THE LATE BLOOMER’S GUIDE TO 2016

The Christmas holiday is finally upon us (as evidenced by the K-Mart lay away commercials and this whole Donald Trump/Starbucks nonsense). It is a time for family, food, fun, Black-Friday human stampedes, and, of course, New Year’s resolutions.

I’ve had the exact same resolution list for the past 10 years. It was a short, simple list, and it was daunting as hell:

1. Write my first novel.
2. Lose weight.

After years of false starts and re-do’s and failures, I finally accomplished both as of this year. To say that I’m relieved would be the understatement of the millennium. I’m renewed, revitalized, and brimming with the belief that I can accomplish pretty much anything I set me mind to. Shaking two 800-pound gorillas off your back at once will do that!

With this mindset now fueling me, I’m preparing my 2016 resolution list with a lot more drive, optimism, and ambition. I’m also creating a list that is going to actually be fun to pursue for a change. These are things that I’ve LONG wanted to try but found every reason and excuse in the world not to.

But now, true to my Late-Bloomer status, I’m ready to make 2016 the year that I finally turn those long put-off dreams into reality. My goal is not to master them all. My goal is to look back one year from now and say I did every last one of them, and I had a hell of a good time doing it.

So, without further ado, here is my first VERY PUBLIC New Year’s resolution list. Putting this out there for the world to see will make it much less likely that I flake on any of them, as I have been so prone to do in the past. Hopefully a few of you will rake my ass over the fires if I flake this time! Trust me, I’ll welcome it!

1. Inspire at least 1000 people to change their lives for the better. I chose this number based on 1000 True Fans model created by Kevin Kelly (if you are a creative – or any type of entrepreneur – and haven’t read the piece, please do so).
2. Learn to swim. Yes I’m forty-two years old and I don’t know how to swim. Did I mention I was a late-bloomer people? The bad news is that I’m terrified of the water. The good news is that my wife is a former lifeguard, so at least I’ll be in good hands!
3. Learn to ski. As it is currently ski season in Colorado, this is one that I may have to tackle sooner rather than later. It’s kind of criminal that I have such easy access to the country’s best skiing and I’ve never once taken advantage of it. This will be the year that I finally make up the mountain (or the bunny hill).
4. Play the bass guitar. I’ve always been a closet metal-head, and Cliff Burton (the late Metallica bassist) has always been one of my musical heroes. This is one that I’ve dabbled in before. I’ve owned a bass guitar for about 17 years and managed to learn the basics (even composing a few tunes on my four-track). But like most other hobby from back then, it quickly fell by the wayside. This is the year I get back to it. I might not be stage-ready – but then again, I just may surprise myself.
5. Do 20 pull-ups. Right now I can do seven. That’s essentially adding one rep per month. Utterly doable!
6. Learn Spanish. This is another one of those parties that I am very late to. I took Spanish classes in high school and college, and emerged from those collective experiences with little more than a rudimentary grasp of the language. Practical applications aside, there are a ton of cognitive benefits to learning a complex skill such as a new language later in life, and I’m always down for tapping a few previously un-mined brain cells.

So there you have it, my personal guide to a new and much improved 2016. There may be one or two items to add to the list between now and December 31st, but as it stands now I have plenty to keep me occupied for the upcoming year (and hopefully far beyond). I plan to post regular updates on my progress (again with the accountability thing), so please stay tuned!

How do you plan to bloom in 2016? Will this be the year that you finally achieve the one goal that has long alluded you? Or are you stepping out and striving for something brand new? Whatever direction plan to take, make sure you attack it with every ounce of energy that you have. Let’s make this is the year we all succeed!

BLISSFUL IGNORANCE

 

Death, murder, death, accident, abuse of power, official misconduct, police brutality, sexual assault, body found, missing toddler, financial scandal, liberal vs. conservative, black vs. white, vandalism, ISIS, newly-discovered threats, cyber-attacks, more new new threats, privacy breaches, identity theft, food recalls, then, finally, a five-second “feel-good” story.

Sound familiar? If you watch your local or national newscast on any given night then it most certainly does. For all of our aversion to even the prospect tragedy in our own lives, we are insatiably drawn in when it happens to other people. The media conglomerates are all-too-aware of this and respond with a steady diet of the macabre on a nightly basis. You can’t really blame them (although many do); they are simply giving the people what they want. It is the same with government, the educational system, and our offerings on prime-time television: our options are a reflection of what we demand (or don’t demand) from our institutions.

There is no doubt that we are living in stressful and uncertain times. Our population is exploding, our resources are dwindling, privacy is virtually non-existent, and the threats both at home and from abroad have never been more plentiful. But if our only gauge on the state of our world came through what was reported by the media, our only conclusion would be that we are dangerously close to end-times, with no ray of light on the horizon. I’ve personally fallen into this mind trap more times than I care to admit, and it has negatively colored not only my perception of the world, but the perception of my place in it.

And the worst part of it is that I know better. I know that there is more good in the world than bad. I know that there are more people who want to give of themselves than people who want to take from others. Yet I’ve found it difficult at times to break free of the horde mentality, the us versus them paradigm of scarcity, selfishness, and fear that is more pervasive than it needs to be.

That is why I’ve made the conscious decision to break away from the bad news, silence the talking heads, and take a view of the world that is built on my experience rather than someone else’s targeted perception. I’ve always prided myself as being someone who stays up to date on current events, particularly when it comes to matters of policy and government (the old political-science major in me simply refuses to die). And that fear of missing some major world event has prevented me from tuning out the noise in the past. But my poor battered psyche simply can’t take anymore. The truth about life is that is doesn’t suck. The truth about the world is that it hasn’t gone to shit. And I refuse to give my time and attention to institutions that spend all of their time and money trying to convince me otherwise. I don’t find it necessary to institute a complete media black-out (and I won’t have to thanks to NPR among a few others), but I am prepared to make myself blissfully ignorant to 85 percent of the garbage that is being falsely advertised as news. Innovations in technology, science, and human health and longevity are happening at warp-speed. Tragedies that have the ability to tear us apart have actually brought us together in ways not previously seen. A new generation is coming of age that deserves the same prospects of hope, promise, and optimism that so many previous generations enjoyed.

So, no more Catastrophe News Network for me. I’m not trying to live with my head in the clouds. I’m just trying to keep it away from anyone who’s trying to pollute it.

[Quick note: This post was written a few hours before the news broke regarding the horrific attacks in Paris. Like most of the world, I was glued to my television as the events unfolded. But even with a story as significant as this, there came a time when news reporting morphed into commentary, speculation, and rumor. At that point I found it necessary to turn off the television and keep it off. The people of Paris, however, remain in my thoughts.]  

 

Classic scene from the movie ‘Network’. As resonant now as it was in 1976!

FATHERHOOD, FORTY, & FITNESS

Hey guys! I’d like to share a Vlog I made a few months ago on the topic of fatherhood and fitness. Being a dad is the single most important role I have in life and before my journey towards health and fitness began, I felt like I was failing in that role. I created this video for all the parents out there (older and younger) who aren’t able to give as much to their children as they want to because of poor or failing health, and to let them know that it is never too late to turn it around – for themselves and for the little ones who are so dependent on them being around.

It is never too late…

YOGI IN TRAINING

In keeping with my never-ending quest to become the best version of myself possible, I have decided to become a certified Yogi. We’re talking five-minute hand stands, feet-behind-the-head, twisting pretzel-like poses, the whole nine-yards! Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating my objectives a bit. But the truth is, I am a firm believer in the power of yoga, not just in strengthening the body, but in energizing the mind and revitalizing the spirit. I have some experience with it; courtesy of the ninety-minute P90x version (man was I a Downward Dog expert after that one). But that was part of a larger strength and muscle-building program. As I’m getting older I’m realizing the importance that mobility, healing, and recovery plays in the overall wellness picture, and yoga is the best thing I can do now to achieve those objectives.

Since I still consider myself something of a beginner, I will be starting out slowly. I currently have an at-home program that I will use a couple of times a week. Depending on my progress (which I will, for better or worse, document on these pages) I may eventually work my way into a class. This is something that I plan to incorporate as a lifelong habit, so I am in no rush to advance. Besides, that would defeat the whole purpose. Yoga is about slowing down, developing patience and reducing stress. The patience piece is especially important for me, so I’ve given myself plenty of time to learn, to grow, and to even stumble. And stumble I will. My balance sucks.

But hey, Yogis aren’t made overnight, right?

Are there any current yoga masters out there? Any fledgling tree-posers like me? Please drop a line of advice or support. I get the feeling I’m gonna need it! 🙂

BECOMING BULLETPROOF

TASTES JUST AS GOOD AS IT LOOKS

I first heard of Bulletproof Coffee a few years ago. I was thumbing through a Men’s Health magazine (desperately trying to find some motivation to get my tired arse in shape), when I came across an article touting the next big diet craze. I didn’t know nearly as much about nutrition then as I know now, so when I read all of the glowing testimonials about the supposed benefits of adding coconut oil and butter to your daily coffee, my one and only thought was this is a freakin’ coronary explosion waiting to happen! 

Fast forward to now. I’ve undergone a major physical change, with all the requisite nutritional research and knowledge necessary to maintain it. I’ve experimented with high carb diets, high protein diets, no-carb diets, and just about everything in between. I’m currently following a ketogenic (high protein, high fat, low carb) approach, and it’s worked wonders. So when I stumbled upon the Bulletproof coffee idea a second time, I wasn’t completely adverse to it. Even though I was seeing success incorporating healthy fats into my diet, the idea of scooping out a tablespoon or two of butter per day was still a little worrisome (research into the benefits of grass-fed butter has since eased my mind), so when I decided to try the recipe out for myself, it was with a healthy dose of skepticism. At the first sign of anything the least bit out of whack with my body I was immediately prepared to toss the stuff out. I had made too many positive health gains to throw it all away on some fad, gadget diet that wasn’t going to do anything but clog up my arteries.

So I bought myself a tub of Kerrygold unsalted butter and a bottle of MCT Oil (a coconut oil extract that I hadn’t previously heard of but now can’t live without), fired up the Kuerig (Starbucks House blend was the coffee of choice) and proceeded to make my first cup. After about thirty seconds in the blender, I was certainly left with the best looking cup of coffee I’d ever seen, but looks, as we all know, can be deceiving. After taking one sip, any doubts I had almost immediately disappeared.

I had recently trained my taste buds to handle black coffee and had been drinking it that way daily, so the smooth, creamy texture of the new blend was a pleasant change. I was sold based on the taste alone. But what ultimately sealed the deal was how I felt afterward. My energy level was through the roof, but I wasn’t the least bit jittery or on edge. Most noticeable though was the mental clarity I felt. There is ample research suggesting a positive link between healthy fat consumption and brain health, but I had never experienced as immediate an impact as I had after that first cup. Best of all, the effects lasted for a good part of the day, with no crash whatsoever.

I am certainly no expert in the science behind all of this, and will never claim to be. The only thing I can provide is my own anecdotal experience. But I can say (at least based on the two months that I’ve been drinking it) that everything positive you’ve heard about Bulletproof coffee is true. Of course I would encourage everyone to do their own thorough research before running out and blending up a cup. You definitely have to take your own health history into account. I didn’t have any pre-existing metabolic issues. But if you are dealing with any type of cardiovascular condition, I would be very hesitant to try this without consulting your doctor. I would also suggest tailoring the recipe itself to your particular preference. If you go to the Bulletproof Diet website [bulletproofexec.com] , the official recipe calls for one cup of coffee, one to two tablespoons of butter, and one to two tablespoons of MCT Oil (the creator of the diet touts his own products to use but I stick with my store-bought brands). You don’t have to jump in full-bore the first time around. I certainly didn’t. You can start out on the low end of butter and MCT amounts and see how your body reacts to it. If after a week or so you are feeling good with one teaspoon of butter and one teaspoon of MCT, you can slowly adjust the amounts to the recommended levels. Just ease your way in.

The necessary precautions aside, I cannot recommend this stuff enough! As my wife will attest, that one cup of coffee (and you truly do only need one) is definitely the highlight of my day. I have more energy, more brain power, and it has helped me lose a few pounds (as part of an overall healthy eating plan of course).

As you can tell from this rather lengthy post, I can write about Bulletproof coffee all day. But don’t take my word for it. Try it for yourself. Give it a few days and see how it makes you feel. I’m confident that you’ll never look at your morning cup of Joe quite the same way again.

In a world where hyperbole rules, very few things actually live up to the hype. In my humble opinion, this stuff does.