Where Has The Time Gone

It is hard to believe that it has been almost exactly one year since I have visited this blog. Where does the time go? The time has arrived for me to make a comeback in this post and push myself to new limits. I want to fulfill my dreams and become the best that I can be.

I have now been a warrior for 29 years and what do I have to show for it? I have fallen short of my real goals of becoming the best fighter that I can be. I am a veteran of the United States Navy, I have attended boot camp with the United States Army, I have studied Aikido, Shito-Ryu Karate and am currently studying Gojo-Ryu Karate. Yet I have let myself deteriorate into the worst physical shape of my life. I am at the heaviest point in my life. I have asthma and I rarely exercise outside of the dojo.

I keep using the excuse of wanting to finish up my college degree in business management and being too busy to exercise. Yet I remember a time where I would make plenty of time in my busy schedule to do push-ups and sit-ups at a minimum. A year ago I was doing about 500 push-ups a day and today I can barely do 10. What have I done to let myself get to this point?

It is time to make changes. It is time I start shedding the weight. It is time to start working back in to doing push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups and more. I am going to dust off the jump rope and bike to work on the cardio. I am going to focus on my martial arts training to become the fighter that I have always dreamed of being. It is time to get to a physical level that my 16 year old son is at, which has been my goal for the last 30 years. I have always dreamed of the day that I can be physically fit and have a drive to become physically a better person. I want to be able to keep up with my father who is 77 years old and competes in the Senior Games, locally and nationally. Even my mother is competing at 74 years old. There are times that I cannot even keep up with either of them. It is time for a change.

I am back to bring you on this journey. I will be posting at least weekly to allow you to see my progress which in turn will hold me accountable for my actions or lack of actions. I am going to dedicate myself to becoming the best person that I can be. Please come along for the ride.

My Month Long Goal Is A Bust...Yet Succeeded!

     Well it is time for my challenge wrap up. I have had a rather interesting month as far as my challenge is concerned and in my personal life. I essentially ended my challenge in the middle of the month, but not by choice and not completely

     For the a little bit better than a month I have been battling an infection that has occurred in one of my toes. It is a type of staph infection and it has been rather persistent. I am currently on my third round of antibiotics. With each new prescription the antibiotics have become stronger and stronger, the procedures on my foot are becoming more and more invasive.

     With that said my goal of 125+ beats per minute for 40 minutes has done rather well and I believe that my exercise plan can be labeled a success. This  can be verified by looking at my weight loss for this time period. On April  1st my weight was 218. During the first two weeks while still working out I was able to loose 10 pounds, bringing my weight down to 208. That is where it stayed for the rest of the month. This correlates directly with my exercise to no exercise month. With the exercise I lost 10 pounds and then leveled right off when the exercise ended.

     I have not completely abandoned all exercise though and have still maintained a consistent calorie intake to allow for weight loss ans maintenance. I have managed in the last two day to drop and additional two pounds bringing my weight down to 206 pounds and a total weight loss of 12 pounds. I believe that this is because of watching calories and walking. I make sure to walk everyday and am getting in between 4 - 5 miles in per day. This does not end my quest. Instead it is strengthened and I hope to very soon be able to rigorously exercise soon.

Set Back still result in Success

     So I have had some setbacks this week, and yet I seem to be succeeding. My setback is that I managed to have a foot infection resurface this last week. I ended up returning to urgent care to have it dealt with. After a minor procedure things seem to be improving but the foot is a little soar. So that means there was no biking this week. I would like to continue and I hope to do that starting on this coming Monday.

     Even with all of that said I have managed to drop even more weight. I weighed in at 208. That means I have dropped ten pounds since April 1st. What is more exciting is that I have managed to start using a Fitbit and I have been able to manage my calorie and water intake much better. Not only that I have set my goals to allow for less calories than my body is consuming. Thus allowing for weight loss. Since I started using the Fitbit I dropped four pounds. That is four pounds since last Sunday. Feeling great!

     I have a desk job so I do not move around a lot during the day. That is why I manage to carve out some time during the day to go for a walk. I walk around the medical center that I work for which encompasses several blocks. I will do this twice. I am not sure how far it is and will be using my gps to measure out the distance. Also, several times during the day I will get up and just walk for 5 to 10 minutes. This allows for some calorie burn and to get the blood flowing which helps keep me awake.

     I am really liking the Fitbit. We had it laying around the house for awhile because my wife received it from her former employer but we never set it up. I was looking for something better to track my healthy life style. What I did not realize is that we already had a great health tracker available. My wife let me use it and I have not looked back. Pairing the Fitbit with its app there is nothing, so far, that I have not been able to do.

     When I finally start exercising this next week I plan on changing it up by using the rowing machine instead of the bike. I have always wanted to add a rowing routine because of the total body workout that I cannot get on the bike. I am anticipating that I will loose some more weight during the upcoming week. With just one week to go for my challenge I am really happy with the results. Now it comes down to pushing for the finish line. I cannot wait!

The Race Is On To Loose Loose The Pounds

     This is the half way point in the month and I am making great progress. The hardest part of the progress is the hungry feeling that comes over me about half way through the day and yet I keep pushing. I will be pushing through the finish line. Not to the finish line but through it. I do not plan on stopping when I get there.

     If I can push through and double what I have lost so far I will be well on my way and can consider this project a success. Then I suppose that no matter what happens I have already succeeded because of the weight that I have already taken off. As of my weigh in last night I was down to 209 pounds. That is down 9 pounds from the 218 pounds that I started with.

     That's right. If by the end of the month I double the weight I have lost so far I will have lost 18 pounds. Not bad for a plan that I have put together myself. Most people would say that I am very successful with having already lost 9 pounds. I am not most people. I will push to the end for even more.

     Remember that I have not just done this on exercise alone. In order to loose this much weight I really had to watch what I am putting into my body. That means closely watching my calorie intake. I have been watching this very closely. In fact I have only been on this plan for 15 days and I can tell that I feel as if I have over eaten if I eat two pieces of pizza (which I ate last night). Yes, pizza. I really have not changed what I eat, just how much I eat.

     I have carefully calculated my diet. I take in what I need to, not what I want to. On any diet a person must also be careful to not consume to few calories. I really do not want to make that body think that it is starving so that it starts conserving calories and starts to shut down. Once it decides to conserve calories it can actually put on fat for use later. Not only will fat be added to the body but it will not keep the muscle in healthy condition.

     So this is my ongoing challenge for the month of April. Once I have completed this I plan to continue on with my exercising. I will be moving from just a fat burn to muscle building and working on my flexibility. Yes, I will get my heart rate up to the required speed for the appropriate amount of time. I just am working out the final plans on how to do that while building muscle.

    There you have it, 9 pounds lost in 15 days! 15 days left and 9 pounds to go! Cannot wait to see where I am at on April 30th!

125+ Beats Per Minute Challenge...The Update.

     This little project is looking great now. I had a little set back in the beginning with my start date. I was originally going to start my challenge on the 28th of March...that did not happen. Instead I started on the first of April. That means the end date for this challenge is the last day of April, which is the 30th.

     I have been enjoying my little evening indoor bike rides. I have been biking for 40 minutes everyday. Actually slightly more than 40 minute because of the 5 minute warm up in the beginning and the 5 minute cool down at the end.

     I have been doing this now for one week. I am feeling great! I started out with a weight of 218 pounds. I have been closely monitoring my calorie intake and getting the biking done. As of today, I am down 6 pounds weighing in at 212. It is an excellent feeling to see the progress.

     I still have a ways to go before I reach my goal. Keeping on this pace though I am going to get there. Just think, if I can loose 6 pounds every week this month that will be 24 pounds for the month. With 24 pounds missing I should feel much better and will be tracking toward the ultimate goal of 183 pounds. I will have 11 pounds to go in the month of May if I keep on this course. I am going to do it. I desire to do it. I will do it.

     As I said, this is a combined effort from exercise and watching the calories that I am taking in. If I pig out and eat to much then the exercise will not be enough. You cannot take in more calories than you are burning from exercise and expect to accomplish any weight loss goal. Is it tough? Yes! You must have the determination to overcome the difficulties and crush the weight.

     I am doing this challenge on my own. I have the drive for success. I have a drive that will not allow me to fail and if I fail I get right back up and keep going. I do not let things get in my way and have the determination . Not everyone has this type of drive. The best thing that can be done is to create a team for yourself. Whether it is one person of 100, build a team to keep you honest and driven.

Remember every successful person has also been a failure.

Time to Move Up by Going Down...with My Weight

     Unfortunately I was unable to start my month long challenge on the 28th of March, I did manage to begin on April 1st.

     My challenge is to do 40 minute cardio workouts for the next month, from April 1st to April 30. The goal of this challenge is to maximize weight loss. My preferred method of exercise is the use of an exercise bike. This way I can set my target heart rate and the bike does the thinking for me.

     I am looking for my average heart rate to be at 125 beats per minute. It takes approximately 20 minutes of exercise at 125 beats per minute (approximately) before your metabolism kicks in and starts to burn the body fat.The next 20 minutes, in theory is to burn the fat.

    On April 1st my weight was 218 pounds. My goal starting out is to burn off 18 pounds just to get down to 200 pounds or less in the next month. Ultimately I am looking for a weight between 180 and 190. The final weight can be at 180 - 183 I will have accomplished my ultimate goal.

     Just remember though, weight loss is not accomplished by one single thing though. I must strictly maintain the correct diet in order to make this really effective. If I end up eating more calories than my body can burn during the day I will get no where. That is one thing that I have really been working on since last May.

     I had a very eye opening experience when it came to my calorie intake. I watched my diet like a hawk...until I broke my foot and all there seemed for me to do was sit on my butt watching Netflix and...eating. Yes, I did back slide and gained back the weight that I lost just by adjusting the diet. Now I am back and ready to take on this beast once and for all.

The challenge has begun and the weight will be melting. Stay tuned for updates.

125+ Beats Per Minute Challenge.

Today's quickie...a Monday thought.

     Want to loose the extra body fat?  I will be trying to take off a few pounds this next couple of weeks...heck let's make it a month. From March 28th though April 28th will be my testing period. I have been doing great with my diet. I have really watched the calories that I am consuming. Now it is time to add just a little more exercise.

     I have not researched the validity of this challenge, but it sounds logical with my level of knowledge of physiology that I have. I by no means am an expert, but I will try new things that fit into what I want to achieve. The challenge is as follows.

     For the next month do a 40 minute workout where your heart rate gets to 125+ beats per minute. The theory behind this is that your body takes 20 minutes of heightened heart rate before it starts to burn body fat. So the goal is 20 minute startup and a 20 minute fat burning session.

     I will be doing this for the next month and posting my weight report each week. This will hopefully show a improvement in my weight. With less weight I will have more room to grow physically. It will be a fun challenge and I want to know how it is going.

Time to shred the extra weight and feel great!

Body Weight Training

     Body weight is not just something that we try to maintain but it is also something that can assist us. True, the more that you work out the less body weight you have but it provides us with at great resistance for helping produce and/or tone the muscles.

     I don't make it to the gym because of the lack of time. Now there are those that say if it really means something I will make the time to get to the gym. That theory does not work for me though. I am a busy person who works 50 hours per week, I am a full time student, I volunteer with a local Naval Sea Cadets Unit, and I have a wonderful wife and 3 wonderful kids that I want to spend time with. I use body weight training so that I am not traveling to the gym or spending money on expensive weight equipment.

     I also use body weight training when I have just a few minutes to do an exercise. One of my favorite places to train is actually at the office. I spend most of the 50 hours each week sitting in a chair staring at a computer. I love my job but know that the longer I sit here without some extra work I will blow up like a balloon. To help break up the day and give my eyes a rest I will do several exercises here in my office or somewhere in the building.

     To give myself a break from the computer screen I will take push-up and squats breaks. I decided to keep a yoga mat hanging on the back of my door. This way I will not be laying on the floor and can feel confident that I will not get overly dirty while exercising, plus I do not know or even want to know what has been on this carpeting. So I put out the yoga mat. I will crank out about 10 to 20 push-ups and 20 to 40 standing squats every hour or two. When you look at a 10 hour shift that adds up to a lot of reps. For example if I just do push-ups every two hours with 10 push-ups that comes to 50 push-ups ... and 100 squats at a minimum.

     When I want a break from the office I will walk over to the tallest building on campus and walk the stairs. I do not walk every set of stairs but I typically will start on the second floor and climb to the 12th floor. If I really wanted to I could go from the ground floor and go up to the 14th. For now I am happy doing the ones that I do since getting back into exercising after my broken foot. I am hoping to add sit-ups to my routine starting next week. 

     For me I tend to push myself but usually not to the point of getting sweaty. It usually takes much more for me to get to that point. If you are worried about a little stink my suggestion is keep and hand deodorant on hand. 

None of these exercises take a lot of time, just a few minutes here and there. The benefits of doing office exercises are the extra strength that you are building, not sitting too long which can allow for weight gain, and finally it relieves fatigue. It has become a refreshing break that my body is starting to crave during the day. Helps get the blood flowing which gives you more energy to make it through the day.

No excuses. Get up and take care of yourself. It is the only body that you will have.

     

Overcoming The Diet Failures (My observations, experiments, failures and successes)

The biggest reasons for failure in a diet is the lack of trying, the lack commitment, the lack of will power. This is an extremely difficult process and the difficulty is compounded when you are attempting this journey alone. You both then have someone to encourage you and to be there when you are at your weakest.

Now I am not claiming any scientific break through or even highly researched data. I know what I know through using logic and things that I have learned along the way.

I am not where I should be ideally. I have about 18 lbs to go before I get to the upper limits of the weight that I am striving for. I know what my target weight is but I am not focusing on that. What I am focusing on is taking it piece by piece.

The first ten pounds came off really easy the first time I tried my dieting. I simply eliminated a whole ton of sugary foods from my diet. Specifically sodas. I severely limited my consumption of candy and deserts. Anyone that knows me understands that I am a big Oreo addict. I could go though tray of Oreo's in 1 to 2 days. I simply cut that habit out cold turkey.

Do I get sugar withdrawals? Yes! I do what ever it takes to overcome the urges. Aside from the Oreo's I could pack away a minimum of two cans of sodas a day. That too, I quit cold turkey.

I manage my portion control extensively. Until I started this journey...lifestyle, I did not even consider how little food my body needed to be healthy. For the longest time I would watch calories. I figured out how many calories that I was eating and how many calories I should be eating. I took my current calories and subtracted 100 calories form that and did this calculation everyday. It was time consuming but well worth it. Now I know without calculations what I should be doing and I just do it. As you can see from the picture above, I eat what I want. The biggest thing is portion control and the weight will come off.

Now diet alone will not get me to where I want to go. I figured this out the last time I dieted. At first I just did the diet to figure out just how far I could go on diet alone. The first 18 lbs came off and then I just hovered at that weight until I ended up breaking my foot and my diet went out the window.

Now that I am back I am dieting and getting plenty of exercise. I am continuing my karate (with two of my children) which will help. But even before my accident the tow days of karate a week was not enough. Now I have incorporated push-ups and small amounts of running into my routine. I have also decided to practice my strength training from karate everyday. I am burning more calories and feeling great doing it.

Most of this journey I am taking alone, that's why I have taken to blogging this journey and other things that I feel are important. I am making my success public so that I feel that I cannot just quit or let up. In fact I gain strength and encouragement from my readers. Weather any comments are left I know that there are people reading this and hopefully are encouraged by this journey.

Have the most wonderful day and enjoy the life that you have been given.

Never Give Up!

I have come to the realization that loosing the weight like I had in the past is going to be a little more difficult. I have nearly two weeks down and am seeing very little progress, Though I am seeing progress. I just feel that there was more weight loss the first time around. This will not discourage me though. I was prepared for this situation. I have known that it is harder to loose the weight the more times that you try.

The biggest sources of weight gain for me are portions that are to large and way to many sodas. I have begun to watch the portions quit extensively. I am hoping that this will start to pay of sooner than later. I think that having a desk job is not helping burn off the calories that I am consuming even though I have cut back. What I will have to do now is bring in more exercise, though this will be somewhat more difficult.

Aside from working 50 hours a week I have taken up more activities outside of the workplace. One of my ongoing activities is that I am a full time student though Western Governors University. I am going to obtain my bachelors degree in business management. I currently have 3 terms left.

I have also recently taken up volunteering at my kids high school with the US Naval Sea Cadet Program. This is a new program at this school so we are building it to hopefully stand on its own in the near future. For now we are training under a neighboring unit. I am one of the officers/instructors in the unit. This new venture appears to be taking up more time than I first expected, but yet I did know that the adventure would be difficult and yet fun. It is definitely for a good cause...the kids.

Tomorrow I am looking forward to another test in karate. My son and I have been invited to the main dojo in Georgia to test for our next belt. We are both excited and are looking forward to testing.

With all of this said there still appears to be a lack of proper exercise in my life. Karate is good but that is only two days a week...normally. What I have to do is figure out how to squeeze in some time to do exercising around this tough schedule.

What I have started to do is while in my office I will do push-ups. I have been doing sets of 10 several times a day. This helps get the blood flowing and has increase the number of push-ups that I can do. Another thing that I have started to do is walking stairs. I have tried to limit how much I use the elevator. I have taken a preference to the stairs. I have even started making an effort to walking over to the the tallest building on campus and walking the stairs. There I have been able to walk up the stairs for 10 stories.

This all might sound impressive but I am also not doing this everyday. Some days I just get so busy that I forget or do not have time to do anything extra. My goal now is to force myself to take that time that I need for my well-being. Other things that I would like to work into my schedule are running, sit-ups and jump roping. I also am looking forward to biking again.

These are some goal and so let the journey begin. I hope that the next time I post a new entry I can have set some of these goals into practice. Oh, one last comment. I mentioned that I was drinking to much soda. Well I would like to announce that since I posted last (I believe on the 15th of February) I have completely gotten rid of all sodas from my diet. I did it once before then broke my foot. Now I am back!

Starting from Ground Zero...Again!

I was doing a great job last year of loosing weight and getting things going in the right direction. Then, I broke my foot. That was a major setback. The pounds came back on as I sat around the house not exercising and going crazy with the eating.

 For a couple of months I was eating what ever I could convince someone to bring me and usually it was not very healthy food. I knew the pounds were going back on but I really did not care. I was bore and food seemed to be the thing I could do. That combined with the lack of exercise quickly chipped away at my motivation.

But I now want to announce that I am back. I believe that I am back stronger then before. I may have back tracked on the weight but that is over. Just in the past week I have noticed that I have lost a few pounds.

I managed to have dumped my soda problem ... again. I have been without a soda (or caffeine of any kind) for the last week and a half. It feels good and I know that I will be loosing some weight just because of the lost calorie and sugar that is in the soda.The last time I quit I managed to loose about 10 pounds.

What I have added to the mix is a nightly "tea". I have made my own blend of spices and  have been drinking that nightly. My goal was to lessen or even eliminate my asthma. My exercise induced asthma kept me from running. I tried once in a while to run but life was just easier without it. I would be wheezing so hard just after a few feet that I feel the people in the next neighborhood over could hear me coming.

I believe that this tea is helping. I have been drinking it for the last couple of months and I seem to be not as worn out. In fact I was able to go out and run a week ago and managed to get myself about a half mile and a trial run. The best part was that I was not that out of breath when I finished.

The tea I came up with consists of the following ingredients.

     1/2 teaspoon - Cinnamon
     1/2 teaspoon - Turmeric
     1/2 teaspoon - Ginger
     Honey

I put the dry ingredients in the bottom of the cup. I then cover the dry ingredients with honey to fit my taste. I am considering other ingredients but still am working on the right blend. I then boil water and fill the cup.

This is what seems to be working for me. I feel that I have more energy and am ready to tackle the decade or so battle with asthma. As of today I have just under 2 weeks to prepare for a karate test. I will have to be able to run in a small room with several other individuals in it for about 20 minutes, in full karate uniform (gi) and with the heat turned up to what seems to be about 90 degrees. The whole test will take 3-4 hours. I cannot wait.

I am ready to take on the challenges and look forward to loosing weight and becoming a better me. Stick around and follow my journey. Better yet start your own journey. Let me know how and what you are doing to better yourself.

If Two or More Come in My Name, So There Am I.

     It is not my place to judge how or what you believe. It also is not my place to judge who you believe in. I look at the state of the world today and wonder if there isn't more that can be done to rectify the problems of this world. Is there something that can be done to ease the tensions that humans have between one another? Yes.

     As of now the evil in this world is winning. There is so much evil in this world that it occupies the minds of the majority of the worlds population. Hatred and self-centered ideologies are invading civilization pitting us against each other. We have chosen to fight with each other rather than accept the differences that make use unique individuals. 

     Instead of making laws that serve our self interests, or going to war over religious differences we need to come together putting all of our differences aside. We can still be who we are or who we want to be. We need to accept these differences and look at them not as a weakness but as strengths. If we were all the same life would become boring and it would become not worth living. Let us be unique individuals just as it was meant to be.

    Satan has amassed a enormous army of like brain washed drones that are attacking the very fabric of our souls. Unfortunately, he seems to be winning the battle. We can change that though. We can unite in prayer or meditation. Not as individual religions but as members of the human race. Let us put aside our differences and make a change. 

     I don't care if you believe in the bible. I don't care if you believe in Jesus as the Son of God or just the son of a carpenter. What is written makes sense when it comes to prayer (and I look at prayer also as meditation). When two or more come in my name, so there am I. What is being said it that instead of dividing we must combine or efforts and change the world through prayer. Satan is winning this battle over the mind and is combining his followers (whether they realize they are following him or not) thoughts to overpower those who have not yet been inducted into his flock. Good can and will win over evil. We may not and will not win every battle but we will win the war.

     I am currently putting together an idea of a global meditation/prayer group. I want to synchronize meditation/prayer through out the world. I want to combine the voices and thoughts in meditation/prayer to dilute the strength of evil and make this world a better place to live. I want to do this outside of the scope of any religion. I want to heal the earth and the human race. What we have been doing all along is not working, so let's try something else. Let's have faith that this will work, for if we only have faith the size of a mustard seed we can move mountains. Our mountain is the consciousness of the earth and human race. Can I count on you?   

I stand against churches and the concept of religion.

It is now time to irritate some of my readers.

     I stand against churches and the concept of religion. My faith is not based on a place of worship or a religion. I put all of my faith in God. Too many times I see people putting all of their faith in a place of worship or a religion.

    Today I see people who go to church like robots. The do it because that is the way they were brought up. There is also a blurring of the concept of church and religion. When asked, most what church they belong to they actually are referring to the religion. They forget that the church is a physical location and religion is a set of beliefs.

     I also am appalled by people who go to church, whether it be on Sunday, Wednesday or Saturday and seem to forget about God all of the other day. I find that the some of the biggest Hippocrates are those who thinks that they are the most religious. They can spew off passages in the bible and yet forget it all when they leave the church after their respective services. I find that these people are some of the biggest sinner.

     I can go into a church and ask people why they do specific things during the services and they have no idea. You can get a variety of answers from, that is just the way it is done, to some rule or law that was created by the religion. The sad part is that there may be some very valid reasons for performing certain "rituals" but they have know idea as to where it comes from. These are also the same people that will have nothing do do with you if you do not believe the same way as they do.

    Now with all of that said, Jesus sent the Apostles out into the world to build his church. He did not say go out into the world and create a religion. The church was designed so that people of a single faith can go for support and fellowship. Not to be bombarded with rules and religion. Church also was not meant to be some building that you go to once or twice a week. A church is any location where two or more people who share the same faith (such as Christianity) get together for fellowship and support.

    I do not belong to a church as defined by man. I am familiar with many churches. I have been Catholic, Baptist, and Pentecostal. Not just in one church but in several. The unfortunate part is that no matter how much they say that they are different from all of the other churches the more similar they really are. I am open however to church as defined by God.

    I do not have religion. I have faith. I have faith in God. I have faith in his son Jesus Christ. I have faith in the Holy Spirit. Because of my faith, I have faith in my salvation. So with all of that said, I do not place my faith in the institution of church or a religion. I believe in the God the Father, Jesus his Son, and the Holy Spirit. I need nothing else.

  

Forgiveness

"Father, Forgive them for they know not what they do".

These are the words that were spoken by Jesus while he hung from the cross.

He was asking God to forgive the thieves that hung on either side of him.

He was asking God to forgive those who put him on that cross.

He was asking God to forgive all of humanity, for they know not what they do.

Jesus, whether you think that he was the son of God, a prophet, or just a simple carpenters son, used his last breaths to ask God to forgive us.

I believe that we should do the same. 

Not when death is knocking at our door, but NOW!

NOW is the time,

for we know not when time will run out for us.

We do not know what the

years

months

days

hours

minutes

and seconds

hold for us.

Now is the time to forgive

our brothers, sisters,

and

our enemies.

Now is the time to ask 

our brothers, sisters

and

enemies 

to forgive us for our

sins.

I am a simple man and do not ask for much.

What I do ask for is that all of humanity forgives one another,

forgive your enemies,

forgive fathers and mothers,

forgive husbands and wives,

forgive your sons and daughters,

and

forgive me.

For this world that we live in is a cruel place and Satan has created his evil lair among us.

     Many times it might feel that you keep falling flat on your face. No matter how much effort you are putting into the task at hand you never move forward and sometimes move backward. This can be extremely discouraging. Hanging up your hat and giving up appears to be the only option.
     At these times is when you should step back and evaluate what you have really accomplished. By taking this serious look at yourself you can realize that you really are moving forward. It is just in the hectic day to day frustrations that you become blinded to the positive accomplishments.
     I see this in myself. Why am I doing the same thing day in and day out? Why is it that when I am trying my hardest that I seem to get no where. That is when I have to step back and see my own positive accomplishments. This is how I have come to view many things in life and how I am able to keep such a positive outlook. It is at these times that I fall back on to my martial arts training.
   By the average on looker a kata can appear to be this boring set of moves that are repeated over and over. Even to those who are practicing the kata have a tendency to get bore. Those are the ones that quit and move on to the next challenge that stimulates their imagination. What practicing the slow methodical movements inn the kata are doing is ingraining it into the mind. It is making the body remember the moves automatically so that eventually you master the techniques. Being a master of techniques means that now you are able to perform faster, with more accuracy and with more power. Why? Because you are not thinking but reacting.
     So you want to start exercising but just cannot seem to motivate yourself off the "couch" and down to the gym. Well, there are plenty of things that you can do to start moving yourself that direction. Start out by going out for walks. Sooner or later those walks turn into jogs, which turn into running. Or, start out with getting down on the floor and doing sit-up (or push-ups). Even if it is only one sit-up, do it. Come back tomorrow and do another one, and another one the next day. Until finally that one turns into two, which turns into three and eventually it will turn into 50, 100, 500, 1000 or more. It all starts with one.
    Now some will ask how I get off giving this advice. I can be lazy right along with the best of them, but I have been making changes. I did take about 1 1/2 years off of training and I am back. Taking slow steps but I am back. I now am up to doing 4 sets of 10 push-ups most evenings and about 100 sit-ups in the evenings. I also look forward to more to come. Now I am a very experienced excuse maker. With each passing day I am becoming more proficient with my exercises and like what I am seeing. I am also looking forward to the time that I can run farther than a 1/4 mil before my asthma kicks my butt.
     I hope that this journey that I am reclaiming as my own can be an inspiration to others. Hope that you too will make that commitment to accomplishing your own goals, on matter what those goals might be. Take charge of yourself and change you for the better.

Well the move is over. We moved from our house in Wisconsin to an apartment in Tennessee. After a few months in the apartment we were fortunate enough to be able to buy a house. Now that we are fairly settles here it is time to get back here and take care of things that have been neglected for way too long.

Lately, my goals and ambitions have been significantly increasing. On the down side my motivation has been holding steady and even decreasing a little. NOW is the time to change that again. NOW is the time to take a control of the future and shape it into something that I want, not something that it wants.

It is so easy to fall in the trap of keeping on with the same things, day in and day out. There are so many distractions out there that just get in the way, that zap the energy out of a person. Distractions that give a false feeling of happiness and comfort. In all reality nothing will change with out action.

For me my biggest vice is Netflix. In our family we have decided not to buy regular T.V. and just use Netflix for our entertainment. Unfortunately it is easy to get sucked into this trap, this addicting need to for visual stimulation. What is it really doing? Zapping our drive to and giving the false sense of comfort and happiness.

I will be keeping on with the Netflix, it is a good, cheap source of movies and other entertainment for the family. What I will be doing is limiting my exposure to its contents so that I can make something of this life that I am living. I need to get back to the basics taking care of my spiritual health, my physical health, creating a healthier family structure and building a healthier financial outlook.

I have vowed to start working out again. This included not only exercise but eating healthier and learning the most I can about healthy lifestyles. I am also in the process of registering for classes, which will allow for the advancement in the workplace.

I am very excited about this and am looking forward to self improvement. Taking the readers of this blog will definitely be something I am looking forward to. If this journey can help change the outlook for just one person then it is well worth it.

Liking what I see.

     Liking what I see. For a short while I struggled staying on top of my healthy lifestyle. I would like to say that I have returned. Hopefully for the best. I have been continuing to look for new things to do with my exercise, new things to eat, and new ways to have my garden. I am getting there. The most important thing to remember is that if you do stumble it is not the end of the world. When you realize that you are not on the right path just pull yourself up and keep going.  If you 

Exercise and Martial Arts

     I hope that I have hit upon a great exercise for hand strengthening. Three weeks ago I started using 8 lb. medicine balls to help strengthen my hands. I have come up with some exercises that seem to work.

     Using the medicine balls I do a combination of the following exercises.

• Punches - middle punch aiming at the sternum area of the body.  
• Blocks - these are taken from karate, I mostly am doing upper blocks but have done middle and lower blocks.
• Kata (patterned movements) - I use some of the kata that I have learned most notably Kihon Kata Ichi . This one has a combination of easy to do punches and blocks.

Typically these techniques take less then ten minutes and as of right now my arms really feel the effects, to the point of barely being able to hang on to the medicine balls. I perform these exercises virtually everyday (with few exceptions). The exercise is not really designed for bulk but rather toning the arms. 

     I am adding a hand strength chart to my favorite likes to the right side of this posting. Every Friday I do test to determine my grip strength.  I do three tests and take the average of the tests and that is what my grip strength is.

Cooking and Eating Healthy

     Wow this week has been the week for new beginnings. Even though I love the taste of nice prepackaged yogurts that you can buy at the store I have decided to take a different path. I grew up on a home made yogurt that would traditionally come from Finland. My dad has long since lost that culture and cannot find any more. What he has been doing is making yogurt from buttermilk. I decided to take on this venture myself. I found that it was rather easy. I have mad two batches this week and love it.

     Making this yogurt is simple and any one can do it. You only need three "ingredients" 

1. Milk  (scald the milk up to 185 degrees then cool to 90-100 degrees)
2. Buttermilk
3. warmth

     I have been making mine in large quantities because I have a fair amount every morning for breakfast. I pour about 3 cups into a 5 qt. glass mixing bowl. Add about 1/4 cup of buttermilk. Mix together. I cover the bowl with a lid, though a plate would work fine too. Now I want to put it in a warm place, but not hot. The bacteria that creates the yogurt does well in a temperature between 90 - 100 degrees. I turn on the oven light, not the oven itself. I find that by having on the light only provides just the right amount of warmth. Let the yogurt sit in the oven overnight and in the morning you have yogurt. Take it out of the oven and eat it warm or chill it for a cool meal.

     You can also add sweeteners and fruit to it. I like to do 1/2 cup of oatmeal (raw), 1/2 cup of chia (pre-soaked), and yogurt. When I have fruit around I also enjoy adding things like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and even bananas. Use you imagination. I would like to caution  you when using honey as a sweetener. It works well and really adds to the flavor. Whatever you do do not put honey in until you are ready to eat it. Honey is a natural anti-bacterial substance. Put it in too early and the honey actually starts to destroy the bacteria that was used to create the yogurt. I did this once and I only had liquid with no thickness.

     When you make this yogurt to do not have to follow these exact quantities in the above recipe. You will get use to working without the need to measure as time goes on. For smaller quantities just use a 1 qt canning jar with a lid. Add milk, then add two tablespoons of buttermilk.  

     I also forgot to mention that when you want to make more just take a couple of spoonfuls of yogurt and add it to another jar of milk and heat. It will keep itself going providing you do not let it get too old.

Gardening

     I cannot say that gardening has been on the top of my mind lately. I have been over-run buy my spinach and kale. I hope to be taming it tomorrow.

     I will also be dropping in a few tomato plants and other seeds this coming weekend. Yes I have a little late start on some of my plants but I will recover.

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ABOUT ME

PAUL WERTANEN

I am a martial artist. I am striving to become the best at what I do. I am planning to take training to a extreme level and hope all will join in my adventure.

VIEW MY COMPLETE PROFILE

It has been a long two weeks since I posted last.

     Welcome back to my page. It has been a  long two weeks since I posted last. That is very unfortunate. In my mind I have concocted several excuses why I have not written for awhile. The reality is that I need to confront the excuses and just say that I have been lazy lately. Wanting to write but lacking the motivation to do so. Worst yet, I have fallen off the wagon with my diet. I think that is what is dragging me down lately. When you let this snowball to get too big is makes recovery difficult and seeming nearly impossible. What I need to do is take this horse by the reigns and get back on the track to success.
     Enough dwelling on the past. I cannot change the past but I can decide to take other paths in my future. There have been positives lately and I just want to highlight just a few seeing that this posting is not going to follow my normal pattern.
     My garden decided to get away from me and is producing kale and spinach faster than I can keep up with. I am looking forward to freezing some this weekend for consumption during the non growing season. Broccoli and cauliflower are making a great comeback and looks like they could provide a plentiful crop. Now to get the rest of the garden growing that good.
     I am also in the process of building a aquaponics system that could allow me to grow several vegetables even in the heart of the Wisconsin winter. More information will follow concerning this within a week or two.
     My exercise is one thing that has remained solid. I have been getting up at 4:00 A.M. and hitting the gym at work. I have been putting in a great hour of exercise every morning. I have seen much improvement. Morning time seems to be the best motivation time for me, since I am a big time morning person. I also took and passed my advancement test for martial arts. I am now right at the halfway mark to becoming a black belt in karate.
     One of the most difficult things that I have had to deal with these last couple of weeks is my diet. More junk in then I really want. I have not made bread lately and the other eating in my opinion has been terrible. This coming week however is the week to reinvent my diet. Not only getting it back on track but my goal is to step it up to the next level. I will get back to baking my bread, but I also have been learning how to make my own yogurt. I am really excited about this.
     This is just a brief message about where I have been lately. Not good but am making the transition back and look to be better then ever. Have a great day and I will see you all soon.




Exercise and Martial Arts




Cooking and Eating Healthy



Gardening

This seems to be a much better pace for me

     This seems to be a much better pace for me. I have sometime to think about what I want to write instead of just  spewing words from my brain hoping that they come out right. Hope everyone that is reading enjoys and learns something from what I am writing,

Exercise and Martial Arts


     Last Friday evening I managed to injure my right leg. I guess that is what comes with the practice of karate. I got smacked with the heel of my opponent just above the knee. Swelling set in fairly quickly and my leg was very sore. Unfortunately I did not listen to the pain in my leg and immediately, Saturday morning managed to get in most of a lower body workout. The problem lies in the fact that my muscles were not performing the way that they should and I really tweaked something in my knee. Still as of today my leg is quite sore and is just finally becoming comfortable to walk on all day. Though I cannot sit for very long because my leg will stiffen up sum and get very restless.
     As of Monday I have suspended my leg exercises with the exception of biking. This low impact exercise has been working well for me. I also have not taken any time off from karate, though I am taking it easy with the kicks and other hard impact techniques. I will not let myself miss this testing day to slip by me. I missed last month and am really wanting to get this test out of the way. Then I figure I have until this fall or winter before I test again.
     My upper body training is progressing very nicely however. I have increased some of my weights and am doing great. I am excited to see the progress that I am making. I will be adding one other exercise to my list. However it will not be one that I can track on the workout log, though I might be able to post results on the log.
     One of the goals that I have set for myself is to increase my hand strength. Early last month I purchase two 8  lb. medicine balls. I will be using them while performing my karate moves. Not only will this strengthen my arms and upper body, it should also be a great way to increase my hand strength. With persistent work I believe that I will see a significant increase in the strength of my grip.

Cooking and Eating Healthy


     It is always good to smell fresh baked bread. In this house I am managing to be known for my bread making skills. I am managing to bake two loaves every 2 to 3 days. We eat a lot of bread. My latest creation is a whole wheat honey bread. This is not a difficult recipe in fact I get my recipe from the Better Homes and Garden New Cook Book. It is a very simple recipe and I would encourage everyone to try their hand at making some bread.
     There are many ways to prepare the bread. Some people use automatic bread makers which I suppose is great for those in a real big hurry. Others are a little more traditional but they do use a electric mixer to mix the ingredients and to kneed the dough. I choose to prepare my dough with a wooden spoon and my hands. I find that I have better results by doing it this way.

     By doing it by hand allows my to make adjustments to how I am preparing the dough because I know how it should feel. I can notice things like wetness or dryness and its elasticity. These things cannot be accurately measured when done by a mixer. Also, I have noticed that when letting the bread rise I get better results. I find that dough prepared by hand rises better and has a better texture when baked.


Gardening

Cauliflower foreground, broccoli background.

Kale, rabbit chewed but making a come back.

Spinach, loved by rabbits too, but coming back 

Current whole garden, changes coming.

     As promised, pictures of this years garden. I managed to get a real early start on my garden this year. Planted what is pictured above on the last Sunday of winter. Yes, it managed to survive the frosts that we had after they started growing. That was due to some old windows I had in the shed that I laid over the beds. Glad I covered them.

     One of the biggest issues this year have been the many rabbits that have invaded my garden. Almost everything shown above is chewed off by rabbits. I asked people what humane method could be used to keep the rabbits out of my garden, and the answer that I got was, ask Aarica Ann from www.Myediblegardens.com. Low and behold Aarica Ann responded with a very simple answer, blood meal. I had never heard of this and was really interested in trying it out. 

     What makes blood meal so appealing is that the smell keeps rabbits out of the garden. Fortunately my nose does not work so well and it does not keep me out of the garden. Secondly, the blood meal has a high nitrogen content and makes a great fertilizer. I put this stuff on the garden last Tuesday and I have not even seen a rabbit since. Just in the last few days I have noticed that my kale is getting new leaves and so is my spinach. Blood meal, check it out and have a great week.