Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Allergies, workout knowledge, and some religion.

Yesterday morning saw an allergy attack that was the worst one, ever. I've been battling them the whole year and still haven't been able to ID the culprit for certain.
The sneezing was so bad, on top of the runny nose, that I ended up going home for a couple of hours until the medication kicked in. Unfortunately I think it's a reaction to one of the dogs, the longer haired one. I'm getting some more pharm grade medication, time to stockpile enough for one pill a day for 6 months.
Maybe I can shave down poor Luke.

Time for some workout stuff, sorry to bore everyone. I get asked a lot of stuff about working out and running, especially from coworkers.

What should I do: Something, anything, just start.
What if my knees hurt: Slow down or walk. If it's discomfort, push past it. If it's painful find out the root cause and address it. Walking is as close to a magic pill as you can get.
What should I eat: The same things you are eating now, until you discover that what you are eating is holding you back or not enough for the required energy levels.
What supplements should I take: None, it's all crap, going for a 3 mile run and then chugging 32 ounces of sports drink just set you back an extra mile. Protein shakes (with water only) and some amino acid type drink (with water only).
How do I get 6 pack abs: Diarrhea, it will help get rid of the water weight, have fun with that. Stop trying to impress everyone and work out for yourself.
Why does my lower back hurt after leg night: Too much weight or bad technique. Using muscles that don't get much work will make them angry. Stretch your hip flexor muscles, you should stretch for about 20 minutes a day total.
What is the best workout plan: The one you stick to for a year. There is no magic plan. Everything has an advantage and there is so much to pick from. Pick one, start, stick to it.
What web sites should I read: None. Paralysis by analysis doesn't help anyone. Start and then work on refining things like technique, isolation, form, etc. The guy doing 400 pound squats might only be going down 6 inches, but at least he is doing something.

I've been thinking a lot about religion lately. My cousin is very religious and I always remember her saying that she lets God lead her by the hand.
I don't want to be led around, I prefer to have God kick me in the ass from time to time. I'm part of the Cyrus Dallin family so that explains why I'm surrounded by Mormons I suppose. I spent years going to church, singing in the chorus, reading and learning. I really enjoy religious debates, I enjoy talking about the different beliefs between the faiths. No matter what anyone thinks or believes, when I'm outside at 2AM and looking up at the stars... well how much better does it get, I don't always care about the details.
I've learned to just try and live a good life, be a good person, and do what I know is the right thing. That's all any of us can strive for.


10 comments:

  1. I used to enjoy religious discussions, but people, generally speaking, have become so vicious/closed minded that I generally shy away now. Oh, I'll occasionally engage in something, like yesterday on Harry's blog, where I know that all involved will remain civil and adult and know when to let things rest.

    But my general views are this, in relation to the overall viciousness I see today.

    For the religious minded:

    1)The Bible has been in this country before it was actually founded.
    2) Most everyone can read..... let them read it. If they want my views and ask, I will share them, usually in private, as long as they behave and actually want to discuss facts and not just opinions only.

    For the atheists: I've ran into both kinds.
    3) I'm willing to put up with a good-natured barb or disagreement from those who act like friends/civil adults. see #2 above.
    4) For the vicious hateful variety.... If they really desire an eternity laying in the mud with the worms, I'm good with that. Let them have at it, I've got better plans.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've come to find that religion is the safer discussion when I have to choose between it and politics.
      I don't know what makes people so mean and nasty for any debate, it's a debate, not a cage match. I never want to change what someone has for an opinion, I want to understand they why.

      Delete
  2. wow buddy - what a great post! i really feel like i have even more of a handle on who you are!

    a couple of things regarding working out...i know that you know what you are doing but if you are interested, i can write you up some exercises for your core...they should help with back and knee problems. i also have some recipes for electrolyte replacers - please stay away from gatorade or any of those crappy "sports" drinks!!!

    lastly, religion is a very personal thing if you lean towards gnosticism practices. church is a lovely place to meet up with your community members and feel touched by The Lord with your community. but spirituality is a personal thing and The Lord works in mysterious ways and always has. i love to learn about other people's beliefs and i completely agree with Matt - the bible was here before either of our countries were founded. and i think that even if you are an atheist, those 10 commandments are not bad words to live by. and then there's Jesus' words "do unto others as you would have done to thyself"...again, not bad words.

    i really enjoyed this post. off to the volunteer fire department meeting now. your friend,
    kymber

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I still have your sports drink recipe in the kitchen. Since I'm not running like I used to, I don't worry about electrolyte replacement, berkey water seems to do just fine as long as I remember to drink it.

      Sometimes the who, what, how, etc. is too much and people forget to enjoy the moment for what it is.

      Delete
  3. Maybe you should see somebody at an allergy clinic. We finally had to go that route with my daughter and found out it was peanuts she was allergic to. Until then, we kept them in the house all the time but never gave a thought to the possibility it might be that .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think if it ends up continuing over the winter then I can narrow it down to the dogs or something I'm eating. I'm not a cat guy so what can I do for now but just deal with it.

      Delete
  4. I agree with your cousin about God leading by the hand. This doesn't mean that you sit back and just let things happen. You still have that responsibility. It's sort of like when you are a kid and you ask your parents for advice. You aren't being told what to do but are given some good options. It's still up to you to choose.

    One issue I have with most religions, and I am very religious, is that most say you must believe that way or else. My religion has one set of rules for those in our faith and one set for those who are other religions. The other set of rules are easier to follow!

    Kymber, if you want to pass along some of the electrolyte recipes, I'd love to use them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She is more of the sit back and let things happen type. Lead me isn't the same as guide me, in my opinion, we all can use guidance.
      Interesting that you have 2 sets of rules, I've never heard of such a thing unless it's about slavery and Judaism... but I suppose I don't know a lot of things.

      Delete
  5. Amen brother! I have read the Bible cover to cover several times, and I always find something that makes me go Hummm! The Bible is supposed to be the one and only instruction manual, but we still have hundreds of denominations and they each think only they are right and everyone else is wrong and doomed to Hell! HUH? I guess the instruction manual is not too clear, sort of like those instructions you get when you by something new today. Written in Chinese then translated once into English and you still can't follow them exactly!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As with any instruction manual, I tend to follow the important points and figure everything else out on my own.

      No matter what we do, someone else thinks we are doing it wrong. Somehow we end up doing OK and not strangling everyone else. I call that a win.

      Delete