Well, well, well..........the end of the week is finally here! It's bittersweet for me. Bitter, because it is time to go back to the 9-5, and sweet because of the results I have seen after this weeks changes.
As you know, this week I gave up sweets. This has been the toughest challenge of all. Sweets have been a staple in my daily diet for as long as I can remember. The one thing that I miss the most have been my usual snack of Mike & Ikes. I didn't realize exactly HOW MANY sweets I was eating until I had to give them up, but this week was definitely a challenge.
The things that I will be missing the least are the nearly 6 lbs I have lost! I weighed in this Thursday at 197.2, which is down 6 lbs from 203!
I really focused on my strength training this week. Each day I hit 2 muscle groups, and I raised the intensity throughout the routine. I do feel like I pushed a little too hard on the RDLs during my back day. I have had issues in the past with a bulged disk in my back, and the pain can come back when I push the routine too far.
Next week, I going to start to focus on my abs, everyone's favorite part of the workout. I will post my workout tomorrow if you are following along. My nutritional change will be no eating after 8 pm. My wife and I are definitely late night snackers, and I think we will both benefit from this change!
The end of week results are listed below:
Weight: 197.2
Push ups: 53
5K: 23:59
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Week 3 Update
Hello Everyone!
Happy Wednesday! I hope you all have been enjoying the work week and making good progress in your healthy habits!
This week has been pretty good in the exercise department. I have finally had the opportunity to focus on each muscle group during my workout routine.
One of the most important parts of strength training is rest. You need to make sure you are letting your muscles recover. Before this week, each day I had been doing a full body routine which I felt slowed down my muscles recovery because they were never getting the break they needed. Now, with this new plan, they are only being pushed to the test once or twice a week and getting to the chance to fully recover.
No candy or unhealthy snacks have proven to be my Achilles hill! This has by far been the hardest thing to give up. I am willing myself to do it but it has not been easy. I guess if it was easy, everyone would do it. It has taken alot of discipline and frankly, I didn't know I could go this long without a "sweet fix." But I have seen the benefits of it because the scale has actually dropped below 200!
I hope you all continue to make positive changes and I will check back with you all later in the week. Please feel free to mention what healthy changes you have made for yourself!
Happy Wednesday! I hope you all have been enjoying the work week and making good progress in your healthy habits!
This week has been pretty good in the exercise department. I have finally had the opportunity to focus on each muscle group during my workout routine.
One of the most important parts of strength training is rest. You need to make sure you are letting your muscles recover. Before this week, each day I had been doing a full body routine which I felt slowed down my muscles recovery because they were never getting the break they needed. Now, with this new plan, they are only being pushed to the test once or twice a week and getting to the chance to fully recover.
No candy or unhealthy snacks have proven to be my Achilles hill! This has by far been the hardest thing to give up. I am willing myself to do it but it has not been easy. I guess if it was easy, everyone would do it. It has taken alot of discipline and frankly, I didn't know I could go this long without a "sweet fix." But I have seen the benefits of it because the scale has actually dropped below 200!
I hope you all continue to make positive changes and I will check back with you all later in the week. Please feel free to mention what healthy changes you have made for yourself!
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Week 2 Summary
Hello Everyone and welcome back!
I hope the weekend treated you well! Did you get to enjoy some fun in the sun? I sure hope so!
This week has been a great motivator for me! I had some really strong workouts and even though I had a minor setback (Heat Exhaustion) I really feel like I am starting to see slight changes is my appearance. I will be posting some pictures at the end of the seven weeks to see if you all can notice any changes as well.
The workouts have been going well and so has the nutritional changes! This week is the second week of being allowed to only drink water and I feel great. I dont really miss any of the other beverages anymore and it has only been 2 weeks! This week I started to avoid fried foods. It is usually difficult on the weekends more than the weekdays mainly because my wife and I go out to eat more on Friday and Saturday. This week we chose to have our date nights more of the ice cream variety. Now I know what your thinking, " I thought you were trying to eat healthy?" My response: Yes, I am. I am trying to make one healthy change at a time and so far getting rid of ice cream has not been part of it :-)
This week, however, the ice cream is no more....
This week my new workout plan is listed below and my modification on nutrition is no more unhealthy treats. The only snacks I am allowed to indulge in are fruits, veggies, nuts, or yogurt.
As for my fitness test, here are my results:
Pushup test: 46 Reps
5K time: 24:19
Again, improvement in both categories. I know I will eventually start to plateau but for now, I will enjoy the success! My 5k time has dropped over three and a half minutes from what it originally was! Thats nearly a half of a mile faster in regards to when I would cross the finish line! Also, my pushups are 10 higher than originally which means I improved my over 20% since starting my challenge!
Feel free to comment on your own success! I would love to hear about it!
I hope the weekend treated you well! Did you get to enjoy some fun in the sun? I sure hope so!
This week has been a great motivator for me! I had some really strong workouts and even though I had a minor setback (Heat Exhaustion) I really feel like I am starting to see slight changes is my appearance. I will be posting some pictures at the end of the seven weeks to see if you all can notice any changes as well.
The workouts have been going well and so has the nutritional changes! This week is the second week of being allowed to only drink water and I feel great. I dont really miss any of the other beverages anymore and it has only been 2 weeks! This week I started to avoid fried foods. It is usually difficult on the weekends more than the weekdays mainly because my wife and I go out to eat more on Friday and Saturday. This week we chose to have our date nights more of the ice cream variety. Now I know what your thinking, " I thought you were trying to eat healthy?" My response: Yes, I am. I am trying to make one healthy change at a time and so far getting rid of ice cream has not been part of it :-)
This week, however, the ice cream is no more....
This week my new workout plan is listed below and my modification on nutrition is no more unhealthy treats. The only snacks I am allowed to indulge in are fruits, veggies, nuts, or yogurt.
As for my fitness test, here are my results:
Pushup test: 46 Reps
5K time: 24:19
Again, improvement in both categories. I know I will eventually start to plateau but for now, I will enjoy the success! My 5k time has dropped over three and a half minutes from what it originally was! Thats nearly a half of a mile faster in regards to when I would cross the finish line! Also, my pushups are 10 higher than originally which means I improved my over 20% since starting my challenge!
Feel free to comment on your own success! I would love to hear about it!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Listen to your Body!
Hello Again!
The last couple of days have been quite an adventure.
Remember, I always mention to listen to your body; this is why...
Wednesday I go into work and work a full day. Where I work there is a building with no air conditioner. Since we have been short staffed I spend the majority of the day in this building. By lunch time the temperature inside is hotter than the outside. By 2:00pm it is nearly 100 degrees and I have been sweating the entire time. I got off work around 4:00pm and started my usual trek to the gym when I realized there was no way I could make it in. I went home and took a cold shower and drank plenty of water but still did not feel well. I wound up going to bed and sleeping for nearly 11 hours!
This morning I woke up and felt amazing! I am glad that a little bit of rest and hydration is all I needed to get back to 100%. I had a great workout today and made it one day closer to the weekend.
I hope your weekend plans are coming together and your workouts are still growing strong. If you have made any changes to your diets or have any success stories please dont hesitate to post them!
The last couple of days have been quite an adventure.
Remember, I always mention to listen to your body; this is why...
Wednesday I go into work and work a full day. Where I work there is a building with no air conditioner. Since we have been short staffed I spend the majority of the day in this building. By lunch time the temperature inside is hotter than the outside. By 2:00pm it is nearly 100 degrees and I have been sweating the entire time. I got off work around 4:00pm and started my usual trek to the gym when I realized there was no way I could make it in. I went home and took a cold shower and drank plenty of water but still did not feel well. I wound up going to bed and sleeping for nearly 11 hours!
This morning I woke up and felt amazing! I am glad that a little bit of rest and hydration is all I needed to get back to 100%. I had a great workout today and made it one day closer to the weekend.
I hope your weekend plans are coming together and your workouts are still growing strong. If you have made any changes to your diets or have any success stories please dont hesitate to post them!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Keep Going Strong!
Hello Everyone!
Yesterday I stepped on the scale and weighed in at 202.8. So 1 pound down and much more to go! I knew the weight would not be too low since I have really only taken soft drinks, energy drinks and shakes out of my diet.
The ACSM suggests that a healthy weight loss goal is between 1-2 pounds a week. So I am in that group. The scale has said I have lost over 4 pounds and also that I have barely lost ounces. Still it is too early to really tell but I feel alot better!
Yesterday and todays workouts went really well and I haven't had much problems avoiding the fried foods(yet). Usually the weekends have been my problem days for fried meals so I will definitely try to avoid them on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This weekend I will be taking my wife out for a much needed date night so I will keep you posted with any healthy options I choose or any unhealthy ones I had to fight to avoid!
My energy levels feel fantastic and I am looking forward to continuing this challenge. So far, so good. I just need to keep going strong.
Yesterday I stepped on the scale and weighed in at 202.8. So 1 pound down and much more to go! I knew the weight would not be too low since I have really only taken soft drinks, energy drinks and shakes out of my diet.
The ACSM suggests that a healthy weight loss goal is between 1-2 pounds a week. So I am in that group. The scale has said I have lost over 4 pounds and also that I have barely lost ounces. Still it is too early to really tell but I feel alot better!
Yesterday and todays workouts went really well and I haven't had much problems avoiding the fried foods(yet). Usually the weekends have been my problem days for fried meals so I will definitely try to avoid them on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This weekend I will be taking my wife out for a much needed date night so I will keep you posted with any healthy options I choose or any unhealthy ones I had to fight to avoid!
My energy levels feel fantastic and I am looking forward to continuing this challenge. So far, so good. I just need to keep going strong.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Week 1 Wrap-Up
Hello everyone and welcome back! I hope your weekend was full of rest and relaxation (With some exercise peppered in)!
This weekend I went to the beach for the weekend. I still made sure to take some time to continue the workout schedule as it was listed for week 1.
At the end of the week I took two different tests to measure my success thus far. I did the 5k and the pushup test. My results for the week 1 wrap up were:
Pushups: 41 Reps
5k Time: 26:27
I would say that overall, that is some terrific progress! My pushups have increased by 5 in the matter of a week and my run time improved by 1:35! When I did the tests my body felt alot better than the way I felt last week.
Now on to week 2..
My new workout routine is listed below. This week I will continue my structured warm-up and follow it up with a little more in-depth dynamic stretching section. Stretching is a very important thing that most people tend to neglect. Dynamic stretching is different than static stretching because your body is moving throughout the stretch.
For my Nutritional change this week I am going to get rid of fried foods. I think this will be very difficult but I think it will make the biggest change in my waistline.
I hope you are all taking steps in the healthy direction. If you haven't started yet, there is no time like the present!
This weekend I went to the beach for the weekend. I still made sure to take some time to continue the workout schedule as it was listed for week 1.
At the end of the week I took two different tests to measure my success thus far. I did the 5k and the pushup test. My results for the week 1 wrap up were:
Pushups: 41 Reps
5k Time: 26:27
I would say that overall, that is some terrific progress! My pushups have increased by 5 in the matter of a week and my run time improved by 1:35! When I did the tests my body felt alot better than the way I felt last week.
Now on to week 2..
My new workout routine is listed below. This week I will continue my structured warm-up and follow it up with a little more in-depth dynamic stretching section. Stretching is a very important thing that most people tend to neglect. Dynamic stretching is different than static stretching because your body is moving throughout the stretch.
For my Nutritional change this week I am going to get rid of fried foods. I think this will be very difficult but I think it will make the biggest change in my waistline.
I hope you are all taking steps in the healthy direction. If you haven't started yet, there is no time like the present!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
It's The Small Victories That Sometimes Count The Most!
Hello everyone and welcome back!
I hope you are all gearing up for the weekend! Make sure you enjoy your much needed rest and relaxation!
This week has been a huge motivator for me. I have felt some lows from my caffeine withdrawals but for the most part I have felt a lot more highs. The amount of energy I have been getting from these workouts has been a real inspiration. My body feels a lot “cleaner” from only drinking water, and the number on the scale seems to be going down slightly. I don’t want to call it weight loss yet because your weight will consistently fluctuate a few pounds. I will, however, call it a small victory!
Wednesday:
I worked out with a friend and we followed the set workout routine. Since I had a workout buddy with me I definitely tried to kick it up a notch. After the workout I felt good. For the first time this week I have not been sore so that was a plus. I had the same slight headache I have been dealing with all week. I really think it is because I have not been indulging in my energy drinks and am going through a form of withdrawal from lack of caffeine. I am not craving the drinks, just the caffeine.
Thursday:
Today I woke up and went the whole day without a headache! I went through the workday without a problem and did a few social events this evening too. By the time I got home this evening I really didn’t feel like working out. I thought to myself that my whole idea is about taking the right steps towards health. Even though I might not sprint each step, just moving in the right direction is a good idea. So I laced up the shoes and did a good eighteen minute warmup followed up by stretching, weights, core and finished with a quick cooldown. I will admit I was not excited about working out at first but by the time the first drop of sweat hit the floor I was back in it!
I hope your workouts and nutrition has been going well for you. Remember, you don’t always have to sprint, just keep moving in the right direction!
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