CNN Reports on GOP Debate

So CNN was reporting on the debate had the following paragraph.

The big questions of the night: Which senator did a better job convincing voters they can best take on Trump? Did Rubio's attacks and interruptions show a new side of himself? Did Cruz do enough to persuade people he's worth another look? Or did Trump's dismissive counters -- Rubio is a "choke artist," while Cruz is a "liar" -- leave him looking like a strongman swatting away the sorts of politicians that turned his supporters furious in the first place?

These are not the questions that need to be asked. What needs to be asked is what has gone wrong with this country that these morons are our Presidential candidates for one of our two political parties.

Links For A Friend

I have a friend that recently disclosed that they experiencing some issues that sound to be dietary related. Or perhaps their cures are. The person is seeing a nutritionist that I know so I'm feeling good about the information they are getting. I did want to provide some links as well and decided to do it via this blog so others might see it as well.

In general, I strongly recommend nutritionfacts.org. This site contains work by Dr. Greger to review various scientific data "so you don't have to". You'll get that if you watch this behmoth of a video which is over an hour long. And the content, oh my. It's incredibly informative, but it's long. The video is called Food as Medicine and was released on August 23rd, 2015.

The Yamas

It So I mentioned in my 2016 Intentions post, my main goal for 2016 is to graduate from Yoga Teacher training with Marni Task. Stemming from that are more specific goals, one of which was to apply more yoga principles to my life. I listed them out in that post and here they are again.

1. Yamas
2. Niyamas
3. Asana
4. Pranayama
5. Pratyhahara
6. Dharana
7. Dyhana

Of course the last is Samadhi or bliss, the final stage which I am fairly confident I won't get to by May or even this year. These are actually from the The Yoga Sutras Patanjali and are described in the 3rd Book.

I did not get into these specifically. Also one of my goals was to blog more frequently and consistently than I have been. So I will use the fact that I haven't talked about these things in detail nor how I will apply them, I'll write up blog posts about that - two birds with one stone 一石二鳥ですな

The first post will be about the Yamas

Plant-Based Lifestyle

So a friend came up to me recently and asked me how I did it. It, you ask? The implied question really was on multiple levels. The first implied question was how did I lose the weight that I've lost, was it really only diet and which one. The second implied question was about my diet and how I stay plant strong, plant perfect or what have you. At the time I answered it well I think but upon thinking about it could have put more thought into answer better.

This post will attempt to describe what has really made me successful up til now - and hopefully out into the future.

2016 Intentions

So if you haven't seen my recap of 2015 you might want to read it first. This year goals, targets, intentions, whatever you want to call them are built off the success and failures of last year. Probably the most important of which is the fact that I am in teacher training. The teacher training with Marni Task will be the catalyst for most of my goals.

Another key factor is that weight loss is not part my 2016 intentions as I am at the general weight I want to be.  I fully intend to maintain my weight of in and around 140 pounds. So if I have to tweak what I'm eating to make sure I stay in that weight range I will. Weight loss per se, though, is not important enough to be part of my annual intentions.

2015 Year in Review

If you have been in and social media site in the last week or so you have been probably been bombarded with year in reviews which randomly select pictures you have posted over the last year to create a montage of the last year. So you know it's that time of the year again. You would also know it is that time of the year again since I have started posting on this blog again. :-)

In January of this year, I posted my goals for the year, here. I did not say resolutions because that seems to imply binary, yes or no. You either did it or not. Resolution doesn't need to be binary but that seems to have become the norm. So in my post I called them targets. So let's review them to see how we did.

Moderation is the Key?!

So one of the comments I hear from people when I respond to what I eat is that my diet is so extreme. Actually I hear that from my family, particularly my Mother. They believe that moderation is the key. For those people, check out the following video which is relatively old news but I keep coming back to it. The shear number of usable quotes, data and information is amazing. It is a *long* video of 1 hour 15 minutes but it is so worth watching.

The Target Goal Is Dead Long Live The Target Goal

I think it is safe at this point to say that I have achieved my initial target weight. I weighed in at 146.8 this morning. I think the scale is a little wonky since yesterday though. Yesterday morning I was like 148.something and then later in the day it was saying I was 144. Right after Arisa had wiped the scale with a cleaning cloth. But also right after yoga so it's not inconceivable. Could have been water weight loss.

Anyway, I think it is safe to say that I have reached my initial target weight of 150 pounds. And I did it while I was still 50, so I finally completed my 2014 Resolution.

Yay!

Okay, enough celebration

There are Numbers

Then there are numbers!

Yesterday, I was finally able to get an updates biometrics test. I was hoping to get it at the same time as the Holiday Hold weigh-in but a change for expanded services in the Wellness Center at Hyland delayed that until just recently. But yesterday I was able to get the test done.

But first a recap just in case you forgot.

Holiday Hold Update

Happy Post Holidays! So how was your Holiday Hold? Here is a quick post to let you know where I am at with mine.

I pretty much crushed it, losing 10 pounds! As I tweeted, I celebrated a little bit this afternoon per the picture below.

Congrats Bro

So my brother was one of nine public officials recognized by Governing magazine for 2014. As you may know he is currently the General Manager of DC Water Way to go bro! We are all, as always, proud of you. George is the one in the upper left corner of the picture below.

Governing Article:

Introducing the 2014 Public Officials of the Year

I went to http://www.governing.com and what do I see on the top page? A big picture of Cleveland! Check it out, it's an article about where people have lived the longest.

December Challenge and the Holiday Hold

Happy December!

With Thanksgiving behind us, and the evil black friday, it is time to get on with the Christmas season. Arisa wasted no time in decking the house out in boughs of folly. No, holly. If you ever struggle with a present for Arisa, a Christmas ornament will always be acceptable.

Per my Holiday Hold post, the goal is to maintain or lose weight through this Holiday season. I weighed in at 167 (clothes on at weigh in for the Hyland Holiday Hold) on the 24th of November. This morning I was 160.4 just before jumping into the shower, so I'm guessing 164 clothed. But I have been at this weight for the last couple of days. Which is a little frustrating. Well, just a little but perhaps more pressing because I am so close to the 150s. I've seen it a couple of times after losing water weight from a workout. But not at a legitimate weigh-in.

Writeslikeshetalks - Senator Warren goes after Walmart

Ah, Walmart. Arisa Hawkins went to Walmart yesterday as final shot at getting some Christmas Ornaments - everywhere else was sold out of the item she was looking for. Yes, she's very picky. Anyway, somebody approached and asked her if she was the one selling food stamps.

Rumors have it the lady really needed to be talking to the Russian mafia since they're the ones selling the food stamps. And Arisa does not look Russian. Chinese or Korean maybe, but not Russian.

Anyway, saw an interesting article by Jill entitled "How Much Walmart Gave To Ohio Legislative Candidates, as U.S. Senator Warren Goes After Walmart". I was talking to someone at work about minimum wages, Walmart and other places that don't pay a living wage. Clearly raised in a "Tea Party" family he very much espouses the mantra that the wages are between Walmart and the employee, that it's a contract.

Random Thoughts - Engine 2 Diet 28 Day Challenge

So as I mentioned in a previous post I finished my Engine 2 Diet 28 Day Challenge with some really nice results. This post is just a few random thoughts I had that are prompted by participating in the Challenge.

I really don't have anything planned to say this time around so we'll see what happens. We'll all be surprised.

So let's start with something thought provoking: my farts stink.

How's that for a starting topic?(!)

Seriously thought they stink. Actually I should stay the smell is different. Clearly it is from the change in diet and the substantial increase in the amount of beans I eat. Black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, beans, beans and more beans. But it's also because I am eating more vegetables across the board. I bring this up because while I remember thinking about it during the challenge, this morning my wife, Arisa, told me that smell of my breath was different. She didn't say "bad" she said different. And I asked for the clarification. Twice.

Progress to Celebrate - Kinda Sorta

Last night we had great Thanksgiving dinner. We had traditional Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes covered in gravy. We added some #plantstrong dishes as well. I added the Sweet Potato Bowl from the Engine 2 Diet. I also saw some really good looking recipes on +forksoverknives (Forks Over Knives Plant-based Thanksgiving Recipes post). I was going to make a couple of them then realized we had way to much food so I just picked the Brown Rice Casserole with Lentils. So we had that for dinner.

Wrap Up - Engine 2 Diet 28 Day Challenge

Tuesday was the final day of the challenge so I had my blood test done again on Wednesday morning. The numbers pretty much speak for themselves actually. But I like to babble so you will have to wait. ;-)

So the 28 Day Challenge ended on Tuesday night but Wednesday was a busy day besides getting my blood work done and meeting with the Dietitian. So I treated it pretty much like any other day of the 28 day challenge. Thursday night though we went to Pacific East in Coventry in Cleveland Heights for our year end Board of Directors Meeting for the Japanese Association of Northeast Ohio (JANO). Reality is that I really like sushi and if I had not been mindful I would have eaten way more than I should have.

One of the take aways I have from the Hyland sponsored nutrition classes I took this summer, meeting with the Dietitian, but most of all through implementing it during the 28 Day Challenge is being aware of eating when I am eating. So Thursday night with literally a miniature boat of sushi placed in front of my I started to go into shark mode - a mindless feeding frenzy. Until I caught myself and realized that I was stuffing my face as fast as I could - so I slowed down and noticed that I was actually full. So I stopped eating. VICTORY!

Holiday Hold 2015

Similar to last year, Hyland is sponsoring a Holiday Hold.

Most Americans gain an average of about one pound during the holidays*. While this might not seem like much, they usually don’t lose it, and over time it adds up. Kick off your Thanksgiving week with the annual Holiday Hold!

Obviously the goal of the Holiday Hold is to maintain your weight over the holidays. Of course losing weight is also a perfectly acceptable option. This year at Hyland, we are weighed on November the 24th at work. Since it is at work it means we are clothed as opposed to weighing myself just before I jump in the shower. (Too much information?). In fact, I have seen people, and there are rumours that I was one of them, that did not remove their sweaters or anything else that added a little weight at the starting weigh in- shorts an t-shirts at the ending weight in of course!(sadly, I still failed, sigh.

Also similar to last year, I intend to invite my siblings to participate. Of course *you* dear anonymous user may also participate. Just add a comment to this post on the 24th with you starting weight. Then on January 5th, 2015 post a comment with your ending weight.

Two years ago I failed while last year I achieved the hold. We'll see what happens this year as I am starting just as I finish my Engine 2 Diet 28 Day Challenge so I am the lightest I've been since quitting smoking. The award for succeeding in the Neohawk Holiday Hold is the satisfaction of a goal accomplished. No more, no less.

Well, that's enough for me anyway.

Week 3 Recap - Engine 2 Diet 28 Day Challenge

Happy SaturdaySunday! I spent 3-4 hours shoveling the snow off our driveway(yesterday). May not be exercise from Rip's books but it was a lot of work and sweat. So I'm going to count it anyway.

Speaking of Rip, I finally got my Engine 2 Diet book back from the Hyland dietitian. So the general theme for Rip, as well as his father's, is diet. Make your diet #plantstrong and good things will happen. That is not the only message though, particularly with Rip who as a triathlete knows the importance of exercise in all of this. In fact, the whole entirety of Chapter 6 is about exercise with pictures to help you learn. In fact he has a host of Youtube videos with stretches and then workouts(and #2) to help guide you.

Engine2 Diet 28 Day Challenge Week 2 Update

So if you are following this Challenge (all two of you), you know that last week started of with a power outage at work so I didn't get to meet with the dietician. This week, however, I did get to meet with the dietician so I was able to update her on progress and get my bodyfat % checked with that doohicky. But before I reveal the latest and greatest numbers let me talk a little bit about this week.

So normally I spend my Sunday afternoons on the elliptical watching the Cleveland Browns. I started during last year's NFL season for two reasons 1) to do something other than sitting on the couch and stuffing my face, and 2) to protect my TV - last year's Browns were absolutely pathetic, even though they were better last year than under Pat Shurmur.

Week 1 Recap - Engine 2 Diet 28 Day Challenge

So Wednesday was started Week #2 of my Engine 2 Diet 28 Day Challenge. Normally I would have met with the dietician on Wednesday to review the week and take my Body Fat % measurement with that little gadget she's got. The power company had other plans for us - we were sent home due to a power outage and a failure in the backup generator.

Wednesday is also my spinning class but since we went home early Arisa and I ended up going to Planet Fitness where I did the PF 30 Minute Express circuit for the first time in ages. I really like that workout since you can push yourself as much or as little as you are up to on a given day. And you can see progress over time as the weights or reps increase as you get in better shape. But I'll tell you my arms have been killing me for the last two days because of it! I keep telling myself that old adage No Pain No Gain.