The Pact - Day 16 and an adjustment

Hi all...

Sorry for the delay. My birthday was this past week, so I'd be lying if I said I was the most diligent of individuals in regards to working out and eating right. In fact, I ate shitty for four days and only worked out twice during those four days. So I'm making an executive decision and pushing my end date back 4 days to August 7th. Seems only fair that I should extend it since I took the time off.

Anyway, I did workout last night. Getting back on my eating habits is taking a little longer (I was running late today so I ate McDonalds for breakfast).

Workout:
30 minutes bicycle
10 minutes stairs
Chest Press - 10 reps @ 145lbs x 3
Flys - 10 reps @ 50lbs x 3
Shoulder Press - 10 reps @ 75lbs x 3
Lat Pull Downs - 10 reps @ 85lbs x 3
Incline Press - 10 rep @ 145lbs x 3 (these hurt)
50 Crunches & Stretching

Back on the wagon and headed to the gym tonight. I really need to be diligent if I'm going to see the changes that I have in mind. Even if I don't, I feel a whole hell of a lot better in general. : )

The Pact - Day 15

These days are getting rougher... They are starting to blur together. HOWEVER, I love the way I feel after a hard workout, even if I pass out by 11ish. I've also found that watching Comedy Central helps my workouts happen, plus it gives me an ab workout while riding the stationary bike or stair climber. :) I must look like a complete idiot when I laugh out loud in the middle of the gym.

Anyways, here's the details about yesterday:
Food:
-60 oz of water throughout the day
- egg & cheese sandwich on english muffin
- 2 carnitas tacos with veggies and pico de gallo
- 8oz unsweetened iced tea
- 3 spice rubbed chicken strips, baked potato & scoop of curried mac & cheese

Workout:
- Preacher curls - 10 reps @ 50lbs x 3
- Tricep pulldowns - 10 reps @ 50lbs x 3
- "21's" - 2 sets of 21 @ 30lbs
- Dips - 3 sets of 12 dips
- Leg lifts - 25 reps
- Crunches (front & obliques) - 50

Today was the first day that a random coworker said I was slimming down. She made my day! I can definitely see and feel the effects, but it is nice to get confirmation of that too. I still think I can do a much better job with my food choices, but I'm off to a good start!!

Ridiculous

I've been on this little crusade to improve my overall health and eating habits, but I'd be lying if I said I won't eat fast food or sweets. I like those things but moderation is key. That is why it gets me so damn angry when I read news articles like the one below:

http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/18/news/companies/mcdonalds_retire_ronald/index.htm?hpt=T2

Go read that article. A bunch of parents and corporate lobbyists are protesting and suing McDonald's because they advertise to kids and that causes obesity... BULLSHIT! WE (collectively) but more importantly, PARENTS, are the cause of that type of obesity. If you don't want your kids to eat it, then don't buy it! That company has used a clown as its mascot and toys in its happy meals since the 50s. Kids didn't eat that shit everyday, so they weren't fat. Parents need to stop blaming everyone else for their poor-assed parenting and take some ownership.

When I was growing up, going to McDonald's with my brothers was a treat that happened maybe once (or if lucky) twice a month. We didn't go there all the time like people do now. If parents don't want their kids to be fat, then stop taking them to fast food, get them outside to play, and get them off the damn computers and tvs. Stop trying to put the blame on a company.

I personally hate clowns, but I will always appreciate the icon that is Ronald McDonald. Even if he is kinda creepy. I also respect the fact that they leverage that icon to raise money for charity and philanthropic causes.

The Pact - Days 11 - 14!

Okay, I've been a major slacker on the recording of blogs the past few days. Frankly, I just kept putting it off. I will reassure you though that I have been keeping up with my workouts. I did stuff on Friday, Monday and Tuesday.

Friday - Biceps & Triceps & Core
Sat & Sun - Laziness & time with with friends.
Monday - Pushups, Pullups (which I despise), Lunges, Squats & Crunches
Tuesday - Chest Press 10 reps @ 145lbs x3, Flys 10 reps @ 50lbs x3, Lat Pulldowns 10 reps @ 80lbs x 3, Shoulder Press 10 reps @ 75lbs x 3, Abdominals 15 reps @ 80lbs x 3, and stretches.

This weekend was great because I got to spend time with Beth, Paul & Kara whom I hadn't seen in ages! Plus, Topher and I are reconciling and spending time together too, so that has also made it an extra special weekend. I may not have been as diligent with my documenting of workouts and food, but I promise I will do better. :)

PS - I added on to my smoothie recipe by putting carrots in with the fruit... AWESOME!

By the way...

I was asked if all I'm going to do is post about my workouts and diet. No. I do occasionally post on other random thoughts (see my title after all!), but I have been trying to be diligent about getting my pact thoughts down on here before I forget!!

So here is a random thought and plug for you all to check out. I'm a foodie. I love food, cooking, going out with friends, etc. Cooking has been a growing passion of mine and I've been slowly broadening my repertoire. One of my biggest inspirations is the amazing chef duo, Aki Kamozawa and Alex Talbot. Now I am a little biased since they are family, but the two of them have so much passion and creativity around food that it would be hard not to be a huge fan of them despite my family ties. They have an amazing blog that you should check out at http://blog.ideasinfood.com . I read it every day! You can read what they are up to, get some amazing recipes and view beautiful food photography. They inspire me, so I hope you enjoy it!

The Pact - Day 10

Booya! Ten days in and I feel great about it. Plus, now that all the students are heading home for the summer, the gym here on campus is practically empty after work. Its nice to be able to workout without having to wait ages to get on a machine or use some weights. I also feel a lot less self conscious when I look like a hot mess after a hard workout. :) In addition, my diet has improved tremendously. I think the fact that I'm doing a smoothie or breakfast first thing in the morning is having a major impact on my energy, mood and workouts. I even turned down soda yesterday which is a major milestone since I love my Pepsi.

Day 10:
Food
60 oz water throughout the day
16 oz smoothie (check out the recipe below)
Two scoops of homemade chicken pasta salad
Scoop of fruit salad (pineapple, watermelon & strawberries)
3 tablespoons of hummus & pita chips
Two scoops of homemade chicken pasta salad
10oz strawberry protein shake

Workout
25 mins bike
10 mins stairs (kicked my ass)
Seated Chest Press - 10 @ 145lbs x 3
Lat pull downs - 10 @ 85lbs x 3
Seated Rows - 10 @ 90lbs x 3
Shoulder Press - 10 @ ?? x 3 (i forget the weight)
Pushups - 10 wide, 10 narrow, 10 regular
50 assorted crunches

Feeling good today! This evening is biceps & triceps and cardio. I'm kinda stoked to go. :) Here is that smoothie concoction I created, so try it sometime!

4 strawberries
1 banana
3 tablespoons of Fage greek yogurt
4-5 icecubes
1/2 - 3/4 cup of orange juice
1 scoop of whey protein powder

Blend it up and pour yourself a delicious healthy treat! It made enough to fill my travel mug and about 3/4 of a glass that I gave to my roommate. Enjoy! If you have some other ideas for delicious smoothies, please comment on here so I can try them!!!

Pact Day 8 & 9

Hi all!

Sorry for the lapse in writing the past two days, but its been pretty busy. Hopefully you can forgive me. I didn't realize that there were a bunch of folks actually reading my blog and I was questioned as to why I hadn't written about my days. I actually have a bunch to write about so this one will be a long one.

Here's the nitty-gritty on the two days:

Day 8
Food:
60 oz water throughout the day
10oz protein shake & banana
1 balance bar (cookie dough - yum!)
Chicken sandwich & salad
1/4 lb burger on wheat with fruit salad
12oz Michelob Ultra (I was at a casino, so I had to splurge a bit)

Workout:
Preacher curls - 12 reps @ 40lbs x3
Tricep Pushdowns - 12 reps @ 40lbs x 3
Bicep curls - 12 reps @ 30lbs (15 each dumbbell) x 3
Dips - 12 reps x 3
50 crunches

Day 9
Food:
60 oz water throughout the day
Egg & soy sausage sandwich (Orowheat "rolls" are so good!)
Fruit salad
Country Club from Jimmy John's w/ dill pickle
Grilled chicken breast marinated in honey and spices (delicious)
Hash brown

Workout:
Leg press - 12 @ 130lbs x 3
Leg curls - 12 @ 60lbs x 3
Leg extensions - 12 @ 80lbs x 3
Calf raises - 12 @ 60lbs x 3
V-Crunches - 25 reps
Rotory Torso - 12 reps on each side
Abdominal Crunch - 25 @ 70lbs

In addition, to the workout yesterday I also had to prepare food for a potluck event today. I made a homemade chicken, veggie and pasta salad and deviled eggs. The chicken pasta salad is delicious!! So simple too. Boil the chicken with bay leaves, chop up some veggies, toss it all with some al dente pasta, add some light mayo, spice it up and VOILA! you have a delicious lunch meal. I can't wait for my co-workers to try it.

Tomorrow I'll write about the amazing smoothie I concocted for this morning's breakfast and the workout from tonight. I also emailed my former trainer to get some tips and exercise ideas, so I'll keep you posted!

The Pact - Day 7

Yay, I officially have made it a week! Key to success is celebrating small victories. Last night was my 7th day and it felt good. My body is starting to mellow to the idea of working out a lot again. Not to mention I'm getting a great nights sleep (I keep passing out early) and having more energy during the day.

Day 7:
Food:
60 oz water throughout the day
3-egg sandwich with soy sausage on whole wheat
Chicken sandwich & fruit salad and pesto pasta salad
8oz Protein shake
5 meatballs & angel hair pasta
8oz chocolate milk

Workout:
30 mins on bicycle
10 mins on stair climber
Chest press @ 135lbs - 10 reps x 3
Chest flys @ 50lbs - 12 reps x 3
Shoulder press @ 75lbs - 12 reps x 3
Decline pushups - 25
Stretch & 50 crunches (front & obliques)

Feeling good today! Oddly looking forward to the gym and getting Jacquie back on track!

The Pact - Days 4 - 6

Well it was the first weekend of this little 90-day journey and I slacked off a bit. I still exercised and watched what I ate (except on Friday), but I did so at much less intensity then I did during the week. To be honest, I think my mind and body were simply exhausted. I didn't keep a food journal for the three days, but I did splurge on Friday when I cooked black angus burgers, steamed broccoli, and a massive baked potato for my roommate and I.

Workouts:
Friday: 45 walk with the dog around the neighborhood
Saturday: 50 pushups, 50 crunches and several hours of walking around the casino
Sunday: Day off!! (although I did do a lot of laughing over wine with Ryan, John and Arin!)

Today I'm back to the gym at ASU. My arms are finally not tight and sore, so I should be able to do the workout that I intended to do!

The Pact - Day 3

I'm proud of myself tonight. Every ounce of me wanted to skip the gym, but I went! I'm achy all over, but my energy levels are going strong.

Day 3
Food:

60 oz water (throughout the day)
8 oz protein shake
banana
2 chicken enchiladas and scoop of spanish rice
3 handfuls of chex mix
1 cup of tomato soup and tuna melt on wheat
8 oz unsweetened iced tea

Workout:
45 minutes bike
10 minutes rowing machine
50 crunches
stretching

Tomorrow I go back to chest and shoulders and I know I'm gonna be hurting. Wish me luck!!

The Pact - Day 2

Okay, this little project is going to be rough. I'm already sore all over, but I'm not giving up! I have a blast at the gym but then I feel like a zombie by the time I get home!

Day 2
Food:
60 oz water (throughout the day)
10 oz protein shake & a lemon muffin
12 oz Naked Green Machine
6-inch Black Forest Ham & Turkey on wheat with lettuce, cucumbers & honey mustard
8 oz Lemonade
4 hot wings (from Baby Kay's)
cup of chicken and sausage gumbo

Workout:
30 mins on bike
Leg Press @ 130lbs - 12 reps x 3
Leg Curls @ 50lbs - 12 reps x 3
Calf Raises (forget lbs) - 12 reps x 3
Bicep "21s" @ 30lbs x 3
Tricep pull downs @ 30lbs - 12 reps x 3
Preacher curls @ 35lbs - 10 reps x 3
Core exercises - 15 minutes

My arms are gonna be sore!!! I'll let ya know about day 3. 87 days to go!

THE PACT!

Well to say this week has been stressful, upsetting and crazy would be the understatement of the day. To sum it up, work has been stressful, I got dumped because I screwed up royally without any intention to do so, and I feel completely directionless at the moment. I need to get my life in balance and that is going to take some time. To do so, I figured a baby step in the right direction was in order. So, Jacquie and I have made a pact. We've made a pact to better ourselves over the next 90 days. We are now workout buddies, accountability buddies and helping each other become better!

As part of this process we also decided to blog about it every day. The blog is to include our goals, a food diary, weekly weigh in, an account for the workout of the general thoughts about our process.

So what are my goals? 90 days of working out with Jacquie, eating better, cutting out soda (that is the toughest part), and cleaning house in my personal life. Over the course of the 90 days, we will be adding new goals but I'm gonna start there. In addition, we are going to try new things to challenge each other (like the terrifying Zumba class).

Day 1:
Food:
60 oz of water
Egg & bacon sandwich
8oz of orange juice
Salad and 5 meatballs with marinara sauce
Chicken nuggets and fries (I know, bad Ian!)
8oz unsweetened Iced tea

Workout:
30 minutes bike
Chest press 3x 12@ 130 lbs
Shoulder press 3x 12 @ 60 lbs
Angled chest flys 3x 12 @ 45 lbs
Seated rows 3x 10 @ 90lbs
100 Crunches
Stretching

By the end of things, I realized that I'm out of shape and need some major work. Yes, I wanted to quit several times. Fortunately, having Jacquie with me kept me motivated. I feel energized.

My hope is to reach the goal of losing 30 lbs by August 3rd. We shall see. I'll keep you posted!

Just a thought

Since our topic in class this week is mentoring in an online world, I figured this short video has some application. If anything, its a good story but also highlights how mentoring can be as simple as sharing a video clip, commenting on a blog or facebook post, or sending an email asking "How are you?"

Random Resource

So I was looking up information on how to do some statistics equations and I came across this site. AMAZING! I'm so glad I found it and I had to share it with all of you. Enjoy!!

The KHAN ACADEMY !

A Well of Thought

So I've been traveling now for work for nearly 2 and a half weeks. I've had a lot of time to do some thinking and this is just some rambling that has been going through my head.

Ever wonder where personally profound moments and ideas come from? I've been pondering that concept a lot lately. I'm not sure why but the past few weeks have been marked by moments of intense thought and idea creation. Maybe is a blitz of creative ingenuity, but I'm amazed at the catalysts for these moments because they have been so varied. I had an explosion of creative ideas while listening to an audio book while driving across Alabama at 1 a.m., I pondered the state of education with an old friend I hadn't seen in 7 years over scrambled eggs and OJ at an Amish diner in Philadelphia, I've devised training workshops while sitting through a professional colleagues workshop (maybe I should have paid more attention), and I dreamed about what I'd inevitably do to my boyfriend when I saw him that night (I'll keep those details to myself though).

Where do these moments come from? Why am I writing about it now? Do I actually expect an answer to any of these questions I'm posing? I honestly can't say.

I'm reading an amazing book right now called "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle", where the main character climbs down a well to "think". Essentially, to escape reality he had to get as far away from it as possible and literally climbed down an empty well. Maybe the past few weeks have been my well and these moments, people and places are the rungs of a ladder helping me out of my well. Maybe I'm digging too deep and I'm just having some inspired ideation. I guess time will tell. All I know is I'm sitting here on the airplane, listening to some killer music (check out Cosmic Love by Florence and the Machine), inspired by Mr. Wind-Up Bird, and compelled to commit my thoughts to "paper". Actually my laptop died so it is on paper for the moment.

So my ideas are mostly centered on improvements of areas in my life and work. Work being the bigger thought generator. I'll be very honest, I haven't been creatively inspired at work for a long time, at least not until I started working with the mentoring class. Most of my ideas had faded or been written off by those in charge. This class has been that lone exception. It has given me an outlet to try new ideas and the students have given me enormous amounts of motivation. If any of you are reading this, I mean that wholeheartedly. I've learned more from this experience than I have in a long time.

Some of my ideas could be implemented in that context. For example, I was in a workshop by staff from UNC-Wilmington on the topic of ethics in leadership. They have developed a course for ALL student leaders at the university that creates discussions on ethics and informed decision making. I want to have more of those discussions. They talked about the types of conversations they have had and they are strikingly similar to one's I've had at ASU. They used clickers and relevent ethical dilemas to engage students in frank discussions. I think our class could have a field day with it and explore our perceptions and misperceptions of ethics in our lives. My hope is we could all come out of it with better understanding of ourselves, peers and be better informed to mentor others on the issue. I'd also like to explore more on the concept of strengths based leadership and how that plays into our mentoring capacity.

On an unrelated topic, I've randomly decided to teach myself how to use some new computer programs to better deliver workshops and try to create some online learning modules. I'm learning how to use Prezi to create some more interactive and fun presentations. I've also looked into taking some graphic design courses.

Where did this urge come from?! Maybe I've been in my well and these are my ways out of it. Perhaps Topher's influence has the odd effect of spurring me to better myself and try to impress him. Maybe I just want to keep learning and I've been stagnant in that area. One thing I know for certain is this burst of intellectual thought is exciting! I am coming out of my well and I'm bringing my thoughts, my ideas and my imagination with me.

Whirlwind of Travel

Sorry there hasn't been much activity on here. The past three weeks have been crazy. First, I did a road trip to pick up Topher's dogs in Tennessee. If you ever want a challenge, especially in a new relationship, go on a long road trip together. :) This past week I was in Wisconsin for a recruitment conference for work. It was cold and busy, but it was actually a really good experience. We interviewed from 8am - 8pm each day. Tomorrow I head for Philadelphia for another recruitment event and a conference for higher education. I'm very excited to head to this one since so many of my friends and colleagues at other institutions will be attending as well. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon!

Leadership lessons from the Dancing Guy

This is one of my favorite videos to show in leadership classes. A) I think its hysterical and B) there are some great points made by the narrator.

10,000 hours... is a very long time!

I just read a great book called Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. I'm a bit of a Gladwell fan. I love all three of his books and get a kick out of his speeches. Outliers is interesting because it focuses on successful people and why they are. He makes some pretty interesting arguments on the subject. The chapter that particularly interested me and the one I want to share about was on "experts".

Typically, an expert is defined as a person with a large amount of talent, knowledge or experience in a particular field, occupation or area of study. They are the people we look towards to lead the way in industry, they are the one’s we seek advice or direction from when we do not know about a topic, and they are usually viewed as having more knowledge or insight into their fields than the average person. Gladwell expands that definition to say that experts are people that not only have the insight or talent in a particular area, but they also have the time and resources to hone that talent. In essence, it is more about practice time than the innate talent of a person. He and other researchers even argue that one needs at least 10,000 hours of practice to truly be an expert on a topic.

My interpretation of Gladwell’s position is that expertise and success are the outcome of a combination of factors. Those factors include talent, practice, timing and influence. All of the examples of experts he spoke about were shaped by those four factors. Bill Gates is a good example. He was extremely talented and naturally gifted with math and programming. He was able to access computers well before most people in the world and had the opportunity at an early age to begin the practice that made him his fortune. He was growing up and learning at the right time to take advantage of the growth in the computer industry and apply his talent. Finally, he was often surrounded by the right people with the necessary resources to help that practice and talent grow.

I would add another factor to the equation for an expert At least I should say it is a factor that influences my perception of an expert, and that factor is humility. The people I consider to be experts have all of the above, but they also have the humility to avoid the “I am the expert” trap. People that fall into that trap are usually the first to lose their footing when new innovations or changes in their expertise occur. Perhaps it is just semantics, but there is a big difference in “the” and “an”. It’s always good to become an expert in your field, until you view yourself as the expert. Then you are no longer an expert, but instead just another arrogant ass. You might have the talent and skills, but in my opinion, you lose your credibility.

I have a passion for team and leadership development. That type of interest and field require an extensive amount of experience and interaction with diverse groups and teams. My goal is to be a leader in that field and perhaps one day an expert on the subject, but I also feel it is a subject that requires you to constantly evolve and be open to new ideas. I may never know if I achieved that goal, but I would be content in knowing that my work is headed in that direction. When you can see the changes in behavior and efficiency of a team, you know that your work has been effective. That to me is more important than being perceived as an expert.

What are your thoughts? How do you balance this in a mentoring capacity where someone views you as the person with the answers? Do you agree that it takes those factors to be an expert on a topic or activity?

Who am I?

So I asked my class to do an assignment called "Who am I?". Essentially, the premise is to visually describe yourself in 10 photos. Its only fair that I do the same thing.


I am a friend.


I am a family kind of guy (son, brother, boyfriend, etc.)


I am a lover of nature (particularly when hiking).


I am proud.


I am playful & goofy.


I am a seeker of knowledge (and a lover of good books!).


I am creative & an artist (my next tattoo design).


I am a foodie (and love to cook too!).


I am an explorer.


I'm a romantic.

I have done this activity several times and it changes every time I've done it. Its a bit difficult too, but fun. Enjoy the glimpse of me!

Measuring success

Found this video to be very interesting. I've always questioned how we measure and classify success and failure and this speaker eloquently explores that topic. What do you think about this? If you are serving in a mentoring or advising capacity, how do you positively talk about success and what the other person views as a success? Just some things to think about.

This blog gets a new lease on life

So, I'm co-instructing a class on mentoring skills and student development at ASU. I've asked my students to blog during their experiences in the class, so its only fair that I should do the same.

Instead of creating a whole new blog, I might as well breathe some new life into this blog because I've been terrible at keeping it updated. So, welcome back to those that did follow and welcome all the newcomers. Please feel free to comment and ask questions because that will make this a whole lot better experience.

Cheers!

Btw, that means I'll be doing some updates to layout so this looks a lot nicer than it currently does!