Final Post

Wow. This has been an extraordinary experience. In the last ninety days, i've worked out profusely, and jumped some mad rope every day, not to mention the amount of chicken, and chicken eggs i've consumed ( i really owe something to that species). I've listened to countless podcasts (mostly "Stuff You Should Know") and seen the dark beginnings of a lot of early mornings.

I've been waiting to do this project since i saw Patrick's project completed. And now i've finally achieved something i really set myself out to do. This is one of only a few things i can really say that about in my life. Or at least that have any meaning.

I learned a lot about myself, and what i'm capable of, especially under long-term pressure. I chose to do my project in a sort of cross-roads point in my life, and it has helped me out quite a bit.

I've learned a great deal about the human body, and how to take care of it properly (in terms of exercise and diet). But more importantly, i actually DID the things that i learned, which to me, is at least twice as important as learning them.

I've developed a lot more respect for people who are "In-Shape". I now know how much pain and discipline it takes to get to that level of fitness.

I've learned to eat. Where to eat, how to eat, and what i want to eat.

After splurging a little once my final workout was done, and with each indulgence, i've learned that most added sugars, juices, and all-processed crap is just not worth eating. Not worth the money, or the time, or the harmful effects on the body. But a good piece of chocolate never really gets old, just nurse the thing and don't eat it all at once.

Overall, i'm really glad i've done this for myself. I've opened the door one jump at a time to the rest of my life. To being a better martial artist, brother, friend, student, teacher, and someday, parent and grandparent (Insha'allah). I've laid the foundation to the wellness of myself and others.

Thank you Patrick and Chen, for excellent guidance. Thank you, Renfield, Abby, Watson, Brian, (and Pam), for the awesome team work. Go Team Go!.

A special thanks to Amineh, who cooked for me at least once a week, grocery shopped with me, kept me on track with my diet as a whole, took my pictures, provided a lot of moral and existential support, who put up with my bad attitude at times, encouraged me to do more 8MA, and who leveled up my materia for me while i wrote this post ;)

Also to my grandma who taught me how to cook chicken in various ways, and who cooked lunch when times were getting rough.

A thanks to my friends and family, who provided a lot of support and encouragement, and late night talks. You know who you are.

And finally, thank you Donn F. Draeger, for being totally awesome, providing great encouragement to me throughout my project, and for writing a plethora of very good books.
Thank you Michael Pollan, for also writing a lot of good books. Thank you Josh Clark and Charles W. Bryant, for the many late night podcasts that kept me awake and sane.

Thank you readers.

This has been a great climb, and i highly recommend the view. I look forward to continuing my exercises and jump roping ...in a few days and for the long term. Good luck to all my group members in their post-pcp lives, and to all the new-comers working their way to the top.

May you all become strong and well

Day 89

Whew. That was one intense workout. A good project-ender, a little something to remember it by.
I stretched before hand, but in that second super-set my arms and neck were starting to cramp up.
Luckily, just slowing down fixed it. But damn that thing was a beast. I sort of feel proud of myself for that. (er, i mean Confident-in-my-ability-to-express-myself-on-my-environment)

Received Watson's gift today, so i had something to add a little PCP flavor to tonight's workout.
Very nice, Watson, thank you. It made my day.

Seriously, just tomorrow, and that's it?! Almost done? It's a little hard to believe, and i think it's going to take some getting used to after everything is done. Unfortunately i probably won't be able to post tomorrow, and if i do, it won't be my "final post", so be sure to stay tuned till Sunday.

Day 88

Apparently Indra couldn't decide on what the weather should be today, and neither have i.

My last day of school today. Like the weather, it shifted from slightly sunny to lightning bolts, and back again. It was good to see my friends and teachers one last time. I hope for many that it's not the last. Spent some of my day in limbo, some in discourse, and some in conversation.
Almost no studying, and of course my Latin and History finals, respectively.

And now i'm home. I'm going to take a shower, stretch, and get to the workout.

Best of luck on your day 88's.

Day 87

Saw a picture of my back for the first time today. Amineh's been trying to tell me all along, and finally took this picture to prove it to me.

Damn. It's been a couple of days since my last post.
I'm alive, and still on the wagon, as it were. Though to be honest, a lot of times i wish i weren't.
Now more than most other times of the project. I really can't wait for a day without jump ropes.

Now i know i should be happier and feel more unobstructed, "as if a great burden has been lifted," but i don't really feel that way. And if there is one thing i've learned about myself, it's that working out and eating right don't make me any more of a happier person. In fact, if anything i've had more encounters with a more emotional side of myself than before.
But, this is one of the best parts of it for me. It's sort of a way of burning the impurities out, and it's not exactly a pretty process.

"The sword is for cutting the foolishness out of hearts, not the hearts out of fools"

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finals are going well, and tomorrow will be the end of them. Looking forward to a break in the homework train, but not so much to working more days out of the week. Things are going pretty well.

Amineh has kept me on track with the diet portion. I don't think i would have had the inclination (or the time) to actually eat my allotted portions of protein...or dinner.

I've also made a habit of doing 8 min. Abs every day. Which has helped out a lot.

..Aaand that's really about it for now. Until next time.

Day 81

Whew. Finals week is next week.

And it's been a pretty busy week in preparation. What was that phrase again? Grim and optimistic? I think that would characterize this point in my journey. Both in school and the project.

I spent 9 hours (mostly consecutive) of Wednesday working on a bunch of history homework i put off till the last minute, though i got some 8 min abs and the jumproping in first thing after i woke up.

Patrick said our diets these last two weeks would be closer to "normal" levels, but i'm still having trouble eating all of that protein, especially at breakfast and dinner.

I'm optimistic on the whole, and have been thinking about all of the things i've done, enjoyed, and learned this semester - which is quite a bit, even before i mention the PCP. Lots of good conversations with teachers and friends, lots of new music and books, and plenty of notes ( i have an almost religious reverence for notes and the act of notetaking)

And over it all looms the sweet promise of Summer, days without school and without the project - which will be ending in the same week. Don't get me wrong, im enjoying myself, and working hard (though i'd like to be working harder), but a big part of me has got a serious case of longing. What do they call it? Senioritis? -- I try and push it out of my mind, but it really is a good thing that i'm starting to think beyond next week, yeah?

A great deal of uncertainty clouds my Summer, but i feel i can go confidently at least, whichever way i go, knowing that i will have achieved something that really took a lot of effort and work and commitment. I know a lot more about myself now, and will know more by the end of next week. So, it's a good thing.

Day 76 - Indulgence III

Mocha, Frozen yogurt (with fruit), and Sushi

A long awaited Indulgence!

And 1000 calories is a lot of food, let me tell you. By the time 600 or so calories rolled around i caught myself thinking "do i have to?" and then i thought that i'll sort of regret it if i don't.

So, this indulgence i knew for certain i wanted a mocha. It's the only thing that i used to drink all of the time, that i haven't had in an indulgence yet. We went to the Peet's Coffee near Amineh's house, and i decided to opt out of the whip cream option just out of principle. 2% Milk, and iced.

Yogurt was a pretty successful first indulgence, and i decided to honor it with a second go. I got considerably more this time, and piled on the raspberry flavored mochi cubes. That stuff is delicious. No taro flavored yogurt this time, so i got a swirl of chocolate and irish mint. Which turned out pretty decently.

The sushi was long awaited. I've had better sushi ofcourse, but absence makes the heart grow fonder. Or is it, absence makes the taste grow stronger? Either way, it was some pretty tasty business and well worth it.

Most surprising out of this indulgence was that there was no backlash. Nothing kicked back, and i didn't have a sugar rush worth a mention. We did do a lot of walking today though, and especially after our eating, which, i believe helped to mitigate the effects.

So, all in all, today went well. Tasty indulgence, a strong workout, and plenty of rest (finally).


Night y'all.



Post Scriptum: Congratulations Kathleen for getting a elected President of your Student Body for next year, and for getting to meet the Speaker of the House! I'm very prou-ahem--Confident in your ability to assert yourself on your environment.

Day 73

Wednesday.

A pretty fruitful day. Went and got my blood test and physical done, as well as a teeth cleaning at the dentist. I'm trying to get as much out of my dad's insurance before i enter the great uninsured gap, which, for a Comparative Religions major, may be a very long one.

I cleaned my living quarters and got some laundry done, went shopping and got my paycheck.



...but didn't get any homework done.

This is one of those things that always seems to happen. Whether i intend it or not. And at the end of the day, all i feel is the mounting guilt of failure.

I can, however, still manage to enjoy my day. I'm still happy i can see my floor. And tomorrow is a new day right?



Hope your day was productive AND you enjoyed it.

Day 71

Sprouting Onion

Today was pretty great.

Got into Sacramento pretty late last night, but luckily got enough sleep today. Tomorrow might be a nightmare, but today was good.

Amineh and I took my mom and sister out to breakfast for Mother's Day, where i ate my morning snack. Shortly after my sister came with us to the Natural Foods Co-op, where we initiated her in the long tradition of taking one of every flier/handout that they offer your first time, and by having her drink some Kefir for the first time.

I bought a small basil, and along with the Rosemary i was given at school this semester, i intent to try my hand at keeping plants alive for an extended period of time --- My track record isn't great. But, there's always new beginnings eh?

So.. that next week of workouts looks pretty brutal. I mean, i'm optimistic, but damn.
Also, i'm going to have to set up my own chicken coup in the back yard if i'm going to be eating eight eggs a day... or just buy them by the flat. But even after all this egg-eating, i still love them.
Chicken breast on the other hand, is something i'm going to lay off of for the rest of the year after my project is done.


Alright, time for pcp sleep.



Oh, yeah and "Happy Mother's Day, Mom and Grandma"
"Felix Dies Matris! Mater et Avia"

Day 68

I woke up today knowing i was out of my valley. And since then it's been a good day. I got straight to work and things went pretty smoothly.

Work did one of those things where it looks like it's going to be a day from hell, but it actually turns out alright.

Got in some 8 min abs, which i don't do nearly often enough.
The rest of today's workout was good, though my body has been rejecting Planks the last couple of times. I get through them, but they kick my ass. The Elevated push-ups were a nice change.


Alright, short post and time for sleep.

Day 65 - 66

This will be a pretty tight week for me, so i guess in terms of challenges i'm not quite out of the valley yet.

At this point i'm mostly afraid that i'm not really working hard enough. I catch myself stalling before a workout, resisting and taking a bad attitude when i finally get to it.

Granted, my workouts are typically too late at night, and a great deal of my problems stem from my not doing the workout while the sun is up. And i was thinking the other day that, despite my work, and how i look and feel, i don't really feel any stronger, and i'm not any stronger against my sparring partners. I worry a lot that i must be doing something wrong, or not well enough. That i could fail my project somehow, and especially because of some inability to tough it out, or work hard enough.

But, when it comes down to it, this is all just a bunch of complaining. I know i can't take my worries too seriously, and in the end, i can't give up. I just have to remember to not let it get to me too much.

Day 60 - 64

Mmmm, delicious breakfast. Pictured above: Chicken, Asparagus, Sunflower greens, whole grain Tortillas, and Oatmeal. Best of all, i didn't have to cook it or measure it myself!

So, these last four days have been more of a rebound from a string of ("horrible, no good, very bad") days.

My iPod came back to life, which is always a fortunate thing to see happen to expensive machinery, (and old friends! ...wait). And in general affairs are looking like they'll be back in order shortly.

Made it to Sacramento alive this week, and took a journey to the Natural Foods Co-op there, which, if you've never been to one, is like a small Mecca for eating well. I took the opportunity to stock up on oatmeal and brown rice. Also, sought out some Renfield-inspired Pumpernickel.

Exercises were going alright. Tough, and longer than they probably should be, but i'm working on it. Seeing some progress in Kung-fu Sit-ups, though i never expected to. But still, much like pull-ups, those beyond 1.5 sets are just jumps and futile attempts. Planks seemed particularly hard last time as well. But, so much the better!


Well, that's all for now anyways.

Oh yeah, Day 64 is up --->


Be strong everyone.

Day 54 - 59

So, to start off, its been a bad week for technology. I broke my nice digital scale (i dropped it on it's corner while taking it to Sacramento). My iPod broke, by being fine one minute and then refusing to turn on forever the next. Aaaand i accidentally put my car into neutral in the fast lane (which, to my surprise, apparently wasn't a problem)

On the up side however, i did buy a new jumprope (yay)

Pictured above from left to right: Amineh, my jumprope.

Food is going well.
I'm expanding my borders a little bit in terms of daily oatmeal. That is to say, trying different kinds of hot cereals that prove to be delicious.
Also, fresh eggs are at least twice as good as any egg you could buy in the store. If it is within your means, i highly suggest you find some, its so worth it. The egg itself is incredibly rich and has a much cleaner taste to it. Everything about it feels "right". Seriously, go find some.

It's been an interesting couple of days, mostly characterized between frequent (and sometimes rapid) ups and downs. I don't have bipolar disorder or anything, but it's been either deep sadness or real contentment, with not a lot of inbetweens.

I find that, even on catch-up day (wednesday; today) i wait till the last minute to do my exercises. Still. But, even in the worst of circumstances, i do my workout. Even if it's four in the morning (like last saturday). I dread it all day long, but i won't let it go in the end. And after the workout, just like always, i'm free of stress. Kind of reminds me of a quote...

"the pupil follows out this intention with untiring industry. As though he had no higher aspirations he bows under his burden with a kind of obtuse devotion, only to discover in the course of years that forms which he perfectly masters no longer oppress but liberate."
- Herrigel

...i may not have much going for me, but at least i can say i have "obtuse devotion"

___________________________________________

During tonight's jumpropes, i couldn't help but think about how i'm slowly destroying my old self every night and building a new one. Which reminds me of the monomyth - something i've been wanting to mention since before i started my PCP.

By "monomyth" i mean that process in which each individual is made to venture into the unknown (i.e. their own subconscious) and ultimately fight their own demons. Returning to the conscious world as victor when they're done, and applying their new found victory over themselves to their life.

This process corresponds to the PCP quite well. Often times, pushing oneself and maintaining self-discipline is one of the hardest things to overcome, because it has to come of your own will against your usual habitual patterns. Am i making any sense here? I guess what i mean to say is:
"Final Boss: Your Old Self"

Days 52 - 54

Digital Upgrade!
Yes, it's true, all this time i've been using a conventional scale, but now i have digital technology on my side! Which, is even nicer than i thought it would be.

This past couple of days has gone alright for me. Somehow i keep getting tossed around until my exercises are in the evenings again, but midterms are done, so i should come a little easier.
The workouts are sucking a little because i am so tired by the time i start them, but i get everything done, and when im done, im always happy.

By far my biggest challenge right now is the diet. I have to eat my lunch in two sections, and i spend most of my day buying more chicken, cooking chicken, and then consuming chicken. And chicken because it's the cheapest i can find. The protein portion in the morning has not gone so well, especially today, when i actually had it to eat, and then my step-sister's puppy found it. Very unfortunate. But, all of this is just my complaining. It won't be long until i am more in the swing of it. And i'm sort of hoping that the protein goes down again next week.

Looking forward to Sacramento this Sunday. Both in terms of my little sister's birthday (Happy Birthday Kathleen!) and because we reserved some fresh eggs at the farmer's market. It should be interesting to see the difference between those and store eggs, i hear it's like comparing real food to cardboard... but i hope to blog about it whichever direction it goes.

The more i think about it, the more i really owe a debt to the god of chickens for my muscle fibers. Maybe i'll go and make an offering on a mountain or something after my project is done. =D

Oh, and as far as jumpropes go, im using a heavy vinyl one for now, and damn is it different. I swear it's in the realm of weight lifting, and actually i took the weights out of the handle to make it lighter. Still, it worked better than "Old Jumpy", my rope jumprope.. which i can't even jump more than twice with anymore. It was a pretty weird feeling. That light vinyl rope i had really bent me to its style, because i can hardly jump with anything else!

Day 51

A long day.

Food highlights of the day: Kefir in the morning; Amineh's delicious chicken.

Listened to: Stephan Hoeller

Found clock for timing jumps, hope to find an egg timer soon.

The End

Day 49 - Indulgence II

Today i ate my second indulgence, which consisted of: a bar of Swiss Dark Chocolate (2.5 servings; 600 cal.) and a 1 oz. chunk of Brie. (100 cal.) I ate them sometime after breakfast but before lunch.

Putting my hesitations aside, i devoured half of the bar within, maybe 15 mins, and took my time with the last half (over several hours). I knew and expected to get a sugar rush, but man was it apparent. I developed a head ache, became irritable, and wouldn't hold still. I could feel my head getting fuzzy, and i redeveloped a cough i used to get when i ate too much chocolate in, lets say "my previous life". A cough really? yes really, kinda weird i know, but there it is. So i spaced out the next half of the bar, and let my head settle a little. Despite the backlash, i enjoyed every bit of it, though, in the future (post project), i plan to space out any chocolate consumption by days at least. Half a serving would have done me fine, and in truth, it's about all i can stay mindful with, at least a third of those little squares i don't even remember eating, and probably closer to two thirds.

The Brie on the other hand was delicious, and that was the end of it. Of course i know that the real end of it was somewhere in the middle of today's jumpropes, or maybe even tomorrow's jumpropes. But it didn't leave my head swimming for a half-hour anyway.

Speaking of today's jumpropes:


My jumprope broke at one end on my second to last set today. Luckily, there was enough space on the rope for me to jump when i grabbed the handle-less end and finished my last set. And i've still got Ol' Jumpy here as a back up, but i'll be seeking out a new vinyl rope sometime in the near future.

I'll have to think on a fitting rite of passage for what's come to be a good friend of mine. Even though we had a love-hate relationship for all of our days together, and even though i invented the term for (and often plotted) it's murder, it continued to put up with my bad language and was there whenever i needed it. So, Farewell JumpRope, may you have an auspicious rebirth... or whatever it is that happens to the consciousness of vinyl when it's deconstructed.

And now time for construction!



Valete

Day 46

Today was a weird one.

Learned a single-leg takedown in Karate this morning; shared Joseph Campbell and Alan Watts lectures with my Environmental Econ Prof, Took my Latin III Midterm (92% whoo), sat in on Prof. Smith's history lecture, and talked for a while, and then drove home early because my actual history class was canceled. When i got home i canceled Jujutsu, because i was too tired teach. I was a wreck, and i actually got sleep the night before! Being tired is a real enemy of my Project thus far. I find its when i'm physically tired that A) My roommates choose to bake two Pizzas, and B) i actually crave that pizza. Resisting hasn't been too much of a problem for me throughout my project, but it really sucked today. I ate my diner early, and then took a long nap. And the nap fixed just about everything.

My workout went more or less smoothly, except that the push-ups today ate me alive. I don't know what it is, but some days, exercises that are normally just reasonably difficult, become seemingly insurmountable. It's just kinks in the pattern of growth i guess, but it gets a little discouraging at times. ("ive done this how many times? and now i can't even do a few well? What the hell is wrong with me?") I've been trying also not to water the seeds of doubt, but sometimes a leaf reaches the light anyways ("You don't really want to be in Peak condition" and "your still not working quite hard enough") But, this too will pass if i just let it.

Alright, until next time.

oh yeah, here's a latin quote i found particularly PCPish

"You pray for good health and a body that will be strong in old age. Good - But your rich foods block the gods' answer and tie Juppiter's hands"

- Persius, Saturae

Looking forward to Kung-fu sit-ups tomorrow..


Valete, Amici
(Be Strong, Friends)

Day um, what day is it again? (44)

Pretty tired today. Mondays continue to be the thorn in my side, i did my workout, but at the cost of two classes today. I needed the sleep, and i can afford the lost time.
Those lunges really lit me up yesterday though, i seem to remember them not being so mean, but i'm glad they came back around to visit anyways.

Today's workout went well enough. Though i had to do Pull-ups last, and in secret.. but what's a few stealth-ups now and then, yeah?

Food is going well, i'm steadily improving my chicken baking skills, and i'm thinking about breaking up the pear monopoly with some strawberries tomorrow. (via the Clayton Anti-trust Act)

On the whole, things seem to be falling back into an order again. I always enjoy these little regroup phases before life gets tangled back up in the wiring. In and Yo.


Alright, time to add some dualism to my day and go to sleep.


bene requiesce, et fortes este, amici.

Day 42

Got my ropes in early before breakfast, but the rest of the day was pretty lazy. That is to say, i played FF7 all day (besides a few errands). My foot, i am happy to say is getting much better, and i'm back to walking and jumping normally.. what a relief.

Food highlight of the day: Salmon burgers. Very tasty.


Alright, until tomorrow.

Days 40-41

I've been experimenting with exercise first thing in the morning. Yesterday i did the entire work out, and i'll admit, it was pretty tiring, but not impossible. Today, i did only the jumpropes before breakfast, this arrangement will probably be the most common for me.

Also, if you're an oatmeal eater like me, i recommend frying an egg "sunny side up" and then mixing it into your oatmeal, broken yolk and all, it's pretty delicious and helps break the monotony of a hard boiled egg every morning.

Alright, time for work, until next time.

Day 38 and some change

Things have been going alright.

In the food department, i'm getting a lot more diversity in, and overall am pretty content with my diet. I don't go hungry, and i look forward to each meal and snack.
Amineh signed up for a program called "Farm fresh to you" which delivers a box of organic in-season produce to your residence weekly. We made artichokes for lunch on Saturday, and they were delicious. I still have two left, and can't wait to roast them. I'm starting to get to a place where i have enough surplus of food that i can really change it up in a timely manner. I also spent an hour and a half talking to my sister today, talking about food the entire time. It was nice to share some of the experience.

The jumpropes are starting to grow on loved ones as well. Amineh is up to a good number a day now, and my little sister is on her first steps to starting.
Health loves company.

In the set-backs department, i've had my left foot. I'm pretty sure i've cracked something, namely one of my metatarsals, but i can't really be sure. I've considered asking for an alternate exercise for my jumpropes, just in order to stay off of it, but i'm not actually sure that the jumping is so hard on it. I might still do just that, but for now i'm still on track, and it hasn't gotten any worse.
Yesterday was harder, we sparred a bit in my college Karate class, and i got huge blisters from mat burn (similar to carpet burn, but with tatami), so...that was an ibuprofen day, but luckily they healed up by the next day.

I've been stretching more and more lately too, i actually did some triangle and warrior and natarajasana and a few others rather than just my typical forward bend, back bend, leg stretches and twist. It felt good to reach all those other parts of my legs i've been neglecting to stretch. I've always known stretching is key, but i haven't always had the good sense to slow myself down to do it.

Oh yeah, and Pull-ups, are still pretty difficult, but i've created a sort of handicap for the sets beyond the first, which i do normally. Once i start to not be able to lift myself, i start my pull-ups by kneeling on a chair, and use my legs to lift/stabilize just enough of myself to get use out of my arms. It's still a pull-up, though it's at 70% or something i still get all my sets in that way.

And pistol squats, oh pistol squats! They are pretty close to an arm exercise at this point. I'm seeing progress... i guess, but damn are they brutal. Those bicycles are pretty brutal too. But i'm really loving it.

I regret to admit i haven't done the 8 Min Ab workout yet, though i fully plan to.

It's kind of nice to know that i can disconnect jump-ropes from the rest of the workout, it might make managing it a bit easier, and it certainly makes jumping before school much more feasible.


Alright, i'm getting tired now. Diligentes este, amici.

Day 35 and such.

Woke up today and decided to change it up for breakfast. Starting apparently with the time i eat breakfast, which was somewhere around 11.. or perhaps 12ish today (ouch). Still, it was a good thing i got the sleep. After all, i stayed home too long watching a documentary on Ray Johnson, and then set out to Sacramento, forgetting my ice chest full of chicken and pasta and lentils on my floor. I was really glad that i got my workout done before work yesterday, otherwise.. it would really have been a bad scene.

Back to breakfast: this is the first time in all my project that i've eaten a non-hard boiled egg for breakfast, and actually, for any meal. It's not that i was ever unable, i'm just holding the "change-it-up Cards" for when i'm bored. Today for lunch my girlfriend and i roasted some artichokes, and i ate a pile of shrimp. Dinner of course was in the bag.

Jump ropes however, were not in the bag, as i forgot that it's Easter (Zombie Jesus anyone?), and the apartment complex work-out room would probably be closed. It was raining, and pretty damn windy, so i walked around a little to try and find a good place. This is where i found.




All in all, it wasn't that bad. Honestly, you wouldn't think it, but one of the bigger problems was my ears. So cold it was hard to think. But, it wasn't as bad as it has been when i've jumped outside. It was kind of a nice surrounding, it reminded me a little of the youtube video with all those guys using their urban environment as a gym, rather than paying to have access to pull-up bars and the like.

The actual jumps went by pretty fast, and when i finished - thunder. Incredible rolling thunder. The rain picked up and - lightning. It was pretty satisfying to be outside and to hear the great strength of nature.

Alright, it's time to call it a night, and hope i don't hurt it's feelings.



Valete

Five a day

Day 30

Woke up and made some real oatmeal today. It was delicious. I don't really know why i went all those years eating cereal when i could have been eating oatmeal. What a shame.

I skipped school today, (i.e. couldn't actually afford to go) and turned in my assignments online. It was a good day, a little bit lazier than it should have been though.

I did my exercises while the sun was in the sky, this is the first tuesday i've been able to do that. It was pretty nice. My little niece watched me jump rope with some curiosity. She'd sit up on the couch, i'd ask her if she was ready, and when she nodded i'd start to jump. Eventually she started bouncing on the couch with the rhythm of the jumps. A good and cheerful distraction from the actual exercise. In fact, i had almost everyone in the house come and watch me exercise at least once. I'm not one to enjoy being on display, but i didn't mind so much as i thought i would.

I worry a little about my ankle, it's not the PCP's fault by any means, it's always been in a state of disrepair, but i've got to play around stretching it better, and maybe use some tiger balm so it doesn't distract me during jumps.

Alright, until next post

1300

I can't jump rope any alternate way to save my life. It may have something to do with my not being able to skip either. No really, i've tried, ...many times.
But i guess there is still a little bit of hope left, as i actually pulled off one of those cross over jumps. It's just the jumping normal after that part that trips me up. Even after so many jumps, i don't really have a good sense of timing, or any leg coordination when it comes to jumping rope, so, i'm looking forward to working all the kinks out and "gettin' me land legs"

Indulgence!

That my dear friends, is taro flavored frozen yogurt, with mochi cubes and kiwi and banana.
And it was very delicious. After considering my ice cream options, i decided to go with frozen yogurt, not only is it pretty close to something i could eat anyways, there was so much more of it. The ice cream idea was looking more and more like three tables spoons of ice cream, and i knew that would only end in agony. Yogurt was a much better choice. Plus, i didn't have any bad after effects from it, no headache, nausea or extreme sugar rush and crash.

I remember i decided a couple of years ago to cut out all that extra sugar from my diet, and then one day i drank some soda, and ate some skiddles (relax, i was among friends) and i had a pretty big sugar rush on my hands. Literally, it was difficult to think. So, even though this indulgence wasn't incredibly sugary, i expected something of that sort just based on the nature of my never eating these types of things anymore. But, nope, it fit right into my day.

Day 27

Today i finally pulled out my little steamer and made some brussel sprouts and zucchini, to add some diversity to my until recently raw vegetable portion.

It's been a long couple of days, but despite doing my exercises late at night, they are still refreshing. This in particular is what i enjoy about the exercises the most. It's a great mood changer.

I can smell people's food better now, but i don't crave it. It's a big house, so i occasionally catch scent of grilled cheese sandwiches, or pizza, and others. And i was just now offered some cheesy fries, but i don't want them, and i'm really happy about that.


Alright, this post is short so that my sleep may be long.




Valete

Day 24

Odds and ends day. Spent long portions of my day reading and doing laundry. Shopped for some vegetables, and a mother's day gift. Got to talk to Jason for a while.

Got my exercises out of the way in a timely fashion, and realized that it's much easier to count jump ropes when not listening to music, that i shouldn't get into conversations with the nightlife of the house while i'm exercising, but... it's hard to not become a captive audience.
Jump ropes are back to normal. Planks went alright, i like it more than most exercises actually. But, the third set was tough of course. Pull-ups are still my challenge. After the first set and a half, its like doing isometrics. Pull, breath, nothing. Then hop a little, pull, breath, and basically stay in one place the entire time. It's getting better, but i never expected to get to muscle failure so fast on an exercise.

As for my indulgence, i'm not sure what i'm going to eat yet, but i know exactly what i want. Ice cream. And not because i'm hurting for it, but i that's just what sounds good. Any form will do, as long as it's good quality, but i specifically want green tea ice cream on black rice. The kind you can usually get at a Thai restaurant. Now i have to see if i can find it in Sacramento.


Well, that's all for today.

Oh, and Happy Birthday Jason.



Valete

Day 23

"Whats with your step-brother?"
"He's a Zen"
"A what?"
"a zen, um, you know, a Buddhist"

So, doing exercises in the living room at 12:40 gets some weird responses from the house's nightlife, but i never expected to be accused of Buddhism. And that was the last little glimmer of joy in a whole day that's been wholly good. Well, perhaps second to last, last will be sleep. Glorious sleep.

Today was a good day.

And i'm pretty spent. I was worn before the exercises, but, despite it all, they too proved to be calming, setting me towards a good long sleep. Oh, but it was a little odd, and this sort of thing tends to happen to me in most walks of life: i couldn't for the life of me swing that jump rope right. Part of me suspects conspiracy, as if the jump rope would rebel against me, it's benevolent and all-knowing dictator. But, it will probably be fine tomorrow. I do wonder sometimes though, why our bodies go through little quarks in skill or technique, but i guess i can't expect something organic to act according to a linear logic. Some days i'm decent, or "decent plus" even, and other days its like a deer in the headlights.

I'm loving the decreased portions by the way. Dinner has never been so easy, i don't have to spend so much time on it, and i'm finally not so full all the time. I find myself looking forward to meals now, preparing a little in advance, and finding a good place to eat them. In other words,
"Things is workin' out"

Alright, time to go exercise my sleep function.



Valete

Oh yeah, a little bit of kenjutsu to start the day out right.



Donn Draeger and Shinto Ryu Kenjutsu

Days 20-21

Happy [belated] Spring Equinox, and Persian New Year.

This is my last night in Sacramento, soon i head back north along with all my various food-stuffs.
And that lovely meal you witness above is some pcp friendly anniversary dinner. Turkey meatloaf, gnocchi, and some roasted cauliflower, all made my girlfriend. Good stuff!

But, i'm definitely looking forward to eating less next week.

Exercises went alright, and my back is getting a little better.


Alright, until next time.

Day 18-19

(breakfast: Egg, Eggplant, Salad, Oatmeal w/ cinnamon, toast and sandwich thins.(milk is in the coffee))

Today i got the exercises out of the way early. Unlike yesterday, which, was early... technically.
I screwed my back up a little bit, nothing i haven't seen before, but, it has me wishing i had brought some tiger balm along so it would be a little less distracting.

I finally decided to break out the oatmeal today, i've been saving it for a time when pasta didn't sound so good. It's good stuff, though i guess the next step is boiling it myself, instead of using the just-add-water kind. I love eggplant, but i think i'm going to opt it out of breakfast from now on, in favor of the salad, or maybe a cucumber.

All in all, it's been an interesting couple of days, but despite the dark stuff, things are looking alright.

Requiesce In Pace, Frater

Day 17

Today's exercises went alright. I used the workout room at my girlfriend's apartment complex, which, besides smelling like it hadn't been ventilated in a while, was pretty nice. It had a wall covered in mirror, and it was a good chance to examine my own form. I noticed just how much i favor my right side over my left, and it makes the rope swing unevenly. It was also easier to tell when i was about to trip up by the tension in the rope. I've noticed it in my push-ups too, right side does a tiny bit more than the left, and the same with the sit-ups. The whole thing is not incredibly surprising to me, but it's something i'll have to work on.

Pull-ups were the main challenge today. I got the first two sets done, but the third set wasn't happening. I had to hop a little to get anything out of my muscles, i figured a partial pull-up was better than not. I was a little surprised, since i didn't have any trouble with my incline pull-ups.
But, just something i'll have plenty of time to get better at i guess.

Gotta make it short tonight.

Happy St. Patrick Drove the Pagans out of Ireland Day.


Valete

Day 15 - Ides Martiae

Well, a decreased diet plan is certainly welcome in my book. I find i have to tell myself at lunch and dinner "eat through the pain!" and wonder if my jaw muscles are going to be in peak condition by the end of this. But the whole thing has a good side - it's making me buy a lot less prepared meals, as in, no prepared meals, which is saving me a lot of money. "I don't need to buy my vegetables from the man, i can prepare them myself!" i guess my next step on the scale of revolution is to grow the stuff myself, which come to think of it, is at least partially possible. And really, it's not that i couldn't have prepared them myself all along, i just never did. So funny that there are such illusory barriers between what we currently do, and what we can do. People just tend to get stuck following their own tracks.

Right, so here i am, having just finished dinner at the ripe hour of 12:18 am, for some reason i can't quite get it to click on work days, when i have to drive from Sacramento. I should have woken up with the sun. Luckily it's spring break, so i have tomorrow off to sleep a decent amount, and set things back into rhythm. At least in theory.

I tried lentils today, which, i am a little ashamed to say that, with the exception of lentil soup, i had never eaten. But i can at least say that today is the beginning of what will be a long friendship between Lens culinaris and me.

Oddly enough, rice is one of the things i really know how to cook, ( i used to make short-grained sticky rice all the time) but i haven't cooked any since i started the project. Perhaps i'll dig that old bamboo basket out and make some portable, pliable carbs.

Alright, i'd better get going on my exercises. Time to burn it up.

Oh yeah, and Happy Ides of March everyone. Pour out some of your drink for the God of War yeah? Yeah.. me neither.


Valete (be strong)

Day 13

Well things have been going well on the cooking front. With some help from my grandmother, i've managed to get quite a bit of fish in me. Finally, some tasty meals. I used to be not so excited to eat fish, but I've developed a new found appreciation for it.

My little sister came up this week. She stuck around while i was doing my exercises, counted my jump ropes and read poetry to me. (not to mention acting as "assistant" in my new cooking endeavors) For the most part so far, i've been doing my exercises alone, and usually at the threshold between the days, and it was really nice to have some company for once.

I'm in Sacramento now, and tomorrow i set out for Trader Joe's and the Farmers' Market (huzzah). This is a great event in selection compared to the odds and ends available in thriving downtown Willows.

Anyways, i'm greatly looking forward to this Spring Break. Much more time to focus on peak condition, read and catch up with school, spend time with loved ones, and maybe even time to play that version of Final Fantasy III in Latin.

Day 11

Not much to say about today, meals were much easier, both to measure and to make. I Cooked some real meat for once, and that was so much nicer. I'm adapting, even if it is slowly.

Tonight, i awoke to a new found appreciation for pears. I ate part of one of the few i have been saving, and it was delicious. I'm looking forward to future pears. I think that my body is starting to anticipate the food intake, i don't feel over full anymore, and no longer have to labor to shovel it all down.

Spring break is here! Which means a lot of time spent in Sacramento, where everything will come along much easier.

All right, now for the sleep part of the project.

Here's to peaceful spring days.

Day 10

This will be the last wednesday i work for a while. Which means i will have the time and space for everything to fall into place, time to study, and clean, and do my exercises in the morning, and sleep at a reasonable hour (writing this at 12:42 am)

Sleeping at a reasonable hour, and getting a full 8 hours of sleep is going to be a big challenge, but if i get myself up at 8 or 9 it should work itself out. In fact, that has been my main problem all around lately. Working till 11pm, doing exercises and eating dinner around until around 1am, and waking up at 7 am to drive to school. There has to be a way, and i'll find it.

I'm pretty slow going when it comes to being creative with food. Most of my meals have consisted of piling the raw ingredients into a piece of tupper ware and eating it while im driving, but i finally expanded the range today by cooking a massive amount of whole wheat pasta for future use. That will get me away from eating 8-9 pieces of toast for lunch, and something similar for breakfast and dinner. Oh, and olive oil makes my world go 'round. And something has to change about my protein intake, and by that i mean i have to learn to cook meat, because this lunch-meat-because-its-quick thing is not sustainable. Way too salty too.

It is quite a lot of food. But i find that i don't feel nearly as full or sick than when i would stuff myself with the food of my past, and i feel quite a bit more awake after a meal as well. Good stuff.

The jump-ropes have become the most welcoming of exercises, i like the other stuff as well, but i'm really developing a liking for the jumps.

Ah, well, i'll leave the rest for day 11.


Valete Amicis

Day 8

Mondays are complicated.

I drove back from Sacramento and didn't eat breakfast, well, actually i had an egg to hold me over for the trip. I didn't have internet over there (hence no day 7 blog, and no pic) and no idea what i should be eating.

When i got back home i immediately checked my email to find out what i could eat, and proceeded to measure and then stuff myself full of bread and the vegetables i'd bought yesterday. Good stuff. Though it is a lot of food. I can't wait till i actually sit down and make something out of the ingredients instead of just eating them straight.

Then work.

Then exercises. 500 jumps yesterday was a little bit of a push, but 600 today wasn't bad at all. I was a little surprised. The rest of the exercises went fine. Though in order to do my incline pull-ups i laid a crow bar across two 5 gallon buckets. I'll have to search out something a little more naturally occurring.

The weather today was crazy, it couldn't decide whether it wanted to be sunny and clear, or hail. It was good to get a little of both.

...alright, i really must sleep. 4 hours till i have to get up.


Valete Amicis.

Day 6

Day six is going alright. My right shoulder is bothering me a little bit, but i think if i take some extra time to stretch more often it will even back out.

This will be a short one because i still have to make to Sacramento tonight.

Hope everyone is doing well on their projects!



Valete Amicis

Captain's log - star date: fifth day

Woke up at a reasonable time today, and actually got my exercises done early. Which, i must add, was very nice. There is generally less to do pre-work on work days, and this way i'm not jump-roping in the middle of the night and running the risk of having things thrown at me.

I ate well, and perhaps the highlight was some Pomegranate Juice. I really love that stuff.
I know it's all sugar, but i kept my dosage in order, so i think i'm alright.

I misread, or didn't read, to do 60 x 5 jump ropes on day 3, so i did 60 x 5 yesterday, and the 70 x 5 today, and realized i would really have preferred the adjustment time. The new additions to the other exercises didn't bother me to much. This pacing myself thing is really working out, since before it was more of "lets see how many push-ups i can do ...10" but 4 sets of 8, or the idea of sets, is much more economical.

And that leads into my whole discontent about the state of physical education in schools, at least in the ones i went to, but i imagine in fairly common. In P.E. i was never taught about muscles, about how to do push-ups properly, or even about what exercise did what to the body, and how to avoid injury in doing it, and certainly not stretching. Sure, we stretched, but it was more of a time-killer. Instead, the greatly underplayed area of physical education was ruled by a hidden class, which we may call "Survey of American Sports". And what gets me is the teachers are all educated individuals, often pretty fit, and have done their time working on their bodies and learning all the complexities, but.. they didn't teach it. All that knowledge was sacrificed to the gods of flag football.

So, i fiddled with my new jump rope a little bit today, and apparently it is adjustable, but... only once, as you have to cut off the excess cord. And i think i may have cut too much.. i followed the guide line for it, and where it should be on my body, but... i kind of wish i had tested it somehow before i made such a final decision. It seems like its just on the edge of too short. I can still jump it, but it will clip me 1 out of 4 times. So, i went back to my old cheap jump rope.

I found that i have a lot more energy throughout the day after i had done the exercises, so, im going to make an effort to do them in the morning everyday from now on. Though, school days is going to be tricky. My girlfriend Amineh was telling me she read something to the effect of "strength training doesn't burn a bunch of calories in and of itself, but for the next 24 hour period or so, your metabolic rate is higher" and that's about how it felt. Energizing.

Alright, it's 2:30 am, im going to bed now.

Valete Amicis

Day 4

Whats the most powerful day of the year? March Fourth! ...Yeah, its usually not worth it to tell that one.

Day 4 went alright. It was filled with school and eating an alright amount, i never felt hungry like i did on day 2. Got a work out three times today (Karate and Kobudo at 9am, Jujutsu at 6pm, and exercised at 10:30 pm) but, i don't feel incredibly tired.

All in all, it wasn't a bad day, i'm pretty sure i did well on my Latin test, had some great discussion in Environmental Economics, and it didn't flood on the roads back home, which is always a plus.

So, that's pretty much it.

Valete

Day 3

Today was great. Amazing what a day off from the usual time-takers will do. I spent my day searching out my list of things for next week. Found the food scale, and bathroom scale, thus freeing up time to search for resistance bands. (i already have a pull-up bar / push-up bar)

I got a new jump rope too, but i don't know if we are going to get along that well. I couldn't seem to get more than one jump with it, and about the 8th time i whipped myself in the toes i was starting to contemplate Rudenticide (the murder of a rope), but some how i don't think it would have quite the same effect.

I ate well today, starting out with a packet of oatmeal (instead of the usual 2) and a piece of toast, then for lunch i had half the usual amount of Cashew chicken. "Mmm chinese food" i thought. But that kind of food is a huge contrast to what i've been eating for the last few days, so afterwards, i was pretty full feeling. It reminded me of when i had to mark down the chinese food i'd eaten for a nutrition class project. As soon as i ate any of that stuff, my sodium level rose to an amount that probably could have lasted me a few days.

Anyways, i thought it only fitting to consume only half of my fortune cookie, and half of my fortune.

"You could prosper in a fe..."

And the suspense reigns in. I "could prosper in a"...Few? Fellowship? Ferrous Environment? Felonious Organization? Federal Profession? This is important information here, this message could be the defining factor of which path i ultimately take in life.

So, six hours later i ate the other half, and read the other half, and i must say it wasn't nearly as exciting as any of my idea's.

I find myself looking at my food trying to figure out which half of the meal looks more fulfilling.
Oh, and i ate 9 Jelly Bellies (out of a serving size of 35, and against my usual of three fistfuls), pretty fulfilling at the time, but, not fulfilling now. And that's really the trick, for me at least, is remembering that i won't be enjoying those later. It's just the greed of the moment that takes hold of you, or rather, tells you that it has hold of you (it's your choice whether or not to believe it)

The rest of my day i spent doing Latin homework, getting my oil changed, avoiding looking at my place of employment, and enjoying the rain. Apparently it snowed up in the mountains today. Beautiful stuff. I had planned on listening to The Last Zen is Stupid today, but it'll have to wait for tomorrow. I don't mind putting it off a little longer.

Valete Amicis

Day 2

• Jump Rope 5 x 50
• Lunges 3 x 8-10
• Push-ups 3 x 5-8
• Leg-ups 3 x 8-10

Today was something different. My usual Tuesday & Thursday eating habits consist of going hungry for most of the day, as im pretty much in class or driving from 8 am to 9 pm. There are a few little places to eat, and i eat as much as possible in those little periods.

I ate today ofcourse, and only half of the normal amount, only a little less since i've decided to cut out eating any chocolate or espresso drinks right from the start (which is probably where most of my calories were coming from). I also forgot the trail mix today, which was a bummer. So, on the whole, i was pretty hungry, but looking back on it i think most of this is mental. I didn't suffer any major loss of energy or have any problems doing the exercises, so, if i can keep my moral up or keep distracted, i wont concentrate on being hungry.

In actuality, i don't miss my bi-weekly mocha or daily portion of chocolate, but rather, its the moment i miss. I used to think about this when i ate chocolate back in the day (you know, like 3 days ago), about how chocolate in and of itself isn't really all that great. It's just the high it gives you, that two-headed caffeine-sugar rush that leaves that particular 20 mins or so feeling complete. Well, so much for all that.

Tomorrow should be good, its my one-time day off of work and school. So, i'll be able to do my exercises when i like, eat at regular times, and get plenty of sleep!

The First steps

Well, despite getting off to a rocky start ( i did my exercises at 11:40 pm), overall they went pretty well. I found i had more skill with a jump rope than i thought, though i had bought a jump rope a while back so i could practice. I got all of that whipping my toes out of the way early, so i only missed a couple jumps near the end.

At first i wasn't looking forward to exercising at all, (especially jumping rope after having been standing on concrete for 8 hours) but my ankles seemed to be relieved rather than in pain.

I'm hoping to get some better stretching in before hand and do my exercises earlier in the day next time, today was just a weird one.

So, with a feeling of relief rather than tension, bring on day 2!