ICanDoThis

Saw the doctor today. He took X-Rays and confirmed what I suspected - arthritis in my hip. Damn! That means it's going to stay with me until The Big Guy takes me upstairs. The good news is the best way to deal with it is to exercise! Yes! I still get to have fun doing what I like. I can't imagine not being able to be physically active. Going in I thought I might also have a spine issue and fortunately all the vertebrae are a-ok. Everything else was fine. So how do I handle it from here? First, stay vegan. Not that I ever had any intent of going back to meat-eating. But a vegan diet keeps your acid / alkaline balance in check. Meat, processed food and the standard American diet in general cause the body to be more acidic. That's how we leave ourselves open to diseases and ailments. Viruses and cancer tend to prefer acidic environments. An alkaline body resists all those. Key word resists. I'm not qualified to say prevents. You can look that up yourself. I think Bredan Brazier may have covered it in his Thrive series. I'm not sure if it's in The China Study or not. One more thing. The doctor is doing the usual EKG heart monitor, blood pressure, breathing thing and says, "Seems like a 25 year old in there." I'm 46. Oh Yeah! Alright what's next? Move cast iron. Pick things up & put them down. Life is good!

The truth hurts. I could feel the effects of my sporadic workouts from the middle of November through two weeks ago. One or two workouts a week just doesn't cut it. Or build it. So I get on the scale and weigh in at 154.2 with 16% body fat. Last year at this time I was 155 lbs at 15%. The lowest I've been in recent memory is 13% and I've been hovering around 14% -15% for a few years. 16?! Weight and percent should be going in opposite directions. I'm 5' 11" in case you're wondering. Really I'd like to be at 160 and 12%. jbrickzin recommended an online nutrition tracker: http://www.livestrong.com/man/ and I think that's a great idea so I'm going to setup an account for myself. That being said, I did have a nice cardio session today. It goes like this: Using a 1 pood / 16kg / 35 lb kettlebell do 3 circuits of 20 reps each hand of the following and rest 20 seconds (I start to need 30) between sets: 1. Swings 2. Clean & Press 3. Snatches 4. One arm overhead lunges (the KB is in the opposite hand of the forward leg) 5. High pulls 6. Suitecase deadlifts - I use a 1.5 / 24 kg / 53 lb. Rest. Repeat. So that's it. Keep fighting!

I'm trying to really push hard and be fit this year. It's a goal, not a resolution. It's going to be a great year. I can feel it! I've been focusing on eating clean. Did have a glass of wine at a business event tonight. Hmmm... One glass. Not bad? I've seen studies that say that's the case... just as long as you don't drink a case But I don't want to set myself back so that was it. Trying to cut back on caffeine too. So here's where I get a little spiritual. A lot of religions use fasting and cleansing. Think lent if you're Christian. Well, I've noticed that by eating clean I've become more in tune with my environment. Meaning something will happen or something will exist that can be taken as an omen or a sign or whatever. I've also heard it referred to as Synchronicity. As Obi Wan Kanobi said in Star Wars, "Trust your feelings Luke". I'm not advocating anything or tell you what you should/not do or that it can happen to you. This is just a blog of my experiences. On a scientific level one could say it's because I don't have as many pollutants interfering with my neurons. I'm not a doctor or medical professional so I can't tell you the answer. But damn, I like the calmness and clarity I've been experiencing as well as feeling closer to nature even though I live in New York. Where do I go from here. First I do have something to prove on a physical level. Be as fit as possible to prove to people around me that a vegan diet is the way to go. In stead of doing it for God & Country I'm doing it for Family & Friends. Then there's the spiritual side of all this. Honestly not sure what's up with that other than I hope it continues. Last week I worked out five days. This week? Well had the networking event tonight and a date tomorrow. She's not vegan as I know some people are wondering. Rest of the week looks good for workout though. This is getting a little too long so I'll end it here. Have a Great Year!

Last summer I was in this cool book store in Astoria, NY. No reason. I was just passing by. On the front display was Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry. In a predominantly Greek book store no less! I took it as an omen and bought it. Today I finally got around to making something from it, Red Beans & Brown Rice with Red Wine-Simmered Seitan. Yeah, it's as good as it sounds Cool thing is that he also recommend music to go with each recipe. Pandora is helpful with this. Here's the recipe if you're into it: http://i756.photobucket.com/albums/xx204/KBFreak/VeganSoul1.jpg http://i756.photobucket.com/albums/xx204/KBFreak/VeganSoul2.jpg Enjoy!

Boredom. Seriously? I've never been so excited about food as have been since I went veggie. I'm constantly looking for recipes and exchanging them with people. Look at the recipe discussions here on this site or check out http://www.VegetarianTimes.com/recipes or The Post Punk Kitchen at http://www.theppk.com. This spring will be my two year Vegiversary as lobsteriffic put it when I posted that I've been vegan for a year. I haven't gained weight. I've stayed about the same. Up or down a couple of pounds but always the same. Need to put on muscle though That's my experience. As we all know weight gain is a factor of calories consumed and calories burned. So if she wants to lose weight she needs to burn more calories than she consumes. As a note, I know some vegetarians start eating more bread and pasta when they give up meat. I think it's because people don't know what to eat or cook. I'm not sure. If it's weight loss your friend wants then she should cut back on bread, pasta and baked goods. They only cause blood sugar to spike then crash. Better to eat fruit which provides a more steady stream of glucose along with vitamins, minerals and fiber. Good luck and I hope your friend gives it another try.

Thanks!

Great log! It's very inspirational. I see your Daily Intake Totals. What website / app are you using to track and calculate those numbers? Also, I'm guessing you're a Red Sox fan? Awesome! Tough year for them but the Pats & B's are back! I grew up in Mass. and live in NYC now.

I came across the article online (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/sports/vegans-muscle-their-way-into-bodybuilding.html?pagewanted=all) by accident. Overall I thought it was good. Definitely glad that it showed you can build muscle without meat. Also, the comments are just as interesting. The vegans / vegetarians are rallying and even some meat eaters recognize the benefits of our diet.

I feel clean. Workouts great! I'm in The Zone baby! And um... time to get some sleep. It's 11:16 PM.

Don't quit. We're all here to support you. Vegan brothers & sisters!

What a year, 2011. Well, I basically broke even. Didn't make the progress I wanted, yet I didn't slide back. I'll upload some pix when I have a chance. Or, maybe I can just recycle last year's. Just calling like it is. The good news is I didn't put weight on in the wrong places. An ex-girlfriend made note of that when I ran into her around Christmas. So I start the 2012 with hip / back pain that I can't shake. Since my 2 - 3 week business trip was called off earlier today I can have the doctor check it out sooner rather than later. New Year's resolutions? I don't make them. It's more about goals, vision and asking where I want to be a year from now. It's easier to commit and stay dedicated that way. Happy 2012! May it be a great year for everyone!

Yeah man

Yeah, if I could work out all day long, I actually would. It's such a rush. Baby Herc I'm with you on that. Back in H.S. & college I worked construction and other "hard labor" jobs to pay for school. I always looked at it as getting paid to workout.

To Nicholas_Weir I have this taped to my wall for workouts. But I had no idea until now who originally said it. Thanks!

This is exactly what I tell people who question my vegetarianism. I'm not sure why. It just is. Maybe it's due to the fact that there are fewer chemicals in the body or the lactic acid is neutralized faster. I don't really know for sure.

It makes sense since fat is an insulator. Think whales, seals, polar bears, other cold weather animals. But I would surmise that a higher metabolic rate can also help keep you warm. Movement too like playing sports outside in the winter, you actually generate heat and sweat.

Well, this is the time of year when we start to take stock of where we've been and where we want to go. After a year and a half vegan I feel great! Thanksgiving came and went, no prob. Now that we're in The Holiday Season I'm making an extra effort to stay clean. Meaning that while most people use this time of year as a period of indulgence, I'm trying not to do that. No, I'm not fasting or restricting or anything like that. Just making an extra effort to eat and drink clean. Just one (except for today) cup of coffee and little if any alcohol. The idea is that sometimes this season can be stressful. So, the goal is to not consume chemicals that might add to stress. Cutting back on wheat too. My soup this afternoon came with a small whole grain roll which was the only wheat I had today. I know some people would consider that a little extreme and still others would agree. I'm not promoting an agenda. You can do what you like. It's working for me and that's what counts at this point. When you consider work stress and the hip / leg pain I've been experiencing maybe it all makes sense. Found a vegan gingerbread cookie recipe on the Post Punk Kitchen website, http://www.theppk.com. Going to make some for Christmas and not tell anyone they're vegan If people like them I'll just give them the recipe. Guess that's it for now. Keep The Faith!

This could have come right out of Food, Inc. It's really the pot calling the kettle black: http://gma.yahoo.com/mcdonalds-dumps-mcmuffin-egg-factory-over-health-concerns-205521245.html McDonald's response is a lot of big corporate blah, blah too.

Hi From NY 2! You look as tough as The City itself!

Food Inc. is great. Have yet to see Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (Thanks for the tip). Anyway, to be fair, Food Inc. also includes the corn & soy industries if I recall correctly. I don't remember if they were presented but wheat and something else I'll remember later round out the over processed on the plant side.

And hence be able to do them at the gym (properly) without embarassment Don't ever be embarassed about working out. You're doing the right thing. Pavel Tastouline, kettlebell master, guru, whatever, in one of his books talked exactly about this. Pullups that is. He said if you want to do more pullups the thing to do is to do pullups. So first you may start doing assisted ones and gradually lighten the load until you can do them on your own. Speaking of Pavel and pullups, I think in his book, The Naked Warrior, he mentions that his father-in-law put a chinup bar in his basement with the rule that anytime he goes down there, he must do 10 chinups. As a handyman, he went down there a lot. Eventually he went from doing a few to doing a lot. The home doorway bar is great. They cost $20 - $30 depending on where you buy it. It's relaxing sometimes to just hang and stretch your back with it. Definitely worth the money.

I've been thinking about doing this for a few months now. How did you pull it off and what were some of the ups and downs?

The other day, I'm meeting with a client and talking sports. What else do guys talk about right? He's 64. Anyway, I mentioned that I remember the Baltimore Colts and still sometimes call them as such even though they left back in 1984. He say's, "How old are you!!" I tell the truth and say, "45, almost 46". "How the hell do you stay so lean!? You sure don't look 46." I responded with something like, "well in this job I'm always on the run." "No it's your metabolism." At this point I wanted to say that I exercise regularly and eat clean but I didn't want to go there. Not sure why. I especially didn't want to get into the vegan / vegetarian thing. I've only been vegan for a year and a half. It's times like that when I know I'm doing the right thing. Day in, day out. Being healthy is not a fad. It's not burning off holiday pounds every January or panicking as summer / swimsuit season approaches. It’s about being healthy and feeling great! Ok, it’s also about vanity too. I’m human. But really I just feel awesome and like being able to do the things I could do back in my 20’s. Keep Fighting!

I second this one. Not having to soak them makes them real easy to make! Also quinoa because of its flexibility. Nuts and nut butters are good too.

It is possible to combine cardio with strength training. You can use dumbells or kettlebells. Even body weight routines will work if you keep rest to a minimum. Check out http://www.MikeMahler.com for more.