C3W12D5

Day 82!
I am working a half day and plan on an intense UBWO this afternoon. I weighed in this morning at 175.6 pounds and 16.9% body fat. I started at 182 lbs and 19.1% body fat. I have maintained about the same body fat percent since week 3. I have lost 5 pounds of fat this challenge and I am faster and stronger.
Last night I met with my running buddy. He wanted to add some distance so we went a slight different route. 3.26mi in 30:16. I am considering upping my distance over then next 5 weeks so I can attempt another 10K June 4th.
I ordered finish line pictures from the 5K Ellen and I did 2 weeks ago.
15 week beard

C3W12D4

This challenge was going full force until week 5. Weeks 5-8 were a huge struggle. I got my head back in the game day 5 of week 8 and started focusing on my workout intensity. Fastfood and beer have been an issue still but I am maintaining the progress I made the first few weeks and this is the longest (10 weeks)I have maintained being in the 170s. I want to finish strong and getting food poisoning was the last thing I needed. I did not do my morning HIIT today but I plan to do a 5K with my running buddy tonight. Tomorrow Ellen will be here and we will do our UBWO together and afterward will will take progress pictures. My sister and the maid-of-honor live a town apart and are coming to visit for the weekend. Denton Jazz & Arts fest is a fun free event and alot of my friends are coming to town and I will have a full house this weekend. After I finish my Cardio on Saturday I will just relax and enjoy the weekend. Next week will not be an active Rest and I plan to continue the BFL routine another 5 weeks. Luckily that will put the end of my challenge as 6/5/11 and I am running a 5K with DebbieMo on 6/4/11. Then I can take a week or two of active rest before the wedding.

C3W12D3

Met up with my running buddy after work and we ran 5K (3.1mi) in 28:02.
Afterward I met up with a friend that on leave. He will be shipping off to Iraq in a few weeks and is bummer he cannot make it to the wedding. I was starving and ordered a grilled chicken sandwich. I stayed out later than I planned.
This morning I woke up around 10:30am in alot of pain. I was sweaty with nausea and I went back to sleep. I had to call into work and mid afternoon I lost my lunch. I was starving and ate some pasta and decided to got work. I got to work a 6pm and plan to stay until 9pm. I think it was food poisoning.

C3W12D2

Last night I had a great UBWO. I got to the gym early and it was packed. I was waiting while pacing around for my first workout station to become free but once it was open another guy had been waiting too. I decided to switch my chest exercises and do 5 sets of chest flys and 1 set of decline press. I added another 10 pounds to my back exercise and I felt my 10s on bicep and triceps. I could have done more weight on shoulder raises but I am always weary of a shoulder injury. All in all it was a great workout and I look forward to my next one on Friday. I plan to take my ending pictures on Friday as I will have a full house of people the rest of the weekend.

This morning I was out the door a little after 5am for my HIIT workout. I attempted to duplicate the workout I did last Thursday. When I reached my level 10 I noticed the treadmill said I had 55 second left so I had to add another minute. I must have done an extra minute or miscounted one of my levels. I ended with 2.51mi in 21 minutes.

This is Week 12 and after it is over I have 7 weeks left until the week of my wedding. In week 5 of this challenge I missed the whole week of workouts due to a back injury so I am thinking if I consider it an active rest week. I have only been going for 7 weeks straight and plan to continue this BFL routine for 5-7 more weeks. It won't be anything official but I don't want to lose any time between now and then.

C3W12D1

It is Week 12 for the Coffe Crew BFL challenge! Give it 110% and hit your 10 on everything this week because next week is AR. I did my 2nd ever outdoor HIIT yesterday and it felt good. 2.12mi in 20 mins. I am ready to tackle week 12 and beyond. It is exactly 2 months (61 days) until the wedding and I still have 5+ pounds of fat to lose. My younger brother is over 4 inches taller than me and 10 pounds lighter and that inspires me to step it up a notch. Honestly the weekend are what kill my progress and I need to get free day down to just a free meal. If wine is red carbs I need to get my amber carbs under control. They have gotten a little out of hand the past 4-5 weekend and I even had one weekday. I have added weight to atleast 2 muscle groups every exercise since week 9 and trying for a new PR every HIIT. 9-10s in exercise and about a 7 in nutrition...

A clean diet would transform things for me. The motivation is there, the intensity is there, and the desire is there. I need to have structured weekend and I need to cook at home a pre-plan my meals. I do not feel like a victim because I own my mistakes and choices. I also decided that on May 16 until the wedding I am going back to a pescatarian diet like I did the year and a half before my first BFL challenge. I found the inability to eat certain foods really limited my choices and made eating out healthier and eating fast food barely an option. As for the amber carbs I need to remain focus on the end goal and not get caught up in the weekend mentality or feeling an unspoken peer pressure in social situation and even more important is avoiding those said situations. Not to mention I could use the money I save by avoiding it. I can picture every weekend between now and the wedding in my head.

This weekend: Denton Jazz & Arts Fest

May6-8: No plans

May 12-15: Fly to Amarillo

May 20-22: Drive to a Wedding in Southwest Missouri

May 27-29: Memorial Day Weekend and last time I will see Ellen before the week of the wedding

June 3-5: 5K in Dallas and hopefully meet DebMo

June 10-12: Bachelor Camping Trip is possible

June 17-19: Work on the weekend

June 25: Wedding!

C3W11D5

Yesterday I did an early Easter Dinner (90% BFL approved) at my parents house. My younger brother is in town and cooked the whole feast. Afterward he challenged me to an arm wrestle and beat me with no challenge. He had lost 20-25 pounds since the new year and is looking healthy and fit. He convinced me to go out with him last night and I did not get to bed until 4am. I woke up at 11:30 and have a busy day ahead. I was originally planning to run with my friend today but had to cancel because today is my UBWO day and I don't want to mess up my schedule the last week on this challenge.

I was feeling like I had not made any progress this challenge. It was really just my head messing with me cause even the stats show improvement but in order to motivate myself I took a picture from 2 months before my first challenge and compared it to one of my chest that I took with my cell phone. My target areas are my shoulders and chest these days. I think some of the difference is that way my shoulders are positioned and the direction of the lighting.

Sarcopenia

Sarcopenia is the degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength assoiciated with aging (0.5-1% per year after the age of 25). It characterized first by a decrease in the size of muscle, which causes weakness and fragility. However this loss of muscle mass may be causes by different cellular mechanisms than those that cause muscle atrophy. There is a replacement of muscle fibers with fat and an increases of fibrosis.
Exercise and increases in activity have been shown to be beneficial in settings of sarcopenia; exercise even in the very old can increase strength and muscle function.
Lack of exercise is currently thought to be a significant risk factor, increasing the likelihood of sarcopenia. Sedentary people often lose a pound or more of muscle mass annually. The loss of 10 pounds of muscle every decade is one troubling consequence for people choosing a sedentary lifestyle.
Not only muscle but the entire musculoskeletal system of muscle, neuromuscular responsiveness, endocrine function, vasocapillary access, tendon, joint, ligament, and bone, depends on regular and lifelong exercise to maintain integrity. Even highly trained athletes experience the effects of sarcopenia. It is interesting to note that athletic speed and strength records are generally set by individuals no older than 30 years of age, although some powerlifters and other strength athletes continue to set records into their 50s.
Simple circumference measurement does not provide enough data to detemine whether or not an indivdual is suffing from severe sarcopenia. (Body fat percentage measure pounds of fat vs total body weight. You body weight can stay the same or even decrease and pounds of body fat can increase thus showing a loss of lean body mass. It is ideal to track body fat percentage, especially when active in weight loss.)
Sarcopenia is emerging as a major health concern due to the lessened physical activity and increased longevity of industrialized populations. It can progress to the extent that an older person may lose his or her ability to live independently lead to linked to poor balance, gait speed, falls, and fractures.
The best way to manage sarcopenia is with an exercise program that is balanced with cardiovasular exercise and strength training. Resistance training (lifting weights) is probably the mose effective way to prevent and treat sarcopenia.

My thoughts:
I lost 60 pounds from the age of 24-25 of which 10 lbs was lean body mass. Muscle is 10% water and lean body mass is everything in the body that is not fat as is also known as fat free mass. You might have heard muscle weighs more than fat. This statement is true but flawed in it's wording. 1 pound of fat weighs the same as 1 pound of muscle, the difference is the density. 1 pounds of fat takes up more space than 1 pound of muscle. Therefore, it is an issue of volume and when people say they want to lose weight I doubt they care about how much pressure their body places on surfaces. What they really want to do is reduce in size. You can "lose weight" by just watching portion size and calories intake which has been marketed by programs weight watchers and Jenny Craig. You can also lose weight by burning calories through exercise. "Dieting" without exercise will lead to weight loss but it is not efficient in reducing the ratio of fat to lean body mass measure as body fat percent. Weight loss is great at reducing risk for certain disease and can help improve self esteem and energy level but I doubt anybody wants to be "skinny fat", a smaller version of your old self. It is ideal to try to maintain or even increase lean body mass while losing fat. Transforming your body into a lean healthy muscular verison of your old soft chubby self.
I am unfortunate in that I lose my measurement and body fat reading when I first ventured out into my weight loss journey in June 2008. I do remember I weighed 246 lbs and I am between 5'6"-5'7". I signed on with a trainer for a 90 day rapid weight loss program but in the middle of it I was handed over to another trainer and the new trainer broke her foot and somehow my records were lost. I tried to recover them a year later when I moved to a new gym but I got no replies from my email and my trainer could not find them.
What I do know is that in November 2008 I weighed 231 pound and was 31% body fat. That mean I had 71 pounds of fat in my body and 160 pounds of lean body mass. I reached my "goal weight" 11 months later in October 2009 weighing 185 lbs. I was at 19.1% body fat which means
35 pounds of fat and 150 pounds fo lean body mass. At that time I thought I had lost 10 pounds of muscle but recently I am under the impression that water weight was most likely a large part of it as it is also a part of lean body mass.
Here is a picture of me around November 2008:

Here is a picture of me in October 2009:

Today I measured and I am 175.6 lbs and 16.9% body fat.
Chest 10/2008 compared to 4/2011:

I am 9 pounds lighter than I was a year and a half ago. Sometime around Sept/Oct 2009 I started to change my focus. I decided the number on the scale was OK but I still did not feel I had reached my goal. I started doing alot of searching on the internet to find information on building muscle mass (I thought I had lost 10 pounds of muscle) and looking a pictures on bodyspace (part of bodybuilding.com) to find out what my goal body fat percent should be based on people of similar height and weight. I came to the conclusion than I wanted to be 10-12% body fat to get the goal image I had in my mind for myself. While searching articles I came across one about the body-for-life program. After reading the entire article it sounded like what I was looking for to reach my goal. It is a 12 week program, or challenge as they call it, that has every exercise down to number of sets and reps preplanned and a 20 minute cardio program that uses the HIIT (high intensity interval training) approach for fat loss without muscle loss. I decided to start the program in mid December 2009 so I could do it with my girlfriend (now fiancee) while she was in town for Christmas break and with ending date near her spring break. I got super focused and motivated with the goal results being 10-12% body fat. I followed the program by the book and lost 9 pounds but at the end I got really discouraged because I only got to 15% body fat and still had a flabby loose skin mid-section.
Right now I am in week 11 of my 3rd BFL challenge and have made alot of emotional improvement since than and no longer have an all-or-nothing perfectionist attitude and still would like to eventually reach my body fat goal but my focus is on strength and speed.

Quote of the Day

"Your goals, minus your doubts, equal your reality" - Ralph Marston

C3W11D4

Good Morning!

Last night I decided to work the lower body instead of yoga since C3 is nearing an end. I got on the lying leg curl machine and did 3 heavy set for my hamstrings. I then moved to the seated leg press and did 2 sets at 270 lbs and 1 set at 320 lbs. For calves I did the seated calf raise, 2 sets at 90 lbs and 1 set at 115 lbs. I then moved to the seated calf press and did 4 sets (170,210,250, and 290). I moved to the ab crunch machine and did 5 sets BFL style and did the crazy ab chair for my secondary exercise.

This morning I snoozed for 10 mins and then I was out the door. I started off with 2 minutes at 5.5mph then my first round I did 6.5 - 7.5 - 8.5 - 9.5mph on the beginning of my last 4 minute round I dropped the speed to 5.0 then did 6.0 - 7.5 - 8.5 - 9.5 - 10.0mph. During the 18 min on my level 10 I had to grab the side rail handles and I ended up cutting it short to only 50 seconds. I had been afraid of 10mph (only cars and bike do that speed I thought) but it felt just like 9.5 mph. I ended up with 2.49 miles in 20 minutes. When I got to my car I noticed black stuff on my hand. It was the paint from the treadmill.

Obsolescence

The downside to being in a career path that is closely tied to technology.

The Cardio Trap!

The Cardio Trap!

by: Michael Harris 9/24/2007

Men and women definitely work out differently, most likely because of the essential anatomic differences and hormonal differences! For example, most men really lift weights more intensely than most women do. In the area of cardio, women seem to be much more dedicated and also more sold on the idea of doing lots of cardio and doing it daily.

What seems like a good idea, though, can really become a trap. What happens when you do lots of cardio is you create increasing physical efficiency in the body. When you exercise for a long time at a pulse rate elevated sufficiently to produce a cardio effect, this makes the heart, lungs and vascular system of the body more efficient. So, at rest your heart rate is slower; your respiration rate is slower, and your resting metabolic rate becomes much slower. The combination of all this is that you burn very little fat or calories at rest compared to most others. And, unless you continually raise the work rate at which you do cardio with your more efficient body, the actual amount of calories and fat burned during the workout will drop slightly as well.

Another thing that lengthy and/or daily cardio does is to discourage your body from gaining muscle and even promote the burning of muscle under some circumstances. So, for a person wishing to produce more body muscle, and to burn fat without burning muscle, lengthy cardio is NOT the way to go. Hight intensity interval training will NOT get you fit in a way that will allow you to run 10 k races or compete in long events such as soccer games or basketball games, but it IS ideal for burning fat and preserving muscle at the same time.

On the other hand, high intensity interval training done three times a week is ideal, especially if done early in the morning in a fasted stated, having had no food for at least 8 hours. The fasted state encourages the immediate burning of body fat since there is little sugar in the blood or in the muscle and liver stores. It is done intensely enough to create lots of body heat and thereby burn lots of fat, and not muscle. Further, it just doesn’t let you get into that efficiency trap in the same way that the long slower cardio does.

For creating a lean and sculpted body, there is nothing like HIIT cardio.

Current Workout Routine (Week 9+)

Chest:
Decline Press (Plate Loaded)

12X180
10X230
8X250
6X275
12X230
Cable Flys

12X145

Shoulders:
Side Raises (Dumbbell)


12X30
10X40
8X50
6X60
12X40
(Shoulder Shrugs)

12X110

Back:
Low Row

12X180
10X200
8X220
6X240
12X200
High Row

12X180

Biceps:
Preacher Curl (Machine)

12X50
10X60
8X70
6X75
12X55
Hammer Curls (Alternating)

12X30(each hand)

Triceps:
Cable Pulldown (Rope attachment)


12X100
10X120
8X140
6X160
12X120
Seated Tricep Extension

12X70

C3W11D2

Good Morning!
I have not felt this way since C1! I woke up at 4:30am (15 mins before my alarm went off) and I was at the gym at 4:55 waiting for it to open. I recently got a headphone adapter for my phone so now I have some music to run with on the treadmill. The second song that played was "Traveling Without Moving" by Jamiroquai and I thought the tempo and lyrics were fitting. I upped my speeds from my last HIIT session (which was on St. Patricks Day) and finished 2.35 mi in 20 mins.

Week 10 Food Diary

My week was nutritionally derailed by a 23 hour shift at work on Monday/Tuesday. It took me until Friday to get back on tack due to poor planning and lack of sleep.
Monday
7 am Egg whites & Apple
10 am Chicken & Sweet Potato
3pm Double Chicken Breast 6in on Wheat at Subway
8-9pm Jumbo Chicken Burrito & Shrimp, Egg, Cheese Breakfast Taco from Fuzzy's Taco Shop (My fav place)
12pm-2am Snack on Trail Mix (Emerald Nuts Breakfast Blend)

Tuesday
12pm Granola Cereal & 2% Milk
2:30pm Grilled Chicken Breast, rice, mashed potatos, corn, and 2 rolls at Grandy's
7-8pm 2 chicken tacos, fish taco, 1lb Macho chicken burrito Del Taco drive-thru (1580 cals)

Wednesday
11:30am 3 Chicken breast, egg whites, and grits at Waffle house
5pm 2 black bean burritos(hold the sour cream) and 2 chicken taco roll-ups at Taco Bueno
9pm 4-10oz Bud Selects and a shot of tequila with pickle juice
10-11pm Huge chicken breast, brown rice, and veggies
4-5 12oz Miller Lites, a rum punch, and another shot of tequila with pickle.

Thursday
11:30am 2 black bean burritos(hold the sour cream) and 2 chicken taco roll-ups at Taco Bueno
6pm 3 chicken soft tacos and a bean burrito at Del Taco
10pm 14oz Guinness Stout
12pm 1lb Macho chicken burrito (no sour cream) at Del Taco

C3W11D1 (Totally Psyched 5K results)

Catching up:
Wednesday: I ran with my running buddy and we did 3.1 miles in 29:10. Later I met up with a friend to talk about the wedding and stayed up way too late.
Thursday: I woke up around 10am and went into work around noon. I only worked a half day Wednesday and Thursday because I am not allowed overtime and I worked 29 hours between Monday and Tuesday. I was dog tired when I got home from work and tried to take a nap because Ellen was arriving in town at 11pm. My weekly schedule was off by a day and Yoga is not offered on Thursdays. I did not want to do cardio because I ran the Thursday before my 10K and hurt my foot and I had a 5K coming up on Saturday. Another big X on my calendar and I was not able to fall asleep.
Friday: Ellen and I hit the gym for an UBWO. I did it in the morning and had tons of energy. I was able to increase the weights on my decline press for a third week in a row going up 30 more pounds on my 6 rep set. I ran errands all day and went to bed early. Eating = Clean
Saturday: It was super windy (40-50mph winds) on Friday but the weather was perfect for the 5K. It was called the Totally Psyched 5K and it was organised by the Psychology Dept. at the University of North Texas. It was in honor of a professor who died running a 5K in December 2009. He was 58 years old and an avid runner since the 1970s. Ellen as I did a 5K together 6-7 weeks ago and we decided to each go at our seperate pace. I finished in 27:37 (last official 5K end of C2 was 29:39) and Ellen finished in 47:53 (faster than her last 5K).

Sunday: We shopped for clothing for the Groomsmen and ate dinner at my parents house. She had me try on a suit she liked but I felt like Don Johnson in Miami Vice.

C3W10D3

I got about 12 hours of sleep and I feel refreshed! Bad news is I hit up the drive-thru last night and I just added up my order and it was 1580 calories! I know each day is a new oppurtunity to make good choices and today is a good day. Monday I was working with a guy who seemed to never get hungry and being in week 10 I am always hungry. I did not eat entirely BFL approved but I ate healthy choices during the 16 hours out of my 23 hour shift that I was on storm duty.

I had good UBWO last night and slept like a baby and I could have slept longer if I had not received a phone call this morning. I found out we are not allowed overtime so I am working a half day today and tomorrow. Atleast I got a free hat out of the deal!

C3W10D2

Still focused with life's derailment. Monday morning when I got to work I was told I need to work Storm Duty to help restore power from the spring thunderstorm we had on Sunday night. In the evening they told me I need to work the night shift till 6am. I worked 23 hours then slept for 5 hours. I went to a conference today around noon and I got a call asking me to report back at 3pm to work another all-nighter. I reported at 3 and was let go around 5pm so I drove home and knocked out my UBWO with the help of some B12. Now it is time for bed so I can get back to a normal schedule. I work for a utility contracting company. I usually work in the office and I do all the mapping.

C3W10D1

Weekend Recap:





Friday: Bloodwork, ran errands, UBWO, NASCAR camping.
Saturday: Kayaked White Rock Lake, Lunch with Friends, In bed early
Sunday: Slept in, lunch buffet, considered buying kayak, rollerbladed, rented movie

BFL Forum

I have been a fairly active poster on www.bodyforlife.com and on 3-22-10 the website was updated so that you can have forums instead of a guest book that disappears after 30 pages. Yesterday I decided to look and see what was going on this day year ago since we celebrated 1 year since the update on 3-22-11.

Here are some posts I enjoyed from 4-7-10

Posted by BryanL on 7 Apr 2010 8:50 AM

Good Morning!

Posted by Legs on 7 Apr 2010 9:02 AM
Morning BryanL - you back in the game?

Posted by BryanL on 7 Apr 2010 9:23 AM

Legs, yes I am back on track.

Scott, I am in week 3 of my second challenge. It is alot harder to stay motivated this time around. I think its the time change and weather and me feelings lazy. To be honest I have only done 1 cardio since I started again. (Justifying it in my head as a bulking phase "muscle building")

Posted by Faithful Renee on 7 Apr 2010 9:31 AM

Bryan ~

I started C2 Monday. I hear ya on the challenge 2 dilemma. I am still in the game, still committed, still following the plan...just don't feel as focused. Maybe that is a good thing. Just feels weird. I wrote down every meal as soon as I ate it in Challenge 1. Yesterday I had to post 3 meals at the same time. OK...so I'm thinking and typing at the same time. Lightbulb!!!! Maybe I'm feeling not as focused because it is more of an intuitive thought process to eat right, drink my water and exercise. Hmmmmm. Another abyss to cross. Cross it with me Bryan!!! Back in the game!

Posted by Legs on 7 Apr 2010 10:04 AM

Hey Ray, JamesK, Rosemary and Renee.

C2 - Renee and BryanL - the excitement has fizzled perhaps, you have proven to yourself you could do the 12 weeks. Now with C2 it is time to set the anchor and stay on course. It definately is a different ambition that will keep you grounded. Keep those voices talking to you! and keep posting and staying connected. For me, that is what helped. It wasnt always easy, but to see even more definition pop out is such a great reward. This CAN be for life.

Ray - have a great BFL day!

Posted by BryanL on 7 Apr 2010 10:51 AM

Legs, I just need to focus and look at this challenge from a different perspective. Motivation will come when I have a new reason. I had been overweight since middle school so being in shape is kinda a scary new thing so me and I weight less than I did in 8th grade. I am glad to have the support of this online community.

Posted by DebbieMO on 7 Apr 2010 10:54 AM

Bryan-Your pics and progress are great, keep up the good work...One of these days that brain will figure it out!!! We are here for you!

Ok, I finally got that morph pic made, but how do I upload the link to my page, it just showed a little box with and "x"....it is pretty cool! :) Thanks for the tech tip and site! ;)

Posted by Legs on 7 Apr 2010 10:58 AM

BryanL: I too have never had the 6pak or calves. I found my goals in a sense HAVE change now being in C3, however the main one for me it to get leg definition. The abs I have discovered (yes actually have permanent ab lines now) were just a bonus. And do you know why?? Because the damn paper towel is thicker on my legs than my abs and I didnt know that. So even though I am still working towards one end of the rainbow, I am picking up alot of gold on the way. I LIKE THAT. :)

MO: You are my type of crazy.

Posted by STEPHANIE-AL on 7 Apr 2010 11:20 AM

BryanL I read something interesting the other day. It was talking about how our mind sees us. It was on bflspirit and in the blog it asked questions Does your mind still see you overweight? We have to get our mind to see that this is how we are now and it is how we are going to continue to be. It was also mentioning convincing our minds that yes we do deserve to be this fit, happy person.

So get your game face on as Debs, Legs, and Patti are fond of saying, focus your mind on not only eating right and working out regularly including dreaded cardio, but also on that this is who you truly are and will continue to be--fit, healthy, and happy.

Posted by BryanL on 7 Apr 2010 11:38 AM

STEPHANIE-AL, You are so right and it is something I have been working on. I lost the weight physically faster than mentally.

C3W9D4

Planned on HIIT at 5am but I could not get to sleep last night and woke up with enough time to shower and head out the door to work. I will knock out my cardio this evening. Last night was my Spin/Yoga night and I really put on the resistance on my bike. Between the two classes I attempted to run a mile on the treadmill but I got the noisy one and only did 0.5mi. Yoga was rough cause my thighs were spent from spin class. I decided that either starting this Monday or Monday the 18th (Have a 5K coming up on the 16th)I will do BFL exercises by the book and cut out the spin class and move my yoga to Sunday mornings. Down 2.5 lbs from last Thursday but I do think it is fat loss.

Typical Weekly Workday Schedule

Monday
6:00-7:00am drive to work
7:00-5:30pm work
5:30-6:30pm drive home
7:00-7:45am Lift weights at LA Fitness
8:00-9:00pm shower/call Ellen
9:30pm-5:30am sleep
Tuesday
6:00am-7:00am drive to work
7:00-5:15pm work
5:15-6:45pm drive to parents house
6:00-6:30pm run 5K with Ranson
6:45pm-10pm hang out with partents
10:15pm-6:15am sleep
Wednesday
6:30-7:00am drive to work
7:00-5:30pm work
5:30-6:30pm drive home
6:45-7:45pm cycling class
8:00-9:00pm yoga
9:30pm-5:30am sleep
Thursday
6:00am-7:00am drive to work
7:00-5:30pm work
5:30-6:30pm drive home
7:00-7:30pm run 3+ miles
or
5:30-6pm Drive to meet Ranson
6:00-6:30pm Run with Ranson

Quote of the Day

"When you do what you have always done, you will be what you have always been."

I searched for it on google and found, "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten" - Tony Robbins

C3W9D2

Last night I met up with my running buddy and we did our usual 5K route. It was sunny 75 degrees and windy. Most of the 1st mile is a steady incline. We were huffing it the the whole time and finished in 28:10 (no breaks). Here is elevation profile according to Google Earth.

Here is what fueled my run.

Runners' legs?

C3W2D2

I had a good UBWO last night and took my Week 8 pictures (I was too busy to do it over the weekend). I changed my UBWO routine last week and this week I upped the weights on Chest, shoulders, and back. My focus this challenge has been my shoulders and building my lower chest. I posted my week 8 pictures last night. The biggest change I see is my facial hair and the back of my shoulders are a little more defined.

My three new favorite!

Decline chest press

Low Seated Row

Preacher curl with fixed weight EZ bar. My hands were shakey after my 8 rep set.

6 reps max:

Monday (C3W9D1)

Chest (Decline)-240lbs

Shoulders (Dumbell side raises)-70lbs

Back (Low Seated Row)-200lbs

Biceps(Preacher Curl)-80lbs

Triceps(Cable Pulldown)-150lbs

Week 1 to 8 Progress

Click on any image to make it larger




I was in a goofy mood...

C3W9D1

Goodbye March, Hello April!

I am excited about the last month of the challenge and it ends the weekend of the Denton Arts & Jazz Festival and my 2 year anniversary of my first date with Ellen. March was a tough month but I am not giving up and I feel I am improving my all or nothing perfectionist attitude.

In March I:

Got Sick

Hurt my back

Went to a wedding out of town

Went to a funeral out fo town

Got a speeding ticket

Almost got in a fight during a jog

Wedding planning started to get stressful

Noticed I have high blood pressure

Ran the fastest I have ran yet 5K, 1mi, and 20 min HIIT

Got 3rd place in my families Biggest Loser Contest

Celebrated 3 years at my job

Ran more miles (34.6) total than February (22.5) even with a week off

Ate pizza for the first time this year (an entire one)

Drank too much and had free weekends instead of free days

Some good, some bad but I will continue moving forward. For some reason maintenance is harder for me than weight loss mode.

Bryan

Quote of the Day

"Sweat is your fat cells crying!"

C3W8D5

Yesterday I ended up meeting with nurse practitioner and she she took my basics including BP which she said was 117/79. After that she asked what I there for and I said I have been having high BP reading for 6 weeks. She took my BP again on my other arm (left) and it was 138/91 then measured on the right again "slower this time" and it was 140/89. She asked me the standard series of questions then handed me a 2 page info sheet on blood pressure printed 8 years ago. She said to make lifestyle changes and if it does not go down then they will consider medication.

It was a waste of my time and I scheduled a follow up visit this coming Friday morning with my doctors and a full physical with bloodwork. I have concluded the only thing that I could improve from the list of way to lower blood pressure is to reduce my sodium intake.

Here is the list on the sheet she gave me:

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Follow a healthy eating plan

Reduce Sodium in your diet

Drink alcohol only in moderation

She also asked about caffeine and hinted it could cause high BP too. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/blood-pressure/AN00792

UBWO 6 rep max:

(C3W8D5)

Chest (Decline)-235lbs

Shoulders (Dumbell side raises)-50lbs

Back (Low Seated Row)-160lbs

Biceps(Preacher Curl)-80lbs

Triceps(Cable Pulldown)-150lbs