Somebody, somewhere had the devious idea to convince us all that being fit was a difficult thing. It required monthly payments to visit a huge air conditioned building with tons of expensive equipment and specially trained people to explain the correct way to use their apparatus. They've done a pretty good job at making us all believe this is all necessary. That without the proper machinery you are not going to be able to do the anatomically correct movement.
Really?
Since when was a hunk of metal weights and cables anatomically anything?
I have paid my dues over the years. Belonging to different gyms, health clubs, and fitness centers. All with different features and perks. Equipped with monthly membership fee and each it's own breed of muscle heads and gym rats prowling the scene.
Enter Crossfit.
My first experience with this new and rapidly growing movement was a keeper.
I would guess it was about 5 years ago. My older brother invited me to come check out the new gym he had been training at. "It's a crossfit place, you'll love it", "Okay". I had no idea what he was talking about.
I pulled up the the sketchy, back alley warehouse thinking I had the wrong address. But I saw my brother poke his head out and motion me over.
Alright, let's see what this is all about.
He and his friend showed me the workout plan for the day all written out on a chalkboard. Pretty basic stuff. Whats the big deal?
"Move fast, try to keep up and don't stop until you've done everything 3 times"
We hit it hard! At least I thought we did. I gave it everything I had and it burned. Halfway through the second round I was finally starting to see the vision when it hit me back. I could feel it coming on like a strange shadow. I lost my breath, my body lost all it's strength, and everything... went.... black.
When I came back I was being held up against the wall by my brother. I was still short of breath and a bit confused. It took me a while to feel normal again. When I did I had just one thought.
That, was incredible!
Not the part where I felt like I died. That part sucked. But the workout. The simplicity of it. Sure they had some equipment in the place but it was all basic stuff. Medicine balls, kettle bells, a pull up bar....
Surprisingly, that was my one and only crossfit experience. No reason not to I've just never gone.
But that experience opened my eyes to something that has stuck with me.
Body weight exercises are AMAZING!
They can be done by anyone, at any time, wherever they happen to be. They are simple and don't require expensive equipment or monthly membership dues. No more excuses to not work out.
Some of my favorites are the most fundamental.
Push ups (I do 4-5 variations)
Pull ups
Squats
Crunches
Modified yoga
It's great! I love it and feel like I'm just a kid playing around. I used to mix it in with my boxing workouts (Heavy bag, speed bag, jump-rope...) and cant wait to get my garage cleared out so I can get back into it. I also used to mix it in on my trail runs. After 5 or so miles when I came to a good place I would stop and do some burpees or lunges. It's awesome when people stop and stare!
Yes, I know, I am a stick figure. But I'm not trying to win any body building competitions. I really don't care to get huge like the bros walking around the gym in ripped t-shirts. It's really not healthy.
My goal is vitality, explosive strength, and endurance. This is a great way to get there.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Routine Maintenance - Meditation & Affirmations
I've struggled with this one!
I've done it every day but don't feel I'm getting what I want to out of it. This is one of those things that I had never really done before. I had heard tons about it from things I had read or listened to but never got down to the nitty gritty of crafting and reciting the affirmations.
This is what I do know. And, once again much of this comes from my beautiful wife.
Affirmations must be simple, direct, and memorable
They should, if possible, begin with I as in ME.
They must be in the present tense as in I am, not I will be.
They should be spoken out loud with conviction
I think my first mistake was starting out the month without having gone through the process of designing the affirmations before hand. I remember that first morning of the year. Sitting in the best most relaxing "meditation position" I could muster a few minutes after waking up and thinking...
I am... tired. I don't know what to say. Can I eat breakfast?
That morning I watched a few youtube videos and read a few articles for some form of inspiration and direction on how to pull this together.
The things I value most in life are the relationships I have with other people. I love my people.
I decided to make a list of the different relationship types that I have and build my affirmations to strengthen each of these bonds.
So, in the order of critical importance of relationship, here is my list...
Self
Son (of God)
Husband
Father
Son (of my parents)
Brother
Friend
What? Brandon, you egocentric little punk! Why would you put yourself at the top of the list?
Feel free to tell me all the reasons why I'm wrong and a selfish brat. That's fine. It's right for me.
Here's my reason.
If you don't take care of yourself your can't take care of others.
We are always taught things like "putting other people first" and being "selfless". It may seem like a contradiction but I agree with this 100%.
I want to be able to give others MY BEST ME. They deserve it! Each one of the relationships I have deserves me to be engaged and present in the moment. Each one deserves for me to be at my best.
This is something I have been failing at for years and I sincerely apologize.
This is reason numero uno why Burning the Script and simplifying my life has become so important to me. I want to strip away and dispose of anything and everything (physical, psychological, spiritual...) that distract me from the essential beauty of each relationship I have.
I've drafted my affirmations. I am reciting and editing them each morning and night. I'll continue to mold and shape them until they feel right and paint an accurate picture of the person I want to be.
Routine Maintenance - Water
I'm going to make this one quick because I'm still trying to understand it myself.
Water is important! Critical to sustaining a healthy life. I've always known that and have done pretty well at keeping hydrated.
What i didn't know is that it really matters when you drink your water.
Our stomachs are filled with all kinds of crazy gunk like acid and bacteria. Sounds pretty disgusting and dangerous but it is so important to proper digestion and soaking up all the nutrients.
So here is what I've learned, mostly from my wife and brother in law who are water wise.
It's as simple as that. Try not to drink fluids within 1/2 hour before and 1 1/2 hours after meals.
WHAT?
Doesn't seem to make sense does it?
We need the environment in our digestive system to be as potent as possible in order to make our food work for us. To extract all the goodness. Otherwise a lot of the benefits pass straight through to be flushed away.
Between meals... green flag all the way. Drink tons of water. I think my wife does half a gallon a day.
Keep your body hydrated and it will serve you well.
Water is important! Critical to sustaining a healthy life. I've always known that and have done pretty well at keeping hydrated.
What i didn't know is that it really matters when you drink your water.
Our stomachs are filled with all kinds of crazy gunk like acid and bacteria. Sounds pretty disgusting and dangerous but it is so important to proper digestion and soaking up all the nutrients.
So here is what I've learned, mostly from my wife and brother in law who are water wise.
Don't drink anything with your meals.
It's as simple as that. Try not to drink fluids within 1/2 hour before and 1 1/2 hours after meals.
WHAT?
Doesn't seem to make sense does it?
We need the environment in our digestive system to be as potent as possible in order to make our food work for us. To extract all the goodness. Otherwise a lot of the benefits pass straight through to be flushed away.
Between meals... green flag all the way. Drink tons of water. I think my wife does half a gallon a day.
Keep your body hydrated and it will serve you well.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Routine Maintenence - Prayer
The past 3 mornings my alarm has gone off at 7:00 and I have rolled right out of bed.
No snooze, no pausing, or stretching. No chance given to fall back asleep.
Strangely I feel energized and awake. I'm ready to go!
For the first time in forever (no, I'm not going to start singing a songs from the latest Disney princess movie, my daughters have that covered) I know exactly how I am going to spend the first chunk of time each morning. This plan gives me something to look forward to and I feel a strong sense of direction and purpose.
Step 1; Engage in Meaningful Prayer.
This is the first really spiritual thing I've written about since I made the decision to no longer hold back on sharing that side of my experience (I told you about it here. in case you missed it). I've had some very interesting experiences since I made that decision but I'll save them for later.
Whether you will admit it or not, EVERYONE has a spiritual side. A connection to the world, to nature, to other people, to a deity or life force. It's there! Many of you will relate directly to what I share. Others may need to translate the message to fit.
From February 13, 2002 to February 17, 2004 was a missionary serving in Madrid Spain. I had countless goals during this 2 year period. Some were personal, others were created and worked towards with others.
The longest lasting and most consistent goal of this 2 year period was this.
My knees will hit the floor before my feet in the morning and before my head hit my pillow at night.
I never missed a morning. One of my greatest successes in life.
Why was this so important to me? Because the work I had signed on to do was literally impossible to do on my own. So I "counseled with the father".
I poured out my gratitude for the opportunities I had been given. I gave thanks for past successes and failures. Reflected on lessons learned and others I was still trying to figure out. I asked for specific guidance of where to go, who to talk, to and what to say
Starting out the morning in prayer propelled my day forward in the right direction. It was just the beginning of a daily conversation with a friend.
I prayed, and prayed, and prayed for patience in understanding people. A companion who wanted to stay home all day, make apple pies and listen to gangster rap. Kids throwing rocks and sticks and saying all kinds of profane things. I prayed to not want to turn around and kick their asses.
I prayed a lot!
Ending the day in the same way brought me peace of mind and clarity. It allowed me to rest well knowing where I had given it my all and where I could improve.
11 years later my life has changed in almost every way imaginable.
I am a husband and father. I am an advisor for an amazing group of young men, I own 12 fat chickens. I run on trails, I am a business owner, I pretend to be a writer.
My life is busy in very different ways from the time I spent walking the cobbled streets of Spain. And when It's not busy I often make it that way. Being pulled in so many different directions day after day causes me to go through cycles of gaining and losing focus on the most critical ingredients for happiness. Including prayer.
Yes, I still pray.
I pray when I eat meals, I pray at night with my family and later with my wife. I pray in church and I pray in difficult times.
The problem is I have stopped "praying always".
I've stopped having the one on one conversations. I do it from time to time but it is no longer a habit. And, as a result I no longer feel the level of guidance and direction I felt as a missionary and at other times in my life where prayer has been dynamic and frequent.
I want it back!
No snooze, no pausing, or stretching. No chance given to fall back asleep.
Strangely I feel energized and awake. I'm ready to go!
For the first time in forever (no, I'm not going to start singing a songs from the latest Disney princess movie, my daughters have that covered) I know exactly how I am going to spend the first chunk of time each morning. This plan gives me something to look forward to and I feel a strong sense of direction and purpose.
Step 1; Engage in Meaningful Prayer.
This is the first really spiritual thing I've written about since I made the decision to no longer hold back on sharing that side of my experience (I told you about it here. in case you missed it). I've had some very interesting experiences since I made that decision but I'll save them for later.
Whether you will admit it or not, EVERYONE has a spiritual side. A connection to the world, to nature, to other people, to a deity or life force. It's there! Many of you will relate directly to what I share. Others may need to translate the message to fit.
From February 13, 2002 to February 17, 2004 was a missionary serving in Madrid Spain. I had countless goals during this 2 year period. Some were personal, others were created and worked towards with others.
The longest lasting and most consistent goal of this 2 year period was this.
My knees will hit the floor before my feet in the morning and before my head hit my pillow at night.
I never missed a morning. One of my greatest successes in life.
Why was this so important to me? Because the work I had signed on to do was literally impossible to do on my own. So I "counseled with the father".
I poured out my gratitude for the opportunities I had been given. I gave thanks for past successes and failures. Reflected on lessons learned and others I was still trying to figure out. I asked for specific guidance of where to go, who to talk, to and what to say
Starting out the morning in prayer propelled my day forward in the right direction. It was just the beginning of a daily conversation with a friend.
I prayed, and prayed, and prayed for patience in understanding people. A companion who wanted to stay home all day, make apple pies and listen to gangster rap. Kids throwing rocks and sticks and saying all kinds of profane things. I prayed to not want to turn around and kick their asses.
I prayed a lot!
Ending the day in the same way brought me peace of mind and clarity. It allowed me to rest well knowing where I had given it my all and where I could improve.
11 years later my life has changed in almost every way imaginable.
I am a husband and father. I am an advisor for an amazing group of young men, I own 12 fat chickens. I run on trails, I am a business owner, I pretend to be a writer.
My life is busy in very different ways from the time I spent walking the cobbled streets of Spain. And when It's not busy I often make it that way. Being pulled in so many different directions day after day causes me to go through cycles of gaining and losing focus on the most critical ingredients for happiness. Including prayer.
Yes, I still pray.
I pray when I eat meals, I pray at night with my family and later with my wife. I pray in church and I pray in difficult times.
The problem is I have stopped "praying always".
I've stopped having the one on one conversations. I do it from time to time but it is no longer a habit. And, as a result I no longer feel the level of guidance and direction I felt as a missionary and at other times in my life where prayer has been dynamic and frequent.
I want it back!
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