It's been about 2 weeks since the last blog. I apologize for that but it has been an extremely busy two weeks. From being to Florida and back to officiating the Charleston Riverdogs games this past week on top of teaching, it's been crazy. However, I am grateful to have met new friends, see old ones and have the opportunities.  
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With that said, I wanted to share a few things I picked up over the course of the past two weeks. 

1) Basics: I've still been hitting 100 oz. minimum daily for water intake. I have been getting 4 lifts in per week. I have teetered in between 8000-10000 steps per day. I have been consistent with taking in my preferred Titan Products (NAC, Greens, Enlite, Fish Oil, Multi Vitamins, Bonebroth Collagen, Meal Fix, and a few new supplements and regimens which I will discuss in the next few bullets.)

2) Most recently, I wanted to improve the quality of my sleep. I have experimented with some things in the past but most recently, I have incorporated Golden Milk into my regimen at night about 30 minutes before bedtime. I have been able to fall asleep rather quickly and remain in a quality state of REM sleep without disruption. If you want to try out the recipe, I will provide it to the below.

Golden Milk: Ingredients
1.5 cup milk
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp honey
Instructions
Place all ingredients in a saucepan, except the honey.
Bring to a simmer. And simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat. Add in honey and stir. Pour into mug. Serve warm.

​3) Creatine and electrolytes combined have replaced much of my preworkout and coffee intake. 

When I first wake up, I immediately get 2.5 grams of creatine and a scoop of quality electrolytes (500 mg sodium, 400 mg potassium, 200 mg magnesium).

I do the same dosage during my workouts as hydration.
My workouts have been much more focused and I have noticed a difference in endurance.

Now… for caffeine… Fun fact about caffeine. It has a half life of 6 hours… So basically if you drank 300 mg of caffeine at 3 pm, at 9 pm, there would still be 150 mg in your system. That is going to affect your sleep!

I will admit. I do take 300 mg of caffeine a day. (By the way, 400 mg is the max you should be taking in one day). Anything over is going to cause irritability and anxiety.

My caffeine source comes from Enlite by Titan Nutrition. Enlite is a fat burning agent that dandelion leaf extract. I usually take this around 9 am each day.
Which means that by 3 pm, 150 mg is in me. By 9 pm, only 75 mg of caffeine is in me. This means I can get quality sleep.

I recommend Titan creatine. In terms of electrolytes, I am experimenting with different ones. I currently am enjoying EC Sports Watermelon which can be found at Lean Kitchen in Summerville on Main Street. 

​4) The last few months, I have been just putting workouts together as I see fit. However recently, I have gotten back to using the Bodi app. The most recent workouts I have completed were Body Beast Tempo Chest and Tri, Body Beast Tempo Back and Bi,  A Week of Labor Legs, Body Beast Total Body, and Hammer Power from Hammer and Chisel. 

I started using Beachbody back in 2010 when I was putting on weight for college baseball. I purchased the app in 2018 and until this day, completely endorse it's library and variety of programs and workouts. If you are interested, you can try it out here. BODI

​5) Leisure: This past weekend, I had the pleasure of playing pickleball at The Pickle Bar in Summerville with friends. If you ever want to play and are in the area, let's play! Add me on DUPR!

If you are a thriller fan, I highly recommend the movie "Strange Darling". Some elements of the movie are pretty strong so if you're easily offended, I don't recommend. However, if you are looking for a creative film that has a fun twist to it due to its story told out of order, I highly recommend. GO INTO THIS MOVIE BLIND. Do not see the trailer first. 

I also attended the Riverdogs game as a fan on Sunday and had dinner with my family at one of my favorite dive establishments, Little Jack's Tavern. Yes. I ate their famous burger! 

6) Good News: Since my last blog, I am happy to announce that our campaign to get floor hockey equipment for Whitesville Elementary's PE department was fulfilled thanks to a true community effort. I am so thankful for all who donated, shared, etc. Our floor hockey unit will start this Winter. Please be sure to attend a Stingrays game as well. The Stingrays and News 4 were intricate in helping this vision come to fruition. 

I hope you have wonderful week. Challenge yourself to move your body each day. Whatever you are pursuing... KEEP GOING. 

Much love,

Brett

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"The problem is we don't improve by simply living. We have to be intentional about it. "

This nugget was found in the first chapter of the book I am currently reading; The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John C. Maxwell. 

Last Sunday, I had every intention of documenting my workouts, nutrition, water intake, 10,000 steps etc. so I could put every detail down. I kept a detailed log of what I ate, what I drank and what workouts I did during the first half. 

What I noticed is that my intentionality faded throughout the week. Yes I did my 4 workouts this week, but the last two seemed to not be as intentional as the first two during the week. With that the intention of tracking everything faded. It was the first week back to school with students, but in retrospect, I had time to log what I needed to. I just didn't. That is okay. I didn't let it affect me as I am  still writing this blog. I also didn't let it stop me from being intentional about tomorrow and the week to come. You can't get high on wins. You can't get down on losses. You simply have to keep going.

Positives: 
Did 4 devotions.
Learned new information on the skill of copywriting.
News 4's Scotty Eisberg helped me get my message out about raising money for our Phys. Ed department to put on floor hockey for the kids.  Click below for the video and if you would like to donate, the information is in the description.
NEWS VIDEO (CLICK HERE)    DONATE HERE (CLICK HERE)
Got 4 workouts in. 
Made majority healthy choices during the week.
Met with a former student who is a young adult now for lunch. We had an eye opening conversation about life. 

What I logged for the week (it wasn't much, but it's a general glimpse of what I did for the week).
MONDAY:
Legs
3 Sets of 10 Super Sets
Bulgarian/Goblet Sqt.
Calf Raise/DB RDL 
DB Sumo Sq./Plank Leg Lifts
Ended Workout w/ 15 Incline Walk @ 2.3 speed.

-Walked 10578 Steps
-Drank 128 oz. water
-Ate 202 grams of protein
-2 Bowls of Oikos yogurt w/ Organic Dark Chocolate/dried cranberries/trail mix/honey/shaved almonds/meal fix scoop by Titan Nutrition.
-Meal Fix Serving with 12 oz. Water
​-Lean Kitchen Chicken Red Potato Bowl
-3 Avacado Turkey Wraps
-12 Oz. Milk

Supplements Taken
Fish Oil, Super Greens, Enlite (fat burner), NAC (liver support) Multi Vitamins, BCAA, Titan Whey, Titan Bone Broth (collagen).
All supplements are by Titan Nutrition. 
You can get yours by clicking the red Titan Nutrition link above. 

I will be adding my review videos periodically to provide you why I choose Titan and what purpose they serve. 

I will be more intentional about logging more days than this for the next blog. 

With that said, to wrap this blog up, I saw an indie film today titled "DiDi". Nostalgia was what really gave me an emotional tie to this movie. The use of MySpace and AIM plus the dialogue sent me back to the mid 2000's.

The film is about an impressionable young boy whose family is slightly dysfunctional. Through the movie, he struggles to find who he truly is yet makes the most out of each situation he finds himself in. With that said, he finds himself struggling on how to handle his emotions as his desire to fit in fails repeatedly. 

​Which brings me back to the quote I shared at the beginning of this blog... 

"The problem is we don't improve by simply living. We have to be intentional about it. 

Proverbs 29:18 says that, "Without a vision, the people will perish." 

By no means am I perfect. However, I think we can all (myself included) ask ourselves moving forward is :
1) Are you focusing on goals or growth?
2) Do you have a defined purpose?
3) What action steps are you taking to show your intentional growth plan?

Until next week... KEEP GOING...

- Brett