Jul 7, 2017 | Blog
For most of my life, I regretted the majority of my choices. I’d regret over eating. I’d regret giving up on my “diet”. I’d regret spending so much money or not working out consistently. There were daily regrets & big picture regrets. I wasn’t proud of how I was living my life or spending my days. It felt awful.
These days, I’m all about the minimization of regret.
When I’m faced with any choice where I’m wavering between two options, I think about which choice minimizes the likelihood of regret.
For example, if I’m deciding whether I should go to the gym or skip the workout, I’ll look at which choice I’m most likely to regret. I’ve never regretted a workout. I’ve often regretted skipping one, especially as a trend over time. Easy choice: getting the workout done minimizes regret.
Yesterday I was getting a pedicure & I people kept walking by the store front with cups & cones of ice cream. I thought about getting an ice cream. Then I asked myself, which choice minimizes regret? Getting the ice cream or skipping it? My intention yesterday was to make great choices – deviating from that has a greater chance of regret than missing out on ice cream does. Easy choice: saying “not today” to the ice cream minimizes regret.
A huge part of getting what you want out of life and fully loving the life you live is minimizing regret. Consider all your options & make the choice that minimizes the chance of regret.
The alternative perspective here is: which choice will make you feel amazing? Either. Both. Try one. Practice it. See what works.
I did not want to get up when my alarm went off this morning, but I knew that I’d be more likely to regret staying in bed than I would be to regret getting up and getting things done. So, to work I went! After a couple hours of work I headed to the gym.
“Full Split”
Teams of 2, AMRAP 20:
5 Front Squats (165/110)
15 Plate Hops (45#)
10/7 Calorie Bike
*Partners complete full rounds before switching.
This workout was a total beast! You have less than 1 minute to rest while your partner completes their round, so you’re essentially sprinting and then making your way back to your barbell to go again.
Those front squats were feeling mighty heavy 1/2 way through the workout!
On the food front:
I’m planning to eat a little lighter today since I’ll be pseudo-celebrating my birthday this weekend. I already have a couple treats in mind, including an ice cream place in Boston I want to try! Yum yum!
After my workout I had some hormone free greek yogurt with cacao.
Lunch was chicken & broccoli over cauliflower rice & dinner was a cobb salad.
PS: If you’re new to these posts, listen to this podcast episode to get the scoop on what changes I’m making in my life and you can start back at my first daily post here.
Jul 5, 2017 | Blog
I recently invited you guys to “ask me anything” and the answers to your questions will air on tomorrow’s podcast. One of the questions has been lingering on my mind & I wanted to take a minute to address it here.
“Here is another one, when you talk about an imperfect day, what does that look like? I really struggle with black and white thinking.”
Here’s my reality: every day is imperfect. And that’s great. I’m not striving for perfection.
I don’t wake up, ever, intending to create a perfect day. Perfection doesn’t work for me primarily because of what this question references – it’s too black and white.
If the goal is perfection, everything short of that is “off”. No thanks. I have no interest in that. None at all.
See, perfection isn’t required. You can get healthy without perfection. In fact, you’ll have a damn hard time reaching your goals if perfection is your standard. It’s just not realistic for most of us.
I strive for days that make me feel my best. Sometimes that’s enjoying a drink with someone I love. Sometimes that’s crushing my workout. Sometimes it’s an amazing fat loss friendly meal. Sometimes it’s all of the above. Sometimes it’s a cupcake.
Not only do I look for choices that make me feel my best, I value authenticity over perfection.
I’m not here to make you think I eat perfectly. I don’t. That’s not my goal.
I’m not looking to live a life without sugar or alcohol.
I am, however, looking to incorporate those things (sugar & alcohol) as well as fitness and clean eating, in ways that make me feel my very best.
I don’t have a gold standard I shoot for. I embrace every day as a blank slate full of opportunities to make myself feel amazing.
Part of today’s amazing day was a workout. I was pretty psyched to see a deadlift workout! I brought my A game and felt so proud of the way I moved through the workout. When I finished, I reflected on my 4th of July choices yesterday. Today’s workout wouldn’t have felt as good as it did if I had eaten the bread at the restaurant or had a bunch of drinks or got candy at the candy store. Go me!
“Wrestle Mania”
Deadlift – Heavy Set of 3
Then,
For Time:
15 Deadlifts (185/135)
30 Sit-ups
12 Deadlifts (185/135)
24 Sit-ups
9 Deadlifts (185/135)
18 Sit-ups
6 Deadlifts (185/135)
12 Sit-ups
3 Deadlifts (185/135)
6 Sit-ups
This workout flew by & set the stage for me to crush the rest of this day!
On the food front:
I got home laaaaaaate last night. Lack of sleep absolutely makes me more hungry and I’m not the only one. Even mild sleep deprivation for just one night can impact insulin sensitivity, impacting hunger & cravings.
I picked up an iced Americano on the way back from the gym & then devoured my chicken & broccoli over cauliflower rice from Paleo Power Meals.
I have a super busy rest of the week so I’m trying to keep my food choices on point so I have energy, focus & stamina. Plus, my birthday is next week and I plan to indulge a bit more than I normally would, which makes it easier to turn down snacks & treats this week.
Both lunch & dinner were cobb salads with chicken (no cheese). You might wonder if I get bored of eating the same things over and over – yes. And when I get bored, I switch it up. If you look back, you’ll notice that I go through cycles with food. I might have cabbage salads every day for a month and then not have them for 2 months after that. Right now I’m not bored with these cobb salads so I’ll keep eating them for as long as I really enjoy them!
Make it an excellent day!
PS: If you’re new to these posts, listen to this podcast episode to get the scoop on what changes I’m making in my life and you can start back at my first daily post here.
Jul 4, 2017 | Blog
How free are you if you’re confined by your comfort zone? How free are you if you struggle to choose what you want most and succumb to the allure of what you want now?
How free are you if every choice feels like a struggle and you’re burdened by “should haves”?
How free are you if the life you desire is a far cry from the life you’re creating with your choices?
That thing you call “easy” is chaining you to a life you don’t want.
That’s not freedom.
But, freedom is possible for you.
Make a list of your “comfort zone choices” – those choices you make that aren’t aligned with what you really want but you turn to them out of ease, habit or familiarity.
Just for today: defy them. Create independence.
For one day, be free from the chains of your past behaviors. This is possible for you.
And, it’s so, so worth it.
You can do anything just for one day.
—
Can I just tell you how much I was NOT looking forward to today’s workout? In fact, there was a lot of internal debate about going down to Cape Cod last night and working out from there.
However, that would have been a comfort zone choice and showing up for this morning’s workout defied my comfort zone in every way.
The workout was a CrossFit benchmark & hero workout known as Glen. When I saw it, I started making alternative plans in my head because my knees are bothering me (after a good long stretch without pain, wtf?) But, I quickly redirected my thoughts to “what can I do?” and decided to scale the run portion of the workout.
“Glen”
30 Clean & Jerks (135/95)
1 Mile Run
10 Rope Climbs
1 Mile Run
100 Burpees
Some people are embarrassed to scale (modify) a workout. I’m not. I’m not here to compete with anyone.
I’m not looking for some “badass” badge of honor.
I’m trying to improve my fitness, physique & health. I’m here to push my own body in ways that make sense & feel good.
That ain’t got nothing to do with doing a workout as prescribed “just because”.
I could have rowed or biked instead of the run, but I decided to do the run but cut it in half. I ran 0.5 miles instead of a full mile for each of the run segments.
Why run at all if my knees are bothering me? Because I need the practice and it is, for me, a more intense and cardiovascular stimulus than biking or rowing. Plus, I know that a little running is okay (with proper foam rolling before and after) but longer runs trigger legit pain & inflammation.
So, my workout was 30 clean & jerks, half mile run, 10 rope climbs, half mile run, 100 burpees.
Pretttttty sure that’s still one hell of a great workout for 6am on a holiday!! 🙂
It was the PERFECT stimulus for me. It was hard as hell and I pushed myself throughout. Shortening the run allowed me to minimize impact on my knees and keep a higher intensity than I would have if I was running twice as much.
For my current goals, intensity matters more than duration. I’d rather go faster & shorter than longer & slower. That’s what’s right for my body & my goals.
I totally wanted to quit around 70 burpees but I knew I’d feel better if I finished the damn thing than if I didn’t.
I felt super proud of the work! Heck of a way to start the 4th of July holiday!
After the workout I realized that all the roads around my house were closed for a holiday parade so I hit the road to get out of town.
I stopped to do some work for a few hours and then drove down to Cape Cod.
On the food front:
I packed my food for the holiday. I no longer use every holiday as a reason to indulge. My birthday is next week and I’d rather indulge at a special place than go for chips and grocery store cookies on the beach today. I’ve had BBQ indulgences a million times and they just aren’t worth it to me (90% of the time).
**edited**
I wrote this blog in the AM and my food choices changed a bit from what I intended so I’m making a couple updates.
I didn’t eat until about 10am when I had a large cobb salad. I had packed lunch but decided not to eat it when I heard we were going out to dinner that night.
Out to dinner, I ordered lobster bisque but it was too sweet so I passed it off after a bite. My entree was a mixed green salad with lobster.
Oh, you know what else I had? Before dinner we stopped off at a bar and I ordered a White Claw seltzer – it’s basically a gluten free spiked seltzer. I think it’s about 110 cals and 4g carbs (I don’t count cals but I know you’d be curious). It’s only 5% alcohol, so it’s super light. It’s refreshing, but so is plain seltzer. I drank about half of it and then figured it wasn’t really worth it. I wasn’t bad. It wasn’t amazing. But it’s an option if I want some alcohol.
I hope you’re enjoying your 4th of July! Chat more tomorrow!
PS: If you’re new to these posts, listen to this podcast episode to get the scoop on what changes I’m making in my life and you can start back at my first daily post here.
Jul 3, 2017 | Blog
Food pushers are only an issue if you let them be. I get it: you’re trying to make good choices and someone(s) keeps encouraging you to “live a little“.
Is it fun? No, it’s not. Is it a problem? Only if you make it one.
Can someone encourage you to eat? Yes. Can someone tease you about trying to make great choices? Of course. But can they choose for you? Can they put food in your mouth? No.
Who loses if you’re making food choices based on the comments of others? You do.
Here’s what I’ve found: it gets as much attention as I give it. Other peoples’ opinions about the way or what I eat only gets as much attention as I give it.
If I act like it’s no big deal and don’t get into big explanations or justifications, they get bored of the topic quickly.
For example, if someone offers me cake (which happened today), I can say “no” in two ways:
- “Aw man, I shouldn’t. I’m trying to be good. It looks amazing though! I’m trying to lose weight.”
- “No, thank you.”
With the first response, I’m creating a conversation where there doesn’t need to be one. I’m essentially inviting them to participate in a conversation about the way I eat. They might feel bad that I feel like I’m missing out and push even harder. That’s their response to me.
Now, could someone continue to push even after I say “no, thank you”? Of course. But do I have to continue to say no and defend my choice? Sure don’t.
It’s only a conversation if you participate in it.
In reality, people care more about themselves and their choices than they do about ours. Say no and then let it go.
You don’t have to engage in a conversation, you don’t have to explain.
If you do, that’s your choice, but it can be a whole lot simpler.
And, with the people closest to you, they’ll stop pushing after you’re consistent for a while. When you’re consistent, they know your answer before you give it.
Today was my mom’s birthday and I met up with her for lunch. After lunch we presented her with her favorite cake. I said, “no thanks”.
There’s no pressure unless I get caught up in what other people say or how other people react. What they think of my food choices isn’t my business or my problem.
I’ll tell you what – this morning’s workout was brutal. I was sucking wind in the last round and thought I might throw up. It felt great when it was over though!
“Air Ball”
4 Rounds:
21 Wallballs (20/14)
18 Calorie Row
15 Box Jumps (24/20″)
12 DB Snatches (50/35)
It was a fantastic way to start the day because I’m feeling really proud of my effort & I’ll sleep like a baby tonight!
On the food front:
I knew I was meeting up with my mom for lunch so I chose not to eat before hand. Restaurant meals tend to be larger and more energy dense than what I’d eat at home.
I ordered grilled salmon over salt & pepper cabbage. It came with roasted potatoes and I had 3-4 bites of the potatoes.
We then went for a couple mile walk before I had to get back to work.
Later that afternoon I had a Paleo Power Meals cobb salad and a bit after that I had a large bowl of plain greek yogurt.
PS: If you’re new to these posts, listen to this podcast episode to get the scoop on what changes I’m making in my life and you can start back at my first daily post here.
Jun 30, 2017 | Blog
The other day on Instagram, I shared advice from Marcus Aurelius. Meditations, a publication of his personal journals, begins with him recounting some of the best advice he received from friends, family & teachers. Some of my favorites include:
- hear unwelcome truths
- be a man of both strength & flexibility
- self control & resistance to distractions
- if I’ve failed it’s no one’s fault but mine
- do my own work, mind my own business & have no time for slanderers.
In that Instagram post, I asked others to share some of the best advice they have received. One of my favorites was “nothing beats a failure like a try”.
Nothing beats a failure like a try.
When you’re feeling down, when you feel like you’ve dropped the ball or failed, respond by trying. Try again, try harder & never stop trying.
We all have these pieces of sage advice, but what are we doing with them. Are they just clever sound bites? To what extend does your behavior reflect this advice.
Put it to action.
As always, life served up a great chance for me to practice today. This workout was a heck of a lot harder than it looked and my grip was really taxed after just the first round.
“Get a Grip”
AMRAP 15:
15 Toes-to-Bar
15 Hand Release-Push-ups
150m KB Farmers Carry (70’s/53’s)
My hands were burning and my forearms were cramping. I kept telling myself: you don’t have to stop, you just want to. One more step. One more second. The workout begins when it gets hard. The work begins when you want to quit. That’s when it begins to count!
On the food front:
I have no issue eating non-breakfast foods at breakfast time. I think it’s probably because I get up so early and don’t eat until 4-6 hours after I wake. Maybe in my mind, it seems like lunch.
Anyways, after my workout, around 10am I had pork short ribs & sautéed cabbage. It’s the Paleo Power Meals weekly special & I absolutely love it.
Around 1pm I had a cobb salad and then was out of the house for several hours. While I was out, I grabbed a bag of Rhythm Naked Beet Chips. You guessed it – they’re dried beets. I don’t do a whole lot of starchy veggies (I feel best when minimizing them) but these were good. Of course, if you don’t like beets, you won’t like these, but I’ll grab them again in a pinch! (I’m never really “in a pinch” – it’s not going to kill me or even hurt me to go several hours without food. But I’d eat them again if I wanted a snack).
When I got home around 6:30pm so I had chicken & broccoli with cauli rice and some Halo Top ice cream.
After a solid day of training and choices I’m proud of, I’m feeling pretty darn good!
PS: If you’re new to these posts, listen to this podcast episode to get the scoop on what changes I’m making in my life and you can start back at my first daily post here.
