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well, we’ve been working out regularly for a little over 6 months now. we’ve had our ups and downs but in all we’ve seen great success in our lifestyle changes. on average we make it to the gym about 5 days per week and manage to eat healthy about 5.5 days per week. those fridays before our freeday can be killer. your tired after a killer week and don’t feel like making dinner sometimes. we usually get to the gym in the morning about half of the time and the rest is after work. sometimes getting out of bed in the morning can be downright impossible … especially when your up until to midnight … lol.

one great thing that we didn’t think about when we started was the amount of money we’d save doing this. we’ve managed to save a lot of money by not eating out all the time. i know a lot of cities have different rates but in chicago lunch usually runs $5 - $8 and dinner $8 - $12. if you do a simple calculation 6 months * ~4 weeks per month * 7 days per week * $20 per day * 2 people you get ~$6,720. a typical week (5 meals per day * 6 days for 2 people) of food usually runs us around $120 which comes to ~$2,880 for 6 months. that’s a $3,800 savings in 6 months … even if you factor in gym dues ~$720 your still saving $3,000. this is one of the huge advantages people don’t always think about when they start eating healthy. it’s cheaper to eat healthy than it is to eat bad.

the past few weeks have we’ve both been hitting plateaus in terms of our progress. i know we’ve been gaining muscle along the way and bodies react differently over time but sometimes you want to see the scale move. we’re teetering on some goals that we both want to get past but are struggling to get over that hump. one of the important things we’ve been guilty of not doing is changing up our routine regularly. i find that we can do the same exercises for a few months before we realize we’re in a rut. you have to try to regularly review not only your weights but also the cardio exercises your performing. make it interesting, throw some variety in there. continuously stimulating your body to get that adaptation response that changes your body isn’t easy and requires attention to details like variety.

i’m planning on starting out completely different this upcoming week. we’re throwing in all different workouts for weights and cardio. out with the old, in with the new … since we’re halfway through the year there’s no better time than the present to clean house. are you stuck in a rut? try challenging yourself in different ways to hit new highs.

no, this isn’t another posting about fitness. well, not unless you consider being active and having hobbies a part of fitness. in that case, i guess it is then.

after countless games, tournaments, years of inactivity, and then a resurgence of interest; i have officially retired my old golf clubs. i know, it’s a sad day but their time has come. not only are they ancient technology fit for a museum, but the company that makes them exited the golf club business all together a number of years ago.

my old clubs were purchased around the summer of 1991 and were made by head. notice a distinct lack of golf links on their site. they make great tennis rackets and skis but couldn’t hack it in the golf market. i always did love the name of the clubs though and continue to use the word to this day, premise. it’s a fitting word and was in fact the username for my first unix account at school. it’s a sad day, but time and technology has evolved and it’s time for me to do the same.

enter my new found favorite local golf store, ejl custom golf in suburban chicago. it’s only 15 minutes from my house and has a number of friendly helpful people working there. their site is sparse at the moment (under renovation as we speak) but they offer custom fitting using launch monitors and other cool technology. i had my appointment 3 weeks ago and picked up my clubs last weekend. i was planning on posting about them sooner but there was this little back problem i wrote about earlier (nothing to do with golf mind you).

anyhow, after 2.5 hours of testing out a number of different brands, heads, shafts, lofts, lies, etc. here is what i ended up going with:

• cleveland hi-bore 10.5° driver with aldila nv 65 45” shaft and d2 swing weight
• cleveland steel 15° fairway wood with aldila nv 75 43” shaft
• cleveland halo 22° hybrid utility wook with rifle 5.5 39.5” shaft
• mizuno mp-60 3 - pw irons with rifle 5.5 shafts, d3 swing weight, and 62.5° lie
• cleveland cg10 black pearl wedges
  • 52° loft, 10° bounce (2 dot), 35.50”, d4 swing weight
  • 56° loft, 16° bounce (2 dot), 35.25”, d6 swing weight
  • 60° loft, 8° bounce (1 dot), 35.25”, d6 swing weight
• bettinardi hogan baby ben center shafted bhb-9 33” putter

i know a lot of it’s gibberish to most of you but for you golf geeks out there, you know exactly what it means. custom fitted happiness!!!

i actually picked up the wedges and putter during last season but figured i would add them to make the list complete. needless to say, i have a completely new set of clubs. out with the old and in with the new. though i have to say that my old putter might make a reappearance from time to time.

i haven’t played yet with the woods or irons but i have used the wedges and putter at the range and in a few rounds. i love the feel of the black pearl wedges, the level of control i have with them is amazing. i feel like i can drop the ball anywhere i want on the green. my only complaint about them is that they show wear pretty quickly on the face. i don’t mind it too much as it shows a bit of history but if your someone who wants that pristine look for a long time these are not the clubs for you. the putter is quite a change from my old titleist bullseye blade but it’s a welcome addition. i love the feel of the center shaft and the alignment with the sight is precise and easy to look at.

i’ll try to put together a better writeup later in the season as i get more use out of all the clubs. until then feel free to shoot me any questions. wish me luck at the range this weekend on their maiden voyage.

after taking it easy in the gym the past 2 weeks my back feels better. i’ve held back a bit in my weights (wanted to raise them some) but i haven’t stopped working out. in order to reduce the stress on my back i did a few things differently:

• during upper body weights instead of doing back exercises i did some of the stretches that i learned in the spin class. yes, the same one that threw my back out. that which hurts you can also make you stronger.
• on running days instead of doing intervals of walking a lap and running a lap, i instead modified it to run every 2nd lap instead. during the running laps i focused on steady strides and less of a bouncy motion that might put stress on my back. during the walking laps i walk very fast to keep my heart rate as high as possible.
• when doing all other exercises i focused more on keeping more core stable and my back well positioned. i know i should do this all the time, and i do often, but this time i really tried to stay aware of my form throughout all of the reps and sets. form over reps at all cost.

i’m hoping to see some good losses this week and if all goes well i’m planning on hitting the range this weekend. i’ve been dying to get out there and play some golf. rather than push it though i decided to give my back a rest. besides, it gives me time to review dave pelz’s short game bible and the plane truth for golfers. i’m planning on starting the season with a new one plane swing and continuing to refine short game under 100 yards.

back … yea, that’s what i’m feeling right now. i pulled a muscle in my lower back on friday after a “core spin” class at the gym. actually that’s not entirely correct, i made it to the next afternoon at which time my back gave out while raking leaves. the spin class went well but we did a ton of core exercises i hadn’t ever attempted before. i didn’t think at the time that i was pushing anything but the next day my body told me otherwise. i’m feeling a bit better though and hope to be back in service later in the week.

things are going really well in the land of lincoln. amy and i are working out regularly (about 5 days per week) and have been doing so since the jan 1. i’m now down 40 pounds and she’s down 20 pounds. we’re as focused and determined as ever to make this an ongoing lifestyle change and not temporary. we’re following the body for life program that’s worked so well for us in the past. 6 days or workouts and eating 6 small well balanced meals with a free day on the 7th day. typical to bfl we feel like crap after the freeday but it’s nice to enjoy the things you’ve craved all week. our meals have been fantastic and we actually find that by cooking and making all of our meals each week we’re saving a lot more money, funny how that works out. eating right == saving money … crazy talk i tell ya.

we’ve had some ongoing motivation as a result of our lifestyle as well … in the second week of january our gym sponsored a attendance contest that gave members who consistently worked out entries into a drawing. the more you went the more you were entered and the larger the prizes you could win. since we were going 5 days a week we were able to enter for the top prize of 5 months free dues. after a perfect 3 months not only were we down 60 pounds total but i won the drawing for the free dues and to top it off the newsletter at the gym wants to interview us … and … the fitness person asked us if we’d be interested in talking to the newspaper. pretty cool ahe? another motivational thing was that amy was able to lower her total cholesterol, lowered her ldl cholesterol, and raised her hdl cholesterol during our 3+ months of working out.

if i can offer a small piece of advice for anyone who’s starting or thinking about starting a lifestyle change … do it!!! you won’t regret it, i guarantee it. whether your just trying to change your eating habits, lose weight, obtain more energy, take control of cholesterol, or anything … you can and will do it. it takes time, nothing happens overnight. you didn’t convert your body into what it is today overnight, nor will you make your changes overnight. we’ve hit plateaus along the way every 2-3 weeks where we just stop changing. but as we persist, we continue to see progress. you too will make the changes you desire if you really put your mind to it. no excuse is big enough as there’s a solution to every problem. whether it’s time for workouts or eating the right food you can find a creative solution to your situation. the workouts you can do with a dumbbell, exercise ball, and some elastic bands are amazing. yea, a gym would be nice but not everyone has that luxury. the short time you have in the morning or the time you spend vegetating on the couch at night can be used to transform your body. if you really want to watch that tv show, you can do it at the same time.

i know some people are going to look at me and say:

“sean you made excuses for years, give me a break. i have a busy life and don’t have time”

<blunt remark> bullshit!!! remove all the crap you just said and just insert “lame ass excuse” in it’s place.</blunt remark> you could do one or many things to improve your life at any point in time. you are the only person who controls your time and effort. sure, not every single day is going to be exactly as you planned, we’re only human and none of us are superheros (or are you). even if you do it 50% of the time that’s 50% less lazy than you were before, 50% more active than you were before, 50% closer to being a healthier person. even if you only start eating right today, that’s a change … a huge positive change toward a healthier body and fitter life. those excuses to changing are self created obstacles that are preventing you from being the person you can and should be. a healthier, fitter, and happier you!!! so what’s your excuse?

i can predict your next thought, call me sean the psychic.

“sean, why is it that people who start working out get all high an mighty about working out and eating right. it’s crap i tell ya, crap.”

the easiest reply to this question is honestly an exercise for you the reader. do this for me, grab your camera and take a picture of yourself in a mirror wearing only your underwear. better yet have your loved one take a picture of you and get it developed or throw it up on your computer. got it? ok, now ask yourself this … what’s wrong with this picture? i challenge you to come up with the answer of nothing. if somehow you do, go grab a photo from high school, maybe your spring break, or honeymoon photos … put them side by side and ask yourself what’s different? yea yea, time has passed and your wiser, and all that crap. but what has really changed physically and maybe even mentally between picture 1 and picture 2. that’s why we can say the things we say … that’s why we seem all high and mighty. you see, we’ve had that aha moment … that epiphany where we realized what has changed and what has to change. it seems so obvious to us that we want to share it with everyone and don’t understand why they don’t see it themselves. it’s not our fault, we just want everyone to see it and sometimes our message comes across wrong when in fact we just want to help everyone see it and change it.

it’s been a while since i last posted. i’m not really sure why i stopped posting honestly. i guess i just lost my blogging voice.

i’ve went through a number of different things in my life since my last post. i have a new nephew who is cute as a button (parker), my wife graduated with her masters degree as a physician assistant and started a job (congrats love), my father retired, my niece had her second birthday, my wife and i started working out again, i worked over 3,200 hours last year (do the math, it equals nothing but pain), read a few good books, took golf back up seriously, drank more wine, and through this all i’ve had a revelation … no, actually it’s nothing divine at all so that isn’t really the right word. let’s aim a little lower … a “realization” is more appropriate.

i kind of blame it all on my new boss (yea got one of those while i was gone). i know i don’t really post about work for concerns of losing my job, but this isn’t really anything to get fired over … i think. it all started with a signature i used to have at the end of my emails that some of you may recognize:

“i am rarely happier than when spending an entire day programming my computer to perform automatically a task that it would otherwise take me a good ten seconds to do by hand.” — douglas adams

at that point in time i felt that it succinctly summed up my view on my position. that apparently wasn’t the message that we wanted to be sending out to our clients any longer, given certain internal changes. it got me to thinking about why i really chose it in the first place. i’ve been using it for about a year or so. during that time i’ve taken on a new role within the team i was once a member of, i became the manager. scary, i know … it wasn’t a role that was really offered to me, more like dropped on me. the first few months were really rough. if i were to describe it in one word i’d go with “rebellion”.

the longer i was in the role the more complacent i became. not on purpose … i guess i never thought of myself as a manager. i know i have a lot of rough edges, but i always call the shots as i see them. i never respected people that sugar coated things or over-promised while consistently never delivering. i’d rather tell a client i couldn’t do something or that they were wrong before i’d lie to their face. historically this has caused me pain but at times it has helped me to gain respect. in my new role i had some good progressive conversations people liked, and a few really really bad days, well maybe more than a few.

so here i am trying to figure out what to change my signature to while at the same time not really sure i’m comfortable in my new shoes. with this new manager came a lot of changes … i know what your thinking (painful). honestly, i have to admit that they weren’t really that bad (except for using excel and project). they made 100% sense and instead of making up dates and deliverables we actually made project plans and tried to get scope documentation (imagine that). we talked to our clients and have started asking them what they “really” want and actually got them all talking to each other. essentially we started putting the client and the happiness of our people first. things that anyone would love to see happen at any company but often times don’t.

so i started to think about what i really wanted out of my career. i started reading some blogs of people that i respected like gus, wil, joel, and steve (none of which know me but i know through their writings). then i started reading my own blog. after digging back through my past i read one of my revolving quotes:

“the people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can’t find them, make them.” — george bernard shaw

and a light went on, i had that “realization” i mentioned earlier. here i was, sitting in a new job waiting for life to deal me my hand when i should in fact be the dealer. if i wanted to change, then “i” had to change my circumstances … that or make them.

gone is the complacency and indecisiveness. i know what i want and i’m making it happen.

• i’m working out and improving my health. (5 weeks strong now).
• i’m engaging all of my clients, improving our process, making my team happier, and at the same time breaking down historical barriers to progress.
• i’m leaving work on time.
• i’m stimulating my mind.
• i’m smiling a lot more.

in short, i’m making my circumstances, are you?

i’m always looking for interesting reads and new ways to improve and understand the things i do and in particular improve the way i think. i ran across these critical thinking mini-lessons via del.icio.us. of particular interest is a practical guide to critical thinking and chapter 01 of becoming a critical thinker. i may just have to buy the book.

why am i here?
what am i looking for out of life?
what will make me happy in 20 years that i can work on today?
if my obituary was written today what would someone write about me? what would i like to have written about me?
am i happy with my current job?
where do i see myself in 2 years? 5 years?
what changes can i make to be healthier?
how can i be more financially secure?
how can i be a better husband?
what motivates me?

some of the questions i’m trying to answer while reading getting things done. i’ve organized most of our crap at home (still have some things to conquer), started keeping track of ideas and todos in lists, changed my approach to managing at work, and in general i try to stay on top of things more.

still plenty to do and lots of questions to ask. for a quick fix on cringe-busting your todo list check out 43 folders.