Day 45 - Fit for life

Green Lantern is the beacon for which I stand each day. He gives me hope that there is a way to get through any situation.  I'm representing Green Lantern on my birthday and I've been having a bit of trouble figuring out what I wanted to do for my costume.  March 7th is the day of my party, and the day is coming quick.  So recently, I've had to make a few tough choices and I've concluded that making my own costume is not going to happen.  There are a several reasons, but it is mainly due to lack of time and a plethora of skill that I just don't posses.  I have a vivid imagination of what my costume would look like and I have no means to accomplish the vision. The other issue is money, and it seems that my vision costs a lot more than I am willing to spend on a costume.

So in my despair, I have searched for a new solution, and what I've found might even be better than any costume that I could have made.  There are a few conditions in order for me to pull off this new solution and if I don't meet them I could seriously look ridiculous.  So here is my idea;  After much discussion with Jen and lots of Google-ing,  I've found a top notch artist that does full body painting.  The new plan is to go head to toe full body paint (except the private parts *wink*).   As you can imagine, or may not want to, if I am not fit by the time painting day comes around, then this could end up a complete disaster.  

Fear, is Green Lantern's arch nemesis.  It is also mine, and I definitely have some fears about this full body paint thing.  Firstly,  I'm not the hairless boy that I was when I was 12 years old.  I've grown into a full blown harry man (eww gross), and hair removal is going to be part of the process.  My mind immediately flashes to the movie 40 year old virgin, and instead of Steve Carell laying on the table it is me;  and I'm screaming "Kelly Clarkson!".  I can vividly see that Asian girl, holding up a patch of hair while I'm laying there crying, and calling me a "Pussy".   Ha!  This is NOT going to be fun.   Regardless,  the Green Lantern within overcomes these fears and I will press on as planned.

There is some good news,  and I was extremely excited about this today.  I weighed in at 184.8,  which means I have lost 17.2 lbs in 45 days!  I didn't even realize that I've lost that much and now it is making a bit more sense, that other people are recognizing my weight loss efforts.  This routine that I've been doing is obviously working, and I just have to stick to it.

Today's Goal.

I start a new program at CrossFit today.  My CrossFit TOV, is starting up a new program that really defines out what CrossFit is and they train you more on technique.  I signed up for 5 classes of the CrossFit essentials, so that my normal CrossFit workouts are not so brutal.  I didn't really know or understand this before,  but if your not doing the exercises properly your actually expending more energy and effort to do the same task.  The more fatigue I would get, the worse I was doing the technique.  These new classes at CrossFit are for beginners, and train you how to maintain the correct form and technique during the workouts.  So I'm excited about this new program; can't wait!

Today's goal is about knowledge, and learning the right way to do CrossFit!


Overall Progress.

I think overall I'm doing pretty good.  I've been on a steady routine of CrossFit and Running my 2.8 miles.  I do the running on days that I don't do CrossFit and that has been a nice relief from brutal workouts.  Recently, I started walking at work on my lunch.  I really like this, and I'm going to try to do that every day as well.  It's not a heavy workout, but a 1.5 mile walk still burns calories and is good for the heart (I've heard).  Then, every few days I take a rest day, or sometimes two depending on what my body is telling me.  I use to feel so guilty about taking a day off, but now it is more of a reward for all the hard work I've been putting into being fit.  

I looked in the mirror recently, and for once I was excited about being me.  I really have not felt that way in a long time.  I was getting old, and I was drastically overweight compared to what I was in my 20's.  This 60 days of fitness has probably been the best decision I've made in my life and my results keep inspiring me to keep it going and make this a lifestyle for myself.  This is no longer just looking good for my party,  it is looking good for the rest of my life!

Day 39 - Chaotic life, but I'm making it work.

It's mid day and super windy out and I can't help but to relate to the chaos that is brought on by strong winds.  I'm here at work today and the wind has claimed destruction over patio sets and the tree's.  Leaves flock about the street in a whirl and leave a mess of chaotic clutter upon the streets.  My life has not felt much different than this as of late.  It turns out that the hardest part about exercising is making time to write this blog each day.  I've been struggling from task to task to fit in the time.  The good news is that I have been doing a great job at sticking with my exercise routines.  It's been a rough road and getting back into the swing of things after being sick for a week has been a real challenge.  To catch you up,  I've been trying to hit CrossFit at least 4 times a week. 

 On my off days I've been running anywhere from 1 mile to 2.8 miles depending if my chaotic life has blown me in the opposite direction of CrossFit.  This has happened a couple times and it get's quite frustrating because all I want to do is get in a good workout, go home and eat like a pig from a trough.  Moreover, I am so exhausted when I get home that going upstairs to write my blog has been less of a priority and the food coma after I eat keeps me secured in my chair.

Getting sick sucked, We've all been through it and it's never fun.  The worst part about it is how it totally destroy's your routine.  Combine that with Jen's new job schedule and trying to find the best time to do CrossFit and I find myself needing a personal assistant. Ha!  Luckily,  I've fallen into a routine the past week or so and it is kinda working out.  I don't want to get up at 5:00 am anymore, plus Jen doesn't get up that early anymore and trying to get up on my own is completely hopeless.  So I had to find just the right solution.

My solution is pretty simple when you say it out loud,  Get up, make my protein shake, and go to work; leaving the house by 7:00 am.  Arriving at work by 8:00 seems to be the standard, because traffic at 7:00 am is a total nightmare.  So instead of my normal 40 minute drive, I'm stuck with a full 60 minutes of bumper to bumper.  That sucks, but it allows me to get off of work at 4:00 - 4:30 which is barely enough time to get to the 5:00 pm CrossFit class.  Where the wind blows in my direction,is usually around 4:00 when it's time to leave work and I've missed my CrossFit class a couple of times.  Thankfully, I have a solid backup plan, which is to run a mile and then follow it up with a solid upper body workout.   10 push-up's,  30 sit-ups,  20 Arm dips, and 50 jumping jacks,  and repeat that until I can't anymore.  Right now I'm up to 2 sets of that after my run,

On another note,  Paleo has been great!  I've really been enjoying all the food that Jen has been making and the diet has been the least difficult part of this journey to fitness.  There are so many wonderful recipes out there and we have been taking full advantage of it's deliciousness. 

Today's Goal.

I've been making it a habit to try to get to CrossFit every day,  so that is my goal today.  The workout for today looks pretty crazy and I have missed 2 days in a row.  Thankfully I did a bit of a workout each day to keep the momentium going.  But looks at this routine!  Crazy huh!

Workout Of The Day

Thursday, February 12th

STRENGTH/SKILL

Ab Tabata

WOD: "Beast 12"
25 Walking Lunges

20 Pull-ups

50 Box Jumps, 20/18

20 Double Unders

25 Ring Dips

20 Knees To Elbows

30 Russian Swings, 2/1.5 pood

30 Sit-up (standard)s

20 Dumbbell Hang Squat Cleans, 35/25 lbs

25 Back Extensions

30 Wall Balls, 20/14

3 Rope Climbs

Overall Progress.

So I'll try to keep you all posted on how it goes,   Right now, I'm down about 15 lbs and I had a fantastic day last weekend.  I went to my best friends daughters birthday party, she is 2 and adorable. When I arrived there everyone was boasting about how good I look and how much thinner I looked.  I could barely tell myself, but apparently it was pretty noticeable to those that have not seen me in a while.  This was very exciting for me and really has given me a boost in motivation to keep it up.  I have 22 days until my Birthday party so I'm going to have to work it hard to get my tummy as flat as possible for the big day.   

Thanks everyone for all your support! 

Day 30 - Do, or Do Not, there is no try!

There is nothing that I hate more than not doing something that I said I was going to do.  It really doesn't matter what the thing that I said I was going to do was,  If I said I was going to do it, then I should do it.   I'm am profoundly good at making excuses and I'm a damn good salesman too.  When you pair those together, I can sell myself any excuse like selling pork rinds to pigs.  Easy as Pie, as they say, but let me tell you right now;  It's not right!   I'm totally cheating myself, and that is assuming that I'm the only one whom I've made the promise to.

Last Sunday,  I ran my one mile.  I was proud of it, but come Monday morning I didn't wake up on time.  I didn't run in the morning and promised myself that I would run right when I got home.  I think you know where this is going.  I got home Monday night after sitting in traffic, and the excuses came flooding out of my mouth like water flowing from a river.   (whiney voice) I'm too tired,  I will run tomorrow,  I am still sick..  I was the pig, and I ate that pork rind right up and it was so good!

This morning, I tried to pull that same crap when I got up.   Today is Day 30, my half way mark.  I had to give myself a swift kick in the, pardon my french, ass.  I had to make a commitment, no more bologna!   It's like what Yoda says,  "Do, or Do Not,  there is no try".

Today's Goal.

Today I need to push myself.   I didn't run yesterday because I drank the coolaid, so today I need to work extra hard.  Today's goal is 1.6 miles and I better make it a solid run too.  This isn't punishment, this is what is needed because tomorrow I'm supposed to be running 2.8 so I can return to CrossFit.

I'm highly motivated, suited up, and ready to rock some enya.





Today's Progress.

Normally I do my stretches in my living room, but today I did them right in my driveway.  It's about 7:15 and the sun is up already.  Yeah, I'm running late, but it is such a beautiful morning out that soaking up the sun like Superman just felt like the right thing to do.  I hit the street running pretty hard,  It was almost too hard and I knew that I might have motivated myself a little too much.  So I had to slow it down just a tad so that I could get a nice rhythm down.

Running can be so euphoric.  But when I let it go, make excuses, and I miss days, it seems harder to get started.  That is when I have to reach deep in my gut and push through.  After getting half way down my street, I started to feel so much better.  My breathing was great and I could feel the fresh cold air piercing my lungs as if they were brand new.  I don't know about anyone else, but I generally hate the cold, except when I run.  When I run, I love the cold, and I love how fresh the morning feels on my face and body.   It's so refreshing.

By the time I go to the bridge,  I was a happy runner again.  I was all warmed up and highly motivated to complete my run.  Long gone are the days when I was struggling to do this run.  I hit Dulin Rd and headed back.

I'm not sure why the run back is such a pain in the butt all the time.  I use to think it was because I was completely exhausted,  but that is definitely not it.   Maybe it is because, I really don't want to stop running?  Maybe I'm Forest Gump and I just want to keep running from ocean to ocean?   I can't quite put my finger on what it is about the run back that is so bad, but every time I get about half way back down my street I feel like I'm running a little slower, or sometimes the street just seems extremely long.   Whatever it is,  it's always a struggle making that last .25 miles.   Today,  I felt like I cheated that somehow.  I recognized the feel, and Ignored it completely.  Instead of slowing down, I sped up.  When the road looked longer, I simply looked at my feet.   That seemed to help quite a bit and I was able to land on my driveway like a Football player making a touchdown. I made it today,  1.6 and it was an easy run.   I'm still not 100% over my cold, but I'm sure feeling a lot better.   Tomorrow's 2.8 is going to be rough, but I know I can do it.

Overall Progress.

So I've had quite a 30 days.  It definitely had it's up's and down's.  I pushed through lots of pain to get my body acclimated to running after 20 plus years of neglect.  I started CrossFit, man is that tough.  I also got my first running injury and learned some valuable lessons about resting.   I got sick and I bounced back.   The overall result, is that today I weighed in and I was 188.9 pounds!  13.1 pounds lost and this is the first time in 3 years that I have been under 190 pounds.   I'm super excited!  It just goes to show, that I can do anything if I put my mind, heart and soul into it.