Below is a embedded Google Document of my results so far, up until yesterday, January 24, 2010.

*** You can open the Google Spreadsheet by right clicking and opening up a new tab to see on a full screen.  To navigate, you can click on the tabs “Chest & Back”, “Plyometrics” etc to see the results for each workout.

As promised, here is my progress so far. I will be posting my results
on a daily basis after each workout.

A more detailed post on my nutrition plan, mindset and strategies
taken will be up in about a week’s time. I’ve decided
to ease up on the noise I’m creating on the Twitter and Facebook
channels. However, I’ll continue posting videos after each workout on
YouTube. I’ll post a video for Phase 1 once I get my new MacBook Pro
so I can integrate cool shit into my videos like pictures and music
etc.

For brevity’s sake, I already wrote notes under each areas of focus.
Keep in mind that Phase 1 comprised of only: Chest & Back,
Plyometrics, Shoulders & Arms, Yoga, Legs & Back and Kenpo. The other
pages are for Phase 2 & 3. As of writing this post, I’m hovering
around 149 – 150 pounds – down from 158 pounds.

I’m enjoying the process so far, and I’m definitely glad that I’m
heading into my recovery week. I damn well earned it! Phase 2.. here
I come BRING IT!

You can check out my YouTube Channel for the videos I’ve posted to this very day.

Just some thoughts after taking a little over a month off of P90X. Besides screaming like a little girl, my thoughts on it is that getting back into the swing of things to match the fitness level you’re at before is tough.. but all it takes is focus, discipline and well.. you’ve done it before already so it ain’t all that bad!

If you’ve followed through on at least Phase 1, and fallen off of the program remember that you at least built up the habit to take on the workouts consistently, so getting back into it should be challenging – not impossible. Just focus on one workout at a time rather than beating yourself up over not being able to follow through on all 3 phases of the program. It’s a huge commitment, but it’s worth it to stick it through till the end.

Since this is my third stab at the program without being able to do the entire 90 days, my key areas of focus are to stick to a diet using ingredients that are closely aligned with “Michi’s Nutrition Ladder” Guide that comes with P90X. In addition to that, I’ll watch my portions and eat until I’m not hungry, and not full as well as not eating 3 hours before I head to bed.

I noticed that having a nice flavoured rooibos tea while reading before I go to bed helps distract me from my hunger.

I also picked up my own copy of The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook, where I’ve tried out some of the recipes found in the cookbook with some deliciously healthy results.

Besides that, I’ve been carefully scrutinizing everything I eat and I even cut back on my favourite food right now… tasty tasty burritos..

I’ll try and put some real work and mash together video of my progress so far (with effects and music) with Adobe Premiere Elements when I install it.

What are you doing to stay active nowadays?  Let me know!  Any recommendations on what I can take on after I finish P90X?

I recently did a bi-annual review of the “General State of Things” in my life and concluded (like the majority of people) that I wasn’t entirely happy with the way things are.

Perhaps it’s the high standards that I have set for myself and consciously decide to adhere to. In anything I’m highly interested where I choose to devote my time and energy, I dive into it and go as deep as possible. By my diving into a particular interest I may have (say public speaking), I aim for not only competency but mastery.

However, after doing my bi-annual review, I noticed a pattern that I caught on that went unnoticed for a while being my tendency to dabble to the point where I:

1) Completely burn out and never go back

2) Drop the interest for one reason (or excuse) or another

Some of the interests that I’ve picked up and amassed over over the years lay in the areas of: improvisational comedy, public speaking, salsa dancing, tea, running, P90X, blogging, philanthropy and meditation.

After picking up on this pattern, to say that I was extremely upset with myself would be an understatement. The reason for my being upset is that the standards were of my own choosing; where I consciously thought them through knowing that they’re challenging enough for me to grow and learn. I realized if I violate my own standards, it really is a blow to my own self-concept. Despite that I constantly stretch myself to reach that ideal equilibrium of practicing what I preach and following through with the promises I make to myself in taking on interests that I’m truly passionate.

After careful reflection, I’ve decided to pick up on the interests that I’ve left on the wayside over the last two years or so being: Public Speaking, Blogging, P90X (or any form of physical exercise) – these being more so lifelong interests that I want to continually hone and improve upon.

What I really aim for these while on the path of mastery are practicing the fundamentals consistently and aligning it with my purpose and long-term vision of who I want to become.

What are your thoughts on being an unconscious dabbler versus striving for mastery? Do you find yourself continually trying out new things and dropping them or do you align your interests with a long term vision for yourself?

Okay, so it’s been QUITE some time since I wrote my last Fitness Update, but it doesn’t mean that I haven’t been hitting the gym as often as I could.

I finished Phase 2 fresh off the heels of Phase 1, and to be honest, I didn’t really follow through with the “recovery” week. I did maybe Core Synergistics and Plyometrics just to stay consistent with the cardio portion of the program. I also indulged in an order of filthy/greasy wings and two pints of Keith’s to wash them down … I earned it!

Adding on to my previous Fitness Update, I bought some new equipment to increase the intensity and effectiveness of my workouts, tried a new cookbook and some supplements as well.

Equipment:

Nike Push up bars - I bought these at Sportchek in Eaton Centre for about $25 Canadian, which wasn’t too bad. They give you about 6 more inches of depth and can really add more definition to your arms, chest and back when you’re pumping out those military pushups

 
Nutrition:

One major addition to my diet was the “Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook” by Tosca Reno. This awesome cookbook is chalk full of healthy and guilty free recipes that break down the nutritional info for you, which might be helpful to some who are calorie-counters.

Nutrition Supplements:

MuscleTech NitroTech Hardcore - I was thinking of switching it up but decided to get the larger tub out of convenience. If any of you have recommendations that would be comparable to NitroTech, I’d appreciate it.

MuscleTech Cell-Tech Hardcore - Buying MuscleTech’s Cell-Tech was probably the worst of my decisions in terms of what supplements to experiment with.   The loading phase was the worst!  In fact, I couldn’t even get past it because of the chronic diarrhea and constant trips to the washroom.  Definitely not cool.

Vitamins – I picked these up to round out my diet and helping muscle recovery.

Apart from vitamins, I’m thinking about picking up some Glucosamine to help speed up muscle recovery, but I don’t know if it’s really that beneficial. (Anyone try or know??)

Thoughts on Phase 2:

If Phase 1 was for trimming the fat and becoming leaner, Phase 2 is where I noticed more definition and bulk. The workout components of Phase 2 were:

• Chest, Shoulders & Triceps
• Ab Ripper X
• Plyometrics
• Back & Biceps
• Yoga X
• Legs & Back
• Kenpo X

Each of these workouts weren’t entirely different from that of Phase 1, but different enough in order to take advantage of “Muscle Confusion” in order to keep you from reaching a plateau and staying there in order to spur muscle growth.

To be honest, I went a bit easy on myself here as I was starting up school so I needed to find a balance between the crazy 6 day workout schedule, working and studying, so I decided to cut out Yoga X and Kenpo X. If I was really pressed for time, I’d cut out Legs & Back as well, which could be an explanation why my legs and back weren’t a defined and my growth wasn’t as drastic compared to completing Phase 1.

I did the same for Phase 3 pretty much, but had to stop half way through this Phase to buckle down for exams.

After reflecting on my experiences with on my modified “P90X Lite” program, simply put, if you cut out some workouts if you’re pressed for time, you’ll STILL get results, but they won’t be as dramatic as you might have originally hoped.  Apart from leading a healthy lifestyle, I would have to say my confidence has definitely increased and my posture has definitely improved.  Also, I’ve noticed that my body language reflects these changes as well, whether conscious or unconscious. 

Now that I have the time, I’ve decided to give the entire P90X program another spin and start from the beginning, this time without skipping out on any workouts like Yoga X, Legs & Back and Kenpo X.  I”m excited to see what results I can yield and will take a pic after each of my workouts to keep track of my progress.  My progress pics are up to date as of this blog post.

P90X Phase 1

So it’s been a little over a month and now I’m on my recovery week after finishing Phase 1 of the P90X program. If I were to sum up my past month in one sentence, it would be “You get what you put in”.

A common misconception is that “anyone” can do this program (especially with their slick infomercial) and come out with stellar results and a six-pack abs.

For those who are thinking of following through with their fitness goals and whipping themselves into shape without any prior physical activity or some sort of training the task might be more daunting than originally envisioned. It took me about 4 times before I built enough momentum after training for my half marathons – it really is mind over matter with this program.

Don’t get me wrong, P90X is a fantastic workout program, but only for those who are already in “okay” in shape where you can run 5 kilometres without passing out and doing at least 1 assisted pull-up, possess a “killer” never-give-up psychology, and backed enough with compelling reasons of why you want to follow through on this 90 day commitment to your fitness and health.

In order of importance here were the things that were the most important in the P90X program.

Nutrition: depending on your point of view – this would be the easiest or the hardest of the P90X program.

I realize when it comes to nutrition, you’re fully in control of what you eat and what you don’t eat.  In my case, I cut out 98% of my junk food intake, with the hardest obstacle being my craving for potato chips, which I eventually got under control after kicking that habit after training for my half marathons.

The P90X program suggests that break down the times you eat to 5 times a day – Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and then dinner, with the point being to keep your blood sugar levels at a consistent level so you’re not as tired and better manage your energy ups and downs throughout the day.

With respect to hydration, 90% of the time I drank filtered tap water, along with soy milk and the occasional glass of wine or beer with a meal.

As for the Recovery drink, I was a bit sketchy about these at first, but I eventually caved and bought a recovery drink myself through a recommendation of a close friend of mine. I ended up picking up a tub of MuscleTech “NitroTech” product in vanilla flavour from my local GNC, which is actually pretty tasty.

I’ve noticed a small amount of definition, even after using it for only two and a half weeks.

I can admit that I’m a bit neurotic when it comes to the food that I eat, but this is for the purposes of fulfilling this 90 day goal – I’ll reflect on whether or not I want to continue my obsessive vigilance of sticking to a healthy meal plan to the point I won’t even look at a donut… which is tough up here with Tim Hortons’s on every bloody corner of the city. Lol.

The Equipment: the most important things you should get are free weights and a pull-up bar. Luckily the facilities at the condo I live in has free weights in its gym so I didn’t have to spend any money, which leaves the pull up bar. I picked up a DoorGym pullup bar made by Forza Equipment from Fitness Source here in Toronto, which set me back about $50.

It’s a great piece of equipment that requires minimal assembly and hooks to your door very easily and in under 3 seconds.

The Workout Schedule: you’re hitting the gym 6 times a week with the last day being a rest day or for their “StretchX” program. The first week is always the toughest, and generally where most people give up. Like I said before, this is my forth try in trying out this program, so don’t beat yourself up if you’re thoroughly worn out after doing any one of his P90X routines. I reminded myself that it was okay, and I could always give it another try.

How I fit this program into my schedule was immediately after work I’d hit the gym with my pull-up bar in hand. I made it one of the priorities in terms of areas of my life and pen it into my trusty PocketMod.

Final Thoughts:

While it was definitely challenging and uphill climb at first, after you push past that first week, the second week a little bit easier, and the third being even easier and so and so forth.   Like I said, you get what you put in.

Like Tony Horton says in his videos (which can be a little annoying but hits the nail on the head),“You’ve got to BRING IT” to get the most out of the program and keep on pushing even further than you did before to get the maximum results.

So far I’m happy with the results, but I’m not complacent.   Onto Phase 2!

For those of you who are curious, here’s a photostream of my progress on Flickr

Although the amount I raised was 10% of what I had raised compared to last year, I am still VERY happy and satisfied with the results as well as my performances for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon as well as the Toronto Half Marathon in September and October respectively.  I feel I have planted the seeds for something much greater by the time the Transformers 2 movie hits theatres next year.

After some careful reflection on what made me follow through with my intention to run two half marathons, I found these to be the main reasons for picking up momentum that helped me build a solid foundation to reach my fitness goals:

Having Compelling Reasons:

Reasons come first, answers come second. My own reasons for doing this were to transform my Transforming for SickKids Initiative from a one-off phenomenon that was tied to the 2007 Transformers movie to something that was yearly in order to raise funds for my cause – the Hospital for SickKids.

In addition to that, I wanted to do it for my health and get rid of the beer gut I accumulated over the years as well. I wanted to prove to myself that I could follow through on my word, because to me – if you’re not a person of your word, you’re not a person of integrity – one of the virtues that I swore to live by at the beginning of 2008. Simply put, when you have enough reasons to want to do something, you’re more likely to follow through.

Signing up for a Running Room Clinic (or any other running clinic):

Since I first started to seriously pursue amateur running back in December 2007, I simply picked up an old pair of running shoes and some winter running gear and started running outside. Sounds simple and it worked – for a while.

Long story short, I ran to the point where I had chronic shin splints and started complaining to my friend who was training with the Team In Training (for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) and suggested I sign up for a clinic because she could clearly see what I was doing wrong compared to what she was learning in her clinic. I took her advice into consideration and after a 2 month hiatus from running, I signed up for a Running Room clinic back in June 2008.

The clinic cost about $70 Canadian, but was worth every penny in terms of what they teach, the in person support they give as well as online. I had made new friends and colleagues, all of whom I highly respect for committing their time and energy to improve their health as well kicking ass while terrorizing the residents and motorists alike in the Beaches neighbourhood of Toronto

When you have a solid support network, one that won’t let you off the hook if you “skip” a running session, you’re bound to get all the encouragement and support in order to help you reach your fitness goals.

MapMyRun.com

I found MapMyRun.com to invaluable in helping me map out my runs and pretty much keep track of everything when it came to how many kilometers I ran per session, how many kilometers I put on my shoes, as well as having a great forum for runners from every corner of the world giving you the ability to connect with people who are experiencing the same problems you may encounter during running.

It’s great to have everything easily accessible on the web, as well as having their Training Log displaying all the runs you’ve put in during the month in a format that shows you how much progress you’ve made month-to-month.

The best thing about it is that it’s FREE!

Financial commitment

It’s human nature to value something which we’ve personally invested in otherwise we consciously or subconsciously perceive it as “low-value” or “low priority”. Let’s say you plunk down a wad of cash ($100 give or take), you’ll be more committed to following through and getting value for your money. On the other hand, if you get something for free or close to it, you’ll be less committed to it because it was something that was pretty much given to you.

With this basic understanding of human nature, I put my money where my mouth is and plunked down the cold hard cash to buy my running gear, bought a place in my Running Room Clinic as well as registering for two half marathons, that added up to a hefty amount of cash. All of which I was more than happy to pay for because I knew it would help lead me to accomplishing what I had set out to achieve.

Public accountability

Here, I took a page from Leo Babauta’s advice about making a statement on your blog (or in my case via Facebook as well) making your goals public to harness the power of positive public pressure. I did this for a few things (failed but learned a lot) as well as training for a half marathon to run it on behalf of the Hospital for SickKids – something that was very close to my heart where I would not back down on my words.

This did wonders with my weekly updates on Facebook (plus Twitter). I received a lot of positive feedback and encouragement from loved ones, friends and colleague in helping me follow through.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it. Four months in the making that helped me build a solid foundation for my fitness. I ran a respectable 1 hr 59 min 3 secs for my first half marathon on Sept 28, 2008 where I eclipsed my original goal of 2 hrs 15 mins and ran 1 hr 52 min 28 secs for the Toronto Half Marathon – the race that I had been training for all along and fell short of my goal of running it under 1 hr 50 min due to a mid-race washroom break.

Although my legs are sore as hell after running the race against the time I set for myself as well as for a cause beyond myself, I don’t regret the abuse I took on my legs and feet took.

These past few months I’ve spent in terms of running towards my fitness goals were nothing short of empowering. I’d like to thank my instructors Dave Emilio as well as Julie Petten in running a fantastic Half Marathon Clinic out of the Running Room by the Beaches. The lessons I’ve learned will definitely flow to other areas of my life as well as helping me raise the bar higher for my next set of fitness goals … my first Marathon as well as six-pack abs by next year’s Toronto Waterfront Marathon

Throughout my years of bootstrapping through undergrad and learning and picking up new tricks and habits along the way to save money in order to have a fulfilling student life without breaking the bank.

Here’s a collection of all the tips and tricks I’ve gained through my time in undergrad:

TRICKS/HACKS

Coffee – Getting More for less!

This is a trick that I discovered a little over a year ago, and is more of a perception tactic. I didn’t quite notice the consistency of getting more for less until I bought a quality metal coffee mug to use at my local Tim Hortons or Starbucks.

What you do here is bring your coffee mug which would automatically get you a 10 cent discount, you then ask for a size smaller than what you’d normally order, and since your mug will be bigger than that amount, the barista will usually fill it to the top (about 8 out of 10 times) ensuring that you get less for more!  (I usually ask for a medium at Tim Hortons or a Tall size at Starbucks).

Eight out of ten times, baristas don’t have the time to be anal about giving you exactly a medium or tall size and usually fill your coffee mug to the rim. Also they’re usually pressed for time to serve other customers and don’t get paid enough to really care.

Buy your own timed coffee brewer - Alternatively, if you buy a time coffee brewer, you can cut your coffee costs to a mere fraction compared to buying outside at your local Starbucks, Tim Hortons or (Insert your favourite coffee joint here). You can program the brewer to start brewing your favourite blend of coffee and *voila*, you wake up to the nice smell of fresh morning coffee at a fraction of your costs.

Smoking – getting FREE cigarettes 9 out of 10 times and/or help you quit smoking at the same time!

While I don’t smoke anymore and I don’t judge people who choose to smoke, this is a trick that I discovered during my days of smoking in undergrad where I had made numerous attempts to quit smoking, and decided that I simply wouldn’t buy packs of cigarettes anymore.

I did some research when I stumbled upon this phenomenon. This trick actually has its roots stemmed in Social Psychology. Keep in mind, this trick is not for the shy or meek as you have to actively approach people and ask to buy a cigarette for a dollar. If you’re particularly shy, you might come off as awkward, but it’s pretty much expected that you’re awkward because people who are in the awkward position of running out of smokes do this as well.

Too many times I’ve seen people (usually guys) say, “Hey man, can I bum a smoke off you?” That is NOT the route you want to go and you usually get rejected anyway, which sucks when you really want to feed that craving.

Smoking culture is one that is social and when you offer something of value such as money, over and above the price of what the going rate for what a single cigarette usually costs to (about 50 cents), people are almost always pretty cool and insist that they don’t want your money as they’ve had times where they craved for a cigarette and went the route you did to actively approach to feed that craving as well.

An example script would be:

Me: “Hey, I hate to bother you, but I forgot my smokes earlier and I’m in a rush. I was wondering if I could buy a smoke off of you for a dollar?”

Person: “Hey man, don’t worry. It’s all good. Keep your money. I’ve done the same before and it just sucks”

Me: (this line is key) “Really? I hate being a moocher, I insist though…”

Person: “Naw, it’s cool, man”

Me: “Thanks, I appreciate it…”

Then I usually go into small talk about anything situational and shoot the shit. If they’re a closed off person, I just say thanks give the person a nod of acknowledgement, light the smoke and walk away to give them their space.

It takes a bit of gauging and calibration, but usually 9 out of 10 times, people will want to give you cigarettes when you offer value right from the beginning.

TOOLS

Some of the tools that I use to keep track of my finances is a handy PocketMod weekly that is free and fits in your pocket without being noticeable. I modify the last two pages of my PocketMod to keep track of what I buy.

Microsoft Money – although it isn’t free, this is a great and simple tool to use that is intuitive and gives you clarity on what exactly what your financial situation is if you update it religiously.

I made the daily habit of keeping track of writing my expenses in my PocketMod and at the end of the day, I’d input it into MS Money.

If your financial situation isn’t that complicated, it’s a breeze to set up to put you on your way towards financial mastery.

Mint.com – Although Mint.com is only available in the US for the moment, it is a free online personal money management application that is made simple and easy to use. You can integrate your entire bank, credit card and investment accounts with its intuitive and simple to use interface to keep track of your finances.

Buy used! Or at least attempt a “group buy” – be it textbooks, furniture or electronics, you can save a bundle if you do your research. You can resort to Craigslist, RedFlagDeals.com, eBay or even Facebook to see if there are any used textbooks being sold for the course you’re taking or want to take.

GENERAL TIPS

Buying in bulk – this is something that you can easily do, especially if you know someone who has a Costco membership, you can all make it a weekly or bi-weekly adventure with some frugal friends to load up on bulk food and supplies.

Water bottles – having a water bottle handy (having a Nalgene or any aluminum based canteen will do fine) on you at all times can save you time when you’re thirsty and save you money from having to go to buy a drink.

Buying generic brands – this is a no-brainer. Do you prefer buying “Kleenex” brand tissue paper or a no name house brand? Generic brands can offer equal if not better quality compared to brand-name products. You can save money in the long run by buying generic house brands.

STUDENT LIFE

The Pre-drink – let’s face it, getting wasted or “tipsy” is a fact of life for any college or university student before heading out to bars or clubs. It would be wise to buy a few bottles of your favourite booze for mixers and a two-four to drive down your costs of letting loose during the weekend (or any other day for that matter)

Student centre discounts – On campus, your student union or association can influence local stores and vendors in the area to push for discounted prices for your own benefit. You can usually count on heavily discounted movie tickets, comedy club admissions, student rates for cell phones, coupons, freebies etc.  This is your central hub to nabbing great deals on campus.

Joining school clubs, associations or societies – this is probably the easiest way to meet and connect with people who are like-minded, have common interests, and want to expand themselves outside of their immediate social circle. There are lots of free events that are organized, and can be a launching pad for organizing your own events as well.

Buying refills for toner/ink cartridges – you can save a good deal over the long run if you were to buy refills of toners or ink cartridges. They’re usually priced 30-40% cheaper compared to brand new ones.

Additionally, you should use lined paper for rough drafts, and put on your printer on economy mode to save on paper and ink, reserving premium blank paper and high quality printer settings for final drafts.

Washing full loads – as simple as it is sounds, a lot of students don’t adhere to this habit. By doing this, you save on consumption through reduced water, and energy use, and of course our most important resource of all – time! Although the financial savings are not immediate, in the long run, it can save you hundreds of dollars.

Buy disposable razors - If you’re not too concerned about using disposable products and you go through razors like no one’s business, this might help you save a good chunk of change that can help you nab a 2-4 by the end of the school year

The markup that the people over at Gilette or Schick put on their “MachFusion” and any other competing brand with whatever ridiculous name they decide on slapping on to their razors is ridiculous.  Buy their disposable counterpart instead.

TRANSPORTATION

Buy a monthly public transit pass (Metropass) – if you’re commute a lot, this will save you a bundle of money and save you time if you’re constantly on the go.

Carpooling – if you have a bunch of friends or colleagues who live in the same area as you, this can drive down the time and costs of commuting, especially for the driver since gas prices are ridiculously expensive nowadays. The only challenge of pulling this off would be the coordination of schedules.

Zip Car & AutoShare – if you need to move anything or travel longer distances you should check out Car Sharing programs like Zip Car or AutoShare. You must have an impeccable driving record or close to it to take advantage of it, but the cost savings of heavily outweigh the cost of owning a car, as you don’t have to pay for gas or insurance – only a minimal fee to use it at an hourly or daily rate.

FOOD

This expense probably ranks in the top 3 of all your expenses if you’re a student. Here are a few things to keep in mind to drive this cost lower:

Free meals! – you can usually score a few free meals, snacks or drinks if you’re on campus enough to notice the posters for events plastered on bulletin boards that usually jump out at you with such attention grabbing headlines such as “FREE FOOD” or anything along those lines. Even though the organizers know the main draw is free food, have at least the courtesy to hear what they have to say while you’re having a free meal on them.

Cooking for yourself – cooking more than you need – While this is a no brainer, it isn’t until you’re fully aware of all the nuances of your financial situation and you start recording your income and expenses, you’ll quickly realize that this is probably one of the biggest (if not the biggest) expenditures throughout your school year.  Eating out and buying snacks can quickly add up, and before you know it, you’re in a cash crunch for the month.

Investing in some great (and simple to follow) cookbooks would give you the solid foundation in cooking quick, healthy and quality meals at a fraction of the cost of constantly buying take out and eating out.

There are some great cookbooks out there. The ones that have influenced me most heavily are Giada DiiLaurentis “Everyday Italian”, Rachel Ray’s “30 Minute Meals”, Jamie Oliver’s “Cook with Jamie”, and “Student’s Guide to Vegetarian Cooking”.

FASHION/CLOTHING

Clothing – Winners/Threadless/RedFlagDeals/Craigslist/eBay – You can peruse any of these resources in order to find the best deals on clothes. Be it used or new, you can always get away with things that are “vintage” J

Here’s a tip for guys – if you have no idea of how to put together an outfit, always get a girl who is into fashion and has a keen sense of style in order to help you pick out your clothes. It will pay off in the long run, especially if you want to hook up with the cute girl in one of your classes or anywhere else, really.

FINANCES

Being on top of your personal finances should be a daily habit. Current studies show that 40% of Canadian students after having finished their post-secondary education emerge with student debt waiting for them.

For most of us, lessening the severity or being free of debt is a choice that we can make. Here are a few insights I’ve accumulated over the years with respect to handling my finances.

Compulsive spending – I’ve heard of this trick recently where if you’re prone to making an impulse purchase, you should put your debit/credit cards in a freezer proof bag, put it in a plastic container filled with water and put it in the freezer. If you really wanted to make the purchase, you’d have to thaw out your debit or credit cards, by then, your impulsive nature would most likely subside and you’ll realize how silly the lengths you’re going to in order to buy whatever it is you wanted.

Cash – Use only cash and write down a flexible budget that is within your means. I make it a point to be prepared to spend only the money I have in cold hard cash.

Debit/Credit cards – you can easily break the bank and overspend when you have ready access to debit and credit cards.  In my situation, I prefer to keep the plastic at home and take out only what I’m prepared to spend and leave it in my wallet on a weekly basis.

FREE MONEY!  Grants, Scholarships, etc. – There’s millions of millions of dollars to be had by students who aren’t receiving academic scholarships. Pay attention to your school’s emails and bulletins because they’re not widely advertised.

Once you find out the requirements for the grants and scholarships that are offered to you at your school, be sure to do your research and follow the instructions of how to apply precisely.

Have some close friends or colleagues proof-read your application so that there aren’t any glaring grammatical mistakes and to see if you can get any critical feedback in improving it.

Student Bank Accounts – these plans are built with the student in mind with no fees for your daily banking needs. Look for them as they’re prominently advertised and offer high-interest (3-4%) savings rates. For Canadians, PC Financial, HSBC, ING Direct and ICICI are all great choices.

HEALTH

Go to your school gym! – leading a healthy lifestyle is probably one of the most neglected areas in life for a student. It isn’t impossible if you make it one of your priorities.

When it comes to your gym, you already pay for it or its offered to you at a deeply discounted price compared to traditional fitness centers or gyms. Use it to kill time between classes or blow off steam. Benefits are having more energy to put into your studies in addition to looking and feeling great overall.

Take advantage of your school’s health plan – it’s already included and lumped in with your tuition fees. By having a health plan, depending on your coverage you’re entitled to free massages, free or heavily discounted prescribed shoes or prescription eyewear.

Quit smoking or drinking! – while this is the complete opposite of what I talked about in the “Vices” section, when you’re ready to have fun without the aid of substances and choose to end your reliance on these unhealthy vices, you’re literally looking at saving thousands of dollars throughout your time in school. Your lungs and liver will thank you! If you’re serious about

You can put it this way – that money could be put towards student loans, a car, your own place, or a sweet backpacking trip through Europe!

ENTERTAINMENT

Be the party – throw your own house party, wine tasting party or kegger - This is not only easy on your bank account, if you’re one to throw awesome house parties, your reputation (social proof) will grow and your social life will be much richer. Plus it’s a lot more fun to be known as the person who throws awesome parties on campus.

Just be sure to have a few close friends who are willing to help clean up afterwards if things get messy

Free, discounted cover or line bypass to clubs/bars – Now you’re going to ask “how am I supposed to pull that off?”

While this isn’t easy to begin with, if you have the knack for connecting, relating and schmoozing with people, you can easily plant the seed of familiarity with bouncers by befriending them.

Bouncers usually come off as aloof and cold, but if you’re a regular and genuine in your intentions in befriending them, not just because you want to “use them”, but because you respect him and his role in being a gatekeeper for the venue that you’re patronizing.

If you go to that venue regularly, and engage in sincere banter with the bouncer and MOST IMPORTANTLY remember his or her name, it’s only natural that they’ll treat you like gold if you treat them like gold first.

Rainbow Cinemas (or any other cheap cinema) – let’s face it, a lot of us can’t afford to regularly catch movies at $11 a pop. For those of us who are lucky enough to have discount cinemas within a 30 minute commute, you should exercise this privilege and save over 50% per movie ticket compared to AMC or Cineplex Odeon cinemas.

Movie/Board games night – this a fun and relatively inexpensive way of having fun with friends without breaking the bank. You can provide the most basic of snacks or appetizers and have your friends bring their own drinks/booze and let the good times roll. You can have variations on this like Nintendo Wii night, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, LAN Party, etc.

Free Events – Check out for free festivals/events or heavily discounted events around your city.  In Toronto, there are great free cultural events like the Taste of the Danforth, Nuit Blanche and Open Doors.

TV/movies online – don’t buy cable! You can download all the shows you want to watch or stream it through the internet through various websites. You can check out www.surfthechannel.com or if you’re American, you can resort to www.Hulu.com.

STAYING IN TOUCH (communication)

FREE Long Distance! – Using Skype is the cheapest way to keep in touch with family and friends worldwide without incurring any fees. All you need is access to a computer, headphones, mic and of course an internet connection and presto – free long distance!

If the person you want to talk to doesn’t have access to a computer, you can still call their landline through Skype as well with their highly competitive long distance rates at just a fraction of a cost compared to traditional long distance providers.

BEYOND YOUR WALLET, CREDIT CARDS, BANK ACCOUNT AND THIS ARTICLE…

While I don’t claim this to be a comprehensive guide to handling your student finances, I wrote this purely from my experiences so not all of my tips may apply to your individual and unique situation.

Having the knowledge on savings is great, but taking it to the next level by measuring your finances through personal finance software or tracking solutions/tools is crucial. They all help paint a clear and vivid picture of what sort of financial ground you stand on – be it firm or shaky.

When you’re on top of and measure your finances, you become fully conscious of where you’re money is coming and going, you’ll be less likely to throw yourself into financial turmoil.

To make this happen, it’s 20% mechanics and 80% psychology – meaning that your mindset is one that is budget-oriented (or “frugal”) and your beliefs towards money are in line with how you want your financial situation to be. It’s easy to be measuring everything you spend down to the penny, but if you’re still spending it if it grew on trees, then it totally defeats the purpose of doing it in the first place if you’re not making any progress and not making the changes towards your beliefs of money internally.

When you slowly make small improvements on a daily and consistent basis, you’ll see a slow and gradual progression of your financial situation, eventually feeling empowered by your new outlook and beliefs towards your finances. That belief that you’re cultivating can lift yourself out your financial situation by staying accountable to your vision and attaining financial freedom as a student!

If there or any gaping holes I’ve left out or you have tips of your own, feel free to leave your feedback or constructive criticism in the comments section!

It’s been a while since my last fitness update. So long story short:

• I signed up for a running clinic with The Running Room over by the beaches in Toronto.
• I’ve been training for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon where I was originally supposed to run for the Mississauga Marathon back in May this year.
• Change of diet has played a huge role in shedding weight and gaining energy and endurance to make it through a day without a nap
• My shin splints haven’t been as chronic as before due to my proper training with my clinic
• I’ve lost at least 5 pounds since training for two months now (I haven’t properly weighed myself yet
• I ran 12 kilometres and 14 kilometres respectively a few weeks ago, breaking a mental barrier of 10K right around when I last got injured.  It was my previous high back in my Fitness update #4 

I’ve never felt healthier in my life. I’m able to run for over an hour and a half straight and swim for at least 30 mins (just hopped out of the pool straight.

Finally, I recently decided try out the famed P90X home workout program again after dabbling in it a few months ago.  There have been a lot of inspiring videos floating around on YouTube with people tracking their progress as they follow the program with some amazing results. I’ll be doing the same after I’m done my classes for the summer in order to begin a challenge that I’m calling “Project Core Values”, which I’ll dedicate an entire post to later on when I have the time. In any case, as per Fitness Update tradition.. a route of my most recent long run!

You know the saying, “hindsight is 20/20”? Why not “foresight is 20/20”? I mean, of course we all can look back and say “Yes, I can clearly see that it happened, well.. because it happened!” and then reflect upon it. But why not use foresight or the use of a Compelling Vision in order to make sense of where we want to take our lives, reflect, measure and see what our progress is? That’s where to goals upwards to 20 years comes in with timelines attached.

So back to the title of this blog, what’s this talk about New Year’s Resolutions versus Dedications? What does Resolution mean exactly? What about Dedication? The definitions of both words according to Dictionary.com are:

Resolution

1. a formal expression of opinion or intention made, usually after voting, by a formal organization, a legislature, a club, or other group
2. a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.
3. the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.
4. the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose.

Dedication.

1. complete and wholehearted fidelity
2. a ceremony in which something (as a building) is dedicated to some goal or purpose
3. a message that makes a pledge [syn: commitment]
4. a short message (as in a book or musical work or on a photograph) dedicating it to someone or something
5. the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action; “his long commitment to public service”; “they felt no loyalty to a losing team”

From the two definitions you just read, which feels more powerful? Which definition would you attach yourself to if you were to make a New Year’s Resolution versus a New Year’s Dedication will ultimately lead you to following through reaching your resolution? The resolution is more so being aware of a problem that you want to “resolve” and figuring out a course of action that you would embark upon, and having a mental state of “firmness of purpose”. But nowhere does it say anything about holding yourself accountable or “binding yourself both intellectually and emotionally to a course of action”. So when you involve and commit yourself to a Dedication on different dimensions and relate it to your own life and how it will benefit you, with enough reasons you can find a way to do justice to your Dedication.

So those were my thoughts with respect to using a Compelling Vision to where we want to go. So on to my New Year’s Dedications!

• Complete my improv training at The Second City and get into their prestigious Conservatory Program.
• Finish a full-marathon
• Sculpt my body just like Bruce Lee’s
• Wipe out my credit card debt and start on my OSAP debt
• Get a job in my field and get into the CMA Accelerated Program in order to fill in the gaps of Accounting knowledge that I haven’t retained through years.
• Give Marvel Comics a chance (I’m a DC comics fan
• See my eligibility for enrolling in a part-time degree in Sociology at UofT
• Read at least 30 more books on self-actualization

Keep in mind that each and every one of these Dedications is something that I’m truly passionate about. From my understanding with past changes to my life, you MUST be passionate in order to keep on going at whatever it is you’ve dedicated yourself to and never have failure be an excuse to not follow through.

If you start using any of these ideas and concepts, you’re well on your way when you JUST DO IT! So this year, instead of making a New Year’s Resolution, make a New Year’s DEDICATION.

I just got back from an awesome 45 minute jog for the first time in the cold with my new gear, tights and all, while listening to the Tony Robbin’s “Daily Magic” CD, where it entails starting off with “breath walking” which is supposed to walking to a count of “four-four”.

Walking to a count of “four-four” means you take four quick breaths through the nose and exhaling through your teeth making a “shhh” sound in four quick bursts. Each time you inhale, tap your index-finger to your thumb, second time would be tapping the thumb to the middle finger, third time for your ring fingers, then fourth would be your pinky finger to your thumb, and you would do it for each time you exhale and repeat. What this is supposed to do is that it brings you up to a state of mental alertness that engages all of your senses, so that you feel centered.

During this process, you’re cultivating a storm of positive emotions and energy, being gratitude and visualization. There’s nothing quite like it when you’re filled with these emotions. It helps you put things in perspective of what your grateful for, your goals and the purpose behind it, and perhaps re-aligning yourself with the purpose of your life or whatever it may be.

Finally, he encourages us to use incantations that you repeat to yourself in order to feel your inner strength from within you. One simple incantation or affirmation that is used widely is, “Every day in every way, I’m feeling stronger and stronger“. You can insert any word you want that is aligned with how you want to live your life. I insert, “more and more energized” in order to engrain the thought of me having an unlimited energy reservoir that will keep me going throughout the day.

It’s kind of funny how I didn’t really commit myself to running until I bought all the winter gear. And I hate wasting money.. so it’s a win-win-win-win situation for me. I’ll have the energy I need to take make the most out of my day, strengthen and expand my cardiovascular system, make the most out of the money I spent, and it will be one step towards completing a marathon, which happens to be a 1 year goal of mine.

With respect to commitment, I had a chat over coffee with a close friend of mine where we were talking about our motivations and goals. What my friend G had said was that unless you have a DEADLINE, you won’t have anything “pushing” or “pulling” you to move towards your goal.

Here’s a quote that I keep in the back of my head when it comes to goal setting:

“WHAT’S TALKED ABOUT IS A DREAM, WHAT’S ENVISIONED IS EXCITING, WHAT’S PLANNED BECOMES POSSIBLE, WHAT’S SCHEDULED IS REAL”

So when you actually book an appointment to see a trainer or schedule a block of time in your agenda to go running in the morning, you’re committed to it. This is with the pre-requisite that you WANT to move towards that goal and commit yourself fully to it, so that there’s no turning back and you’re now forced to push yourself to achieving that goal.