Guidelines and Building Blocks.

      I've been here before...many, many times. It's a dangerous place to be. It's always been a sort of fork in the road for me. I'll be walking along my path for weeks without trouble and suddenly the road splits. One way will take me back the way I came, but I don't want to take that path again. The other will take me forward into the future, into the light.

      Holy shit that's a lot of metaphor for a Tuesday. What am I talking about? It's been roughly eight weeks since I began exercising, watching what I eat, and keeping the blog. I've seen progress and it feels good. I'm 7 runs away from completing the 5K Runner App on my iPhone. So, what's with all of the gloomy shit in the previous paragraph?

    This is usually the time for me when an attempted health change goes south. I get cocky and arrogant, because I get bored. I lose a few pounds and start thinking I can go back to my old ways. In less than half the time it took me to get here, I end up right back where I started. I don't wanna do that this time, gang. I can't. I'm glad that I recognize where I am and how I've treated that place in the past. Now, how keep motivated and keep evolving?

   The blog, and this entire approach to change, has mostly been based on one principal; baby steps. Lots of small changes, that eventually add up to grand results. I didn't try any crazy diets and I don't exercise two hours a day six days a weeks. Here are some things I did do a day at a time.

Cut out soda. Even the diet stuff because Aspartame is the devil.
No fast food. High on calories, no nutrition.
Watch the weed. I like pot and I'll still have a puff, just not every night with a pizza and pint of ice cream.
Run. I'm like a proud parent talking about the 5K Runner App. Truth is though, it's been incredible.
Don't eat late at night. Like a big Italian Mogwai, don't feed me after midnight. Most days, I don't eat after 5pm.
Watch the calories. Say what you want about counting calories, but calories in vs calories out is the very basis of how we lose and gain weight.
Get some color on that plate. More fruit and more veggies.
Watch the sweets. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't eat dessert. Now, maybe once a week.

It was over the course of a month that I collected this list of, I don't even want to call them rules because I don't think of them that way. Guidelines sounds better to me.  They're mine. They're what works for me based on my life and my schedule.

Now it's time to add one more and shake things up a bit. How bout a new App?

Jonah Hill lost a fuck ton of weight last year. I was watching an interview with him a few months back and he had an interesting answer when someone asked him how he lost so much weight. He said that someone told him once that if you do a hundred push up a day, you'll never be out of shape. If Superbad can do it, I can do it.

There's an App called, "Hundred PushUps" being downloaded onto my phone right now. In the same style as the Runner App, it's a week by week guide to helping you achieve the goal of...well doing a hundred push ups I guess. I've heard numerous folks refer to the push up as, "The Perfect Exercise." I hope they're right. I hope this is another building block that keeps me challenged and motivated. Oh, and of course I'll let you know what I think of it.

It's time for a run gang. I hope you're all having a good Tuesday.