"The Four Hour Workweek." I think I've made a serious error.

"The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich"

A few years back, a guy name Tim Ferris wrote a book called "The Four Hour Workweek." It opened with a guy who (in his spare time) became a Martial Arts world champion, won a national Tango Dancing contest, and traveled the world for almost free - among other things. Now being somewhat of an efficiency freak and recovering Six Sigma Black Belt... I was all over this shit... even though I had no desire to actually learn to tango.  I've recommended it to several friends, and it still sits on Amazon.com with over 2000 five star reviews.

I read this book from cover to cover in a couple of hours and got the point instantly. Focus on what you are good at doing, and outsource the rest. If you have a task that you can hire someone to do for ten dollars an hour while you made fifty, hire that task out - and work less. Do only what you are really good at or well rewarded for, and pay or barter for people to do the rest. The promised result? Bountiful free time to travel the world and experience what you truly want.

Let me say this upfront. I took a lot of good information from this book. The tactical approach of it has a lot to offer. I think that its had a great impact on my life, and that of my family. I still recommend that anyone interested in living life to its fullest read it because it has some tremendous insights on things like experiences vs possessions, and how to figure out and chase after what you actually want.

I took a lot of this to heart as bible and ran with it full on. Perhaps too much. I started to outsource EVERYTHING. I got someone to mow my lawn, someone to clean my house, someone to wash my clothes. I have a sticker on my car from Delta Sonic where I just drive through the car wash and its automatically billed. Everywhere that I could pass on some work I did, and thus simplified my life to the point where I could focus on what mattered. My job, my consulting work, my workouts, and eventually my new family as they came onto the scene.

But it felt weird. It felt really astringent. I felt like I was missing something.

And it hit me today. Finally.

I came home to find my kids playing in the driveway and for whatever reason... I decided to wash my car. For Real. I filled up a bucket, squirted some Meguiers soap I had laying around, got a sponge and a scrub brush, and went to town. Within a few minutes my 8 year old daughter was there. "Daddy can I help?" Sure you can. Grab a sponge and wash the driver side of the car.

Within a minute I realized she had no idea what she was doing. She was missing spots, not really "washing" - just kind of smearing the damp sponge on random parts of the car. I went to help her and suddenly realized a couple of things.

1. how the hell would she know the basics of washing a car? She's never done it or seen me do it before.
2. Who gives a shit? Washing a car is awesome when you're a kid. Especially when a hose is involved.
3. What else doesn't she know?

I gave her some tips, but for the most part left her on her own. She had a blast. Shortly after, my 21 month old son Luke came over and got in on it. Eventually he got bored of my car and went over to wash his own car... a little playskool one. He was very meticulous. He was watching what I was doing.

Luke eventually got bored and was done fast because his car is only 30 inches, but Quinn and I busted out the exterior, then did the whole inside as well. I got all of my old Stoner branded chemicals out and we hit the dash, the windows (use newspaper instead of paper towels for the best result) and even vacuumed. The car looked great, Quinn looked proud and accomplished, and I had some self-satisfaction that I don't seem to find very often.

What word was that? Right. Self-Satisfaction. The happiness found in a job well done. Not a job done by someone else - MY work. MY result.

I realized that by outsourcing so much of my life, I've removed some of the simple things that bring little victories here and there... the small accomplishments that count. What am I accomplishing while I sit at Delta Sonic, efficiently having someone else wash and clean the inside of my car for me? I'm reading stupid posts on Reddit and updating Words With Friends games. I'm given free time to wander on the internet, of which I seem to have more than enough of while I sit at red lights.

And I realized that I'm making my kids  ignorant to basic life skills. I know how to wash a car by watching my dad. My father had beater cars for most of his life, but he gave a shit about them and took care of them. I haven't changed the oil in my own car in 20 years, but I know how to change the oil on a car. I have friends that still change their own oil and I thought they were wasting their time for doing it. Now I respect it. I see the purpose beyond saving a few bucks. The only thing I've really retained full on that I don't outsource much is cooking - because I enjoy doing it. And I have a lot of friends that paint their own houses and mow their own lawns but don't cook. So I feel a little better about this. .

I've gotten to the point where my first response to anything is to find someone else to do it, and then find a way to generate income to pay for it, because if (car wash)  costs X Dollars and in the time of (car wash) I can generate Dollars X+Y, then always outsource Car wash.

But what if my kids never learn to wash their own damned cars, because I was busy with efficiency tasking? What if your kids don't learn to cook a decent meal because you're tearing open boxes and microwaving freezer bags? Whats the point? What if they are really good at four things, but suck at the basic tasks of life in general?

Full Circle

Sometimes, you have to step back and say... "ENOUGH." Our brains can only process so much information before they overload and begin to work against us. At least that is what I believe. Information Overload is a tremendous distraction, and when it spirals out of hand, can have a detrimental impact on the end result.

The past 18 months have been tumultuous to say the least. One day I was a regular guy, at the gym five days a week, with a daughter in school and a great wife, a job I had under control, eating a pretty normal and regular diet of whole foods... and the next? I was the dad of a one month old that refused to sleep, at a job that was turning upside down while I was away from it, with a back injury that looked grim and an MRI that read like an obituary with multiple disk herniations - and then a subset of symptoms and issues that had me blood tested, nerve tested, every which way tested to try to find out what the hell was wrong with me.

I couldn't sleep in a bed. My hands started shutting down and I couldn't type. I was in constant pain. And I didn't know what was wrong. I trained through it and analyzed it every which way. And just when I started figuring it out, I separated my shoulder.

I had a year of fear. I was going through a physical for life and disability insurance policies at the time, and I was afraid to go to a doctor because if I did, and they found something... I wouldn't get insurance and my family would be screwed if I was sick. That haunted me all of last summer as my symptoms got worse and worse. 

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. 

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Blah Blah Blah Syndrome. 

I've learned that the word "Syndrome" means - "I don't know what the hell is wrong with you."

I bought a standing desk

I bought a $900 ergonomic chair

I have four different ergonomic keyboards and three mice. 

I eliminated cushioned shoes and went completely no drop. 

I have six different pairs of custom orthotics.

I have seven different pillows of various materials. 

I bought a full inversion table for my basement

I worked with some of the best healthcare providers in the business to try and figure out what was wrong with me. I saw:

Chiropractors (3)

Medical Doctors (3)

Physical Therapists (2)

Massage Therapy/Soft Tissues Specialists (7) - Yes. Seven

Acupuncture

Rolfing/Body Memory Release

... and so on

Most gave up on treating me. Most also became my friends after this. Most tried to steer me in the right direction that I think I'm finally discovering for myself. The best told me to get out of my own way. No one wanted my money in exchange for a fix. 

At various times, I changed and altered my diet to:

-Eliminate Legumes

-Eliminate Nightshades (Tomatoes, Potatoes, Peppers, Eggplant, etc)

-Eliminate Gluten

-Eliminate Dairy

-Eliminate All processed foods

-Intermittently fast

-Have a daily kale smoothie

... and so on. 

I've read 37 books that are somehow related to all of this. Yes. 37. I've taken on studies of:

-7 Steps to a Pain Free Life

-Unlearn your Pain

-the Trigger Point Therapy Workbook (I learned a tremendous amount of anatomy here)

-Spontaneous Healing

-Body Mind and Sport

-The Anatomy of Breathing

-The Mind Body Connection

-Original Strength

-The Way of QiGong

I also have over 130 blog and internet articles I've bookmarked regarding all of this.

I took every supplement under the sun, including:

Fish Oil

Probiotics

Green Tea Extract

Chlorella

Vitamin D

CoQ-10

Cats Claw

Magnesium 

Selenium

... and 20 other pills
In fact, if I read an article and someone said something they took helped them, it was in my shopping cart from bodybuilding.com and overnighted to my door. 

And it goes on and on and on. I refused to lay down. I refused to give up. And I refused to quit. I worked out hard after every injury, I fought my way to six AM classes, I ate my farm fresh eggs cooked in ghee like a good boy and if I drank alcohol, it was red wine or tequila. I got my milk from cows that ate only freshly mowed Irish grass and got massages in their luxury barns. I sat with a back cushion when I drove, and I foam rolled at night. I have four different foam rollers. I put my coconut oil in my coffee and I read all of the articles I was supposed to read and I blasted away at it every single day...

and I'm tired. I'm exhausted. 

Everything up there on that list? Everything? Is GOOD. It is good. And it is healthful. And it has a purpose. And it contributes to something positive. 

But there comes a time when you have so much in play, that you forget what, exactly, you're trying to accomplish. It all comes crashing down on you and you spin out of control. Two farm fresh eggs become four eggs, slammed down in three minutes before you run your daughter to the bus stop. Trigger Point work and muscle therapy stops being something you grow with and heal through, and becomes a crutch that gets you through the day. Workouts you once loved devolve into throwing some calories in the bank so that later, when you get home from a 14 hour day that you barely noticed, you can slam down a couple paleo margaritas and pass out in bed to hopefully crash a couple good hours of sleep in before you get up and do it all over again tomorrow. 

And then one day you realize you're not healthy. That your workouts aren't giving you what they are supposed to, because you're not there entirely. That your kids aren't getting the dad they want... your wife isn't getting all of her husband... your friends get pieces of you while you update your phone at the lunch table or scroll through work emails... your coaches get 64% of you because you can't bring everything in and leave it on the mat. 

And the books, and specialists, and seminars, and supplements, and workouts? They are distractions. The thought that if you pile enough of it together... if you really just crush yourself with knowledge and nutrition and training and food... that through osmosis, you will break through and suddenly explode into this alpha-human. 

We've been struggling with getting our house in order. Sometimes my wife Summer and I go back and forth regarding our home. Sometimes I feel like it makes more sense to move to a new house instead of do the work we have to do here. Eventually, I agree that we should stay here, only to decide a month later when the next project comes up, that we should move and get a bigger house. As with anything, I do research, and come up with logical answers. Somehow, I ended up on a book regarding clutter. It was a book that discussed the impact of having too much shit in your house, and why you don't need a bigger house. You just need less shit. It said things like "Keep only what is useful or beautiful to you, and get rid of the rest." The book became a discussion on Mindfulness... and it hit me like a pile of bricks. 

My mind and my world has been cluttered. But unlike a house, I can't just go buy a bigger one. My constant pursuit to fix or repair things that are broken has constantly been my undoing. Any sort of healing process - physically or otherwise - is immediately thwarted by my pushing desire to fix it myself. See the above attempts at self-repair - none of which have really gotten me anywhere. Every single healthcare provider worth their salt has told me to get out of my own way - yet I combat that with more research, more books, more stretches, more diagnoses, more case studies. 

And I realized I wasn't mindful about anything. I have eaten meals by some of the finest chefs in town, and I didn't even taste my food. Too much going on.. and I wasn't around for any of it. I had some medical procedures coming up last month that would require me to not workout for a few weeks, So I decided to experiment. I would punch out of everything, and just allow myself to be a normal human being for a bit. No workouts. No crazy eating plans. No supplements. No constant quest for self improvement. Just me.

It was a perfect chance to try and be mindful. I'd eat whatever I want... but I would taste my food. Chew it. Pay attention to it. Not check my email or dick around with my computer while I ate. If I wanted a glass of wine at night - I'd have it. But I would enjoy it. Savor it.

Do I believe in a JERF (Just Eat Real Food) lifestyle? Absolutely. Do I think Paleo is among the best ways to accomplish this? Indeed. Do I see the value of Fish oils and Vitamin D and probiotics? Absolutely. But none of this has done me any good, nor will it, until I can learn to take my nutrition and life mindfully and purposefully. I've adopted this as best as I can over the past few weeks, and while eating whatever I wanted to eat - haven't' put on a pound. Mindfulness is that important. 

I couldn't work out over the past few weeks... but I had some time to do some reading,  and find out what I wanted to do. I looked at what I missed. I miss riding my bike. I miss my kettlebell work. I miss being outside. 

Prior to all of this I got my bike out and its ready to ride in my garage.  As far as Kettlebells go? The multitude of injuries has led me astray from this path, and it has been my passion since I rediscovered strength training a few years ago. Conferring with some good folks, my newfound quest for simplicity has its home in the Strongfirst family. My current program (on pause) of Moving Target Kettlebell complexes focuses on three movements. My next one (Simple and Sinister) focuses on two. I have seven books about kettlebells - huge ones with hundreds of exercises each... but I have yet to master these five basic movements. I will do this. 

Its all coming full circle to the basics for me. I've taken in so much knowledge, and all of it is useful, but it is all overwhelming to me. My place now is trying to grow through what I have. To break it down to the very basics and take it from there. 

I'm very happy about where my mind is right now. I'm glad for this break. I'm glad for this learning. Its not sustainable with any sort of health conscience... But it was nice to eat a sandwich with bread and have a beer or three. I truly believe I'll come back stronger than ever. Because I believe strength is what I'm supposed to do. 

I'm trying to write more, so I'll likely be blogging about a lot of the stuff I posted above that I said was GOOD. Maybe through my evaluation of it (Fish Oil and Mind Body work) I will be able to slowly but surely add it to my mix. 

One other thing. In the past year I was able to completely retrain myself out of debilitating back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, and a pile of other shit. I'll be talking about that as well. 

Thanks for reading. I'm not sure where this goes... but its going somewhere. 

tom

Fatty Coffee Goodness

I'll say it right now.  Potential health benefits aside - if you are a lover of coffee, you owe it to yourself to try this.  

Since coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia, humans have been relying on it to shake off hangovers, get their asses out of bed and into work, and fuel themselves through the day. But the first drinkers of coffee didn't mix in cream and sugar. They used butter. The addition of high percent fat like butter into coffee isn't new. Its actually an ancient practice that is as old as drinking coffee itself. There is actually a whole ceremony associated with it in Ethiopian cultures. 

Fast-forward a bunch of centuries, and we end up with a more refined and precise version of this called "Bulletproof Coffee" - a phrase coined by its "creator" (or "re-discoverer" I guess) Dave Asprey of the site The Bulletproof Executive. Dave is a pretty well respected "biohacker." - a new breed of self-proclaimed scientist that will regularly test foods, supplements, sleeping trends, exercise regimens, etc on himself and observe and track the results. Dave experimented with using high quality fats in his coffee, and got some tremendous boosts of energy and fat loss... as have countless others. And the science backs it up. I highly recommend you read his article here, lest I just end up paraphrasing it. One caveat I have however is that with the popularity of this movement, Dave has gotten very entrepreneurial and has his own line of coffee, oil, etc. I'd do the same thing and it's quality stuff, but using just his products are obviously not necessary.  

For those of us that try our best to espouse a more primal lifestyle - fat is not the enemy. My diet at any one time contains more than half fat - yet I am in the best shape of my life (barring some occasional self induced injuries.) My lab-work is excellent. My blood pressure is normal. My athletic performance is better than it was 20 years ago, and my endurance is through the roof.  A tremendous amount of recent research is readily available that extols the virtues of good fats in your body. And fats taste good. There is countless recent research citing the many virtues of  Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT's), not the least of which is its ability to increase energy and cut fat in humans. 

By blending the caffeine in coffee with good healthy fats - like those found in grassfed unsalted butter or coconut oil - many people experience an uberboost of long lasting and sustained energy that lasts well into the afternoon

Now let's issue a realistic caveat here... Firing up the blender and making fatty coffee isn't going to solely make someone lose weight or fix their cholesterol. It works well for people as part of a more holistic approach to their health, but it's no more of a magic bullet (no pun intended) by itself than any other one change.
I've also learned that you can't use shitty coffee. This works best with blending good quality coffee at home. Starbucks is the bare minimum in quality - I like coffee from local roasters and I've gotten great coffee from Kicking Horse Coffee as well. If you're going to do it - do it right. I take a cup of this excellent coffee, put it in my Vitamix, and add 1-2 tbs of either unsalted Grassfed butter or Coconut Oil. We're shooting for a massive boost of (MCTs) here... and that will certainly do it. 

So the recipe is that simple. It is a cup of good coffee, a pat of good grassed unsalted butter or coconut oil, and you blend it on high. Watch this video to see how the butter and fat froths out in the coffee: 

The result is pretty fantastic. As the fat melts and blends, it emulsifies in with the coffee, creating this gorgeously creamy, frothy mixture. Remember - butter is essentially cream in its most compacted and dense form. Primal folks don't really worry about calories - but concerns for the caloric content are essentially alleviated due to the high quality of fat that comes from the MCT rich butter or coconut oil. You're looking at about 100 cal of pure good fat, vs 50 low grade calories for a cup of coffee with cream and sugar. And this has the consistency of a latte - which normally rings in at about 300-400 calories. 

And it tastes excellent. 

Its a pretty foreign concept - and a lot of people think it sounds really gross. My only response to that is - try it. You've got nothing to lose but a few minutes and a cup of coffee. Just be sure its good, high grade coffee (don't try this with Tim Hortons) and use a good grassfed cultured butter like Kerrygold or Vermont Creamery .  Blend on high - pour it into your mug, and enjoy it. Let me know how it turns out.  

If you enjoy coffee - you owe it to yourself to give it a spin. 

Good luck!
Tom

From The Bulletproof Exec
http://www.bulletproofexec.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Butter-Infographic1.jpg

References:Dave Asprey's Original Bulletproof Coffee Story and Recipe (Dave has since created his own line of high end coffee and MCT oil, so it has become somewhat commercialized - but cheers to him for making a buck)The scoop on Cultured Butter from the NY TimesAn additional analysis of Medium Chain Triglycerides from NYU

Yoga Sucks

Are there training wheels for yoga? 

Or maybe a remedial program? 

30 minutes of iPad yoga in my living room on the "beginner" difficulty has illustrated that I can move/stretch/balance at about 15% to 25% of what the movements expect.  I feel like Kevin from the Office competing on Dancing with the Stars.

With such a huge discrepancy - it's no wonder I keep injuring and breaking things on myself. I need to do this more often.  And I hate it. But I have to do it. 

There is a lot to be learned from why we do the things we do. The human mind will always gravitate toward doing something comfortable vs. doing something challenging. By nature, we defer to what we know and can do well. That is why you see so many treadmills in a standard gym. Almost EVERYONE knows how to walk! if I get on a treadmill, I know I can do it... and I might even turn it into a jog, or a run. But if I need to back off a bit - its ok, because I can always walk. 

But I hate treadmills. 

I've always enjoyed any sort of weightlifting because by body seemed naturally inclined toward it. Large Polish Man Lifts Heavy Things and Grunts. I tended to do well, excel, and see positive progress. But it also created severe imbalances in my body. For many years, I trained with the standard isolation of muscle groups that you see most people do Leg Day, Back/Bi, Chest Tri...  Then I moved to more "functional" training which was a huge improvement - training massive muscle groups and working several areas of my body at once, but I was still heavily focused on strength training. 

The counterbalance to this that a lot of people would offer is "you need more "cardio." I freaking hate that word cardio. It makes me think of 1980's Aerobics Videos that were on before cartoons. Cardio for most is essentially repetitive movement - but it is once again, isolating and specific. And in case you noticed, most people don't really get anything out of it - except perhaps to catch up on Designing Women, or Kate and Alley, or whatever the hell is on TV. But that is a different topic for a later post... 

I didn't realize just how out of balance I was until I had a mobility evaluation with the physical therapist that eventually got me to completely rehab my back. He ran me through a series of movements and drills that were seemingly simple, but were very telling in how my body moved and functioned. Simple movements like standing on one elevated leg had me falling over on my ass. A test of my hip flexors showed that they were as taught as piano wires and were in constant shifting competition with each other. As we continued on through the evaluation - it became readily apparent that I didn't hurt my back because I lifted too much. I hurt my back because I sat in a chair all day, typed with shitty posture, and did strength training with the muscles I LIKED to use - and avoided the movements I didn't like. All of this was a big old pile of steaming body imbalance. 

SO what does this have to do with my $3 iPad Yoga program? If I'm going to be a holistically well human being, I have to identify where I am most weak, and address those areas. PT Chris told me I had no business doing weighted squats if I couldn't execute a series of squats with perfect form using only my body weight. I want in the worst way to just show up at the gym and rip through a bunch of very familiar Kettlebell sequences... but as I continue to raise that side of the teeter totter, my mobility and flexibility will continue to degrade and become more imbalanced. So I have to push down on the other side of mobility and flexibility. 

Attempting Yoga was intimidating for me because its the last thing I ever saw myself doing. But by going through 1/2 hour of movement, I was able to instantly identify several areas of my body that need help, and begin to focus my practice on them. I am horrible at breathing, and I'm beginning to learn to breath through the motions, and stay calm as I sweat and stretch and move. I try not to be too hard on myself, but when you see someone touch the ground with their hands, and mine are at my knees - well no wonder why I feel like crap so much! So I guess Yoga doesn't suck. I just suck at it. And I need to get better at it. I'm sure there is an Indian man somewhere saying "Lifting Weights Sucks." 

And I have no doubt this will help me in my kettlebell practice, as well as in life in general. 

I've got more to write on this... in fact, this will be a common theme in this blog. Finding ways to unbreak what I've broken. 

My main message is this. Find whats uncomfortable to you, and do it. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to come out of a pattern, but when you can conquer it, you own it. 

Thanks. -Tom

References: 

Physical Therapist Chris Nentarz  Buffalo Spine & Sport; Endurasports

iPad Yoga Studio for $2.99: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yoga-studio/id567767430?mt=8

Starting Over

Sometimes... I wish I'd never gotten off the couch.

After several years of a mostly sedentary/computer gaming/drinking lifestyle, I decided a few years ago to get myself together, and try to get my body in some semblance of shape. I essentially want to put off dying for awhile and that seemed like a good idea.  At one point in my life I weighed over 330 lbs and smoked two packs of cigarettes a day. I dumped a lot of those bad habits a decade ago, but it still wasn't feeling healthy or "Fit."

It started with some bicycling, and went on to training for two 100 mile bike rides for charity and a few thousand miles a year of training.  I felt great. This evolved into full on personal training, and I shifted my focus to functional training and kettlebells - which ended up evolving into a passion for me. Everything was going great.... 

And then the wheels fell off. 

On December 2 of 2012 I "tweaked" my lower back... And that started this crazy roller coaster that I've been riding.  I've lifted ten times that weight thousands of times before, but I picked it up at just the right angle, at the right time, with the right amount of fatigue -and I felt a sharp pain and I hit the floor. A visit to the chiropractor and a subsequent MRI confirmed that I had not one, but two disk herniation in my lower lumbar spine - L4-L5 and L5-S1. It seemed like an awful lot of damage for one small twinge - but as I later learned - that "injury" was just the straw that broke the camel's back. The REAL injury is the culmination of a couple decades of sitting at a computer, poor posture, poor pre and post workout habits, being overweight, stress, wearing crappy shoes, and a billion other things that eventually caused my body to say ENOUGH! - and throw me out of whack. THAT is one of the main reasons I started writing in this blog.

Several months of chiropractic, acupuncture, soft tissue work, and physical therapy and a lot of mind/body work got my back to where I am about 95% pain free and functional without anything stronger than ibuprofen and without surgery. THAT is another reason I am writing in this blog. 

At some point during that healing process, my upper body decided to revolt (I have a theory that it was either jealous of the lower half) and threw me into a really scary cycle of arm and hand numbness and tingling, hands falling asleep at night, loss of function and dexterity, freezing hands, and all sorts of other stuff. There were days I couldn't even type - which, when you use your computer for a living - is not good.

I've been poked, prodded, tested, had Xrays, MRI's, EMGs, etc etc etc - and I've fortunately so far t

ended up with just a pile of symptoms in an otherwise healthy body. After a host of visiting specialists, Blood tests, Xrays, etc. to rule out various potential systematic causes - I have the pleasure of dealing with some double crush nerve impingement and what looks to be what is called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome - which is a really fancy way to say "more nerve impingements."

I also managed to turn a rib, give myself pneumonia, and sprain my shoulder in the past month. I don't mess around with this stuff.

One thing I learned is that these all can be symptoms or result of some deeper and more chronic manifestations. Tension. Stress. Poor Sleep. They all pile up into a shitstorm... and they have to be dealt with.

THAT is another reason I'm writing in this blog.

The point of this, and subsequent posts...

I've been reading and studying so much in the past several months. I've had opportunities to work with some of the most skilled healthcare practitioners in the area. I've learned so much about the human body, movement, rehabilitation, recovery' nutrition, etc. - and it should be shared. 

So I am writing for the following reasons:

- I need to journal this stuff for me.  I want to have it all in one place so that I don't forget things, so that my reference points are centralized, and so that I can see progress or lack of as I work forward in trying to get back to health. 

-I feel that I need to give back. I've had so many gifts along the way helping me.  If I can write or share something that helps someone else be healthier or avoid injury - then that's great. 

- I miss and enjoy writing, and I need to continue to practice it or I'm going to forget how to do it. 

- because I think I'm on to something here....

So that's it for now.  Expect random updates on health, fitness. Eating, nutrition, amateur butchery, body mobility and recovery, and all of the other weird shit I'm into. My only request is that if you're going to follow this - be respectful. Everything may not be your cup of tea, but it may help someone else. I'd like to keep this as positive as possible.

My acupuncturist told me on the first day she saw me that this injury will end up being one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I'm starting to see that she is right.

Sto'Lat. (Polish for - May you live 100 years) 

Tom

Summer Bars - first attempt.

After giving up dairy, and subsequently my weekly cheat meal of awesome ice cream, I was forced to come up with some sort of a food that felt like a dessert, was as primal as I could get it, and tasted good.  The result was this these delicious little fruit and nut bombs. As an added bonus, they have an awesome pile of delicious fat calories, making them potentially ideal for pre or post workout nutrition.  Here goes. 

In a food processor, combine:

1.5 cups of organic shredded coconut 

2 full cups of raw nuts of your choice (I did 1/2 cup each of almonds, walnuts, pecans, and cashews)

3 tbs of cocoa powder (could probably use less - but it's cocoa. More wouldn't hurt either!)

1 tbs cinnamon. 

1-2 pinches of sea salt

Pulverize this all together and then set aside in a different bowl. 

In the same food processor (clean bowl) combine:

1.5 cups of pitted dates

1 tbs coconut oil

2 tbs coconut manna (if you don't have coconut manna, increase coconut oil to 2.5 tbs)

Blend together fruits and oils, then add in dry goods and process it all together. Check taste for salt and other flavors, and adjust as necessary. Check consistency - can you form it into a ball In your hands? If not, add more coconut oil. 

Once it's done. You can roll them into balls (I did this first and while not attractive, it made for quick and dirty portions) or press into a sheet pan with waxed paper to make bars(I am trying this now.).  Once formed, move them into the refrigerator and let set and cool. 

Store in the refrigerator.  We aren't using preservatives and they'll probably fall apart at room temperature. 

Note: I got most of the ingredients at Wegmans.  A bag of organic shredded unsweetened coconut is about $1. The organic pitted dates were About $2.50 for enough to make this batch. Nuts are expensive, but I may buy some bulk nuts soon to set this off.  Let me know how it goes!

Tom

Systema - My unexpected introduction to Russian Martial Arts & Hand to Hand Combat.

   

Photo Credit: www.strengthbox.ca

I'm a firm believer that everyone needs to take a good solid punch now and then... and I'm at the top of that list.. I REALLY need to be hit sometimes... 
I had the opportunity to attend a seminar in Toronto a few weeks ago at Strengthbox, the premier Canadian crossfit gym in Southern Ontario. The course was split into two parts - the first being a session with Kettlebell Master Steve Maxwell, and the second being an introduction to Systema class with Max Franz.. I'll talk more about the Maxwell session in a different post, so that I can focus on Systema, and getting punched.


Systema (Система) is the evolution of a Russian Martial Art that is based in the practical application of natural movement. It has no set patterns, making it unique to most other martial arts. Let it suffice to say that I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I signed up for this. After working with Steve Maxwell for half of a day, my body was pretty spent already. Enter Maxim Franz - former Soviet special forces sniper/trainer and all round cold-war badass.


Photo Credit: www.strengthbox.ca

Max took us through a series of breathing and prep drills to get our bodies ready. He did an overview of Systema breathing - which is (not surprisingly) somewhat similar in nature to Russian Kettlebell Hardstyle breathing, but quite a bit calmer. In fact, the entire process was very strong. Max didn't break a sweat as he systematically (no pun intended) worked his way through evasive tactics vs. Brazillian Ju Jitsu and MMA Fighters, warding them off from himself until he could land something to debilitate, or take his opponent out of commission. They like to call this helping their opponent to release their tension. How kind.



Maxim Franz giving a "massage" at the end of class. 

We spent a lot of time on Systema style pushups, which are loose bodied knuckle pushups. They are similar to a regular pushup, but instead of completely locking in, you almost do a sort of body scan - moving and shifting around through your joints and identifying/eliminating tension. As a practitioner gets better at it, they move around on their knuckles a lot, stretching and mobilizing. It was challenging to do, but I see how with practice, it could almost become peaceful. A few of the more skilled folks could walk up walls with their knuckles.
I was fascinated by the impact of breath control - and got to see and experience it in action. Watching the graceful movements coming out of such strong and rigid people was amazing. Max had brought his 12 year old son along, and I watched him drop half the class to the ground with minimal, passive effort.

I also had the opportunity to experience a legit Systema Strike, or punch - to the center of my sternum. A Systema Strike is a very loose handed, almost casual wave of a punch that can be thrown from very short distances with minimal effort ( but tremendous skill) on the behalf of the thrower, and a quick, massive, explosive, windknocking for the recipient. Bruce Lee is known for a similar sort of short motion strike. Anyway... at one point in the class, Max came to check in on me and asked how I was doing, how my back was holding out, etc. He then said 'Hey - How is your chest?" - I said "Its fine." - and then I took the strike from him - dead center. It looked like he barely moved, but I had the wind knocked out of me for a bit, and a wicked yellow bruise on my chest for about a week. 

The weird thing is - It felt GOOD. Like I NEEDED that. I honestly thought the short, three inch or so punch was bullshit. Its the real deal. 

So after a four hour session, can I answer - What is Systema?  Right now to me - Systema is about tension and fear. It is about controlling what you can - and doing it completely and entirely - and relinquishing consideration and thought of what you cannot. Its about understanding your fear - embracing it - and growing through it. I'm sure I'll have more to say as I learn more - but for now, that's where it stands.

If you're in Buffalo and interested in checking out more - my friend Matt Meyer is putting together a Systema Intro class on July 12th at Williamsville Crossfit. It runs for about 2 hours and can accommodate any adult age, and most fitness levels. Ill be there.

Also, Check out this video... which is pretty cool ;)