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.