Swim for The Life of a Child

Written October 8th, 2018

---"I just attended the funeral of Branndon James Frail 's son Ayden Atticus,

10 years old like my Mathis. Even though I'm not in my sons' day to day lives,

I can't even imagine laying them down before me. I am grateful my sons are healthy and safe,

but I feel helpless when I can't stop others from suffering.

BJ, just know I'm always here for you if you need anything, as for all my friends.

I will do everything in my power and ability to be there for you.

That is what I learned this evening from Ayden, he was a protector, a provider,

and child angel for his family even though he was sick.

I learned that we should all be there for each other like he was...

love, peace, serenity to the family <3"--- October 4th, 2018

--- So I swam today, first of four swims, today 5k the length of Lake Placid, Texas.
I have been wanting to start these swims for a long time now.
This is one of those things its starting when it should, it's happening the way it will be good
for more people. After attending the funeral and seeing my friend missing his boy.
This swim was painless, it was no sacrifice compared what this family felt and went through.
Some people can't swim for various reasons, some have fear of water, and some are no
longer on this earth. I swim for these people, I go the distance for these Angels…

Some of these people will never have the feeling of swimming in that freshness of the lake,
early morning with your son's and father all coming together for this activity.
Some people will never know the feeling of having power in a swimming stroke,
and to have a ginormous fuel take to go the distance and feel strong,
to feel and be apart of the lake...

The worst pain I will feel externally from this morning's swim; is chafing on my
under arm (forgot Bodyglide) and if I decide to apply deodorant.
My bigger pain, internally is that some people will never feel their physical potential and
that I can not stop the suffering of these ChildAngels and their family's.
This is why I swim, to show gratitude that I am given these abilities and use what I am given,
and to swim for those who can't...

What BJ said his son wanted was "to make sure his mother and sister were taken care of
and that people take care of each other, forgive each other, find a compassionate heart..."

To maintain that motivation as guidance, this is just the beginning of this series of
distance challenges for NTP. Next up is a 4 mile swim in Lake McQueeney,
the next of the lakes along the Guadalupe River in this area.
Mid November I will schedule Dunlap, the Lake I have lived on and know very well.
This will be a 7 miles swim... Then in late November or early December I will schedule the
BEAST, Canyon Lake 10 mile Crossing!
This is a living growing challenge now. I have listed a fundraising on Facebook for-

 St. Jude's Children's Hospital

Other awareness campaigns I am TRIng to start are: on Crowrise

1. Guadalupe and Blanco River Trust 

2. It's Time Texas

3. The Meadow's Center for Water and the Environment

4. More to come...

Please comment below if you have feedback or questions about my journey and missions.
Love-Peace-Serenity <3

Nick to the PLUS 2.0

Written September 25th, 2018

Hello everyone, as you may have noticed, I have missed a few months of blogging. I have missed it, while I have been pushing out quite of bit of content on other media, I really do love writing, especially when I have something solid to write about!

We all go through life change and challenges, and that has where I have been. The best news is I am back at H-E-B. You can refer to some of my earlier posts to catch up, but I am eternally grateful to get the call to come back. To fill you in, I am once again the Safety and Health Specialist at the San Marcos Retail Support Center, AKA the largest warehouse in Texas. My ultimate responsibility is to reduce Safety incidents and injury while at the same time being the first response/ Medic on site.

In short this facility has-

-Over 1 million sq ft

-Over 1000 Partners

-Five different warehouse processes

-Over 200 MHE (material handling equipment) on the floor at anytime

-Over 7 miles of conveyor and automation...

I am so lucky to be working with all of these "Industrial Athletes", makes Ironman look like kindergarten... These fine people work 10 hours shifts with lifting over 2000 items each day, running a marathon every day! I have true respect for the veterans. I am also lucky to be back working with one of the best Physical Therapist in the State, in my opinion, and the Fit for Work Crew...

I much prefer to be proactive in Safety rather than a "Medic" in reaction mode. So the two main things I focus on are 1. Measuring Safety and 2. Engaging in the Partners to know we care and here to keep them safe. It's one family I missed on my leave...

Returning to H-E-B has given me a different perspective on what I do in my Job and outside with Nick the Plus... Something you may have also noticed is I am not longer working with Scallywompus. I have learned to value every experience and working with them I learned a lot about myself and what I want to give to the industry. I am still with High Five Events and working with H5E is like getting your PHD for race production, while the other was quite a step back in organization... Now being back in Risk Management, I could no longer expose myself and my career in known Risk and negligence... Moving on, the past months I have really been evaluating how Nick the Plus can contribute to the community and TRI/Event industry..?

My first exposure, 6-8 years of event production were purley volunteer and learning. When I created Seidel Production and High Five Events was started by Dan, Stacy and Jack, I started to get side income. The past 3-4 years of trying to make a sole living from events and coaching was a huge challenge... there are so many elements to content with... What I have concluded over the past months of career rearranging is THIS- I don't get the most value from monetary return. While it is nice for side income, the ART of the business is lost when the focus is marketing, entries, and income...

From the first event I was involved with production Texas State Sprint Triathlon, what has kept me in all these years (since 1999) is the 1. process of putting something bigger than myself for others 2. seeing it all come together when it sometimes seems impossible and 3. the joy of seeing my work give others the opportunity to overcome a challenge and goals...

That is why I am driven, why I don't just disappear into a regular 9-5, why I will continue to keep in finding my place in accomplishing those three goals...

Part of my journey has been trying to figure out how to challenge myself. As a long time race director, it can not be denied that it is getting harder and harder to put on any kind of open road events. Traffic, more building, weather, venue accommodations, permits and community involvement or buy in... The list goes on. Then there is when you come up with ideas and maintain them for an extended time and people want to just take them away... Anyone can put on a race or a run, but the true meaning of EVENT- noun-a thing that happens, especially one of importance. I put great emphasis on the importance, the soul, the meaning and contribution of an event. Events are like children to me- inception, plan,  development, delivery...

Inception/plan is where I am at right now. After 20 years of putting on events, it will be the death of me if I do not come out with my/our next masterpiece. The next thing that will fulfill the three goals and something that will make change and influence in a positive direction- towards health and community. Stay tuned to Nick to the PLUS, I am here for you and here to go the distance!

Healthy Men, Stories of Transformation

Written April 4th, 2018

I was honored to present and then meet Jesse this past week. Him and his dad have a powerful story of service, trauma, stress and then recovery. My story does not compare, but if we touch one person to make lifestyle change we have done our job.

Please enjoy this 30 min Zoom call of Jesse and I sharing our story-

Healthy Men are Better Men Call 3-29-18 “Change Your Life, Change Your Story”

Highlights of what I have learned over my journey-

1. Even when you are good at something or riding high, it can all change in an instant.

2. There is more about you as a person than just one thing. Find many talents and passions within you and be grateful.

3. Helping others heal and find their healthy journey is a vital part of healing for you.

4. It is a continuous journey for everyone, we don't ever "figure it out" or "get there", we all have our ups and downs, we all fail and falter. But it's a matter of getting back up, learning our lessons, keep moving forward, lock arms with and help others.

If you want to lock arms with me, join my journey to help others in health email or call

nicktotheplus@gmail.com  210.843.4130

Dad's on a Mission

Written March 22nd, 2018

Hi, I’m Jamie and I’m a dad.  I’ve been a dad for 5 years 9 months and 29 days, actually. A little over a year ago, I met Nick to the Plus. Together, we have been working together to find ways to have our boys experience the most of the world while also helping the world be better. We have become Dad's on a Mission. My kids and I work on empathy by putting together care packages and distributing them to homeless people whenever we can. I help them understand that these people are not less than or lower than us but have had some rough times or made some bad choices or are sick. They understand that it could be anyone that is out there on the corner. I know Nick encourages his kids to be active in nature and practice conservation. One of the things we are both doing together is teaching our kids how to grow their own food, eat healthy, and stay as free of chemicals and other garbage as possible.

Nick to the Plus has a little something to say about urban farming and then I’ll pick it back up again.

Hello, I am Nick to the Plus and as Jamie has said, we are Dad's on a Mission. I have been a dad for 14 years and have my two sons River and Mathis. I try to expose my boys to as many experiences and people as possible. We talk all the time about challenges and doing the right thing. Two summers ago, we spent many hours collecting cans in the Comal River and we plan to do a conservation project every summer.

One thing which Dad’s on a Mission feels can help our kids best is teach them about and promote Urban Farming. The earth is fast approaching 10 billion people on the planet. What does that look like? What does it mean for our kids and for us? With urbanization and the population growth, water, food and space become more and more of a concern. One of Dad's on a Mission’s beliefs is Urban Farming is something simple we can promote that will make a major impact on our communities, educating, and feeding our kids in a healthy, sustainable and responsible manner. One of our inspirations is the Power of the Plant, by Stephen Ritz. We hope you can find time to read this great book and get inspired like us.

This is Jamie, again. As you all are aware, it is difficult for most Americans to have a garden. If people are lucky enough to have a yard, they may not have permission from the landlord to dig up the grass or they do not have the time or ability to maintain a garden. Many people simply do not know how to garden properly, or they live in apartments and have no access to a community garden. That’s the beauty of the Tower Garden. It allows all people to grow healthful, nutritious, fresh, and delicious fruit, vegetables, flowers, and herbs anywhere, even in their living rooms.

By combining Nick’s love of life, health, and nutrition with my drive to have people help people, we have been working on getting Tower Gardens into schools, food pantries, daycares, senior living facilities and other places where people can benefit from the educational and nutritional benefits from the Tower Garden experience. We are currently looking for people who are interested in joining our mission or helping us by sponsoring a Tower Garden, so we can place it in whatever venue you would like.  

Please contact us so we can share our vision of Dad's on a Mission- nicktotheplus@gmail.com OR jhougham@healthmarkets.com 

Are you ready for Tri Season?

Written March 6th, 2018

What an amazing weekend! Galveston 70.3 Training Camp with Austin Aquatics and Sports Academy and Tridot Training. The athletes were amazing, the coaches were amazing to work with, and I love working events like this. The smaller group, the multiple days to get to know each other, I came away making more tri friends.

Are you ready for Tri Season? Have you been training over the winter? Have you been part of Pre-Season Project? Do you have an camps or clinics on your schedule?

Here is a quick article on the benifits of camps and clinics- http://www.triathlete.com/2017/05/lifestyle/making-triathlon-training-camp_301247

Do you need help finding a clinic? If Nick to the PLUS was to set up more clinics would you attend- swimming, biking, running, over all tri clinics? Tell me what you want or need to enhance your training.

On another topic, we have San Marcos Half Marathon 10K and 5K this weekend. I am really looking forward to this event! We are working hard to continue one of the oldest halfs in Texas of 33 years- Moe's Better Half. Moe is my favorite professor at Texas State, so we hope he can make it out to start the race for our runners!

<<<

UPDATE: I now longer endorse the San Marcos Half by Scallywompus. It makes me very sad that this company has disrespected the legacy of Moe Johnson...

>>>

What other races are you training for? How can Nick to the Plus Help?

How does 2018 look for you?

Written December 27th, 2017

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and planning a safe, happy New Year!

FYI- we are swimming in the Comal Last Public Exit 730am New Year's morning.

I don't know about you, but I am in the mood to kick 2018 to the moon, no past the stars! 2017 was pretty awesome year. NTP had some first times things (Don't Tread on my Tri...) and some milestones (Athlete PRs, went solar and plantstrong...) but I still feel like 2017 was a "simmering/stirring the pot" year after two "getting the ingredients together" years for Nick the PLUS. Now I feel like 2018 is going to launch!

I don't know if you guys believe in energy of the universe, timing, luck and or fate? I guess I try to learn and pay attention all of these things. If nothing else, versus stumbling, crawling and searching, now I feel like I am starting to walk the path that my belief, experience and actions have brought me to. 

Now being 40 and maintaining my promise to myself to be the fittest 40 I can be, it's time to bring you guys with me, with us...

I listened to my first Rich Roll- Podcast- EPISODE 336 RIP ESSELSTYN IS PLANTSTRONG! (AND WHY YOU SHOULD BE TOO)

I met Rip Esselstyn- Engine 2 earlier this year to talk about a potential future project, still top secret! Who am I kidding, I want to have a Plant Strong TriTeam and more... It's on the backburner, like I need more to do right now... stay tuned TOTHEPLUS

Anyway, this podcast really hit it home for me. The main thing that Rip said that was different from his Lance Armstrong The Forward Podcast was he said "This whole chronic disease trend could be turned around in 6 months to a year..." 

1st off the MAN has his facts and science to back this statement up, with his father                Dr. Esselstyn

2nd the confidence to say that, is extremely powerful to me!

3rd I am part of this MISSION! The mission of a Healthy Revolution!

and I see what Rip and Rich see...

Over the past three years I have made one simple lifestyle change at a time, starting with quitting alcohol. It has been an amazing process and journey. The things I have changed in my life shows me that change is possible for everyone who wants it. The more people who see and make the changes the better our overall earth can be, that is what WE see.

Do you see what you need to change?

What I saw four years ago was divorced, broken family, stuck in corporate america, drinking, eating whatever, not caring fully about my health, stuck in life...!

Now what I see is the other side. The side that many are fearful about. The side many don't even know about or acknowledge. The other side side of health. The other side of recovery- physically, spiritually and mentally. The other side of caring- for myself and others. The other side of thinking that not everything is doom and gloom. The side where everything, absolutely everything, is an opportunity to- grow, give, learn and share.

If you want 2018 to be TOTHEPLUS for you, call text or email nicktotheplus@gmail.com 210.843.4130

Don't Get DOMS after your Marathon

Written December 13th, 2017

Seeing the bigger picture- running the half marathon was kind of eye opening and nostalgic for me, going full circle...

When I was 16, I was the fastest 16 year old in the Half Marathon in the Country and had/ have a national record 1:10 (I can't find it on USATF records)

(And back in 94 there was no Athlinks, lol)

Soon after I broke this record I was involved in two car accidents that changed my running career and life forever!

Over the past 25 years or so, I have been on "to the PLUS" journey. I have been on an emotional roller coaster (struggled with addiction because I lost my running addiction and self), I have learned about rehabilitation and massage therapy, I have met numerous professionals in the industry, I completed my degree in Exercise and Sports Science, I have worked in safety and as a medic next to a PT for "Industrial Athletes", I have been through the life changing process of Choices Seminars... the list goes on. 

All in all, Nick to the PLUS is a mass of experience, knowledge and resources to help you get through YOUR challenges by working through HIS over the quarter decade.

This video is just a snapshot of what I can help you with in your fitness and self. I would love to set sometime with you and see how we can help each other grow.

Email or Call to set up a time- 210.843.4130

nicktotheplus@gmail.com

I want to hear your story! 

Marathon Survival or Strength

Written December 7th, 2017

Can you relate to this? Did you run this past weekend? Are you in a marathon season or off season or preseason or no season? I want to know :-)

So to be up front, I have never run an open-on road marathon. I have done three marathons after swimming and biking and I have done 2 trail ultras. I do not plan on doing any open-on road marathons. Reason why, is if I am going to spend that much time training to tear my body up, I want it to be everything I love- trail or swim, bike, run. This is the exact thinking behind when I decide it is time to go Ultraman, when I loose my speed. I love going fast vs far.

On to Marathon Health- Two things Nick to the Plus Recommends-

1. Change your focus from distance and time to QUALITY, FORM and STRENGTH. With this focus you will be stronger, faster and healthier...

So one of the reasons I don't run open-on road marathons is my thinking is similar to @chrisheria . How he thinks Cross-Fit compares to a Proper Calisthenics progression (watch the video). Most runners I see JUST RUN, and at some point BREAKDOWN FORM after fatigue.

Nick to the Plus can video analysis your run form, give feedback on improvements and suggest drills and strength exercises to build you to a better stronger runner or swimmer, or for overall fitness. Go to nicktotheplus.com

2. Be mindful of oxidative stress- Google- "Oxidative stress reflects an imbalance between the systemic manifestation of reactive oxygen species and a biological system's ability to readily detoxify the reactive intermediates or to repair the resulting damage. ... Thus, oxidative stress can cause disruptions in normal mechanisms of cellular signaling."

Running a marathon or events of extended physical stress are going to cause oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is basically the aging away, pain, soreness, and decrease in health in the body. So the classic post marathon walk is caused by un controlled oxidative stress. Have you experienced getting sick, a cold or flu after completing such and event? 

What can we do to slow this aging and soreness? Eating more phytonutrients! You will get your carbs and protein after a marathon and this is great. Macro-nutrition is not the problem, we are all getting plenty of calories and energy replenishment. The problem is that most of us or undernourished, we are not getting a wide variety of color, fruits and vegetables in our daily eating. 

Nick to the Plus can show you how to get better nutrition to avoid soreness, injury and illness after a marathon, triathlon or live event. Go to nicktotheplus.com or email nicktotheplus@gmail.com

Live to the PLUS!

I am Nick to the Plus, and I am Whole Food Plant Based

Written October 12th, 2017 FYI I changed the title of this writing from Vegan. I find that word is more charged and Plant-Based is a truer word to me.

Updated November 28th, 2019

Side note below, you don't have to be an endurance athlete to benefit from this lifestyle.

How does an endurance athlete maintain energy and protein on a vegan diet? It is being done over and over, here is a short clip on Rich Roll - Ultraman- 

Nick to the Plus has been vegan for about a month now and here is the report. I was in the contemplation stage of change for about a year or so. I knew to go into 40 I wanted to be as fit as I have ever been. I knew going vegetarian or vegan was one of my best options for being more healthy. Over the year I made small sustainable changes and stuck to them. Through this process, I have learned so much and want to share it with everyone!

The myths-

1. It is unhealthy

2. You won't have any energy

3. You won't get any protein

4. You will get too skinny... on and on and on

5. Eating healthy is expensive

What I have felt-

1. I am the fittest I have ever been, at 40. I even went to get blood work and had no issues, no medication, a clean slate. I have learned that there is a big difference between being healthy, fit and in shape (a future blog). I do not have the speed I did when I was younger (yet). But I am healthier and working to be more overall fit.

"I am an athlete, I can eat whatever I want", "I deserve that burger and beer after the race"

In the past, I would eat whatever I wanted. Thinking back, I would feel sluggish, sore after hard workouts, it would take me a while to recover after long runs, I would have achy joints... If you read back to some of my other blogs, you will know I have been struggling with muscle imbalance and nerve issues for over 20 years (because of car accidents). Since I have been making the changes in my life to eat plant-based and focus more on strength/mobility VS. volume and punishing my body, I am relatively PAIN-FREE! (I say relatively because I still know my issues are there and I have to stay on top of them, but they are much less there)

2. My energy is through the roof! A normal day for me is waking up at 5am automatically and I go full blast until about 11pm. If you want to know what full blast is, follow me around for a day... At the drop of a hat, I can go do a three or four-hour workout anytime, without the issue of energy and minimal recovery time... I don't get full, bloated, sluggish from eating. I don't bottom out or get hypoglycemic like I use to. My energy stays pretty consistent.

One more point on energy; This past weekend I won my Alma Mater Run, White and Blue 5k for the Spirit Teams. I won overall with a 6:14 mile pace. The second place was a USAT Triathlete half my age and I beat him by over a minute. This felt really good :-)))

3. The protein myth, "you have to get protein from meat or you won't get enough or the right kind"

This myth was dispelled for me when I was listening to a podcast with Rip Esselstyn. He said it best, "How do you think animals get their protein?" All protein and nutrition start with plants.

Facts-

Most people focus on Macro-Nutrition- Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats. Do you know the side effects of when you don't have enough Macro-Nutrition? HUNGER! This is pretty easily remedied in most cases in America, right? In America we don't have a food problem, we have a nutrition problem. The SAD Diet- Standard American Diet...

Micro-Nutrition- Do you get your phytonutrients? There are 10s of thousands of phytonutrients. These are natural chemicals in all fruits and vegetables. The more we get of these the better our body functions.

Article- Apple phytochemicals and their health benefits

Do you know what the side effect of when you don't have enough Micro-Nutrition? Illness, Disease, Inflammation, Behavioral, Mental and Social Challenges...

Even though I am vegan, I know I don't get all the colors of the rainbow every day by eating fruits and vegetables. It is extremely hard to get a wide range of more than 5-7 fruits and vegetables every day without getting too expensive. This is why I still invest in the insurance policy to protect my health with Juice Plus. I will never stop taking this power plant.

To test how much protein I am getting in my system I am also starting a playground calisthenic strength program to experiment with how much muscle I can put on while being vegan. Picture progression in future blogs.

4. So far I have lost about 4lbs over a month. Even though I am Vegan, I still sneak in some sugar and bread (carbs) more than I should.  I am trying to limit those as well. It is simple, I am trying to eat whole food plant-based, minimal possessed, minimal sugars and empty carbs, no dairy, no alcohol, minimal caffeine (one coffee a day if that), a gallon of filtered alkaline water a day, 6-8 hours of sleep and quality exercise. If I evaporate from that, I'll let you know.

5. The topic of eating healthy and being expensive is a little complex. The short answer is yes, it may cost a bit more to eat a whole food plant-based meal compared to McDonald's. But the big question is what is eating fast food and processed food costing you in the long run?

Article- Time- Why Paying for Nutrition Saves Money on Health Care

The short answer is if you plan out your meals and budget you can eat healthy fairly inexpensively. If you would like a guide to do this here is a link to the 7-Day Rescue

Email me if you would like a free recipe book for cooking healthy.

I mentioned earlier that buying a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to get more phytonutrients can get expensive. Every day with Juice Plus, I get the nutrients of over 30 F&V for $3.50 / day. Ask me how.

Other things I have noticed in my health after lifestyle changes over the past 3 years-

1. I don't get sunburned as easy. I used to get rosacea after swimming a bunch, it is gone.

2. This might be TMI, but I used to have hemorrhoids, they are gone.

3. No more fever blisters.

3. I have only been sick one or two days in the past 5 years.

4. Regularity, no stomach issues

5. Better mental focus, better memory, no fogginess.

6. I am happier, don't have mood swings, having a stronger faith and less stress that everything will work out. This may sound simple but huge differences in my life.

Other Related Articles- 3 Vegan Athletes Blowing the Protein Myth Right Out the Water

Engine2Diet- TIME TO MEET JEFF MAYER

If you want to know more about going vegan or need help making healthy lifestyle changes, let Nick to the Plus help you! Text, call or Email 210.843.4130 nicktotheplus@gmail.com

UPDATE November 28th, 2019

I stayed vegan/ 100% plant-based for about a year. Today I still try to eat mostly plants during the week and sometimes eat some other proteins. There is a lot of conflicting information out there. The documentary "The Game Changers" came out. I thought it was great. I think the main intention of the movie is to get people to be more aware of what they put into their bodies while giving some good information. 

They did use some more extreme tactics to scare people into better health. There was also quite a bit of backlash from the omnivores and carnivores trying to dispute the facts. Joe Rogan PodCast. The gentleman on this podcast had some good information and I did listen to the whole thing. It makes me continue to be curious and want to learn more about some of the issues he brought up, especially amino acid profiles of plants (more to come in a future blog).

It was interesting though that this guy is a Chiropractor that has written some books on Paleo. Joe Rogan himself has downplayed Chiropractors for not being doctors or real science. Chris Kresser also tried to make a point that if we all went vegan we would continue to have to mass produce with monocrops. I made some videos on this topic.

The truth is the camps of plant-based, omnivore, paleo, keto all agree on many things-

1. That the current food system is broken and unsustainable
2. The majority of American's are on the S.A.D.- Standard American Diet and unaware of the repercussions
3. Whole Food and a wide variety is better that a primarily processed and fast food.
4. That monocropping and mass animal production is unsustainable and not good for the health of the plant or our human health.
5. Whole food, local or knowing where your food comes from is best.

I think instead of food being a battle ground we should focus on these things we agree on. Continue to be curious, learn more about food and the best solutions for the future while educating the general public. Work towards not being confusing and helping people find their truths and best practices for good health.

#LivetothePLUS