A simple, cool, no-turning-back wow...

wow...

The Virtues Project Global Mentorship 2010 Conference is amazing in its simple real-ness. I am surrounded by great people doing cool things... and deer and trees and ocean and more. This is transforming me... not changing who I am, but moving beyond any "veils" that hold me back... mind, body, spirit, soul.

I will share more upon my return, but it is amazing. Health is greatly impacted, as I hear the birds chirping, see the sun rising and experience time well spent with me. My life will not be the same.

Peace.

Barry

en route....

Travellin' to the Virtues Project Global Mentorship Conference in Victoria BC... going to be a crossroads for me ... mind, body, spirit, soul... the 4 roads. Awoke feeling leaner, like I was ready for something. This will have impact professionally at CNA and in my unity work... and it will have a huge impact on me personally... I feel it, all around me.

My focus on health is even stronger this morning... optimal size, weight and strength by August 31, Period.

Walk with me. ;-)

Barry

265 and 7

I reached 265 in pounds today, my lowest in 12 years... waist size too... I am on track now... but I will be away from blogs for a week. This week I am traveling to the Virtues Project Global Mentorship Conference in BC and it is a bit of a retreat. I will be signing off for a week, but continuing the journey. Let's see where I am in a week. Stay with me.

Barry

B.U.

Today is a very special day, as a Baha'i. It is the Declaration of the Bab.... a most momentous moment on May 23, 1844. If curious, check it out at http://news.bahai.org/story/547 .

Now, on this Holy Day and holiday (it is, after all, Commonwealth or Victoria Day Weekend too), I am "completing" two days of a personal retreat, if you will.

Yesterday, I walked the pond across from the College of the North Atlantic with my cool little dog Panda, and I walked the paths around my home. I reflected lightly and relaxed. I hosted a beautiful little Holy Day celebration at my home. I watched Avatar again. It was a remarkable day finishing with a brief Facebook chat with my dear friend Raven who is visiting Mexico and bringing back some Salsa steps (hopefully LOL).

Then today, I bought a new watch... a funky tribal one, and a new chain for my fox pendant. AND I am getting ready for the Virtues Project Global Mentorship 2010 Conference in Victoria BC.

What has all of this to do with my path to health? EVERYTHING.

Physical health is no island, no silo. It is connected to mind and spirit. That is the purpose of this blog... wholiness, the whole of mind, body, spirit and soul.

I have been reflecting on how I get healthier. I am continuing to lose weight and waist size and I am thrilled. More importantly even, I am getting back to me. Getting back to a "tribal" gypsy me. Still practical enough to live in this world, but less linear and more magical.

I am remembering that I love the freedom of dance, the joy of singing, the elegance of archery, the honour of football, the vision of Star Trek (yup, humanity is noble), the magic of true romance in life, and more. These things tell me something about me. That is important.

So, my path continues but I am picking up speed, but the speed that comes from grace. I am being true to me and listening to "me" inside, in what I eat, what activities I choose, and how I live.

My advice? None, except be true to you.

I continue to live S.L.O.W.E.R. but I also suggest two other letters of importance ... B.U. !!!

Peace and happy days.

Barry

OFF and Down, but Living Healthy....

I am taking the next two days "off and down".

I am going to walk, dance, sing and more... going to relax and live healthy IMMENSELY. I have no idea where it will take me, but I will check in again on Monday and let you know how it went. Have fun and relax this holiday weekend. News on Monday. ;-)

Barry

Runnin' 'round

Sorry, been running around CRAZY busy but I have been running around... very active and still eating right... weighing in after the weekend.... planning a very active weekend. VERY relaxing and active weekend. It's all about activity and eating better. Let's see where that takes me. ;-)

More to follow.

Barry

Peanut Butter and more....

3 walks in 24 hours...

Loving peanut butter too... trained myself with peanut butter and jam over the last week with less and less jam as I went... now liking it. Good protein source. It is all in training our taste buds.

It is all in training ourselves and our bodies to enjoy health.

And it is all in choosing activities that we enjoy.

Keep walking and keep the faith.

Barry

PS

Someone reminded me today of Nemo and the idea of "keep swimming". ;-)

Milestones not millstones.....

77 days... 77 days until August 1.

This morning, after a busy and exciting few days, I have taken a look at my path and created new milestones for weight and waist for June 6, July 4 and August 1.

The bottom line is I am intent on reaching my optimal waist and weight by August 1, 2010. 77 days. 11 weeks. The immediate goal is to be down 20 pounds for the Quarter Pound Challenge by June 6. And that would be down over 40 pounds in total.

I am hoping for your support and encouragement along the way. How? Set a goal of your own. Or make a comment or two along the way. I am 50, and I am no longer prepared to "accept" being this heavy and unhealthy. I am amazed at how healthy and energized I have been at higher waits and am excited about what it will be like when I reach optimal. Wow!

Join with me.

Barry

BE and Balance

As ye have faith so shall your powers and blessings be. This is the balance -- this is the balance -- this is the balance.

Abdu'l-Bahá'

I love this message. And, this morning, I see a reference to my health. If we believe, we are. So, I believe that I am a healthy, strong, agile man. I will eat and live like one. If our actions align with our beilefs, we start BEing.

So BE it.

Barry

Air and Activity

Honestly, today I felt tired... but it change with a short refreshing walk tonight around my old neighbourhood. The fresh air, amazing.

With the weather approaching summer... time to get out and breathe. If we live active, then we get healthier.

Intense activity these next few weeks... putting a push on. :-)

Barry

Oooooops, aaaaagh, jheesh....

Sorry, I missed a post yesterday.

How many of you have ever made an idiot of yourself? I don't mean this in any derogatory or demeaning way. It is not about character but behaviour.

I think we all have times in our lives when we say or do something that is unwise and/or unexpected, the source of which may have been either long dormant and neglected or totally unknown.

Yesterday was a day of regret for me.

But my Baha'i Faith teaches me to take account each day.

I am working on just that.

Which brings me to my health offering today. I have several quotes that I like that are helping me make sense of yesterday, and my health journey. I hope they resonate for you too.

Here they are:

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. ~ World Health Organization, 1948

The power of love to change bodies is legendary, built into folklore, common sense, and everyday experience. Love moves the flesh, it pushes matter around.... Throughout history, "tender loving care" has uniformly been recognized as a valuable element in healing. ~ Larry Dossey

In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired. ~ Author Unknown

The best six doctors anywhere
And no one can deny it
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air
Exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend
If only you are willing
Your mind they'll ease
Your will they'll mend
And charge you not a shilling.
~Nursery rhyme quoted by Wayne Fields, What the River Knows, 1990



Keep on your path, as I am finding my way back onto mine.

:-)

Barry

A New Chance...

It has been an interesting day. A great "first" class with Organizational Behaviour students. A short walk in, but a longer drive to clear the cobwebs. All, good for the health.

Keep the faith, and I keep the new habits.

My refrigeraror is on the fritz and needs a new part that will take a week. It was suggested that I defrost the fridge, throw out the food and start afresh... a perfect opportunity to re-engineer my diet, in the best sense of the word.

Stay with me.

Barry

Small Victories?

No walk today. Well not quite. I walked from the College to the Confederation Build and back. I could have drove, but I chose to walk. That is a small victory. They all count.

Still, I had an active day and I did make good choices for eating. It all counts.

Keep on your path, small and big victories alike. Tomorrow, a bigger plan. :-)

Barry

Umph....

This day, amidst the rain... we walked yet again. Felt the focus and determination... umph.

It was a day of working out... mind, body and spirit. Invigorating.

Shooting for 265 pounds by next Saturday. Bring on the week!

Barry

84 Days, 12 Weeks... Bring it On!

Ok, folks.. it is time to BRING IT. For me... to bring it, that is. Really bring it!

I weighed in this afternoon and I have made it. Made what, you say?

Well... back last Summer and Fall, with the help of Courtney Rowsell, Carl George and Mike Nordby and others, I embarked on a journey of weight loss that saw me drop about 40 pounds of net fat. I went from 299.50 pounds down to 270, while working out and adding muscle. I was told that if I lost a net 30 pounds, it probably meant I lost 40 pounds of fat, adding 10 pounds of muscle. Cool, I thought.

Then my plan went off track. I got through Christmas without adding any back, but then went back up to 281. Bad news.

Great news is that I stopped at 281 and held there for a couple of months or so.

BEST news is that I started on this new leg and I am down to 270 pounds again. I have dropped 11 since starting the Quarter Pound Challenge. I am baaaack. I made it back to 270.

So, where to from here?

OK, so this is where I really bring it.

There are 84 days now between now and July 31.

There are 28 days until the Telethon.

By the Telethon, and in support of my fundraising challenge, I intend to shed another 14 pounds at least, to reach June 5 down 25 pounds... and reach 256 pounds... down 43.5 pounds altogether!

Then, by July 3, another 16 pounds... to hit 240. Through walking, hiking, dancing, eating right and more. Being VERY active.

Then by July 31, another 20 pounds with an outdoor boot camp in Mt. Pearl, dancing, walking, hiking, lots of water, great healthy food and more. July, I will be so very active.

My eating habits are cool now... I graze... with one traditional meal a day and allot of smaller meals... basically, I eat when I am hungry but only eat small, balanced, healthy portions. Oh, and lots of water.

I plan to take my first real vacation in 20 years this summer. Two months dedicated to me and my health and a professional and personal trip to British Columbia in there to boot. By that trip, I intend to be my goal health and shape.

I am calling it my Bear Diet... how I eat and live, walking, running, grazing... going.

I have come to the realization that we must do what fits our personality. I will continue to choose healthy foods and exercises, but I will do it my way. Everyone's advice is wonderful, but I know who I work and I need to work it.

Hope you share in the journey. You will not recognize me, come September hah!

Anyway, I will be regularly doing blogs over these next 84 days, including You Tube pieces.

Peace. :-)

Barry

ROCK out....

I sang and danced last night... BIG TIME. I felt so much energy. Now to keep on that!!!

I need to build dancing into my life again, at core. I love it, more than anything. Well, almost anything. My faith, my dance.

I have awakened to the thought that I want to take the next 84 days, 12 weeks... to love and dance and sing and BE!!! And to be in the absolute best shape of my life. That was the original goal. I lost 30 pounds of fat. Gained some back, and now am back to that 30 pound loss... and NOW?

Down to 220 pounds or 110 kilograms by August. That will be an 80 pound loss in total. BRING IT!!!

This will ROCK.

Join with me. No limits but our faith.

Barry

9 in 7

9 pounds down in 1 week.... what am I doing? Darned if I know!!!

Kiddin'. :-)

Without even thinking so much about it, I have been eating when I am hungry but opting to eat smaller portions, healthier foods, and not eating after 7:00 pm.

I have been walking much more and drinking more water.

Of course, we have been Salsa dancing too.

NOW, for the next 30 days... including today up until the Janeway Telethon on June 5... I intend to:

(1) eat when I am hungry but eat smaller, healthier portions
(2) drink 4 liters of water a day
(3) walk every day, EVERY day
(4) daily practice Salsa dance steps in my basement studio (I call my Lair)
(5) do weights at least 3 times a week

I intend to be down at least 20 pounds by Telethon, but shooting for 25... I have dropped 12 now.... DOable.

Bottom line, is I am doing it my way, and extreme... but FUN in the extreme.

My dear friend Raven is supporting me by walking with me and encouraging me.

Find a good friend, motivate each other.

We all can do this!!!

Barry

A Great Day... and Massive Goals Ahead!

Today, I walked... twice. This morning, thinking that my walking partner couldn't make it, I went anyway and had a brisk, beautiful, cool walk. Then my partner indicated she could make it.... and we went again. Twice. So that was three times around the pond by the College... and I ate phenomenally well.

I really feel that I am dead on committed to this journey and have set massive goals for June 5 (The Telethon), end of June and end of July. Massive.

Join me with your own goals. Let's go!

Barry

Keepin' On....

Another good day for health... while I didn't get a walk in, I chose pretty well in terms of food.... with one exception at Papa's for supper. Tomorrow, I double up the walk. Keepin' on, keepin' on.

Barry

RESULTS and INTENT

The belt is down to the last hole, actually the last of 3 holes carved in.... first time in 13 years!

I am down 6 pounds in a week, since my restart. After plateauing for months, I am back on the downward trend. And dancing for hours tonight... Salsa!!!

My intent is now massive and MY WAY. Watch out what happens these next 2 and 3 months... shooting for an outdoor boot camp in July... and down to 220 pounds by August.

Watch me, follow me, join me.

Rock 'n' roll, lock 'n' load!!!

Stay tuned.

Barry

PS

I will be starting regular video blogs with this journey too.

Steppin' Out and Steppin' It Up!

Today was a real roller coaster.

Ups, downs, ups.

The biggest thing was understanding how important it is to take time for a good walk in the fresh air with a friend. A walk around the pond by the College. Great conversation, brisk walk.

Tomorrow Quidi Vidi. Thursday, Signal Hill of all things.

Keeping THAT going, getting healthier, and getting more clear on questions and answers. ;-)

I have decided to only weigh in once a week now, and go by belt size... a better measure it seems.

Hope you keep following.

Barry

Successes and Bumps in the Road

I am down a full 5 pounds, due to increased walking and dancing and eating right. My dear friend and Salsa dance partner, Raven, has agreed to walk with me daily. That is such a gift. Between dance and walking and weights and increased water intake... plus eating much better, who knows where this will go? Rhetorical question huh? ;-)

Anyway, I also am grappling with some questions that need addressing and feeling a little like the Tom Hanks' character in Castaway in the final scene specifically. May looks to be a month to look inward big time, culminating in the Virtues Project Global Mentorship Conference at the end of this month. I believe that I am at a crossroads and that is a good thing.

Barry

Eureka! I am Awake! LOL

I find myself writing again, today.

Earlier today, I took a walk... but not just any walk... a walk with a new and very dear friend, and my dog Panda. The walk took us through Bowring Park and down by the "duck pond". It was filled with fresh air and friendship and fun.

This might not be "rocket science" to many, but for me it was an awakening... a re-awakening. Despite my claims to the contrary, I found myself realizing how much I had allowed myself to be come linear.

As a child, I was not so. Not at all. I thought differently and truly enjoyed "being". Today reminded me of how I have maintained that in adulthood, primarily in name. What do I mean? I mean that I fully, deeply realized how wonderful it was to be and talk and have no time in mind. It felt like "home".

What has this to do with my health journey? EVERYTHING.

I have read and listened and taken in so much advice and guidance on my path towards health. All good. BUT the best was found within the works of Martha Beck... the idea that we need to "listen" to our bodies, and their unique passions.

So?

Well, my exercises and eating really need to be guided by what I feel and am attracted towards.

Meaning?

My breakfasts will be composed of flavoured shakes with protein (I looooove beverages), and light cereal and a piece of fruit. During the day, I will graze with healthy trail lix and fruit and water. I call it my "bear diet". My traditional meal for the day will be a variety but composed of carbs, fat and protein and will be easy to prepare. My lifestyle and my body speak to me about trying to be "me". I am going to let that unfold and involve.

I am also one who likes to dive in FULLY and I am tired of being hesitant. It is not my style. So, these next 5 weeks will be about me getting healthy the Barry way. I will lift weights, walk, and drink water every day. I will practice dance and rock out every day. My dear friend, has committed to walk the walk with me. I am blessed. And, I am me.

I will be living SLOWER with sleep, laughter, oxygen, water, exercise and real food. I will live it my way. I look forward to sharing with you just what exercises and eating I engage... and the results achieved. Hope you stay with me, and hope you join me.

Barry

Woohoooooo, weigh in followed by weights, walks, water and dance....

This morning, I am down. I am down 3 pounds. Total is now down 13... seeing another 12-15 by June 5 and The Janeway Telethon. The goal is to be down 20-25 pounds for the Quarter Pound Challenge. Yesterday and last night, a number of people were gracious in positive feedback... and that feels great.

I start a 40-day Virtues Project Journal Journey and part of that will be weights, walks, water, and dance (practice or more) EVERY day.... let's see where that takes me.

Still hoping you join me by sponsoring and/or encouraging. :-)

Barry