Heads up! 30 day challenge starts Sept 12!

So I am an avid reader of Mark's Daily Apple, and part of his blog is an annual 30 Day Primal Challenge. It was what motivated me to really start trying to eat cleaner and give paleo a shot. Well, his annual challenge starts September 12 so I thought I would put this challenge out for everyone who might be interested. You can check out the details on the challenge here!

I encourage everyone to at least check out his website even if you don't join the challenge this time around.  He has lots of information on supplements, workouts, and of course eating healthier.

On a personal note, I would like to thank everyone who supported me and my brother during the 2011 World Police & Fire Games.  I won gold in the hammer and we finished in 7th in the Toughest Competitor Alive (TCA).  We learned a lot and saw some amazing competitors.  They are definitely going to be my motivation during this challenge. It will put me that much closer to where I need to be in two years when we make the trip to Belfast, Ireland.

So get your minds right...six days until the challenge starts!  Keep me posted if you decide to participate.

Day 26- Passing the buck

I get a daily email from "Mark's Daily Apple" and read it religiously. Today, especially, his blog hit home. It was about blaming others, our situations, basically everybody and everything but ourselves for our own problems. Here's a blurb:

"Blame admittedly allows us to languish in the presumed comfort of bad habits. It allows us to wallow in laziness, to accept inertia for the sake of ongoing bitterness."

Wow! I don't tend to blame others but I can't tell you the amount of times I've blamed a situation for my shortcomings. Too exhausted from work to take the dogs out. Too broke to find a gym to swim at. Too busy to cook a healthy meal. Too hot to go for a run. Or my personal favorite: I can eat this (fill-in-the blank fatty/sugary food) because I worked hard today. All lame, no super lame excuses. All are ways for me to pass the buck onto something else since I'm not seeing the results I want in the mirror. All force me back a step (or two) and shake my self-confidence.

So what should I do? The answer is simple though difficult to put into practice. Accept that I am not perfect and that I will hit roadblocks along the way. Some will be self-created and some will be thrown at me by chance. How I recover from these setbacks will be the true measure of my progress.

Mark summed it up well:
"Life, as we will eventually come to understand (hopefully before it’s too late), will never be perfect. It will never be easy. There will always be obstacles, annoyances, and limitations to contend with on the path to health and well-being. Regardless of what our lives look like next to someone else’s, ours is still the one we go home with at the end of the day. Ours is the one we get to live – for all its possibility as well as challenge. What will you make of it today?"