Yet Again . . .

It has been close to four years since my life changing trip to the Mayo Clinic.  In the time that has passed since my return, I have gone through many changes.  I often think I sound like a broken record when I tell clients and other agents that "change is a constant". 

Back in 2006, the goal was to lose weight, get healthier and hopefully balance my body so I wouldn't be sick any longer.  Through dedication and comittment, that worked.  Shortly after, the realization that I was over training and not consuming enough nutrition became a reality.  So, change again...enter the lean muscle building phase (and lot's and lot's of protein).  And again, did it successfully.  Then my interest in fucntional training and strength grew...and that is where my focus went.  After a couple of years, I continued to develop more and more diversity into my own training regimen, allowing for constant integration of strength work, cardiovascular, as well as functional/balance training. 

Today there is a new goal, a new challenge, a new change that must be made (not to mention Olaf (005) called me out on this in his last post - the agents can certainly count on each other in that way:)

About 6 weeks ago, I decided to attempt the Vegan lifestyle, at least with regard to nutrition.  My wife joined me in this "experiment" and as I mentioned in a recent post, we both have truly enjoyed sharing this experience together.  Since making this shift, we feel great!  Additionally, we have embraced much more than just the nutritional aspects of Veganism, with our new found interest and commitment to sustainability and the environment.

However...old habits die hard. 

Prior to making this change, I researched, I read and I asked everyone I could about their experiences with a plant based diet.  I thought I had it all figured out and was excited to begin the quest.  What I didn't prepare for was an adjustment in my training.  Well, let me rephrase...if you are going to be vegan and train the way I train, more adjustments will be necessary.  I was already relatively lean before starting, but without modification to my training and little flexibility with my eating (more on that in a moment), I have lost some weight, a bit too much perhaps.  There are countless Vegan athletes (Olympians, Body Builders, etc), most who are elite and at the top of their game - even attributing large parts of their success to being Vegan.  One of the issues I have been dealing with is taking in enough fat and carbohydrates.  I was so accustomed to years of lower fat clean eating, that making that shift has been challenging.  Many Vegans consume 30-40% of their daily calories from fat...keep in mind there really aren't "bad" fats in a Vegan diet...particularly when you eat as clean as we do.  On the carb front, I only eat whole grain carbs, so increasing my intake there will carry many benefits.  Additionally, I must work on increasing my protein intake (which currently comes primarily from nuts, hemp and legumes). 

Those who know me personally (and many who have followed my story) know I can tend to be a little obsessive...I don't do much in life half way.  Fortunately, I have been able to use this "talent" to focus on achieving much of the success I have found physically.  This same "talent" is also what I must always remain most cautious of.  I push harder, faster, lift heavier, eat cleaner, never cheat...and often times enough is never enough. 

So what now?

I refocus.  I commit to a new goal.  The goal of adding more lean muscle/mass to my body...again  I continue to learn, to experiment and to measure progress.  And, I modify regularly until I achieve success.  I've been in this place before...just not as a Vegan.  In fact, the last time I intentionally added weight, I increased my lean muscle mass by just under 12 pounds in 12 weeks.  This time, we do it Vegan style. 

There has been a great deal of interest in my shift to this diet.  A number of people have asked me to discuss/document the impact a plant based diet has on my training, my progress and my challenges.

So here is part one. 

More soon.

Josh

P.S.  This coming Saturday is the Komen Race for the Cure here in Indianapolis.  For more information please visit www.komenindy.org and search for the Agents of Change Team.  It's not too late to join us!

Measuring Change

There are a variety of ways in which change can be measured.  You can use a scale to see if your weight has varied.  You could use a tape measure to see if your bicep has grown.  Even simpler, you could evaluate the time you do or don't spend on an activity you've committed to...do you now workout 3 days a week from 1.  Did you cut something out of your diet, promise your spouse no more emailing after 8, or that you would begin recycling at home.

Of the many ways to measure change, one of the most significant (at least to me), is seeing how your own changes have impacted others.  Commitment and execution of change is a very powerful force.  The example set by one individual,  proves to others that real and tangible change can be achieved...making them far more comfortable in considering their own capabilities.

The definition we use as part of our Agent of Change moniker is as follows: "someone who intentionally or indirectly causes or accelerates social, cultural or behavioral change”.

This post is focused on the "indirectly" part of that statement.

This past week, I have once again witnessed and enormous amount of positive change.  I have witnessed it with some of the Agents, some of my clients, in my classes and even in my home.  I have seen a significant other of one my clients show great interest and support in what my client is working on, as well as what they have achieved...going so far as to consider making some of these same changes themselves.  I have seen the parents of an Agent support an activity that Agent was involved in.  I have seen my own children asking for "healthy" milk...since we no longer allow cow's milk in their diets.  And, collectively, I have seen the Agents continuing to support each other in a very meaningful way...I'll let Olaf tell you more about that in his next post.

Not long after creating this blog, back in 2007...I had a vision, a hope.  Could I make enough changes  to actually make a difference in our world.  At the time, even I thought that may be a "lofty" and overly ambitious place to set the bar...but still...

I had witnessed my own change impact my family, motivate others and help some in understanding things in a different way.  If I could change the way my son behaved in our society, what nutritional choices he would make, how he would treat others...then could the world actually be changed?  Yes...it certainly can.  And, there are some amazing examples of that in history.  Just look at how Gandhi brought the British Empire in India to a halt through the collective (and non-violent by the way) efforts of his message of change. 

In today's world, the hustle and bustle of daily routines may not allow many to consider the changes they make, the impact it has, or how to form a collective effort to take on a specific issue. Good news...you don't have to make it that complicated. 

There are few things in my life today (yes, my wife and family are at the top of the list:) which give me the amount of fulfillment and satisfaction of seeing what impact I have had on others, no matter how small or indirectly.  To know that something positive you have done, has in some way touched, connected and "changed" something within someone else is a feeling that is almost indescribable.  What I can verbalize about that, is that I feel "connected", part of something far larger then myself.

All it takes is one person.  One change.  One at a time.

What will you change today?

Josh

Hard Work Pay's Off for 003

A couple weeks ago, Erin (003) and I embarked on a total "overhaul" of sorts.  Training changed.  Nutrition changed.

We agreed that we would go all in, and following we would evaluate how she felt, where she'd progressed and what still challenged her.  In true agent form, she embraced it all.  She became vegan, and loves how she feels from it.  She trained hard for 14 out of 16 days.  (one on one sessions, classes, running and more).

Erin approached the overhaul with intent, she worked hard, she focused.  So, what does she have to say about it all?  Read on.

P.S.  This morning Erin was training with me (one of my personal workouts) and was really over the top.  Of the many different elements I integrate into my programs, one I bring back now and again is the old school push up with a 45 plate on my back.  Erin decided she wanted to try doing some of these with weight as well.  She did her first set with 10lb's, her second with 25lb's and her third she asked if she could try the 45...which is what I use.  I told her to go for 5 reps, I'd pull it and do another 5 no weight.  Again, she showed me!  Did all 5, then proceeded to do another 10 or 12.  Some might have been embarrassed, but not me...proud of her determination and progress is what I felt.

Great work 003!

Josh

Things have been challenging with me lately, mostly because I have not
been sleeping well. I am stressed at work, so I tend to watch the clock
and think. Before I know it, it's five hours until it's time for me to
get up at 4:45am for my workouts!

The other morning, however, I was rested and made it to the gym around
5am to meet Josh. Before he arrived, I completed about 12 to 13 minutes
of a decent abdominal routine and prepared to work back and biceps with
Josh. This was my first time pushing some weight in the gym in at least
four weeks! I've been using my own body weight with the TRX and the BOSU
for so long that I wasn't sure how I would do. WELL, WELL, imagine my
surprise when I was pushing the same amount as Josh on a few machines!
The TRX and BOSU have clearly worked a lot better than I thought they
had. I was definitely stronger than I had been six weeks+ before. Now,
in all honesty I need to mention that I have been so sore the past two
days (the good kind of sore that makes you hunger for more gym time), so
I know that my body is adjusting to the free weights again.

I have a workout with Josh in the morning and I am excited to push my
body to the limits. My biggest challenges now are 1. Getting more sleep!
I have to start leaving work where it belongs---(at work!)--and allowing
my mind to shut down for a few hours and 2. Focusing on more cardio so
that I can really give the Komen race my greatest effort.

I am excited about what the Spring holds. Greater core strength and
balance, a better cardio routine, a continual effort to eat clean, and
maybe a better night's rest A LOT more often.

--003

Adapt, Adjust, Alter - The Change Continues for Agent 004

As you may have read previously... I have made some drastic changes in my world. I have quit my job and gone back to school for nursing and have made a choice to better myself and be in my "forever" body by 35, my next birthday. With that said I have had more than my fair share of challenges. What challenges you ask...

1. I have been sick for about a month. You name it I have had it.... strep throat, check, stomach virus, check, bronchial infection, check but none the less I  have continued my workouts. It has been hard. There are days when I would rather be asleep than at the gym at 5am, but I go, I work out and I feel somewhat better.

2. I am in school and trying to figure out just how to handle the stress that comes along with that. This is something that will take a while for me to perfect. There was an afternoon not to long ago that I essentially planned to fail, why, because I failed to plan. I was done with school for the day and needed to run to the other side of the city for an errand, I did not pack lunch. I made the decision to grab something on the fly... Taco Bell it was. A bean burrito I figured was the least of all the evils. Man, was I WRONG. I ate my bean burrito and enjoyed every bite... it tasted great going down. Then was the after effect. I was physically sick from it about 3 hours later. I drank about a gallon of water just to flush it out of my system. When I called Josh to "tell on myself" I told him I deserved it, he just laughed. Needless to say this is an area I have got to work on!

3. And the biggest challenge I face to date is that I am pregnant, again, I have a one year old and a four year old. In my other pregnancies I have been gestational diabetic. My goal that Josh and the other agents are trying to help me attain, is to stay diabetic free and make this the healthiest pregnancy yet. I am looking forward to this challenge and being able to recover faster than before. My workouts have changed a lot, but I am still maintaining a healthy lifestyle for me and the new baby

With all my challenges have come a lot of changes for the good as well. I have got my husband who is the ultimate cyclist and sees no point in the other stuff, in a class with Josh once a week. I love that he is able to see what I am doing. I am super excited for my parents to come into town and do a class with Josh as well. My parents are amazing. They are both vegan and have been for about 2 years. My Mom is a cyclist and goes to the gym and does yoga about 6 days a week. My father is a marathon runner. They are in excellent shape but I think are going to be amazed and surprised as to what an over all body conditioning class can do for them.

Sarah - Agent 004

As I continue to watch all of the agents, I continue to feel a great sense of fulfillment in what I am witnessing.  Although the individual changes each of makes are unique, we also all share in the need to adapt to them.  An area which we all focus on and discuss often, is our overall wellness.  Learning that wellness is not simply based on our weight, our look or our pant size;  but based upon how we feel...both physically and emotionally.  In our efforts to achieve this enhanced balance, we work on three foundational areas in our lives...They are the physical, the nutritional and the emotional...and they all work together.  As Sarah has described above, she has dealt with her share of change in all these areas.  And, as easy as it would be to allow so much change to derail you, she has not lost her focus.  In fact, through these last few weeks, Sarah's view has shifted to the "longer-term".  She understands it is a process, one which will provide rewards to her and her family...both today and tomorrow.

We are all proud of Sarah and look forward to being right there with her as she continues her journey.

Josh

003 Continues to Change

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, Erin (003) was beginning an "overhaul" with regard to her nutrition and training.  She and I had been discussing our approach for the past couple of weeks.  Although there are a handful of goals, we agreed that the primary gauge of success would be how she felt.  I also asked Erin to write a few blog entries on her progress throughout the "overhaul", which will continue for the next two weeks.  Here is her first entry...which is all about her big nutrition change.  Go Erin!

Josh

In an effort to live a healthier lifestyle, I have been eating "vegan" for four days. Well, almost four days. In one hour, it will be four days, but who's counting?
In all seriousness, due to a recent personal tragedy, this "cleansing" couldn't have come at a better time. I feel like I need a boost in my energy and truly believe this will steer me in the right direction. I need to feel more energized.  I say cleansing, because although I'm referring to it as a vegan lifestyle, it's actually more of a cleansing of all foods that are simply bad for the body. Basically, I'm at a point where if I read a label and I see any ingredient that has been modified, I'm not going to eat it. This has led to a wealth of fabulous treats, even for someone like me who constantly lives on the go! Breakfast has actually been fun! Whole grains heated and then supplmented with bananas, almonds and almond milk.  Snacks and desserts have been decadent with Larabars and fresh figs. Lunches and dinners are easy. HUGE salads with sunflower seeds, black beans, homemade salsa, mushrooms, and fresh cilantro...OR with strawberries and apples and fresh balsamic for a different feel...I even found myself in the kitchen baking an eggplant and am excited to top it with tomato sauce and basil for "Italian night" tonight. And for dessert? How about a baked apple with blueberries and agave syrup?

I am having fun planning meals for each day and cannot wait to have a hemp protein powder shake in the morning on the way to work.

I cannot lie.  It's been a bit confusing at times for me with the right proteins...I was a huge carnivore, so every time I want to eat a salad, not reaching for the George Foreman to make chicken has been a struggle. But I'm learning about all the different ways to get protein and basically discovering a new food pyramid. Now, it's time to measure the change in my energy and see how this affects my daily life. The one thing I've learned so far is to always carry a snack JUST IN CASE. There are not a lot of healthy choices out there in the restaurants in Indy and I need to be prepared at all times.

So here I go. Sugar gone? check. White flour out the door? check. Hydrogenated oils gone? check. Corn syrup as an ingredient to avoid? Check.

Time to go finish prepping dinner...It's "Italian night" at the Epstein's.

Erin (003)