[WolfDreamer]

Life has been a lot. I realized a few months ago that, while I haven't felt miserable or unhappy, my current trajectory isn't great. I can feel my mental health slipping and some bad habits returning. However, two specific things have helped re-direct my mind towards my goals for this challenge.

 

First, my daughter bought be a kettlebell for Christmas. It sort of started as a joke. She texted me and asked, "What do you want for Christmas?" I responded that I kind of wanted a kettlebell, not really being serious. Her reply: "I can do that. What weight?" So I asked for a 35lb/16 kg, what the Russians refer to as one "pood". My daughter ordered the kettlebell early, so for the past few weeks I have been training with it using a plan known as Simple and Sinister, designed by Pavel Tsatsouline, a man often credited for starting the kettlebell craze here in America. I'll explain S&S more in a later post.

 

Second, I saw an ad online for the Discipline Equals Freedom Reset, hosted by Jocko Willink's leadership organization, Echelon Front, and Jocko Fuel. While I know Jocko and his military brand of motivation isn't for everyone, I admire the man and am often motivated by his message and his story. Short background: I was in Marine Corps JROTC in high school and would have enlisted if not for epilepsy. This may explain why I respond well to someone like Jocko.

 

So, without further delay, below are my goals. They are modified to nearly mirror the goals of the DEF Reset Challenge:

 

Objective: Develop and/or strengthen healthy habits within my life. Set achievable goals for each category. Use the DEF tracker to track daily/weekly progress and report here.

 

This challenge is a 4 week challenge. In addition to daily challenges, there will be weekly challenges that will focus on two daily challenges per week to be posted on social media and to be entered into prize drawings.

 

GOAL 1 — UP BEFORE THE ENEMY:

• 0415-0430 wakeup

 

GOAL 2 — GET AFTER IT

• Morning run or walk (at least 2.7 miles)
• Kettlebell workout (Simple & Sinister)

 

GOAL 3 — PRIORITIZE AND EXECUTE

• Identify the top three things to accomplish each day and then execute!

 

GOAL 4 — HYDRATE OR DIE

• Drink at least 120 ounces of water per day

 

GOAL 5 — FUEL

• Keep it simple: Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants; avoid boxed, processed foods (i.e. "fake" foods)

 

GOAL 6 — SUGARCOATED LIES

• No blatant sugar (cookies, candy, cake, ice cream, sugary drinks, etc.)

 

GOAL 7 — BACK TO THE BOOK

• Spend at least 20 minutes a day on personal development (reading, journaling, etc.)
• Meditate/pray at least 10 minutes a day
• Write at least one poem a day

 

GOAL 8 — REMEMBER

• Write down at least 1 thing I am grateful for each day

 

BONUS (as challenged by Jocko): 100 burpees in less than 10 minutes or 10 minutes of burpees

 

WEEKLY CHALLENGES:

 

WEEK 1 — UP BEFORE THE ENEMY/GET AFTER IT

Post a photo/video of how you are getting up early and/or completing your daily physical activity, use #DEFReset, @echelonfront, and @jockofuel to enter to win

WEEK 2 — PRIORITIZE AND EXECUTE/HYDRATE OR DIE

Post a photo/video of how you are accomplishing tasks and/or hitting your hydration goals, use #DEFReset, @echelonfront and @jockofuel to enter to win

WEEK 3 — FUEL/SUGARCOATED LIES

Post a photo/video of how you are sticking to your diet and avoiding junk food, use #DEFReset, @echelonfront and @jockofuel to enter to win

WEEK 4 — BACK TO THE BOOK/REMEMBER

Post a photo/video of how you are spending time on personal development and honoring those who sacrificed for us, use #DEFReset, @echelonfront and @jockofuel to enter to win

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

You're braver than I am getting up that early, but if it's what works for you I support it fully.

[Rhovaniel]

My eyes are also watering slightly at that wake-up goal! But I'll be here to cheer you on at a later hour once I have roused myself from slumber!

 

6 hours ago, WolfDreamer said:

First, my daughter bought be a kettlebell for Christmas. It sort of started as a joke.

Ha, I've done that to my Dad before. We did the whole 'what do you want/I don't want anything' dance a couple times one year, he eventually said nothing or a pair of socks.  So I bought just one pair of socks, and wrapped each sock individually. (I did also get him some other things, but only gave them to him after he'd unwrapped two single socks and we had a laugh about it)

[WolfDreamer]

6 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

You're braver than I am getting up that early, but if it's what works for you I support it fully.

 

5 minutes ago, Rhovaniel said:

My eyes are also watering slightly at that wake-up goal! But I'll be here to cheer you on at a later hour once I have roused myself from slumber!

 

In my defense, it's only about an hour before everyone else gets up (except on weekends, of course). So this gives me a good hour to myself.

 

Glad to have you both along for support.

 

10 minutes ago, Rhovaniel said:

Ha, I've done that to my Dad before. We did the whole 'what do you want/I don't want anything' dance a couple times one year, he eventually said nothing or a pair of socks.  So I bought just one pair of socks, and wrapped each sock individually. (I did also get him some other things, but only gave them to him after he'd unwrapped two single socks and we had a laugh about it)

 

That's hilarious. My wife has given her father socks or underwear every year for as long as I've known her because that's what he asks for every year.

[Snarkyfishguts]

Hellooooooo!! 

 

Your daughter rocks!  

 

What time do you wake up now?

 

 

[WolfDreamer]

2 hours ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

Hellooooooo!!

 

Hey! Always great to see you.

 

2 hours ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

Your daughter rocks!  

 

She is pretty awesome.

 

2 hours ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

What time do you wake up now?

 

I've actually been consistently waking up between 0430-0515 for a while now, so this won't be so bad.

[Gemma]

Awesomely ambitious goals.

 

I remember Simple and Sinister; I've never tried it but I love the concept, it sounds really effective. 

 

I'm a habitual early riser as well (generally 4:30). Here's to sunrise! 🍻

[Happienumber]

46 minutes ago, WolfDreamer said:

I've actually been consistently waking up between 0430-0515 for a while now, so this won't be so bad.

 

Wow. Impressive. I'll be thinking of everything you've already accomplished for the day when I roll out of bed three hours later thinking I'm getting an early start lol

 

I love Pavel Tsatsouline haha I cant wait to see how everything goes with this! I hadnn't heard of simple and sinister before this. My buddy gave me a bunch of pavel's books back in like 2007 but I haven't seen his newer stuff. That looks like a lot of fun!

 

[WolfDreamer]

4 hours ago, Happienumber said:

I hadnn't heard of simple and sinister before this.

 

The basics of S&S include:

 

Warmup (3 sets of 5):

Prying goblet squats

Hip bridges

Halos

 

Workout:

100 kb swings in 5 minutes

1 minute rest

5 Turkish get-ups per side in 10 minutes

 

I've been doing this workout 5-6 days a week since I received the kettlebell. Some days I don't get enough reps of get-ups, and some days I need more rest between the swings and the get-ups. I've been breaking the swings down to 5 sets of 20 and doing them EMOM, which gives me about 30 seconds of rest between sets. And for the get-ups, I just set an AMRAP timer for 10 minutes.

 

 I am getting stronger (which is the point of S&S), and this morning I hit the goal for the workout. But don't worry. I'll never be confident enough to do this:

 

 

4 hours ago, Happienumber said:

I love Pavel Tsatsouline

 

Pavel has a quote about kettlebell training that I love: "Experience and science agree that kettlebell training develops a wide range of attributes: strength and power, various types of endurance, muscle hypertrophy, fat loss, health, and more. The kettlebell swing has been known to improve the deadlift of elite powerlifters—and the running times of high-level long distance runners. This is what gireviks call 'the What the Hell Effect.' The kettlebell defies the laws of specificity."

 

Even though they're difficult, I really like Turkish get-ups. I can tell I get a good workout in a short amount of time.

 

 

[Sovalis]

The great thing about well defined goals is that you can definitely tell if you are on track or not. Here to cheer you on!

[Rhovaniel]

OOh, Turkish get-ups are a cool movement, haven't done those in a while!

11 hours ago, WolfDreamer said:

I am getting stronger (which is the point of S&S), and this morning I hit the goal for the workout

Woo! Amazing progress already!

[WolfDreamer]

2 hours ago, Rhovaniel said:

OOh, Turkish get-ups are a cool movement

 

I agree. I also feel like they keep my brain active during the exercise because I have to focus in order to do them correctly and safely. 

 

2 hours ago, Rhovaniel said:

Woo! Amazing progress already!

 

Thank you!

 

If you want to see S&S in action, this is a pretty good video from Gregory Dzamili of Lebe Stark going through the workout. Notice they are doing the 10×10 swings, which is a great place to begin before progressing to the 5×20 in order to get 100 in 5 minutes. 

 

 

[Rurik Harrgath]

On 12/25/2022 at 11:22 PM, WolfDreamer said:

Second, I saw an ad online for the Discipline Equals Freedom Reset, hosted by Jocko Willink's leadership organization, Echelon Front, and Jocko Fuel. While I know Jocko and his military brand of motivation isn't for everyone, I admire the man and am often motivated by his message and his story. 

 

I'm mostly a big fan of Jocko.  He can be a little polarizing for some folks but he reminds me of many of my sergeants and warrant officers during my army days, and that works for me.

 

Never met an officer who has half so switched on as he is, though.

 

On 12/25/2022 at 11:22 PM, WolfDreamer said:

GOAL 1 — UP BEFORE THE ENEMY:

 

 

Please please please do not post daily photos of your watch face at reveille 🤣

 

On 12/26/2022 at 4:09 PM, WolfDreamer said:

Pavel has a quote about kettlebell training that I love: "Experience and science agree that kettlebell training develops a wide range of attributes: strength and power, various types of endurance, muscle hypertrophy, fat loss, health, and more. The kettlebell swing has been known to improve the deadlift of elite powerlifters—and the running times of high-level long distance runners. This is what gireviks call 'the What the Hell Effect.' The kettlebell defies the laws of specificity."

 

Even though they're difficult, I really like Turkish get-ups. I can tell I get a good workout in a short amount of time.

 

Love to see that you're doing S&S.  That's been my go-to metric/can't-think-of-anything-else/favorite for a good long while now (when I'm being consistent) and I really enjoy the *ahem* simple sinister-y of it   When I'm feeling fancy I'll swap the 1-hand swings for a 2-hand trunk rotation just to spice things up!  Somehow it feels like solid training for combatives at times when a barbell doesn't feel quite right.

 

TGUs are also my all-time favorite exercise, honestly.  Pushing the heights of those might be a fun goal for '23... 🤔

[WolfDreamer]

16 hours ago, Rurik Harrgath said:

I'm mostly a big fan of Jocko

 

That's a great way to explain it. I'm also mostly a fan of his podcast, but his episodes are so long and not always worth the time. I find myself catching the highlights on YouTube.

 

16 hours ago, Rurik Harrgath said:

Please please please do not post daily photos of your watch face at reveille 🤣

 

 

Don't worry. I won't... not here anyway.

 

16 hours ago, Rurik Harrgath said:

Love to see that you're doing S&S

 

Thank you. I really do like it because I can feel that it's working. I like to alternate between one arm swings some days and two arm swings other days. And yes, Turkish get-ups are quickly becoming my favorite exercise, as well.

[WolfDreamer]

Grrr. I'm a little concerned. I'm having slight pain in my left lower back, and I can feel a slight pain there. Its been bugging me for a couple of days. I took a break from S&S yesterday and today just to he safe. Hopefully it eases up before my challenge begins. I also have a 5k on January 1st and need to get a few runs in beforehand.

[Heidi]

1 hour ago, WolfDreamer said:

Grrr. I'm a little concerned. I'm having slight pain in my left lower back, and I can feel a slight pain there. Its been bugging me for a couple of days. I took a break from S&S yesterday and today just to he safe. Hopefully it eases up before my challenge begins. I also have a 5k on January 1st and need to get a few runs in beforehand.

This is wisdom, of course.

Do you have less intensive maintenance type exercises? Even back when I lifted, I had some planking and core work exercises on the mat that I could do to help prevent entropy if I needed to take a break from the weights for whatever reason.

 

Anyway, great goals!

Great measurements!

Great Scott, that’s early!

 

 

I am an early riser as well, mostly.

Best of luck — I believe in you!

[Rhovaniel]

20 hours ago, WolfDreamer said:

Grrr. I'm a little concerned. I'm having slight pain in my left lower back, and I can feel a slight pain there. Its been bugging me for a couple of days. I took a break from S&S yesterday and today just to he safe. Hopefully it eases up before my challenge begins. I also have a 5k on January 1st and need to get a few runs in beforehand.

Fingers crossed this doesn't develop into anything. It might be your body murmuring at the new exercise programme. Do you stretch after you've been Simply Sinister? The trick is to tell your body you mean no harm whilst also tearing the muscles so you rebuild them... so kinda is harm. But shush, don't tell the body that!

[WolfDreamer]

On 12/29/2022 at 7:48 PM, Heidi said:

This is wisdom, of course.

 

Thank you. I'm getting better at listening to my body.

 

On 12/29/2022 at 7:48 PM, Heidi said:

Do you have less intensive maintenance type exercises?

 

I did some yoga, and today I was able to switch to alternating one-armed swings rather than the two-armed.

 

On 12/29/2022 at 7:48 PM, Heidi said:

Best of luck — I believe in you!

 

Thank you!

 

7 hours ago, Rhovaniel said:

It might be your body murmuring at the new exercise programme.

 

That's what I'm assuming. It's not pain so much as noticeable discomfort.

 

7 hours ago, Rhovaniel said:

Do you stretch after you've been Simply Sinister?

 

Ehhh... not as often as I should. 🤦‍♂️

 

7 hours ago, Rhovaniel said:

The trick is to tell your body you mean no harm whilst also tearing the muscles so you rebuild them... so kinda is harm. But shush, don't tell the body that!

 

That is excellent advice! Thank you.

[WolfDreamer]

I forgot to mention I am also 7 weeks into a weight loss management program called Wondr. My employer's insurance provider purchased a membership for everyone, so I figured why not. It's basically a website that offers informative videos about things like weight loss, mindful eating practices, nutrition, etc. And you can track your weight, your activity, and use mindful eating timer.

 

I'll share more about my experience with this program later.

[WolfDreamer]

An excellent poem for the New Year from one of my favorite poets, John O'Donohue:

 

FOR A NEW BEGINNING

In out-of-the-way places of the heart,
Where your thoughts never think to wander,
This beginning has been quietly forming,
Waiting until you were ready to emerge.

 

For a long time it has watched your desire,
Feeling the emptiness growing inside you,
Noticing how you willed yourself on,
Still unable to leave what you had outgrown.

 

It watched you play with the seduction of safety
And the gray promises that sameness whispered,
Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent,
Wondered would you always live like this.

 

Then the delight, when your courage kindled,
And out you stepped onto new ground,
Your eyes young again with energy and dream,
A path of plenitude opening before you.

 

Though your destination is not yet clear
You can trust the promise of this opening;
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
That is at one with your life's desire.

 

Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm,
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.

 

JOHN O'DONOHUE

From his books 'To Bless the Space Between Us' (US) / Benedictus (Europe)
Ordering Info: https://johnodonohue.com/store

[Rhovaniel]

That is a beautiful poem. Thank you for sharing it with us. May you walk the path of adventure this year and every year!

[WolfDreamer]

5 hours ago, Rhovaniel said:

That is a beautiful poem. Thank you for sharing it with us. May you walk the path of adventure this year and every year!

 

Thank you. May this year be filled with blessings and courage for your journey, as well.

 

On my way soon to run a 5k. I'll update later.

[Maggie-Miau]

FOUND YOU, hello! Best wishes for your 5k, and happy new year!

[WolfDreamer]

4 hours ago, Maggie-Miau said:

FOUND YOU, hello! Best wishes for your 5k, and happy new year!

 

You did! Welcome! And thank you. I'll add my results in my update below.

 

GOAL 1:

• Woke up to my alarm at 0430. Following advice that I heard either from Joe De Sena or Jocko, I put my phone on a charger across the room, so I had to get up to turn it off. This guarantees I am literally "up."

GOAL 2:

• completed a full round of S&S, including warm-up and cool down stretches
• ran a 5k race-- time 30:54, which is about 21 seconds faster than my last 5k race

GOAL 3:

• My top three priorities for today were: 1) Submit final grades, 2) finish all dishes, 3) take down Christmas tree. I successfully executed all three tasks.

GOAL 4:

• drank 126 oz of water

GOAL 5: 

• breakfast -- Oatmeal with vanilla, two eggs sunny side up topped with salsa and cheddar cheese, protein shake
• morning snack -- chile spiced dried mangoes, peanut butter and banana sandwich on wheat bread
• lunch -- ham and cheddar cheese with mayo w/ avocado oil, mustard, baby spinach
• afternoon snack -- dark chocolate drizzled plantain chips (just a few)
• dinner -- cooked sauerkraut (this is the only way I can get my family to eat cabbage on New Year's Day) with Polska kielbasa, tortilla chips, spinach and artichoke dip 

GOAL 6:

• no sugary foods or drinks

GOAL 7:

• Sat in silent prayer this morning for 10 minutes. Read aloud the John O'Donohue poem I posted above. Completed three rounds of Wim Hof breathing (1:29, 1:48, 1:42)
• took a cold shower
• started listening to episode 174 of the Jocko Podcast titled "Set Standards. Aspire to Achieve Them. Become an Eminently Qualified Human"
• read the first chapter of Extreme Ownership; I've read it before, but it's been a few years, and I need a refresher since I plan to share some of its lessons with my students.

GOAL 8:

• Used the app Presently to record three things I am grateful for: New beginnings, the right kinds of words, and the support of my family and friends

[WolfDreamer]

W1D2:

 

GOAL 1:

• woke up to my alarm at 0430

GOAL 2:

• Complete S&S (warm up, workout, cool down)
• 2 mile trail run and .7 mile hike with my daughter on my back

GOAL 3:

• Actually had four priorities today, and I executed them all successfully: 1) catch up on laundry, 2) recruit my sons to clean the back yard, 3) clean fridge and do dishes, 4) install spotlight on back porch

GOAL 4:

• drank 126 oz of water

GOAL 5:

• breakfast -- 2 fried eggs topped with salsa and shredded cheddar, vanilla oatmeal with peanut butter protein granola and raisins
• morning snack -- protein shake
• lunch --chicken pot pie
• afternoon snack -- hot and sour soup
• dinner -- 2 pork chops cooked in Worcestershire sauce and garlic, mashed potatoes, corn

GOAL 6:

• avoided sugary foods and drinks

GOAL 7:

• read Chapter 2 of Extreme Ownership
• started listening to Jocko Podcast episode 226, which explains the concept behind the "Eminently Qualified Human" Code and Evaluation (I'll explain more later)
• sat in quiet contemplation/meditation for 10 minutes

GOAL 8:

• Today, I am grateful for: "accidental" discoveries, codes to live by, unexpected fog