2011 Checklist, Part 01: Health.

So I get the occasional forwarded email a couple times a week from my mom. Usually they're the generic inspirational messages that have been passed around online for years, or excerpts from medical articles about vitamins and medicine, and even the rare cautionary warning about some new way that thieves get your personal info. I'll typically glance at the email and sometimes dash back a quick "thanks" to my mom (after all, her intentions are good), and clear out my inbox.

However she sent me a "2011 Checklist" a few days ago which I thought was worth saving and commenting on. The checklist was divided into a few sections so I'll cover them in individual entries.

I know we're a month in already, but I hope your 2011 is off to a great start!

good for you

Health:

• Drink plenty of water. I could probably stand to drink more water throughout the day, so I've resorted to keeping a glass in my room at all times. Usually (and I know this is probably not the best thing) I get my water in coffee form. At least I've cut down tremendously on soda.
  
  
• Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar. I started counting calories to achieve a deficit since I've been on a cut, so while I've reduced the total amount of food I've been eating, I try to space meals evenly throughout the day. Makes it easier to keep track. When I'm done with the cut I'll definitely change my eating habits though.
  
  
• Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants. I've probably eaten more spinach over the past twelve months than anyone I know (I should probably start growing my own at this rate). Along with switching to a pescatarian diet, I've been fairly successful with eating salad on a near-daily basis.
  
  
• Live with the 3 Es -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy. The first two go hand-in-hand and I could definitely use more of each. I have been feeling depressed lately given my non-existent job situation, but obviously there's no other choice but to keep going. As far as empathy ... I like to think I have plenty of that, but there's always room for improvement.
  
  
• Make time to pray. This is a tricky one. I've been going through some kind of weird crisis of faith over the past few months which has resulted in me having a lot of questions I never thought I'd be asking. Yes, I still believe in God, but not really in the way I used to. Anyway, I'll be addressing it soon in this blog.
  
  
• Play more games. I think I do plenty of this already. I need a job.
  
  
• Read more books than you did in 2010. Shouldn't be too hard since I'm done with school and I can actually read more for pleasure now.
  
  
• Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. I plan on resuming some sort of yoga schedule soon and want to learn to meditate effectively. I still live with a lot of unrest in my mind, and need to be able to clear it.
  
  
• Sleep for 7 hours. LOL.
  
  
• Take a 10- to 30-minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.
This definitely needs to be done. While I absolutely hate running in cold weather (you wouldn't believe the amount of phlegm I can generate jogging a 5K in the wintertime), there's really no excuse to take a walk around the block even in the misty rain.

Acceleration.

Another motivational passage I gleaned from a fitness discussion board. I love reading these things; they make me want to go kick some ass (or at least, run harder for longer). It's a little long, but the read is well worth it.

I don't know you. I don't know a thing about you. I don't know where you come from, where you're going, or why you do what you do. I don't know if we'd get along if we met. But there is one thing that I do know: You are capable of much more than you have been led to believe.

As I am writing this, there are 6.7 billion people walking and breathing on our humble rock. The overwhelming, vast majority of them will pass through their 720,000 hours like a match struck in the wind. Hardly noticed, scarcely remembered.

Tomorrow, as you go about your day, take your time to look around. Are there a lot of people around? What do you see? You see mediocrity. You see average. You see everything about yourself that you hate, that you fear, but that you have been conditioned to believe is acceptable. Fine. Enough. A good job.

I'm here to tell you that you will NOT settle for what is fine. You will NOT settle for a good job. Fine is for the loser. Fine is for the guy who skipped the last set of his workout because he just didn't feel like it. Fine is for the guy who cheated on his diet because he just couldn't do it anymore. Fine is for the guy who took a nap instead of sprinting around town in a torrential downpour. Fine is for the guy who got the job, but not the one he wanted. That guy made second place. He has never embraced pain, personal sacrifice, or thrown himself into the fires of dedication. Most importantly, and starting today, this guy is NOT YOU.

You are not this person. You are destined for greatness. You have it inside of you, and you know it. You have always known it, you have felt it as a faint thumping in your gut. It is clawing, scratching, struggling to be set free. It needs your help. As long as you hold yourself to the standard of "average," that is all you will ever be. In your dreams you aren't average, so why the FUCK are you settling for it now? What are you not doing right now?

The time to act is now. You will burn. You will suffer. Your demons will not be defeated easily. Every step of the way they will whisper in your ear that you aren't good enough. That you aren't meant to succeed. "Just give up," they will mutter, "you'll never be the best." "NO," you will reply. You will embrace suffering. You will finish that last repetition. You will claw through the agonizing pain, you will destroy the mediocre pussy in your head, you will break boundaries. You will rise above the rest. You will realize your potential.

You are no average man. Now go do what you were destined to do. End of fucking story.

SHAZAAAAAM!! Or as my mentor Courage Wolf says:

SEIZE THE DAY ... BY THE THROAT

I've been seeing some awesome (to me, anyway haha) physical changes over the six or so months that I've started taking my health/fitness seriously. Granted, almost none of it was without sacrificing something I loved -- usually some type of food -- but looking back it's completely worth it. The potential had always been there; I just never tapped into it. Now that I know I'm strong enough to overcome my old cravings/habits, I can only accelerate forward.

On Reddit, there are a few good discussion forums that I subscribe to; r/running, r/fitness and r/90days are a great start. If you need motivation or just need to talk to other people about fitness and health, there are some valuable resources to be utilized.

Okay. I'm off to crush some miles.

Stay tuned -- tomorrow I'll be posting about the 5K I ran this past Sunday!

I Still Miss You, Rice.

I'd never been one to actually count calories in my life. After all I'd never had to before; as a teenager I could snarf down two Big Mac meals and go for dessert after with no pauses or gastrointestinal distress. Obviously my Ferrari-like metabolism slowed down as I got older, but I also started minding my diet a little more closely. It wasn't enough though. Sure, every now and then I'd attempt some kind of portion control, but those moments were few and far between and inevitably I'd go back to eating way more than what I actually required (very easy to do when I went out to eat or got take-out several times a week). to add to this, by 2006 I led an almost completely sedentary lifestyle consisting of 50-hour workweeks in a cubicle and minimal outside physical activity, so boom -- I gained weight.

The added pounds weren't enough to buy new jeans or anything, but I was definitely out of shape and overeating. It didn't seem like it at the time but my daily caloric intake was probably twice to three times what I really needed. Carbs, unsurprisingly, were the usual culprit. I downed white rice, noodles, sandwich bread and cereal like they were going to be rationed the next day. I decided a few months ago that the madness had to stop.

As you might know, I've been on a seafood diet since February. In April, I started P90X (I've just finished BTW! More on this in an upcoming post). In June, I decided to start counting calories to determine just how much I've been eating, and to cut down accordingly. The results have been very enlightening.

So I've been using FitDay to keep track of my food and caloric intake for almost two months now. The benefits have been twofold:

1. Psychological/Mental. I've become extremely aware of what and how much I eat. FitDay has a great feature that displays the nutrition information for the thousands of food items in its database, so I can no longer blissfully ignore the carbohydrate (or sugar, or sodium) content of any of my meals. I scrutinize the nutrition labels of every jar, bottle, bag and box that goes in my grocery cart. As a result, I find it a lot easier to say "no" to food. And I actually feel great knowing that I'm making informed choices about my own diet. Knowledge, in this case, equals much better health.
   
   
2. Physical. I've definitely slimmed down. Unsurprisingly, keeping track of (and regulating) my caloric intake worked. Last weekend I weighed in at one pound below my high school weight! My jeans are sagging. I have lost some muscle mass as well -- P90X concentrates more on general physical preparedness rather than weightlifting -- but I'm planning on changing my diet regimen slightly to include much more protein when I finish cutting weight.

Giving up carbs was pretty easy for the most part. The majority of my carb intake now comes from a cup of oatmeal in the morning, supplemented with various fruits/veggies throughout the day. I don't buy sandwich bread or cook pasta anymore. Initially, I thought that giving up white rice would be terrible and while I do miss eating it, especially with certain meals, I can definitely do without it. I probably eat rice only once or twice a month now, usually when I treat myself to sushi :)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not immune to cravings.

almost, but not quite [via]

There have been times when a grilled burger, rice noodles or any one of several Filipino dishes sounds like it would be perfect, and I've given in to those cravings on rare occasions. I didn't adhere to my regimen a handful of times (including camping and a wedding reception). On those occasions, I had to decide between going hungry and being as reasonable and practical as possible. The choice has been easy. I'm happy to say that it's worked -- very well -- so far.

No Main Topic 002: On Birthdays & A Shift In Musical Preference.

It's a week out since my birthday. First and foremost, once more let me thank everyone who wished me well via Facebook, Twitter, text message, webcam, the phone and in person. Your words, hugs and smiles (and age jokes) through all of these means of communication are much appreciated. If it wasn't obvious from the content of several recent posts, I haven't really felt like myself for the past few weeks -- and it's not because I'm getting older. I guess I'm feeling the effects of some internal seismic activity -- tectonic plates moving around in my mind and causing some cracks on the surface. I've told myself that this is actually A Good Thing, that letting these feelings emerge is actually healthy. This is still unfamiliar territory; I'm used to bottling up and locking everything down until I become a pressure cooker.

Like previous birthdays, I feel no different. I suppose my metabolism has slowed a little, but I've been trying to improve my lifestyle with a pescatarian diet and a significant increase in exercise (details on this in a few days). I may not feel older, but I know things are going to start acting differently the older I get, so I need to make that health investment now. Consider it a preemptive strike against -- well, against whatever it is that afflicts people in their 30s. (It truly pains me to write that last sentence.)

One thing that's definitely changed throughout the years (and has been more pronounced in the past two or three) is the kind of music I listen to. I'm way past the MTV/VH1/BET demographic; I don't even know what channels they're on. Nowadays you could show me a Billboard 200 chart and while I'd most likely have a working knowledge of the majority of artists on it, I probably wouldn't be able to tell you how their songs go ... unless it had been remixed by a DJ specializing in dubstep, glitch, electro or nu-disco. It's strange, because while I do not consider myself an avid listener of "radio" music anymore, I visit a staggering number of music blogs and immerse myself in the bleeding edge of emerging electronic dance- and club-oriented sub-genres that push the pop envelope and, in essence, predict how music will sound a few months down the line.

[via]

I know, it's a strange juxtaposition. I suppose it's because I hate how similar everything sounds on the radio now, and I'm looking for something original. Or at least original before it gets fully co-opted by the music industry juggernaut. It's like Indiana Jones sprinting frantically down the tunnel, trying to outpace the giant boulder. Fortunately, more and more creative ways to make good music are available, as is the technology to spread it, and I am lucky enough to be able to hear and appreciate the results. They make my ears very happy, and do other important things for me -- I even wrote some haiku about it.

If anyone would like to listen to what's currently making my world go 'round, let me know. I'd love to make you a compilation, either on physical CD or mp3 playlist.

Farewell, Meat. It Was Nice Knowing You.

It's now three full weeks into Lent and I've succeeded in sticking to The List. Among the four items, the most consistently significant sacrifice for me would be giving up meat altogether (instead of only on Fridays) and eating only seafood. It's something I do every year. And I'm happy to report that I've been largely true to my word, annually abstaining from burgers, steaks, chops and wings until a massively gluttonous Easter Sunday lunch.

But somehow it's different this year.

A couple of days ago I mentioned on Twitter that I was considering giving up "land meat" for good. After all, I'd basically been doing so every year for weeks at a time. So I put some serious thought into it, weighed my options, played some more Sushi Cat, and decided to officially become a pescatarian. From eHow:

A pescatarian is a person who refrains from eating land animals and birds, but includes fish, mollusks, and crustaceans in addition to fruits, vegetables, plants, legumes, nuts, and grains. This is a common form of "vegetarianism" and is generally considered a very healthy diet ... Pescatarians can enjoy low-fat protein sources that are high in fish oils, which contain Omega 3 fatty acids -- the "good fats" that reduce inflammation.

People become pescatarians for several different reasons, whether ethical, environmental, political or health-related. I subscribe to a combination of all of them, but I'm doing this mostly to improve my health and physical well-being. Plus, I love love LOVE seafood.

[via]

Don't get me wrong ... I will definitely miss eating certain pork, chicken and beef dishes (Kobe steak?! Say it ain't so!) -- not to mention the multitudes of delicious Filipino meals I've eaten my whole life (adobong manok, we had some good times, didn't we?).

[via]

The good thing about this is that I can almost always substitute seafood for the meat and it'll taste similar, so I won't be missing out entirely on the flavors. That makes me feel better.

So. There you have it: Come Easter Sunday, I won't be carving up any rib eyes or filleting any chicken. Most likely, I'll be digging into some succulent, moist salmon and sautéing some jumbo shrimp. Bon appétit!

Throwback Week Part 02: Raccoon Eyes.

Originally posted on my (now-defunct) Xanga account on 21 March 2005. It's actually pretty relevant to what's going on in my life right now regarding stress. Go figure.

I have dark circles under my eyes. I don't think they're going away anytime soon.

Blame it on too many long days: At work I am faced with the same situation from two years ago -- my boss is pregnant and due to have her C-section in July. Two years ago it was a different boss, and I handled it; I ran the HR department by myself (recruiting/retention, payroll, benefits and the day-to-day administration) for a few weeks until she came back part-time from maternity leave. The first week my body coped by giving me a tension headache that lasted for the entire seven days and causing one particularly nasty vomiting episode in my bathtub. But then I got used to it and the rest of my tenure as interim Director of HR went fairly smoothly. I'm confident that I'll be headache-free this time around (knock on wood), but I can't say it hasn't caused me any stress.

Blame it on too many long nights: A major reason it's taken me this long to update this site is the music thing. We've been on the grind these last couple of months, mostly rehearsing for some pretty big shows. As a result, work on our album, which had originally been scheduled for completion this month, has come to a standstill. It hasn't stopped me from writing new songs -- I could drop two finished solo joints right now -- but there's been no actual recording in the booth. But I can't complain. Shows equal exposure, and that's one thing that never hurts. Granted, lately we've been performing at Filipino-based events instead of immersing ourselves more in the local music scene, but that's where the work is at the moment.

Blame it on just plain thinking too much: It shouldn't come as a surprise that my general anxiety level has increased over the last few months. That, and the fact that I haven't made the time to visit the gym regularly, has resulted in my losing about ten pounds. I hadn't realized the extent of the damage until I noticed my jeans sagging (more than usual) and had to buy a new belt.

And the dark circles.

So after our show this Saturday, things should ease up a bit and hopefully Ill be around a little more. Our next tentatively-scheduled show won't be until May (I think), so it'll be back to the studio to finish the LP. There's still the work situation, but there's really nothing I can do about that except gear up for the challenge and meet it head on. My boss is due back in mid-August, so I'll be grindin' until then.

Guess I'll have to live with raccoon eyes a little while longer.