I originally wrote them down and put into my Google Documents online folder so instead of copy-and-pasting I decided to simply add the link here -->
My thoughts on Ego games
These are some thoughts I had on ego, the games it plays and how it affects us in various aspects of our life.
Showing posts with label my journey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label my journey. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Enticing, not forcing...
I don't believe that torturing your body physically into something it inherently resists is a natural way to attain an ultimate physical shape. It may be the most obvious way or a way people were led to believe was true through centuries or what an official science believes is true - but I feel that there must be a better or more efficient way.
My explanation of why I think this self-torture approach sometimes works is because sometimes it brings you to a change of lifestyle or the entire mental attitude or frame of mind and that's what makes it successful - not extreme self-annihilating training by itself. In my opinion the very idea about hard, intense and merciless training being the only tool to transform your body is a major misconception (or rather misattribution) that we were blindfolded by for decades.
My feeling is that the body resists the changes we want to see not because it is inherently lazy or inert, but because it reflects our inner state of mind and energy balance. I believe that at each specific moment we have a body that fully corresponds to our current mental state - whether we realize it or not. When our body craves something that is not considered "healthy" I think it should not be treated as a bad habit - but rather as a signal that something may be out of balance in our inner energy field. In my opinion the problem often lies in the fact that when we discover a craving (for instance, for potato chips or french fries) we start treating it as a "bad habit" and then our response ranges from total acceptance and letting ourselves "balloon" to a shape we do not want to desperate attempts to "fix" it by employing willpower and trying to resist the craving.
But if we look in the mirror and discover that there's something we don't like about the reflection we see we don't go trying to change the reflection or fix the mirror, do we? We know that image in the mirror is merely a reflection of what we are (or what we look like for that matter) - and the mirror simply provides us with honest feedback about the way we look.
As it has been said many times in many ways: What you resist to, persists. To me often times the approach that we apply to our body is that same violent approach which mankind has been using to address many other problems for centuries. If you don't like what you see - simply use the most obvious way - through violence. If you don't like the cat hanging around your backyard - force it out of your yard (or sometimes even kill it). If you don't like that your child watches too much TV or plays computer games - ground them or deny their access to the computer. If you don't like that your body is getting flabby - starve it or put it on a restrictive diet. Seems so easy, doesn't it? Except that the method often appears inefficient and the results often prove to be short-lived, so we press even harder only to discover that the problem manifests itself in a different form later.
I think that there has to be a non-violent way of changing this "reflection in the mirror". A way that encourages or invites a positive change rather than forcing it. In the "cat" example: instead of forcing the cat out of your yard, try making it feel LIKE going elsewhere, make it more attractive to the cat to stay outside of your yard. Instead of denying your child of computer games or TV, try to understand what it is that drvies them to it and then try to make it more attractive for them to be "away" from it without manipulating them through the use of guilt or fear.
I believe that when we bring our inner energy field to balance and adjust our mental state we will discover that our body has stopped craving food that we consider "unhealthy" - it will simply be enjoying other types of food. Instead of craving "Doritos" we may soon find that our body wants an orange or an apple and feels happy with it just as much as it once craved chips. I feel that the same applies to getting rid of "love handles", unwanted fat deposits in the abdominal area, etc.
My explanation of why I think this self-torture approach sometimes works is because sometimes it brings you to a change of lifestyle or the entire mental attitude or frame of mind and that's what makes it successful - not extreme self-annihilating training by itself. In my opinion the very idea about hard, intense and merciless training being the only tool to transform your body is a major misconception (or rather misattribution) that we were blindfolded by for decades.
My feeling is that the body resists the changes we want to see not because it is inherently lazy or inert, but because it reflects our inner state of mind and energy balance. I believe that at each specific moment we have a body that fully corresponds to our current mental state - whether we realize it or not. When our body craves something that is not considered "healthy" I think it should not be treated as a bad habit - but rather as a signal that something may be out of balance in our inner energy field. In my opinion the problem often lies in the fact that when we discover a craving (for instance, for potato chips or french fries) we start treating it as a "bad habit" and then our response ranges from total acceptance and letting ourselves "balloon" to a shape we do not want to desperate attempts to "fix" it by employing willpower and trying to resist the craving.
But if we look in the mirror and discover that there's something we don't like about the reflection we see we don't go trying to change the reflection or fix the mirror, do we? We know that image in the mirror is merely a reflection of what we are (or what we look like for that matter) - and the mirror simply provides us with honest feedback about the way we look.
As it has been said many times in many ways: What you resist to, persists. To me often times the approach that we apply to our body is that same violent approach which mankind has been using to address many other problems for centuries. If you don't like what you see - simply use the most obvious way - through violence. If you don't like the cat hanging around your backyard - force it out of your yard (or sometimes even kill it). If you don't like that your child watches too much TV or plays computer games - ground them or deny their access to the computer. If you don't like that your body is getting flabby - starve it or put it on a restrictive diet. Seems so easy, doesn't it? Except that the method often appears inefficient and the results often prove to be short-lived, so we press even harder only to discover that the problem manifests itself in a different form later.
I think that there has to be a non-violent way of changing this "reflection in the mirror". A way that encourages or invites a positive change rather than forcing it. In the "cat" example: instead of forcing the cat out of your yard, try making it feel LIKE going elsewhere, make it more attractive to the cat to stay outside of your yard. Instead of denying your child of computer games or TV, try to understand what it is that drvies them to it and then try to make it more attractive for them to be "away" from it without manipulating them through the use of guilt or fear.
I believe that when we bring our inner energy field to balance and adjust our mental state we will discover that our body has stopped craving food that we consider "unhealthy" - it will simply be enjoying other types of food. Instead of craving "Doritos" we may soon find that our body wants an orange or an apple and feels happy with it just as much as it once craved chips. I feel that the same applies to getting rid of "love handles", unwanted fat deposits in the abdominal area, etc.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Diet/Training (five weeks in) - Aug 22, 2009
Ok, now 5 weeks into IF. I am sticking to 16/8 regime, which means 16 hours of undereating and 8 hours of overeating, which is really eating - I don't think I overdo it. During undereating phase, which usually lasts from 11pm till 3pm the next day all I eat is fresh veggies throughout the morning and early afternoon. It usually totals to about 2 servings of veggies - those include broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cherry tomatoes and - of course - pickles. I may have an occasional cup of coffee (although I'm not huge on coffee) to stimulate adrenaline just a tad bit - to add fuel into fat burning furnace. I am not afraid to overdo it because I'm not really a coffee fan - so two cups a day would be rare.
Last Saturday caliper measurements showed 9 mm vs. 10 mm the week before. It was great! Other measurements also slightly improved last week. However this Saturday caliper showed 10mm again which was a little disappointing as I thought I was sticking to my regime pretty strictly. On a bright side my waist shrunk by 1/2" and the weight went down to 204.6 from 205.2 last week. So I decided to not let the subtle increase in caliper readings set me back. Let's see what happens in the next couple of weeks. People keep commenting on me looking leaner so that's a good sign no matter what caliper says.
Monday through Wednesday I spent with friends at a cabin they rented on Clear Lake - absolutely gorgeous and peaceful place - a true sanctuary of tranquility. Didn't exercise much - but we walked a lot - on average 3-4 hours daily.
This Saturday I had a great workout at the gym. My weights went slightly up. I still do mostly legs (squats, leg presses and leg extensions) and back (pullovers, cable rows and cable pulldowns) plus I throw in a couple of other exercises. Usually DB curls, and cable crossovers or dumbell flyes. I don't do bench and I avoid any presses that involve shoulders because my LC joints are still bothering me - although not as much as a couple weeks before.
I make sure to take in simple carbs before and during workout. I find that it keeps me energized throughout my routine (which does not exceed 45-60 min). I also eat a protein bar right after my workout, followed by a hearty protein/complex carb meal about 30-40 min later. One thing I noticed since I had started the program is that I feel GREAT after my Saturday workouts. I no longer feel exhausted, sleepy and fatigued the way I used to and I LOVE this feeling!!
I chant my "lean body" mantra every day as well plus I use Frank Zane's images on my desktop for motivation. I also have his little quarterly magazines laying all over the place so I run into his extremely balanced and lean physique wherever I go around the house. His physique (as it was in early 80's) is the type I visualize myself developing.
So, another great day and off to a leaner and more muscular body!!
Last Saturday caliper measurements showed 9 mm vs. 10 mm the week before. It was great! Other measurements also slightly improved last week. However this Saturday caliper showed 10mm again which was a little disappointing as I thought I was sticking to my regime pretty strictly. On a bright side my waist shrunk by 1/2" and the weight went down to 204.6 from 205.2 last week. So I decided to not let the subtle increase in caliper readings set me back. Let's see what happens in the next couple of weeks. People keep commenting on me looking leaner so that's a good sign no matter what caliper says.
Monday through Wednesday I spent with friends at a cabin they rented on Clear Lake - absolutely gorgeous and peaceful place - a true sanctuary of tranquility. Didn't exercise much - but we walked a lot - on average 3-4 hours daily.
This Saturday I had a great workout at the gym. My weights went slightly up. I still do mostly legs (squats, leg presses and leg extensions) and back (pullovers, cable rows and cable pulldowns) plus I throw in a couple of other exercises. Usually DB curls, and cable crossovers or dumbell flyes. I don't do bench and I avoid any presses that involve shoulders because my LC joints are still bothering me - although not as much as a couple weeks before.
I make sure to take in simple carbs before and during workout. I find that it keeps me energized throughout my routine (which does not exceed 45-60 min). I also eat a protein bar right after my workout, followed by a hearty protein/complex carb meal about 30-40 min later. One thing I noticed since I had started the program is that I feel GREAT after my Saturday workouts. I no longer feel exhausted, sleepy and fatigued the way I used to and I LOVE this feeling!!
I chant my "lean body" mantra every day as well plus I use Frank Zane's images on my desktop for motivation. I also have his little quarterly magazines laying all over the place so I run into his extremely balanced and lean physique wherever I go around the house. His physique (as it was in early 80's) is the type I visualize myself developing.
So, another great day and off to a leaner and more muscular body!!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Diet/Training (three weeks in)
Here's what happened. I have effectively switched to a slightly different variation of IF (intermittent fasting) after the first week of being on a Warrior Diet. I found it difficult for me to fit enough calories into one huge meal a day so I decided to switch to a 16/8 schema (see Martin Berkhan's site for more info on it) which means 16 hours of underfeeding/fasting and 8 hours (feeding phase). Actually with my work schedule it works out more like 17/7 or even 18/6, where I eat my first meal of the day when I get home at 5pm and I'm usually done eating before 11pm anyway as I go to bed around 11:30.
I also slightly diverted from Martin's original plan (he assumes complete fasting during those 16 hours - no food, only drinks with no calories). I do eat during the underfeeding phase - only I limit myself to fresh veggies, which includes broccoli, califlower, celery, cherry tomatoes (yumm! love those) and, of course, pickles - up to a total of 1-1.5 portions (one Ziploc container) spread throughout the morning and afternoon. Whenever I feel hungry I just open my Ziploc container and pop a piece of celery, a little bit of cauliflower or broccoli, a cherry tomato and half a pickle and I'm good to go again. I have to say that bouts of hunger are a lot less severe now and I usually don't put anything in my mouth till about 9-9:15am and then I spread the rest over remaining hours till about 4pm which is just before I leave the office. Plus, every now and then I would mix some whey protein - about half a scoop - with hot water (tastes like hot chocolate) and sometimes add a bit of coffee as well. So it totals to a 1-1.5 scoops which gives me about 24-36 g of additional protein. I would estimate the total caloric intake during the underfeeding phase somewhere between ~80-100 (veggies only) and ~200-280 (veggies + protein).
After the first week I estimated my weight loss at about 2 lbs (I wasn't thoughtful enough to weigh in right before I started), which sounds about right for me, as I plan on maintaining my lean muscle mass as much as possible and going over 2 lbs per week usually means that more muscle is metabolized for energy along with fat. So the weigh-in was at 206.8.
After the second week I was down to 204.8, which meant another 2 lbs off. Also, sadly enough, I didn't even measure myself which I usually do quite religiously. But judging by the fact that I started using the next hole on my belt that I hadn't used for a loooooong while looks like I made some progress since those holes are about 2/3 of an inch apart so it's safe to assume that my waistline shrunk by about that much as well.
Half way through week 3 I pulled out my old caliper and measured the IC (iliac crest) fold - why didn't I think about it sooner? It measured at 10mm and I plan on doing it from this point on.
As far as exercise goes: I do my kung fu classes 3 times a week (2 times during summer) and I do my 4-minute Tabata cycles twice a week and I decided to do weights once a week as well. So I went to the "Y" on Saturday afternoon for a full body workout. I enjoyed it a lot - especially because Saturday afternoon is not the busiest time - so I had all the racks and machines readily available. I focused on major groups: did squats, pullovers, rows, pulldowns. My shoulder joints were really sore last week so I had to take it easy on them this last Saturday. I avoided any pressing movements that put a lot of stress on my joints and did more pulls and flyes instead.
To my surprise, my muscles were not as sore as I could have expected. Usually they are very sore the second next day but these last two times they weren't - only slightly. And I like that feeling!
The not so inspiring news - week 3 weigh-in was 205.4 - which means I gained about half a pound compared to a week before. Although I decided that it may have been due to some added lean mass. So I'll wait to see week 4 results before I go and make adjustments.
I feel energized and not nearly as lethargic as I used to be. So on to new hights - towards that lean and shining muscular physique!!
I also slightly diverted from Martin's original plan (he assumes complete fasting during those 16 hours - no food, only drinks with no calories). I do eat during the underfeeding phase - only I limit myself to fresh veggies, which includes broccoli, califlower, celery, cherry tomatoes (yumm! love those) and, of course, pickles - up to a total of 1-1.5 portions (one Ziploc container) spread throughout the morning and afternoon. Whenever I feel hungry I just open my Ziploc container and pop a piece of celery, a little bit of cauliflower or broccoli, a cherry tomato and half a pickle and I'm good to go again. I have to say that bouts of hunger are a lot less severe now and I usually don't put anything in my mouth till about 9-9:15am and then I spread the rest over remaining hours till about 4pm which is just before I leave the office. Plus, every now and then I would mix some whey protein - about half a scoop - with hot water (tastes like hot chocolate) and sometimes add a bit of coffee as well. So it totals to a 1-1.5 scoops which gives me about 24-36 g of additional protein. I would estimate the total caloric intake during the underfeeding phase somewhere between ~80-100 (veggies only) and ~200-280 (veggies + protein).
After the first week I estimated my weight loss at about 2 lbs (I wasn't thoughtful enough to weigh in right before I started), which sounds about right for me, as I plan on maintaining my lean muscle mass as much as possible and going over 2 lbs per week usually means that more muscle is metabolized for energy along with fat. So the weigh-in was at 206.8.
After the second week I was down to 204.8, which meant another 2 lbs off. Also, sadly enough, I didn't even measure myself which I usually do quite religiously. But judging by the fact that I started using the next hole on my belt that I hadn't used for a loooooong while looks like I made some progress since those holes are about 2/3 of an inch apart so it's safe to assume that my waistline shrunk by about that much as well.
Half way through week 3 I pulled out my old caliper and measured the IC (iliac crest) fold - why didn't I think about it sooner? It measured at 10mm and I plan on doing it from this point on.
As far as exercise goes: I do my kung fu classes 3 times a week (2 times during summer) and I do my 4-minute Tabata cycles twice a week and I decided to do weights once a week as well. So I went to the "Y" on Saturday afternoon for a full body workout. I enjoyed it a lot - especially because Saturday afternoon is not the busiest time - so I had all the racks and machines readily available. I focused on major groups: did squats, pullovers, rows, pulldowns. My shoulder joints were really sore last week so I had to take it easy on them this last Saturday. I avoided any pressing movements that put a lot of stress on my joints and did more pulls and flyes instead.
To my surprise, my muscles were not as sore as I could have expected. Usually they are very sore the second next day but these last two times they weren't - only slightly. And I like that feeling!
The not so inspiring news - week 3 weigh-in was 205.4 - which means I gained about half a pound compared to a week before. Although I decided that it may have been due to some added lean mass. So I'll wait to see week 4 results before I go and make adjustments.
I feel energized and not nearly as lethargic as I used to be. So on to new hights - towards that lean and shining muscular physique!!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Diet/Training Program (start)
After browsing through a great website of Lyle McDonald's, reading a book called Warrior Diet and checking out Leangain blog by Martin Berkhan I decided to give Intermittent Fasting (IF) a try.
So...
I started on Monday, July 20, 2009 with the Warrior Diet - one big meal once in 24 hours (around 8-9 pm) with undereating/fasting phase inbetween (with minimum veggies, fruits and some protein).
In the first three days undereating was hard. I felt kind of disoriented, in a way. Bouts of hunger were not overly intense but they were nonetheless quite annoying. Surprisingly I wasn't feeling too hungry by the time of the big meal and I ended up eating less than I had expected. I felt less tired although I had short periods of subtle sleepiness during the day. One other thing I noticed is that I felt very good after a meal even though it was pretty big - I felt energetic and not tired at all - which was quite different from my experience before.
So what are my goals?
My intent is to bring my bodyfat % down to single digits (let's say 9%). With that I'd like to maintain my bodyweight at around 195-200 lbs, which I think will look good on my 5'11" frame. Which means I'll need to add about 10 lbs of muscle and shed 17 lbs of fat.
I also intend to find a nutrition/training combination which will feel natural, without subjecting my body to heavy abuse or severe deprivation. I intend to go all natural without any artificial supplements, other than possibly protein powder and some vitamins/minerals. I intend to avoid overtraining which - as I understand now - used to be my curse for years (I tend to overdo things more often than not). I intend to make my exercise program feel natural and fun without having to spend half of my life at the gym and without turning my nutrition program into a chore. I intend to make it into a lifestyle that I will be able to enjoy and that will not turn me into a social pariah. I intend to have my energy levels high and feel healthy and radiant both in the gym and outside it.
I intend to discover an "intuitive" approach to health and fitness and I believe that it exists if you only learn to listen to your body a little more than you listen to loud fitness gurus and "Ten things you should know"-type articles in popular fitness magazines. I understand that it may not be "the ultimate truth" but it will be true for me and possibly some other people. I intend to attain a great six-pack without killing myself with hundreds of sit-ups each and every day.
So...
I started on Monday, July 20, 2009 with the Warrior Diet - one big meal once in 24 hours (around 8-9 pm) with undereating/fasting phase inbetween (with minimum veggies, fruits and some protein).
In the first three days undereating was hard. I felt kind of disoriented, in a way. Bouts of hunger were not overly intense but they were nonetheless quite annoying. Surprisingly I wasn't feeling too hungry by the time of the big meal and I ended up eating less than I had expected. I felt less tired although I had short periods of subtle sleepiness during the day. One other thing I noticed is that I felt very good after a meal even though it was pretty big - I felt energetic and not tired at all - which was quite different from my experience before.
So what are my goals?
My intent is to bring my bodyfat % down to single digits (let's say 9%). With that I'd like to maintain my bodyweight at around 195-200 lbs, which I think will look good on my 5'11" frame. Which means I'll need to add about 10 lbs of muscle and shed 17 lbs of fat.
I also intend to find a nutrition/training combination which will feel natural, without subjecting my body to heavy abuse or severe deprivation. I intend to go all natural without any artificial supplements, other than possibly protein powder and some vitamins/minerals. I intend to avoid overtraining which - as I understand now - used to be my curse for years (I tend to overdo things more often than not). I intend to make my exercise program feel natural and fun without having to spend half of my life at the gym and without turning my nutrition program into a chore. I intend to make it into a lifestyle that I will be able to enjoy and that will not turn me into a social pariah. I intend to have my energy levels high and feel healthy and radiant both in the gym and outside it.
I intend to discover an "intuitive" approach to health and fitness and I believe that it exists if you only learn to listen to your body a little more than you listen to loud fitness gurus and "Ten things you should know"-type articles in popular fitness magazines. I understand that it may not be "the ultimate truth" but it will be true for me and possibly some other people. I intend to attain a great six-pack without killing myself with hundreds of sit-ups each and every day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)