Maybe it was the early morning flight, maybe it's the limited contents of my home gym, or any combination of other factors; but I feel like I'm about to hit a wall. I felt very unmotivated to workout yesterday. Wasn't sure what routine I should do, so I just winged it and puttered out. I'm going to need to join a real gym soon: 1) I feel like I need to spice things up, and 2) my home gym is very limited (90 lbs max, and I prefer high intensity/low repetitions). Anytime Fitness is on the plate, as it caters to my sometimes odd hours and they have a couple of reasonable specials (free 14 Day trial and $1 for two extra months to any membership). Ideally I'd like to join a gym with a pool and if it's a major chain, one with several locations and reasonable rates (No more than $30/month).
Now I'm not burning out on the diet. I cheat every now and again, especially this past weekend: had waffles, chic-fil-a nuggets, beer, a couple of cupcakes, and nearly a dozen cookies. But I love food too damn much to completely cut it out for good. So I limit the intake to rare occasions, and binge in moderation (well, moderation in my book). I love the paleo/primal based food I'm cooking, though. I cooked up a decent batch of chili that tastes delicious and I'm trying out these avocado cocoa rolls tonight (basically the Paleo version of swiss rolls). Video below:
The food is no problem. I have a style of living right now that could keep me at a healthy and attractive weight as I am now...but that's not the goal. And if I want the results I'm looking for, I need to step it up and increase my intensity. Tonight begins my interval training, focusing on abs and cardio. I'm hoping this perks me up and gets me back into the routine.
Hovering at 155 lbs pretty consistently, and that's without a decent workout since Wednesday of last week (not counting last night, which wasn't even decent). I'm doing something right.
Now I just need to keep it up.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Oh hey! I can update from work!
Long time no write, blog.
Usually social networking sites and the like are blocked on our network, but today of all days I thought I'd try it out. And whaddaya know, I can! So why can't I update from home?
Well, Time Warner Cable is a bitch. I've been going back and forth with them with my service since August. The short of it -- because I could rant until I'm blue in the face -- is that I was paying $40 a month for their "Turbo Boost" with advertised speeds of 20 mb on downloads; I barely cracked over 1 mb. So I was paying an extra $20 a month for their lowest tier service. I told them this. No service was ever rescheduled. I finally get ahold of them and they say I still have to pay for everything, despite the terrible service, before they would even fix it. So I kept the account closed. Not a single penny they'll see from me again. Customer lost for good. Better Business Bureau report filed. Guess it's Grande or AT&T for me!
Anyway...I didn't fall of the tracks or anything. I've been going hard and strong this past month and I'm now starting to see some results. Muscle definition is emerging, plus my ever fluctuating weight. Just before I left for my Christmas holiday, I was at 149 lbs. When I returned in early January after two weeks?
158 lbs.
Yup. Nearly 10 pounds in two weeks. I'd like to think the majority of it was muscle gain. I mean, I was still working out three times a week...but let's not lie here. I indulged. Christmas alone was 48 hours of delicious consumption. Diet be damned! There was cake to be had!
And let's not even get into all of the clearance candy.
It was a good break. Food, family, and loved ones. Got a Kindle (completely loaded with A Song of Ice and Fire series) compliments of my wonderful girlfriend (visit her blog here), and several movies I had on my wishlist for sometime including the Lord of the Rings extended edition on Blu-Ray! My parents surprised me well.
I'm thinking of joining a gym like anytime fitness. They've got a promotion for an extra two months for just a $1 and have locations all over the place. Ideally I'd like to have a gym with a pool, but just having better equipment would be nice. My barbell can only max out to 80 lbs...well, 90 if I precariously dangle each of my 5 lb dumbells on them. Plus I don't want a long term commitment as I'll be moving in the very near future. I may try Gold's Gym though....the ladyfriend goes there herself and recommends it.
Still, I've found a way to challenge myself with my home gym. I'm now down to 153 lbs as of this morning. Muscle definition is emerging in my chest and biceps, and my abdominals are strengthening as well; a slight V is already developing. I'm pleased with my progress and adherence to the diet so far.
Downside? I usually end up working out late because of work and it's hard to wind down before midnight. I'll burnout for sure if I keep it up. Going to work on only 5 hours of sleep? Not smart. I was late by nearly 45 minutes last week. Burning the candle at both ends and I'm running out of wax. But, I get a three day weekend which will give me plenty of time to deflate, unwind, and prepare myself.
It's going to be a busy couple of months, but I'm really excited.
Pictures to come to next week on my progress. And this time updates won't be a month apart!
Usually social networking sites and the like are blocked on our network, but today of all days I thought I'd try it out. And whaddaya know, I can! So why can't I update from home?
Well, Time Warner Cable is a bitch. I've been going back and forth with them with my service since August. The short of it -- because I could rant until I'm blue in the face -- is that I was paying $40 a month for their "Turbo Boost" with advertised speeds of 20 mb on downloads; I barely cracked over 1 mb. So I was paying an extra $20 a month for their lowest tier service. I told them this. No service was ever rescheduled. I finally get ahold of them and they say I still have to pay for everything, despite the terrible service, before they would even fix it. So I kept the account closed. Not a single penny they'll see from me again. Customer lost for good. Better Business Bureau report filed. Guess it's Grande or AT&T for me!
Anyway...I didn't fall of the tracks or anything. I've been going hard and strong this past month and I'm now starting to see some results. Muscle definition is emerging, plus my ever fluctuating weight. Just before I left for my Christmas holiday, I was at 149 lbs. When I returned in early January after two weeks?
158 lbs.
Yup. Nearly 10 pounds in two weeks. I'd like to think the majority of it was muscle gain. I mean, I was still working out three times a week...but let's not lie here. I indulged. Christmas alone was 48 hours of delicious consumption. Diet be damned! There was cake to be had!
And let's not even get into all of the clearance candy.
It was a good break. Food, family, and loved ones. Got a Kindle (completely loaded with A Song of Ice and Fire series) compliments of my wonderful girlfriend (visit her blog here), and several movies I had on my wishlist for sometime including the Lord of the Rings extended edition on Blu-Ray! My parents surprised me well.
I'm thinking of joining a gym like anytime fitness. They've got a promotion for an extra two months for just a $1 and have locations all over the place. Ideally I'd like to have a gym with a pool, but just having better equipment would be nice. My barbell can only max out to 80 lbs...well, 90 if I precariously dangle each of my 5 lb dumbells on them. Plus I don't want a long term commitment as I'll be moving in the very near future. I may try Gold's Gym though....the ladyfriend goes there herself and recommends it.
Still, I've found a way to challenge myself with my home gym. I'm now down to 153 lbs as of this morning. Muscle definition is emerging in my chest and biceps, and my abdominals are strengthening as well; a slight V is already developing. I'm pleased with my progress and adherence to the diet so far.
Downside? I usually end up working out late because of work and it's hard to wind down before midnight. I'll burnout for sure if I keep it up. Going to work on only 5 hours of sleep? Not smart. I was late by nearly 45 minutes last week. Burning the candle at both ends and I'm running out of wax. But, I get a three day weekend which will give me plenty of time to deflate, unwind, and prepare myself.
It's going to be a busy couple of months, but I'm really excited.
Pictures to come to next week on my progress. And this time updates won't be a month apart!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Day 1 2.0
So I used to keep track of this information the old school way...with a journal. While I still scribble down notes in it from time to time, I'm looking for a quicker way to track and log information (and make it public).
While a means of primarily tracking my fitness goals, reactions, etc.; from time to time I spew out or rant about other things in my life. I'm a geek. I'm a teacher. I'm an artist. And sometimes, I get very pissed off.
Let's get the ball rolling huh?
Day 1 2.0
I say 2.0 because this is my reboot. It's been since June when I last started working out consistently. I had been going for about two months pretty strong, keeping myself pretty close to the slow-carb diet as described in Tim Ferriss' book, The 4-Hour Body. I had some pretty good gains during that time, but my financial and living situation didn't support it very well. I got a job, moved to San Antonio, and I hit the ground running. Teaching is a very stressful job, especially the first couple of years. I'm finally finding time to work out again, but I still haven't even completely unpacked (and I moved in during August). Between teaching, managing a long distance relationship, and trying to maintain everything else in my life...it's been hard to get fit again.
But we've (that would be my significant other and I) got a beach wedding to go to this summer, and we both promised to have rockin' bodies by that time.
So today is Day 1...again. I've almost consistently been working out since December 3rd, changed my diet, and I'm trying a new exercise regimen.
I have been losing weight. While I stopped at just around 155 pounds in the summer, I'm now at 150 pounds. The change in my diet has helped. I've cut out the large intake of beans I used to ingest while on the Slow-carb diet and have since switched to a mix of Paleo/Primal. I like this a whole lot better, but I'll never completely follow it for several reasons: pie, cupcakes, beer, etc. I'm a hedonist when it comes to food and I'll never deny a craving. It keeps me sane. While I drink beer far less (I've switched to wine, but that's also because my local grocery has a terrible selection), I still have one or two every couple of weeks. And I'm finding Paleo approved substitutes for my sweet cravings so I now only rarely consume a load of pizza, burgers, or pie/cake.
My friend Ed suggested this website, Fitocracy, that makes my workouts more competitive and fun by appealing to the gamer in me; it turned it into a game filled with points and achievements. It's also another handy way to keep track of my workouts so I can look back and find out what routines worked best or what will hopefully get me to my desired result: less than 12% body-fat, six pack abs, and being able to bench press over 200 pounds.
I'm posting my photos to facebook to once again motivate myself. People have seen my semi-nude body...I better show some results or I'm gonna make a fool of myself.
In addition to exercise, I'm implementing the PAGG stack supplement regimen from 4-Hour Body along with several other little additions I'll describe in detail during a later post.
Put in my workout for the day already. Now to load up on protein and start making some tests. Mid-Term exams for my students this week!
While a means of primarily tracking my fitness goals, reactions, etc.; from time to time I spew out or rant about other things in my life. I'm a geek. I'm a teacher. I'm an artist. And sometimes, I get very pissed off.
Let's get the ball rolling huh?
Day 1 2.0
I say 2.0 because this is my reboot. It's been since June when I last started working out consistently. I had been going for about two months pretty strong, keeping myself pretty close to the slow-carb diet as described in Tim Ferriss' book, The 4-Hour Body. I had some pretty good gains during that time, but my financial and living situation didn't support it very well. I got a job, moved to San Antonio, and I hit the ground running. Teaching is a very stressful job, especially the first couple of years. I'm finally finding time to work out again, but I still haven't even completely unpacked (and I moved in during August). Between teaching, managing a long distance relationship, and trying to maintain everything else in my life...it's been hard to get fit again.
But we've (that would be my significant other and I) got a beach wedding to go to this summer, and we both promised to have rockin' bodies by that time.
So today is Day 1...again. I've almost consistently been working out since December 3rd, changed my diet, and I'm trying a new exercise regimen.
I have been losing weight. While I stopped at just around 155 pounds in the summer, I'm now at 150 pounds. The change in my diet has helped. I've cut out the large intake of beans I used to ingest while on the Slow-carb diet and have since switched to a mix of Paleo/Primal. I like this a whole lot better, but I'll never completely follow it for several reasons: pie, cupcakes, beer, etc. I'm a hedonist when it comes to food and I'll never deny a craving. It keeps me sane. While I drink beer far less (I've switched to wine, but that's also because my local grocery has a terrible selection), I still have one or two every couple of weeks. And I'm finding Paleo approved substitutes for my sweet cravings so I now only rarely consume a load of pizza, burgers, or pie/cake.
My friend Ed suggested this website, Fitocracy, that makes my workouts more competitive and fun by appealing to the gamer in me; it turned it into a game filled with points and achievements. It's also another handy way to keep track of my workouts so I can look back and find out what routines worked best or what will hopefully get me to my desired result: less than 12% body-fat, six pack abs, and being able to bench press over 200 pounds.
I'm posting my photos to facebook to once again motivate myself. People have seen my semi-nude body...I better show some results or I'm gonna make a fool of myself.
In addition to exercise, I'm implementing the PAGG stack supplement regimen from 4-Hour Body along with several other little additions I'll describe in detail during a later post.
Put in my workout for the day already. Now to load up on protein and start making some tests. Mid-Term exams for my students this week!
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