The Hard Routine 2010 - OVER?

The two months of this fitness, health, and wellness campaign are over! Or are they?

I have a dozen friends who have agreed to continue The Hard Routine until Christmas 2010...basically another four weeks. The holiday season is jam-packed with unhealthy opportunities -- parties and celebrations encouraging over-indulgence in sweets, appetizers, alcohol, and simply food in general. Some of us have decided to fight these temptations by extending our "rules" of The Hard Routine. If you want to be included in any email list for the extension through December, email me.

I'm in for the extension. I'm sticking with my Hard Routine "rules" for another four weeks. I saw too much progress to simply stop the forward motion. When Christmas comes, I'll re-evaluate my rules and guidelines to something more sustainable and long-lasting.

I'm down ten-plus pounds. I feel great. I have been eating really well -- both with volume and quality. I've been grocery shopping "the perimeter of the store" -- buying fresh foods that spoil quickly. Lots of meat and veggies. Few starches, and when I did have them -- rice. Almost no sugars. And no booze. The hardest for me to avoid? Bread and ice cream. Of all those desires I had over the last 2 months, the easiest to overcome by far was alcohol. Yet, when I talk to others, they all tell me that it would be the hardest to avoid. Comments or thoughts?

I did the Prison Workout #4, though I only made it through RIMFIRE (the 22nd of 32 workout sessions). I didn't expect to complete all 32 workout sessions, as I couldn't pass up a few opportunities to do non-PWO sessions every now and then. I'll finish up the PWO#4 soon. I also began the Concept2 Holiday Challenge (rowing machine) on Thanksgiving Day. For almost a week now, I've had rowing on the brain....

So how did the 60 days go for you? Fitness goals? Bodyweight goals?

Where from here? I wrote a few posts during The Hard Routine that I'll reference:

• Sustained Progress
• Resilience

Each of those two themes are important to me. First off, forward progress is the journey to your goals. Any step towards an objective is progress. The key is to keep taking positive steps that help fulfill that goal. Secondly, there will be times when you get sidetracked. It's not IF, but WHEN. What matters is how you react to that derailment. My simple advice: Get up and take another step forward. You're back making progress!

Think again about what I said at the beginning of this campaign: This is a jump-start to positive behaviors in the areas of physical fitness and diet/nutrition. If after this campaign you resort back to old habits, what good is that? Embrace momentum.

Make positive changes. Keep some of the "rules" active and in place. Realize those goals!

The Hard Routine 2010 - DAY 50

We're at DAY 50.

I look ahead at the ten remaining days in front of me and think, "Wow, this was easy." Here's how I rate myself so far:

• Mon-Sat: Running at about 95% according to my rules of no white bread or pasta. 90% with white rice. 100% with alcohol, potatoes, and sweets.
• Cheat Sundays: Not even cheating all that much. I simply don't have that stuff around to house to chow down on. Haven't had ANY alcohol since September. What have I been craving on Sundays? Chocolate. Big time.
• Physical Training: Prison Workout #4 is going really well. I'm progressing at less than four PWOs per week, but adding in some trail hiking and stairclimbing each week. I'm really enjoying the unilateral and asymmetrical loading of one-handed KB exercises.
• My body: I joking told someone the other day that I'm starting to look like the UnderArmor mannequin at the sporting goods store. (You know, the charcoal grey man who has all the right muscles and bulges in all the right places?) Well that's not totally honest. I am down about 9-10# from September 30th. I have a lot of "leaning-out" to do, but this way of eating is putting me on that path!!

One of my plans was to develop Hard Routine "rules" that would be more sustainable in the long run. I didn't want to crash diet, but I also didn't want to go into The Hard Routine with rules that wouldn't challenge my discipline either. I'm happy with the progress right now.

With ten days remaining, I'm already thinking of ways to extend this mindset into the long haul. Join me.....

Resilience

resilience [ri-zil-ee-uhns] -noun 1620s. from L. resiliens, from re- "back + salire "to jump, leap."

1. the power or ability to return to the original form, position,etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity

2. an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change

Ever play with a children's bop bag? They're the inflatable plastic punching bags that have an envelope of sand in the bottom. You punch them. They knock over. They they pop back up.

But more importantly, these bop bags are a metaphor for one of life's greatest lessons: When you get knocked down, get back up.

There are all sorts of temptations and reasons why we fail during The Hard Routine: lousy work schedules, sickness, kids' activities, family parties, emotional depression, vacation, dinners with friends, busy lifestyles, injuries, marital divorce. Go ahead. Pick a reason. Or maybe call it an EXCUSE. Do these things control you? I doubt that roadway potholes determine your final driving destination. Neither should these obstacles keep you from your goals.

• Whenever you make a mistake or get knocked down by life, don't look back at it too long. Mistakes are life's way of teaching you. Your capacity for occasional blunders is unseparable from your capacity to reach your goals. No one wins them all, and your failures, when they happen, are just part of your growth. Shake of your blunders. How will you know your limits without the occasional failure? Never quit. Your turn will come. -- Og Mandino

In my life, I have been called "resilient." I take that as an extreme compliment. I think it says a lot about the way I was raised, and how I currently live. Especially in my career, I have experienced many derailments. But I keep asking myself, "Is this problem going to keep me down?" I think you all know how I answer. I'm proud to be not only be standing on my feet, but running at full steam!!

The Hard Routine is HARD. I'd expect most of us to stumble a few times during the two month campaign. However, are you one of those who break one of your "rules" only to throw in the towel and quit? Or are you the one who puts that failure behind you and get back on course? Those of us who have stayed the course have been seeing great results. Join us. Even if you have strayed over the past few weeks.....

Sustained Progress

sustain [suh-steyn] -verb (used with object). late 13c. from O.Fr. sustenir "hold up, endure," from L. sustinere "hold up, support, endure," from sub "up from below" + tenere "to hold"

1. to hold up under; withstand: to sustain great provocation.
2. to keep up the vitality or courage of.
3. to maintain or prolong.
4. to undergo, experience, or suffer (injury, loss, etc.); endure without giving way or yielding.
5. to keep (a person, the mind, the spirits, etc.) from giving way, as under trial or affliction.
6. to keep up or keep going, as an action or process: to sustain a conversation.

Over the last few years, I've found an appreciation for the derivation of words, especially those with Latin influence. It gives me a better understanding of the meaning of the word and how it should be used in writing. SUSTAINABLE is a term that fits quite nicely here.

Easy question here: Are you living a sustainable lifestyle?

I ask this because of what appears a high rate of gung-ho fitness attitudes jumping into sedentary lifestyles. It's demonstrated most clearly and accurately in health clubs in early January. We have all either seen or experienced the cycle: get fat over the winter holidays, get disgusted at how our clothes fit or how we look in the mirror, make a promise to ourselves to change, go hard at some fitness routine, decrease the frequency of the routine, quit, stay fat, console self in a quart of ice cream, etc.

There is another group I ask this question of: those who are currently living poor lifestyles and losing to bad habits. This lifestyle is definitely NOT sustainable. Something will crack. We see it everyday in those who struggle to get off of the couch, breathe heavy after climbing a flight of stairs, or can't take a sightseeing stroll on vacation. Something has to change!! Maybe you don't sympathize with the above description, but are you headed down that path?? If you committed to The Hard Routine, you promised to make adjustments to your future.

There is no doubt that The Hard Routine has the same potential pitfalls as the New Years Resolution. However, I hope most of you took my advice to pick rules that are tough, but sustainable for two months. The goal is to NOT revert back to a crappy lifestyle at the end of two months, but to rather take some of the momentum into a NEW lifestyle. Like I said before, I still hold onto some of the good habits from last year's Hard Routine 2009.

I am so proud of many of our readers and followers of Trinity Training Group. So many of you have made serious changes in not only physical fitness training, but diet and nutrition as well. Testimony proves these adjustments and tweaks have caused positive outcomes in other aspects of your lives as well - better sleep, more energy, self-confidence, fewer sicknesses.

This is not a race. There is no end. No finish line. This is life.

If you think you're going to commit to a new fitness program at seven days per week, and quit your daily fast food run, and snuff out smoking or drinking in the same 180-degree backflip --- you are setting the table for failure. Sorry to be the pessimist here, but you are going to FAIL. You will peter out if you sprint out of the gates.

Find small changes AND STICK WITH THEM. Slow and steady progress is the path to becoming what you desire. People assume I workout everyday because of my passion for fitness. The truth is I rarely exercise more than 4 days per week. And almost never 6. NEVER 7. Like all of you, there is more to life than the gym. There is more to life than weighing my food. There is more to life -- I drink beer. Smoke the occasional cigar. Stuff my face on holidays with the family. But by the way my pants fit and by the entries in my workout journal, I am convinced I don't celebrate too much.

But the first step to change is finding some of those obstacles to health and wellness, and making progress against them. Sustain.

The Hard Routine 2010 - WEEK FOUR starting

A Hard Routine participant sent the above to me on Day One. I cropped off her name to preserve her privacy. Click on each of the scans to see a larger, more read-able view. The below excerpts were also part of her email to me:

Well, I finished my contract and I can honestly say that this was probably the most in-depth I have ever gotten when I analyzed my diet/workout habits (the contract is attached). I decided that I've been half-assed in my attempts to take on some of the programs that you have so graciously offered for free ... yet I am willing to pay for a gym membership I never use which doesn't seem to make any sense. So I've given up on the gym membership and I'm starting on the bare bones approach of working out with the equipment I've purchased over the last few years as a result of my exposure to crossfit and your blogspot ... By filling out this contract, I realized it was about making a mental change in the way I thought about adopting a workout regimen ... this challenge will hopefully help me make that mental change in my thought process to adapt being fit into my daily life.

I'd really like to see what sort of progress she's made so far. I'll let her post to comments if she desires.

Why do I share this contract and email? I believe it's a perfect summary of most all of our own individual Hard Routines, and the same reasons why we each committed to these two months. By writing down our rules, it seals a covenant with ourselves and with each other.

I can barely believe that three weeks have already passed. I have been taking regular doses of my own medicine: Prison Workou #4. It's been a great return to strict kettlebelling - a return to my roots of sorts. I like the cardio-endurance, balance, coordination, agility, and stamina aspects of the heavier KBs - especially after almost SIX months of a strength and Olympic lifting bias CrossFit program. I got strong as heck, but I needed a change. And my uniform shirts started getting tight in the shoulders and lats!!! Yeah!! But a return to KBs is good.

Diet? Going great. Haven't even been cheating all that badly on Sundays. I went ate some white bread buns and a handful of potato chips while tailgating at the Chicago Bears game last weekend. Most proud of my steering clear of all alcohol. And been eating a lot of veggies!

Lastly, please take a moment to answer the poll question at the right >>>>>>> regarding The Hard Routine, and what has been the most challenging for you.

The Hard Routine 2010 - WEEK ONE

Week One is over. Start Week Two.

Easy enough to say. In some respects, after only a week, new habits can take bite. Once some of our "bad" foods get eaten up, anything new we buy is part of the program. And new daily routines become the norm instead of painful changes. For me, healthy nutrition is in direct proportion to my grocery shopping. Good shopping = good eating. And I am shopping well.

However, for some who may have laced up their Hard Routine plans too tightly, they might be craving some basic treats from the "No List." Without a little flexibility, strict plans of denial might lead to either complete breakdown, or in the case of even a small cave-in -- an extreme sense of guilt.

I had one such break yesterday. We got stuck on a LONG unexpected assignment at work. Absolutely NO chance for lunch break, NO eating-on-the-run, and NO access to any food. So ten hours later, we gang-rushed the stack of pizza boxes for whatever we could grab with two hands. At one point, I was eating next to two of our Primal Blueprint "Groksters" laughing at how violently we shoveled that pizza into our mouths!! In years past, I would NEVER have eaten that pizza -- out of a deeply rooted commitment to my promise. I knew guilt would consume me. However, this year, I simply justified it as a way to keep from passing out from low blood sugar. Weak? Maybe. Post arguments to comments....

If you've had a hard time this past week, that's sorta the idea. It's not meant to be easy. That's called every other month up until now: The Easy Routine. If your Hard Routine rules are going to be unsustainable, then make some changes. Keep the big picture in mind --- small positive changes to our daily habits. We're hoping some of the "rules" will morph into habits beyond the end date of Dec 1st.

I've received some totally awesome emails from participants. I need to get back to some of the senders for permission to repost (either by name or anonymously). They are great!! Super motivational.

Again, if you aren't getting my email updates (like the one with a link to this post), then get in touch with me.

Lastly, if you have comments to share with the group, you can post them on the following Facebook pages:

• The Hard Routine event
• Trinity Training Group group

Keep it up. Stay strong.

The Hard Routine 2010: Nutrition

One thing is certain in the field of health: what is common wisdom today can easily become "misapplied science" tomorrow. What's "in" this year may be "out" next year. Often it's hard to arrive at the right answer.

--Mark Sisson of Mark's Daily Apple

For me, The Hard Routine is more about eating and fueling than it is about physical activity. I'm already doing damned near exactly what I want/need to regarding a fitness program. I follow a fitness model/philosophy that I believe to be "the best of the best." My activities change very little during these next two months of the campaign. My challenging adjustments come in the kitchen and the grocery store. That's where I push myself out of my comfort zone.

There are many current nutritional models gaining speed and popularity. Not as diets, but as lifestyles. Despite the word "diet" in their names, many of these are quite sustainable throughout life...at least that's what my friends say! While some plans have drastic or distinct differences, I believe they are more similar to each other than different. Here are some of them:

• Primal Blueprint (sister site of Mark's Daily Apple)
• Paleolithic Diet (also Paleo Diet)
• The Zone Diet
• "Shop the Perimeter" -- Google it yourself!
• Intermittent Fasting (Wiki link)

I only list a few sites above, on purpose. Flooding readers with information doesn't help. And I only want to share some of the plans that our friends are currently using as guidelines for their eating. They have and are seeing great results --- results seen in their mirror, in their waistline, in their gym and physical performances, in their sports, and in their overall daily feelings.

How can I summarize what "healthy eating" is for me?

• Limit: sugars, sweets, processed/canned/boxed foods, starches.
• Eat more: lean meats, leafy veggies.
• Grocery shopping: buy stuff that spoils, "shop the perimeter" of the store.

My Personal Commitment Contract specifies "sweets" and "potatoes" as Absolute Stop Consuming. While this might not be sustainable for my lifetime, it is certainly attainable for 60 days! So what do I substitute with those items?: healthier alternatives such as fruits/melon, and more vegetables. Life cannot be a list of foods to eat and foods to avoid. But for 6o days, you bet it can. I still have a lot of healthy habits that have stuck with me since The Hard Routine 2009. For example, I almost never go down the aisles of the grocery store. Almost ALL my shopping is in the perimeter of the store. I'm looking to jumpstart a few more healthy habits for the future using the campaign this year.

Lastly, for those of you CrossFit Journal subscribers, here is a quick link to all their articles on nutrition.

For your Personal Commitment Contract be sure to challenge yourself, but use nutritional challenges that are reasonable and sustainable for 60 days...if not longer!

EVENT: The Hard Routine 2010

By request, THE HARD ROUTINE is back in 2010. We ran the same fitness, health, and wellness campaign back in Fall 2009, during the same two months. We'll be back at it this year too!

• What is The Hard Routine? In a nutshell: It's a two-month campaign that jump starts positive behaviors in the areas of physical fitness and diet/nutrition. This is an online group that you commit to. There is no set program. YOU set the rules based on YOUR goals and needs. YOU sign a contract with yourself. I send out periodic email updates, some of which include YOUR testimony if you wish to share with the group. (Some of the stories are really inspirational!) Your email address and name remains private (except to me).
• Basics: So here is what OUR Hard Routine is all about. Pick some clearly defined behavior and habit changes within both DIET and ACTIVITY categories. Some of the changes will be to add certain foods and activities, and some changes will be to abstain from certain ones. It's completely up to YOU to make those rules and guidelines. I will be here to make some suggestions and help you articulate to YOURSELF what your rules might look like be based on your current lifestyle and body type.
• Why a formalized campaign? Because doing this by yourself is a real bitch. Doing this alongside a spouse, coworkers, friends, or family creates a postive support network to make healthier decisions TOGETHER for the two months. "Hey Joe, you want pizza?""No, how about grilled chicken instead." "Yeah, you're right....sounds better." Even if your support group is merely online or through emails, it holds you more accountable than going at it alone. Shared hardships.
• Why a specific two-month session? Because goal-oriented training and conditioning must be related to a TIME or an end date. There is a light at the end of this tunnel, and it is December 1st! On December 1st, we each can re-evaluate what went good and where we need improvement. We can probably all make difficult decisions regarding food and activity for two months....right? Is this crash diet? Keep reading....
• Should I keep a journal? Absolutely!! Keeping tabs on your food and your activity holds one more accountable. It can be as detailed as you are willing to make it...but keep it realistic. If weighing your food on a kitchen scale is your plan, that's a big commitment. Maybe tallying calories is even too much. Also, keep a log of your workouts. It keeps us all honest, and tracks progress too.
• Who participates? Well last year we had folks from ALL walks of life. The largest group by far was police officers. But we had grandmothers, housewives, military members, corporate businessmen, and everything in between. Health and wellness knows no bounds.

How did this start? I read an article called The Hard Routine by Jason Dougherty. Some of his points are as follows:

1. Recognize that there is a benefit to not getting everything you want.
2. Understand that mental toughness is born of adversity; that it will atrophy if not constantly engaged; and that it carries over to everything you do.
3. Objectively scrutinize one or a handful of things in your life that you think you need but could actually do without.
4. Deny yourself those exact things for a specified period of time.

I took his points to heart and suggested to some friends that we try some "hard living" for a few months. It turned into The Hard Routine 2009. We had a group of nearly 120 participants.

THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

• What are the physical workouts? You decide. They are whatever you want them to be. For some of you, you are already doing some terrific exercise sessions. For others, you need to get off the couch. I can point you in the right direction. Some of you might start out by walking 30 minutes each day. Others might commit to a more strenuous workout program. I don't recommend joining a gym for this! Let's begin slowly if you are relatively inactive now.
• I need workout ideas. We have plenty of ideas based on YOUR goals and needs. Maybe you need strength workouts. Maybe you need cardio workouts. Maybe you need a beginner workout that is easy to follow. Maybe you have access to a gym or health club, or maybe you need to do the workouts at home. I will help you along based on what your physical needs are, as well as what equipment you have access to. Maybe the Prison Workouts (without kettlebell and with kettlebell) are a good start?? For some, walking a certain number of hours or miles each week is a great beginning.
• I have no idea where to start regarding workouts. I'll help you. Just ask. Don't let that keep you from participating. No one is too far out of shape to begin. Sitting on the couch is a one way street...getting fatter and more out of shape!
• I'm a woman and don't want to get bulky muscles. Many women are under a wrong impression that weight training produces bulky muscles. That is false. Women need weight training moreso than men. It would take a tremendous amount of serious weightlifting and protein supplements to get bulky. Likewise, the words "toned" or "toning" exercises are also false. There are only two ways to get so-called "toned." You must gain muscle, and lose the fat that surrounds those muscles. Weightlifting for women is a virtual MUST.
• I have a big butt/tummy/thighs. What should I do? Well, first off, there is a rumor that situps or ab workouts will flatten a flabby tummy. That is called "spot reduction." It's the thought that the ThighMaster gives you thinner thighs. It too is false. To get thinner thighs, you must lose the fat that has settled there. We each have a genetically predetermined place that our fat settles. For me, it's the "spare tire." For many women, it's "grandma arms" or "thunder thighs." If you attempt to target those specific areas, you will find it discouraging...it doesn't work. Never has....never will.

THE FUEL

• What is the diet? We each have different eating downfalls. For me, it's ice cream and baked potatoes. Healthy eating choices are critical to making body changes. The diet is what you make it. For me, I'm avoiding alcohol, ice cream, sweets, and chocolate all together. I am limiting starches such as pasta, pizza, and potatoes to only a few meals per week. I will also limit bread and fried food intake. I am also making efforts to add leafy vegetables and nuts every day. But those are MY rules. You need to come up with your own! I'll help you. Last year, one of our participants said "NO" to all fried foods. He was really surprised to see how much of restaurant food is fried, especially appetizers!
• This sounds like "crash dieting." Well it is, in a way. Strict dietary rules aren't a way to live your life forever, and certainly not love your life. However, after a couple of months of structured living, maybe keeping a moderate lifestyle will be easier for a bit longer. I'm only asking for two months!

If this is something you'd like to join, please email me at louis.hayes@comcast.net to be added to the email list (blind carbon copy). There will be plenty of email updates once October 1st hits. Until then, check back often! And check some of the posts from last season's campaign here.

Lastly, there is a Facebook "event" created for the campaign (click here). Invite others to participate and share in your hardship this Fall.