.

Without obtaining knowledge and taking steps to change and evolve, we are simple beings with no chance of long-term survival.

Take care, and do something for your body today,

Ryan