It’s okay to get a little crazy sometimes. Shoot for an extreme and if you’re self-aware you’ll catch the hints your body gives you to change.

The trick is to listen well enough that you catch problems and can adjust before you’ve pushed too far and need to quit.

Thursdays are typically my “Is this change making me go nuts?” questioning day. I hit a nice even stride this past Thursday and will be changing things up again starting Monday morning. This coming Thursday I’ll discuss the past 72 hours with a friend and figure out if I need to change anything in order to finish the week strong.

Sound crazy? It probably does and I haven’t even told you what I’ve been doing! I’ll tell you soon. Some of it, at least. =)

If you want to get something done. If you want to reach a particular goal. If you want to make something happen.

Don’t be afraid to get your crazy on.

We’re here to cheer for you.

For those of you who’ve been wondering about when challenges will start up again, it seems that most would benefit from another early rising challenge. Perhaps after 3 or 4 of them you’ll be dragging your sleepy butts out of bed on time! I’m game.

Image: Source

By the time you read this, I’ll be gone. It’s something I’ve needed to do for quite some time but didn’t have the heart to talk to you about. I knew you wouldn’t understand. You’d say this is just another of my fascinations and that I’d never actually leave you.

But I have. I’ve left you Priscilla. Ours was not the type of relationship that would have made me into a better person. I was a bigger person for it, sure. But I wasn’t better. You were slowly killing me. Just you.

No, it doesn’t matter that you were one of many. This is about you and me. Not them. Not yet. Their time is coming. I won’t be sucked into yet another sedated goose chase of excuses and limp arguments. I’m not trying to be lazy this time. I’m not trying to suffocate my problems with a soft pillow of food and inactivity.

I don’t have to wonder when good things will start happening to me because I have become one of the good things happening in my life.

When I started writing these letters, I smiled at the idea of using vicious words to describe a painful breakup between longtime partners. I don’t feel that way about you, Priscilla. I’m not angry. I’m not resentful. I had some amazing things happen to me while we were together. I made some great friends, saw interesting things, ate delicious food, and even helped improve some people’s lives.

Now, as I say goodbye to you and think of all the others I already owe letters to, I’m so grateful. I’m grateful for the people around me who loved me as I was and support me in my change. I’m delighted at the progress I’ve made in spite of all the bouts of laziness and inconsistent focus. And I’m so glad for all the opportunities I’ve had to connect with others who pull some bit of inspiration from my stumbles.

Life is good. It’s even better now that I don’t have you, Priscilla.

Dear Monique,

I had myself convinced that we were good together. I took a doctor’s comment that I was “healthy but for the extra weight” and focused on the healthy part. I didn’t feel bad with you but how was I to know any better. We’d been together fo so long! I couldn’t remember what life was like without you.

Even when I began leaving the others it seemed unlikely that you and I would ever part. We hadn’t looked at each other let alone spoken in years. Given my history, you had no reason to worry. I’d never get around to you.

Obviously, I did.

I took you for a final run along the beach. I’m not very fast yet. I don’t stop though and that’s where I keep digging up wins. The new street lights have yet to be completed. My footsteps fell on dark pavement as we moved through the cold air.

I look at the lights across the water. I breathe. I listen to the words of a song for a few stanzas. I breathe. It’s so cold out. I curl my fingers into fists and squeeze my thumbs to warm them. I breathe. It takes so long for me to warm up, I think. I don’t seem to be able to lengthen my stride until nearly two miles in. I breathe deeply. Keep running. Keep breathing. Don’t stop.

I didn’t notice the moment you left.

I was busy breathing.

Michael,

Social pressures can do a lot to help or harm one’s sense of self and subsequent health choices. You were one of the harms.

You were the “friend” who insisted that I wasn’t fat as I continued to gain weight far past any glimmer of possible health. You were the “buddy” who encouraged me to eat more even when I’d said I was trying to cut back. You were the dude who told me that anybody who wasn’t physically attracted to me just as I was didn’t deserve the time of day.

I suppose you were just trying to help. Were you? It wasn’t helpful.

I needed somebody to be concerned about me. It wasn’t like I had an allergic reaction and blew up overnight. It was a process. You saw it happening. When I tried to make changes, you made no effort to help. I didn’t expect you to help but I’d hoped you wouldn’t stand in the way. But you did.

It was my fault that I gained weight. I know that, Mike. It was my fault that I didn’t do a better job of self-regulation and make a difference earlier. I know that.

Still, I ask you. As my friend, why didn’t you say anything? If I’d been snorting coke or shooting heroin you would have done something. I know you would have. But I wasn’t on illegal substances. I was on a Baptist-approved carbohydrate coma that, in some ways, made my life seem easier. You saw what I was doing and yet there was not a word from you!

It’s okay. I figured things out on my own. I shoveled out the embarrassment and uncertainty on my own. I walked alone. Then I started to jog along. I kept going and I was finally able to run. Still alone.

It’s been a few weeks since I knew for sure that you were gone. It’s been a few weeks since I let my real friends know that I was doing okay without you. I’m sorry to get this letter off with such tardiness but it’s not as if you’d care.

You’re just a blob of fat that slowly melted away without leaving any trace beyond my increased desire to put as many lost pounds between you and me as possible. You’re just a memory from a time when I wasn’t as kind to myself or even the people around me.

But now? Now things have changed. I need to work harder and with more consistency but I’m always trending away from you. I’ve kept my eye out for friends who will let me know if they’re worried about me. I’ve surrounded myself with people who want the best for me. They’re excited about what I’m becoming and how I’m making it happen.

While you? You get nothing.

Becoming an early riser isn’t about trading sleep for productivity. It’s about taking back a part of your life by trading tired evening hours for productive and wakeful mornings.

You probably can’t tell your boss that you’ve decided not to work between 9-11am because you need productive time for yourself and personal projects. You’d be laughed at. What you can do is make a habit of waking early and add hours of productivity to your every morning!

Here are just five of the benefits you’ll enjoy as an early riser:

1. Freedom from distractions -

Whether you have a house full of kids or a phone that never stops ringing, the early morning is the best time to escape the distractions of daily life.

2. More time for personal projects -

If you’ve ever wanted to start a blog, save your marriage, write a novel, get more exercise (one of my early-morning heavy-hitters), or paint your kitchen, do it in the morning. You’ll get more done in an hour of early morning productivity than you could ever hope to accomplish in the evening after a long day of distractions.

3. A change in perspective -

Have you ever gone for a swim in very cold water? At first, the temperature is shocking. Then you become accustomed to the coolness and begin to find it refreshing. Getting up early allows you to approach your life with the same technique. Instead of leaping into your day and stroking furiously for the other side, starting early leaves you with enough time to paddle around a bit and enjoy the process of wakefulness.

4. The Sunrise -

I’m entirely with Leo on this point. I’m usually a mile into my morning walk by the time the sun makes it over the horizon. There is no greater primal joy (except holding one’s child for the first time, perhaps) than experiencing the warmth and light of another new day beginning.

5. Starting the day off right -

When you begin your day by acting in a way that says, “I am going to take care of my body, mind and spirit” you set a precedent for the rest of your day.

So how do you become an early riser? Just follow two simple steps:

1. Read 5 Steps To Falling Asleep Easily and practice the steps each evening at a time that will give you plenty of rest before the start of your day.
2. Subscribe to Primal Stride so you don’t miss upcoming articles with great tips to help you start your day with a spring in your step! We’ve already done one seven-day challenge with an early-riser component. Stay tuned for the next!

If you’re already an early riser, sound out in the comments with something you enjoy about the early morning! (And no, staying up until 5am doesn’t count… although it is fun.)

sunrise

When you think of crunches, do thoughts of achievable six-pack abs come to mind? Or do you instead think of the 1980’s and mindless repetitions that never seem to move you closer to your dream stomach?

I’ve asked my incredible Dr. Seuss Rhymster Fitness Homie MizFit to break down how to do a perfect crunch for all of us doing the Double Crunch challenge. (Find her, link to her, follow her, be like her.)

One quote that jumped out at me:

Abs, aesthetically (the look you see in magazines), are made in the kitchen through what you eat and through your cardio — burning off any excess fat.

I’m going to start bringing a yoga mat into the kitchen and do my crunches there. I’d never thought of that! Thanks, Miz!

Seriously though, if your office chair gives you a sore back, a stronger core (mid-section) can help chase away the pain. If you’re constantly running around after your kids, a stronger core will make your day a little easier. The main benefit of crunches (and other core-strengthening exercises) is that they help you get from wake to sleep more easily.

You do not need to be lean in order to enjoy the benefits of a strong core. However, you do need to be lean if you want to have perfect six-pack abs.

If you want perfect six-pack abs, life is a bit more complex for you. You’ll have to deal with your genetic propensity to store fat on your stomach, love for saturated fats, and unwillingness to spend hours exercising each week. Getting perfect six-pack abs, for most of us, is a silly short-term goal because it’s going to be awhile before we’re lean enough to see our abdominal muscles!

What can we do in the meantime? We can focus on building core strength and changing our eating habits from scarfing junk to consuming food the body recognizes as fuel. Those of you participating in this week’s Primal Stride Challenge already know another benefit of core exercises — that ache in your abs serves as a satisfying reminder that you are making a real change for the better!

Thanks to MizFit for showing us how to do a perfect crunch and to YOU for inspiring all of us with your ability to change!

Just a quick note for those of you subscribing by RSS or email. I have excluded the daily challenge updates from the main RSS feed so that y’all aren’t swamped with content related to challenges you’re not participating in. Sound good?

If you would like to subscribe to the RSS feed for daily challenge updates ONLY, do so here. Wondering what that means? Read this.

Thanks much!

Seth

As Franklin said, “early to bed, early to rise…” I’m not sure about his promises of wealth, health and wisdom, but I’m certain that falling asleep early (or at any time you wish) is a key tool for shaping a healthy lifestyle.

Here are five steps I use to fall asleep quickly and easily. The trick is remembering to use them and using them at the right time!

1. Understand your sleep position -

Most of us naturally rest in variations of three positions. The “getting ready to sleep” position (for me, this is on my back), the “sleep position” (on my stomach with arms under pillow, one knee pulled up a bit), and the “light sleep position” (on my side, how I wake up). The next time you want to fall asleep quickly, let your body know you’re serious by moving directly into your “sleep position”. I cut more than 20 minutes off the time it takes me to fall asleep just by using this method.

2. Clear your mind -

Make a conscious effort to clear your mind of any ideas or worries that will keep you from falling asleep. I keep a notebook and pen next to my bed for those stressful nights when I need to physically write things down as a way of “earmarking” my ideas and allowing myself to leave them until the next day.

3. Leverage a memory -

Most of us have at least one memory of a time when we felt wholly relaxed and secure. Once you’re in your sleep position and have pushed away the ideas that get your mind buzzing, focus on your pleasant memory and let sleep find you.

4. Accept delays -

Sometimes sleep just doesn’t come when we want it to. I know I struggle with this at times. Instead of giving up on sleep, move back into your “getting ready to sleep” position. Try reading a book that is interesting enough to follow but not so interesting to keep you reading when your eyelids start to feel heavy. Once you’re feeling sleepy, move back into your sleep position and try again.

5. Focus on rest -

If you continue to have trouble falling asleep, do some research on relaxation techniques and try out the ones that make the most sense to you. Meditation, reading, and daily exercise help me keep my sleep cycle on track but they might not work as well for you. We’re all different (thankfully) and sometimes it takes a little longer to find a personal solution.

“Sleep is the currency of high-performance living” -T. Ferriss

Do you have ever have trouble falling asleep? What’s your favorite solution? Make me sleepy! =)

image: missgong

Dearest Celina,

As I lay on the mattress thrown on the floor of that basement room where water froze if left in a glass overnight; you were there.

When I stared at the tower that comprised a job interview, wondered if I was really afraid of heights, and began to climb; you were there.

When I stepped on a plane to a country I knew nothing about for a job I wasn’t sure I could do; you were there.

As I looked into her eyes and said those three words without knowing for sure what her response would be; you were there.

When I stared into nothing and promised myself that I would begin to care for the body that has carried me through so many experiences; you were there.

When I returned from my walk this morning; you were gone.

If I could be sure of one thing in all my relationships, it is to know that I will never be resented. I do not resent you, Celina. You were there for a reason and it will drive me nuts if I insist on finding an explanation. I can accept your presence in the same way that I delight in your absence. We were meant to be, it’s true. But I’ve found that you never finished the sentence.

We were meant to be… apart.

Goodbye Celina.

If you’d like to support me in my journey, please subscribe to 100 pounds by RSS or email (it’s free) or take a moment to leave a comment. Thank you!

(Five At Five challenge post.)

What’s the big deal about Primal Stride challenges?

Each challenge is only seven days long and has two parts:

1. Exercise – Each challenge will include a physical element. A certain distance to cover, number of crunches, plie squats, or possibly sitting still and watching TV (unlikely).
2. Health – From food to friendship, body image to sleep, we’ll be tackling a different side of health each week!

Instead of trying to make a change for an entire year, Primal Stride challenges will give you the opportunity to try something new for a week. If you like it, you can keep doing it! If not, that’s okay. We’re trying to discover what works for us as individuals, not create another rule book.

HUGE NOTE: This is a community thing. If enough of y’all decide you want to take a week for a single challenge, we can give that a try. I really want to avoid challenges that are directly weight-related though.

What are the rules?

Some general rules:

• Each challenge is seven (7) days long.
• Each challenge will include an exercise and general health task to be completed each day.
• You get one free pass each week to use in case the sky falls and you can’t complete one of your tasks. If you don’t use the pass, it cannot be carried forward to the next week.
• Sign up for each challenge is done by leaving a comment on the challenge post on http://primalstride.com.
• Daily check-ins are not mandatory but strongly suggested. If you are blogging about your experience, make sure to leave a link in your comment so we can come fiiiiind you! If you’re not blogging but want to keep up with each challenge, I’ll be publishing a challenge post each day that you can update with your progress.
• You may customize the challenges to work within the limitations of your life. When you leave a comment to sign up for a challenge, just make sure to include your changes so we can hold you to them for the coming week!

Individual challenge rules trump those listed above in the case of a dispute.

Make sense?

Now, for the challenge:

Primal Stride Challenge 2 – Double Crunch!

Begins: 12:01am Friday, January 8th, 2010

Ends: 11:59pm Thursday, January 14th, 2010

THE CHALLENGE:

Exercise: 250 crunches per day. Split them up however you like. 250 crunches every 24hrs will do it.

Health: Eat a different green vegetable each day. Suggested modifications include eating a different fruit each day or preparing a green vegetable in a different way each day. It’s up to you! Be creative!

Remember: You can customize the food and amount of crunches to suit your needs. Just make sure to include the changes when you sign up by leaving a comment!

Please remember, Jell-O is NOT a vegetable no matter how green yours might be.

THE RESULT:

It’s possible that by day 7 you will either be grinning or groaning. Perhaps both. No matter how you feel, if you are able to complete this challenge you will have solid proof that you can follow through on things you promise yourself.

Additionally, you’ll meet other cool people, perhaps make a new friend, and have joy in the knowledge that you’ve made a real effort to improve your health.

Will you join us?

Update: I misspoke in the video and said the challenge started on January 7th when I should have said the 8th. Sorry about that!