Author: dkyo

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Welcome to 2012

2011 has come and gone…looking back it was a very interesting year with some new experiences.  I had some good friends living with me and we had some adventures.

Work was busier than ever, but I was able to do some cool things like The Relay and Tough Mudder thanks to coworkers.

Made a trip out to Chicago and got to try Alinea and Next.

A good friend got married and I got to be his best man.

With good there’s always the downside as well.  Dopey passed away this past year.  I still miss her dearly.

 

On to this year’s goals!  I’ve left some One off Goals open for any good suggestions friends might have.

Diet:

Paleo/Primal has been working out pretty well for me so I thik I’m going to continue with them.

To add structure that makes sense for me I think I’ll be sticking to the diet except when on vacation, eating out, or when there’s sushi at work =)

 

Sleep:

I’m not changing anything here.  They worked out pretty well.

On a regular sleep cycle get at least 6 hrs a day…or at least 6 hours average.

(Stretch Goal) Polyphasic sleep

(Uber Stretch Goal) Uberman Sleep Cycle

 

Workout:

Same Goals!

3 times a week (Any physical activity counts lifting, running, cycling, sports, etc)

 

Body:

Current level is about 13%.  Goal is to lose 1% off that.

(Stretch) Lose 2%

 

Stretch:

Stretch 3 times a week.

 

Social:

I think the goals from last year were also fine to keep.

2 Social Activities a Week

 

Image:

Keep my hair in check (haircuts, wild mornign hair, etc)

(Stretch) Continue with wardrobe update.  Specifically shoes this time.

 

One off Goals:

Yearly Physical Exam

6 Events this year (Races, etc)

Swimming Lessons

12 New Books Read

1 Outdoor Adventure (Snow Camping, Half Dome Hike, etc)

Friend Suggestion Slots

(Bonus) Work on a language

(Bonus) Work on an instrument

 

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2011 Goals Retrospective

Chart_1

I graphed out the numbers that I found interesting over the past year.

If you look at the graph there are dips in June then a downward trend Sep on.  They can be explained via the pulled hamstring in June.  Sep on was due to the constant work/personal events that all clustered around that timeframe this year.

Diet:

Actually was more structured earlier in the year.  It became more of a fuzzy guideline as the year went on.  Overall I think I’ve stuck pretty well to the Paleo.  Diet suffers the most when I’m not working or out of town.

I think a bit more structure is required for me to reach my bodyfat goals.  I will have to put in exceptions for eating out.

Sleep:

7/12 Months averaged over 6 hours, but even in the months that dipped under they only went under slightly (lowest at 5.73 hrs)

Workout:

3 times a week. ~12 times a month.  Met this goal 9/12 Months.

Most of the time I was able to meet this goal fairly easily.  I was actually able to push into the 20+ times a month about half the time.  The times I missed were only off by 2 or 3 workouts.

Body:

Goal of 3% or 12% (This was actually the same given my starting was 15%).  Rounded off the year around 13%.  Not exactly what I would have liked, but I think to make additional inroads here I might have to be stricter than I’d like. I believe that 1-2% at this point will be fairly difficult, but we’ll see.

Stretch:

5 mins a day was a bit ambitious.

Not once did I actually hit this goal.  I think next year’s goal should be to stretch with every workout or 3 times a week (greater of the two).

Social:

I did not eat upstairs more.  However I did seem to meet the 2 times a week goal.  Basketball actually ended up consisting of a large portion of the counts.  I would have struggled a lot more if I didn’t count basketball as a social activity.

Image:

I definitely was doing a much better job at this earlier in the year.  And I started bumming out in prep work as the year went on.

Ironically the stretch and really stretch goals I think were at least partially met.

I did get haircuts at more reasonable intervals and happened to update my wardrobe twice this year.

 

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2011 Goals December Update

This will be the last update of 2011!  I’m feeling like the last 2 months of the year are undoing the work I put into the first 10 months =)

I’ll post a retrospective of the last year and plan the coming year’s goals shortly.

Diet:
Diet was actually not that bad this month.  It of course suffered when I was down south.  At least there was a healthy piece to XMas dinner with the more or less carbless sides I made =)

Sleep:
Average Sleep for December: 5.73 hours.

Workout:
Got 10 of 31.  Pretty low overall.  I did not do any workouts during my vacation down south either.  I’m probably going to be pretty sore when I start back up more regularly.

Body:
Looking at about 13% this month.  A little bit higher, but not horribly too worrisome yet.

Stretch:
5 times this month.  Along with the working out the stretching has declined.

Social:
19 times this month.  Another holiday month means more time with friends and family.  I saw and spent some good times with people down south as well as up north.

Image:
Got a haircut and actually did a bit of post XMas shopping.  Rounded out my wardrobe with some nicer shirts that I’ll likely rarely wear, but it’s nice to have options.

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2011 Goals November Update

November marks the beginning of holiday seasons…and holiday eatings!

Diet:
Overall not bad, still not as strict as in the beginning of the year.  Flagging now that I’m at the end of the year.

Sleep:
Average Sleep for November: 5.91 hours.  Ok…still below 6, but making progress again.

Workout:
10 out of 30.  Down again, didn’t do any working out during the Thanksgiving break, which probably hurt.

Body:
I’m not ashamed to say it’s actually averaging high 13% now.  It’s amazing how easy it is to destroy your own hard work.

Stretch:
3…geez.  Enough said.

Social:
18 times this month.  A good mix of friends, company events, and basketball.

Image:
Hair is growing out again, but also a bit shaggy.  In the coming month I’ll probably need a trim.  Side note, I’ll probably need to pick up a few collared shirts as well.

 

 

 

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2011 Goals October Update

Long overdue, but October had another business trip and a visit down south for some best man duties.  Overall recovering from last month.

Diet:
Diet was still recovering this past month, but it was better than last month.

Sleep:
Average Sleep for October: 5.81 hours.  Another month below 6…

Workout:
Got 13 of 31.  Slightly up from last month.  Not bad considering that I did have 2 trips this month and didn’t work out during either one.

Body:
It jumped around quite a bit, but I’d say ~13% this month.

Stretch:
5 times this month.  Pretty bad overall.

Social:
24 times this month.  Definitely kept pretty social this month.  Work travel and wedding stuff plus seeing friends is what kept the count so high this month.

Image:
On a whim I decided to cut my hair short…really short.  It’s kinda the military look…not really for me they tell me.

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2011 Goals September Update

It was a rough month for several reasons.  Overall sad times in the workout department, but the month was pretty packed as far as travel and visitors was concerned so the social count is up.  Lesson learned: travel and guests don’t mix with working out that well.

Diet:
So the bad part about doing a lot of socializing is that the health factor of the things we eat tends to go downhill a bit.  With Vegas, my Mom visiting, and Chicago I want to say 50% of the time it was something thatdidn’t fit in my normal diet.

Sleep:
Average Sleep for September: 5.82 hours.  It hasn’t dipped below 6 in a while.

Workout:
Got 9 of 30.  Pretty bad haha.  It can only go up.

Body:
I took far fewer measurements this month but I believe the readings come in still around ~12% this month.

Stretch:
8 times this month.  On par with the workouts.

Social:
22 times this month.  Hung out with some friends this month.  Mom also dropped by for a visit.  Aside from that there was quite a bit of travel and weekend stuff this month.  This includes Tough Mudder, recruiting trips, bachelor party, and Chicago vacation.

Image:
Normal basics here.

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On Dopey

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Dear Dopey,

I’ve thought about writing this a few times.  Started and stopped in my head many times.  This is going to be sappy, but it’s ok I guess.  It’s hard to put into words what you brought into my life.  You thrust additional responsiblity into my life and made vacations difficult and expensive.  You pooped, ate, and slept.  You were my kid and I loved you.

It’s true that at first we didn’t know each other that well, but over the past six years you’ve crept into my heart and became one of the constants in my life.  I’m glad to have met you and hope you feel the same way.  I hope that you enjoyed your life right up to the end.  Forgive us for being selfish and keeping you here so long.  You must have known that we didn’t want you to go and so you never complained.  You were always brave and gave 100% no matter what happened to you.  It was a challenge learning how to take care of you, but I’m glad we learned anyhow since it kept you with us a little bit longer.

I know you’re grateful to work and my coworkers.  Without them you probably wouldn’t have stayed with us so long.  I only wish I’d brought you in a bit earlier so they could meet you pre-wheelchair days.  Even so, they put up with your clackety wheelchair when you used to run around the office and were nice about it even when you had that accident that one time.  And then, when the wheelchair was no longer an option people didn’t judge you (or at least they kept it to themselves).  I know some people must have thought it was odd when I would take you to the restroom…I mean you’re a girl…going into the men’s restroom.  Weird right?!?  Oh and the visitors, always feeding you, especially the kids.  They all treated you so well and this past week so many came to visit you to wish you well on your way.

We knew this day was coming .  I thought that’d help, but it’s still much harder than I expected.  You’ll be glad to know everything went well and quickly.  You fell asleep in Mom’s arms and even started snoring (that was our fault haha your head was in a funny spot).  We left you in your bed and with my clothes (dirty the way you like them) so you don’t feel lonely or scared.  Just remember that you were very loved and we’ll miss you very much.

Love,

Dad

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2011 Goals August Update

Trying to get these posts back on track.  August…no more interns which is sad times.

Diet:
Diet was about the same as last month.  Slightly better maybe.  I’ve been better about it during this time, but haven’t fully cut out the pizza and beers yet.  Once that’s out I think the fried items are next.

Sleep:
Average Sleep for August: 6.05 hours.

Workout:
Got 23 of 31.  Almost back to full CFE swing.  I’m finding it hard to motivate myself to do the 2 dual workouts like I used to.

Body:
Same range of 12%-13% this month.  Officially got tested at work with the pinch method and it ranks me at 13.6%.  About where I expected, but I secretly hoped it was lower.  Must officially move it to 12 somehow.  Also got my glucose/cholesterol/blood pressure numbers.  Everything is still in the normal range as from the physical.  Total cholesterol dropped a bit, but it was due to a drop in HDL.  The only thing that changed since then was moving over to a Paleo Diet.  I’m thinking I should probably cut back on the carne and work with healthy fats in coconut and avocados again.  I ate a lot more avocado previously and think that may be a factor.

Stretch:
20 times this month.  Continue to stress stretching!

Social:
18 times this month.  Had a few friends come up for various reasons this month and was able to hang out with them for a bit.  Work continued to have some fun events this month which I made sure to partake in.

Image:
Got my usual haircut.  Due to a sale at AEO I also decided to purchase some new jeans that fit better and aren’t quite as baggy as my usual fare (took a couple trips to return items, but finally got it).  I thought I should expand my jeans types haha.  Guess those Hulu commercials got me to check the site out after all.

 

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2011 Goals July Update

Now that it’s almost the end of August I thought I should probably put up the July Update haha.  This month recovered from the hamstring pull and moved back to the CFE workouts.

Diet:
Diet was average/below average this month.  Like last month it was partially due to heading down south for July 4th.  I should probably strict it up when I’m up here and drop all pizza and beers again.

Sleep:
Average Sleep for July: 6.23 hours.

Workout:
Got 20 of 31.  Now that I’m back to CFE the workout #’s should pop back up a bit.  Again, no working out during my trip down for the 4th.

Body:
Same range of 12%-13% this month.

Stretch:
24 times this month.  More stretching to work out that hamstring.  Also more stretching so I don’t pull it again =)

Social:
22 times this month.  Actually went out and did stuff more this month.  Saw some friends and family during my trip down south.  Also work had a higher # of outings due to the interns that were around.

Image:
Neutral again.  I guess haircut counts.

 

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Diet Health

On Non Milk Milk

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while.  Part of the issue for many people trying the Paleo diet or any diet that’s similar is the ditching of dairy.  I haven’t found it to be a huge issue for me, but I thought I’d throw out my thoughts on the popular alternatives that are currently available.

Raw Milk
Ok so this isn’t really a milk alternative, but it is an alternative to regular milk and having tried it I thought I had to write something.  Picked up a half gallon at Sprouts for the cool price of 8 bux…yes that’s a dollar per glass of milk (8 fl ozs).  It wasn’t as separated as I thought it’d be and didn’t differ a whole lot from regular whole milk.  The flavor difference is there but slight.  Supposedly the raw milk is supposed to be ok for people who don’t tolerate lactose well.  My stomach generally only has minor issues with milk, but I suffered no ill effects with this milk.  They also sold colostrum (thinned out).  For you mothers out there I know you’re giving me a funny/disgusted look.  No it’s not orange and was thicker than the raw milk, but nowhere near as thick as you think haha and no I haven’t tried it.  Maybe some day.

Soy Milk
Probably the most well known milk alternative out there.  Soy milk is pretty close texture-wise to milk.  There flavor will vary greatly depending on what you get.  I actually prefer the slightly sweetened versions to the unsweetened soy milk.  One of the downsides of soy for me is that it’s not paleo compatible.  Why you ask?  Well here’s an answer.  From what I understand the basic Paleo idea is soy (and other grains and legumes) contain phytates that prevent absorbtion of minerals (thus the anti nutrient argument).  It’s also poisonous when not processed, contains estrogen, etc etc.  Make your own decisions =)

Almond Milk
One of the popular choices for people following the paleo diet.  It’s a little bit thinner than regular milk, but I think the flavor is light and for that reason I think it’s actually a closer flavor to actual milk.  It’s still sweeter, but I like it a lot as a milk substitute.  I use it for my coffee in the morning =)  If you’re really going for points it’s easy to make your own almond milk.  Search online and you’ll see tons of recipes of varying degrees of difficulty.  Basically it’s Peel/Don’t Peel the almonds, blend them up with some amount of water (based on the consistency you like), strain/don’t strain.

Coconut Milk
Also a popular choice, but slightly harder to find.  The consistency of coconut milk is thicker than milk and the flavor is not my favorite however from a nutrition standpoint coconut milk might be the best milk alternative.  It’s also going to be the highest calorie content from the group here, but coconut apparently has many health benefits.  Since it can be harder to find there are a couple other ways to get your coconut milk fix.  Some people will buy the thick canned version and thin it with water themselves.  You can also make your own from scratch.  The process is relatively easy and is basically the same as making almond milk.  Get your coconut meat from a mature coconut, blend it up with water (usually hot), strain.