OUCH! My Knee!

I'm having a little problem with my knee. Not a new problem, but a problem that has steadily gotten worse over the last 6 weeks. I've had some "catching" some grinding, some stiffness etc in my left knee for awhile. About 3 1/2 weeks ago it started to get worse, so me being me I decided that would be a good week to play some full court basketball. That caused some swelling and stiffness in my knee. I of course tried to ignore it, worked out the next day. No problem so far, but the day after that (Saturday) and no I wasn't in the park and it definitely wasn't the 4th of July. Any Chicago fans out there? Anyone? Bueller, Bueller? OK, just me I guess, anywayas I was leaving SNAP on Saturday I started ti get in my SUV, I pivoted on my left leg, my toe caught on a rock (pebble) in the parking lot. It was like someone shot me in the knee, since it was safe to assume a sniper didn't shoot me I assumed my knee had "caught" again and would be ok by the time I got home. Not so fast my friend, my knee got worse as the day went on. I finally, grudgingly went to prompt care. They took an xray, and suggested I get an MRI, which I did about a week later. The original diagnosis was a meniscal tear. Which was confirmed by the MRI. I went to see an orthopedist who recommended surgery. Fortunately the rest of my knee looks sound, I have a little arthritis (big shock) but no other damage. So, I will be having arthroscopic surgery on my left knee on Wednesday morning. Unless they run into something unexpected I should be as good as new in a couple of weeks. So that's alot of really specific stuff about me, how does this apply to you? Hopefully it doesn't. but if you have an injury what should you do? Man up and keep training, ignoring the injury? Probably not a good idea. Injuries need time to heal. Stop working out until your owie feels better? I don't recommend that either. Remember how hard it was to get your workout routine started? It's even harder to get it re-started. Try to adapt your workout so that you don't aggravate your injury. Go to the Doctor, go to Physical Therapy, ask your PT what you can and can't do, then follow their guidelines.

That's all for now, but seeing as I will likely be couch bound I'll bet there will be more ramblings later in the week.

I'll see you at the gym

He Made It, and much much more!

The title sounds exciting, doesn't it? Call now limited time offer! Now that I've got your attention.
I made it. HIT training is tough. In my case it was made a little tougher by a creaky knee (more on that later) So, what did I learn? I learned that by the end it was more of a MIT (medium intensity training) circuit. I did the same thing that many others have done, I just got through it. The workout beat me up to the point I couldn't go as hard as I wanted. In short, I overdid it. I was teaching my body that 3/4 speed/intensity is what I wanted. Only it isn't what I want. Ever. If I'm going to work out I want to go hard. What I've told others, and what I already know is you cannot do a high intensity full body workout everyday. Our bodies need a chance to recover. That's why one of the first questions a trainer should ask is "how many days a week are you going to work out?" If the answer is 3-4 times a week, you should be doing a full body workout everytime. If you are going to work out 5-6 times a week (even I take 1 day a week off) you should have 2-3 workouts that work different muscle groups. Have an arm day, a chest/back day and a leg day. You can do some cardio every day, you can work your abs every day.
Okay, so you've been working out for awhile, you've lost some weight, you are getting in better shape but, you have hit a plateau. Now what? I was looking through a fitness magazine and saw a short article about plateauing (is that a word?) I'd give the magazine credit, but I don't remember which magazine it was. Anyhoo, the question that was asked is "are you teaching your body to adapt to going 1/2 to 3/4 speed during cardio?" Our bodies are incredible machines, our body can adapt to decreased fuel (lower caloric intake) by slowing down it's metabolism. Our bodies will adapt to an increases workload by developing the muscles that are being used the most. So, after our body adapts to our workout/diet how do we get it revved up again? A couple of things might help, first EAT! that's right eat a little more once in awhile, keep your body out of starvation mode by having a higher calorie day once a week or so. Don't go crazy and eat 3 Double Quarter Pounders, a 5 gallon bucket of fries and a giant Coke. But do take in about 50% more calories than usual. Here is the disclaimer to that plan, if you have been struggling with your diet, are already eating more than is ideal for your goals, you don't need a high calorie day. This plan is only for those of you that are very diligent with your food intake. 2nd, change your workout. Take a week (or 2) and do completely different types of workouts. More weight fewer reps, less weight more reps, dumbbells instead of machines (or vice versa) if you are working out 5-6 times a week, make every other day abs and cardio only. If you are working out 3-4 times a week work a specific muscle group each day instead of a full body workout. Break up your cardio. Instead of 1 15:00 cardio session do 7 2:00 high intensity sets whether you are getting your cardio on a treadmill, an elliptical a bike or whatever. I've started partnering my cardio with my abs. For example, 3:00 as hard as I can go on the elliptical, then 100 crunches, 2:00 on the elliptical then 50 crunches with butterflies and so on until I get in my 15 to 17 minutes. This setup does 2 things for me, I don't get as bored doing my cardio and I work harder on the elliptical because I know it's only 2 minutes.
The moral of todays story is, change it up to keep making progress.

Thats all for now,

I'll see you at the gym

Can He Make It?

And by he I mean me. If you recall my last post, everybody read my last post, right? I decided it was time to make a change to my workout. Call it boredom, call it wanting to create the ever elusive muscle confusion. Call it, Mike wanted to try something different even though what he was doing was working. Call it whatever you want. Anyhoo, I decided to do a HIT cycle (or 3) after my elliptical and abs. I'm doing the HIT cycle instead of my normal lifting. This is day 5, I've done 4 workouts. I have 2 workouts to go. So, what happens when you make a change like this? So far the results have been interesting. My quads hurt, extra squats, extra elliptical and jump rope. My calves are a little sore, see above. Abs are holding up pretty well considering this workout adds 75-100 extra crunches and kettleball swings to what I already do. My upper body feels great. Giving my shoulders a break seems to be helping. I think the last 2 of these workouts may be a challenge, a challenge I'm looking forward to. At the stage I'm at, a challenge is good. I'm not trying to get to lift more weight, I am trying to whittle my workouts down to an hour so I can't just keep adding reps. I'm thinking I might start adding the HIT cycle to my workout rotation twice a week. The nice thing about the HIT cycle is it is 33 more minutes of cardio. The reality is my whole workout is cardio at the moment. I'm anxious to see how my body reacts to the switch back to lifting next week.

On an unrelated note (nice segue, right?) who else is excited about the new fall tv season getting started next week? I've missed having new episodes of my favorite sitcoms. I watch, How I met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, Community (thank you Megan and Zach) Cougar Town. I'm anxious to see the new William Shatner show, although I'm sure it will be rediculous. But mostly I can't wait to see The Middle and most of all Modern Family. Who's with me? Anybody, really? I'm alone on this? I'm not saying I'm a tv nerd or anything, but last week I watched 30 minutes about the CBS fall schedule. It brought back memories from the olden days when I was a boy and all of the networks did a fall preview. Speaking of the olden days, how did we survive with 4 channels? No VCR's let alone DVR's? It was clearly the dark ages. Having to watch shows when the network decided to air them? One tv in the house? Seriously? I'm not sure how I survived. Although I was one of the first kids I knew to have a tv in my bedroom. 13 inch black and white, rabbit ears, got 3 channels (ABC, NBC, PBS occasionally CBS) I warned you in the very first post that I might go off on a tangent. I think I've got it out of my system for now.

That's all for now.
I'll see you at the gym.

Is it time for a change?

Well, is it? How long have you been doing the same workout? For the last week or so it has seemed like I'm in a rut. (just a side note, I wrote that last sentence 4 times, still don't like it)
I should probably explain that I am in a workout rut. I walk in, do 15 minutes on the elliptical, do one of my three workouts, do an ab workout, go home. Especially now that I'm trying not to put on any more bulk, I work, but don't really see changes in my body or weight. So, today I made a decision, for a week or so I'm going to make drastic changes to my routine. Instead of working 2 specific body parts per day I'm going to work my whole body every day. But wait, you can't work a muscle group every day, right? Right, however if you do a circuit, so that you are mostly doing cardio, you can get by with it in the short term. What I've decided to do is: 15 minutes on the elliptical, different ab workout each day then 3 circuits of a HIT cycle. HIT stands for High Intensity Training. I modify mine to make it a cardio circuit, here's how. The circuit I do, I'll go through the circuit a little further down, is set up so that you do two exercises, rest for two minutes, do the next 2. There are 5 sets of exercises and a set of abs at the end. I do the whole thing as a cardio circuit, the only rest I take is the time it takes to get from one station to the next. Then I rest for 2 minutes between circuits. Here is the circuit:
Squats 1set of 6 (I do sumo squats with a dumbbell)
1:00 jumprope
Front Squats 1 set of 6 (I do dumbbell squats)
1:00 run in place (I get on the elliptical, set it to 40 with max incline)
Bench press 1x8 (I do chest press machine)
Pushups 1 set of 10
Shoulder press 1 set of 8 ( I use the shoulder press machine)
1:00 elliptical (same as above)
Pullups 1 set of 10
Kettleball swings 1 set of 10
Bicycles 1 set 0f 25
Rest 2:00 do the whole thing 2 more times.
The circuit takes about 10 minutes, so it ends up being 30 minutes of cardio with 4 minutes of rest.
Works all of the core muscles. Great for quads, hamstrings, abs and back. The time flies when I do this workout. You could do this workout in place of your cardio or along with your cardio.
As Wesley Snipes said in White Men Can't Jump "I can go around the middle man or I can be the middle man. I'm offering full service here"

On a side note, who do you like in the NFL this week? What are the chances the Bears (my Bears) will get beat by the lowly, but improving Detroit Lions? I think the Bears could be in a fight to stay out of the basement in their division. I have lost faith in Lovie (really a football coach named Lovie?) I think new offensive coordinator/mad scientist Mike Martz wants Lovie's job. Nothing like dissension among the coaching staff to start the season off right.

That's all for now,
I'll see you at the gym.

Intensity

How hard should you work out? Good question. I hate to answer a question with a question, but....
what do you want to accomplish by working out? Are you trying to get in the best shape of your life? Are you trying to work out enough to allow you to eat a little more and not gain weight? Are you trying to work out enough to say you went to the gym, but aren't really worried about results?
Lots and lots of questions (and no answers so far) to one little question. So, how hard should you work out?
I'll start with me (don't I always?) Over the years I have worked out off and on. Until the last 18 months I had not had great results. Why? Because I didn't pay enough attention to my diet. Also, because I didn't work out with enough intensity. I didn't work out with any real purpose. I put in my time, was happy to say I worked out. That was enough. So what changed? I decided I wanted results.
So, what do you want from your workout? I see people at the gym, some of them are "regulars", but are still 25+ pounds over weight (not because they are too muscular) these people come in multiple times per week, go through a well thought out workout, and don't seem to get any stronger or lose any weight. Where do they go wrong? If they are trying to gain muscle and lose fat, their problem is likely the intensity of their workouts. When you do your cardio, is it difficult or do you "cruise". For example, on the elliptical I use I have the ability to input my weight, and can either run a program that's already set up, or I can create my own program. It would be easy to do my 15 minutes with minimal resistance, no incline and a moderate speed. I could say I did 15 minutes on the elliptical, but what did I accomplish? It would be the same as going for a 15 minute walk. You did something, but are you in better shape? Unless you are just starting to work out, it's not enough. Crank up the incline, add some resistance, stay in the 170-175 strides per minute. Get that heart rate up. Keep that heart rate up. The same applies when you are lifting. I know we've all been told "controlled movements, breathe" Breathing is important, safe movements are important, there is no reason that safe movements can't be explosive movements. Attack those weights, do all of your lifts with purpose. For example, when you do biceps curls, make sure that at the top of the lift you tighten (squeeze) your biceps. Be intentional with your movements. While I want you to attack your workout, remember that it's better to do the lift properly with less weight, than improperly with more weight. Remember that you should, should, should be tired and sweaty when you are done with your workout. Tired and sweaty. Tired and sweaty. Yes, you should be sweaty when you are done. If you're not at least a little sweaty, you probably didn't work hard enough.
And now how about some sports? Who saw the collapse of the Cardinals coming? I'd like to say I did, but I didn't. I thought the Cards were in pretty good shape, I knew the offense was a little light, but with the pitching they have, I thought they would be okay. But a funny thing has happened on the way to the playoffs. The hitting got worse, the defense fell apart and the pitching has only been so so. I'm trying to hang in there with them, but I think it's over. On the plus side, the USA team is looking pretty good in the FIBA basketball tournament in Istanbul. And on the great side (this ones for you Honey) yesterday was the last Sunday with no NFL until February 19th. Yes there will be some Bears updates.
And on the entertainment front, don't waste your money on Going the Distance possibly the worst movie I have ever seen.

That's all for now.
I'll see you at the gym.

The FAIR?

The FAIR? You went to the FAIR? What could a moderately health conscious nut job like me find to eat at the fair? Surprisingly at the Illinois State Fair it was possible to make some reasonably good food choices. (that's how we say it at my house, "food choices" we're fancy) The 1st time we went to the fair, yes we went twice, we ate before we went to the fair. Eating brfore is both economical, and calorically(is that a word?) wise. Didn't spend $6 on a corndog, etc. Also, it's easier to pass up the funnel cake, taffy, mini doughnuts if you're tummy is full. So, anyhoooooo, we ate first, that was the good part, we went to the Twilight Ballroom, not as good. The Twilight Ballroom is where the Illinois wineries set up a tasting. I probably drank about 500 calories of wine. But I did not have a corndog!
The 2nd time we went to the fair we decided to eat supper at the fair. So, what do you eat at the fair? I went for the grilled pork chop on a stick. A little bigger than the pork chops I normally grill, but still, about 300 calories. Not bad. The other options were a dinner, pork chop, baked potato, applesauce and a roll. I also would have been happy with the ribeye sandwich, sans bun. In this case the side dishes could have been the downfall. Later in the evening we had some river fries (fried thin potatoes) not a great choice calorically (my new fav word) but 3 of us shared them. Overall not a bad fair, food wise.
Now on to other more exciting (?) topics. I just finished the 1st few days as an Intermediate PE teacher. If only we could find that energy when we get a little older. They are very energetic, and it's nice to see how excited they are to be in school.
So, to recap, eat grilled stuff when you go to the fair, don't drink too much wine, try to act more like a 4th grader every now and then.

That's all for now.
I'll see you at the gym.

Saturday/Sunday Workouts

I know, I know, I'm behind. Just started back to school, had some scheduling issues, blah, blah,blah. NO EXCUSES, NO EXPLANATIONS. I should have done better, I will do better in the future.
Saturday Workout:
Day 2/5 from "The Body You Want" book. 60 minutes x6 days per week.
15 minutes on elliptical, 1 mile, 325 calories
1 arm row 4 sets of 15 reps with 45 lb dumbbell
Lat pulldown 2 sets of 15, 115 lbs resistance
Bicep curls 3 sets of 15, 30 lb dumbbell
Bicep hammer curls 2 sets of 15, 20 lb kettleball
Ab Ripper workout 12 sets of 25
HIT cycle, 1 circuit

Sunday Workout:
Day 3/6 from "The Body You Want" book
15 minutes on elliptical 1 mile, 345 calories
Leg press 3 sets of 15, 225 lbs
Front Squat 3 sets of 15, 95 lb barbell
Squat 3 sets of 15 225 lbs
Leg Curls, 3 sets of 15, 70 lbs resistance
Leg Extension 3 sets of 15, 110 lbs
Abs, 3 sets of 33 weighted reverse crunch, 70 lbs resistance on cable crossover
Abs 2 sets of 50 seated crunch with 140 lbs resistance on cable crossover
Abs 4 sets of 25 straight leg lifts while holding 135 lbs barbell
Abs 4 sets oblique crunches
10 minutes on elliptical .62 miles 203 calories.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday will repeat the last 3 days, then Thursday off.
As with most of you, I now have to get my workouts in around a work schedule. It will take a few days to get in the groove.

That's it for now.
I'll see you at the gym.

Friday Workout

Today's workout is from "The Body You Want in the Time You Have" I am doing the 6 days a week x 60 minutes per day lean body workout. And here it is:

Elliptical 15 minutes 1 mile 340 Calories burned
Incline dumbbell press 3 sets of 15 with 45lb dumbbells
Incline Chest fly 3 sets of 12 with 30 lb dumbbells (was only supposed to do 2, I got confused)
Shoulder Press 3 sets of 15 with 30 lb dumbbells
Seated Lateral Raise 2 sets of 15 with 10 lb kettleballs
Overhead triceps extension with rope attachment on cable crossover 2 sets of 12 with 60 lbs resistance
Triceps extension with rope attachment on cable crossover 2 sets of 12 with 90 lbs resistance
Ab pulldown seated on exercise ball. Done on cable crossover with rope attachment 120 lbs resistance. 2 sets 0f 50
Oblique crunches done as above 4 sets of 25
Reverse crunches on ball done on cable crossover with 60 lbs resistance. 4 sets of 25
15 minutes cardio done as 1 HIT cycle.

The HIT (High Intensity Training) cycle I do is:
1 set of 6 Squat or Leg press
1 minute SPRINT on Elliptical
1 set of 6 Front Squat
1 Minute SPRINT on Elliptical
1 set of 6 bench press
1 set of 10 Perfect Pushups
1 set of 6 standing shoulder press
1 minute SPRINT on Elliptical
1 set of 6 pullups
1 set of 10 kettleball swings
1 set of 50 bicycles
Everything in this circuit done with explosive movements, no rest between lifts.

I was in and out of SNAP in 1 hour and 5 minutes. It took a little over an hour because I did extra abs. On occasion I will do 3 of the HIT cycles as my workout (with 15 minutes of elliptical at the beginning and abs at the end) It's a good mixture of cardio and strength training.

That's it for today.
I'll see you at the gym .

Todays Workout

Today's Workout: None, nada, nothing. It's my day off. You have to take a day off every once in awhile. I keep telling myself that. I needed to go to Carlinville and take a look around at my new school, I'm going to be teaching 4th/5th grade PE in the mornings this year. I also was looking back at my workouts and realized I hadn't actually taken a day off in about 2 1/2 weeks. I rotate around enough that, other than abs and cardio, I don't work the same muscles 2 days in a row. I still should take a day off. Every week. Usually life helps me with the schedule, but for whatever reason, it hasn't lately. I'm sure that starting next week it will be more difficult to get to SNAP, than worry about having to take a day off. Poor me! Having to work 9 months out of the year is tough. OK, maybe not. Anyhoo, take at least one day off a week, when you 1st start working out, take 3 days off a week. I'll post my workouts the next 3 days, I'm going to go back to the "Body You Want" workouts. I think I'm going to do the 45 minute lean body workout. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm also going to mix in a HIT cycle once a week. If that doesn't work, I'll play some jiggly ball with the orderlies. Anybody know what I'm talking about? Anybody? C'mon people, watch a Scrubs rerun now and then!
That's it for today.
I'll see you at the gym.

Health and Wellness

The long anticipated health and wellness blog post is finally here. I asked, on Facebook, for a definition of wellness. I got lots of very good answers, but of course I want to start with health. As some of you may know I used to teach high school health. One of the things I liked to do on the 1st day, before they got their books, had to be done in class, for their definition of health and their definition of wellness. As you might expect, 9th graders came up with some interesting definitions, and in fact, many of the students thought health and wellness were the same thing. They are not.
According to my McGraw Hill text, "Health is the absence of disease" pretty simple, if you don't have a disease you are considered healthy. My question always was/is, define disease. I can find a definition, you can find a definition, none of the definitions answer all of my questions, you have to interpret. My interpretation might be different than yours. The big questions for me are:
Is obesity a disease? Hypertension? Diabetes? Some are easy, who would argue that cancer is a disease? If you use a literal definition of disease are any of us healthy? I'm not. I have hypertension, probably have always had hypertension, probably always will. Also at 5'10" and 184 lbs I'm overweight according to the Body mass Index scale. Again, you have to interpret. Am I overweight? According to the height weight charts and BMI scale I am. But am I really? My doctor doesn't think so, and more importantly, my wife doesn't think so. How depressing would it be to lose 80 lbs and still be considered overweight? At 264 lbs I knew I needed to lose close to 100 lbs to be in the healthy weight range. I also knew I had no intention of weighing 164 lbs. I wasn't sure what the number would end up, but I was pretty sure it wouldn't be 164 lbs. I know as a nation, statistics say that Americans are overweight. Like we needed someone to do a study to figure that out, look around.
So, how many of us are healthy? Depends on your definition. What if I change the definition of health to "absence of chronic disease"? What if I change the definition to "absence of chronic health problems"? Surely wellness will be easier, right? According the good ol' textbook, "wellness is the ability to perform day to day tasks with ease" Really? With ease? If I have a 1 acre yard that I push mow, and struggle because, you know, that's a whole bunch of grass to mow, does that mean I'm not well? If I decide to do nothing but sit on my couch, I can do it with ease, am I well? Right now I'm wondering why I started this. Back to work. The definitions I got from you, my loyal followers, mostly had to do with being able to live your life. Go to work, mow the yard, play with the kids, work out. I had a couple that mentioned people with disabilities. Can someone with a mental or physical disability be healthy? Can they be well? By most definitions, healthy would be a tough sell for someone with a disability. But what about well? I think (it's my blog, I get to have an opinion) a person with a disability could be considered well. We all have our own version of well. Will the 75 year old me be able to do everything the 46 year old me can do? Not unless I find the fountain of youth. Does that mean I cannot be well when I'm 75? In a word, no. I have no way to measure what I'm about to say, so don't ask. I define wellness as the ability to accomplish tasks that my peers can accomplish, without causing undue strain to my body. In other words, can I do most of the things an average 46 year old male can do daily. I workout 6 times a week, am I average? Is it possible that any 46 year old male off the street, who doesn't work out regularly, can show up at SNAP, and do my exact workout? Sure they could, if they are too stubborn to quit. But how would they feel the next day? The day after that? Would they be so sore they could not do their normal daily activities without pain/discomfort? If they couldn't, does that mean they aren't healthy? Does it mean they aren't well? Not necessarily. Now I need to define peer. 46 year old used to be obese, now works out all the time? How many people are in that group? To restrictive? How about male between 42 and 48? I'm giving myself a headache. I'm going to make this easier. Health is absence of chronic disease. Wellness is the ability to perform regular daily tasks without putting undue stress on the body. I know what you're thinking, this has been a long, rambling post that didn't really answer any questions, and may have brought up more questions than it answered. Sometimes that's how it goes, sometimes you have to come up with your own conclusions. I just hope I can make you think. If any of you have other ideas, thoughts, definitions, drop me an email at: mrigoni64@gmail.com. Also if you have topics you would like me to discuss, please send them to me.
That's all for now.
I'll see you at the gym.

Wednesday Workout

Today's workout: Shoulders
Before I get started, I have to ask myself, who cares what I do at the gym. Then answer is, probably not one single person. Next question, why am I listing my workouts? Then I congratulate myself for asking such a good question. The answer to the second question is............
Because I thought listing the workouts (although I doubt anyone will do the workout I'm doing) would give an you the reader, assuming anyone reads this, an idea of how to set up a workout plan.
That said, here is todays workout:
15 minutes on the elliptical, 1 mile, 337 calories burned
Until I tell you otherwise, all of these exercises were performed standing on an upside down Bosu Ball. A Bosu ball looks like half of one of the big exercise balls with a flat plastic base. Most people, and by most I mean normal) put the flat side on the floor, stand, kneel or si on the rounded "ball" part and do whatever they do. In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm not most people. I put the rounded part on the floor and balance on the flat side. The idea of doing exercises on the ball is, you have to keep your abs tight to stay balanced, also engages your leg muscles more. Now back to your regularly scheduled program.
Standing front raises with a 25lb plate. 3 setsof 15
Superset with
Front pulldowns with "A" handle on cable crossover 30 lbs. 3 sets of 15.
Standing lateral (side) raises 10 lb kettleball 1 arm at a time. 3 sets of 12 each arm.
Superset with
Standing lateral pulldowns 20 lbs resistance on cable crossover. 1 arm at a time. 3 sets of 15 each arm.
Standing high pulls with a 35 lb kettleball. 3 sets of 15.
Superset with
Standing front pulldowns 1 arm at a time, no handle. 25 lbs resistance. 3 sets of 15 each arm.
The following exercises were not done on the Bosu ball.
Incline row 35 lb dumbbell 1 arm at a time 3 sets of 12.
Superset with
Incline reverse fly with 5 lb kettleball, 1 arm at a time. 3 sets of 12.
Standing barbell row, curl bar with 35 lbs on each end, 3 sets of 12.
Superset with
Pushups using perfect pushup, 3 sets of 15
10 minutes on elliptical .65 mile, 205 calories.

No separate ab workout today since most exercises were done on the Bosu ball, also my obliques are sore from the ab work I've done this week. So, I gave them a lighter day. On that note, since my leg workout, my hamstrings have been a little tight, so I've stretched them, but i won't do another leg workout until the soreness is gone. Out here in the real world, most of us can handle a little soreness in our chest or arms or abs and still function ok. If your legs are constantly sore you will likely find reasons to not workout. Same with me. I plan my leg workout for every fourth day, however, if my legs are sore I'll skip leg day and circle back when they feel better.

That's it for now, I'm going to do the health and wellness blog as a separate post.
I'll see you at the gym.

Tuesday Workout

Today's workout: Chest/Back
15 minute elliptical 1 mile 335 calories burned
Dumbbell bench press 50 lb each arm 12 reps
Superset with:
Seated row on cable crossover 120 lbs 15 reps
Dumbbell incline press 45 lb each arm 12 reps
Superset with
Standing row on cable crossover 120 lbs
Dumbbell shoulder press 35 lbs each arm 12 reps
Superset with
Wide grip pullups 10 reps
Pec deck 10 reps 110 lbs
superset with
Reverse pec deck 10 reps 60 lbs
Seated ab pulldown on cable crossover 140 lbs 4 sets of 25
2 minute rest.
Do it all again. Change abs to exercise ball crunch holding 30 lb kettle ball 3sets of 33
2 minute rest.
Do it all again. Change abs to leg raises while holding barbell with 100 lbs, 3 sets of 33
Standing oblique with 45 lb plate.

Supersets are working opposite muscle groups back to back. For example, biceps curl followed by triceps extension. Works the front of the arm and the back of the arm.

Now that the boring part is over (or maybe it's all boring?) I will talk about the scale a little bit. Did you know that most people weigh more at the end of the day than in the morning? What you eat, and more significantly what you drink will have an effect on your weight. On one of the Biggest Loser episodes a contestant threw (lost) a weigh-in by drinking 2 GALLONS of water in the hour or so before the weigh in. A gallon of water weighs a little over 8 lbs. If you drink alot of water in a day, and I hope you do, you will weigh more later in the day. Some of the weight at the end of the day is waste (yuck). So get up in the morning, hit the bathroom, then weigh yourself. Even doing it this way if you weigh everyday you will see some variation. I weigh about 184 lbs, but at least once a week when I weigh, I'll see 187. If you only weigh in once a week, which is what most weight loss programs recommend, you could do everything right for a week, happen to weigh in on your "heavy" day and be unhappy. Or, you could weigh in on what happens to be a light day, be happy one week and unhappy the next. Also, remember that because you ate the cheeseburger, fries and cheesecake on Tuesday, your weight won't necessarily be up on Wednesday. It will take a few days for your indiscretion to affect your weight. Try not to let one bad meal ruin your day, your week or your goals. Nobody is perfect, if you are going to make overall changes you have to be willing to be less than perfect.

Have a great day.
I'll see you at the gym.

Monday Workout

Today's workout: LEGS
15 minute elliptical 335 calories burned
3 sets of 15 reps leg press 225 lbs resistance
2 sets of 25 reps sumo squats holding 35 lb kettleball
2 sets of 25 reps speed squats holding 35 lb kettleball
3 sets of 15 reps leg extension 110 lbs superset* with leg curls
3 sets of 20 reps leg curls 50 lbs resistance superset* with leg extensions
3 sets of 15 reps barbell dead lift 135 lbs
Power abs workout 12 types of crunches 25 of each for 300 total crunches
15 minute elliptical 305 calories
Tomorrow will likely be a cardio day

I'll try not to turn this into my personal workout log, that would be boring.
Make sure that you include legs in your workouts.
After my workouts I have a protein shake with approx 40 grams of protein.
If you need any info on the lifts/ab workout I'm doing drop me an email and I'll try to explain. My email is:
mrigoni@gmail.com
Also, for those of you that gave me your wellness definition, I am planning on having that blog done tomorrow.
I think that's all for now, in the immortal words of John "JD" Dorian, "I can't do this all on my own, I'm no Superman"
I'll see you at the gym.

Today's Workout

For the next week, or as I like to call it the last week before the madness starts, I am going to post my workout each day. Please remember I have been doing this (working out regularly) for 16+ months. If you are just starting out, or working out less than 5 times per week these workouts are probably not for you. I should start by explaining how my workouts are set up. I have 4 basic workouts, each working specific parts of the body, although there is some overlap. I have a chest/upper back, shoulders, arms and (ugh) legs. I have 3 basic ab workouts, I do one of them ever time I work out. Ok, here goes.
Todays workout: ARMS
15:00 minutes on elliptical 5:00 at 7 incline and resistance of 20, 5:00 at 8 incline and resistance of 30, 3:00 at 8 incline resistance of 25, 2:00 at 7 incline resistance of 20. All 15:00 at speeds od 175-182 strides per minute. Distance 1 mile. Calories burned 351.
Hammer curls with 30 lb dumbbell 12 with each arm.
Tricep extensions, single arm 15 lb dumbbell 12 each arm
Standing straight bar barbell isolations, bar plus 35 lbs on each end, 12 reps
Standing overhead tricep extensions on cable crossover, using rope attachment and 70 lbs resistance 15 reps
Rope hammer curls on cable crossover 70 lbs resistance 12 reps
Rope tricep extensions on cable crossover 90 lbs resistance 12 reps
Straight bar curls on cable crossover, 80 lbs resistance 12 reps
Reverse grip tricep extensions with straight bar on cable crossover
Kettleball curls 20 lbs 12 reps each arm
Tricep extensions with straight bar on Cable crossover 90 lbs resistance
High curls with single handles on cable crossovers 35 lbs each arm 12 reps each arm
4 sets of 25 weighted reverse crunches
2:00 rest
Do it all again, except change crunches to weighted oblique crunches
2:00 rest
Do it all again, except change crunches to weighted crunch (45 lb weight) on exercise ball

So, that's the basic arm workout, I usually do another 100 of some kind of crunch and about half the time I go another 15 minutes on the elliptical, or, occasionally I go to the track and run a mile. Remember, this is not the workout I started with, this is what it has grown into. I also vary it. Right now I'm in a cycle of light weight, lots of reps, doing the workout as a circuit. In about a week I will add weight, lower reps, do 3 sets of each exercise, with rest between sets. Keep that body confused! That's alot of very dry text, I'll try to liven these up. Maybe a video of a monkey in a suit, smoking a cigar, handing me my water bottle as I sweat would help.
That's all for now,
See you at the gym.

"You probably can't have that on your diet"

How many times have I heard that in the last 16 months? Too many for me to keep track of. My 1st instinct is to say, "it's not a diet it's a lifestyle change" but then I sound like a guy on an infomercial. By the way, I could so do an infomercial. Here's a handy dandy meal plan. Look at me, I lost 80 lbs in 6 mos and I was never hungry! For only 4 easy payments of $39.95 I'll send you the plan. But wait, call now and I'll knock off 1 payment. That's 3 easy payments of $39.95. Call now! Wait, hold on, I can do better, call now and I'll send you this calendar and handy dandy tape measure. That's the meal plan, the calendar and the tape measure for only 3 easy payments of $39.95. You know what, I can do better than that. If you call right now I'll throw in my personal workout plan. That's the meal plan, the calendar, the tape measure and my personal workout plan for 3 easy payments of $39.95. You know what, if you call in the next 10 minutes I'll double your order, just pay extra processing and handling. Ok, I got that out of my system, now back to our regularly scheduled program.
As soon as people around you find out you are trying to lose weight they WILL start to sabotage you, not on purpose, mind you. But it will happen. The 1st thing that they will do is bring in food you probably shouldn't eat, then tell you that you can't have it. But you know what? You can have it. Not alot of it, not every day. Moderation, the key is moderation. Remember, it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle. But is it? Should it be? If I lay out 14 days worth of meals for you, tell you you can rotate them any way you want as long as you only eat the meals i lay out. You pick a breakfast, a lunch and 3 snacks every day. I'll set it up, 1300 calories for men, 1000 calories for women (sorry again) would you lose weight? What if I give you 4 days of workouts? Do them in any order you want, go twice a week and do 2 workouts each time, go 4 days in a row, then take 3 days off. I don't care how you do it, just get in the 4 workouts every week. Will you lose weight? Anybody, Bueller, Bueller. The answer, of course is, YES! The real question is, How long will you stick with it? A week, a month, longer? I'd be lucky to make it a week. Part of the "lifestyle" thing is correct. If you are trying to lose weight/get in better shape there's one thing we know. Your current lifestyle got you to where you are now. In that sense you really do have to make a lifestyle change. Although, I'd like to say I changed my habits. Instead of a Big Mac and fries, now I choose a turkey sandwich and light chips. Instead of 2 bowls of pasta with meat sauce, a cup of mozzarella cheese on top, 2 or 3 slices of cheesy garlic bread, I have grilled chicken, steamed peas or green beans and a salad. Instead of 3 brownies with a pint of ice cream and some caramel sauce, I have 3/4 cup of sugar free light ice cream, or some sugar free pudding. Instead of sitting on the couch, I get in a workout. Now, back to where we started, I've reached my goal weight, when we have Teacher Appreciation Day, or Thanksgiving for that matter, I can have some food that is different from what I normally eat. I still avoid the sugar, I eat much smaller portions. I can tell you that it's much easier to keep the weight off,than to
take the weight off. If you're in the early stages of losing weight, you're doing the hard part, easier days are ahead. Stick with it. Set small goals. It's the 1st week of August, Halloween is 12 weeks away. Set a goal of losing 10 lbs by Halloween. Set goals in your workouts as well. I don't set goals of lifting more weight, I set goals that have to do with cardio, or with reps. For example, if I've been dumbbell benching 100 lbs, 3 sets of 10, my goal may be to get to 3 sets of 12 or 3 sets of 15. Then I might decide to go up in weight. One of my goals for this fall is to run a mile in 7 minutes flat. The best I've done so far is 7:30, so I've got to work on my cardio endurance to reach my goal. What are your goals? If you are trying to lose weight set short term goals, but have a target weight in mind as a long term goal. When you meet a goal, reward yourself, but not with brownies and ice cream. I'd like to leave you with one last nugget of wisdom, but all I've got is "Hooch is crazy" A little something for you Scrubs fans.See you at the gym.

Workouts

Let me start by apologizing for the typos (is that a word?) in my last post. I have a new (yay!) baby computer (netbook) Apparently I'm still adjusting to the 3/4 size keyboard. Wait a minute, what happened to no excuses, no explanations? Ok, let's back up, sorry about the typos, I'll do better. And remember, there is no try, only do or do not.

Now for tonight's topic, workouts! I've mentioned a couple of books that I use for workouts (don't be lazy, go back and look through the archives) I even told you where to buy the books. What if you don't want ti buy a book? What if you think books are a waste of time and money? You could buy dvd's, P90x, Taebo, Sweatin' To The Oldies (who doesn't love Richard Simmons?) You could buy magazines, there are about a million of them out there. A word of caution on the "muscle mags" they are owned by companies that manufacture supplements. There's nothing wrong with supplements, nothing wrong with the magazines, but it's always good to know who is footing the bill. The internet is always a good resource, again, look for their motivation, what are they trying to sell you? I've found some good info on youtube. I type in ab workout, then start sorting through the junk until I find something that I like. As I said before, you can also watch the people where you work out, if you bought a home gym, like a Bowflex, start with the workouts they give you. But the big question is........ will it work? The answer is.... wait for it......... yes! Any workout from any of these sources will help you gain strength when you first start. The key is, will you keep doing the workout? Will you show up 3+ times per week, put real effort into it? If you do, you'll get results, P90X works, the Bowflex works, Billy Blanks (Taebo) works, if you do it, if you put real effort into it. Once you are doing the workout with intensity, you've stuck with it for 4-6 weeks, it's time to change it up. If you've been doing 3 sets of 15 on most of your exercises, raise the weight and do 4 sets of 5 for a week. Keep those muscles confused. If you go to a gym, try dumbbells/barbells instead of machines, you'll be amazed at the difference. Generally speaking, I like circuit training for beginners. Light weight, 12-15 reps of each exercise. Do one set of each exercise, 30 seconds between exercises. At the end of the circuit do 3-5 minutes of medium intensity cardio, rest 1-2 minutes, then repeat. Do 1-3 circuits as your fitness level allows. If you can do 3 circuits you probably need to raise your intensity level, shorten your rest between exercises, raise the weight. Remember, sweating is good. See you at the gym.

What Are You Training For?

As I was doing the cardio at the end of my workout today, one of the "regulars" at the gym asked me what I was training for. Other than the gym, I've never met this person. I came to find out he works at a local prison, 2nd shift I think. Anyway, he got me thinking (shocking I know) what am I training for? I'm not planningto run a marathon (or even a 5k) or a triathlon, I'm pretty sure I've missed my window to go to the NBA (LeBron if you're reading this and need a guy to stand at the 3 pt line and shoot, I'll do it for the league minimum) I don't think I'll be getting in the ring/octagon to box, wrestle or fight MMA style. So, what am I training for? More importantly, what are you training for? I've decided that I'm training to get rid of that last little bit of spare tire I'm still carrying around, it's a space saver spare, but it's still there. I was chasing a number on the scale (183) that is what I weighed when I came home from basic training, but I've seen that number on the scale. By the way, the umber on the scale was ne nearly as fulfilling as I had hoped. I'm also motivated by fear. Fear that if I don't keep working out, don't keep striving to get in better shape I will end up at 260+ pounds again. I know how much better I feel, I know how much healthier I am, I don't want to go back. I don't, and you shouldn't let fear rule your life, but a little fear can be a heck of a motivator. One of the things that stuck with we from The Biggest Loser was Dr Huizenga telling a contestant that once you've been overweight, you will probably have to work out an hour a day 4-5 times a week to keep the weight off. I've seen some of the contestants come back after putting weight back on, I know how hard it was to get the weight off the first time. It's much easier to keep the weight off than take the weight off. That's all for now, I promise at least one more post before Monday. Next time we'll talk about workouts, and where to find them.

What did You Eat?

Let's talk about food. You like to eat, I like to eat, everybody likes to eat. But what should you eat? Think of your calories like you do your bank account, when your account hits zero, you are done for the day. Today I'll give you a sample menu for one day. This is what I ate most days when I was in the "losing" phase. Breakfast has always been my downfall, I was never really successful at losing weight until I found a breakfast that I liked, had basically no sugar and was EASY and quick to fix. So what did I find? Hormel Compleats. Hormel Compleats are not a typical breakfast food, they are pre-packaged, not frozen or even refrigerated. I get them in the aisle with the canned soup, etc. The Compleats have about 250 calories, and 20 grams of protein. They are a little high in sodium, but they work for me. Anyway, back to the menu:
Hormel Compleat Chicken Marinara 250 Calories
Sun Chips 100 Calories (pre-packaged)
Grilled Porkchop 3 oz 130 Calories
Salad 100 Calories
Cheerios 100 Calories
Protein Shake 200 Calories
Grilled Chicken Breast 200 Calories
Green Beans 50 Calories
Vegetable Dip 2 tbsp 35 Calories
Ice Cream 1/2 cup no sugar added 120 Calories
Total Calories for the day 1285 Calories
Calories burned working out 950 Calories
Net Calories 335 Calories


3 meals and 3 snacks, you'll notice I did not count the vegetables in the salad or the vegetables I ate with dip. The calories in lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers etc are negligible. The porkchop is a serving about the size of a deck of cards, the chicken breast is boneless, skinless, medium sized. The calories in the salad are the dressing and olives. A cup of PLAIN Cheerios is about 100 calories.
A few hints, watch out for pre-packaged salads, cheese, croutons, fried chicken strips, boiled eggs and "regular" dressing can easily take a salad to 500+ calories. When you start, measure everything, that way you'll know what 1/4 cup of shredded cheese, or 2 tablespoons of dressing or dip look like. Buy snacks in 100 calorie bags or buy snack bags and measure out 100 calories in each bag. No eating out of the bag. Be careful when you eat out. I like Subway, but there's a big difference between a 6 inch ham and turkey on wheat, no cheese, spicy mustard, light mayo, lots of veggies and a 6 inch spicy italian, with cheese and mayo. The ham and turkey is about 350 calories, then I have LIGHT chips (75 calories) and unsweetened tea. About 425 calories total. Spicy italian, regular chips and regular coke is close to 1000 calories. I'm not saying you can never have the spicy italian, but you should know the difference in calories so you can make a conscious decision. I'll never say you have to eat this, or you can't eat that. I'll always say you should know what you are eating and make a conscious decision about whether it will cause an overdraft in your account. I rea-e-e-e-ally want you to think about what you eat.

Another One?

Hey look, it's me! posting again! After reading my last 2 posts I realized something, this blog is getting a little too serious and fact driven. So, what do you think about the Cardinals chances in the 2nd half? How about the BEARS new offensive coordinator? Who would like to chat about the Bulls signing Carlos Boozer? Ok seriously, who thinks the Fighting Illini can make it to the Big Dance? Just in case anyone was wondering, I doubt that anyone was, those are the teams I pay attention to. And remember, much like my house, there are really only a few rules: NO, and I mean NO college football talk, ever. I don't care how good Illinois is, I don't know if Notre Dame will make a BCS Bowl. No NASCAR, ever. I'm not saying they aren't athletes, I am saying I have no interest. And last but not least, and this is the biggie, no Led Zeppelin. Which leads me to, what do you like to listen to while you workout? I like entertaining podcasts, Tony Kornheiser and Dan Patrick are my favorites, while doing my cardio. I tend to listen to music while lifting, you guessed it, classic rock. A person at my house who I'm related to by marriage likes to watch tv while she is on the elliptical. Some people don't want music or podcasts or tv. I find it easier to focus on my workout when I am controlling the noise.
In case anyone is wondering, I think the Cards will win the Central, but not make the World Series. I think Lovie Smith is going to hate Mike Martz. Carlos Boozer is already planning his mid February vacation, hamstring strain is my guess. Illinois, who knows. They have potential, I'm just not sure that the guys that can score will play enough defense for Coach Weber. As he will tell them, it's tough to score from the bench. I will leave you with some sitcom wisdom, "life's tough, wear a helmet" and my favorite, "lose one friend, lose all friends, lose yourself" If you know what sitcom those are from you can win a free 1 year subscription to this blog!

What was I missing?

Since I'm sure all of my loyal followers read the last post (or will read the last post, it's right under this one) we are not going to review. This is going to be like a class with a cumulative final. All the time I've spent at LLCC the last few days has me in an academic mood, apparently.
By a show of hands, who noticed what my early workouts were missing? Anyone? Anyone? At the risk of repeating myself, Bueller, Bueller. My early workouts were missing...........
ABS!! I wasn't doing anything to strengthen my abs or my back for that matter. Do you know why? Well, do you? Because my abs were weak, and I was embarrassed. I could squat, bench, curl enough to feel ok, but crunches? Situps? I didn't even know what a plank was, but if I had known, I'm sure I would have been bad at them. At one time or another everyone feels self conscious when working out. After a year of working out regularly I decided to try a new ab workout. It started with doing crunches on a ball (easy enough) while holding a 45 lb plate in front of my face (YIKES!) I got through that part ok, the second part of the routine had me laying on a ball and moving a weight from one side to the other to work my obliques. I tried to use the same 45 lb plate, BIG mistake. I fell off the ball. But, at least there were only about 10 people in that part of the gym. One of the women asked if I was ok, I assured her that only my pride was injured, then I went and got a 10 lb weight and continued my workout. When you first start working out, whether at home or a gym, there will be times when you will be outside your comfort zone. That's good, my comfort zone enabled me to get to 264 lbs. Only when I stepped outside my comfort zone was I able to lose weight. It's easy to go out to lunch with your co-workers even when you brought a healthy lunch, it's easy to get a burger and fries or pizza instead of something healthy. It's easy to have that Coke or Diet Coke when your body needs water. I'm just a ray of sunshine today! So, here's some good news, be meticulous about your diet, Dave Ramsey might call it "Gazelle like intensity" commit to 4 workouts a week, work hard when you workout, set goals. When you reach goals reward yourself. If you work hard for a few months, most of you will reach your goal weight, then you can have the occasional cheeseburger, or chocolate cake. Occasional, Occasional, Occasional
So get out of that comfort zone, be weird. Remember, weird isn't always bad, it's just different.

Now What?

It has been mentioned to me, I won't say who mentioned it, but it's someone in my house I'm related to by marriage, that I have been slacking in the blogging department. The question is, why? Am I too busy? Not really, it's summer, so no work. I did paint and put in a new floor in the bathroom this week, but it really didn't take that long, a couple of afternoons. I've thought about posting, I've had the topic for this post since my last post, so why didn't I post? Because, just like alot of you, I'm a PROCRASTINATOR! I'll try to do better, and post more consistently.

Before todays post I should mention a couple of things; this blog is meant to be entertaining as well as informational, there will be jokes, some funny, some not so much, there will be sarcasm, lots of sarcasm. Also, on a more serious note, please remember that I am passing on what worked for me, you may have to adjust to fit your needs, goals, abilities. And lastly, any particular products, services or businesses I mention are just that, mentions. I am definitely not being paid as a pitch man. Now that the disclaimer is out if the way.

You've signed up at the gym. You've signed up at a gym, right? You've at least taken their free pass haven't you? Or you bought a Bowflex, or a home gym, or you created some space to workout in the basement? Right? Right? For now, let's assume you are going to workout outside your home, what should you do? When you signed up, someone should have taken you around to all of the machines and showed you how to work them. That would include the treadmills, ellipticals and bikes. The easiest way to set up a program when you start is to use the machines. They are fairly straight forward, most have pictures of the muscle groups you are working and instructions on how to perform the exercise. If you are going to workout 3-4 times a week you can work all of your muscle groups each time you go. As a general rule work the big muscles first (quadriceps, hamstrings, chest, back) then move on to the smaller muscles (biceps, triceps, calves, shoulders) make sure to get in at least 15 minutes of cardio each time you workout. When I started I used workouts from a book called "Getting Stronger" which was used as a textbook in a strength training class I took in college. You can get "Getting Stronger" at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. You can procure a used copy for about 8 bucks on Amazon. My 1st workouts went as follows:
10 minutes of cardio
30 minutes of strength training
Rest 45 seconds between sets
The last 2 in each set should be difficult
3 Sets of 10 reps (will now be shown as 3x10) Squats/leg press
3x10 Bench/Chest Press
3x10 Leg Extension
3x10 Pec Deck
3x10 Leg Curls
3x10 Biceps Curls
3x10 Triceps extension
10 minutes of cardio
My cardio was all elliptical.
I did this 3-4 times a week.

Then, my wife dragged me to Barnes and Noble one night and I found another book. "The Body You Want in the Time You Have" This book does a great job of laying out workout plans based on time, frequency and goal. The book also shows how to do the workouts with fitness center equipment, home equipment and no equipment. "The Body You Want" is put out by Men's Health magazine, but the workouts are appropriate for men or women. I like the fact that there are workouts for getting lean, gaining power, putting on bulk and general fitness. On Amazon "The Body You Want" can be had for about 4 bucks, used.

Remember, any work out you do is better than not working out. While you're at the gym, watch what other people are doing, you may learn something. Don't be afraid to ask questions of the people there working out, except for the guy with the white earbuds listening to a podcast. That guys a jerk. If you need motivation, try working out with a friend, or take a spin, boxing, aerobics or some other kind of class.

Be careful not to think that because you are working out you can eat whatever you want. It's almost impossible to exercise away a bad diet.
That's all for now, I promise I'll post more often, really I will.

BMR and other Random Thoughts

Here it is, Sunday night about 10. I'm reflecting on last week and looking ahead to next week. Last week I started a blog, painted the bathroom, installed a new kitchen faucet, worked out, etc. I also spent some time reflecting on my workouts. What days were good, what days I struggled, how I felt on my "off" day. I'm going to try to really track my workouts for a few weeks to see if I can find a pattern to how I feel when I workout. I think I'll find that my workouts are best when I don't have much scheduled. I get up when I want, workout when I feel like it, I'm on my own eating schedule. The only problem with that is, I only have 3 months of the year when I am on my own schedule, more than most people, I know. So how do you work in the workouts? We all live busy lives, most of us don't want to get up at 5 to go before work (way to go Honey!) most of us don't have time to go at lunch. For me, during the 9 months I live on a work schedule, I know that once I walk in the house, the chances I'm going to workout go waaaaaay down. So, I make sure to have my workout gear with me, so I can stop on the way home. My way isn't the only way, it just works best for me, it may take awhile to figure out what works best for you.
In the previous blog I talked about BMR. If you know your BMR you know how to lose weight. Find your BMR subtract 500 calories per day, you should lose about 4 lbs per month. Generally, once you put your body in a calorie deficit of 3500 calories you should lose about 1 lb. 500 calories per day times 7 equals 3500 calories. or about 1 lb of weight loss per week. When I started I weighed 264 lbs, according to Calorie Checkbook (www.caloriecheckbook.com) it took 2880 calories to maintain my weight. So I started slow, I cut my calories to 2300. I also started working out 3 times per week. Once I started paying attention to the calories I found that 2300 was easy, in fact most days I was around 2000. I used LOSEIT!, an IPhone app to track my caloric intake and my exercise. Again, that worked best for me. Some people need to write everything down, that's ok too. The common thread for people who have been successful losing weight is tracking. It's too easy to eat a handful of M&M's if you don't track what you eat, you also have to go back and look at how you've done. If you can find someone to look at your log, even better. If you're going to track your food, be accurate and be honest. If you underestimate the amount of your servings the tracking won't do you much good. Now I have to tell you something, but this is just between us, I don't track everything I eat. I don't track raw "salad" vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers) I do count cheese, dressing, croutons, etc. While we're talking cheese and dressing, it brings me to LABELS. All salad dressings are not equal, all cheese is not equal. Light salad dressing is generally 35-40 calories for 2 tablespoons. That's 2 tablespoons. Did I mention 2 tablespoons? Not 2 giant serving spoon fulls, 2 measuring tablespoons. Measure it. Beware of "fat free" dressings, they often have more sugar and calories than "light".
That's all for now, I'm getting sleepy!
Oops I forgot todays sitcom reference, let's see..... I've got one.
I just lost one job, the phone rang, and I got another job, same time, same money. I threw a $20 out the window, put on my jacket and found a $20 in the pocket. do you know who I am? Kramer does.

One of those days

For those of you who work out on a regular basis, (most of you, some of you, anybody, Bueller, Bueller) did you ever have one of those days when you have to drag yourself to the gym? And then you get there and you struggle. And you struggle, and you want to do your cardio, but.....
So what do you do? I had one of those days today. I lolligagged around the house, I lolligagged my way to the gym, I lolligagged getting out of the car. You know what that makes me? A lolligagger! I decided I'd just get on the elliptical and cruise for 10 minutes, do the short version of my arm work out, and go back home to the comfort and security of my couch. A funny thing happened on my way to a light/lazy day. About 5 minutes in I checked to see how far I'd gone and how many calories I had burned. Generally I do 1 mile on the elliptical in about 15 minutes and I burn about 350 calories. At the 5 minute mark I had gone .3 miles and 93 calories. For those of you who need someone to do the math, I was no where near 1/3 of the way to my usual numbers. And then one of the elliptical "regulars" came in, got on the elliptical next to me, and my competitive juices started flowing. I wasn't going to allow the guy next to me to outdo me. It took 17 minutes instead of the usual 15, but I got to my mile and my 350 calories. And as happens all the time, it got me to thinking. It would have been easy to cruise through it, after all, who would know? The answer was me. I'd know I didn't do what I should have. When I was at SCI, now Benedictine, I had a communications teacher that told me what I'm sure every English/Communications teacher has told their students. If you are stuck, if you can't come up with anything to write, just start writing. Pretty soon the creative juices will start to flow, and you'll get that paper written. It's the same with exercise. The fact that I was at the gym finally triggered something and I ended up having a very good workout.

Okay, how about a diet and an exercise tip today? Do you know your BMR? Do you know what a BMR is or why you should know what yours is? At the risk of making this class too easy, I'm going to give you the answer. BMR is Basal Metabolic Rate. If you are trying to lose, maintain or gain (really, is anybody trying to gain?) weight your BMR is important. Your BMR is the amount of calories you would burn if you sat on the couch all day. I could give you the formula, it's only about a 6 step equation, but instead I'll tell you to Google BMR Calculator. Next time I'll tell you how to use your BMR to lose weight. This post is already too long. I'll leave you with one final thought, "I was in the pool! I was in the pool!"

Am I one of those people?

Am I one of those people? You know the ones I'm talking about, they're on Facebook (check) Twitter (check) MySpace (woohoo, not on MySpace) they tell everyone their every move, like they're soooo important, (sarcasm, get used to it) like people are sitting on the edge of their seats, breathlessly waiting to find out if they decided to have sushi or Thai for supper. By the way, if any editors are reading this, you know who you are, I know that was a long, grammatically incorrect sentence.

Now I'll answer my own question, I do that all the time, by the way. No! I'm not one of those people. I decided to do a blog because I decided to do a blog. What qualifies me to write a blog? Well, I have a computer and an IPhone, I have the time and I have the ability to type. OK, I decided to do a blog to help people, as my favorite radio talkshow host, Tony Kornheiser would say, "I'm doin' it for the kids" This blog will be about diet and exercise, at some point in the very near future I'll post some before (fat) and after (not as fat) pictures of the author of this blog. I'll talk about workouts and diets and reading the label on your food. Since I'm a basketball coach and a sports fan in general I will talk about sports ( a 1 hr special to tell people what team you're going to allow to pay you. Really, LeBron?) It's a pretty fair bet that I'll go off on tangents, make weird Seinfeld/Scrubs/Caddyshack references and from time to time entertain no one but me. If any of this interests you, even in a car wreck kind of way, keep reading. If not thanks for taking a look.