Ask Better Questions

No one drifts to their desired destination. The process of creating a meaningful life requires two things: intention; and focused energy applied in the direction of our intention, otherwise known as focused attention.

How do we get started in determining our intention? Sometimes it helps to ask better questions. What do I mean by “better” questions? In moments when we become aware that we’re adrift in our own life, it’s tempting to ask unhelpful questions, like “Why is this happening to me?” Or “What’s wrong with me?” Or “Why is so-and-so doing so well, but I can’t seem to get ahead?” Or “Why do I even exist?”

At times like that, it can be helpful to shift our focus to different kinds of questions: questions that help us evaluate where we are, where we want to go, and how to get from here to there.

Ready? Here’s a sample.

How do I show up in life? Do people light up when I enter a room? Or when I leave it? How aware am I of the way I engage with others? With the way I speak? Behave? If the way I do things is as important as the things I do, how am I doing? Am I even aware that the way I show up in life - in relation to other people and in relation to myself - is a choice? Do I need to shift the way I show up? What are small things I can do to that end?

Am I moving forward in my life & purpose? Am I connecting & contributing? Am I living out my role as a creative contributor? Or am I merely existing as a consumer? Isolated in escapism? Am I engaging my life? Or am I trying to escape it? Do I need to shift? How can I shift from escapism to engagement?

Am I stuck? Am I coasting? Am I cycling in stasis, repeating patterns from the past? Am I hoping things will get better? Or am I making them better? What actions am I taking to produce the results I want? Am I willing to make the leap if it means moving towards my goals?

How do I approach my problems? With doom & gloom? With paralyzing anxiety? With resignation that they’ll never get better? Or with a sense of optimism that my thoughts, words and actions can make a difference?

What does an optimally functional & effective life look like? How about marriage? Vocation? Spiritual life? Relationships with friends & extended family? On a scale of 1-10, how “optimally functional & effective” would I rate all these areas? How can I move the needle in these areas of my life? In all areas of my life?

Where do I actively focus my attention? Where do I passively allow my attention to drift? If our neurology is shaped and built in response to the way we focus our attention, what kind of brain am I building?

What about inputs & influences? What books am I reading? Who am I surrounding myself with? If we become the books we read and the people we associate with, who am I becoming? Do I need to cut ties with anyone? Do I need to seek out wise counsel or better friends? Do I need to read better books?

When it comes down to it, the way we show up in life is a choice: we can make the leap, put in the work, take the actions necessary to move our lives forward, and live life in crescendo, knowing that the best is yet to come; or we can play it safe, assume the role of the victim, stay stuck in past patterns, and drift into entropy, resigning ourselves to the “fact” that the best days of our lives are behind us.

The choice is ours.

I'm Under The Bus And I Can't Get Up

When it comes to initiating positive change in our own lives, why do things get hard?

Often when we’re trying to make positive changes in our life, there comes a point when we get stuck. We have a plan, we know the steps, we know what we're supposed to do. We start strong, we're on track for a day, a week, a month... but somewhere along the way we lose focus, we lose sight of the big picture, we start to drift.

Has this happened to you? It's certainly happened to me. Why is this?

Now, we could be talking about any kind of change: professional development, financial or relational changes, spiritual or personal development, education- whatever. For the sake of this discussion we'll keep it in the realm of physical health - 'cause that's how I help people - making changes to our health by attaining and maintaining a healthy weight. We start strong, but at some point we get stuck and it feels like were banging our head against a wall. We wake up with good intentions, but by mid afternoon the mojo is gone and the coffee in the break room just ain’t gonna cut it, so we go for the next best thing, which might be our coworkers bagel or a slice of pumpkin roll that our cubicle mate's better half made because "it’s the holidays!" Then, about a minute after the last bite goes down the hatch, we come to our senses and go "Whyyyy? I had such good intentions! Why do I end up under the bus every day at 3 PM?"

Been there? Yep, me too.

So what’s missing?

A lot of times what’s missing is a set of clearly defined goals. But more than that, what’s missing is the reason(s) behind those goals, the "why" behind the "what."

What does this mean?

I'll use myself as an example. If I say I want to lose weight, that’s OK but it’s not very clear - it denotes direction but not a destination. So I refine it, say I want to lose 40 pounds. OK, better, but now ask why: Why do I want to lose 40 pounds? Because my doctor said I should? My wife said I should? My kids, my friends, my life insurance agent said I should? Man everywhere I go I got people shoulding all over me! And these people may be well intentioned, but they are all external to myself. I know from experience that when the motivating factors are extrinsic - outside myself - it’s not going to work, or at least it’s not going to work for very long.

So what do I do?

I need to get crystal clear on my goals, and my reasons - not someone else’s reasons - my reasons why those goals matter. Once I have my goals, my reasons, and the reasons for those reasons, then executing the plan, following a program, creating positive change, becomes natural expression of my intrinsic motivation.

And there’s a simple way to keep these intrinsic motivations is front and center. Ready for this?

Write it down, and post it somewhere you can see it. "That's it?" That's it.

Let me illustrate. My background is in architecture and construction. At every project, inside every job trailer, the contractor has a plan center, which consists of a rack of drawings, and a table to roll them out and look at them so he can see the big picture, drill down on the details, and check overall progress. During the course of a project, the contractor consults the plans on a regular basis - daily; hourly; minutely if necessary - in order to keep the project on track and on schedule, so that at the end of each phase of the project everybody - the owner, the architect, the contractor - can verify that the project has been created in accordance with the plans.

In contrast, can you imagine a construction project where the Contractor looked at the drawings once at the beginning of the project, then rolled them up and shoved them in the corner, thinking "I got this." Yikes!

For the purposes of personal development, of creating health, creating positive changes in our lives, let’s create a Plan Center. Once we have everything written down - our crystal-clear goals, and our reasons why those goals matter - post them in your Plan Center. Keep it concise - one page, no more: this is what I want, and these are the reasons why I want it. Maybe your Plan Center is your bathroom mirror, maybe it’s a cork board at your office, or the wallpaper on your laptop, or the photo on your smart phone. Maybe you have copies of it in all those places. The key is to keep it someplace you can see it and consult it every day. This is not set-it-and-forget-it, that’s not how people work.

Daily.

Hourly.

Minutely.

Make it your morning meditation, your mid afternoon mantra. Do whatever you need to do to keep it top of mind. And let it be a living, breathing document, subject to ongoing refinement. As you progress, you're going to learn things you don't know now. That's a good thing, it's called being a human being. Incorporate this stuff into your plan: edit, revise, update, retool, reprint, and repost. Keep it where you can see it.

If you don't... Well, I'm not gonna say that you won't succeed, but I'e been there, and when the "why" is unclear or undefined or it gets hazy, success can be elusive. And when we don't get the results we want, when our goals go unfulfilled, when our hopes and expectations go unmet, it's easy to fall into the thought trap of "oh well, I guess it's not for me."

Believe me, I've spent years there. It's a lie.

Change is possible, lasting, positive change. You just have change the way you think about how you think about it. Which is where I am now.

If you can get your hands around this, if you can anchor your motivation and tie it to your actions, you can achieve whatever you want. Impossible becomes Possible.

If you're trying to initiate positive change in your life with regard to your health, weight, and fitness, if you're interested in any of this and you have questions, if you have goals but you feel like you're stuck in a rut - please reach out! Find me on Facebook (there's a link here somewhere), shoot me a friend request and PM me, or email me at DavidJamesPhillips[at]Gmail.com. Let's start a conversation, see if we can awaken your intrinsic motivation, and get you headed toward positive change in your life.

Peace.

David Phillips

Don't Go Alone

Seems like a lot of times when we set out on our health journey, there’s a certain amount of shame that comes along for the ride. Ever feel that way? I know I have.

I can’t remember how many times I showed up at work, boldly declaring that “Today is Day One!” At first my coworkers applauded my efforts, but after hearing me repeat my proclamation over and over, they eventually went into ‘smile-&-nod’ mode. To me it felt like their smiles were concealing thoughts like “How long will he last this time?” or “I’ll believe it when I see it.” After awhile I stopped making bold proclamations, deciding instead to cover up my struggle and go it alone. I mean, this is America right? Home of the rugged individualist! This’ll totally work! But it didn’t. Instead, I found myself in a state of confused isolation.

In reality, people in our lives probably want to see us succeed, but feel powerless to help or offer encouragement. I mean, weight is a pretty personal thing in our culture, and you don't want to hurt someone’s feelings by saying something inappropriate, right? So they remain politely quiet, but we misinterpret their silence as a kind of judgement. And we soldier on alone.

This is a dangerous place to be. How dangerous?

Did you know that the UN has condemned the use of solitary confinement as a means of punishment? Do you know why? Because they consider it a form of torture. Studies have been done that show that some lasting mental damage can be caused after as little as a few days of social isolation.

Now, if all that is true, why on earth do we tend to isolate ourselves when we’re going through something as challenging as changing the trajectory of our weight, our health, and ultimately our life? Wouldn’t it make more sense to attempt something like this with the support of other people? And what if you could do it with other people who are likeminded, and maybe even going through the same things you’re going through?

It’s made a difference in my life. Knowing that there are people looking out for me makes a difference. Knowing that there are people I’m also looking out for makes a difference. Knowing that we’re all in this thing together? Makes all the difference in the world.

It’s one of the things I love about our program, this emphasis on healthy community. Simply put, we are confronting reality, tackling our individual weight issues, and creating health.

And we’re doing it together.

Are you about to start a new chapter in your story? The part of your story where you confront reality, take on your weight issue, and create health in your life? Are you about to do it alone?

Don't do it! Our healthy community has made a lasting difference in the lives of thousands of people.

And it can make a difference for you too.

Reach out! Email me at DavidJamesPhillips[at]Gmail.com, and see if our community is a fit for you.

-David

From Dream to Reality

One week.

In one week, I'll be in Banff, Alberta, lining up to race the 2016 Tour Divide.

All the training is behind me now.  My last long ride was last weekend.  My last weight training session was Wednesday.  My last threshold workout on the trainer was yesterday.

The last of the shopping is done.  I made my last trip to my LBS yesterday (brake pads and tire sealant), and when I got home, UPS had delivered my last last-minute purchases (a replacement Craft ultralight mesh vest and a Veleau tube).

All that's left is to tear the bike down, replace all the worn parts, check my pack list, squeeze everything into a box, and show up at the airport.

"After" photo by John Schilling. Thanks John!

To say I'm distracted is an understatement.

And yet there was a time when none of this would have been remotely possible.

I've been dreaming about the Tour Divide since I read about it in 2008, but as recently as 2012 I was so out of shape that I got winded riding the short loop at McDowell Mountain Park.  It's three miles, and I had to stop three times because I thought my lungs were going to explode.  I was also seriously overweight, with a BMI teetering on obesity.  Tour Divide was little more than a pipe dream.

Then my wife clued me in to Take Shape For Life - she's a TSFL Certified Health Coach - and I started to get serious about getting the weight back into a healthy range.  Over time I worked on my overall fitness, until voilá - I was finally in a place physically, mentally, and emotionally, where I could seriously think about doing this thing.

Now I'm a health coach too.  Together, my wife and I help others pursue optimal health, so they can turn their dreams into reality.  Maybe ultra-endurance cycling isn't your thing, but whatever it is you dream about - whatever is on your "wouldn't it be cool if I could do that..." list - we can help.

It's never too late to be what you might have been.  -George Eliot

It's true.  I'm living proof.

-David

Fast Forward

<tap> <tap> Is this thing on?

Let's cut to the chase: I'm racing the Tour Divide this year. Or rather, I'm going to attempt the Tour Divide this year.

A year and a half ago I'd been planning on doing the Tour Divide in 2015. Then I decided not to. And that was that. I though my whole Tour Divide dream was over.

But then something happened I hadn't anticipated. Without that dream, that goal, pulling me forward, I started to spiral down into an emotional slump. With my mental and emotional state in decline, my physical health soon followed. I was a sedentary, chronic grump. It was not pretty. Ask my wife.

So in February or March of 2015, I decided to get back on the horse. I assembled a training plan (I'm too cheap to hire a full-time coach at this point), and started training in earnest last summer. Training has gone well, and although I have't hit all my goals, I've made some serious gains. Bike and gear are sorted, maps pored over, and logistics studied ad nauseam.

I think I'm ready. Or as ready as I can be as a TD Rookie.

Okay, there is one last appointment with an orthopedist to check out this thing with my knee, but it's more for curiosity than to suss out an actual problem (fingers crossed), so I don't anticipate any real snag there. We'll see.

I deliberately didn't blog about my preparations this time around, 'cause what if I bail again? Why humiliate myself. Again. At this point, though, the plane ticket is paid for, and I've got a reservation at the Y in Banff. All that's left is to taper, pack up the bike, and show up.

In two weeks.

Yes, June 10 is race day. I fly to Calgary on the 8th. I'll post details about how you can follow along once the race is underway, if you're so inclined.

So yeah, getting down to the last minute. Starting to get nervous now. Is this really happening? Yes, yes it is.

Wish me luck.

-David

Tour Divide - Weighing In

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

As we emerge from our tryptophan-induced naps, I want to revisit something I wrote about back in September. I had mentioned my plans to drop some weight at the beginning of my Tour Divide training process, instead of trying to do it along the way, or (shudder) wait until just before race day. Not long ago, I read an interesting piece on the Carmichael Training Systems blog that does a great job explaining why I approached it the way I did. In particular, it articulates why it's important to view shedding unnecessary weight as its own training phase, instead of trying to drop pounds while building mileage:

Fall (read: off season) is also a great time of year to focus on weight loss because if this isn’t a focused race season for you then you can make changes to your caloric intake and nutritional composition with little to no risk to your training quality. Many athletes try to restrict calories and lose weight in the spring, but that creates a conflict between your nutritional needs for high-quality training and the caloric restriction necessary for weight loss. It’s better to focus on weight loss during the period of the year when your training goals are less specific.

Couldn't have said it better myself. The conflict they talk about is exactly what I wanted to avoid, and why I focused on weight loss before the real training mileage began. Well, I'm happy to report that I dropped ten pounds since that post: I'm currently 175 lbs, which, on my 6'3" frame, puts me at a BMI of about 22. Still five pounds away from my ultimate goal of 170 lbs, but good enough for me to transition out of "meltdown" mode and firmly into "mileage" mode.

See, the program I use to burn unnecessary fat doesn't allow for prolonged periods of exercise. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but there are some very good reasons for this that have to do with stress hormones, glycogen reserves, and other things that impact the way our bodies burn fat. As such, my exercise had been limited to an hour a day for the time I was on program. The hardest part of shedding weight is allowing for the passage of time. Just allowing the program to do its thing.

Patience. Ugh.

But in all seriousness, the program works - if you let it. And it's only taken a few weeks to achieve something that could very well have gone unaddressed. If you're interested in freeing yourself of unnecessary poundage the way I did - whether we're talking 5, 15, 50, or more - check out my contact information in the sidebar. I'm happy to talk you through the program and how we can make it work for you.

[Side-note: if your reaction to my suggestion is "but it's the holidays..." then I have a challenge for you. Food-wise, 'the holidays' consists of two or three meals over the span of a month. This being the case, are you really going to sacrifice a month's worth of potential progress because of a couple of 'off-program' meals? Check out my wife's blog on the subject for some additional food for thought. And even if you want to wait until the new year to get started, let's talk now and set you up for success come January 1.]

Now that I've transitioned back into a weight maintenance phase, I can build mileage in earnest. I'll write more about my approach to training later. Right now I have to get the bike ready to ride in the morning. It's gonna be a beautiful day.

-David

Bread - Shaping The Loaf

So, now you know my recipe for Bread of Biblical Proportions.  But what about some of the finer points of working that dough.  I'm talking about shaping the loaf.  My loaf shaping skills are a work in progress, but here's a pictorial overview of the basic steps mentioned in the recipe above.

Under wraps.

Unwrapped.

Dump.

Dough.

Stretch out...

...and fold in.  Round 1.

Round 2.

Round 3.

Round 4.

Round 5.

Round 6.

Round 7.

The home stretch...

...and round 8.

Scrunch.

The flip.

Dust & rub.

Onto the slider/peel.

Time to make a mark.

Criss-

Cross.

Score!

The flop.  Yeah, still working on that one.

Lid on.

Bake: the first 20 minutes.

Bake: lid off for the next 60 minutes.

Done!

Rustique.

Tasty.

Bread of Biblical Proportions

If you're gonna eat bread, why not eat healthy bread?  And if you're looking for a healthy recipe, you can't go wrong with the one found in the old testament.

"...take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and spelt, put them in one vessel and make them into bread for yourself..."  Ezekiel 4:9 (NAS)

Many iterations of this recipe have been developed over time, both commercially and by home bakers around the world.  Some folks have shown interest in the way I make my bread.  Here you go.  The only thing I don't have in this recipe is millet, but only because I haven't made the effort to buy some to play with.

Note that this recipe makes a big loaf of bread.  Over 5 lbs when finished.  If you prefer a smaller loaf, you may want to experiment with reduced quantities to make less dough, or divide this dough produced by this recipe into multiple loaves.

Equipment

• Flour mill, electric or otherwise.  We use an old-school Whisper Mill.  I'm sure there are others that will do the job.  If you don't have access to a flour mill, you may be able to find most or all of the ingredients pre-ground from boutique millers like Bob's Red Mill.
• Kitchen mixer, electric.  Of course, you can always knead your dough by hand.  My mother made bread this way throughout my childhood, and it always looked like a terrific workout (read, a lot of work).  In our kitchen today, we use a Bosch Universal - also old-school - but I'm sure your Kitchenaid will work just fine.
• Measuring cups & spoons.  I use a big 4-cup Pyrex cup to mix the water/honey solution, but you can probably do it in a mixing bowl.
• An electronic food scale.  Why do I use an electronic food scale to measure ingredients instead of cup measures?  Because Alton Brown said so.
• A big, non-porous bowl for the rise.  My mom used plastic.  I use stainless steel.  Either works.
• A big, cast iron Dutch or French oven (i.e. pot), enameled or otherwise, with matching lid.
• A big oven peel/slider.

Dry Stuff

• Measure 3 tbsp iodized salt and set it aside.  Why iodized?  Meh, why not.
• Measure 3 tbsp active dry yeast and set it aside.
• Measure 500g of unbleached white bread flour and set it aside.  Now, you may wonder how on earth they can derive white flour without the use of bleach.  I have no clue.  The mysteries of modern milling.
• Measure out the Ezekiel blend, which consists of 500g hard white wheat berries (others will probably work, but this is what they have at the local Costco); 250g farro; 150g pearled barley; 100g spelt; 50g lentils; 25g pinto beans; and 25g great northern beans.  1100g total.  Grind in the flour mill medium fine and set aside.
• Keep a couple tablespoons of cornmeal handy, and a bit of extra flour, for the loaf shaping stage.

Regarding salt:  don't forget it.  Why?  Because life is fleeting, and if you forget the salt, you will waste your hours producing a brick of roughage so tasteless you wouldn't offer it to a tiresome houseguest.

Regarding flour:  experiment!  The Ezekiel & flour blend above is the result of my own experimentation in the kitchen, where I've played mainly with the proportions of wheat to non-wheat grains.  You may want to try all processed bread flour, or all ground wheat flour.  Try changing the proportions of the non-wheat grains, or excluding them altogether.  Try adding the millet to the mix, or some other grain you have access to.  Try changing the proportions of dry-to-wet ingredients.  Make it your own!  Have fun!

Just don't forget the salt.

Wet Stuff

• Measure 100g (1/2 cup) olive oil and set it aside.  Don't be cheap.  Use the good stuff.
• Measure 960g (4 cups) of warm water, approximately 120 deg F (50 deg C).
• Measure 120g (1/2 cup) honey; stir it into the warm water and let it dissolve.

It may be possible to omit the honey and oil, and make up the difference with water.  I've never tried it so I don't know what would result.  In theory, one can bake bread with flour, leaven, water, and salt, so it should be possible.  Maybe someday when I'm feeling particularly lucky I'll give it a try.

Mixing Stuff

• Dump the water/honey solution into the mixing bowl; stir in the yeast and let it sit for a couple minutes.
• Add the white flour, whisk to incorporate, cover and let sponge for 10 minutes.  If it doesn't look "alive", add 1 tbsp more yeast into a cup of lukewarm water, incorporate into the sponge mix, and let sit for 10 more minutes.
• Once the sponge has sponged, turn on the mixer (use a dough hook) and add the salt (!), the oil, and the Ezekiel flour.  Mix for 8-10 minutes.  Voila:  bread dough.

Rising Stuff

• Lightly oil the big bowl, and dump the dough into it.  Turn it over once or twice, making sure the whole surface of the dough is oiled.  This is important, for reasons that will become clear the first time you forget to do it.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it somewhere cozy.  Let it rise for an hour.
• Turn the dough gently in the bowl, deflating it and turning it in on itself before flipping it in the bowl.  Let rise a second time for 45 minutes.  Around this time, turn on the oven (with the cook-pot & lid inside) to 500 degrees F.
• After the second rise, dust the counter with some flour, turn out the dough onto the floured surface, and shape the loaf: pretend the blob of dough is a stop sign, and take each of the 8 'corners' (use your imagination) one at a time, gently stretch them outward, and fold them back into the center of the blob.  Once you've got all eight, squeeze 'em all together.  You've effectively 'tightened' the bottom surface of the dough, which, after you turn it over, will become the top of the loaf, but not until you...
• Sprinkle some cornmeal onto a flat peel/slider, and place the shaped loaf onto the peel, 'tight' side up.  Rub the top of the loaf with some flour, cover with a towel, and let rise for 15-20 minutes.

Baking Stuff

• Once the oven and cook-pot are hot and the loaf has risen, slide the loaf off the peel and into the pot (easier said than done), score the top of the loaf, put the lid on the pot, and slide the whole thing back into the oven.  Turn the heat down to 450 degrees F and set timer for 20 minutes.
  CAUTION: the pot & lid are HOT, and will burn you without remorse or empathy if given the chance.
• When the timer rings, remove the lid and set the timer for 60 minutes.
• When the timer rings again, turn the loaf (hot!) onto a cooling rack, and give the bottom a knock.  If it doesn't sound done, pop it back into the oven for a bit.  Once it sounds done, hey way to go - you made bread!

Enjoy.

Regarding the whole pot & lid thing: Tartine Bread.  I got this idea from a book thus named, wherein the author describes this process of using a heavy pot & lid in lieu of traditional open loaf pans.  The lid serves to trap moisture in with the loaf for the first few minutes of the bake, which allows the surface of the loaf to remain elastic while the loaf finishes rising and takes its final shape in the loaf pan.  I'm not exactly sure why this is so important, but I love the results (crust!), so I keep doing it.

Stay tuned, and I'll post some pictures of the loaf shaping and baking stages.

Live Dangerously

"All men dream, but not equally.  Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was all vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible."  T.E. Lawrence, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

People are dreamers, but too often we kid ourselves about our dreams.  We tell ourselves "If only" and "It's too big" and "I could never."  "Life is what it is," we say.  "Too late to change things now."

"It's Impossible."  With a capital "I".

But every day we don't take the path less traveled is a lost opportunity.  See, the "Impossible" is seldom actually impossible.  Usually it means "improbable" and is accompanied by the discomfort of the unknown, and the suspicion that it's going to be a lot of work to make it happen.  Challenging?  Yes.  Impossible?  No.

Take my friend Jon.  Early on, he knew he wanted to be a missionary.  He went to school, got the training, married a like-minded woman, and together they equipped themselves to follow this calling.  Then he took a pastoral position in a church, they settled in, had four kids, and began to think that the dream was over.  I mean, is it really responsible to take your kids overseas like that?  Then, while on a short-term mission trip to Bolivia, Jon met a missionary.  This man had a wife and five kids.  In Bolivia.  Jon had a heart-to-heart with his wife, and together they did some serious soul searching.  Today they're missionaries in Prague.  Czech Republic, baby!

Or my friend Luke.  He and his wife were born and raised in the USA, yet somehow they seem to have English souls.  They just spent the holidays in London.  Why?  They love the UK!  So much so that they're considering the prospect of moving there, if only temporarily.  It's too early to tell if their plans will pan out, as they still have some petty logistics to work out - things like visas and money and food and shelter.  Time will tell.  I hope they make it.

"I get a lot of email from people who say that this is their dream, but that their situation prevents them from doing it themselves.  These people are fooling themselves and wasting their opportunity.  Imagine you're 90 years old with terminal cancer.  Now would you have done it?  Because in a blink of an eye you're going to be 90 years wondering where your whole life went."  - Brad van Orden, author of Drive Nacho Drive, in an interview with Overland Journal

For some, "Impossible" might involve vast landscapes with names like Everest, or Patagonia, or heck, the moon.  For most of us, "Impossible" is likely to be a little closer to home.  Lose weight.  Run a seven-minute mile.  Travel more.  Move to a different country.  Write a book.  Go back to school.  Start a new career.  Create a new life.

For my wife and I, our "Impossible" began the day I gave my two weeks notice back in August, 2012.  Today, my lovely wife Stacy brings home the bacon while she trains for a marathon, and I homeschool our son, and get to ride my bike pretty much whenever I want.

"This row across the Atlantic Ocean will create memories that you will take to your grave.  The dolphins, the sharks, the storms, the struggles - it's all priceless.  Your years of work will all blur into one another.  But this year won't.  Believe me, forty years down the road, you're not going to kick yourself for having rowed across an ocean."  - Julie Angus, author of Rowboat In A Hurricane

As our life unfolds, what used to appear to be "impossible" has become our "normal."  Then a funny thing starts to happen.  New dreams arise, new goals appear on the horizon.  Ultra-marathon?  Tour Divide?

Impossible?  Time will tell.

In the mean time, we live a life with no regrets.

What's your "Impossible" dream?  Live dangerously.

Breaking Bad [Habits]

I read a fascinating book recently.  It's called "The Power Of Habit" by Charles Duhigg.  Duhigg posits that our lives are effectively run by a bunch of habits.  Then he breaks down how a habit works and examines its components:

• the cue, 
• the routine, and 
• the reward.  

A person gets stressed (cue), smokes a cigarette (routine), and gets a hit of nicotine (reward).
A person gets bored (cue), gambles at the casino (routine), and gets the thrill of almost winning someone else's money (reward).
A person gets hungry (cue), raids the cookie jar (routine), and gets a sugar rush (reward).

Any of this sound familiar?  Never mind that these habits don't necessarily work in our best interest: smoking begets lung cancer; gambling begets poverty; cookie jars beget obesity.  Further, many of our habits were established outside of our conscious control.  We just, well, kinda end up with these habits, and they end up running our life.  Or ruining our life.  Depends on the habit.

Duhigg suggests that it's possible to take control of our habits, and even though we can't eradicate old habits, we can overwrite the old routines with new ones.  To do this, he suggests we look at each element in turn:

1. First look at the routine.  Easy enough right?  The routine is usually the part you want to change.  Ever had the thought run through your head "Why do I always..." fill in the blank.  There you go.  For this guy I know, the routine was that he always got the munchies in mid-afternoon.  He'd rise from whatever he was sitting on at the moment, glide on auto-pilot to the kitchen, procure whatever was handy, and eat more than he actually needed to sustain his sedentary metabolism.  After stuffing himself, he'd lumber back to his place, plop down in his chair, and wonder how it was that this happened again.  Hadn't he resolved to never do this again?  Didn't he know that such behavior was not in the best interest of his health?  He'd fight back the guilt, strengthen his resolve, and promise never to do it again.  Then the next day the same thing would happen.  Doh!  Why?!
2. Next we need to examine the reward: why are you actually doing whatever it is you're doing?  For the thrill?  To satisfy an appetite?  To combat stress or boredom?  The reward is not always what you think it might be - it might be something as simple as a feeling of peace or escape or control (real or imagined), even if only for a moment.  In the case of our Munchies Man, after some soul-searching, he determined that by mid-afternoon he needed a little pick-me-up (who doesn't, right?), so off he'd go in search of metabolic fuel.
3. Finally you need to look at the cue.  This is sometimes difficult to identify.  The author identifies five things (see below) that most often cue a habit routine.  Once you recognize you've been cued, stop and identify all five of these things, right then and there, and write them down.  Next time you're cued, do it again.  And again.  And again.  Chances are you'll start to see a pattern emerge.  Those five things are:
• location, 
• time, 
• emotional state, 
• other people, 
• immediately preceding action.  

For Munchies Man, by mid-afternoon, his energy was low, and I'm pretty sure the cue had something to do with that feeling you get when your eyes glaze over but you forget to blink because you're already half asleep.  Know that feeling?  You know, after staring at a computer monitor most of the day, just sitting there, staring, your life slowly draining out through your eyeballs, an hour at a time?  That feeling?  That was my cue!  I mean, Munchies Man, that was his cue!  That would trigger the routine!

Okay fine, it was me.  You figured it out, aren't you clever.

Once the routine, the reward, and the cue are identified, you can a) be on guard, and b) experiment with different routines to satisfy the reward.  If you can come up with alternate routines that satisfy the reward while supporting your health goals, and you do it often enough, partner, you may just be able to establish a new habit.

In my case, what I've learned from Dr. A's Habits Of Health is that low energy + perceived hunger actually means I'm thirsty - not hungry.  I need water, not food.  I've carried a Nalgene water bottle with me for years, but I'd never put any real thought into when I drink my water.  These days I try to make sure I'm ahead on my water consumption throughout the day, and pay particular attention to my feelings in mid-afternoon.  If I feel my energy ebbing and the munchies creeping up on me, I chug some water, wait a few minutes, and all is well with the world.  

Same cue, same reward, different routine.

None of this guarantees that the habit will change right away, but knowledge is power.  And any ounce of advantage I can squeeze out of my psyche - hey, I'm gonna take it.

David Phillips

Does This BMI Chart Make Me Look Fat?

I was checking out the BMI tables on the National Institute of Health website recently (nerd alert).  For a lot of years, I thought the whole BMI thing was bunk, mainly because it kept telling me I was overweight.   These days when I talk to folks about the connection between health and weight, I often encounter a familiar resistance.  "It doesn't apply to me because I have a muscular build" or "I have big bones" or "I'm husky" or "those charts are crap."

Hey, I've been there.

Now that I have a 'normal' BMI (per the NIH), I've come to realize that the BMI tables are not crap.  But first let's look at how the NIH defines "overweight," and "obese."  The NIH website says "Overweight is having extra body weight from muscle, bone, fat, or water.  Obesity is having a high amount of extra body fat."  Interesting, but what does this mean?  It means that the NIH has already accounted for muscular builds and big bones.

Certainly there are exceptions: the BMI chart doesn't apply to Arnold Schwarzenegger or Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.  Indeed, the NIH states that the BMI chart "... may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build."  Conversely, "It may underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle."  But I'm not Arnold, and chances are, if you're using performance enhancing substances to shed & shred, you're probably not reading this blog anyway.

But how athletic can someone be before he trips into the obese column?  To find out, I toodled on over to the CrossFit Games website, and had a look at the leaderboard.  Have you seen these people?  Lean.  Cut.  Probably the fittest humans on the planet.  How do they stack up on the BMI chart?  Of the top ten men on the leaderboard, most had a BMI in the 25-30 range; only one had a BMI over 30.  Women trended even lower.

So what does that mean for you and me?  It means that if you have a BMI of 30 or more, you're carrying too much fat, period.  And if you have a BMI of 25 - 29.9, you're probably still carrying too much fat.  Unless of course you're competing in the CrossFit Games.  Then you're probably okay.

Big deal, you think.  What difference does a little extra fat really make anyway?  I'm healthy, right?

For now, maybe you're right.  But what about later on?  What quality of life to you want to have later in life?  How do you want to live in ten years?  In twenty?  In fifty?

The NIH answers the question Why Is A Healthy Weight Important?  "Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is important for overall health and can help you prevent and control many diseases and conditions.  If you are overweight or obese, you are at higher rise of developing serious health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, breathing problems, and certain cancers.  That is why maintaining a healthy weight is so important: It helps you lower your risk for developing these problems, helps you feel good about yourself, and gives you more energy to enjoy life."

Why should you pay attention to the BMI tables?  Your future depends on it.  Your doctor and your insurance underwriter use it when they assess you.  You should too.

Be honest with yourself.

Use the BMI calculator.  Find out where you are.  Figure out where you want to be.

Now do something about it.

You are the dominant force in your own life when it comes to creating health.  No one is going to do it for you.  "My doctor will save me" you think.  But your doctor can't do any more than manage symptoms as they appear.  There is no magic bullet.  The little daily choices you make today will do more for your health, now and in the future, than anything your doctor can prescribe.  Ever.

Not sure where to turn?  Join me!  My wife and I are FREE Certified Health Coaches with Take Shape For Life.  We can help you quickly and safely attain a healthy weight, and learn the habits necessary to maintain it for the rest of your life.  Contact us and let's create health in your life too!

DavidJamesPhillips@Gmail.com

Moving Mountains

I watched a TED talk this morning by Philippe Petit, the high-wire walker featured in the 2008 documentary Man On Wire.  Petit is an expert story teller, and in less than twenty minutes gives a riveting synopsis of a life of beating the impossible.  My favorite line comes right at the end, when he says -

"When you see mountains, remember - they can be moved."

How often does losing weight and "getting healthy" seem impossible?  I can't remember how many times I tried and failed to make lasting changes in my life with regard to health and weight.  That is until I discovered Take Shape For Life.

Take Shape For Life is not a diet.  It is a way of overhauling your way of life.  See, I knew that my way of life had created a problem that needed fixing, and that another diet was not the solution.  By forging new habits, I've been able to reorient my way of life toward optimal health and longevity.

In other words, mountains have been moved.

Has your way of life created a weight problem you need to address?  Have you tried and failed to lose weight and keep it off?  Is your weight causing other problems with your health?  Do you have mountains you'd like to move?

I am a FREE Health Coach with Take Shape For Life, and if you're coachable, I can help.  Contact me, and let's reorient your way of life toward optimal health and longevity.

Be inspired, and never forget that mountains can be moved.

DavidJamesPhillips@Gmail.com

Corrections Of Course

Continuing with the whole explorer/navigator theme, consider what may have become of Cortez or Columbus if they had been off by a few degrees when they embarked on their voyages?  When sailing, one is constantly checking and re-checking the ship's heading, making course corrections all along the way.  Where might they have ended up if they had gotten lazy or sloppy?  What would the world map look like today if Columbus landed in Newfoundland or Brazil instead of the Bahamas?  Our world might be a different place.

Sometimes it's difficult to tell what kind of progress we're making with regard to weight loss and health.  I know in my own life there have been many times where I've hit a plateau, or even gone up a pound or two (or five), and I start to ask questions: "So what?  Is it really that important?  I don't feel all that different - it's not like I'm sick or anything.  Does it really matter how much I weigh?"

At moments like these, I need to make a mental course correction and reorient myself toward health.  Because YES, it matters!

Dr. A says:

"In a state of non-sickness, time is against you.  It may go unnoticed until one day you're so fatigued that you finally go to your doctor and find out you have diabetes.  Your health path has led you from non-sick to sick...  The good news is that the non-sick can usually reach optimal health in a relatively short amount of time." -Dr. A's Habits of Health, p. 12

Mental course corrections, made repeatedly over time, result in physical course corrections: every pound lost, every inch of body measurement, every dress size - each of these is a degree of physical course correction that may seem trivial now, but is going to pay off big time later on in life (even now, your body is thanking you as inflammation subsides, blood pressure reduces, insulin stabilizes, and pressure on joints starts to lift).

Sometimes you're just a degree off your heading, and the course correction is a minor one; sometimes you've let yourself drift, and have to do a 180.  In any case, these course corrections - made daily if necessary - are what will ensure you maintain your heading toward optimal health.

What's your bearing?  Where's your head at?  How's your body?  Are you healthy, sick, or somewhere in between?  Are you pointed in the right direction?  That all depends on your goals I suppose, but if your goals include things like health and longevity, then the direction you're headed today makes all the difference in the world.

The journey is long, and is bound to pass through troubled waters, unexpected storms, and for many, uncharted territory.  Check your heading, and correct your course.  Someday soon, you'll discover a new world of optimal health.

Want to orient yourself toward optimal health but not sure where to turn?  I am a FREE Certified Health Coach with Take Shape For Life, and I can help you find your way!  Contact me, and let's get you headed in the right direction.

DavidJamesPhillips@Gmail.com

A Line In The Sand

When starting out on the journey to lose weight and create health, one of the first things we ought to do is take a "before" picture.  As in, "this was me before I started losing weight."  Yet a lot of folks don't want to do it.  Why is that?

Okay, I'll be the first to admit: it's not fun standing in front of a camera when you're thick.  It just isn't.  I can't remember how many times I plastered on a smile and said Cheese! for the camera when I was overweight.  And that was at family functions and other events where the photo was pretty much an obligation.  I would do all I could to make myself look small.  "If I crane my neck and hold this angle, maybe the camera won't pick up my multi-chin" or "I'll just hide behind so-and-so, so nobody can see the gut."  Easy to do when you're 6'3".  You shorties out there have my sympathy.

But actually posing for a picture, the purpose of which is to accurately expose one's present physical condition?  Yikes!

It is critical that you do this.

I can't emphasize this enough.  The photo marks the pivot point in your life, the moment when everything changed.  You're saying, if only to yourself, "I am committing to this process, I am going to make this life change, I am going on this journey, and THIS is where I started."  It marks the day you drew a line in the sand.

Then, if you're feeling brave, post it up on your home page, and make that commitment public.  Scary?  Heck yeah!  But you will be amazed at the outpouring of support, sometimes from complete strangers, as you venture forth.

Someday you'll look at that picture and remember "Yup, that was me.  That's where I came from.  That's where I started.  And I am never going back there again."

"Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it." -George Santayana, philosopher

If you've been longing to lose weight and get healthy, but don't know where to start, I can help.  I am a FREE Certified Health Coach with Take Shape For Life, and my mission is to help people create health in their lives.  Find out more here, or email me directly at DavidJamesPhillips@Gmail.com.

Reflections of Grit

Grit (noun): the tendency to work strenuously toward challenges, maintaining effort and interest over years despite failure, adversity, and plateaus in progress. (Charles Duhigg, The Power of Habit).

Most of us think we have grit.  Certainly we can recognize its value when it comes to the pursuit of personal accomplishments and, well, anything else worth having.

Career.  Relationships.  Health.

But once in a while it's good to look outside of ourselves to see what Grit looks like from someone else's perspective.

Enter Peter Kraft Sr. (age 50) and Peter Kraft Jr. (age 20), from Gainesville, FL.  This father & son team just finished the Tour Divide, but not before it nearly finished them.

The Tour Divide is a grassroots mountain bike race tour that begins in Banff, Canada, and follows the continental divide to the Mexican border.  2700+ miles, and over 200,000 feet in elevation (i.e. climbing).  Anyone who finishes this non-race has some considerable measure of grit.

This year's event began on June 14th.  The guy who finished first, Mike Hall, did it in less than 15 days.

Grit.

Forest Baker and Eric Foster are going for the so-called triple crown of endurance mountain biking: having already completed the Arizona Trail Race in April, they've finished the Tour Divide, and are now headed to the starting line of the Colorado Trail Race, which starts on July 21st.

Double serving of Grit.

Peter Kraft Sr. & Jr?  They rolled up to the Mexican border last night around 9 p.m., 31 days after they left Banff.  Not exactly a course record.

Grit?

Consider that these two have been preparing for this event for three years.  Anyone who makes it to the starting line deserves a medal, and these two lined up in Banff with the rest of the pack.  Then they rode for 2000+ miles to New Mexico, where disaster struck.  First, Kraft Sr. crashed.  Kraft Jr. accompanies Sr. in the ambulance for the hour-plus ride to the hospital, where Sr. is stitched back up.  Then, they hitch a ride back to the course, get back on the bikes, and they KEEP GOING.  Then, Kraft Jr. gets violently ill.  Throwing-up-all-night ill.  In the middle of nowhere.  They find a park ranger, who assesses the damage and tells them they're in trouble.  Another ambulance ride to another hospital.

At this point, I'm almost hoping they throw in the towel.  "It's been a heck of a ride boys.  You've earned your battle scars.  Now go on home and lick your wounds."

Do they quit?  Nope.

Jr. recovers.

     The go back to the course.

          They get back on the bikes.

              And they finish the race.

Grit?

Off the charts.  They ought to make a movie about these two.

Well done Krafts.  Whenever I think about bailing on, well, anything, I'm gonna remember the name Kraft, and think again.

-David

My Dinghy's On Fire!

When Cortez reached the new world, he burned his ships to ensure he and his crew could not go back the way they came.  Onward!

I burned a little ship of my own the other day.  Okay, maybe not a "ship" per se - more like a dinghy.

We just returned home from family vacation in Carlsbad, our annual week at the beach.  It was bliss.  However, vacations can pose a challenge when it comes to making productive eating decisions.  Different sights, different people, different kitchen.  All of these "differents" can throw the routine off, if you know what I mean.  Let's just say not all my decisions were productive ones in light of my health goals.  Nothing major, but enough to make me start to question my ability to maintain for the long term.

When we returned home, I was reminded of where I was a couple years ago.  As I unpacked, I found my old swimming trunks tucked away in a drawer.  My "big daddy" trunks.

For years, I've had two pairs of swimming trunks: my "fit daddy" goal trunks, and my "big daddy" trunks.  In the past, I'd take both pairs on vacation, hoping against hope that I could get the fit daddy trunks up past my rump.  I would try, then abandon the effort, break out the big daddy's, sigh as I slipped them on, then pretend I wasn't embarrassed to go outside without a shirt.

Yup, there they are.  Don't melt your retinas.

Last year was the first year I was actually able to get the "fit daddy" trunks on.  This year, I didn't even pack the "big daddy" trunks.  When we got home, there they were.

See, I've kept them around, just in case.  Just in case it all goes to pot.  Just in case I throw it all away and blow up again.  Just in case I get selfish and lazy again, and decide that instant gratification is more important than fitness and longevity.

I cut them in half and threw them in the trash.  Just like that.  Because there will not be a "just in case."  There will not be a next time.  I burned my dinghy.  Because--

I.  Am.  Not.  Going.  Back.

Arguably, shredding a pair of shorts may be a small milestone to some (I've seen my formidable wife Stacy dispose of yard-bags filled with old "big girl" clothes).  But it was a big deal to me.

Onward!

Do you have a ship you wish you could burn?  Any "big boy" clothes you wish you could give away?  I can help!  I am a Certified Health Coach with Take Shape For Life, and I can help you achieve your health goals.  Hey, life is too short to pretend to not be embarrassed at the beach.  Join me, and let's move forward together.

DavidJamesPhillips@Gmail.com

If We Don't Change Anything, Nothing Changes

People say change is hard.  But the hardest part of change is not the change itself, but recognizing that it’s necessary.  Somehow, we need to realize that we’re oblivious or in denial about certain aspects of our lives, and acknowledge that we alone are responsible to actually do something about it.

Outside Magazine recently published an article titled "YOU'RE DELUSIONAL ABOUT YOUR HEALTH."  Subtle, but it hits close to home. 

I was at a conference during my "thick" years, and one of the attendees and I sported remarkably similar hairstyles.  Naturally I thought I rocked it and that he didn't, in particular because I viewed him as "thick" and myself as, well, less thick.  Fine, I viewed myself as svelte, and gloated to myself about how lean & mean I looked.  A month later I received the quarterly newsletter from the conference sponsor, and there on the cover was a photo of me and the other similarly coiffed dude.  And we looked the same.  Same hair, same gut, same chins (yes, more than one each).  The.  Same.  If anything, I was the thick one.  Talk about deluded.

We train ourselves to see our bodies in a certain way.  We think, “Oh, I’m not that thick.”  Really?  Then we catch ourselves off guard and get a glimpse of the truth.  Ever been tagged in a candid photo on Facebook and not recognize yourself?  Ever catch a reflection in a window or a mirror as you round a corner at the mall?  Who is that person?

We become desensitized to our own condition.  Like the “cat lady” who lives alone because she can no longer smell the dozen-plus felines that keep her company, we become desensitized to our physical condition.  We simply get used to it. 

Admitting we have a problem is the first step to recovery, right?

So let’s say you have a vague notion of the truth about yourself, but you don’t really know what to do.  How does one create health?  For a long time after my delusion shattered, I had no clue.  All I knew was that something had to change.  I just didn’t know what, or how, or… anything.  So for a long time, I did nothing.

And you know what I found?  If you don’t change anything, nothing changes.  Hoping and wishing and pining and dreaming for change doesn’t get the job done.  It’s not until we actually do something about the problem that things stand a chance of turning around. 

So if you want optimal health in your life but you don't know how to create it, chances are you're probably not doing anything intentional about it.  Hey, there’s good news: you’ve already nailed the hard part, realizing the need to change. 

If all you lack is the tools, then I’m your guy.  I have been where you are now, and I’m telling you it’s possible.  Once we have the tools to make the change, the change itself is not that difficult.  I’m a Health Coach with Take Shape For Life, and I can help.  Contact me, and let’s make the change.

“It's never too late to be what you might have been.”  –George Elliot.

DavidJamesPhillips@Gmail.com