Fitness Motivators

I’m changing my fitness motivators!

It’s time to change my fitness motivators in time for summer and bring heat to my workouts to lose body fat while gaining muscle and strength to crush my fitness goals.

I’m constantly changing my routines and fitness motivators.  I’ve endured many Spartan races, Tough Mudder’s and a few Half Marathons over the years and now it’s time for change.

I get bored quickly and repetition is NOT my motivator.  My boredom is not tied to just to fitness.  I’ll change from writing songs to music production, photo shoots to video editing . . . rinse and repeat!

I even change my diet and nutrition often . . . curiosity is my muse.  I have a blog draft on this subject of curiosity. Coming soon!

I ran the Spartan World Championship (15 miles of high altitude & brutal obstacles) six months ago and since then, I haven’t been working out with weights.  The main reason is due to shoulder and elbow injuries.

Since then I “trained” for the San Diego Half Marathon & Temecula Half Marathon.  But I didn’t train too much for the SD Half due to lots of air travel and a heavy workload.  I averaged 9 miles a WEEK over 14 weeks!  Can you believe it . . . I ran my best race ever with a PR time of 1:56:59.

One thing I’ve noticed while only running longer distances vs. adding fitness exercises like HITT training and weight resistance, is that I’ve gained weight.  And since I haven’t been lifting weights I have not gained muscle; I’ve gained 10 pounds of fat!  You need well-rounded training and fitness routines to see improvements in your health goals.

As a reminder, fish is my only non plant-based protein.

So what will change?

I’m going back to a 5×5 weight training routine.

I challenged myself in 2014 to gain some muscle mass while maintaining a lean physique.  And I did it!  Read about it here and see a photo.

My motivator will be physical change and not a PR or a 10 foot wall to leap over.  I have 90 days to see any change in my body’s shape . . . fat to fit!

I’ll try to write a couple of blog posts about the transformation while posting updates on my Facebook Fitness Page.

In the meantime, here is a short video I made after yesterday’s HITT training session.  Please comment if you have questions.

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Raw Food, Vegetarian Diet

I’ve decided to dive a little deeper into the vegetarian lifestyle; or should I say “plant based” lifestyle?

This is a perfect week to begin a raw food,vegetarian diet since my wife’s gone and I won’t be tempted to eat foods other than fruits and vegetables.  No being wooed by the smell of turkey pasta sauce filling the house at night.

So the idea is this, and I’ve read about it in the book Alive! by Brian Rossiter; you just eat fruits and vegetables. LOL And there is no cooking! I absolutely love this idea and I’m onboard to give it a shot. The thing is that you have to eat massive amounts of fruits and veggies to consume enough calories.  So, finding a wholesale fruit and vegetable market is a must.  But living in Southern Orange County, that should not be a problem.  There are some great vegetarian restaurants in this city too!

I’m kinda stoked about this vegetarian journey. I have no idea what to expect but I’m gonna try it for a week.

I started yesterday with my first banana and romaine salad smoothie. It wasn’t bad tasting but I should have put ice in it. Nothing like drinking warm bananas.  The recipe called for 8 to 10 bananas!!!  Haha . . . sounds crazy, huh?  I shared the raw food, vegetarian diet concept with my son and he said, “That’s ridiculous!”  And I gotta say that it does seem a bit much but I’m pumped to try it!  I only added 3 bananas to the blender and a 1/4 pound of romaine lettuce (4 ounces), which turned outto be about 6 romaine leaves.  And I added 8 oz of water. I purchased a Ninja blender! It’s so cool and it blends my food quickly. You need the right tools do get the job done, right?!

For 20 years I have not eaten beef or pork; I’ve only consumed fish and chicken. I never missed beef and pork from the day I turned my back on that food. I don’t think I’ll miss chicken either BUT I may miss seafood if I choose to go 100% with this new lifestyle. I love me some good quality sushi.

I’m not sure if I want to eliminate coffee and alcohol . . . but, this is a journey and a lifestyle change that will develop over time, if I even chose to continue to pursue a vegetarian lifestyle.  I’ve eliminated coffee and alcohol in the past and I never felt any difference in my health.  I stopped drinking coffee for a year.  And I stopped drinking alcohol for 6 months. I didn’t experience any positive or negative effects. The only effect I felt from not drinking alcohol was the passing of melancholy at a faster rate. Strange, huh?

To start, I’m thinking I’ll eat raw fruits and vegetables for two meals, breakfast and lunch, and then introduce grains and foods like lentils and tofu sausages. But eventually I’ld like to go completely raw fruits and veggies!

It’s going to be a challenging diet when I travel though. I don’t really want to bring my blender with me, but I could.  But I won’t.  LOL

I’m off to make a mango and romaine lettuce smoothie! We’re talking 3 full mangos and a 1/4 pound of lettuce Yum!

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Athletic: Stretch

Stretching his hand up to reach the stars, too often man forgets the flowers at his feet.
 ~ Jeremy Bentham

From Self Portrait Journal - 52 Project

The 12th photo entry for my weekly Self Portrait Journal. A 52 week glimpse into the attributes of James Olmos.

Week Twelve - Athletic: Stretch

There's a few sub attributes in my Athletic category. I thought it would be appropriate to begin with "Stretch".

To lay our bodies close to the ground - upon the earth, cement, dirt, carpet or gym floor creates a connection to basics. We find ourselves humbled as we bow, bend and find belief in the basics of presence. As for me, I find myself, eyes closed, breath calmed and concentration focused on the moment . . . the stretch.

Rant and Side Note:
This photo should post under my "humor" category" since it looks like I have midget legs! This is the result of my creative process as I learn how to enjoy the different pixel abusing techniques. Don't judge - I'll get there soon enough :)

Life isn't about reaching goals it's about finding peace during the journey. I put my shit out there whether it's good or bad because I'm at peace with my creative moments. Let it all go and love yourself today.

And this is love . . .

At the end of the day all that really maters is love.

We come and go. We dine and cheer. We give and receive.

Did we love? This is what carries over . . . love.

The Dissonant Key

At times we can feel dissonant like a single, out-of-tune piano key. We struggle to resonate in brilliance and to bring a presence of value back into our lives.

Maybe we've been played too hard or have been abused by a hand that once moved gently but has since turned harsh. Or maybe the maestro has passed, leaving only the coldness of ivory as we long for his passionate touch to dance over us again.

Regardless, even being slightly out-of-focus or mildly out-of-tune is enough to make us mute our melody, because we hear the false perfection of the other piano keys dancing and bouncing rhythmically. We judge ourselves in the light of their song.

While our song sounds sad . . . always.

What if we embraced our dissonant sound? What if we turned up the volume of what we perceive as imperfect?

Our song is valuable and the dissonant key resonates regardless of judgment. Be differently beautiful . . . be your own song.

This is a photo I took of an old piano that was bound by a chain in a park in Washington State. You can view more of my photography on Flickr.

Sound Engineer

i love you i hate you

A love–hate relationship is an interpersonal relationship involving simultaneous or alternating emotions of love and hate – something particularly common when emotions are intense.

The term is used frequently in psychology, popular writing and journalism.  It can be applied to relationships with inanimate objects, or even concepts, as well as those of a romantic nature or between siblings and parents/children.

Wikipedia ~

The 11th photo entry for my weekly Self Portrait Journal.  A 52 week glimpse into the attributes of James Olmos.

Week Eleven - Sound Engineer

I love writing songs.  I hate recording.  The sound engineer hat fits uncomfortably on my head and so I don't enjoy wearing it.  It means that I have to sit for long periods of time, listening to my voice, guitar and recording mistakes over and over and over and over . . . I have to learn about mixing, mastering and monitoring sound.  I hate it.

I just want to write songs . . . I'm a songwriter . . . (fine!) and a sound engineer (sometimes).

From Self Portrait Journal - 52 Project

Listen to my "Take One Project" @ www.jamesolmos.com where I simply hit record and sing, then with minimal editing, post to Soundcloud.

Dreamer

This thought I seed
In fertile matter
Though grey it lies
Endures the chatter

Speaking of hope
Romancing the day
A dreamers note
Soon will play

by James Olmos ~

The 10th photo entry for my weekly Self Portrait Journal. A 52 week glimpse into the attributes of James Olmos.

Week Ten - Dreamer

We march forward with thoughts and ambitions. We secure hope in the matter of truth while light frees our conscious. Allow your dreams to live in light

From Self Portrait Journal - 52 Project

Take action to your dreams, allowing forever to consume today.