Momentum

Steve Kamb, the fantastic blogger and world-traveler behind Nerd Fitness, posted an article yesterday that really hit home with me. Titled "The Mario Kart Guide to Momentum," Steve talks about how lately he has been slacking on strength training.  I can relate to that, as I have recently moved, continued studying for my CFA, helped house and cat sit for 2 weeks, and my gym membership expired.  In addition to that, my eBay business has been doing quite well, all on top of my normal hectic work schedule!

For all that, I have continued to stay on track with my diet and eating habits, as the article says, this is the equivalent of capturing coins.  Diet is responsible for 80-90% of your weight loss/gain, and like getting the coins consistently, it will get you most of the way there.  However, to really get an edge, you need to hit the boxes and powerups, which he considers strength training.  I have been trying to stay active by walking and being on my feet on the weekends, but that's really just like grabbing coins, or leaving banana peels (maintaining).  I need to get back to my strength training routine to build muscle and burn up some extra calories.

I totally recommend you check out Nerd Fitness, as it is a great site, and this article in particular showcases the tone and content of the blog.  My wife and I are also huge fans of Mario Kart, particularly the N64 and Wii versions!

Although I have been keeping up with my mostly paleo diet, my notable exception is good craft beer.

Green Flash Le Freak: a little heavy for a Belgian IPA at 9.2% ABV.  Excellent beer, but a little too much for a weekday.

Green Flash Friendship Brew with St. Feullien: Interesting "Black Saison" seems a little hot, could maybe use a few more months of age.  Don't know if it will last that long though!

Sixpoint Brownstone: Hoppy brown ale, fantastic beer.  Good deal at $10/4pk

Life goes on

Things are moving quickly here in my world. My wife just started her first semester at a new college which is the reason we originally left Boston. I am extremely proud of her and know that she will be successful. Her school is great and I know she will be able to take advantage of all the opportunities she has available. My new job is also progressing and I have made great strides, but there are still many things I am not confident with. This month-end reporting period has been extremely painful, but I do not want to get into all the details on this blog. Suffice it to say, the person who was servicing the account before me did not run a tight ship.

My other pursuits are coming along quite well. I have been following the primal/paleo plan closely and am going on my 5th day without beer which as readers of my blog know, is quite hard for me!. I have included some pictures of my meals

breakfast = TJ's Bacon Ends n Pieces + Cage Free Eggs + Guacamole + Black Coffee

pastured pork chop fried in bacon fat with onions garlic + WFM organic frozen california mix

cage-free chicken drumsticks + tiny bit of rice and veggies + big helping of guacamole + archeo nero d'avola (yes i drink table wine in a glass like this)

I have re-started my strength training program as well, which is Stronglifts 5x5 (link for those interested) which is simple and effective, with limited B/S. I am not a fan of any kind of machines and prefer free weights, so this plan is right up my alley. I am starting low, but am already feeling stronger, and the 5x5 program encourages constant progress. I totally relish the feeling of leaving the gym after completing a taxing session in which I made some kind of gain. The gym I am going to is part of a Gold's franchise, which are quite posh. Luckily I was able to take over the subscription of a guy at my job who is moving away from the area at the bargain price of $100 and there is still a year left! One of the gyms is located .7 miles and another is 2.5 miles from my office, very convenient.


Fantasy football draft hosted by commissioner ComedyDogg is tonight at 8:30. I will post a review of the draft and my outlook on the league in the next few days.