365

So what changes are you making?

Yeah. Part of this blog is changing along with me, the blogger. For those of you who are just now visiting this site, and for those of you who have visited my “other” site, here is an explanation.

A little over a year ago, I started a personal quest called “365 days to Health and Success.” The premise being that on my birthday, when physically and mentally and worldly and etc. I was not at the top of my game. Tired of all the TV ads saying you can become physically great, healthy in 10 days, 90 days or whatever, I decided that as a normal human being, with normal day to day demands, changing in such little time wasn’t a long lasting change. We have peaks and valleys. We work hard for a few weeks starting a new project…bam…back goes the weight, down goes the energy and really down goes the eating habits. For most we feel guilty for this. I say…”baloney.”
We are not that guy or gal in those infomercials. We work 8 to 10 hours a day..hopefully. We sit in front of the TV when the big games are on and eat some junk.
We are human. And if we sprinkle guilt on those transgressions we will never become Healthy and Successful.

So my thought was…take a year to get to that level. With your normal ups and downs.
So I did that last year. I went from 250 to 225. I had hoped to put down on paper my “plan” but that didn’t happen…because of life. Now I'm backpeddled and again my start is 248.
Gotta start somewhere.
But it was a good start…A rehearsal for the real workbook.
That is why I started this blog.
There are many things that define “success” and “change.”
And as they become more in focus, they will be entered into this blog. And in turn…turn into a book of some sort.

Which brings me to you. Change…however small is something we can all benefit from. So what is your change?

Welcoming your input…or not.

Oh by the way….I saw my son, becoming a man becoming a film maker this weekend. I never had the command of my surroundings at 23, nor did I have his confidence. Amazing. Great change.

Rule One!!! BALANCE

First I must apologize for my last entry. It wasn’t complete, nor was it funny, but as with change comes less time…sometimes. Monday and Tuesday, incase you were in under a rock was a pretty significant in the “change” department. Barack Obama prepared to be inaugurated as President on Monday and was sworn in on Tuesday. So my time to be eloquent and witty on my blog was lessen.

Let’s begin this entry by saying I have a need for more balance. Not in my food intake. Well yes that too, but I’m working on that too. When I speak of balance I mean “not falling over” balance. I have said and it has been said a million times in the golf world that balance is one of the keys to a repeatable, powerful swing. You are twisting your body, coiling on your back foot then as coordinated as you can you are untwisting and flinging your arms and club through the ball then twisting and coiling on your forward leg. And you are doing this as quickly as you can. All the while your only connection to the Big Ball (Earth) is your two feet and legs. If you have a balance problem you are going to fall over. And the faster you coil and uncoil and coil the better your balance better be otherwise not only are you going to fall over, but you won’t hit the ball. Now, just like you, unless you have some real physical problems, I can walk down the street, I can hop over a curb, I can stop and bend over and tie my shoes, but all of that doesn’t mean a thing in the world of real balance.

Balance is one of the keys to life. In all aspects of “Balance.” We will get to the other balance areas later. And we will get to the other keys later. Hint: Bowel Balance.
But in movement if your balance is off, the activity you are trying to accomplish is off.

So in the change department, I am now doing this thing called: Step-ups. One legged step-ups. Simple enough. Hold a weight in each hand. Step up on one foot on a step approximately 18 inches high. Hold the opposite foot/leg up, bent at the knee. Hold for a second. And if you are still standing up and not on the ground, do a dumbbell curl and a vertical press. Step down to the ground and repeat on the opposite foot/leg. And repeat again 10 times each side. Simple enough, but if you noted that one sentence…”If you are still standing” that is the trick, and that is the thing I have to work on, because today I might fall down. So simple a task yet so difficult yet so important. If I can perfect this task I will be able to swing and twist and coil my golf swing as fast as Tiger Woods. Maybe not as well or as far and let’s be realistic, not as fast, but certainly a lot faster and more in balance as I do now. Which leads to more consistency.

So the word of the day…BALANCE. If you can strive for balance in all things. Food, exercise, relationships, bowel activity, standing on one leg. You will be better for it.

More tomorrow…maybe.

And heads up. Josh Patterson starts shooting his final project this weekend. Very excited as he changes from a boy to a man to a film maker.

Oh and in the WORLD OF CHANGE…as in changes involving career and such. What does it mean when one of the objects of change appears in your dreams? We will see.

More to come as they used to say on the “Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson.”

The Start of the Shred

Well that was a great weekend for eating. In one meal I met all my caloric needs for the day. But is was fun. Sometimes you have to indulge a little. As long as you don’t do it all the time. Margaritas and enchiladas, chips and salsa. Yummy.

But now it is the start of some intense workouts. I downloaded a 45 minute iTunes music workout. It is fun and this morning on a non-structured workout I did 20 minutes on the elliptical, very intense and fun. Eating smartly. EAS Myoplex is my main protein today and I love it.

And after two days of my new stretching routine my golf game improved. Pretty good round of golf on Sunday morning.

Tomorrow the structured workout begins. My trainer will come at me with whips? I don’t think so. But I am ready to become ripped and shredded over the next 6 weeks.
As far as “other” “changes” coming…we are in a wait and leave it up to the universe time. A meeting? Will happen at the end of the month. Breathe.

Let the Pain Begin!

Day One of working out….seriously. Which doesn’t mean my prior workout sessions were very humorous. But maybe misguided.
After some evaluation it turns out my body isn’t perfect. Wow that was shocking.

So it turns out that playing golf for 50 years. Yes 50, I’m old…okay. Playing golf apparently causes some shortening of muscles on the side of your body that’s closest to your target…I’m right handed, so my left side is screwed up. Well not completely, but my hip flexors, my hamstrings anything on the left side has some extra pain when I do some of the stretching and other torturous things my trainer has me doing. Just joking it really isn’t torture. Remember “No Pain…No Gain” as in gaining in range of motion. Which it turns out will probably help my golf game.

As for the particulars of my workout…for my size and weight and goals I just have to eat better, and less. Because I work in a very crazy environment, eating in a timely manner is not always possible, so I have to bring a cooler and eat the stuff we all know we should eat. Fruits, Veggies, healthy snacks. No crap. Please pass by the donut tray and keep your hands to yourself!

As I have said to my kids. Especially when they move to another state and college, where it is cold and snowy and you don’t know anyone and blah blah blah. “Take it one step at a time.” So even though it pains me a little, I know if I take it slowly. Cause that is the best way. In no time I will be Adonis-like. Well maybe not quite that perfect. But I won’t be “my father’s 58 year old.”

Also I probably won’t be blogging every day. How can I? My muscles will be so sore I won’t be able to type.

Starting weight….248….Starting fat….22%. You will be seeing less of me soon.

Training to Change

Changes.

I know everything there is to know about physical fitness. I know all cardio exercises. I know all weight lifting exercises. I know what to eat and when to eat. And I’m not alone in this “All Knowing” group of people.
Yet, why am I short of breath? Why is my girth ?(nice way of saying STOMACH) …FAT. Why can’t I touch my toes?
If I “know” all the things to do to increase my lung capacity, wear pants that don’t have three digits in the size and tie my shoes without help.
Okay I’m exaggerating some of the aforementioned afflictions. But WHY?

Because no matter how much you know. And you should know as there is so much information about a healthy lifestyle in print and on the internet. No matter how smart you are about all these things, you sometimes need someone to kick you in the butt.

Remember when you were in P.E. in junior high school. You were running laps. But didn’t want to run laps. You had a teacher or coach yelling at you.
"G_d da_n ##%$&*#!! Patterson #$%^!** Keep Running!#$!^&%#$%$"
And you kept running. And running. And getting in shape.

Now as an “adult” there is no one yelling at you.
Well I guess I need someone to yell at me. Well maybe not “yell” but actively direct me into “running laps” if you will.

So in my effort to “Change” this year, I am getting a coach. A motivator. A trainer. A guide. After all that is all I need. Right? I know all this stuff. Well maybe not all.

So lets see how I progress. With all the “changes” happening in 2009. The stress level alone could kill an average person. But if you don’t put gas into the car. If you don’t maintain the engine. Rotate the tires. For gods sake, you don’t have the stereo set right. Your vehicle. Your engine. YOU. Are going to break down before you get to the finish line. At best you might get there but you will have to be towed.

So here we go. In an attempt to keep the tow truck in the garage. Replacing the gears so I can motor up any incline. Round any corner with out wiping out. Never to leak oil again.

A training we will go.

Mike goes to Northern Arizona University

The journey of change begins for Mike. The Patterson boys (Josh, Matt, Mike, Erik and Dad) celebrate with Mike at a fine steak house the night before Mike moves out of the house and travels 468 miles away to that faraway land...Flagstaff, Arizona. He is excited and nervous. He said he woke up that morning on the eve of his departure and said he realized he was going. Seeing the campus two months ago, he thought "what a great place." Now he knows in his stomach. He is moving out.


The top photo shows our intrepid traveler "wide" awake (He slept most of the drive) with his brothers Josh and Matt by his side.

Changes?

Well it is day 3 of my year of changes.

Yes I know this is only my second post and yes I know it is the 6th of January.   

But this is day 3!   Yesterday I pondered changes.  The first four days of the year I hoped for changes.

What changes do I now have.   I threw out the spinning career ball.   And the few important people that are in my work family are aware of this spinning ball, and so far at least they did not bat it away with a stick.   They saw it.   They said, "Yes that is a mighty fine ball."  

Now it is time to let it spin and bring the changes into it.  

Slowly like a fine wine I spin,  I swirl the glass that is filled with my changes.   I will smell the fragrance.  I will see if the cherished contents have the proper legs on the edge of my glass.  I swish it around in my head.    I wait to cast my judgement.   

Ahhhh.   It looks like it may need a few more weeks to mature.    But it does taste sweet.

The other changes that take place are more for my youngest blossom.   Flagstaff here we come.

He will become the mightiest of oaks growing in this tiny community.   Very excited.

The Year Starts NOW

We will be logging/blogging the changes I am experiencing this year.  

These changes will be physical.  Getting in shape.

These changes might...might be career changes.

These changes are already happening as all four of my sons are no longer living at home.

One is "old" and on his own...living his dream.

One is going to school, but living in a small garage apartment.

The other two are going to school, but living in dorms.  One local and the other in another 

state.

There will be many other changes...or maybe additions to my world.

Stay Tuned.