Welcome to 2012! I hope everyone reading had a safe and eventful New Years, filled with friends, family, and if you’re like me….an epic piece of Oreo cheesecake.
Unlike past New Years together, Lisa and I opted to eat dinner early (in Boston’s historic North End), and head home to watch the ball drop on television. Neither of us made it that far, though, and we were both passed out in insulin coma by 10:30.
And they say romance is dead?
Nevertheless, it’s a new year, and as a result, it’s resolution making time.
It’s a bit cliche, I know. And maybe even a touch rudimentary. But at the end of the day, people tend to stay more accountable when they write things down, myself included.
So, with that, assuming the Mayans aren’t right and we’re all going to perish in a firestorm of Apocalyptic epicness, here are my resolutions for the upcoming year.
1. Stop Using the Word ‘Epic’ So Much.
I used it twice in the introduction alone for crying out loud, and that’s just unacceptable. I think the best way to approach this is to set some rules for myself and lay out some general guidelines for it’s usage.
Eating cheesecake = no so epic.
Salma Hayek’s cleavage on the other hand = epic epicness to epic degree.
From now on, unless something rivals Salma’s cleavage, it’s not epic. Point. Blank. Period. I……can’t……stop…..staring
2. Operation Hydration!
I don’t drink nearly enough water throughout the day, and there’s no doubt in my mind that it effects my performance in the gym, as well as my energy levels throughout any given day. Water comprises 75% of our body and 85% of our brain, and it’s borderline criminal how little of it I drink. While there are a million and one benefits to staying hydrated, the one’s that pop into my mind right off the bat are:
- Drinking water enhances fat loss
- Water helps to lubricate joints and ease joint pain
- Look Younger – Drinking water hydrates your skin
- Reduce Blood Pressure
- Improve Bowl Movements
- Improve performance. Even low levels of dehydration have physiological consequences. A loss of 2% bodyweight (just 1kg for a 50kg person) causes an increase in perceived effort and is claimed to reduce performance by 10-20% A fluid loss exceeding 3-5% bodyweight reduces aerobic exercise performance noticeably and impairs reaction time, judgement, concentration and decision making – vital elements in all sports.
In addition to the above, water also: acts as a solvent for nutrients; aids in digestions and absorption; transports materials throughout the body; eliminates toxins and waste products; and regulates body temperature.
In short, it’s kind of a big deal to not only get hydrated, but to STAY hydrated.
Worse still, I’m constantly telling our athletes and clients how important it is to get enough water, and here I am barely drinking enough to keep a hummingbird alive.
The tipping point came a few weeks ago when I went to deadlift and couldn’t perform three reps with a weight I normally crush for 6-8. Not only that, I went to the bathroom in the middle of the day and my pee looked like battery acid. Not good.
To that end, in 2012 it’s my goal to be one hydrated bastard, and bring a whole new meaning to the term “pissing excellence.” HA! See what I just did there? CP’s (unofficial) slogan is pissing excellence. And if I drink more water, I’m going to have to pee a lot. Sooooooo, yeah……..that’s what I like to call word play.
For starters, every morning, the first thing I’m doing is pwning a 32 ounce glass of water with a scoop of Athletic Greens.
Secondly, Lisa got me a ginormous kanteen that I can fill with water and bring to work with me everyday.
Here’s a picture I took of it this morning. As a frame of reference, I set my little ninja powerstick thingamajig next to it so that you could see how big the kanteen actually is.
1-2 of those per day, on top of my morning water consumption, and I should be all set. Bring it on!
3. Improve My Writing Skills
To quote Napoleon Dynamite: girls only want boyfriends who have great skills. You know, like nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills…….
Likewise, girls want boyfriends who can write coherent sentences and can differentiate between stuff like you’re/your, to/too/two, there/their/they’re, effect/affect, and throw in a few fart jokes here and there for comedic effect (<—– see! Effect. I got it right!).
As it stands now, I’ve been writing this blog for about four years (closing in on 900 posts) and have written like 50 or so articles for various websites and magazines. And while I can safely say my writing style has improved in that time frame, I still feel there’s room for improvement.
Writing is something that’s very therapeutic for me, and is something I thoroughly enjoy doing. Too, it’s also something that drives me batshit crazy, and can also be incredibly frustrating at times.
As an example, it’s not uncommon for me to nitpick over every sentence (sometimes every word) I write. I’m one of those writers who has to finish one paragraph before moving onto the next, and it’s not uncommon for me to want to throw my face into the keyboard when I can’t make things “jive” or come together the way I want them to.
As a result, I’m constantly trying to find ways to make my writing process more “organic,” and it’s definitely been a labor of love in doing so.
Moreover, even if I proof read and try to weed through the “clutter” with a fine toothed comb, I always end up with any number of grammatical errors or boo-boos that make me look like an idiot.
Note: case in point, I’m writing this very sentence about eight hours after posting this blog, and already found like five major mistakes.
As such, I’ve taken it upon myself to start reading more books on writing. Some gems that I recently finished:
It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences – by June Casagrande
The Elements of F*cking Style – by Chris Baker and Jacob Hansen
On Writing Well – William Zinssner
The latter of which I’m currently reading, and it’s rocking my world! Absolutely amazing.
Additionally, and even more exciting, is the fact that I also signed up for a Creative Non-Fiction writing class that starts in two weeks.
There’s a really popular community education center here in Boston, and on a whim one day, I checked out one of their pamphlets and saw they offered numerous writing classes for a reasonable price. I figured “what the hell,” and signed up for an eight-week class.
I’m nervous, but also really excited to see what I’ll learn. I’m pretty sure I’ll have the Pulitzer in the bag this year, easy.
4. Train My Glutes to the Point Where They Have Their Own Area Code
This one is pretty self explanatory.
5. Spread My Wings
Whenever I’m asked whether or not I’m going to write an e-book or do more speaking engagements, I usually just say something along the lines of, “hahahahahahaha. Me? Write a book? hahahahahaha.”
I’ve been perfectly content writing articles, and taking part in a business that’s constantly growing. Sure, I’ve done a few speaking engagements here and there. But speaking in general terms, public speaking – at least for me – is about as much fun as washing my face with broken glass.
Most of the problem, however, is just me being lame and being afraid to step outside my comfort zone.
I took a HUGE leap forward this past year is co-contributing to Muscles Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body.
This year, I plan to REALLY take it to the next level and throw myself into the ring. I’ve already committed to heading up to Canada later this year to speak alongside my MIRU cohorts – Dean Somerset, Rick Kaselj, and Dr. Jeff Cubos.
Likewise, while it’s still in the initial stages of planning, I’ll also be presenting at a “yet to be named” Fitcast event alongside Kevin Larrabee, Jonathan Fass, Leigh Peele, and Cassandra Forsythe.
Whether or not I’ll actually pony up and attempt a solo project remains to be seen. Regardless, 2012 is shaping to be an EPIC year (sorry, I couldn’t resist).
Alright, now it’s YOUR turn. What are your resolutions for the New Year?
