For those that don’t know me, or are just learning who I am from these journals, I’ll give a basic sports background, and why I got into running and what it has led to.
I was involved in sports year round for the majority of my youth baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis. I played on many reputable teams which only fueled my competitiveness, but soon became bored with much of the training because it was usually the same. Believe me, running liners, push ups and sit ups at age 11 can takes it toll on the imagination.
I stopped playing tennis, soccer and basketball at about the same time so that I could focus on baseball. Though I can’t take it back, and I’m glad I made some of those decisions, but definitely would have done things a bit differently. It was the diversity of the sports that had given me an edge. Constantly adapting to new knowledge or specialized skills that could be used in the other games. Ex. Single’s tennis, with the quick movements helped with fielding ground balls, or slide tackling and bicycle kicks in soccer, leading to diving catches in baseball. What I didn’t realize at the time is that being competitive in all these sports and taking lots of energy to figure out the best way to approach the different small aspects of the game was what made each game a little easier and more enjoyable.
When baseball became my life, I trained in wooden bat leagues, with friends every weekend, at the track and weight room. It was all these other activities that made it possible to find success in baseball. We had an incredible time in our 4 years of high school baseball, two league championships (1jv, 1 varsity), 3 playoff runs, beating the #6 team in the country, and getting second place in the big school playoffs. All of a sudden baseball was over and I decided to look ahead to the next phase of my life.
In college I stopped playing sports almost all together and just went to the weight room, but that was just boring, and I was often sidetracked by extracurricular activities. I gained a bunch of weight and felt lethargic. My metabolism was slowing down a little, due to lack of exercise and poor eating habits. Campus food and alcohol were key components.
I had never really enjoyed running because it had always been associated with training, but I began going out and getting some exercise. After the initial annoyance, it grew on me because it is outdoors, fresh air, when you take a break it feels incredible, and when you finish you realize it only took about 45 minutes. The other thing I love about running outdoors is you can immediately change the pace and challenge yourself in ways that it’s impossible on a treadmill. Interval sprints, hills, backwards running, or simply making it to somewhere of importance.
I’ve always been fairly health conscious, always in shape, usually eating health, constantly active, so being out of shape had been foreign to me. It was difficult to begin training again, not having an ultimate goal other than getting into my old shape. Every other time it had been because I wanted to be a starter, be faster, stronger, or have more endurance than the next person. I started running everyday and challenging myself to lose the excess weight. I watched what I ate, but nothing even close to what I am doing now. The weight came off, and then I didn’t want to stop. I kept running while at school, by the way, it’s a little harder to run at higher altitudes or with poor air quality. If you live in the Bay Area, love the air, it’s amazing.
A good chunk of time passed, and a marathon had crossed my mind a bunch of times, but it’s one of those things that you put off because right now isn’t the best time to do it, or you’re not in shape for it. NOT TRUE. Right now is the best possible time to start and you will inevitably get into shape. Running 20-30 miles and doing cross training each week, and eating healthier foods because you feel the difference in performance. Your body will be in the most ridiculous shape, and you won’t recognize yourself. I’m about a month into training and I have the best body of my life, and I feel absolutely incredible. My mind is working nonstop thinking about ways to improve myself and others, I am essentially more efficient every single day.
I’m not encouraging everybody to go out and start training for a marathon, it’s literally not possible for a lot of people, but realize that once you start training for your first big goal, and you really get into it, you’ll never want to stop. There are so many different types of events, benefiting different causes, all over the world, or in your backyard. It’s awesome living in Palo Alto because there are constantly events going on in the surrounding 50 miles. Bay to breakers coming up in May, though they got rid of a lot of the fun (from what I’ve heard, I’ve never been involved in it, stupid serious fun killing corporate sponsors). You’d be amazed how many 5 and 10k’s there are around your area.
Here's a pretty awesome idea some of my friends are doing. They walk every morning, and when they have walked the equivalent distance that they reach New York, they will take a trip to New York. It’s going to take a while, but think of the shape they are in walking everyday and accumulating 2,954 miles (Google Maps), and knowing that you’ll be in New York as a result of exercise. Anybody that accumulates that many miles, certainly deserves a trip.
The point, be creative with your quest, but get out and start doing something today. Do it with some friends if you have to. I’ve been training since November, first simple exercise and nutrition and then more advanced for the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon on May 31. I knew from the beginning that it would be a serious task, and that it would be necessary to make drastic changes in my lifestyle. Some of the most important steps in my quest have been November 8, registering for the marathon and investing the 95 dollars in the event and having a set date, becoming involved with Team in Training, and fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, If you want to donate I and many cancer patients and families really appreciate it, and starting this daily journal which has already helped myself and numerous others begin their journey towards better health.
Health and nutrition are exponential, if you eat well and exercise today it won’t ONLY benefit you today, it will help you next week, next month, next year, 5 years, 10 years, etc. And if you keep it up, you’ll start turning back the time and you really should feel between 10-40 years younger.
There’s absolutely no reason not to do something today. Lift some light weights, walk around the park, jog in place, jump rope, bike to the store, eat an apple, play tennis/racquetball, jog to a friends house every time you exercise, walk the dog again, play some catch (football, baseball, Frisbee), drink more water and get that metabolism going, eat some greens, whole grains, get more sleep or better sleep, push ups, sit ups, headstands (I’m working on it), pull ups, swim, walk up some stairs, make a 1 week goal, make a month goal, make an ultimate goal, register for an event, benefit some group, pick some flowers, do yard work, stationary bike, treadmill, machines, whole grains, legumes, so many others I can’t even begin to list.
So my challenge for you today is to go and sign up for whatever you’ve been putting off because it’s going to take too much time or whatever the reason might be. As soon as you make that commitment your life will change. And then as the training gets going it gets easier and harder, it becomes easier to do the harder work.
I hope you gained something from this journal, if you think these give even the slightest bit of help to somebody, pass the site on. Even people you haven’t talked to in years, because once they start changing their life maybe you’ll find you have something in common again and will rekindle a friendship.
If you are interested in donating to my fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, everything helps. Here is the website:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/sj/rnr09/rgreenfield
Thanks for reading, have a great day,
Ryan
Remember to do something today to benefit the rest of your life
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Feb 26 Feeling pretty rested
Sorry about missing the last 2 days, I’ve been a mix between really busy and taking days off. It occurred to me that I should take some time off from training or else my body is just going to shut down. I’m still keeping up the diet, but just giving myself yesterday and today off from any kind of strenuous training. Today I’ll do core and bike around to various activities.
I’ve also been adding a lot more food to my diet, because frankly, I wasn’t getting enough. I found that sustaining concentration for the entire day became quite difficult. Also, it’s really hard to eat too many calories during a day, when my diet consists of oatmeal, fruit, vegetables, brown rice and legumes, so I may begin adding more fish and tofu to the diet. I’ve eaten a lot more the last 3 days and already feel a huge difference.
On Tuesday I buckled from part of my goals and had a shot of Jaeger. I didn’t feel too bad as it was Fat Tuesday (holds no significant meaning to me) and haven’t drank in over a month. The alcohol didn’t feel right in my stomach, which might be because my body isn’t used to it anymore, or because it’s Jaeger. This will be one of 2 times that I fail to follow the alcohol rule. The other being my birthday, which happens to fall on a worldwide drinking holiday, St Patrick’s Day. Do you think St Patrick would be ecstatic that his day is associated with ridiculous amount of binge drinking? Though I guess lots of people end up at church as a result of it.
Last night I began helping one of my friends with training. I love her motivation and dedication toward reaching the goals. I can almost guarantee success with those 2 words, but only when they are true, and not just a two week health phase.
I understand why people are looking for the quick fix, but seriously, how many times must it be stated that quick fixes don’t work. The best way to become healthy is to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Once you begin enjoying exercising and how good food makes you feel, you’ll stick to it. It’s fine to diverge for short periods of time if you’re getting burnt out, just remember that you should go back soon, because it doesn’t take long to forget the amazing feeling.
Start slow, keep at it, and have goals. If you’re trying to lose 5 pounds, it should take at least a month of good nutrition and exercise to be able to keep that off. Most of the beginning weight is water, and will come back quicker than you think, plus it will discourage you and prevent future lifestyle changes. By having and sticking to long term results you can ensure that the get fit quickly isn’t on your mind, and after a few months it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll feel better. Less weight and increased muscle is synonymous with more energy, endurance, healthier heart, increased weight loss, and more efficient metabolism.
I think of diet and exercise together. When I used to eat bad foods or drink, I would go out and work them off to reach equilibrium. Believe me, running sprints after a night of vodka, will make you quit drinking, or exercising.
The other day on a different site I went on a rant about exercise and nutrition and healthcare. I am going to post it on the blog right before this one, under the title “Health Rant.”
That’s all for today, I’ll be back on the workout grind Saturday, as I might take tomorrow off, making sure my body is fully rested before another long run. Keep in mind that when I say taking time off I’m not including the miles of biking that occurs as a result of my daily schedule. Today I’m biking to Mountain View and back to Menlo Park. Work exercise into your daily routine. Walk to a store and get groceries, or go on a walk with a loved one, it’s great to get out even if it’s raining, just bring an umbrella.
Have a great day,
Ryan
I’ve also been adding a lot more food to my diet, because frankly, I wasn’t getting enough. I found that sustaining concentration for the entire day became quite difficult. Also, it’s really hard to eat too many calories during a day, when my diet consists of oatmeal, fruit, vegetables, brown rice and legumes, so I may begin adding more fish and tofu to the diet. I’ve eaten a lot more the last 3 days and already feel a huge difference.
On Tuesday I buckled from part of my goals and had a shot of Jaeger. I didn’t feel too bad as it was Fat Tuesday (holds no significant meaning to me) and haven’t drank in over a month. The alcohol didn’t feel right in my stomach, which might be because my body isn’t used to it anymore, or because it’s Jaeger. This will be one of 2 times that I fail to follow the alcohol rule. The other being my birthday, which happens to fall on a worldwide drinking holiday, St Patrick’s Day. Do you think St Patrick would be ecstatic that his day is associated with ridiculous amount of binge drinking? Though I guess lots of people end up at church as a result of it.
Last night I began helping one of my friends with training. I love her motivation and dedication toward reaching the goals. I can almost guarantee success with those 2 words, but only when they are true, and not just a two week health phase.
I understand why people are looking for the quick fix, but seriously, how many times must it be stated that quick fixes don’t work. The best way to become healthy is to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Once you begin enjoying exercising and how good food makes you feel, you’ll stick to it. It’s fine to diverge for short periods of time if you’re getting burnt out, just remember that you should go back soon, because it doesn’t take long to forget the amazing feeling.
Start slow, keep at it, and have goals. If you’re trying to lose 5 pounds, it should take at least a month of good nutrition and exercise to be able to keep that off. Most of the beginning weight is water, and will come back quicker than you think, plus it will discourage you and prevent future lifestyle changes. By having and sticking to long term results you can ensure that the get fit quickly isn’t on your mind, and after a few months it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll feel better. Less weight and increased muscle is synonymous with more energy, endurance, healthier heart, increased weight loss, and more efficient metabolism.
I think of diet and exercise together. When I used to eat bad foods or drink, I would go out and work them off to reach equilibrium. Believe me, running sprints after a night of vodka, will make you quit drinking, or exercising.
The other day on a different site I went on a rant about exercise and nutrition and healthcare. I am going to post it on the blog right before this one, under the title “Health Rant.”
That’s all for today, I’ll be back on the workout grind Saturday, as I might take tomorrow off, making sure my body is fully rested before another long run. Keep in mind that when I say taking time off I’m not including the miles of biking that occurs as a result of my daily schedule. Today I’m biking to Mountain View and back to Menlo Park. Work exercise into your daily routine. Walk to a store and get groceries, or go on a walk with a loved one, it’s great to get out even if it’s raining, just bring an umbrella.
Have a great day,
Ryan
Health Rant
If you don't know that exercise is beneficial for your health, shame on you.
Our bodies have evolutionarily been trained to associate our physicality with our level of health. If you become sedentary, your body thinks it’s sick or dying. If you're active, it thinks that you're on the hunt for food and remains healthy. And will rebuild itself accordingly, essentially you evolve or decay. I prefer to evolve.
After you do any kind of physical activity (hungover or not) your body is flooded with endorphins which are essentially pleasure. The body appreciates being used, and tends to hang around a lot longer if daily exercise is included in the routine. Once the next growth cycle occurs, it will rebuild itself more efficiently.
Start exercising and your metabolism will restart, you'll feel incredible, people will notice, and your self esteem will skyrocket. Don't, and you'll join the millions of people who are depressed due to their bodies thinking they are sick and dying.
It seems obvious to me what needs to happen in order to combat sedentary living, depression, obesity, etc.
But that's only half the equation.
Nutrition is the other half.
Think of it this way, if you exercise everyday, but eat junk, you'll be around the middle of society in terms of fitness, but you don't have the necessary nutrients. If you do the opposite, you'll still be around the middle, but you will be physically less able than the majority, but getting all your nutrients. If you suck at doing both, you're just a drain on society and will be taking up our already too expensive health care costs. People who don’t care are a burden on the entire country and world (we could be helping save people instead of helping peoples’ failure to take care of their own health).
However, if you exercise and eat nutritiously, you are the beacon of hope for our struggling society. I don't believe that people who take care of themselves should be required to pay for the lack of insight of those who obtain fully preventable degenerative diseases.
I am tired of excuses, bitching and moaning, diet crazes, quick fixes, and ignorance. Everybody needs to take some time everyday to learn about what to do with their life to optimize health and keep money away from unnecessary spending on obesity related ailments. When you're done exercising eat something that resembles a natural meal you could find on a morning stroll, not a bunch of corn resembling a hamburger. Be educated about yourself and food that turns into you.
Our tax money shouldn't be spent on those who don't care. I bet we could have universal health care if the system were restructured and didn't give so much to those who are the biggest drain. Make them pay for their own issues, let me have free or cheap hospital visits.
To sum this up, eat well, exercise often and your body and mind will function at full capacity and you will notice drastic changes.
Our bodies have evolutionarily been trained to associate our physicality with our level of health. If you become sedentary, your body thinks it’s sick or dying. If you're active, it thinks that you're on the hunt for food and remains healthy. And will rebuild itself accordingly, essentially you evolve or decay. I prefer to evolve.
After you do any kind of physical activity (hungover or not) your body is flooded with endorphins which are essentially pleasure. The body appreciates being used, and tends to hang around a lot longer if daily exercise is included in the routine. Once the next growth cycle occurs, it will rebuild itself more efficiently.
Start exercising and your metabolism will restart, you'll feel incredible, people will notice, and your self esteem will skyrocket. Don't, and you'll join the millions of people who are depressed due to their bodies thinking they are sick and dying.
It seems obvious to me what needs to happen in order to combat sedentary living, depression, obesity, etc.
But that's only half the equation.
Nutrition is the other half.
Think of it this way, if you exercise everyday, but eat junk, you'll be around the middle of society in terms of fitness, but you don't have the necessary nutrients. If you do the opposite, you'll still be around the middle, but you will be physically less able than the majority, but getting all your nutrients. If you suck at doing both, you're just a drain on society and will be taking up our already too expensive health care costs. People who don’t care are a burden on the entire country and world (we could be helping save people instead of helping peoples’ failure to take care of their own health).
However, if you exercise and eat nutritiously, you are the beacon of hope for our struggling society. I don't believe that people who take care of themselves should be required to pay for the lack of insight of those who obtain fully preventable degenerative diseases.
I am tired of excuses, bitching and moaning, diet crazes, quick fixes, and ignorance. Everybody needs to take some time everyday to learn about what to do with their life to optimize health and keep money away from unnecessary spending on obesity related ailments. When you're done exercising eat something that resembles a natural meal you could find on a morning stroll, not a bunch of corn resembling a hamburger. Be educated about yourself and food that turns into you.
Our tax money shouldn't be spent on those who don't care. I bet we could have universal health care if the system were restructured and didn't give so much to those who are the biggest drain. Make them pay for their own issues, let me have free or cheap hospital visits.
To sum this up, eat well, exercise often and your body and mind will function at full capacity and you will notice drastic changes.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Feb 23, Alcohol
So, I was able to take the spinning and yoga classes again. Incredible. I didn’t feel so great in the afternoon, not really sure why, maybe still recovering from the 8 mile workout on Saturday. I hadn’t recovered properly, and may have just been feeling my body trying to recover. In any case, the spinning class seemed extra hard today and by the end I was pretty exhausted but felt much better than before the class. The yoga class was cool, and learned how to do a headstand. I’ll post a picture when that is possible. Probably in the next few days if I practice.
My cousin Todd made an excellent observation in regards to my training. He noticed that I was doing jump roping on my cross training days, and that it might lead to injuries due to strengthening the calf muscles, which are being rested on the cross training days. It hadn’t even occurred to me, and I’m glad he mentioned it. If anybody else notices odd pieces of my training, please let me know, sometimes I just overlook things and won’t piece obvious informant together. I still plan to practice jumping rope, it will just be on days that I run as either a warm up or cool down, or in between periods. That way I get a good cardio workout, and get m calves engaged, but still let them rest.
One thing that always occurs to me for a while and then fades into the background is the importance of breathing. Everybody should know that it’s been happening since birth, and that it will continue on its own until death, unless circumstances arise. How many people actively think about their breathing, and go out of their way to control it, or to become aware. Since the training began my lung capacity is surely greater. I pity people who smoke, because you are basically poisoning yourself. What good does smoking really create? A sense of calm, that you’ve Pavloved. Come on, what good can possibly come from consuming burning plants and other substances that lead to buildup in your lungs. It’s simply foolish to think that people who smoke are cool or the “in crowd” it’s long been the opposite. If you do smoke, in 20 years do you want a hole in your throat, trouble breathing, cancer, probably heart disease, etc., you might be shit out of luck for smoking related diseases if a system is created based on personal accountability.
I haven’t mentioned before that I love water, and think that everybody should love it as much as I do. Just a few moments ago, my eyes actually lit up when I saw a quart of water sitting peacefully on my desk. Partially because it meant I didn’t need to get up and get some, but more because my body must really want it and love it. Why would people allow their bodies to become dehydrated? If our bodies are…60% water (looked it up) than becoming dehydrated is just really sick and demented. I wake up every morning and drink a class of water because my body has been working for the previous 7-8 hours on rebuilding and evolving me. It deserves it, plus it gets my metabolism going immediately. I try to have enough water that I don’t get thirsty, and so that I don’t need to drink anything during my meals. It’s been said that drinking during eating dilutes the stomach acid. I don’t know if it’s true, but if you think about 5,000 years ago, I bet they didn’t have a Nalgene bottle handy when they ate their meals, let alone dispensers, or soda and alcohol. Maybe if they happened to eat near a watering hole, but certainly not for the majority of their meals.
Another thing I love is good quality beer. If you don’t know by now, I have given up drinking until after the marathon. It’s unhealthy and expensive enough that it’s not the greatest training aid, and I don’t mind giving it up for a few months. Empty calories, dehydration, diuretic, hangovers, lethargy, these seem like enough reasons to stop at least for now. I have had my share of experiences with alcohol and certainly a few times of overdrinking, but at this stage in my life it has dawned on me that binge drinking might be one of the most detrimental activities that people do on a regular basis. Flooding the body with empty calories, lowering inhibition, decision making just out the window, spending a small fortune, treating the liver and rest of the body like it doesn’t matter is certainly nothing to brag about. Not to mention, staying up late and mixing drinks.
I can only wonder what the body is thinking when it first encounters alcohol in the system. It’s not a food it would recognize, and it’s not a drink that occurs naturally without some fermentation, and often tends to be accompanied by shitty food and poor judgment. Am I being poisoned and tortured could be a possible question.
Don’t get me wrong, I love beer, just that quality and moderation are the key. It’s just that seeing people drink large quantities of tasteless alcohol with the overall purpose of having a good time are being extremely short sighted. What about later that night or morning when the body is working itself to the limit trying to fix the issues created? Or the next morning when you get up and realize that you should drink about a gallon of water, and knowing that the entire day will be lost. Or even next year when you haven’t exercised in a month, are eating bad food and generally feel terrible.
The point, know what you are consuming and why. A drink a day won’t do anything negative to your system, unless that one drink is a gigantic Irish Car Bomb, or a triple shot of Jack. If you aren’t in the best shape and are under the assumption that tomorrow or the next day or next week is when you’ll start changing your life, you should probably stop drinking. Alcohol has a tendency to be accompanied by the sedentary lifestyle, and poor food choices. Maybe the government didn’t have prohibition correct, but all the health reasons and issues DIRECTLY related to alcohol are still obvious pointers that it needs to be regulated at some level. Or at least stop showing all of these ridiculous ads about how great it is, and how great it will make your life.
Why can’t it be like the tobacco industry, where they still sell it(though they shouldn’t be allowed to), they just can’t spend money advertising on tv. Then at least young people won’t have to be influenced as much, and the companies could actually start creating some quality beers and maybe donate some of the ad money towards the issues they are unfortunately causing (AA, DUI deaths, road damage, prison overcrowding, substance abuse, violence, theft, teen pregnancy, STD’s, lots and lots of stupid decision making). Obviously not all completely alcohol or its distributors fault, but the widespread idea that alcohol is the way to have fun does not make the problems go away.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow,
Ryan
My cousin Todd made an excellent observation in regards to my training. He noticed that I was doing jump roping on my cross training days, and that it might lead to injuries due to strengthening the calf muscles, which are being rested on the cross training days. It hadn’t even occurred to me, and I’m glad he mentioned it. If anybody else notices odd pieces of my training, please let me know, sometimes I just overlook things and won’t piece obvious informant together. I still plan to practice jumping rope, it will just be on days that I run as either a warm up or cool down, or in between periods. That way I get a good cardio workout, and get m calves engaged, but still let them rest.
One thing that always occurs to me for a while and then fades into the background is the importance of breathing. Everybody should know that it’s been happening since birth, and that it will continue on its own until death, unless circumstances arise. How many people actively think about their breathing, and go out of their way to control it, or to become aware. Since the training began my lung capacity is surely greater. I pity people who smoke, because you are basically poisoning yourself. What good does smoking really create? A sense of calm, that you’ve Pavloved. Come on, what good can possibly come from consuming burning plants and other substances that lead to buildup in your lungs. It’s simply foolish to think that people who smoke are cool or the “in crowd” it’s long been the opposite. If you do smoke, in 20 years do you want a hole in your throat, trouble breathing, cancer, probably heart disease, etc., you might be shit out of luck for smoking related diseases if a system is created based on personal accountability.
I haven’t mentioned before that I love water, and think that everybody should love it as much as I do. Just a few moments ago, my eyes actually lit up when I saw a quart of water sitting peacefully on my desk. Partially because it meant I didn’t need to get up and get some, but more because my body must really want it and love it. Why would people allow their bodies to become dehydrated? If our bodies are…60% water (looked it up) than becoming dehydrated is just really sick and demented. I wake up every morning and drink a class of water because my body has been working for the previous 7-8 hours on rebuilding and evolving me. It deserves it, plus it gets my metabolism going immediately. I try to have enough water that I don’t get thirsty, and so that I don’t need to drink anything during my meals. It’s been said that drinking during eating dilutes the stomach acid. I don’t know if it’s true, but if you think about 5,000 years ago, I bet they didn’t have a Nalgene bottle handy when they ate their meals, let alone dispensers, or soda and alcohol. Maybe if they happened to eat near a watering hole, but certainly not for the majority of their meals.
Another thing I love is good quality beer. If you don’t know by now, I have given up drinking until after the marathon. It’s unhealthy and expensive enough that it’s not the greatest training aid, and I don’t mind giving it up for a few months. Empty calories, dehydration, diuretic, hangovers, lethargy, these seem like enough reasons to stop at least for now. I have had my share of experiences with alcohol and certainly a few times of overdrinking, but at this stage in my life it has dawned on me that binge drinking might be one of the most detrimental activities that people do on a regular basis. Flooding the body with empty calories, lowering inhibition, decision making just out the window, spending a small fortune, treating the liver and rest of the body like it doesn’t matter is certainly nothing to brag about. Not to mention, staying up late and mixing drinks.
I can only wonder what the body is thinking when it first encounters alcohol in the system. It’s not a food it would recognize, and it’s not a drink that occurs naturally without some fermentation, and often tends to be accompanied by shitty food and poor judgment. Am I being poisoned and tortured could be a possible question.
Don’t get me wrong, I love beer, just that quality and moderation are the key. It’s just that seeing people drink large quantities of tasteless alcohol with the overall purpose of having a good time are being extremely short sighted. What about later that night or morning when the body is working itself to the limit trying to fix the issues created? Or the next morning when you get up and realize that you should drink about a gallon of water, and knowing that the entire day will be lost. Or even next year when you haven’t exercised in a month, are eating bad food and generally feel terrible.
The point, know what you are consuming and why. A drink a day won’t do anything negative to your system, unless that one drink is a gigantic Irish Car Bomb, or a triple shot of Jack. If you aren’t in the best shape and are under the assumption that tomorrow or the next day or next week is when you’ll start changing your life, you should probably stop drinking. Alcohol has a tendency to be accompanied by the sedentary lifestyle, and poor food choices. Maybe the government didn’t have prohibition correct, but all the health reasons and issues DIRECTLY related to alcohol are still obvious pointers that it needs to be regulated at some level. Or at least stop showing all of these ridiculous ads about how great it is, and how great it will make your life.
Why can’t it be like the tobacco industry, where they still sell it(though they shouldn’t be allowed to), they just can’t spend money advertising on tv. Then at least young people won’t have to be influenced as much, and the companies could actually start creating some quality beers and maybe donate some of the ad money towards the issues they are unfortunately causing (AA, DUI deaths, road damage, prison overcrowding, substance abuse, violence, theft, teen pregnancy, STD’s, lots and lots of stupid decision making). Obviously not all completely alcohol or its distributors fault, but the widespread idea that alcohol is the way to have fun does not make the problems go away.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow,
Ryan
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Offday trends
There seems to be a few interesting trends occurring on days that I do not workout. I tend to eat refined foods, lack motivation and feel a little less enthused about the entire day. My plans for the day included a list of 22 things to finish. Thus far I have completed 13, and plan to finish at least 5-6 more before I go to sleep. It was a fairly productive day, and I took some detours from the known path, but it seems that my exercise directly affects my productivity and willingness to adhere to my set plans.
One of the things I accomplished today was for my future development. I bought a jump rope. If you have been following, it has become a portion of my cross training workouts. It’s an incredibly fulfilling exercise and incorporates cardiovascular, coordination, stamina, and lots of concentration. By the end of this training I want to continuously jump for 30 minutes. Maybe run a couple miles while jumping rope, that would be a pretty awesome feeling to accomplish. I’ll try it at the next track workout, maybe you’ll see me, and wonder WTF is he doing, and I’ll just be happy in my own little zone pursuing one of many short term goals. Never stop exploring and experimenting, you haven’t tried everything.
I am excited for tomorrow’s spinning and yoga, which will take a toll on my presently EXTREMELY tight and sore muscles. After 8 miles yesterday at around 8:30 pace my legs are very happy for 2 days off from running. I am curious/scared/excited for the longer runs which will challenge my perseverance and help me set personal goals. The biggest mistake yesterday was not drinking enough liquid. I looked at some websites and they repeatedly emphasized the importance of flushing your body with liquid, which is one of the 22 tasks today, though it may be too late.
Another odd observation is that I consume more calories on days that I do not workout. It can be partially explained from a book I recently read called Younger Next Year, in which they state that when you don’t exercise your body thinks that you are sick or dying. After these crazy workouts my body feels almost to this state of being, but this could explain why I have no motivation, because my body is conserving everything for the day in which I can continue my exercise and be “living” again.
I have still been receiving some questions and skepticism towards my new diet which excludes meat and dairy products. I am not doing it because of the running, it just happened during a period when I need to be conscious of my consumption and the evidence against those products was great enough to push my will power behind a vegetarian diet. I also promise you that the complete proteins are being consumed, though not by way of meat (whole grains and seeds/nuts, whole grains and legumes).
I’ve also come to the conclusion that it is near impossible to overeat if the consumption is based on food that is recognizable. These foods keep the appetite at bay for longer, and are more easily processed by your entire digestive system. Plus they don’t cause drowsiness like the sourdough rolls I’ve been eating. They taste incredible, but make me feel lethargic, which is why at this very moment I will be banning them from my diet until the day that I succumb to their appeal.
Being interested in food and nutrition has led me to another highly understated point. Stay away from empty carbohydrates. If you’re interested in apple juice, eat an apple, orange juice, eat an orange, etc. You’ll be getting much more nutrition, it will taste about the same, and may be cheaper (unless you’re buying sugar juice, in which case, have you read anything I’ve written thus far?). But seriously, stay away from soda and other useless drinks.
I encourage people to check out my nutrition diary, located here:
http://fitday.com/fitness/PublicJournals.html?Owner=nutritionfitnesshealth
Keep in mind that everything I am doing is not just for this marathon, but for an overall life goal of changing society towards the prevention of unnecessary diseases, prolonging satisfactory life, and staying active until the end. If people choose to ignore me, so be it, at least you’ll feel the benefits.
In other news, in the very near future I will be helping a friend with a lifestyle change and am excited about the passion and dedication being shown thus far.
If you’re interested in ways to become fit in the next 2 months and forever, please let me know. I don’t have enough time to help everybody all the time, but I’ll do my best to provide some kind of advice to help you achieve some goals.
I hope everybody is enjoying these journals and passing them on to friends. I really enjoy hearing about how they are impacting lives and providing incentive for accomplishing goals, or just simply a “hi” or “good job”. It brightens my day and helps me run or train a little harder and faster.
Also, if you’re interested in getting my opinion on other topics I’m always happy to share. Discussions and knowledge are what I live for, though I may not be educated whatsoever in the topic, they are fun and provide at least a bit of entertainment as long as both parties are open to the other side, which I may choose to discuss just because.
Anyway, hope you had a great weekend, now have a great week,
Ryan
One of the things I accomplished today was for my future development. I bought a jump rope. If you have been following, it has become a portion of my cross training workouts. It’s an incredibly fulfilling exercise and incorporates cardiovascular, coordination, stamina, and lots of concentration. By the end of this training I want to continuously jump for 30 minutes. Maybe run a couple miles while jumping rope, that would be a pretty awesome feeling to accomplish. I’ll try it at the next track workout, maybe you’ll see me, and wonder WTF is he doing, and I’ll just be happy in my own little zone pursuing one of many short term goals. Never stop exploring and experimenting, you haven’t tried everything.
I am excited for tomorrow’s spinning and yoga, which will take a toll on my presently EXTREMELY tight and sore muscles. After 8 miles yesterday at around 8:30 pace my legs are very happy for 2 days off from running. I am curious/scared/excited for the longer runs which will challenge my perseverance and help me set personal goals. The biggest mistake yesterday was not drinking enough liquid. I looked at some websites and they repeatedly emphasized the importance of flushing your body with liquid, which is one of the 22 tasks today, though it may be too late.
Another odd observation is that I consume more calories on days that I do not workout. It can be partially explained from a book I recently read called Younger Next Year, in which they state that when you don’t exercise your body thinks that you are sick or dying. After these crazy workouts my body feels almost to this state of being, but this could explain why I have no motivation, because my body is conserving everything for the day in which I can continue my exercise and be “living” again.
I have still been receiving some questions and skepticism towards my new diet which excludes meat and dairy products. I am not doing it because of the running, it just happened during a period when I need to be conscious of my consumption and the evidence against those products was great enough to push my will power behind a vegetarian diet. I also promise you that the complete proteins are being consumed, though not by way of meat (whole grains and seeds/nuts, whole grains and legumes).
I’ve also come to the conclusion that it is near impossible to overeat if the consumption is based on food that is recognizable. These foods keep the appetite at bay for longer, and are more easily processed by your entire digestive system. Plus they don’t cause drowsiness like the sourdough rolls I’ve been eating. They taste incredible, but make me feel lethargic, which is why at this very moment I will be banning them from my diet until the day that I succumb to their appeal.
Being interested in food and nutrition has led me to another highly understated point. Stay away from empty carbohydrates. If you’re interested in apple juice, eat an apple, orange juice, eat an orange, etc. You’ll be getting much more nutrition, it will taste about the same, and may be cheaper (unless you’re buying sugar juice, in which case, have you read anything I’ve written thus far?). But seriously, stay away from soda and other useless drinks.
I encourage people to check out my nutrition diary, located here:
http://fitday.com/fitness/PublicJournals.html?Owner=nutritionfitnesshealth
Keep in mind that everything I am doing is not just for this marathon, but for an overall life goal of changing society towards the prevention of unnecessary diseases, prolonging satisfactory life, and staying active until the end. If people choose to ignore me, so be it, at least you’ll feel the benefits.
In other news, in the very near future I will be helping a friend with a lifestyle change and am excited about the passion and dedication being shown thus far.
If you’re interested in ways to become fit in the next 2 months and forever, please let me know. I don’t have enough time to help everybody all the time, but I’ll do my best to provide some kind of advice to help you achieve some goals.
I hope everybody is enjoying these journals and passing them on to friends. I really enjoy hearing about how they are impacting lives and providing incentive for accomplishing goals, or just simply a “hi” or “good job”. It brightens my day and helps me run or train a little harder and faster.
Also, if you’re interested in getting my opinion on other topics I’m always happy to share. Discussions and knowledge are what I live for, though I may not be educated whatsoever in the topic, they are fun and provide at least a bit of entertainment as long as both parties are open to the other side, which I may choose to discuss just because.
Anyway, hope you had a great weekend, now have a great week,
Ryan
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Feb 21, Second Long Run
Last night I became a little anxious in anticipation of the running this morning. I hadn’t exercised for the entire day and knew that it would begin soon. I guess this is just what happens when you put a large chunk of effort towards a goal, and each workout feels great.
It was absolutely beautiful out at the Baylands this morning, around low 60’s, clear sky, enthusiasm, and water belts. We went out in phases and for different distances. My group was running 8 miles, and because we hadn’t warmed up we went out really slow, though some people sped on. There were volunteers at the 1.5 mile point, which seemed to take forever to reach, probably because we started really slow. They cheered us on, offered drinks and an opportunity to rest. I had a water belt and had drunk a Strawberry meal replacement shake around 6:45 and didn’t need much hydration or rest.
I stayed with the pack for a while and then decided to challenge myself, physically and mentally. I made short goals to catch up to the next person, hang out with them for a few moments and then move on and catch the next person. Sometimes it took a really long time. At around the 3 mile point I began seeing the other groups heading back towards the starting point, and seeing how it’s a 4 mile there and back I knew the halfway point was near.
As I neared the halfway more familiar faces and jerseys began appearing, all of whom had already finished the first 4 miles and were on their way home. It’s really uplifting to have people chanting “Go Team,” smiling, waving, and telling you good job. I remembered this and tried my best to offer the same encouragement on the way back.
The halfway point was a line written in flour, and seemed out of place being right before an underpass, but it was a great feeling knowing that it would only take another 40 or so minutes to finish. On the way back I kept imagining that these were miles 10-18 of the marathon. It would be unfair to consider it miles 18-26 because those are the miles that people tend to forget due to muscle and mental fatigue. I was tired, but knew that keeping the pace was necessary to combat giving up, plus it would put me down if I knew it were possible to finish stronger.
I stopped 3 times to catch my breath and have a sip of energy drink (nothing bad, just tea extracts). I started to recognize all of the familiar turns and there were a lot of people on their way back to the start, each time passing people I tried as best as possible to say at least something to them. At one point, one of the Captains, Andrew, was singing to keep his feet on pace. It was pretty cool, though I could tell that as a result he was losing his breath, but having a great time.
At around the 6 mile point, right before the volunteers the outside of my foot began to bother me a little bit. I figured it was probably a blister or something and tried my best to keep from changing my stride or thinking about it, as those might lead to some kind of compensative injury. I passed the water station, waved and continued knowing that in about 10-12 minutes I would be done. I began running with somebody with around 1 mile left and we slowed our pace a little for a few minutes. With about ½ mile left I told him that I was going to start speeding up and that he was welcome to join me. I rounded the last turn and lengthened my stride, finishing strong. During that time my foot began to feel like it was cut, but didn’t hurt enough to really care.
It was a great feeling to finish, especially with lots of cheers and smiling faces. After finishing I stretched for a while and talked to a couple people. Today’s run was a lot of fun, and I highly suggest the Baylands trail that starts at San Antonio Road and Terminal Avenue. For those interested, I finished in 1:08
I hope everybody has a great day.
Take care,
Ryan
It was absolutely beautiful out at the Baylands this morning, around low 60’s, clear sky, enthusiasm, and water belts. We went out in phases and for different distances. My group was running 8 miles, and because we hadn’t warmed up we went out really slow, though some people sped on. There were volunteers at the 1.5 mile point, which seemed to take forever to reach, probably because we started really slow. They cheered us on, offered drinks and an opportunity to rest. I had a water belt and had drunk a Strawberry meal replacement shake around 6:45 and didn’t need much hydration or rest.
I stayed with the pack for a while and then decided to challenge myself, physically and mentally. I made short goals to catch up to the next person, hang out with them for a few moments and then move on and catch the next person. Sometimes it took a really long time. At around the 3 mile point I began seeing the other groups heading back towards the starting point, and seeing how it’s a 4 mile there and back I knew the halfway point was near.
As I neared the halfway more familiar faces and jerseys began appearing, all of whom had already finished the first 4 miles and were on their way home. It’s really uplifting to have people chanting “Go Team,” smiling, waving, and telling you good job. I remembered this and tried my best to offer the same encouragement on the way back.
The halfway point was a line written in flour, and seemed out of place being right before an underpass, but it was a great feeling knowing that it would only take another 40 or so minutes to finish. On the way back I kept imagining that these were miles 10-18 of the marathon. It would be unfair to consider it miles 18-26 because those are the miles that people tend to forget due to muscle and mental fatigue. I was tired, but knew that keeping the pace was necessary to combat giving up, plus it would put me down if I knew it were possible to finish stronger.
I stopped 3 times to catch my breath and have a sip of energy drink (nothing bad, just tea extracts). I started to recognize all of the familiar turns and there were a lot of people on their way back to the start, each time passing people I tried as best as possible to say at least something to them. At one point, one of the Captains, Andrew, was singing to keep his feet on pace. It was pretty cool, though I could tell that as a result he was losing his breath, but having a great time.
At around the 6 mile point, right before the volunteers the outside of my foot began to bother me a little bit. I figured it was probably a blister or something and tried my best to keep from changing my stride or thinking about it, as those might lead to some kind of compensative injury. I passed the water station, waved and continued knowing that in about 10-12 minutes I would be done. I began running with somebody with around 1 mile left and we slowed our pace a little for a few minutes. With about ½ mile left I told him that I was going to start speeding up and that he was welcome to join me. I rounded the last turn and lengthened my stride, finishing strong. During that time my foot began to feel like it was cut, but didn’t hurt enough to really care.
It was a great feeling to finish, especially with lots of cheers and smiling faces. After finishing I stretched for a while and talked to a couple people. Today’s run was a lot of fun, and I highly suggest the Baylands trail that starts at San Antonio Road and Terminal Avenue. For those interested, I finished in 1:08
I hope everybody has a great day.
Take care,
Ryan
Friday, February 20, 2009
Yesterday and what I do everyday
February 20, 2009
Believe me when I say this, I am having so much fun during my new lifestyle. I’ll get into details as they come.
It gives me a quality of life unmatched by any point in my life. Getting much higher quality of sleep, because my body needs to rest after the exertion during the day, and it doesn’t need to worry about digesting the food, because everything I eat is whole, and could be recognized in nature. Then adding in daily exercise that is no stroll in the park.
Here’s what I did yesterday:
• Woke up, had some water, a little later ate my oatmeal, but noticed that I had finished the soymilk.
• Walked to the library with my backpack to pick up the 2 books I had reserved(Jump roping book and a nutrition book about eating within the seasons) I’ll let you know how they are, as I haven’t started them yet.
• After going to the library I decided to walk to downtown Palo Alto, which is about 1.5-2 miles away. Not going at any quick pace it was a really nice walk.
• When I got near downtown I saw an elderly person walking with a walker/chair, but going quite fast. I crossed the street and talked to her for a minute or so, then continued on after hopefully brightening her day in at least a minimal way.
• After going to whole foods and getting everything I needed (including an apple because I hadn’t eaten in a few hours) I walked around and visited some people at the fitness center.
• I walked home and ate some food before going to coach baseball and then to my marathon track training.
• In total I walked around for about an hour and a half, but it flew by because I was accomplishing various tasks and enjoying a beautiful day. I encourage everybody to go walk around if you can’t think of something to do. Even walking in the rain can be an experience you won’t soon forget, and take somebody with you.
• The bag I brought on my bike must have weighed at least 25 pounds (baseball bat, gloves, cleats, running shoes, change of clothes, water).
• I biked with this bag to the practice which is about 2 miles away, had practice and went to Stanford.
• I arrived at Stanford and began jogging, probably about 6-8 laps.
• We did our drills, but by the end I felt like I had just warmed up. They were going to do core exercises but I had done them the night before, and didn’t want to over fatigue my core so I just kept running until they were done.
• I ran 3 laps with some of the mentors, and then kept going working on intervals (jogging/running faster) for a couple laps, and then decided to do some 95-100% sprints for 100 meters. I ran the straightaway at full speed and then jogged for ¾ lap and then did another 100 meter sprint at full speed. After that I jogged a lap or so and then made my way back to the group as they were just finishing their core exercises.
• All of that felt really good, and I was spent when I began stretching.
• I bought a foam roller and used that a little bit. I plan to become a master with it.
• After the workout I stopped by a friends house for a few hours and actually ended up at home around 12, I grabbed some food and got ready for bed.
• By the way, today I spent a total of 26 dollars including food (but the soymilk will last 2 weeks and the foam roller will last a year), and used 0 gallons of gasoline.
• So on a per day basis today cost me about 4 dollars. Keep that in mind, that’s how I live my life. Simplicity is powerful.
If you haven’t realized by now I like to do things to the maximum and then go a little further, simply because I figure that we change ourselves when we exert ourselves outside of our comfort zone. Plus the same exercise or nutrition habits become easier the next time if you do it 100% this time. Essentially I am evolving everyday that I challenge myself, and then once I’ve evolved, I become more efficient the next day.
Here are the basic things that I have done lately that have drastically improved my quality of life and promote development:
• Sleeping 8 hours per night
• Exercising at least an hour per day (except rest days where I stretch), most of the exercise is quick paced and focused on increasing strength or endurance, being very productive during that time.
• Eating really healthy foods (whole grains, salads, legumes, nuts, fruit, vegetables)
• Taking supplements from Usana (fiber powder, vitamins which are incredible for post activity restoration) I can feel the difference in my entire body, let me know if you want to learn more about Usana.
• Drinking lots of water
• Reading instead of watching tv
• Socializing everyday
• Listening to soothing music
All of those are really basic and we all know to do them, but yet, they lack in the majority of peoples’ daily lives. If that is the case for you, do something about it, if you’re doing 4 of them, do 2 more this week and then add the other 2 the week after, and once you start doing them, keep going. I’m at about 3-4 weeks of doing all of the above and I feel incredible. I wish you could know how I feel, which is why I keep stating it. I FEEL INCREDIBLE.
Please pass this on to people who are interested in their health or nutrition. It might motivate them to change their lifestyle, worst case they don’t like it and never read it again.
Everything here can be done by everybody with minimal effort; it’s just about motivation and dedication. Once it’s part of a daily routine, you won’t even think about it, it just happens, and your body and mind will thank you.
Also, read the other journals, I usually have information that can help anybody, and cover various topics from sleep to motivation.
I am making my diet available online at this site
http://fitday.com/fitness/PublicJournals.html?Owner=nutritionfitnesshealth
I’m looking forward to today, I stretch and massage from the foam roller, and just take it easy before an 8 mile run tomorrow morning.
I should mention that I don’t look at my training as for a marathon, which will just be a segment in my life; I plan to continue this lifestyle forever. I feel way too incredible to stop.
Take care,
Ryan
Believe me when I say this, I am having so much fun during my new lifestyle. I’ll get into details as they come.
It gives me a quality of life unmatched by any point in my life. Getting much higher quality of sleep, because my body needs to rest after the exertion during the day, and it doesn’t need to worry about digesting the food, because everything I eat is whole, and could be recognized in nature. Then adding in daily exercise that is no stroll in the park.
Here’s what I did yesterday:
• Woke up, had some water, a little later ate my oatmeal, but noticed that I had finished the soymilk.
• Walked to the library with my backpack to pick up the 2 books I had reserved(Jump roping book and a nutrition book about eating within the seasons) I’ll let you know how they are, as I haven’t started them yet.
• After going to the library I decided to walk to downtown Palo Alto, which is about 1.5-2 miles away. Not going at any quick pace it was a really nice walk.
• When I got near downtown I saw an elderly person walking with a walker/chair, but going quite fast. I crossed the street and talked to her for a minute or so, then continued on after hopefully brightening her day in at least a minimal way.
• After going to whole foods and getting everything I needed (including an apple because I hadn’t eaten in a few hours) I walked around and visited some people at the fitness center.
• I walked home and ate some food before going to coach baseball and then to my marathon track training.
• In total I walked around for about an hour and a half, but it flew by because I was accomplishing various tasks and enjoying a beautiful day. I encourage everybody to go walk around if you can’t think of something to do. Even walking in the rain can be an experience you won’t soon forget, and take somebody with you.
• The bag I brought on my bike must have weighed at least 25 pounds (baseball bat, gloves, cleats, running shoes, change of clothes, water).
• I biked with this bag to the practice which is about 2 miles away, had practice and went to Stanford.
• I arrived at Stanford and began jogging, probably about 6-8 laps.
• We did our drills, but by the end I felt like I had just warmed up. They were going to do core exercises but I had done them the night before, and didn’t want to over fatigue my core so I just kept running until they were done.
• I ran 3 laps with some of the mentors, and then kept going working on intervals (jogging/running faster) for a couple laps, and then decided to do some 95-100% sprints for 100 meters. I ran the straightaway at full speed and then jogged for ¾ lap and then did another 100 meter sprint at full speed. After that I jogged a lap or so and then made my way back to the group as they were just finishing their core exercises.
• All of that felt really good, and I was spent when I began stretching.
• I bought a foam roller and used that a little bit. I plan to become a master with it.
• After the workout I stopped by a friends house for a few hours and actually ended up at home around 12, I grabbed some food and got ready for bed.
• By the way, today I spent a total of 26 dollars including food (but the soymilk will last 2 weeks and the foam roller will last a year), and used 0 gallons of gasoline.
• So on a per day basis today cost me about 4 dollars. Keep that in mind, that’s how I live my life. Simplicity is powerful.
If you haven’t realized by now I like to do things to the maximum and then go a little further, simply because I figure that we change ourselves when we exert ourselves outside of our comfort zone. Plus the same exercise or nutrition habits become easier the next time if you do it 100% this time. Essentially I am evolving everyday that I challenge myself, and then once I’ve evolved, I become more efficient the next day.
Here are the basic things that I have done lately that have drastically improved my quality of life and promote development:
• Sleeping 8 hours per night
• Exercising at least an hour per day (except rest days where I stretch), most of the exercise is quick paced and focused on increasing strength or endurance, being very productive during that time.
• Eating really healthy foods (whole grains, salads, legumes, nuts, fruit, vegetables)
• Taking supplements from Usana (fiber powder, vitamins which are incredible for post activity restoration) I can feel the difference in my entire body, let me know if you want to learn more about Usana.
• Drinking lots of water
• Reading instead of watching tv
• Socializing everyday
• Listening to soothing music
All of those are really basic and we all know to do them, but yet, they lack in the majority of peoples’ daily lives. If that is the case for you, do something about it, if you’re doing 4 of them, do 2 more this week and then add the other 2 the week after, and once you start doing them, keep going. I’m at about 3-4 weeks of doing all of the above and I feel incredible. I wish you could know how I feel, which is why I keep stating it. I FEEL INCREDIBLE.
Please pass this on to people who are interested in their health or nutrition. It might motivate them to change their lifestyle, worst case they don’t like it and never read it again.
Everything here can be done by everybody with minimal effort; it’s just about motivation and dedication. Once it’s part of a daily routine, you won’t even think about it, it just happens, and your body and mind will thank you.
Also, read the other journals, I usually have information that can help anybody, and cover various topics from sleep to motivation.
I am making my diet available online at this site
http://fitday.com/fitness/PublicJournals.html?Owner=nutritionfitnesshealth
I’m looking forward to today, I stretch and massage from the foam roller, and just take it easy before an 8 mile run tomorrow morning.
I should mention that I don’t look at my training as for a marathon, which will just be a segment in my life; I plan to continue this lifestyle forever. I feel way too incredible to stop.
Take care,
Ryan
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