Greetings from Portland!

Thank you for taking a moment to visit my blog. Chances are you are here because I had recommended you visit my blog or had given you my business card. This project is a work in progress, and one that brings together several of my family's areas of interest that I hope you will find of interest as well.

Currently my son and I are in Portland, Oregon where my son is taking a week-long class at the United Bicycle Institute to become a qualified bike mechanic. We are staying at the Friendly Bike Guest House which is located right down the block from where the school is.

The weather here is great and we've had some spare time to do some sightseeing around the city and take in the incredible views that the surrounding geography has to offer.

This week I'll be working on ideas for this blog and hope to roll out a few more posts before our trip's completion. Stay tuned!

Is the paleo diet what we were designed to eat?

I'm not much for fad diets and crash diets. Proper nutrition is important, and I feel it should fit the individuals real needs. I believe the food pyramid could use some tweaking too. I have been cutting back more on white flower, refined sugar and processed food. I am increasing organic non-processed foods. I like peanuts and peanut products but find that almonds are better for us. A good trail mix with no sugar or salt and lots of energy is organic almonds, raisins and dried cranberries. People generally need more protein earlier in the day and should try to have their carbs later.
 
I have looked into the paleo diet, and believe that's what we were designed to eat. This diet goes with more protein, meat, fish, nuts, fruits and vegetables, and discourages legumes such as beans, peas and peanuts. I guess paleo man would have found nuts from trees. No refined foods. Of course the increase in fiber is good.

We love our local food co-op and the people there. Lots of good organic products. They have been signing in one new member per day!  http://marquettefood.coop/

So I have made some slight changes in my diet and believe it fits my body chemistry, metabolism and my activities that in include biking, running and body building. I use nutritional supplements including protein shakes. The soy has many health benefits but I'm trying whey now and I may have more energy from that. I use the protein shakes to avoid sandwiches with all the flour and carbs. My opinion is that some nutritional supplements are not safe, while others are not effective. Careful!

Must watch video of Brian Tracey personal and business coach.

Learn Brian Tracy's strategy of increasing Your Income 1000% is based on the law of incremental improvement, the principal of continuous betterment. There is a a thing in success called the "momentum principal." This means once you get going, it becomes easier and easier to keep going and going.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pz03hNEVTE

Outdoors This Summer in Upper Michigan

We are a little late in posting on the plans for this summer. But here it is. We have been biking with the Range Mountain Bike Club Wednesday evenings. We average around 15 miles on single track when we go out. I ride on paved road twice per week going about 20 miles. I have been running two to three times per week for short duration and faster pace on the trails.

In one week we are going camping at McLean's State Park in the Keweenaw Peninsula. We are planning for hiking and mountain biking. Here is a link for the Keweenaw: http://www.exploringthenorth.com/keweenaw/home.html

In two weeks the Ore-To-Shore Epic bike race happens. For the first time, I will enter the Soft-Rock race that is 24 miles this year. I am looking forward to it. Here is the link for the Ore-To-Shore: http://www.oretoshore.com/

We have also done quite a few performances with the Superior Pipe and Drum Band around the U.P. This gets us out touring the U.P. and even meeting up with some old friends. Please visit the bands website at: http://superiorpipes.org/

Mountain Biking Around Marquette County

Recently I joined the Range Mountain Bike Club along with my son Jeremy. We meet Wednesday evening at the Ishpeming Country Village for a 12 mile ride with a large group of people. The groups splits up into the A, B and C group depending on the type of riding desired. We go on a lot of single track trails that are medium difficulty. It's a great group and a lot of fun to link up with people who have the same interest. It's a lot of fun!

This past Sunday we went on a 50 mile ride on two track roads with a group of 9 guys that lasted about 7.5 hours. It's the longest ride Jeremy and I have been on. We got into some very scenic areas that I did not know existed so close to our home. We knew to bring extra food and drink, but about 3/4 of the way through we got very hungry and thirsty. It started with a drizzle in the morning but turned out to be a perfect day.

My oldest son Justin is getting into biking now. This is a very popular sport in this area. August 14 is the annual Ore to Shore Mountain Bike Epic. This event includes the 48 mile Hard Rock and 26 mile Soft Rock races, as well as other races for children. In 2009 over 2300 racers competed. Please feel free to visit the Ore to Shore website at http://www.oretoshore.com/

My First Blog Post - On Blogging

This is my first post on this new blogsite, so I thought I would write about blogging.  Of course the goals of blogging are to connect with people who have similar interests and to provide something to help others.  Over time, you can build a large network of people with similar interests.

People find your blog by searching and the web browser finds your blog by key words found in your blog.  If you want to connect with people, you want to actively post on your blog, reply to comments or request people make on you blog, and comment at other peoples blogs. You can also link your blog to your websites, other websites and social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook.      

To get positive results from blogging, I believe we should approach it like you would anything with people.  I want to contribute to the success of others.  I want to learn from others.  We should write about things that matter and provide a value to others.  Write as if you are talking to a person and connect with people. We should ask for feedback from others. Blogging is a way to communicate and be a benefit to others.

As you can see I chose to use Blogger.  As I learn more about using Blogger I will post that here.

Thanks for checking this out!

Future posts I have planned:
This Years Activities Planned for the Outdoors
The Power of Your Thoughts
The Power in the Moment
The Power in Helping Others
Having a Plan-B and a Home-based Business
Marketing offline vs online