Guest Post: David Martin's Journey

I've been wanting to have my brother, David, guest post on my blog for a while now.  He's incredible with his fitness.  Every time I see him I ask him, "What the heck do you do?" He always looks in shape.  I swear he grows NEW muscles each time I see him.  David motivates me to continue working on my fitness level because I know he's working on his.  But I gotta say this as well.  He eats WHATEVER HE WANTS!!! I know ladies...I know.  Drives ya crazy huh?  David is a part of that cult.  He eats what he wants but he's still able to keep his shape.  But I know he still keeps himself in check.  I know David hopes to run a marathon some day---He tried to convince me to do it with me and I said H-to the-ELL to the NO!  So if there's a marathon runner wanna-be out there that would be David's running buddy.  Let me know!  David, Take it AWAY:
                                                                                                                                                                   

Background (Diet & Exercise):

A few of the diets I've gone through in my life time have been all around, up and down.  I've done everything from making those protein shakes, eating foods with tons of protein to NOW making my own food/meals at home so I know exactly what I'm throwing in my body and drinking nothing but water.  I am also trying to grasp a bit of each part of the food pyramid on a day to day basis.  I don't know if it's with age that has made this change in my eating habits, but I just feel better all around.  Besides, I enjoy in the fact that all of the energy that my body uses to burn fat or gets me through the day is completely natural and NOT from caffeine or those energy drinks that people say are "good" for you.  Something else that I try to do every time I go out to the grocery store to stock up on food is do my research.  E.g. - Buying whole foods where there is no in between "touch up" which makes it processed foods - yuck!  So that is something that I am striving more and more on implementing each day with my diet.  Growing up, luckily I was taught pretty early on how to eat correctly and being adventurous when exploring new tastes.  

What Motivates you?

A few motives came from what I would see happen to other people when not eating right or taking care of their body.  So I figured I'd learn from their mistakes while I'm young now so I can avoid those health issues in the future.  I've also been motivated by the other half - those that have been successful in their lifetime when it came to treating yourself right and taking care of yourself.  Tony Horton from P90X was a good instructor/example on how to not only exercise well, but also eat well.  I learned from him that there is a WRONG way to exercise and then the RIGHT way to exercise.  So all in all, being prepared for the future is what helps motivate me most.

What a Typical Week Looks Like for You?

Usually a typical week for me would involve running, gym and home cardio.  I try to switch it up so I'm not just strengthening one muscle in my body.  The human body is capable of doing a lot of things when put to the test.  I love being able to do all the things when it comes to exercising or performing any physical activity.  If I just focused on running everyday, then I may be able to run well, but how would I be prepared for any activities that require lifting, pushing or throwing heavy objects?  So I usually try to switch it up so I am able to be more useful.  So I usually run 3 times a week, gym 2-3 times a week, and home cardio 5 times a week.  And usually with any form of exercising, I'm not one to set personal time records or see who can do the most reps.  Rather, I focus more on the actual routine itself and if I'm exercising at a right pace.  I'd rather do 40 FULL push-ups than 80 half push-ups.  I do that so I don't hurt myself.

Healthy Meals You'd Like to Share:

I don't have any links to what I usually eat, probably because I'm a guy haha.  But I like to throw together meals that are a mix of more than just one food item.  Something I really enjoy cooking is some chicken with a can of spicy tomatoes and letting them simmer in a crock pot to moisten the chicken with that yummy tomato flavor.  Then once I've done that, I usually shred up the chicken along with the tomatoes and use it as burrito filling.  And like I said before, I try to eat a little bit of everything from the food pyramid on a day to day basis.

Health Tips You Swear By:

A few health tips I swear by would have to be drinking lots of water everyday.  Not only is it good for you, but it helps with your digestive needs.