Geek in the Heart of Texas

BLEEP just got real

2013-01-23T10:32:00.000-06:00

I have decided to take this blog in a much more personal direction. When I launched it I did not intend on it being a fitness blog, but it has become that. That will most likely be its primary function with other stuff sprinkled it. As it relates to the fitness stuff I am going to stop pulling punches, so to speak, and start being more honest and open about everything. I am shooting for one post per week right now. I really want to post more often but I have a lot of things on my plate right now. Stay tuned and bring the tissues.

\m/ IS NO TRY \m/

Don't Call It A Come Back...

2013-01-15T12:29:00.000-06:00

I'm back! I have let this blog get away from me over the last few months, but there is a reason. I have been recovering from injury/surgery. In case you have not been following, here's the story...

I was training for an obstacle course 5K that was to take place in November. All Through my training U was fighting a nagging knee pain. Turns out that pain was actually a somewhat serious injury. I broke down and went to the doctor when I fell off the treadmill in pain. I had an MRI done and it was revealed that I had a "compound tear of the left medial meniscus and that was going to require surgery. That took me out of my race. I was very upset, to say the lest. Over two months of training and I was sidelined two weeks before the event. I had surgery on November 30th and everything went fine.

The surgery may have fixed my knee, but it broke something else...my spirit. Sorry if that sounds overly dramatic but it is the truth. I spent most of 2012 working out a eating better and I was fianlly going to prove to myself that I was not just the fat nerd that makes everyone laugh and that opportunity was taken away. I did more in 2012 than I have in my entire life up to that point combined. I lost about 50 lbs, lost several inches all over, dropped a shirt size, my belt did nto fit anymore, and my wedding ring fell off. The I hit the brick wall of this frakking knee.

I was very concerned that I would backslide during my recovery and I dd just that. I took my "do or do not" mantra a bit too literally and "did not." With the exception of eat all the things. I threw myself a fully catered pity party and ate the whole spread. Never let it be said that I don't have feeling...I have 20 lbs of them. And none of them tasted like happy. I have spent the last few months feeling sorry for myself and letting myself get lazy. I have noticed that my clothes are not loose like they were getting and I can see where I have put weight back on. Well I am here to declare NO MORE! This is not about a New Year's Resolution, it is about me getting off my lazy bum and getting back at it (it just happens to be January).

Now that you are up to speed.... where to go from here. I was scheduled for the Run For Your Lives Zombie 5K (my first 5K since I did not get to do my original first 5K) in March, but it was moved to the only weekend in June I have a conflict. Turns out that may not be a bad thing. I tried running last night for the first time: big mistake! About 45 seconds in to the run my knee let me know I was not ready for that. And it has continued to remind me not to try that again any time soon. For now I am focusing on body weight strength training. I am using a bike and walking to build up my knee and lower body work for strength. I bought a new punching bag over Christmas I am ready to try out and I am doing the RUSHFIT thing again. GSP is currently in training camp for his March 16th fight with Nick Diaz so I am doing Battle Camp and "training along with him". I am better than my knee injury and I will win.

\m/ TRY NOT. DO. OR DO NOT. THERE IS NO TRY \m/

Video Production for the Classroom. Notes from #EdCampDallas

2012-10-11T10:39:00.000-05:00

Here are the notes from my session at #edcampdallas on uses for video production in the classroom.

But I can't afford a camera!
Do you have an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Android device? If so you already have a camera. You have an HD camera if you have a recent iPod touch, anything newer than iPhone 4, iPad 2, and most Android devices. If you feel you want to purchase a camera, there are a number of options...

Pocket Camcorder - We started with a simple Flip camera and moved to the Kodak Zi8. Sadly neither is made anymore but you can still find them around. Shop around for pocket camcorders and read reviews. With cell phones and such the pocket camcorder market has all but died. You can get an iPod touch for the same price as a pocket camcorder these days. Look for something with external mic input as most of time the audio quality leaves a lot to be desired.
Consumer Camcorder - We moved up to a full camcorder last year. We use the Canon Vixia HF R21 and LOVE it! I picked this camera because it records to SD cards and there is no need to worry about tape. It also has an input for external mics which is important for our productions. This is not a required feature by any means, but better audio goes a long way.
Cell phone/iPod - Again, almost any cell phone these days has a camera and most have gone HD. Don't reinvent the wheel if you don't need to.

But how do I get the video off the camera?!

If you buy a camera it will most likely come with software to import the video. If you shoot to SD cards, just pop the card into any card reader and you should be able to pull the video off. If you have a mobile device such as a smart phone or iPod/iPad it is much easier; all you need is Dropbox. When you install the Dropbox app on your device, it will give you the ability to export your video to your Dropbox. The most recent version has automated this process if (you chose that option). You can set Dropbox to automatically upload any video taken on your device. You can then access the video via the Dropbox web interface OR it will automatically sync if you have the desktop client installed.

I don't know anything about editing video!

You don't have to. You can make a simple video with no editing required. Just shoot it. It does not have to look like The Avengers as long as the message is conveyed.

But I want to edit my video!

Awesome! There are a number of options available. If you are a Windows user you can simply use Windows Movie Maker. If you are on a Mac you can use iMovie. Both are simple, free video editing programs for basic videos. If you are feeling more ambitious, there are several editing programs out there...

Adobe Premiere Elements - I use this program and LOVE it. It has the simplicity of Movie Maker or iMovie with the potential and flexibility to produce high-quality videos. Mac and Windows. Cost: less than $100
Adobe Visual Communicator - This software streamlines the process of video production, especially for green screen work. It works on a "live-to-tape" concept where in you shoot the video and no editing is needed. This software includes a telepromoter function, live intros, live transitions, and live green screen effects.
Pinnacle Studio - I have used older versions of Pinnacle and it comes highly recommended. There is also an iPad version for iPad 2 or later that allows for exporting to the desktop version for continued editing. Windows only. Cost: $60-$130 MSRP depending on version
Sony Vegas Family - Sony has a line of video editing software that ranges from basic editing to professional quality. I personally cannot speak to the quality of this product but it is well-reviewed and is the preferred software of several video production colleagues. Windows only. Cost: $50-$500 MSRP depending on version

But how can I use this in my class/at school?

If you have decided you want to make videos for you classroom, here are just a few examples what you can do...

Daily announcements - This is what started it all for my school. We produce a daily announcement program with the pledges, moment of silence, important information, lunch menus, and birthdays.
Record presentations - Your students work so hard on those posters, dioramas, speeches, etc. Why not video their presentation for posterity?
Connect with parents - Share the above video with parents. They can't be there for the presentation but you can share the video with them so they can see the hard work their student did.
Replace the poster/diorama - Why have the students spend time and money making something that will most likely get thrown away? Have your students create a video presentation instead. They could act out a skit, collect footage to go along with a speech/presentation, or demonstrate a concept. When they are done you and they have a tangible record of their work.
Assist other students - Have your higher students create how-to videos for the lower students or perhaps for those who are absent. Having these available can free you up for one-on-one help. You could also create videos for lower grade levels. I have seen high school students make videos for kinder or 1st students to teach reading and math.
Record of progress - At the beginning of the year make a short video demonstrating the skills of the students. At the end of the year make another. The students can now SEE how much progress they made over the course of the year. This can also be useful to document for an ARD and to pass along to their teacher the next year.
Record a lesson - Set a camera up at the back of the room when you are teaching a lesson or giving a lecture. This creates a great resource if you need to be out.
Anything you can think of - This is just a small sample of the MANY ways video production can help you

So, I made a video. Now what?

Once you have made the video, what you do with it is really up to you. You can make an archive, share it with parents/staff, or even upload to YouTube or TeacherTube/SchoolTube. I will suggest that if you decided to upload your video make sure you have ample permission from your students' parents. This is slightly more than the usual release for pictures in the paper or yearbook. I use a separate release form for students' work/likeness to be posted to the internet. I also remind the parents every time something is getting uploaded to make sure it is still okay.

Resources

Below is a list of resources for your videos. Theses sites contain stock footage, music, tips, etc. Most are under Creative Commons and/or are fair use for education.

Music

http://freeplaymusic.com/ - This is a great resource for royalty-free music

Video

http://www.ignitemotion.com/ - Free Motion Backgrounds (HD)
http://www.movietools.info/free-web-resources.html - various video elements including Background Loops and Lower Thirds. Some free, some pay.
http://thecliparchive.com/ - Collection of links to free video clips. Some are stock footage, others are backgrounds and such.
http://www.videoediv.net/vj-loop/ - Free SD stock footage
http://www.stockfootageforfree.com/table/stock-footage/ - "Free" stock footage. There are a few gems here. I only include it because I have found some useful things.
https://www.videoblocks.com/ - subscription service for video, music, sound effects, and other video elements. Offers 7 day free trial. Unlimited access with paid subscription. Pricey but can be worth it. Or just spend that 7 days downloading everything you can ;)
http://www.pond5.com/ - Pay site for video elements. I purchased the animated flags used for our announcements from this site.
http://videohive.net/ - Pay site for video elements. Most are After Effects files. I have purchased the last two intro videos from them.

These are just the sites that I use regularly. There are any number of sites available, just Google it. I also use videos from YouTube. YouTube Downloader is a great program for downloading and converting YouTube videos.

Conclusion
I really hope this helps. I was so blown away by the response to the session and I hope you all get something out of this. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. I am on Twitter @chrisevans17 or you can email me chrisevans17 at gmail dot com. I have a collection of sample videos available for download if you would like to see some of the work we have done. If you would like that link, please message me on Twitter or email me and I will send you the download link. Be warned, it is about 500mb so it might take some time to download.

30 Days and counting...

2012-10-10T08:33:00.002-05:00

I have not posted in a several days because I have barely had time to workout let alone blog about working out. Last Thursday I went to a concert with my dad (Aussie Floyd FTW), Friday I had dinner with my folks, Saturday I was podcasting all morning then spent the rest of the day with my folks again, Sunday I did a light workout, and Monday was a holiday with my kids so I spent that time with them. I got back at it last night and could tell I have been slacking the last few days. My run is picking up and my legs are about to fall off. I really need to get past my "I hate to warm up/cool down. I would rather just get to the workout" hangups and actually stretch. Things are beginning to settle back down with my schedule and I will be back on track by the end of the week. I am getting very nervous about this run. It is officially a month away and every time I think about it I get anxious. Perhaps that is part of why I am slacking. But as Yoda tells us: Fear leads to Anger, Anger leads to hate, Hate leads...to suffering.

Side note: I signed up for another run! I know, right?!? The run that started this whole crazy plan is coming to DFW. More specifically to Forney, which is just right down the road. Since the location is what mainly stopped the Austin run, I have no excuse this time so I signed up (apparently all you have to do is tell me the price is about to increase and I will sign up). This run is in March so assuming the world does not end in December I will be tackling the Zombie Apocalypse!

\m/ IS NOT TRY \m/

38 Days...

2012-10-04T11:26:00.000-05:00

Did a good run last night then a good (albeit once again interrupted) boxing workout. I just (and I do mean just as I closed the tab and open this one) ordered a new water bottle, new speed wraps, and knuckle protectors from Title MMA. They had a free shipping plus 10% off sale that I jumped on. Their shipping is so high that I try and place an order everytime they do free shipping. Their sister company Title Boxing (although I am not really sure what the difference is as they both seem to have the merchandise) had a similar sale a week or so ago but I had not gotten paid yet. This one hit just at the right time. Hopefully the knuckle protectors will do their job. My hands looks like I have really been fighting. I'm going to a concert tonight so there will be no working out. I'll be back at it Friday and this weekend.

\m/ IS NOT TRY \m/

39 Days...

2012-10-03T15:16:00.002-05:00

I did the treadmill (C25K W3D2) last night along with a good tire workout. I was really nervous about the tires since that was when my arm went crazy. My wrist sounded like a bowl of Rice Krispies, but it did not hurt too bad. Got boxing and treadmill on deck for tonight. I am trying VERY hard not to get sick but I am not letting that stop me.

Side note: I have decided to stop weighing in every day. I am getting discouraged and frustrated at the inconsistency and fluctuation. I will have a good series of weigh-ins and then shoot up 4-5 lbs when nothing has changed. This would make sense if it was water weight or something and I was just bloated that day but it stays with me and I have to work it off again. That gets to be quite discouraging. I am just going to keep doing what I am doing and maybe weigh in once a week but I am avoiding the scale for the most part for the time being.

\m/ IS NO TRY \m/

40 Days...

2012-10-02T11:03:00.001-05:00

Too the day off. I am not feeling well (sinuses are being stupid) and my arm is still giving me trouble. I was going to run, but my wife was sick in bed and the treadmill is in the bedroom. *But can you just run outside?* No, I can't Running outside hurts my knees too much and plus it was raining. Wife's sickness permitting I am going to do treadmill tonight and either box or tires. I really want to get back to the tires, but I am worried about exacerbating my arm.

\m/ IS NO TRY \m/

43 Days...42 Days...41 Days

2012-10-01T09:59:00.000-05:00

Got in a good run and a good boxing workout this weekend. My arm WAS getting better but now it hurts more than ever. I have a run due today and I am going to try the tires again I think. Hopefully that works for me.

\m/ IS NOT TRY \m/

45 Days...44 Days...

2012-09-28T09:36:00.001-05:00

The following section was written during a break I had around 10 am Thursday...
I decided to let my wrist chill a bit so I did W2D2 of C25K last night and that was all. I also started a challenge on NerdFitness to help with my accountability. Not much else to report today. I have to work late but I still plan on hitting the tires again. That will be the real wrist test. Hopefully I learned from my mistake.

I had to go so I held the post for a bit to come back and make sure I was done with it and never got back to it. This is why...
Well, workout did not happen last night. I got to work at 7:00 am as I usually do. I left work at 10:30 pm. Have not worked a 15 hour day in a long time. Needless to say, when I got home at nearly 11:00 last night a workout was NOT in the cards. My commitment is to work out at 5 times a week so I am still on course to do that I just missed last night. Hopefully I can squeeze a workout in before the game tonight.

\m/ IS NOT TRY \m/

46 Days...

2012-09-26T07:21:00.001-05:00

Had a great boxing workout last night. It was interrupted right when I was really finding my groove, but it was still one of the best workouts I have had in a long time. I did a simple walk on the treadmill for my off day from C25k. Still nursing the knee, which is getting better, and C25K suggests a rest day between program days so I am using those to just walk to help with the knee. As I said yesterday I hurt my wrist Monday night. It sucks but I am dealing. Boxing stung a few times but I was careful. The real test will be Thursday when I do the tries again. Still stressed out and not having a great go at things in life but I am doing better on the workout. AND I got some exciting news: the Zombie 5K I am not getting to run in December is coming to DFW in March! The fact that it was in Austin was the biggest problem with me going. Since they added one in DFW I can most likely do that one. Plus, its during Spring Break! I'll let you know how that works out. I think I'm gonna get past the mud run first and see how that goes.

\m/ IS NO TRY \m/

50 Days........47 Days

2012-09-25T21:30:00.000-05:00

Did not work out Friday as that was family time and we got in super late. Did a good workout on Saturday on the treadmill and some tire work. Took Sunday off. Started Week 2 of C25K and did some tire work Monday. I had a horrible day Monday and thought it would be a good idea to channel my anger in to a workout. It was, but it backfired when I hurt my wrist. So far it is just annoying and is not slowing me down TOO much. Boxing and more tires on the agenda for this week.

\m/ IS NO TRY \m/

51 Days...

2012-09-21T10:11:00.004-05:00

I had an AWESOME workout last night. I did a solid 30 minutes of tire work and it felt great. I finally feel like I am getting back to my groove. I pushed myself last night and seriously almost puked. I am rounding out the weekend with some treadmill work and one more round of tires. I might throw some yard work in there as well if the weather allows. I will most likely do a single post on Monday for the whole weekend. Have a great weekend. See you Monday.

\m/ IS NOT TRY \m/

52 Days...

2012-09-20T11:14:00.000-05:00

Had a really good run last night. I started over C25K. My knee was definitely feeling it but I muscled through. Did a little ab work after the run. Overall a pretty good day. Hitting the tires and treadmill again tonight. I am starting to back in the groove.

\m/ IS NO TRY\m/

53 Days...

2012-09-19T07:11:00.001-05:00

Had a decent tire workout last night. I am becoming increasingly aware how much I have slacked off over the last few months. I tried to run a bit but my knee revolted. I thought I could jump right back in to my Couch to 5K program where I left off...WRONG. I am going back to week 1. That puts me at week 8 for the mud run, which works. By the end of week 8 I SHOULD be about to do the run just fine. This is due as much to my knee and the fact that I have backslid so much. I am upset with myself that I got so far behind, but I did it and I am owning it and moving on. Either doing abs or boxing tonight.

\m/ IS NOT TRY \m/

54 Days...

2012-09-18T17:42:00.001-05:00

I aggravated my I'm-31-and-have-been-at-least-100-lbs-overweight-for-most-of-my-life kneed injury helping my friend move this weekend so no workout once again. I am sure you are beginning to ask yourself "Why is he blogging about training for this mud run when he actually has not done anything productive since he started doing this?" Well, that is a good question. The answer would be accountability. I am holding myself accountable for the good and the bad. I am also hoping that the continued posting of how craptasticly awful I am doing will inspire me to do better. Here's hoping.

\m/ IS NO TRY \m/

58...57...56...55 Days...

2012-09-16T13:15:00.001-05:00

Still not a great end of the week. However, Saturday (Day 56) I got a helluva workout helping my buddy move. I spent the whole day with some great friends and thought we did some hard work with the move I still had a great time. We spent the whole day quoting movies, making "that's what she said jokes", and just generally being a bunch of dorky guys. I even made a few new friends. I may not have gotten a lot of working out done this week, but I got some "emotional cardio" on Saturday. I feel much better about things right now and, weather permitting, I am back to it Monday.

\m/ IS NO TRY \m/

59 Days...

2012-09-14T05:24:00.000-05:00

No work out today. My "not in to it" work out Tuesday night was counter-productive. Since I was not focused I hurt myself. Need to recover a bit. Going to do some light work tonight and get back in to the swing. Lesson learned kids: focus and do it properly or it could be worse than not doing it all.

\m/ IS NO TRY \m/

60 days...

2012-09-12T22:13:00.000-05:00

I did tires last night. I did 30 minutes but my head was just not in it. You really can't go through the motions on those tires, but it was not a great workout. Still fighting insomnia and crazy head space. Hopefully I can salvage the rest of the week.

\m/ IS NO TRY \m/

61 Days...

2012-09-11T13:47:00.000-05:00

This is the beginning of a new series. This series will serve two purposes. The first is to force me to post more often. The second is to document my training for my mud run. On November 10th I am going to do the most difficult thing I have ever done. I am competing in the Might Mud Dash. It is an obstacle course 5K with 20 military-style obstacles... all in the mud. Watch the videos to see an example of some of the craziness I am about to put myself through. This is the culmination of my Fat Free Apocalypse and is really just to prove to myself that I can. The title serves as a countdown to the event. My plan is to post SOMETHING each day leading up to the event. Most of the time is will be a "review" of my workout the previous day. That being said... here is my first post.

My workout for 09/10: NOT A DAMN THING... I have been a bit stressed and depressed lately which has led to me getting very little sleep. Due to that I have been crashing out way early instead of working out. The way I see it, if I am falling asleep trying to eat dinner I clearly need the rest. I am trying to find ways to get my sleep patterns back on track and force the workouts. Hopefully tonight will be better.

Until tomorrow...

\m/ IS NOT TRY \m/

It's all too much OR Why I don't want to go to Comic-Con

2012-07-16T15:03:00.001-05:00

This may be a shock to most people who know me and how much of a nerd I am, but I do not want to go the Comic Con International in San Diego, CA (also referred to as San Diego Comic Con or simply Comic Con). I mean, I co-host a podcast called Too Nerdy For TV, I have built my own lightsabre, and I have a Superman and Transformers tattoo. Comic Con should be right up my alley. Honestly I am not really interested in going. If you are past the shock of my opening statement, I will continue on and explain my position.

Reason 1: Too Many People... That might make me sound like an old man, but 130,000 is just too many people for me. My recent trip to the Dallas Comic Con and the overcrowding there was enough. Swimming through a sea of people is just not on my agenda.

Reason 2: The Average Person Doesn't See Anything... Think about it: you are on person amongst thousands of others, all trying to do the same thing. If you want to get in to Hall H (that is the big room with the major announcements and panels) you have to devote you day to just that and you get to see/do nothing else. 5% of the total attendance gets in to Hall H, that includes press and celebs who get priority I don't like those odds.

Reason 3: I Can't Afford It... This is a practical reason. Honestly, if I could somehow afford to go, I would not be able to do much else. I can't afford any of the "con-exclusive" collectables. I can't afford autographs (I don't even get autographs at local shows anymore). If I want anything that is "con-exclusive" I can find it on ebay and most likely save a little money. Yes it will be an inflated price from the what the sticker was at the show, but add in having to get to San Diego, stay in a hotel, and go to the show ti is cheaper.

Reason 4: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube Bring The Event To Me... Anything major that happens will be all over Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Many of the major panels get posted on YouTube and all the comic and media press report on the announcements anyway. The only thing I feel like I am missing out on is the video presentations but refer to Reason 2 as to why I would most likely not see them anyway.

Reason 5: I Do Not Want To Spend That Much Money Standing In Line... When you go to a convention, really any convention, you must make to choice to either enjoy the show or stand in line. Dallas Comic Con was like this. I enjoy cons because I enjoy the floor. I like to displays and the collectables and and the cosplay (that is people in costume if you did't know). I would LOVE to be at Comic Con and see the booths and the merchandise and the awesome costumes. To me it is not worth the money just to do that. If you want to go to panels, get autographs, etc. you are going to stand in line. Sometimes you will stand in line for a chance to stand in another line. If I am going to a show like this.

Reason 6: Comic Con Has Lost Its Way... This is the part that makes me somewhat of a nerd bigot. The convention is called Comic Con International. It has become less about comics and more about pop culture. I get that and I'm ok with that. What the hell is Twilight doing at Comic Con? What the hell is Glee doing at Comic Con? Supernatural, Game of Thrones, Merlin, etc. are all genre shows. Breaking Bad? Mad Men? Seriously? Fifty Shades of Grey will most likely be there next year and that makes me sad. Make the show about pop culture but make it about OUR pop culture and keep the posers out. Comic Con is for the ones that live it, not the hipsters that put on a store-bought costume and play dress up for a few days and then go back to "normal" on Monday. Or the ones who wear pop culture t-shirts ironically. It feels like comic con has sold out to the big money studios and I'd rather attend small, local cons that are still about the people.

In closing, I would like to say that if someone offered me an all expense trip to Comic Con next year, I would consider it. However, I would have to think long and hard about it because I just don't think that is for me anymore. Maybe Comic Con is on my Murtagh list. Whatever the case, I LOVE my local Dallas shows and can't wait for the Fan Days in October.

This is a good article that really hits on some of the points I made - Why I Hated Comic Con

\m/ \m/

How I'm spending my summer vacation...

2012-06-21T20:40:00.000-05:00

This is a quick post to show off some homemade equipment I am using this summer. Below are some pics of my DIY-ish workout gear.

Can't take DIY cred for the punching bag and stand. However, if you look on the floor you will see my DIY medicine ball. It is made from an old basketball, filled with 10 lb. of sugar, and duck taped to hell. It currently resides in a soccer ball training thing (seriously I have had this net thing since I was like 10 and have no idea what it's purpose is anymore, what it is called, or where you might find one) to serve as a hammer.

This is my ground and pound dummy. It is several rolls of carpet covered in a ton of duck tape. It is really fun to toss around and beat on. Total cost was about $5 for the duck tape.

This is my uppercut bag. It is an old duffle bag from high school. My old marching band duffle bag to be specific. it contains a 50 lb. sand bag and it filled out with old T-shirts to round out the bag. Cost was about $1.99 for the sand and $3 for the hardware to hang it.

This is my double end bag. It consists of a bounce ball I ~~stole~~ ~~borrowed~~ acquired from my children. I covered it in...wait for it... duck tape and secured a rope to hang it. The rope was the tricky part. It took several times for the rope to work. It is attached to the ceiling and a bucket full of concrete pieces via bungees. I had the ball, I had the bungees, and the bucket and concrete "came with the house." Seriously, the bucket is an old paint bucket left over from the renovation on this house before we moved in and the concrete pieces were just lying around my yard.

This is my most recent piece of equipment. I picked these up at a local tire shop around the corner from my house. They are awesome! I flip them, drag them, pull them, feed them, change them, etc. Through a VERY generous friend I also have a sledgehammer that I hit these awesome tires with.

So that is my workout equipment at home. Had I bought all of this brand new and "professional" it would have run me over $500. I am having a lot of fun with my new toys and will post the progress as usual. I am currently working on the final post on my "Is That A Fat Joke" series. Stay tooned...

\m/ IS NO TRY \m/

Is that a fat joke? (Part Deux)

2012-06-12T00:43:00.000-05:00

Last time I gave a little back story, herein referred to as THEN. Now we will discuss the present and the future (most likely in part 3), herein referred to as NOW and LATER respectively...

As of this writing (May/June 2012) I have lost ~45 lbs since I really started pushing myself in January and ~60 lbs from my highest in 2007. We did a biggest loser contest at work. My official weight loss for the contest was 30 lbs or ~10.50%. I lost. The winner lost ~10.75%. POINT TWO FIVE PERCENT?!?! That is how much I lost by. Not even a full pound. Had I lost 3/4 of a pound more, I would have won. I was very upset. Not that I lost, that I lost by so little. A blowout I can handle. This was just frustrating. After a bit of a pity party, I decided to shake it off and move on. I am not doing this for a contest. I was doing this way before the contest started, I was just looking to make a buck from what I was already doing.

I began to get a bit bored with what I had been doing. I completed RUSHFIT level 1 and felt great but I wanted a new challenge. I cut WAY back on my workouts, just kept up with my eating and have not lost much more, but I am maintaining. If I am not going to lose at least I am not gaining. I started reading articles and doing some research on some ways to change things up. There is a blog that a friend on Facebook had directed me called Nerd Fitness. This is a wonderful blog from a nerd that decided to get his life together through simple means. Kind of like the poor man's Chris Hardwick (no offense, Steve. That is a compliment. I just finished Hardwick's book The Nerdist Way and there are very similar concepts). Here is some background on the creator Steve Kamb. Anyway, Steve has some amazing articles about how to "level up your life". He breaks down concepts that can be confusing due to the crazy cash-cow that is the fitness and diet industries. He uses RPGs, video games, and other such nerd/pop culture references to make the concepts relatable.

I like blogs more than newspapers or magazines* because it is easier to find an old blog post if you know what blog it was than to find an old article in print media. Its like the web holds the information for you until you need it. What is really cool is when the timing of the article hits right when you need it. The articles on Nerd Fitness were interesting and enjoyable, but they did not really do anything for me. I was looking for motivation and inspiration and all of a sudden it was like Steve knew what I needed to hear. In the span of a week or so Steve posted the following articles and it was EXACTLY what I needed to hear.

The first was Go Right. This is a wonderful piece about pushing forward and related your goals and progress to old school 8-bit video games. He posted a video that inspired the post that was amazing inspirational for me. The end is my favorite part:

"Stop worrying about the next level. Don’t worry about that final jump. Who cares if you’ve “died” a million times? Try again. Try differently. Try smarter.
Hit continue.
Go right."

That is such a simple way to look at things.

The second was This Time Its Different. This article is about actually proving that "this time will be different" and how to make it be different.

These are just two of the wonderful articles that Steve has posted lately. I highly recommend reading this blog and even joining the forums. I don't post in the forums as much as I should, but that will hopefully change. In the next part of this ever-growing series I am going to address the LATER part of where I am and some of the specific points I got from the aforementioned articles and how I plan to apply them.

\m/ IS NO TRY \m/

*I do not really read newspapers or magazines anymore though I do read a lot of articles posted on magazine sites, specifically Men's Health and Men's Fitness. Some are published in the print versions, some are not.

Is that a fat joke? (Part The 1st)

2012-05-17T14:31:00.000-05:00

I have posted many times about my weight loss. I have shared things about RUSHFIT, my gains, my losses, my successes, and my failures. When I started this quest, journey, endeavor...whatever you want to call it I just wanted to be a better me. I hit the ground running and pushed myself harder than I have ever be pushed and I was proud of myself. I will admit that lately I have not been as motivated as I was previously. I have not quit altogether, but I have not been as driven as I was. I have allowed too many things to get in the way and I have let myself off the hook WAY too much. I have found a renewed sense of purpose as of late and I want to share that with you now...

DISCLAIMER: The following is written in generalities and is in no way meant to suggest that I do not have the most amazing parents and family. The lack of positive to counter the negative has nothing to do them and please do not take it that way. My parents and family were not the source of the negativity that plagued my adolescence and young adulthood. I am speaking mainly about my so-called peers and the people that, at the time, I felt like I needed to impress.

I grew up a fat kid. Plain and simple. I was never any good at sports (except for soccer because defender was MADE for me). I was a proud band nerd (yes I was the fat tuba player). I had a group of friends that I did not always feel like were really my friends. I was not popular. I never really got the girl. I was about as text book high school social leper as it gets. I grew up hearing horrible things. I was called names like Crisco (cause my name is Chris and I was fat. It was not very clever), and that was about the nicest thing people had to say about me. I was living (at least in my mind) in the shadow of my smarter, prettier, more well-adjusted sister. I had extremely low self esteem so I did what any other fat kid who really hates their life: I developed a sense of humor. A lot of this sense of humor was, and still is, self-deprecating. It takes away the power if you are making fun of yourself. That is why big people are funny. It is a defense mechanism. If we can make you laugh then maybe you will not mind being seen with us and for a brief moment you will not make us feel worthless. The problem was my self esteem was so low and I spent so much time hearing these horrible things about myself, with very few positive things to counter the argument, I began to believe those things about myself. It didn't help that my (now)ex-wife contributed to my negative self image. Years and years of this have made me a very cynical adult. Things rarely went my way. I have more or less adopted a life view of expecting everything to go wrong. That way nothing surprises me anymore and when good things happen, it is a pleasant surprise. That may be a pessimistic way of looking at the world, but it really keeps me from losing my cool as often. When bad things happen or the universe craps on me for umpteenth time, my reaction is closer to "Well sure.." that anger.

I have said all of this to say this... Recently I have experienced something I have not experienced very often in my 31 years on this planet. I am getting positive comments about my weight. I am getting daily compliments and encouragements from co-workers, friends, and social network acquaintances. It is very odd feeling to have people say positive things about you when most of your life has been spent hearing almost nothing but negative. People are actually telling me that I look good. They say things like "you are going to wither away soon" and they call me positive names like Slim and Skinny... and not ironically. The last time I had comments like this was right after my divorce. I lost a LOT of weight REALLY fast. The initial comments were more of concern, then one particular co-worker kept calling me Ally McBeal. Yeah, that's how long ago that was. I progressively put the weight lost on "the divorce diet" back on as I got my life back together. I decided a few years ago that I would never break 300 lbs. again after topping out right before the divorce at 320 lbs. I did things off and on just trying to stay under that 300 lbs. mark. I would flux up and down the same 5-10 lbs. You can read why I decided to get things going hard core back in January on an earlier post.

I have been working on this post for over a week now and it just keeps getting longer. I am going to post this section now and keep working on the next one to be posted soon. As usual I will shameless self-promote myself on every social network I am on so if you are not subscribed to this blog you will know there is a new post. Thanks and I will see you soon.

\m/ IS NOT TRY \m/

That is why you fail...

2012-04-12T15:13:00.000-05:00

And by YOU I mean ME! I have failed...miserably. I was making such great progress and completed the Beginner program of RUSHFIT. I was all geared up for the Intermediate program and things have not gone in my favor in the least bit. It has been one thing after another.

I have fallen, but I WILL get up!!!

I am not really sure what has caused my apathy but it stops now. I am going to let he last few weeks go and start fresh. I lost my motivation, but I am determined to win my belt. I have come too far to quit now. What is important is where I go from here. Step one is recognizing that I have a problem. Step two is addressing the problem. So let us do that, shall we...

Excuse 1: ~~I lost my momentum~~ I took too long a break and got lazy.
Excuse 2: ~~I am really sore from mowing the yard.~~ Pity party, table for one.
Excuse 3: ~~My yearbook is due~~ I put this off and now I have to rush to meet my deadline.
Excuse 4: ~~It's so late and I'm so tired~~ I farted around all night and now it's time for bed and I have not worked out yet.
Excuse 5: I'd rather spend some quality time with my wife/kids. (I'm allowing this one and I don't think anyone will judge me for it)

These are only a few of the excuses I have had over the last several weeks for being lazy. So I am moving forward with renewed spirit and drive. Allons-y!!!

\m/ IS NOT TRY \m/

**none of the videos are very long and they really go with my points so take a few minutes out of your day and watch them. Thanks.

Childhood Abuse

2012-03-28T12:25:00.002-05:00

I had this idea last night and threw this together on my lunch break... enjoy. My entry in the Micheal Bay/Ninja Turtle/He is a nut bag war going on right now.

\m IS NOT TRY \m/