• I just did one of those running up the stairs but missed a step and caught myself in a terminator like pose acts. That's what I call core stability.
I'm staying at Nolans last night and tonight. It's kind of fun house sitting because you get all the benefits of owning a house but none of the responsibilities...except owning a dog. I hate dogs. On Wednesday I get to start house sitting for my uncle, who only lives a few blocks over from Nolans, for two weeks. I get to inherit thier dog too, but at least that one comes with a car. Uncle Bob said I could have his Yukon while they're away. Of course I politely declined, but he said he'd leave the keys anyways, which means I'll use it after all. *smile*
I was a little depressed last night so I spent the time praying and reminding myself that nothing else matters except staying on track nutrtionally and physically. I've done a good job of resisting temptations and overcoming moments of no motivation. I'm sure there's a word for that, but I can't think of what it is. Anyways, I got by and now I'm getting ready to head over to the library. I want to find some more books on nutrition. I figure I'm going to study everything I can think of to study on the topic so when I take the nutrition cert. I'll already be set.
• I think Christians who hate Kerry are just like everyone else who hates Bush. Bush haters are voting for Kerry just because he's not Bush, and I think Christians are voting for Bush just because they think he's a Christian. I think they're all lame, and that's why I'm voting Fossum.
• I took the time to re-read about lipids today. It's a bit more complicated than carbohydrates, but I think I'm getting it. I just noticed that at the end of each chapter there's a little box providing web links. I checked some out and found a site that performed quizes. I took a 30 question quiz on fats and general health and I scored a 28 out of 30. Not too bad.
My night at the gym went really well. I spent about 10 minutes before my warmup to meditate and focus on the task ahead but that all went to waste when I turned the corner to get on the elliptical and my former GM was there. I ended up talking to him for the whole time I was warming up and totally lost all that focus. I got it back though and targeted my pulls (back and bicieps), raising my heartrate as high as 167 during resistence training.
Tonight was the second time in as many nights that I was complimented. Yesterday Steve told me I looked healthier, and tonight Corey said I looked 'big'. The best compliment you can get when you're working out is that you look better. I feel better too, and I can see the change...but I'm also looking harder than most people to find those changes. So, it's nice that other people are noticing as well.
Since biceps are a major contributor to the pull exercises of the back I went easy on the curls today. I finished up the night with some dumbbell hammer curls (25 lbs) to burn out, superset with 10 second negative barbell curls (30 lb). I spent half the time on the freemotion lat machine for my back with seated pull downs (80) and standing single arm high rows with rotation (80 and 90). After three sets of that I moved down to the low row hammer strength and did some seated rows at 55, coupled with some standing bentover barbell rows using the 50.
I kept the resistence at a comfortable level so I could concentrate more on the muscle contraction (especially during the negatives) and raise that heart rate. I checked my scale weight and it was up two pounds since Saturday. I'm not alarmed since I know my body fat is plunging, and I hadn't pooped since before meal 4, but I thought it might be worth mentioning. My scale weight hasn't changed more than two pounds up or down since I started back up in June, however I'm down 3% body fat, and six pounds of fat. This is all good stuff, except I'd really like to get the scale weight down under 190 again. I just like feeling lighter. But like I've always said, I'd rather be a muscular 200 lbs than a fat 200 lbs.
One thing that bothered me tonight, no more than usual, but it just popped into my head, was how poorly some of the other guys work out. I'm only mentioning it because they're my 'friends' and I hate bad form...one bad shoulder, a bad neck, and a bad back later, I'm kind of snobish in that respect. But I have to remember I'm not a trainer when I'm there, I'm just an enthusiast. I need to keep that balance in my life or I'll go crazy again, so I don't say anything.
Well, sleeping in is beginning to become a habit, so I better stop now before the sun comes up. (it's really 2am) I'll probably write more when I wake up...
You'd think fat was a cancer because everything causes it. Well, not everything really, only sugar and carbohydrates, right? Did you know that carbohydrates are sugars, and if you took out the sugar molecule of a fruit it wouldn't be a carbohydrate? And the same thing goes for a veggetable. Everybody has contemplated how much they love sugar, or at least the sweet taste of it. This bit o' fact helps explain why we love carbohydrates so much too.
Carbohydrates are made of carbon, water, and hydrogen. The carbon and water come from the sugar molecules (sugar is carbon and water). Altogether there are six kinds of sugar molecules. Three of them are called monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, and galactose) because they're single molecules, and the other three are called disaccharides (lactose, maltose, and sucrose) because they have two single molecules linked together. When glucose is found in long strands it is called a polysaccharide, or a complex carbohydrate.
So, what's the difference between the sugar in candies and soda and the sugar in fruits and veggetables, or grains? The answer is nutrient density. The sugars in fruits and veggetables are diluted in volumes of water, packed with fiber, and come with tons of vitamins and minerals. The refined sugars in candies and sodas are practically devoid of nutrients and do your body almost no good at all. The problem then is just a misconception of what sugars are and do for your body.
People associate sugar with many diseases including obesity, heart disease, tooth decay, and gum disease. Evidence actually suggests that it's unlikely to have anything to do with obesity at all. So where do people get that idea? Because in populations where sugar intake increases, so do fat and total calorie intakes. At the same time, their physical activity usually decreases, leading to an over-consumption of energy which must be stored as fat. As a matter of fact, it's been found that obese people, in many cases, eat less sugar than thinner people. Go figure, huh? Fat is more calorie dense than sugar and often times is found in the same products like candies and snacks. So, rest assured the next time you pop an M&M in your mouth that the heavenly sweetness that you're tasting isn't adding inches to your waste...it's the saturated fat that is.
As far as heart disease goes, there are some studies that suggest sugar might be a cause, but they suggest that the levels it would take for it to get that far is so insanely large that it's unlikely anybody would ever get to that point.
The only disease from our list that seems to be attached to sugar is tooth decay. Bacteria actually thrives on carbohydrates, which as we stated is sugar based, and starch which is a sugar found in carbohydrates. It all boils down to how long the food stays in your mouth, and the foods composition.
So is sugar bad? Nope. It's actually quite important. Starches, which are long complicated strands of glucose (blood sugar), are packed with energy. Fiber helps keep your digestive system strong and healthy, and it helps you poop out the waste. Glucose helps defend against ketosis, and helps balance our pH level in the blood. It helps regulate the insulin in our systems (released by our pancreas), it helps retain water in our muslces, and it helps make food taste better. I think that makes sugar a hero.
• Tonight was great. My parents had my Uncle and his fiance over for dinner and I got the distinct pleasure of bursting their bubble. I don't mean to sound like I enjoy kicking anyone between the legs, but this was different...
As the food went around the table, everyone would take their little share of whatever and give it to the next person. My Aunt to be would gladly take a little of everything except the mashed potatoes...hmmmm. I didn't really pay attention to it until I heard a quiet voice say something about Atkins. Call it selective hearing. I took a glance at her plate and noticed, as my Uncle was explaining how she didn't eat carbs, that it was filled with asparagus, and squash, and spinach, and lettuce with tomatoes and cucumbers (all carbohydrates), and I just said real politely "oh no, no, no, don't worry Uncle Bob, she's got plenty of carbs goin' on." The high light was right after I said that and my Aunt to be kind of frowned. And to think she used to be a personal trainer. It's a shame that we lost one to the dark side.
My night at the gym was equally as rewarding. I felt a surge of energy and managed to go all out with no obstacles. I focused on my pushes tonight, which means I did my chest, triceps, and shoulders. I changed things up by going with a superset of incline dumbbell presses and pushups with my hands on a bench. After three sets I switched to the fly machine and went to burn out for three sets. I managed to get as high as 6 reps with 100 lbs on my third burn out.
For triceps I used the cable cross for overhead extensions coupled with the seated dip machine. Since triceps are a major part of the chest press I only did three sets of the one superset before switching to my shoulders. I have to keep special attention on my right shoulder because it tends to give out very easily ever since I blew it out a few years back. But it held tight for the whole workout, which pleased me very much. After the triceps I did some squating dumbbell lateral raises, supersetted with the sagittal raises using a resistence band. That burned like all hell, but it's so addiciting. (sagittal is to the front, by the way).
I managed to get 10 minutes warm up on the bike and 5 minutes cool down on the elliptical. I gave myself about 15 minutes of stretching afterwards, and hit the road. I tried to psych myself up a little as I warmed up by meditating on the muscles I was about to use. It seemed to help me focus better than usual, but I only did it about 2 minutes before I started. I think next time I'm going to try to meditate the whole warm up and see if that makes a difference. If anything, it certainly helped me to block out all the other people doing stuff around me. If I found myself getting distracted at all, I'd just close my eyes.
• I got thinking about the whole post meal strategy, and I wanted to sort of explain myself a little so it makes sense. I mentioned it was best to consume Carbohydrates (CHO) after a workout, but not just any CHO. The idea is to restore glycogen in your liver and muscles, as well as in your blood, and the best carbs to do that are the simple CHO. A good example of this would be an apple. Apples are actually one of the best simple CHO you could find.
Simple CHO are easily broken down and absorbed, thus making glycogen resynthesis quicker, but it also causes insulin secretion which won't make you fat and is the most anabolic hormone in your body.
Of course, if you have a good meal replacement (one you can trust and like), you can always use that. Since my last meal before I work out is at 5:30, I need to eat something about an hour before I head to the gym. I usually don't begin the work out until 10:30, so I'll have my pre meal somewhere between 8:30 and 9:00. That gives my body plenty of time to absorb what it needs from the meal and get it out of my stomach and into the intestines. This is good because my body will be more likely to use the fat for energy instead of what I just ate. As you know, I've begun to eat the apple for my premeal, which means I must be getting some of those simple carbs in my meal replacement shake. As a matter of fact I am (dextrose), while I'm also getting the proteins that my body will use for the anabolic process.
So that's the reasoning behind the madness. You work your butt off in the gym because you expect certain results. It's just a shame if you waste that hard work by eating wrong, which most people do. (But Mel you look great, so you must be doing something right. I'm just giving you the tools to use so you can analyze your routine and make sure.)
• Ooookay...first of all, I'm a bit pissed off today. My whole day has kind of revolved around that too, which sucks. I spent most of it reading a lot of nutrition stuff again (with a much needed break to watch Flash Gordon), just waiting for that insurance thingy to come through so I can start making money again. I was thrilled to hear back from almost everyone about my business theme idea and that they all loved it, except for one person. That's what pissed me off today. It wasn't that this person didn't like my idea, it was the way it was criticized. I wasn't looking for criticism...ya know? Anyways, I'm gonna go with it. I'll brush it up a bit, but I'm sticking with the theme. Nolan liked it, and that's usually enough for me.
I switched my apple and my shake tonight, and I think I liked it better. I only did cardio, so we'll have to see how I feel tomorrow night when I hit the weights again. I'm hoping I have as much energy tomorrow as I did today.
I stuck with the usual by starting on the versa climber for 10 minutes, alternating hand grips every two minutes. After that I jumped over to the bike (upright) and went another 10 minutes of high intensity. When I finished I spent about 20 minutes doing some facilitated stretching for my legs and my lumbar...oh crap, I forgot to stretch my calfs.
I'm feeling like my concentration has decreased over the last couple months, but when I do focus my thoughts are much clearer than normal. I'm guessing that it's a result of increased health versus it being too hot to function. Maybe I'm not getting enough olive oil...nah.
So, I learned today that exercise helps you poop better. Now that is a treasure of knowledge.
• ...It's really 1:33 in the AM of the 26th, but I didn't want to confuse myself since this post really pertains to the 25th.
I just got back about a half hour ago from the gym, and it was probably the best workout I've had since last Tuesday. I felt great after taking the last two days off, and taking a brief nap late in the afternoon. I spent most of today reading up on nutrition after church and eagerly waiting for my time to take measurements. I know that weekly measurements can be deceptive, but it's such an exciting time that I can't believe I used to go three or four weeks between them. It helps get me through the week knowing that I'm going to see my results, no matter how small, sooner than later.
I lost another one percent body fat (which translates into 2.31lbs of fat with a gain of 0.82 LBM) which dropped me to 198.5 lbs on the scale from 200. That's what I want to see. My goal was to lose 0.5% bf per week, and I'm averaging one whole percent. I planned on losing one pound of fat per week, and I'm averaging just over two. If those aren't positive results, I don't know what is.
I also decided that it might be a good idea to swap my pre and post work out meal. I was drinking my shake before the work out and eating an apple afterwards, but the apple provides better energy which would be useful for the workout. And the shake is a little less filling, which is good considering how late I workout and I need to try to get to sleep. I'll try that tomorrow.
• With supplements being one of the largest industries in the world, and one of the most scandalous, it's no wonder why there's a lot of confusion among the consumer population. They have a pill, or a shake, or bar for everything, and almost none of them work...and that's a fact. But, let's assume for a moment that they did. Let's assume that in fact you could get a shake, or a pill that provided all the minerals and nutrients your body needed to survive. Why couldn't we just give up food all together (God forbid) and just swallow a capsule three times a day to be healthy? Well, I'll tell you why...
To over simplify I would just say that foods are chemically complex, and so are we. Even foods like a potato have hundreds of different compounds. To a large degree our realtionship with food is a mysterious one. We eat for the energy it provides, and for the minerals and vitamins, and yet that still isn't enough. There is a specific reaction our body's have to solid foods that is necessary to maintain a healthy system.
Scientists have developed formulas that are called 'elemental diets'. They're chemically composed of the exact nutrients we need to survive. These formulas were originally created for sick people who cannot eat ordinary food. People who have deficiencies, or infections, or wounds that need to be healed are given these 'medicines' to survive until they can again return to normal eating habits. But, God bless America, these capitalistic scientists took their formulas to the open market and sold them as supplements for healthy people. The problem is that these products, while being essential to help sick people survive, are not sufficient enough to help people thrive for long periods of time. They don't support optimal growth and health, and often times can lead to complications. Of course they can be corrected, but it just illustrates how our bodies need real food to function properly.
Another aspect to consider is how our digestive tract reacts to real food. Just think about how your stomach might grumble when you smell a tasty steak, or In'N'out. When you live off of liquids (slimfast) or pills your stomach and intestines, like unused muscles, will weaken and even grow smaller. When your body recieves food it releases hormones that help maintain the body's integrity. Without these hormonal releases our bodies can actually begin to deteriorate and begin to malfunction. This is why the same patients which were mentioned above are only fed intravenously for as short a time as possible.
The same chemicals that help to maintain the normal functions of our bodies are also the ones that affect our emotional stimulations. We've all finished a good meal before and felt a sense of satisfaction that allowed us to relax, or enjoy ourselves much more. Which brings us back to the beginning when we said how our bodies are as complex as the foods we eat, and this is why we need to regulate how much food we replace with 'fake' nutrients.
• I'm at the point where I need to come up with a catchy name and slogan as I begin advertising my personal training services. I was thinking of "The Tailor: we do birthday suits!"
• What a night. I have to say this was the most fun I've had in a long time. The mood was just right, and the company was excellent. Everybody seemed to be on the same page, and the conversation never dragged...not to mention I had one of the most important conversations of my life tonight, and it went well! That's almost like winning the lottery.
It wasn't as hard to restrain from the beer and junk food as I thought it would be. Someone told me earlier today, in response to my not drinking anymore, that I had to start enjoying life. I didn't have any tonight and I had a blast. There was plenty of good stuff like fruits, veggies, and ham to eat and fill me up. I was pretty stoked...that's a complete meal. I did enjoy some of Connies peach cobbler, which was incredible.
I'm pretty excited about tomorrow's weigh in. It's not always an accurate assessment, but I think I can see some more definition, especially in my shoulders and neck area. We'll see...
• Tonight is Seth's final Summer celebration in El Moro. It's kind of sad to think that we're coming to an end of an era. We'll certainly have our big Halloween party in October, but who's to say after that. This could be it. It brings a tear to my eye...
I just re-read my first entry and it's bugging me that I could have wrote it better, but I'm going to brush it to the side and just accept it for being what it is. I figure this will all develop on it's own as I continue.
So, last night I didn't get to bed until 2am as a result of playing Scrabble online. (for those who are reading along and don't know it, I'm a Scrabble fanatic. I've been playing the game for twenty years, since I was eight years old.) Did I win at least? You betcha! When I finally got to sleep I again made it through the entire night without waking or any discomfort, which is a problem for me when I'm not healthy. However, I didn't set my alarm (which I even thought I should do, knowing what would happen if I didn't) and I woke up at 11am. Even on a Saturday that is way too late. So, having slept through my first meal, and waking up just in time for my second I went downstairs and had meal number one. To ensure I don't fall short on my calories I will just increase the portion sizes of each meal and follow through with them on schedule.
Tonight will be a challenge because again the accessibility and social pressure of junk will be very high. But I'll just watch everyone else and compare their health to mine and remind myself of why I'm restraining. I'll definitely report tonight when I get home...
• Much has changed since I last blogged a blog. I love this new interface with all the nifty buttons instead of code. But that isn't what has changed the most. What has changed is the Blogger more than the blog. And so, it is with new purpose that I return to this place.
I've decided to keep a journal of my progress both "in the kitchen" and in the gym. It will of course, by default, include parts of my life outside of fitness because the two (my life and fitness)are directly related, but the main charge of this self imposed directive is to hold a measure of accountably and to keep a track record of "where I've been". In the future I will be able to look back and reflect on what I was thinking, or how I was feeling through the process, and hopefully it will help me to over come obstacles that reoccur. Because I am both the author and intended audience I will limit the introduction and preface to this short paragraph, however, everyone is certainly welcome to read my enteries and hopefully learn something new about their own health and fitness.
Where do I begin?
Being both an enthusiast and professional in the fitness industry one would pressume some things about me. First, I'd imagine they would expect that fitness comes easy to me. To them I would say, "I wish!" Unfortunately, just like 99.9% of the rest of the world the "fit" lifestyle is one that takes a lot of dedication and motivation, both of which do not come very easy at all. At times it can be a real chore. There are many contentions to deal with ranging from the constant bombardment of advertisments pushing tasty, accessable, fatty foods, to my closest friends and family encouraging me to be just like them. It was only last week that I was heading out the door on my way to workout when my friend, holding a beer in his hand and brushing the crumbs of an oreo cookie off his chin, confronted me asking, "Why do you go to the gym so late?" I took one look at him and thought to myself, "That's why..."
A year ago I would have been afraid to say this, but since then I've learned that the best way to fight depression is to talk about it. So it is no secret that I suffer from depression. For those of you who are reading this and have experienced it themselves, I don't have to explain how being in that state can completely drain you of all cares, and motivations to do anything at all. It nearly cost me my job, and it certainly cost me some friends and my health. In my nearly fifteen years of experience working out, my health has been on a rollercoaster ride that would make most people nauseaus. However, it is the strangest and most difficult trials that cause us to grow the most. And that is what has brought me to where I am today. Fitness does not come easy for me, but it is what I love and what I desire. So I am here, already begun, forging ahead in my quest to reach new heights of strength and wellness.
The other assumption, which is usually heard in the form of an excuse rather than an accusation, is that I must not be that busy, which allows me to eat healthy and workout. I will grant that this may be true in my case because I am very fortunate to have a loose schedule and few responsiblities. But it's sad how everybody wants to be so different from everyone else that they actually believe that they're the only ones with exhausting and stressful jobs, with families to take care of, and other responsibilites that leave them with no time to take care of themselves. The bare fact of the matter is that they just haven't made it a priority. If you were to interview all the members who attend the gym regularily you would find that 90% of them all have similar work and family schedules, but they make plans to eat well and workout. That's the real difference. But even in my modestly filled life it's a struggle to make six meals -- and eat them all. And it's hard to get to the gym 5 or 6 times a week, knowing that I'm going to push my body to it's limits when I could be lounging in front of the TV watching a good movie...or sleeping. I don't get paid to workout myself; I get paid to teach others how to workout. So, just like anybody, leirsurely activities become extremely tempting to chose over exercise.
Having established that I am no different from anyone else, and that I have just as many excuses as the rest of them, I decided that, as a matter of fact I wanted to be the one who was different. But what was going to make me different was going to be that I overcame all the excuses and temptations to be lazy. Partly because it is my livelihood, but mostly because it was what I wanted (to be healthy).
Starting on June 1st, I took the beginning steps of regaining my 'shape'. I began preparing six meals per day, each one consisting of a carbohydrate and protein. I made affirmations for myself swearing off alcohol, soda, cigarettes, and candy. I set both long term and short terms goals, writting them down and reciting them twice a day. I would plan on going to the gym 5 nights a week to lift weights, and I would measure my progress in body fat on every Sunday. My goals seemed modest, with the target at 1 lb of fat and 0.5% BF per week, but over the first three months I had planned to lose 6% BF and 12 lbs of fat.
When I first began I had nobody to help me measure my losses. However, starting on July 1st I finally had someone to help and I've been keeping track ever since. Within the first 11 days I had dropped 2% BF and 2 lbs on the scale, which translates into almost five lbs of fat. I saw circumference measurements drop in every category, and an increase in my strength each day.
I ran into problems for the first time this week, prompting me to begin this journal. Results motivate, and my results have slowed. My energy has dropped off a bit during my exercises although I haven't missed one workout or meal since I began. I've been averaging 6-8 hours of sleep each night, and I haven't had difficulty staying in slumber. The only thing I can think is the problem is that I need to add a complex carb into each meal, and maybe drop my resistence training from 5 to 3 days per week, giving my muscles more time to recover and regain my energy. The only thing I haven't been including so far is cardio, so I will be sure to replace the other two days, and maybe add a third day to balance out my schedule. I plan on making the change this Sunday, which is in two nights. That way I wont' miss my rest days and hopefully I'll be fresh for a new week.
Because I fear making this entry too long and thus never reading it again myself, I will stop here. From this point on I will enter in something new each day, 'on' days or 'off', and hopefully it will help to keep the excitement alive as I pursue my goals.
