Various Ramblings
Michael Nowak
Cha-cha-changes!
Cha-cha-changes!
Various Ramblings
Michael Nowak
Seeing can mean believing.
Seeing can mean believing.

Hiking

#MondayMotivation - Regain that Control

I feel like I’m out of control. When I say this, I mean I’m just eating whatever I want and not really exercising. I feel like my chores get pushed to the “next available” day and my list of things to do grows longer. I’m trying to take control. I’m going to make some food to help me feel good about what I’m eating and I’m going to walk on the trail nearby during my lunch. I’m going to get back to my gym routine, gradually. COVID really knocked the wind out of me, but I’m trying to stretch these lungs back out.

Additional good things - I have a few doctor appointments this week and some fun weekend plans ahead. Weekend plans ahead means I need to gradually get my shit done this week. I’ve got a plan, with realistic goals, and I am going to push through!

I’m starting this Monday with a clean kitchen, fresh laundry, and some ambition. Good luck to all of you out there. Remember, make your goals achievable for your efforts. If your best means not doing anything, that’s okay some days. Keep finding little bits of joy and make the most of the day.

Don’t let a little fog ruin the whole view - rise above it

Walking the dog is enough some days

#MondayMotivation - Renewed.

It’s been a hard couple of weeks for me. This past week was probably the worst in years. Anxiety, depression, and anger filled my brain. I slept more during the day than I have through all the nights. I avoided anything I could and ate my weight in feelings. I don’t know why, all of the sudden, I was sad about everything. I started thinking about my Gramma, about my life, where I am, etc. I was getting sad to leave this place but sad I wasn’t already further east. It’s a wild ride of bullshit, I tell ya. “Everything in time” and “what’s right will happen” and all that happy horseshit floated around from people or the internet. It’s all fine and dandy, until you’re not wanting to get out of bed and those sayings are just bullshit.

Fast forward to this past weekend. I started to feel better. I managed to get out, go to the Farmer’s Market, meet up with new friends, and enjoy the day in many ways. My biggest turning point, and the one thing that took the most effort and convincing, was just to go for a simple walk in the woods. I hadn’t been doing much between working at my desk, eating, sleeping, or the occasional short walk with Chewy. My back was hurting, my body was sore, and every time I tried to work out or go for a longer walk/hike, I said fuck it and didn’t do the things I needed to do until Sunday.

Sunday’s walk in the woods was uplifting and awakened me on many levels. I smelled the forest, touched the plants, let the sun stream over me, and started to feel a physical and mental shift in my being. It’s wild to think about how much a little mile and a half loop through some trees affected me, but here we are. The walk in the woods invigorated me, and my day only went up from there.

I was inspired by my friend who also had to do something they didn’t want to do. We both did the thing, achieved our mini-goals and all was well.

Here’s to a good week ahead and staying on this upward swing.

#MondayMotivation - A Healthier Mike July 2020 Review

July was better than June, but still not on par with the first five months of the year. My weight is up, I’m bloated, my running is suffering, and my body is just blah. I am feeling the effects of being too lazy in the opposite way I felt after mashing my hip and knee from being too active. I have to find a balance in August.

Work is a continued stress ball, but I’m learning new ways to manage it overall. I’m slowly distancing from social media, negative bitches, and people who make me feel less than great. It’s not as easy as just saying “I’m going to avoid people” because saying and doing are vastly different.

Here’s to August, a month of goals.

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The Good

  • I kayaked a few times - once being down a river!

  • I spent a week deep in thought, trying to find a way through everything

  • Food intake was moderate to good all month, despite my lack of logging in Noom

  • Had several nice hikes and visited new state parks

  • Had some breakthroughs with biking

  • Working toward being back on my regular track of better choices

  • I read a little bit, but man is it hard for me to sit down and read for some reason

  • I had quality time with family and friends

  • Had some nice long, healthy walks and jogs

  • Realized I can still run, albeit for not as long as I could back in May

  • I signed up to ride 100 miles to raise money for kids cancer treatment/research in September - so I’m going to work hard this month to get ready for that by riding more often.

  • We have a second kayak now, so together time kayaking can happen!

  • I did more activity, and more per day of activity, than June

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The Not So Good

  • I had some real shitty days for activity - pure laziness and some days of just driving all day

  • I did not track my food for the last half of the month

  • My sleep schedule has shifted and I’m not happy with it

  • I’m falling short on my overall annual goal numbers

  • I did not meet my previous July activity level

  • I just didn’t care enough

Mental Health Check In

  • I took a week and just thought really hard about what it is I wanted, where I wanted to be, and what I needed to do going forward

  • I managed to regain my positive energy despite these shitty-on-paper numbers this month (again, but with more momentum)

  • I made plans, set attainable goals, and got back on the food logging wagon (today, 8/3)

  • Managing work stress is easier than ever, now

  • I’ve felt kind of lonely, despite not being alone (this is a continued feeling, though it’s fading - ebbs and flows)

  • Routines are still my best tool in staying happy, healthy, and optimistic (still true, still something I think about often)

Goals for August

  • 100+ miles of “on-foot” activity (hiking, walking, running)

  • 75+ miles of biking

  • Wake up before 7 am

  • Get to bed by 10:30 pm

  • Log all meals (failed to do so on Aug 1 & 2)

  • Log in to Noom and work through it

  • Write once a week

  • Eat less shit and less overall

  • Drink less alcohol during the week

  • Increase water intake

  • Yoga once a week, minimum 15 mins

  • Find a body weight workout to do once or twice per week

  • Read another book

  • Focus on staying clear

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Conclusions - Going Forward

  • I’m more on track than June, but I really need to push myself

  • I need to get my shit together as far as meeting my annual goals. July and June were huge hits to my goals. I need to balance - not caring and care - a little better.

  • I will keep trying - there’s no reason to give up because of a few bad weeks

  • I can get fully back on track with a little focus

  • I like to give in to my desires too easily - beers, sweets, laziness… in reality, I don’t need those things and I know.

  • The worst thing is knowing you’re doing something wrong and not being able to stop yourself

Questions I’m asking myself

  • What’s really important in life?

  • Why don’t I do yoga more often?

  • Why am I so easily falling victim to my own laziness?

  • What are some gym alternatives?

  • Why don’t I swim more?

#MondayMotivation - A Healthier Mike June 2020 Review

June started strong, but slowly went off the rails. My hip was hurting, I had trips for work and pleasure (safely, course), and I was just not super focused on my food. I didn’t lose momentum, I just lost the time and freedom of being at home in a routine and the effort dwindled away.

The Good

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  • I did kayak a few days this month, worked out those kayaking muscles

  • I spent 4 days off the grid, away from the world

  • Food intake went a little crazy, but I didn’t lose my progress (except for a little bloat weight)

  • I did have one stellar hike (an excellent camping weekend)

  • I had some really great days with excellent workouts

  • There was a lot of clarity found

  • I read a book and started another one

  • I spent a few days with one of my best friends in the middle of nowhere Arkansas and it was rejuvenating

  • I spent a moment in a cave!

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The Not So Good

  • There were several days with less than stellar movement

  • I did not track my food for the last half of the month

  • I slept about an hour less, on average, per night

  • I did not even come close to closing my rings on my watch every day

  • I was 10% behind 2019’s step totals/activity goals

  • I stopped doing anything (which can be attributed to working LONG days)

Mental Health Check In

  • As mentioned above, I found some clarity on many things including this whole quantification of myself and my activities

  • I managed to regain my positive energy despite these shitty-on-paper numbers this month

  • Off the grid for 4 days really helped with the stressors related to work

  • Work has wore me down

  • I’ve felt kind of lonely, despite not being alone

  • Routines are still my best tool in staying happy, healthy, and optimistic

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Goals for July

  • Get back on track with daily activity

  • Ride my bike more often (honestly, just fucking do it)

  • I want to run (going to work my hip out and try to get back on it)

  • I’m upgrading to the Couch to 25K plan instead of just the 10K

  • I’m reducing my overall caloric intake

  • I will get my average monthly step goal back up to 12K and beat 2019

  • Finish another book or two

  • Get 150 miles of activity

Conclusions - Going Forward

  • I’m still on track - mentally and physically

  • My goals are still there and I’m a little easier on myself related to this numbers I keep

  • I will keep trying - there’s no reason to give up because of a few bad weeks

Questions I’m asking myself

  • What’s really important in life?

  • What should I be focused on with fitness?

  • Should I go back to the gym? Is it safe?

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Minnesota - One of My Happy Places

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I typically get to Minnesota every year at least once. You know those friends who become family? Well, I’m fortunate to have those in Duluth, MN. My best bud, who went on all of the road trips with me, has family and a cabin up there which allows for awesome escapes.

Enjoy a little recap of 2019 in Minnesota.

Early February

This trip required a flight into the tundra known as Minneapolis The flight was delayed and so was our arrival to the Land of 10,000 lakes. We rented a Chevy Silverado, because we needed 4-wheel drive anyway, and headed up to Duluth. We didn’t get in until late, didn’t get up to Duluth til very late, and probably had more of a nap than a sleep. After coffee and packing up, we headed up to McFarland. We always stop at the Gun Flint Tavern in Grand Marais, MN. If you don’t stop there, does a trip to the cabin even count? They have great brews on tap and excellent food and are busy all year, so plan ahead if you stop by. From the tavern, it’s a short walk to the municipal liquor store and co-op if you need supplies.

Once to the lake, winter trips to the cabin require snowshoeing across then up the hill to the cabin. This year was eventful, to say the least. To start, there was a lot of snow and it was very cold - all good things for going across a frozen lake in the winter. Apparently, though, there was some slush under the upper crust of snowy ice creating a slushy lake on top of the actual ice, which was very thick. My snowshoe went through the upper crust, into the slushy lake on a lake, and slipped off my boat and floated away. I was worried I was going through the actual ice and entering a true emergency situation, but when my knee slammed down on the ice, I knew figured I was pretty safe. I worked to get out of the situation, but it was not easy as I broke through in every direction. Eventually, with a little help from Kevin, I got to the surface and freed myself from my lonely snowshoe. The snow on top of the lake wasn’t too bad, so a pair of snowshoes was only an added convenience. Bitter cold, wet, and frustrated, I made my way to the forested lakeside and up to the cabin.

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A fire was built, frozen clothes stripped away, and dry clothes put on. Consumption of beer was immediate but warming of the cabin took what felt like centuries. Eventually dinner was had, more drinks were had, and laughter ensued about the incident earlier in the day. We made it before darkness, which was pretty early, and that’s all that mattered.

After a couple of days secluded from the world, we had to head back to reality. The trek back across the lake was only mildly annoying and there were no more issues. Back in Duluth, we had an evening to rest before driving back to Minneapolis to catch a plane. Of course we needed a good dinner and some beer, so we ran to Wisconsin to get the lowest legal beer prices around. It’s the little things - snow, seclusion, friends who became family, and low legal beer prices.

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Late August

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There is nothing quite like a whole week off the grid. My job became overly stressful and I was looking forward to five days without notifications, emails, or contact of any kind. Kevin and I decided we were going to drive up to Duluth, then the cabin, for this visit. We wanted to bring Chewy to the cabin to experience true freedom, so driving was the only way!

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It started off in a typical fashion of hanging out with the family and stocking up in Wisconsin with the lowest legal beer prices. We made our way up the North Shore with our usual stop in Grand Marais at the Gun Flint Tavern, Municipal Liquor, and grocery store. It was a sunny day with blue skies, mild temps, and plenty of fresh air. The road to the lake was dusty, as usual, and we had to stop at the usual overlook for a quick break. We arrived at the boat launch, unloaded the boat, loaded the boat with supplies, and began our journey across the lake. As we approached the dock at the cabin property, we noticed it looked a little funny. Upon closer inspection, it appears part of the dock was washed away making transferring supplies a little more difficult than usual. I misjudged the balance of the dock without decking and tipped the whole damn thing and landed in the water. Brisk is one word to describe the water when one is used to Texas temperatures.

We made a classic mistake by drinking too much beer the first night. It was a pretty quiet couple of days in the beginning as we nursed hangovers in our 30s and laid low for a while. I explored the woods around the cabin a little and eventually we made it over to the Border Route Trail to do some hiking. The weather was mostly good, cool, sunny. A major project we had to do while up was to reinstall the composting toilet and it was accomplished in a day. Nights were spent by the fire, making food and having beers while Chewy the dog begged/listened to the woods. At one point, we swear we heard a moose trudging through trees in the distance, but it can’t be confirmed with a visual.

Eventually, we had leave the cabin and all of the beauty of living off the grid. We packed out the trash and closed everything up and made our way across the lake. We spent one last evening in Duluth, with a little outing to Canal Park Brewing Company. It was a cool, windy evening on Lake Superior, but the beers and food were great. Since we drove this time, we could take it a little easier as we headed south so we made a stop for lunch at Bent Paddle Brewing Co in one of my favorite parts of Duluth. There was a pizza food truck and plenty of beers to choose from, so it was what some would call an extended lunch. We met a fun bartender, who actually lived in Michigan before, which just added to my instant love for the brewery and brewpub atmosphere. It’s always hard leaving Duluth for me because it’s somewhere I feel home and could see myself living out the rest of my life. It was Saturday afternoon and we made it back by Sunday morning which gave me a quick turnaround for work on Monday.

What a trip this was, living off the grid and reconnecting with Minnesota. So many great sunrises, sunsets, and moments in between. I look forward to 2020 visits to Minnesota, sprinkled between other adventures along the way.

#ForestFriday - Northern Sunshine

I recently flew up to Michigan to visit my family over a VERY quick weekend… we’re talking, I got in Saturday at 1AM and left Monday at 5AM. Crazy quick, but I did get some quality walks in that included being between some trees. The wind through the trees was a welcomed replacement for the CONSTANT traffic noise I live near here in Texas. Enjoy these beautiful, northern trees. Happy Forest Friday!

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