That is the question of the day. When is enough just enough? This question can apply to almost anything, but lets focus it on some different areas where people measure their health.
First - weight loss. When is enough lost weight enough? Is it when you've gotten to the range of what someone in the American Health Association determined is the "ideal" weight? Is it close to that? Is it what you see someone else weighs that has a body image that you would like to have for yourself? (insert 6 pack abs here) How do you define "this is good enough"? Or do you keep chasing things that may not be all that important to the bigger, underlying goal?
For me - I am on the high end of my range for what is considered my "ideal" weight for my height. This time last year I was 8 or 9lbs lighter. My Dr said to me during my physical in January that he would like to see me about 5lbs lighter. To that I respond with... why? How did you determine that I should be 5lbs lighter? Sure I'm 175/176lbs on a 5' 11" frame. You know what though? I also have over 130lbs of muscle on this frame.... so... since muscle weighs more than fat, is it that important that I hit your range you have on a piece of paper? Or is it good enough for me at this time? I'm comfortable in my own skin. I'm healthy. Physically, mentally I'm healthy. I practice healthy habits. Exercising regularly, eating healthy, not smoking or taking drugs and not consuming alcohol in excess. Everything in moderation. Who's to say that enough is enough? ME - that's who. I am not trying to hit a particular weight. I'm being driven by my capabilities and how I feel.
How about strength? When is enough just enough on that end? For that I would say it depends on your goals. What is it that you want to do that you aren't strong enough to do now?
Again - FOR ME, I believe I am strong enough. Strong enough to be able to live a healthy, active life. Am I going to try to increase my strength at any time? Yes - probably. As I get interested in doing new and different things. See things that I want to do or learn how to do, if my body isn't quite strong enough in all areas to achieve that then yes, I will absolutely focus on improving my general strength.
What I won't do anymore is this.... I won't go back to a gym and just start lifting weights kind of mindlessly. Re-reading this sentence I can totally see someone reading that and saying "What a dick. I lift weights and does that make me mindless? Does that make what I'm doing mindless?" No - absolutely not. If that is your thing then by all means, go ahead and do it. If you are training for the sake of just being stronger then go for it. That isn't my goal. When is strong enough enough? For me that is right now.
OK then smart ass, then what is your goal? My goal was to stop beating up my body and instead increase the capabilities of my body. Learn how to use my body to do some really cool shit. I guess you could label it as "gymnastics" type stuff with handstands, handstand push ups, walking on your hands, cartwheels, jumping with precision, pistol squats, bridges, etc...
What I've learned though is for the past couple of years, all the various workout routines I've worked my way through - my body was taking a beating. T25, increased my lung capacity. Helped me lose a decent amount of weight. Made my knees hurt like hell. P90x3 got me stronger in a lot of different areas however I kept injuring my traps. Body Beast - DOMS. Muscle soreness forever. lol Running - back to the hurt knees.
Why was I getting hurt? Well, not being in shape hurt. Perhaps not keeping perfect form all the time can definitely get you hurt. Rushing to keep up with the folks on the video you are following, well - yup, you can get hurt that way too. Picking up weights and trying to move them and your joints not being strong enough to handle it, well, that would hurt too. Trying to push my body beyond what it is currently capable of doing. "Increasing work capacity" as they call it. I've been injured quite a bit over the years (IMO) and it makes you talk to yourself. Ask yourself why. Ask yourself what are you doing wrong? Ask, what can you do better? I've done all this.
Back in January 2016 (roughly 4 months ago) I started to change my mentality. Focus more on bodyweight and calisthenics workouts for my strength and conditioning. This started with Convict Conditioning. Then I moved onto YAYOG (You Are Your Own Gym) and Yoga. Convict Conditioning was great, but you were still stuck in that sets/reps mentality and it gave you ZERO cardio. YAYOG also stuck in the sets/reps mentality but it was at such a pace that you got your heart pumping and definitely sweating. Yoga - well, I never sweat, but it had some really tough days. My flexibility and mobility was not what it needed to be. I pushed through it and saw improvements in my flexibility and mobility, which is fantastic - but I felt like from a strength perspective, the routine itself wasn't challenging me enough. Then I set my sites on GMB.
Why GMB? Well I had been following them for a couple of months as they preached about mobility, flexibility and finding what your body can do for you. Moving in ways that allows you to do different and fun things. Things like the gymnastics things I had mentioned before. Exercises like bench presses, while can help to make your chest stronger and help with your triceps, forearms, I didn't feel were helping me "move better". I was still waking up with aches, pains, etc... and I was honestly past that. Tired of it. I know that stretching can improve performance and help your body get past some of these nagging injuries, but honestly I simply didn't want to spend 30 - 60 min a day stretching. I wanted it to be part of my routine, whatever the hell I did. SO I dove into the starting point for GMB - Elements. I've started week 5 and have done everything that has been laid out for me to this point.
How do I feel? Honestly I feel really frigin good. I don't have the normal aches and pains that I've had. The debilitating shoulder/neck pain from doing too many push ups or pull ups. The knee pain from all the jumping in a plyometric routine. No back pain. My quad injury that I had which would prevent me from even going into Child's pose? Gone. My strength is still there. I haven't lost it. I feel just as strong as I did back when I was lifting weights. What has been returning though is my flexibility and mobility. Running and chasing my kids without knee pain. Practicing cartwheels with no ill effects. Do you ever just sit there and watch your children play? Watch what they do and how happy they are doing it? I do. They are happiest when they are running around. Practicing handstands, doing cartwheels... performing for their parents. Trying to do splits. They are learning what their bodies can do and how to get them to do more. Exceeding their own expectations and surprising themselves. Being someone that they look up to, that is what I wanted. I wanted to be able to be active with them. Doing the things they like to do. Challenging myself and in turn challenging them to be better too. Having fun together, without pain and discomfort. So far so good.
After all... what good is it all if you can't enjoy it? What good is being at the "healthy weight" the Dr says you need to be, if you can't still enjoy the foods that you enjoy? What good is it to just keep working out and lifting weights, if you don't move better. Moving freely and without pain and having fun like you were a kid again. To me - it isn't worth shit. Hence why I changed my mentality and changed my exercise routine. Right now, honestly - it doesn't seem like a chore at all to get up and do this. It is fun. It is mindful practice. I'm enjoying it. Having fun while challenging myself. Isn't that the point of it all?
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Injuries..GMB...Mobility
So what's new here? Where do I start? I should probably start with re-reading my last blog post so I know what I've said and what I haven't. lol Not going to happen though.
What is new? Not a hell of a lot. I had been battling a lot of injuries. I had a quad/knee injury with my left leg that was really prohibiting my range of motion. I wasn't able to get into Child's pose as an example. I could no longer just sit on my knees with my butt on my heels. The shooting pain through my left knee just wouldn't allow it. I had shoulder/neck nerve type pinch that would 1) cause pain 2) seriously impact sleep 3) prohibit me from turning me head much. As I researched it more it turned out the injury was related to my "trap" muscles in the back. Muscle relaxers and aggressive massages took care of that.
What have I been doing to resolve these issues? At first I had switched to YAYOG - You Are Your Own Gym, which is a total bodyweight routine. Unfortunately though that was just a 3 day program and I prefer to workout 5 or 6 days a week. To mix it up and give my body more stretching that it so desperately needed to progress I started Yoga with Adriene - 30 Days of Yoga, which is available via YouTube. FANTASTIC! I can't say enough good things about her and her instructional methods. I really liked it. The routine was working pretty good and it was helping me continue building strength and also improve my flexibility... heal my body a bit. I did this for about a month but wasn't really loving the combination. I did really like it, but I didn't like going to one place for one workout and then YouTube for the other and keeping track of it all. Really really minor thing, but it wasn't my ideal situation.
Fast forward - I've just started week 3 of GMB Elements (http://gmb.io/e) and I love it. COMPLETELY different from any other thing I've tried. I start my workout by stretching for warmups and I do that for anywhere between 30 - 60 minutes. Then I'll spend maybe 5 - 10 minutes practicing a certain movement, whatever movement is for that day. It could be a bear walk, monkey or frogger. Let me tell you something. These moves are not easy. It challenges me. Each move challenges me and that doesn't even touch on when they throw in variations to each of these moves.
Has it helped at all? YES! A resounding YES! My mobility, flexibility have improved significantly. I feel my balance is improving. Strength... it's funny, I'm not sure if it is improving in a traditional sense as if you were doing push ups or pull ups, but yes, I don't think my strength has decreased at all. My body feels really good. My shoulders, traps feel great. Left knee? Also great. 100%? Nope, but I can rock a child's pose again. Getting to the point where I can almost sit with my butt on my heels again. My squats? Pretty good! I can sit into the squat to the point where my butt is less than 10" from the ground. Something I definitely couldn't do before, even before my quad injury. It is a good thing. A really good thing.
I've been so impressed with the changes I went ahead and bought 3 more programs of theirs. Focused Flexibility, Vitamin and Integral Strength. While I'm very excited to see what those other programs can offer me the reality is today was day 1 of week 3 for a 7 week program. Meaning I still have almost a full 5 weeks left. Not a bad thing. I'm not complaining, especially if I can continue to improve these areas where I'm focusing. The flexibility, mobility and strength. It is pretty interesting stuff. Unorthodox compared to the other more traditional training methods I've tried. The thought has always been if you want to be stronger you either lift weights or figure out bodyweight routines. If you want flexibility you do Yoga or Pilates. You want to improve your lung capacity you do Cardio or start running.
Weight? I'm still hanging around 175 - 176lbs, which is about 8 or 9lbs above where I was a year ago. I have a lot more muscle than I did back then. As usual the biggest problem area is belly, but I'm comfortable with where I am right now. I'm no longer pushing to have this magical 6 pack and saying that defines my fitness level. It doesn't. It doesn't at all. My ability to adapt and do new/different active things and not feel limited or crippled after doing them. So far that is working for me. I'm looking forward to a summer of practicing cartwheels and handstands in the backyard with the kids. Learning how to jump rope. Doing awesome things.
Words of wisdom here? Listen to your body. Explore. Find new things, don't just judge them and rule them out without trying. Practice mindfully. Not just trying to keep up with a video, but mindfully paying attention to your body and how it is reacting. How it is feeling..... That's all I've got. Until next time.
What is new? Not a hell of a lot. I had been battling a lot of injuries. I had a quad/knee injury with my left leg that was really prohibiting my range of motion. I wasn't able to get into Child's pose as an example. I could no longer just sit on my knees with my butt on my heels. The shooting pain through my left knee just wouldn't allow it. I had shoulder/neck nerve type pinch that would 1) cause pain 2) seriously impact sleep 3) prohibit me from turning me head much. As I researched it more it turned out the injury was related to my "trap" muscles in the back. Muscle relaxers and aggressive massages took care of that.
What have I been doing to resolve these issues? At first I had switched to YAYOG - You Are Your Own Gym, which is a total bodyweight routine. Unfortunately though that was just a 3 day program and I prefer to workout 5 or 6 days a week. To mix it up and give my body more stretching that it so desperately needed to progress I started Yoga with Adriene - 30 Days of Yoga, which is available via YouTube. FANTASTIC! I can't say enough good things about her and her instructional methods. I really liked it. The routine was working pretty good and it was helping me continue building strength and also improve my flexibility... heal my body a bit. I did this for about a month but wasn't really loving the combination. I did really like it, but I didn't like going to one place for one workout and then YouTube for the other and keeping track of it all. Really really minor thing, but it wasn't my ideal situation.
Fast forward - I've just started week 3 of GMB Elements (http://gmb.io/e) and I love it. COMPLETELY different from any other thing I've tried. I start my workout by stretching for warmups and I do that for anywhere between 30 - 60 minutes. Then I'll spend maybe 5 - 10 minutes practicing a certain movement, whatever movement is for that day. It could be a bear walk, monkey or frogger. Let me tell you something. These moves are not easy. It challenges me. Each move challenges me and that doesn't even touch on when they throw in variations to each of these moves.
Has it helped at all? YES! A resounding YES! My mobility, flexibility have improved significantly. I feel my balance is improving. Strength... it's funny, I'm not sure if it is improving in a traditional sense as if you were doing push ups or pull ups, but yes, I don't think my strength has decreased at all. My body feels really good. My shoulders, traps feel great. Left knee? Also great. 100%? Nope, but I can rock a child's pose again. Getting to the point where I can almost sit with my butt on my heels again. My squats? Pretty good! I can sit into the squat to the point where my butt is less than 10" from the ground. Something I definitely couldn't do before, even before my quad injury. It is a good thing. A really good thing.
I've been so impressed with the changes I went ahead and bought 3 more programs of theirs. Focused Flexibility, Vitamin and Integral Strength. While I'm very excited to see what those other programs can offer me the reality is today was day 1 of week 3 for a 7 week program. Meaning I still have almost a full 5 weeks left. Not a bad thing. I'm not complaining, especially if I can continue to improve these areas where I'm focusing. The flexibility, mobility and strength. It is pretty interesting stuff. Unorthodox compared to the other more traditional training methods I've tried. The thought has always been if you want to be stronger you either lift weights or figure out bodyweight routines. If you want flexibility you do Yoga or Pilates. You want to improve your lung capacity you do Cardio or start running.
Weight? I'm still hanging around 175 - 176lbs, which is about 8 or 9lbs above where I was a year ago. I have a lot more muscle than I did back then. As usual the biggest problem area is belly, but I'm comfortable with where I am right now. I'm no longer pushing to have this magical 6 pack and saying that defines my fitness level. It doesn't. It doesn't at all. My ability to adapt and do new/different active things and not feel limited or crippled after doing them. So far that is working for me. I'm looking forward to a summer of practicing cartwheels and handstands in the backyard with the kids. Learning how to jump rope. Doing awesome things.
Words of wisdom here? Listen to your body. Explore. Find new things, don't just judge them and rule them out without trying. Practice mindfully. Not just trying to keep up with a video, but mindfully paying attention to your body and how it is reacting. How it is feeling..... That's all I've got. Until next time.
Saturday, April 2, 2016
44 and still going....strong? Self reflection.
Well I turned 44 last month and I'm still going forward and trying to be the healthiest version of me I can. Life is a really busy thing and if you don't stop to take a look around every once in a while, it will pass you by. I know it is an old saying, but hey - by some people's standards, I'm old.
Over the past few years I've done a decent amount of strength training, cardio training, workout videos/programs and hell, I even joined a gym for a few months. Where am I now? I'm still sitting at about 175lbs (which is about 25lbs lower than when I started). I'm stronger, but my body feels a bit beat up in all honesty. Also - at my physical my Dr told me he noticed I have a heart murmur. Well now, how about that? Not something I need to address now, but obviously something to keep an eye on. Shock like that can overwhelm you if you let it. In this crazy go go go world, it can make you stop and pause too. Which is what I'm starting to do.
When I started exercising it was to lose weight and look good. I thought that if I looked good I would feel good too. To a certain extent that is true. The little bit of vanity in me does recognize the hard earned muscle I've gained thus far through this journey. I've never "felt great" though. I wanted to be able to run around and chase my kids. Not be limited by anything in my body or by my body's limitations and at times - this journey has allowed me to do just that. Unfortunately though, it hasn't been consistent enough for me, despite what I consider pretty consistent efforts. In short, my "strength training" has made me feel broken down. Movement has now taken priority for me over strength. What good is being able to bench press 200lbs if your shoulder hurts so much you can't pick your own kids up to hug them? What good is being able to squat or deadlift 225lbs if when it comes time to chase your kids and play "sea monster" (Dad always seems to be the sea monster) and your knees won't allow it? To me - it means nothing. To me, although I can't go back in time and change anything, I've messed up. I've sat here and trained for a few years doing the wrong things for me and the life I want to live.
The past few months I've shifted my focus in my training. I've stopped lifting weights. I've stopped putting that burden on my body and my joints. I have instead utilized body weight training. It challenges me not just from a strength perspective, but from a flexibility and mobility perspective. More than I was ever challenged lifting weights. Yeah you could say, well if you weren't challenged enough doing weights then you weren't using enough weight. Wrong mentality here. WAY wrong. I'm not trying to "man up". This isn't a pissing contest. This is life. This is MY life.
Most recently a friend introduced me to a Yoga series they had started doing from YouTube and I've kind of made up a schedule of 3 days of strength training (sometimes 4) and 2 to 3 days of Yoga per week. Although I've been doing the body weight training for a few months here, the Yoga has just been in the last month. Trying to stick with a physical therapist point of view on things. Stretch and Strengthen. It is helping. It is helping me not only physically by allowing me to continue to strengthen my body, but it is helping me heal it as well. Today I was actually able to get into child's pose and sit with my butt on my heals in that position. Something I haven't been able to do in months. It is also giving me things to think about. With the continued focus of "do what you feel is right for YOU and YOUR body". In other words, don't just jump on the next workout routine because it is the newest, latest thing. Learn about YOU. Learn what you like and what you don't like. What are you hoping to accomplish? Is it that elusive 6 pack that you see all these folks have in the fitness videos? If so - yeah, the workouts can help get you there but you better shift your focus to nutrition. Or is it something else that you are chasing? Did you always dream of running and maybe running a marathon, well good for you! Figure out what is going to get you there. Chances are that new strength workout routine that just came out isn't going to get you there, so why buy it? Research how others have gotten there and create a plan and go full steam ahead. MAKE the time to step back every once in a while and look around. If you think there is a better way to do something for YOU, then don't be afraid to do it. Have the courage to do what you feel is best for you.
For the first time in a few years I can honestly say I'm not chasing a 6 pack. I am no longer chasing an image of what others view as being "healthy" or even what I viewed as healthy. My views have changed. My mindset has changed. My goals have changed. My desire to succeed and the reason why I get up and do this every single day though has not. This family, although I can be a frigin bear to be around, is what I live for. I want to have the most amazing experiences ever with each and every one of them. I want to inspire them to find better versions of themselves and desire to be even better than they ever dreamed possible. Regardless of if I may agree with all their choices, I want them to be the best they can be and most importantly - happy while doing it. For that, I continue digging deeper, pealing back the layers of me in an effort to make me better. At the same time, challenging those I love to be a better version of themselves.
Until next time...
Over the past few years I've done a decent amount of strength training, cardio training, workout videos/programs and hell, I even joined a gym for a few months. Where am I now? I'm still sitting at about 175lbs (which is about 25lbs lower than when I started). I'm stronger, but my body feels a bit beat up in all honesty. Also - at my physical my Dr told me he noticed I have a heart murmur. Well now, how about that? Not something I need to address now, but obviously something to keep an eye on. Shock like that can overwhelm you if you let it. In this crazy go go go world, it can make you stop and pause too. Which is what I'm starting to do.
When I started exercising it was to lose weight and look good. I thought that if I looked good I would feel good too. To a certain extent that is true. The little bit of vanity in me does recognize the hard earned muscle I've gained thus far through this journey. I've never "felt great" though. I wanted to be able to run around and chase my kids. Not be limited by anything in my body or by my body's limitations and at times - this journey has allowed me to do just that. Unfortunately though, it hasn't been consistent enough for me, despite what I consider pretty consistent efforts. In short, my "strength training" has made me feel broken down. Movement has now taken priority for me over strength. What good is being able to bench press 200lbs if your shoulder hurts so much you can't pick your own kids up to hug them? What good is being able to squat or deadlift 225lbs if when it comes time to chase your kids and play "sea monster" (Dad always seems to be the sea monster) and your knees won't allow it? To me - it means nothing. To me, although I can't go back in time and change anything, I've messed up. I've sat here and trained for a few years doing the wrong things for me and the life I want to live.
The past few months I've shifted my focus in my training. I've stopped lifting weights. I've stopped putting that burden on my body and my joints. I have instead utilized body weight training. It challenges me not just from a strength perspective, but from a flexibility and mobility perspective. More than I was ever challenged lifting weights. Yeah you could say, well if you weren't challenged enough doing weights then you weren't using enough weight. Wrong mentality here. WAY wrong. I'm not trying to "man up". This isn't a pissing contest. This is life. This is MY life.
Most recently a friend introduced me to a Yoga series they had started doing from YouTube and I've kind of made up a schedule of 3 days of strength training (sometimes 4) and 2 to 3 days of Yoga per week. Although I've been doing the body weight training for a few months here, the Yoga has just been in the last month. Trying to stick with a physical therapist point of view on things. Stretch and Strengthen. It is helping. It is helping me not only physically by allowing me to continue to strengthen my body, but it is helping me heal it as well. Today I was actually able to get into child's pose and sit with my butt on my heals in that position. Something I haven't been able to do in months. It is also giving me things to think about. With the continued focus of "do what you feel is right for YOU and YOUR body". In other words, don't just jump on the next workout routine because it is the newest, latest thing. Learn about YOU. Learn what you like and what you don't like. What are you hoping to accomplish? Is it that elusive 6 pack that you see all these folks have in the fitness videos? If so - yeah, the workouts can help get you there but you better shift your focus to nutrition. Or is it something else that you are chasing? Did you always dream of running and maybe running a marathon, well good for you! Figure out what is going to get you there. Chances are that new strength workout routine that just came out isn't going to get you there, so why buy it? Research how others have gotten there and create a plan and go full steam ahead. MAKE the time to step back every once in a while and look around. If you think there is a better way to do something for YOU, then don't be afraid to do it. Have the courage to do what you feel is best for you.
For the first time in a few years I can honestly say I'm not chasing a 6 pack. I am no longer chasing an image of what others view as being "healthy" or even what I viewed as healthy. My views have changed. My mindset has changed. My goals have changed. My desire to succeed and the reason why I get up and do this every single day though has not. This family, although I can be a frigin bear to be around, is what I live for. I want to have the most amazing experiences ever with each and every one of them. I want to inspire them to find better versions of themselves and desire to be even better than they ever dreamed possible. Regardless of if I may agree with all their choices, I want them to be the best they can be and most importantly - happy while doing it. For that, I continue digging deeper, pealing back the layers of me in an effort to make me better. At the same time, challenging those I love to be a better version of themselves.
Until next time...
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Convict Conditioning, ETP, 2016 Yearly Physical
Lets start with my yearly physical. My blood pressure was a little high. 132/90, but not horrible. Logging my food has definitely made me much more aware of the sodium issue. SO much sodium in prepared foods, even salads. So frustrating.
My weight was 176lbs, which is 4lbs over last year. I told my Dr that my weight is + or - 5lbs and I'm not worried about it, but he said I should probably look to try and lose that "extra weight". Yeah - thanks for the help?
Cholesterol, this is where my Dr was really concerned. He said my good cholesterol took a hit. Yeah, it went from 51 to 50. wow My bad cholesterol went from 118 to 159. He was far more concerned about it than I was. My liver functions were perfectly fine. My triglycerides were also perfectly fine. My cholesterol is still within a normal range. If it is still going up next year, then we start talking. Like everything else though, I want it controlled via nutrition.
ETP - well, I'm still doing it. I'm doing 2 days of "rest day" calories and 1 day "training day" calories. Then start over. Still ramping up to the 2700+ calories of a training day. I'll get there.
Convict Conditioning. I'm a few weeks into this. I'll say this, it is 100% harder than I expected it to be. I honestly expected to breeze through the first few steps of this program and it has been very humbling to see that I'm not. Actually there are some moves that I am stuck on "step 2". Push ups being one of them. 3 sets of 40 incline pushups (SLOW, 5 seconds per rep) is brutal. I haven't gotten it yet, but I will. Crow stand (aka Crow), I am supposed to hold for 1 minute. Yeah, I haven't even gotten 30 seconds yet. Need to focus and keep pushing. I'm trying not to get discouraged. I think it helps that I continue to move forward in other areas with other exercises, but I definitely still have some sticking points. I'm trying to respect where I am right now and trust the process. Earn my way to the fitness achievements that I want.
Nothing really else to mention here that I can think of. I have a few OCRs I want to do this year. F.I.T. Challenge in April. Tough Scrambler in April and Spartan Sprint in June. Just have to get this body ready. Doing some cardio might help. lol Zero cardio for a while now. :P
Until next time.....
My weight was 176lbs, which is 4lbs over last year. I told my Dr that my weight is + or - 5lbs and I'm not worried about it, but he said I should probably look to try and lose that "extra weight". Yeah - thanks for the help?
Cholesterol, this is where my Dr was really concerned. He said my good cholesterol took a hit. Yeah, it went from 51 to 50. wow My bad cholesterol went from 118 to 159. He was far more concerned about it than I was. My liver functions were perfectly fine. My triglycerides were also perfectly fine. My cholesterol is still within a normal range. If it is still going up next year, then we start talking. Like everything else though, I want it controlled via nutrition.
ETP - well, I'm still doing it. I'm doing 2 days of "rest day" calories and 1 day "training day" calories. Then start over. Still ramping up to the 2700+ calories of a training day. I'll get there.
Convict Conditioning. I'm a few weeks into this. I'll say this, it is 100% harder than I expected it to be. I honestly expected to breeze through the first few steps of this program and it has been very humbling to see that I'm not. Actually there are some moves that I am stuck on "step 2". Push ups being one of them. 3 sets of 40 incline pushups (SLOW, 5 seconds per rep) is brutal. I haven't gotten it yet, but I will. Crow stand (aka Crow), I am supposed to hold for 1 minute. Yeah, I haven't even gotten 30 seconds yet. Need to focus and keep pushing. I'm trying not to get discouraged. I think it helps that I continue to move forward in other areas with other exercises, but I definitely still have some sticking points. I'm trying to respect where I am right now and trust the process. Earn my way to the fitness achievements that I want.
Nothing really else to mention here that I can think of. I have a few OCRs I want to do this year. F.I.T. Challenge in April. Tough Scrambler in April and Spartan Sprint in June. Just have to get this body ready. Doing some cardio might help. lol Zero cardio for a while now. :P
Until next time.....
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Welcome to 2016!
Clearly time hasn't changed the fact that I still suck at blogging consistently. Honestly it is still a pain in my ass to have to log out of one account to log into another account to blog. I'll take time to figure out how to better handle that situation in the future, but for now - it just isn't a priority.
What have I been doing for my health? Let's start with the nutrition as it is a shorter update. Well, still sort of following ETP. They say on my "training days" I should be eating almost 2800 calories. On my "rest days" I should be eating about 2300 calories. With ETP, it is all about hitting your calories then your macros and then you worry about timing. I suppose this is common in things like the body building world as I compare my numbers of what I'm eating for macros to body builders and it is surprisingly quite similar. The difference is, I don't have a body builder body. lol
For nutrition on my "rest days" I should be hitting 2350 calories. 175g of protein, 85g of fat and just over 200g of carbs. Again - the primary target being - get your calories in. Then if you have to just pick one of the macros to it, hit your protein. In an ideal world you will get + or - 10g of the protein and carbs. + or - 5g of the fat. Regarding timing, well they say slow carbs before your workout to help you get energy and fast carbs after a workout. On my training days the only thing that changes is I get more carbs. Protein and fat stays the exact same.
What has this forced me to do? Something I said I couldn't ever see myself doing. Measuring food. Logging it into MyFitnessPal and pushing for some consistency. I've logged for over 60days straight and that alone is an accomplishment. It for the most part is pretty accurate. I may have had some days around xmas where I just stopped logging halfway through the day. Whatever. Like anything in life, its not about perfection, its about consistency and trying to be better.
Workouts - I had wavered a bit and finally decided I was going to go back to Body Beast. My big fear was leg day... ugh, fucking leg day. I reminded myself though that it was only 1 day of the week. I could suck it up for one day per week. Necessary evil. Body Beast lasted 2 whole weeks then I got hurt. The infamous neck/shoulder pinch so I couldn't turn my head. Good times... good times.
The injury pissed me off and caused me to re-evaluate what I was going for. At the same time I was dealing with a completely swollen left quad. I couldn't bend that leg very well, so it made stretching a struggle. I took a week off to rest up my neck/shoulder and keep stretching it out. Trying to work things out without dealing with another 6 weeks of physical therapy. That's always fun. It did work and for the most part I got past it on the right side.
What did I decide on? Well during my re-evaluation I started following Al Kavaldo who is all about body weight exercises. Which led me over to start reading the book Convict Conditioning. Which, no real surprise they have an app for that if you wanted to follow it and work at it. The app is free, it illustrates how to do the exercises. Also links to YouTube videos that show you how to do the exercises. It gives you progressions on how to get to the next level. The next level of the exercise. Its pretty awesome actually.
This is going to sound gay and girlie but the routine speaks to me. Bottom line it is about training for functional movement. Being more flexible. Being stronger. NOT getting hurt. All things that I wanted but kind of have half been able to get there. I've done various home workouts that have gotten me stronger, done one other one that got me flexible (Piyo) but none that did them both. Almost always - I ended up with a hurting body, which is never the goal.
Right now I'm re-learning. I'm learning proper form from the ground up. SLOW and controlled movements through each exercise and each progression. Learning how to do various bridge exercises so that I'll be able to do a full bridge, should I be able to progress to the end here. Or be able to do a one handed handstand, again, should I be able to progress through the end. I have done a 2min wall headstand, for whatever that is worth. Still learning, still progressing through it. I do like it though. It is a slow workout. Zero cardio. I don't sweat at all. My muscles work though. Boy do they work.
OK - now time for me to fuel up so I can go get at it.
What have I been doing for my health? Let's start with the nutrition as it is a shorter update. Well, still sort of following ETP. They say on my "training days" I should be eating almost 2800 calories. On my "rest days" I should be eating about 2300 calories. With ETP, it is all about hitting your calories then your macros and then you worry about timing. I suppose this is common in things like the body building world as I compare my numbers of what I'm eating for macros to body builders and it is surprisingly quite similar. The difference is, I don't have a body builder body. lol
For nutrition on my "rest days" I should be hitting 2350 calories. 175g of protein, 85g of fat and just over 200g of carbs. Again - the primary target being - get your calories in. Then if you have to just pick one of the macros to it, hit your protein. In an ideal world you will get + or - 10g of the protein and carbs. + or - 5g of the fat. Regarding timing, well they say slow carbs before your workout to help you get energy and fast carbs after a workout. On my training days the only thing that changes is I get more carbs. Protein and fat stays the exact same.
What has this forced me to do? Something I said I couldn't ever see myself doing. Measuring food. Logging it into MyFitnessPal and pushing for some consistency. I've logged for over 60days straight and that alone is an accomplishment. It for the most part is pretty accurate. I may have had some days around xmas where I just stopped logging halfway through the day. Whatever. Like anything in life, its not about perfection, its about consistency and trying to be better.
Workouts - I had wavered a bit and finally decided I was going to go back to Body Beast. My big fear was leg day... ugh, fucking leg day. I reminded myself though that it was only 1 day of the week. I could suck it up for one day per week. Necessary evil. Body Beast lasted 2 whole weeks then I got hurt. The infamous neck/shoulder pinch so I couldn't turn my head. Good times... good times.
The injury pissed me off and caused me to re-evaluate what I was going for. At the same time I was dealing with a completely swollen left quad. I couldn't bend that leg very well, so it made stretching a struggle. I took a week off to rest up my neck/shoulder and keep stretching it out. Trying to work things out without dealing with another 6 weeks of physical therapy. That's always fun. It did work and for the most part I got past it on the right side.
What did I decide on? Well during my re-evaluation I started following Al Kavaldo who is all about body weight exercises. Which led me over to start reading the book Convict Conditioning. Which, no real surprise they have an app for that if you wanted to follow it and work at it. The app is free, it illustrates how to do the exercises. Also links to YouTube videos that show you how to do the exercises. It gives you progressions on how to get to the next level. The next level of the exercise. Its pretty awesome actually.
This is going to sound gay and girlie but the routine speaks to me. Bottom line it is about training for functional movement. Being more flexible. Being stronger. NOT getting hurt. All things that I wanted but kind of have half been able to get there. I've done various home workouts that have gotten me stronger, done one other one that got me flexible (Piyo) but none that did them both. Almost always - I ended up with a hurting body, which is never the goal.
Right now I'm re-learning. I'm learning proper form from the ground up. SLOW and controlled movements through each exercise and each progression. Learning how to do various bridge exercises so that I'll be able to do a full bridge, should I be able to progress to the end here. Or be able to do a one handed handstand, again, should I be able to progress through the end. I have done a 2min wall headstand, for whatever that is worth. Still learning, still progressing through it. I do like it though. It is a slow workout. Zero cardio. I don't sweat at all. My muscles work though. Boy do they work.
OK - now time for me to fuel up so I can go get at it.
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Bod Pod test results and NUTRITION
Well this morning I went for a "Bod Pod" test to see where I'm at from a body fat/lean body mass stand point. For those that don't know, Bod Pod is considered the most accurate Body Fat test available at this time.
I've guesstimated for a while now I'm around 25%. Today's results confirmed I'm not far off. 24.3% and 172lbs. Considering I'm 5' 11" tall and 43yrs old, I'm not totally sad about that. Obviously room for improvement though.
One thing that I was very surprised they went over with me was, how to get better. They spoke nutrition to me. They didn't have to. I was there for a body fat test and nothing more. Yet they took the time to ask me about my nutrition. Inquire about the things I'm eating, when I'm eating them and how I can get closer to my goals. They even included how much I SHOULD be eating if I wanted to just maintain where I am or how much I should be eating if I wanted to get leaner. Much to my surprise (kind of) those numbers were very much in line with what I got from ETP. I should essentially be eating almost 2800 calories on "training" days. Considering I was eating maybe between 1400 - 1600 using the 21 Day Fix, this will be a drastic change to my body. A welcome change though for sure.
Next up - figure out how I can get there and hit my macros on a daily basis. Let the fun begin!!
I've guesstimated for a while now I'm around 25%. Today's results confirmed I'm not far off. 24.3% and 172lbs. Considering I'm 5' 11" tall and 43yrs old, I'm not totally sad about that. Obviously room for improvement though.
One thing that I was very surprised they went over with me was, how to get better. They spoke nutrition to me. They didn't have to. I was there for a body fat test and nothing more. Yet they took the time to ask me about my nutrition. Inquire about the things I'm eating, when I'm eating them and how I can get closer to my goals. They even included how much I SHOULD be eating if I wanted to just maintain where I am or how much I should be eating if I wanted to get leaner. Much to my surprise (kind of) those numbers were very much in line with what I got from ETP. I should essentially be eating almost 2800 calories on "training" days. Considering I was eating maybe between 1400 - 1600 using the 21 Day Fix, this will be a drastic change to my body. A welcome change though for sure.
Next up - figure out how I can get there and hit my macros on a daily basis. Let the fun begin!!
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
E.T.P. - Eat To Perform aka Nutrition
SO.... I had done the 21 Day Fix nutrition for a while and it is certainly great for meal plans and portion control, etc.... it definitely wasn't right for me. I found myself starving on multiple occasions, seeming like it was forever between snacks and meals, etc... I finally started tracking my food in My Fitness Pal and holy crap. I was only consuming like 1200 calories. No wonder I was fucking starving! The only time I would hit anything near where I really should be is if I was snacking and having beers.... not the best way to make up your nutritional deficit. Not to mention, I didn't really like being told "I can only have this, but can't have that". F-that noise.
Fast forward.... everyone is out there on Black Friday trying to find their next big toy purchase. New TV, vacation, computer, etc... I'm all searching for something to help me reach goals. Fitness goals. Where does ETP come into play on this?
Well, ETP had been recommended to me a while ago by multiple friends and I kind of just "liked" their FB page and casually followed it. Never really digging into it all the way to see what it was all about. To me, I've already had the (mis) conception that I needed to do more workouts and eat less. Seems like I was completely off base there. People are eating 4000 calories and 250g of carbs on a single day without issue. WOW!! What the hell am I doing wrong?
Here we are on Small Business Saturday, which apparently is a thing.... ETP had one of their books "on sale" for $20, regularly $50. To the naked eye this was a great deal... unless of course you've seen their ad where you can buy all 4 of their books and a year membership for $50. Either way... I bought the book. Read and read and read and read, all 101 pages in essentially a day, but still could not completely wrap my head around what I needed to do. This book did a great job of explaining the hows and the whys but not such a great job of just telling me what the hell I needed to do. That of course brought me to Google. Which is where I found what appeared to be a normal every day woman's experience with it.
http://killerfitgym.com/my-etp-experience-faq/
BOOM! Everything became so much clearer.
Now that I've got a clearer picture of what I need to be hitting for target nutrition AND I'm actually tracking it, I have to figure out how to get my numbers up.
This is what my nutrition looked like today and its definitely clean, but not even close to enough. Below it you can see my target numbers. Until next time!
Fast forward.... everyone is out there on Black Friday trying to find their next big toy purchase. New TV, vacation, computer, etc... I'm all searching for something to help me reach goals. Fitness goals. Where does ETP come into play on this?
Well, ETP had been recommended to me a while ago by multiple friends and I kind of just "liked" their FB page and casually followed it. Never really digging into it all the way to see what it was all about. To me, I've already had the (mis) conception that I needed to do more workouts and eat less. Seems like I was completely off base there. People are eating 4000 calories and 250g of carbs on a single day without issue. WOW!! What the hell am I doing wrong?
http://killerfitgym.com/my-etp-experience-faq/
BOOM! Everything became so much clearer.
Now that I've got a clearer picture of what I need to be hitting for target nutrition AND I'm actually tracking it, I have to figure out how to get my numbers up.
This is what my nutrition looked like today and its definitely clean, but not even close to enough. Below it you can see my target numbers. Until next time!
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