I recently saw an enlightening interview with director Tom Shadyac about his new documentary "I Am", and his story really struck a chord with me. Like him, I've been examining my own life for purpose & meaning, and his story (an uplifting one about the possibilities for humanity) resonates with what I've been feeling for a while now. I feel that I've accumulated all the material possessions that I could want and then some, and discovered that it makes me no happier. I am reminded of the concept of "enough" in the book "Your Money Or Your Life" (an excellent read by the way), which is the idea that once you reach the point where your basic needs are met and you have a few luxuries, acquiring more "stuff" doesn't add to your happiness. After all, if having things and money truly brought people happiness, celebrities and hoarders would be the happiest people on earth, but we know that not to be true.
I don't think it's our purpose on this world to consume and indulge, yet somehow that seems to have become a big focus in our society. One merely has to look at the prevalence of advertising in our everyday lives, the fact that holidays have become excuses to go shopping, and how much we elevate celebrities to realize that our priorities are skewed. Most of us are so intent on appearing more successful than our fellow human beings, and satisfying our urges for physical and material gratification, that we often place the truly important things (our health, relationships, and spiritual growth) on the back burner. I am not completely innocent of these behaviors either, however I'm trying to progress and better myself.
I'm happy, though, to have (at a relatively young age) reached the realization that my ambition in life is not to accumulate all the material wealth that I possibly can, but to have just enough to be happy and secure. I want to expend my remaining energy being the best person that I am capable of being, physically & mentally, and to establish meaningful connections with people and my environment.
Below is the official trailer for "I Am". I am looking forward to seeing the movie, and will post my thoughts once I've done so.
Yahoo featured an interesting article on push-ups today. The premise is that push-ups are beneficial for your mid-section as well as your upper body. While I'm sure there's a benefit to lifting your stomach off the ground, I'm not sure that it'll sculpt "killer" abs (as the article title suggests).
Anyway, the part that I found of particular interest is this video showing how to do a proper push-up. It seems fairly reasonable, so I think I'll give it a shot during my next workout. I normally conclude my workout with around 50 push-ups, and I'm curious to see if this makes any difference...stay tuned (update below).
Update (3/27/11): I've tried this push-up technique for three workouts now, and I'm sold. I haven't yet noticed a huge impact on muscle strength, but it is definitely less stressful on my shoulders and elbows. I'm a convert!
It's been a while since I've updated my blog, partially due to work, and partly because of life. Now that I finally have some free time, I'd like to pick it up again. To start off with, I think this would be a good opportunity to assess how I'm doing in my life goals and priorities, a la Suze Orman style (whose show segment name I borrowed for the title of this post). To that end, I'll rate myself in the areas that I believe contribute most toward my happiness: health, career, finances, and relationships.
1. Health: A+
Physically, I've never felt better. I've remained in peak physical condition for the past four years, maintaining a body fat percentage in the 6-8% range. I've managed to achieve this result through a steady regiment of healthy diet and exercise.
2. Career: A-
I've been fortunate that my career has been pretty stable through this recession that seems to be affecting everyone else. I'm in my ninth year at my current job, and things are going well enough that I don't envision leaving my employer anytime soon unless they decide to relocate me elsewhere. While my work isn't in the pursuit of my real passions (and I have no delusions about why I'm doing this job: for the money), it remains challenging enough that I still find it interesting. My goal, though, remains to save enough so that I can quit the rat race early and do something more personally fulfilling (related to nutrition, fitness, personal finance, travel, or volunteering).
3. Finances: A
I'm very comfortable with my finances right now. Granted I make a great living, so I have no excuse to feel otherwise. Still, I think I'm doing better than the majority of my peers in this area. I'm spending approximately 1/3 of my gross income, paying 1/3 toward income taxes, and saving the remaining 1/3. The majority of my spending is related to housing related expenses and food, most of which I can (or choose to) do little about at this time. I've established my 8 month emergency fund. In addition, I have enough vacation time accrued at work that would pay out an additional 6 months of expenses should I lose my job, so I feel pretty secure about my ability to sustain my current lifestyle for a while if necessary.
I'm fairly certain, however, that the values for my real estate portfolio in my NetworthIQ profile have declined significantly since the last appraisal, but I'm still well above water even at Zillow's bargain basement estimates. My mortgage is at a reasonable 4.5% (fixed 30 year) rate, and the monthly payment is small enough that it's unlikely I would feel pressed to sell any time soon. My plan is to stay put until the market recovers, at which time I'll decide whether I want to downsize into something smaller.
My retirement accounts have continued to grow thanks to the recent bullish market and ongoing contributions. According to a few retirement calculators I've played with, I could stop contributing right now and still have enough to sustain my current lifestyle at normal retirement age (65), however I plan to keep maxing out my 401k and ROTH IRA so that I can afford to retire much sooner.
4. Relationships: C
This is one area that remains very much a work in progress for me. I've been so focused on my other priorities that I've neglected this important part of my life. While I do have some close and meaningful relationships, everyone is busy these days, and I'd like to increase the number of quality people in my life. I used to think (naively) that because I am so capable of taking care of myself, I didn't need that much from others. That attitude carried over into my personal relationships, and caused me to not be selective as I should have been in choosing partners. I've made my share of mistakes in pairing up with people who were emotionally immature, not ready to be in long term relationships, or lacked relationship integrity. However, this is one area that I am actively working on, and hope to improve upon.
Overall: B+
I feel I am doing pretty well at this point, and my life is progressing in the right direction. I'm optimistic that I will be able to address those areas where there's room for improvement, and achieve even greater happiness.
I've never been a runner, and I had never done any kind of competitive or distance running in my life--in fact I actively avoided it due to the high impact nature of the sport.
However, about three months ago I got to know some runners, and became inspired to train for a half marathon. It was a lofty goal, but one that I felt I could test myself with, and I believed I was physically up for the challenge. So I started following a rigorous (for me) 12 week training program, running mostly indoors on the treadmill. My very first run was four miles, and I averaged over nine minutes per mile. It was pretty brutal though, and I was sore for days after. However, I persisted on, and ran a 10K race a couple of weeks later, managing to finish in 51 minutes.
Encouraged by my progress, I continued training and despite some setbacks (foot injuries), I was able to complete my half marathon in under my goal of two hours. It was an exhilarating feeling of personal achievement, because I had proven that I had the resolve and determination to accomplish any goal I set my mind to--no matter how difficult it may be. I have to give major props to true distant runners though, because it takes an inordinate amount of time and dedication to do what they do.
I found this to be a rather interesting video with a compelling argument against car payments.
http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/lms/drive_free/player.cfm
"What does that mean in terms of money management? It means I learned how to spend what I needed and save the rest. While “tricks” of money management assume that you are incapable of controlling yourself, that if you have money, you will spend it, taking off the training wheels means facing up to your own ultimate responsibility for your finances. It means facing up to the fact that you are a conscious, reasoning human being who can choose to spend or not to spend. It also means learning that once you have the true necessities covered, enjoying your life has remarkably little to do with how much money you spend." - Holly Ordway, Spending Wisely
In my previous post, I described the cardio portion of my gym workout routine. Before I get into the remaining details of my workout, I want to talk a little about gym etiquette. The rules that I observe as most frequently violated are:
1. Bring a clean towel and wipe up after yourself. No one likes to use a machine that's drenched in someone else's sweat. I use a towel not only to wipe up my sweat, but to also act as a barrier between my skin and potentially germ laden equipment. In addition, it's probably a good idea wash your hands (or use hand sanitizers) before and after your workout.
2. Don't hog equipment. Be courteous of other gym members; their time is as important as yours. That means not dawdling at a machine chit chatting or texting, especially if the gym is busy. If you're doing multiple sets on a machine, allow people who are waiting to hop on if you take long rest breaks between your sets.
3. Rerack weights after you're done with them. Don't assume the gym staff will pick up after you. Return your weights to the rack after you're finished using them, so that other members don't have to go hunting for them.
Those are my personal biggest pet peeves. About.com has some other good tips on the subject.
While there's some uncertainty regarding the timing and benefits of stretching, I perform stretching exercises to improve my flexibility, and because it feels good. I use a stretch trainer which makes it easy, but here's some information and slide show from the Mayo Clinic for doing it manually. I stretch for about 5 minutes after cardio, and before weights.
For my strength training, I utilize a circuit training program using primarily weight machines. As stated in my previous post, my goal is to stay lean and toned, not to get big and bulky like professional bodybuilders, so this method works well for me. I try target all the major muscle groups, and the machines at the gym make it easy to perform the exercises safely. I perform one set of 15 reps per machine, and set the weights to reach exhaustion on the last rep. To eliminate rest periods and shorten my workout, I alternate between upper and lower body exercises. Here's what my circuit routine looks like:
So I promised to document my gym workout routine that I've been following (and tweaking) for the past 10 years. My fitness goal was simple: to become and stay physically fit, which to me means excellent cardiovascular health and strong muscles & bones. Looking built was not a factor in my motivation--in fact I'm not a fan of the bulky bodybuilder look at all. I prefer being lean and toned, and am proud to say that I can still fit into my old college clothes from the early 1990s (without sucking in my gut either!). My body fat level has stayed in the 6-8% range for the past several years, and although my diet has a lot to do with that (which I plan to blog about), it has exceeded my expectations.
Anyway, here are the details of the workout program that I've developed, via my own research and experimentation, and it has worked extremely well for me, but may not be for other people. As always, beginners should check with their doctors before starting any form of exercise if they are extremely out of shape or have medical conditions.
I used the following criteria in mind when choosing activities to include in my workout:
1. Safe. Above all else, I wanted to minimize the risk of injury. For me, that means no running (since it tends to be hard on the knees, which I want to preserve as I intend to be mobile for a very long time), and using machines instead of free weights. While machines offer a limited range of motion compared to free weights, the risk for injury is also far less, so it was a trade off that I was willing to accept. Also, I've never used steroids, drugs, or supplements, as I wanted to achieve my healthy results naturally. Again, the focus is on my health rather than how I look.
2. Effective. I wanted activities that emphasize the three key areas which I consider to be crucial for my well being: my cardiovascular system, core muscle groups, and bones. So the exercises that I selected had to offer a direct benefit to those areas.
3. Efficient. I enjoy the results I obtain from working out, but I didn't want to turn into a gym rat to get them. If it takes longer than 3 hours a week, I would probably lose interest in any exercise program. Currently, I go to the gym 3 times a week, for about an hour per visit. I usually go every other day (Mon/Wed/Fri or Tue/Thu/Sat, depending on the week), giving my body a day to rest between gym visits.
My workout currently begins with 30 minutes of cardio (though recently it has been extended to 35 minutes to reach the 400 "calories burned" mark--at least according to the exercise equipment that I'm using). Some say that doing cardio after lifting weights makes for a more effective workout. I've tried doing it both before and after using weights, and haven't noticed a huge difference. Lately, I prefer to just get the cardio part over with as I enjoy the resistance training more. Alternatively, you could do cardio and strength training on different days, but that means more trips to the gym, and I'd prefer to keep that to a minimum.
I do cardio primarily on the exercise bike and elliptical/crossramp trainers, alternating between them as I get bored with one. I like these machines because they offer safe, low-impact, and effective cardiovascular workouts, although sometimes I will do a brisk walk on the treadmill, play racquetball, or swim for a switch.
When I started doing cardio workouts initially, I couldn't do more than 15 minutes at a time--and at a pretty low intensity level at that. However, I stuck with it, and very slowly increased my time and intensity level. I didn't set specific goals though, because I didn't ever want to feel bad for failing, which may cause me to quit altogether (I've gone through several workout partners that stopped going to the gym once they suffered setbacks, and I didn't want to have that happen to me). Any time that I can make it to the gym--even if I end up doing a light or partial workout--is a victory in my book. It prevents the feeling of guilt for missing workouts, which in my experience also keeps a lot of people from sticking to a fitness program because they feel that they can never make up for lost ground.
Cardio is all about keeping your heart healthy, and to that end I've started using a heart rate monitor to help keep my heart rate in the anaerobic zone, or 80-90% of my maximum heart rate. I find that I sweat a lot when my heart is working that hard, so I always make sure I drink plenty of water to stay hydrated during and after my workout. However, I deliberately avoid energy drinks because of dental health concerns.
In my next post I will go into the second half of my workout program, which includes stretching exercises and muscle training.
Note: I've been hearing a lot of buzz about interval training lately, and some people claim that it's better than cardio. The key is to do what works for you. My workout has worked well for me, and that's all that really matters. If at some point in the future I stop getting the results that I want, then I'll change my routine.
I've been seeing a lot of the 100 push-ups challenge lately, and while it sounds impressive on the surface, in reality it's just a fad, and one that will probably fade pretty quickly. I'm all for things that will get people excited about exercise, but this fails on many levels. First, it's not a comprehensive fitness program, as it focuses on only one upper body exercise. Getting good at push-ups will not address more important and commonplace issues such as poor cardiovascular health and obesity. Second, it's a very aggressive challenge, one that most non-athletic folks are likely to fail at, which will only make them feel worse about themselves. Finally, everybody's physical ability and fitness level is different, and it doesn't make sense to set the same goal for everyone. Getting fit is not a sport or a competition. It's about being the healthiest that you can be given your medical condition, age, and other factors which vary from person to person.
A better approach is a sensible, balanced, and achievable program with tailored goals based on individual circumstances. Such a program would include core conditioning to strengthen all the important body muscles, aerobic exercise to improve cardiovascular health, and proper dieting techniques.
Anyway, I don't want to rain on anyone's parade--and I'm sure there are people who will disagree with me, but I just wanted to state my own opinion.
Here are a couple of links that I found to be relevant:
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/abdominalcorestrength1/a/NewCore.htm
http://xpuff.blogspot.com/2008/06/please-stop-it-with-100-pushups-thing.html
If there's one thing that I'm extremely passionate about, it's living a healthy lifestyle. I would rather have health without wealth than wealth without health, as I think would most people when it comes down to it.
Everyone is aware of the growing obesity epidemic in the U.S.; we merely have to look around us for ample evidence. Even more unfortunate, many of us have friends or family who suffer from some of the health complications related to obesity.
There are many sources of blame for the obesity problem, but the solution is fairly simple and we all have the power to do what it takes to address it. Eating is a big part of it, and I have previously blogged about the topic and plan to continue to do so in the future. However, we all know that exercise is good for us (here's a scientific explanation behind some of the reasons why). There's recent evidence that suggests a healthy lifestyle triggers changes as far as at the genetic level.
It doesn't take a huge time commitment to incorporate exercise into our lives to obtain the health benefits that it provides; as little as 3 hours per week can be all that's required. I have been going to the gym regularly for 10 years now and enjoy being in the best physical condition that my body has known, so I speak from personal experience.
I currently maintain around 6-8% body fat, although my primary goal is to feel good rather than look good--not that it's a bad side effect. For the record, I've never used a personal trainer (although I did take a basic weightlifting class in college), taken supplements, or visited a nutritionist, so if I can do it, anyone can. I have read a few books on the subject, done some research on the internet, and experimented at the gym, but the biggest step is just making health a priority and creating time to get fit.
Exercise can be grouped into three categories:
I ran across howispentmystimulus.com recently. It's an interactive blog where anyone can submit an entry describing how they spent their stimulus check, and comment on other people's posts. There was a New York Magazine article about the site, and the web site's creators are even planning to publishing a book (submissions must be entered by tomorrow, June 24, to be considered for inclusion).
It looks like Morgan Spurlock (of "Supersize Me" fame) has come out with a new movie titled What Would Jesus Buy? It sounds interesting, and I would love see it, but there are limited screenings at this time. Check out the trailer (QuickTime or QuickTime Alternative required). If you happen to catch it, please report back with a review. Here's a brief description from the web site:
What Would Jesus Buy? follows Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir as they go on a cross-country mission to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse: the end of mankind from consumerism, over-consumption and the fires of eternal debt!From producer Morgan Spurlock (SUPER SIZE ME) and director Rob VanAlkemade comes a serious docu-comedy about the commercialization of Christmas. Bill Talen (aka Reverend Billy) was a lost idealist who hitchhiked to New York City only to find that Times Square was becoming a mall. Spurred on by the loss of his neighborhood and inspired by the sidewalk preachers around him, Bill bought a collar to match his white caterer's jacket, bleached his hair and became the Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping. Since 1999, Reverend Billy has gone from being a lone preacher with a portable pulpit preaching on subways, to the leader of a congregation and a movement whose numbers are well into the thousands.
Through retail interventions, corporate exorcisms, and some good old-fashioned preaching, Reverend Billy reminds us that we have lost the true meaning of Christmas. What Would Jesus Buy? is a journey into the heart of America – from exorcising the demons at the Wal-Mart headquarters to taking over the center stage at the Mall of America and then ultimately heading to the Promised Land … Disneyland.
Will we be led like Sheeple to the Christmas slaughter, or will we find a new way to give a gift this Christmas? What Would Jesus Buy? may just be the divine intervention we’ve all been searching for.
The Shopocalypse is upon us … Who will be $aved?
I watched the Oprah show on the extreme weight losers yesterday, and it got me thinking about how this issue has gotten so out of control in our society.
I think work is a big factor in the obesity epidemic in America, and it really is killing us. How many people do you know fall into this trap? You are so tired from your workday that you don't have time to cook or exercise. Instead, you pick up food from a fast food restaurant, then head home and plop yourselves in front of the TV until you get sleepy from your meal or an energy low, at which point you either doze off on the couch or go to bed (often without brushing and flossing your teeth, leading to dental problems down the road). You wake up at the sound of your alarm feeling tired and unrested, but drag yourself out of bed and stop by Starbucks for a caffeine fix to get you going for the day. Then, on the weekends, you cram all your household chores and shopping, leaving little time to recoup and re-energize. You go to work on Monday feeling tired and depressed, wondering why the weekend went by so quickly.
Year after year, your pant size increases, you develop bags under your eyes, and you get winded from simple tasks such as going up the stairs. You become unhappy with yourself, so you buy things or turn comfort foods to (temporarily) make you feel better. You might try a diet or two here and there, or buy a gym membership as part of a new year resolution, but after a little while you quit the diet and the gym because other things take priority.
I see this happening all around me, and I think it's becoming more and more difficult to avoid the work trap and the kind of lifestyle that it creates, especially as it becomes embraced by society as the accepted norm.
I don't want to fall into this trap. I want to quit work as soon as possible because:
I believe that most Americans can achieve financial success. I am living proof that it's possible. Granted, I have a well paying job, but I don't make an obscene income. Besides, I know plenty of people in my income range that have little to show for their years of working. And I think that even if my income was more modest, I would still be well on my way to financial independence; I just wouldn't have accumulated as much.
Here are the three steps that I feel are necessary to achieve financial success:
1. Live below your means. I realized that to make money, I needed capital, and to generate it I had two options: reduce my expenses or increase my income. I increased my income by gaining valuable work skills and hopping jobs, but that may not always be possible depending on the stage of your career. I also kept my overhead low, and that is something that everyone can do.
For one thing, I never tried to keep up with the Joneses. I knew from reading "The Millionaire Next Door" that self-made millionaires lead pretty modest lives, and people who flaunt extravagant lifestyles are financing those lifestyles at enormous opportunity cost. I kept my focus on becoming debt free and saving for early retirement.
I differentiated my needs from my wants, and carefully evaluated each expense that fell into the "wants" category. If it didn't match my priorities, then I opted to forgo it or found cheaper alternatives. That meant no luxuries like designer clothing, Starbucks, BMWs, concerts, etc., but I really didn't care about those things anyway. That doesn't mean I always deprived myself, I just made sure that any money spent on non-necessities was used to buy things that brought real, lasting happiness. I bargain shopped to find the best deals, and I made sure that I could pay off the credit card bills when they arrived. I also understood the eroding effect of taxes on my money: the combined impact of income tax and sales tax meant that only about half of every dollar I earned was available for me to use, so I spent them very sparingly.
2. Save. I knew my ability to work was finite, and I wanted to have the option of not having to work as soon as possible, so I treated my earnings like lottery winnings. I socked away the max into my 401(k) plan immediately upon starting my first job, and continued to do so as I changed jobs (and never cashed out). I figured I wouldn't miss 15% of my salary, and even if I did I could always scale it back. I survived just fine though, and because I kept my expenses low, I was able to save a significant portion of my take home pay and use it to pay off my first house early. I also started a ROTH IRA as soon as I was eligible, and maxed it out every year.
3. Invest.I learned about the amazing power of compounding, and the risk of inflation. Because I started early and had a long time horizon, I was able to invest aggressively. So far it has worked out pretty well for me.
There you have it, the three key steps to building wealth. These aren't new ideas, and it takes time and patience to see the results, but as someone who has done it I can confirm that they will work for you--unlike most get rich quick schemes. I think the most difficult part is the first step, where you have to make the paradigm shift from instant gratification to delayed gratification. Think of robbing your future self when you spend your money in the present, and perhaps that will help you resist the temptation to buy stuff you don't really need.
So if you want to do something to get started on the road to wealth, here is a simple action you can take now: log into your employer's 401(k) plan, and bump up your contribution amount. Remember, if you find that you can't live without the reduction in take home pay, you can always change it back, but I'm betting that you'll learn to live without it, and you'll be thanking yourself later.
Open enrollment is wrapping up at my workplace, and one thing that I find people often neglect to think about is disability insurance. Unless you work in a state that is covered by a mandatory disability insurance plan, I strongly urge you to consider signing up for Short Term Disability insurance--especially if you don't have a sufficient emergency fund established. Statistics show the odds of becoming disabled are higher than most people realize, and Social Security and Workers' Comp (which only covers on-the-job injuries) may not be adequate to replace all lost income, so I recommend opting for Long Term Disability insurance as well, if your employer offers it.
I found a more in-depth writeup about disability insurance here, and unfortunately I personally know of two coworkers who have had to leave their jobs due to serious off-the-job injuries. One of them was a promising young employee who suffered debilitating injuries as the result of a motorcycle accident, and to make matters worse, he hadn't bothered to enroll in LTD insurance coverage because he didn't think he needed it at his age. His parents ended up caring for him, but it was a significant burden that they had never planned for. Your ability to work is your biggest asset--especially when you're young, so protect it.
Click here for a CNN Money article with other open enrollment tips.
