I went for my annual physical last week. The doc noticed right away that I've been working out. He said that he could see it in my shoulders. When I explained my cardio program, he said I could cut my BP meds in half. I'm over the moon!
Well, there you have it. The picture on the left was taken on Feb 28, 2007. The one on the right was taken four weeks later on March 29th. A little improvement, but still a ways to go. My gut no longer looks like there's a basketball in it. The thighs are huge in the second photo. Upper body is looking good. I've still got some fat to burn!
I hurt all over!
Since I missed my Friday, Upper Body workout (date night with my main frail) I made it up on Saturday--followed by a cardio workout. Then I went back-to-back on Sunday with a Lower Body workout. This morning (Monday) I got up early and walk/jogged almost two miles around the neighborhood. I felt pretty good about my accomplishments, until after work, Chris suggested we take a walk at the park. Four miles later, I was beat. I'll never walk again! Click on the image to see a close-up of where I hurt. Where's the Motrin?
And to think, I used to drink a lot of pop. Read about this nasty stuff and what it's doing to our bodies.
The sunday morning ritual is upon me again. This time I have some bad news to report. I haven't lost an ounce! What this means is... I have to go to Target and get a new scale. That darn thing is stuck on 188. I've shaken my finger at it and given stern looks. I've scolded, even cussed. But it still tells lies. It's time for that thing to die!
The good news is, I've lost a full two inches off my waist! Ya for me! Stay tuned for this Thursday. I'll post my progress photos then.
I want to recomend two great websites. If you are needing some extra support, or if you need some great advice, the forums on these sites are the places to visit.
bodyforlife-tracker
bodyforlife-nebraska
I'm just re-reading Body-for Life and this quote from Bill Philips jumped out at me. (Slight paraphrase for brevity)
The more you create value for others - the more you reach out, and give, to make their lives better - the stronger and richer... your own life will become.
ONE MAN’S STORY...
This is dedicated to everyone who ever attempted to get into a regular workout routine.
This is a post from smcmahon, who is a regular contributor at body for life-tracker under the moniker of BFL_SanDiego. The post is in the comments section below.
Why I chose Body-for-Life is a very interesting question to consider. It takes some introspection - some thought. To save space on the front page of this blog, I put my thoughts in the comments section just below.
I was in the habit of logging my food and activities into FitDay at the end of the day. But what it revealed was how badly I had failed that day to hit my eating goals. It seemed that I was going way over on the fat content of my meals. So, I started to use FitDay to plan my meals and activities the day before. That way, I could make changes to my diet before I ate the fatty foods. It's made all the difference int he world.
You can use FitDay free online, or do what I did, and buy the software download. The download has lots more food items from which to choose and there's no annoying ads to wade through. Go to FitDay.com for more info.
I ducked out on my lunch hour and went to the Snap Fitness near the office today. I started with a quick jog on the treadmill and proceeded to the Smith machine for presses. The past few days I haven't been religious about my creatine, and could really feel the difference. I had to settle for about five pounds less than a week ago. Creatine sure makes a difference!
The trainer there told me that if I wanted to burn more fat, I should lift weights first, then use the treadmill. His explanation was that jogging (aerobic exercise) uses both sugar and fat as fuel. Weightlifting (anaerobic exercise) only uses sugar. So I should deplete my reserve of sugar by weightlifting, then move to the treadmill. Since the sugar reserves are used up, the aerobic exercise burns only fat. I'll have to give that a try.
A bunch of us guys have entered a challenge at Body-for-Life Tracker. Although the competition is feirce, everyone is very encouraging. The camaraderie is great! When Greg posted this picture, I laughed out loud. I just had to post it here. You can view Greg's blog by clicking on the beer.
To follow up on an article at ezguide 2 back pain... all too often, when attempting to get in better shape we injure the lower back. Now I'm not a doctor (so I can't even tell you why your lower back hurts) but I've delt with the situation on more than one occasion. This simple movement as described at Yoga.org, will put the average back, back in action in just a few days.
Perform the movement slowly, allowing one vertibrea at a time to leave and return to the floor.
I did a lot of physical exercise while I was in Georgia last week. I got up at 6:00am everyday to my regularly scheduled BFL workout. Monday was cardio on the treadmill. Tuesday, LB. ect. I was frustrated with my UB though. It's the first time that I lifted weights in the early morning, and I was working with a universal type gym that I wasn't used to. Hopefully I got a decent workout.
While down there, I took a walk every afternoon about 6:00pm. I probably averaged about 2.5 miles per day. Friday was a day off. So, since I'm back home today, I weighed in and took some measurements.
Weight still hasn't changed - 189 lbs. My waist dropped half an inch, my hips dropped half an inch, but both my thighs increased half an inch. That tells me that I'm losing belly fat and gaining muscle in my legs. This morning, I was back at my regular gym with Chris and did a cardio. Tomorrow is LB.
I logged my food intake and I'm way too high on my fat intake. Today (St Patricks Day) we had corned beef & cabbage for lunch. OMG! Way high in fat! Gotta figure out how to get that down.
I'm Georgia this week, at the Aberdeen Woods Conference Center, learning to be better at my job. (Even though I know enough about the subject matter to develop and teach the course.) Luckily, they have a gym here with some machines, free weights, and treadmills. I've gotten up at 6:00 am and kept to my BFL training schedule. Today was cardio and tomorrow is upper body.
I've even taken a three-mile walk every afternoon after class. Whew! quite a schedule. I miss my lovely wife and even the cat misses me.
At first doing squats on the Smith felt restrictive - like I was strapped into a carnival ride. Deep into the squat, I felt unusual pressure on my lower back. Then I received some good advice from the trainer at my gym. He pointed out that the feet should not be directly under the shoulders - as it would be during a regular barbell squat. But they should be just in front of the body, so the lifter is slightly leaning back into the rack. During the squat, the knees should never extend out beyond the toes and the thighs never beyond parallel to the floor. Once the thighs pass parallel, pressure is taken off the quads and those muscles are momentarily at rest. It's good advice to do squats on the Smith with just the bar, or very light weights added, until the movement seems more natural.
See a video analysis of the Smith squat at Muscle Ventures.
My buddy Steve is doing the Body-for-Life Challenge. He posted his list of the top 10 things that have helped him on the BFL-Challenge web site. With his permission, I've included his list on this site. To read it, click on the comments link below. It's worth the read.
John P. Hussman, Ph.D. discusses the changes your body goes through when embarking on a new fitness program. Read all about it here.
With a vengance! I took the opportunity to really take my traps to task. They are killing me today - along with the pecs. Holy Moly! I did a cardio today. I think I'm starting to see some real changes in my body. And I like it.
Brain damage? Too many recreational drugs as a youth? Maybe just old age? I don't know how to explain it. I got up this morning, had my breakfast of eggs & wheat toast, and packed my gym bag. I counted my socks, put in my favorite t-shirt - the one that shows my pecs nicely after a few bench presses - made sure I had both shoes, and zipped her shut.
My day worked out perfectly. I visited a customer and made my way to the gym with an 11:00 am ETA. Then I looked over to the passenger seat and noticed it was empty. To the untrained eye, no big deal. But to a pro that I am, I realised that I had left my gym bag at home. Idiot!
Why HIIT is the best fat burning exercise is all pretty scientific, but it's important to understand the why behind the how. Clicking on the picture will take you to bodybuilding.com. It's a long read, so grab a chair.
Does shoveling through three-foot snow drifts count for a cardio workout? Maybe not. Here's a picture of what we did this morning. Up to that point, it all had to be dug out by hand. The problem is, it's still snowing, and the wind is blowing some 20 miles an hour. So we'll be digging it back out this afternoon. Ah, the joys of living in Minnesota.
Here's a picture of us doing our cardio together. Actually, it's a lot colder here than the picture portrays. We are having the 2nd blizzard in as many weeks here. We're snowbound. And actually, we got an upper body workout in, not a cardio. Maybe the picture is a bit of an exaggeration. There were no dragons chasing us.
When we decide to leave the house, we will get our second workout of the day. We'll have to shovel through three foot drifts to even get to the snow blower. After that, it will take an hour to get the drive open. They are predicting another 10 inches over-night. We might be stuck here forever. You gotta love it.
by following Bill Phillips' books Body for Life
In conjunction with the BFL-Tracker website, I've started a new BFL Challenge. I took my "before" pictures last night. If you are really that interested, you can view them at bodyforlife-tracker.com. You will have to look up my profile, norm_r, to see them. It's pretty frightening stuff!
You'll read below that I had started a challenge a few weeks ago, but I decided to start a new one for the Tracker Challenge. This challenge ends May 29th. I am competing against 34 other guys and the grand prize is about $1300. It's time to get serious about burning fat!
Check this great t-shirt. Click on the picture to yours - and other fabulous gifts.
Here's our book about the Wisconsin Great River Road. Traveling there? Have a friend that lives in Wisconsin. This is a great gift book. Click on the book cover.
Some of Chris' wonderful art work is avaliable on greeting cards. You can find them at Zazzle.com
This rustic still life painting features some of the best ingredients for a great marinara sauce—onions, garlic, tomatoes, and of course, a host of spices. The stage is set on this farm country sideboard for a yummy dinner. It's pasta tonight.
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