Progress. Maintenance. Life joy.

Before and after ... left to right, just to be certain.

The current form is maintained wholly through the Primal Blueprint lifestyle. I only "workout" once a week, but maintain fitness as a part of everything I do, everyday. Holistic hunter-gatherer nutrition however, not a daily diet per se, is the primary key.

"Walkabout" - Episode 1

I cycled 16 miles today.

Last week brought the end to my seven year, one month run with Accela Marketing. This job was the longest I've stayed at any one thing (besides my own life). I was trying to figure out if I wish it was a more amicable parting of ways. Until recently part of me clung to the history of institution I helped create. Today, I realised the bridge was burnt as soon as I got off the other side. So much for history, but thank God for small decencies. Very small decencies. Disappointment resonates strongly on both sides of this separation. I've been told anger also resides not so quietly on the other side. There will be inevitable conflict when opposing core values, regardless of a common goal, impact upon each other on a daily basis. Resentment builds, suspicion gets the better of communication, insecurities will bias perceptions. So I am now wondering about my future. And while I wonder... I wander.

I cycled 16 miles today. On it's own, that's not an impressive statement. However, temper in Saint Lucian topography and re-examine. I am taking (at most) two weeks to clear my head and heart of what was my life's primary drive for almost a decade. I need to get back to the point where saying "I" or "we" only refers to myself, and not the entity I had so deeply become a part of. Every day in one way or another I plan to step out and away from who I think I am - who I was, who I have become - and allow "me" to come back to me. In this time, while I get off the path and run through the fields, I believe I will see once again. It is good to have no limitations, no fear, no direction for a few moments in time in order to allow the opportunities we never knew to crash into us. Time to look outside of the routine and smell some truly fresh air. The reality is I have to re-identify myself before I can decide where, or even what I do next.

What next?

The question that I recently thought only focused on my lifestyle for fitness, health and fun. Now it's fully integrated into every aspect I am, and will be.

I hope to see you on the way. Well, not all of you.

Regress to Evolve?

So it looks like I'm on the right path. We (humans) really do need to acknowledge what our ancestors achieved in order to fulfill our own potential. Just to recap... I did P90X for 2 and a half cycles last year and plateaued. I actually began regaining the weight and worse yet, fat (gasp)! Then at the start of this year I did Insanity and was blown away - reference: I am 5' 5" and went from a beefy 175lbs 34" waist down to 155lbs 28-30" waist!)
But nearing the end of that program I began to ask, "What next?" Then I discovered MovNat, Primal Blueprint and barefoot living.
It started, as do all things with the diet. Going (and being) primal takes us back to a time more than 10,000 years ago when mankind didn’t eat agriculture as we do today. Today my nutrition is guided primarily by a sensible practical diet of meats, seeds, vegetables, fruits, butters, fats, oils and nuts. I try as best as I can to avoid grains and sugars and food based on these two ingredients... not as easy as it sounds, believe me. After getting a firm grasp on nutrition, changing my lifestyle and approach to life as it comes came almost effortlessly (save the curious looks and awkwardly phrased inquiries from family, friends, co-workers, etc. - especially the barefoot living part LOL)
Well it's been almost two months (including a fabulous three week vacation) since I have been part of a regular scheduled fitness regime and I am even fitter and stronger than before without having padded back on the extra weight. At 33 years old, I confidently lead a parkour group, seem to be the guru of fitness, nutrition and recovery among family and friends, and I play where I work, live and everywhere in between.
I am happy.

And then... what next?

After some extensive parkour training in climb, vault and jump, I decided to allow my knees some recovery time and 'take it easy' by doing P90X instead of Insanity for a few days. And in this, my last (prolonged) week of Insanity, I am becoming more and more aware of some issues as this program comes to fruition.
All of these workouts (Insanity, P90X, 10 Minute Trainer) are designed to get you in a certain shape within a set time frame. Stick with the nutrition and training and you will achieve remarkable results, but they are not designed to keep you fit forever - they are made with a start and an end, to reach specific goals. They are a the vehicles to a destination, they are not the journey.
What do you do after your one two or three months are up?
Repeat the program, or switch to another? Our bodies aren't made to withstand the constant high intensity indefinitely. Given enough time and repetition, each program will cause you to plateau at some point, and in some cases eventually regress.
Forget Carnival / Summer / vacation / whatever the short term goal may be. What are you going to do to stay fit for life?
Think about it now so that you aren't lost... and more importantly, so you don't lose all that you have so deservedly gained. But then, now that I am in the shape I want and need to be in to have the fun I want to.. what next?
After discovering that he helped develop P90X with Tony Horton, I've been following Mark's Daily Apple for a while for guidance and tips in real-life nutrition and fitness. Enter the Primal Blueprint and MovNat. Their approaches to life, health, diet, well being, fitness, mentality, just about everything, are so close to what I have previously idealised as my own, that I feel like the new guy in the cult. My parkour training, my homespun diet, my view on social interaction, my (the list goes on) all suddenly seem to fit into a larger picture of thinking that isn't so radical... but more natural than ever before.
Time to go out and explore...
Just me musing on 'what next'.
Until such time, keep pressing play :)

Dig Deeper.

we've started INSANITY by Beachbody. it's been a week and i haven't missed a day. nor do i plan to. i have amended and tailored my diet as best given the circumstances of location and budget. this lifestyle suits me well. i am sometimes tempted to refer to it as ideal. if not only for the limited hours in the day. time itself prevents me from using the strength, stamina and agility as much as i would. if only i could. but i do feel the results in my overall fitness already, albeit inhibited by the underlying stiffness and muscle fatigue. all in a shift to regain a form of former glory, it not better than before. the fact that i can now practice parkour is fun too.

january 2010 - week 1

new post. new year.
finding the urge to push again. becoming more secluded while allowing public scrutiny of private thoughts. at the bottom of the pendulum, anticipating upswing. house home happy hope... all in time. who's time? make time. find time. find myself.
flies are being attracted to my screen in the middle of the night. good night.