New Year, New Life

     This year is going to be amazing, it really is. It started with the birth of my 5th grandchild on January 3rd!!! She is perfect. The mother is perfect, everything was beyond perfect. I am not going to use names, except that the baby shares her middle name with her grandmother. Those who know the back story know that my beautiful wife Elaine lost her fight with cancer last August 30th. So it is with bittersweet tears that I announce that Elaine watched from heaven the birth of this sweet one. Now, Elaine's daughters are not mine by birth, but I couldn't love them more. We are family and we do life together. If children are arrows of Gods love straight into our hearts, then grandchildren are guided missiles.
    So, back to my wellness adventure! I created another batch of detox soup on January 4th, and I have been combining it with roasted chicken and brown rice. I have a protein shake made with frozen pineapple and strawberries for breakfast most mornings. Lunch is usually soup, dinner is more soup, chicken and rice in a bowl. Snacks are whole fruit or low glycemic protein bars. I have taken up roasting my own chickens as they are healthier and taste much better. I use fresh oranges, jalapeno, onion and garlic. I start with healthy fresh chicken, rinse and stuff with quartered orange and other ingredients. I like to roast vegetables in the same pan, usually sweet potatoes, carrots, onion and jalapeno. The juice from a few fresh oranges makes a great marinade. I bake at 375 for approximately an hour and fifteen minutes.
    I am still hiking around 16 to 20 miles each week, I am trying to pick up the pace, sorry Olga. I have now committed to participate in the "world famous mud run" at camp Pendleton. This event is in June, so it gives me some time to prepare. Which I need! I had cut my left hand in a serious accident back in 2010, severing tendons and muscle bellies. I have never really strength trained after that, life just happened. I now find myself unconditioned, unbalanced and weaker in upper body strength than anytime in the recent past.
    So, what to do?  For me the first thing is to continue to watch my food intake. This helps me feel motivated to continue on this journey, I know if I keep momentum I won't stall out. Secondly, I will increase duration and intensity of my cardio workout. I take stairs when possible and I park further out. Thirdly, I have started using light weights at home. I also use the sink for modified push ups, adding one rep each day until I can do multiple sets. I have a date set when I will begin taking exercise classes.
    It seams one trick for overcoming obstacles that is working for me, I am building on any past success. If I was able to walk a few steps yesterday, I'll walk a few more today. If I could curl 20lbs today, I'll curl 21lbs tomorrow. I keep moving toward a large goal by recognizing each small success. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time... I know that if I keep the vision of me reaching the goal in sight, I am less apt to stray of the path.
    So now my blog has been published publicly, I have been outed! This really works in my favor as I recognize my need for community. I can't reach my peak physical condition alone, I really need help. Just as I know I won't recover emotionally or spiritually from the loss of my wife alone.
I need you.
    It is hard the first time for some of us to say we need help. Especially those of us who are "fixers". Give me enough time and tools and I can solve most mechanical problems. Yet, I find myself resorting to professional help with tech issues more frequently now. So, you are helping me by reading this blog. Many of you have encouraged me to continue writing, so I will. I find it cathartic, almost spiritually cleansing to journal my experience. I hope my openness helps others on their path toward wholeness. I am not offended if you comment on my journey, you are even welcome to share some of yours with me. Maybe we can help each other reach the goal. At the least we can have some fun and get to know each  other on the way.

Thank you for taking the time to share in my journey. I will blog soon. Treat yourself well and do unto others...

In health,
Richard Gjonovich

Trying to stay on the trial.

     Wow, this discipline thing is really hard during the holiday season. I love my friends who are trying to comfort me, I really love them. But, wow, do we like to eat out during this season. Everything revolves around food, usually comfort food. I am finding it difficult to keep on the trail, but I keep coming back on track. I am doing ok with the sweets though, which are usually my downfall. I am also making better choices when I do eat out.
    Now for the good news, I just stepped on the scale. Drum roll please... 235lbs. I am down 30 pounds from my start weight of 265lbs. I am down 10 lbs from my assessment weight of 245lbs. on 11/15. I have managed to not gain any weight between Thanksgiving and New Years which is a real accomplishment for me. I usually gain 7 to 10 pounds over the holiday season, not this year!  I have just changed my eating, I am not really exercising more. I am planning on adding strength training after the first of the year.
    So, what have I been eating? Glad you asked... I have returned to what worked in the past. I have been trying to follow the guidelines Elaine had suggested several years ago. I have been alternating between using the detox soup recipe with added chicken and brown rice, and high fiber, low glycemic meal replacement drinks and bars. During the past few weeks I have been eating out more, so I am choosing sushi, salads and cleaner foods. One thing I must confess. If you gave me a plate or bag of sweets, I may have re-gifted them on too someone else! And I did leave all the cheesecake, and other snacks at Dave and Nicholl's home, sorry mom.
    Now I want to share my goals with you. We all need goals to move us forward in life. I have short term and longer term goals. My first goal is to reach my healthy low weight of 215 lbs. total weight. I am hoping to accomplish this by the end of the OFAC Fit Challenge on February 20th. I also hope to gain muscle during this time, so I will need to do more than just reduce calories. Many times we just diet our way down to our goal, yet all we really do is lose muscle. I will detox and cleanse form January 1st until January 14th, when I will join the rest of the Fit Challenge participants for an assessment.
    My longer term goals are much more compelling for me, they are part of what will drive me to success. I want to be in amazing shape so I can accomplish some of my "bucket list" adventures. I have wanted to summit Mt. Rainier for years and this will involve climbing glaciers. I have also wanted to kayak the San Juan Islands, and also kayak other long distance adventures. I raced motorcycles when I was younger, and I would love to compete on a mountain bike someday. And there are always long backpacking trips that would be amazing. I don't really care about competing in a 5k, but it would be great training for what really motivates me. I'm sure you have fitness adventures that tug at you as well. I know that I can't accomplish my goals alone, so I am going use my own club for these purposes. I will not join a gym or use anything not available through Outdoor Fitness Adventure Club. I will start to join my club members in their favorite classes.
    I want to thank you for joining me on this journey. I ask that you also join me on some of our adventures as well. If you are a member or friend of OFAC then you may be aware that we have partnered with EPIC. We now have virtually unlimited choices in adventures to train for. Please let me know what some of your dream adventures or events are. Maybe we can even train together, that would be fun. If you have not been on the epic page, then send me an email or post on facebook, i'll make sure you get a code.
    The last thing I would like to say this year is, have a happy and safe new years eve. I hope to see all of you next year, maybe even on the trail. Remember your blessings as you reflect upon 2011, and lets look forward to 2012 as a new adventure on this journey of life.

In Health,

Richard Gjonovich

   

On the trail...

     Well I am committed now.  Since I have started blogging again, I am catching all kinds of flack. So I had better follow through this time... So we step out on the trail together as I share my journey back from the land of BOB (belly over belt), as Elaine was so found of calling it. The truth is that the band of fat around the midsection represents a very unhealthy condition. This is the fat called "brown" or "acidic" fat, I understand that this fat is considered toxic to our body. This is why it can be difficult to lose, our bodies have a hard time burning it because it is so acidic.
     So I will share that what I had done in the past, I am doing again, because it works. The premiss is simple enough, neutralize the PH of the fat first. Then my body can burn it during exercise, rather than lose muscle mass. I have used two methods to do this. I have used a nutritional product called USANA, they make a reset program based on high fiber meal replacement shakes and bars. They taste good, and offer plenty of vitamins and minerals to keep one healthy. It seamed to work just fine, I pretty much just took this for five days then moved into a phase of eating one healthy meal daily then using the meal replacement for the rest of the day.
     The other method I have used is Elaine's detox soup diet, followed by better choices.  She suggested this to over a thousand people during past Fit Challenges. It is based on kale, cabbage, beets, turnips and several other veggies that are alkalizing to the body. After five days you transition to chicken, brown rice, protein powder and other healthy foods. One continues on this program of eliminating all processed foods, sugar, flour and  all bleached white, useless foods. One also eats food in the proper ratios of carbs, protein and healthy fats. The first few days can be hard as the body really does detox. After three to five days the cravings and general malaise go away, many report increased energy and mental  alertness.
    Yesterday I was supposed to fast for personal reasons, but I woke up not feeling well. A dear friend came out to visit me for lunch then other friends invited me to their home for dinner. Well, that part of the fast was out... Yet I made the best choices I could for both meals. I selected fish and salad for lunch, passing on the side dishes. Dinner was all homemade and again a salad, veggies, and pork tenderloin, followed by fresh fruit. It really isn't difficult to make better food choices once you are educated in what your body needs.
     Today I had a protein shake made with fresh squeezed orange juice and frozen mango and pineapple.
Lunch was from a fresh batch of detox soup, dinner will be chicken, more detox soup and brown rice. I have hiked three days so far this week, I am only missing strength training to complete the program.

Thank you for allowing me to share this journey with you.
Please comment as it helps me know I have accountability partners.

In Health,
Richard Gjonovich

Starting Over

      I have not Blogged since 2009, and that is way too long. I am challenged to do this because many of my friends feel this story needs to be told, I agree with them.  I will start by thanking anyone who chooses to take this journey with me. Some of you followed my journey in other written forms in the past, either on this site, caringbridge or facebook.
     I would like to give a quick back story, it will help you understand the motivation behind my latest desire to share. On August 30 of 2011, my beautiful wife Elaine lost her battle with Cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer of the bile ducts. She had been undergoing routine blood tests in May of 2010, and in August of 2010 she was finally diagnosed. In September of 2010 she underwent surgery to remove a large portion of her liver, but the growth was unresectable. Within weeks of recovery, she started chemotherapy. Several different treatments were tried, but all to no avail. I had promised her on day one she would never be in a doctors office alone. I spent nearly 40 days and nights in the hospital with her, and uncountable other hours in the chemo room and hospital for procedures and tests.
     So we come to the reason behind this newest blog of mine. The premise is simple, I need help returning to health and wellness. This blog will be one of my accountability tools, so you will help me just by reading this. At one point a few years ago, I weighed in at 215 lbs. and was around 20 percent body fat. After all that time in the hospital with nominal exercise, poor nutrition, and all the stress induced sugar consumption, I found myself at 265 lbs.
     Sometime in late September I was trying to sell a fitness membership to a slim young lady and I noticed as I was talking, she was not looking at my face. She was staring at my now rather rotund midsection.  I  knew I could no longer sell what I did not represent myself. I know what to do, I had watched my wife teach nutrition for over six years. I had benefited from her expertise before, I could do it again. So here we are, right back on the path to proper health.
     On November 15th I had asked Beth Sanden, a world class coach ( one of our amazing instructors)  to perform a full body composition on me. Over the past two months I had been hiking more, and really watching the food intake, so I was anxious for the results. As I stepped onto the scale I was well pleased to see "only" 245 lbs, a drop of 20 lbs. The other measurements are sad for me, I am now 33.6 % body fat with 82.32 lbs of fat. That leaves a lean tissue mass of only 162.68, for a male of my age and heights I am right at the edge of obese. This was after loosing 20 lbs. Wow, what happened to my almost athletic body? Today I stepped on the scale and I am currently at 237lbs, so I am down even more from November 15th.
     I hope my journey is of interest to you and I will be try to post daily. I plan on sharing recipes, exercise tips and just what it is that I am doing to get fit and stay fit. Thank you in advance for sharing the journey with me.

In Health,
Richard Gjonovich
Outdoor Fitness Adventure Club
1502 N El Camino Real, San Clemente, CA 92672
949-366-1010
www.outdoorfitnessonline.org
richard@outdoorfitnessonline.org    

  

Torrey Pines Hike Oct 30 09

Well, this time I missed the big hike, someone had to hold down the fort. If you did not join Outdoor Fitness Adventure Club yesterday, you missed one of the most picturesque locations to hike in all of California. Around thirty of our friends joined my beautiful wife, Elaine, as she led a hike along the coastline of Torrey Pines. Very rare trees, rugged coast, perfect weather, it all added up to what has become our yearly anniversary trek. Followed by a lunch at Los Olas, what's not to like.
Our club is seven years old this month, and we would like to thank everyone who has ever joined us for any class. Thank you for your support, and for helping us grow into the success we have become.

Great hike today, why weren't you with us? We put in over 2 hours of beautiful hiking in the Laguna Canyon wilderness today, and I have to ask myself this oft heard question. Why aren't there more people out here? It was this amazing day for a stroll along these  fantastic ridges with ocean views. At first we had moisture and this fog that totally concealed most all development below. I was almost transported to a time before civilization had made it's mark upon the land. Anyway the fog lifted, yet the sense that this canyon was less disturbed never did. High up on the ridge we could make out where the coast would be minus fog, and Saddleback was ever in the distance clear and calling my name.

I will be returning to this lovely canyon soon, so we can spend several more hours exploring this coastal gem. Anyone up for Holy Jim Canyon ? How about San Jacinto via Marion Mountain?

Check out our calendar page for the next hike in your woods.

http://www.outdoorfitnessonline.org/ 

San Gorgonio summit, 10/10/2009 12:30 p.m.

This was the perfect day for our hike up " old gray back". It was very cool as we left San Clemente at 4:15 a.m. , after a short stop in Rancho to pick up Steve Carey, we made our way to trailhead for Vivian Creek. Six hardy souls left the parking lot at 6:30 just as the sun was breaking over the valley. Head lights and windbreakers only lasted a few moments as we quickly began climbing steeply uphill, as the vista's opened up below. The views were so beautiful, we just kept powering up for more. Each switchback bringing a new surprise as the sun came up and chased the shadows across the surrounding peaks. The weather held cool and crisp, ideal for a long hike. We held a fair pace for the first half of our accent, stopping occasionally for snacks, photos, and just to enjoy the changing views. Water was still flowing at all three water crossings, keeping everything nice and green.
Somewhere around mile six we were bless with a most excellent diversion from our grind. This guy came in from overhead moving fast toward the ridge, dropping down below our horizon. Someone declared " either he is really good, or he is in trouble." He was really good, catching air and shooting up above the ridge.  Passing directly over us, he made his way across the valley where he turned into another ridge. All this happening near 10,000 of elevation, fantastic!
Moving on we found the climbing steep again, which was taking it's toll on one of our crew. Splitting up, Steve Netherby and myself stayed back to help Al complete his dream of bagging Gorgy. I concocted a mixture of Camelback elixir and Usana Rev 3 energy drink, which Al drank right down. I also drank one up as well. I am proud to say the entire team made summit by 12:30 (some sooner). On the top we ran into Jeff Hester, a former member of the Outdoor Fitness Adventure Club as well. It is always good to have friends in high places.
I was determined to reach trailhead by sundown, not wishing to wear headlamps going steeply downward for safety reasons. We moved slower than I feared, at one point waiting 15 or 20 minutes for Al, my internal clock ticking away. I then positioned myself behind him and began gently pushing him. At one point we stopped to resupply water, Steve C pulled his boots off in record tome and jammed them into the ice cold stream, nice. With shadows growing longer, and a chill to the air we reached the last downhill. Still pushing for trails end, now from the front pulling the group along( really just Al ), we hit the riverbed at the valley bottom as the sun was starting it's final descent. Reaching the parking lot as darkness settled into Forest Home, we all thought of our own homes.  How blessed we are to live at the beach and still be able to summit a true challenge in our backyard.
 Thanks to Steve Netherby for the first three photos, thanks also to Terry and Diana, Steve Carey and Al for making this an unforgettable experience.
Lastly, I would like to share about Al. He was wanted to summit San G. for many years, and was turned back twice before. He could have done much more conditioning with us to prepare, as well as more with his nutrition. Yet he was able to realize one of his dreams. This hike was a huge success and we all have total respect for his abilities on the trail.
The Outdoor Fitness Adventure Club would like to invite anyone regardless of their fitness level to join us for a hike. One hour or twelve hours spent in nature, we all come away better for the experience.