I will Bleed Inspiration.

This might be cheesy to you all, but i don't care.
Its helped push me in times I've needed a push, so I'm sharing it.

"3 cheers to all the inspiration waiting to be discovered.

It'll never come easy, it's hard work, really hard. Get off your comfortable couch and set foot on your own adventure. Happiness and success is a benefit to be discovered. Put your self in your own hands and carry.

I will stop being critical of your criticisms.
I will stop judging your judgments.

I will not live my life one way because you live it another way.
I will treat every day as a gift of enlightenment.
I will find and give my self the life I deserve.

I will bleed inspiration."

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Originally uploaded by Nathan See's It!!

Have you been kind today?

Since my last post I've had a lot of awesome feed back about random acts of kindness.
Some small and some big, both kind effective. I've often heard those stories in the past about one act of kindness sparks a chain reaction of kind deeds, in the end doing a full loop back the person who started it in the first place. Definitely a positive form of karma.

I am posting another post about this because of the good feedback I've received. I would like to do another post in the future of life stories, from you, about practicing random kindness. Be it small or large please tell me about it. In the future I will compile the stories in another post, so you all can read and share real life stories of people randomly being kind.

So my challenge to you -- be kind to someone or something out there and tell me about it.

Please email me your story -- nathanseesit@gmail.com

I see it... do you?
-Nathan

Kindness

We've all had those days where nothing seems to be going wrong, or necessarily right for that matter, but the day is normal, good, bad, chaotic, whatever it might be. What I'm about to talk about was sparked by a small event here at work today, on a quite normal day for me when someone was rude for no good reason. I've always believed how much easier life can be at work if you stay professional, fair, take constructive criticism in a positive way and deal it back in the same manner.

I decided to write about this subject not aiming it towards work, but really life in general.

Part of my job deals with supporting a decent sized application which is vital to the business.  Every time I fix an issue or help another employee with this application I remain professional, even on my grumpy days, I'll always reply with dignity. Today a user replied back and was completely rude for no good reason, maybe just because he was having a bad day, but just because the stars aligned our paths today he had to push some of his bad fortune my way. It took all I had in me at the time to reply with kindness, and after I did, and every time I do in this situation, I feel like the better person.

This sparked a little light which used to be a big flame inside me. The act of random kindness. In my recent adventure with life to better my self, my surroundings, and the people my life touches, kindness is just about the most important part of this.

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. "
       - Leo Buscaglia

Too many times have I driven past a stranded driver with a flat tire, or too few people trying to push a stalled car across an intersection. My first thought is ALWAYS "Should I stop and help them?" ... ... I continue driving before I know its too late to turn around and display my random act of kindness. I can't tell you how i regret this every time I don't help. And the times I do help I cannot describe just how good it feels, its a rush of adrenalin almost equivalent to the after feeling of an amazing work out. There really is nothing like it.

Smile more, speak kind words, provide a listening ear, and care while doing it. It almost seems too simple doesn't it? Well it really is. :)

"Be the change you want to see in the world"
       - Ghandi

We all have bad days, we all have days we are not in the best of moods, and most the time on these days you are not even close to the mood to provide any magnanimous acts. I have found for me to provide a random act of kindness is the quickest cure. If someone is unpleasant to me, I will not play their same game and portray the same attitude back. So I'm going to try my best to spread and live by this -- Practice Random Kindness.

"My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness."
       - The Dalai Lama

Kindness is my seed to happiness and success.

I see it... Do you?
-Nathan

P90X Start of Phase 2

First off, thanks to all the support out there, its really nice to hear others encourage you who have been on this road and to hear from people who want to travel this road. To those people who wish to travel this road, all i can say to them is stop thinking about it, stop wishing it, get up and do it.

Once I get up and do it, I then feel amazing. It takes incredible actions to do incredible things. Motivation can be hard to find, but just like taking a bath, I recommend taking a dose every single day!

I started the second phase of P90X last night, it started with a Chest, Shoulders and Triceps work out. Was a really good work out, like all the P90X workouts are. Some new moves, new muscles, and my arms felt like jello the whole time.

I also took my phase 1 after pictures, I was pretty impressed with the results.
Not huge, but very noticeable, which I'm happy about. My stomach still needs a lot of work to get my abs to stand out, but in due time I'm confident it'll head that way.

On top of that I've lost 10lbs!! Almost to my floating weight, where I want to stay only to trim up the body fat and add on the muscle. I'm really doing it!


I see it... Do you?
-Nathan

P90X Week 3

Finished up week 3 last night.
I've noticed improvement in a lot of areas, I can endure and last longer.
Its very satisfying when you notice results like this, I can also tell my body is starting to tone up. My legs are just about as tight as they were when I played soccer, if not more. I can see my abs starting to define, although this is an area I think i need a lot of improvement in to see the results I wish to see in the end. I can do more pull-ups, an area I still struggle with, but gaining ground on!

Some days are high and some are low, some you wonder if you'll ever see results and others you don't care as long as you give it your best. The important thing here is that I head to my basement each and every night and hit that play button. I know after every work out I'll feel awesome even if I really don't want to start the workout to begin with. Its my mind over my body and its working. Its a lot of dedication and hard work, its paying off already and will pay off even more the longer I take this.

I'm very proud I've made it this far, and I cannot wait to see more results!!!

I wanna take this far to motivate others to do the same, I cannot wait until people ask me how I did it and I can tell them my story.


I see it... Do you?
-Nathan

Keep It Lean: How to Cook Meat and Fish

Here is a great article I read today written by Julie Davis I got off www.everydayhealth.com -- Great information, check it out! :)

Buying skinless chicken breasts to cut back on fat makes sense; breading and deep-frying them does not. Fortunately, you don’t have to fry — many cooking techniques seal in flavor while keeping out extra fat and calories.
These easy tips will keep unwanted fat and calories out of your meat, poultry, and fish:

• Always trim any fat you can see. Even lean cuts may be sold with fat on the edges —simply use a sharp knife to remove it. Before cooking chicken or turkey, pull all the skin off.
• Add fish to your diet. Certain thick cuts of fish like tuna have a steak-like texture meat eaters might enjoy. Most fish are excellent healthy choices. Fatty fish like salmon, trout, and herring are extra good for you because of their omega-3 fatty acids.
• Let hidden fat drain away from meat. Placing roasts and similar cuts on a rack in your cooking pan allows the fat to drip away as the meat cooks.
• Choose healthy cooking methods. Use cooking techniques that don’t add calories, such as roasting, grilling, and poaching; avoid deep frying.
• Look for healthy recipes that add flavor without fat and calories. As an example, use chopped herbs or sesame seeds rather than breadcrumbs for a breading-like crust. Some seeds and nuts, like flaxseeds and walnuts, provide essential fatty acids, while others, like sunflower seeds, almonds, and hazelnuts, are good sources of vitamin E and provide some protein. Nuts and seeds can be ground and used instead of a heavy breading.

Cooking Techniques That Cut Fat and Preserve Taste
Watching your weight and your health doesn’t mean that a dry chicken breast is your only option — far from it. These cooking techniques offer great flavor and lend themselves to easy recipes that use an herb or broth base and no added fat.

• Roasting. All types of protein can be roasted, or baked, in the oven. This method lends itself to cooking a whole chicken, turkey, or fish, or a beef rib roast or pork shoulder. Dietician Susan Kraus, MS, RD, of Hackensack University Medical Center, in New Jersey, suggests using a cut of meat with a little more fat, because roasting tends to dry out meat. To keep juices or sauces locked in so food stays moist, cover the roasting pan. “Poultry that is cooked without the skin and fish fillets that are very low fat would need to be cooked in a moist medium (like a broth) and covered, while chicken parts that might have skin on them or a more fatty fish, like a salmon or sea bass, could be cooked uncovered, at least for part of the cooking process,” says Kraus. Experiment with herbs and spices to flavor meat — without adding calories. Look for easy recipes for dry rubs, usually herb and spice mixtures, that coat the meat's surface.
• Grilling. Most people think of grilling on an outdoor barbecue or smoker, but grilling really involves any method that uses radiant heat from underneath the food, giving it crispy edges. (Broiling is another cooking technique that uses high heat, usually from above, in the oven.)
  “All foods taste great on the grill,” says Kraus. “Again, as with roasting in an oven, the chef needs to exercise caution in making certain the food doesn't dry out and is cooked slowly, so it doesn't burn.” You can do this by pre-cooking chicken in the microwave or covered in the oven before throwing the meat on the grill to achieve the barbecue taste.
  Kraus suggests placing pieces of fish in a grill rack in order to keep them tender and prevent them from falling apart. She adds that lean cuts of meat are best grilled, since any fat will drip off. First marinate your meat, chicken, or large fish steaks or thick fillets, then baste them regularly to retain the taste. Also be sure to monitor the flame on your grill so you can control the speed of cooking. The goal is to cook the meat or fish evenly on the inside, while preventing it from burning on the outside.
• Stir-frying and sautéing. When you prepare food in an open cooking pan, the technique is called sautéing; use a wok and it’s stir-frying. Either way, you can cook food in a small amount of oil — be sure to choose one of the healthy unsaturated types, such as olive, canola, peanut, sunflower, or safflower — or just use cooking spray. Because you're using only one pan for both the protein and the veggies, these methods make for easy cleanup. Be sure to slice or a dice all of your ingredients, so the nutrients stay in the veggies. Says Kraus, “What is also nice about this way of cooking is you can use various types of veggies for flavor, and you don’t have to add a ton of sauce to give the food a wonderful taste.”
• Poaching. This healthy cooking technique involves barely covering food in liquid that is brought to a simmer, rather than a boil -- between 160 and 180 degrees. Use a covered cooking pan or pot large enough for the food to be placed in one layer only. You can enhance the flavor of the liquid by using broth, wine, spices, and soup-stock vegetables like onions, celery, leeks, and carrots. Though poaching is probably the least popular cooking method, says Kraus, it keeps whatever protein you cook very moist. Salmon or other thick pieces of fish are perfect for poaching — and poaching chicken cutlets keeps them moist. “Cooking in this fashion is virtually fat-free since a fluid medium, like a broth or tomato base, is used,” says Kraus. Note that after cooking, you usually remove the food from the poaching liquid, which can be discarded.
• Stewing. This slow-cooking method involves placing all your ingredients in liquid, but it's different from poaching because the liquid often becomes part of the finished dish or can be used as a light sauce. You can fill your pot with plenty of veggies and a protein. Kraus recommends using lean cuts of meat, as well as chicken or seafood, since this is moist cooking and will tenderize the food. If you do use a fattier cut of meat, you can precook it, then drain all the fat from the pot before adding other ingredients.

Experiment with these healthy cooking techniques, and you’ll soon savor the natural taste of foods, enhanced with fresh herbs and spices rather than butter and other fats.