2014 - Here we go...

Happy New Year, everybody!

Some stuff for 2014, not in any order of significance:

1

Christine Henderson interviewed me on her site. She interviews writers, so in this case the interview was more than fitness and nutrition, which was fun! An Interview with Roland Denzel

2

I've got two non-fiction books in the works, one with Gal and one on my own. I think one (the one with Gal, and mostly her brainchild) will be our best work yet.

Gal came up with a great idea that we are both really excited about. It combines our belief that you can rarely just jump into a new diet, or whole new lifestyle, whole hog, and make a success out of it, long term. Add one new habit at a time, see how it goes, then add another. And never, never, never give up the plan until you have a new plan.

We've had good success using this method with clients, and it's built into Man on Top, but now we've come up with a great way to do it on grander scale. In a perfect world, this would be a great book for next Christmas and New Year! That might be too aggressive.

I've been wanting to write a book that people (and I) can give for Christmas without the recipient thinking "So, you're saying I'm fat?" Gal's book idea fits that bill perfectly, so bonus!

3

The other book is more of a 'bathroom reader' book, but it leaves me with a dilemma. It needs illustrations, and I cannot draw. On a positive note, I think it would also be a good stocking stuffer. It's fitness related, but it's not a book that says 'you're fat, so you should read this book.'

4

As much as I'd love to publish some fiction this year, I don't know if it's in the cards. Too much to do, but I have to find an outlet. It's not motivating to write 2,000 fiction words a week without a [self] publishing end in site.

I do have some short story ideas, so you might see them here. I've never been good at short stories, but mostly because short stories in school were short short. When I started to think about it, some of my favorite authors have written books of short stories that were almost a novel when the book was done.

5

I'm really excited about the new direction my own fitness interests are leading me. This year, I'm seeking my certification as a Restorative Exercise™ Specialist (RES). I've learned a lot from Galya and Katy, and the more I learn, the more I feel that fitness is more than getting strong, adding muscle, or going fast or long. ...not that there's anything wrong with that.

Don't get me wrong, I think muscle is important, strength does have value. I love to lift really heavy weights, but not everyone does. You don't have to be strong strong to be fit, but you do need to be strong enough for the quality of life you want to live, and for must people, that doesn't require a barbell or a squat rack.

I also think that people need to be 'conditioned' enough to be able to live life without crapping out. People who love to run should be able to run; Everyone should be able to run. even if they don't want to run for fun. You don't have to run to be fit, and using running to get fit is a bad idea.

If there's a Restorative Exercise™ Specialist reading, I know I'm talking blasphemy with some of my statements, but the truth is that you can't always take running away from a runner or weights away from a lifter, just like you can't take the yoga away from the yogi. Everyone can learn to do what they do better and safer, and hopefully integrating RES will get or keep them healthier, still.

6

Happy New Year!

Roland