Decisions Decisons

One thing that I've noticed over and over again in life, is that decisions get stacked one on top of another.  If you make good decisions early in the day, you tend to continue to make good decisions throughout the day.  This can relate to many things.  If there's that one task at work that drives you nuts, getting it out of the way early in the day will make the rest of the day easy in comparison. 

Similar trends can happen in fitness and nutrition as well.  If you start out early in the day and get a good healthy meal in for breakfast, it makes it easier to resist the temptation in the office through the morning.  By saying "no" to the cinnamon roll bagel and cream cheese left in the conference room.  By passing up on that, you're now more likely to get a healthy salad for lunch and so and and so on.  Good decisions breed more good decisions. 

On the reverse, bad decisions can easily breed more bad decisions.  I've had days when I've been running late, so I grab a sugary gas station cappuccino and a do-nut for breakfast.  Next thing you know I'm eating hot dogs and french fries for lunch and choking down 3 cups of diet soda.  The attitude is always, "well, my day is shot anyway."  I might not consciously do this, but it happens.  By the end of the day, I'm feeling groggy, and craving sugar, fat, and carbs.  Out comes "depressed John" who orders up a pizza and a 2-liter of coke. 

What can you take from this?  First, try to start off your day with a good decision.  Think of the first hour of your day as the foundation for the rest of your day.  Get in that first healthy breakfast, or knockout a workout first thing.  Then your decision making chain is starting to get a few good links in it. 

If you should falter, don't sweat it.  I just had some Mike and Ike's not 20 minutes ago.  A co-worker handed me some and I took a few.  However, I'm not going to let that affect my decisions on dinner and later.  If you do happen to break your "good decision chain," take a moment, realize you did it, and recommit. 

One Man's Primal Journey

Hey folks, my buddy Dan started his journey with "The Primal Blueprint" a few months back.  He's had great success and blogged about it over at his own blog.  Go check it out, here's an excerpt.  Fair Warning: Dan's Blog posts are Long but great!

So how did I get to 197.4? I eat the stuff that I am genetically created to eat. Natural beef, chicken, pork and fish. Fresh organic vegetables, fruits and nuts. Farm fresh eggs (with the yolk!) by the dozens every week. My diet takes in about 20 times the amount of fat that it used to. I ate more fat in April that I did in all of 2009 combined! I avoid ANYTHING process like the plague. By body runs smoothly and without sugar highs and crashes. I eat a lot less. I sometimes go an entire day without eating because I don't crave anything. I listen to my body tell me when I'm hungry, but my energy level is through the roof! My exercise involves frequent walks with my wife, occasional sprint sessions to keep my testosterone levels up, and a general life of physical activity (I like to pick up heavy rocks and see how far I can throw them!). No guilt for not having the motivation to take a 5 mile run when I get home from work at 9:00 pm. No guilt for having a piece of apple pie for desert on occasion. No guilt for not being perfect. Instead, I have a sustainable plan to be a healthy person by making the right choice 80%-90% of the time, and to live a long and active life. I strongly recommend Mark Sisson's book 'The Primal Blueprint' for any of you who can identify with my struggles. Things have got to change.

Dan has really amazed me.   His motivation has inspired me to recommit more to the Primal lifestyle.  Thanks Dan!