Success Warrior: The Blog That Embraces ADHD

Get Ready for Summer (Part 2)

So,

There are about 90 days left until June, which gives people enough time to make some dramatic changes in their body composition or fitness levels before summer if they start now.  We have taken it up a notch here to get ready, individually and as a family.

We started doing something new a couple of weeks ago that has been fun and that we'll continue.  It stems from, in a way, from watching The Biggest Loser.  Quite some time back, as I was walking through the living room to get a drink before returning to homework, I noticed that Tia and Trey were watching some kind of fitness show.  This went on for a couple of weeks and I found that I would stop at watch a few seconds more each time to see what was going on.  One day, I just sat down and finished watching the rest of the episode they were watching.  They were watching episodes on Netflix and by the time that I finally decided it was interesting enough, they were halfway through Season 2.  I have a whole post of information in my head about The Biggest Loser but the important point for today's post is that many of the people on the show have been obese since childhood.

Trey is incredibly skinny and I think that Tia and I provide a good example for him already but we thought it would be fun to do some exercise together as a family a couple of afternoons a week.  When the weather is nicer, it will be less like "exercise" and more just "activity".  Last year, we would go for walks together, play basketball, and go do some batting practice.  Yesterday it was snowing so we stayed indoors and tried to do one of Bob Harper's kettlebell workouts.  Kicked my butt.

I haven't done much exercise in the last 3 weeks other than the family exercise time because I have had some kind of nagging illness that has just made things miserable.  I think I'm on the mend now and Monday I'll be getting back to my morning workouts.  I'm going to change them up a bit.  I usually change them every 4 to 6 weeks anyway but I'm going to increase the intensity a bit this time along with changing the exercises.  I'll still be using Tabata Intervals because they fit my personality so well at the moment and have proven to be effective for me. 

As a family, we have cleaned up our eating habits a bit more over the last month as well.  Tia has been reading various cookbooks on healthy eating and we've been trying several different dishes a week.  Some have been good and some not so good as far as taste goes but it has kept things interesting and we are seeing results, especially Tia. 

She also drinks a BeachBody Shakeology shake every morning because it's something healthy that she can blend up and take with her out the door, which is so handy because morning's can be a little chaotic around here (like most families, I suspect).  Shakeology is a meal replacement shake with lots of good stuff in it like protein, fiber, prebiotics, vitamins, minerals, and plenty of other stuff.  BeachBody just came out with Strawberry flavor too, which Tia is really happy about.  I changed our monthly order to strawberry and it should be arriving next week.

We have also decided to run a 5K this year as a family.  We haven't decided when yet.  We've glanced over some of the 5K's that are coming up but we either need to pin down a date or a particular race/location/cause that we want to take part in.  After Tia and I were done working out last night, Trey decided to do intervals on the treadmill.  He was doing minute intervals and I was watching because he wanted to see how fast he could go.  He did 7 mph, 5 mph, 8 mph, 5 mph, 9 mph, 5 mph, and then tried at 10 mph.  He did about 20 seconds before he looked like he was losing control and I pulled the plug.  Earlier, Tia and I were talking about who would hang back with Trey on the 5K.  Instead, we may have to see who can keep up with the kid.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life.

Have you heard of P90X? That's BeachBody. They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more. They have some of the best exercise programs on the market. These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body. They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology. Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs. Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer.

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of. Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there. If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link. Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Working Legs and the Plan For This Month

 
So,

I made it to my training room (aka my garage that never has cars in it) this morning for the first time in about 10 days.  It felt good in a way that,uh, most people wouldn't consider good.  And I know that I'm going to be feeling it in the next couple of days but that's alright with me.

I need repost a couple of thank you's right here for a couple of people that made the morning that much better.

As stated, my training room is my garage.  I have lined the walls and ceiling with cloth to help reduce the echos and the floor is covered with karate mats and a wrestling mat.  I have all my dumbbells out there and the room has worked very nicely.  There is one drawback to it though that made it's yearly appearance this weekend. 

It gets cold.  I open the door from the house to the garage for a while before I go out there to try to get the temperature above freezing.  This morning, it was probably in the 50's when I was out there.  That's perfectly fine considering that I'm out there working up a sweat.  What doesn't warm up, even a smidge of a smackerel, are my dumbbells.  It's like grabbing a couple of very heavy ice cubes that have the power to resist allow my body heat to affect them at all.

What has two thumbs and hates the cold? 

This guy.

This morning, however, I was wearing a pair of Bionic Full Finger Fitness Gloves that Lynette sent for my birthday and they were an absolute life safer for someone as phobic about having cold hands and feet as I am.  These are my new best friends for the winter workouts.

Speaking of feet, I wore my VFF Flows this morning and they worked very nicely at keeping my feet warm.

The other thank you goes to Rick who sent me a docking station for my iPod.  I had a loaner but it just wasn't cutting it.  It was made for listening to elevator music in a cubicle at a volume that won't be heard by the other prairie dogs.  Played at a volume that could be heard (just "heard" mind you - not blasted in any way), the sound was so distorted that it hurt my ears. 

Since it was six in the morning, I wasn't able to turn the volumn up much but I did play it loud enough to hear over the panting and it sounded great.  Tonight is martial arts training so I'll be turning it up more and we'll see how it sounds when played at a level that can be heard over the yelling.

Both of these are going to make the winter more do-able for me.  Thanks again.

My plan for this month and I only have time to touch on it briefly today.  I was going to go into more detail but time has flown and it's already time to start gearing up for martial arts.

ADHD Moment: My stock in gold has increased by 40% since I bought it.  Too bad, I didn't buy enough to make that super cool but still . . .

My plan for the next four weeks is to do three Tabata workouts (Mon, Wed, Fri) that hit the muscles of my entire body.  On Tue and Thu, I will do punching and kicking in a very cardio fashion.  My goal is to lean up a little bit.  I know that's vague and can't really be called a goal.  My other goal is to stay healthy all winter.  It seems like I get sick in Nov and Dec of every year (except, knock on wood, I haven't been sick yet this year). 

My food intake has an equally vague plan to it.  I'll be drinking my Shakeology shake everyday, of course, but beyond that, my only goal is to cut back on portions a bit.  Last Nov and Dec, I gained about 8 pounds (but I was sick and my diet went completely to hell).  I'm not going to allow that to happen this year and it would be nice to take another inch off my waist.

Maybe that's how I'll make the goal more goal-like.  I'll measure my waist and make it a goal to lose one inch.

The Tabata workouts are cardio in themselves while dealing a brutal attack on the muscles to force them to adapt and get stronger but not necessarily bigger. 

So, there you go.  That's my vague plan that is starting to sound more like a solid plan with a real goal.

I always think better when I write out my thoughts.

And since I didn't get around to saying it last Thursday, I want to thank all my readers for being here and being a sounding board.  I always hope that something I say might be helpful to others but there is no denying the benefit that I receive from this blog.

Many thanks to all of you.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Yay For The Tea Party!!!

Just kidding.  I was trying to get some attention to let everyone know that I'm back to blogging.

Well, today, I'm going to take a shortcut but this blog is back, anyway.

First, a quick bit of housekeeping.  While this blog will maintain its focus mostly on fitness, martial arts, Vibram Five Fingers (VFFs), and such, I'm going to go back to my ADHD ways of posting on whatever catches my attention (Look!  Something shiny!).

Today, I have two huge projects going on in the house (true to life housekeeping) that I need to get back to if I hope to complete them today.  However, I promised myself that I would get this blog going today so I'm going to borrow a message from Tony Horton, the P90X guy, to keep my word to myself (I never promised myself that *I* would write the blog, just that I would post to my blog - Semantics?  Maybe). 

So here you go:

Be Part of the Solution

Boys and girls,

I'm unaware of your financial situation but I do believe that you're reading this page because you care about your health and fitness. If you have plenty of income and love your job then what I’m about to tell you might not be for you. If you're not thrilled with the way you make a living, would like extra income, love Beachbody products, like the way they make you look and feel, enjoy helping other people feel and look better, enjoy setting your own hours, get excited about being the captain of your own ship as opposed to working for the man - then listen up.

The reality is, your health and fitness moves beyond you. It impacts the people around you. You (whether you like it or not) have the power to change lives based solely on your own personal transformation. Inadvertently you become a catalyst for change. This is how I got started. I was clueless, asked a few questions based on my need to be strong and healthy, stayed with it and people in my life wanted to know what I was doing. Simple yet powerful.

If you want to share what you've learned with people in your life who want better health (and could use extra income in the process) then you should consider becoming a Team Beachbody Coach.   I felt so strongly about this program that I’ve encouraged many of my friends to become coaches, even my own sister.  She is doing great (even though my contract with Beachbody won’t let me help her).  She is a perfect example of someone who had plenty of doubt and hesitation regarding the coaching opportunity and still found a way to make it work for her. A busy working wife and mother with three very active kids doesn't sound like a good candidate to start an in-home multi-level marketing company. Did you say multi level marketing? What? Ick! You mean pyramid scheme right? Okay chill out. All these fears would be true if BeachBody were selling hats or kitty liter, but this is Beachbody people! The number 1 in-home fitness company on the planet! P90X is steadily becoming the most popular fitness system in US history. Shakeology is the revolutionary replacement meal on the market today. We sell life-altering change - not soap. Tens of thousands of regular folk around this country are doing something they love because of this coach opportunity.    

The unemployment rate still hovers around 10% but it doesn't have to be that way if more people were willing to see that new opportunities exist all around them. The Team Beachbody Coaching opportunity is one of them. Health care companies, pharmaceutical companies and our government are not capable of solving this obesity crisis and we can't wait around for them to do it. The crisis is now and the answer is YOU! I know that sounds a bit Rah Rah but it's true.

Cynics don't need to apply, but if you're sick and tired of the status quo and want to make a difference in your own life and in the lives of those around you, then open the door.  The two major issues of our time - the health care issue and unemployment rate could be resolved if a million more people in this country decided to get healthy and share the wealth. This is a brand new industry waiting to explode. It's not happening in boardrooms or factories – it’s happening in the homes of tens of thousands of Team Beachbody Coaches and in the homes of their customers.  With a tiny investment (actually the company is waiving the enrollment fee through the end of 2010) and a willingness to help people the sky's the limit.  

TH-  

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Today's Lope Was An Actual Run

Holy mother of all that is good and evil!  What have I done to my abs?

My toughest student, Drill Sergeant, dropped the F-bomb this morning.  Her abs hurt worse than mine, or rather, more of her abs hurt and I had her doing a quad exercise that involved the abs to a great deal.  It sounds like her obliques hurt right up to her armpits.  Yes, as a matter of fact, your obliques do go up to your armpits.  I know this because I have done the same thing to myself before.  You know you have worked your obliques hard when your ribs hurt.  Damn.

After working out, I went to the couch with a bag of Cheetohs and some Dr. Pepper to watch American Idle reruns.

Actually, I mixed up some Shakeology and worked on a fitness plan for a friend but it's easy to see how the two could be confused.  Well, except for the fact that I don't eat orange colored styrofoam or drink sugar water and have never seen a single episode of American Idle (and I couldn't even put in something cute there because I can't remember what Idle is - singing contest?).  But, other than those minor technicalities, it's easy to see how the two could have been confused.

After I had Trey off to school, it was time for another experiment with the Fibram Five Finger Bikila.  I went up to Leppy Hills, which is a walking trail here in West Wendover.  There is a 1 mile loop, a 3 mile loop, a 5 mile loop, and lots of hills.  I thought it would be great.  I could head out hoping to get through the 3 mile loop but if it didn't look good, I could cut off for the 1 mile loop.  On the outside chance things were going great, I could hang in there for the 5 mile loop. 

I ended up going around the 5 mile loop and ran the whole way, which I thought was amazing for someone wearing new shoes and being "out of shape".  It was pointed out to me recently by Drill Sergeant during one of my "out of shape" whining sessions (there have been a few over the 5 months of my injury recovery) that while I may be a long way from my peak condition, especially when it comes to strength, my "out of shape" did not actually match the general definition of out of shape.  Only, she didn't caught say it like that.  It went more like this, as I dropped the weights to the mat:

"Sheesh, I'm outta shape."

"Bullshit!"

It's close though, right?

So, I haven't run for several months and setting out on a 5 miler might not be considering breaking back into it easily but there it is.  It felt good too.  Not super fast but that's okay.  As I hit the 2 mile mark, feeling really good, I thought that if I could make the 5 miles in 50 minutes with all the hills, I would be a super hero. 

56 minutes.

I missed super hero status by 6 minutes.  Crap.

I noticed some things on this longer, hillier run than I noticed on my super brief test.  My stride length returned to normal.  It was short in the beginning but as I got back into the rhythm of running, it lengthened out to my normal stride.  I still hit mostly with the ball of my foot.  It was like I would stretch my foot out front and then start the kick before my foot hit the ground.  Coming down the hills put a lot of impact on the balls of my feet.  In fact, I ended up with a blister on the ball of my right foot. 

I sprinted the last hundred yards to see how that felt.  It felt like sprinting.  Don't know what else I can tell you about that.  I didn't feel anything on my heel that was jarring but I wasn't thinking about it much at that point.  I was just see how fast I could sprint after running 5 miles.

I'll have to take some time off from running until the blister goes away.  I saw a place that would be fun to climb but that will have to wait as well.

I also think that a disk golf course would work nicely up in that area.  There are big enough boulders and ravines to keep things interesting.  I'll have to go back and walk the area more slowly.  The city manager has already warned me that the BLM will probably tell me no but I'm going to look anyway.  The disk golf course in Taylorsville goes around with a walking trail so it's something that can be done.  I didn't take my camera with me or even my Droid because I went light.  My VFF Bikilas and my iPod and that was it.  Next time (and there will be a next time because I need to see if I can shave off those 6 minutes to earn my cape), I'll take my camera so you can see the area. 

I found a pic online that kind of shows the "area" but not really the walking trail area specifically.  I'll give you this for today and fix it next time I go.

I was going to talk about dropping water weight in the first couple of week's of a diet change but I think that will have to wait until tomorrow.  Now, it's time to get ready to start the weekend at work.  I've also got to start looking into what I'm going to be doing next week, taking the blister into account.

Stay tuned.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Vibram Ridge, Running for Fun, and a Metabolism Reset

Trey and I took the Vibram Ridge out for some practice at a ball field yesterday.  The Ridge is his favorite disk and he feels that he plays better with it than the other disks.  I may have to buy him one.  I think it would make a great first disk.  It's easy to throw for a kid.  It's more Frisbee-like than longer range disks.

I took my portable basket along with my Aviars, Sharks, and the Ridge.  I wanted to compare the three types of disks with each other.  There was a bit of a wind.  Not that it matters much when comparing all three disks under the same conditions but I was hoping for a calmer day.  It's always windy in Wendover though so I can't complain too much about the wind when it was gentle by comparison to most days here. 

The Ridge is softer than the other disks and is easier to grip.  It's got more of a rubber feel to it than plastic. 

I set the basket up at about 200 feet from where I was going to be throwing (best guess).  The basket was just to give me a target to aim at so that I could get a good feel for the disks.  I didn't expect to make any of my first shots into the basket.  A couple of them were pretty close though and I'm sure if I kept throwing, I would have eventually made an ace.

Here's an interesting note.  The disk that I did the absolute worst with was my new Star Shark.  I wanted to try the Star material because it's supposed to be better.  The disk kept slipping out of my hand early so that all my shots were way off to the left.  Way off.  Even though I was hitting the basket in one shot, I should have been getting an easy two.  I was far enough off with the Star Shark that it took me two putts to get in the basket.  Trey gets all my disks that I don't use and it looks like he has just inherited a Star Shark for his bag.

The rest of the disks were fairly evenly matched on the first shot.  The Shark had a little bit more distance on it, which was to be expected.  I never overthrew the basket with the Aviar or the Ridge.  I wasn't chucking the Shark out of the ball field, it just tended to go a bit farther if I put too much into it.  I played all the disks to the basket for practice and found out that I suck when I putt with the Shark.  The Shark is a good all purpose disk that a person could use if they were only going to buy one disk but I definitely putt better with the Aviar and the Ridge.

On the drive, there wasn't a whole lot of difference between the Aviar and the Ridge other than a bit more fade with the Ridge.  As it slowed down, it took more of a left turn. 

On the putts, the Ridge felt better in my hand but was a bit more "floaty" for me.  Now, mind you, I've been putting with the Aviar since I started playing disk golf so it is most likely the way that I'm throwing the Ridge and if I end up wanting to play with it as my exclusive putter, I'm probably going to have to drop practicing the with Aviar and stick solely with the Ridge.  It's something that I'm considering doing because I really like how the Ridge feels in my hand.

The drawback at the moment is that I've collected 5 Aviars over the years so they are great for practice sessions.  I can throw 5 disks before I have to walk to the basket to collect them.  I will have to build up my collection of Ridges if I want to be able to do the same thing.

I've been giving quite a bit of thought to running over the last couple of days because Trey starts school Monday and that means that I'll get to run a few times a week again.  I am going to take to the desert because the ground is softer and it's going to give me a chance to just goof off a bit.  I've got my eye on a hill not too far from here that is topped with boulders that I could climb once I get to that point.  I don't know how many miles of a climb it would be and I'm not even promising to run the whole way.  The focus is going to be on movement and enjoyment, not any kind of time scale. 

I am also going to be going for a hike next month, up a mountain and then back down.  I think that it's only a couple thousand feet up from where we are going to park the truck.  This first hike on this particular mountain is going to be from the end of the road and not up the entire mountain.  Just a little test and I might even take this test in my Bikilas.  Not sure on that yet but I might try it and have it my trail running shoes in the backpack, just in case the terrain is too rough.  The reviews that I have read on this particular hike state that the rocks can make the climb a bit harder than it would appear. 

Speaking of tests, I may head out for a short run in the desert in Bikilas today.  Time is going to be the factor here because I did not get anywhere close to enough sleep last night so a nap is going to be mandatory.  Tia didn't sleep well last night either so she's sleeping now while I keep Trey from bothering her.  She will return the favor later so I will have to see if there is enough time between when she wakes up and when I go back to bed, with some lunch in there somewhere as well.

To get ready for my 10 week training block, I am going low carb for a week.  Low, not "no".  I am still using orange juice in my Shakeology and I had a baked potato with dinner last night.  I want to get my body ready for what's coming but I'll start adding in plenty of fruits and vegetables next weekend because I'm going to need energy for the workouts, plus it's just plain good for you.

I have tried the edges of the spectrum, super low carb and vegan, and my conclusion is that the human body (at least mine) wasn't made for such extremes.  Plants and animals are here for humans to eat and I plan on eating them.  What wasn't put here for humans to eat are frankenfoods and I'll be trying to steer clear of those over the next couple of months (and pretty much for the rest of my life). 

The P90X program starts with a lower carb intake for Phase 1 to help get the whole thing kick started but it can lead to a bonk in the workouts and I want to avoid that so my "Phase 1" eating plan is going to end before I actually get into the tougher workouts.  I have 3 easier workouts planned for the next week, plus my running, plus I'm going to try to get my bike functional for this fall (the goathead thorns out here are killer on tires).  When I get into the ten week plan, I want my energy levels up so that the workouts are challenging based on the workout, not on energy depletion.

I'm really looking forward to everything that I have planned for this fall and I have a disk golf day planned for this Thursday.  I'll be taking the Ridge out into the real world to see how it performs (or rather, how I perform with it) out on a couple of different courses.

As always, I will tell you how it all goes.

Stay tuned.

Lying Bicycles (Abs)

Trey wanted his picture taken with his new game.  A trophy, I suppose.  He earned it.  He does things around the house to earn certificates that he can trade in for stuff that he wants. 

The wind is STILL blowing.  Hard enough that Trey's teeball coach texted that practice was canceled today.  It's been bad for 3 days now.  We are still running around in long sleeve shirts.  This Saturday, we are going into town to buy spring clothes for Trey but I'm not sure when he's going to get to wear them.  Last year, it was cold halfway through June.  I'm really hoping that's not the case this year.  I'm ready for some warm weather.

Today's exercise it a basic move but I wanted to cover it before moving on to the next couple of moves.  It's they Lying Bicycle where you pump your legs back and forth like you're pedaling, plus you touch the opposite elbow to the knee that you are bringing in toward your chest.

Here's yesterday's food journal:

• First thing - Shakeology.
• Breakfast - Eggs, turkey bacon, and grapefruit.
• Snack - Nothing.
• Lunch - Leftover shishkabobs and rice.
• Snack - Grapes.
• Dinner - Met RX protein bar.  I wasn't hungry but I knew I would be before karate was over so I switched dinner with the last snack of the day.
• Snack - Leftover pork chop and asparagus.

Remember, for one more week, Wednesdays are every man for himself days and I used up all the leftovers from the previous couple of days.

That's all I have for today.  It's been kind of a busy week and it shows no signs of slowing down until next week.  There's always time for a workout though.  ;)  If I can do it, anyone can do it.

***

I am an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Friday's Fuel for Fire - Acerola and Overhand Rows (Back)

Acerola.

I had never heard of it before drinking Shakeology.  After reading the ingredients list, I had then heard of it but didn't know what it was.  I think it's going to be that way for a lot of things in Shakeology.  Hence the Friday blog posts where I go in search of one of the Shakeology ingredients.

Acerola is a small berry, at least the fruit part is a small berry.  It's high in Vitamin C.  I mean HIGH in vitamin C.  3000% more than orange juice, which makes it a great antioxidant.  Nutritiondata.com rates acerola 5 out 5 stars for weight loss and 4.5 out of 5 stars for optimum health. 

Nutrtiondata also rated it very high for its anti-inflammatory-ness.  I don't understand their inflammation scoring system but they say your diet should be a score of 50 or more.  Acerola scores at 684 points.  That's got to help bring up the average from eating stuff that's not so good for a body.

It also might help explain why Shakeology is so good at reducing cholesterol scores in people.  From what I've read lately (and I'm no doctor and don't even play one on YouTube videos), cholesterol is the body's response to inflammation.  That's what statin meds rarely work to prevent heart problems "caused by cholesterol".  Statins reduce cholesterol, they don't reduce inflammation.  It's the inflammation that's the culprit.  Reduce inflammation and you'll reduce your cholesterol and reduce your chance of heart problems.

So, get some acerola in your body and be more healthy.

Today's exercise is the Overhand Dumbbell Row.  It's a great exercise for the back muscles.

We do these about every month.  It's one of those exercise that helps build the foundation of muscle.  For those of you that are building the simple morning circuits that I've been advocating as a bare minimum, these (or the barbell or resistance band versions) should be part of your weekly circuit.

Yesterday's Food Journal:

• First thing - Shakeology (with acerola, you know).
• Breakfast - Eggs, turkey bacon, and grapefruit (which most likely has less vitamin C than acerola but is good for you nonetheless).
• Snack - Shakeology.
• Lunch - I made a huge Italian themed salad with a mountain of romaine lettuce, some mozzarella cheese, and a bunch of pepperoni slices, topped with Italian dressing of course.
• Snack - Mixed fruit and cashews.  I keep bags of frozen fruit on hand in case fruit's what I'm jonesing.  Frozen fruit is also good to throw into a blender with some ice, water, and a scoop of protein or Shakeology shake mix.
• Dinner - A friend came into town so we went out to the best restaurant in town where I had a bunch of great tasting and not necessarily good for you food.  Bread, deep fried lobster, salad with ranch dressing, fillet mignon, stuffed prawns, and wine.  So yummy.
• Snack - Are you kidding?  Did you see what I had for dinner?

It's been several years since we've seen our friend and when we met him, he asked if I had lost weight.  I suppose that I have since I've seen him.  Riding around in a cop car eating fast food can be hard on the weight control front.  Something that he pointed out about himself because he has gained weight since we saw him last.

When we went in the restaurant, the manager asked me if I had lost weight.  This one actually surprised me because I don't think I have lost much since I saw him last.  My weight usually holds around 200 pounds.  I currently weigh 195.  When I stopped P90X, I weighed 187.  My weight just doesn't fluctuate much but I do think that my body composition is changing.  I probably have more muscle and less fat than I did when I last saw the restaurant manager. 

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that I don't worry much about the scale.  I worry about a couple of real things like strength and health and about the illusitory vanity - looking good.  None of those things are tied to the scale.  I still weigh myself each week just to keep track but it falls in a distant fourth behind the other factors.

***

I am an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Friday's Fuel for Fire - Bananas and Band Squats (Quads)

So,

I've decided to go through the ingredient list of Shakeology and take one item each week to read more about.  This gives me a good list of topics for the Friday feature of this blog and also gets me to do some research on what I'm putting into my body every day.

I picked bananas today just to see if there was any new information I would learn.  Not that I knew that much about bananas to start with.  I mean, I know about the potassium.  Everyone knows about the potassium.  If you have a tendency to suffer from cramping muscles, it's a good idea to add potassium to your diet in some way and bananas are a good way to do that.

It turns out that bananas do more than that, at least potentially from some of the study results.  Bananas might help reduce and control blood pressure.  I did not know that.  They might also help head off atherosclerosis, the build up of fatty crap in your arteries.  They might also help in heading off ulcers.  I know a lot of people that should be eating bananas for blood pressure and ulcer protection.  Bananas also might be helpful in maintaining good eyesight.

It turns out that what I knew about bananas was far outweighed by what I didn't know about bananas. 

Here's something else that I know about bananas.  I don't like them.  It's a texture thing.  No matter how firm they are, they are too mushy for me.  If I eat one, I usually eat about half and throw away the other half because I just can't get myself to choke a whole one down.

Not only does Shakeology have banana powder in it but I can toss half a banana into a blender with some water, ice, and a scoop of chocolate Shakeology.  This gives me the benefits of both the Shakeology and the extra banana without having to try to gag down an actual banana. 

I don't make that kind of smoothie often (because I'm lazy) but it's an option.  I usually just drink the Shakeology plain.  The banana trick is there though when I want the extra treat.

Today's exercise is the Band Squat.  Resistance bands are an inexpensive way to get some resistance training and take no space to store.  I've taken my band with me on trips because you just toss it in the suitcase.  You can work your whole body with them.

Band squats are one of my favorite band exercises since I packed away my olympic bars and plates.  Another benefit of resistance bands that I just thought of is that you don't need a spotter.  You aren't going to be crushed under a resistance band.

If you're looking to add some resistance exercises to your routine, you can certainly buy weights.  I have a set of hex dumbbells that I use and I have my eye on the Bowflex Selectechs because they take up a tenth of the space as my current set (but cost several hundred dollars).  Both are options but for cost and space, resistance bands are an excellent answer.  You can work your entire body with a band or two and get into great shape.

The one tip from the video that I would like to repeat again is to take the band handles off your shoulders at the bottom of the move.  I see people undo their position when the band is at full resistance and it really looks like they are going to hurt their shoulders as the band whips their arm behind and down.  Squat down one last time and take the handles off your shoulders and then stand up.  I haven't seen anyone hurt by doing the move at the top but it makes me cringe every time I see it.

So, eat a banana and do some cramp free Band Squats.

***

I am an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Coach Corner - One on One Promotion

BeachBody is doing another promotion for their One on One with Tony Horton series.  Previously I did a post on the series that you can fine HERE.  Go read that for more information on the DVDs. 

For the rest of the month, when you sign up for the One on One series, not only do you get Tony Horton in your living room every month but you also get:

• A packet of the chocolate Shakeology
• A Shakeology recipe card to give you ideas to change things up
• Shakeology "Breakthrough" DVD

Here are some of the ingredients in Shakeology:

Weight loss, extra energy, lower cholesterol, are all very nice but the reason that I drink Shakeology is because of all these ingredients.  Look at all the fruits and vegetables that I get with each shake.  It's a quick and simple way for me to get some good stuff into my body when the rest of my food intake leans more toward the carnivorous side.

BeachBody is calling the promotion "Double Impact" because fitness requires exercise and nutrition (and sleep).  Combining Shakeology with any of the BeachBody DVD programs is going to give you results.  This promotion gives you a chance to taste test the chocolate Shakeology to see if you'll like it without investing in a 30 day supply that you might not like.

Obviously, this is something that I can get behind since I've been getting the One on One DVDs since they first started making them and I drink Shakeology every day.  Double Impact indeed.

***

I am an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Knees to Feet Jumps Plus (Abs and more abs)

My day started off pretty cool.  Well, it usually does because that's when I do my workouts and today was Legs and even though it's a puke-worthy workout, it feels great when it's over. 

Besides that though is the second of my guinea pigs reported in this morning.  Two of my exercise partners started drinking Shakeology a couple of weeks ago and I've asked them to report in on anything cool. 

The first one to report lost four pounds in the first couple of weeks and she was lamenting that it was only four pounds because she said the rest of her diet really sucks.  She said that if she would eat right in combination with the exercise and the Shakeology, she'd probably be dropping weight like crazy.  To me, four pounds in two weeks is great!  Even better if that's the only that she changed about her diet.  We did talk about some things she could do to clean up her diet but I didn't downplay in any way how cool it was that she lost four pounds. 

The second reported today that she has gone down a pant size already.  She has been exercising with me for about a year and a half and is really strong because my workouts really build muscle.  Body composition is based more on what you eat than what you do and we have tinkered with her diet in different ways but nothing has worked.  Until now.  A couple of weeks on Shakeology and she said that she had to keep hiking her pants up.  Again, adding Shakeology to her existing food intake is the only thing that she has done so this is just amazing to me.

I'm going to do a separate blog post that will pop into existence at the same time as this one that answers one of the questions that I get asked the most: What's the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology?  In fact, I'm just going to cut and paste the last email that I sent out and make some minor changes taking out items that were specific to that person.  If I do up a blog post, I can easily refer people there for the answer and then make myself available for more person-specific questions.

As people share their experiences with me, I'll continue to share those experiences with you.  I can say that I'm very happy with today's news.  Incredibly.

Today's exercise is a variation of an exercise that I've already posted but I liked it and there is no rhyme or reason to what I'm putting up on this blog right now.  I do hundreds of different exercises and they will all eventually be here so, absent any reader requests, I just post whatever comes to mind.

This is a variation of the Knees to Feet Jumps.  This takes it up a notch and uses some different muscles and uses the same muscles in different ways.  I think you're going to like these:

To take these down a notch, you have to go back to the Two Chair (or Box) version but you won't be able to do the sideways jumps.  You can do the forward and back.  For the sideways jumps, you're going to have to build up to the point where you can do the Knees to Feet Jumps without chairs or boxes for assistance.

As always, let me know what you think of these.

***

I am an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.