What started as a challenge to help lose some weight turned into something much bigger. I learned quite a bit over 1,000 days about food and the way people act around it. The biggest thing is how “normal” it is to continue eating even when you’re full. There’s this whole theory that exists for many that even though you’re full you still “have” to eat a sweet with a meal. Whether that be cookie, pie, cake or ice cream, many people have already decided ahead of time that they “have” to eat it. This is especially true on birthdays, anniversary, holidays, etc. There always seems to be a justifiable excuse to continue eating…especially if it’s a dessert.

There’s also the ultimate test of will power. How bad do you really want to do something and do you allow yourself to get caught up in a moment in time where you make an emotional decision ? So many times we eat something only to regret doing so minutes later when we feel bad or weeks later when we have to face our decisions in the mirror.

And finally the whole feeling of needing others to do something with you to justify making a certain decision. It’s crazy how people will put pressure on you to eat something that they know isn’t good for you, yet most wouldn’t consider putting that same pressure on you to make a healthier choice (in general). In fact, some people are against you and question why you would do something like that. Why try to take better care of yourself?

In a way, when you think about all of this it’s really backwards from the way it should be, isn’t it? Yet, the fact is that it’s normal and generally accepted.

That being said, I am absolutely going to splurge tomorrow and sample every sweet that I used to enjoy for 1 day. Maybe I will change my mind on some of this and ask myself what in the world was I thinking missing out on all of this goodness over the last 1,000 days? Or maybe I will just confirm all the things I’ve learned over the past 1,000 days are right on. I guess we will see.

I’ve been making it a point here lately to learn new exercises that can be done quickly, with minimal equipment. Sometimes life gets crazy and time gets tight, but you can always find 15 minutes to get some type of activity in. It may be before work, during lunch, after the family goes to bed – whenever it is just make it happen.

Here are some photos from exercises that can be done at the office (or anywhere for that matter) that only take a few minutes, but can make a big difference in how you look and feel.

To see these exercises in action, you’ll have to follow me on Instagram here: @derekmcclain

For this core exercise, start laying on the ground with your arms and legs extended straight out. Bring your right hand up to meet your left leg in the air. Alternate and repeat for 30 secs – 1 min.

To do this exercise, lay on your side with legs out and use arm closest to ground for support to raise up . Now, take your leg on top and move to touch your toe on ground in front of you and then behind you. Alternate sides. Do this for 30 secs to 1 min on each side.

To do this core exercise, lay your your back and bring your hands open over ears with head slightly raised up (note I put hands next to ears instead of behind head to prevent putting strain on neck). Next, raise one leg to as close to 45 degrees as possible and the other to as close to 90 degrees as possible. Slowly move the leg at 90 degrees in a circle motion. The smaller the circle, the more isolation. Move clockwise for 30 secs the. Go counter clockwise for 30 secs. Switch legs and repeat. Remember to hold your core tight and keep that head off the ground if possible.

These 3 exercise for the core are quick, easy to do and will make you feel better. Find the time and give em a try!

Remember to follow me on Instagram to see the videos for each of these exercises.

Note: please excuses any spelling or formatting issues. This entire post was done from my iPhone.

Focusing On Pace

Over the last 100 miles, I’ve really focused on pace rather than distance. Without having a long race to train for, I’ve been able to take breaks when needed and really push myself on other days when my legs are feeling fresh. There’s no pressure right now and it’s quite nice.

Over the last couple months, I still have been able to feed my competitive spirit by running in 2 races. Back on July 6th, my brother and I ran in the 4 for the 4th in Yorktown, Indiana. I finished in 4th place in my age group. Talk about a great time! I have always wanted to run with either my dad or brother in a race and finally we were able to make it happen. Below is a pic of us crossing the finish line together that day.

I also ran in the P.O.G. 8K in Morristown, IN. This is the perfect small town race that’s just the right distance. This time, I was able to place 2nd in my age group and my running buddy from work got 1st place. Throughout most of the race we were able to run side by side which was pretty cool. We also met worldwide celebrity and Indiana’s favorite weatherman, Paul Poteet that day. Below is a pic of me with Paul…

Hard Work Paying Off

As the month of August came to a close, I was able to see all of this hard work pay off in the best way by getting my overall average time per mile to under 8 min. I had eyed this goal all year by chipping away at it month after month I was able to get there.

I haven’t done it alone though and I think that’s key . I have an amazing support system of friends and family cheering for me along the way. This makes all the difference in the world, so THANK YOU!

What Are Your Goals For 2013?

Any fitness goals? What are you doing to stay on track? Share with me!

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This 1st Month Flew By!

Calvie just turned 1 month old and it’s been awesome so far, especially since I have a great wife to help take care of him. While I can’t wait to watch him grow and do all kinds of fun things together there’s a part of me that just wants him to stay small forever.

There’s just something about the faces he makes and his little noises that are just priceless. I swear when he looks up at me with just the right little expression on his face, there’s nothing like it in the world.

Any Advice For A New Parent?

I’m still pretty new to all of this and learning more every day. If you’re a parent and have any advice – please do share!

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Over the last couple years, I’ve really been focused on personal health and fitness. The overall goal since about age 25 or so was to be in the best shape of my life by age 30. Not sure why that was my goal, but it was. I guess maybe because many people see 30 as really being “older” … you know the first time when you really begin to feel things and need to slow down. I always saw it as just the beginning. You make your own choices, right? I have always exercised and gone to the gym, but to help me reach that goal of being in the best shape of my life by 30 I knew I needed to do much more.

Goodbye Mindless Eating!

Over the last couple years, I really started to pay attention to the food I ate. I didn’t make many radical changes, but rather a bunch of small ones. I eliminated soda, coffee and other sugary drinks from my diet.  I thought long and hard about how many times I was eating out and what I was eating. I started changing my ways there as well often choosing to get the healthier choice on the menu rather than what I really wanted.  These changes came over time, they were more realistic and more maintainable.

Another change when it came to my diet was eliminating all of what I considered to be “sweets.” For me, this included cookies, cakes, pies, ice cream, soda and really all of the traditional dessert foods.  Yes, this meant sitting on the sidelines during birthday parties while everyone else had birthday cake. Yes, this meant skipping the visits to get ice cream on those hot summer days. I guess of all the changes some people might consider this a radical change, but I knew I needed to do it. Why? Because I’m they type who “can’t eat just one” when it comes to sweets.  It’s the mindless eating that gets ya and you ALWAYS have a choice.

I’m proud to say it’s now been about 20 months without a “sweet.” Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve still had sugar. But I’ve faced every single one of my weaknesses head on when it comes to “sweets” and I’ve won every time. And let me tell you as a citizen of a country that’s addicted to food, there’s nothing more rewarding. I learned a ton while doing this and I will write a blog all about it soon.

Me…A Runner?

That covers the changes I made when it comes to eating, but I knew I needed to do more. I had to make improvements when it came to my cardio fitness level if I was going to achieve my goal. So I decided to become a runner…and try to run the Indianapolis Mini Marathon?

What was I thinking? 2 years ago the most I’d ever run at 1 time was 5 miles and I thought I was going to die when I was done. So how in the world was I going to reach my goal of running 13.1 miles? Well, I just started running. In my old age of 30 I have learned that sometimes you just have to go for it and figure the rest out. As the saying goes, “if you wait around for the perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done.” I had no idea what I was doing, but I’ve learned so much along the way and met some awesome people .

How did I do with running? Well, I ran that 13.1 mile Mini Marathon in Indianapolis 2 times, most recently achieving my goal of under 1hr 50min.

But, What About Blogging?

Even though I haven’t updated this blog in years, I never stopped. In fact, I’ve written hundreds of blogs over the last couple years here, here and here.  I’ve posted thousands of updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  But now it’s time to bring everything back to one place again and just be me.  I need that one central place where everything lives because at the end of the day social networks will come and go, but I will always have this.

One BIG Thing

There has also been one BIG thing that has happened over the last couple years, specifically the last couple of months, but that deserves its own post.  So now I guess you’ll have to check back again real soon.

What Do You Think?

It’s my first post in 2 years (almost), so tell me what you think!

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Let me quickly recap Matt’s preview of the future of Google:

1. Better Page Understanding – following up with the Panda updates, Google will continue to understand the value of an author and quality content vs. sites that simply scrape content from other sources. More credit will be give. To authentic, valuable content.

2. More Personal Search – while some SEOs complain about not being able to see keywords sending traffic from those searching while signed into their Google account, Matt made it very clear that users want more personal and private search options, so they will continue to move that way.

3. Better Tools for Searchers – Google will continue to roll out new tools to help serve its end user – whether it be more privacy options or more influence from social media sites such as Google Plus.

4. Communication and Transparency – Google has made major strides with its blog and YouTube channel (among other things) and will continue to be as open as possible about changes that are on the horizon.

5. Sending Info to Google – Rumor is Matt carries around a notepad and will literally write down any issues that are brought up at conferences like PubCon to address with his team. In addition to that, he made it very clear that Google WANTS to be notified if you feel a site has been penalized unfairly or if you have another concern. There will continue to be ways to reach out to the Google team for assistance.

So, how do you stay in the loop on all of these changes?
Here is a slide from Matt Cutts at PubCon with 4 things worth doing now:

Note: All content and images in this blog post were published using my iPhone 4S. I apologize for any typos or incorrect formatting. Thanks for visiting!

With so many sessions over a 3 day period, it can be hard to keep everything straight. It’s for this reason that I really enjoyed the presentation from Sean Jackson with Copyblogger. Coppyblogger has grown to be one of the best online marketing blogs on the web, frequently writing about content optimization for search. The beautiful thing about Copyblogger Media’s success is that they follow a very simple plan for driving traffic to their website and have two clear conversion goals for site visitors.

The three primary social networks of choice for Copyblogger are: Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus. They use these social media sites to drive traffic to their website and grow their following. Once the visitor arrives at the site, the two conversion goals are clear – subscribe to the blog via an RSS feed or sign up for updates via email.

Copyblogger uses the Internet Marketing for Smart People free 20 part series to instantly build value and credibility for all new subscribers. Educating visitors first and selling later. It’s the way things should be!

Take a look at the slide from Sean Jackson’s PubCon presentation below. What do you think of this Online marketing strategy?

Check out the Copyblogger website and pay close attention to their headlines. Brian Clark and company write some of the most magnetic headlines that convert visitors.

Note: This is my first post done entirely on my iPhone 4S. I apologize for any formatting or spelling mistakes. Thanks for reading!

You see, the first thing you notice about this extraordinary country club is the clubhouse…because it’s HUGE.  In fact, the clubhouse is over 70,000 square feet and the construction was supervised by S. Vic Jones and Associates out of Dallas, Texas.  He’s won several awards for his work and has designed over 200 clubhouses throughout the United States.  If a course around here is willing to put that type of effort into the clubhouse – you know it’s going to be among the best golf courses in Indiana.  Needless to say, I’ve been staring at this course and clubhouse (all while still keeping my eyes on the road of course) while driving through Carmel for over a year now.

Since The Bridgewater Golf Club is a private golf course,  I wasn’t exactly sure how or if I’d ever get the chance to play.  Luckily, I have a good friend named Chris Theisen who happens to be, well, pretty damn good at golf.  Long story short, his team won the Westfield Chamber Golf Outing at The Bridgewater so he received a certificate for four to play golf…and he was nice enough (especially since I’m a bogey golfer) to take me along.

In addition to the clubhouse, the first thing you notice is the top-notch practice facility at The Bridgewater Club.  A very nice 23 acre driving range and 6 acre short game practice area greet you on the other side of the clubhouse.  Talk about a place where you could spend hours practicing and never get tired!  If you are planning to play, you’ll definitely want to get there early to check out this practice area.

Once you hit the course, you get just what you’d expect from an upscale country club golf course in Carmel, Indiana – nice fairways,  well maintained greens, plenty of mature trees, lakes and ponds.  There are several beautiful holes that are sure to tempt you to pull out your cell phone camera to take a picture.  And how could I forget the houses?!  Some of the finest homes you’ll see in Carmel are situated on The Bridgewater golf course.  It definitely adds to the country club style scenery.

The course itself is very challenging – especially for the “everyday” golfer like myself.  Several tight holes and plenty of hazards come into play when you’re playing from 1 of the 2 sets of back tees.  The greens also really stood out to me. Not because they were fast or slow, but because they are very large.   Not only are they large greens, but they were difficult to read that day.  I think we only had 1-2 birdies all day in our group of 4.  While I may struggle off the tee, I consider myself a good putter and I just couldn’t figure these greens out.  It could have had something to do with the rain too, but I am not one to make excuses…LOL

While the private country club style experience is not for everyone, if you do get the opportunity to play The Bridgewater Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana – definitely go!  Even though you’re there to play golf, it’s always nice to know you’re going to play a course that’s in great condition and receive first class treatment from employees.  There are so many courses out there that compete on price alone (just ask Chris about this) that the customer friendly, relaxing atmosphere you’d expect at a golf course gets lost.  So, if you want to play an outstanding course and get treated like a VIP – look no further than The Bridgewater.

P.S. – Did I mention they have flat screen TVs above the urinals in the bathroom (see pic)?  I mean how much more VIP can you get?

Additional Golf Resources

• If you are from Indiana or traveling to Indiana and  like to play new courses check out this directory of  Indiana golf courses.
• If you are a just a fan of golf, check out the latest on PGA Tour stats and courses.

We arrived in Culver early so we’d have time to swing by Cafe Max for breakfast.  Even though this was a golf trip, I must mention the delicious breakfast at this small town cafe.  The Blueberry oatmeal pancakes and sinful french toast (basically a fried cinnamon roll) were outstanding.  After getting some energy, we were ready to check out the course we’d heard so much about.

One thing I really appreciate about Culver is that whole “small town” feeling (you know, the kind where you can tell people are really sincere and appreciate life) and upon arriving at the course that feeling was continued.  We were greeted promptly by Shirley who welcomed us to the course.  She told us how much fun she had at the Pete Dye Golf Trail launch event and seemed thrilled that Mystic Hills was able to be a part of it.  Shirley also filled us in on the Dye Tees (the back tees at the course marked with a skull pictured to the right).  The “Dye Tees” are a great idea – something Chris and I definitely feel like they can use in marketing.

Shirley then introduced us to Earl, the Golf Course Superintendent.  Earl told us the key to the course were the greens – boy was he telling the truth!  They were some of the smoothest, quickest greens I’ve ever putted on and it was a treat.  They were so well maintained, I’d compare it to taking a hockey puck and just giving it a soft push across the ice – the ball just kept rolling!

The front nine at Mystic Hills is a links style open feel which was built on sand.  The back nine features some tighter holes with a more traditional look.  As Chris said, “it really is the best of both worlds.”  The weather was perfect and there seemed to be a steady flow of golfers out on the course, especially by the time we got back in the clubhouse.  Overall, the course was in very good shape, even with the lack of rain we’ve had this summer in Indiana.

After finishing up our round, we had the chance to chat with the Head Golf Professional, Dave Pugh.  He told us the story of Mystic Hills and how Pete Dye was very hands-on once he decided to commit to the project.  At one point, Dye even kicked Dave off a tractor to take over creating a bunker!  Knowing the story behind the family-run course sure does make it seem special to Indiana and the Pete Dye Golf Trail.

The Head Pro (Dave Pugh) even mentioned that he’d recently bought some more property on the course and would be opening up a stay-n-play package for golfers that wanted to check out this course – perfect for people from out of state or even those traveling a long distance within Indiana.  I am sure VisitIndiana.com will add this to their site as soon as it’s ready.

In conclusion, Mystic Hills Golf Course is definitely worth the trip to Culver, IN.  In fact, if you like the small town feel and good eating – I’d recommend making a day of it.  There were a few additional places we wanted to check out in downtown Culver, IN, but I guess we’ll have to save that for the next time.

(Photos taken by Chris Theisen using HTC Thunderbolt)

Quick Tip:

If you love checking out new golf courses, take a look at this free directory of Indiana golf courses.