This. Sounds. Magical. - Bestselling author Joe Konrath goes on a '30 Day Beer Diet.'

His blog is here - 30 Day Beer Diet, and his disclaimer alone should let you know what you're in for: "...let me add a disclaimer here. 

• You should never begin any diet, especially this one, without first consulting your physician, your astrologer, and all your pets.

• The consumption of alcoholic beverages has been linked to many health problems, such as death, and if you drink to excess you will likely start acting like an asshole. 

• Pregnant women shouldn't get really loaded and then operate heavy machinery, because that increases the risk of birth defects, and you may wind up running over or mulching lots of innocent nuns. 

• Over-indulgence in beer may lead to you hooking up with someone who looks like a wildebeest, but you won't know know it until the next morning. 

• Beer can lead to explosive diarrhea, especially in combination with Mexican food, which might lead to divorce. 

• Finally, if you try to be like me and do this, you're an idiot and whatever happens to you is your own damn fault."

"Minor Heroic Acts."

Facebook'ing 101.

Truth.

Training.

1/11 - AM 20m rebounder, 2x3m rounds shadowboxing 2x3m rounds heavy bag Bas Rutten MMA Workout/Boxing - PM PruFit circuit x3 [1m air squats/1m mountain climbers, 1m jump rope, 1m run] - started GTG protocol for ring dips, elbow in pullups, grip compressions
1/10 - lat pulldown 3x8, band/tri pulldown 3x8, wrist curls 3x12, rebounder 10m, yoga Rodney Yee beginner power yoga/flexibility

This was pretty funny -- Why the Fuck Am I Still Talking About CrossFit? | Forging Elite Sarcasm by Drywall:
"...Any pro-kipping argument involves “increasing work capacity” or some bullshit. Fact: the workout calls for a shit-ton of pullups and you’re goddamn weak, so you cheat. I’m not judging you, cheating is the shit. I’ll cut every goddamn corner I can. But let’s call a spade a spade. I’ll quit bashing it if you just own the fuck up already."

[Yes, "gay" as a pejorative is wrong in any serious context.  That's still a funny visual.  

...I'm not enlightened, I'm a work in progress.]

"Tire Changing Level: ASIAN."

That's just funny.

Not completely wrong.

Training.

1/9 - AM goblet squat 3x8, wg neck press 3x8, laterals 3x8, seated db curl 3x8, 10m rebounder - PM 5x2m rounds shadowboxing, 5x2m rounds heavy bag, Bas Rutten MMA Workout/Boxing
1/8 - 25m yoga - Rodney Yee Power Yoga/Flexibility
1/7 - 30 reps total/multiple sets - pullups, dips, chins, pushups, hyperx, band dislocates & chest pulls/pullaparts

Love, love this - Ripped & Fit : Actual Conversation I Had After New Year's:
"Yo-Yo Dieter: How do I lose weight and get into shape for 2012?

Me: First, clean up your diet. Eliminate all refined carbs (bread, pasta, sugar, etc). Eat more fresh veggies (broccoli, spinach, string beans, etc). Eat lean sources of protein (white meat chicken, turkey, white fish, lean cuts of beef, egg-whites, etc). Eliminate your intake of processed/fried foods (fast food, frozen dinners, prepackaged meals, etc). Eat 5 small meals/day. Always eat breakfast, then eat every 3-4 hours after. Try to only drink water. No soda, fruit juice, high-calorie coffee drinks or alcohol. Next, exercise 5-6 times/week. Find an activity that interests you (running, skating, biking, weight training, group fitness classes, Crossfit, martial arts, pilates, yoga, workout DVD's, dance, etc) and do it about 1 hour per day. Vary your workouts so you don't get bored. Keep challenging yourself so you gradually improve your performance over time. Take pictures & measurements of yourself every 30 days to track your progress and keep yourself motivated. Surround yourself with like-minded, positive, supportive people who are on the same journey as you. Research/read/learn as much as you can about nutrition, exercise, physiology, etc. There are unlimited resources online regarding fitness, healthy eating and fat-loss. Don't pretend you can't find them. Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night. Do this consistently for 2 months. Take a week off then hit it again, even harder, for another 2 months.

Yo-Yo Dieter: Hahaha! LOL! No, but seriously, how do I fit into a bikini by Spring Break?

Me: Goodbye."

Awesome - Bodybuilding.com - Body Transformation

[Not a] New Year's Resolution - The "Weekend Luddite" Variation.

Pic via

Since, obviously, it's a good week and a half after the New Year it can't be a New Year's Resolution, and it's something that's just been percolating in my brain pan the last day or so...  though honestly it's been looming in the background for some time.

So, how this came about...  I picked up a sledgehammer over the holidays to add some old school conditioning into our group PT workouts, since we've a tire we steal from the Marines on some days.  And swinging a hammer is some kick ass, old school training that I last did at one of the dojos I hit up on on occasion in Japan.  Besides hitting things, I did some Google'ing about to see what else I could use it for, exercise wise.  I already knew that sledges lent themselves to other old school training ideas like macebells, Indian clubs and strongman lever work, but I always like to research something to death [analysis paralysis, anyone?]  Anyways, had remembered reading about the shovelglove a few years ago.  Guy wrapped up a sledge and worked a variety of functional movements into an exercise protocol.  Clever and pretty smart.

Clicking around on his site he's come up with a number of cool behavioral hacks he's consolidated under the umbrella of "Everyday Systems."  [His "No S Diet" is pretty damn smart as well.  He even got that one published out in the "real world."]

But the one that caught my eye was 'Weekend Luddite' - which addresses the problem of "fritter[ing] away endless hours in front of the computer."  Hello kettle, I'm the pot.  We're both very, very black.  Nice to meet you.

Ever since, well, the invention of the internets, my capacity to settle in front of the computer screen and click endlessly from link to link to link, constantly trying to find and learn about that one last thing that will get me to the end of the internet...  it's remarkably easy for me.  And in some cases - like weekends when I was living as a geo-bachelor in Japan my 18 months, when I could settle in front of a high speed connection with a couple bottles of Asahi Super Dry and a double order of karaage from the local conbini... - in those cases that ability to get into a time denying laser like focused coma on the minutia of the internet was a much needed coping mechanism.  But one kept in check by having things like a job and things to do in the real world.

In Liberia, those keeping in check tools are only those I've implemented on my own.  And whereas PT, both individual and group, cooking, and things to do around the house keep the edges off, I still find myself dicking around online to the point where it's impacting my ability to get other things done that I'd like to do.  The stacks of unread books and unwatched videos alone are the most obvious testament to a current lack of balance in the Force.  Almost unfailingly, the 'let me check my email right quick' turns into an internet spiral that drags on longer than it should...

So.  Weekend Luddite is the Everyday Systems response to this kind of problem.  His solution, simply put, is no computer use Saturday and Sunday between breakfast and dinner.  He lays out the rationale and psychology at his site, but I have to say, I like it and it resonates with me.  It's basically a variation on Parkinson's Law - the idea that any activity expands to fill the time allotted for it.  By limiting the time allotted, you become more focused, efficient and productive.

So I'm going to implement a variation of it.  My problem is not the "computer" but the internet.  Hell, there's easily a couple dozen e-books on my hard drive I've been "meaning to read" forever, so my protocol is not "computer" but internet use, as I actually want to use my computer, just in a more specific and focused manner.  And since my life is almost, well, let's be honest - All Free Time All the Time - I need something for 7 days a week, not just the weekend.

So here's the plan, effective 1/10/12...

Rob's 'Weekend Luddite' Variation - Monday through Sunday - Internet Only After 1300

Let's start with that and see how it plays/where tweaks may be required.  Onwards...

Cooking/Food Log.

Coming off what amounted to a month of indulgence, eating and drinking whatever caught my eye - mmmm, tasty cold beer - during three weeks in the US & London plus another 2 weeks over the holidays, I felt the need to hit a hard "reset" button, both physically and psychologically, to kick my ass back on track in the New Year.  So from Monday to Friday last week I did a liquid/modified juice fast.  [Made much easier by my Xmas gift/juicer - thanks much Spence, if you're reading this.]  Every day the staple was a large serving of fresh juice, mostly tomato and cucumber based, with a dash of salt and whatever other fresh veg I happened on.  Supplemented by canned and boxed juices, only 100% juice, and mostly V8.  Plus water, naturally.  Modifications included coffee w/milk or coconut milk, as I had no intention of dealing with caffeine withdrawal while juice fasting, and one night I buckled to craving and had some coconut milk sweetened with sugar free chocolate syrup.

Saturday I continued with the juice, plus some protein shakes and clearing out the fridge of the last couple diet sodas I had on hand.  Think I've finally got the diet soda monkey off my back as well, as they were, after a week of not drinking them, extremely underwhelming on the satisfaction front.  Have no urges whatsoever to pick up any more.  Sunday I added in some protein bars and some whole food - eggs, cheese and salsa.    

Overall, quite satisfied with how it went.  Worked out my willpower muscles a bit, got some focus back and reconfirmed something I proved to myself playing around a bit with the intermittent fasting protocol last year - the fact that most "hunger" is bullshit.  Those of us coming from the developed, Western world have not a fucking clue what we're talking about when we say "I'm hungry."  99.9% of the time [I've done the math] 'hunger' is nothing but habit, addiction, psychology and cravings.  It's nonsense.  

Anyways, now prepared to go forward into 2012 more focused on my improving myself and continuing on the path of improved diet and exercise, performance, appearance and aesthetics.  Standard protocol from here is 6 days a week on a primal/paleo/low carb plan, 1 day a week [optimally 1 meal, but we'll see how that plays with social events, etc.] indulgence/free/carb re-load.

The Mrs was eating mostly leftovers this week, but I did throw together a handful of dishes and drinks, earning my keep and such.

Penn Jillette speaks wise.

Japan has standards, does not fuck about.

While America embraces shopping in Walmart while wearing sweatpants and the 'fat acceptance' movement, Japan tightens the fuck up.

Japan Wins.

Kampai!  Pic Via.

Japan Society for the Study of Obesity: Women With Girth Over 80 Centimeters (31.5 inches) May Be “Excessively Fat” :

The Japan Society for the Study of Obesity (JASSO) is considering including women with a body mass index (BMI)–a measure of weight relative to height–of below 25 but a waist circumference of above 80 centimeters as excessively fat. People with a BMI of less than 25 are not considered overweight under current guidelines..."

Making sense of the Bible.

More convincing than anything I ever learned church, certainly.