Christmas Eve thoughts and ideas

  So, it is Christmas Eve. It certainly does not feel like it, since there is no snow or even cold weather to make me want to curl up at home. I pretty much don't do the holidays anymore, ever since my parents split many years ago. It just doesn't feel like a cheery and fun time. Instead, it becomes a time of reflection and thinking of the new year. And, dare I say, goal-setting. Here are a few things I intend to accomplish or, at least, work towards.
  I heart track and field. Really, seriously. It was the first sport I participated in in my youth, when in grade school, I ran with a group that trained for a 5K. It was so fun and didn't feel like work, just exercise with friends. It was something that I, and only I, was accountable for; win or lose, good time or bad time, it was no one's fault but mine. And I have really reverted to that some 30 years later. This is a time in my life where I desire to challenge myself again in that way. Such great memories of running with my mom, bless her. Running in a big road race at age 10 was pretty cool, and running a 5:07 mile at age 11 was even neater. Geez, just said neat. Wow.
  Anyway, my goal last summer was to run in some open all-comers track meets. You know, the kind where you show up and pay a few bucks to run in a weekly format. Very grassroots. Unfortunatley, my body was just not ready, between the Achilles and heel issues and just being too heavy. Well, now the issues are almost resolved and I have dropped 45 pounds since the spring. My body feels amazing, and the biggest help has been eliminating wheat and dairy products. These caused immense joint inflammation that stopped me in my tracks. Who knew such a simple change would elicit a huge lifestyle shift??
  These days it's running, sprinting, excelling that I think of. It doesn't matter if I finish last, ever. What matters is that I saw my goals to the end, and did the best of my ability to get there. Part of getting older is realizing your limitations and your mortality. Will I be an Olympian? Never. Will I run a sub 50 second 400? Nope. Will I contract a fatal disease? Sure, that's possible. There are so many things out of my control, yet there are so many that are in my control as well. Can I make more money? Yes. Can I take care of my body and perform to my utmost? Absolutely. Getting older equals more realization and more clarity, and with those comes a deeper satisfaction with my overall outlook.
  The USATF Masters meet is in July in Kansas, of all places. That will be slightly hot. If I get there, great. If not, great too. Either way, it's realizing the journey begins with a single step. That step has already begun...

Bah Humbug, Part 1

  Greetings. I really have no idea what bah humbug means, but it sounds dirty, like ghoulash or Kardashian. There is always somebody who isn't in the holiday mood or does not care for the festivities. That guy is me. Seriously, since when did Christmas translate to 'I want an iPad and an XBox'? I refuse to subscribe to that shallow thinking, and rather use this time to reflect on the good fortune in my life, no matter how miniscule. Plus, it was this exact time my mom passed three years ago, so being god damn festive and jolly ain't happening...
  So, because I'm such a sentimental son of a bitch, here is my list of things that generally irritate, annoy or bug the crap out of me. Enjoy.
  1. Not bringing a water bottle to the gym. Really, dicknose? You are roughly 3/4 water and waste so much time waddling your ass to the water fountain. So when I am filling my gallon jug and you have to wait, realize that I am actually making you wait on purpose.
  2. Benching and curling. This is especially rampant here in the military, because we all know how much ya bench totally translates to job performance. And the gun show usually resembles a pop gun circus. Guys, there are hardly any girls up here. Stop trying to impress your buddies and drop the ego.
  3. My beloved New York Giants. Once again, these knuckleheads are threatening to not make the playoffs. This stresses me out. I don't need it, Eli.
  4. There's a chick at another gym who wears a circa-1982 terrycloth track suit and talks on her cell non-stop while on the treadmill. I don't like this bitch.
  5. The constant mundane Facebook updates. No one cares that you just made dinner, or have a headache, or how generally awesome you are. It looks snarky and shallow. Stop.
  6. That my head can not grow hair yet my ears seem to be sprouting like a fucking Chia pet. This a bullshit tradeoff.
  7. And, while I'm at it, there seems to be more back hair fuzz. Not cool, man.
  8. That 'Almost Live' is not on anymore. I didn't live here in the late '80's/early '90's, but the reruns are still very, very funny and did a great job of capturing an exciting era. Bring it back!
  9. That every Mariner fan keeps holding on to that glorious 1995 ALDS victory over the Yankees. Take note: when your teams' shining memory was 17 years ago, you might want to find something slightly more recent to remember.
 10. Rubbernecking. Yes, there was an accident. Yes, someone may be hurt. No, we don't need to fucking stop and look at it. I am a very important man and I have shit to do. Move your ass. Thanks.
  Ok, enough of my complaining. I will think of more later. Now go have some eggnog.

How I screwed myself, Part 2

  Hi again. So, to recap, I was 238, bald and marshmallow-y. Ok, good, now that is cleared up. But let's digress. Just how did I get into this weightlifting racket? Ah, it was the typical scenario of dad having some weights laying around and junior suddenly grows some biceps. That is exactly what happened though.
  It was 1984. I had a bitchin' head of brown hair, wore parachute pants that were WHITE (that takes balls), was obsessed with Ratt and basketball and had already gotten through the zit stage. Early bloomer, what can I say? So, in the garage there are some of those old plastic weights. You know the kind, from Sears. Filled with sand and cheap looking and leak a slow death when the sand finds an exit. Yep, I decided to do some bicep curls and a few months later noticed that my jumpshot didn't require me to jump. My arms were strong enough that it altered my hoop game. Hmm, there's something to this, I thought...
   You know what comes next; following the workouts directly from the magazines. Oh yes, the path to awesomeville was at my fingertips. Just turn the pages and you too shall be transformed into a modern day Charles Atlas. My body did change but in typical Boon fashion my initial burst of muscle growth occurred during cross country season. Yep, yours truly was the team captain! Still, I gained 10 pounds during the season, which probably didn't help me secure a college scholarship to run, as I had a talk with the Montana State coach. He decided that my times were a tad too slow. Damn you, muscle.
  After graduation we moved back to Alabama from Miami and I fell back in with a few old friends. They were both about to play college football so I tagged along to the gym. My first time squatting ended up with me looking up, falling forward and crunching my finger between the bar and the cage. Dandy. But, the body responded and over the next few months I put on 30 pounds. Not unheard of when you're 18.
  Fast forward a few years. Lifting heavy, growing, not sure what is working or why but it is so who cares and I don't need a day off because I'm feeling awesome and this music is so badass that I want to do more sets. You know, full of piss and vinegar and bravado. I get offered some synthetic testosterone, 25 tabs. Hmm, is this ok? I actually have morals and debated over this, since I lived with mom and dad and knew that any sudden growth, zits, rage or sticky towels would kinda give it away. Screw it, let's do it. So it was did and boy, was it done good. 30 pounds in 8 weeks, plus 7 more after the last tab was taken. They didn't call me the Water Buffalo for no reason, son. I earned that. Good lord, that was awesome!! I can't fucking breathe or tie my shoes but who cares? I'm big and strong! This was 1994. It has taken me until the past few months to take all that weight off...
  I was so meticulous with the tabs that with the precision of a surgeon I butterknifed the pills into quarters. Knew enough to start with a quarter pill and work up to a full. This was spread over the seven weeks and I must say in that regard I got it right. Even the pill dust was accounted for. Like a drug dealer cutting his cocaine, nothing was wasted. I wrote and charted when and how much to take. It was for growth, for crying out loud! 25 tabs changed my life, for better or worse. I still can't decide. But this is what my calling was; to lift and be big and damn it, I did it pretty well. Some of my best weights over the years, you ask? Sure. Squatted 455x8 with no wraps, leg pressed 1300x8, military pressed 275 for reps, hack squatted 675 for a dozen, and so on.
   And now I couldn't care less. As we get older we realize that life isn't about how much we can impress everyone else, it's about being healthy and impressing just ourself. My competition now comes from within only. Have not been under the bar only a few times in the past few years for some light front squats, have not benched in well over a year, hardly do any direct arm work. Guess what? Look and feel a ton better. It stems from being happy with me as a person first. Before it was about impressing others; now it's not in the conversation. I don't care how much you bench, bro. But, are you a good friend, husband or son? Do you help others and act respectful? Do you say please and thank you? That goes much further. And I get it.
  Maybe i didn't screw myself so bad...

How I screwed myself, Part 1

  One huge issue that most of us deal with is low back pain. In fact, it can be said that the lumbar region is the most-often injured part of the body. When someone tells me they have pain there, it is called 'presenting', as in, my back hurts in this area, what can you tell me? A super basic rule of thumb is to remember that almost all pain or discomfort issues derive from an area above or below said area. That means, when your back locked up while tying your shoe, it wasn't the laces that caused the problem; it was years of bad mechanics that decided to protest at this very moment!
  An easy way to understand the situation is to think of the vertebra as smooth rocks stacked upon one another. These are special rocks though, because between each one is a tasty jelly-filled donut! Awesomesauce!! These donuts are there to keep the rocks from rubbing on each other. But if you are one of those who always round their back while sitting and think that doing crunches for the abzzz is the way to  mistaken!
  We are given a certain amount of crunches, or how many times we can flex the spine, before something gives. That something is a one-way ticket to Fatsotown when you can't do anything but lay on the couch and eat Ring Dings. When you have chronic back pain a few things are happening; your abdominal wall is weakened and therefore you look kinda fat (fluffy is more PC though) and your glutes are ,without a doubt, not firing properly. I have suffered from both. Not a sexy look, promise.
  It can be said that we suffer from anterior tilt in this situation. In fact, the majority of us do. I was able to squat 455x8, and regularly (and easily) crushed 315-365 for 8 to 12 reps. While my confidence, and ego to a degree, soared, my body started to protest. Constant back pain and overall fatigue had me evaluating just what the hell I was doing.
  With age comes wisdom. And like the next guy, I thought I was invincible and would lift big weights forever. Wrong. My mindset changed, mainly because my wonderful late mother one time asked me, if lifting those heavy weights are so enjoyable, then why do you always tell me how sore and tired you are? Voila. That was a huge moment, and something that stuck in my head for many years. Us guys lift heavy weights to be attractive to the ladiezzz, so let's just state the obvious. While we may also do it for a release or for a sport, it's really all about the sexification so we can hook up. But as the saying goes, if you do what you've always done you will always get what you've gotten. That means, if you look like you're lugging a sack of potatoes around your waist or walk like an hunchback maybe it's time to rethink yourself.
  Sooooo...I did just that. After years of just trying to get over the mental macho bullshit, I decided that it was smarter in the long run to feel not as sore and tired. Plus, tying my shoes didn't need to involve me holding my breath because of my muffin top. Is that one word or two? Anyone? I decided that it was quality over quantity. No more heavy squats that threatened to fold me like a ladder, no more potential spine-snapping deadlifts, and no more 1000 pound leg presses. And PS, mine weren't the quarter rep crap, but rather the deep, I-hope-I-can-push-this-heavy-shit-off-me variety. Just sayin'...
  My heaviest weight was 238 and boy, did I look like a bald marshmallow. Strong as all get out but unflexible and in constant back pain. The pictures from just three years ago told me all I needed to see; a typical wannabe bodybuilder who obviously had mastered the offseason diet. Tight cutoff t-shirt for showing the gunzz? Check. Water jug so I could hydrate my already waterlogged fat ass? Yes. Pound of fatty beef with three large potatoes,topped with mayo, ketchup and mustard? Sure. Daily.
  When you are ego-driven you are essentially asking for societal acceptance, whether it's by dressing in the latest fashions, going to the hippest clubs or lifting heavy weights and looking sloppy. There are diffrences in those three examples, sure, yet they mean the same to me: being unhappy. Pushing or pulling more weight than the next guy may fluff my feathers, but only for a minute. The end result is, how do I look and feel about me?
  Tell you more later...
 

Today's agenda

  So i am sitting here with a cold and your basic head congestion. Sunday was spent pretty much doing manly stuff like coughing, sniffling, watching football and eating chocolate. It was definetly a day where I had no desire to do much moving, but was convinced by my girlfriend that moving, i.e doing sprints ,would help loosen things up. So, since it had been two weeks since I had been able to run becuase of a recurring heel issue and this was the day I had marked to give it a trial run, I said what the heck.
  Now before I go on, let it be known that my tolerance for being ill is pretty low. It annoys me to no end basically. I pretty much will give it one day and then I expect it to be gone, whether it's a cold or typhoid fever or leukemia, just get the hell out of me. So my method has always been to approach illness like a 1941 Japanese Kamikaze pilot; just take everything available and overload my system. It's the kill-or-be-killed mentality. At this point it's a matter of blitzing the body with any and everything, so this time it was a Dayquil  chug on the hour, coffee to be a bronchodilator, throat lozenges, Ibuprofren and some sinus meds. In my younger days I used to throw down a few shots of whiskey, but let's not go there.
  Feel much better today. Energy is better, legs not so weak, mental clarity much clearer, sinuses not so snotty. So how about training today? I am scheduled to do lower body so this will be interesting. Since I don't load my back via back squatting it's safe to assume that I won't get stapled at any point. Does anyone remember the old Saturday morning '70's cartoons? There was that one guy who had a 'hankering for a hunka, a pice a, slice, a chunka, I got a hankering for a hunk of cheese' and he had such wobbly legs. That's me when I'm sick. Without the cheese cravings.
  So the smartest idea today will be to focus more on flexibility and form. Normally now in my old age ( 42 next month) my main concern is hamstrings and glutes. By the way, I call glutes 'cupcakes'. This is because I want a butt so tight that all the ladiezzzz will want to cup my cakes. Now you know.
  What do I normally do for leg work? It's sumo kettlebell squats with a wide stance, goblet squats, a lateral lunge or squat, suitcase dumbell pulls and lots of calf stretching. Very basic but works for me. I have been blessed to have leg size and fullness ( thanks, mom) so the aformentioned and some plyometrics works for me. Since breathing could be an issue today, I will most likely not do any supersets. I do, however, love my pushups and will throw some of those in the mix today.
  A pretty rambling and pointless post I know. Blame it on the Dayquil.
 

Patience

While I am trying to basically teach myself how to effectively research and put it all together in a simple yet informative way, I figure it would be wise to still post. Post what? Tonight it is basic life stuff. Thought patience was a great place to start. Patience. Waiting. Reflective. Tonight it reminds me of a person I recently met. And when we think we are feeling a connection or are smitten, we seem to forget patience. Maybe it's the human race today, as we want everything now. But it doesn't work that way with emotions and feelings. You meet, you have an amazing time, you go home. and when you reach home, your mind goes in many directions. You analyze everything; did I say the right thing, did I open the door, did I ask the right questions? We want to know what the other person is thinking, deciding, at that very moment as well at their house, in their room, laying in their bed. Was the time spent as enjoyable for them as well? Did they laugh at your humor? Did they seem comfortable? Did we make enough eye contact? It is enough to cause an enormous amount of stress, of self doubt. I have to remind myself that no one wants or needs to be forced into a quick decision. Not that I would ever do that anyway, but we need to practice that word again - patience. What we want or seek should not come to you immediately. There should be a waiting process, no matter how seemingly torturous. Time is needed to absorb and decipher, to comprehend and understand. And while we may want an answer quickly, it is illogical in this sense. One meeting can not realistically determine if two should be together. I find that letting someone know I am interested, in a subtle and quick way, should be followed by giving her space. Being a genuine and sincere gentleman on a date resonates clearly to a woman, and I find it respectful to then allow some space and time for her to decipher and comprehend. If she decides to move on, then I find comfort in knowing that I showed her exactly the real person I am. Stay true to self, always... Time will tell. Patience...

Learning to Focus

Learning to focus is a slightly ironic title, if you think about it. Here I am talking about focus, yet it is I who is unable to put out two posts within the same week. I am ok with that, as it just was not my time to focus on writings. But this will now change. And here's why. I am admittedly one of those you may refer to as scatterbrained. That means that I readily admit my inability to maintain focus that is required to totally dominate and conquer a subject. Instead I find my brain bouncing from one though to another, only to not return to the initial thought or idea for a few days or weeks. That is a huge downfall and something that needs to be addressed. You would think that at my age of 41 this would not be an issue. Lately I have been trying to figure out when this actually started. I do recall in my youth in Virginia that I was a good student but could have done better. I was a good athlete, but could have done better. I cleaned my room but it could have been better. Hmmm, a pattern. I seemingly was satisfied with average, or doing juuuust enough. Maybe I didn't know better at the time. My college career was divided into sections essentially. I went for a few years, didn't really focus and failed out. I clearly recall getting a letter saying that I had achieved senior status, then two days later another letter telling me that my GPA was too low and to hit the bricks. A few years later was a return to school, this time at the University of Montana. One year, a big student loan and a lure of a job that didn't pan out. Even when I returned, and finished, at Eastern Washington my efforts were at times average. But my GPA upon entering was a pitiful 1.9 and at graduation it was 3.3. This time I did it for myself and my mom, who had passed at Christmas 2009. At least this time I didn't totally fall into my old habits. Like most kids, I was involved in a variety of sports. Football, basketball, baseball, then later in high school it was track and cross country. Was I good? yes, but only good. It was the old 'jack-of-all-trades, a-master-of-none' scenario. Could I have played football at a small college? Yes. Baseball? Probably. Running? Yes, in fact, I had an offer from Montana State but my times were just slightly too slow for what they wanted. Looking back, it's a shame that my inability to focus resulted in, well, getting nothing. I had all the ability to actually get somewhere athletically, but did not have or was not given, the push to excel at one thing. And maybe as a kid that's ok. With all the talk of parents' who push their kids into one sport as a way to either become a future meal ticket or to make up for their own insecurities and failures in their own childhood (or maybe both), maybe my parents just decided to let me figure out what I liked. And my apparent decision was to like a little of everything but not be great at anything. Which has led me to my decision to basically make a decision! I want and need to get more into my new career with the military. I'm a fitness specialist, so that means teaching spin and TRX classes,and training officers, soldiers and dependents. It's similar yet different from a commercial gym setting, mainly in that there are lots of big guns and also that we don't have the pressure of selling training. We are there to serve and it's a cool environment. So the focus shall now be on work and development, my own training, and research and writing. Writing was my first love and something I actually knew I was good at. I now want and need to validate my existence; without validation, then what is my purpose? There is a need to prove to myself that I can be great at something. I will aim at reading my butt off, learning a ton and simplifying it in a fun way for you. Then we both win.So here goes..

For Real This Time!

This has been a long time coming! Sorry for the wait. Since the last post in July obviously life happened. I had mentioned stsrting a wellness clinic with a chiropractor. That did not happen. Seems that they did not or could not get their ideas and focus together so it never happened. While it was quite annoying there is always a silver cloud behind every storm. Following a few months of hell called unemployment I was blessed with not one but two opportunities. I began work at a physical therapy clinic and of course my Irish luck kicked in, so another opportunity arose. While that awkward time came to leave the clinic, I knew it was destined that the military would come calling. How this occurred was pure chance, as I happened to see a listing on craigslist, of all places. The reason for this was to widen the net for candidates. I absolutely still believe that my mom made this happen; sure she was looking down and put this opportunity directly in my lap. It has been almost 8 months now and it has humbled me to realize that there is so much to learn still. While we think of training as what we do, there are many more aspects that must be equally addressed, from maintenance to computer to monetary. I am thoroughly enjoying learning how each contributes to the overall success of the gym, soldiers and officers, plus dependants. Anyway, the clinic did not work out. Moving on, I had mentioned the value of chiropractic. While it may not be for everyone, we have to realize that there is nothing that suits everyone. Except water, food and air. Then it's a crapshoot. I firmly believe that the muscles react to what the skeleton is doing, or presents. An example is my right hip; after playing soccer for many years, my right hip is tighter in the iliopsoas and results in some discomfort. While the explosive repetitive muscular contractions led to the imbalance, I still think the pelvis in it's inability to return to a balanced position is causing the muscles to remain tightened. Is it the chicken or the egg; both definetly contribute. The trick is if you get regular chiropractic to then immediately stretch. I firmly believe this maximizes the benefits of the chiro work. And since it ain't cheap you might as well do it right. The foam roller is a huge too these days that seemingly everyone uses. I use mine, though not as much as needed. If you have access to one, just experiment with it. It doesn't take some sort of certification or degree to use, just roll around on the damn thing and enjoy the discomfort! I also find using a lacrosse ball or soft-core baseball useful to really dig in those hard-to-reach spots. I call this 'pin and pull'. My main trigger points are the aforementioned iliopsoas, the scapula and the feet. Yes, the bottom of the feet are an underrated area. With ankle issues, it's imperative that my arches are not loose or dropped. By that I mean that what I refer to as the 'buckles' ( the inferior extensor retinaculum) are doing their job by basically preventing your arches from falling. As a returning sprinter (more on that later) I am finding that my feet, along with the Achilles, really feel the effects of sprinting and require constant stretching and rolling. The standard procedure for rolling is about 10 passes per bodypart. The most uncomfortable area? Undoubtedly, the iliotibial band. But, is it necessary to roll this area? I will follow up...