Sick and Tired of Sick and Tired.

Posted: January 27, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Exercise, Family, Relationships | 1 Comment

SickAndTired

I love nothing more than being a dad, my kids mean the world to me and I would do anything and everything for them. I am most happy when we are doing something together, working on pinewood derby cars, riding bikes to school, playing in the pool, or going out for a walk. The last two weeks we have spent a different kind of time together, we have all been sick. UGH!

I am a man, so generally I am no good at being sick, I become wimpy, a bit whiney, and complain about everything. I am not proud of it, but its what I do. This time it was even worse because I was smack dab in the middle of some base training and doing really well with consistency. I could see gains in my fitness, my swimming felt like it was coming together and I was feeling confident in my long runs. Then Jack got sick. DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN.

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I Love Hockey

Posted: October 22, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Exercise, General Info, Relationships, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment
2Seasons

Lycra and Sweaters

For me there are only two seasons in a given year. There is race season and hockey season. So with the weather changing and the leaves falling it means its time to trade in the lycra and the bike, and step in to my skates and on to the ice. In my opinion there is no greater sport than hockey. It tests your endurance, your mental and physical toughness, forms bonds of friendship. It’s fast paced, and action packed. There is the thrill of the goal, the tension of a big save. Hockey is a complete experience every time. There is a classic line in the movie “The Cutting Edge” when Douglas Dorsey talks about how he loves the smell of the ice and anyone that has ever played hockey can instantly relate to it, and totally understands. For me there is something magical about the ice rink, the cool crisp air, the smell of the zamboni, the overall atmosphere is one big happy memory.  On top of that, for the past 2 seasons I have been able to skate with my little brother and in both of those years we have won the Championship. It’s safe to say that I love the game.

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Catching Up On Lost Time

Posted: December 15, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: General Info, Relationships | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Life is and always will be a balancing act between many things. For me its running our business, spending time with the kids, training, being a good husband, and any number of other day to day activities. Something had to give, and so the blog had to take a break while we focused on the other aspects of our life. Now we are back and ready to hopefully help motivate and inspire.

Over the past few months so many of my friends and family have started pushing themselves to live a healthier life style. They are shedding pounds, feeling better, loving life more than ever and doing fantastic. I am so proud of all of you for your hard work, dedication and accomplishments. Keep up the good work.

I am very excited for this coming year. Here are a few goals I have set for myself.
• Shave 10 minutes off of my Galena Triathlon time.  Finish around 1:46:00
• Finish in the top 50 of the Lake In The Hills Sprint Triathlon. Finish around 1:33:00
• Finish in the top 100 of the Lake Zurich Olympic Triathlon. Finish around 2:40:00
• Run in my first marathon. Finish around 4:00:00

What are you going to do this year?

It’s All About Jack

Posted: July 1, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Relationships | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Every Thursday morning Jack and I have hockey together, well it’s his practice but I get to skate as well and assist the coach with whatever he needs. I also get to hang out with my son for two hours and help him to learn new skills and have a fun at the same time.

It has been amazing to be there and watch him get better and more confident every week. To see his abilities grow and see him get faster and stronger all the time. It feels great to know that my Jack is doing all of these things and I have helped to teach him these things.

In the past there have been days when Jack was less then fantastic. Times when he was not trying his best or was just going through the motions. I have to admit on those days I am a bit disappointed in what he is doing and his effort. Yesterday was one of those days. He wasn’t interested in my help or coaching so I just sat on the bench to watch him skate and it really changed my way of thinking.

As I sat on the bench during practice watching him go up and down the ice, through the cones, shooting on goal.  I had a very real moment where I realized it is not about me, but it is all about him. He is not skating for my entertainment, Thursdays mornings are for him, for his enjoyment, for his experiences good or bad. I know that I have days in life where I wake up and I am not feeling it. I would be a liar if I said every day is 100% positive effort all the time. Why then do I expect the same from my 5 year old?

My enjoyment from hockey practice or anything else for that matter, should not be based on his effort or what he is or is not doing. It should be, and is based on the fact that I have an amazing child who I am proud of no matter what. This is his time for fun and I need to enjoy each and every moment that we have, knowing that it’s a special and unique experience.

I will always encourage him to do his best in everything he does, but I will also be more understanding if he has a bad day. I am happy because my son loves me and I am fortunate enough to be able to spend time with him doing things that make him happy. I have said it before and I will say it again, I love my life and I wouldn’t trade places with anyone. I hope everyone reading this can say the same thing.

Grow It Yourself

Posted: June 28, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Food, Relationships | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment


For a while now I have wanted to plant and grow our own herbs but I felt like it was too much work and I didn’t have enough time. Well this past weekend that all changed and I took Jack over to the Barn Nursery in Cary to start our project.

We got there and walked around the lot looking at all the incredible flowers and plants they have, then found our way to the herb shed. There we talked with one of the amazing members of the staff who shared with us the all she knew about the different herbs and helped us make our selections. Jack got to pick out the tub for us to grow them in, and we rushed home to start our project.

As soon as we walked in the door he told his mom all about our new project. Jack was so excited to help plant our new tasty treats so we started right away. Gracie even got into the mix as well dumping dirt and picking which item we should plant next. Later that night we cut a few items from our garden and added them to dinner and the taste of fresh herbs was so good. Honestly I don’t know why I haven’t done this sooner.

All together from going to the store, picking what needed, planting them, and getting cleaned up it probably took at most 2 hrs with a total cost of $40. It was totally worth every moment and ever cent. Over that time I got to hang out with my kids and teach them how to do something fun and good for you while making sure that we continue to live a healthy lifestyle.

I would highly recommend every one try this with their kids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cooking Is For Everyone

Posted: February 8, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Food, Relationships, Uncategorized | Tags: , , | 3 Comments

I am living proof that cooking is for everyone. I have to thank my brother John and his wife Ashley for getting me into the world of cooking and healthy eating. He has been eating healthy forever, cooking his food and telling me all about it, he’s even started a great blog about their food adventures. For the longest time, for some unknown reason, I fought the idea. I kept telling him, he was nuts, and that I didn’t have time. I would say, “You just wait till you have kids. We’ll see how much cooking you do then.” All the while I was jealous of the amazing food that they were making at home.

Inspired by my brother, one day I decided that I too was going to cook. I downloaded the app “Cook This Not That” from iTunes, ran out to the store to get my ingredients, came home fumbled my way around the kitchen and cooked a pretty damn good meal. Along the way I learned a few things.

1) If you can read, you can cook. However, that does NOT make you a chef. Guys like Chef John des Rosiers at Inovasi are brilliant and should serve as an inspiration to what food should taste like.

2) With a little bit of effort, the fresh food you make at home tastes better 90% of what you can get from restaurants feeding America. Not only that, but you know exactly what you are putting in to yours and your families body.

3) Cooking at home is a huge cost savings.

4) Lastly, I learned that I had time. I was simply being lazy. Most meals take less than 1 hour total, to prepare, cook, and clean up.

I used to be intimidated by cooking, thinking that it was too hard and I couldn’t do it. That was just silly fear of the unknown. I have now come to the conclusion that cooking is for anyone and should be done by everyone.

As a graphic designer, I love creating. It is even better knowing that I am creating a healthy meal for my family.

What are you going to cook for your family? I can’t wait to hear how it turns out.

I Love Mondays

Posted: January 31, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Exercise, Relationships | Tags: , | 1 Comment


For me, one of the biggest parts of being a healthy dad, is having a strong relationship with my wife. It is also one of the reasons that, unlike many people Monday is my favorite day of the week.

Every Monday night Kelly and I get to have a night together. It’s not your traditional date of dinner and a movie, I feel that its better than that. At 5:30 we go to Lifetime for Spin Class with Diane (amazing teacher by the way). We get to chat on the way to the gym, we get to ride next to each other for an hour during the class, getting healthy, sweating, pushing our selves to new levels and sharing the experience. After that we get cleaned up and go out for dinner, it’s nothing fancy, it usually turns out to be Panera. Kelly gets half a Nappa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich and Chopped Chicken Cob Salad, I get a Baked Potato Soup and the Fuji Apple Chicken salad, and occasionally we will split a desert. The food and the exercise is not what is important here. What is important, is that every week we have time for each other, bettering our lives together.

It’s nice, living a healthy lifestyle, being able to get out to the gym, or go for a long run.  Alone it’s nice, but together it is amazing.

Yeah I know that it’s the start of another work week, but I love Mondays.