Adventures in Health - Part 1

Tonight I struggled to pull together a post as there are a lot of things to share but getting my thoughts ordered was another story so I decided to just start typing and let the thoughts come through on there own.  The title solves another problem, what to call the post, and now I have a title and a series to build upon. 

The IBS I experienced a few weeks ago is now under control, but it took some time as it seems that once it flares up the body needs to take time to regulate itself again.  The frustrating thing is that in general what caused the flare up is known however the specific food or combination of food that triggered the event is unknown.   When I think back to how I used to eat my body must have been in a constant state of stress that combined with physical and mental stress, well you know the story.

Choosing to eat healthy in todays world comes with a raft of challenges that have forced an otherwise unwilling individual (me) to think about what I put into my body on a daily basis.  I now realize that the food we eat defines us, not a hard concept to grasp really but one I was unwilling to accept.  I always told myself I did exercise to eat what I liked and I did, allowing myself to be pushed around by the health fads and good guidance provided by those that know better than me, oh and want to make a profit out of me.

When you think about it, it is not hard to understand the value of vegetables and whole foods but all those other interesting dishes sounded so much more interesting and tasted so much better.  One of the most interesting things I have experienced has been the change in my taste.  I just had no idea how salty and sweet everyday food was until I started to reduce and eliminate them.  A couple of years ago I was caught out travelling and really hungry.  I thought I would get a burger after all one burger could not hurt.  This was in the early stages of the diet change when I exercised an 80/20 rule that looking back was probably a 60/40 rule.  Even then the burger tasted like candy, I could not believe it, but there it was sweet meat literally. 

Today, I just don't eat out as every time I try I am disappointed and I risk an unknown ingredient that could trigger problems.  I would like to say the food I eat is better in everyway but the truth is sometimes it is boring or bland and other times it is a compromise and the constant challenge is to make it interesting which Sarah manages to do most of the time.  I see the effort and thought she puts into keeping me eating well and I recognize how difficult a road it is to travel.  But the journey is so worth it and everyone should have a Sarah.

There is something great about knowing you are eating well, it is a sense as well as a feeling not to mention a real impact on the body and well being.  Weight regulates itself and the body is able to fight infection and heal faster and more effectively.   I have experienced all of these effects.  When treated right the body can heal and I am eternally greatful for the fact that I am able to have such great adventures and be as active as I am today given that just over a year ago walking to the mail box was a goal.

As I continue with Adventures in health I will continue to share how the lifestyle we have chosen is impacting our lives and how I have used it to help overcome injuries and set my sights on friendly competition next year (now that I understand my limiting belief).  Oh and today I paid off my new Road Bike, pick it up in October - can't wait.

Remember to think great things, be a great person and power up your life everyday manifesting the life you truly want to live.

Nature is a wonder - take the time to appreciate her

Living with IBS

If you know what IBS is you will know what I mean when I say it sucks.  If you don't it stands for Irritable Bowl Syndrome and sufferers experience all kinds of symptoms including but not limited to stomach cramps.  I have suffered from IBS all my life and for most of my life I had no idea what caused it with no help coming from multiple specialists I have seen over the years.  One of the reasons we started looking at different ways of eating was to try to control the bouts that I experienced.  When a bout comes on it can double me over with the intensity of the cramp.  The journey to my lifestyle diet today started with the goal of reducing and eliminating my IBS symptoms.  Starting with a specific carbohydrate diet my journey lead me step by step on an elimination path that today is the primal life style diet I follow.  As a result I lost weight, gained increased flexibility and got my IBS symptoms under control in away I had not been able to do for over 20 years.  When you think about it, it stands to reason what we put in our bodies affects our bodies but it is strange how for so many years I did not make that connection.  Choosing the short term pleasure of food that was quite literally poisoning me over the choice to improve my symptoms.  Even when I could rationalize that it must be the food affecting me, the effort to make changes was still to much effort.  The mind is so powerful that in the midst of an episode I could promise myself I would do anything to not have the experience but once the bout ended I could kid myself that it was not the food I liked to eat.  After all life is not living if we can't and enjoy the things we like, ever caught yourself saying that? I have.  Even now with all the information I have gathered and the knowledge gained, the desire to take the easy route still exists and whilst I have introduced replacement foods to provide the pleasure I used to gain from other foods I still make mistakes.  This Sunday whilst out late I thought it would be good to have an Indian Takeout, one of the pleasure I really used to enjoy.  The problem with eating out is we just don't know what is included in the food.  The funny thing about having something you thought you liked once you have made significant changes to your diet is that it turns out they are not as nice as they used to be.  That was certainly the case on Sunday.  Well 24 hours later that optimism ran out with the first bout of IBS I have had for almost a year.  This week has been a bit of trial and I sense the universe teaching me a lesson in both humility and stupidity,  I should have known better but it is good to be reminded that the choices I am making are the right ones.  As much as IBS can be a burden it is also a blessing as unlike those that do not suffer it reminds me when I am eating things that are not good for my body.  If you suffer, listen to your body and your mind and join me in taking action to a bout free lifestyle.

There might be more lessons to come but I have learnt to forgive myself for the mistakes and look for strength and knowledge to not make them in the first place.  It is important as you take a journey such as mine to forgive yourself as falling off the path is part of gaining understanding and making better choices.

With the injuries of the last few years behind me the next challenge I see in the future is applying the primal diet in a full training program with the goal of bicycle and paddle board racing next year.  For now I am working on stabilizing the IBS.

Age, Health and Fitness

Today's I want to talk about the journey to a healthy mind and body as we mature in years.  Yes as we age the body changes and let's face it things go wrong.  We all pay for the choices we made earlier in life either as a result of trauma  or through repetitive stress.  In my case I have experienced trauma and repetitive injury due to both genetics and sports, and I can attest that managing your health is a journey that requires action and attention.

 

 

It is important to point out that we are all unique individuals and there is no norm when it comes to individual journey's.  That being true I do believe there are extremes.  On the one side there is the individual that has a high metabolic rate and is highly active all the way to the individual who engages in as little activity as possible, oh and yes we all have experience the of the low energy/activity individual who looks slim and fit.  They are the exception and not the rule.

 Let me share with you some of my journey.  I was born with a form or hyper-activity and as a result was a very active child growing up in a family that valued home cooking and quite honestly could not afford to eat out.  I was a skinny child and developed what I now understand to be a very limiting belief that I could eat anything and everything early in life and let's face it outwardly I could.  I put on no weight but I did suffer from stomach cramps that would double me over in pain.  The cramps however where irregular and lasted only for a short period and therefore could be put out of mind until they happened.  My wife will tell you I was born with a bicycle attached and yes cycling has been a lifelong passion inspired by my father.  Along with many other sports, I have always been active but in my late twenties despite regular exercise I started to gain weight and the scary reality is that I did not realize it as pretty much everyone was either the same or larger than me in my perception. 

If you asked me I would joke about my belly and make comment about needing to lose a few pounds and at times I would redouble my effort to increase exercise relying on the belief I developed as a young man that I did exercise so that I could eat what I wanted.  Well with a career, the ability to eat out and indulging in what I liked it was clear that exercise was not getting the job done.

At 42 I had returned to fitness and was very active at least 3-4 times a week but the weight would not budge.  I had secretly told myself by 40 I would have a six pack and look great.  Well 40 came and went, surprise no six pack.  The next step was to get a personal trainer and we trained, circuits, cardio and strength for an entire year and yes I got stronger but no I did not "Shape Up".

The ah-ha moment can during my last serious injury at the darkest moment when I had put more weight on as a result of depression and comfort eating.  It was at that point my wife put her study into practice on me and we changed our diet.  Yes I said "Changed our Diet" not "We went on a diet".   We adopted what I refer to as Primal+ as we do not always adhere to the rigger of Primal.

We hear it all the time "You are what you eat" so why do we focus on exercise, because it is external and easier to do.  Working hard and building up a sweat whilst it is tough is nowhere near as tough as giving up that feeling our favorite comfort food gives us.   We perceive eating differently as beyond hard especially if you are in a household that is not supportive, it feels like constant punishment and depravation.

The hard truth is that what you eat affects your body in so much more than weight.  Mother nature has been providing us with the nutrition we need to sustain and heal our bodies since time began and for some reason we believe we know better, I hate to tell you this but we don't.  We isolate one thing for one result but the body is a complex interrelation system that is so remarkable that it can deal with toxins for years before the results manifest themselves, but they do eventually.  They manifest as we age as the body can't deal with them anymore and they show up as inflammation, high cholesterol, diabetes, irritable bowl and a host of other conditions including obesity which is now considered a disease.

 When we are young and invincible we look into the future and our 40's and 50's seem so far away and the price of "fun" today seems worth it, but once in our 40's and 50's the price seems less worth it as we struggle to be what we are in our minds.  I for one refuse to accept that getting older should compromise quality of life and limit us to the sidelines of the sport that we loved or have dreamed of doing.  We can't always overcome wear and tear but we can chose to and believe in the attainment of our optimal health and continue to do the things we love long into old age.

Gaining optimal body performance is a combination of diet and exercise.  The diet we eat will determine our shape and regulate the levels of acidity or alkalinity as well as many other factors.  It is the diet that allowed me to lose the weight I had been trying to lose for years.  Exercise is what is making me strong.  The exercise is stressing the body and old injuries and it becomes the focus now that my weight is stabilized.

 In closing I want to address a statement I hear often and one I have used myself.  "Don't worry about not losing weight you are building muscle which is why it is not changing".  For most of us and from personal experience this is not a true statement.  What it means is you have plateaued and your body is balancing the input with the output.  At times like this turning up the exercise will not achieve the goal, it is what is being consumed that needs to be considered.    Let's face it if exercise was all that was needed why do you see large Iron Men/Women or Large Marathon runners or (you pick a sport).

If you do anything focus on becoming informed about what you eat, chose a lifestyle diet not a diet of the moment and don't fall into the healthy food marketing trap, take the harder path and know what you are eating and why.  Enjoy your exercise in the knowledge that what you eat is nourishing and balancing your body and what you do is making you stronger.  If you do these things you will be well on your way to the body you desire. 

I wish you every success in your journey and I hope in some small way what I have shared and written helps you as much as it has helped me.

Surviving Social Events

I hope you are getting ready for a great 4th July.  Today I went a BBQ with the team I work with and it reminded me how difficult social gatherings can be for those of us who have chosen a different eating lifestyle.  Depending upon where you are in the journey social events present three big challenges:

1.  You can't control the food.
2.  You might want the food and feel an emotion to having to make the choice.
3.  Social pressure to be part of the event that manifest's from ourselves and others.

Here's how we might justify participation

1. I deserve to live and treat myself.
2. It can't be that bad if everyone is doing it.
3. Other (you know them as well a I do)

If you are like me and have a condition that flares up if you eat the wrong thing then these events are doubly risky as participating can result is consequences later.  If you don't have any reactions, then the risk of "why not" is ever present.

At the end of the day it is your body and I have to remind myself I am not on a journey to convert others but to live a long, healthy and active life.  Let others choose there path and remind yourself to stay true to yours.

Tips:

1. Can you influence the food and introduce a healthy option, if so do it.
2. Select food you are sure is within your eating lifestyle.
3. Take your own and explain to others you have specific dietary needs.
4. Remind yourself that you might think you want it but do you really and is the cost worth it.
5. Look around you, do others represent how you want to look or feel.

Today at the team BBQ I took my own food and enjoyed a healthy lunch with good company.

Sending you a PowerUp to be Strong and Proud of what you are accomplishing and to wish you a wonderful and safe 4th.

If I feel rested tomorrow I will hit Bike in the morning to enjoy the wonderful weather we are having.

 

Healthly Garden Party

What a beautiful day in Seattle.  The weather hit the mid to late 80's and a perfect day for an office moral event at our house.  My work team came over and Sarah and I served up a healthy alternative to normal BBQ fare.

One of the challenges we faced with the change in our diet outside of eliminating  common foods such as bread was the concern that food could be interesting and dare I say tasty.  Well I can tell you it can be and today we served up a healthy meal to 11+ people who do not follow the same style of eating we do.  Here is what was on the menu.

Pulled Pork with Salsa Verde

Spaghetti Squash with coconut oil

Greek Salad

Avocado & Salsa

85% Dark Chocolate dipped Strawberries and Banana

 

Guests Brought

 

Grilled Vegetables

Broccoli Salad

Fruit Salad

 

Sorry I did not take a picture of the full meal but here is a picture from later when we had some left overs.  It does not do justice to the wonderful spread Sarah put together.

 

It is great when you can eat a tasty meal, have seconds and I my case thirds and do so with a smug feeling born of the knowledge that the food is both healthy and nutritious.   There are certainly challenges with eliminating ingredients but it need not compromise the love of great food.

 



Your Diet Your Choice

Yahoooo.  My first blog comment, thank you Marian.  "PowerUp" and take a look at this great Ted talk on what it takes to start a movement ("Ted Talk: How to Start a Movement")

Now that's out of my system, I am all energized and there is so much to talk about.  Todays topic is on the diet choice I have made and a little bit of why.  Before I get started I am also excited to tell you that I made a Paddle Board decision and I will share the detail in tomorrow's post.

I told you in my introduction post that my weight lost was all due to diet and it is completely true.  Today I live a Paleo Diet lifestyle.  No Wheat or Grain and very limited Dairy and Sugar (I would like to say none but there are times it just cannot be helped) and you can see the result.

No it was not an overnight thing it took me 4 years and a number of set backs to get here, some of them outside of my control and other's either because I slipped back into old habits or I was just not ready to make the commitment.  Desire wins out over knowledge all too often and still there are challenges.

I have no intention of telling you what to eat, how to eat or what choices to make.  What I do want is for you to feel great, look younger and be fit and healthy to do the things you love to do or have always wanted to try through out your life.  The journey starts by choosing to become informed.

I could not have done it or continue without Sarah's support and knowledge which is why I encouraged her to study holistic health coaching.  She is now close to the end of her course and has decided to specialize in Lifestyle Diet Transition for those looking to start the journey to healthy eating either from choice or like me or through necessity due to allergies or conditions.  (BTW whilst she is still studying she is looking to help volunteers for free in return for help structuring her program and building her confidence, I can pass you over if you are interested).

This is one thing that cannot be faked and exercise alone will not get us there.  I know how hard it is and that is why I am here to help.  PowerUp your life and max it out.  I would rather end my days fit and exhausted from all the wonderful people I have met and things I have done that wish I had made different choices.

I hope this has Inspired you a little :0)

Let's Talk Weight

Firstly I have to share with you that after 2 long years today I rode to and from work for the first time.  It is only 7.5 miles but there is a 485ft elevation in the way coming home.  For the last week Sarah has been picking me up at the bottom of the hill and today I rode all the way home.  I was slow and it was hard but it felt amazing after all this time :0)

Since I am talking about exercise you might be asking yourself was the weight loss really attributed to exercise, it is not but after all that what everyone tells us.  When I went to the gym the fitness instructor showed me a representation of an overweight person that slims down in direct relation to the amount of exercise performed.   Well 3 years ago we did a whole year at the gym with a personal trainer and yes whilst I got stronger I did not lose weight.  2 years ago I was very fit and 190 lbs then as a result of injuries I was unable to train for 2 years losing both weight and muscle mass.  It has only been in the last month that I have started to train again and explore a completely new body.

It turns out that strength is directly related to exercise and weight whilst it can be influenced by exercise is directly attributed to what we eat.  Not rocket science really but a very significant concept to grasp.  It means that an hour session at the gym gets counter acted by the choice of food you eat afterwards.

Yes if you burn more calories than you consume you will lose weight but you have to burn lots of calories something that most of us do not do.  We also negate the effort we put in both in terms of weight and health through the choice of food we eat.

4 years ago during a particularly stressful day at work I met an alternative health practitioner who convinced me to attend a session.  Whilst the session was good the one thing he insisted on was attending a talk on healthy eating.  Now I must tell you at this point that I love food and would eat anything at the time so I was not very receptive to the idea of eating rabbit food.  Still I went along and to my surprise was inspired by the content of the talk.  Let me know if you are interested in the detail but suffice to say he started us on the journey to change our eating habits that led to Sarah enrolling to be a Health Coach and me losing 30+ lbs and returning to the weight I was at 19 sporting a 30" waist.

The journey was not easy and I fell off the wagon many times and even today the journey continues but I cannot stress the value it has had through back and knee injuries to finally getting me back to the type of activity I love.

You can have it too, I promise but it takes the following:

- Desire to want the change (not just wishing to change)
- Commitment to try new things and work through things like taste changes
- Perseverance to continue
- Forgiveness when you fall off the wagon (just get right back on)
- Support (We are here for you if needed)


For healthy living the other dimension is movement.  I was horrified to find out just how little I moved outside of occasional gym sessions.  When I say movement, I am not referring to high activity exercise, I am talking about simple movement, walking around etc.  In future posts I will talk about what I found out and the tools I use.

Today I am thankful for a wonderful wife without whom none of this would be possible
The love of 2 adorable pups
And the ability to climb a monster hill for the first time in 2 years

Let me leave you with an inspiring picture - enjoy :)