30 Days To X

The days keep changing, will you?

Contrast hydrotherapy

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“Due to a life of training and playing, I seem to spend half my time in the shower”

– Jonny Wilkinson

[Warning: contrast hydrotherapy can be dangerous. Consult the proper medical authorities before you try it.]

When the cold water hits, I start gasping for breath. For a brief moment it feels like I’m drowning. The sensation of death lasts only a minute, replaced with a new feeling; one of power and clarity. Hypothermia should never feel this good.

A few months back, I read about a branch of medicine known as hydrotherapy (the use of water to treat disorders). From what I read, the treatments had amazing benefits; from improving circulation to curing depression. I wanted to try find someplace that offered hydrotherapy, but figured that each session would cost a small fortune. Never the less, I dug deeper.

It turns out all of us already have access the greatest hydrotherapeutic device of all… a shower. That’s it. You don’t need to buy anything extra, or visit an expensive clinic.

The most basic form of hydrotherapy, and the one I recommend starting with, is the contrast shower.

To preform a contrast shower, you simply need to follow these steps:

  • Start by taking a normal hot shower
  • After a few minutes, gradually turn the heat down; until water is pleasantly cool
  • Rinse in cool water for one minute, before turning the temperature back up
  • Alternate between warm and cool water for the next five minutes, make sure to end your shower with cool water.

Once you get used to taking contrast showers, I recommend  increasing the temperature change to drastic extremes (i.e. the hottest water your shower will produce, followed by the coldest). Doing so will greatly increase therapeutic benefits.

(Unfortunately this was the only in-depth contrast shower video I could find.)

Become an environmentalist

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“Environmentalist: one concerned about environmental quality especially of the human environment.”

– Merriam-Webster Dictionary

I hate working out at home, it takes too much discipline. No matter where I exercise, there’s always some form of distraction within arms reach: Netflix, Minecraft, Reddit, etc… Ninety-nine percent of the time I quit my routine to waste time with one of these diversions. Since I already know that my home is a bad work out environment, I always go to the gym. You can find me there five days a week.

At the gym there are no distractions. My phone never comes in with me, and I have nothing to do but focus on my lifts. When I feel like “I’ve done well enough” and can call it quits, I look over at the super ripped old dudes and remember that they warm up with my max outs. Realizing how comparatively weak I am helps drive me to put in extra work.

Likewise, whenever I feel smart I go hang out with super nerds. I do this for two reasons: because it reminds me that I’m still a moron; and because, whenever I hang out those guys, I learn something. I’ve also been trying to befriend as many successful people as I can, so that I can be positively influenced by them.

I know dudes who do nothing but play video games and complain about how much their lives suck. Don’t get me wrong they’re cool dudes and are fun to loaf around with, but compared to them I’m the smartest and most ambitious guy on Earth. Hanging out with them would boost my ego like no other and I’d eventually stop trying to improve myself, figuring that “I’d done well enough.” Because of this, I avoid spending time with them.

You are the product of your surroundings. If you want to change yourself, you must change your environment. And to do so, you’ll need to make sacrifices as well as additions.

One week in…

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“Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.”

– Fitzhugh Dodson

This is me on the first day of my challenge, right before I went to the gym:

Day 1

I’d show you a picture of me now, but it wouldn’t look any different.

Nothing has changed.

I didn’t swole up over the span of a week and I probably won’t by the end of the month either.

But that’s okay. Eventually change will come and I’ll get bigger.

How do I know?

Because I used to be flabby and gross looking, until I spent a year eating right and doing basic exercises. Now, instead of looking like a human Chicken Mcnugget, I’m lean and trim.

As long as I’m patient and put in work, I’ll achieve my goal.

Progress is slow and everything good takes time.

 

I am a juicer (and so can you)

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“One of the five most common questions about juicing are cost related. I could answer those questions by sharing that juicing is an investment in your health, and that your health is the most valuable asset you will ever possess. I could tell you about the numerous rich men who wish they could return to their 20’s to eat right. I could say that juicing is actually less expensive than Starbucks. But that would be a bit preachy, wouldn’t it?”

– Juicing For Men

 

Everyday when I get home, I fire up my Hamilton Beach Juicer and refine a massive glass of grade-A fuel (i.e. kale-carrot-lime juice) for myself. While I drink it, I can actually feel my body detoxifying and my mind becoming more focused.

Yeah I know, roll your eyes and groan “placebo effect.” You’re already healthy enough and eat plenty of vegetables. Plus, look at all those Web articles that expose juicing as nothing more than a costly fad. It’s obviously a waste of time and should be avoided.

Wrong.

How do I know? Because I used to think the exact same thing, until I set aside my ego and actually tried it.

Juicing, unlike eating regular vegetables, causes the body to undergo cellular cleansing. This process allows the body to detoxify and regenerate itself in an efficient and rapid manner.

Since I’ve started juicing I haven’t gotten sick, haven’t had acne, developed healthier looking skin that has a radiant glow, and feel much more alert and intelligent.

And my experiences aren’t unique.

According to author and nutritionist Scott Ohlgren:

“A cleansed liver is a felt sensation. Improving its function seems to affect everything, from mental clarity and focus, to emotions, to sleep, to how stress is handled, our digestion, our skin, even how we perceive and deal with-at least in my experience-relationships! Sometimes I think the word “juicing” is the wrong word. We should just call it “Liver Desludging and Overall Life Enhancement Liquid.” Liver detoxification is so important, and nothing comes close to it like the juice of raw vegetables.”

Obviously I can’t convert you to a believer, so anyone still not interested in juicing can skip the rest of this post.

For those of you still here, I have some advice:

See if someone you know owns a juicer and try it out. If you don’t like it, you won’t be out anything.

But if you do like it…

Buy the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor, this is the exact juicer I own and love. For the money, costing less than a video game, it’s a fantastic buy.

Check out Juicing For Men, the best juicing site I’ve ever seen. Unlike most juicing sites, the author provides information and advice in a practical and easy to understand manner (void of the typical tree hugging mysticism that pollutes most juice blogs). When I first started reading this site as I was a bit overwhelmed at the sheer quantity of information, so I recommend beginning with this post and then reading through these.

As great as Juicing For Men is (and trust me, it’s pretty damn awesome), you should probably pick up a book or two on juicing. I just ordered Total Juicing (which I’ve heard great things about), and I also own The 28-Day Cleansing Program.

Most importantly, you should start juicing everyday. When I began, I’d make the following recipe:

  • 4 carrots
  • 1″ piece ginger
  • 1 cup pineapple
  • a handful of Italian parsley

I drank that everyday for several months, before switching to the more nutrient rich (and less tasty) recipe of:

  • 6 carrots
  • 1″ piece ginger
  • 1 lime (peeled, otherwise you will break the juicer)
  • 1 bunch kale

It’s been close to a year since I first started juicing, and I’ve felt tremendous improvements in both my mental and physical health.

If you have any additional juicing related questions feel free to leave a comment, or send me an email.

Staying on my grind

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“By Brodins Lats!”

-r/SWOLEACCEPTANCE

[Spoiler alert: I actually started this challenge two weeks ago, but I’m just posting about it now. I wanted to let you know, in case you actually thought I was tired of exercise two days into my routine.]

In order to not get burnt out from lifting, I’ve begun to develop some habits that make my workout more enjoyable.

After every session at the gym I like to look at a particular photograph from back when I was a super dweeb (read: braces, bowl cut hair, skinny-fat, sloppy attire) and then spend a few minutes flexing and checking myself out. Immodest narcissistic bragging? You bet. Warranted? You bet. I’ve put a lot of work into getting in shape and eating healthy, I deserve to show off a little.

Another trick that I’ve employed, is to read from an Inspirational book whenever I don’t feel like giving my one hundred percent. On a similar note, I subscribed to r/GetMotivated and usually read a few posts before going to bed.

Trap

To stay focused beforehand, I’ve been avoiding the internet until after I’ve met all my daily goals (exercise and otherwise). Only being able to go online once I’m finished with work is also a huge motivator for me to stop procrastinating and get the job done.

I’ve also started watching a different sports movie every Wednesday.  Doing so helps to remind me that if I suck at something now, the reward of mastery will only be that much greater (seriously, think about how boring Rocky would be if Sylvester Stallone had started out awesome and won without ever having to train or exert himself).

Lastly, I’ve subscribed to r/SWOLEACCEPTANCE both for laughs and to be inspired by the dudes posting their stories.

I’ve found that by implementing each of these slight changes into my life, my focus and ambition have remained strong and my want for achievement has increased dramatically. In fact, I’ve even found myself headed to the gym on my “free days” and putting in extra effort with my workouts, all because of how strong my pursuit for success has become.

Stay tuned for my next post, I think you’ll get a lot out of it…