Power of Momentum (Video Update 2)-by Ryan Leopold

Things are going great but it is amazing to me how much that "momentum" has to do with our successes or failures when it comes to any kind of goal or objective.  I was doing really well for the first 11-days of our 90-day challenge then we went out of town for 4-days.  Even with a well thought out plan in place...I did not eat my 2 servings of fruit and 2 servicing of veggies a day, I only worked out once and I did drink a little bit...Hawks game, what are you going to do?

It has been a week and I have had a hard time getting back into my routine.  I am not feeling as good as I did the first week and I have been crazing fatty foods, sugar and a lot of carbs!  Still getting my fruits an veggies but I am simply eating too much.  I also found it difficult to blog everyday while we were gone so hence I did not have this platform to keep me accountable.  The key now is to get momentum working in the right direction again.

I will be starting a 9-day detox cleanse in about a week.  I am really excited to get that going...it has been about 2-years since my last cleanse so well over due.  I will keep a daily video blog on that because it really is an interesting process to share and the results tend to be pretty amazing!

Good an bad day today...I did get a little cardio in plus a great morning workout.  Had oatmeal and fruit for breakfast followed by juice guy (beets, kale, apples, carrots and celery).  BUT...I had teriyaki for lunch and a shrimp meal for dinner that I could tell was prepared with a lot of butter.  Not feeling well and I over ate!  Better day tomorrow and the rest of the week!

Out for now,  Ryan 

New Years Resolutions?--by Ryan Leopold

As I am working through this 90-day challenge and as I face my own obstacles, I thought I would do a little research on "new years resolutions" and I found some interesting facts from a the study below...

I will have a video post update tomorrow with my progress over the last week.

Statistic Verification

Source: University of Scranton. Journal of Clinical Psychology

Published: 12.13.2012

Rank	Top 10 New Years resolutions for 2012
1	Lose Weight
2	Getting Organized
3	Spend Less, Save More
4	Enjoy Life to the Fullest
5	Staying Fit and Healthy
6	Learn Something Exciting
7	Quit Smoking
8	Help Others in Their Dreams
9	Fall in Love
10	Spend More Time with Family

News Years Resolution Statistics	Data
Percent of Americans who usually make New Year’s Resolutions	45%
Percent of Americans who infrequently make New Year’s Resolutions	17%
Percent of Americans who absolutlely never make New Year’s Resolutions	38%
Percent of people who are successful in achieving their resolution	8%
Percent who have infrequent success	49%
Percent who never succeed and fail on their resolution each year	24%
People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make resolutions
Type of Resolutions (Percent above 100% because of multiple resolutions)	Data
Self Improvement or education related resolutions	47%
Weight related resolutions	38%
Money related resolutions	34%
Relationship related resolutions	31%
Age Success Rates	Data
Percent of people in their twenties who achieve their resolution each year	39%
Percent of people over 50 who achieve their resolution each year	14%
Length of Resolutions	Data
Resolution maintained through first week	75%
Past two weeks	71%
Past one month	64%
Past six months	46%

Goal Review - Sequoia Leopold

Reaching my Goals 

It hasn't been as difficult as I thought it was going to be to change my diet and my workout regiment, but it is only motivating as I see changes happen immediately.  I need instant gratification from these changes, and there is just one category that is not improving as quickly as I wanted it to...Trying to have patience, but it is killing me.


I made a few goals at the beginning of this blog and Nutrition Project...most of them have been met and I have had amazing results.

• Weight Loss
• Energy
• Alertness
• Sleeping
• Fertility Category - is a little early to tell if we have made any progress
• Clear Skin - this one is taking longer then I would like

    I know that the blemishes that show up on your skin is from toxins or allergies or bacteria from over 2 weeks prior so I realize I have not gotten all the toxins out of my body or settled my hormone imbalance, but I thought I would see an immediate difference in my skin and I haven't.

In fact I feel like my skin has gotten worse;(  I will keep a close eye on this and make sure that I take out ALL Dairy.

Back from the ATL--by Ryan Leopold

Soooo, I failed on a couple fronts over the weekend!  I promised myself to continue to blog everyday of my journey even on the road.  So on day 1, I powered up the computer only to find that we did not have any WIFI access in our building.  I am not tech savvy enough to blog on my phone so I was left stranded.  I was totally bummed because I wanted to keep this promise to myself.  Oh well.  I am back and ready to share how things went on the road.

I also had a couple other setbacks.  (1)  I ate pretty good and found ways to keep with my nutrition program on the road but no where close to how I did when I was at home and in my routine.  I did not eat enough fruits and veggies and I had had several fatty snacks.  (2)  I drank a couple of the nights.  My objective was to NOT drink at all for 90-days!  I did make the exception for the Seahawks if they made the NFC championship game OR the Super Bowl.  The Atlanta trip came out of no where so I had to make the exception...nothing crazy but still.

We did a great job bringing some healthy snacks for the plane ride that helped a ton on the way down.  We had:  apple slices, strawberries, cucumbers, carrots and a banana.  We tried the same strategy on the way back from Atlanta but during the plane transfer during the layover we left the bag in the overhead bin so hence we did not have a chance to eat them!  :(.  What sucked about that the most is the fact that the food options at airports especially in the South are horrible.  I did get a salad but it was not very good and by no means nutritious.  We will plan better next time.

I will be starting a cleanse next week so I will fill you in on that once I get started.  I did a cleanse about 2-years ago and it was awesome!  I really am looking forward to getting that going.

Back to the fruits and veggies today.  Oatmeal for break fast followed by juice guy!  Nice salad from the Met Market for lunch along with several mixed veggies on the side.  Chicken and rice for dinner.

My Favorite Workout Gadgets - by Sequoia Leopold

Workout Gadgets - 

I get really excited when I get a new workout outfit or a new pair of running shoes, but one thing that I cant go without are my fitness gadgets and measures.  These particular items keep me honest and make it so that you absolutely can't cheat on your workout.

For a long time I would walk on the treadmill at an incline or the stair master while holding myself up.   First of all I now consider those machines as a total waste of time...I will do a treadmill workout only if I absolutely have to, but in general they are useless.

To keep my workouts on point there are 3 things I use...a trainer!!!!...a heart rate monitor....and my new Fuel Band.

Trainer is essential for me, I have already posted about my obsession with Crossfit recently!  I think this is important because it forces you to do the things you hate and would never do on your own.  Like I always stop after 10 squats;)

Heart Rate Monitor-$90

My favorite is the Polar HR Monitor.  It has a band that goes around your chest and then the watch that you wear on your wrist.  If you put in your information accurately it registers your Calories really accurately and measures your % fat burned, your high HR, your log HR, and your avg.  It shows you graphs and charts of your workouts and you can download it to your computer if you want to see your progress.  It stores all your info in the watch so you can go back and get week totals and compare.
  *** Note: Make sure you don't get the HR monitor that does NOT come with a chest strap, if it reads your HR from your wrist it wont be very accurate and you will constantly be needing to wet the back of it and restart it:(

Fuel Band - $150

The Nike Fuel Band is my new favorite obsession.  You wear it all the time and it registers your steps and time it takes to make those steps and then converts it into Nike "Fuel".  It also shows you calories burned, but so far from what I can tell the calories are not very accurate.
But what the best part is ...you give yourself a "Fuel Goal" and then if you haven't reached it by the end of the day it makes it really encouraging to go for another walk or do some jumping jacks before bed or something like that.
It also downloads to your computer and phone automatically and you can compete with other people on Nike +.
***Note: It isn't an accurate reading of workouts that don't involve a lot of steps like strength training and so on.

Both of these are super helpful to boost your workouts and keep you honest.

That's all for now.

Day 10 Update - by Sequoia aleopols

It's day 10 of our official Nutrition Challenge, and I feel amazing. The change in energy and alertness was immediate. I wake up easier and i don't feel sluggish in the afternoon.

Workouts are easier and I look forward to them cause it gets some of my excess energy out.

I am down 3lbs, which was not the direct goal, but a nice side effect.

I am still waiting on a more dramatic change in my skin, but it seems to be heading in the right direction. Fewer an fewer blemishes are appearing. I am confident that it is a result of no sugar, no wheat, and no dairy.

Next week I get my blood work back to see where my levels are an what allergies I might have or intolerance's. Then I will adjust my diet even more and blog about that change.

Worst part so far.... It's hard to find stuff to eat. I am hungry when I go to bed and I miss pasta.

love this product...--by Ryan Leopold

I am excited that I finally got an order delivered for one of my favorite products ever!  It is called Life Shotz and it is simply a nutrition drink, it comes in a powder, that you add to water.  I have been taking this product off and on for about 8-months.  It has been about a month since I ran out and I really do feel a difference and am excited to get it going again!

When I was taking Life Shotz; I had great energy, focus and it did enhance my mood quite a bit.  Here is what the website says it does and is designed for: natural energy:, mood enhancer, immune support along with age-defying benefits.

The product it's self has no: sugar, gluten, caffeine, preservatives, artificial dyes or flavors. When I was taking it I rarely was drinking coffee because I just didn't need it!

If you want more info, you can find it at: Life Shotz

I will be taking a box to Atlanta with us for sure since I may have a hard time finding a "juice guy" there!

Great workout this morning with Travis.  I will get a workout of two in when I am way for the weekend.  Oatmeal and a banana for breakfast.  Sushi for lunch along with some veggie snacks.  I will eat the rest of my greek salad for dinner tonight along with some fruit.

Off to the ATL tomorrow.

GO HAWKS.  Ryan