Hamenopi

Note: So far I found five excuses not to write this and it's not even the first line. Change Why is it so hard? Why do we resist it so? What about change terrifies our lizard brain so much that we seek to destroy ourselves just to not try? Why are we so afraid to fail? Do we feel unprepared? I talked about quitting smoking a decade before finally finding a real reason. A reason strong enough to override my irrational belief I would never quit. I had to find a fear more ferocious than the pain of quitting to take my first real step. Before, I was pacing without real direction. I had to Dig down deep to find determination to travel the painful road between where I was and where my goal lied. Backstory My dad died when I was two. I never knew him on a conscious level. Later in life, my step dad died due to cancer from smoking. I watched him wither away at the hospital. I watched as my 9 mo old son look at me with a sad curiosity as I lit up near him because I just had to ha...

Many times I fail on the advice I give. Of course, I'm not perfect. I know I'm a work in progress too. But many times when I fail on my own advice, I struggle with the feeling of failure. Or rather I struggle with the feeling of the fear of failure. There's a difference. Even though I know failure isn't the opposite of success, it's a prerequisite to success. Even though I know progress is the true benchmark of success. I still fall into the trap from time to time. Then instead of remembering the 9 time I overcame, I fixate on the 1 time I stumble. Have you even found yourself in the same scenario? Have you ever fixated on the failures? Look, even Michael Jordan missed shots. Even the greats in baseball bat miss 2 out of 3. We all go off our mark but if we spend time concentrating on the missed shots, we miss more by not shooting. I'm not saying don't look where your shot went. I'm not saying don't recognize where you stumbled. Do that. You need t...

You don't have to deprive yourself to lose weight. A diet of deprivation is starvation! Stop defining goals on can't. Good things don't grow from seeds of negativity. Instead, work on switching worse habits with better habits. It's not about perfection, it's about progression. Make a discipline of continual improvement. You can't solve problems with the same level of thinking that caused them. Switch up a few variables and discover a new solution. Take the wheel and explore until you find something that works, then worry about upgrading your autopilot. Though we be products of our environment, we have the ability to create our own environment. We have the ability to change. Try immersing yourself where you want to be. At least try to immerse yourself at the halfway point.

In the beginning of this year , I quoted Bilbo Baggins from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring. “I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.” Since then, I have come to find there is always too much bread. Bread is something you can't control. There's always another interest, another issue, another emergency demanding your immediate attention. What's more, none of us has enough butter or attention to consider the amount of bread piled on our plates. It grows by the minute. Good News. We can control is where we scrape our butter. We control where we pay our attention. Ask yourself, where do you pay yours? 2015 In 2015, I scraped my butter over everything I could get a hold of. With work and family, I was ran a Dungeon & Dragon's Adventure League for the Greater Houston Area. That was 3 full time jobs itself and I didn't even know what I was doing. I also dedicated a lot of my butter to video games and to a struct...

This weekend I attended a disc golf tournament. I didn't take part in the tournament itself, I was just there to support it. While there, I took the opportunity to run around and have some fun with the kids. I don't remember last time I had that much energetic stamina. I could keep up with them all! One of my favorite parts was with the organizer's kid. We were bear crawling up hills, hopping like frogs down, and moving like monkeys. It was great fun doing that without gasping for breathe after 5 minutes. Or course, Anyone who's followed me this year may recognize those moves I referenced. They are the keys to GMB's Elements. Looking back, I remember when I first found out about GMB Elements. I was looking for an exercise routine to get into shape. Elements was one of my final choices, but in the end there were 3 reasons why I didn't pick it. Because I felt it would be too elementary for me. I wasn't interested in flexibility, just getting into shape....

A videographer recently asked to interview me. I figured it prudent to dwell on my past to better convey it to the interviewer. Mindfulness is still something I struggle with so any prep I have is good. Anyway, while pondering, my mind chased a few rabbit holes. They were insightful, but maybe not what the interviewer wished to frame. I want to share them with you. It's hard talking about the past, I look back and wonder, what was I thinking? Where was my head at? In 2015, I was over 300 lbs. Obese, depressed, feeling like an empty shell of a person. I Felt I lost all my passion in life. So many wasted opportunities I squandered floating down the lazy river of life. Looking back, my life wasn't even that bad, but I kept comparing myself to others. I focused on how other families had more time, more love, more success. I ate that up. I devoured the toxic fruit before me. Looking back, I'm wondering why was I tripping? It's hard to get back into that mindset... or is ...

Giving directions to a place in Houston does you no good if you're in the middle of San Antonio. Direction matters but so do current positions. You can make great time going west on I-10 but if you're in San Antonio, don't expect to see Houston for some time. Of course, going west from Beaumont is a great idea if your destination is Houston. What I'm saying is before you tell someone to take an offramp, find out where they are.

Supplements are additive. They only work if you work. They don't counteract damages from bad diets. Instead of loading up on supplements, start a food journal. Become aware of the food you eat. Then, start making small changes and track your progress. If you need help doing this, message me.

Those protein shakes look amazing but they don't outperform bad diets. Stop falling for fool's gold. Until your eating habits change, you're going to remain where you are. Good news, change doesn't have to be hard and it doesn't have to be radical. All you have to do to start is change one thing but change that one thing today. Health isn't binary. It's an ideal and every day you have the opportunity to progress toward it.

I suck at push ups. What's more, this year, two friends nominated me for the 22 push up challenge for veteran suicide awareness. Yeah, I did 5 before giving up. Not 5 days, 5 push ups! That bad! After my first failed attempt, day 1, I told myself I'll just hold off on the challenge until I get better... But If I never practice, I'll never get better. Right? I needed to set up a routine to do push ups so I could get better, so I could take on the challenge. Backstory This wasn't the first time I met a challenge I couldn't overcome. This January, several coworkers created a stair challenge at work. 6 flights up and 6 flights down, once a day. Well, the first day I tried, I barely made it to the 3rd floor. That's right, in front of everyone else, I had to stop, sit down, and recover. My legs were on fire and my breathe was gone. I felt pathetic I was so embarrassed. I knew the next morning everyone would meet back and they'd stop at my cubicle on the way...

The last few months, I've been ranging around 210-215 lbs. in weight. As you may know, my original goal was under 200 lbs. by the end of the year. The thing is, I'm happy about current weight. I look great and I feel great! So now I am wondering why should I even lose more weight? What's more, instead of going for my original goal, how about I work on another goal (which I have been doing). My new goals are strength based and skill based, like pistol squats and pull ups. Revelation Well yesterday, I had a revelation. It is a lot easier to lift 200 pounds than it is to lift 215 pounds. 15 pounds is significant! I realize remaining where I'm comfortable will prolong my journey toward my next goal. It would behoove me to get under 200 pounds. Not like I can't gain the weigh back once done, right? Anyway, I get more into it in this video. I hope you like it. Share If you know anyone trying to lose weight, send them my way. Maybe I can help them out. Thanks for s...

I got frustrated last week because I wasn't as flexible as I wanted to be. I mean, it's only been 36 years of me trying not to stretch, why can't a perfect it in 2 weeks, right? Ridiculous, right? I laughed it off until I realize I do it all the time. I remember, I spent years tying to perfect a way to quit smoking. Guess what? The right conditions never fell into place. The puzzle never solved itself for me. Outside Half Priced Books, I scrambled to get far enough away from my 9 month boy, John to light a cigarette. When I did, he reached up his read to see where I was and what I was doing, then frowned a heartbreaking frown. It was that moment when the distance between where I was and where I wanted to be became too painful. there, I decided to take my first imperfect step to quit. Guess what? I didn't get it right the first time. I stumbled and immediately reached again for a cigarette. Many times I did this on my imperfect journey quitting. But in the end, gi...

Recently in the Gamer for Weight Loss group, one member had a wonderful announcement to make. Originally at 340, Macarios is now at 269 pounds. That is amazing! I just had to know what he did to accomplish such a feet. He provided 3 keys to his success. I want to share and comment on them here. 1. He Removed Junk Food From His House It's so important to remove the negative temptations from your life where you can. You see, it takes willpower each and every time you actively resist temptation What's more, we all only have a certain amount of it. Sure, it grows over time with practice but keeping junkfood around your house really stacks the conditions against you in an already difficult journey. I mean, how much energy do you expend resisting surrounded?! You will burn out so quick. It's only so long most people can stare at a donut before it's down the gullet. If you're a recovering mindless snack muncher like myself, try this instead. Keep highly nutriti...

There is a point where an incline looks flat. Don't let it fool you into believing you are not making progress. The ratio for improvement can only go to far per skill set. After, it's severe diminishing returns. Don't get frustrated at the apparent lack of progress. If you're putting in the work, somethings happening. Get transparent in your accounting, and find out exactly what that something is. Have faith in the system. If you're changing strategies every week, you might be running around in circles. Dedicate 6 weeks to a plan and stick to it the best you can. Log your progress so you can see your improvements. Don't trust your memory to remember where you were day 1, day 7, etc. Write it down. At the end of your time, review your progress. What worked, what didn't. The adapt your strategy for the next 6 weeks. Also stop looking to be perfect. Look to progress. Too many people try a body builder's routine and wonder why it's not working. Star...

Anything worth doing is worth doing poor. Anything worthwhile takes works and it takes a while. Work With Your Worst Work with what you have, but start now. Start with your worst. Start with your most unprepared attempt. It's okay. And it's okay if you don't make it. It's okay if you don't figure it out the first time. Think About It Did you quit after your first fall learning to walk? Did you give up after your first time you wrote the alphabet wrong? Did you quit after the first time you got the answer wrong learning math? The point is, imperfect your path towards progress. Stop waiting for perfect conditions to start. Do Something With It I feel someone needs to hear this: I know you're starved for time but you also hate the way you feel. Find 5 minutes. Do push ups on your knees. try for 10, take a break, try for 10, take a break. I know you hear 5 minutes can't counteract sitting at your desk all day. And I know right now you can't help...

Last night, I went to bed with a plan to wake up and seize the day. This morning, I woke up with another. It was to hit snooze as many times as I could. Guess which one won? Yup.. Why did the new plan win? Last night, I was confident I'd be up by 5:30. I'd drink 2 glasses of water, stretch and meditate, and read for 30 minutes. Fast forward to morning... What a horrible idea! Who would ever decide such a dumb idea when you can snooze 30 minutes more?! Sound familiar? It's a daily routine. Now, some days my nightly strategy prevails but lately, the morning strategy takes the day. I know the better choice yet I pick the more convenient. I need to start stacking the conditions in my favor again. More specifically, I need to move my alarm away from my bed so I have to get out of bed to turn it off. Then, while standing and out of bed, I have to decide whether to return to bed or to continue to stay awake. I have found when I'm already up, I tend to stay up and I...

Again, on the first day after my ground shaking, earth breaking decision to change... again, I sleep in. Growling with grumbles, today is not a day I want to deal with. Before 8 AM and I'm already done. I'm exhausted! Irritable! Am I the only one who feels this way? I even went to bed at a decent time! Sure it was later than I wanted but earlier than normal. But even with more sleep I wake back more tired than before. I just want to give up. My legs are sore from Monday. My back, stiff from Tuesday. My mind is fluttering like an annoying gnat in a field of uncut grass in the summer. I'm quick to distract. I feel I've only had an hour of sleep. Tell me if you've had a day like this. This litany of lamentations! Confronted with the negativity of this world surrounding me in Scirocco Sandstorms.. But winds also bring change. Even in a maddening dust storm of doubt, I discover things I miss staring into the storm. Like I got up this morning. Even on the wrong side...

I sit slouched, wondering where it all went wrong. Wondering why there's no will to work out. Wondering why I have no passion to pen a purposeful message. Did I fall asleep at the wheel while speeding down the freeway of fantasy and miss my turn? Here I was, making great time, but I look up and the signs are foreign to my goals! In fact, it looks like I'm heading back to whence I came! What's going on? How did I complete an entire 180 degrees back into the way I was? Then I ask myself where resilience went. Where is my ability to bounce back into the face of opposition? Where did the will to war against dragons go? Did I drop it at the 7-11 of discipline while smuggling a tasty kake. Did I dispose it for a bowl of Blue Bell Camo 'n Cream? All I see is the dreaded dragon of my old bad habits breathing down on me. What happened? Am I weak willed? I struggled with temptation today and fallen more oft than resisted. My breakfast started with a chocolate chip cookie! Wha...

I catch myself slipping into a lax state. I am conflicted about this. For one, I deserve a break now and them. Even God broke up creation into 6 days. He even called the day good and stopped. He even rested the 7th day. I don't think God took that time because he needed the break. Instead I think he gave us a model on how to do things. To chunks tasks and rest between. To take a break every so often. But how much rest is too much rest? What's the balance to work to rest ratio. I think it's in the same place. 1 day of work and 6 days of rest doesn't bear fruit, it grows weeds. But 24 consecutive days of work doesn't really bear you more fruit faster. I know I've dedicated a ton of time on certain subject and became upset when the fruit of my labor doesn't produce in my preferred time line. There's been many times I've walked away from the field which will inevitably bear fruit seemingly minutes before first bloom. Had I the patience and persevera...

Since starting a journal, my life has changed, drastically, for the better. Accounting my thoughts, recording good quotes, recalling wisdom and insight. Now when I have a bad morning, I feed myself positivity stored in this book. Imagine the same action on good days! You propel you mood into an orbit of positivity. Great things happen. What's more, I can feed others the wisdom I've written. Many of my blog posts are derived from words in my journal. Many words in my journal are derived from inspired blog posts. Those new words help me write even better articles to positively influence more people. It's a blessing! I want you to consider making your own journal. Recording your own thoughts to come back to, to return you to the positive when you are down, to propel you to an orbit of positivity when you are up. Do this for 6 weeks. Record at least one thing daily. One quote, one proverb, one piece of advice to yourself, one reminder you are good enough, one reminder you a...

Having 3 kids, a wife with long work hours, long commutes, and many other 'things' coming at me proved problematic for living a healthy lifestyle. Or so I thought in January 2016. On the surface, there was no way I could fit an hour of 'gym time' at night. By the time Anne Marie got home, I was exhausted! But Looking back, i realized I was giving up before I even started. Why not? I believed I would fail if I tried. I had no hope! Of course, the person with no hope of succeeding isn't even going to try. But, the only sure way to fail is to not try. I was making excuses . I was content enough with being discontent, I didn't 'care enough' to fail. "Care enough to fail." - Seth Godin I believed my work would be of poor quality because I had no time. But isn't poor quality better than nothing? How long must we starve our goals in anticipation of the perfect solution? And what good is the perfect solution if it is never executed? For we ...

Most of us know drinking salt water is bad. ( And for those who don't, the salt dehydrates you more than the water hydrates. ) But in many aspects, we continue drinking from the dangerous wells of life and wonder why we aren't being satisfied. One aspect is weight loss. Dangerous Wells Junk food is a dangerous well. When you drink ( or in the case, eat ) from the dangerous well of junk food, you are selling your self short term. Stop forfeiting your future for fleeting fixations! You are trading what you want most for what you want now. The junk food looks good now, but the dangerous well of junk food will leave you with less then whence you arrived. It looks good now but it always looks better before than it feels afterward. You know this. Struggle I know it's tough. I struggle too. But the only way we get tough is by getting tough. Declaring no to dangerous wells toughens you so you can fixate your gaze on your goals. Stop compromising on your goals, stop selling yo...

In January I wrote about Doing Less to Do More . I look back and wonder how I managed so many different hobbies and how little effort I put into each one of them. I was juggling! The interesting thing I found out about jugging, nothing stays in your hand long enough to grow, change, or evolve you. Everything is always in the air. You don't have time to dedicate to the ball in your hand. Another ball, another hobby, another facebook group or post, another video game or youtube video is falling fast towards you. And you just can't have the falling 'thing' drop. No no no! You can't have that, can you? I remember so many times I'd drop all my important things. I'd forsake critical things for one distracting ball descending, because it was shiny. What shiny balls are you chasing? What hobbies are you so fixated on, you drop your other balls in your life? Oh wow I went somewhere with that. That message was for me 10 years ago and I missed it for 9 of them. H...

I love when blogs inspire creative juice within me. Stuff unconnected yet link magically from the wisdom of others. A shout out to Pfit blog which inspired this post. Even God rested on the 7th day. And I don't think he needed to rest. I think he did it to remind us we needed to rest. You see, God wasn't done on day 6. He still did stuff on day 8 and he's still doing stuff today. I think he wanted to model a strategy for us. One that WORKS. It's like gardening which I found I'm horrible at (but that's a different story). I think we can agree working 1 day and resting 6, the weeds will overtake the garden. But what if you tend to your garden 14 days in a row? 21? 28? How much better, how much faster will your garden grow? Where do the diminishing returns start to kick in? Another thing I realize is God didn't just rest on the 7th day. He sat back and relaxed each evening too. "It was good" He saw. I imagine after a good day of work, he pro...

Motivation won't get you far if you don't have direction. Imagine your foot planted, pedal to the medal, tachometer redlining, in the fast lane of a super highway ... but, your car is in park. How far do you go? And how long can your survive like that without blowing your motor? No amount of motivation will help you if you are not willing to take a step in a direction. Without direction, motivation is wasted. So, get out of park. Shift goals into gear and start moving toward them. It's scary. I know. I feel you. But what is more scary? Taking taking step, or remaining where you are? Terror You see, taking the step might seem terrifying, but it's the anticipation we really fear . That's why there's so much build up in scary movies. Alfred Hitchcock said "There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." Many of us are so scared to 'fail' we never try in the first place. We aren't machines. We aren't perfect. We ...

Imagine a cup front of you. It's a nice cup, 20 oz container with a catchy logo on on it. As you come close to it, you notice it is filled with dirt. As hard as you try, you just can not seem to empty the cup. Perhaps it is bolted down. Now as you ponder this cup, a stream of muddy water begins to flow from above and down into the cup, filling it up to the brim. Now it's overflowing. You hear the question behind you, "How do you clean the cup?" .

"We are what we repeatedly do" - Aristotle But what do you repeatedly do? What are your habits? And... How are those habits working out for you? Do you have a habit of eating junk food? I did! Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were my willpower's cryptonite. I would see them lying about my mother in law's house and I could tell myself no... But with each hour there... My head would keep turning toward them. And she wonders why I never want to bring the kids over. Woman has chocolate everywhere! Out Of Gas! Well, Eventually the fuel that powered my willpower would run out and the gravity of my addictions would draw me closer and closer. I'd feel the urges. Taste it on my tongue from across the room. Feel my skin warm in anticipation of the sugar rush. Can anyone testify on this with me? It's painful repeatedly resisting the temptations of treats! Of course, it doesn't help having your kid plop down next to you with a handful of Andes mints. But each week,...

It was Spring 2014 and I was carting my 9 month old son through a Half Priced Books in his favorite stroller. I we there to scour obscure RPG supplements to breathe more life into my campaign. I sat sprawled, books circling me as people walked past toward more popular genres. A plastic motorcycle flies by, missing my head, followed by a mischievous cackle. I smirk, grab the toy, and return it to John as I mine the tome for literary nuggets of golden inspiration. But there was no gold that day and John was ever increasingly demanding for my attention from his buggy. The anxiety was also creeping back into my mind as my mouth dried from dehydration. I needed a cigarette. Returning the books to shelves in no order, I cart John outside, 25 feet from the entrance to the edge of a covered area. I then proceed to pace 10 more feet away, deftly producing cigarette and lit lighter in motion. By 9 feet, I was already devouring my first drag. Not Immediate I turned and glanced at John who c...

I've recorded my meals for over a year now. Yeah, it sucks in the beginning but it gets kinda interesting for a week or two when you get a few meals saved. It's not glamorous. But the results are. It's not immediate, but it's inevitable as long as you keep the faith. Some Weeks I recorded my meals for over a year now. The thing is, I haven't recorded 52 weeks worth of meals. Not even close. What I did was log my meals until I found a few I enjoyed which also helped me reach my goals. Once a had a few days worth of nutritious meals, I'd get nutritiously repetitive and schedule my nutritious days. I didn't need to log them. I knew they were already healthy. That way, I only needed to focus on the other days of the week. And even if they weren't perfect, I knew I could trust the days I already scheduled to be nutritious. There were even weeks I don't log any of my meals because I know what I'm eating will help me lose weight. It's not glamo...

Do you start reading a book at Chapter 5? Chapter 5 may be where the hero wins but without Chapters 1-4, Chapter 5 loses context. Chapters 1-4 The shining sword the hero used to slay the dragon. You know, the weapon he found in Chapter 4. That's the reward for overcoming his final obstacle. The one which enabled him to face the dragon in the first face. The sturdy shield which saves his life during the epic battle. You know, the gift he received in Chapter 3. That's from saving another's life with the skills he learned in Chapter 2. The tome the hero reads which exposed the dragon's greatest weakness. You know, the book he discovered in Chapter 2. That's from relentlessly scouring the streets, seeking until the right information was revealed. The scared child afraid of the vile dragon. You know, the boy from Chapter 1. That was the hero. Chapter 5 You see chapter 5 is great. It the great victory. But Chapter 5 would have never happened without Chapters 1 - ...

When you have goals, it's important to find others who's beliefs line up with them. Is not it easier to communicate with those in agreement? Imagine getting fitness advice from someone who doesn't care about fitness. Don't surround yourself with the wrong people and expect the right results to fall in your lap. Dumping Friends Then should you dump friends who don't share you views? Just because your friend doesn't share your interest in fitness or weight loss doesn't mean you can't share other interests. I know many gamers who don't care about weight loss. No problem! I still love them and we still frequently hang out. Of course, if they ever do become interested, they know who to talk to. Imposing Views The issue arrives when their goals impose on your goals. If you struggle with overcoming an addiction to sweet deserts and your friends keeps offering you ice cream, their goals are imposing on your goals. Listen, it may be a good intention in...

"You are a product of your environment. So choose the environment that will best develop you toward your objective. Analyze your life in terms of its environment. Are the things around you helping you toward success - or are they holding you back?" - W. Clement Stone Would you hold a weight loss meeting in a donut shop? How about an Alcoholic Anonymous Meeting at a bar? How about a smoking cessation class at a cigar lounge? Environment matters But environment isn't just location, it's also the people you surround yourself with. Are the people you surround yourself with helping you reach your goal or are they holding you back? Maybe it's a good time to take inventory .

I will never fully understand the life of an Iranian in Tehran during the regime change. No matter how many books read, movies watched, nor people interviewed I can never truly be a product of that environment. But your environment does not define you. It also doesn't have to be static. Your past doesn't have to dictate your future. Sure, your past is important, but not nearly as important as your vision for the future Or rather the way you see your future is more important than what's happened in the past. But changing your environment takes a conscious decision, it requires conscious effort, and sometime the results are also not immediate. Circle of Friends “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” - Jim Rohn The people you spend the most time with have the greatest influence on you. Those are the people you surround yourself with. Your environment. Look at them? Where are they in life compared to you? Typically most of them will be aroun...

But not foolish. It's great wanting to lose 100 pounds in 1 year... But trying for 2 pounds a week for 25 weeks is hard when you struggle to lose 1 pound a week. And what do you do when you start hitting your plateaus? Progress isn't linear. Do you eat less? If you're already are your minimum viable calorie consumption, you're starving yourself. Fasting is great, but it's not a long term solution. Starving yourself is a great way to retain water, compromise liver and kidney function, and throw your hormones out of whack. Consider the alternative. If you have been gaining weight, first learn to stabilize your weight. Try a weight stabilization diet for a few weeks and find out what's sustainable for you which also achieves the goals your are looking for. Once you learn how to maintain your weight, practice losing 1 pound a week. That about a 500 calorie deficit a day. A combination of dietary habits and increased exercise will get you there easy.

On my About Me page I mention how I was depressed without hope and I believed my family was falling apart before my eyes. Looking back, I realize I was deceiving myself, devouring unhealthy thoughts. I started to believe my family was against me and began self fulfilling the negative prophecy in my mind. False Narrative With the false narrative, I added to my 10 ton bag of lies and began to misplace blame. I started looking for reasons why my family was 'broken'. Days they didn't have energy to clean, I'd fill my plate with the fruit of resentment thinking. "If only they loved me, they'd help me pick up this house." What's more, when Anne Marie mentioned how I also forgot to finish a chore, I would be quick to anger, pointing out how it was me always bending over backwards. Busting my butt. Cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids. Relationships But it's not easier to fit a square peg in a round hole by pushing harder. I was planting ...

My friend Gregory states "Pokemon Go is the greatest social game to date". That's high praise but he has a point. For years MMOs kept him, myself, and millions of others in our houses. We were connected in MMOs, but only virtually. Physically we were hidden in dark hideaways double clicking relentlessly at a glowing monitor. Not a sterling definition of social. But now millions of people are leaving their house and heading to parks and community centers to catch them all. Millions of people are now outside, walking every single day, meeting others they would have never met otherwise. There are already reports of Pokemon Go couples. Players who met chasing Pokemon now going on dates. Like I stated in Pokemon Going , it's only a matter of time until Pokemon Go is mentioned in wedding vows. What's more, savvy businesses owners are capitalizing on the craze. They are intentionally placing Lures at PokeStops near their location to attract potential customers. ...

At work Michael mentioned he uses a mirror to determine his fitness. I had to ask him, "So what does fit 'look' like anyway?" What does fit look like? Lying Mirrors I realize many people do it. I know I have. But when we determine our 'health and fitness levels' by looks, we are doing our self a huge disservice, physically and mentally. The body is a fast fading facade. Don't slide down that slippery slope. PS By the way, mirrors don't lie. It's just the stories we tell ourselves looking in mirrors aren't always accurate.

When I suggest batch meal planning, the most common opposition is "I get sick of eating the same thing over and over!" But aren't you also sick of being unhealthy? Following my proven plan will save you time, money, and stress at the expense of being nutritionally repetitive. Following no plan will cost you time, money, and stress. You'll likely also have a harder time tracking nutrition and will probably lose less weight. So what are you more sick of, being unhealthy, strung out, out of time, and broke? Or being nutritionally repetitive a few times a week? While you're thinking about it, let me introduce you a secret weapon I call Mrs. Dash .

My wife decided this week to rededicate herself to weight loss. She want to lose 50 lbs by years end. This is an aggressive plan. Losing 2 pounds a week for 25 weeks is not a cake walk. I'd love prayers and well wishes. One of the way I'll be supporting her is by counting my calories with MyFitnessPal . If you don't use a calorie tracking app and are looking to lose weight, I highly recommend it. If you do have it, please connect with me. My user name is Hamenopi . I'd love to encourage you on that platform. What more, I'm continuing my journey to from over 300 lbs to under 200 pounds . Currently I'm at 218.5 lbs. I'd love for you to motivate me past the finish line.

You might not know Pokemon stop locations originate from Ingress Portals. Since I played Ingress, I knew where the local stops were most cluttered for efficient play. So today at lunch, I had a quick bite and headed over to one so called location. It's name, Fullerton Park. Fullerton Park was alive with people walking the perimeter! Every so often, the people in turn would look down at their phone, swipe a few times, then keep walking. Young people, old people, healthy people, and no so healthy people; they all were there. I saw at least 10 people, more than I've ever seen during the heat of the day before. What more, they were all waving and nodding to each other. From time to time, they'd stop for a quick chat before continuing. I talked to three of them for a bit, walking with them around the lap for some time. We talked about locations they've been and strategies they used. We talked about teams they're on and other interests we shared. I had a great time ...

I think back to when I was a kid. I remember clearly still the original Pokemon. I loved that game! I played that game for MONTHS! So of course my attention diverts when facebook erupts in Pokemon pics and chatter. Shortly after that, I see walls upon walls of Pokemon GO hate. It alarmed me some of the people with such strong negative opinions about the game. Apparently this game turn people into zombies and idiots! So I got curious and I installed it to see what the rage was all about. I also wanted to see if I was the very best, the best there ever was. So far I noticed these interesting things about the game... The application doesn't run unless you tell it to. It doesn't force you to stare at the screen. It doesn't order you to run out into traffic. It doesn't compel you to capture Pokemon while driving. In the end, Pokemon GO is just an application. It's the user who applies it. Analysis The application doesn't create anything except an experie...

Last week, I shared how by using simple accountability principles, I was able to identify certain key problem areas in my weight loss journey. By identifying them, I was able to increase my weight loss an extra pound a week. That is insane! What's more, I also was able to enjoy better brain food via books and get more well needed sleep. 1 stone, 3 birds. Another thing I noted was how I was just throwing away food. Leftovers accumulated in my fridge, tossed week's end for a fresh supply. Houston! We got a problem here! I'm here hemorrhaging food and money while complaining about the price of organic produce! It not something I could just bandage. Some were just small portions but others could be re-purposed into new meals with ingenuity. Come on! There has to be a better way! Luckily I was building my nutritional play book and found a few. I want to share them with you. Food Hacks Every week I was discarding Italian style ground beef to make room for Mexican style...

An interesting part of accounting is you can build a nutritional play book. You also end up learning a lot about yourself. One thing I found out is I'm far more likely to consume a ton of calories after 10 pm. 2 tons when watching TV with my wife at night. Popcorn appears. Wine appears. Chocolate appears. It's there. It's convenient. It's easy. So it's consumed. Mindless. Without Account. Destroyed Progress I started tracking and accounting for it. You know, the whole accountability part. I woke to a glaring hole in my diet, a devious deficiency in my nutritional strategy. I was a late night food druggie! No matter how good I did during the day, when I watched TV after 10, without thought I'd destroy all my work! Boob Tube Zombie If you're anything like me, 4 hours vanishes every time I look at a TV. I'm not even saying Binge watching from time is bad but when it's the norm, that's the issue. Last year, a decent sleep was the actual ...