Well I honestly don't even know what my last post was about. I haven't been very consistent posting. Life is busy enough and quite honestly I haven't made the time.
SO... I did PiYo for about 8 to 10 weeks with my wife. It pushed both of us. I really missed true cardio and strength training that required weights. Although PiYo really pushed both of us, it wasn't for us. Christie struggled with strength and flexibility, partly because of her hip replacement, partly because of her weight. Again - I struggled with it because mentally I couldn't get past the fact I wasn't being pushing my cardiovascular or moving any weights.
Moving forward - we both decided we really didn't care for the program and wanted something different. I chose Body Beast. A true strength program that was all about weights. Workouts range between 30 - 50 min each. Truly a challenge when you are accustomed to 30 min workouts. Either way.... onward and upward.
I'm currently about 7 or 8 weeks into the program. It challenges me every time I push play. No question about that. My first month I ate the see-food diet. I ate everything in front of me, good or bad. Lots of beer consumption, etc... I could see my muscles were growing, but unfortunately my mid-section was growing a little bit as well.
What happened? What are my goals? When I started Body Beast I told my wife my goal with this program is to just get a bit more muscular and shed fat. I didn't care what my weight was, but I did want to keep it under 175lbs. That was my primary focus. Once I got past 175lbs I risk going over the healthy BMI range and that is something I absolutely did not want. I've worked too hard to finally get in what the "health" world considers a "healthy" range. I've been down over 20lbs for over a year now. I started this journey back in July of 2013 at 197lbs of flubber.
The first phase of Body Beast is the "Build" phase (at about 174lbs) and that was the phase I was on the see-food diet. Diet. LOL I remember finishing that first phase and weighing myself and seeing I was pretty much the exact same weight as when I started. Was this for the better? Was it for the worse? Did I feel better? (No) Did I look better? (also a resounding NO). What were my obstacles? What was preventing me from getting to my goals? You have to look inside yourself to answer those questions. The answer though was really pretty simple. The issue was ME. I was preventing myself. I was stopping myself from getting to where I want to be. The next question was, what can I do to fix it? The simple answer is educate and act on it.
To simplify the issue I've had has been with food. Is it how much I consume or which foods I eat? Or both? Really its all of the above. I started watching Food documentaries on Netflix (Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, Farmageddon, Forks Over Knives, Food, Inc., Hungry For a Change, Killer At Large and shows like Ted Talks - Chew On This) Things about nutrition. I also started reading the book Eat To Live by Dr Joel Fuhrman. I stopped drinking alcohol. I seriously cut back/almost eliminated processed foods. The goal was to fuel my body better. Eat more cleanly. Consume less meat and more vegetables. I needed to eat at least twice as many vegetables as I did meat. I knew I did not want to count calories. I did not want to track my food at all. Under no circumstances do I think anyone should ever need to track their food when trying to get healthy. Eat healthy things 95% of the time and the rest will take care of itself. My snacks would no longer be whatever I brought (KIND bars, not as frequently). I am not really a snacker but I have been known to sit down and consume a family size bag of potato chips on date night with a few beers AFTER having a couple of frozen appetizer things (tacquitos anyone?). Healthy? Probably not.
What have I been doing and has it worked? Again - no alcohol now for over a month. Practically eliminating processed foods. Focusing more on clean nutrition with lots and lots of vegetables. Less meat. Even if the meat we consume is lean and grass fed. Just trying to be more cognizant of it. I keep my meat portions to 5oz or less. If I finish my dinner and am still hungry I go back for more vegetables, not more meat.
Has it worked? Well I weighed myself this morning and I'm down to 169lbs. That is a 5 or 6lb weight loss in the past month. My love handles? Pretty much gone at this point. My belly? FAR less bloated and shrinking more and more every day. Do I have 6pack abs yet? Nope - but I'm on my way. In addition to that I am continuing to see the muscle growth from the Body Beast workouts. Arms, back, chest, legs - nutrition has really brought those positive changes more to the forefront.
How has this change affected me? Am I happy? Actually I am. I gave up alcohol on my own terms. I have zero regrets about it. ZERO. Do I miss it? Surprisingly no. Same with potato chips and all the other stuff. Don't miss it. I have had a couple of chips here and there. If the kids are having some chips with sandwiches on the weekend, will I grab 2 or 3 chips? Yeah. That's the end of it though. My lunch is something else. I've become very fond of tuna mixed with mashed avocado on toasted whole wheat bread on the weekends. That works well for me. More vegetables than meat has been the real focus though. Snacks being baby carrots with homemade hummus or sliced peppers with homemade hummus. Fruit - mandarin oranges or an apple. Just good healthy choices. My wife does an awesome job of planning good, healthy meals for our dinner every day - which I am EXTREMELY thankful for. Typically during the week there are leftovers and if I think there aren't enough veggies for my lunch I do 1 of 2 things. 1) bring a bag of steam veggies with me that I can make in the microwave or 2) go to the cafe and get a nice, fresh salad with no animal protein, no dairy and no dressing. Is it bland or lack of flavor? No. The complete opposite. It is bursting with flavors. I'll typically add some grilled vegetables from the salad bar (brussel sprouts, peppers, onions) and I like to add chickpeas and seeds as well. YUMM!!!!!!!!!!
How have these changes impacted me elsewhere, besides the scale and my physical body image? Mentally I feel sharper. I typically always sleep good, except for my on call week. I've noticed what I can only term as resentment from Christie during this. She is not happy that I'm choosing not to drink beer with her when she decides she wants a beer. I'm choosing not to eat a less nutritional snacks/fatty snacks on our date night. She has let me know in no uncertain terms she feels kind of singled out by my choices and although I feel bad about it, I am not changing my decisions because of that. I'm just not. I've done enough damage to my body over the years and I'm doing my best to heal it and get healthy. Get stronger and be there long term for my family. Dying or becoming ill to the point where I become a burden on my family legitimately scares the shit out of me. It brings me to tears thinking of it. If I can do simple things like making the healthiest choice on the menu for a meal and getting up and dedicating less than 1 hr for exercise per day to try and avoid that, then I'm good with that. That I can do. For me and my loved ones. I only hope the others that I love in my life jump on board and try and do the best for THEM. I can't imagine my life without any of them.
That's about all I have for today folks. I'll hopefully get back to updating more frequently. I have about 5 weeks left on Body Beast. I'm looking forward to sharing my before and after pictures of my Body Beast adventure as well as my before I started working out, until now pictures. That should be quite the trip.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Monday, August 4, 2014
Dr follow up, cholesterol, Piyo, nutrition, next steps/program
I follow up with my Dr every 6 mos. I do fasting blood work, etc... I had been on Lisinopril (10mg) for high blood pressure, which I am very much convinced is a result of whitecoat syndrome. I was also on Pravistatin (80mg) for high cholesterol. Back in January I saw my Dr for the first time since I had started T25 and I was down over 20lbs (last summer I was 197lbs), my BP was good and my cholesterol was finally within normal limits. He did not want me to come off cholesterol meds. Instead he recommended I cut my dosage in half (just break the pills in half) and we'd revisit it at this last appt. Well my cholesterol numbers were fantastic. My good cholesterol went up to 56 (last time it was 53 in January and last year it was 41). My bad cholesterol was down to 66 (129 I think in January and closer to 200 last summer). Doc was still hesitant to allow me to come off the cholesterol meds because in his opinion they do "other things to HELP" my body. I'm off them. I'll help my body through nutrition and exercise. Still on the BP meds until I can prove I don't need them.
I'm still at it. My weight is hanging between 169 & 170lbs. My nutrition isn't perfect. I know if I buckle down I will reach my next goal of 165lbs. Either way my body continues to change for the better. The scale number is just that - a number. I can show you a flabby person weighing 170lbs and I can show you a more muscular person at 170lbs. Right now I'm the latter. I want to continue to push myself and get down to 165lbs and lose the rest of this belly before my next program/routine. The best way to accomplish that is to continue to trust the workout programs and buckle down on my nutrition.
Current program is Piyo. I've completed my T25/P90X3 hybrid and it was fantastic. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who owns those 2 great programs. Piyo is supposed to be a fast paced combination of Pilates and Yoga. I've been working through this program with my wife. There isn't any impact on the joints, but it still works your body pretty good using all body weight exercises. Since she is just coming off hip replacement surgery back in April, this seemed like a great option. So far so good. Some of the workouts we've done so far have been extremely short (18 min, 21 min respectively) but I'm finding ways to dig deeper on my focus of what its trying to work and push my body. I'm not really sure what to expect from it, but I'm trusting the program and hoping for the best. Things that I am concerned about though are 1) losing some cardiovascular stamina and 2) losing some muscle size. After all there isn't any traditional cardio in this program and no weights per say lifted in the program. Just body weight. We just completed week 2, so 25% done. I'm looking forward to seeing how we are in the end.
Nutrition. Overall we eat pretty healthy. Weekends are more of a struggle. Vacations are definitely a struggle. We have done a great job of continuing our fitness and activity during these times, but nutrition wise we seem to just kind of throw most of it out the window. It is a challenge for both of us to find that happy medium. Christie has started reading the book "It Starts With Food", which kind of prepares you for the "Whole30". If anyone doesn't know what the Whole30 is, there is quite a bit of information available out there. Here is a link to their site: http://whole30.com/ The short of it? Eliminate all processed food, dairy (milk, cheese, ice cream, etc...) grains (breads, crackers, etc...) and just eat whole foods for 30 days. Oh yeah and no alcohol either. OUCH. Yeah, that one hurts. I'm not a drunk, but I do like to relax with a beer or two. Apparently we are targeting starting this Sept 1st. This will be a HUGE challenge for both of us. Can we do it? I believe we can, but the commitment will be kind of "next level" beyond where we have gone. We've done things before like the Paleo 28 day challenge, etc... so we know we can do this - but it will be tough. Damn I'll miss pizza. :(
Right or wrong I've picked my next program. It will be Body Beast (yes, why would I not pick a Beachbody program?). The 3 primary reasons why I chose this program 1) I need a break from Shaun T 2) I need a break from Tony Horton 3) I want to add a little muscular size to my frame and the 4th bonus, its on sale right now. lol I'm very anxious to start it - but at the same time it won't kill me to wait it out. Again - we have another 6 weeks of Piyo on the schedule.
One last thing.... I just celebrated 1 year of fitness. Yup, that is one year of making a commitment to being healthier. I committed to making sure I get 30 min a day of exercise in and I've stuck with that. During that time in the Beachbody community I've met some incredible people. Some truly inspiring people that have helped me on my journey to making me a better me. We have become some what of a family in our own right and I couldn't be happier about that. It brings me great pleasure to try and help them succeed and support them during their journey as they are doing for me. Just a truly awesome experience. Yet another reason why I love Beachbody. I'm very proud of how far I've come during that time, but I know not to get content - there is still work to be done. :)
I'll update again soon.... hopefully before September (I've become such a slackass on blogging)
I'm still at it. My weight is hanging between 169 & 170lbs. My nutrition isn't perfect. I know if I buckle down I will reach my next goal of 165lbs. Either way my body continues to change for the better. The scale number is just that - a number. I can show you a flabby person weighing 170lbs and I can show you a more muscular person at 170lbs. Right now I'm the latter. I want to continue to push myself and get down to 165lbs and lose the rest of this belly before my next program/routine. The best way to accomplish that is to continue to trust the workout programs and buckle down on my nutrition.
Current program is Piyo. I've completed my T25/P90X3 hybrid and it was fantastic. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who owns those 2 great programs. Piyo is supposed to be a fast paced combination of Pilates and Yoga. I've been working through this program with my wife. There isn't any impact on the joints, but it still works your body pretty good using all body weight exercises. Since she is just coming off hip replacement surgery back in April, this seemed like a great option. So far so good. Some of the workouts we've done so far have been extremely short (18 min, 21 min respectively) but I'm finding ways to dig deeper on my focus of what its trying to work and push my body. I'm not really sure what to expect from it, but I'm trusting the program and hoping for the best. Things that I am concerned about though are 1) losing some cardiovascular stamina and 2) losing some muscle size. After all there isn't any traditional cardio in this program and no weights per say lifted in the program. Just body weight. We just completed week 2, so 25% done. I'm looking forward to seeing how we are in the end.
Nutrition. Overall we eat pretty healthy. Weekends are more of a struggle. Vacations are definitely a struggle. We have done a great job of continuing our fitness and activity during these times, but nutrition wise we seem to just kind of throw most of it out the window. It is a challenge for both of us to find that happy medium. Christie has started reading the book "It Starts With Food", which kind of prepares you for the "Whole30". If anyone doesn't know what the Whole30 is, there is quite a bit of information available out there. Here is a link to their site: http://whole30.com/ The short of it? Eliminate all processed food, dairy (milk, cheese, ice cream, etc...) grains (breads, crackers, etc...) and just eat whole foods for 30 days. Oh yeah and no alcohol either. OUCH. Yeah, that one hurts. I'm not a drunk, but I do like to relax with a beer or two. Apparently we are targeting starting this Sept 1st. This will be a HUGE challenge for both of us. Can we do it? I believe we can, but the commitment will be kind of "next level" beyond where we have gone. We've done things before like the Paleo 28 day challenge, etc... so we know we can do this - but it will be tough. Damn I'll miss pizza. :(
Right or wrong I've picked my next program. It will be Body Beast (yes, why would I not pick a Beachbody program?). The 3 primary reasons why I chose this program 1) I need a break from Shaun T 2) I need a break from Tony Horton 3) I want to add a little muscular size to my frame and the 4th bonus, its on sale right now. lol I'm very anxious to start it - but at the same time it won't kill me to wait it out. Again - we have another 6 weeks of Piyo on the schedule.
One last thing.... I just celebrated 1 year of fitness. Yup, that is one year of making a commitment to being healthier. I committed to making sure I get 30 min a day of exercise in and I've stuck with that. During that time in the Beachbody community I've met some incredible people. Some truly inspiring people that have helped me on my journey to making me a better me. We have become some what of a family in our own right and I couldn't be happier about that. It brings me great pleasure to try and help them succeed and support them during their journey as they are doing for me. Just a truly awesome experience. Yet another reason why I love Beachbody. I'm very proud of how far I've come during that time, but I know not to get content - there is still work to be done. :)
I'll update again soon.... hopefully before September (I've become such a slackass on blogging)
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Still making forward progress.... wrapping up my hybrid
Look at that... long time no update (AGAIN). I'd just like to point out that Google makes updating a pain in my ass. It just seems to be a problem when you have more than 1 gmail account and your blog isn't associated with your primary email address. Whatever... enough with the technical crap.
OK - well I'm still going strong with my workouts. I have just over a week left of the T25/P90X3 hybrid I've been doing. Then I'm moving on to PiYo. I'm very hopeful that it is a workout that Christie and I can do together. If not, then so be it.
First and foremost... for about 2 weeks now on my weight check in days (Wednesday & Saturday mornings) I have weighed in under 170lbs. That is a big deal for me. Its something I've been striving to get to and been SO close for months. MONTHS. I don't think that I really had plateaued. My workouts really haven't changed. I'm still doing cardio & I'm still doing strength. My nutrition, still pretty much the same. Creature of habit? Yes I am. So yes, maybe I do only weigh 169.6lbs, but when you've been hovering between 171 - 174lbs for months, its a nice change. My next goal weight is 165lbs. I can get there. It may take a few more months to get there, but I will get there.
What really changed? One thing I did do was just add some dedicated ab work. I started with 3 days a week doing Power90's TH100 ab routine (10 exercises, 10 reps per exercise). After less than 2 weeks of that I jumped up to the TH200 ab routine (yes, same 10 exercises but 20 reps per). Also a few weeks ago I got some medicine balls courtesy of the Beachbody big summer blowout (and my family). lol Those things ROCK!! When the TH200 became less challenging I found a way to make it more challenging by incorporating a medicine ball wherever possible. This really started working my fat section. Especially those full body crunches. Do those but with the medicine ball held behind your head (not resting on the ground) and then crunching everything in? Feel it all the way through the core. AWESOME. I've also switched from doing any regular push ups to doing push ups using the medicine balls whenever push ups are called for in my workouts. Push ups off of medicine balls or side arm balances off of medicine balls, crazy core work. You fall and you fail if you don't engage that core. Its great stuff. Also - I added in trying to hold a plank at the end of my workout on the days that I'm not doing the modified TH2x0 ab routine. My goal has been to out-plank my previous plank. I think my first one was maybe 1 1/2 min. I'm now up to 3 min 15 sec. Time to push for more tomorrow.
Regardless of the "in my mind" plateau or the cursed number on the scale, I know my body has been changing. My abs want to come out and play. My waist is shrinking. I don't know what the size of my waist is, but it will be measured (for better or worse) AFTER we finish our NH vacation next weekend and before we start PiYo. I know it has shrank. Last year I had 1 pair of size 38 waist cargo shorts that I was pushing the limits on. This year, towards the end of spring, we bought 3 pairs of size 32 waist cargo shorts. Every one of those are too big now. All my work pants are 34's with stretchy waist, all too big. My shirts, I can't even wear XL anymore. Those are completely weeded out of my closet & dresser. Some larges fit good, but then again some size mediums fit good as well. Bottom line is, the scale doesn't tell the whole story. It is just a number. It does not tell the whole story, but it is still a measurement of progress.
On another note... its just a few more weeks until I have my 6 month follow up with my Dr. I went and got my blood taken for blood work this past weekend. I have been on Pravastatin for high cholesterol for years. I have also been taking a very low does of high blood pressure medication. My last check up (January) I had already lost about 23 lbs (now up to 27lbs) and all my blood work came back good. Vastly improved over what it was. In addition to that my blood pressure was normal. My goal was (as I told the Dr) to come back in July and prove to him that I no longer needed this medicine. I've changed my lifestyle (for the better) and with fitness & mostly good nutrition I am healthy. Do I have 6 pack abs? No (not yet). Either way, my waistline is no longer as wide (if not wider) than my chest & shoulders. I don't have the fat overhang, hanging over all my pants. My body is fairly muscular and getting better. I fully expect my blood work to come back and be substantially better than what it was in January. I expect that I will no longer be on any medications after that appointment. There will be no reason to. A year of excellent, healthy reports - tell me why I need the harmful medicines? I don't - and I won't.
It has been a crazy ride so far. My 1 year of dedication to fitness in my life comes up on July 27th. I'm looking forward to doing before & after pictures of that. I have the befores... I can't wait for the side by side comparison. :) Keep following so you can see that as well.
OK - well I'm still going strong with my workouts. I have just over a week left of the T25/P90X3 hybrid I've been doing. Then I'm moving on to PiYo. I'm very hopeful that it is a workout that Christie and I can do together. If not, then so be it.
First and foremost... for about 2 weeks now on my weight check in days (Wednesday & Saturday mornings) I have weighed in under 170lbs. That is a big deal for me. Its something I've been striving to get to and been SO close for months. MONTHS. I don't think that I really had plateaued. My workouts really haven't changed. I'm still doing cardio & I'm still doing strength. My nutrition, still pretty much the same. Creature of habit? Yes I am. So yes, maybe I do only weigh 169.6lbs, but when you've been hovering between 171 - 174lbs for months, its a nice change. My next goal weight is 165lbs. I can get there. It may take a few more months to get there, but I will get there.
What really changed? One thing I did do was just add some dedicated ab work. I started with 3 days a week doing Power90's TH100 ab routine (10 exercises, 10 reps per exercise). After less than 2 weeks of that I jumped up to the TH200 ab routine (yes, same 10 exercises but 20 reps per). Also a few weeks ago I got some medicine balls courtesy of the Beachbody big summer blowout (and my family). lol Those things ROCK!! When the TH200 became less challenging I found a way to make it more challenging by incorporating a medicine ball wherever possible. This really started working my fat section. Especially those full body crunches. Do those but with the medicine ball held behind your head (not resting on the ground) and then crunching everything in? Feel it all the way through the core. AWESOME. I've also switched from doing any regular push ups to doing push ups using the medicine balls whenever push ups are called for in my workouts. Push ups off of medicine balls or side arm balances off of medicine balls, crazy core work. You fall and you fail if you don't engage that core. Its great stuff. Also - I added in trying to hold a plank at the end of my workout on the days that I'm not doing the modified TH2x0 ab routine. My goal has been to out-plank my previous plank. I think my first one was maybe 1 1/2 min. I'm now up to 3 min 15 sec. Time to push for more tomorrow.
Regardless of the "in my mind" plateau or the cursed number on the scale, I know my body has been changing. My abs want to come out and play. My waist is shrinking. I don't know what the size of my waist is, but it will be measured (for better or worse) AFTER we finish our NH vacation next weekend and before we start PiYo. I know it has shrank. Last year I had 1 pair of size 38 waist cargo shorts that I was pushing the limits on. This year, towards the end of spring, we bought 3 pairs of size 32 waist cargo shorts. Every one of those are too big now. All my work pants are 34's with stretchy waist, all too big. My shirts, I can't even wear XL anymore. Those are completely weeded out of my closet & dresser. Some larges fit good, but then again some size mediums fit good as well. Bottom line is, the scale doesn't tell the whole story. It is just a number. It does not tell the whole story, but it is still a measurement of progress.
On another note... its just a few more weeks until I have my 6 month follow up with my Dr. I went and got my blood taken for blood work this past weekend. I have been on Pravastatin for high cholesterol for years. I have also been taking a very low does of high blood pressure medication. My last check up (January) I had already lost about 23 lbs (now up to 27lbs) and all my blood work came back good. Vastly improved over what it was. In addition to that my blood pressure was normal. My goal was (as I told the Dr) to come back in July and prove to him that I no longer needed this medicine. I've changed my lifestyle (for the better) and with fitness & mostly good nutrition I am healthy. Do I have 6 pack abs? No (not yet). Either way, my waistline is no longer as wide (if not wider) than my chest & shoulders. I don't have the fat overhang, hanging over all my pants. My body is fairly muscular and getting better. I fully expect my blood work to come back and be substantially better than what it was in January. I expect that I will no longer be on any medications after that appointment. There will be no reason to. A year of excellent, healthy reports - tell me why I need the harmful medicines? I don't - and I won't.
It has been a crazy ride so far. My 1 year of dedication to fitness in my life comes up on July 27th. I'm looking forward to doing before & after pictures of that. I have the befores... I can't wait for the side by side comparison. :) Keep following so you can see that as well.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Look who's still at it?
Well first off I'm still working out faithfully. My neck/shoulder issues appear to be a thing of the past. My nutrition is still an issue. Summer is here and everything in summer says "drink a beer with me". lol I'm working on that. I really am. I'm focusing on trying to limit my alcohol consumption to 1 day a week and even at that, limit it to 2 or 3 beers. There isn't a need for it at all, but I do enjoy it. The problem is - I have a beer or two and then out comes the junk food. Granted, it isn't an every day thing. Its not even an every few days thing, but it still ends up being a bigger issue. Its certainly not helping me get to the bigger goal.
So what have I been up to? First.... well I'm not just doing T25. I'm not just doing P90x3. I'm doing a hybrid of the two programs and quite honestly I'm loving it. P90X3 had zero cardio to offer me. T25 pretty much had very little strength training to offer me. I do love weight workouts. SOOOO.... the search for a hybrid went on. I found one I like that wasn't just doing doubles every frigin day (I ain't got time for all that!) Its workout out really well. I really enjoy the blend and variety of it all. I'm currently on week 6 of this thing... 6 or 7 more weeks to go!
http://johntfitness.com/p90x3-t25-hybrid/
I'll check my weight on Saturday but my mid week check had me at 176, which didn't really please me. I did drink a lot and eat a lot over the holiday weekend though.
Bottom line: I will not reach my fitness goals if I do not correct my nutrition. I'm a dead horse by saying it and not completely correcting it, but that is the reality. Something I need to work on. Part of addressing that will be me getting more involved in the meal planning and controlling my portions. I can workout until my arms & legs fall off, but it won't matter if I don't fuel my body correctly. My first time I did Power90 I used the following book: The Formula: 40-30-30. Honestly - I kicked ass and my body looked it too. My strength gains were better, my stamina was better, I slept better and my urges for junk food were very much in control. Definitely a good read for anyone interested:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Formula-Personalized-40-30-30-Program/dp/0345443063
Being honest with myself I think I need to setup a 3 week interval where I reign in my nutrition and follow a strict meal plan to see how my body does. I need to know if I'm ever going to see under 170 again (other than for a brief fleeting day or two). I've come a great distance, but I am not there. It is great to be at a healthy weight again. Feeling more fit and strong. Liking the way I look (minus the abs). There is still more work to be done though.
That's all I've got for today. I'll do a better job of updating my blog. Nearly 2 months between posts? Not gonna work. Good luck to everyone with their fitness goals!!
So what have I been up to? First.... well I'm not just doing T25. I'm not just doing P90x3. I'm doing a hybrid of the two programs and quite honestly I'm loving it. P90X3 had zero cardio to offer me. T25 pretty much had very little strength training to offer me. I do love weight workouts. SOOOO.... the search for a hybrid went on. I found one I like that wasn't just doing doubles every frigin day (I ain't got time for all that!) Its workout out really well. I really enjoy the blend and variety of it all. I'm currently on week 6 of this thing... 6 or 7 more weeks to go!
http://johntfitness.com/p90x3-t25-hybrid/
I'll check my weight on Saturday but my mid week check had me at 176, which didn't really please me. I did drink a lot and eat a lot over the holiday weekend though.
Bottom line: I will not reach my fitness goals if I do not correct my nutrition. I'm a dead horse by saying it and not completely correcting it, but that is the reality. Something I need to work on. Part of addressing that will be me getting more involved in the meal planning and controlling my portions. I can workout until my arms & legs fall off, but it won't matter if I don't fuel my body correctly. My first time I did Power90 I used the following book: The Formula: 40-30-30. Honestly - I kicked ass and my body looked it too. My strength gains were better, my stamina was better, I slept better and my urges for junk food were very much in control. Definitely a good read for anyone interested:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Formula-Personalized-40-30-30-Program/dp/0345443063
Being honest with myself I think I need to setup a 3 week interval where I reign in my nutrition and follow a strict meal plan to see how my body does. I need to know if I'm ever going to see under 170 again (other than for a brief fleeting day or two). I've come a great distance, but I am not there. It is great to be at a healthy weight again. Feeling more fit and strong. Liking the way I look (minus the abs). There is still more work to be done though.
That's all I've got for today. I'll do a better job of updating my blog. Nearly 2 months between posts? Not gonna work. Good luck to everyone with their fitness goals!!
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition... some of my struggles
I started writing this post a couple days ago and every time I think I'm good, I delete everything I had in my head and restart it. Why? I just don't know how to resolve my issue. I don't know exactly what to say. Often (VERY OFTEN) I criticize people (yes, I am as critical of others as I am of myself - equal opportunist) for not taking action. For just sitting around and "thinking" about what to do next. Instead of just picking a fucking route and moving forward. If its the wrong direction, well then take a step back and change direction. The worst thing you can do (in my opinion) is nothing. Sitting around and saying you are thinking about doing something or trying to map out this fucking long term master plan is a waste of fucking time. Doing something to move forward, even if later it proves to not be the best solution, is better than doing NOTHING.
Yet - here I am. Sitting and thinking about nutrition. Why would I do that? After all, on a good day I'm down 27lbs on an average day I'm doing 23/24 lbs. I am proud of that accomplishment. I truly am. It has taken a lot of effort, discipline and consistency to get this far - but if there is anything I have learned throughout my journey (which dates back a lot farther than this blog) is if you don't set goals, you will fail. You need to have a target you are trying to hit. If you hit that target, you find another target to hit. You need to have something to keep working towards - if not, whats the point?
My goal is to have a frigin 6 pack. For as far back as Power90 (hmmm, 11 yrs ago or so?) I've said - I can do this and I will get a 6 pack. Yet, despite all my successes and failures, I've never achieved that. Sure a 6 pack is kind of a generic goal. What do you need to get to that goal? You need consistency with fitness and you need consistency with nutrition. Fitness is typically the easier of the two (IMO). You need to find a time (or make time in your schedule) for it. I've found a way to do that. I've put in the time and continue to due so. Every morning I get up, grab my shorts off the floor and head down to the kitchen to grab my water bottle and then head to the basement to get my workout in. Every. Single. Morning. Why do I need to do that? I mean - I'm already down over 20lbs and according to other people I look great!
I sincerely appreciate people's support and their kind compliments. It is not my intent to give them the feeling that their compliments do not matter or that I don't care what they have to say. It is not. Ultimately though I have to be happy with my results and I am not there. I want to believe that I will know when I get there, but I'm not there. That much I do know. My core could/should be stronger and more defined. I've often though about doing doubles of P90x3 and T25 to accomplish this - but I'm guilty of "over thinking" the situation. Is it the right thing to do? Just double up on the work, increase the workload of your body to reach the goal.. or what you perceive to be the goal? What happens if you get injured and you can't even do the first workout for a while... what do you do then?
It brings me to nutrition. Probably my biggest downfall. Yes, I know Doritos and beer aren't good for me. No shit. I can read ingredients and see that, but you know what.... I like to have them from time to time. Some weeks more than others. Should I have a second plate of whatever dinner is that night? Probably not. Should I go back for more pizza? Probably not. These are things I do though. They are also decisions that are preventing me to getting to my next goal. These are MY decisions and I have no one to blame for them but myself. I had been teetering on the weight of 170lbs for weeks. Some time last week I saw myself about 173 and honestly I haven't stepped back on the scale since. I know if I do, it won't be what I want - because I haven't changed the things I need to change.
In addition to all my nutrition struggles - the past week I have really struggled to get these workouts in. I'm getting them done. Haven't missed a single one, which I should be proud of. I'm fighting it though. My body is tired and I promised myself I wouldn't overtax my body like I did last time and injure myself. Yet another reason why I haven't done doubles with T25. I've been doing the 30 day burpee challenge (30 burpees a day for 30 days) in conjunction with restarting P90x3 and it has been SO tough to get through these burpees as the week goes on. Honestly, by the end of the week it was taking me 10 minutes to finish 30 burpees. Fucking ridiculous. I'm more fit than that. The issue though (IMO) is when I choose to not fuel my body right. Indulge in some alcohol, even if its just a beer or two, and some empty calories the next day my body is completely drained. Even more than if I instead chose just to go to bed hungry. Not that I typically do, I'm usually quite satisfied with dinner (unless we have shrimp for some reason) and I typically do not eat another thing after dinner. I try to go by the "eat nothing within 3 hrs of going to bed" rule, with the exception of Saturday nights when we have our "date night".
Anywho I need to just end this sorry ass post and get back to work. I can't keep over thinking the situation. I need to just prepare my food better and make the healthiest choice available to me at that given time and I will get there. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).
Yet - here I am. Sitting and thinking about nutrition. Why would I do that? After all, on a good day I'm down 27lbs on an average day I'm doing 23/24 lbs. I am proud of that accomplishment. I truly am. It has taken a lot of effort, discipline and consistency to get this far - but if there is anything I have learned throughout my journey (which dates back a lot farther than this blog) is if you don't set goals, you will fail. You need to have a target you are trying to hit. If you hit that target, you find another target to hit. You need to have something to keep working towards - if not, whats the point?
My goal is to have a frigin 6 pack. For as far back as Power90 (hmmm, 11 yrs ago or so?) I've said - I can do this and I will get a 6 pack. Yet, despite all my successes and failures, I've never achieved that. Sure a 6 pack is kind of a generic goal. What do you need to get to that goal? You need consistency with fitness and you need consistency with nutrition. Fitness is typically the easier of the two (IMO). You need to find a time (or make time in your schedule) for it. I've found a way to do that. I've put in the time and continue to due so. Every morning I get up, grab my shorts off the floor and head down to the kitchen to grab my water bottle and then head to the basement to get my workout in. Every. Single. Morning. Why do I need to do that? I mean - I'm already down over 20lbs and according to other people I look great!
I sincerely appreciate people's support and their kind compliments. It is not my intent to give them the feeling that their compliments do not matter or that I don't care what they have to say. It is not. Ultimately though I have to be happy with my results and I am not there. I want to believe that I will know when I get there, but I'm not there. That much I do know. My core could/should be stronger and more defined. I've often though about doing doubles of P90x3 and T25 to accomplish this - but I'm guilty of "over thinking" the situation. Is it the right thing to do? Just double up on the work, increase the workload of your body to reach the goal.. or what you perceive to be the goal? What happens if you get injured and you can't even do the first workout for a while... what do you do then?
It brings me to nutrition. Probably my biggest downfall. Yes, I know Doritos and beer aren't good for me. No shit. I can read ingredients and see that, but you know what.... I like to have them from time to time. Some weeks more than others. Should I have a second plate of whatever dinner is that night? Probably not. Should I go back for more pizza? Probably not. These are things I do though. They are also decisions that are preventing me to getting to my next goal. These are MY decisions and I have no one to blame for them but myself. I had been teetering on the weight of 170lbs for weeks. Some time last week I saw myself about 173 and honestly I haven't stepped back on the scale since. I know if I do, it won't be what I want - because I haven't changed the things I need to change.
In addition to all my nutrition struggles - the past week I have really struggled to get these workouts in. I'm getting them done. Haven't missed a single one, which I should be proud of. I'm fighting it though. My body is tired and I promised myself I wouldn't overtax my body like I did last time and injure myself. Yet another reason why I haven't done doubles with T25. I've been doing the 30 day burpee challenge (30 burpees a day for 30 days) in conjunction with restarting P90x3 and it has been SO tough to get through these burpees as the week goes on. Honestly, by the end of the week it was taking me 10 minutes to finish 30 burpees. Fucking ridiculous. I'm more fit than that. The issue though (IMO) is when I choose to not fuel my body right. Indulge in some alcohol, even if its just a beer or two, and some empty calories the next day my body is completely drained. Even more than if I instead chose just to go to bed hungry. Not that I typically do, I'm usually quite satisfied with dinner (unless we have shrimp for some reason) and I typically do not eat another thing after dinner. I try to go by the "eat nothing within 3 hrs of going to bed" rule, with the exception of Saturday nights when we have our "date night".
Anywho I need to just end this sorry ass post and get back to work. I can't keep over thinking the situation. I need to just prepare my food better and make the healthiest choice available to me at that given time and I will get there. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).
Monday, March 31, 2014
P90X3 re-started!! Nutrition. blah
OK - so I just realized that I never went back on Saturday and weighed myself in for the "weekly" weigh in. My bag. Oh well. I wouldn't have expected a better weigh in. My nutrition was spotty at best. I think I drank alcohol 4 days last week. 4 fucking days. That's not going to get it done. Do I really need to wonder why my belly isn't getting smaller?
This weekend I didn't do any structured workouts. Saturday I helped my youngest brother move, but that honestly wasn't that difficult. So thanks Justin! I feared the worst, but it wasn't bad at all. I was supposed to do Combat 30 on Saturday, but my morning was spent just trying to get the kids ready and help Christie get out the door before I left. Sunday was going to be a rest day and it was. I did NOTHING.
Overall I've been really tired. I'm pretty sure its due to the nutrition or lack there of that I've been consuming. Again - drinking 4 days last week (7 beers total)...wait.... was it only 4 times.... might have been 5. Either way, it just drags you down. As much as you may enjoy it while you are doing it the energy level after just plummets. I've been drinking my Shakeology for breakfasts and that is great. I love it. Love the taste of it and honestly its quick & easy. I'm not helping myself with some of my other choices though. I have to get back on track and just have my 1 night a week where we consume some bad food. Limiting myself to 1 or 2 beers.
P90x3. I did a workout last week to test my shoulder and overall I felt great. My muscles were sore and it was a feeling I had not had in a while. It felt great and I definitely missed it. Initially I thought to myself "I'm going to go crazy and do doubles every morning of X3 and T25!". I definitely want to work in more T25 because the program is phenomenal. It totally works your core and the cardio is awesome. Something X3 seriously lacks. My focus though needs to shift back to nutrition and portion control. Anywho, I'm getting sidetracked.
X3 is great. I LOVE the strength workouts. This morning I did 11 unassisted pull ups. 4 chin ups with you pulling your knees up to your chest after you have your head above the bar. 7 pull ups where you bring your legs around in a circular motion across your chest after you pulled your head above the bar. So - completely different exercises, but still 11 when all is said and done. It felt great. There was a time though when I was telling Tony to just shut the fuck up and get on with the workouts. lol Its all good though. He didn't mind. lol
Tomorrow will be Agility X which is by far one of my least favorite workouts ever. I just don't enjoy it. I'll focus on form though and try and make the best of it. Until then!!
This weekend I didn't do any structured workouts. Saturday I helped my youngest brother move, but that honestly wasn't that difficult. So thanks Justin! I feared the worst, but it wasn't bad at all. I was supposed to do Combat 30 on Saturday, but my morning was spent just trying to get the kids ready and help Christie get out the door before I left. Sunday was going to be a rest day and it was. I did NOTHING.
Overall I've been really tired. I'm pretty sure its due to the nutrition or lack there of that I've been consuming. Again - drinking 4 days last week (7 beers total)...wait.... was it only 4 times.... might have been 5. Either way, it just drags you down. As much as you may enjoy it while you are doing it the energy level after just plummets. I've been drinking my Shakeology for breakfasts and that is great. I love it. Love the taste of it and honestly its quick & easy. I'm not helping myself with some of my other choices though. I have to get back on track and just have my 1 night a week where we consume some bad food. Limiting myself to 1 or 2 beers.
P90x3. I did a workout last week to test my shoulder and overall I felt great. My muscles were sore and it was a feeling I had not had in a while. It felt great and I definitely missed it. Initially I thought to myself "I'm going to go crazy and do doubles every morning of X3 and T25!". I definitely want to work in more T25 because the program is phenomenal. It totally works your core and the cardio is awesome. Something X3 seriously lacks. My focus though needs to shift back to nutrition and portion control. Anywho, I'm getting sidetracked.
X3 is great. I LOVE the strength workouts. This morning I did 11 unassisted pull ups. 4 chin ups with you pulling your knees up to your chest after you have your head above the bar. 7 pull ups where you bring your legs around in a circular motion across your chest after you pulled your head above the bar. So - completely different exercises, but still 11 when all is said and done. It felt great. There was a time though when I was telling Tony to just shut the fuck up and get on with the workouts. lol Its all good though. He didn't mind. lol
Tomorrow will be Agility X which is by far one of my least favorite workouts ever. I just don't enjoy it. I'll focus on form though and try and make the best of it. Until then!!
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Mid week weigh in, Combat week 2, new pull up bar
OK - so today's weigh in was 170.6lbs I don't buy it and don't get it. I certainly don't feel it. Definitely feeling bloated. I'm killing a fair amount of calories doing Combat, but I know its not the most intense workout I've done. So it makes me wonder how many calories would I be killing if I was doing a more intense workout. Hmmmmm
Combat - Week #2. Lets see, unlike week #1 I have actually followed the schedule, not guessed which workout is the next day and just did what I thought I was supposed to do. Such a dumbass. I've used the weighted gloves all week, except for the Power HIIT workout (30 min and over 350 cals burned) and yes, its provided more resistance. Extremely difficult routine? No. Tomorrow is a scheduled "rest day" and they follow that up with Shock Plyo (jelly legs, lots of jumping) and Combat 30 to round out the week. I'm thinking tomorrow I'm going to do P90x3 Incinerator to see how many calories I kill. Great strength training and I could really use that right now.
New Pull Up bar - FINALLY I used my lunch break today on my "work from home" day and cut up the 2x6 and mounted it to the ceiling joists in the basement. Drilled a couple holes and insert 5' long x 1" thick black steel pipe. Ta-da! New pull-up bar. Why go through all this trouble? Let me just say this.... my existing one did in fact work. It did. It mounted in the door frame. The challenge with it was the door frame was at the bottom of a stair landing. Extremely easy to do "assisted" pull ups with one foot on the landing. When I did pull myself all the way up (my max is 6 unassisted) my head would either A) hit the ceiling or B) hit the light mounted on the ceiling. Kinda sucked. The new one is roughly 18" down from the ceiling so this should help avoid those scenarios. In addition, its just a straight bar. So no odd hand grippings when trying to to do any of the assorted pull ups in X3. On top of all that - as I've tested, my form is MUCH better with the new pull up bar. I'm excited to use it for a workout. LOL
That's all I've got really. Really tired and stressed lately. Things have been really busy at work, busy at home and sleep is a precious thing. I'm thankful that I've been able to workout and help with some of the stress release, but I'm looking forward to calmer times and getting past this stress.
Combat - Week #2. Lets see, unlike week #1 I have actually followed the schedule, not guessed which workout is the next day and just did what I thought I was supposed to do. Such a dumbass. I've used the weighted gloves all week, except for the Power HIIT workout (30 min and over 350 cals burned) and yes, its provided more resistance. Extremely difficult routine? No. Tomorrow is a scheduled "rest day" and they follow that up with Shock Plyo (jelly legs, lots of jumping) and Combat 30 to round out the week. I'm thinking tomorrow I'm going to do P90x3 Incinerator to see how many calories I kill. Great strength training and I could really use that right now.
New Pull Up bar - FINALLY I used my lunch break today on my "work from home" day and cut up the 2x6 and mounted it to the ceiling joists in the basement. Drilled a couple holes and insert 5' long x 1" thick black steel pipe. Ta-da! New pull-up bar. Why go through all this trouble? Let me just say this.... my existing one did in fact work. It did. It mounted in the door frame. The challenge with it was the door frame was at the bottom of a stair landing. Extremely easy to do "assisted" pull ups with one foot on the landing. When I did pull myself all the way up (my max is 6 unassisted) my head would either A) hit the ceiling or B) hit the light mounted on the ceiling. Kinda sucked. The new one is roughly 18" down from the ceiling so this should help avoid those scenarios. In addition, its just a straight bar. So no odd hand grippings when trying to to do any of the assorted pull ups in X3. On top of all that - as I've tested, my form is MUCH better with the new pull up bar. I'm excited to use it for a workout. LOL
That's all I've got really. Really tired and stressed lately. Things have been really busy at work, busy at home and sleep is a precious thing. I'm thankful that I've been able to workout and help with some of the stress release, but I'm looking forward to calmer times and getting past this stress.
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