Friday, at last!
42 days ago 250 jumps almost killed me. Today 1500 went by in 10 minutes followed by the most rewarding bagle and egg sanwich with a leaf of Japanese basil, steamed organic baby carrots, tomato chunks, all topped with broccoli sprouts. I find it hard to imagine my future without PCP breakfasts. Back in those early days the notion of defying gravity every morning, eating half and then withdrawing salt, sugar, alcohol, processed foods, butter, etc., sounded a little too monastic for my taste. I now know that going back is not an option, what scares me is not knowing how to go on just yet.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Day 40: big pants and slow beat
This picture reflects how I'm feeling this morning. It's not nostalgia for gone fat or embarrassment of the way old trousers fit. Evidently I need new pants as I'm sure most of you do too now that we start to look bagged rather than dressed. Results are encouraging, however subtle they might be. This morning I noticed my skin was tighter over my ribs, which are begining to really show on the sides of my torso. This is so cool. It reminds me of how I looked 15 years ago when I was in high school. Pelvic bones are also popping out and I'm seeing some muscle lines in my upper legs that are proof of the intense leg exercises we've been doing. So, big pants, no problem! The problem is that this week I'm not feeling the same energy thrust propelling me through the days. I feel in fact weak and not really in a good mood. I'm having to split the workout (jump before breakfast and workout before dinner). Before, I used to have enough battery life to do the whole routine at once. I'm curious to know whether any of you are feeling similarly. I notice the frequency of posting is slighly decreased. Certainly doing more with less carbs must tax our energy levels somewhat. But I'm not feeling hungry at all. Maybe I would like to be explained why apples for dinner and not any other fruit (I'm beginning to get bored with just apples), but other than that, portions are OK. Before I look anywhere else for an explanation, I want to make sure I understand the side effects of changes introduced this week in our diet plans and workout routines.
OK, done with the whining for the day. Put on a scale, results weigh far more than these occasional discomforts. I will have a mini-break this weekend. Leaving Friday night with the family and coming back on Tuesday night.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Day 38
Not much to say. Feeling well and happy to know about the jumping-before-breakfast tip. I've been doing the jumping and workout almost every morning before ingesting any food. On Sunday I woke up feeling weak. Twice before that I had to do my routine in the evening. Same thing today. Otherwise, I've tried to keep the habit of waking up, putting on some socks and training shoes, stretch a bit and start skipping.
I really hated PCP food on Sunday. I had the most devilish thoughts invade my head. I felt a giant pizza covering my cortex. It really sucked. But after working out in the evening, I ascetically appreciated my dinner and slowly went back to PCP mode. On Saturday I was wondering whether my mental and physical changes were only momentary or if they could be definitive. Pizza cravings and the foul mood on Sunday confirmed that sticking to the plan is by no means a guarantee that after day 90 things will have changed forever. This, instead of being a pessimistic thought, was kind of humbling. It made me realize that we are not enrolled into a magical programme but that working hard, every day, is an aspiration that if anything will only begin to grow on day 90.
What has changed is my awareness and understanding of my body. I'm beginning to understand the whole "listening to your body" metaphor. I feel that before starting PCP my life-style was quietly suicidal. I think by now I know this much; I can discern a healthy lifestyle from a sedentary and lazy illusion of wellbeing. I am beginning to dispassionately appreciate my capacity to be a self-disciplined individual. I don't want my own words hunting me in the future, so take my word when I tell you that I'm not exaggerating one bit in what I'm saying right now. Yes, there are tough days. But now that a good chunk of the project is behind us, I can say that I count mostly good days.
I guess I had something to say after all.
I really hated PCP food on Sunday. I had the most devilish thoughts invade my head. I felt a giant pizza covering my cortex. It really sucked. But after working out in the evening, I ascetically appreciated my dinner and slowly went back to PCP mode. On Saturday I was wondering whether my mental and physical changes were only momentary or if they could be definitive. Pizza cravings and the foul mood on Sunday confirmed that sticking to the plan is by no means a guarantee that after day 90 things will have changed forever. This, instead of being a pessimistic thought, was kind of humbling. It made me realize that we are not enrolled into a magical programme but that working hard, every day, is an aspiration that if anything will only begin to grow on day 90.
What has changed is my awareness and understanding of my body. I'm beginning to understand the whole "listening to your body" metaphor. I feel that before starting PCP my life-style was quietly suicidal. I think by now I know this much; I can discern a healthy lifestyle from a sedentary and lazy illusion of wellbeing. I am beginning to dispassionately appreciate my capacity to be a self-disciplined individual. I don't want my own words hunting me in the future, so take my word when I tell you that I'm not exaggerating one bit in what I'm saying right now. Yes, there are tough days. But now that a good chunk of the project is behind us, I can say that I count mostly good days.
I guess I had something to say after all.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Day 34: bonsai-shoulders' paranoia
I have one band with which I do all the band work. It seems to have just the right resistance for most of the exercises. The one arm biceps, for instance, are quite demanding but doable. Just the kind of combination that I enjoy the most. Rowing is easy, but by now we all know the explanation behind that. Shoulder exercises and the double katanas are, however, very difficult. I must confess I usually cannot finish all reps required and it's frustrating that muscle failure happens so quickly into the set. I was tempted a couple of weeks ago to buy a less resistant band to do these, but thought that perhaps with time I would improve my strength and therefore it would be a mistake to get in the habit of making things easier on myself. In other words, I thought this would be a cheat. But today I'm not so sure anymore. I don't know if I will get better results by doing less (but harder) reps than I should or rather do them all, however easier, to also have more control of each motion. Many of you are also talking about this with regards to other exercises such as pull ups and push ups. In my case, pull ups are one where I see a lot of progress and I'm confident that very soon I'll be able to do the required quota. But the front shoulder rise, the da vincis (not always), and the double katanas remain a source of frustration. I was even stressed this morning thinking that at this rate I will develop a deformed body, with strong legs, back and chest, all hanging from weak tiny shoulders. Think of your body as a strong tree but with bonsai-sized branches. Monstrous!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Day 33
I'm about to go home for the day. Part B of today's workout still ahead. I really hate it when I have to split my workout in two, but today I'm not exactly in a good mood and in a way I'm pleased to have some workout ahead to release some tension and untangle whatever is tangled in my head. Domestic dramas can be so intense and put off your mental balance in a way I find degrading. Having to replace a babysitter or put up with colleagues not doing their jobs should hardly have any affect whatsoever in my core state of mind. But somehow it does trigger an emotional response: frustration, anger, stress. If it wasn't for PCP, I'm sure I would have unconsciously compensated my mood by having a couple of beers and a large unhealthy meal like a pepperoni and cheese pizza. Instead, chest dips, planks, milk, egg white squats and creeps. Don't I deserve a standing ovation?
PS. I propose a poll to all of you who like me have o work at an office: count how many people are fit and divide that number by the size of the staff. I did this today in my head, guess what, the percentage of fit people in my office (including myself) is 0.95%, or 2/21. Three or four colleagues seem in fairly good shape, most are clearly overweight and three or four are really obese. Talk about Patricks staff hiring hypothesis hah!
PS. I propose a poll to all of you who like me have o work at an office: count how many people are fit and divide that number by the size of the staff. I did this today in my head, guess what, the percentage of fit people in my office (including myself) is 0.95%, or 2/21. Three or four colleagues seem in fairly good shape, most are clearly overweight and three or four are really obese. Talk about Patricks staff hiring hypothesis hah!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Days 29-32
I never thought I'd be happy eating an egg white, one apple, one banana and a glass of milk for dinner. But I'm liking it. Particularly because I was getting a bit tired of eating animal protein twice a day every day. This is so much more digestible and conducive to sweet and deep dreams than meat, chicken or fish. I feel I'm starting to sleep better and I wake up feeling lighter and stronger than the day before -as opposed to a bit heavy and tired-.
Last night was tough. I try to do the whole workout in the mornings but yesterday I didn't have the time. Such emphasis on leg and arm work tortured me. When is this gonna end? I thought. There are so many reps ahead and it is almost 10pm. A warm bath afterwards was restoring and I slept like a rock, literally like a rock. I felt my muscles sinking in the mattress and I barely moved during the night.
This morning I woke up sore but still decided to go back to the healthy habit of working out in the morning.
Today I celebrated my biggest breakthrough since Day 1: I could do 7 pull ups in the row, then 5, then 4 and then 6. I could do all the da vincis for the first time. And I really nailed it with today's breakfast: bagel and egg sandwich with a green beans and tomato salad topped with soy sprouts. It really was yummy.
I just went through the blogs of my PCPeers, glad to see you all doing great. By the way, I was meaning to ask if any of you would dare recommend very good training shoes. I have a relatively new pair of running shoes that I bought last year, but I feel they don't provide a firm grip and support to my feet. I've had an annoying pain on the top/right side of my right foot and I'm wondering if it's to do with the shoes.
Last night was tough. I try to do the whole workout in the mornings but yesterday I didn't have the time. Such emphasis on leg and arm work tortured me. When is this gonna end? I thought. There are so many reps ahead and it is almost 10pm. A warm bath afterwards was restoring and I slept like a rock, literally like a rock. I felt my muscles sinking in the mattress and I barely moved during the night.
This morning I woke up sore but still decided to go back to the healthy habit of working out in the morning.
Today I celebrated my biggest breakthrough since Day 1: I could do 7 pull ups in the row, then 5, then 4 and then 6. I could do all the da vincis for the first time. And I really nailed it with today's breakfast: bagel and egg sandwich with a green beans and tomato salad topped with soy sprouts. It really was yummy.
I just went through the blogs of my PCPeers, glad to see you all doing great. By the way, I was meaning to ask if any of you would dare recommend very good training shoes. I have a relatively new pair of running shoes that I bought last year, but I feel they don't provide a firm grip and support to my feet. I've had an annoying pain on the top/right side of my right foot and I'm wondering if it's to do with the shoes.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Day 28
Couldn't do the jumps this morning because of an early work meeting. It will be done tonight after work. I'm amazed a month went by already and I was intrigued this morning by Patrick's video forecasting tougher exercises. The pull-ups continue to be my biggest frustration as I can only do three in the row.
Old jeans and clothes started to fit nicely again last week. This week I'm facing the opposite wardrobe problem as even those old jeans are starting to look big around my waist and gut. Same thing with my belts. Before starting PCP I used the penultimate notch. Since two weeks ago I've been using the last notch. Today I'm having to slide the buckle back to the centre because the belt is beginning to orbit my pants without me noticing. My wedding band also feels loose, so does my watch, my God, I'm all of the sudden occupying less space in the universe.
I hope, as I had mentioned a few days back, that a post PCP maintenance guide will be part of PCP.
Old jeans and clothes started to fit nicely again last week. This week I'm facing the opposite wardrobe problem as even those old jeans are starting to look big around my waist and gut. Same thing with my belts. Before starting PCP I used the penultimate notch. Since two weeks ago I've been using the last notch. Today I'm having to slide the buckle back to the centre because the belt is beginning to orbit my pants without me noticing. My wedding band also feels loose, so does my watch, my God, I'm all of the sudden occupying less space in the universe.
I hope, as I had mentioned a few days back, that a post PCP maintenance guide will be part of PCP.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Indulgence 1
Just got back from lunch. We went to a restaurant called WOK (analogue to Wagamame). My choice was to indulge myself with a "normal" meal. I had Pad Thai with prawns. Not very salty, which was good, but a bit too sweet because of the tamarind and the palm sugar. I thought it was a healthy choice, it wasn't oily at all, though a bit lacking on the vegetables front and a bit too excessive on carbs. Rice noodles, however (or at least I hope), aren't too unhealthy. Maria had the same out of sheer solidarity.
For dessert Maria and I shared a dough-free chocolate cake. We simply couldn't finish it. Below some pictures taken from the menu:
What worked and what didn't work?
What worked was first and foremost that I enjoyed having lunch out for the first time in 26 days with my wife. It was what I expected: a moment of rest, a late anniversary celebration and basically a treat to ourselves. I think it helped me specially in realeasing tension and stress caused by too much work, little sleep and our son's gastroenteritis. I was happy to eat a meal I didn't cook, to be served a nice looking plate and to overcome the fear of not knowing what it weighted. I also know that I don't need to eat like this on a regular basis and that the food I've been eating over the past 25 days is tasty and good. The feeling that I'm not missing on much immediately encouraged me to appreciate even more PCP approved food. This is as far as the Pad Thai goes. By the way, a few days before starting PCP, I cooked Pad Thai at home and invited some friends. Not to brag about my cooking skills, but that one was so much better.
What didn't work: chocolate cake. I had just a few spoons of it and felt over-cloyed and ultimately palled by it. I feel regret and frustration. Had I known what was ahead of this, I'd had used this chance differently. Maybe next time I'll just have a glass of very good wine. Or, why not, a small piece of fine chocolate.
As I had anticipated in a comment to Molly's entry, the theory on the very low marginal utility of chocolate was confirmed.
Some additional thoughts
In the end, this (indulgence 1) was a very positive experience. I learned to appreciate even more what I'm doing and gained extra strength to not deviate from the long term objective by falling pray of short term pleasures and temptations. One other thing that was very important about my experience was realising that eating is not something you should do on your own. Eating together, sharing a table, sharing the same food and using this time to connect with others (in this case I was in the best possible company), is perhaps as important if not more important than the food itself. Why make of eating just an action when it can be an occasion 6 times a day? I'll try to show more reverence and pay more attention to the ritual of eating from now on. Not that I'm not generally aware of this; it is simply that thinking so much about food has heightened its importance diet-wise and perhaps bleaked its social implications.
In Spansih the word for home is "hogar", which comes from "hoguera" or fire-place. Home is were you come together to eat. "Home" is the word in my banner describing my special activity, which has also made me reflect on the importance of better fitting PCP into my normal life.
For dessert Maria and I shared a dough-free chocolate cake. We simply couldn't finish it. Below some pictures taken from the menu:
What worked and what didn't work?
What worked was first and foremost that I enjoyed having lunch out for the first time in 26 days with my wife. It was what I expected: a moment of rest, a late anniversary celebration and basically a treat to ourselves. I think it helped me specially in realeasing tension and stress caused by too much work, little sleep and our son's gastroenteritis. I was happy to eat a meal I didn't cook, to be served a nice looking plate and to overcome the fear of not knowing what it weighted. I also know that I don't need to eat like this on a regular basis and that the food I've been eating over the past 25 days is tasty and good. The feeling that I'm not missing on much immediately encouraged me to appreciate even more PCP approved food. This is as far as the Pad Thai goes. By the way, a few days before starting PCP, I cooked Pad Thai at home and invited some friends. Not to brag about my cooking skills, but that one was so much better.
What didn't work: chocolate cake. I had just a few spoons of it and felt over-cloyed and ultimately palled by it. I feel regret and frustration. Had I known what was ahead of this, I'd had used this chance differently. Maybe next time I'll just have a glass of very good wine. Or, why not, a small piece of fine chocolate.
As I had anticipated in a comment to Molly's entry, the theory on the very low marginal utility of chocolate was confirmed.
Some additional thoughts
In the end, this (indulgence 1) was a very positive experience. I learned to appreciate even more what I'm doing and gained extra strength to not deviate from the long term objective by falling pray of short term pleasures and temptations. One other thing that was very important about my experience was realising that eating is not something you should do on your own. Eating together, sharing a table, sharing the same food and using this time to connect with others (in this case I was in the best possible company), is perhaps as important if not more important than the food itself. Why make of eating just an action when it can be an occasion 6 times a day? I'll try to show more reverence and pay more attention to the ritual of eating from now on. Not that I'm not generally aware of this; it is simply that thinking so much about food has heightened its importance diet-wise and perhaps bleaked its social implications.
In Spansih the word for home is "hogar", which comes from "hoguera" or fire-place. Home is were you come together to eat. "Home" is the word in my banner describing my special activity, which has also made me reflect on the importance of better fitting PCP into my normal life.
Days 25 and 26: indulgence and drop of water sitting on top of a lotus flower
It appears Patrick has even calibrated the times when PCP gets really hard. The message informing it's time for an indulgence, as well as the one about people reacting to what we are doing with negative feedback, came both at exactly the right time.
Over the past two days a desire, not necessarily for chocolate or some oily food, but simply for a 'normal' meal, has been creeping my mind so strongly that it's thrown my mental balance repeatedly throughout the day. Such mental turbulence is leading to some bad feelings, like a ferocious hatred towards my digital food scale and an urge to scream "$,&@#%^*{}~<>€|^{#<>|%#+¥[_]}{|~" so loudly that the decibels and pitch would make that little machine blow into a million pieces.
But, like all turbulences, I just fasten my mental seatbelt, grab on to the handles, breath and regain some control of myself. The truth is I really like my food scale. Yet I know this isn't OK, it cannot be! Just a few days ago I was feeling so balanced, happy, calm, so effortlessly well... What's happening?
And then came Patrick's email asking us to have cheesecake or some wine, or just whatever we choose so long as it is really a choice, flashed our mailboxes like a divine revelation.
The message itself was mentally therapeutic. It helped me turn down the chocolate cake last night during our son's first birthday, at which moment I thought "don't be stupid man, you can have something better than that".
So, although I still have to decide what I'll have, I've already decided to ask my wife on a date. We will go out today for lunch to one of my favourite restaurants, one called WOK, which is comparable to Wagamama, which surely most of you know. In the end, I didn't have any wine last week when celebrating our fourth anniversary, nor the cake (which looked yummy) last night.
I hope this indulgence will be more than ingesting some forbidden food. I hope the moment alone with Maria will restore that blissful balance I had reached last week. I hope this will get me going for another month. I will let you know how it goes.
With regard to negative feedback I have to report our family came over last night for dinner (you know, to sing the happy birthday song and rejoice to see their first grandson on both sides of the family turning one). A very happy time to be honest. All very generous and loving with their gifts and good vibe.
Except for just a moment when somebody asked how was my "diet" going, adding I was looking a bit thin. And so I started the exegesis from the start, excited to brief all of them about what PCP is, who invented it, who are my peers, what the workouts are like and what restrictions and rules I must to observe. There was a positive comment congratulating me on my choice to lead a healthier life and admiring my self discipline and will power to stick so strictly to the rules.
But then there were other comments, one too many other thoughtless, negative and mocking remarks for my taste: "that sounds exactly like the kind of thing I would never do in my life", "no point in doing all that just to live 15 minutes longer", "I disagree with the diet, be careful, you will fall sick if you keep on doing this. You need at least 60% of carbs in your diet and far more lipids", "the last thing on my mind is exposing myself shirtless on the Internet for everyone to see", "well, it's amazing you've gone this far, but do you really expect you'll be able to finish", "and then what, what will happen after day 90" (fair question, I must say), but the tone wasn't well intended.
So I kept quiet, went to the kitchen and helped serve the capelleti with pomodoro sauce, the focaccia and the wine, which they all enjoyed very much. Guess what: no one had seconds! They all looked at my plate and I could detect in their eyes shame and guilt for judging me, conferring my plate an unexpected theatrical value on which I capitalised by very slowly chewing on my salt free meat balls and a colourful salad.
One thing surprised me. When I walked in the kitchen my mother in law was cutting the bread and out of the blue she asked me if I had ever seen a drop of water sitting on top of a lotus flower. She added that it looked as if the droplet weren't touching the leaf at all. That, she said, is how you should go about your more personal and cherished habits. To keep them pure you must keep them to yourself, and you will be able to enjoy the presence of others without having to put up with anybody having a say or an opinion about what you do. She is right. I think I have done as instructed telling a good amount of people about what I'm doing. But at this point, I can on without most of them. So next time they ask, no matter what will be going on internally by then (as Patrick so often says), I'll just say it's going on splendidly well.
Over the past two days a desire, not necessarily for chocolate or some oily food, but simply for a 'normal' meal, has been creeping my mind so strongly that it's thrown my mental balance repeatedly throughout the day. Such mental turbulence is leading to some bad feelings, like a ferocious hatred towards my digital food scale and an urge to scream "$,&@#%^*{}~<>€|^{#<>|%#+¥[_]}{|~" so loudly that the decibels and pitch would make that little machine blow into a million pieces.
But, like all turbulences, I just fasten my mental seatbelt, grab on to the handles, breath and regain some control of myself. The truth is I really like my food scale. Yet I know this isn't OK, it cannot be! Just a few days ago I was feeling so balanced, happy, calm, so effortlessly well... What's happening?
And then came Patrick's email asking us to have cheesecake or some wine, or just whatever we choose so long as it is really a choice, flashed our mailboxes like a divine revelation.
The message itself was mentally therapeutic. It helped me turn down the chocolate cake last night during our son's first birthday, at which moment I thought "don't be stupid man, you can have something better than that".
So, although I still have to decide what I'll have, I've already decided to ask my wife on a date. We will go out today for lunch to one of my favourite restaurants, one called WOK, which is comparable to Wagamama, which surely most of you know. In the end, I didn't have any wine last week when celebrating our fourth anniversary, nor the cake (which looked yummy) last night.
I hope this indulgence will be more than ingesting some forbidden food. I hope the moment alone with Maria will restore that blissful balance I had reached last week. I hope this will get me going for another month. I will let you know how it goes.
With regard to negative feedback I have to report our family came over last night for dinner (you know, to sing the happy birthday song and rejoice to see their first grandson on both sides of the family turning one). A very happy time to be honest. All very generous and loving with their gifts and good vibe.
Except for just a moment when somebody asked how was my "diet" going, adding I was looking a bit thin. And so I started the exegesis from the start, excited to brief all of them about what PCP is, who invented it, who are my peers, what the workouts are like and what restrictions and rules I must to observe. There was a positive comment congratulating me on my choice to lead a healthier life and admiring my self discipline and will power to stick so strictly to the rules.
But then there were other comments, one too many other thoughtless, negative and mocking remarks for my taste: "that sounds exactly like the kind of thing I would never do in my life", "no point in doing all that just to live 15 minutes longer", "I disagree with the diet, be careful, you will fall sick if you keep on doing this. You need at least 60% of carbs in your diet and far more lipids", "the last thing on my mind is exposing myself shirtless on the Internet for everyone to see", "well, it's amazing you've gone this far, but do you really expect you'll be able to finish", "and then what, what will happen after day 90" (fair question, I must say), but the tone wasn't well intended.
So I kept quiet, went to the kitchen and helped serve the capelleti with pomodoro sauce, the focaccia and the wine, which they all enjoyed very much. Guess what: no one had seconds! They all looked at my plate and I could detect in their eyes shame and guilt for judging me, conferring my plate an unexpected theatrical value on which I capitalised by very slowly chewing on my salt free meat balls and a colourful salad.
One thing surprised me. When I walked in the kitchen my mother in law was cutting the bread and out of the blue she asked me if I had ever seen a drop of water sitting on top of a lotus flower. She added that it looked as if the droplet weren't touching the leaf at all. That, she said, is how you should go about your more personal and cherished habits. To keep them pure you must keep them to yourself, and you will be able to enjoy the presence of others without having to put up with anybody having a say or an opinion about what you do. She is right. I think I have done as instructed telling a good amount of people about what I'm doing. But at this point, I can on without most of them. So next time they ask, no matter what will be going on internally by then (as Patrick so often says), I'll just say it's going on splendidly well.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Day 24
I didn't have time to do the whole workout this morning, only the 1100 jumps. I woke up with a bit of a stomach ache and feeling weak. This weekend was rather gloomy. My wife and I had to guard two on one our son's illness. Antonio isn't fully recovered but thankfully looking better. This sucked all my energy and for the first time in 24 days I'm feeling physically tired; very, very tired. Tonight, after work, I'll do the rest of the routine. If it works well I might just start doing this to gain some time in the mornings and be able to start the day earlier.
I thank all of you for the kind messages wishing the soon recovery of our son!
Over and out for now.
I thank all of you for the kind messages wishing the soon recovery of our son!
Over and out for now.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Day 21
Last week the Peak Condition Project involved eating so much I thought PCP stood for Pig Condition Project.
Today new diets and routines came in and, oh dear, they seem so hard that PCP this week will be Panic Control Project, or Pain Control Project to judge from the planks and creeps and pull-ups.
We'll see how it goes. Today's 1000 jumps were hard because my right foot hurt a little. I can't imagine what 1300 will be like in 7 days and a simple progssion would indicate that by the end of the project we will either be able to jump twice as fast or spend the entire morning skipping.
I guess it's best to take a day at a time and enjoy a tasty sandwich tonight. As of tomorrow, 0 carbs at dinner.
Good luck, good rest and good weekend to you all!
Today new diets and routines came in and, oh dear, they seem so hard that PCP this week will be Panic Control Project, or Pain Control Project to judge from the planks and creeps and pull-ups.
We'll see how it goes. Today's 1000 jumps were hard because my right foot hurt a little. I can't imagine what 1300 will be like in 7 days and a simple progssion would indicate that by the end of the project we will either be able to jump twice as fast or spend the entire morning skipping.
I guess it's best to take a day at a time and enjoy a tasty sandwich tonight. As of tomorrow, 0 carbs at dinner.
Good luck, good rest and good weekend to you all!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The mind-body debate
WARNING: this is a looooonger than usual post
PCP is the second very serious thing I've done "online". The other was a course on philosophy of the mind at the University of Oxford. And somehow I'm thinking there's an intangible and subconscious link.
PCP with Patrick Reynolds might as well be a correlate of Philosophy of the Mind with professor Rachel Payne. The course dealt with an introduction to classic and contemporary readings that covered the history of the mind-body debate from ancient Greeks to Descartes to neurophysiology. That is, from the extreme dualist views to the extreme monist views. The former are certainly more mystical and inspiring, almost poetic, while the most recent cut to chase and simply 'prove' that, as much as there's a myriad of mysteries unsolved, the mind is clearly a brain function.
Descartes' method of introspection is a great mental experiment to ultimately knowing the self. Hence the classic conclusion "cogito ergo sum". His critics say that as far as a method for generalisation goes, introspection is to knowledge as useful as salt to a PCPeer. I don't think that's true, but then again, I'm not a critic of Descartes and have much more interest in observing my mind than the mind of others. I see no problem in assuming others have similar minds. Proof of that is we -usually- understand each other through language.
Linguists, for that matter, are also entangled with the problem of whether it is possible to think without words -or without a language-. All very interesting, no?
And even though in the end I became convinced -or rather more credulous- of the most scientific points of view, I was thinking today, reflecting on the past twenty days, that when we think of ourselves we tend to neglect thinking about our bodies.
We think about who we are, about the self, about more mystical issues like the soul and its passions, and about qualities of our character and personality that define us. It is as if, put in the words of Sir Ken Robinson (another splendid speaker you can find at TED Talks), we thought of our bodies as a means of transportation, as a necessary vehicle to get our heads to meetings. Funny remark, right? But to judge from the average physique of our fellow humans these days, more than a joke this is a lucid synthesis of how messed up are our priorities in society today. Let me be honest: I was such a fellow human just 20 days ago and so were most of you for what I've read.
So at least in this more cultural aspect, the debate about dualism seems to me to still have validity and relevance. We are accustomed to pop phrases like "you are what you eat". Sure (though not exclusively), but it is not until now that such a sentence bares real meaning. Specially since so much cooking is involved in the PCP.
That's why I so much like the video I posted in which Heribert Watzke concludes "coquo ergo sum", "I cook therefore I am". Aside from a clever twist of Descartes' conclusion, what Watzke does is to explain to the general public some basic facts that have been known by scientists for a while about the workings of our gut, about the surprising variety of neurone cells that regulate hormones -signals- inside the layers of our intestines. His definition of man as an animal who cooks his own food transcends beyond humour.
(Watzke has no excuse for being that fat, also proving that understanding and doing are two separate things and that the first does not necessarily lead to the other. In fact, I often find that understanding complex things is like playing Russian roulette: it's a rush of adrenaline until you are no more (that's why I've never tried it... the Russian roulette that is).)
I want to say that PCP is indeed a mental experiment, much like Descartes' famous Second Meditation. Specially when you look at the mirror after the shower and see a different body, a transforming body, that wasn't there the day before. Suddenly you wonder, "is this real?". Is PCP a dream we are going to wake up from in 70 days to find our fat bodies still carrying our heads to board meetings and depressing brown-bag lunches with the automatas we so carelessly call "colleagues"*?
* People who invest their lives in some extraneous cause and whose terms of reference require that their energy be consumed sitting in a chair in front of a computer screen right up to the point in their lives when it's time to become old.
I certainly hope not. There was one good thing I miss from my days as a smoker, which was to get up from my chair, go out the street, light a cigarette and put my mind at ease for a few minutes before plugging myself back to the routine. I am getting a better effect with fructose than with nicotine. The morning snack is my excuse to go down the Amrit (an organic market near my office) and buy the 180g of fruit. By the way, fruit is so cheap where I live. I wonder what would happen to the price of fruit and vegetables if a significant percentage of the population decided to do the PCP.
Let me wind back. I must say I learned much from Descartes. In fact every now and then I try repeating the mental experiment (Second Meditation) and it's always a superb method to keep track of mental changes.
But now it seems that such practice will never be enough again. Training and awareness of what I cook and what I eat are now sticked to my mind in such a way that encourages me to rather think about the famous Second Meditation as the Meditation to the Second Power. I find it weird reading my own words. I've just realised that as much as I continue to define my point of view on the mind-body debate as monist, PCP is proving that I'm actually an integrationist. Yes, the mind is a brain function. But how much are we using such beautiful and mysterious instrument to think about the rest of our bodies? Furthermore, why only use your head for thinking when you can think also with, for example, your sore calfs?
No wonder the world is increasingly populated by fat and brutal individuals. If intellectuals, or anyone who thinks for that matter, not only rubbed their chins with their index and thumb in that ridiculous and falsely elegant way before coming up with some astute remark, but also skipped a rope 1000 times before opening their mouths, I'd bet ideas would also look leaner and communication among humans would be low-fat.
OK, I'm starting to sound dogmatic and eventually my words will hunt me in the future. I certainly hope they do if I happen to start forgetting to eat my vegetables and move my body.
Aside from the tone, please also excuse each and every possible scholarly inconsistency in my words. In the end, this is a blog entry, not an essay. And no, I'm not structuring my intellect exclusively by paying attention to TED Talks, but as you might have noticed, this is one of my favourite pastimes.
I'm just thrilled that my body feels awake and that feeling made me think if this affirmation made sense to a monist. And the answer is yes, more than ever -which is another way of saying 'for the first time'-.
Don't you think?
PCP is the second very serious thing I've done "online". The other was a course on philosophy of the mind at the University of Oxford. And somehow I'm thinking there's an intangible and subconscious link.
PCP with Patrick Reynolds might as well be a correlate of Philosophy of the Mind with professor Rachel Payne. The course dealt with an introduction to classic and contemporary readings that covered the history of the mind-body debate from ancient Greeks to Descartes to neurophysiology. That is, from the extreme dualist views to the extreme monist views. The former are certainly more mystical and inspiring, almost poetic, while the most recent cut to chase and simply 'prove' that, as much as there's a myriad of mysteries unsolved, the mind is clearly a brain function.
Descartes' method of introspection is a great mental experiment to ultimately knowing the self. Hence the classic conclusion "cogito ergo sum". His critics say that as far as a method for generalisation goes, introspection is to knowledge as useful as salt to a PCPeer. I don't think that's true, but then again, I'm not a critic of Descartes and have much more interest in observing my mind than the mind of others. I see no problem in assuming others have similar minds. Proof of that is we -usually- understand each other through language.
Linguists, for that matter, are also entangled with the problem of whether it is possible to think without words -or without a language-. All very interesting, no?
And even though in the end I became convinced -or rather more credulous- of the most scientific points of view, I was thinking today, reflecting on the past twenty days, that when we think of ourselves we tend to neglect thinking about our bodies.
We think about who we are, about the self, about more mystical issues like the soul and its passions, and about qualities of our character and personality that define us. It is as if, put in the words of Sir Ken Robinson (another splendid speaker you can find at TED Talks), we thought of our bodies as a means of transportation, as a necessary vehicle to get our heads to meetings. Funny remark, right? But to judge from the average physique of our fellow humans these days, more than a joke this is a lucid synthesis of how messed up are our priorities in society today. Let me be honest: I was such a fellow human just 20 days ago and so were most of you for what I've read.
So at least in this more cultural aspect, the debate about dualism seems to me to still have validity and relevance. We are accustomed to pop phrases like "you are what you eat". Sure (though not exclusively), but it is not until now that such a sentence bares real meaning. Specially since so much cooking is involved in the PCP.
That's why I so much like the video I posted in which Heribert Watzke concludes "coquo ergo sum", "I cook therefore I am". Aside from a clever twist of Descartes' conclusion, what Watzke does is to explain to the general public some basic facts that have been known by scientists for a while about the workings of our gut, about the surprising variety of neurone cells that regulate hormones -signals- inside the layers of our intestines. His definition of man as an animal who cooks his own food transcends beyond humour.
(Watzke has no excuse for being that fat, also proving that understanding and doing are two separate things and that the first does not necessarily lead to the other. In fact, I often find that understanding complex things is like playing Russian roulette: it's a rush of adrenaline until you are no more (that's why I've never tried it... the Russian roulette that is).)
I want to say that PCP is indeed a mental experiment, much like Descartes' famous Second Meditation. Specially when you look at the mirror after the shower and see a different body, a transforming body, that wasn't there the day before. Suddenly you wonder, "is this real?". Is PCP a dream we are going to wake up from in 70 days to find our fat bodies still carrying our heads to board meetings and depressing brown-bag lunches with the automatas we so carelessly call "colleagues"*?
* People who invest their lives in some extraneous cause and whose terms of reference require that their energy be consumed sitting in a chair in front of a computer screen right up to the point in their lives when it's time to become old.
I certainly hope not. There was one good thing I miss from my days as a smoker, which was to get up from my chair, go out the street, light a cigarette and put my mind at ease for a few minutes before plugging myself back to the routine. I am getting a better effect with fructose than with nicotine. The morning snack is my excuse to go down the Amrit (an organic market near my office) and buy the 180g of fruit. By the way, fruit is so cheap where I live. I wonder what would happen to the price of fruit and vegetables if a significant percentage of the population decided to do the PCP.
Let me wind back. I must say I learned much from Descartes. In fact every now and then I try repeating the mental experiment (Second Meditation) and it's always a superb method to keep track of mental changes.
But now it seems that such practice will never be enough again. Training and awareness of what I cook and what I eat are now sticked to my mind in such a way that encourages me to rather think about the famous Second Meditation as the Meditation to the Second Power. I find it weird reading my own words. I've just realised that as much as I continue to define my point of view on the mind-body debate as monist, PCP is proving that I'm actually an integrationist. Yes, the mind is a brain function. But how much are we using such beautiful and mysterious instrument to think about the rest of our bodies? Furthermore, why only use your head for thinking when you can think also with, for example, your sore calfs?
No wonder the world is increasingly populated by fat and brutal individuals. If intellectuals, or anyone who thinks for that matter, not only rubbed their chins with their index and thumb in that ridiculous and falsely elegant way before coming up with some astute remark, but also skipped a rope 1000 times before opening their mouths, I'd bet ideas would also look leaner and communication among humans would be low-fat.
OK, I'm starting to sound dogmatic and eventually my words will hunt me in the future. I certainly hope they do if I happen to start forgetting to eat my vegetables and move my body.
Aside from the tone, please also excuse each and every possible scholarly inconsistency in my words. In the end, this is a blog entry, not an essay. And no, I'm not structuring my intellect exclusively by paying attention to TED Talks, but as you might have noticed, this is one of my favourite pastimes.
I'm just thrilled that my body feels awake and that feeling made me think if this affirmation made sense to a monist. And the answer is yes, more than ever -which is another way of saying 'for the first time'-.
Don't you think?
Days 18-20
Busy week at work, on top of which our son fell sick with a very aggressive gastroenteritis on Tuesday night. Zero sleep for the three of us. Yesterday night we spent four hours in the clinic with Antonio plugged to a serum bag. He slept through the night and so did we. He should be getting better in the coming two days or so.
Despite these little dramas life throws at you without due notice, I'm stuck to training and diet like a leech. I had barely any energy yesterday morning but still decided to put my mind focused on the workout. We had no idea whether we were going to have to spend the night at the clinic, so at around 8pm I left the room for ten minutes and bought fresh leafs (lettuce, arugula, I don't know what else), whole wheat bread buns and, guess what, it's impossible to find cooked salt-free animal protein. I thought about canned tuna, but the first time I tried it during PCP it tasted too processed, so no. I tried maybe the deli again for turkey breast, but no, too salty. So I hope not to have made a mistake, but I preferred simply some sugar free yogurt.
Tonight Maria and I celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary, so I'll be cooking a very special PCP-compliant meal at home. I'd love to have a cold glass of white wine or a cold beer, but I also really want to stick to the rules. Specially now that I'm starting to feel stronger everyday and that muscle tone is increasingly and quite pleasantly visible.
What I think, hoping not to be simply rationalising, is that if I was strong enough to stick to training and diet in the toughest time so far since Antonio was borne, I can also be strong enough to stick to proper and yet moderate celebration when life calls for it, even if it means taking a small step back in my diet.
Your thoughts are all welcome.
Oh, two more things: flickr account set up (sorry Patrick for the delay), and take a look if you want and have the time to the video I posted the other day, not the Jamie Oliver one, but the one called "the brain in our gut". I love the re-formulation of Descartes' well known conclusion "cogito ergo sum" for "coquo ergo sum". That is, instead of "I think therefore I am", "I cook therefore I am". Really cool!
Despite these little dramas life throws at you without due notice, I'm stuck to training and diet like a leech. I had barely any energy yesterday morning but still decided to put my mind focused on the workout. We had no idea whether we were going to have to spend the night at the clinic, so at around 8pm I left the room for ten minutes and bought fresh leafs (lettuce, arugula, I don't know what else), whole wheat bread buns and, guess what, it's impossible to find cooked salt-free animal protein. I thought about canned tuna, but the first time I tried it during PCP it tasted too processed, so no. I tried maybe the deli again for turkey breast, but no, too salty. So I hope not to have made a mistake, but I preferred simply some sugar free yogurt.
Tonight Maria and I celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary, so I'll be cooking a very special PCP-compliant meal at home. I'd love to have a cold glass of white wine or a cold beer, but I also really want to stick to the rules. Specially now that I'm starting to feel stronger everyday and that muscle tone is increasingly and quite pleasantly visible.
What I think, hoping not to be simply rationalising, is that if I was strong enough to stick to training and diet in the toughest time so far since Antonio was borne, I can also be strong enough to stick to proper and yet moderate celebration when life calls for it, even if it means taking a small step back in my diet.
Your thoughts are all welcome.
Oh, two more things: flickr account set up (sorry Patrick for the delay), and take a look if you want and have the time to the video I posted the other day, not the Jamie Oliver one, but the one called "the brain in our gut". I love the re-formulation of Descartes' well known conclusion "cogito ergo sum" for "coquo ergo sum". That is, instead of "I think therefore I am", "I cook therefore I am". Really cool!
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