Category Archives: Weight Loss

Fitness Failure

Well, I jumped on the scale and saw numbers I had never seen in my entire life (which was not a good thing). The scale topped out at 244.6, but when I first stepped on it errored out. Not what I wanted to see, but I’m not really surprised given the lack of exercise and my crappy eating habits. This, as I sit here eating Reese’s pieces peanut butter cookies and write this blog. Those who know me will agree I have one hell of a sweet tooth and once it kicks in I find it hard to control. Throw in anything peanut butter and I’m done for.

 

Speaking with the wife, I’ve decided to put down the treats and try to start a healthier lifestyle. I’ll be visiting the gym soon, a place I haven’t seen in over a year. Anytime Fitness is my gym of choice, I love the fact that I can go anytime I get the urge and not worry about it being closed. They also have been offering group classes and boot camps, which I totally should be taking advantage of but I haven’t. Even after acknowledging my need for fitness and obvious signs, I’ve seen I still can’t find the motivation to go.

 

At what point do I give in and go? How do I gain back my motivation? Will working out with the wife prove to be the motivation I need? I guess only time will tell.

Fitness and Tears and Fractures….. Oh My

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In November 2015, I  went to see my doctor because of knee pains but I wasn’t ready for what they’d tell me. After going to see the specialist and an MRI, I was told mid-December I had two tears and a fracture in my left knee. While I’ve been nursing this injury and have yet to schedule my surgery, I feel as if the injury had started to run my life. Not working out or playing paintball has taken a toll on my sanity and I finally decided that I can’t let this injury run my life. Recently getting back into it slowly and not pushing myself is the key to not making this injury any worse then it already is.

About six weeks ago the wife wanted to run and I was like “sure, let’s go” because I was going stir crazy and felt like I really needed the exercise. So, after  getting ready for the run I decided to throw my leg brace on and go for it. I’m not going to lie but it felt good to be out there, but it hurt like hell by the end of the run. We kept the run to a little over four miles but my leg felt like I had just run a half marathon. I’ll admit, I need the exercise and the scale confirms this fact, but I need to find that happy medium until I have my surgery.

We have run almost every Sunday since then and it’s nice to get out there and get in some miles for my pal Alex. But, I pay for it afterwards.

 

Have you continued to work out through an injury? 

Non-Marathon Marathon Training

 

Well it’s hard to believe that it’s been over a month since my last post but I’ll catch you up. My wife has signed up for her first full marathon so guess who gets to tag along? I guess you can say I’m officially in week 7 of my “non-marathon” marathon training schedule. She’s doing a 4 day a week training schedule which is 18 weeks in length and to date I’ve run them all with her. Not knowing what my limits are physically and mentally will soon become a reality in the upcoming weeks. I’m enjoying the exercise and freedom it’s given me to eat whatever I want but I really could do without the running portion. To date the longest distance I’ve put in with her is 12 miles and I totally didn’t think I could do it. I was also recently matched with a match in the “I Run 4 Michael” group and it’s made the longer distances physically and mentally rewarding. I share my miles and workouts with my buddy Alex and he’s there to give me that extra push every time I feel I can’t continue.

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I’ve also had to cut back on the gym activity as my right shoulder has been really irritated and I’m not quite sure why. While I wasn’t doing extremely heavy weights, I do have that competitive nature within where I’m always trying to one up myself. Over the last month I’ve tried to nurse it but with no luck so I’m off to see the doctor to get it all checked out. The thoughts of downtime and missing out on the gym are why I’ve been a tad bit stubborn and kept from going. Several people remind me on a daily basis I need to go so I’ve set an appointment with my regular orthopedist but I hope I can get in to see the sports medicine doctor that I really want to see.

 

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What’s the most extreme run you’ve ever done or trained for? Are you as stubborn as I am when it comes to injuries and going to the doctor?

Back at the gym weeks # 4 and 5

Weeks # 4 and 5 had to be the most challenging for me as we were in the middle of a major project at work which required over time and worked some weird hours. This has taken away from my blog time as well as some other projects that I’ve started and will become reality soon. Taking into consideration all these factors, I was able to successfully maintain my gym routine and still manage to keep within the same weight.

 

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Week # 4 included my workout rituals but threw a curve ball at me diet wise. Instead of packing my lunch and snacks we’d generally go out for lunch which was a major test and I failed. My diet consisted of everything I shouldn’t have had and the scale reflected that. Week # 4 brought me a 3lb gain and it wasn’t from the working out. My eating out contributed to that and I totally take responsibility for that. The stress and weird hours affected me mentally and I immediately turned to my comfort food as we all do in times of stress. While the workouts were as strong as they ever have been I found my moments of weakness with my sweets ultimately won and I was left to face the consequences of my actions.

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Week #5 turned out to be an awesome week as my workouts continued to be just as strong as the previous week and it was showing in my gains. I was able to make considerable gains on the amount of weight I was doing and the fatigue from those increased weights were not apparent. This did leave me wondering if I had sold myself short when I initially setup my workout. Another surprise week #5 brought me was a present which I received when I went to that evil scale. Thru gaining control of my diet and a little bit of sweat in the gym I was able to counteract my damaging actions of the previous week within .4lbs which I’ll gladly take any day. This made me smile and was reminder of how we as individuals control our destiny and are ultimately responsible for our progress. Yes it’s easy to blame many other things but I’ve come to realize it doesn’t do any good so take ownership of those moments of weakness and learn from them.

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Running continues to be part of my workouts and I’m running 6 days a week. The days I workout I’ll start with a moderate run on the treadmill which is the equivalent of a ½ mile at a fairly aggressive pace. My days outside the gym include running with the wife 3 days a week. Our runs during the week are generally around 3.2 miles and we’re usually out around 5:30am to beat that Florida heat. Sunday’s are the longer ones which we generally run a minimum of 4 miles (it all depends on her training schedule as she’s training for her first full marathon in November). Her training will allow me to push myself to the limit and test just how far I can take my running and survive. One thing I do want to mention and this should be everyone’s focus whether running, biking, paintball or any other activities is HYDRATION. Please remember to hydrate and I’m not talking about grabbing a water to take with you as you head out the door. In order to truly hydrate I generally start at least 24 hours before, but then again I’m drinking more water these days and less soda.

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What’s been your worst week ever? How did you recover from falling off the wagon?

Back at the Gym Weeks # 2 and 3

 

I just realized I’m a week behind as I’ll be starting into Week 4 and have yet to go through Weeks 2 and 3. Week 2 brought me the usual growing pains of getting back into the gym that most people would experience. Every day at 4:00am the clock goes off and I struggle to get up and out the door to head into the gym. When I arrive I’m the only one there so I totally enjoy that as there is no fighting over machines and can workout at my own pace.

Week 2 brought my first hurdle of getting back into the gym which was timing. I could feel myself slipping and wanting to sleep past my 4:00 am alarm and just say forget it, but I didn’t cave and managed to roll out of bed (as hard as that was). Once I arrive at the gym and walk thru the door a switch seems to flip and mentally nothing else exists. I’ll throw on my headphones and nothing else seems to matter. The next thing I know it’s time to stretch and go home to prep for another day at work.

My one saving grace comes on Tuesdays and Thursdays as I can sleep in until about 5:30 because those are my running days (3.11 miles to be exact). I’m usually bitching and complaining that I’m sore and don’t feel like it but once I hit the pavement I’m fine and usually find my pace pretty quick. While my running days aren’t really for time I’m always finding myself wanting to improve on my previous time.

Week 3 seemed to light a fire and I deviated from my workout schedule as far as weight I had determined. I bumped everything up even though I should have waited a few more weeks to max out again and adjust my weights. Part of me thinks this was a bad thing but my other half wonders if I tanked my first week intentionally to keep the weights lower (which wouldn’t surprise me at all). Honestly it wouldn’t be the first time I had done it and I feel guilty about it every time I do it. The past week also had me rethinking my workout schedule as far as what body parts I’ve been working out and on what days. I sat here all day Sunday plotting and planning what changes if any I can do and how it will affect me, but I’ve decided to wait a few more weeks so I can gauge my results and see what I need to adjust. I’ve been happy with my results so far as I haven’t lost much weight but I’ve noticed changes in my body which I’m fine with.

My hardest body part to deal with are my abs. No matter what I do or how hard I work them they are slowly changing but not fast enough for me. If I had to choose one body part I hate working out I’d definitely go with the abs. While it doesn’t take a lot to work them out when I do it seems like I’m spending hours on them (when it’s really only minutes).

What challenges do you have when working out? Which body part do you hate working out the most?

Back at the gym week #1

It’s been a few weeks so I thought I’d give you a quick update on how it’s going. My struggle to get back in the gym has been going on awhile and my excuse has always been that I didn’t have a workout planned. Approximately 30 days ago I started to devise a plan which when the wife looked at it thought I was crazy. I was going from not working out to a 5 day routine which incorporated 3 days of running 3.11 miles each day which has proven to be interesting. I will say I have yet to make the 5 days in the gym as the early morning runs conflict and I’ve thought about cutting out 30 minutes of my workout to allow for the Tuesday/Thursday runs. The one problem I have is Tuesday morning is leg day so it wouldn’t be too smart on my part to do a full leg workout then go run 3.11 miles.

I won’t bore you with all the details of my workout as every person/body is different and what works for me may not work for you. My workouts focus on a different body part each day as this will allow me to spend more time focusing on isolating the muscle while performing proper technique. My time spent per session averages about 2 hours and seems to fly by as the only time I could seem to squeeze the time in is 4:00am. Many people tell me I’m crazy for getting up that early to go but it fits into my schedule and I’d rather go at 4:00am than not go at all. The best part of going that early is the gym is empty so I don’t have to fight for any of the equipment.

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The running regiment has me running about 5:30 in the morning with the wife and accomplishes a few things. First it allows her to get out and do her running which she loves to go early and get it done, but safety is always an issue as you never know what crazy people are out that early in the am. Secondly it’s my additional cardio I need to train for my first race challenge race I have coming up in 2015. I’ve done 5k’s, 8k’s and 10k’s but have never run any hack to back so I’ve signed up for my first challenge race in 2015, the Best Damn Race in Safety Harbor. The challenge race is a 10K race which when I complete I will hit the starting line to get ready to kick off the 2nd race which will be a 5k. Total mileage between the 2 races will be 9.33 miles and it’ll be interesting to see how my body handles this.

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Overall I haven’t seen much change on the scale but I’ve seen changes in the way my clothes fit and just generally feel better all around. One thing I’m really interested is I’m within 5 lbs. of my weight I last hit as a plateau and spent several months trying to break that. I’m not ashamed to say that my plateau weight has been 215 and I’m ultimately trying to get do about 190 lbs. Everything I’ve read tells me my ideal weight is about 160 to 170 and I feel I’d look like anorexic and sick if I did hit that weight so I’m sticking with the 190lbs. These next few weeks will be interesting as I continue to tweak my workout/schedule so I can continue to make it work.

How hard was it for you to get back in the gym after being out for a while? How often do you modify your workouts?

Gearing up for fitness

With summer around the corner I spent the weekend gearing up for fitness and got a few new toys. This year I’ve slacked majorly in the fitness department but I’ve decided it’s time for some changes and started making them this past weekend. Over time these changes will stand to only help improve my overall endurance and abilities on and off the paintball field.

Running hasn’t always been my favorite thing in the world but it’s good for me so I’m going to start doing more in the running front. I’ll admit I don’t get the same runner’s high that my wife does but it feels good to get out there plus I get to spend time with her (as long as I can keep up with her that is). I’ve also taken the plunge and signed up for something running related that I feel is a great concept and will keep me sufficiently motivated as well. I’ll follow up with another post sometime soon as I get more info to share.

First on the agenda was to hit up Feet First in St Petersburg, Florida for a new watch. I’ve been here before to purchase my wife’s watch and found the staff to be very friendly and helpful. Many of you know I used to have a Nike watch but decided to go for an upgrade from my first watch and go with a Garmin. I went with the Garmin Forerunner 220 as the wife just recently got one and has loved it. When it comes to technology she can be kind of picky so I know if it got her seal of approval then I’ll be happy.

 

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Next on the agenda were some new shoes which I desperately needed. While I still have my running shoes I was in need of some every day shoes so I went with something that I could use for cross-training without killing my feet and breaking the bank. I decided to give Under Armor a shot to see if they can stand up to my day to day needs as well as my gym training with a bit of treadmill time thrown in for good measure.

 

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Diet and exercise have always been hit or miss for me forever so I’m taking the approach of starting to eat healthier as well. The wife is always pushing me in that direction but my sweet tooth always has other plans for me when it comes to something that will quench that desire for sweets. With these few changes I should be able to start taking a chunk out of that nasty old scale and see results both physically and mentally.

 

What changes have you made to improve life mentally and physically? What things have you used to motivate you in the past?

Change is in the air

To say change is in the air right about now would be an understatement. As you can see one of many transformations has already started. The wife and I sat around last night discussing blogs over dinner and I decided it was time to change it up. The apparent cosmetic makeover is the first of many so stay tuned as I’m gearing up (no pun intended) to kick it into high gear. If you wondering what’s coming you’ll just have to wait and see as I have a list of ideas and working on even more as we speak.

 

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The wife and I have set out on a change that’ll affect both of our lives as well. We’re working on our training for our journey into becoming a “Big Couple” which I’m sure is going to a great experience. The wife and I have been trying to spend more time giving back to the community and we both agree this is one of the best ways.

BBBS                                                       (Source: http://www.bbbspc.org/ )

Yet another change came in the form of a change in attitude. Lately I’ve let the little things ruin my abilities to focus on the main objectives and trying to have a good time. Well I’m here to tell you I’m letting go of the negative and focusing on the positive. The negative has been running and ruining my life for far too long so it’s time to let go.

Those who know me will say I’m an “all in or nothing” type of guy and it’s been apparent in my latest attempt at exercise I’ve been more of a nothing guy. Saying those two magical words “food and exercise” to me lately has had zero effect on me and actually caused a decrease in my drive to do so. Yes I’ll admit I have been running, but it’s been so rare that every time I go out it’s like starting over from square one. The biggest hold back for me is the planning. I’ve been told by others that I put too much time into planning. I’ve spent too much time trying to make everything perfect that I lose sight of the task at hand and lose a lot of valuable time. These changes will obviously be over time but one thing for certain is “Change is in the air”.

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What changes have you decided to make in your life? How did those changes affect you in your life?

This body was made for running?

Some years ago when I was in high school I played football. For those who knew me back then it wasn’t a stretch as I was 5’10 and 220lbs. I wasn’t the biggest guy but I managed to hold my own when it came to football. Here I am twenty-three years later with two bum knees and about ten extra pounds from what I was in high school so what do I do? I decide to take up, running of course. I know I’ll never be a runner to take on a marathon or even a half marathon, but I’m using running to try and reclaim my body and fitness level I was at in high school. The years of physical torture from football seems to have taken to my knees the most. Over the years it’s no secret that I’ve been in and out of training at the gym and managed to drop below what I was in high school, but quickly fell out of the routine and gained it all back and then some. Finding those activities and knowing my limits for what my knees can endure have been a constant challenge but I do have this knowledge. What I choose to do with it is a different story. I’ve been searching for that motivating factor to get me to commit to the gym 100%, but have yet to do so. Over the next few weeks I’ll have to do some soul searching and see what it’ll take to motivate me but for now nothing I seem to do or say works for me.

Have you ever lost motivation or desire to continue your fitness journey? What did you do to motivate or rekindle that spark or desire to continue on your journey?

Move that Scale

Since the beginning of the year I’ve always been in some sort of weight loss challenge which is always a great motivator, I mean who doesn’t like a little friendly challenge amongst friends. While the competitive side always wants to win, my reality is I’ve already won because I’ve committed to the challenge. Well that’s partially true as I’ve been half-assing it lately and the scale has been my reminder. While I’ve got my desired weight loss goal set in stone I’m failing miserably as I watch the scale. Telling many in the past to not pay attention to the scale and watch for the visual changes, I feel as if those are slowing down considerably as well. Even with taking lunch, healthy snacks and my daily runs with the wife it’s becoming harder and harder so this is my official wake up call to myself. No longer will I procrastinate on running or even trying to finish my workout routine, which is my way of procrastinating on working out. I will also not be a slave to my sweet tooth and give into my desire to indulge. This will prove to be my ultimate test as my job is going to prove to be my biggest challenger due to the fact that on any given day you’ll find sweets flowing pretty much everywhere and we have our own soda fountain which is like 100ft from my office (my biggest weakness). With committing to working out and continuing my healthy meals, but watching the sweets I’ll move the scale in the right direction. This week was great for me as I managed to lose 2 pounds, which was great as the scale had been stuck at the same weight for about 3 weeks.

What motivates you to lose weight? How do you keep from falling off the wagon?

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