Today would have been my oldest sister's birthday. She would have been 58. Sad because she died so young-52 years old of Multiple Sclerosis. It was a sad day in December when I got the news while traveling around the country of Chile over the holidays. It was sudden, she had been doing pretty well but got an infection and in one 24 hour period, she was gone. Traumatic moment for me that day of the phone call, in a foreign country, shocked beyond belief. We got home on New Years Eve, 2001. Wasn't 2001 sad enough? There were 300 people at the funeral-it was surreal-this is my sister's funeral? I think of the daughters Sara left behind and how cruel it is that they don't have their mom anymore. I think wasn't it just yesterday when Sara was taking care of me as a kid and we were creating plays to perform for the neighborhood? Losing a sibling is up there with losing parents, only closer to home. I remember calling her on her last birthday alive. I remember where I was, what we said and that is a gift. Amazing really after all those birthdays all those years. And the thing I am most grateful for is that the last words I said to her on the phone on December 23rd, 2001 were "I love you".
Happy Birthday sis..
Think I will go and tell my loved ones and friends I love them again today..you never know..
Monday, November 26, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Losing weight is simple?
Now that Turkey Day is near, I thought I would share these articles from my favorite guru of the day-Josh Hillis, the trainer. I really like his no BS approach to weightloss. Now go on and pig out on Thanksgiving:
Losing Fat Is The Simplest Thing In The World
All of the stories in the media make fat loss sound more complicated than it is. The way certain diets are marketed often complicates weight loss also. Sometimes searching for more information online and running into a million different opinions can complicate weight loss.
Let's take a step back and simplify. Take a deep breath, here comes reality: Most of the time, if someone isn't getting results, they are simply eating too many calories. Eating too many calories will ruin the results of even the best workout program.
One of my favorite people to listen to when it comes to fat loss, Neal Spruce founder of Apex Fitness Group, said this -
Calories in, Calories out
You must come to accept the factual calories in and out aspect of weight management; otherwise, there’s no point in trying to solve for the motivation aspect. Repeat after me: if you’re overweight, it’s not because of your age, it’s not your thyroid, it’s not menopause, it’s not because you don’t eat enough, it’s not your parents’ fault, it’s not the number of fat cells you were born with, it’s not that you don’t do your aerobic work in your target heart range, it’s not high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), it’s not that you weren’t breast fed, it’s not your medication, it’s not your hormones, it’s not sugar, it’s not trans fat, it’s not saturated fats, it’s not carbohydrates, it’s not because you eat after 7:00PM, it’s not because you had a baby, it’s not because you eat the wrong glycemic foods, and, no, it’s not the fast food industry’s fault if you are overweight and don’t like it...
...So let’s get past the calorie piece and all the misinformation and boil it down to one simple sentence you can apply to your life right now: “I won’t think about anything else except eating fewer calories than I burn until I reach my goal.” Say it again! “I won’t think about anything else except eating fewer calories than I burn until I reach my goal”.
That's what I like about Neal, he doesn't mess around.
It's really a pretty simple game we are playing.
Here is your four step plan to get you 99% of the way to your goal:
1.) Eat less calories. Keep an online food log. Trust your scale and how you fit in your clothes to tell you how accurate your food log is.
2.) Eat good food. You know what is good food, and you know what is bad food. Eat less bad food.
2.) Do short, high intensity cardio.
3.) Do an intelligent strength training workout a few times per week.
4.) Drink lots of water. Don't drink anything that isn't water.
If you are a girl just doing those four things will take you from 30% bodyfat (below average) all the way to 21% bodyfat (pretty damn hot). For a guy that would be like going from 20% bodyfat down to 12% bodyfat.
Getting lower than that it gets a little more interesting. If you want to get really rockstar lean, you'll have to periodize your workouts (your workout goes through different cycles, like seasons) and you'll have to eat even cleaner. But that's it. It's not rocket science.
Don't over complicate things.
Here is some wisdom from one of the best workout articles of all time, written by my friend Dan John:
"When things go wrong, simplify."
Usually, when we aren't getting the results we want, we complicate things to the point of insanity. That, of course, makes it worse.
When things go wrong, that's actually the time to get back to basics.
Focus on the few simple keys that make everything work. (steps 1-4 above) Ignore everything else.
By Josh Hillis
or:
How To Enjoy Thanksgiving and Not Get Fat
November means one thing in the fitness world - Thanksgiving.
I want you to totally pig out at Thanksgiving dinner, and still look like a rockstar. To do that, you've got to start now.
You should earn the right to pig out at Thanksgiving dinner.
That means tightening up your workouts and nutrition right now. Start keeping a food log now. The time between now and Thanksgiving is critical.
The best way to manage weight gain at Thanksgiving is to lean up right now.
If you lose 2lbs of fat per week, every week between now and Thanksgiving, you'd lose 10lbs total. With a smart workout program and a food log, losing 2lbs per week is totally realistic.
You can totally lose 10lbs in the next 5 weeks. Then if you gain 2lbs at Thanksgiving, you're still 8lbs leaner than you are right now.
Earn the right to be able to eat what ever you want on Thanksgiving, and not feel guilty at all.
My clients manage to enjoy Thanksgiving and come out ok on the other side. Most Americans get fatter because of Thanksgiving, and keep that fat until Christmas, when they gain more fat.
I want you to enjoy Thanksgiving, and in truth, I want you stuff your face until you pass out. It's only one meal, and one meal won't be the end of the world. But that's if it's only one meal.
Most people's Thanksgivings spill over into the whole following week.
People have such an "on diet" or "off diet" mentality, that they destroy themselves. They figure if they eat one "bad" thing then they might as well give up. So they figure after "messing up their whole diet" on Thanksgiving, they might as well keep on pigging out the next day, and the day after that. Hey why not keep on going straight through 'til New Years. That kind of thinking will put you 5 or 10lbs fatter at that New Years party.
I want you to plan to pig out for one day - on Thanksgiving - and then stick to that plan. And then get back to your clean, whole food, low calorie, balanced nutrition plan the next day. Stick to that plan. You can totally go crazy on Thanksgiving, just keep it to Thanksgiving Day.
Go back to your eating plan and go back to your workouts. The 2lbs of fat you gain you'll lose the next week, and then you'll be even leaner when you roll into the New Years.
Fat loss expert Alwyn Cosgrove just asked on his blog "Do you want to be the hot girl in the little black dress at the New Years party that everyone is talking about?" There's 12 weeks of training between now and then.
Or do you want to gain 8lbs over November and December like most Americans?
Waiting for January to make a new New Years Resolution is a mistake.
Set yourself up for the holidays by making smart food choices now. I recommend reading Tosca Reno's Eating Clean.
Get on a smart workout program now. I always recommend for guys to get Men's Health writer Craig Ballentyne's Turbulence Training, or for girls to get my own 8 week fat blasting workout program: The Stubborn Seven Pounds.
By Josh HillisAuthor of How To Lose The Stubborn Seven Pounds
National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer (NASM-CPT) and Performance Enhancement Specialist (NASM-PES), and currently studying the Corective Exercise Specialist (NASM-CES) course.
Josh is a kettlebell instructor and personal trainer in Denver, Colorado.
© Joshua Hillis 2007
Losing Fat Is The Simplest Thing In The World
All of the stories in the media make fat loss sound more complicated than it is. The way certain diets are marketed often complicates weight loss also. Sometimes searching for more information online and running into a million different opinions can complicate weight loss.
Let's take a step back and simplify. Take a deep breath, here comes reality: Most of the time, if someone isn't getting results, they are simply eating too many calories. Eating too many calories will ruin the results of even the best workout program.
One of my favorite people to listen to when it comes to fat loss, Neal Spruce founder of Apex Fitness Group, said this -
Calories in, Calories out
You must come to accept the factual calories in and out aspect of weight management; otherwise, there’s no point in trying to solve for the motivation aspect. Repeat after me: if you’re overweight, it’s not because of your age, it’s not your thyroid, it’s not menopause, it’s not because you don’t eat enough, it’s not your parents’ fault, it’s not the number of fat cells you were born with, it’s not that you don’t do your aerobic work in your target heart range, it’s not high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), it’s not that you weren’t breast fed, it’s not your medication, it’s not your hormones, it’s not sugar, it’s not trans fat, it’s not saturated fats, it’s not carbohydrates, it’s not because you eat after 7:00PM, it’s not because you had a baby, it’s not because you eat the wrong glycemic foods, and, no, it’s not the fast food industry’s fault if you are overweight and don’t like it...
...So let’s get past the calorie piece and all the misinformation and boil it down to one simple sentence you can apply to your life right now: “I won’t think about anything else except eating fewer calories than I burn until I reach my goal.” Say it again! “I won’t think about anything else except eating fewer calories than I burn until I reach my goal”.
That's what I like about Neal, he doesn't mess around.
It's really a pretty simple game we are playing.
Here is your four step plan to get you 99% of the way to your goal:
1.) Eat less calories. Keep an online food log. Trust your scale and how you fit in your clothes to tell you how accurate your food log is.
2.) Eat good food. You know what is good food, and you know what is bad food. Eat less bad food.
2.) Do short, high intensity cardio.
3.) Do an intelligent strength training workout a few times per week.
4.) Drink lots of water. Don't drink anything that isn't water.
If you are a girl just doing those four things will take you from 30% bodyfat (below average) all the way to 21% bodyfat (pretty damn hot). For a guy that would be like going from 20% bodyfat down to 12% bodyfat.
Getting lower than that it gets a little more interesting. If you want to get really rockstar lean, you'll have to periodize your workouts (your workout goes through different cycles, like seasons) and you'll have to eat even cleaner. But that's it. It's not rocket science.
Don't over complicate things.
Here is some wisdom from one of the best workout articles of all time, written by my friend Dan John:
"When things go wrong, simplify."
Usually, when we aren't getting the results we want, we complicate things to the point of insanity. That, of course, makes it worse.
When things go wrong, that's actually the time to get back to basics.
Focus on the few simple keys that make everything work. (steps 1-4 above) Ignore everything else.
By Josh Hillis
or:
How To Enjoy Thanksgiving and Not Get Fat
November means one thing in the fitness world - Thanksgiving.
I want you to totally pig out at Thanksgiving dinner, and still look like a rockstar. To do that, you've got to start now.
You should earn the right to pig out at Thanksgiving dinner.
That means tightening up your workouts and nutrition right now. Start keeping a food log now. The time between now and Thanksgiving is critical.
The best way to manage weight gain at Thanksgiving is to lean up right now.
If you lose 2lbs of fat per week, every week between now and Thanksgiving, you'd lose 10lbs total. With a smart workout program and a food log, losing 2lbs per week is totally realistic.
You can totally lose 10lbs in the next 5 weeks. Then if you gain 2lbs at Thanksgiving, you're still 8lbs leaner than you are right now.
Earn the right to be able to eat what ever you want on Thanksgiving, and not feel guilty at all.
My clients manage to enjoy Thanksgiving and come out ok on the other side. Most Americans get fatter because of Thanksgiving, and keep that fat until Christmas, when they gain more fat.
I want you to enjoy Thanksgiving, and in truth, I want you stuff your face until you pass out. It's only one meal, and one meal won't be the end of the world. But that's if it's only one meal.
Most people's Thanksgivings spill over into the whole following week.
People have such an "on diet" or "off diet" mentality, that they destroy themselves. They figure if they eat one "bad" thing then they might as well give up. So they figure after "messing up their whole diet" on Thanksgiving, they might as well keep on pigging out the next day, and the day after that. Hey why not keep on going straight through 'til New Years. That kind of thinking will put you 5 or 10lbs fatter at that New Years party.
I want you to plan to pig out for one day - on Thanksgiving - and then stick to that plan. And then get back to your clean, whole food, low calorie, balanced nutrition plan the next day. Stick to that plan. You can totally go crazy on Thanksgiving, just keep it to Thanksgiving Day.
Go back to your eating plan and go back to your workouts. The 2lbs of fat you gain you'll lose the next week, and then you'll be even leaner when you roll into the New Years.
Fat loss expert Alwyn Cosgrove just asked on his blog "Do you want to be the hot girl in the little black dress at the New Years party that everyone is talking about?" There's 12 weeks of training between now and then.
Or do you want to gain 8lbs over November and December like most Americans?
Waiting for January to make a new New Years Resolution is a mistake.
Set yourself up for the holidays by making smart food choices now. I recommend reading Tosca Reno's Eating Clean.
Get on a smart workout program now. I always recommend for guys to get Men's Health writer Craig Ballentyne's Turbulence Training, or for girls to get my own 8 week fat blasting workout program: The Stubborn Seven Pounds.
By Josh HillisAuthor of How To Lose The Stubborn Seven Pounds
National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer (NASM-CPT) and Performance Enhancement Specialist (NASM-PES), and currently studying the Corective Exercise Specialist (NASM-CES) course.
Josh is a kettlebell instructor and personal trainer in Denver, Colorado.
© Joshua Hillis 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Things I am doing in the off season..
Well, it is the official off season although I am doing "Polar Bear Triathlon" on December 8th. Only because that is also the same day they give out the SW. Challenge Series awards. Hartley is out because of his foot so I am the only one in the family doing this sometimes cold, but fun race. Other than that I am suppose to be "recovering" but I have been continuing to bike, run and oh yes, I did manage a 3100 yd swim workout in the pool yesterday. That swim is the one in 6 week swim that should be enough for Polar Bear..:)
Other activities:
Other activities:
1. Shampooed all my carpets and washed all the tiles. I did have the housekeeper clean the rest. I am such a diva.
2. Had my windows cleaned..On a cleaning frenzy I guess before winter.
3. Finished all my Christmas shopping. Now this may be impressive however, it is only because we will have all 4 daughters, 2 grandchildren and 2 son-in-laws here for Thanksgiving and this year we do Christmas exchange then.
4. Trying to keep up my 3 times a week Josh's workout-that is so hard to keep at-I am telling you..
5. Another trying to do Yoga once or twice a week. That one is easy to blow off too.
6. Was going to go to some new groups to broaden my horizons. I did go to a philosophy group once. It was interesting but had a really nutty guy in it who insulted me by email so don't know about that one. i want to be around positive people. Also cancelled on the book club and the scrap booking club. I hate going out at night as a rule-geez I am getting old.
7. Trying to read more. Hartley got me this cool thing for my birthday:
It is a Sony Reader-i can download about 40 books on it. I think he got sick of carrying my luggage with books in it on vacations..
8. Catching up with blog reading, writing. Vickie is right. It is like talking to your friends on the phone everyday.
9. Yes-it is true. I am a reality TV addict so gotta keep up on my shows! Becca, my daughter calls me when one is about to begin and thank goodness for Tivo! How did we live without it? I mean it is one of life's necessities huh? And yes-I am a Dr. Phil and Oprah fan (and NO-Oprah never called-darn!)
10. Soduko everyday and sometimes I actually read the newspaper. The ABQ Journal leaves something to be desired though.
Mostly I wake up everyday and pinch myself. Is this for real? Am I really reaping the rewards of all those years of working, raising kids? Do I deserve this? Shouldn't I be working? This is too good to be true. As we were walking our dog the other day, Hartley turned to me and said "I just know it-the police are going to come and arrest me any day for not working. They will throw me in jail for not working the past 440 days!" I laughed because this is exactly how I feel sometimes. Our lives are amazing right now, the best ever. I just hope it lasts for a long time..
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
These are my people..my heroes..my teammates.
I am just so proud to part of a team, The New Mexico Outlaws. We have some major talent brewing in these parts. These folks will also be my roommates at Ironman Couer d' Alene. Not bad company, I must say!
These are my heroes of the day:
One is Brian. When he started he was an overweight newbie and over the last few years has taken triathlon by storm. I remember the day I realized he was faster than me on the swim-say what? Brian is a really smart psychologist, very organized, very enthusiastic and sweet. He is married to GeekGirl, who is also a gem. So he is S. Baboo to all of us in blog world. Here is his latest Ironman adventure. He is also, by the way, getting thinner everyday:
http://clydeologist.blogspot.com/2007/11/course-that-makes-ironmen-cry-silverman.html
Then there is Maria. She started running a couple of years ago and biking last year and has obviously found her niche. She runs faster than anyone I have ever seen. After this short time in the sport, she is already gotten herself ranked 8th in the World in the 70.3 championships. Now Maria is a very humble, sweet tiny gal, who just makes you feel faster looking at her. I have hopes for getting faster just looking at her times. Here is her latest race:
http://outlawstriathlon.blogspot.com/2007/11/703-world-championship-2007.html
These are my training peeps!
These are my heroes of the day:
One is Brian. When he started he was an overweight newbie and over the last few years has taken triathlon by storm. I remember the day I realized he was faster than me on the swim-say what? Brian is a really smart psychologist, very organized, very enthusiastic and sweet. He is married to GeekGirl, who is also a gem. So he is S. Baboo to all of us in blog world. Here is his latest Ironman adventure. He is also, by the way, getting thinner everyday:
http://clydeologist.blogspot.com/2007/11/course-that-makes-ironmen-cry-silverman.html
Then there is Maria. She started running a couple of years ago and biking last year and has obviously found her niche. She runs faster than anyone I have ever seen. After this short time in the sport, she is already gotten herself ranked 8th in the World in the 70.3 championships. Now Maria is a very humble, sweet tiny gal, who just makes you feel faster looking at her. I have hopes for getting faster just looking at her times. Here is her latest race:
http://outlawstriathlon.blogspot.com/2007/11/703-world-championship-2007.html
These are my training peeps!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Love this quote..
I am having trouble coming up with anything original to write about this week so I will use a quote from someone who posted this over on the Ironman Couer d' Alene site:
This journey is no longer just about becoming an IronMan and finding where the path will lead us. It is also about Forging Iron Friendships. Understand, I do not use the term "Friend" loosely. I know we all use it to describe even a casual acquaintance at times when relaying a story. But, in my heart, a casual acquaintance is not where I find my friendships. I find my friendships in Likes. What I mean by that is "Likes attract Likes". That doesn't mean we are only drawn to people exactly like us. We are not drawn only to the people who we find our mirror image in. The "likes", that draw us together are the core things we find to be important. Our values, our beliefs in what makes another person "good". Our abilities to find humor in the same things and sadness shared in other things. It's what makes us pull together.We may have different spiritual beliefs, we may live in different cities or countries. We may walk such varied paths in our careers that others wonder "what could they possibly have in common?" What we have in common is drive. The drive to live our lives. The drive to give every day our best, even when some days our "best" is sorely lacking. What we have in common is the ability to extend our hand out in love and offer our heartfelt assistance to those in need. The genuine belief that our words of encouragement just might help someone through a rough spot in their lives. Our ability to rejoice in the victories, both big and small of those whom we visit. Maybe we visit every day, maybe we visit once a week, our schedules never allow us to predetermine that aspect of our friendships. The main thing is, we visit. We visit when we can and make the effort to do so. We care and we express that. That is friendship. Those are the sorts of friends I consider true. Those are the sorts of friends I consider real.
Very cool indeed. Now this is why I LOVE triathlon!!
This journey is no longer just about becoming an IronMan and finding where the path will lead us. It is also about Forging Iron Friendships. Understand, I do not use the term "Friend" loosely. I know we all use it to describe even a casual acquaintance at times when relaying a story. But, in my heart, a casual acquaintance is not where I find my friendships. I find my friendships in Likes. What I mean by that is "Likes attract Likes". That doesn't mean we are only drawn to people exactly like us. We are not drawn only to the people who we find our mirror image in. The "likes", that draw us together are the core things we find to be important. Our values, our beliefs in what makes another person "good". Our abilities to find humor in the same things and sadness shared in other things. It's what makes us pull together.We may have different spiritual beliefs, we may live in different cities or countries. We may walk such varied paths in our careers that others wonder "what could they possibly have in common?" What we have in common is drive. The drive to live our lives. The drive to give every day our best, even when some days our "best" is sorely lacking. What we have in common is the ability to extend our hand out in love and offer our heartfelt assistance to those in need. The genuine belief that our words of encouragement just might help someone through a rough spot in their lives. Our ability to rejoice in the victories, both big and small of those whom we visit. Maybe we visit every day, maybe we visit once a week, our schedules never allow us to predetermine that aspect of our friendships. The main thing is, we visit. We visit when we can and make the effort to do so. We care and we express that. That is friendship. Those are the sorts of friends I consider true. Those are the sorts of friends I consider real.
Very cool indeed. Now this is why I LOVE triathlon!!
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