Change is Hard

Please stand by for rambling and a tiny bit of venting:

I have to admit that I've gotten used to this lifestyle that I'm living.

Lazy.

I've been trying to make a real commitment to changing my habits that I've formed over the last year and and half.  Since moving away from my family and out on my own with my son, I've only gotten worse.  I don't know if it's that I had less to maintain for the 6+ months that I lived with them and the co-dependency I picked up from having an instant babysitter anytime I was unable to make dinner or needed to run off to the gym or if it's something else.

All I know, is that I've really tried to live a better lifestyle since returning home from Tough Mudder and it's never seemed so hard.  I've been returning to my health and fitness roots in Mark Sisson and the Primal Blueprint, but so far I have fulfilled very little of what he has asked of his readers.

For instance, on Day 1, he suggested that we have a "pantry purge" where we throw away/donate all of the unhealthy foods in our kitchen.  My pantry isn't the worst, but it still needs a lot of improvement, but I still have yet to actually get up and do it.  It's those kinds of things that are really causing me to struggle.

An excuse that I've made for not purging my foods is my son.  I am fooling myself in thinking that he won't adjust well to not having his comfort foods in the house.  My wife was against me putting him on this diet with me, and so is my immediate family.  The part that gets me is that I know this is a safe and healthy diet for him, and I don't want him to end up like me.

Isn't childhood obesity at an all-time high right now?  So much so that is't being called an epidemic?  Hell, our current First Lady is leaving her mark on the U.S. through her fight to end childhood obesity...

I think writing about this is giving me the motivation to at least get the objectives for Day 1 completed.

In other news, I had to re-stock my multivitamins and used the opportunity to order the Primal Blueprint 90-Day Journal.  I'm hoping that a visual guide like this will give me the daily motivation and insight I need to get myself back on track.  I'll be sure to update on how it's working after in comes in.

Thanks for reading through this with me.

- Andy

Tougher Than Mud

Where I live, there aren't a lot of people that really know anything about what Tough Mudder is.  I showed up to the gym and my classes on Monday and I mostly just got odd looks at my new facial hair and my orange headband.  A couple of people recognized the band or the name written on it and asked me about it, but I couldn't tell whether they actually believed that I did what I said or that I was just crazy.

The ones who did believe that I actually went through the grueling 12.1 mile obstacle course asked me about how hard it was, and the only thing I could tell them was, "It was the hardest thing -physically- that I've ever done in my life."

I've hiked in areas all over the state of Kentucky, ran in a 5k, and put myself through circuits with a personal trainer until I thought I would throw up, but I have never participated in something so exhausting in my life.  

The course was 12.1 miles long.  For a marathon runner, that's no sweat, but what most people don't account for is the hills.  90% of the terrain we went through was either up or downhill.  The obstacles were the only reason you found flat terrain.  As for the obstacles themselves, I only completed 3 of them.  I completed the Kiss of Mud because it was the first obstacle, the Mud Mile was an unavoidable part of the course, and I was too tired to even think about skipping the Electroshock Therapy.  I attempted a few more of the obstacles, but I was unable to finish them.  There were many more that I skipped all-together.

What I loved about it:

• I loved accomplishing what people said I couldn't.
• I loved the people.  Big Mudder told us to help our fellow Mudder's.  I didn't think that people would take it to heart like they did.  As I struggled along the course, I had so many people pass me and ask if I was alright or if I needed help.  Of course, I told them I was fine, but it was awesome all the same.  And I've never had so much encouragement from strangers in my life.  I met people at Tough Mudder that were more supportive of me than some of my best friends and family.  I can't wait to see all of them again next year.
• I loved the challenge.  I may not have completed the obstacles, but I had a great time trying.

What I hated:

• At the event and on the actual course itself, I didn't really hate anything.  It was a great experience.
• I do, however, have a new-found hatred for hills.
• Before the event, I hated that there were so many people that not only said that I couldn't do it, but that I wouldn't.  I didn't like that people thought that I was crazy for even attempting something like this.  I guess that I can sympathize with some of their worries, like from my family, but I knew what I was getting into before I went.
• After the event, I hated that some people told me they didn't believe that I actually did it, and I didn't like that some of them still called me crazy.

What I learned:

• I learned that I've let myself go way too much since Amber died.  I thought (and I know now that I was lying to myself) that I had just gained a little weight back, but I used to be so much better.
• I learned that I'm capable of doing a lot more than what other people or even what I say I can.

Overall, I had one of the best experiences of my life.  I have a lot of training ahead of me and a lot of wrongs that need to be righted in my diet, because there was one last thing I learned at Tough Mudder:

I've got one year to get ready for the next one!

All Hail the Conquering Heroes!

People keep asking me what the Tough Mudder was like. Without trying to be a smartass, it was tough. It was one of the most physically exhausting things I have done in my life. I still can't say it was the toughest thing ever; there's been worse things in my life. And just like the stuff in my life, Tough Mudder was beat into submission as well. So here's a quick rundown of the things I learned, loved, and loathed.

I absolutely hated: Pretty much nothing about the Mudder. Except learning that some people didn't think I could do it and a few people who acted like it was no accomplishment. Guess what, my friends? It was. It's a very special individual who will sign up for a 12 mile obstacle course that involves ice-baths, fire-walking, and electric shocks. It's an even more special person who actually follows through on it.

I loved: The camaraderie. I haven't seen that many places where there was so much caring and concern for your fellow man. I can't count the number of times someone came up to me and smiled while asking if we needed assistance. Also, I loved Jasmine, the friendly quad-riding medic. I don't know where that angel-named-after-my-second-favorite-Disney-princess came from, but she was encouraging us every step of the way that last 6 miles. I'm not sure if she was made to follow us, but she wasn't forced to give us kind words and keep us in the game.

I got edumacated on...

1. I have got to get off my ass more. Run up hills, stretch, jumping jacks, anything. To be fair, most of the movement stuff never really made me lose my breath. But I could have been so much faster.
2. I still really need to work on my arm strength. Toward the end I didn't even try a couple obstacles because of the weakness in my arms. Granted, the cold was getting to them. But I likely wouldn't have been able to do them regardless of when they fit into the race.
3. I'm much more bad-ass than I let myself believe. 
4. Hypothermia. 

We finished last. But we finished last in something that most people wouldn't even try to finish. That's really saying something. It makes me wonder what else we might be missing if we don't try things outside our comfort zone.

Still Alive After Tough Mudder

Hey there everyone,

I know it's been a couple weeks since we posted anything here, and I'm sorry for that.  We've been busy as usual with school and preparations for Tough Mudder.

Harrison and I, along with Steven, our newest Fatnician, all survived the event.  We had a great time (mostly), and we have a lot to tell you about it.

For right now, I'm still very sore and tired.  Give us a few days and you'll see our stories!

Until then, stay happy and healthy.

-Andy

Update on the PB21DC... and other stuff

First off, I'll go ahead and put it out there that if you're starting to miss Hark and I, don't be mad at us.  We're both really busy in school right now, not to mention work, and in my case a child.  We're still trying to eat healthy and exercise too, but it's hard to fit so much into a daily schedule.  If that's not proof enough, look at the date stamp on this post.  Yes, I really wrote this at midnight.

At the time of this post, we are two full weeks (14 days) into the PB21DC.  Personally, this is the best effort that I've made to eat Primally since before the mess of things in June of 2011.  I don't know if I've lost any weight, because I've not had time to weigh myself.  I will admit, that I've cheated a couple of times on my diet and I haven't been able to exercise like I want to.  I still get a lot of low level cardio in at work because of all the walking and lifting I do though, so there is slight compensation.

Here are some things that are working for me that I thought I would share, so that you might see if they work for you:

1. Follow Marksdailyapple.com.  This is a great source (the original source) for the Primal Blueprint.  Mark gives out great advice every day of the year for how to live a Primal lifestyle, great recipes, cool links, and success stories to motivate you.
2. If you're not sure about how or what to eat, start slow.  Over the summer, I regained a heavy addiction to soda.  When the challenge started, I switched to diet soda's to take the edge off and keep the carbs at a minimum.  Now, I've been completely soda free for three days and I'm feeling fine.  I supplement the caffeine need with delicious home-brewed coffee.  The key is to keep in mind what the healthiest choice is for you to make and then strive to meet that goal.
3. Keep a journal.  I went bought a pocket-sized journal to track my food intake, energy level, physical activity, and general thoughts daily for the challenge.  This can be so beneficial when you're looking to find out, "What went wrong?"
4. Make the effort to coexist with non PB'ers.  In an ideal world, we all live either by ourselves or with people who want to eat as healthy as we do.  This is not an ideal world.  Nearly everyone has a roommate, housemate, or family member, and they may not be cozy in your PB lifestyle.  It would be nice if you could throw out all the crap food in your pantry and fridge, but they may protest.  Personally, my son has a hard time adjusting to this diet.  When he's not with me he's with my family or at school.  Neither of those places are exactly on board with the Primal eating plan.  All that being said, he's not sure why we don't have buns or bread for the hot-dogs, hamburgers, and other sandwich items in the house and he hates that he's not getting french fries and tater tots anymore for his side item or snack, and instead having to eat carrots with dip.  It's all about compromises, and remembering which food items in your home ARE NOT YOURS.  Other than that, it's all about patience and discipline.

I thought I would shoot a link for you guys over to the guy that got it all started for me.  I know him as Cormac, and I met him on a video game message forum (geeky, right?).  Cormac was the guy that started talking about paleo dieting and the Primal Blueprint.  He's insanely smart when it comes to this stuff, and he's started a blog that answers questions about how he lives his PB lifestyle in Japan.  Before I give you the link, I will warn you, he uses a little bit of non-family friendly language, but it's worth it for the knowledge you get out of it!

Cormacaroni.tumblr.com/

Recipe Corner

This is actually Rachael Ray's "Chicken in a Pot, Not Pie," but the picture is better than the one I took.

September is here and the fall is right behind it!  It's my most favorite part of the year.  The colors, the smells, and the foods this time of the year are the best.  I decided to get an early start on some of my favorite cooking that comes along with the fall too, and I stumbled upon something while cooking up dinner for the kiddo and myself the other day.  Get ready for a super simple slow cooker meal that makes itself for you while you get other things done.

Mostly-Primal Chicken Pot Pie minus the Pie Part

Ingredients:

1 chicken bouillon cube

2 cups water

6 frozen chicken tenderloins (or two frozen boneless breasts)

2 bags of frozen spring vegetables mix

2 packets of chicken gravy mix

Directions:

Mix it all in a slow cooker pot and leave it to cook.  Try mixing in the water, bouillon cube, and gravy mix first for a good consistent base.  Put the chicken and veggies in next!  Enjoy it when it's done.  

Serves: 5-7 people

My slow cooker has different settings for cooking time, so I started mid-day and had it ready in 4 hours.  Adjust your cook time and temperature settings for when you need it!  I'll be putting my leftovers in a container for tomorrow!

The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Challenge

Hey Fatnicians!  I know it's been a while since I've said anything, and I'm sorry about that.  I've had some things come up in my everyday life that I had to deal with and they took some precedence over the blog.  Fortunately, Harrison has been doing a great job while I've been gone and now that I'm back, we'll be an unstoppable team!

My return to posting on the Fatnicians is going to start with something that could help all of us.  Harrison, Steven (who isn't a Fatnician yet, but he should be!) and I have a little over a month before it's time for us to run in the Tough Mudder in Maysville, Ky.  Hark and Steven have been working their butts off getting ready for the event, and I have been slacking.  It was completely convenient for me that Mark Sisson started the Primal Blueprint 21-Day Challenge up today!

For those of you who remember the challenge from last year, it's basically a month of trying to live, eat, and act out a primal (paleo) lifestyle.  Mark usually makes the challenge last 30 days, but he worked with his team and decided to shorten it to 21 days.  He believes that time-frame is enough to break any bad habits and help keep up new ones (of course, it does coincide nicely with his 21-Day Primal Blueprint Total Body Transformation book that debuted a few months ago).

Sisson is really going all-out this year and giving away lots of prizes for PB'ers who participate in the challenge.  The first prize to be given away is a $200 gift card to PrimalBlueprint.com to one lucky person.  All you have to do to enter is to share their status and post your goal for the challenge!

This should be fun!  I'm going to be updating weekly again and while the challenge is going on, I'll be talking about that as well.  Won't you join me in the challenge?

If you're interested, click here to learn more about it.