Simple Randomness

Starting the Year Off Right

I don’ t know about you, but so far 2009 is already turning out to be a good year.  Things are just going well in a lot of different areas already and it’s honestly getting a little exciting!

I’m learning that a huge part of this is just my attitude.  I decided at the beginning of this year that I was going to just work having a better attiude about things, and it’s amazing how things work out when your attitude is right.

So how is your 2009 starting out?  Well I hope!

I know this is a short post, but feel free to share below some of the things that you are doing or plan on doing this year to make it a great year!

Time for a Cutting Phase

So for the last couple of months I’ve been working out and eating in a bit of bulking phase.  But lately I’ve decided that it’s time to try to cut and lose some of the fat I’ve put on.

Actually, I read an article the other day from Tom Venuto’s BodyBuildingSecrets.com (The Hugo Rivera Mega Interview) that talked about how the better way to do it all is to stay lean and build lean.  The way that a lot of people seem to do it is to ‘bulk up’ but in the process put on a lot of fat.  Then they spend time trimming down.  So you’re constantly putting your body through this extra fat -> low fat cycle.  After reading this article it just made more sense to get more lean and then stay lean.

This is what I gather Mark McManus from MuscleHack.com recommends as well.  That’s another cool site by the way if you ever want to check it out.

So anyway, just thought I’d share a little note that it’s time to trim down!  I’ll probably post updates from time to time on how I’m doing!

I Should Read More…

So lately I’ve been thinking a lot about doing more reading.  I used to do a lot of reading actually, but in recent years I’ve just been so busy with everything that I haven’t had the time to do it.

You know what has been great though?  We don’t have TV at our house and so I’m not wasting my time with that.  In fact, there have been several times where I’ve picked up a book for a minute or two when in the past I would have just plopped down and turned on the TV.  What a waste of time!

The thing about books is that they tend to really engage you if its a good book.  Kinda like when you’re in a movie theater you get more into it than when you’re watching the same movie at home.  It also seems that I internalize things a lot better when I read as well.  I think I’ve heard others say this also.

I’ve also noticed that my interests have changed over the years.  When I was a teenager the only kinds of books that I enjoyed reading were fantasy novels.  I still enjoy those, but no I also like reading educational books.

Anyway, there’s a random topic for today.  Go read!t

Looking Forward to the Weekend

This is one of those weeks where I’m really looking forward to the weekend.  Some weeks it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I’ve been waiting for Friday to come since Wednesday.

I guess it’s just been a stressful week!  I’m still debating if today needs to be a Rockstar day since my head is still cloudy from having so much going on this week.

It also helps that after work today we’re headed up to a cabin with a friend of mine to hang out until Saturday evening.  I’m looking forward to it and hoping we’ll have a good time.

I need more weekend vacations like this.  Hopefully in the next couple of months my wife and I will be able to plan a weekend getaway for just the two of us.  That would be nice since we haven’t been able to do that for some time now.  But I guess that’s just how it goes with two small kids!

Remembering 9/11 - The 7 Year Anniversary

Seven years ago, 9/11/01, is a day that I think few of us will ever forget.  It’s one of those days where everyone can remember where they were and what they were doing.

As for myself, I was actually living in South America at the time (Chile to be exact).  I was serving as a missionary for my church and we were headed to a meeting with some other missionaries.  On the bus a Chilean told us something about tornados and airplanes crashing into buildings, but we didn’t know what he was talking about.  I do remember at the bus stop seeing people watching a TV with a burning building on it, but I had no idea what it was.

So we get to our meeting and the janitor asks us what we are doing there, that we should be in our apartments.  We didn’t know why.  Then he hooked up a TV and showed us.  I remember all of us just watching with a blank stare, not sure what to think or do.  One of the guys with us was actually from New York City.  We found out later that some of his father’s friends were killed that day.

One of the really scary things about being in Chile during that time is that 9/11 is already a bad day there.  9/11 is the day that Pinochet took over.  If you know anything about Chilean history, he was dictator for a long time, and we helped to put him there.  So it’s not exactly a day when a lot of people are friendly to Americans.  So needless to say, we stayed in our apartments for about 2 days without leaving, wondering if we were going to have to flee the country.

It was a scary time to say the least.  But I also remember walking down the street a few days later and a man that I had never met walked up and asked us if we were all right, and offered his deepest sympathies for what was happening.

That day changed all of us I think.  For me, it gave me a renewed pride in our country for the way we pulled together to get through it.  It also opened my eyes to the fact that there really are people who don’t like us.  Whether out of actual hate or ignorance.

On this 7 year anniversary of 9/11, I think it’s important for all of us to remember that day.  It was tragic, and it changed us…for the best I hope!

Hitting a Plateau

So I’ve written a few times in the past that I’m actually doing a workout program right now to gain some weight.  So for a while I actually put on some pounds, but lately I’ve stalled.  I guess I’ve hit a plateau!

Whenever this happens it just means that it’s time to look back and see what you have or haven’t been doing.  Then reasses and make some changes.

In my case, I know that I haven’t been eating enough.  So for the next couple of weeks my goal is to make sure I eat as much as I know I should be eating and stop skipping on meals.  I’ve had some major schedule changes in the last 2 weeks that threw me off, but now it’s time to get back on track.

Update on Thinking About Making Some Changes

So a few days ago I wrote about how I’ve been very tempted to just shave my head.  Well, as the days have past, I’ve decided not to do that.  What I’m thinking instead is that I’m going to go with a slightly longer hair do.

Now don’t get any crazy ideas!  I know now that my sister reads this blog from time to time and she said that she’d disown me if I ever grew my hair out!

So I’m not talking about anything really long.  Like for example this “Beatles wanna-be” hair styles that a lot of the high school kids have these days.  (Sorry kids, you look retarded.)  Nor am I thinking of anything like this guy (see picture!)

No, what I’m thinking is just something a little bit longer.  You see for the last couple of years I’ve always just had a really short hair cut.  So I’m just going to try something a little longer for awhile.  We’ll see how long it lasts…in fact don’t be surprised if in 2 weeks I’ve shaved it off instead!

Thinking About Making Some Changes…

So for the last couple of days I’ve been very tempted to just shave all my hair off.  I go through this every now and then where I just want to make a change, and I figure that changing my hair is one of the easier ways to do it.  But I’m also a creature of habit like everyone else, and so I have a hard time doing it.  So sometimes I figure shaving it off would be the easiest way to start new.

So last night my wife and I were looking for some new hairstyles and honestly had a hard time coming up with any ideas.  Who knows, maybe I just know that my life is about to get really really hectic and so I’m looking for a way to lessen the blow…I don’t know…

Anyway, there’s my random thought for now!

Workout Still Going Well!

So I realized that I haven’t given any sort of update on my workouts for a while, and I needed a topic to write about today that I guess that one will have to do!

So I recently started a new 4 week phase.  This one is based more on increasing strength, and it’s been pretty interesting so far.  The funny thing is that as I look back and what I used to do in the gym when I first started, I was clueless.  I’ve made more progress in the last 2 months or so than I did in the first 2 years that I went to the gym.  It’s amazing how learning the right ways to do things can make that kind of difference!

The one concern that I have is that in a couple weeks I know that my schedule is going to get even more hectic, so I’ll have to find a way to still get to the gym on top of everything else that I’m doing.  I guess it all comes down to time management and priorities!

You Just Never Know

Yesterday I called a client for an appointment.  At first I couldn’t get a hold of her, then she eventually called me back in tears letting me know that her two daughters had been in a car wreck and one had died.  It was a very sad thing to hear.

This made me think though: you just never know when something like that will happen to yourself or someone you love.  It made me think that each day I should make sure that I treat my wife and kids the best that I can, because I never know if today will be the last day that I see them.

Can you imagine if you lost someone and the last thing you said to them was something in anger?  That would be just heart breaking.  But we can all try to make sure that isn’t the case with us and our loved ones.  So if you have a fight, find a way to resolve it and resolve it quickly.  Because you just never know…