I’m a Numbers Sort of Guy

It’s no secret that I’m a “by the numbers” type of guy. If the probability of success is better with one option than another, I’ll go with the one that numbers say to. I play blackjack (when I’m willing to gamble) since supposedly the house advantage is the smallest of all the table games. Even that’s hard because you know the deck is stacked against you (pun intended). I pay attention to fantasy football projections because more often than not, they lead you in the right direction. So it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that I pay close attention to the results of my annual physical and bloodwork when they come in.

Several years ago, one of these regular screenings showed that my overall cholesterol level was pretty low, but so was my good cholesterol. I mean really low. So low that the LDL to HDL ratio was way above what it should have been. I then started to eat more fiber and tried to exercise more. And for the most part, I did pretty well. But being the overachiever that I am, I knew there was a way to get better.

So after a long courting process from one of my friends and coworkers, I decided to take another path down my health and fitness journey and try out the fitness program he swore by… Team BeachBody.

Being the skeptical numbers guy that I am, it’s taken some time for me to really assess the efficacy of everything. However, the latest round of blood tests tell a consistent enough story that I’m now willing to share my unscientific, but consistent results for the past year.

So enough beating around the bush! What were the latest results? Well, my total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides are down (that’s good). My good cholesterol is up (also good). That matches the trend that I’ve seen from the blood tests they provide when you donate blood as well, so have some confidence in the trend. The arrow on the chart shows the trend and the subsequent decline from when I started.

I’ve also lost a little weight in the sorts of places you want to lose weight and have certainly toned up.

Ultimately, I just want to not only live a long time, but I want to healthy for the time that I’m here. If working out a bit more, and drinking some oddly name Shakeology helps me meet both those goals, that’s an expense and commitment that’s worth making for me.

If you’re interested in joining me on this journey whether it’s to lose weight, improve some of your “numbers,” or work towards some other fitness goal, don’t hesitate to join me on my fitness team or let me know @TalkToErik.

My 2017 New Year’s Non-Resolution

I’ve never been much for making New Year’s Resolutions. That being said, if you can make and stick to one, I’m 100% behind you. To me, it is a “new year,” but in the end it’s just another day in our arbitrary calendar. So I’m not making a New Year’s Resolution, but I am hoping to continue the momentum I have going right now from a healthy living perspective.

I’ve been exercising consistently. I’ve been eating the way they say you’re supposed to. But within those two statements, I’ve still been enjoying life along the way (like my continued obsession with brewing beer) — which is is my ultimate goal.

So what’s my secret to what worked in 2016? As you can probably guess, there isn’t a silver bullet, but there have been several things that have helped the last year. The most important thing was that I decided that it was something I wanted to do. Just the same, you are the only one who can decide if you want to join me in my (non-) resolution.

Also, I had a great support group around me. I joined several Beachbody Challenge groups which added a social and semi-competitive aspect to being fit. I then decided to become a Beachbody coach — which added additional incentive to stay on top of my game. I run some mornings with a friend in our neighborhood. The common thread between all those things is that they all provide ways to force you to be accountable to others in addition to yourself.

Lastly, I did make another conscious decision to at least think about what I was eating. I also found that when I started drinking Shakeology, I was far less tempted to snack on less healthy food between meals. I wasn’t trying to lose a bunch of weight, so I still ate my normal meals. But that extra mini-meal midday has cut down on the random junk that was easy to snack on during the day. And I do need to eat healthy to balance out those brews! 🙂

So what do you want to do in 2017? What can you do? Obviously, the choice is yours. I’ve had great results with Beachbody and would love for you to join me on that part of my journey. It’s also a great time to do so because there are several promotions going on now for the start of the year. For the first time ever, they are offering an Annual All-Access Challenge Pack which gives you digital access to all curgent and future fitness programs for a year, plus a month’s worth of Shakeology. Starting January 9th, there will also be another iteration of the BeachBody Health Bet where you get paid to work out.

So what are you waiting for? Whether you make a resolution or not, join me or not, I hope you’ll help keep me accountable so that I can write another positive non-resolution at the end of this year.

Oh How the New Year’s Times Have Changed — But the Fondue is Delicious

It’s starting to have been awhile, but it’s not so long ago that I can’t remember the days when New Year’s Eve was a bit of a different occasion. Before kids, we usually got together with a group of friends for a party at our or their houses. There was certainly some drinking involved and maybe even some throwback drinking games. Ryan Seacrest was on TV hosting Dick Clark’s Rocking New Years Eve. Good times to be had for sure. Back in the single days there were celebrations out… usually involving a relatively sizeable entry free which covered food and drink for the evening.

But as the saying goes, kids change everything. So instead of playing flippy cup, I played a few rounds of Yeti in My Spaghetti. As a side note, I think that itself could become a drinking game, but that’s not a topic for now. After Crosby be and I did that, it was almost time to start the waves of dinner.

Since it was just going to be us and Korey’s parents, we decided to do a light meal with an appetizer and dessert. For the app, I wanted to make some cheese fondue for the first time.

Erik’s Cheesy Fondue Recipe (serves 4)

4 oz Grated Gruyere Cheese
4 oz Grated Jarlsberg (or Emmental Cheese)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cloves diced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1) I used our induction burner with our porcelain coated fondue pot on the lowest setting (power setting 1 or about 140 degrees) to first heat the garlic and wine to a simmer.
2) As that’s heating up, mix the cheeses and toss with the cornstarch
3) At that point, I slowly started to add the cheese mixture. Make sure that it doesn’t get too hot! The cheese should slowly start to melt. If there’s a little bit of separation at the start, don’t worry too much
4) Slowly continue to add small handfuls of cheese until all of the cheese is melted.
5) Finally, stir in the lemon juice

Dipper Ideas: Crusty bread, grapes, pretzels, lightly steamed veggies (broccoli, zucchini, carrots, etc)

Kim made some beans using the leftover ham bone from Christmas dinner which hit the spot between the two courses of fondue. Given that today was also a Saturday, we were lucky enough to have the college football playoffs going on. I think it was the first time I can remember not wanting to watch the normal NYE TV broadcast. Then came the chocolate fondue!

Korey’s Creamy Chocolate Fondue (serves 4)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1/2 can (7 oz) of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 can (3.5 oz) marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

All you need to do is melt all the ingredients together and whisk until smooth.

Dipper Ideas: strawberries, grapes, pineapple, graham crackers, marshmallows, pretzels, pound cake, bananas

The rest of the evening was relatively uneventful, but that was perfectly fine with me. I don’t need a flashy night out or a hundred person party to have a good time on New Year’s Eve. Like just about any other night, it’s quite alright with me to spent it with the people I love most.