10:10 Talk

Do you hate the head wind?

I had the opportunity to visit with my parents this week. They live just north of a town called Ormond Beach on the east coast of Florida. One of the things I love so much about these visits is the "habitat" of where their neighborhood is located. If you looked at it from space, it would look like nothing but natural Florida. A mixture of cabbage palms and oak forest overlooking marshland surround their heavily wooded community. Because all of these lands are state or county parks, it's not likely to change anytime soon.

As you would expect me to say, it's an amazing place to run or ride. This time it was a ride. From the Halifax Plantation I headed east on a narrow, two-lane road that cuts through the forest. The trees provide a complete canopy of the road for almost a mile, and then you emerge into that marshland I mentioned. A middle-aged couple was parked on the side of the road casting into the water hoping to catch something fishy I'm sure. The sky was clear and blue, the sun was warm but not hot, and it was the kind of day when doing anything indoors would be a sacrifice.

As I continued east, only about a mile or so from A1A and the Atlantic Ocean, I now noticed a pretty significant wind coming directly from the east. A perfect headwind - great. I hate headwinds. They make riding so much more difficult. Or do they? When I ride, as do all of my fit cycling friends reading this far, I pay attention to my "computer". It's the little speedometer that records my speed, time, and distance. Since I (we) watch this thing constantly as we ride, I've developed a comfort level or expectation for how fast I ride.

Never mind what that number is, it's mine, and any deviation from it causes either euphoria or disappointment. This number is even more magnified when I ride in a group. Don't want to be the weak link slowing down the pack. Or, "man did I feel great pulling the crew along". So a headwind is bad news. But because of the surroundings of my ride today, it was a blessing.

You see, I was riding by myself so I didn't have the expectation to keep up with a group. And because my bike has gears, I simply shifted to a lower gear and peddled into the head wind at the same level of exertion. The only thing that really changed was the number on my computer. The blessing was that riding slower enabled me to take in more of the incredible display of nature. I was more free to absorb the sights, sounds, and smells (marshes definitely have smells) along my asphalt path to the beach.

How do we normally approach a headwind? We peddle harder, pushing ourselves to maintain that number on the computer. We crank those peddles and pull on those handlebars in a struggle to keep up. And we complain about how difficult that f***ing headwind is. Do you know where I'm going with this? Can you see how it applies to our life?

We're going to encounter headwinds in our relationships, our health, our work, etc. We can chose to peddle harder in an attempt to keep things the way they are. Or we can slow down and take in all the wonder of the situation. Very often we're given the opportunity to deepen relationships as we encounter adversity in our lives. True, we may not get to where we wanted to go as quickly as we expected. But where did those expectations come from anyway? Usually it's because we made them, or at least I do.

So when life stirs up a headwind or worse, it's ok to slow down. Those expectations we hold so dearly are really just another kind of possession. The degree to which I can release those or any possessions often determines my contentment and fulfillment. Cause if you're trying to find fulfillment in your possessions, you gotta a lot of heartache ahead of you.

I know that if the hot brunette read this she'd give me an enthusiastic "No sh**, Sherlock". Men have a harder time with anything that would deter them from their goals. That's why we drive so fast on the interstate and make our kids "hold it" until their bladders almost literally explode. And that's why we need women to bring us back to the present sometimes.

The next time you're feeling stressed because of circumstances beyond your control, I hope you'll slow down. Accept things for the way they are not how you'd like them to be. Accept the grace that God offers. And for those times when life is "all good" offer grace to those who need it.

My Comfort Zone Got Rocked - Part 2

About 2 moons ago I threw out a piece on my desire to bring our body fat percentages into the maximum health zones (15% or less for boys, 22% or less for girls) Included with that invitation was a biography page you could download to record your measurements and vitals. I didn't receive a single email response from my growing list of readers, so the "project" got moved to the back burner. And it would have stayed back there had it not been for a couple of you who recently asked "when's part 2?".

I suspect there's a few other fence sitters out there who are wanting to lose fat vicariously through yours truly. So I'll continue my experiment and share the results with you. If nothing else at least one of us will reach our goal. Since I wrote to you in August, my eating and exercise habits haven't changed. Not surprisingly, my body fat percentage is still hovering around 15%. Haven't we heard that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? Thankfully, I'm not insane (tho the hot brunette would definitely argue that point on occasion) because I didn't expect my number to change.

The bad news for me is that I too will have to cross the line and enter into the zone of discipline and sacrifice to move the needle. I say bad news because I'm already very active and eating very well. Right now, you may not be so active, and your diet may be full of crap. That's good news for you because it means you've got way more upside potential than me. Did I just shine a turd? Maybe so but my point is that my body is at a "set point".

Also referred to as a plateau, it's the point where my current inputs (diet and exercise) are producing a consistent output (of 15%). I'm gonna to have to make changes. But since I still have a day job and lots of other commitments, training much more than I am already won't be the solution. For the record, you've heard me preach that we should get out and exercise for 45 minutes/day, five days a week. Anything more than that is not for health. Are you getting that much in? If not, hurray! There's that upside potential again.

Since it's not realistic for me and maybe you too to increase our exercise time, and assuming we're getting 45 minutes in 5 days a week how are we going to create change? The answer is nutrition. Or at least primarily. We'll also discuss some exercise techniques that will contribute to our goal, but watching what goes down the hatch will be key. For those of you paying attention, I expect this to be a 5 or 6 part series concluding by year end. It would be impossible for many of us to achieve our goal in that time frame, but we'll establish a template that can be followed at your pace. Incidentally, I do plan to achieve my goal by 1/15/09. I'm giving myself a quarter (3 months) to get there. You'll want to set a goal of where you'd like to be on January 15th.

Let me make a HUGE point here. By soon clicking the "send" button on this message, what have I done? I've gone public. I've made myself vulnerable. No one likes to lose especially when others are watching. Can you see the power in that? It's a lot easier to say no to that order of chicken wings when we know others are watching. Especially when those others are pulling for you. That's why programs like Weight Watchers can be so effective. Accountability. And that's why some people love that TV show - Biggest Losers. You have a horse (almost literally) to pull for. Isn't it ironic that there are people that spend more time watching that show than they do exercising?

If you want to go public, let me know. Shoot me your goals. I'll post 'em on the 10:10 blog in the Motivation category. Nobody reads those things so you don't have to worry about Bay News 9 showing up on your doorstep to ask how you're gonna do it. But you know you'll have at least one person who's watching and fighting with you - me.

So your goal for this week is to put a stake in the ground. Capture your measurements on the biography page if you haven't already. That's where you are. Then set your goals. That's where you want to be. I'd suggest a 3 month, 6 month, and 1 year goal. The only guidance I'd offer here is that loosing any more than 1 pound of fat a week is unreasonable. Finally, if you're truly serious about this, share your goals with me. And I'll help you go public.

What's your toehold?

I'm writing to those of you who've struggled to stay on an exercise program. For the rest of you fitness aficionados who insist on reading to the end, you better forward this to someone you care enough about to help in their wellness journey. And perhaps you can become a toehold for that person.

I'm referring to the climbing term. From Wikipedia "a support for the toe of the foot, to aid ascent. Metaphorically, any small step which allows one to move toward a greater goal ". If you've ever rock climbed or even experienced the artificial rock climbing wall, you know what I'm talking about. On a Colorado trip some years ago, my family and others took a trip with a climbing outfitter to a relatively small, beginner rock wall to climb. We used ropes and carabiners and shouted commands like "on bolle" to our ground based guides who were holding the other end of our ropes.

From a distance, the wall looks completely flat, and the thought of climbing it by hand seems impossible. However once you're close enough to touch it, you notice ever so many "handles" with which you can grab and start pulling yourself up. The same is true for a climbing wall at the gym, which by the way is an incredible workout and the reason why professional rock climbers carry the smallest percentage of body fat of any athlete except bodybuilders.

You can grab those handles and pull yourself up relying on upper body strength, and in precarious climbing situations this is all you can do. However, it's not until you establish a "toehold" that you can expect to make any significant progress. The toehold doesn't have to be a ledge, it just has to be large enough for you to put your weight on it to give your arms a break.

Once established, your toehold enables you to relax and explore the wall for another handle, and ideally you'd identify a number of them and create a strategy for how you'll ascend. Based on what the wall offers, you may have to go sideways or even down to find those handles that will lead you higher.

The same is true for our exercise. If you find you're going weeks, months, or even years without exercise, I'm telling you to find a toehold. Notice that the toehold on a rock wall doesn't move. The toehold in your exercise program shouldn't move either. While I'm out there virtually every day moving my body in some form of fitness play, I have a toehold - my Sunday morning run.

Because I'm home on 9 out of 10 Sunday mornings, I can put a run in here every time. Even when I travel, I pack the running shoes. And to make this habit even more rock solid, I have a running partner whose adopted the same deal. There's plenty of occasions when I'm tempted to skip, and that's when I rely on the accountability of another. "But that's the only morning I get to sleep in" is the most common whine I hear that applies to Saturday morning exercise too.

Life's full of difficult choices isn't it? I'd suggest if your most likely toehold is a Sunday morning, that you incorporate an earlier bedtime Saturday night. But that's just me. Experience has taught me that no program will endure that's propped up by willpower that includes sleep deprivation. That's like rock climbing with only your hands. Eventually, you're gonna drop off the wall.

So what's your toehold? And as importantly when is it? Is it your day off? Could it be your lunch hour? Can you think of someone who can join you? Your probability of success skyrockets if you can. Don't be ashamed if your toehold is modest. As long as you can maintain it, you can relax enough to scope the wall to see what your next move will be. And know in advance that sometimes your climb will go sideways or down. Just keep using those toeholds and feeling around for more handles.