Getting Older and Stronger with Kickboxing, Rock Climbing, Running and Biking.

Well heck I havent posted in a long time. I started a new job the end of 2017 and I did not do my weight any favors. I work out of the WeWork in the Capella Tower in Minneapolis. I love we work but they have really good snacks all of the time. Like gourmet pizza and cookies and high end appetizers. Like all the time every week. I gained over 20 pounds my first 3 months on the new job and have since taken that off.

I am keeping in shape doing the YWCA triathlons over the winter as well as Kickboxing once a week with my daughter. My oldest son discovered that he likes rock climbing so we started to do that at Vertical Endeavors in Mpls. I am also training for my 12th Red Ribbon Ride to end HIV and AIDS. The ride will be 103 miles the first day.

I have been cutting out all of the junk food as of late while increasing my running and walking outside. I am going to start bike commuting as many days a week as I can July 1st. As far as my diet goes I have been cutting down my coffee intake and taking apple cider vinegar in the morning and at night. Seems to be good for the health. My wife also started selling essential oils so I find myself using those daily for multiple different things. They seem to help and I want to be as natural as possible.

The kids are in the middle of a crazy amount of summer activities but we are finding time to keep tight as a family. I love the idea of Hygge and try to bring that into daily life as much as possible. We eat dinner as a family. No screens at the table and I light a candle. We talk about the week and our personal high and low points. Everyone is heard and we can help as a family if needed. I am also trying to take time every day to be mindful of how I am feeling and journal about what I am grateful for and be very specific.

In our fast and every speeding up lives we need to cut through the clutter and excess and do what really matters. To me that is my personal health and spending time with my direct family and close friends.

What matters most to you?

I would challenge you to back off on social media and screen use. Pick up a paper book and go for a walk outside. Look closely at new flowers and weed a garden. It will make you feel more connect and part of the world.

Cheers,

Gabe

Holiday Cheer get Fat with Beer =) Cut that Gut and get off the Butt - Running, Boxing, Jumping, Sweating !!!!!

Here we are a week from the biggest holiday of the year where people gather and stuff themselves as full as they can be because they are thankful for all they have. Then they go out and shop for more of the things they think they or a loved one needs. 

I love Thanksgiving as much as the next person but I am not going to let it be an excuse this year for dropping my diet and exercise routine. I have been thinking a lot about how I feel and look in the state I am in now. The term diet does not really mean a short lived plan we put ourselves on but what we consume to sustain our life energy. I need to adopt the diet that will keep me in the shape I want and need to be in no matter what I do for exercise. Really most of how we look is determined by what and how much we eat. There is a saying that abs are made in the kitchen and I agree. Most of what people think is attractive or fit is really simply being a lower body fat percentage. That is something you can modify by what you put in your mouth. My grandma Betty had a saying that rings in my ears event to this day it was "a minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips". Now I don't know that the idea is solid but it does open the door for conversation. Grandma would also say that nothing tasted as good as looking good feels. These quotes came from a woman who was over weight most of her adult life. 

What I am getting at is I have had enough of dieting and I just want to change my life and my diet for good. I hope you are a little fed up as well and want to join me. Why should most of America be fat and the rate of obesity be ever increasing in our youth? It is time we stop all of this insanity.

I pledge to work out hard the whole week of Thanksgiving. I will eat breakfast on the big turkey day, eat a moderate main meal and have some desert. I will not eat as I have in the past until I feel like I need to puke or even to the point where I need to take a nap. I will go for a walk with my wife and kids after the meal and have a cup of hot coffee. 

I would like you to pledge with me that you will not bring the extra shovel to your mouth and dig your grave a little faster. I want to live a long life for my kids and I want you to life a long life for the sake of life. I would like to get through the holiday season not only having connected with people I love and have not seen for some time but also by being in even better health than I am in now.

Sorry if I seem a little harsh in this post but I feel I need to be some time. I think I am my own best critic. I am always harder on myself than other people are. I do however remember one time that was really hurtful. I was about 12 and wearing a green T-shirt with a pocket and my dad said "5 more pockets and you would make a great pool table."  wow what a great thing to say to a chubby young kid who already had self esteem issues around weight. Anyway I will not be that kid anymore. I will be a hard, strong adult who is here to comfort that kid and defend him. 

45 Pounds lost this year! Biking Boxing and Bootcamp and some Walking dead Zombies to keep me moving

It has really been a while since I last posted. I had been feeling low because I was up over the past couple of years. I was hovering at around 300 pounds last Christmas, way more than I like to admit.  Well I took the time I was not posting and really worked out. I am currently at around 255, a weight I have not been down to since before my wedding 11+ years ago.

I owe my weight loss to a lot of things. Diet is the main change that helped me. I have cut a lot of the junk food out of my diet and dedicated myself to smaller portions. I also amped my coffee and water intake way up. I guess we make changes and where one thing lessons other things tend to increase.

I have been working out a lot. I did a kick boxing class last night and have been doing a lot of boxing workouts on my own. I love hitting the heavy bag and being able to release stress while quickly breaking a sweat. 

I have also been hitting the trails a lot. I did my 10th Red Ribbon Ride this summer and registered for my 11th. I also rode the last Breast Cancer Ride and the Pedal camp ride. 

The last day of the Red Ribbon Ride this year the top tube of my bike sheered right off where it meets the seat post. I was very sad. This bike has seen me through 25,000 mile of charity bike rides, training and bike commuting. It was very customized and love by me over the years. I definitely got my use out of it but it was still sad. Next spring I will be looking for a new road bike. I have done the majority of my bike rides this fall on my 29'er or my new fat bike. 

When not boxing or biking I have been taking a boot camp class. This is everything from sprinting  to kettle bells to pushing a sledge called a tank and more crazy fun. I really like the small group classes because of the motivation and the close relationships you develop quickly while moving towards your goal.

I add to all of this by running on the trails by my house 3.5 miles 4-5 days a week. I have been running with my Siberian husky. He is 11 years old and at the start of the summer could only run a mile or two. Now he can run with me all of the distance I run.  I also walk at a 12% incline at 3.5 mph while watching the Walking Dead with my daughter a night or two a week. Sometimes I pretend I am running from the undead =)

It goes to show that not only old humans but old dogs can learn new tricks and habits. I ran with my Aussi Shep until he was 15 human years old and he lived to be 16 and a half! 

Meltdown 2016 YWCA team #ItakeSelfies Down 6 pounds and Holding - TRX, Boxing , Gladiator

Here we are 2016 is off to a Bang!

I am in the last 2 weeks of the Meltdown / Y weight loss competition this year.

The first week I took off 6 pounds and have been in a holding pattern since. My trainer suggested I add a lot of protein to my diet and it seems to be adding muscle. Good and bad since I really want to lose actual weight. I have been using the Lose It app for IOS. I find it easy to use and ad free. I did try the My Fitness Pal app from Under Armour but it was more complicated to enter data and has way to many emails plus it spams me with emails.

In the last 2 weeks I plan to double up on workout so 2X a day and try to keep my calorie intake at about 2400 a day. Based on my weight just the calorie reduction should take off a pound a week.

I started out the competition doing  boxing with my daughter. It has been a lot of fun. Now I have added in Gladiator, TRX workouts with a trainer, Triathlon training and dodgeball. I hope to lose at least another 4 pounds. I can do it!

I will update the blog next week to let you know how my progress is going. Or come join me in a workout!