A shout out this week to Prozium and Doctor Who - they've been hitting the gym and stepping up their workouts. Go back to Week 5's Progress Comments section and read about what they are doing. Great work guys!
Sometimes life gets in the way of our best intentions, doesn't it? I know first hand how difficult it can be to stick to an exercise routine when you're shuffling around family obligations, work schedules, school load, kids schedules, etc. Don't beat yourself up over it. Everyone has good days and bad days. If you're at school and have a little free time between classes, speed walk around campus or walk up and down a few flights of stairs. Waiting for your kids to get out of school? Arrive to pick them up 15 minutes early and jog around the block. Park your car further away in the lot at work, walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, or go for a walk after lunch. There's lots of ways to squeeze 15 minutes of exercise into your schedule if you think outside the box.
In fact, I'd like you to go check out these 2 blogs. Martha at Seaside Simplicity is joining Carol over at Imagination for a 20 minute a day walking challenge. Go over and see what Carol is doing for 25 minutes a day! Go Carol! She is an inspiration.
One of my favorite ways to save time on cooking is to buy a huge package of boneless chicken breasts. It usually comes with about 9 pieces in it. I cook up the whole package at the same time on my George Foreman grill and stick it into a container in the refrigerator. That chicken lasts me several days and can be used for a multitude of meals - on taco's, sandwiches, in salads, as a chicken wrap and even by itself with a plate of veggies on the side. Think of the time you can save by precooking your chicken like that. Give it a try.
I'll see you midweek with some information on carbohydrates. In the meantime, start to think of creative ways to get some exercise into your daily routine.
Last week, I was 158.0 around this time of the night when I am typically online learning about better nutrition.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that I will be around 159.0 to 159.4 or so when I hit the scale in the morning. Fortunately, I am not discouraged by this time by the result.
Here's why:
1.) I completed all 6 of my 1 hour brisk walks for the week.
2.) I completed all 3 of my 30 min HIIT sessions.
3.) I completed all 3 of my 1 hour low intensity cardio sessions.
4.) I maintained my food journal and can see that I was in a good caloric deficit for 6 of the past 7 days.
5.) I did reasonably good with my diet with at least 1/2 to 2/3 of my meals composed of low fat/low calorie meals.
6.) I avoided fast food (except for one Ham, Egg, and Cheese Croissant from Burger King, which isn't so bad) and I avoided most of the junk food.
7.) I completed all my tanning sessions. I'm prepping to go to the beach in Florida during Spring Break in the middle of March.
8.) I drank less alcohol than usual, learned more about the subject, and will be transitioning to hard liquor from beer on the one night that I go out - I can give up the junk food, but some sacrifices are too much!
9.) I even started to keep track of my daily protein intake in my food journal in light of the importance of monitoring that to weightlifting.
This was my second week of weightlifting and I completed all 5 sessions while hitting all major muscle groups. I feel A LOT stronger than I felt last week after a year off from weightlifting and doing nothing but cardio while in a calorie deficit.
It will suffice to say that I spent the second week adjusting to my new routine, reintegrating weightlifting into my habits, and finding out much to my chagrin how much muscle I had lost and how far I had fallen off by doing nothing but cardio for so long.
As for the gain this week of 1 pound, I am not in the least bit surprised because 1.) I felt it all weekend in the delayed soreness in my quads due to the lunges and squats and 2.) I can visibly see it in my quads, biceps, triceps, and lats and 3.) my shirts are fitting a little tighter than usual due to the weightlifting.
I'm guessing that I am either gaining muscle or retaining water one due to the effect that starting weightlifting again is having on my body.
Back in September, I started weightlifting again, but when I noticed that my weight loss had suddenly reversed, I was discouraged and went back to doing nothing cardio. Now I learned that this is typical and nothing to worry about and will sort itself out.
Something else I have noticed: I felt like crap for that year when I was doing nothing but cardio and actually felt better and was more confident when I weighed a lot more but was weightlifting on a regular basis.
At the end of the week, I can report that I feel better due to the elevated testosterone, I have a darker tan, and while I gained a pound on the scale (probably in water or muscle), I actually look better than I did a week ago because the weightlifting has puffed out my muscles and made me look a bit leaner.
I'm looking forward to next week.
You're right - it probably is muscle gain - so that's good. You are doing great!
DeleteOne more thing: because of the soreness in my legs, which I do on Thursday, I have started taking Friday or Saturday off instead of Sunday. It just isn't possible to do much cardio when your quads are throbbing.
ReplyDeleteI feel pleasure to read the content that you are posting.
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Thanks for the advert on my healthy life style and physcial movments for a better me on your page. I am 71 Tony.
ReplyDeleteYou have come along way. Your an inspiration from where you started. Keep up the good work. Never go bac to the old you keep going. I applaud you.
Thank you!
DeleteHI Tony! Fun blog! I look forward to following along as I also love to eat healthy! Great tip about having chicken ready in the fridge. It makes it so much easier to maintain a healthy diet when healthy foods are easy and accessible! :) ~Angela
ReplyDeleteHi Angela: I'm following your blog now too. You have some great info on your site. I hope people go over there and check it out. I may link back to you later in the week. Thank you so much for coming by.
Deletecongrats on your fitness! and for featuring and encouraging carol, too.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. Thanks for coming over.
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ReplyDeleteThank you for the shout out on your blog!
DeleteYes, I love to fish - I was raised fishing and eating fish. I love to go bass fishing with my dad.
Thanks so much for the mention here Tony! I'm no stranger to health and fitness, just set it aside over this last year due to a new job (foolish I know). You are so right on with your tips on this blog, excellent approach to health and fitness. I'm starting with my 20 minute a day walking challenge, clean eating, and circuit weight training 3 times a week. I'm going a little lighter with my weights and only 1 set of each to start out - As much as I hate not jumping straight into serious weight training again, I have to be more careful with more chance of injuries at my age. Hoping my knees will be able to advance from brisk walking to running again too, at least some intervals.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for the mention. Looking forward to reading more here :)
It sounds like you're on the right track. Listen to your body and you'll know if you're over doing it.
DeleteWell, the weight on the scale this morning was 158.6. The trend over the past week has been slightly higher. I'm sure it is either muscle or water retention induced by restarting weight lifting because I can't account for it otherwise.
ReplyDeleteHey guys.. Thanks for the shout out Tony, hope your well and having a good week.. This week has been a little more challenging for me.. I visited my home town last weekend, and strayed from the diet drinking wine and having some biscuits.. Though I thought it would be good to have a brief few days where I treated myself due to loosing a stone, I did regret it and was dreading weighing myself.. when I did I was pleasantly susprised as I lost a pound over the weekend.. Im not sure why but I think maybe beacause im at the gym so regular it has increased my metabolism? I have just re-weighed myself and I am weighing in at 14 stone 10 pounds which means ive lost 4 pounds since my weigh in last week which im really chuffed about.. Also, a friend has started joining me at the gym so this will help build momentum.. Im now looking to stick rigidly to the diet for the next week, though a week on wednesday its my birthday and a few friends are joining me for a meal in town, so if I hit a personal target I think I will indulge a little but not stray to far from the diet, for the evening.. How is everyone else doing? I hope its been a good week for you all...
ReplyDeleteIf you stick to your diet all week you should be able to splurge on your birthday - happy birthday by the way! My birthday is coming up too and I will be eating a huge piece of cake myself!
DeleteThanks Tony, when is it your birthday? If i`m on target I may have a small piece of cake also, lol!! Just got back from the gym, really good as its become habit now and part of my daily routine, so more and more use to it..
Deletemy week 6 progress isn't a great improvement but over time it'll be there. At work i figured instead of watching tv during my hour break i now take a quick 15 walk up and down and around the complex where i walk. i feel better and it clears my head form all the annoying customers we have to serve. i am drinking a lot of vitamin waters as it's a lot taster then water, but i do swap from one to the other now and again.
ReplyDeleteI have just found my little dumbbells so i can start off slow with my weightlifting. Also have a question When is a god time to build body mass? also how do you know whats muscle gain or weight gain? thanks heaps for your blogs Tony, they really help.
The walking is excellent! Working out with the weights helps to build muscle, which in turn burns more calories. So a little muscle gain won't hurt you. Look at your body and see if you can start seeing some definition.
DeleteI was amazed with my weight in the morning. i weighted 179.5
ReplyDeleteWhich i was 184. I pretty much didn't added exercise.
I just started to eat 4 fruits and 4 vegetables every day. i usually ran/jog 1.5 miles on Mon/tues /Thu as that's when i take my p.e class. I also notice that i have beaten my running record (10:35)for my mile test.
I've beaten it twice! 10mins is to aim now. I also notice when i look at my self on a mirror i kinda look skinner.
Wow - good job on adding more fruits/veggies and isn't it a great feeling to improve your running time? I used to always be the last one in the running tests. Once I started losing weight and running more, I started doing better in those tests too, and it really made me feel good!
DeleteThanks for sharing the experience.
ReplyDeleteI’m weight 171 lbs and started losing weight around 2 months already.
Every morning, I’m having Nutritious meals before going out,
And every afternoon I keep having my lunch with veggies,
At night I really worry about the meals because I become big appetite, and sometime will keep finding food to eat. Isn’t fruit can solve my problem, and make me have full feeling and gain the minimum weight?
Not only that, I also worry about my chest and my Billy fat,
I keep doing exercises and some workouts, but no have any result.
Every day I will go for jogging around 30minutes and will have some sit up and taking dumbbells as well, but now still not a good result that I expected.
Can leave some guidance for me…Thanks
I'm not a licensed nutritionist yet, so I can't give anyone advice on what to do. Please consult your doctor for his professional opinion on a diet/nutrition program that will work for you.
DeleteMy blog is a journal of my experiences and what has worked for me. I list general guidelines and suggestions only. I am NOT a professional.
I found, for me, that by eating lean protein in the evenings, like 4 oz. of chicken breast, it has been helpful. I am still working on getting my stomach smaller too. That has been my hardest part to lose.
Ok. Anyway thanks... ^_^
ReplyDelete