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Gym Membership Application
Posted on January 7, 2013 by
1 Comment

Ask IE Inbox: Shall I cancel my gym membership?

From an IE Reader:

“With MED, is it even worth my wife and I keeping our family gym membership?  What do you do?”

Great question and one that I wrestle with from time to time.

My gym membership was only $20 per month to a very nice LA Fitness less than a mile away — about 6 months ago, I cancelled my membership and started working out in my garage twice a week with the Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells and an inexpensive, yet still adjustable bench.

Looking back, I should have gone with the heavier Bowflex dumbbells and a more quality bench but I’m still happy – just not spoiled.

In addition to the weights and bench, I have a 53 lbs fat-handle kettlebell and a large physioball for myotatic crunches and some dumbbell exercises (e.g., butterflies, sitting overhead presses).

Cardio-wise, I’m mostly cycling these days with a longer ride (50+ miles) on the weekend and interval workouts (e.g., 4x sets of 20+ mph for 1 min 30 sec, rest for 1 min 30 sec at 15+ mph) using my CycleOps bicycle trainer.

I’m Indifferent

Whether I recommend you and your family to keep your gym membership or not, it all depends on whether you feel like you need to pay to go to a gym to be happy.  It’s entirely possible to cancel the gym membership and make an initial investment for some gear at home (or in your garage).

Admittedly, I miss the access to heavier weights (mostly for the Yates Row) and access to a warm indoor pool but, as with most others during this time of year, I do not miss how busy gyms can become and having to wait for exercise equipment which, ultimately, was the deciding factors for me to cancel my gym membership.

For me, it works

With that said, I am still able to experience the same muscle/fitness gains I saw at the gym without having to pay the fee or risk altering my workout due to an equipment queue.  For me (and many others), it works beautifully.

I highly recommend all the products listed in this article for anyone looking to begin or continue working out at home.

newyear2013resolution
Posted on December 31, 2012 by
2 Comments

Never Forget What Matters Most

New Year’s Resolutions

At the start of each New Year, we all have intentions to commit to an initiative that makes us “better” – in some way, shape or form – public knowledge or not.

It’s also no secret that we often fail — at times, miserably — only to start the next “New Year” with that same ambitious resolution.

The Compelling Event

Fortunately, we are all human and have the opportunity to experience compelling events that intrinsically motivate us to define a resolution and, most importantly, commit to seeing it through.

  • Doctor’s orders.
  • A child and/or new responsibility at home.
  • Promotion and/or additional responsibility at work.

Extrinsic motivation, however, we all must admit, helps a great deal – but only temporarily.

My Compelling Event

The compelling event that motivated me to define my New Year’s Resolution for 2013 happened while talking business.

This event was in the form of a question from a (near) complete stranger and he asked, “What is a passion of yours that would not appear on your résumé, even under Extracurricular Activities?”

I was so entrenched into “business/technology/solve problems” mode that I neglected to understand what the person was really trying to ask me.

I responded only by fumbling through what my interests were beyond things like technology, health, fitness and productivity, etc. and, eventually came to my senses by responding with two simple words, “my family.”

The discussion carried on for a little while longer and it wasn’t until about two hours later that I reflected on the discussion, looked back in disappointment at my lengthy/unconvincing response and, even more so, my hesitation prior to the real passion outside of extracurricular activities.

With that said, my New Year’s Resolution for 2013 is to “Never forget what matters the most – My Family.”

The Whole You

Those around us, important enough to influence our well-being – family, friends, co-workers, customers and complete strangers – care about us as a “whole.”

As long as we, ourselves, know what makes us “whole,” it’s easy for us to communicate what our passions are and even easier for others to realize what makes us all “better.”

Prior to making your obtainable New Years Resolution(s) for 2013, ask yourself what matters most to you and make sure to keep it top of mind – even when a query presents itself at the most inexplicable time.

Posted on December 18, 2012 by
4 Comments

Focus on Simplicity

IrrationalEnvy is officially 1-year-old and what better way to celebrate than with a complete redesign?

For those loyal readers, you can see that I’ve altered the design of this site dramatically — focused mostly on content, typography, image quality and the ability to play much more friendly with mobile devices (Retina display included).

The primary focus, however, was simplicity and I’m not sure how much more simplicity I can cram into this thing.  Enjoy!

elevator floor number 2
Posted on November 30, 2012 by
No Comments

IE Favorite Things: Second Edition

Ask and you shall receive (again)

I’ve received a number of reader requests to post a few of my “favorite things” that help me do whatever it is that I do.

Periodically, I’ll continue to share some products, services, gadgets and life hacks that I trust will make a positive impact on your life.

With that said, let’s get started with a few of my favorite things, Second Edition…

Here’s a link to the First Edition in case you missed it.

At Home

Toms Shoes

Yes, I know. Toms is the shoe seen on teenagers, hipsters and purchased by mothers who insist that their toddlers wear nothing but adorable clothes but, seriously, Toms makes a ridiculously comfortable and incredibly practical shoe.

Beyond the fact that they donate a pair of shoes for every pair purchased, I’m not so sure these haven’t completely replaced my Reef Fanning flip-flops (yes, they are THAT comfortable).

If only they could squeeze a “church key” into the sole of the shoe and be purchased from Zappos.com. (hint, hint)

At Work

TJX Companies (T.J. Maxx and Marshalls)

The TJX Mission Statement: “Our off-price mission is to deliver a rapidly changing assortment of fashionable, quality, brand-name merchandise at prices that are 20%-60% less than department and specialty store regular prices, every day.”

It’s difficult to ignore that value proposition. It’s even more difficult to shop at these places and not find something that would upgrade your casual wardrobe for considerably less than the typical retail stores.

Too bad these places look like tornado prey by mid-day, but my complaints end there.

Outdoors

The Clymb

We active ones love places like REI but feel a bit of guilt that we spend a premium price to acquire the best gear, whether it be for camping, cycling or anything else for being active outdoors.

Browse over to TheClymb.com and thank me later. Not only is the site incredibly appealing, so is the gear, and, of course, the better-than-outlet-store pricing.

We all love premium products. Fortunately, there are places like TheClymb that bring these products to the common public at guilt-free prices.

In the next edition of IE Favorite Things, I will share with you the only exercise weight you will ever need, an app that will, literally, save you from having to say and type thousands of words as well as the most effective productivity boost you can buy for work and at home.

Stay tuned.

Posted on November 27, 2012 by
2 Comments

Ask IE Inbox: “I recently fell off the wagon…”

From an IE Reader:

“Last March the family relocated back to Des Moines and I completely fell off the wagon.  I am getting ready to start something again. I like the ideas on the workout you have.

The other thing I would like some advice on is food / supplements.  I used a lot of whey and some energy supplements.

My body towards the end wasn’t reacting very well.  I would like to keep the protein but work on sourcing it naturally.”

Been there, done that (unfortunately)

Your situation sounds very similar to mine about 3 years ago — I ballooned up to about 225 pounds and realized that muscle really doesn’t way “that much” more than fat…

As much as I’d like to say I discovered this all on my own, it really boiled down to adopting a few changes in the 4 Hour Body book by Tim Ferriss and the results motivating me to stop being naïve to what I was  doing, the time I was wasting and what could have been.

In about 8 weeks, I burned 25 lbs on the slow carb diet (basically eating the same meal, 3x a day, every day of the week except  one – my cheat day on Saturday). It sucked (not just for me, by my family too as I never ate the same thing they did) and by no means do I  still do it.

Nonetheless, I lost the weight, dropped from 16% body fat to 6% and realized how stupid I had been throughout high school, college and post-college — thinking that working out is more important than diet.
I’m convinced, now, that it’s 95% diet, 5% working out and my 3 (sometimes 2) workouts a week prove that.

The intrinsic motivation for me is the confidence to walk around the house without a shirt, not needing to suck in my gut and not having to hit the gym 2 hours a day, 5x a week anymore.

My (non)Diet and Workout Program

I’m rather confident the below is critical to maintaining my health without having to make the sacrifices most do on other diets:

  • Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream (trust me here) and Almond milk instead of cow’s/soy/rice milk
  • A full body MED workout (1 hour is plenty) once a week to maintain, twice a week to build muscle
  • Kettlebell swings twice a week (takes less than 5 minutes and works everything but your chest which is definitely addressed in the MED workout above) – buy a 53 lbs kettlebell and work your way up to 100+ swings in a single set
  • Water first thing in the morning and right before bed (aim for 32oz or more)
  • 30g Protein second thing in the morning (after the water), for lunch and supper
  • Eat supper, at least, 3 hours before bed
  • 1x Endurance workout (full court basketball, running, cycling, etc.) for, at least, 2 hours a week
  • Eat what you want but with smaller (e.g., Kid’s Menu) portions
  • Juice veggies, at least, for one meal every day
  • 2 Tablespoons of organic flaxseed in a large (16+ oz.) glass of water once throughout the day

That’s basically it for my diet/workout regimen.

Supplements & Vitamins

Supplements and vitamins are specific to diet (or lack thereof) and your body — your physician and blood lab work will help with this but I’m taking the following each day (yes, I have one of those old people daily pill boxes).

Sorry for such a verbose reply but this is, essentially, the core to my health.

sport running track
Posted on October 18, 2012 by
3 Comments

IE Favorite Things: First Edition

Ask and you shall receive

I’ve received a number of reader requests to post a few of my “favorite things” that help me do whatever it is that I do.

Periodically, I’ll continue to share some products, services, gadgets and life hacks that I trust will make a positive impact on your life.

With that said, let’s get started with a few of my favorite things…

At Home

Breville JE98XL

From a very young age, I was asked instructed to eat my vegetables. Sound familiar?  Ever since college, I’ll admit, I haven’t quite complied with those instructions…

It wasn’t until a few months ago that I was motivated to, at the very least, begin juicing veggies to acquire the ridiculous number of natural vitamins and nutrients that my body has been deprived of.

The higher level of energy and lost weight, as a result of juicing, has convinced me to make this a new staple in my life.

Fortunately, the Breville JE98XL makes this all too easy.  It’s now just a matter of adding celery, carrots, kale and apples to the grocery list.

At Work

Basecamp from 37signals

Looking for increased accountability, structure, transparency and productivity at work without more than 30 minutes of “ramp up” time and $20 a month?  Of course you are!

To give you a good idea of how much I lean on Basecamp for my day-to-day activities at the office, imagine trying to find more work to do just so that you can throw it into a Basecamp project…

This is only an insane mindset for those that have yet to experience the convenience of Basecamp.  Everyone else knows EXACTLY what I’m talking about.

I dare you to tackle the free trial at the office and try to convince yourself that, after the 45 days, that you could go back to work-life without it.

At Home and Work

Evernote

For those loyal IE readers, you are well aware of my love for Evernote. Not just the product, but also the company that gives us Skitch and Clearly.

I use Evernote (the product) for nearly everything I do.

Anything I need to “write” down, I “type” into Evernote – whether it be from my work laptop, smartphone or home laptop.  The convenience comes from the fact that it syncs across all devices automatically.

I use Evernote for every IE article, for every list (e.g., grocery, shopping, errand, honey-do), for every note-taking opportunity, web clippings, research references and to capture my workout results and goals as well as recording anything online that I will later need while offline.

In the next edition of IE Favorite Things, I will share with you my love for an exclusive shopping network, why you no longer should be spending $80 on a shirt and a shoe manufacturer that I wished I had discovered years ago.

Stay tuned.

yellowsportscar
Posted on October 15, 2012 by
3 Comments

Automobile TCO Comparison

“Car guys” aren’t the only ones.

Not a day goes by that most American men don’t think about cars.  I wouldn’t even consider myself a “car guy” and I still think about cars.  Alot…

It’s only a matter of time before our will power breaks and we find ourselves on a car lot, convincing our significant other that buying a new car makes perfect sense…  (Hint:  It probably doesn’t.)

If you’ve journeyed to my Why the Name page you can see that I’m still fighting the good fight.  Unfortunately, I’m (still) only human.

I continue to drive the ’07 Prius and when I’m not being a “defensive driver” and fighting the urge to send/respond to texts/emails/IMs, I’m watching Benz after Audi after Lexus pass me by calculating the monthly payment of the car and how I can work it into the family budget.

Automobile TCO Comparison

I had a free hour and after I read that all-electric cars MPG calculates to about $0.02 per mile, I decided to compile a new car total cost of ownership (TCO) comparison with a few of the cars that were are weighing on my mind.  Some practical and others that, I’m sure, with another hour or two, I could make “work” in the budget…

I’ve decided to share a read-only version of my calculation and create the foundation to an Automobile TCO Comparison that IE readers can use too – just download as a .xlsx/.csv and do with it what you will.

Access the Automobile TCO Comparison via Google Drive here.

Note:  The file is read-only but please feel free to download as a .xlsx, .ods, .csv or whatever format you feel meets your needs.

Of course, you can always reach out to me via the Comments section below or Contact IE if you have any questions or need further clarification.

Handwritten Home Budget on Lined Notebook Paper
Posted on September 7, 2012 by
5 Comments

7 Steps to Building an Accurate Personal Budget

Is it true that it’s not what you make, it’s what you spend?

If this is still a debate in your household, then this post is precisely for you.

Of all matters that matter the most; building, realizing and maintaining an accurate personal budget is, at its core, one of the critical life lessons I intend to teach my son (and anyone else willing to listen) as soon as possible.

Truth be told, I am not a trained or self-proclaimed financial guru nor do I pretend to be an adviser on anything money-related (beyond this article, of course).  The good thing here, for you, is that I have absolutely zero bias and will not ask you to buy anything from anyone.  I’m also pretty good with numbers and always strive for simplicity.

With that said, below are my 7 Steps to Building an Accurate Personal Budget:

1.  Commit

What’s the use when you do something great, but refuse to commit to the maintenance of its greatness?  The rest of this article means little unless you can truly commit, 100%, to the task of creating and maintaining a personal budget.

I’ve written about commitment before and can only hope that the concept will not be a recent revelation in your life.

2.  Make it online accessible

A budget (as well as most anything these days) is most effective when you can have ready access to reference and update it from anywhere.  I highly recommend Google Drive due to the fact that it works great on multiple devices, can be shared (read/write and read-only) and can handle most any formula, graph, chart, data you throw at it.

3.  Record everything

Next to committing to your budget, of course, recording everything is certainly the most difficult task when creating an exact and transparent budget.

It’s easy to jot down, record and check your daily and monthly expenses but not so simple with the bi-annual and annual expenses that hit your email inbox or post mailbox (e.g.  life insurance, car insurance, property taxes).  The same is true for the expenses that really have no schedule such as routine car servicing, sporadic flights/vacations and the unknown costs of acquiring a new hobby.

I’ve created a monthly budget template that relates the most to the lives of today’s middle-class with the hopes that you now have a useable template to build upon.

Access the IE Budget Template via my Google Drive here.

Note:  The file is read-only but please feel free to download as a .xlsx, .ods, .csv or whatever format you feel meets your needs.

If you have any questions or need further clarification, just let me know.

4.  Stop lying to yourself

Likely, the most common suspect for budgets failing is that we all have a tendency to lie to ourselves.

Will power is weak, at best, for most of us.  As we’d like to think that we only spend $200 per week eating out, drinks, social and entertainment, this becomes more and more obvious when we actually begin to police ourselves by going “cash-only” for a week.

Imagine if we couldn’t run to the store and buy bigger clothes or just jump up a belt notch after an all-you-can-eat pasta bowl at Olive Garden.  With a budget, you can easily limit yourself by taking only what you need.  I recommend policing yourself every 6 months, at least.  The following item should help…

5.  QA with cash-only

Honestly, I just started this earlier this year to do a bit of quality assurance on my recorded expenses.  Coincidentally,  few expenses popped up that weren’t accounted for…then a few more.  And a few more, making it very obvious that I was guilty of #4 above.  Damn.

This is a tough task, to be honest.  But critical nonetheless.  Trust me:  no matter how many credit card points/rewards will be missed, just give this “cash-only” exercise a week to practice.  This will be eye opening, not only for the fact that cash is an absolute inconvenience versus the use of debit/credit, but more so that you are now able to police yourself by limiting your funds.

I’ve heard and thought about multiple ways to accomplish this feat, using envelopes (easier if you carry around a purse/backpack/messenger bag) or, simply, just to plan ahead by considering what lunch meetings are scheduled or if it’s Friday and the likelihood of a Happy Hour will occur.  Carrying cash with an emergency credit card works best for me.

6.  Wash, Rinse and Repeat

If you’ve truly committed to fiscal sanity, it is necessary to revisit your budget as often as needed.  This could be weekly for the first few months, monthly for the first few years and quarterly for the years to follow.

No matter how unactive you are financially, your auto insurance will be changing, your employer will update their medical insurance options, your interests/hobbies will change, your salary/investment income will change, your kids will age and (sorry), you will age.

I’ve maintained a solid budget for the past 6+ years and I still reference/update it, at least, once a month.

7.  Define fiscal accountability and enforcement

Unfortunately, as much as you convince yourself otherwise, fiscal accountability cannot be maintained without unwavering enforcement.  Significant others work best as they introduce an emotional bind to finances with a keen focus on longevity (most times).

It’s much easier to convince yourself that you need that new pair of shoes/shirt/gadget/whatever, but try convincing your significant other when you just told them they shouldn’t acquire the shoes/shirt/gadget/whatever they wanted just last week.

Keep at the front of your mind while going through this exercise, if it were easy, everyone would do it.

Building and maintaining an accurate budget isn’t trivial task, but your life, as a result of it, will be so much easier making this matter well worth the time and effort.

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