The NordicTrack CX985.

Here is the elliptical I have been using. Paid only $350 and it feels just like one of the professional gym machines. Sturdy, has a ramp, and great resistance.

Look, it even has a fan!

The Marcy 9010.

Some have asked what it is that I use for my home gym. Above is the Marcy 9010 Smith Machine. Sexy, is it not?

So Far So Good.

The past two days I've been running twice a day. So far I feel good. I've been keeping up with my calories. I've even been taking a protein shake before going to bed (well have of one) so that my body does not go into a catabolic state while I sleep. Let's hope that I can keep this up. 230 I will defeat you!

Oh yeah I also added 5 lbs of weight to the weight stack on my smith machine. Hopefully this will help me gain a little more muscle mass. The more muscle the higher your metabolism should be. In theory at least. I have also been using a 5 lb weight while I do my daily crunches. I am up to 200 now.

Tired and Ready for Bed.

It's 1:41 in the morning and I just got done running for the second time today. I'm going to finish my day off with half of a protein shake and go to bed. Oh yeah, I guess I better take a shower too. For some reason I'm feeling a little better today.

Found My Barrier.

Weighed in today at 231 lbs. This was the weight I was at two weigh-ins ago. I think I have found my Everest! 230 lbs I will defeat you! I am bound and determined to get into the 220s by next weigh in! What will I do to reach this goal? I do not know yet, but I am bound and determined to do it.

I know that I will at least run twice a day instead of once. I only did that one time last week instead of what I originally said. Things just got in the way of it, I won't let that happen this time. I need to make sure that I meet my calorie goals or at least come close to them.

Oh well, time to go work out. Until then...

Uh Oh.

This week has been up and down. Some stress, some binge eating/drinking. I don't think this morning will show up with a very good number, but I'm optimistic. So we shall see. Will report back the results later today.

Much Needed Rest.

Today for some reason my body decided to say, "ENOUGH!" It took me longer to get out of bed today than most days. As a matter of fact I was up for about an hour when I decided to lay back down for a nap! I never take naps anymore.

After much thought I decided that my body was just screaming for a day of rest. I have worked out every single day for the past month so I think I deserve a little rest. Tomorrow, however, I am going to work out like my life depended on it.

I'm going to use this off time to do some research on some new exercises and nutrition. I also need to do some shopping, because I feel like there is not any clean food in this house to eat. I know there is, I just don't know what I should put together. Until then...

My Scale Is Broken.

It has to be. There is no way I gained 2 lbs since my last weigh in. I haven't done anything different than in the previous week's weigh in. Well that's not entirely true. I have been stressed out and I did kind of binge eat on Tuesday (did not eat a lot then ate too many calories in a short period). Man, those Bud Lights can pack on the carbs.

Well I have been thinking that since I've been adding weights to my routine that maybe some of it is some new muscle growth. I have noticed my arms getting a little bigger and my legs, well I run every day for at least 30 minutes so they are pretty toned now.

I think the biggest difference this week and previous ones is I'm not running twice every day and I'm using a lot of the protein shakes. Time to cut down to one shake a day (after each weight lift session) and run twice a day again. Here goes something...

Life Interrupted.

I do not know what it takes to live a normal stress free life. I do not believe anyone does actually. Stresses and general depression can take a lot out of someone trying to get their body in gear. So here is what I'm going to do. I will not look upon tomorrow or the day after as another dreaded day, but as a gift. A gift of life. No one is promised another sunrise or sunset. So here's to living in the now and believing that we are meant to live each day to the fullest.

Tomorrow is weigh in day. Can't wait to see what the element of stress will do to the results.

"God embrace me as your child and hold me close as I walk through life lost and unsteady. Hear me as I cry out your name!"

Until then...

We Just Don't Have the Time!

About not posting yesterday... I just ran out of time! Days are beginning to get packed with activities or necessities. Either or, I did work out yesterday and I even added some more weights to each workout. I'm hoping that tomorrow I will feel like doing the same. Yesterday I stayed over from work and had planned on running when I got home, but I was of course very tired and decided it could wait.

Same thing today. I needed to help my friend move some stuff out of a room and to his parent's place and got home late this morning. Again, I did not run. However, this time I was slightly more active lifting heavy objects so I felt like I got some sort of a workout.

I'm beginning to not meet my calorie goals again (only off by 100-300 calories) and I don't know how much this is really affecting my weight loss. I know that I'll still continue to lose weight, but I just don't know if the fat is being used up or my muscle mass. I think the stresses of recent activities is also starting to catch up with me. My mind has been somewhere else starting my days and it does not help get me motivated to work out.

When will we come out with the Staples "easy button" for working out? Even though I enjoy doing it I would like to speed things up a notch so I can enjoy the rest of my day. Until then...

Carry On.

Did my weigh-in today. I was not happy with the results, but not necessarily surprised or too disappointed about them. I lost 1.5 lbs since the last weigh in bringing me to 231 lbs. I know that my sodium intake was high yesterday and I ate some carbs before going to bed. Both of those things probably did not help me at all. Almost all of my measurements went up as well except for my waist. I could probably attribute all of that to maybe some water weight gain since I haven't been proactive about drinking water this week for some reason.

So what do I do now? Be happy. I can be happy that I did lose some weight. Even if I did not lose any at all I should still be happy, because I feel great. I have more energy now than I ever have had and I just need to keep building off of that. I do need to focus more on the things I was doing right before and keep doing them. I think I will get back to running twice a day. Just 5 more days until my next weigh in. I hope I break 230 next week. Until then...

Suicide Runs.

Well I feel exhausted after today's workout. Today was upper body day, but I also did some "Suicide Runs" with my son. If you don't know what they are it is where you set a distance of about 100 to 150 ft. You place three or four markers of equal distance between the start and end points. You start at one end running to the first marker. Reach down and touch the mark, then you run back to the starting point. When you get there you reach down, touch the starting line and go to the next point. Do this until you've touched every mark all the way down the line. On the last leg you run as fast as you can. Give yourself a chance to breathe when you're done or you actually will commit suicide.

I'm hoping by doing this I'm incorporating some sort of HIIT routine into my workout. I definitely can feel the difference after I've done this. I will try to do this every day about four times. Each week I'll probably add another 'set' or run.

I'm nervous about my weigh in tomorrow. For some reason I feel a little heavier. I haven't been drinking as much water as I could be, so I will focus on that tonight while I'm at work. Here goes something...

Taking It Up With Yourself.

Often times I wonder why it is I'm doing what I'm doing. Am I doing it for myself? Do I do it for my son? Is there someone I'm trying to impress? Do I need acceptance from people about how I look? Do I do it for how I feel? I think the truth lies, for me anyways, in all of those questions. Why do you do it? What do you gain from being in the best physical shape of your life?

In the old days people did more physical labor and were more in tune with their bodies than ever after. With the introduction of the fast lane and "lifestyle technology" people want to do things faster without thinking of the consequences. How many times have you thought, "I wish I could get this done faster so I could...", you can finish the rest of that. What has that brought us to? We care less about ourselves and more about our things and our material wants, that we do not see what it is we are actually doing to ourselves.

So the next time you think, "I need to get some food for the kids and hmmm... (stomach growling) maybe for myself too. That McDonalds over there looks good, they do have those salads now", maybe you should consider what is at stake? What is easy and quick or what is better for ourselves.

Take care of your body by what you put into it. And I'm not talking about just food. The thoughts you take and churn will often times yield things that are not good for you. So think positively about yourself and what you can accomplish. Ask yourself the question from before again. Why are you doing it?

I'll leave you with this last thought.... Spend time with your kids. Include them in your workouts if you can. Teach them how to take care of their own body. This next generation does not just need it, they won't be able to live without it. If you do or don't have kids then take some more time for yourself to think about what you want in life.

Just Keep Working.

This morning was the first time I've woken up and didn't feel like working out. I think it may have been because I had some extra sleep than I'm use to. I went to bed around 5:00am and woke up around 2:00pm. I've heard and experienced for myself how getting too much sleep can be a bad thing. It might make you feel a little more groggy or lethargic. I think it has a lot to do with your body needing calories to continue sleeping and I didn't eat anything before going to bed like I should have.

Well I powered through my workout and feel a lot better. Afterward I played some soccer with my son Asher and then took him to the playground. I'm trying to get him a little more active as well, because I don't want him to turn out like his father when I was younger.

Since greasing the back weight bar on the smith machine I've noticed less resistance on the release of my exercises, causing more of a workout for me. A good thing yes, but I wasn't expecting it so I think I'll be feeling the extra affects tomorrow. I've noticed as I was doing my rowing exercise that my legs have really thinned out, become smaller. So I think I may start to incorporate some lower body exercises on the off days. Just 3 more days until my next weigh in. I can't wait!

No Pain No Gain.

Usually after working out with weights or running for a long time you begin to establish aches and pains you did not have before. Face it, you're getting older and you just can't do the same things you did when you were a little kid. But that doesn't mean it's a lost cause. There are a number of simple things you can do to help ease some of these painful nuisances.

Stretch after a warm up exercise or after your routine. Many people often believe you are supposed to stretch before you begin your workout. This can't be farther from the truth. When you stretch your muscles you are slightly tearing them so that new muscle can grow slowly increasing the flexibility of the muscle. But, if doing this when your muscles are cold you could be doing more damage than good. So stretch after doing a simple warm up exercise like walking or jumping. I do my stretching after my entire workout. Doing this will also reduce risk of injury while working out. To prove that I know this works I will tell you this. I have not had any sore muscles after a long hard workout or the days after.

Drink a lot of water. Keep your body hydrated at all times. Water is part of the lubrication that keeps your body parts running smoothly. Don't drink too much at one time, but a little bit throughout your workout.

Do not stress parts already in pain. Pain, especially sharp pains, is your body telling you that you need to stop what you're doing. If your knee starts to hurt, back aches, or ankles are sore, then focus on different exercises that don't use that part of the body. Do this until that part has fully recovered and you are able to use it in a normal manner without feeling any pain. Do not think that popping some Advil will do the trick. Let your body heal. Also if your body is not healing quickly then immediately go see a doctor to make sure something else isn't wrong.

Let your body recuperate. If you are doing some weight lifting to tone muscles then wait at least a good 48 hours before doing the same routine. Your body needs time to heal after workouts. If you don't want to wait a whole day then set up two different types of routines that work different groups of muscles and alternate them. Or at least do a lighter routine.

Need Food.

Well I did my regular off-day routine (no weights). Did 40 push-ups (getting easier by the day) and 60 sit-ups. Then I ran on the elliptical for 32 minutes. I drank my protein shakes before and after the workout. The funny thing is I don't feel like I have any energy like all the other days. I believe that it's because I haven't actually eaten anything heavy like real food. I've only had the shakes.

I noticed this when I was trying to chase Asher around at the playground and I did not feel normal. Of course it could also be the fact that I got new glasses today and still haven't adjusted to them so my balance is still off.

Later tonight I am going to do some research on what other exercises I could try out with my smith machine. Maybe I will look into some more calisthenics as well. Many people hear calisthenics and think, "oh no back to the horrors of P.E. class." Calisthenics are exercises consisting of a variety of simple movements, usually performed without weights or equipment, that are intended to increase body strength and flexibility using the weight of one's own body for resistance. These exercises are probably better for you in the long run, because if you're trying to be an active person then your body weight is normally resistance that usually causes most injuries. They will help acclimate you to your own body weight which will increase agility.

Still Losing.

No no, it's a good thing! Just weighed in and I've lost 3.5 lbs since the last weigh in! I'm very happy, because this week I have been meeting my calories (for the most part) and they've been good calories. This is literally the smallest I've been in a very very long time. In fact I don't remember the last time I was under 235, probably in high school. I only ran once a day last week, I may keep doing only that and just add on to my weight training routine with different exercises.

I'm already eager to weigh in in another five days! Until then...

Feeling Good.

I've already begun to have the affects of renewed energy since a few weeks ago. However, today I've felt the best since I ever had in a very long time. I can't remember the last time I had this much energy. I wonder if the protein shakes are helping with that.

Yes, by the way, I did start using the Muscle Milk protein shakes today. I made my first one a replica of a Chocolate Elvis from Planet Smoothie. You can see all that I put in it on MyPlate's Meals. I am still debating whether or not to do this kind of diet every other day instead of every day. And just have a protein shake every day for breakfast since I do run at least once a day in the morning (or whenever I wake up).

The workout prior to this one I started to incorporate another exercise to my routine. I now do an unknown named exercise where I lay at a 45 degree angle with my legs held down by something (half-sit up). Then I hold a weight plate in front of me (currently 35 lbs) and twist from side to side. I do 3 sets of 20.

I'm also looking for a cheap adjustable bar bells that I can use my olympic sized weights on. This should help me incorporate some free weights also into my training. Until then...

What Is Rest?

Well I had planned on resting today to let my body recuperate after three longs weeks of straight workouts. But, my dad came into town today and we ate at the Cracker Barrel for breakfast. I knew I should have had something light, but for some reason I was in the breakfast eating mood. Most of it was good, but I was feeling something awful afterward due to the two biscuits and high amount of fat I had with the meal. 1,110 calories later I decided to run anyways!

Also I did finally pick a protein/calorie supplement. Later today I'm going to GNC and pick up their 3-pack sale of 1 lb containers of Muscle Milk protein mix. I tried the ready-to-drink (RTD) 17 oz containers to try them out and they did not taste as bad as I expected. Plus I will get around 300-350 calories per serving! I'm supposed to have one pre-workout, post-workout, and just before going to bed. I should have enough for a 15 day supply, so I'll keep everyone posted on if it makes a difference or not.

I'm Singing in the Rain.

No, not really. But it was raining after I got off the elliptical today, which is the same time that I normally walk around the neighborhood to cool down. I opened the garage door and noticed the drops coming down, looked down at my mp3 player and decided "What the hell." So I took off the mp3 player and went for a walk in the rain!

I don't know why, but a jaunt in the rain just makes you feel more alive. Try it sometime!

Happy and Concerned.

Got on the scale after I woke up this morning and it originally said 239. Kind of bummed when I saw that, but I noticed when I got off the scale that is was slightly off from zero. So after readjusting it I got back on and it said 236!! That's a 4.5 lb difference from last weigh in. Of course I had to make sure it was correct so I stepped off and on again several times, making sure that it went back to zero every time.

My only concern is that the weight I lost might be from muscle mass deteriorating. I was not able to meet my calorie goals at all last week so my body might be in starvation mode. This will cause my body to take energy from muscle mass instead of converting it from the massive amounts of stored fat. I'm going to GNC or any health store around to see if I can find some sort of protein shake or health bar that's completely balanced in nutrients, but will allow me to meet my daily calorie goal.

I must trick my body into getting rid of the right stuff!

Nervous.

I don't know what to expect when I wake up and get on the scale today. That's right! It's weigh in day. I think I've been pretty good this week. I have not been cheating on my diet, even though I haven't been meeting my necessary calorie intake. My routines have been exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time. I have noticed that my gut has slimmed down also so maybe that's a good sign. So now it just comes down to me and the scale. Until then!

Confused.

Surprising to say, but I am having a hard time keeping up with my daily caloric intake. The other day I had a 1,000 calorie deficit. Then yesterday I had a deficit of 250 calories. In order to lose 2.4 pounds per week I'm supposed consume 1,697 calories per day. At least this is what it says on the daily plate from LiveStrong.com. Now I can consume over 2,000 calories in a day, but I have to take into consideration both of my workouts during a day (burning on average about 1,200 calories in one day).

So I am going to cut out one of my cardio (elliptical) workouts and just do one instead. This should help, because there are some days I just don't feel like eating that much and I would hate to put my body into starvation mode. That's the exact opposite of what I want to do.

I've also been reading on the forums at LiveStrong about a High Intensity Interval Training (or HIIT) routine. You can read more about HIIT by going to IntervalTraining.net. I think I might incorporate this into my workout routine instead of doing cardio every single day. It says you can supplement your workouts by doing weight lifting on the off days, but to keep it light enough so your body is resting. I have to say that my weight lifting routine isn't that strenuous on my body.

Time to go workout. I'm doing weight lifting today and some cardio on the elliptical. Will keep doing this until I can research more on this HIIT routine. Until next time!

Exhausted.

Okay so I woke up around 2:30pm today. In case you did not know I work nights. Had some Special K Yogurt cereal and ran for 31 minutes. The elliptical says I burned 545 calories, I'm not sure how accurate it is, but if I do that twice a day then I'm burning an average of 1100 calories just by running.

After that I took my son to the pool to go swimming. Yes, the water was cold! It was sunny and warm out though, a nice 76 degrees. Tomorrow should be even warmer, so I guess another day in the sun is in the plans already. I have to take advantage of this weather to try and get a tan!

Beginning to See the Difference.

Today (March 29th-morning of 30th) I did a full routine, which included running two times, weight lifting, sit ups, and push ups. According to my calorie intake I was under 1,000 net calories. My sodium and fat intake was well over the daily recommendation so I'll need to watch that a little more. On the upside I drank more than enough water so I think that should help a little with the sodium intake.

The last few weeks I've seen more definition in my arms and legs. Just recently I've begun to notice a little more difference in my gut. It's starting to 'decrease', for a lack of a better word. I added a little 10 pounds to the rear weight bar (which is used for all of my weight lifting except for the preacher curl and bench press). I notice a little difference, but I think I may add a little more weight anyways.

I know that last weigh in was very disappointing because I gained half a pound, but I do know for fact that muscle weighs more than fat. Not to mention my calorie intake for those five days wasn't necessarily watched too carefully. Last night I ate chicken wings with a Budweiser wing sauce. I had them with Blue Cheese dressing for dip. Big mistake. If you get Blue Cheese dressing make sure it's a healthier light alternative, because the stuff I have is very fattening.

Anyways I'm tired now so I think I'll take my shower and head off to bed. Today was my last vacation day, so now back to the normal every day grind. Until then.

The Routine.

Elliptical: 30 minute run with resistance, usually about a mile. Done twice daily once when I wake up and once at least a couple hours before bed. After each run I walk .4 miles (1 lap around neighborhood) to cool down.

Sit Ups: 3 sets of 15 on a balance ball to enhance the core workout. Done daily in the morning, increasing by 5 each set after a week.

Push Ups: 3 sets of 10. Done daily in the morning, increasing another set each week.

Weight Training: Done every other day.
Inclined Bench Press - 7/7/5 sets with 95 lbs plus bar
Seated Row - 3 sets of 15
Rear Deltoid Pull - 3 sets of 15
Upper body circuit - Tri-Pull Down (3/15), Pectoral Fly (3/15), Preacher Curl (3/10)

The Way.

Here are a few things that I am focusing on in order to help me along the way to my goals.

• Maintain a healthy caloric intake based on my nutrional needs.
  
• Drink a lot of water.
• Increase my daily physical activities.
• Get sleep.
• Maintain a safe exercise regimen.

I am using a website called LiveStrong.com which I was pointed torwards by my best friend a few weeks ago. It's a website created by the Lance Armstrong Foundation. It has a lot of tools and features that are useful in reaching your fitness goals. The best feature of the site is a tool called 'My Plate'. It is a free tool that allows you to keep track of your caloric intake. It has a lot of cool features like graphs, calories by the hour, percentage of calorie type. Any food imaginable is in its searchable database. All you have to do is say you ate a particular food, how much, and it will do all the adding of the different nutrients and calories for you.

I have rid myself of most if not all caffeine consumption. I drink only water on a regular basis. Sometimes I'll have juice, milk, or tea with some meals. It is said that a person should drink one cup of water for every 14 pounds they weigh each day. So I keep a water bottle close to me wherever I go to keep myself properly hydrated. To tell you the truth I can feel the difference in the lack of caffeine in my system. It's a good feeling.

I am trying to do more physically active things during my day. Instead of sitting around all the time around the computer (outside of blogging of course) I am beginning to go outside more often. Going somewhere that requires me to walk around is a major plus. Just getting out of the house will usually uplift my spirits some as well as help me get fit.

The required amount of sleep for an average adult is 6.5 hours uninterrupted. However, the more uninterrupted sleep the better. I need at least 7-8 hours of sleep to feel good after waking up. Anything less than that and I feel irritable, depressed, lathargic, and just down right bad. Since I'm becoming more physically active my body needs a little more sleep to recuperate.

Exercising is now one of my favorite things to do. I love to feel like I'm doing something. Knowing that the end result will eventually come from the efforts I put into exercising gives me a high after doing a routine. Not to mention some hormones are released during exercise that give you a natural high.

The Goal.

I am currently 240 pounds. I started out three weeks ago at 250 pounds. I don't know what my measurements are because I don't have one of those measuring strips to take them. However, I will try to get one soon and post ASAP.

Goal Weight: 185 pounds. (65 lbs weight loss)

Will weigh in every five days.

I'm Back Baby!

That's right! I started a blog to track my fitness about two years ago. Well I stopped my workout routine for a week and guess what, I never started back up again. So here I am now to reach out to others through my written thoughts and ideas.

I am by no means an expert or professional in every day fitness. I am just a humble man who is trying to put his life back together. I have been following a particular workout routine for over three weeks now. I have so far lost 10 pounds (I think most of it was water weight). I will try to blog at least once a day, as each day I will do something physical to train myself to be a more active individual.

If you don't know me then you've either stumbled upon this blog on accident or searched for 'fitness' on Google and went to the 1000th site in the list. I do hope that some of this might inspire someone to start their own fitness routine or to get themselves active. I hope that if you would follow this blog and give me any insights you might have.

You can find me on Facebook also, I will add a link on the right navbar. So here goes something!