AthleticFoodie Oatmeal Cookies

This is one of my AthleticFoodie segments which airs on the TV show Wisconsin Foodie, Sundays at 10:30am on CBS 58. Please let me know what you think!

Some Good Leg Work

Finally my body is beginning to reach the fitness level I've been looking for. Training the past month and a half has been pretty tough. Working hard in the weight-room and pool gives my mind and body a large load to deal with. At times it can be difficult to gauge where my fitness and strength are at because I am broken down. However, here and there I have little glimmers that show me I'm going in the right direction. One of them came yesterday in the weight-room.

We have some machines in the weight-room called CoreMax. This is revolutionary technology which allows us to explode through a weight upwards but not have to carry the full weight back down with us...if that makes sense. Yesterday was my day for legs...I did the CoreMax squats. This exercise allows me to push up from the bottom of the squat to the top and actually jump in the air with the weight but not worry about it coming down and crashing into me. I went heavy yesterday doing five sets of three reps. My last three reps were with 525 pounds on my shoulders. I'd done this weight at one point last season. Yesterday my velocity was not as high (the machine measures the velocity at which you push the weight up) as it had been last year...but I am getting there. Afterwards my legs actually felt great. I was really happy with what I had done and encouraged in moving forward. After practice and on my bike ride home...my legs definitely did not feel as good...

Patience...It's a Virtue!

Patience...while it IS a virtue...I've found it to be something that can at times be hard to find. With a society so based around instant gratification and 'the next best thing' it's easy to sometimes get dragged into this ideology as well. In general I certainly don't fall into that group, however, I do have my moments. My moments generally arise at times like at yesterday's practice. Long story short...I've been working my tail off in the weight-room and the pool for over a month. I'm getting more fit all the time but still haven't reached the level I'm looking for. Yesterday we did a set based on sheer speed. If speed was gold and I was a miner...my mine had been all used up. I was dead. What an unsatisfying practice.

Frustrated with my level of fitness I thought to myself, "I'm sick of waiting...I want it NOW." Eddie could tell I was having a hard time. After practice we talked and he reminded me that it takes time and grit. He said, "you're as good or better than anyone at that game...that's what you do...you grit it out." Suddenly a brisk breeze bellowed into my sails. At that moment I took a deep breath in and my body literally (literally) felt like it had just inhaled something magical...I had...it was the words of the one and only Eddie Reese. No one in the world could have had that affect on me other than Ed. He also said, "you gave it all you could and that's all you have right now. We'll string a whole good week of training together soon. We just need to stay at it." He's right. The season is young. I just need to be patient and take it one step at a time. Looking back at it now...my practice actually wasn't that bad. The truth is that I'm a perfectionist and my expectations and desire sometimes gets the best of me. I'm glad I have people around me that can help me keep my goggles clear and see what's really going on. Patience...it's a virtue!

Food Inc. "Do you know where your food comes from?"

How many times have we all said, "Oh I totally want to see that movie when it comes out" or "I can't wait to see that in theaters." This was true when I first saw the previews for the movie "Food Inc". As you can probably already guess...one thing lead to another, I traveled in Italy for a month and a half, was all over the US, and finally got back to Texas...without ever seeing Food Inc. Somehow this movie got brought up today in the weight-room and I was once again urged to watch. So I went and picked up a copy at the local video store. What I witnessed was truly amazing. Nothing was too graphic but rather painted a unique picture of the food we now call 'food' and where it comes from. If I had to take a bet...and I'm not a betting man...you will probably be quite surprised where much of your food comes from too, much like I was. Go rent Food Inc. Seriously

Speaking Recap

Practice really does make perfect. Saturday I spoke to a TON of people in Milwaukee at the 150 year anniversary of the Greater Milwaukee YMCA. Although I'm definitely not perfect at public speaking I'm getting better at it every time I speak. I love doing things and watching my progress as I keep working and get more and more experience at it. I find it exciting to see how every crowd is different, how my diction varies, and the rush I get from becoming enthusiastic and animated throughout the talk. The audience's response was great on Saturday night and gives me immense confidence moving forward!

Speaking like Crazy

One of the things I've found truly rewarding in the past year or so is getting the opportunity to speak to large groups of people. What do I talk about? Anything really, but mostly my story involving my battle with high blood pressure, swimming, and starting a business in the food world...and cooking of course. I've spoken to swim teams, USA Today, Rotary Clubs, Synagogues, schools, businesses and more.

I always tell people there are life lessons I truly don't believe I would've learned without swimming. I share those lessons as well as many of the most important quotes I've been exposed to over time. One of those quotes, as many of them are, is from my coach Eddie Reese..., "hard work and sacrifice always pay off if we're patient." I believe this to be utterly and completely true.

My schedule with speaking has been pretty crazy. I spoke to a journalism class on Tuesday. I'm speaking at a large conference tonight in Austin on behalf of disability awareness month. Finally I'm traveling to Milwaukee tomorrow where I'll be the keynote speaker to 1000 people at a black tie event on Saturday night. Lot's of fun! Gotta go practice my speech one more time...oh and find out what time I'm speaking tonight too...

Bread & Women

Baking Bread & Women.

Two very complex things of which, in large part, man is still trying to figure out. The variations are endless. You think you might be on the right track...but you're not. You think this might be the one...but you mess it up. You think, for some odd and insane reason, you think...that you are beginning to understand...oh but how wrong you are! Even after listening to all the experts and following all the directions somehow, SOMEHOW, you still can't get the final product you're looking for.

Bread & Women.

The outside has no bearing on what lies within. Don't judge it...there's no way to tell the texture, flavor, warmth or any variation therein by looking. Gentleman (and some ladies), for that
there's only one way...get your hands dirty...experience. You may experience the hardest, most rough crust on the outside, but on the inside...no sir...it's all soft. Some have that hard crust and stay hard to the core, while others are soft all the way through. Am I talking about bread or women??? Who knows? What I do know for sure is that an outstanding bread, and especially a good woman can be completely out of this world. You all know what I'm talking about...that warm and wonderful feeling you get inside when you find one. It can change your world buddy.

While I can say that in large part, women, as most men could say, are still a bit of an anomaly to me. However I've recently acquired a book which has made the complex task of creating 'good' homemade bread quite easy. The book is called "My Bread" by Jim Lahey. It describes his revolutionary new technique which involves simply mixing the ingredients together and letting them sit in a bowl to do their magic for 12-18 hours. Then the product is finished off in the oven in a cast-iron pot. The yield is something truly wonderful.

Maybe this guy should figure out women next...my guess is he'd win the Nobel Peace Prize for that one;)