Losing weight and getting fit, as we all know, is a struggle. Some people hate working out, and others can't control eating habits. I am like most, my diet is where I need to really crack down. I don't have a problem working out. As a matter of fact, I love to workout. It is in my nutrition that I am lacking. My eating habits are just as important, if not more, than my workout regiment. The key to my success is to blend the 2 together into a healthy lifestyle. I am following a mostly Paleo diet, which is also referred to as the caveman diet.
Here's an example of what my day of eating is like.
Breakfast:
6 egg whites, a piece of fruit, and 20 almonds.
Snack:
Protein Shake
Lunch:
6 oz. chicken breast, 1/2 avocado or nuts, broccoli or asparagus
Snack:
Zone Protein Bar
Dinner:
6 oz. chicken breast, steak, or fish, small side salad with oil and vinegar, vegetables
Snack:
Casein Protein Shake or 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese
Meals are spread apart about every 3 hours
I am lucky because I don't mind eating the same thing all the time, and I don't get sick of it. I need to look at my eating in a different way. I don't need to eat because I am hungry, I need to eat to fuel my body for my workouts. 8 weeks begins today.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
What is 8 Weeks in the Grand Scheme of Things?
That is the question that I need to ask myself. What is my dream of opening up a box and being in the best shape of my life worth to me? If I give myself 8 weeks, 2 months, of strict diet and exercise, how much weight can I really lose? 20, 30, or even more? It took a good friend to really put me in my place. I have been half assing my diet. My workouts have suffered and I have not made this a priority in my life. This vacation is just what I needed to get back on track.
I got a chance to see my buddies new box that he is opening, Crossfit Militia. And I saw how Paleo and Crossfit has gotten him in shredded shape. We got to talking about what I wanted to do and he told me pretty much to suck it up and just do it. Give myself 30 strict days of Paleo and Crossfit. As the conversation continued, I was telling him that I wanted to lose about another 30-40 lbs. before I apply to get my Crossfit Certification. So we decided that I would try 2 months strict diet and workouts. In reality, what is 8 weeks when you look at the big picture. If all goes well, I will be ready to get my certification by the end of summer.
I got a chance to see my buddies new box that he is opening, Crossfit Militia. And I saw how Paleo and Crossfit has gotten him in shredded shape. We got to talking about what I wanted to do and he told me pretty much to suck it up and just do it. Give myself 30 strict days of Paleo and Crossfit. As the conversation continued, I was telling him that I wanted to lose about another 30-40 lbs. before I apply to get my Crossfit Certification. So we decided that I would try 2 months strict diet and workouts. In reality, what is 8 weeks when you look at the big picture. If all goes well, I will be ready to get my certification by the end of summer.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Time for Vacation
This week, my wife and I are taking a little trip back to south FL. I haven't been back since I left in Aug. 09, so I am excited to see everybody. What I am even more excited about is the fact that 2 of my good friends have Crossfit gyms. One of them is opening in July, Crossfit Milita. The other one is Crossfit Carnage. It is nice to know that there is somewhere I can work out while I am there.
I know that while I am there I am going to enjoy a few adult beverages, and probably not eat the best. That is ok. I know that I can stay on my workout regiment while I am there. As for my diet, there is no need for me to get too off course. I can still eat fairly healthy and enjoy myself. I will post all about my workouts at the other Crossfit Boxes and my trip when I return.
I know that while I am there I am going to enjoy a few adult beverages, and probably not eat the best. That is ok. I know that I can stay on my workout regiment while I am there. As for my diet, there is no need for me to get too off course. I can still eat fairly healthy and enjoy myself. I will post all about my workouts at the other Crossfit Boxes and my trip when I return.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Face your Fears
Fear-a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
Sometimes you just have to face your fears and know that doing what you are afraid of will only make you stronger. I have been practicing ring dips now for a few weeks, and I have been able to finally do them. I was never afraid of ring dips. The one exercise I have always been afraid of is handstand pushups (HSPU).
The fear about HSPU is all in my head. It is not natural to be upside down, then want to lower your head to the ground then back up. If I slip, I'll smack my head. My anxiety about doing them is created in my head and I psych myself out of them before I even try. Today was going to be different. I had conquered ring dips, now it was time to work on my HSPU. It took me a few tries. First I did a tri-pod against the wall and straightened out my legs to get used to what it would be like. Then I started flipping my body up, but I couldn't get enough momentum to get my feet against the wall. This was mostly because of my fear about HSPU. Once I pushed my fear of doing them aside, it all just clicked. I flung my body forward and my feet hit the wall. Then I held myself like that for about 15 sec. Then I did it again. Nice! I still have a ways to go until I am comfortable doing them, but today was a great start. I have proved to myself in these last 2 months that I am capable of much more than I thought was possible.
Today's WOD:
Annie
50-40-30-20-10
Double Unders
Sit-ups
12:12-an improvement of 9 minutes from last time!
Sometimes you just have to face your fears and know that doing what you are afraid of will only make you stronger. I have been practicing ring dips now for a few weeks, and I have been able to finally do them. I was never afraid of ring dips. The one exercise I have always been afraid of is handstand pushups (HSPU).
The fear about HSPU is all in my head. It is not natural to be upside down, then want to lower your head to the ground then back up. If I slip, I'll smack my head. My anxiety about doing them is created in my head and I psych myself out of them before I even try. Today was going to be different. I had conquered ring dips, now it was time to work on my HSPU. It took me a few tries. First I did a tri-pod against the wall and straightened out my legs to get used to what it would be like. Then I started flipping my body up, but I couldn't get enough momentum to get my feet against the wall. This was mostly because of my fear about HSPU. Once I pushed my fear of doing them aside, it all just clicked. I flung my body forward and my feet hit the wall. Then I held myself like that for about 15 sec. Then I did it again. Nice! I still have a ways to go until I am comfortable doing them, but today was a great start. I have proved to myself in these last 2 months that I am capable of much more than I thought was possible.
Today's WOD:
Annie
50-40-30-20-10
Double Unders
Sit-ups
12:12-an improvement of 9 minutes from last time!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
What a Difference 2 months makes!
Today's workout was one that I had previously done back on 3/20, which is right before my journey started. I was fat and out of shape. The wod was one used at a games qualifier and had a 25 minute cap on it. When I did it back in March, I didn't even come close to finishing it in that time. And I didn't use the rx'd weight for all of it either. At 25 min. I was 2 exercises away from finishing. Today, I revisited that workout to see my improvement. Let me tell you, 2 months of Crossfit and almost 20 lbs. lighter makes a huge difference.
Here's the WOD:
30 wall ball-16 lbs (cause that's the heaviest at the gym)
30 ground to overhead 95 lbs.
30 kb swings 53 lb. kettlebell
30 overhead squats 95 lbs.
30 burpees
30 ground to shoulder
In March, I was only able to make it to the overhead squats, and for those I had to use 65 lbs. Holy crap what a difference today was. I finished the workout all rx'd in 24:12. I had done it under the cap and used all the prescribed weight. I couldn't believe the difference this time around. After the workout I was pretty excited with my time. It is nice to see actual results. The little everyday victories that I achieve are what keeps me going on this journey. Today was a great day for me. And these last 2 months have been a fantastic ride.
Here's the WOD:
30 wall ball-16 lbs (cause that's the heaviest at the gym)
30 ground to overhead 95 lbs.
30 kb swings 53 lb. kettlebell
30 overhead squats 95 lbs.
30 burpees
30 ground to shoulder
In March, I was only able to make it to the overhead squats, and for those I had to use 65 lbs. Holy crap what a difference today was. I finished the workout all rx'd in 24:12. I had done it under the cap and used all the prescribed weight. I couldn't believe the difference this time around. After the workout I was pretty excited with my time. It is nice to see actual results. The little everyday victories that I achieve are what keeps me going on this journey. Today was a great day for me. And these last 2 months have been a fantastic ride.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Chalk it up
After another long day at work, I head to the gym. It's easier to just force myself to workout right after work, so if I get side tracked I don't miss a workout. I decided today to revisit a workout that I really like, DT. The best time that I did this workout in was 19 min. and some change back when I was crossfitting a lot. I did this workout a little while back when I was starting to get back to working out. I added 8 minutes and it took me 27 minutes. I was really disappointed. Today would be different, I just knew I would improve.
DT is a great strength and cardio workout. It is 5 rounds of 12 deadlift, 9 hanging power cleans (HPC), and 6 push press/jerk, whichever you want. The entire workout is done with 155 lbs., which sucks. I load the bar up and get myself in the right mindframe. 3,2,1 go! I rip through the deadlifts no problem, now on to the HPCs. Holy crap is this heavy. I do 5 reps, then 4. I'm able to press 155, so I do push presses. Those I break in to 2 sets of 3. 1 round down, and I still have 4 to go. This is not going to be fun. It wasn't a cardio issue for me during this workout. Don't get me wrong, I was tired. My forearms were on fire from doing the HPCs and I was having a hard time holding on to the bar. Not only because my forearms were tired, but I did not have any chalk, so my grip would slip. I push through the rounds and approach the final round at around 15 min. I knew that I would finish under 20 min. I finish my last press and drop the bar, Time! I look at my watch, 18:50. I had beat my best time from a while back and took 9 minutes of my last time!
Besides being ecstatic about my time, I realized that I do need to get some lifting chalk. It will help me with my grip. I am sure that I could cut another minute off my time if I had some chalk. I will revisit this workout in the future, and I will be sure to have some chalk.
Today's WOD:
5 rds w/155 lbs.
12 deadlift
9 hanging power cleans
6 push press/jerk
DT is a great strength and cardio workout. It is 5 rounds of 12 deadlift, 9 hanging power cleans (HPC), and 6 push press/jerk, whichever you want. The entire workout is done with 155 lbs., which sucks. I load the bar up and get myself in the right mindframe. 3,2,1 go! I rip through the deadlifts no problem, now on to the HPCs. Holy crap is this heavy. I do 5 reps, then 4. I'm able to press 155, so I do push presses. Those I break in to 2 sets of 3. 1 round down, and I still have 4 to go. This is not going to be fun. It wasn't a cardio issue for me during this workout. Don't get me wrong, I was tired. My forearms were on fire from doing the HPCs and I was having a hard time holding on to the bar. Not only because my forearms were tired, but I did not have any chalk, so my grip would slip. I push through the rounds and approach the final round at around 15 min. I knew that I would finish under 20 min. I finish my last press and drop the bar, Time! I look at my watch, 18:50. I had beat my best time from a while back and took 9 minutes of my last time!
Besides being ecstatic about my time, I realized that I do need to get some lifting chalk. It will help me with my grip. I am sure that I could cut another minute off my time if I had some chalk. I will revisit this workout in the future, and I will be sure to have some chalk.
Today's WOD:
5 rds w/155 lbs.
12 deadlift
9 hanging power cleans
6 push press/jerk
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Some much needed encouragement
I have been on this journey for 2 months now. I have lost around 16-17 lbs. That isn't too bad, but I know that I can do better. My cardio and strength have begun to come back around. Overall, I am very happy with my progress. I know that I have lost some inches because I have tightened up my belt a notch or 2. But it is always nice when someone else notices, because looking at yourself everyday looks the same. Today while at work I had someone ask me how much weight I had lost. With a smile I told them. It's a great feeling when someone else notices your hard work. It let me know that what I have been doing for the last 2 months is working. That was great, but the real encouragement for me came today in the gym.
Today's workout was Deadlift 3-3-1-1. Then a short workout after of 21-15-9 Box Jumps, KB Swings w/70lbs, and calories on the rower. My goal for the DL was 405. First set of 315, easy. 375 for 3, not too tough. Then I put on 405. The first time I tried it, fail. I was determined to get it, so I left it on the bar and would try it for my last set. I step up for 1 last pull, a little struggle, but I got it. I was happy with that. Still, not the encouragement I was talking about.
I bust through the workout after the deadlifts in just under 12 min. I was pretty smoked. Now comes the best part of the workout. I have been practicing ring dips for a few weeks after my workouts. I would practice holding myself up on the rings, do some assisted ring dips, things like that. I haven't been able to do one yet though. Today was a breakthrough. I jump up on the rings and begin to lower myself down. I kept my balance and ripped off 3 dips. HELL YEAH I thought. I did another set of 3, and then 1 more set of 2. I couldn't believe it. All of a sudden it just clicked. Practice had paid off. Today was a great day all around. Just what I needed to reassure myself that my journey is headed in the right direction.
Today's workout was Deadlift 3-3-1-1. Then a short workout after of 21-15-9 Box Jumps, KB Swings w/70lbs, and calories on the rower. My goal for the DL was 405. First set of 315, easy. 375 for 3, not too tough. Then I put on 405. The first time I tried it, fail. I was determined to get it, so I left it on the bar and would try it for my last set. I step up for 1 last pull, a little struggle, but I got it. I was happy with that. Still, not the encouragement I was talking about.
I bust through the workout after the deadlifts in just under 12 min. I was pretty smoked. Now comes the best part of the workout. I have been practicing ring dips for a few weeks after my workouts. I would practice holding myself up on the rings, do some assisted ring dips, things like that. I haven't been able to do one yet though. Today was a breakthrough. I jump up on the rings and begin to lower myself down. I kept my balance and ripped off 3 dips. HELL YEAH I thought. I did another set of 3, and then 1 more set of 2. I couldn't believe it. All of a sudden it just clicked. Practice had paid off. Today was a great day all around. Just what I needed to reassure myself that my journey is headed in the right direction.
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