30 Day update

Someone I know is going through some major struggles right now and she commented that it seems like every time she gets on track and starts taking care of herself that something knocks her down.  Oh, how I have had this feeling before.  But what I recognize now is that life has lots of obstacles and challenges, and our true strength comes from how we deal with and overcome those obstacles.  Some may set us back for a minute or even paralyze us periodically, but we have to eventually get right back up and keep fighting the fight.  We have to have faith that things will and do always get better.  Also, the more we stay focused and push through the workouts, the better we will feel.  We'll be able to deal with stress better and also, it's the one thing we can control.  We feel better about ourselves and that creates significant strength as we deal with whatever it is we're going through.

I wanted to take this opportunity to give a 30 day update on my journey to health.  I have to say that it was a tough first 30 days and what I was hoping would be a habit right now is far from it.  I'm still struggling to make the right choices and to get the workouts done.  I am doing pretty good though even with the setbacks and struggles.  Change is hard... don't let anyone ever tell you it's not.  Patience is also needed as you work to make changes for the better in your health and your life.  If you're doing this the way that I am, you're not going to see huge improvements overnight.  Doesn't mean I don't want them.  I'm as impatient as the next guy.  For the first couple of weeks, I was totally focused on how much I weighed and if anyone could see any changes.  Instead of maintaining that focus though, I've now shifted.  I know the results are coming and that this is a process so I've re-focused my energy on nutrition and continuing to push play.  I want to do something that I can maintain for the rest of my life.  No diets - just eating healthy.  No workouts that I can't continue for the long run (2 hours at the gym everyday is just not realistic).

So, thirty days... I took my updated pictures today and although I haven't seen them yet, I'm told that there is a difference in my body, especially in the midsection.  I'm very happy about that.  I wasn't sure how much change I'd see.  I know I feel some physical changes - stronger, slimmer in the arms, waist (a little), slimmer back, lung capacity improved.  I still haven't gotten on the scale.  I'm of the mindset that the weight  isn't going to be my focus.  I can tell my body is changing and I'm getting healthier and that's what matters.

Injury update:  I am having an issue with my rotator cuff.  I was having this issue last year but when I stopped working out, the pain went away... little did I know that didn't mean it was getting better.  It was actually getting weaker.  Thankfully, my sister (the ortho surgeon) gave me some exercises to help strengthen the area and to move it back into the right position.  Right now, I have a lot of pain at night , but almost none when I work out - even during pushups.  It's not torn, but when she asked if it felt like a bad toothache, I knew she understood what I was talking about.  The pain can be pretty bad when I'm just resting or laying on it (I guess in the wrong position).  But, I'm doing my exercises daily after my workouts and taking advil when I absolutely have to.  It's part of the my journey but I'm not going to let it slow me down unless I have to slow down.  Right now, I just have a special focus on strengthening it until it's better than before.

Nutrition update:  I've learned a lot about what's good for me and what's not.  Much more than I thought possible and I get annoyed often at the quality of the food that's sold to us.  I swear, I could easily jump on the conspiracy theory bandwagon if I wanted to... instead, I feel like the more I learn, the better choices I can make for me.  This also means that a lot of people won't agree with what I'm doing but I'm definitely working towards eating a cleaner diet.  This basically means little or no processed foods.  I've gotten so much better at this already but I it's gotta be tough if you eat out a lot unless you frequent restaurants that serve organic, locally grown foods.  While I haven't cut out these foods completely, I try to limit them in my daily nutritional intake.  I mostly eat meat, fruits, vegetables, and dairy.  I'm not completely organic but I'm working my way there.  What I find is that I need to visit the store much more often - I want fresh foods so I don't buy in bulk.

I can say that I RARELY visit a fast food restaurant anymore, not even for their "healthy" menu.  I don't want to feel deprived by not having french fries or a taco when visiting McDonald's or Taco Bell so I don't do that to myself.  Besides, I don't want what comes with the burger and fries or tacos anymore (filler, ammonia, acrylamide).  This doesn't mean that I don't eat burgers or my favorite fries or even tacos anymore.  I just try to get them at places that serve locally grown grass fed beef and uses fresh potatoes and make tacos (and burgers) at home (my favorite dish).  (I have ground turkey tacos probably once a week LOL).

I also believe in a different philosophy around fat - all fat is not bad for you, so I don't believe in a low fat diet.  I actually think our body needs fat, just the right kind though.  So, I only cook with coconut oil and olive oil.  (I realize that I don't get this same thing when eating out but that's ok).  And, I try to use organic butter, milk, cheese, but I don't always.  I never buy low fat versions of items because they have some additional processing done to them to remove the fat (and I think the more we process our food, the worse it becomes).

Why organic and locally grown food?  Most people think it's more expensive but frankly I've found that as my diet has changed, my grocery bill has actually gotten cheaper.  I'm not buying as many things from the mid section of the grocery store (processed food heaven) and instead, spending time with meat, fruit, vegetables and produce.  Seriously, much cheaper!!  Besides, I've probably said it before, but I'm focused on the long run here as well - even if it did cost me a little more today, it's worth the investment in my health which will be much improved.  My recommendation to anyone would be to not take my word for it but to research on your own.  Find out what works for you.  Also, just because something says organic or natural doesn't mean it's good for you.  The organic food industry is actually less regulated than non-organic.  You have to find what works and there are a number of watch dog groups out there to tell you the truth about a particular item.  Perfect example for me was Horizon brand organic milk found in Safeway (and other) grocery stores.  It is organic BUT rated really low by consumer groups because it's actually been ultra-pasteurized (pasteurized twice) and this all but kills the nutrients of the milk!!  I was all excited because it lasted a long long time and that was ideal for me because I wasn't drinking a lot of milk.  I found out that I might as well not been drinking any milk if I was drinking Horizon since half the nutrients were killed in the processing.  I have tried raw milk on a couple of occasions (tastes basically the same to me) but it's not as easy to find (in fact today they were out of it at my local natural grocer).  Anyway, you get the point.  If you chose to make changes, do so knowing that your nutritional choices may continue to change over time as you learn more.

Well, as promised, here are my pictures.  The one's on the left are the initial photos and the ones on the right are the updates.

Front

Side:

And finally, back:

Can't wait to see what the next 30 days brings...