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Personal Update 201710 | 31 October 2017 | Tuesday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Health & Wellness

This past month I’ve transitioned my body into a state of keto-adaption by significantly reducing my carbohydrate intake and caloric intake. I’m combining a ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting, and my exercise program of yoga, walking, biking, elliptical, and lifting 10,000 pounds per day. It all sounds intensive, but it’s really not bad — for reasons I’ll explain.

Our bodies normally run on carbs and sugar. Because carbs and sugar make us very hungry, we normally have an excess of these entering our system and the excess is stored as fat. Over time, this results in obesity. Lethargy is a side effect of eating high quantities of carbs and sugar. That lack of energy usually results in eating more food to get more energy. It’s a vicious cycle. Because carbs and sugar are considered to be more addictive than cocaine or heroine, they are very hard to give up. The high sugar concentrations in our body result in insulin resistance. This results in high insulin levels in the body, which in turn results in rapid fat storage and weight gain. Eventually this leads to diabetes, and numerous other illnesses. The medications prescribed for these illnesses, such as insulin, increase body fat and cause weight gain. A ketogenic diet can reverse all these issues.

Once a person breaks free from the addiction to carbs and sugar, severe hunger and cravings practically disappear. An incredible amount of strength and energy are generated while in ketosis — which is a very efficient high energy fueling process for the body. Because of the high energy level, one tends to eat less and move around more.

Intermittent fasting is usually done in the morning on an empty stomach, making the morning hours an idea time for drinking cleansing teas and apple cider vinegar. They have greater effectiveness on an empty stomach. By waiting until noon before eating the first meal of the day, the body is placed in a period of fasting from after dinner the night before, until noon. Depending on when you ate dinner, this could be an 18 hour period of daily fasting (which includes your time spent sleeping). That leaves a 6 hour window for eating food which is plenty of time to enjoy a nice lunch and dinner.

It’s common to have a rising blood sugar level in the morning when the body is releasing glucose in an effort to wake us up. However, high glucose levels at night, as the result of high carbs and sugar in the diet, can result in very poor and restless sleep. A ketogenic diet keeps blood sugar levels low. The low-carb diet results in sustained energy, but also can result in very deep high-quality sleep at night. This better quality sleep results in a higher metabolism and fat burning at night, and more energy during the day, making food less necessary.

I’ve lost about 20 pounds and am at my lowest weight in over 4 years. I’m experiencing the benefits of having low glucose levels as well as blood pressure and pulse at optimal levels. It’s really been a transformative experience.

For further details, read “7 Powerful Wellness Videos on Weight Loss and Insulin Resistance” where I share further information about the program and some of the videos that inspired it.

 

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 17 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Personal Update 201709 | 30 September 2017 | Saturday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Health & Wellness

The big wellness news this month is that I’ve started another 120-day wellness challenge. This time I’m developing a 1,500 calorie-per-day diet with mostly low-carb foods and little or no sugar. The early results are quite good. I’ll have some clinical data for you in a few months. For further details, read “7 Powerful Wellness Videos on Weight Loss and Insulin Resistance” where I share further information about the program and some of the videos that inspired it.

Videos

If you’re interested in seeing some of the videos I’m producing, you can visit YouTube.com/resourcesforlife/videos to see the latest uploads. You’ll find videos on technology, bicycle riding, woodworking, and other topics. One of my favorites was a humorous old-style “jingle” advertisement for Iowa City Computer Support.

Personal Video Update for September 2017

Below is a video message I recorded for a more personalized update.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QndDkue_YAk?rel=0&w=1280&h=720]

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 17 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Personal Update 201708 | 31 August 2017 | Thursday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Bike • Work • Life

In the same way I helped launch and grow the small house movement, I’d like to provide support and resources to a movement of people working from bicycle throughout the day. To this end, I’ve launched three new websites BikeWorkLife.com, IowaCityBikeTrails.com and BikeIowaCity.com.

So far this year I’ve traveled 930 miles on 447 bike rides. Since May 16, I’ve spent 109 hours on my bicycle, taking phone calls, providing tech support, dictating emails, and creating instructional videos. I’ve commuted by bicycle most of my life, but working from my bicycle all day long, riding from one meeting to another, and spending more time on trails rather than a desk is a new experience for me. As time goes on, I’m learning and refining my approach.

Thank you to everyone who has helped in the initial launch of this initiative. I look forward to providing more progress reports in the future.

Wellness

Last year I created a strength training tracking system using the Apple iOS Numbers spreadsheet app on my iPhone that allows for easy entry of weight lifting exercise data. This helps record my workouts, track progress, and plan accordingly.

This year I’ve lifted 442 tons (884,580 pounds), and this past month, I’ve lifted over 140,000 pounds. At present, I lift just over 8,000 pounds during my regular daily workout. So, that’s the same as 800 pounds ten times or 80 pounds 100 times. Ideally a person finds the right ratio of weight and repetitions to achieve the highest comfortable total lifted for a workout.

As I build more muscle mass, I’m hoping that it will help boost my metabolism throughout the day and make me more resistant to injury. I had a chance to try out this theory on August 6 following a bicycle accident, which I’m happy to say I quickly recovered from.

Woodworking

I’ve added a woodworking page to my personal site where I hope to post videos about various woodworking projects, beginning with my very first (and very rough) project which is a charity box.

I’m excited about woodworking because it offers similar versatility of 3D printing, but with renewable materials. It’s ideal for makers and creators. My initial interest was with creating computer related desk supplies and computer enclosures for my computer customers, but I’ve now expanded my horizons to include some future projects that I envision making which are listed on my woodworking page.

Videos

I’ve produced about 50 videos this month on a variety of topics. Here are some of the more popular ones so far. Dates provided are the recording date, not the posted date. These links go directly to the YouTube video post.

• Buchanan House Winery – Tipton Iowa (5 Aug 2017)
• Iowa City Coralville Bike Trails Map Video Tour (3 Aug 2017)
• Lunch at the Farm (5 Aug 2017)
• Niabi Zoo Visit – Quad Cities Illinois (29 July 2017)
• Woodworking Project – Charity Box (22-25 August 2017)

Personal Video Update for August 2017

Below is a video message I recorded for a more personalized update.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq49NBQsp2A?rel=0]

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 17 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Personal Update 201707 | 31 July 2017 | Monday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

 

Cycling, Trails, and Scenic Tour Project

Over the past few months, I’ve been writing about my Bicycle Iowa City initiative that is explained more through the about page of BikeIowaCity.com website. It’s a project I began a few years ago with video recording of local trails. I was doing my best to share the vision and get the word out by promoting the website and ideas.

This month I learned that a local quasi-government agency recently started a BikeIowaCity.org website (not launched yet) and they are also planning a similar Bike Iowa City initiative — reaching out to local bike shops and clubs. So, that’s resulted in me wanting to create an additional bicycle initiative website which I’ll announce soon.

With the Small House Movement, I attempted to create something that people could easily replicate and help spread. Similarly, with the Bike Iowa City concept, I was hoping to create something that could be easily copied, and apparently it has been (perhaps inadvertently). So, that’s a good sign. I don’t want to suggest they copied my idea. I think it’s more likely an example of people unwittingly working on parallel paths. In any event, the concept seems to be workable and popular.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 17 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Personal Update 201706 | 30 June 2017 | Friday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Fitness Program

Since my last update, I’ve ridden my bicycle 214 miles and have increased my strength training program to include lifting over 10,000 pounds per day. I’m also spending time on the elliptical workout and hiking as well.

Cycling, Trails, and Scenic Tour Project

I’m continuing with my project to promote bicycling in the Iowa City area through the BikeIowaCity.com website. My goal is to create a program that is engaging and impactful, as explained on the about page of the site.

Photography

Each week I post some of my favorite photos from the week in a series of weekly Featured Photos. I’m still catching up on the past few weeks of photos. Today I posted photos from 1-7 April 2017.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 17 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.