Well, Phase I is out of the way. That was a brutal few weeks of training and shifting nutrition. 

PHASE I LEARNINGS

• Fasting sucks, but it works – The first few days of this altered state of nutrition was debilitating. I was angry, aggressive, constantly hungry, moody, tired, dizzy, nauseous, everything you could imagine. My system was all WTF? as I willed myself through disciplining it. It took about a week to get things in order. Once I did, I was amazed at how good I felt, how much energy I’ve had, and how quickly I’ve been noticing the difference in myself.
• Consistency breeds motivation – At first, my family, friends, coworkers all doubted that I would be able to stick with this strict nutritional regime. There were snickers of “Give him 30 days”, and “I bet $50 he doesn’t last a week”, but here I am, slightly over 30 days in, and I’m proud to say I haven’t strayed in any way. I haven’t missed a single meal time, a single meal component, gone over or under a single calorie. I’ve been tenacious, driven, simply refusing to not do what I set out to do with this. Now everyone within my sphere of influence encourages me, supports me, considers my feeding schedule and habits in their plans, and can’t wait to see what I accomplish next.
• Morning workouts rock – It sucks getting up at 5 AM to go workout. Believe me, I know. Yet I don’t think I could do it any other way. My career doesn’t always allow for me to work 9 – 5, and usually when I get home I’m so tired or distracted I really don’t feel like going to the gym. Get it done in the morning, get it out of the way. That’s been my attitude, and it’s worked. I’ve also found I have increased energy throughout the day, my emotions more stabilized. I’m burning fat all day long, enjoying every moment of it, instead of laying awake at night because I just raised my energy levels. Yeah, morning workouts rock.
• Sleep is paramount – I’ve been getting 7 – 9 hours of sleep every single night. I go to bed at the same time consistently; I wake up at the same time consistently. This is one of those things where your body craves routine. Do not neglect your sleep.
• OMGWTFBBQ water – for my current bodyweight I’ve been drinking just over 4 liters of water per day (1 gallon). I honestly felt like I was drowning at the beginning, but it’s been a good lesson. Did you know your brain will send you the same signal for hunger as thirst? That is partly why so many of us overeat? Unless you externally hear your stomach rumbling, you’re not hungry. Next time you feel hungry, go drink as much water as you possibly can. You’ll be surprised how quickly your “hunger” goes away. Amazing how we’ve trained our brains incorrectly.
• $$$ – I’ve been eating more, eating better foods, using more supplements, yet saving money. Go figure. I’ve only eaten out once as its incredibly difficult to eat healthy in most restaurants. I debated going to a sushi buffet at one point, but a buffet is just a waste for me now as I don’t eat a whole lot in one sitting.
• Programs work – I’m glad I took the time with this. I’m glad every workout is different. My body never knows what is going to hit it next. It’s always sore in that good way, and always in weird places I didn’t realize I was neglecting. Don’t get stuck in a rut.  In fact, I’ve been so motivated by this that I’ve been working on converting this into a program available to any of you. Just doing some design and layout work and “The Brutor Guide to Empyrean Health” will be born, Men’s and Womens’ Editions.

DAY 150 RESULTS

• down 9 lbs
• down 2% body fat
• up 4% muscle mass

Roc's Got Back

Overall, it was a sucky experience, then an awesome one. I walk with more confidence (like the universe needs that), feeling a great sense of accomplishment. People close to me comment on how much my body is changing day by day. My lovely wife can’t keep her hands off of me, which is motivation enough to do this forever!

It requires a LOT of discipline to change our lives. Accept no excuses from yourself. There is no alternative. The cost of failure is too high. Nobody else can motivate you or do this for you. Ignore naysayers. Do what you need to do for yourself, no matter what it takes. Here’s an example.

I’ve been doing fitness for a while now, so some people say it’s easy for me, that if I had to try changing or forming a habit that I sucked at, I would see just how impossible it can be. Challenge accepted.

I suck at flossing my teeth. My dentist is always giving me crap about it. I have great teeth – never had a cavity, never needed dental work (except braces), and if I would only floss, my teeth would be so much better for it!

Thankfully, I went to the dentist about two days before Fanfest, just after accepting the challenge to turn a bad habit into a good one.

I have flossed every single morning without fail since then. That’s over 40 days of continuous flossing. It is now a good habit.

How did I do it? Willpower.

I was honest with myself and figured out my motivation. I told myself ‘If you do not floss today, your teeth will fall out.’ I didn’t want that. The thought of it terrified me. I made that a reality within my mind. I put floss out with my other morning routine items, so it wasn’t ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Whatever it was that made it work, it’s stuck. My gums are healthy, strong, not bleeding, and my teeth are barely staining from regular wear and tear.

I changed a bad habit into a good one. No more excuses from you.