Someone Could’ve Warned Me
Week 10: Eye of The Tiger
“Someone Could’ve Warned Me”, and the rest of the male species in America, about the tag team we just endured over the last month. What am I talking about you ask? “ Fifty Shades of Grey”, and “Magic Mike”. First off let me just throw this out there. If I walked into my house and said, “hey babe, the fellas and I are gonna run down to the local AMC and check out this new movie “Magic Mindy””, “It’s a great little movie about a stripper and her friends, with some cool dance scenes, and a heart warming, feel good story to finish it off.”
Naomi would hand me a baseball bat and tell me to beat myself with it. Now “Fifty Shades of Grey” I equate to any guy saying, “I like Playboy for the great articles”. My wife has read all three of these books, and she has told me that the love story is the part that interests her. Hmm…she hasn’t tried to get me to play dungeons and dragons behind closed doors yet, so I guess I believe her.
I couldn’t help though, but to feel a tad insecure about all the ripped up shirtless guys every time we turned the TV on, while also hearing about this billionaire mega lover around every corner, from women, everywhere! So if the stats are accurate and both the movie and the book are truly pulling in huge ridiculous numbers like they claim, then there has to be a few more guys out there just like me. So where do we go from here?
Well that’s entirely on “YOU”.
Everyone has one or more insecurities that run through him or her like blood, whether we want to admit it or not. My favorite is the “tough guy” who can’t admit to having a crack in his armor. I can hear his voice in my head, “No way bro! Feeling’s are for softies”, said in his deep voice with a puffed up chest. I just smile at that guy because I know I am far more content with myself than he’ll ever be. I contend you will never feel true happiness unless you can fully love yourself first. It won’t matter how much wealth you obtain, how in-shape you become, or how many people love you. Unless you can fully accept yourself, in your purest form, flaws and all, there will always be “levels” to your happiness. Insecurities, at the root, are just fears of ones true self.
Many professional athletes frequent the offices of sports psychologists to reach their highest levels of mind, body, and soul. The one thing they are taught over and over again is how to visualize their task and then put it into fruition. Now think about how many athletes visualize something everyday and end up in failure. This happens all the time, and still they continue showing up, stepping onto a playing surface to visualize perfection. They have conditioned themselves to accept failure and never let it detour them from there ultimate goals. So why don’t we do this with our own insecurities?
If we accept our flaws and insecurities, we can then begin to see ourselves getting past it. Imagine waking up each day and saying to yourself, “these are the areas I know I want to improve about myself,” and then visualize yourself conquering that day. Pretty soon your days turn into a week, and a week turns into a month, and suddenly your insecurity becomes a much smaller part of you.
Start out with one thing this week that you want to improve. This could be your health, attitude, relationship, or just something around your house you’ve wanted to get done. As the days go by and you develop more self-awareness, add to your load. Your life is simply that, “YOUR LIFE”. Don’t depend on others to help you; don’t rely on others to tell you what you want to hear. Greatness begins in the individual. Good Luck! Till next week!
“Someone Could’ve Warned Me” WARNING of the week! If you actually think your significant other is not going to read “Fifty Shades of Grey” you’re out of your mind. That book has sold 20 million copies and counting. SCWM’s advice to you, is to just accept it and hope it works in your favor. Consider yourselves warned!!!
Fitness Update
I’ve missed my blog. I took a week off for the 4th of July holiday, and to have a procedure done on my back. The one thing I noticed most of all was not writing down the things in my head really affected my mood. See, as I try to write something I hope will be motivational to you all, it motivates me to stay on the grind. Reading my words on the computer screen helps me visualize my smallest and largest goals in life. So how was my last two weeks? I have been pretty happy with them, but there is always room for improvement. My activity level is still at a very low volume. I am making an effort though, to get a walk in everyday with my son. As for my diet, I would give myself a “B”. I have lost all the weight I had gained back during my trip home, and so I feel pretty positive about that. I still am sneaking in a cheat meal every now and again, but I am trying to visualize that being out of my life. Or at the very least turning my cheat meal into a healthier alternative, like having some bacon or sausage (NO NITRATES).
The role of your diet is so imperative and just so happens to be the biggest thorn in every ones side, including my own. To help myself out I printed off some pictures of men I am striving to be more like. I picked one for mind, body, and soul. I plan on setting my course straight every morning by looking at them and reminding myself that my success for the day sits in my hands and they’re just a blue print. Have a successful week everyone.
Paleo Recipe
Chicken Salad with Roasted Bell Peppers in Avocado Cups
Ingredients:
4 skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total)
4 bay leaves
1 quart organic low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth (or half of each, which I did here)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted, roasted almonds, finely chopped
1/2 large red onion, diced
1/2 a bunch asparagus, roasted and diced into small pieces**
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
2 roasted bell peppers (red or yellow peppers), skin removed and diced (recipe below)*
salt and pepper to taste
Mustard Herb Dressing:
1/3 cup fresh parsley, tightly packed
1/3 cup fresh basil, tightly packed
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon gluten-free Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
fresh ground pepper to taste
Instruction:
To Roast Bell Peppers:
Preheat oven to 45o degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with coconut oil, set aside. Cut the peppers in half and clean out the seeds and innards. Place them on a baking sheet skin side up. Bake peppers for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the skins are brownish-black, remove from the oven and immediately place the peppers in a large Ziploc bag. Close and let sit for 20 minutes or so (or until the peppers have time to cool and “sweat”). Once they have cooled you will be able to peel the skins right off. What you will have left is a moist, wonderfully cooked pepper. Yummy! **To roast asparagus, toss asparagus in a little olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Roast in the 450 degree oven for 5-10 minutes, depending on size of asparagus, while bell peppers roast. Remove and allow to cool before cutting into small pieces.
For Chicken Salad:
Put the bay leaves and the chicken broth in a large pot with a lid and bring stock to a simmer. Add the chicken breasts to the pot. Return the broth to a simmer. Cover the pot. Turn off the heat. Let the chicken steep in the stock for 30 minutes to an hour.
While the chicken is cooking, chop the other ingredients – garlic, almonds, onion, asparagus, basil, parsley, roasted bell peppers – and add to a large bowl. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
When the chicken breasts are cooked, remove them from the broth and let them cool. When they are cool enough to handle, shred the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces by hand. Mix the chicken pieces in with the rest of the ingredients.
To Make Dressing:
In the bowl of a food processor combine parsley, basil, apple cider vinegar, mustard, garlic, and salt. While food processor is running slowly add olive oil in a small drizzle. You may have to stop the food processor to scrape the sides. You want the mixture to come to a liquid consistency. Add fresh ground pepper to taste.
Add dressing to chicken salad and toss to combine.
Serve chilled or at room temperature. Take an avocado, remove pit, and place chicken salad in the inside.
Cheers,
Tyler