This is Dom aka @kapnmunch on the website. He is just your average (but totally awesome) guy and is a close friend of mine. Six months ago he decided it was time to get healthier. Over that time he has worked hard and made some serious progress and I couldn't be more proud of him. This is why I asked him to write something up for me to post so that everyone else who is working hard to lose a few pounds can find some inspiration, encouragement and a little push to keep working! Please give this a read and share his story on the site! And don't hesitate to send him some congratulations vis his twitter.
I am by no means an example of great physical fitness. I'm not the type of guy to preach or suddenly become a personal trainer. Although I'm a big sports fan, I would never refer to myself as an athlete. I'm overweight, and I always have been. I can't exactly help it, my body seems to enjoy being heavy. I'm the type of guy that can eat a single grape and gain 6 pounds nearly instantly.
I'm not sure what exactly motivated me to start working out. Part of it was noticing that I was gaining even more weight than normal. I spent the previous year transitioning from a job where I was physically active to a job where I'm sitting all day. I guess my dad was my inspiration for running. The guy is a beast! He's not only a saxophone player that's twice my age and still smokes, but he somehow runs 3 miles everyday.
It started with me adjusting my behavior. Skipping fast food for lunch and going for a salad instead. Avoiding the temptation of 35 cent sodas from the work vending machines and only drinking water. I felt better, but knew I had to do more. At that point, I made the commitment to start running a mile. Nothing crazy, just a simple mile. It didn't have to look pretty, I just had to make the effort and do it. I found a free app that tracks running distance, and ran until I made a mile long rectangle. I struggled the whole time, but eventually made it.
Around the same time, I started tracking the calories I was eating. I was surprised how helpful that was! Part of me needed to see how many calories individual items were. It's the fastest way to figure out what food to avoid if possible (So glad I gave up soda. That's normally the hard part!). After I started seeing some success, I wanted to make sure the quality of food I ate was better. For me, I knew I couldn't just give up eating certain things completely. I started eating more vegetables and fruits each day. One thing I didn't expect to happen was that my desire for unhealthy food went down. For each day that I consumed more fruits and vegetables and drank more water, there was less space for junk food.
I needed to track my weight, so I asked my mom if I can borrow her Wii Fit that was collecting dust. It's probably a bit much just to use as a bathroom scale, but it's fun to use and it's nice to automatically have graphs to show my progress. My latest milestone is one I never thought was possible. I ran my mile without slowing down or taking any walk/breathing breaks. I know I'm only scratching the surface of what I'm capable of! My next goals are to improve the actual time it takes to complete my mile, and to start running 2 miles instead. The main thing I have to constantly remind myself is that the mile is never going to suddenly get easier, but I'm always going to get better at it.
#Fit4RTX PlaylistMany of you already know that I play Ultimate (Frisbee). What some of you may not know is that I play for teams that require me to travel the nation to play against other top teams. Playing on a team of this level requires not only constant practice, but I also have to lift regularly and run conditioning circuits.
I love the feeling I get from working out and I truly believe that the sore feeling you have the next day is a reward from your body. It's telling you that you did something right. Granted it may not feel great, but it is something you earn and you should be proud when you feel it.
Here is an example of one of the many conditioning circuits I do: CLICK ME
I know that looks tough on paper, but to be honest it is. Which is why I believe having a good playlist to workout to can help you push through. Now, keep in mind a good playlist is determined by what motivates you to move. It can be anything you want it to be and don't let anyone tell you otherwise (I've had Disney on quite a few of mine). Without further delay, I present to you, my #Fit4RTX workout playlist:
Eye Sight is ImportantThis is another one of those posts where a friend asks me to share a project they are working on, but please stick this out and read the post. I've supported this company since they launched a year ago because I believe in what they are trying to do. To be nice, I'm going to post a short version, if you like that, please read the long version! <3
Waveborn is a company that sells sunglasses. While that is nothing crazy on its own, they have a cool program involved with the company called Unite for Sight. Basically, for every pair of sunglasses sold, a pair of reading glasses is donated to someone who needs them. Recently, they've also partnered with SEE International, a non-profit that provides sight-restoring surgery to blind individuals worldwide. So whenever you buy a pair of shades, or donate, you can choose which way you want to give back. I think it's a terrific idea! If you are wondering why they have an idiegogo campaign, it's to help grow the business so they can bring better vidion to more people.
tl;dr Support this company that helps bring better vision to people around the world via selling sunglasses.
If you want to read more, this is from my friend Malloy, who helped found Waveborn:
Happy Launch Day!
For the past 2 years I’ve been pouring myself into building Waveborn where we make awesome sunglasses that do major social good! For each pair of sunglasses sold, Waveborn provides a new pair of prescription eyeglasses or funds a portion of a vision-restoring cataract surgery for a person in need through our non-profit partners Unite for Sight and Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE) International.
After 2.5 months of research and intense prep since returning from my trip to CA, we’re excited to launch a massive Waveborn crowdfunding campaign today! What’s a “crowdfunding campaign” you ask? Basically it’s an online campaign where people can watch our super cool video, learn about Waveborn’s story, and then pre-order our products at a significant discount. Why are we crowdfunding? Producing sunglasses in mass at a reasonable cost takes a significant up front investment, so the more pre-sales we can make, the more we can put into growing our business to design and deliver the world's most stylish shades!
I’m reaching out now to ask for your help and support.
I’m asking you to support our crowdfunding campaign at the $50 level, which will get you a brand-spankin-new pair of Waveborn sunglasses AT A HUGE DISCOUNT (they retail for $85). You can upgrade and get a polarized pair by backing at the $85 level (they retail for $115).
Can’t commit $50? No prob - we’d love to have you simply contribute $5 to donate a pair of eyeglasses to Unite for Sight or $25 to score a sweet fanny pack and fund an entire sight-restoring cataract surgery. Getting a ton of backers on Day 1 will be vital to our campaign’s success. It will lead to a lot more online buzz, which will result in attracting new backers to the campaign (check out our highest perk level to see who we are really targeting...). Committing to contribute something on Day 1 is worth far more to the campaign's success than the dollar amount you give!
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your continued love and support. We’re so excited about the launch of the Waveborn campaign. We would be thrilled to have you be one of our first backers on Day 1.
Find the sun, Malloy
P.S. We will have special discounts for our Day 1 backers long after the campaign finishes. Join the Waveborn movement today for a lifetime of benefits for you and for someone with impaired vision. Pass this message along to your friends and tell them to visit our campaign.
Bro GamingIn case you haven't noticed, I've stopped posting links to the Bro Gaming videos. At this point Jordan and I are putting out a couple videos a week and I don't want to spam you. For those who have fallen behind or have no idea what I'm talking about, check out these links:
Frist, Jordan came to visit a couple weeks ago and we've been releasing a VLOG of our shenanigans!
Jordan and I really enjoy making these videos together and do it as a way to stay close since we live so far apart. We hope you all enjoy watching them! If you don't watch them, that's ok too. And by ok, I mean that Jordan will hate you forever (I'm ok with it though).
Contest WinnerFor those who don't remember, I had a contest a few weeks ago. I'd like to start by thanking everyone who submitted an entry. Jordan and I had a tough time picking as there were so many great ones to choose from. Congrats to...
Grifball at RTX"GrifballHub has launched a Kickstarter to fund a Grifball booth at RTX. We reached our first goal of $1600 in less than two days and now we've got our reticule on some pretty awesome stretch goals. Click for more details. Help RTX catch the disease!"
But seriously, don't be surprised to see me at their booth quite a bit. I love the people involved with this and I love Grifball. Help them get enough to host awesome Grifball matches!!
P.S. I'll be posting a journal with the contest winners and some other stuff soon.
This is a reminder that the YouTube Banner Contest for Bro Gaming ends tonight. Please get your submissions in. Jordan and I will pick a winner when he is in town visiting next week!
<3
P.S. Aren't you glad this isn't as long as my last journal?
This is a reminder that the YouTube Banner Contest for Bro Gaming ends tonight. Please get your submissions in. Jordan and I will pick a winner when he is in town visiting next week!
<3
P.S. Aren't you glad this isn't as long as my last journal?
My PassionI love video games and while that falls in line with my amazing job, they are not my true passion. What gets me most pumped and drives me to work so hard that I am both physically and mentally exhausted, is the sport of Ultimate (Frisbee).
I have spent my entire life playing sports (running, soccer, football, wrestling, volleyball, among others), but stopped playing competitively in High School due to the poor sportsmanship players and coaches had forced onto me. Yes, I wanted to win, but to be coached to bend and secretly break rules and getting screamed at for an error just felt wrong. I had sworn off competitive play and just would play recreationally. The thrill and adrenaline of competition was gone, but at least I could play sports the way they should be!
In the Fall of 2006, I was a freshman at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. I had been at college now for two weeks and spent most of my free time playing Halo 2 as I do love my video games. One day after class I was walking back to the dorm (opposite side of campus) with my buddy Jeremy and as we passed the IM fields, we saw a cluster of people running in what could only be described as a a herd of distressed cows chasing a plastic disc. Naturally, I was curious and joined in. This was the first time I had seen Ultimate being played, granted it was a rather chaotic version. After playing for a while, a guy approached Jeremy and I and asked if we would want to play the next week and to bring cleats. Jeremy really wanted to play more so we both agreed to go. I didn't understand the need for cleats, but really thought nothing of it.
The following week, I was happily sitting in my dorm, playing Halo 2 when Jeremy walked in ready to go play some Ultimate. Reluctantly (and with a ton of persuasion) I cleated up and walked to the IM fields. Upon arrival, we noticed a good 40 or so people standing around throwing with partners. In order to avoid looking like outcasts, we grabbed discs and followed suit. Soon followed warm ups and drills. Neither of us had any idea what we had gotten our selves into, but we kept playing on. It wasn’t until about 45 minutes in that someone explained that we had joined a team. Needless to say, my mind was blown, there are teams for Ultimate, and they would travel to play??? I didn’t know it then, but accidently participating in this practice would become one of the greatest changes of my life.
While Jeremy stopped participating with the team, I continued to attend. I’m not sure why as I was terrible at the sport (I was a lefty who could only throw a righty backhand and a lefty flic) and didn’t really fit in with the team. Maybe it was the subtle beauty in how a disc flew or my competitive nature screaming to be unleashed again, either way, I was hooked.
It’s now February of 2007 and I’ve registered for the UPA or Ultimate Players Association (now USA Ultimate) and I’m packed in a 15-passenger van on the road to Vegas. Now a member of the Colorado State B-team, I was attending my first Ultimate tournament, Trouble in Vegas. Like a true Ultimate team, we had two hotel rooms for 16 people so as a Freshman, I had a nice floor spot in the corner. I learned a ton about the culture of the sport this weekend, but most importantly, I competed again. The excitement of the game being on the line, pushing yourself for your team, all those emotions I had been missing for years came rushing back to me. Not only had I achieved the feelings of true competition again, I also found it in a sport that is all about sportsmanship.
One of the first sections of the rulebook talks about “Spirit of the Game”. As USA Ultimate describes it, “Ultimate relies upon a spirit of sportsmanship that places the responsibility for fair play on the player. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of mutual respect among competitor”. The sport of Ultimate is officiated by the players on the field, this requires there to be some form of mutual respect among players. While the thought of no referees to keep the game civil is scary, the results astonished me. Players actually played competitively while remaining spirited. Sure, the occasional argument would arise but the two players would simply take a moment to talk it out. My experiences at Trouble in Vegas sold me on the sport and I have never looked back.
Unfortunately, my time at Colorado State came to a quick close as I failed out due to not really having an academic goal. I moved home to northern California to attend Community College. I spent 3 years there, playing pick up games as much as possible, dreaming of the day I could compete with the sport again.
It’s now the summer of 2010 and I’ve earned an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts. Three colleges stood out to me, Sonoma State and Chico State as both schools were close to home and had solid Ultimate teams, and University of Colorado because of it’s premier Ultimate program. I applied to all 3 but didn’t get accepted to University of Colorado until 9 days before the semester began. Naturally, I packed up my car and began driving!
At this point in my career, I had played one year on a B-team and three years of pick-up. As an Ultimate player, I could still barely throw, but I was fast and could play solid defense. My goal was to make the B-team and possibly work my way up to the A-team in the Spring. Those goals quickly changed upon the first practice. The amount of talent on one field intimated me. How were there so many solid players on one team? At this point, I hoped to just be allowed to play on the B-team.
Watch
Invite to Group
