A Life in Flux

Changes and Progress...

Those are the two words that I would choose to best describe what my life has seemed to be full of over the last few months, and it's funny how meeting someone can bring all that about. The changes have been widespread and in depth, ranging from diet to time management to philanthropy, with fitness sprinkled in along the way. You know, the typical kinds of projects your average, suburban weekend-warrior takes on.

I'm continuing to focus on my nutrition, and my eating habits are now becoming standardized. The vegetables are organic, most meats and poultry products are grass-fed or cage-free, the sugar has been replaced by agave nectar, and the milk has been replaced by almond milk. I'm cooking just about every night for dinner, and fried food and fast food essentially no longer exist in my vocabulary. The results? I'm maintaining a steady weight of 176lbs, down from 185lbs since December. Body-fat percentage has visibly decreased, almost none of my 34in. waist-size jeans fit me anymore, and there is an overall sense of just “feeling better” that I carry with me throughout each day. I actually like the food that I eat, and I don't walk away from meals thinking, “Man, those 3,000 calorie chicken fingers were so good.”

Does focusing on eating better foods and creating more home-cooked meals take some adjustment to the time schedule? Of course, and that's why I have also decided to cut back on my soccer coaching career. The spring brings with it a hiatus from club soccer, as the high school aged players are currently all involved with their school teams. This has given me a break from the typical week of 4 training days, 400+ commuting miles, and 14-hour work days. Remember, I also have a career as a special education teacher in a middle school? When the fall rolls around, I'll only be in charge of one team instead of three like this last year, so I'm hoping to continue having spare time to dedicate to my personal sanity and other endeavors like keeping my fitness at what I hope are at least moderate levels.

As most of you who are friends with me on Facebook are probably already aware, I have tried to become a regular at my local indoor rock climbing gym, Ascension Climbing, making appearances at least 2-3 times a week. I'm now working on 5.8 projects, which I realize may not sound very impressive, but considering I only started climbing 5.6 routes on a consistent basis about 2 months ago, I'm happy with the progress. Sending a 5.10 by July may be ambitious, but it gives me something to work towards, and I love how this sport challenges me both physically and also mentally. It's not just about powering through a climb. There are techniques and problem-solving skills required that keep things engaging and fun. In addition to climbing, I'm also continuing to work on my running in preparation for the Publix Half-Marathon coming up on St. Patrick's Day weekend. My long runs are presently in the 6 mile range with pace times typically around 8:09/mile. With these two activities, I'm improving both my cardio as well as my strength. Now that the weather is warming up, I'll also be incorporating more hiking and backpacking to build up my legs for Rainier.

Finally, I've tried to work on doing my part to help my fellow man....er...young man, by forming and leading a Sibling Support Group at my school for students who have siblings or family members with disabilities. With the help of Holly Monahan, another special education teacher at Rising Starr, we have established a weekly group meeting where we are working on how to deal with being the sibling of someone with a disability. It gives the kids a chance to have their voice heard and to share with others who are in the same situation. Knowing you aren't alone can be a powerful thing. As I'm now introducing a series of lessons on leadership (since these guys are all going to have to be leaders in their families), it has been incredible to see the ideas and suggestions coming from such important young men. Although I still envision bringing a program like Big City Mountaineers here to Georgia, I feel like this is a good place to start and am excited to see where it will go.

That's all for now. I want to personally thank each and every one of you who has already helped contribute to my Summit for Someone climb of Mt. Rainier in July. Please keep spreading the word to others who you think might be willing to help out. New updates will be coming, so be sure to keep checking the blog and my climber page!

Oh, who is this person I met who has helped inspire so much of this change? Well, that's a topic for a different entry, but regardless of the outcome, I thank God for their introduction into my life.