awesomeness deluxe

Failed projects. Failed relationships. Rejection letters. More FML moments than I care to admit. Mugged in my investments. Brick walled in my career. Death of friends. Stolen identities and hacked accounts. I look around and see broken glass everywhere, and I can't help but smile. In a year of more failure than I can shake a stick at, I'm on the right track. As Tyler Durden would say, self improvement is masturbation, but self destruction...

In a year where I've had money stolen from me, lent money out that I'll never see again, and money that I'm still chasing down, I feel great. Shady business dealings, bad business partners, treachery, backstabbery, betrayal. I've bled more for sure, but I'm better off for it. Stronger, wiser, smarter. I definitely didn't leave this year unscathed, but battle scars make character. And character makes men. But all was not evil and terrible. I invested significantly in myself, spending thousands on genetics testing for me and my family. I climbed one of the world's largest free standing structures. Against 12,000 others, not feeling 100% and without any running or stair training, I probably had a top 5/10 fastest time. Now that's
street. Should I ever decide to climb the tower again, I'm gunning for the fastest time. I wrote the GMAT, and unlike some others who spend thousands on courses and books and study for months on end, I borrowed some books, downloaded some content, crammed for a month and scored in the 95th percentile. Street. I had the absolute honour to listen to Al Gore talk about something that is near and dear to my heart: Climate change. I had the pleasure to hear Bill Clinton talk about other subjects dear to my heart: Giving, poverty, overpopulation, and health care. I spent an entire weekend with the best performance coach in the world in Tony Robbins, who not only made me walk on blazing hot 1000+ degree Celsius coals in my bare feet, but lit a fire under my ass. And of course, I did some travelling, met some super cool people, and made some new friends. Hiked a trail wearing barefoot shoes, getting altitude sickness but refusing to take pills, in one rewarding adventure. Good times, good times. And I challenged many of my beliefs. I flip flopped back and forth about some things and I'm sure I'll continue to do so. I'm a lot more thick skinned, a lot less idealistic. My bullshit detector is more highly fine tuned. I have much better control over my emotions and no longer worry about things that are outside of my circle of influence (except I do, as you'll see below). I'm much better at not overestimating the competition and underestimating myself. I also got into a lot of interesting topics including genetics, survivalism, health, fitness, nutrition, and so on.

Most people quit too early. My problem is I don't know when to quit. That's why I stay on a rock climbing wall for hours on end, hands shredded to a bloody mess, but I finish. That's why I workout 6, 7, 8, 9 times a week and haven't missed a beat since May because the calendar says so. But it’s also why I stay in relationships that are harmful to both parties, why I can't get up from a movie even if it’s terrible, why I finish my plate even if I'm super stuffed and why I have a hard time putting down a crappy book. I hate quitting. My hatred of quitting got me through university, but it also has kept me at a job I lost the passion for. This is an important skill that I need to work on. When to stick it out and when to abandon ship when the potential return on investment just isn't worth it. Persistence isn't the problem for me, quitting is. Some things that I've pondered about this year include the following:

To blog or not to blog
My love/hate relationship with blogging continues. This is because I'm of the firm belief that if you can't do something right, then don't do it. And I really don't do this right, since it’s on a low list of priorities for me. But Gary Vaynerchuk convinced me to keep at it, if only to preserve my brand. If you think about it, your entire life is being recorded on the internet, so you may as well embrace it. One day, your children's children will see your trail. What kind of legacy do you want to leave?

Single or get in a relationship
I prefer being single. My best thoughts, my best ideas, my most creative moments are when I'm alone. There is a difference between loneliness and aloneness. For those feeling lonely, there is a road to actualization that needs to be walked first, otherwise even in a relationship something will always be missing. The disadvantage of being single is you don't get sexy time. But I would argue that neither do people in marriages and long term relationships, so eat it! The advantages are plenty. More focus, more money (yes I said it!), more free time, less responsibility and accountability to others. This allows you to be lean, mean, and hungry as all hell. Obviously I don't intend on staying single forever, but right now it’s the best thing for me without a doubt.

Organic vs. Non organic foods
I've been eating organic foods for years now, and to be honest I believe it’s overrated and overpriced. It isn't nutritionally superior, nor does it taste better despite what organic eaters preach. Blind taste tests will show this (and have). Just like 99% of wine drinkers can't tell the difference between a good wine and bad wine, people can't tell the difference between organic and non organic foods. It tastes better because they THINK it tastes better. As for no pesticides, that is incorrect. Better for the environment? Not if you consider the sheer volume of land that needs to be used over non organic for the same output (good luck feeding the planet with that). Is organic truly organic? As a multibillion dollar industry, you're
damn right big agra is on this money train and are cutting every corner imaginable and doing just enough to get an organic certification. Did you know that 20% of our organic produce comes from CHINA (no offense to my people)?! Even still, I support our local farmers and will continue to eat organic foods, because overall I believe it is better than the alternatives. However, organic foods aren't going to feed the planet, genetically modified foods are. It is a LUXURY for me to even have the choice to choose between the two, most people are not so fortunate.

Climate change - man made or natural?
I think it’s safe to say that climate change is happening (or not). The question then becomes, are we causing it? And man, I've spent more hours on this then I'm willing to admit, and I can tell you whole heartedly that I do not know. I can also say that Al Gore isn't the saint that people are preaching him to be (he is making a lot of cheddar on this), but at the very same time I support the man and what he's doing. "WTF, make up your damn mind!" you say? The reason is simple; we are terribly inefficient with energy. In Ontario, where I live, our power infrastructure is aging, and if we don't find some alternatives soon there is going to be some serious implications. I'm all for more efficiency and effectiveness, because I don't want to hear stories about families freezing to death in the cold because of lack of power. But it’s not easy to come up with these solutions. Ethanol fuel, for example, is not a good alternative energy because it takes a lot more energy and land to make and isn't worth the hassle. Nuclear? Takes a wicked long time, a lot of energy, is terribly expensive and very complicated. Tidal? Only good on the coast lines. Clean coal? No such thing. What about solar and wind? Yes! But they have problems of their own. How are we going to provide energy for all of us? Which leads me to my next thought...

Overpopulation - to have a kid or not
There's simply too many of us, consuming too much, too quickly. Our population is reaching 7 billion. 40 years ago it was less than half of that. Think about that for a second. Our population increased to the same amount in your parents lifetime in what previously took thousands of years. We are in the middle of a population explosion. Infinite growth, FINITE resources. How do we feed all these people? That's why I have reservations of bringing a child into this world, even though I've always wanted to. I don't want my kid growing up in an overcrowded world, and unless we come up with some solutions, that's exactly what is going to be happen. I'm giving myself 15 years, and if we can't make a crack at this then no kid for me.

Peak oil is mad sheisse...
We are too dependent on oil. Look around you, from the screen you are reading this on to the clothes you are wearing to the food you are eating, oil played a huge roll in its production. This is another reason I support Gore, we need alternatives. You are going to hear about the term 'peak oil' a lot more in the coming years. We are reaching the capacities of how much we are pulling from the Earth, which means, we are running the eff out. As population increases and oil quantity decreases, people are going to die. A lot of people. IF nothing gets done.

Vegetarianism no more
Vegetarians are misinformed. There's no other way to put it. It CAN be healthier than the typical North American diet, but it’s not the healthiest. It is better for the environment than normal factory farmed foods, but it isn't going to save the planet. Is it morally superior? Not if you consider the destruction of entire ecosystems for growing the crops. What about all those wild animals that no longer have food or homes, are they not sentient beings? I don't have the answers here. I know our food industry is fucked. And I am completely and utterly disgusted by the cruel treatment of animals in CAFOs. Yes, I know it’s brutal, but vegetarianism isn't the answer. It’s when I realized this that I made the switch back to (mostly clean) meat, and I am glad I did. Bigger, stronger, faster, happier and healthier.

Evolution and genetics versus Creationists and God
The science tells me that evolution is right, and creationism is wrong. I believe in evolution, right down to my diet and how our ancestors ate. And I believe our genetics have a role in how we are and what we become, and by optimizing health and nutrition we can optimize our gene expression. But I don't think genetics predetermines our destiny, and I don't believe we were created by the will of God. And yet, I still believe in God. I don't have a logical explanation for this nor would I want to get into a debate with Christopher Hitchens about it; it really is purely blind faith. I don't think we were divinely created nor are divinely observed/controlled/whatever, but where else am I going to get my source of strength to press on if shit really does hit the fan? Or if I'm skydiving and my parachute doesn't open, or I'm jailed in a concentration camp or held at gunpoint, or my best friend is dying of a terminally ill disease, or some other unlikely event I have no control over? I can look within, but I can certainly look beyond as well. One thing that I don't really understand about evolution is the idea of natural selection, Darwin's greatest contribution. If natural selection helps the preservation of a species by improving genetic traits, how come humans are getting oh so stupid? How is that contributing to our survival? I need to speak with Richard Dawkins on this one (almost done his EXCELLENT new book).

The end is not near.
Yes, I've been learning more primitive skills and reconnecting with the outdoors. And I've been exercising like a fiend not to get bigger muscles, a six pack (though I must admit they are nice side benefits) and to look better but rather to BE better. To be more and need less, that's my journey. As 50 Cent would say, to Get Rich or Die Trying. In my case, when I talk about getting rich, I'm not (only) talking about money. I honestly don't believe disaster will come. Certainly not on December 21st, 2012 like some doomsayers say. And even if the Earth reaches a cataclysmic tipping point, and we get thrown into an ice age or massive earthquakes and tsunamis or World War 3 or hyper inflation causing economic meltdowns or a superflu or some other planetary destroying event(s), the human race will survive. Hell, if that little shit Frodo Baggins can save the world, then anything’s possible right? And you might be wondering, "Well what the hell can I do? I'm just a hobbit...err, human" there's lots. Lots! If teaching is your thing, teach. If music is your thing, sing. If policing is your thing, protect. Do it so damn well that people won't be able to picture you doing anything else. Problems in governments, in corporations, in society are plenty that's for sure, but this will always be the case. There always were challenges and they were always overcome and there always will be challenges. What we need is a shift in human consciousness. But alas, it’s outside of my sphere of influence (for now...muahhaha). I think it’s an exciting time to be alive. I believe cancer and heart disease and AIDS will be cured in our lifetimes. I believe science will be good enough to let us live healthy lives well over 100 (I, for one, plan on living healthily until at least 150). And I'm not talking out of my ass on this. The science, medicine, and technology is happening in labs all over the world this very instant. As an individual and as a man, I cannot, in good conscience, continue down the path I was going. And so I'm not. Don't worry about saving the world, worry about saving for retirement instead you overspending consumer whoring monkeys! Just be mindful that times are changing at a faster pace then ever before in human history, the ones who survive are the ones who can adapt. Newspapers are dead, the web made sure of that. Books are dead, Amazon made sure of that. That's why old people suck (I love blanket statements). They are stuck in their ways. Fluidity, impermanance, and formlessness, like a NINJA. That's how we do!

A note about identities
Many people spend their entire lives trying to find their identity. Some people go to find themselves, whatever that means, but never really do. When something comes along that they resonate with, there is a tendency to cling on to it and refuse to let go. Don't be a clinger. There are a lot of survivalists who really think the end of the world is coming. Vegetarians and organic eaters have an elitist attitude. PETA, Greenpeace, and a whole whackload of others are terribly, terribly misinformed, slow the progress of the very science that can save exactly what they are fighting for, and do more harm than good. Tony Robbins runs a cult. He does, if you see what he does and suggests you do in person it is exactly that. Cult mentality. I still think he's a pimp, but my identity isn't wrapped up in it. Same with fitness, I believe in a certain type of workout and diet that makes sense to me, but I don't identify it as being me. I don't see that very often, usually I see the opposite. Then, when something comes along that shakes up his/her worldview, all hell breaks loose. Don't let that happen to you. Don't be a joiner. Its noble to try and save the world, but really understand what you are doing before actually doing it. What are you saving it from? People want to be a part of something, to connect, to be a part of a community and a tribe. This is evolution at work, this is how we survived. But times are different now. How absolutely rude and insensitive are you do criticize obese people because you lost some weight and are now part of the get fit tribe? Elitist. There are a lot of sharks out there trying to sell you snake oil. Some of these sharks have really nice boobs and wear miniskirts. Others, like Dr. Phil, think they can dissect and solve your life problems after meeting you for 5 minutes in front of millions of people who then proceed to praise him like a god. The Vatican, Monsanto, Google, these giants are not saintly, but they aren't completely evil either. We are smarter than that. Just use that noggin of yours, put that fragile ego down, and go into the new year understanding that you are not your car, your job, what you believe in, and stop with the hero worship and herd mentality. That alone can take you very far.

A message to my friends and family
They say we are the average of our 5 closest friends. And therefore, for me to be better, I need YOU to be better. When I push you, it’s not just because I get a smile when you step up and prove me wrong, it’s also for my own selfishness. I can't do this on my own. I need all of you more than you will understand. I know I'm a little unstable. I know I can be ridiculously unreasonable sometimes, but this is only because I despise second class behaviour in myself, and the people I choose to associate myself with. No snivelling, no whining, none of that garbage, it goes straight to autoignore. I know I drive you guys crazy sometimes (especially my family). And I'd like to say there's a method to my madness, and there is. I just haven't figured out what that is yet :P Your loyalty astounds me and I'm at your greatest honour. If I were you I wouldn't be putting up with my shit, but you do. So thanks and stuff. *eHug*. Onwards, to a new year! Today, is the last day of the decade, adventure waits on the other side!

Influences this year include:
Bloggers: Ramit Sethi, Seth Godin, Tim Ferris, Derek Sivers, Mark Sisson, Leo Babauta

Books: The Primal Blueprint, The Vegetarian Myth, Born to Run, Emergency, A Whole New Mind, Power of Less, I Will Teach You To Be Rich, Crush It, Ignore Everybody, The Paradox of Choice, The 4-Hour Workweek Expanded Edition, The Greatest Show on Earth, Blue Zones

Film: Food Inc, The World According to Monsanto, Collapse, Collision, A Crude Awakening, The Corporation, Fat Head, The Fog of War, King Corn, The Age of Stupid

Other: The Story of Stuff, TED.com, Penn and Teller's Bullshit, Weston Price Foundation, Toronto Survivalism Group, The P.I.N.E Project, Beachbody

All my life I've had weird things happen to me.  I don't know how to describe them any other way.  Some of it has been good, some of it has been bad, some neutral and just odd so I don't know what to make of it.  I'll just stick with weird.  Today has been one of those days.

So as I wrote briefly in my last post, I recently switched from a vegan diet to one higher in saturated fats and lower in carbohydrates.  I've been very interested in the subject lately and from all my reading and research have started to lean on the side that excessive carbs are not that great for you.  One of the people I've been following, Mark Sisson, has been very influential in my beliefs.  He talks about limiting carb intake to 100-150 g a day, and anything below 50 g will take you into a state called ketosis which will help burn fat faster.  Today, I stumbled across an article written by Malcolm Gladwell in 1998 titled 'The Pima Paradox'.  I was ready to skip it but for some reason decided to give it a read.  Usually I give an article a paragraph or two, and if it doesn't catch my attention, I skip it.  Since I'm a fan of Gladwell, I gave it three and was glad I did, because it was actually an article on diet and obesity.  In it, he pretty much bashes the carb idea and the idea that ketosis has anything to do with weight loss and provides 'science' to back it up.  Now Gladwell isn't a health and nutrition expert by any means, but he is a highly intelligent, very interesting thinker.  Which is exactly why I started his book 'Outliers' this morning on a whim even though I have a ton of other ones to go through.  Weird that I would stumble across this article about a subject I've been highly interested in contradictory to what I've started believing written in 1998 by the very author's book in which I just randomly started reading today.

I also have been highly interested in flu prevention and have had some interesting discussions with some people about it.  Last week, AF sent me some notes on an info session he attended regarding fighting flu using natural remedies given by a Chinese herbal medicinal practitioner thingamabob.  One of the herbs she suggests is Astragalus, which is the main ingredient found in a product called 'Deep Immune'.  Today I started to get a scratchy throat so I went to the natural food store and picked up a bottle of it, came back and popped a pill.  As I was eating dinner, I was looking through some shows I have sitting on my computer and randomly decided to pick Derren Brown's The System (for those of you who don't know DB, check him out, he's absolutely amazing).  In this show, Derren Brown claims he has an unbeatable system for horse racing.  He guarantees a win EVERY single time, the odds which are about 1 in 1.45 billion or something close to that.  Its an amazing show and I don't want to spoil it, but before telling you exactly how its done he says the secret is this...grabs a bottle of...yup you guessed it. Astragalus.  I'm like WTF.  Prior to today I didn't even know what Astragalus was.  He then goes on to talk about the medicinal benefits of it and how its actually a placebo. This is the secret to an unbeatable horse racing system?  Yup, believe it or not, he says the secret is your beliefs... Awesome, just dropped $40 on a bottle of placebo.  It wouldn't have been so bad if I didn't know it was a placebo.  Now I have to convince my mind that DB is WRONG for the bottle to be more effective...Not going to be an easy task.  But that's the wicked thing, first contradictory beliefs on ketosis and carbs, then contradictory beliefs on Astragalus.  Another cool thing DB demonstrates is flipping a coin randomly and getting 10 heads in a row.  I'm like tripping out, because I just read about that the other day and before he reveals the secret I'm already yelling it out.  Benford's Law (I even shared it on my friendfeed)!! Weirddddddddddd.

Steve Pavlina talks about the time 11:11.  He even wrote an interesting blog post on it.  Pavlina is as crazy as they get, but I like him.  Basically what he says is if you see the time 11:11, or some weird repeating number like that, the universe is trying to tell you something.  All I can say is I've seen 11:11 no less than five freaking times today.  I've lost track.  First was this morning while doing my Upper Body workout (starting my second week of P90X+).  I RARELY look at the time remaining while I'm working out and today I only did it twice.  The first time was during the Upper Body Plus workout, the second time was after I came home from work and started Abs Core Plus.  Guess what the time remaining each time was?  11:11.  I also looked down at the clock at exactly 11:11 AM, looked at some logs that had timestamps of 11:11 AM, as well as emails and chat conversations with the same.  Honestly though, who looks at the timestamp of an email?  I never do and yet today I did and sure enough, 11:11 AM.  The number just kept showing up, wherever I frigging looked it was there.  I'm sure because I believed it was weird, my subconscious started to seek out the number hence why I saw it so many times today.  Or maybe not.  Who cares.  Its still weird.

I don't know what's going on, but its cool just observing it happen.  Strange things like this happen to me quite a bit.  I wonder if anybody else has had these experiences??  Its kind of like deja vu, when it happens to you you are like woah.  And maybe its my belief that weird things happen to me which causes weird things to happen to me?  Hmmmmmmmmmm.

Claimed to be the hardest workout ever to be put on DVD, the Insanity workout is seriously, seriously intense.  I just finished it and am satisfied with how I did.  Below are my thoughts.

What it is:

Hardcore anaerobic exercises.  Lots of interval training, lots of explosive movement, lots of bodyweight exercises, lots of power, resistance, plyometrics, core and balance work.  Little rest.

What it is not:

Insanity is not an upper body workout.  If you are looking to build up muscles in your arms, chest, and back, I would not do this workout.  P90X would be a much more suitable alternative (another really good/intense program).

Who should do it:

Insanity is for people who are already in shape.  Athletes looking to build their cardio, raise their VO2 Max, increase lung capacity, strengthen their core and legs.  People in the video are Beachbody coaches, spinning instructors, marathon runners, army veterans, b-boys, that sort of thing.

Who should not do it:

If you are looking to get into shape, stay far away from this program.  You will not be able to handle it.  The warm up itself is enough to knock you out.  I know people who can't finish the warm up and it only gets more insane.  You better be damn sure you are already in good shape, P90X grads would fit into this category, people who workout 6 days a week hard would fit into this category.  The New Years resolutioners will need to find something else cause they'll get worked over.  People with breathing conditions like asthma should stay away as well.  Consult your doctor before doing this.  The general rule of thumb is if you think you are even a little bit out of shape, then don't do it.

What you should know:

The claim is it is a 60 day program separated by a month 1 workout plan and a month 2 workout plan, but it isn't.  There is a recovery week in between in which you do a recovery workout in between, so its actually 63 days (I previously said 67, but my math sucks).  So be sure you are committed to 63 days or you won't finish.  I wouldn't advise skipping any days.  If its important to you, you'll find the time to do it.

My thoughts:

For a program called Insanity, it was one of the few things in my life that kept me sane since returning from Peru.  I felt pretty confident doing my first fit test.  I was absolutely exhausted when I finished it, but the numbers I put up weren't that far off from the two people who did it in the video.  That was somewhat promising to me.  The whole premise of the Insanity workout is you work as hardcore as you possibly can for extended periods, and then take a short rest for recovery (its like the opposite of traditional high intensity training where you work moderate for a few minutes then explode for 30 seconds).  As they say in the videos, you really have to dig deeper to do these workouts.  I would say 80% of this workout is mental.  Proper technique is very important in this workout, otherwise you risk injury.  If your form is gone, then stop and recover cause you are done.

The first month of workouts are not quite as long as the second month, and they aren't as tough.  It would feel awkward to call them easier though, because they are anything but.  They still kick your butt hardcore, just for maybe 10 minutes less.  Because of all the hard work involved in the first month, you are much better prepared for the hurting that month 2 brings.  Also of note is I switched from a vegan diet after month 1 to a diet richer in saturated fats and lower in carbs.  That, in and of itself, is probably worth a post sometime in the future.  I'm not really ready to talk about it yet as I am still challenging some of my fundamental beliefs.  How did it effect my performance by switching diets?  It didn't, I still got rocked every workout.

What kept me going was the idea of pushing myself hard.  Shaun T really does a good job of motivating you.  Focus is important, fire in the belly is important, a little bit of anger did me well, and competition helped keep me going.  I was not only competing with myself, but the people in the videos.  It was a very satisfying feeling to see all these super fit people dropping like flies in the video while I was still pushing through and going strong.  It juiced me to know I was right in there with the best of them.  P90X was a similar feeling.  Speaking of which, coming from it I did lose some upper body mass and strength while doing Insanity, but I'll just build it up again now that I'm done.

I worked out in the morning for virtually every workout, except maybe some weekends.  Even though I am more energized in the afternoon and feel stronger, I made it part of my daily morning routine so I would not have any excuses not do it a day.  There was no "I don't feel like it today" days at all.  Every day it was about getting it done and getting it done to the best of my ability.  I remember one particular day I had two workouts to do (they stack ab work on some days), Yoga in the afternoon, then rock climbing afterward.  That was a tiring day, but it needed to get done so it was done.  Even today, I am going rock climbing very shortly but I put my best effort into the last fit test and put up some monster numbers which I'll post below.  It is like brushing your teeth in the morning, just part of a routine.  I have found that to be the best way of sticking to the calendar.

In Closing:

I rocked the CN Tower climb last weekend.  Close to 12,000 people climbed and I looked on Google, Bing, Facebook and Twitter, and could not find someone who posted a faster time then me.  The unitedwayto twitter has me listed as the fastest time of the weekend.  This is despite being tired, fatigued, not fully recovered, hungover, slightly sick, dealing with too many people on the stairs and without a single session of stair training or running.  I would say Insanity had a huge part in that.

Would I ever do the Insanity workout in its entirety again?  No.  It has taken me to new levels but long term I think its too much on a person's body to be doing it 6 days a week.  The individual workouts themselves are world class, and I'll be using them frequently as part of my routine.  But as a regimentation and sticking to the calendar, I think I am done with.  Would I recommend the workout?  Depends on who I am talking to.  I can't suggest it to everyone because it is not made for everyone, but there is no denying the fact that it pushes you to the brink of exhaustion, and in turn, makes you better.

I never thought myself of an athlete because I spent my youth playing video games and eating Big Macs.  But I really can't deny myself of feeling that I got some physical gifts.  My 23andme genetics data says I have the genes of a sprinter.  I'm climbing some of the hardest walls at the gym now.  My old muay thai coach told me to slow down because I was throwing combinations too fast so he could see my technique.  Prof Sylvio Behring singled me out in a group of 30 mentioning how good I was.  My physiotherapist loves working with me because of how easy it is to coach me and how fast I get the exercises down.  I serve better then Rocket and Sunny after only my second time out playing tennis.  My bjj partners have mentioned how strong, explosive, flexible and agile I am on the mat.  Now I have cardio to add to that.  And a nicer looking body to boot.  Some of my old high school buddies are hating on me cause I never played any sports then, but that's just because their best years are behind them and I'm just getting warmed up ;)  So what next?  I am looking to do P90X+ then probably take a break from regimented workouts and start playing on my own.  I am really interested in learning some cool skills like 1 arm pullups/pushups, hand/head stands, and even some breakdancing.  It looks fun at least, right?  I have before and after photos, but they seem a little narcissistic so I won't be posting them.  So instead, here's a picture of a very malnourished vegan me taken in 2007.  Enjoy.

My Fit Test numbers:

Here are my numbers.  I'm pretty proud of my progression.  Because I don't know how to make a table in email, I'll just list my numbers in order for each exercise.  It goes from Day 1, Day 15, Day 36, Day 50, Day 63.  I don't have the number recorded for the low plank oblique on day 1, probably because i was too tired to lift up my body and forgot.

Switch Kicks:  120 - 132 - 130 - 136 - 137
Power Jacks:  54 - 63 - 67 - 75 - 80
Power Knees: 93 - 120 - 126 - 127 - 128
Power Jumps: 60 - 82 - 83 - 89 - 91
Globe Jumps: 14 - 15 - 15 - 15 - 15
Suicide Jumps:  17 - 21 - 24 - 28 - 32
Push-Up Jacks:  33 - 40 - 44 - 48 - 54
Low Plank Obliques: ??? - 100 - 100 - 107 - 131

So I finished the CN Tower Climb for United Way this morning and had a great time!  I didn't quite make my goal of a sub 15 minute time but I was very close.  15 minutes was an arbitrary number I put out there, and I really think I could have made that easily if I had done a few more things right than I did wrong.  My time was 15 minutes and 13 seconds.  That number is not that accurate in my opinion.  At the top, I didn't realize I was done and so I had to fish the timecard out of my pocket and then I had to wait in line for others to get their time stamped.  I probably did get under 15 minutes but its ok, I'm not too worried about it ;)  I stuck around to see what other peoples times were and I only saw two people, a guy and a girl who were together, definitely runners, with faster times than me in the 14 minute range.  As Georges St. Pierre would say, "I am not impressed with your performance." lol.  It was my first time climbing up the CN Tower and if I decide to do it again I will be much better prepared.

I raised $250 so that is pretty cool.  Thank you to everybody who sponsored me, I really appreciate it.  Even the guys I pretty much forced into it lol.  I am still allowed to raise money for the next little while (don't remember the exact date, I think November 20th) so feel free to contribute if you want.  The proceeds go to helping worthwhile programs throughout the city of Toronto.  My sponsor page can be found here http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=779232

Below are my thoughts on what I did right and some advice on what you could do to get the best time possible.  Learn from my mistakes.

What I did right:

Warm up and stretch:  It was pretty cold and windy out today so I really had to warm up and stretch.  Don't skip this or you'll be cramping up.  I saw a number of paramedics helping people out who were experiencing muscle cramps probably because they skipped this part.

Massage:  I really have to thank Johnny Vos at http://www.vosrmt.com/ (Toronto Life named him the best massage therapist in the city here http://www.torontolife.com/features/best-service/) and his team for making sure my muscles were in good shape.  I had a session with him last Friday, one yesterday with Joanne (who is phenomenal as well), and another one on Monday.  It has been a while since I've had a massage and Johnny mentioned how ridiculously tight my muscles were and really helped me loosen them a lot.  Joanne also mentioned she could feel a lot of scar tissue in my hamstrings, I have no idea when I did that I have had so many injuries over the years due to pure ignorance and improper training that I have lost track.

Keep fit:  I am a P90X grad and soon to be Insanity grad and am in, by far, the best shape of my life.  Rock climbing and Yoga have really helped as well and although I have a disc bulge and a disc herniation in my neck, I feel strong enough to give BJJ a go starting in November.  Its been too long and I am itching to get back in there.  General healthy fitness will really help you in your athletic endeavours.

Mental strength:  The mental game to push through your perceived limits is so important in athletic competition.  For the past week I've visualized reaching the top in spectacular fashion and never doubted my abilities for a second.  I've also been using guided Paraliminal meditation to help with peak performance and it has been doing wonders for me.

Hydrate:  Self explanatory.  Just make sure you are well hydrated as you aren't allowed to bring any water with you during the climb.  They have hydration stations before and after the climb.  For myself, I used Vega sport combined with Vega Health Optimizer, mixed with a greens infused liquid, Udo's oil, cacao beans, goji berries, acai, matcha green tea, tumeric, two bananas, a berry antioxidant mix, squeezed lime and lemon, and coconut water.  It really, really helped me recuperate from a mild hangover and tasted delicious.

Enjoyed the view:  It was my first time up the CN Tower and I spent quite a bit of time at the top, really enjoying the spectacular view and cooling down.  I went outside and it was extremely windy and cold but very fun as well.  It was kind of embarrassing that I've lived in Toronto for 8 years and have never been to the CN Tower up until now.  Toronto from above looks pretty awesome.

What I did wrong:

Arrive early:  I got stuck behind a lot of people going up the stairs.  There was a huge lineup to register and a huge lineup for coat check. Even though I got there at 6:45 AM, I didn't get to climb until 7:45 AM and by that time it was already rammed.  I'd suggest going at 5 AM and being ready to climb at 6 AM.

Get adequate sleep:  I have had back to back to back sub 6 hour sleep nights when I am normally used to at least 8.  That will mess up your recovery and rest and energy big time (I definitely noticed this at the beginning of the climb... I was seriously struggling).  Make sure you are well rested and refreshed and energized.

Do not get drunk two nights in a row prior to the climb:  I decided to support my homegirl Heather (http://www.gingermartini.com) in her quest for world fashion domination and sending her off to Vancouver Fashion Week on Thursday night and then Nick and Tina's super fun engagement party last night.  Although I didn't get super hammered I did get drunk enough.  Both nights were fun and I have no regrets, the timing of everything just so happened to be non ideal, but if you can I wouldn't advise doing what I did.

Train properly for it:  I didn't do any stair climbing whatsoever.  Heck, I didn't even do any running.  If you are looking to get a great time then you probably should.  Next time, I will.

Wear good shoes that you have adequately worked in:  I was worried that they weren't going to let me climb with my Vibram Fivefingers, so instead I went out and purchased a pair of Nike Free the day before the climb.  Nike Free is Nike's line of "barefoot" running shoe, and even though they are pretty sweet they are no comparison to the freedom of the Fivefingers.  I definitely should have worked them in more, as I wasn't used to them at all.  Even though they are super light, they aren't nearly as light as the Fivefingers and the cushioning is a lot more than what I'm used to.  My feet felt trapped on the climb and they started to hurt probably with 50 flights of stairs to go.  Not good.  I should have confirmed with the organizers if I could wear the Fivefingers or gotten used to wearing the Nike Free.  I did neither.

Do not get sick:  I have the sniffles, probably because I got pretty wet going to Nick and TIna's engagement party.  My umbrella busted in the windy rain and so I chucked it mid pour.  The sniffles will definitely impair your breathing as it did for me.

Have a support team:  I made it to the top and saw others high fiving each other and getting cheered on by their friends and family before and after the climb.  I had neither.  Schools climbed together as well.  I saw McMaster there, Humber there, lots of elementary schools, etc.  I was like "Yes, I did it!!" then high fived myself.  A couple people stopped to talk to me and say they saw me blazing past them, but that was it.  I would rather celebrate with friends, its more fun and rewarding that way.

Be more aggressive:  This is for charity so people come in all shapes and sizes, not everybody is going for time.  Lots of people would walk beside each other and there was no easy way to get past them.  I patiently waited for my openings but instead I probably should have said "excuse me" a lot more than I did.

Prepare yourself: Stairs are narrow and not wide like I thought, that messed me up because I wasn't able to pass people.  You aren't allowed to bring anything up either.  They say you can bring a fanny pack up to  carry your id but that's ridiculous, who the heck has a fanny pack these days?  It makes sense that you can't bring up your ipod, cell phone, camera or water.  Imagine people dropping their electronics, stopping to take pictures or chat on their phone, or spilling their water on the metal stairs.  It could be disastrous when you are pushing 5000 people up a small stairwell.  There are paramedics at every 10th floor I think, so if you run into any injuries they can assist.  Also, after you are done and your time is punched, there is still another 10 flights of stairs or so to get into the tower, so be aware of that.

I think that's it.  I am happy with my performance and if I ever do the climb again feel I can demolish my time easily with some proper preparation.  I am probably going to catch up on some sleep now then do my Insanity workout for the day.  I have 1 more week to go then I am done with the program, 67 days of pure ...well insanity.  I'll probably post my thoughts on the program and my fit test numbers once I am done.

       

Click here to download:

CN_Tower_Climb_for_United_Way..zip (19211 KB)

Posterous is a really awesome service that I've used for a little while.  I like it, I think I'll be using it for the next little while going forward for some of my personal musings and continue using tumblr (an equally awesome service) for my fun, sharing stuff, because it is so easy and convenient.  You basically just send them an email with pictures or videos and they make a post out of it.

I wanted to add an additional photo that for some reason didn't get sent through on my last posterous post.  I couldn't figure out how to do it after looking through the posterous faq so I sent them an email asking if it could be done. Not long after the co-founder of posterous emails me saying that it currently can't be done but its a great idea and they are looking into it.  How cool is that?  Love the transparency.  Respect.

Life is like a sinusoid..no??? Box of chocolates??  Never mind. Nobody knows the future.  Nobody was given the handbook on how to live life. 

Here's a fable that I really enjoy.  I first heard Eckhart Tolle tell it.  I'm copying it from Derek Siver's blog.

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A farmer had only one horse.  One day, his horse ran away.
All the neighbors came by saying, “I'm so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.”   The man just said, “We'll see.”
A few days later, his horse came back with twenty wild horses.  The man and his son corraled all 21 horses.
All the neighbors came by saying, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!”   The man just said, “We'll see.”
One of the wild horses kicked the man's only son, breaking both his legs.
All the neighbors came by saying, “I'm so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.”   The man just said, “We'll see.”
The country went to war, and every able-bodied young man was drafted to fight. The war was terrible and killed every young man, but the farmer's son was spared, since his broken legs prevented him from being drafted.
All the neighbors came by saying, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!”   The man just said, “We'll see.”

         

Click here to download:

Well_see....zip (19376 KB)

Tis the season to get married!  Had a lovely wedding in Ottawa this past weekend with a lovely couple and a great group of friends.  Tonight I have a wedding reception in Niagara Falls.  If I didn't RSVP to that, it would have been a bachelor party in Toronto.  Next weekend I get a break and will be participating in a 3 day flintknapping workshop (making stone tools and weapons...way too awesome!) and if I'm lucky a lot of Turkey with the family.  The following weekend I am back on the wedding train with a wedding in Toronto.  Then the following weekend I have an engagement party to attend.  Phew, I get tired just thinking about it!

Hmm, what else.  Starting my second month of the Insanity workout on Monday.  I can tell you flat out that it is the most physically demanding thing I have ever done.  But I love it!  After that, gonna startup P90X Plus.

Signed up for singing class.  Lol, I don't know what mind altering medication I was on when I decided to do this, but I must admit the first class was very enjoyable.  I think I am going to learn a lot from this.

Still churning away at MBA applications.  I must say, they do take a lot more work then I had anticipated.  But at the same time, you really do learn a lot about yourself thinking about how to answer these questions for the essay portion.  Its a rather enjoyable experience.

Oh, and I have two cats that are living with me.  One scratches and bites me when I pet her.

Other than that, just counting my blessings.  I have great people in my life, and far too often forget the ridiculousness of my fortune. 

I bring your attention to my right foot, which if you haven't noticed got a lot bigger than my left on the final day's trek into Machu Picchu.  They think I got bitten by a spider.  Serves me right for going au natural and avoiding any deet infused liquid death spray (which I succumbed to anyway as soon as I ran out out of Citronella oil).  Tourists were so enthralled by my Vibram Five Fingers they didn't even notice my grotesquely, morbidly obese right ankle as they snapped away in glee at my shoes, even at one point making me stand on one foot so they could take pictures of the bottom of my feet.  The ankle got a few inches bigger than this before the swelling started to go down.  Homeopathics so did not work for me in terms of not getting bit by tiny, blood thirsty bugs.  If anybody has any non toxic remedies for me to try on my next insect filled adventure, I'm all ears.

Before and After!  In preparation for roughing it out in Peru.  Thanks, David, for shaving it off!

   

Click here to download:

My_precious_hair.zip (266 KB)