Sunday, February 21, 2010

lazy day at the casa

Hello bloggerspace - been a while.. Here's the cliff's note update

- turned 30 (slowly getting used to it)


- sold my bmw 2800cs (surprisingly don't miss it too much!)


- bought a '72 Chevy C10 Truck (Rusty's his name)



- lost 15 pounds on the body-for-life challenge (before Christmas)



- put on 15 pounds after Christmas (no surprise!)


- Put a shock collar on Archie (it works like a dream!)


- I love my wife more every day (she's reading this over my shoulder ;) )




- Zack and Emsquiddles have become regulars at our casa (On The Wings Of Love)


That's it for today

Have a great and relaxing Sunday! -

Monday, November 30, 2009

BODY-FOR-LIFE

This is my Body For Life workout blog beginning November 2, 2009 -

Challenge is 12 weeks - Total of 84 days.

UPDATE* 12-2-09 - Found my journal @ Gold's this morning - so I will now fill in the days that were missing on my daily routine list.

I am now in week 5 of the Body - For - Life challenge - It has been really good so far, but this Thanksgiving weekend really messed me up. I think I gained 4 full pounds over the 4 days - and just really threw my diet out the window.

On top of all that, I lost my BFL journal detailing the specifics of my day to day routine. Luckily I had some of it saved before, so you will see a gap in the daily record below - but any readers can still get a good idea of the progress.

I have decided that I will not look at the scale again until I complete the challenge. This will keep me motivated to keep going and will also help me remember to gauge my success by the mirror and not by the scale.

Here is a breakdown up to now:

Thanks for reading and I will begin keeping everyone posted on my progress.


Day 1 : November 2, 2009 (MONDAY)
Weight: 187 Lbs
Upper body workout @ 9:30 a.m.
Dmbl Chest: 25 30 35 40 35
Incline: 25
Rows: 80 90 100 120 90
Lat Pulls: 80
Dmbl Curls: 12.5 17.5 22.5 25 17.5
Rev Curls: 15
Tricep Pull: 45 50 60 65 55
Dip: Body Weight
Shoulder Raise: 5 7.5 12.5 15 10
Shoulder Rows: 10
10:30 a.m. - Cottage Cheese/Yogurt
1:00 p.m. - Protein Shake (syntha6)
4:00 p.m. - Parfait
6:30 p.m. - 1/2/ Pita Roast Beef
9:10 p.m. - Kashi GoLean Protein Bar

Day 2: November 3, 2009 (TUESDAY)
Weight: 184.00 Lbs
9:30 a.m. - Cardio - 5,6,7,8 x 4 , 30 seconds @ 9
10:15 a.m. - yogurt & cottage cheese
12:50 p.m. - Roast Beef Pita
4:30 p.m - Protein Shake (Syntha6)
8:30 p.m. - Enchilada Soup

Day 3: November 4, 2009 (WEDNESDAY)
Weight: 183.2 Lbs
10:30 a.m. - Cardio - 5x2, 6,7,8 - 5,6,7,8x2 - 5,6,7,8,9 (30sec)
11:00 a.m. - Egg Sandwich
1:45 p.m. - Enchilada Soup
4:00 p.m. - Cottage Cheese/ Yogurt
8:00 p.m. - Egg Sandwich
12:00 a.m. - Protein Bar

Day 4: November 5, 2009 (THURSDAY)
Weight: 184.4 Lbs
9:30 a.m. - Lower Body Workout
Hamflexor: 25 30 35 40 30
Leg Curls: 50
Leg Extension: 60 85 105 120
Leg Press: 45s
Calves
Abs
10:30 a.m. - Cottage Cheese / Yogurt
1:15 p.m. - Roast Beef Pita
4:45 p.m. - Protein Shake
7:45 p.m. - Roast Beef Pita
3:00 a.m. - Protein Bar

Day 5: November 6, 2009 (FRIDAY)
Weight: 183.8 Lbs
Upper Body
Dmb Chest - 30 35 40 45 35
Incline: 30
Rows: 80 90 100 120 100
Lats Pulls: 80
Dmbl Curls: 12.5 17.5 22.5 25 17.5
Rev Curls: 15
Tricep Pull: 45 50 55 65
Dip: Body Weight
Shoulder Raise: 5 7.5 12.5 15 10
Shoulder Row: 10
11:00 a.m. - Cottage Cheese / Yougurt
1:15 p.m. - Roast Beef Pita
3:45 p.m. - Turkey Pita
7:10 p.m. - Protein Shake
10:15 p.m. - Roast Beef Pita
12:30 a.m. - Myoplex

Day 6: November 7, 2009 (SATURDAY)
Weight: 185.2 Lbs
10:30 a.m. - egg sandwich / coffee
12:30 p.m. - Mixed Nuts
7:00 p.m. - Sushi
9:00 p.m. - Spoons Yogurt

Day 7: November 8, 2009 (SUNDAY)
10:30 a.m. - Egg Sandwich
12:30 p.m. - yogurt / cottage cheese
3:00 p.m. - Pita
6:30 p.m. - Protein Bar
10:00 p.m. - Egg & Toast

Day 8: November 9, 2009 (MONDAY)
Weight: 183 Lbs
Lower Body Workout
Hamflexor - 25 30 40 50 30
Leg Ext: 50
Leg Curl: 60 70 80 90 80
Leg Press: 150
Calves: 180 210 240 270 225
Calves: 220
Abs: 12 10 8 6 12
Abs: 12
10:30 a.m. - R.B. Pita
1:00 p.m. - Protein Shake
4:00 p.m. - Turkey Pita
8:00 p.m. - Sloppy Joe

Day 9: November 10, 2009 (TUESDAY)
Cardio: 4x2 5,6,7,8x4, 9,4
10:45 a.m. - egg sandwich
1:15 p.m. - Sloppy Joe
3:45 p.m. - Turkey Pita

Day 10: November 11, 2009 (WEDNESDAY)
Weight: 182.6 Lbs
Dmb Chest: 30 35 40 45 35
Incline : 30
Rows: 80 90 100 120 100
Lat Pulls: 80
Dmbl Curls: 12.5 17.5 22.5 25 17.5
Rev Curls: 15
Tricep Pulls: 45 50 55 65 55
Dip: Body Weight
Shoulder Raises: 5 7.5 12.5 15 10
Shoulder Rows: 10
11:00 am - Sloppy Joe
2:00 pm - Protein Shake
4:30 pm - Turkey Pita
7:30 pm - Sloppy Joe
10:00 pm - Cottage Cheese/ Yougurt

Day 11: November 12, 2009 (THURSDAY)
9:30 AM - Cardio - 4x2 5,6,7,8x4 9
10:30 am - cottage cheese/ yougurt
1:00 pm - Turkey Pita
3:30 pm - Protein Shake

Day 12: November 13, 2009 (FRIDAY)
182 LBS
9:30 am - Lower Body Workout
HAMFLEXOR - 25 30 40 50 30
LEG CURLS - 50
LEG EXTENSIONS - 60 75 90 120 105
LEG PRESS - 150
CALVES - 180 210 240 270 225
CALVES - 225
ABS - 12 10 8 6 12
ABS - 12

DAY 13: NOVEMBER 14, 2009 (SATURDAY)
NO WORKOUT
11:30 am - two eggs/ english muffin
7:00 pm - Buffet @ Donny's Wedding
8:00 pm - Yogurt

DAY 14: NOVEMBER 15, 2009 (SUNDAY)
Cardio - (4x2)(5,6,7,8x3)(5,6,7.5,8.5,9.5,4)
10 am - sauter egg sandwich
12:30 pm - yogurt/cottage cheese
4:00 pm - chili
7:00 pm - sushi (meat & hot rock)
10:00 pm - protein bar

DAY 15: NOVEMBER 16, 2009 (MONDAY)
181.2 lbs
NO WORKOUT TODAY - WILL PICKUP UPPER BODY ON WEDNESDAY
9:30 am - sauter egg sandwich
2:30 pm - philly pita
7:30 pm - chili


DAY 16: NOVEMBER 17, 2009 (TUESDAY)
10:15 am - Cardio - (4x2)(5,6,7,8 x 3)(5,6,7,8.5,9.5,4)
solid workout, tired but good endurance
10:45 am - yogurt/cottage cheese
2:300 pm - philly pita
4:30 pm - protein shake
8:30 pm - corinos steak/veggies/red wine

DAY 17: NOVEMBER 18, 2009 (WEDNESDAY)
179.8 lbs
DMBL CHEST - 30 35 40 45 35
INCLINE - 30
ROWS - 80 90 100 120 100
LAT PULL - 80
DMBL CURLS - 12.5 17.5 22.5 25 17.5
REV CURLS - 15
TRICEP - 45 50 55 65 55
DIP - BODY WEIGHT
SHOULDER RAISE - 5 7.5 12.5 15 10
SHOULDER ROWS - 10
11:00 am - myoplex
1:30 pm - philly
4:30 pm - R.B. Salad
8:30 pm - Myoplex

DAY 18: NOVEMBER 19, 2009 (THURSDAY)
181 lbs
Cardio @ 10 am
(4 x2)(5,6,7,8 x3)(5.5,6.5,7.5,8.5,9.5,4)
finished strong @ 10:20 am
10:45 am - sauter egg
1:15 pm - philly pita
3:45 pm - myoplex
6:15 pm - cottage cheese/yogurt
10:00 pm - chili

DAY 19: NOVEMBER 20, 2009 (FRIDAY)
178.6 lbs
HAMFLEXOR - 25 30 40 50 30
LEG CURLS - 50
LEG EXTS - 75 90 105 135 105
PRESS - 150

DAY 20: NOVEMBER 21, 2009 (SATURDAY)
CARDIO - (4 X2)(5,6,7,8 X3)(5,6,8,9,10)
GOOD!
yogurt cottage cheese
myoplex
pita

DAY 21: NOVEMBER 22, 2009 (SUNDAY)
FREE DAY - NO WORKOUT

DAY 22: NOVEMBER 23, 2009 (MONDAY)
178.8 lbs
DMBL CHEST - 30 35 40 45 35
INCLINE - 30
ROWS - 80 90 100 120 100
LATT PULLS - 80
DUMBL CURLS - 12.5 17.5 22.5 25 17.5
REV CURLS - 15
TRICEP - 45 50 55 65 55
DIPS - Body Weight
SHOULDER RAISES - 5 7.5 12.5 15 10
SHOULDER ROWS - 10
11 am - Myoplex

DAY 23: NOVEMBER 24, 2009 (TUESDAY)
CARDIO - (4 X2)(5,6,7,8 X2)(5,6,7,9 X2)(10)
10:30 am - chili
1:00 pm - myoplex
3:30 pm - chili
6:00 pm - steak

DAY 24: NOVEMBER 25, 2009 (WEDNESDAY)
177.8 lbs
HAMFLEXOR - 25 30 40 50 30
LEG CURLS - 50
LEG EXTS - 105 120 135 150 120
PRESS - 190
CALVES - 180
CALVES - 230
ABS - 12 10 8 6 12
ABS - 12
11 am - egg/toast
CHEAT REST OF DAY - THANKSGIVING W/ FAMILY STARTED.

DAY 25: NOVEMBER 26, 2009 (THURSDAY)
CARDIO (TREADMILL)
CHEAT FOR THANKSGIVING

DAY 26: NOVEMBER 27, 2009 (FRIDAY)
CARDIO (TREADMILL)
CHEAT FOR THANKSGIVING

DAY 27: NOVEMBER 28, 2009 (SATURDAY)
FREE DAY - NO WORKOUT

DAY 28: NOVEMBER 29, 2009 (SUNDAY)
9:30 am - Golds Gym Upper Body Wkout
Dmbl Chest: 30 35 40 45 35
Incline: 35
Rows: 80 100 120 140 100
Lat: 90
Dmbl Curls: 12.5 17.5 20 22.5 17.5
Rev Curls: 15
Tricep Pulls: 45 50 60 70 55
Dips: Body Weight
Shoulder Raise: 12.5 17.5 20 22.5 15
Shoulder Rows: 15

DAY 29: NOVEMBER 30, 2009 (MONDAY)
9:30 am - Golds Gym Lower Body Wkout
Hamflexor: 25 30 40 50 30
Leg Curls: 50
Leg Ext: 105 120 135 150 120
Leg Press: 195
Calves: 180 ->
Calves: 220
Abs: 12 10 8 6 12
Abs: 12
10:30 am - Myoplex
1:30 pm - Philly Steak
4:30 pm - myoplex
8:00 pm - chili

DAY 30 - DECEMBER 1, 2009 (TUESDAY)
Today was the first day I completed the cardio in the way I used to run when I did this challenge in 2005. I had to talk myself into it beforehand and give the option to stop if it became too difficult. Well, it became very difficult, but something inside would not let me stop - so I completed the workout at a full 10 and didn't pass out :) - GREAT workout and now I feel the challenge to keep it up at this level in the future. Funny how my enthusiasm for this competition grows every time I push myself this hard. It makes all the difference when you know you give something all you have... It also takes away the desire to cheat on any meals - It is just not worth it after pushing yourself so hard physically.
I have to admit, I was tempted to check the scale today when I rolled out of bed. I am glad I didn't and am excited to see where I am in 7 weeks.
10:15 AM - CARDIO - (5x2)(6,7,8,9 x 4)(10x1)(5x1) - 2.5 min. cool down - first time this challenge to complete !
11:30 am - myoplex
2:15 pm - turkey sandwich (whole wheat, tsp of avocado, fat free swiss/cheddar melted, 4oz turkey, fat free miracle whip, black bean salsa, hot sauce, romaine lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, black pepper) - best sandwich in the USA. period.
4:45 pm - myoplex
7:15 pm - chili - yum
9:45 pm - protein bar

DAY 31 - DECEMBER 2, 2009 (WEDNESDAY)
9:30 am Upper Body Workout
DMBL CHEST - 30 40 45 50 40
INCLINE - 40
ROW - 80 100 120 140 100
LAT PULLS - 90
DMBL CURLS - 12.5 17.5 20 25 17.5
REV CURLS - 15
TRICEP - 45 55 65 70 55
DIPS - Body Weight
SHLDR RS - 12.5 15 17.5 20 12.5
SHLDR ROW - 12.5
11:00 am - myoplex
1:00 pm - turkey sandwich
4:30 pm - philly pita (fat free miracle whip, fat free cheddar, spicy mustard, lite hummus)
7:00 pm - chili
9:30 pm - cottage cheese/ yogurt
12:00 am - nothing

DAY 32 - DECEMBER 3, 2009 (THURSDAY)
This morning's cardio workout was tough. Real tough. I was already tired before I even started the run. There are times where you can just tell it is going to be a challenge from the start. By the first peak @ 5 minutes, I was already having to argue with myself to keep going. I ended up finishing the entire workout and even hitting my "high point". It felt great for two reasons : 1/ it shows that I really do have more strength and endurance at this point than I realized 2/ so much of this challenge is mental attitude and toughness. You really can go further and harder than you realize, you just have to push yourself that far. When I was struggling yesterday in weights and this morning in cardio, I am reminded of being in high school and feeling alot of these same feelings when going thru a hard workout. Nice to have those memories to go back on and remember that I've been thru this before.
So.. really great workout this morning and also a great step toward what is to come in the final two months of BFL - Round 1.
10:00 am - Cardio - (5 x2)(6,7,8,9 x3)(6,7,8,9,10) walk @ 3 for 2 minutes, stretch, shower, work
12:00 pm - turkey sandwich
2:30 pm - protein shake
5:00 pm - turkey sandwich
8:00 pm - roast beef sandwich
11:00 pm - philly pita

DAY 33 : DECEMBER 4, 2009 (FRIDAY)
NO WORKOUT
10:30 am - cottage cheese/ yogurt
1:00 pm - turkey sandwich
4:30 pm - sushi/hibachi - CHEAT MEAL
9:00 pm - protein bar
Pick up upper body workout on Sunday , day 35

DAY 34: DECEMBER 5, 2009 (SATURDAY)
CARDIO
9:50 am - Cardio - (5 x2)(6,7,8,9 x3)(6,7,8,9,10,5)(3.5 walk 5 minute cool down)
Great workout - Still hard, but near as bad as Thursday's run. I am getting in better shape and the higher levels are getting easier. It is still very mental to get thru the workout. The entire time I am guessing what time I am at and wondering how hard the last 2-3 minutes will be (not in great shape yet, but able to complete the workout @ my highest intensity!)
10:30 am - cottage cheese/ yogurt

DAY 35: DECEMBER 6, 2009 (SUNDAY)
REST DAY
12:00 pm - eggs/grits/steak
3:00 pm - chili
6:00 pm - sashimi

DAY 36: DECEMBER 7, 2009 (MONDAY)
UPPER BODY WORKOUT
dmb bench - 30 35 40 50 40
incline - 40
rows - 80 100 120 140 100
pull down - 90
curls - 12.5 17.5 20 22.5 15
rev curls - 15
tricep - 45 50 60 70 55
dip - body weight
shld raise - 12.5 15 17.5 20 12.5
shld rows - 12.5 for 7 reps, then finished on 10
Great workout. Very tiring, especially for a Monday.
11:00 am - syntha6 protein shake
1:30 pm - turkey sandwich
4:00 pm - philly pita
7:00 pm - yogurt @ Spoons
8:30 pm - chili

DAY 37: DECEMBER 8, 2009 (TUESDAY)
CARDIO

DAY 38: DECEMBER 9, 2009 (WEDNESDAY)
LOWER BODY @ Gold's

DAY 39: DECEMBER 10, 2009 (THURSDAY)
CARDIO

DAY 40: DECEMBER 11, 2009 (FRIDAY)
UPPER BODY @ Gold's

DAY 41: DECEMBER 12, 2009 (SATURDAY)
CARDIO

DAY 42: DECEMBER 13, 2009 (SUNDAY)
REST

DAY 43: DECEMBER 14, 2009 (MONDAY)
LOWER BODY @ Gold's

DAY 44: DECEMBER 15, 2009 (TUESDAY)
CARDIO - Had to quit after 10 minutes of interval. Body is worn out and could not keep up. Try harder next time -

DAY 45: DECEMBER 16, 2009 (WEDNESDAY)
UPPER BODY WORKOUT @ Golds

DAY 46: DECEMBER 17, 2009 (THURSDAY)
CARDIO - normal interval. strong all the way thru

DAY 47: DECEMBER 18, 2009 (FRIDAY)
CARDIO - great workout - did the normal warmup of level 5 for two minutes and then interval running @ level 6-9 four times and ending on a minute @ level 10. I was tired at the end, but stayed very strong until the finish. One thing that is interfering with the workout is our treadmill. The belt/motor is starting to lose some power and I am beginning to feel a loss of control while running on it.

DAY 48: DECEMBER 19, 2009 (SATURDAY)
CARDIO - Took a jog down the street for 15 minutes. Good to run outside, but a little bit harder than expected due to the wind. Good workout though and happy to do it before having a cheat night @ the in-laws for Christmas celebration.

Beginning to see a visible difference in appearance - Clothes are fitting better and even starting to wear things I couldn't two months ago. This is the end of the 7th week - 5 more to go

DAY 49: DECEMBER 20, 2009 (SUNDAY)
need to get in a lower body workout today at some point. I have put it off from Friday.
Started the day with eggs and toast @ 10am
turkey sandwich @ 12:30 pm
cottage cheese & yogurt @ 3:30 pm
turkey sandwich @ 6 pm

DAY 50: DECEMBER 21, 2009 (MONDAY)
UPPER BODY @ GOLD'S

DAY 51: DECEMBER 22, 2009 (TUESDAY)
NO WORKOUT

DAY 52: DECEMBER 23, 2009 (WEDNESDAY)
LOWER BODY & CARDIO

DAY 53: DECEMBER 24, 2009 (THURSDAY)
UPPER BODY & CARDIO

DAY 53: DECEMBER 25, 2009 (FRIDAY)
CHEAT & NO WORKOUT

DAY 53: DECEMBER 26, 2009 (SATURDAY)
CHEAT & NO WORKOUT

DAY 53: DECEMBER 27, 2009 (SUNDAY)
CHEAT & NO WORKOUT

DAY 53: DECEMBER 28, 2009 (MONDAY)
CHEAT & NO WORKOUT

DAY 53: DECEMBER 29, 2009 (TUESDAY)
CHEAT & NO WORKOUT

DAY 53: DECEMBER 30, 2009 (WEDNESDAY)

DAY 53: DECEMBER 31, 2009 (THURSDAY)

DAY 53: JANUARY 1, 2010 (FRIDAY)

DAY 53: JANUARY 2, 2010 (SATURDAY)

DAY 53: JANUARY 3, 2010 (SUNDAY)

DAY 54: JANUARY 4, 2010 (MONDAY)
Ok - break is over! Time to get back on it.

DAY 55: JANUARY 5, 2010 (TUESDAY)

DAY 56: JANUARY 6, 2010 (WEDNESDAY)

DAY 57: JANUARY 7, 2010 (THURSDAY)

DAY 58: JANUARY 8, 2010 (FRIDAY)

DAY 59: JANUARY 9, 2010 (SATURDAY)

DAY 60: JANUARY 10, 2010 (SUNDAY)

DAY 61: JANUARY 11, 2010 (MONDAY)

DAY 62: JANUARY 12, 2010 (TUESDAY)

DAY 63: JANUARY 13, 2010 (WEDNESDAY)

DAY 64: JANUARY 14, 2010 (THURSDAY)

DAY 65: JANUARY 15, 2010 (FRIDAY)

DAY 66: JANUARY 16, 2010 (SATURDAY)

DAY 67: JANUARY 17, 2010 (SUNDAY)

DAY 68: JANUARY 18, 2010 (MONDAY)

DAY 69: JANUARY 19, 2010 (TUESDAY)

DAY 70: JANUARY 20, 2010 (WEDNESDAY)

DAY 71: JANUARY 21, 2010 (THURSDAY)

DAY 72: JANUARY 22, 2010 (FRIDAY)

DAY 73: JANUARY 23, 2010 (SATURDAY)

DAY 74: JANUARY 24, 2010 (SUNDAY)

DAY 75: JANUARY 25, 2010 (MONDAY)

DAY 76: JANUARY 26, 2010 (TUESDAY)

DAY 77: JANUARY 27, 2010 (WEDNESDAY)

DAY 78: JANUARY 28, 2010 (THURSDAY)

DAY 79: JANUARY 29, 2010 (FRIDAY)

DAY 80: JANUARY 30, 2010 (SATURDAY)

DAY 81: JANUARY 31, 2010 (SUNDAY)

DAY 82: FEBRUARY 1, 2010 (MONDAY)

DAY 83: FEBRUARY 2, 2010 (TUESDAY)

DAY 84: FEBRUARY 3, 2010 (WEDNESDAY)






Friday, August 21, 2009

well lookie here

Hi - How are you doing?? It's been a while hasn't it? I have a lot to update you on.. but first, let me say that I am glad it is the weekend! Take the time this weekend to sit and relax with a GOOD bottle of wine. 

We have moved in to our new house and love it. Everything is finally finding its place and starting to look like "our" home. We've had a few visitors and get excited every time someone comes over to take a tour. 

Megan has started back to school this past week. She has a great attitude towards everything and I can't wait to hear more about her kids. She is busy decorating the classroom and figuring out how she is going to approach teaching this year. She will do great! 

Zack graduated last weekend and is now a full time employee of Rynoranger Investments :) - His first order of duty every day is to meet me at the gym and get a good workout! We have started every day this past week this way and so far, so good. Going to be a great year !! 

Things have been more or less status quo for me. Things are buzzing a little louder around town with students returning. It has been nice to have more activity around Northgate and seeing more new faces at Pita Pit/Northgate Vintage. 

Personally, I am hoping to get the extra bedroom in our house setup to begin writing music and working on an album of sorts. Inspiration seems to come easier in a comfortable environment - well.. actually it can also come from being in an uncomfortable environment as well! haha  - Just depends on the type of music. 

Some of you may know that I bought a 1972 Chevy Pickup a few months ago. I love this truck and have really bonded with it!  I'll try and get some pics of it up soon so you can see how it looks. 

Have a great weekend and I'll update you more soon xoxo 


Wednesday, July 8, 2009

brief update

Got up this morning feeling a bit thinner - and what do you know? 177.0 lbs - that is exactly 10 pounds lighter than I was when I started 5 weeks ago.  7 weeks to go and lets see if another 10 lbs can be shed!

I'm feeling good and getting in better shape everyday.  

In other news - we have been getting ready to move into our new house.  The apartment is kind of a wreck - but in a very good way. We have most of our belongings in boxes and are just itching to get out of here and in our new place. 

Megan has been doing the hard part of packing while I have basically been on the lookout for boxes :)  Oh and I have been trying to sell everything I can on craigslist with the hopes that this will free up some money to do some improvements... 

Those that know me are probably shaking their head thinking "typical" . 

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend with family and friends. 

If you are reading this, I also hope you are doing well!


Thursday, June 25, 2009

Body For Life - Round 2 - In the third week.

Some of you (probably most of you) know that a few years ago I did the BFL challenge. The reason I say that most of you are aware of this is because I was very vocal about it. It was something I heard about one day, and the next day I jumped in head first. Let me explain what it is first.

Body For Life (BFL) is a 12 week program designed to help you lose body fat and gain lean muscle. The way this is achieved is thru a combination of very strict eating (not dieting, but true healthy eating), intense weight resistance, and intense cardio. If any of you reading this are all of a sudden interested or intriqued by this, don't let the intense part scare you too much. I should also note that the intense workouts are also pretty brief. Cardio is 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week. Weights are close to 45 minutes a day, 3 days a week. You alternate days between cardio and weights and take one day a week to relax on the working out and eating right (also known as a "cheat day"). The eating is pretty straightforward. You eat 5 - 6 times a day - one portion of lean protein and one portion of lean carbohydrates with every meal. The goal is to eat enough to always feel satisfied and to keep your energy levels up (in return raising your metabolism). For some people this means extreme weight loss, while for others it is just shifting some weight around.

The first time I took the challenge, I was a 25 year old bachelor, probably 5 pounds heavier than my ideal, and working a 25-30 hour work week. Even with all of these advantages, the 12 weeks were hard. VERY HARD. I remember the first week seeming like an eternity in length - almost every workout ending with me lying on my back in the dressing room - keeping near the trash can in case I threw up.

As hard as it was in the beginning, I slowly got in better shape and just kept at it. The workouts never really got easy, but it did get easier for me to complete them. By the end of the 12 weeks I was a new man. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. I had gone from 167 pounds (22% body fat) to 152 pounds (9% body fat). I couldn't believe the results. Not only were the numbers great, but I loved the way I felt and the way I looked. I had no idea my body would transform the way it had. I was a total believer - and I literally told EVERYONE about it. (Do I sound like a salesman?)


Now let me catch you up.

It is now 4.5 years since I did the BFL challenge. I am 29 years old, happily married, working closer to 60 hours a week, and 30 pounds overweight. 188 pounds at my heaviest.

The funny thing is, after completing Body for Life the first time, I was able to keep the weight off and retain most of the lean muscle for close to a year. Then gradually I lost the muscle mass and it was replaced with fat. Even so, the weight gain didn't start until a little over 9 months ago.

I always thought I would beat the odds and not turn 30 in the stereotypical way. Overweight, Khakies, kids, taurus, cell phone clip, etc... - but of all these, the part that was most important was the overweight part. I wanted to beat the inevitable of aging. Wishing and doing and two totally different things. I was in total denial, and just watched the scale keep climbing..... and climbing. As of 2.5 weeks ago, I was 187 pounds. And not looking good! (I'll post before pics soon)

I kept complaining to Megan (my wife) that I need to do something. Eat better, workout, ice and mustard diet, - SOMETHING!

The thing about me is, I have a really hard time doing something just half way. I can't just kind of eat better. I can't just sort of start working out. There is too much grey area. I will always end up going back to whatever the lazier option is - as long as I have the option to do so. So what I have to do is not give myself the option to stay in my current lifestyle.

18 days ago I made the committment (in front of Megan) to, once again, take the BFL challenge.
This time ( wow - I was just called by my buddy Phillip Gulley letting me know Michael Jackson just passed away from a heart attack- him and Farah Fawcett on the same day? sad sad day)

Well, as I was saying.. this time the journey has been both incredibly difficult and incredibly rewarding. I guess that's what happens when you let yourself go as much as I have. The valleys are lower and the mountains higher... er.. something like that :)

I woke up this morning and looked in the mirror, and can really start to tell a difference. The scale had me at 179.4 pounds. That is 8 pounds less than what I started at. I still have 15 pounds to go. I know I can do it .

Keep you posted!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Tune in

Hey everybody - I am going to be broadcasting a "radio station" from my home starting tonight. It will air 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week - and tuning in couldn't be simpler. All you need is iTunes or Windows Media Player and you are set. After you open either program, go to www.northgatevintage.com - the front page will give you a link to "RynoRadio" or you can go directly to www.rynoradio.com and it will open up in your default media player (prefer iTunes).

Let me know your thoughts - and have a good night!

- Ranger