WLC Learning #5 & #4

WLC Learning # 5 - Rigid Nutrition Makes You A Beast

I suppose I mean this in the best and worst sense, but mostly the worst. On the positive side, my workouts have probably never been better. I feel better, stronger, faster at the gym. Any work on the bar feels like I've shed a 10 lb weight vest and my lifts feel more explosive.

Outside of the gym, the Whole Life Challenge turned me into the awful kind of beast. If I wasn't in a blood sugar-crash rage thrashing around my kitchen groping for anything to eat, I was breaking down mentally and emotionally at the feeling of lost control over my whole life, or I was in a Whole Life Zombie emotionless, energy-less state. That's like three monsters in one.

And I know that I wasn't alone in this beastly transformation, because I had the displeasure of embarking in this hell with my fiancé (whom I love).

WLC Learning #4 - Nutrition Is Terrible For Relationships

My fiancé (whom I love) and I did our best to support each other during the Whole Life Challenge. Make no mistake that I required much more support than Matt, who is about to win the whole thing. But he, too, experienced the sugar-crash rages and constant zombie state (also a steroidal-level of power, intensity and energy at the gym, a beast of its own variety).

So we took turns raging out about where our next meal was going to come from, doing our best but often failing to not snap at each other to feed the cats, wash a dish, put away laundry–You know, life-critical things that justify high levels of stress.

We otherwise would sit motionless and broken on the sofa watching TV, not talking to each other, with barely enough energy to rise and shuffle ourselves to bed to crash to sleep.

Matt was a saint for putting up with my ugly three-headed monster and on more than one occasion I voiced my half-joking concern that this Whole Life Challenge would cause him to break up with me.

On his good days, Matt would feel amped and talk about wanting to continue the Whole Life Challenge after it ends. That will not be happening.

Cumulative Deductions: 38

Whole Life Challenge Day 20

Thursday, September 27th

1) What did you consume?

An omelet with bacon and veggies, a bowl of fruit, a banana, >2 handfuls of almonds, and and awesome plate of "nachos" with veggie chips, spicy chicken, black beans, salsa and guacamole. It was fast and easy for a change.

2) Were you active and what did you do?

Yes - Went to CrossFit and did a little bit of mobility.

3) Did you complete the lifestyle challenge and how did it feel?

Yes, and I woke up exhausted.

4) Did you cheat/lie?

The bacon in my omelet should cost me a point, but I get it so infrequently, and it was so necessary mentally, that I'm not docking a point. It's just a tablespoon worth of bacon. Get over it.

5) How do you feel?

I'm emotionally volatile. A ticking time bomb. I feel like this:

Not the excited, scared or addicted to caffeine pills part, but the generally swift to collapse into blubbering idiocy (see definition here). If I keep it up I may not have a fiancé to speak of anymore.

I'm vehemently resentful of the lifestyle changes, especially those that are unnecessary. "Hey, let's be social and engage in a non-drinking activity with a friend we haven't seen in a while" is immediately followed by "Ooh, but how are we going to get a workout in (having already gone to CrossFit 3 days in a row)?" 

We'll you know what, Whole Life Challenge? My hips and shoulders are gassed from an intense 3 day cycle that followed an intense 5 day cycle, I've been working out regularly, and you can take your 10 minutes and shove it.

Methinks the toll on my mental and emotional well being may not be worth the physical benefits of the WLC, which mostly I haven't seen yet anyway.

Cumulative points lost: -4

Whole Life Challenge Day 10

Monday, September 16th

1) What did you consume?

Office Torture, Part 3

A Larabar, some grapes, more of the avocado chicken salad, way. too. many. nuts., another Larabar and a small piece of chicken. Oh, and a couple small pieces of bacon that the fiancé was cooking.

2) Were you active and what did you do?

The WOD (workout of the day) was jumping lunges, kettle bell swings, pushups and pullups. I also ran 1.75 miles to the gym before the workout and did mobility as part of the warmup.

3) Did you complete the weekly lifestyle challenge and how do you feel?

Yes.

4) Did you cheat/lie?

Nope

5) How do you feel?

I am hungover.

From nuts.

And that's a whole lot of bullshit.

I experienced none of the fun that precedes a normal hangover, I had a headache all morning yesterday and have one again as I'm writing this today (Tuesday). Time to cut myself off for a couple of days.

I also fell into a fury briefly last night as, like a good little WLC soldier, I was trying to set up a roast in the crock pot to cook the next day. Five noncompliant recipes later and I finally landed on one that I thought would work. Alas, it turned out that the organic beef broth I had purchased last week at Trader Joes is an illegal substance. So there I stood at 10:45 PM in my kitchen, back to the recipe drawing board, and all I wanted to do was whip up the crock pop and go to sleep. Cursing the WLC the whole time and murmuring the start of eloquent, yet rageful hate mail under my breath, I finally found another recipe. We'll be eating it tonight for dinner. And it better be damn amazing.

On the upside, it's requiring less acrobatics to get into my jeans in the morning. So, that's a thing, I guess.

Off-Road Rage: A New Metropolitan Epidemic

By Christy Berka

Published March 27, 2011

CHICAGO—An alarming new epidemic has been rising in the Chicago metropolitan area.  Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook have allowed the city’s officials to draw connections between commuter anxiety and outbreaks of verbal and even physical confrontation during peak transit hours.

Drivers are ever-familiar with the city’s rush hour traffic, and the harmful effects of aggressive driving, or “road rage,” sometimes caused from anxiety behind the wheel. Now, new research techniques have allowed for the study of online conversations across social networks that show striking similarities the in thought process and behavior modeling of those traveling without automobiles. 

Even more startling, officials have revealed strong correlations between non-drivers' aggressive statements during commutes with hospital admissions for such injuries as sidewalk trampling, railroad rash and severed limbs from elevator doors. 

Shedding light on what researchers have coined, “off-road rage,” the study offers explanations and highlights examples of traveler thought-process pulled from social networks:

Public Transit Rage

Rage across all forms of public transit brews when passengers violate the unspoken etiquette that exists on respective buses or trains.  Stand aside and wait for riders to unload, or get trampled. Don’t sit next to a single passenger when open seats are still available, or get glared at.  A tweet captured the inner-monologue of one Metra passenger at the start of her morning commute: “That bitch sitting in my seat obviously doesn’t know how this works. This is my car. That is my seat. #stepoff #illkickyourass”

Sidewalk Rage


For those who make the commute on foot, beware the path-driven who stomp the sidewalks, especially in heavily trafficked areas like Chicago’s Loop. People at risk include slow-walkers, groups of middle-aged women walking abreast and people carrying bulky loads.  One path-determined traveler threatened electronically: “Hey, Lady ahead of me walking & smoking—Maybe if you put out the cigarette, you’d waddle faster and inconvenience everyone less. #getouttheway”

Elevator Rage

Rageaholics show their true colors in elevators.  They typically target single-floor elevator riders, especially those returning to work after cigarette breaks or with bags full of fast food. One contentious Facebook post read, “This fatty just RAN to the elevator to stick a foot in the closing door and rode up ONE floor. In the future, we should require people to perform some sort of jig to make up for the missed exercise.”

With new research available and ongoing investigation underway, Chicagoland can take measures to prevent off-road rage. Commuters should heed this new trend and avoid behaviors known to trigger aggression. Simple adjustments can help keep tensions down and travelers safe.