September & October Results

It has been awhile hasn't it? I have been attempting to live challenged this entire time, but as you three are well aware, I have taken some time away from the blog. This entry is going to be short and sweet but the posts should be coming in regularly again. 

September's challenge was a skills challenge. Thanks to a good friend, I am now in possession of my own copy of "Things Everyone Should Know How To Do Before Turning 30". The book initially belonged to him (I wonder who gave it to him) but is now WELL above the age of 30. The book has many great skills that a person would find useful in life. If not useful, at least an interesting conversation starter. I took to this book to learn some skillz this month, as well as some interesting skills that many of my friends suggested I learn. 

After the month was over, I was attempting to help a coworker fix her broken cubicle. I struggled to fix it and began looking around for help. She looked at me with her brow furrowed and said, "didn't you just learn a bunch of skills?" 

Yes, I did. Many of the skills learned required science. Some required critical thinking. Some required me to just "man up". It probably took me about 30 seconds to fix her cubicle after she posed the biting question. But the fact remains, there are many many skills to learn, so though I consider this month a PASSED this challenge is far from over.

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October. I was meant to write letters/notes. 30 of them to be exact. I'm still not ready to blog about this month because I'm very curious about my behavior for this challenge. I wrote about 18 notes/letters. FAILED. I sent/delivered about 6 of them. One person I wrote to but didn't mail the letter out to has died. I don't know whether to give it to his family or keep it myself. I've never had something to say to someone and had them pass before I got the courage to say it. 

There are some notes and some letters still to be written and they will be. This challenge will be revisited. I will further examine the results of this challenge, my psyche during this month and what derailed this challenge.

August Results!

It's no secret that I have some issues with some of the conveniences of modern technology, and it's no secret that when someone puts a camera in my face without asking, I tend to react like they work for TMZ. I like to enjoy myself, and too often I've been at gatherings where cameras, phones or other recording devices were brought out to showcase all the fun "we were having". I'm all for theatrics, but staging an event or a memory for the sake of showing other people rubs me the wrong way. Why are we recording this? Is this because I have a horrible memory? Is this for my good friend on the Isle of Man who would appreciate seeing this? Or am I seeking validation or even worse, envy, from my peers. I'm the type of person that enjoys stopping to smell the roses, to marvel at their magnificence and then move on.

For awhile now I suspected that my attitudes toward photography might not be balanced, so I devised this month's challenge as a way for me to get inside the mind of a photographer, by becoming a photographer myself. Frankly, I've come to see that not everyone is the same (Shocking) and some people enjoy stopping to look at the flowers, side step, pull out their camera and capturing that magnificence. Some people, real photographers, can see beauty in a way I don't see.

So how did the challenge go? Was I able to stick to the photo challenge? Arguably the easiest challenge yet?!

Results: FAILED


Analysis: "Are you serious, bro?!" I'm so upset I didn't pass this challenge! As I said, it is arguably one of the easier ones, and one I was very excited about participating in. The first half of the challenge, I went out with my camera every day. My friend and I would go out to lunch and look around at the city. I honestly looked at my environment in a new way. (Success!) I took the time to make a simple every day object appear special for my project. Though I lack the skills and natural talents as my co-blogger this month, I took a few photos that impressed her, and left some readers wondering who had taken the photo in question.

However, as life attacked and many external factors caused me to fumble. I got busy and preoccupied. This is no excuse though, as I still had plenty of free time. I made the decision during my free time to not put forth the effort in bringing my camera with me every where I went.

I do feel I got a glimpse into a photographer's mind. And I definitely feel I can take a DECENT photo if I need to.

I love Los Angeles.

However, I am so disappointed I failed to even scratch the surface of the Bonus Challenge. I don't often blow horns, but I'm going to go out and say this month's bonus challenge was a great idea. An idea, that I failed miserably. Computer issues played a factor this month. (Lack of updates, delay in posts/promotion, lack of uploading pictures)

I will say that despite missing 5 letters, I enjoyed this challenge, and thoroughly enjoyed having the talented Jennifer Glen as my co-blogger this month. Thank you Jen! She is an amazing photographer that loves the art. I would love to have you back, and hopefully for a challenge I can pass. As for the rest of you, go check out her blog! http://www.glennifer.com/ This one is pretty good too: http://glenniferjen.blogspot.com/

As for all you "photographers" out there. Keep snapping photos. Keep uploading them to Facebook. Don't let my frustrations stop you from enjoying yourself or sharing your life and your experiences with your friends. Sometimes life gets lonely so capture and share! /shameless plug. But if we are out together, can it wait until you get home? The world can wait 30 minutes to know how much fun you had with me. :)

Scientific results (math is involved)

As previously stated, weight loss was not the primary goal of this month's challenge - rather it was to learn about how certain foods affect us and what changing one's dietary composition can have on health, energy, stamina, etc. Weight loss is, however, an important measure of what changed. Here are the mathematical results:

Patient Zero:

Friday June 1
Weight: 213.4 lbs
Body fat: 26.4%
BMI: 28.2

Friday July 15
Weight: 208.4 lbs
Body Fat: 25.6%
BMI: 27.5

2 week % weight change: 2.53%

2 week % body fat change: 3.03%

Sunday July 31
Weight: 206.4 lbs
Body Fat: 24.7%
BMI: 27.2

2 week % weight change: 0.96%

2 week % body fat change: 3.51%

Month-long % weight change: 3.28% reduction

Month-long % body fat change: 6.43% reduction

At the mid-month point, patient zero spontaneously decided to begin a light strength-training exercise program. On 10 days in the last half of the month, each of the following was done:

• 10 pushups
• 10 squats
• 10 situps
• 30 second plank
• 10 second side planks

A total of 8.7 miles was walked in these two weeks, and he biked the 10 miles to work on 4 occasions. Had we been measuring muscle mass, this would likely explain for the slowed loss of pounds in the second half of the month - building muscle offset fat loss., but fat loss was a higher percentage with the exercise.

Even with this slowed weight loss, it is interesting to note that patient zero is also currently in the middle of a weight loss phase - a vegetable-focused Atkins plan. This program began in February, from a starting weight of 235. Prior to the July experiment, average weight loss was 0.84 pounds per week. In July, with no calorie or carb counting, the average was 1.74 pounds per week. The difference is likely better quality of food, with less artificial sweeteners, bars, shakes, etc. Patient zero plans to continue eating real food.

Patient One:

Friday June 1
Weight: 220 lbs
Body fat: 32.3%
BMI: 35.5

Sunday July 17
Weight: 214.2
Body Fat: 31.2%
BMI: 34.6

2 week % weight change: 2.63%

2 week % body fat change: 3.41%

Monday August 1
Weight: 212.0
Body Fat: 31.2%
BMI: 34.2

2 week % weight change: 1.03 %

2 week % body fat change: 0 %

Month-long % weight change: 3.63 % reduction

Month-long % body fat change: 3.40 % reduction

Patient one decided not to exercise any more rigorously in the second half of the month. Without exercise, patient one still lost more weight (lbs) than patient zero. It is remarkable how similar the percentage weight loss results are between these two patients, even with different ages, different activity and stress levels.

Fat loss is somewhat different - the exercise increased fat burning in patient zero, and the continuing weight loss mode is also likely a contributing factor to patient zero's consistent fat loss. Patient one started this program, and the initial weight loss is more likely in part to be water weight as the body adapts to burning fat instead of carbohydrate.

Again - this is just from controlling what you eat, not counting calories or carbs, or trying to control how much you eat. The foods selected are more nutrient dense, and more satisfying - second helpings were very rare this month. Neither patient felt like they were starving ourselves, and that's a nice feeling.

July Results!

First, I’d like to thank Mark Hulme for his excellent contributions this month. Without his dedicated research and thought this challenge would not have seen the light of day. I thoroughly enjoyed his posts this month. (so much so, I found myself going most of the month without posting or adding much to his.) There is so much food for thought. (pun intended and planned)

Going into this challenge Mark, Shanna and I decided to make this a lifestyle change, not a diet. We understood that we may find our selves in a situation where we couldn’t be 100% perfect but if could without offending; we would stick to our lifestyle. The only real way to fail this challenge would be if we made the decision to go against the challenge because if we made the decision to “eat this regardless of the challenge because I want it...”

Watching sports entertainment with some friends doesn’t give you a pass to eat a cheeseburger (unless it’s wrapped in lettuce) but if a lady invites you over for a meal, and there is an ingredient in the main dish you aren’t eating, you eat, at least as much as you can. This is Living Challenged, not Living Stupid. But just because the office brings in a cake or some donuts, doesn’t mean you can skip out on the challenge.

Could I go the distance? For 30 days?

Challenge Result: Passed

Image Credit: http://tinyurl.com/4xmfe68

Analysis:

After the first few days of this challenge, my body shifted from burning sugar to stored fat. My head hurt, I felt ill, and I wanted to cave in. I felt catawampus with an odd feeling in my stomach and a nagging headache. Even my behavior was altered during these first few days. I've since had several friends comment that I should be more understanding when certain others behaviors/emotions change outside of their control.

After the initial "sugar withdrawals", I was shocked at how great I felt. I initially worried that I wouldn't be able to eat this way because it required preparation and work to make appropriate dinners. I quickly found out that once I started eating this way, I actually had the energy and motivation to cook after I got home from work. I didn't want to just come home and crash.

There were some tight spots, there were some temptations, but the joys of nachos, pub food and pies were nothing compared to the joys of increased energy and feeling healthy. After meals I wouldn't feel weighed down or sluggish, I actually got nourishment from my meals and energy to accomplish productive tasks.  If I needed a snack I wasn't going to poison my body with processed foods but give it something it could actually use. Almonds, home-made jerky, or sunflower seeds sound better to me now than chips or cookies.

I didn't want to have such a positive experience this month, I wanted to learn something, but I didn't want to like it. Liking it and seeing this much value would leave me little choice but to change my habits on a more permanent basis. Re-reading (About Living Challenged) why I did this in the first place made me realize that change is what I signed up for.

Somewhere people started eating improperly. I'm not sure the rules we followed this month are 100% scientifically or biologically correct. I'm not trying to tell any of you (all three of you) how to eat. But I will urge you to try something different. To test how your body reacts to certain foods/chemicals because you may not notice it now, but it may shock you in the future. I'm not going to eat that chocolate croissant that haunted me earlier this month. I'm going to slowly introduce various foods in, and pay attention to how my body reacts. This challenge really isn't over. None of this is.

June Results!

The month of June was the perfect month for the Word Challenge. With all the changes that took place in June (new job + moving), the task of looking up the word of the day, learning it and then trying to use it in conversation wasn't as easy as I first thought it would be. With just about any other challenge on this years list I would have been set up to fail, but the "ease" of a conversational challenge and the busyness of this month made for an interesting month.

I downloaded Dictionary.com's word of the day notification on my iPod touch months ago. I set up an RSS feed pulling in the word of the day years ago, but they just pilled up and I never got around to learning anything new. This month, I erased everything and started fresh. "One day at a time". But as the days got busier, and my interactions with people became less frequent it became difficult to use often times, obscure words. Not to mention I wasn't going to foist these words upon my friends willy-nilly.

With much lucubration I had to figure out a way to make this work. If I could, I could be Wordsworth. What's that popular saying? "A proper word a day makes the ladies say: you are the coolest guy I've ever met." Something to that effect.

Challenge Result: PASSED


Analysis:

I'm calling this one a pass, but there definitely were some hiccups and some disappointments. There were times when the word of the day would have fit perfectly with the conversation at hand (Eisegesis), but then I'd forget how to pronounce it. One stipulation I set for myself was to learn these words and use them in a manner that made sense and say it properly. I wouldn't fail necessarily if I didn't use ALL the words in every day conversation as long as I was learning them, using most of them and on a daily basis. They days I couldn't use them in person I'd communicate them electronically, which in an age of "lollicopters and Ben ROFLisbergers" I suppose I was still accomplishing the goal, even if it felt like a shortcut.

Though there were days were the words didn't flow as naturally in conversation, I consider this a challenge because I did learn each of these words, and attempt to use them naturally. Even if it was just answering the Question of the Month "What's today's word?" The point of this blog is to live life with new experiences, to grow, to learn and to share. I haven't retained every word this month, but I have learned a few new ones, and that's the goal.

Credit: Rob Peterson

Towards the end of the challenge, I was getting off of the freeway and I rolled down my window to use sirocco on a homeless man. It was hot out, no cyclone, but still, there was definitely an oppressive wind. I wasn't going to just use this man for my challenge, I provided him with an avocado recently purchased at a Farmer's Market. Before I could impress him with my vocabulary he shocked me with , "this is perfect! I'm a vegetarian so I'm glad you gave me this".

Favorites:

Pecksniffian - Another great word I can use on all you troglodytes.
Catarrh - Even though everyone thought I was saying guitar, walking around Griffith Park talking about my "catarrh problem" with Jen Glen was a hoot.
Catawampus - No explanation needed.


P.S. Sub Challenge: FAILED

No one called me out on using certain four letter words like dude! The closest anyone got to calling me out was Miss Victoria Riley using it in an email. You know I have to read words out loud! I do believe I cut down on useless words like "stuff and thing" but no one won a free taco. I guess its hard to go social when its just the four of us. :)


I know a few people attempted to play along this month, how did it go?

May Results!

Is it just me or is May the longest month in the year? This month, I challenged myself to drink nothing but water. No green tea in the morning. No wine at night. No beer after a hard day of labor. No Hendricks & Tonic at my favorite lounge.

I highlighted most of the challenging moments earlier this month but recently there have been some other key developments. Two friends from Seattle passed through Los Angeles to meet up for a drink at the Dresden. This normally wouldn't be so hard as I had mastered the art of going to a bar and not having a drink. (See: A Night at the Griffin) But going to the Dresden was different. The owner has taken a liking to me and had offered me a free drink on my next visit. Oops. A week ago I went to a brewery. Oops. Recently, I had the opportunity (twice!) to be a grill master. Hanging out grilling/barbecuing some meat to be consumed by my friends on a glorious Los Angeles day. I've waited for my turn at bat to hold the spatula in one hand, and a cold beer in the other. My time is now, could I really do it with a plastic cup of water? What about my image? My fantasy?!

Now imagine he's drinking Aquafina.

Okay, I'm not that shallow to give up a challenge over image, but I do need a lesson in self-control. The ambiguous ending to my last post lead to an outpour of responses. Two of my three readers asked me if I failed, the third confidently declared my failure. Was I able to resist the temptation of drinking wine in paradise? Could I resist smoothies made from fresh organic fruits and healthy supplements? Can one really work a day of hard manual labor and not unwind with a beer? If I succumbed to the pressure of friends and my environment, could you really blame me?










Result: PASSED

I could drink water forever.

Analysis:

The vocal response for this month's challenge has been polarizing. Avid water drinkers saw this as a breeze, while others labeled me as crazy for trying to go without a flavored or fermented beverage for 31 days. Turns out they were both right. The idea of just drinking water when you are thirsty is simple and easy. Drinking the RIGHT amount of water required to keep our bodies hydrated is easy especially if you already do that. What makes this challenge difficult is resisting the desire to have what you can't have, trying to develop a new habit and resisting peer pressure. And of course, I definitely missed my favorite drinks, but really it was only in social interactions or early mornings that made the challenge rough.

Drinking water, and more of it, had great benefits. I had more energy, I felt healthier, my meal portions were down, and I saved a ton of money. Interestingly enough, I found just as many studies and articles that downplay the importance of "eight cups a day" as I did touting the importance of enough water/hydration. I personally, will be drinking more water from here on out, but the biggest takeaway for me was my growth in self-control. Saying no to something my mind was telling me I wanted or needed. My current thought is that I can take the principles I practiced this month and apply it to other areas of life that need greater self-control. Hey, I might actually become a better person!

However, the million dollar question right now is, "what will be your first none-water drink?"

What would yours be?

April Results!

For the first "fan submitted" challenge I was tasked with rising each morning at 5AM and adhering to a strict schedule including a workout, a healthy breakfast, a shower, reading and meditation. Going into this challenge I knew that it would be essential that I go to bed at an early hour. On the second night of my challenge, I laid in bed staring at the ceiling unable to sleep. Don't get me wrong, I was tired and ready for bed. I did everything the experts tell you to do to ensure a great nights sleep. Avoid eating and electronic screens at least an hour before bed, read a book, keep the noise level down, and keep the room dark and cool, around 65° F or 18° C.

It was like the night before the first day of school, I couldn't wait to get up and continue this challenge which was going to change my life forever. I went to bed at a healthy hour, surely I'll fall asleep soon. Even if the clock said I wouldn't get enough sleep, I'd wake up and knock this challenge out of the park. Right?


Anyone that has lived or visited LA in the past year knows one of my favorite hang outs is the Dresden Restaurant, which features the live entertainment of Marty & Elayne. I had been looking forward to attending the 30th Anniversary of said performers for some time, and lucky for me it fell in the month of April. Surely, I could see friends, pay tribute, have one drink and be back home to answer my 5AM wake up call. Right?

Challenge Result: FAILED

Analysis:

Let me first start by thanking Ben O for suggesting this challenge. Not only was it timely, it was definitely challenging. This was the perfect challenge for April and if the 14th of Nisan means anything to you, you'd understand why. Every day I didn't get up at 5, it really hurt. Or when I'd get up at 5 but sluggishly move through the tasks, or not even try, it hurt. It hurt even more when people would ask how the challenge was going on days that I hadn't gotten up on time, but the days I completed the challenge, were the best days I've had in a long time. I got so much work done, I felt great, and my energy level was up. Unfortunately, this didn't happen every day.

But why didn't it happen every day? Burning the candle at both ends didn't help. I'm still noticing a lack of commitment. This was the month that I needed to push myself and that didn't happen enough. My sleeping behavior was too inconsistent. There was no strong habit of waking up at 5 established, and I confused my body with the irregular sleeping pattern. Even though I failed to complete the task every day, or even more often than not, I noticed some positive changes.

Every day my alarm went off at 5AM. The days I hit the snooze, I still woke up hours earlier than I had previous months, essentially giving myself more hours in the day to get the things done I seek, which was half of the allure to this challenge. I've changed my internal body clock. Naturally, I've begun to wake up before my alarm clock goes off and not only am I awake, I'm ready to start the day with a bang. Overall, my sleep habits have improved, so in that sense, I look at this month as a success. Will I try this again? Definitely. I'm going to try this challenge again, and the results will be different. I suggest you do the same. Here are some tips:

• Set a schedule - will be much easier to wake up earlier if you have a reason to
  
• Tell a friend - Being held accountable by friends/family is a very strong motivator
  
• Keep a calendar - Tracking your habits, which days you get up earlier, which days you sleep in, is a good way to see if you need improvement, or where changes need to be made. (Credit Amy O)
  

I didn't wake up every day at 5AM, I didn't read as much as I wanted to, but I got up earlier, I read more than last month, and I had a great time at The Dresden supporting my friends.

March Results!

My initial goal for the March challenge was to write and post a haiku for each day of the month. The end results was to commit to a task daily, exercise my creative muscle and as a reflection of my daily life. I find that sometimes people, including myself, get caught up in the daily chores of life that we miss the beauty and tend to remember the banality.

There were some doubts going into this challenge. Would I forget to commit? Would I have anything to write about? Would I get distracted and fail to write? Was this a pointless challenge?

Challenge Result: PASSED

Analysis:

This challenge turned out much better/profitable than I had expected. While I found that I didn't write as much about my daily surroundings I did find that I now had a creative outlet that I had been missing to express various thoughts and feelings. Many of the haikus enabled me to vent frustrations and express those frustrations about myself, other people, certain relationships, work, among other things. It also enabled me to express my appreciation and love for friends and family. I've always loved metaphors, and being able to say things, I sometimes can't say directly. This may be a cop out, but its my tribute to them, most of the haikus were very personal, and unashamedly honest.

This challenge really enabled me to begin the blogging processes, and connect with others. One haiku was just adapted into a song, and another one might by another talented musician.

Stand out favorites for me include:
Reprise
Above & Below
Weapon of Choice (recently adapted into a song!)

Thank you to everyone that gave me feedback. You're critiques and appreciation are always welcome, appreciated, and respected.

February Results

For the month of February my goal was to be able to do 100 push-ups in a row. (Pause for laughter) This challenge was an exciting one to undertake because it was one that people were really excited about. It was the one challenge that people had very strong opinions on. At one point I was the "push-up machine", but lately "gum-ball machine would be more apropos. Few people believed I could achieve this goal until they saw first hand the progress I was making.

I had started doing push ups at a friends place, letting their kids sit on my back while I tried to bust out as many as I could. I was feeling good from a mostly vegetarian January. I had the encouragement of Stuntman, the world class athlete, trainer and roommate. What was the result?

Challenge Result: FAILED

Analysis: I got sick at the start of the already short month. I had started a new job and didn't set the proper time each day to increase my efforts.

My plan was to start the blog during the push up challenge to share my daily/weekly results. If I'm held responsible by the blog then I MUST perform the duty. I didn't do that. Once again, I didn't make the challenge a priority.

I did however make progress! At the start of the month I could struggle through 35-40 straight standard push-ups. By the end of the month I was able to do 65.

I will be revisiting this challenge and all failed challenges in June, and I plan on dominating it. Here's how.

#1 - Set realistic Goals (Daily, Weekly & the Month)

Setting a realistic goal will help me track my progress and show me if my effort level needs to be increased.

#2 - Blog about it - I don't like to fail challenges. I didn't set this blog up to be the year of failures. Its much easier to make excuses in our own mind, but I will be held accountable to my two readers in Malaysia, I can't disappoint THEM.

#3 - Preparation - For any challenge, but especially a physical one, preparation is vital. Mentally & physically. My head wasn't in the game, again, I wasn't committed.

Come June, I will be ready to take on the Push-up challenge again.

January Results

I should have published this blog at the start of the year, I believe the blog aspect of the year will be an encouragement. Normally, I will update more frequently, but to catch you up to speed...

In the month of January, I went vegetarian. I cooked vegetarian. I ate vegetarian. Some might say I started to act vegetarian. This was setting up to be the easiest challenge ahead of me, I loved it.

Then...I took a spontaneous trip to North Carolina to visit a friend. Could I have maintained my diet of plants while visiting the "Old North State"? Would looking like a California hippie be too much pressure "down south"? Would I reject the offer to eat one of my closest friends favorite foods with him because of a challenge?

Challenge Result: FAILED

Analysis: When I returned home I made excuses for a few days. "I was on vacation, what was I supposed to do?" "It's not really fair, I didn't know I was going on this trip when I started this challenge." "I would have succeeded if I hadn't gone on the trip."

With the help of my roommate Stuntman, I came to realize there are no excuses. I need to be honest with myself and the truth is we all make decisions in life. It was more important to be a ravenous meat eater with my friend than to maintain my challenge. Going to NC and staying vegetarian was the biggest challenge of the month, but I decided to give up. The question I must ask myself is why did I give up? What does that say about me? The challenge?

I had a great time doing it. I learned how to cook many different types of veggies. I prepared dinner for 3 and then a dinner for 5 for the first time in my life, completely vegetarian. I'd even say that since January, my meals at home are much more balanced.