Day 5 and 6

Yesterday was a the first day that I did crave some eggs and bacon, but I resisted and remembered a line in the book The China Study that said no moment of pleasure is worth the pain if the disease, so my temporary cravings are eased. Breakfast was fruit and oatmeal and no coffee! No coffee was not bad. I don’t think I will have to restrain for a long time with coffee, just long enough to let my stomach heal up. I have done this before. Although the weekends are when I really enjoy my coffee. Lunch was a big salad and minestrone soup. It is amazing how full I can get from soup and salad! Dinner was sweet potato, saute spinach and onions, and tomato soup with rice. I ate too much! It was very good! Before bed I had a bowl of cereal with Almond milk.

I did weight myself this morning and I am 189.5. I don’t know why I care but I like to get to 185. It is something easy to measure. Training is every other day right now. My labs came back yesterday. My cholesterol is down almost 30 points, 236(0-200) since January! I look forward to seeing it drop even more. Triglyceride 136(<150) up from last time, HDL 57(>39), Ratio 4.1, VLDL 27(0-40), LDL 152(0-99). My LDL are down too! I have a follow up visit next weds to discuss my lab work. Unitl next time train harn and eat well!

Day 4

This morning I weighted in heavier than I started. I know I can not weigh every day to expect a difference, but I am going to just to chart my progress. 192.4

Went to a fund raiser breakfast this morning and they served eggs, bacon and potatoes. I ate the potatoes but asked for oatmeal. They were very nice and were able to accommodate me. Lunch was an apple, and left over stir fry. I snacked on fruit and a granola bar that Caleb did not eat. Dinner was a great salad that I made with falafel.

Training was 10 minutes of get ups with 24 kg. My right side felt like it was fatiguing before my left. I then did 10 minutes of swings with 24 kg for 5 rounds, 16 kg one hand for a few rounds and then 24 kg again.

Day 4 of whole food plant eating in the books. I am having heart burn. I am not sure if it is because I have been drinking more coffee than normal this last month. I am going to refrain from coffee for a week and see if it comes down. The flatulence factor is up with all the beans and veggies. I hope that my system adjusts soon. :)

Day 3

I weighted in this morning at 191.4. Now, I know this is not much but it is a start. A 1/2 pound less on Day 3 is not bad. I hope it continues. In order to get to 9% BF I have to loose 5 pounds of fat. Depending on what I weight after a month will determine if I get my BF tested again. Training yesterday was 100 snatches with a 24 kg in about 6 minutes. I got 90 in 5 minutes and then pounded out the last 10. After training Cami I did Clean and press with a 24 kg ladders 1-4 with 5 push ups after each C&P on my fist. Finished it up with swings 24 kg 40/20 sec.

Dinner was 2 large bowls of salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, bell peppers, avocados, and black beans dressed in Olive Oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Breakfast this morning was 1/2 cup oatmeal with a banana, walnuts, raisins, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Lunch was 2 servings of roasted red pepper and tomato soup and Ezekiel bread sandwich with Almond Butter.

I have already had 3/4 of a gallon of Kangen Water by noon. I am not giving up my Americano! I use 1/2 caffeinated and I have had 2 of them. I may have to have another one after lunch! The interesting thing is, the more water I drink the less coffee I drink.

Physically I feel pretty good. Very little cravings for meet. I do miss eggs but only a little. I had my blood drawn today and will have the results next week.

I snacked on clementines, bananas and nuts today after lunch. Dinner was a multi bean and vegetable soup. I are too much! No work out today.

The China Study

In my quest for better health I started to read The China Study this weekend. I read almost 10 Chapters Sunday. It was a great day to read with the rain and cold. The family all hung out together playing Wii and reading! It is a very interesting book but quite controversial in one sense. T. Colin Campbell, PhD is a scientist and researcher that grew up on a dairy farm. He worked the farm along with his family and provide most of their own food. His PhD was devoted to finding better ways to make cows and sheep grow faster and to improve the ability to produce better animal protein. His book is based on years of research and thousands of studies both from the private and government sectors. Through his years of research and study he found a better way for to prevent and actually reverse many of the diseases killing Americans today! It is a very good read and highly recommend it.

For the past year since I found Enagic USA and Kangen Water® and over the years, I have read many books on diets. The clear fact is that it is very confusing to any body! So the next best thing is to experiment and that is what I am going to do with the China Study. The China Study believes most of the deadly diseases, such as different cancers, heart disease, diabetes, obesity and more are fed by our diet know as a western diet. A diet mainly consisting of high fat and animal based. He shows the correlation between high cholesterol and animal based diet and these diseases. He states genes have a very low role in these disease. Although they do play a role, the difference is how we feed these genes and our bodies that determines if these disease grow. His recommendation-all whole food, plant based diet. That means little no to dairy, meat or added fats even oils. There is much more in the book that I will not go into here. I suggest read the book to learn more.

Now I have been a very big animal based diet and have been able to eat just about what ever I want all my life. I am currently 192 lbs and 12% BF and 5’ 11”. I am the fittest I have ever been thanks to kettlebell training. So why change now? I have high cholesterol and do not want to take drugs to get it down. I would also like to see if I can get under 10% BF. I also have very low testosterone, slightly low thyroid and and have been on medication for both. Although I have not read if there is any correlation with low T and animal based diet, yet, there are correlations for women as to earlier menstruation and prolonged hormone exposure and reproductive life that could lead to higher instances of some cancers. If I could come off all medication with normal values, I would be a believer! It is also reported those on a whole food, plant based diet had more energy and who is not for that!

For the next month I will eat a whole food plant based diet and record my results and meals. There are no counting calories or restrictions on quantity. I can eat as much as I want and recommended not to go hungry. Stay in the guidelines and try it! Some may say a month is not long enough to notice a difference in lab values. Maybe not, but I am setting a small goal and at the end of the month evaluate my progress and go from there. I have an appointment tomorrow to have my labs drawn. I will let you know the results. Here are the results from 1/15. Cholesterol 262 (0-200), Triglyceride 116(<150), HDL 65(>39), Total Chol/HDL ratio 4.0, VLDL 23(0-40), LDL 174(0-99).

I started yesterday with lunch at Panera. I had a greek salad, tomato soup and and an apple. I also went to the grocery store and bought a wide variety of fruits and veggies. I made dinner last night with brown rice, and steamed veggies with low sodium soy sauce and chili sauce. It was very good! I did not realize how hot chili sauce is! Last night I had a bed time snack of granola cereal with Almond milk.

Breakfast was oatmeal with raisins, nuts, banana, cinnamon, and vanilla. Mid morning snack was almonds and clementines. Lunch was left overs from last night! I also have a goal to drink a gallon of Kangen water a day! I cannot stress how important it is to be hydrated with Kangen Water, but that is another post! Go to my website to learn more about Why Kangen Water is different at www.healthywater4you.net! Water is not equal! Until next time!

It is March, how well have you stuck to those new year resolutions to get in shape, loose weight, train for...

You know the story and the excuses! You may be just where you started and that is no where near where you want to be! Have you been attempting to do it all on your own? Maybe that is the problem-because for many together is better! If any of this is you and you want to stop wasting time and get results then Join us this weekend!

Saturday March 6th from 9am-10:30am- New Member Orientation for the Nashville Kettlebell Bootcamp and Tennesse Kettlebell Bootcamp. Come learn how our class operates and learn to perform basic kettlebell exercises safely and effectively from the ONLY RKC certified instructors in the Nashville area and he ONLY Senior RKC instructor in the southeast.

This starts your two week try out in our program. Do YOU have what it takes.........? Register online at www.tennesseekettlebell.com

2009 in Review

Run The Race Well!

It is fitting that it is Jan 13 and I am just now reviewing 2009. As I have reviewed 2009 and looking ahead for 2010 I may not have given myself a passing grade for the accomplishments of my 2009 goals much less a prize. The Apostle Paul says in I Corinthians 9:24 to run the race as to obtain the prize because only one wins. Even though I did not achieve many of my goals, I came away with so much more. 2009 was a reaffirming year for what I am passionate about and confirming the direction I want to go for 2010 and beyond.

At the end of Paul’s life in 2 Tim 4:7, he says that he has fought the good fight, he finished the course, and has kept the faith! In other words “He finished well!” I want every year but especially this year, 2010, the year that I can say I finished well! How many can say that with a heart full of joy and gratitude? I find it very interesting that Paul speaks about many things that relate to physical competition. I am very competitive! Sometimes, too competitive. Matt Hughes said once if he can not win he does not want to play. I have used that excuse for not trying too many times this year. If I can not win every time, I will not try! We all want to win! But what is winning in the end? I think we all need to define what does it mean to WIN! As for me, winning is finishing the race well and keeping the faith! Now there is so much that encompasses that I can not begin to contain it all in this first entry. It is my hope and prayer for this year for this to unfold and I hope that there are others that will join me on this journey. I want to always remember that I am in a race, but not a race with anyone else. I am in a race with me and time. time itself is all I have to run against. I will either maximize my time, talents and treasure to the glory of God or I will squander the time I have to my regret at the finish line.

Physically 2009 was a great year! I accomplished more than I have in a long time. For many years I have gone up in down with working out and had back problems. Last year was the year I changed that for good. I am a team player and needed a team. I found a team in the Iron Tamer Clan! I knew that I liked training differently and was drawn to kettlebells. David Whitley and I had trained before together in 2008 but I did not stick with it. This year I was tired of having back problems. With strong encouragement from Cami I called David and joined Nashville Kettlebell Boot Camp and quickly became hooked. I met some great people who I now call not just friends but family and who have become known as the Iron Tamer Clan. When I joined NKBC there was 3 months before RKC which there where 4 others already going. At age 40, I needed a challenge and it needed to be physical! At first the cost deterred me, but the challenge was too great! I went home and attempted the Snatch test and got 85 in 5 minutes. I had to get 100. I knew then I could pass the test if I trained, and trained I did! I did not miss if I could help it. I passed RKC in Aug. and was hooked! I have finished the year stronger than I have ever been and at 12% body fat. I know now, again, one of the things I was made for!

Family was also a very great year for 2009 but with many challenges! Cami and I have been trying to get pregnant and have another child. We wanted to have one more and then adopt. I have always been very passionate about children, especially the fatherless. We have talked many times about adopting. It looks now the Lord has other plans. We have not gotten pregnant so will be moving to become foster parents and pray for the Lord to give us the children He has for us through adoption.

I love being a father, even though I often feel like I fail more times than I succeed. This year, especially I have felt like I fail more with David than ever. He is a great kid! I love him very much! He has some of the best and worst of both me and Cami. Cami and I have had to learn in how to parent in this new stage of David’s life. He is 10 and is very much emotionally like a teenager. He is a lot like me and can get into an attitude and not know how to get out of it. When it can come to decisions he can be like Cami and not want to make one. He has been very challenging to homeschool. We learned that he will do better under someone else’s authority when it comes to teaching and sports. He loves football! This year he was able to be coached by someone else and he did very well! I look forward to many more years of watching him flourish as a football player. Even though he does not want to show it he has a tender heart. He is very smart and reflective but at the same time very shy and timid, almost fearful at times of new situations. Like most of us he wants to grow up fast than he can.

Joshua has flourished this year being at a new tutorial and having his own friends. It is fun to watch him discover his own identity aside from his brother which is really all he has known for 8 years because they are so close in age. He has developed a love for football that is only rivaled by his brother. They both know more about the players and teams than I do. If they are not playing it outside or on Play Station they are watching it with me. Josh loves rooting for the opposite team against me or anyone else for that matter. He is also my entertainer. He is trying branching out with Kingdom Kids Choir at church recently and likes it.

Caleb is just plain adorable! He has such a special sweet spirit! He loves his brothers and wants to be and do whatever they are doing. He is just as feisty as they are. He is in speech therapy this year because he has a disconnect that they are working on. He is shy with other but loves Mom and me equally. He will come up to me and just want me to hold him. He still gets in our bed each night at some point and sleeps with us. I will cherish it while it lasts!

Business has been good and bad this year. My spine sales have slumped because of several reasons. Some out of my control and others that are in my control. I look forward to a year of growth this year with it and maybe a change in roles that will bring new challenges and greater rewards!

I also started a home based business with a great product, Enagic USA and Kangen Water! I have had great results personally and with others. I did OK in 2009. With anything it takes awareness and constant exposure from multiple sources. It truly is one of the greatest products I have ever found! It also has a great financial opportunity with it. The Lord rekindled another passion I have in health and working from home.

As with the water I love training others with Kettlebells. I have joined forces with 2 other RKC in Tennessee Kettlebell. Together we want to bring the RKC system to the Cool Springs/Franklin/Brentwood area.

SO what do I take away from 2009 to 2010? I know what I am passionate about and what I want to pursue! There are many other areas that I want to do much better on. But going into 2010, I want to follow my dreams and passions, use the gifts God has given me, and finish the race well!

RKC update!

I have allowed life to get in the way and have not posted anything that has happened except on FaceBook for the past month. I am going to back up and do my best to describe all that has happened factually and emotionally.

One Weeks after my last post we had another prep Saturday with what is now called the Iron Tamer Clan, more on that later. The Iron Tamer, David Whitley, Was running our class again. We were doing more teaching than training. He wanted us to get ready for that part of the RKC testing. It is a big component because if you can't teach what you know, you still can't pass even if you can physically do the work. Afterwards we did the snatch test again. This time I did it with no trouble and 10 sec faster than the week before. I finished in 4:30. I was really pumped now. Things were really coming together and as David said, "I found my hips"! 3 weeks until RKC

Next week, 2 weeks left. We did the grad workout, which was very difficult. I got in a hurry and used more of my back again than my hips and aggravated it. This may have been a little bit of a confidence shot. I has 2 weeks left which really meant 1 week left because we were all going to take the last week off to be ready for RKC. David said we were all ready and he was very confidant in all of us that we were going to do very well. I know all of the Clan was nervous but excited and could not wait until we got there.

The name Iron Tamer Clan began one Saturday really jokingly when we talked about having T-Shirts made to represent all of us at RKC. I believe Mark Snow said it first and it stuck and we loved it. It comes from being apart of David Whitley's Boot Camp because he is the Iron Tamer. The Clan consist of; Mark and Nikki Snow a cute fun loving couple that love to razz each other as well as any one else the like. Mark has been a great encouragement and friendly competition for the both of us. Nikki who is some what reserved until she gets to know you, in her own words like a little sister to me now. She has a great attitude and will attempt any KB task asked of her. She could put me to shame with a 10 minute snatch with a 20 kg. Jay Cannon, who like me wanted to attend RKC as a personal goal. He has such a witty sense of humor that would come forth and the most unique moments that we have all come to love. I first met Kristin McBryde at our Saturday prep classes. Her husband Matt, RKC from Oct 2008, also helped us on Saturdays. She is a little woman that is packed full of dynamite! By the time I met her she seemed to already be well prepared. She too has a witty sense of humor. I will never forget the Saturday she shocked us when Mark asked her where Matt was! She said," I called him a J... A.. and he stayed home!" We walked away shocked and dumb founded not knowing what to say next. She quickly said she was joking-"He is getting coffee!" This was the making of a group of people that may or may not have met or mixed before but now began a journey together that few make and few will understand.

Aug 27, 2009, Thursday: Mark, Nikki, and my self leave for San Diego together. It is a long flight with a stop in Houston but it was great opportunity for me to learn more about Mark and Nikki. We arrive in San Diego and Kristin is waiting for us at the airport. We arrive at the hotel and get checked in. We all realize that San Diego is having a heat wave which we were not expecting. It was as if we brought Tennessee weather with us. We meet up shortly with Mandy Whitley and David. I begin to meet what is known as the RKC family. Mark and Nikki as well as David already know who most of these people are, but it is all new to me. Thursday night we have the meet and greet. We find out who is our Team Leader and receive our Instructors Manual, which is a couple of hundred pages. As we are calling it a night at 9:30 p.m., we are encouraged to read our manual. I thought they were kidding, but they were not!

Friday- RKC begins! We spend the first 2 hours with introductions and true to our form we all let them know we were a part of the Iron Tamer Clan! The bar just got raised a little bit higher! By 10 a.m., the snatch tests begin. I wanted to calm my nerves down so I let most of my team go first while I watched the clock for our team leaders. There were several that did not pass. I was now beginning to see why there is a 25-30% failure rate. Now it was my turn. I told myself it was just like back home only 5 minutes of work. I begin and am doing fine. I am not tired and have a good pace. I hit 90 with a minute left and on the down swing before I switch hands the KB flies right out of my hand through my legs-disqualified! I am so disappointed! My confidence is low and frustration and anger high! My hands are in great shape but I am now afraid of the rest of the day and having to keep them that way and having to take the test again the next morning. The rest of the ITC pass. I feel I have let them all down. My Team Leader, Mark Cheng, reassures me not to worry- it was a freak thing and I would do fine and pass the next day. I am not so sure!

The rest of the day we learned swings and get ups. We must have done hundreds of swings all day. If the whole group was not fast enough with instructions, we did swings. If we were out of position during lecture, we did swings. We finished that day around 730-8 p.m.. I was tired but thank God my hands stayed in good shape. Many people's where not. Now I had to worry about the soreness and could I pass the snatch test the next morning. As the evening went on the body began to stiffen up. I noticed a pull in my left side that added to my concern. Thank God for advil, Infiaid and Kangen Water. I brought a Kangen machine with me and hooked it up in my room. I drank at least 2 gallons a day.

As I kept rehearsing the snatch test over and over in my head to learn from it and what went wrong I realized that at 85 my mind was telling me I should switch hands then. I did not listen. I kept to my plan and training. Saturday came early. We had to be there at 730 a.m. for the snatch test. We begin. Just like the day before I am going on the same pace. I hit 85 and decide to switch hands and do. I switch again at 90, 95, and 100!!! Done, I PASSED the test! I can not tell you what a relief that was. Even though that was only 1 piece I was not so sure how my hands would hold up by Sunday. I wanted to get it done! I was elated and now could enjoy the rest of the day!

We were taught how to press and after a full day and half of training, I was able to press a personal best of 40KG! We had some killer work outs that day but it was not as bad as Friday. My team stayed the latest that day working on our technique to get us ready for the technique test on Sunday. The ITC thought we were being punished with more work. Apparently Mark Cheng is one of the tougher Team Leaders. He is very intense. It is hard to describe his intensity. He wanted us to get it at times more than we did. He took his responsibility very serious and it showed. He is a great Team Leader and I am glad God chose him for me! I was feeling pretty good I think going into Sunday.

Sunday morning was a marketing lecture for 2 hours. After that was the technique test and the teaching test. All went well. Lastly was the grad work out! The Iron Tamer was right-we were well prepared! We all finished the grad work out! Next came the waiting to see if we passed. I was second to find out my fate! I passed!! I was now officially RKC!! YES!!!

The emotions where at an all time high! One by one I began to find out about Nikki, Kristin, Jay, and Mark last! The Iron Tamer Clan went 5 for 5! I cannot fully explain the joy of accomplishing this with out experiencing it. All the others have written about there experience on their blogs. We all have come away with a great sense of pride, gratefulness, thankfulness, joy, pain, and many others feelings not easily expressed. We have walked a journey together that is unforgettable and that has made us family. Many say it is not the destination that matters but the journey. It is what the journey brings out of you and how it shapes you. I can say for me I am a different man now! It has been 2 weeks since the day! I am still enjoying the accomplishment and riding the cloud! The big question now is "What next?"

This is not the end...this is just the beginning!

Please check out the other members blogs and the Grad Work Out video with the links below. See if you can figure out which one is me!

The Grad Workout!

Mark Snow Blog-SG Human Performance

Nikki Snow Blog-Mrs SG Human Performance

Kristin McBryde Blog Hardstyle Diva

David Whitley