I knew I had a scheduled run … something Runkeeper calls a 4-mile plus strides so it’s always a good idea to check what California weather I’d be blessed with before going to bed. Why? Well, if you’ve been caught in 100 degrees and sneakers, you know why. Let’s just say they don’t make a dri-fit to repel that much sweat that fast.

But back to the weather … forecasted at 102 degrees so an early morning run is looking better and better. That was the plan and that’s what I did. 7:20am 4-mile plus strides run. Not sure what the strides portion of the run was, but it ultimately is just a slow to fast to end the run after the first steady 4-miles. It is designed to prepare the body for distance.

Life lesson #71 – Focus on today while looking ahead to tomorrow. Don’t get caught running in heat when you can run in the cold.

Something To Keep An Eye On

Woke up this morning at 6:45 and was barely even able to stand up. My left knee had its own plan and didn’t want to extend at all. There wasn’t any unusual or noticeable swelling, but to the touch, it felt very similar to a bone bruise. If you’ve ever had a knee-to-knee collision while playing a “friendly” game of hoops, you know the feeling. But why? Turns out my wife saw me sleeping in a very awkward position — it was so hot last night, we made an executive decision to sleep downstairs on the couch and my left leg apparently was off the couch in a position that would require a UFC tapout.

Slowly extended my left leg and literally walked it off — the entire time I had in the back of my mind an article I read a few days ago debunking the “no pain no gain” theories of yesteryear. I didn’t see any significant swelling and since the mystery of the unextendable knee was solved in my mind, I hit the road with a prayer and with little to no discomfort.

Knee Pain Watch (Scale of 1 – 10, 10 being very high)

• Wake up 6:45am – 10
• Post run 8:15am – 3
• 3pm – 7
• 7pm – 7
• 9:30pm – 10 (unable to stand up after sitting in the movie theatre seat)
• Pain level at 10 until bed. Slept on the floor with 3 pillows underneath my left knee to keep it in a flexed position. Also, took 2 ibuprofens as a precaution.

Morning weight 171. Post run weight 168.5

First two meals of the day, directly from a pouch!

Today’s Meals:

• 7:20am – Pre run nutrition
  • Herbalife24 Prepare
  • 1/2 banana
• 8:15am – Jamba Juice Green Fusion, Fruit and Veggie Pouch. Herbalife Protein Powder (2 scoops) and Formula 1 French Vanilla (1 scoop). 8 oz of Healthy Balance Apple Juice. 1/2 cup of spinach. 1/3 cup of kale. 1/2 banana. Herbalife supplements:
  • Cell Activator
  • Xtra-Cal
  • Herbalifeline
  • Multivitamin
  • Joint Support
• 11:20am – Tasty Bites Madras Lentils packet and 1/2 roll of artisan bread. Herbalife Supplements:
  • Coq10
  • Tri Sheild
  • Aminogen
  • Multivitamin
  • Herbalifeline
  • Cell Activator
  • Garden 7
  • Total Control
  • Ultimate Prostate Formula
  • Florafiber
  • Xtra-Cal
  • Male Factor
  • Joint Support
  • Mega Garlic Plus
  • Nature’s Made B12
• 3pm – Filipino Suman. Skippy Chunk Peanut Butter (2 tbsp), 1/2 cup of Nestle Rich Chocolate, .25 scoops of Herbalife Protein Powder. Also ate 3 celery sticks.
• 5:30pm – Hot Dog on a Stick veggie dog (2) and 1/2 order of fries. Brought my cup for a discounted refill of their famous lemonade.
• 7:45pm – Regal theatre complimentary small popcorn with butter

Meal 2

Meal 2.1

Meal 3

Meal 3.1

Food and Exercise

Today’s Activities:

• First run of the second week of marathon training. 4 mile plus strides. After 4 miles, the trainer flip flops from a fast, 95% stride for 20 seconds, then 2-minutes slow, then repeat until it ends with a 20 second fast stride.
• The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones press screening. I hear this is based on a series of 5 books — I guess I won’t be seeing the next four movies. Disclaimer alert! Disclaimer alert! Talk about a Star Wars, Luke/Leia rip-off and the cheesiest “Obi-wan” character dueling with an over-the-top, Ewan McGregor wannabe, as “Darth”

4 mile plus strides

Monday, 08-19-2013

Sunday was full of sun-all-day! 102-degrees worth of sun and I love it! Gives me another thing to be thankful for, mainly air conditioning in home and cars. No run on the books. Nothing to pushup or press. Today is simply a day of rest and service. Google Shabot!

Morning weight 171.5

Today’s Meals:

• 8:15am – Jamba Juice Green Fusion, Fruit and Veggie Pouch. Herbalife Protein Powder (2 scoops) and Formula 1 French Vanilla (1 scoop). 8 oz of Healthy Balance Apple Juice. 1/2 cup of spinach. 1/3 cup of kale. 1/2 banana. Herbalife supplements:
  • Cell Activator
  • Xtra-Cal
  • Herbalifeline
  • Multivitamin
  • Joint Support
• 1pm – Mexican Restaurant
  • Breakfaste burrito (egg, cheese, rice, pinto beans). It was suppose to include hashbrowns, but I think they forgot. I was going to say something, but they probably did me a calorie favor.
  • 1/2 cup salsa
  • 1 tbsp sour cream
  • 1 roasted jalapeno
• 4pm – Katy Perry Pop Chips (6 chips) Arizona Green Tea (4 oz)
• 7pm – Chinese Restaurant. Family stopped by so we decided to forgo our homemade dinner plans and treat them out.
  • 1 cup of egg fried rice
  • 1 serving of string beans with fried tofu
  • 1 1/2 servings of Singapore Curried Noodles
  • 2 veggie egg roll
  • 1 serving of Chinese Water Spinach
  • Herbalife supplements
    • Coq10
    • Tri Shield
    • Aminogen
    • Multivitamin
    • Herbalifeline
    • Cell Activator
    • Garden 7
    • Total Control
    • Ultimate Prostate Formula
    • Florafiber
    • Xtra-Cal
    • Male Factor
    • Joint Support
    • Mega Garlic Plus
  • Nature’s Made B12
• 9pm – Crystal Classic Vanilla Ice Cream with 2 Petit Ecolier European Chocolate Biscuits
• 10pm – Herbalife24 Restore with 8 oz of Herbalife Mango Aloe

Meal 1

Meal 2

Meal 3

Meal 4

Food and Service

Today’s Activities:

• Church service.

Sunday, 08-18-2013

Feels a bit like I’m training for something big. Waking up early on a Saturday morning, strapping on my Brooks. Seems like only yesterday, cartoons and Soul Train were the only reason to wake up this early.

RunKeeper says Day 3 — easy pace 8-miler. It’s just too bad I don’t have Lose Yourself on this easy pacer … that song still pumps me up to this day. They played it for the Tough Mudder Hype song with the Hypeman screaming over the top of it. Flava Flav had nothing over this guy! With a half-a-banana breakfast and an 16-ounce glass of Herbalife24 Prepare, I’m good and gone! See you in about 70-minutes!

Life lesson #69 – Getting a plan is great, but only if you work the plan.

Morning weight. 171. Post run weight 168.

Today’s Meals:

• 7:15am – Post Run Meal
  • Herbalife24 Prepare
  • 3/4 banana
• 8:40am – During Run Meal (around mile 4 – finished around mile 5)
  • Clif Shots Chocolate
• 9:40am – Home. Herbalife24 Hydrate in 8 ounces of water.
• 10:20am – Herbalife Formula 1 French Vanilla Protein Shake. 5 oz of Healthy Balance Apple Juice, 2 fresh strawberries with stems (I ran out), 1/2 cup of Costco Organic Frozen Blueberries, and 1/2 frozen banana. In lieu of the strawberries, added 1/2 peach. 1 scoop of Formula 1 and 2 scoops of Herbalife Personalized Protein Powder. 1 cup of spinach. 1 cup of kale.
  • I only drank 1/2. Wasn’t feeling so hungry.
• 11:45am – Vietnamese Restaurant
  • 2 1/2 cups Pho Beef Noodle Soup
  • 1 Veggie Spring Roll
  • 3 pieces Pho Fried Fish
  • 4 oz of Lipa, Fresh Buko Juice (coconut)
  • 4 oz of Hawaiian Sun Guava
• 7:30pm – Thai food
  • 1 serving Yellow tofu curry (mild)
  • 1 1/2 servings Tofu pad thai (medium)
  • 1/4 cup of rice
• 8:30pm – European Chocolate Biscuit (1)
• 10:30pm – Homemade Nachos
  • 1 1/2 servingg Tostitos Thin Cantina Style Chips
  • 1 cup of homemade salsa
  • 4 tbsp of Sunny Side sour cream
  • Jalapenos shown in picture, but didn’t taste so good. New bottle, but when we opened it, it didn’t have that “pop” of a fresh bottle. We’ve been duped!

Meal 3

Meal 3.1

Meal 4

Today’s Activities:

• Up at 6:45am. Run planned for 8am, so started drinking Herbalife24 Prepare an hour before my run. 
  • Tip! Not sure if it’s the Herbalife24 Prepare or just the 8 ounces of water, but I tend to use the bathroom twice in an hour before my run. I drink a ton of water throughout the day, probably 100 ounces, and I don’t need to use the bathroom this frequently with just plain water.
• 8:15am – Day 3 of the RunKeeper first marathon plan. 8-miles, easy. At mile 4-ish, I ate a Clif Shot and carried it with me for the next mile. At mile 6.5, I felt a little soreness in my left knee and after 5 minutes, my right knee. Focused on my stride and fixed.
  • Overall. This plan is just what I needed. Rather than simply running when I can, I needed this schedule and approval to run easy. I am on my way to run my first marathon!

8-mile steady pace

Saturday, 08-17-2013

Knowing Friday would be filled with “things-to-do”, I had to make sure one of those things didn’t fall into the excuse category of “I just didn’t have enough time” or the classic “the dog ate my homework.” Well, wrong scenario, but same message.

Life lesson #68 – Execute, yes! Excuse, No!

So, knowing it will be a fun-filled Friday, attempted to sleep early so I could rise earlier for my run. To get in front of all the possible excuses before I could execute the plan. In my mind, I was envisioning Rocky. Cracking raw eggs into glasses. Throwing on the retro Champion greys. Skipping steps up the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Well, it wasn’t quite that dramatic, but trying to get us to sleep early is a lot like an underdog fight. We both are self-proclaimed night owls and proud of it, but on this night, I had to be a burrowing owl. 11:30pm – lights out.

Before my run, I weighed in at 171. RunKeeper said “no step skipping” and “no impromptu races on the water edge of the beach with Apollo”. This morning simply said, Day 2 of 64, a 4-mile easy pace. RunKeeper defines “easy pace” as 10 or 10:30 minute miles. I’m not going to argue … let’s just do this.

Morning weight 171. Post run weight 169.5.

Today’s Meals:

• 6:45am – Pre Run
  • 1/2 frozen banana. Why frozen? Just because that’s all I had.
  • 1 scoop of Herbalife24 Prepare in 4 ounces of water
• 8:15am – Herbalife Formula 1 French Vanilla Protein Shake. 5 oz of Healthy Balance Apple Juice, 6 fresh strawberries with stems, 1/2 cup of Costco Organic Frozen Blueberries, and 1/2 frozen banana. 1 scoop of Formula 1 and 2 scoops of Herbalife Personalized Protein Powder. 1 cup of spinach. 1 cup of cabbage. 1 cup of kale.
• 11:45am – Katy Perry Pop Corners Kettle Corn. Not a secret, I have a fancy for the salty snacks and I love trying anything new. 2 chips, just to get me ready for a late lunch, and thumbs up! Katy not only can sing, but she knows her chip flavors!
• 1:40pm – Late lunch. To thank the general contractor for a job well done on our beautiful new asian-style gate. While waiting, they just had a delivery of hot, fresh bread from one of the local best.
  • Singapore Tofu Noodle (1/2 order)
  • 1/2 artisan bread roll
• 5:30pm – Leftover Chinese Food (from two places)
  • Singapore Tofu Noodle (1/4 order)
  • 1 serving of salt and pepper deep fried mushrooms
  • 1/2 serving of egg fried rice
  • 1/2 serving of sesame tofu
  • 1/2 vegetarian egg fu yung patty
  • 3/4 of a Village Bakery artisan bread with Pulgra butter
  • Katy Perry Pop Chips (about 6 chips)
• 8:45pm – Baskin-Robbins Banana Royale with all the fixins! We had a BOGO coupon — it was our responsibility to use it on this 80+ degree evening.
• 10pm – Herbalife24 Restore

Today’s Activities:

• Day 2 of 64, RunKeeper First Marathon trainer. My earliest morning run I have ever attempted and I … (wait for it), loved it. Cooler, fresher, cleaner. Sounds like an ad for 7-up and it quite possibly be because after my easy pace 4 miler, I felt crisp and clean and had no caffeine. Actually felt like I could have run the full marathon this morning. Side note: I didn’t do a post-stretch after my run 3-4 days ago and in the morning, I actually felt a little tight in my quads. Solution … stretch. At least for me and nothing crazy. Just stretch.

4-Mile Easy Run

Not feeling any effects of 3 runs in 5 days. I will continue to follow Runkeepers plan and my nutritional plan with Herbalife mornings and their Herbalife24 product line.

Friday, 08-16-2013

Yesterday was my brother-in-laws 40ish-something birthday. And 19 people showed up to celebrate — all immediate family; sisters, brothers, kids, parents. And that wasn’t even all of us. I see a reality show in the works here!

So with birthdays, comes eating. And with all birthday celebrations, we usually choose one of the family favorites … last night’s selection was Roma’s Pizzeria. So what to do — it would be rude not to eat at least 5 slices, right? It is equivalent to not slurping your ramen soup in Japan. It’s insulting to the host. So, I didn’t want to be rude.

The good news is that yesterday’s weight was 170.5 and this morning’s weight, drumroll please … 5 slices of wonderfully delicious veggie and cheese pizza and nearly 1500 calories just for dinner later, I gained a whopping 0.5 pounds. Why?

Morning weight 171

Life lesson #67 – Plan your day for the day. If you know you’re going to enjoy a family feast, that is just one meal. You have plenty of opportunities before that to make choices that do not throw you off track and off goal.

Today’s Meals:

• 8:15am – Before my shake, drank 8 ounces of Herbalife Herbal Concentrate Tea with a Stevia in the Raw packet.  Herbalife Formula 1 French Vanilla Protein Shake. 5 oz of Healthy Balance Apple Juice, 6 fresh strawberries with stems, 1/2 cup of Costco Organic Frozen Blueberries, and 1/2 frozen banana. 1 scoop of Formula 1 and 2 scoops of Herbalife Personalized Protein Powder. 1 cup of spinach. 1 cup of cabbage. 1 cup of kale. Nature Made B12. Herbalife supplements:
  • Formula 2 Multivitamin
  • Formula 3 Cell Activator
  • Herbalifeline
  • Xtra-Cal Advanced
  • Garden 7
  • Coq10
  • Tri-Shield
  • Total Control
  • Ultimate Prostate Formula
  • Florafiber
  • Xtra-Cal
  • Male Factor
  • Joint Support
  • Mega Garlic Plus
• 9:05am – In preparation for my workout in an hour –  Herbalife24 Prepare (2 scoops)
• 10:20am – During workout — 1 Kind Plus Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate bar
• 12:30pm – 2 slices of leftover vegetarian pizza and a Morning Star Grillers Prime
• 4:30pm – 1 slice of leftover vegetarian pizza and 1 Hawaiian Host chocolate covered macadamia nut
• 7:40pm – Chinese food
  • 1 serving salt and pepper deep fried mushrooms
  • 1 serving of egg fried rice
  • 3/4 of a veggie egg roll
  • 1 serving of sesame tofu (extra crispy, less sauce)
  • 1 1/4 patties of vegetable egg foo yung (extra crispy, less sauce)
  • 1 bowl of veggie hot and sour soup

Meal 1.1

Meal 2

Meal 2.1

Meal 3

Food and Exercise

TODAY’S ACTIVITIES:

• P90X variations to compensate for left shoulder pain. In this order. 1 minute rest between sets. This is a run rest day, but rest doesn’t mean do nothing towards my goal.
  • 1st Movement
    • Chest. Standard push-up, 31 reps
    • Shoulders. “V” shoulder press with 20 lbs, 16 reps
    • Biceps. In-and-out curls with 20 lbs, 16 reps
  • 2nd Movement
    • Chest. Wide fly push-ups, 31 reps
    • Shoulders. Alternating shoulder press with 20 lbs, 16 reps (8 per side)
    • Biceps. Static arm curls, 20 lbs, 16 reps (8 per side)
  • 3rd Movement
    • Chest. Military press, 25 reps
    • Shoulders. Arnold Schwarzenegger press, 20 lbs, 16 reps
    • Biceps. Full supination concentration curls, 30 lbs, 16 reps (8 per side)
  • 4th Movement
    • Chest. Diamond push-ups, 31 reps
    • Shoulders. Deep swimmers press, 20 lbs, 16 reps
    • Biceps. One Arm Crouching Cohen Curls, 22.5 lbs, 16 reps
  • 5th Movement
    • Chest. 10 second rest between sets. Ended with a burn dumbbell set
      • 1st set, 7 wide pushups
      • 2nd set, 7 standard grip
      • 3rd set, 7 military
      • 4th set, 7 wide pushups
      • 5th set, 7 standard grip
      • 6th set, 7 military
      • 7th set, 16 reps, floor dumbbell presses, 40 lbs
    • Shoulders. Alternating shoulder press, 20 lbs, 16 reps (8 per side)
    • Biceps. Twenty-ones, 17.5 lbs. 7 reps (low to midline), 7 reps (midline to full), 7 reps (full motion)

Thursday, 08-15-2013

Morning after the first run of the week — no issues. No tightness, no nothing. I did a slight stretch post run, but nothing spectacular. Just your regular toe-touch hamstring stretch and some floor stretches. I read a Yahoo! article last week regarding post cool downs — bottom line, do it if you like it. Don’t do it if you don’t like it. I do enough because it actually feels good to slow down and hear your own breathing, similar to a yoga session.

My First Marathon Plan

With the updates to RunKeeper, it makes training for your first marathon super easy. The hard part will be sticking to the plan. There is a run every other day leading up to the marathon. Here we go …

Life lesson #66 – plan early for a long term goal. For example, if you want to lose 10 pounds for next year’s class reunion, don’t start a month before. If you start 10 months before, that’s only 1 pound per month. Not per day, not per week. Per month! In my case with my marathon run, I’m Day 66 into running and exercising and physical therapy. I’m 115 days away. This way I don’t have to overwork my body to prepare. Remember my previous life lesson … slow and steady wins all the time.

Morning weight 170.5

Today’s Meals:

•  8:15am – Herbalife Formula 1 French Vanilla Protein Shake. 5 oz of Healthy Balance Apple Juice, 6 fresh strawberries with stems, 1/2 cup of Costco Organic Frozen Blueberries, and 1/2 frozen banana. 1 scoop of Formula 1 and 1 scoops of Herbalife Personalized Protein Powder. 1 cup of spinach. 1 cup of cabbage. 1 cup of kale. Herbalife supplements:
  • Formula 2 Multivitamin
  • Formula 3 Cell Activator
  • Herbalifeline
  • Xtra-Cal Advanced
  • Garden 7
• 9:30am – Pre Run
  • Herbalife24 Prepare (2 scoops)
• 11:30am – Post Run Hydration – Herbalife24 Hydrate and Herbalife Herbal Aloe Concentrate Mango
• 12:15pm – Post Run
  • Herbalife24 Rebuild Endurance (2 scoops)
  • Herbalife Instant Creamy Chocolate Shake (1 scoop)
  • El Monterey Bean and Cheese Burrito
• 7:15pm – Birthday Dinner. Didn’t eat the crust. Just took a few bites with butter.
  • 4 slices of vegetarian pizza
  • 1 slice of cheese pizza
  • 3 teaspoons of crushed pepper
  • 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing
  • 1 pad of butter. Learned this trick from a good friend. Perfect way to eat the crust.
• 9:30pm – Herbalife Herbal Aloe Concentrate Mango
• 10:30pm – Herbalife24 Restore

Meal 2

Meal 3

Food and Exercise

Today’s Activities:

• Day 1 of 64 training runs in preparation for my first marathon. On today’s menu, the App says to just run 4 miles so I’m not complaining. 4 miles it is!

Run 1 of 64

Wednesday, 08-14-2013

Seems like everyone has the same idea … exercise and nutrition. They wouldn’t have merged the two Apps I use (MyFitnessPal for food intake and Runkeeper or like my auto-checker says, “Rub keep”) together. Saves a little bit of time every day which will then equate to a lot of time at the end of the year. Hey, those 2-3 minutes daily add up so I’m being a little dramatic, but not too much.

The Time Savings Breakdown:

• 2-3 minutes daily
• 14-21 minutes per week
• 56-84 minutes per month
• 672-1008 minutes per year

Ok, since nobody thinks in these terms other than new parents “Oh, yeah, he/she is 23 1/2 months old” Well, on behalf of all normal people, he/she is 2. We’ll even give you “almost 2.”

Well, 672 minutes is 11.2 hours. Or, a Breaking Bad Season 1-3 marathon. And, 1008 minutes per day is 16.8 hours which is a more than a flight to Australia. Merging these two Apps just saved me a trip to Australia!

Life lesson #65 – Over time, small details add up to large details.

Morning weight 167.5

Today’s Meals:

• 7:45am –  Herbalife Formula 1 French Vanilla Protein Shake. 5 oz of Healthy Balance Apple Juice, 6 fresh strawberries with stems, 1/2 cup of Costco Organic Frozen Blueberries, and 1/2 frozen banana. 1 scoop of Formula 1 and 1 scoops of Herbalife Personalized Protein Powder. 1 cup of spinach. 1 cup of cabbage. 1 cup of kale. Herbalife supplements:
  • Formula 2 Multivitamin
  • Formula 3 Cell Activator
  • Herbalifeline
  • Xtra-Cal Advanced
  • Garden 7
• 10:20am – Herbalife24 Prepare – getting ready for a run
• 11:15am – Herbalife24 Hydrate – during my run
• 12:30pm – Post Run Nutrition – got this recipe from the Apple cafeteria
  • 10 ounces of
  • Herbalife Instant Chocolate (2 scoops)
  • Herbalife24 Rebuild Endurance (1 scoop)
  • 1 cup of fresh organic spinach
  • 1 banana
  • 1/4 cup of Mountain High Fat Free All Natural Plain Yogurt
  • 2 tspn Skippy Super Chunk Peanut Butter
  • 2 Vita Coco Coconut Water ice cubes
• 2:30pm – 1/2 leftover burrito from yesterday’s dinner with Italian Rose Fresh Salsa (2 tbsp). 1 Hostess mini donette.
• 5:30pm – Hot Dog on a Stick
  • 2 veggie dogs
  • french fries (3/4 order)
• 9:15pm – El Monterey Burrito, 2 tspn of cream cheese, 3/4 bag of Doritos, Pop Corners (White Cheddar) 1/2 serving, Filipino Suman with Skippy Peanut Butter and Nestle Rich Milk Chocolate. 1 Hostess mini donette (Hostess is back!)

Meal 2 (Post Run)

Meal 2.1

Meal 3 – Corndog Not Shown! So excited to eat these, forgot to take a picture.

Meal 4

Food and Exercise

Today’s Activities:

• 10:30pm – 1st mile quick and directly into 11 ramp runs. Between ramp runs, I did 10 floor runs. Run temperature was a hot 76-degrees. Felt like high noon sun. I was feeling a bit worn after the first mile, but very thankful I brought Herbalife24 Hydrate. Lifted me for almost another 2 miles, but even better, ramp runs!
• 11:15pm – Walk home

More Training

Are you one of those “Ugggh, the weekend is over people?” Is your favorite song and unofficial anthem the Bangels Manic Monday? Well, I humbly offer a suggestion to lift that belief and live your best life now. It is something I practice myself and arguably one of the best things I learned many years ago that has changed my life.

Hit and Run

It was actually put to test this morning when I just noticed this and the only reaction from my wife and I was, “Oh well …” and there was no more conversation.

Life lesson #64 – Change the channel in your head. Tune into something more uplifting and thankful and remove those disempowering channels from your presets.

Morning weight 170

Today’s Meals:

• 8:15am – Herbalife Shake. Poured some Vita Coco Coconut Water into ice trays. Trying a variation of a Bobby flay recipe. 
  • Vita Coco Pure Coconut Water (1/2 carton)
  • 1 scoop of Herbalife Protein Powder
  • Herbalife Formula 1 French Vanilla (1 scoop)
  • 7 fresh strawberries with the stems. Read this for the health benefits of strawberry stems (leaves)
  • 1/4 fresh peach
  • 1 medium banana
  • Herbalife Herbal Aloe Concentrate Mango (didn’t have any fresh mango on hand)
  • 6 Vita Coco Pure Coconut Water ice cubes
• 10:30am – Homemade tofu musubi
• 12:30pm – Leftover, leftover, leftover (etc) pasta. It’s almost done! This is the same pasta from last Thursday, but don’t be fooled! It is just as delicious, if not more, now than when it was bubbling on the burners. We fry it so it gets a nice textural contrast on the noodles.
• 5:30pm – Mexican Food and homemade dessert
  • Bean, cheese, and rice burrito with sour cream and guac on the side
  • Peach cake from our dear friend, The Midnight Baker!

Meal 1.1

Meal 3

Food and No Exercise

Today’s Activities:

•  Spectacular Now screening. Disclaimer if you are under the age of 18 or if you have the mindset of someone under the age of 18 … please understand there is nothing romantic or glamourous about a life of poor choices, under-aged drinking, and “living in the now” as they repeatedly say in the movie.

 Monday, 08-12-2013

Still salivating after a cupcake high just 7 hours ago. As the official taste tester for Cupkeiki (my wife’s unofficial home bakery), she woke me up at 1am to try her latest coconut cupcake. Since I’m such a professional, I just open my mouth, still half-sleeping, and let the chewing begin! Delicious and then back to sleep. My apologies to all dentists who read this.

New week … time to evaluate and grade myself on the previous. 4  out of the 7 days and the remaining 3 days involved a wellness activity. Helping my parents wash their exterior windows. By the way, thank you YouTube for re-training on the proper way to clean a window. Roadtrips to San Francisco and supporting my family in their rookie appearance at the American Craft Council Show.

Weight Maintenace:

• 2 pound loss. Last Sunday’s weight (08-03-2013) 171.5. This morning weight 169.5. Grade A+

Activity and Performance:

• Ran a 3-mile at a fast pace. (Splits 9:10, 8:38, and 8:11). Able to lift heavier dumbbells and push-ups are now back in the mix without pain. Range of motion in my left shoulder returning to normal. Grade B+ Why a B+? Training to run a marathon and didn’t run for distance.

Eating and Nutrition:

• I eat a lot and I continue to maintain or lose weight slow and steady. That’s what really stands out so I need to call Mythbusters! You can eat and lose weight. Herbalife is my confirmed breakfast of champions. Herbalife24 products have increased my split times and performance on my short runs. 

Today’s Meals:

• 7:45am – Herbalife Shake. Still enjoying a new tropical smoothie. 
  • Vita Coco Pure Coconut Water (full carton)
  • 1 scoop of Herbalife Protein Powder
  • Herbalife Formula 1 French Vanilla (1 scoop)
  • 7 fresh strawberries with the stems. Read this for the health benefits of strawberry stems (leaves)
  • 1/4 fresh peach
  • 1 medium banana
• 9am – Larabar (finished the half from yesterday)
• 1:15pm – Noodles & Company (with friends)
• 4:30pm – 1 1/2 Tofu Musubi (homemade from a friend)
• 5:45pm – 2 Tofu Musubi (homemade) and 1 bottom bun with a Morning Star Parm burger. 1/2 corn on the cob (no butter). 3/4 can of Sprite.
• 7:pm – 1 homemade Georgetown Cupcakes recipe – Banana Split cupcake. 1 bite of a Georgetown Cupcake coconut cupcake
• 9:30pm – 1 Tofu Musubi (homemade).
• 10:15pm – Pop Corners Cheesy Jalapeno and Gourmet Popcorn Chicago Mix

Meal 2

Meal 3

Today’s Activities:

• The word of the day is service! Wonderful message at church.

Sunday, 08-11-2013

I’m not one of those weekend warrior types. TGIFers. Work hard – play hard. There was a time, but over the past 15 years, I’ve learned another cliche “Carpe Diem” which I’ve adapted into a bible-based mantra of love God, love others.

With this as my foundation, there is no room for simply seizing the day because there is so much more to serve.

Life lesson #62 – Seize the day, but love God and others first.

Morning weight 169.5

Daily Meals:

• 8:15am – Herbalife Shake. No ice and I forgot to place a new Healthy Balance Apple Juice in the fridge. Decisions, decisions. What to do?
  • Vita Coco Pure Coconut Water
  • 1 scoop of Herbalife Protein Powder (didn’t add Formula 1 French Vanilla to preserve the coconut taste)
  • 7 fresh strawberries with the stems. Read this for the health benefits of strawberry stems (leaves)
  • 1/4 fresh peach
  • 1 medium banana
• 11:45am –  Leftover, leftover, leftover pasta. Just keep adding mushrooms!
  • Trader Joe’s Organic fusilli pasta – Imported from Italy
  • 1 corn on the cob with butter
  • 1 serving of Quorn ground
  • Squash and zucchini sauteed in olive oil and a little butter
• 2:45pm – Pop Corners Cheesy Jalapeno (1 1/2 servings)
• 5pm – Vietnamese Rice Noodle with tofu, mock ham, and a fried egg.
• 6:30pm – Gluten-free Larabar Apple Pie (1/2 bar). My main meals are very routine, but I am constantly searching munching on new snacks.
• 10pm – Wife’s homemade banana split cupcake (from Georgetown Cupcake’s recipe).
• 11:50pm – Wife actually woke me up to take a bite of a coconut cupcake (from Georgetown Cupcake’s recipe). It was literally … “Sweet” Dreams!

Meal 1

Meal 2

Meal 3

Meal 3.1

Meal 4

Daily Activities:

•  Lots of “ings” … driving, shopping, yawning, more driving, walking, pushing, and paying.

Saturday, 08-10-2013