Christmas Feasting...

This Christmas I did something I haven't done, I don't think ever. I didn't care about what I ate or drank.

It happened about a week ago when I made the decision not to care about it, not to dwell on it. Not to beat myself up on it.

On Christmas eve my approach was confirmed to be right when I was talking to my best buddy Al. I was updating him on all the stuff going on in my work life and he said, "how do you keep track of it all?". I laughed and said "this is nothing compared to other stuff I've done".

Then I just got down on myself and said, "man, I feel so fat right now". I didn't catch myself. Then my buddy said, "hell man, who cares, you have so much going on and so much important stuff to focus on the last thing you need to do is add watch your weight to the list". I agreed.

So this Christmas I truly didn't care about my weight, didn't dwell on it once and didn't look back. I ate and drank way too much, I'm sure I'm up probably 5 lbs. So long as I can still do up my pants I'm cool. I'm not buying a new wardrobe.

With all that said I do plan on dropping some weight and firming up.

The issue is not can I, the issue is "why should I?"

Now that might seem a little bizarre to say, but it really means, "what's my motivation and how does that motivation look when visualize it?"

If the motivation is to do an Ironman, the visualization is seeing yourself train long hours and cross that finish line.

I'm no longer motivated to do an Ironman.

I can't do the balanced approach to life thing, I'm not an accountant or engineer. My bent is sales, leadership and doing things to the extreme. Basically I make the impossible possible. It's not part of my DNA to be low key balanced. Trust me, I've tried. It's the old saying, "a tiger can't change it's stripes"

No, the key is to be able to visualize something that fit's my personality that becomes my next goal.

I've been thinking about the ultra running stuff. I like running, but again, it's just like Ironman in that you abuse yourself. Mind you it's less training hours total, but to run a 50 mile race is still mentally and physically tough. The only thing that would possibly attract me to the ultra running is the trails and terrain look beautiful.

In my heart my big goal is to grow my new business. I want to see what I can do with it only 3 years. It's the length of time it took me to lose 50 lbs and make it to Kona. What could I do with the same level of determination? Which I have right now.

So basically what I'm saying is my visualization of being my ideal weight and fit needs to be based on doing the least amount of training as possible.

I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday, someone who's opinion about fitness and diet I trust more than anyone else and he told me at my age it's all about "high intensity, low volume". He said that even 1 minute a day of high intensity, low volume you can get benefit.  I believe that.

My neighbour got into Cross Fit and does it in his garage. It has a couple little kids and very little time. The workouts are short and intense and he's dropped about 20 lbs and looks great.

Not that I'm going to get into cross fit. I've tried that, it's an insane sport, very open to injury, which I did when I threw out my back doing dead lifts.

I did do that Insanity workout earlier in the year, that wasn't bad. It was a challenge and only 30 - 40 minutes a day.

The concept of high intensity, low volume is an interesting one to me. It's completely different than any training I've done in the past, which has all been long and slow.

Now it's just a matter of figuring out which type of training I should be doing? I definitely need to have another conversation with my buddy Gord, the expert.

Then I need to visualize to see if it could fit into my lifestyle. Once I get to that point where I can visualize it fitting into my next 3 years lifestyle then I know I'm onto a winner.

Diet wise it's the same. If I can visualize it as part of my lifestyle I can do it.

The approach I'm taking right now is to empty my head on any past beliefs or others beliefs about diet and exercise and solely be guided by my visualization and intuition. Does it feel right and can I "see" myself following that lifestyle.

So I'm going to tell you a little story that kind of relates.

As all Christmas eve day's I headed out to the mall to buy Alice a Christmas gift. I didn't know what to get. Usually when in doubt get jewelry. You can't go wrong with jewelry. But buying a physical gift just didn't feel right this year.

The more I thought about it I remember Alice telling me that Fleetwood Mac is playing in concert in Toronto this year and she would love to go. We are not big concert people. I think the last concert we went to was over 25 years ago and it was Billy Joel at the Winnipeg arena. I still remember that concert, it was amazing.

So in the mall, I sat down on a bench and started to google Fleetwood Mac. Then realized that they are coming to Buffalo, which is as close for us as going to downtown Toronto. It definitely felt right that getting tickets to Fleetwood Mac would be the best Christmas gift.

Before I left I was thinking I should buy Alice a card, then decided not to. It started off by me just being too lazy and not wanting to read and then stand in line to pay. Then I thought it was a waste of money because you just read it and throw it away, and then I thought, hell, I'll just make her a card. Just like I did when I was a kid in school.

When I got home I spent the next hour or so finding the right tickets. Found a couple on the floor for a good price. Then I got started on making the Christmas card.

Making the card was not as easy as I thought it would be.

When I was a kid and made a card I remember getting lost in the experience. I'd still at my desk or table and have my head down almost sleeping and it was easy, it was relaxing, it was fun. You had to pick the colors to use, you had to think of what to draw and it all came with creative ease.

It wasn't as easy as I remember.

First I had to get some markers and pencil crayons, no problem. Found those easy. Then I got some paper, no problem. Found those easy. Then I had to sharpen the pencil crayons and hunt for the colors I wanted. That's when it started getting hard.

Then just starting to write on the paper it was getting hard. I didn't realize it at the time but immediately I spelt the name Merry and Christmas wrong. Then as you are writing there is so much pressure to make sure you don't make the letters too big and have to start over.

Then you have to think of stuff to draw. It was just not as easy as when I was a kid. Then as I was looking at all the markers and pencil crayons all over the table all I saw was all the work to pick them up and clean everything up.

But I kept at it. It took me about an hour and I was done.

It was not the nicest looking card, but I felt it was better than buying any card as I put some effort into it. I actually cared enough to take the time to do it.

Like I said, it wasn't easy. The equivalent to me would be if I had to spend a morning watching Saturday morning cartoons. I remember as a kid how fun that was. I even remember saying to myself as a kid that when I get older I'm still going to watch cartoons. Then when I got older me and Saturday morning cartoons drifted apart.

What I think was tough about making the card was that you have to give it all up. You have to be in the present. You need to have an open mind and just do in a relaxing way. In many ways I took myself back in time to being a kid again.

I think many moms do or may have had to do that as they play with their kids and get into their world. For me I haven't been in that world for a long, long time.

Maybe that's why people getting into things like woodworking or painting or sculpture or gardening. It makes life a little richer. A little more peaceful.

It's goal less.

I think that's what is most different. In my life I always need a goal and thinking of doing something without an end goal is very different to me. It's way out of my current programming state.

What I do know for certain was making the card was fun. I was so looking forward to Alice opening it on Christmas and seeing her present. It got me more excited about Christmas than I have been in a long time.

I'm sure there is a lesson in this experience if I want to see it.

On the same note, the kids got Alice a present she just loved. They got all dressed up earlier this week and got their picture taken with Santa.

Again, it's those simplest things that take one's time to create that are the most touching.