Wow was it really 5 weeks?!

Yes it was a whole five weeks before I got back to the gym.  As we know the last entry was about my falling hard and fast off the wagon.  I was burned out on exercise and eating the right stuff. 

A week ago I finally made it back to the gym and the equalizer: Kettle bell.

It felt right and I didn't secretly hope the instructor would cancel at the last minute.  I was glad to be at the gym, again.  I accepted the punishment that is kettle bell and it felt good.  My shirt was soaking wet at the end and I knew the next day I'd be sore, but I didn't mind.  That was good as it hadn't been that way for a few weeks before I took my break.  New lesson learned.  I was trying to make these life changes too fast.  I was not listening and it ended up breaking down the good work and making it impossible to succeed.

So note to self.  For now continue to stick to the previous schedule but make some adjustments.  I'll still be going to Kettle bell twice a week but for the summer will be spending more time outside on the other days.  Walking and biking mostly with the occasional home workouts.  These workouts could be lifting weights or doing body weight stuff such as planks or Turkish get-ups.  Still meeting Lorinda on Saturdays and then hoping to once a week work out to the program we did on Sat.

Making a small change to the food program.  I've stopped eating the container of yogurt between breakfast and lunch.  Also I've added beans to the frittata that is eaten at breakfast.  Mondays have changed to the lite eating day.  I am starting off with a protein smoothie (protein powder, 2-bananas, some frozen strawberries, blueberries, and black cherries with chia seeds thrown in for fun).  I drink half of that and then take the rest to work for the morning break. I follow that up at lunch with a Mexicali salad from Trader Joes.  Then for dinner I have a Greek yogurt, mixing in more chia seeds and maybe some peanut butter.  This food plan starts the week off on the right foot and helps me make better decisions the rest of the week, at least until the weekend.

I'm experimenting with Myfitnesspal.  This is a website where you can enter in your workouts and food eaten during the day and it puts all together and lets you know how you're doing according to your goals.  Not exactly perfect but I'll give it a shot and see if it helps any.

Here's' the latest workout we did:

These are combination exercises.

So 10 reps of each then rest and repeat a total of 3 or 4 times then rest before the next exercise:
Squat holding a kettle bell  20lbs
Upright row kettle bell 20lbs  Hold the kettle bell with both hands facing your body then lift from the waist to your chest
Front raise kettle bell 20lbs again holding the KB with both hands extended raise to shoulder level

Next: again 10 reps each
Lunges (either stepping forwards or backwards) with a bicep curl at the bottom of the lunge.  Hold a 12lb dumbbell in each hand and in the bottom of the lunge curl the weight.  These a fairly tough, I started with 15lbs which is a standard weight for me doing bicep curls but changed to 12lbs after the second set.  Rest and get ready for the last set.

Last set:
Again this is a 10rep set.
Squat this time with the kettle bell held by the "horns".
Next holding the kettle bell in two hands press it overhead into a shoulder press,
then keep the kettle bell extended over head and do a triceps extension bending at the elbow with the kettle bell going behind your head.  Keep your elbows pointing forward.

So there we go another workout.

What the heck has been happening??

So the wheels have really gone off the wagon....okay that makes no sense.  I've been going thru a bit of a rough patch these last few weeks but seriously not a really bad thing.  Yes I've been skipping the gym and not being bothered to think before eating whatever I feel like.  I'm currently flirting with the 250lb area of the scale.  Ah well just means I gotta re-set and get after it again.

So this last weekend I was in Seattle for a gaming convention.  Five days of doing nothing but sitting and moving my hands and arms just enough to make dice roll. ;)  In addition to that heavy amount of physical activity I was eating at all hours of the night and then not eating very healthy.

Let's see, there was JackintheBox late night (haven't done that in over 20yrs, maybe 30yrs).  Ate twice at Denny's, once was after midnite.  And then there was the "wonderful" hotel food, actually not that bad but certainly at a premium price for so so food.  Finally on the way home we hit a buffet at a local casino and I stuffed myself to the hilt (gotta get your money's worth!).

The one "bright" spot was the fact that I felt like working out on Sunday.  So took advantage of the hotels workout room and had a good workout.  30min of cardio on the treadmill and threw some iron around for 20-25min.  It was a bit of a surprise that I actually worked out but there it was, a rather sweaty t-shirt.  So it must have happened.

Met with Lorinda on Sat for the first time in a couple of weeks, we've both been busy.  I'd let her know that I'd fallen a bit off kilter so she was prepared to make me sweat:

No rest do as a superset
Chest press: 20lbs x 10
Squats: no weight x 10
Bent over Row: 20lbs x 10
Squats: 10
Biceps curls: 20lbs x 10
Squats: 10
Shoulder press (palms facing each other): 20lbs x 10
Squats: 10
Triceps Kickbacks: 15lbs x 10

Repeat 3-4 times

Then we did some abs:
Legs raises with knees bent x 15
Crunches x 15

It felt good to get back to really working out so I guess the "vacation" is over and time to get those wheels back on the wagon.  Moving onward and upward!
 

Not feeling it or I ate a McDonalds hamburger and fries tonite

So just not feeling it this week.  Huh?  I'm not sick but I just don't feel like being myself.  I was good all last week (after vac) but this week not so much.  And next week is my annual game convention weekend.  It's going to be one long bad for my health time.  For five days I'll drink booze, eat until I can't eat anymore (at times) and spend hours sitting at a table doing nothing but rolling dice.  Not a very healthy life style.  Fortunately it's only for five days.

This week though I've only gone to the gym once (kettle bell yay) and will meet with Lorinda on Sat to at least get one more workout in.  Then Sunday I'll do something I hope, followed by a Tues kettle bell and then it's over until the following week.

I will say that I just haven't felt that drive that keeps me going to the gym.  Maybe it's time for a break and of course the coming week would qualify as a break.

I did buy some new shoes specifically for riding my bike so I am looking forward to trying them out.  My hope is that they will help me push myself to ride better and more efficiently.  I'm looking forward to better weather as I'm really not a fan of rainy bike riding. 

So definitely feeling a bit of guilt over not working out but at the same time I know it's not the end of the world.  I just need to re-focus.

Here's a workout that Lorinda put together for me:

This is a mix of weights and abs.  I suggest doing these as supersets.  Do each exercise once all the way thru and then repeat.  If you're short on time just one time thru is a good workout.

Bench press: 10-12 reps with a heavy weight  ( I used 25lbs)
Lat pull down: 10-12reps  again a heavy weight ( I used 80lbs)
Now do abs (any abs exercise that will allow you to do 25 reps)
Bicep curls: 10-12 reps (I used 20lbs)
Overhead press: 10-12reps (20lbs)
Abs: 25reps
Lateral raise: 10-12 reps ( I used 10lbs) standing with your arms at your sides palms facing each other raise your arms vertical to shoulder height and back down that's one rep.  You'll want to use a lighter weight for this.
Kettle bell high pull: 10-12reps (25lb KB) stand with the kettle bell directly in front of you and grip the "horns" over hand (palms facing down) pull the kettle bell up with your elbows extending out to the sides stop when the KB is chest high.
Abs: 25reps
Hammer curls: 10-12reps (15lbs) curl like you did for the bicep curls but with your palms facing each other.  Like you are hammering a nail.
Triceps extensions: 10-12reps ( 12lbs) you should be a bit tired by now so the weight should be lighter so you can keep your form.  Standing up, hold the weights over your head with your arms extended.  Now lower the weights behind your head bending at the elbow.

If you choose to do another set you should do a set of abs here and then rest before repeating the workout for another superset.  You can repeat this up to 4x.  So far I've made it thru just one superset. 

Vacation Time pt 2

So I'm going to cheat and just tell the story of the rest of the vacation without any details except the important ones.  Huh, you might say?

Here's the deal.  I failed the food choice test and jumped the shark on the scale.  Friday morning weigh in was a bit disappointing as it rang in at 240lbs. 

I did workout on Wed and Thurs but then the rest of the vacation was a bust when it came to getting any exercise.  Weds was a meeting with Lorinda, we threw some iron around.  Thurs was cardio walking with the weight vest for two miles at a quick pace.

I indulged in a fish burger with curly fries one day, and a rice bowl another.  There were roast beef and turkey sandwiches.  Even a chili cheeseburger made an appearance.  I did go to friends for a game day but was actually somewhat conservative compared to past gatherings.  I did go for a meal that I've had on my list of "want this but shouldn't eat this", chicken teriyaki.  So I got that out of my system for another year or so.  And then on the Sunday game day I did fairly well but still over did it a bit.  I try not to eat a big meal Sunday evening and I did okay but I could have made a better choice.

So what did I learn this time?  Not much frankly other than I know what I did wrong, but still it felt good.  I will have to get back on the wagon and then work my way back to doing the right thing.

Ah well new month and new attitude to work on.  Of course it doesn't hurt that kettle bell is only a day away.  Bring it! 

Vacation Time

So here's a chronicle of my vacation as I navigate the perils of having fun and still staying reasonably healthy.  I'm going to list food choices and workouts for each day.  That way I can see how well or poorly I did.  Should be fun? Also started with a weight of 236.  Let's see where I'm at after vacation.

Saturday is the first day of the vacation.  I skipped workout with Lorinda as I was playing with the game group the nite before.  We were up until midnite and I really didn't feel too excited about then getting out of bed by six in the morning.  I had a commitment at 10am, I gave myself a pass.  After my commitment though it was lunch time and lunch was Mexican.  I was good and only ate half of the burrito I ordered but did add a soda (Mt Dew) and chips and salsa.  Later in the day I finished off the rest of lunch.  I mixed it up with some spinach and eggs for a giant scramble.  Throw in a couple of donuts and pastry along with some adult beverages and there you have the first day of vacation.  Not too bad but probably shouldn't have had the soda and donuts.  Still for the first day I'm okay with it.

Sunday started with a 45 min bike ride.  Starting to get out and ride some, felt good.  Today was also a game day but that is later.  So after the bike ride I had a double meat roast beef sandwich  with the last of the pastry from the day before and some snap peas.  At the game I had three granola bars and two rice crispy treats.  After the game I came home and had a small nachos.  Also some pistachios and the last of the pastry.  Also a couple of adult beverages.

Monday I think I went off the deep end.  Fortunately I did a full body workout with a 30min cardio thrown in for good measure.  But I started the day with a egg/roast beef/cheese bagel.  Lunch was a chicken and rice dish for a local restaurant and a soda.  It was another game day but I didn't have anything until I got home (which was a mistake).  I should have taken a couple of granola bars to tide me over.  I was extremely hungry and my food decisions reflected that.  I started with nachos along with guacamole, that was followed by a sandwich on rye bread with egg/roast beef/cheese.  I finished it off with some almonds and an adult beverage.  This was not good but I enjoyed the extreme meal choice.  Again it just goes to show that depriving yourself really makes things worse.

Tuesday I slept in until almost 11am ( reaction to my late nite overindulgence?).  I had another egg and this time pastrami cheese sandwich along with some chips.  A mid afternoon lunch was a roast beef, pastrami, cheese, tomato sandwich on rye.  Followed by some chips and almonds.  I then hit the gym for my Tues kettlebell class.  After the gym I was hungry again so I did a broccoli, cauliflower, shredded carrot, and chicken stir-fry.  With some egg added for more protein.

I'll post the rest of the week in a second entry.  Wish me luck.

The Workout Feeling

So still rocking 236lbs.  Ready for another pound or two to come off but willing to put in the work to make it happen.

Speaking of the work, I've been thinking of how my workouts happen.  At least in terms of the mechanics of motivation.

I start my day with a very short session of exercise.  I do this because it just seems like the thing to do and it's very short, like 10 minutes long.  So not really a workout but just a bit of motivation.  Honestly I used to get out of bed thirty minutes early and do a 20min routine.  Of course I burned out and so far (over three years) I've been unable to get back on that schedule.

The 10min session is a compromise.  It satisfies my guilty conscious but I know it's not really a workout, but at least I'm moving.
Then for the rest of the day at work, I struggle to convince myself that after work I need to go to the gym. As I walk out heading to my car there's always an inner pep talk to point the car towards the gym.  It never hurts to remind myself that I really enjoy the kettle bell class that I'm heading to or that I'm only going to be there for an hour at the most.

As I pull into the parking lot of the gym I start to feel better about working out.  Once I walk thru the door of the gym, it's like I always wanted to be there to improve my body and thus my goal of living forever.

Then it gets really weird as the class starts.  Part way thru I'm gasping and groaning and then the class is over and I'm already thinking about doing it again.  I chuckle at the pool of sweat I've created and head home.

Tomorrow it starts all over again.

Here's a workout I like:

Okay this consists of six different exercises.  Do the first five as a super set (one set each exercise until the five have been completed), then repeat three to four times total.  Then follow up with the sixth one as a single set of three to four times.

(1)Chest press 10reps    I use a 25lb weight for this one.  Laying on your back on a flat bench.  Press straight up over your shoulders
(2)Squat press 10reps    I use a 15lb weight   This is a squat with the weights at shoulder height and then when you come up from the squat press the weight over head.  Palms facing each other.
(3)Tricep/partial pullover 10reps  15lb weight  This one is a bit tricky at first.  Laying on your back on a flat bench press the weights straight overhead,then bend at the elbows (like a skull crusher) and then press them out like you were standing up and doing a shoulder press.  Now keeping your arms completely straight behind your head bring them back to the starting position and repeat.  As I said this one is a bit tricky but it's a great version of the skull crusher or overhead triceps move.
(4)Leg balance with kettle bell row 10reps   20lb kettle bell   This one is tricky because you are balancing on one leg.  So standing on one leg, bend at the waist with a kettle bell in the same hand as the leg you are balancing on.  Extend the other leg behind you straight out ( or as much as you can while maintaining your balance).  Now row the kettle bell to your side.  Do all the reps for one leg then repeat with the other leg.  This one is about balance as much as the strength part of the exercise.
(5)Step up w/biceps curl and overhead press 10reps  15lbs  Move to a bench or box that's 12"-15" tall and place one foot on it like you were going to step up on to it.  In this position curl the weights and then at the top of the curl press them overhead. Repeat with the other leg.
(6)Hamstring curls on an exercise ball 10reps  Repeat 3 or 4 times  So laying on your back put your heels on an exercise ball and form a bridge (lift your butt off the floor) and pull your heels in towards your butt causing the ball to roll towards you and then push back out.  That's one rep so do nine more.  If you don't have access to an exercise ball then you can do this by laying on your back with your feet flat on the floor and close together.  Now bridge and first straighten one leg out then the other and complete the reps (20 total)x 3or4 sets

The nice thing about this workout is that you could just do one run thru if you're short on time.  Otherwise it's a great full body workout. 

Weight for it

I weighed myself on Sat before training and wow I've lost some more weight.  The scale showed my weight at 236lbs.  Yea me.

I figured it would happen as my clothes are starting to fit looser.  This is the way it was last year and the year before, so I'm glad to be back on the losing train.

Now I just have to keep it up.  Which reminds me that this healthy life thing has it's good days and bad days. Also good weeks and bad weeks.

The challenge is always food.  The other night I had met some friends for dinner at a restaurant and we ate a good meal.  I left full but not over stuffed.  When hanging with friends and eating stuff, it's easy to over eat.  The notion that you need to be aware of what you're putting in your mouth is the last thing on your mind.  After all this is fun time.  But I did okay and left feeling good about the evening.  Until I got home and sat down.  Then I'm feeling hungry!  It was not more than a couple of hours before this that I ate that great meal.  So here I am feeling hungry and at the same time reminding myself that, really I just ate.  It's baffling how the mind can fool the body into thinking it needs something it really doesn't. 

I weighed 302lbs at my heaviest.  I needed to see that number on the scale before I could also see what I was doing to myself.  I realized that it was time to try and take back control.  It was time to say, "No More!".  I was still eating like I was in my 20's and even in my 20's I was eating like I was 12.  The trip to the fast food restaurant was an orgy of food.  Two different sandwiches, maybe a Big Mac and a Filet of Fish or a double cheese burger and a regular burger.  Then there were the fries and onion rings and of course the milkshakes.  Amazing!  It all adds up!

I still eat some fast food but more like once a month if that and it's not the multiple servings like before.  I know I need to be very careful about that but I still have to satisfy that craving to some extent otherwise it turns into a giant problem that can only be resolved by over doing it.

Of course it doesn't hurt to remind myself about the scale and the number 302.  Especially if it's a bad week.