Recovery week and vacation...

Well, recovery week is going ok. I have not been making alot of time for workouts so far, because life has been kicking me in the balls. My Jeep had some issues this week causing me to blow a whole day dealing with starters and batteries, on top of getting ready for vacation and getting that planned and organized. So, all that being said, I have decided to pull a hybrid week while I am on vacation. I do not want to learn a new routine while away from the home base and I don't want to have to take all my workout gear with me (I like to travel light if possible). So, the plan is to extend recovery week until the end of my vacation and do these cardio based routines and add in some resistance training (maybe some push and pull stuff) with some morning runs on the beach. That way I get a good week of workouts and no real issues.

I am going to South Georgia and plan eating some really good seafood and relaxing for a week but that is no reason not to bring it!

This adaptation will cause me to be a week longer than planned but that is ok, I am not worried about the 90 days, this is a lifestyle change and I am not about to let a time frame break the gains I am looking for.

I might be away for a week, I hope to check in during the vaca but I cannot promise anything. I will get some pics of the progress and try to get day 1 pics recovered, camera issues :-(

Anyway, keep pushing play and bring it everytime!

Week 3 complete...

Well, the first 3 weeks are complete. I am feeling so much more healthy and when I do things that are outside the plan, I can really feel the difference. I am getting ready to start the 1st recovery week, and then I am going on vacation. I am taking the dvds with me and plan to keep them going. I may even add in some morning runs on the beach for some additional cardio...

I cannot see a lot of physical changes yet. The gut is looking a little better and muscle tone is coming along. I am not worried as much about these things, I just want to be healthier and that I am.

Diet is getting there. I was a Mt Dew-aholic prior to this and I am not missing it at all...kinda. I always catch myself thinking about it but I have not had an actual Mt. Dew since I started this. I have had a couple diets because i had nothing else in the house to drink (ran out of bottled water). i don't miss them and don't crave them. I think I am making a nice transition into a much healthier life style.

Mid Week 3 update

Hey everyone, I realized it had been a couple days since my last blog. I have been pushing myself and week 3 is better than 2. I am doing more reps and more weight than in previous weeks. I am really starting to feel the results. I cannot see any real significant changes in my appearance but that will come.

Meals:

I have been eating really good. Watching everything I eat and making sure I get a consistent number of meals a day. I am also making sure that I am eating regularly so that I am not really hungry at any point during the day. I have found some really good snack bars, I eat the Kashi bars (Dark chocolate & coconut along with the mocha almond). I have also been eating the Fiber one chewy granola bars. they are really tasty and only 200 cal. they make for a good double snack or a nice quick on the go breakfast with some fruit afterward.

I am looking forward to the recovery week and the change that comes from switching the routines. I go on vacation in a week, so I will be taking the DVDs with me and keeping up. I may end up extending my recovery week during the vacation for ease of use. I really dont want to be learning new routines and whatnot while I am away from the comfort of home. It will only be a few extra days of recovery. No biggie.

Keep up the good work and KEEP PUSHING PLAY!!!!!!

Week 2 Wrapup!

OK, so Week 2 is in the books. I pushed myself in all the workouts and was surpassing all the numbers I hit in the 1st week. I am really starting to see the improvements in strength, now if the inches would start falling off. I am not concerned as much with weight, as I am doing the workouts with the intention of building muscle. However, I really want to start seeing the improvements in the waist line and start leaning out some. I know it is a process and I will see the improvements if I keep pushing myself, but I am a results oriented person and I need the visible evidence.

I realized that I hadn't put up any of my numbers from the initial prep. So here they are. I am going to add photos, I just haven't gotten them off the camera yet, so you will have to wait for that.

DAY 1

Body Fat % = 27% (calculated, I don't have calipers)

Weight: 216

Chest: 42" (with no pecs to speak of)

Waist: 41"

Hips: 42"

Right Thigh: 26.5"

Left Thigh: 26"

Right Arm: 14.25"

Left Arm: 13.5"

So there is the sorry state of things in Week 1. The goal is to have a bigger chest, arm and legs, along with a much smaller waist and hips. But I am not fixated on the numbers, I just want to keep pushing myself until the end and whatever they are, they are.

Plyo done!

I went at this workout harder than I did last time. I didnt take any pause breaks and didnt extend any of the breaks and just brought it! I will admit, I was not able to go for the full time on each move. I was making it to probably 5 secs left when my thighs were burning too much to stand...

Great workout! Feel really good this morning, arms aren't as sore as I expected they would be. My legs are pretty spent and feel a little shaky but I am digging it.

Meals:

Breakfast: Sausage Egg white and cheese wrap

Snack: none

Lunch: Foot-long Turkey Jalapeño sub with mountains of veggies and apples

Snack: 30 pistachios

Dinner: spicy beef and sausage raviolis (fresh) and marinara sauce (figured the little extra carbs would be ok since plyo was on the docket for tonight)

Post workout: Protein Shake (creatine/lglute)

Back at it! Week 2 starts

Chest and Back...

this is a really good workout and I feel spent afterwards. I can barely lift my arms. I like the feeling, until I have to shower...lol. I really pushed myself last night and really tried to outdo my prior weeks numbers. Mission accomplished on all fronts. I surpassed all the numbers from last week and was able to do many of the pushups that I was only able to do from my knees the previous week (Diamond pushups!) I was able to do 6 regular diamonds, and 4 from my knees the 1st time around, and then tried them on the 2nd, but landed on my face as I was too spent to hold myself up...started laughing for trying cause I knew what was going to happen, but that is the goal next week. I was able to get 10 on my knees there and I am good with that.

MEALS:

Breakfast: Sausage Egg white and cheese wrap

snack: larabar, apple pie

Lunch: Salmon burger and fruit

Snack: nothing (got caught up in work and forgot to eat...oops)

Dinner: Chicken & Shrimp teriyaki and stir fry veggies, small amount of steamed white rice

Post workout: Protien shake w/ creatine and Lglute and couple pieces of beef jerky

Not too bad, but gotta make sure I keep up on the eating.

Day 6 and Week 1 wrap up...

Well life kinda caught up to me this weekend. I tried to do as much of the Kenpo X as I could but I was so sore and my legs were really tired from the Legs and Back workout that I could not complete it. I had bad form all through it and was really dogging it, so I stopped 3/4 thru and decided to rest and dedicate myself more this week.

Then some really strange personal stuff kinda got in the way of rest day and Monday's workout. I was very distracted and could not concentrate and I wasn't paying attention to the eating guide. I wasn't eating bad stuff, but I was not eating often enough. Then I got to doing way too many things on Monday afternoon and never got my workout in. So, after all that I decided to push the workouts back a day and start with the chest and back tonight (Tuesday 9/7) This will cause my dates to be pushed a day forward, but I may make up for that by skipping a rest day, or doing 2 workouts in 1 day later on.

I just know that I need to go after it this week and not let anything distract from my workouts. I am going to focus and get it done, no more excuses.

Life happens, I gotta forget it and keep pushing play...

Quick update also, I lost 2 pounds so far, so I got that going for me...lol