Moving

Hello all.  It's time for a little move/change.  Since I'm no longer posting primarily about Nutrisystem anymore, I wanted to change the blog name.  Something easier to remember and type.  So the blog has moved over to www.zanehollingsworth.blogspot.com

This page (and blog) will remain to point the way to the new blog.  Thanks!

Adding Mileage

Today I began my training for the Tough Mudder. I'm gonna push my running a little more each week, building up to where I'm very comfortable running the 10ish miles I'll have to run in March. So for the past few weeks I've been running 3 miles in however long it takes (24-26 minutes, depending on whether or not I was running hills) and then walking a little bit to finish up my 30 minutes. A couple of days ago I decided to run 4 miles and do it in 32 minutes. That'll be my new workout a few days a week. Push 4 miles at a quick-ish pace some days, and others run hills a little slower, but still getting in 4 miles. After a few weeks, I'll lengthen the distance and start running 5 miles most runs, then repeat until I'm in the 8-10 range a few times a week.

This morning was my first real breakfast in 3 days. Kim and I went to Panera and split a bagel with cream cheese. Outstanding! I also had a chai tea latte, which I loved. Lunch was an unexpected treat. We noticed a lady sitting outside a Latino grocery store near where we were working. Kim went over to check it out and came back with half a dozen home made tamales! They were fantastic. My next meal was a Lean Body Chocolate Peanut Butter protein shake and a small amount of cottage cheese and pineapples. Dinner this evening was all fake meat products.

Today's workouts were cardio only. 2.2 mile walk this morning with Kim and JJF. 4+ miles on the treadmill (in 31:31) when the gym opened at 1. Then another 2.2 mile walk around the lake this evening. More than 8.5 miles on the day.

Tomorrow is back to my original 6 meals a day eating plan, new running schedule, and a chest workout. I'll also start working Insanity and a Spin in on different days as well. Now I've got two goals to train for. The Tough Mudder and The Wedding!

End of the Cleanse

Today was the last day of my 3 day Shakeology Cleanse/Jump Start. I had 3 shakes during the day, plus one Lean Body shake. Then a salad and chicken for dinner. My freak out today was a muffin after dinner. Today was much easier. I had a little fruit during the day, plus a few slices of deli meat and jello pudding. I actually do feel better, but that could be from the chiropractor.

I had to go back to the chiropractor this morning. Lots of popping and cracking. Plus he hooked me to an electronic muscle stimulator for a few minutes. It felt wonderful. My muscles finally fatigued, then relaxed. I might have to go back next week, but I'll wait and see how I feel first.

I ran 3+ miles of hills this afternoon then walked this evening for today's exercise. Tomorrow will be more of the same.

I learned that the Tough Mudder for Georgia has been scheduled for March 11-12 in Cedartown. Can't wait. I think a large group form the gym is planning on running as a team. Should be fun.

I Think I've Got Shakeology About Figured Out

After last night's meltdown (I freaked and had some cereal late) and midnight pledge to never drink another sip of Shakeology, today has been much better. I looked up some different recipes for making the shakes. The key (so far) has been to add MILK. The taste (for me) was just awful without the milk. I've also thrown in some pineapple or banana to help. But the milk is the key.

So this morning I had a cup of coffee, a Shakeology shake with milk and a frozen banana. It was pretty good. Another shake, this time with milk and pineapple before lunch. After my workout I had a Lean Body Chocolate Peanut Butter shake. It was Fantastic! No milk required. Late in the afternoon I had another Shakeology drink before having a salad and salmon for dinner with Kim.

Before heading to the gym today I had to go to the chiropractor. Within moments of the good Doctor walking into the room he had me laid out on a table and was pushing on me. Not working so good. So I moved to a low bench, he twisted me up, and then jumped on me. RELIEF. I then began to pop like wild. Every direction he turned me something popped, released, let go, etc. I feel so much better. I may have to go back tomorrow or Monday if I'm not 100%.

I had to go buy some salad and fish before I could go to the gym, so I didn't make it until around lunch. I was worried I wouldn't have a good run/workout as a result. Couldn't have been more wrong. 4 miles in less than 31:50. Barefoot! Best run I've had in memory. I felt great the entire time. I purposefully did a baby leg workout today. 3 sets of leg extension & 3 sets of leg curls. I didn't want to do anything to upset my back.

Tomorrow is my final day of the 3 day cleanse. Well, my version of it anyway. Today has been so much better. not perfect, but better. Tomorrow might be difficult. I'll be home most of the day, tempted to eat other stuff other than my shakes and one meal. I'll try to dull the cravings with football, and the endless pizza commercials....

My Back Hurts, I'm Starving, & Tomorrow is Leg Day...

My back is still wrecked. I didn't sleep well as a result. So I got up early, had a cup of apple tea, and began my 3 day jump start/cleanse intro to Shakeology. Not loving it so far. The first shake I made following the directions was way to thick. The second was better, but I used a little pineapple instead of a banana and it tasted odd. I don't know how much I like the taste of Shakeology. I'm sure by the end of 3 days of it and very little else, I'll love it. My third and final shake of the day was at about 4PM. Just Shakeology and a frozen banana. Still not loving the taste. Gotta work on it. Maybe find some different recipes online. Dinner tonight was a salad and a piece of chicken. YUM!!! I did have a hand full on nuts this afternoon, and I've grazed on lettuce (and a few olives) all day long. Lay off me, I'M STARVING! Late I freaked and had some cheese, pudding, and a bowl of cereal. Still very low calories on the day (like less than 1400). Gonna try the cleanse again tomorrow, but I'm not sure if this is something for me.

At the gym I managed a slow paced 3 mile barefoot hill run. Nothing to get excited about, just grinded it out. My arm workout followed. Pretty weak really. 3 sets of overhead presses and 3 sets of press downs for triceps. Biceps began with 3 sets of seated incline dumbbell curls and ended with 2 sets of very heavy hammer curls.

Bad Run, Good Day

We got up around sunrise this morning and took Jumping Jack Flash on a walk shortly thereafter. I walked the medium distance route this morning around the lake (2.3 or so miles) and Kim headed back the quick route so she could get ready for work.

At the gym today I had one of the worst runs in recent memory. I ran 3 miles, but it seemed like every single step was difficult. Like I was having to mentally push every second. Lots of days I start out and after the first minute hit a groove. The next time I look down it's been 18 minutes and I'm nearing 2.5 miles. Not today. Just difficult today. I don't know why really. I didn't run earlier and I didn't feel tired. I did train before I ran today. But it was only a shoulder workout. The workout was 3 sets of machine shoulder presses, 3 sets of dumbbell side lateral raises, 3 sets of dumbbell upright rows, 3 sets on the rear delt machine, and 3 sets of shoulder shrugs. Tomorrow I guess I train before I run again and see how it goes.

I tried to go to the chiropractor today, but when I went by his office he was closed. And he's closed tomorrow. My back is wrecked. I've got two huge muscles knotted up on the upper left side of my back. They're so tight (and won't relax) that they're pulling me out of alignment. This is what happened before. I can at least pop my back now, but as soon as I do, the muscles just pull my spine back out of alignment. Hopefully I can get in on Friday, get some treatment (as in having him hook me up to a machine and shock my back until the muscles fatigue, relax, and then he can adjust me). My back is so tight that the muscles have started to itch. Ugh.

Kim, JJF, and I walked around the lake this evening. We took the medium route. Jack saw a cat (again) and chased it. The cat (who looks just like our cat, Puppy) dove into some very high weeds on one side of the road/trail we walk on. Jack dove in after him. A few seconds later we saw/heard some weeds/bushes moving on the other side of the path. The cat had crawled through a hidden drainage pipe to the other side to lose jack. Pretty smart kitty.

Food today was again great. Muffin for breakfast, protein shake for AM snack, LC for lunch, another shake in the middle of the afternoon, salmon and a salad for dinner, and a muffin as a dessert. Around 1500 calories on the day.

My order of Shakeology arrived today. I'll start the 3 day cleanse tomorrow, then roll back into the 1500-1600 calorie diet after. I also received a few new Insanity discs. I replaced some that were damaged, and ordered the 20 minute Fast & Furious (or something like that) workout. I'll get back to Insanity next week!

Things Seem Easy Without Insanity

This week (and last week too) I haven't had any Insanity workouts. I finished up the week before. Without the craziness, I feel like my training is so easy now. I'm still doing 3 rounds of varied cardio and my usual strength training. Once I get my shipment of Shakeology in (tomorrow, I think) and then get through the 3 day cleanse, I'll be ready to start mixing the Insanity back in. I've been toying with the idea of trying P90 or P90X or whatever it's called. I enjoyed the Insanity so much, I'm thinking I'd like something else. I don't know what I'd do about training at the gym though. Maybe just do some treadmill/elliptical stuff at the gym for a bit. Anybody ever tried P90? Any recommendations? Any thoughts? Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?

Today was another great day! I didn't wake up quite as early (actually overslept a little, I was tired) so I didn't run outside this morning. Instead I rode the spin bike for a little over 30 minutes as I watched a recorded episode of the West Wing. Best. Show. Ever.

Next up was the gym. I began with a back workout. 3 very poor sets of pull-ups, 3 sets of heavy t-bar rows, 3 sets of hammer rows, and 3 sets of lat pull-downs. Then on to the treadmill. I did a mile of varied paced running (between 7 & 8 mph), then a mile of HIIT varying from a walking speed of 3.5 for a minute, then running for a minute at a faster pace. Runs started at 8mph, increasing .5 each cycle until I was running at a 6 minute mile pace. Actually, at the fastest pace I felt my running form was the best. I was standing very erect, my feet were out in front of me, and my stride was very short and quick. Just like if I was running barefoot! Cool, I think. I was pretty winded after the HIIT (that's why I did it, to get in a more strenuous workout during the run), so my last mile was a varied run again, but at a slower pace (6-7). I finished up the workout with a few minutes of a slow walk.

After working some this afternoon, Jumping Jack Flash and I walked around the lake this evening. Tonight was Kim's night to work late, so it was just he and I on the evening stroll. As the temps drop, I want to start taking some of the big dogs on walks again. Still not cool enough for them though.

Food on the day was great again. Muffin for breakfast, shake for AM snack, Indian meal for lunch, shake as a PM snack. LC tortilla crusted fish for dinner, shake for dessert, and about 1/4 of a muffin on my way to bed. 1700 or so calories on the day. I'll burn 4000 or so. This new modified diet has been working perfectly. I'm never hungry, I'm staying full, and I've got plenty of energy. Some of the shakes I've been adding either a banana or some pineapple, or both. I haven't used more than a shake a day in years. I used to have four or more a day in college. I always enjoyed the simplicity and consistency of eating that way.

Awesome Morning

Today has been, for lack of a better word, awesome. I was up early and shot some nice star photos before sunrise. As I waited on the sun to come up I walked the pug, had a cup of coffee, checked email, and got ready to run. The temperature this morning was an amazing 55 degrees, so I had planned accordingly and was itching to run.

Once the sun began to light the sky I retrieved my camera, got Jumping Jack Flash out of his crated, and headed out to run. Jack made it to the end of the driveway and stopped. His loss. I guess I should have known something big was nearby, since he didn't want to run with me. Just around the barn from the house I ran across a good sized deer. It took of in the direction I was running, so I just followed it. She (I guess) ran to the top of a ridge, turned, looked at me and waited for a few seconds. Then she was off again, down towards the lake and off into the distance. And the lake? It was perfect. Still, clear (the water), and very foggy. Just beautiful. When I reached the big damn (basically a mile from the house) I saw 30-40 geese and ducks swimming quietly in the center of the lake. They had been invisible just seconds earlier, but once I got to the damn I could just barely see them through the fog. They were silent. The only thing I could really hear was my footsteps and breathing. I made the turn and ran back home (the short route today) I spotted a large hawk at the little damn. Usually hawks will fly away when I get even moderately close, but this morning he (guessing again) just landed in a nearby tree and watched me jog by. Back at home JJF was waiting for me on the front porch. Lazy dog.

The running part of the run was ok too. I never have any idea as to my pace when I run outdoors. I finished 2 miles (more or less) in 18 something minutes. Not great at all. But not bad for varied terrain and the first outside run since summer started.

Once I made it to they gym I was running late (morning of mowing yards, running errands for the Don) and trained chest rather quickly. 3 sets of flat hammer presses, 3 sets of incline hammer presses, 3 sets of wide decline hammer presses, and 3 sets of pec dec. Next I moved to the treadmill where I planned to run 3 miles. I ran out of time and only was able to run 2. Finished them in 16:09.

After a dentist visit and working for a bit I came home where my only other exercise of the day was an evening walk with Kim and JJF.

Food for the day was great. I'm implementing a new modified diet for a while. Back to six regimented meals per day. No fast food. No Indian (OK maybe once every 6 weeks). No Pizza. Basically I'll have a muffin or cereal for breakfast, shake for snack, LC or NS for lunch, shake for snack, NS or LC for dinner, shake for dessert. I'll sub chicken or tuna with a salad for any dinner. Saturdays I'll have some turkey dogs as a treat, and make sure I eat real food (not LC or NS) both non breakfast meals on the weekends. As my weekend rewards, I'm gonna allow myself to have 1 Hornsby's Cider on both Saturday and Sunday nights. Only 200 extra calories, and it gives me something to look forward to. For a while it'll be a much better treat than say going to eat out at a nasty Pizza/Mexican/Indian (not nasty, just high calorie) place.

Today's food was great. Muffin for breakfast, Lean Body shake for AM snack, NS beans & ham soup for lunch, shake for PM snack, LC French Bread Pizza for dinner, shake for dessert, and a muffin before bed. Less than 1800 calories on the day. BodyBugg has me burning 4400+ calories on the day. Good day.

Weekend Waiting on Shakeology

Saturday I finally had a "good" run. 3 miles in a little over 24 minutes. I also had a couple of good rides on the spin bike.

Food was great on the day, until dinner. Muffin for breakfast, turkey hot dogs for lunch, chicken breast for mid afternoon meal, cottage cheese and pineapple a little later. Dinner, not so great. we ate at a local county style restaurant. I had roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a fried veggie mix. And about 1/2 a slice of peanut butter pie. Wow.

Hopefully next week I'll have some of my new protein shakes in stock. I'm gonna try Shakeology, from BeachBody. I'm gonna begin with the 3 day cleanse. 3 shakes per day, plus some tea, a little fruit, and a salad for dinner. After that I'll use Shakeology once a day, and Lean Body shakes once a day. Plus lots of chicken, salads, muffins, and granola. And water. Lots and lots of water.

Sunday I'm gonna spin, walk, and maybe get in an ab workout. To help further my ab workouts (or lack thereof) I've also ordered the Insanity discs which were damaged/bad that I'd gotten off ebay. That along with a fast paced, time shortened Insanity workout. That along with the Insane Abs Workout, and the Sports Training workout should give me a few extra workouts to add to the mix. I'm not gonna re-implement Insanity until after the cleanse is over. Then I'm gonna use it only some days. I'll swap it out with riding the spin bike, or walking. I don't want to do cardio 4 times a day. 2-3 is plenty.

Better

For the past few days my mornings have gotten stretched. I plan to be up, have coffee, work on the computer, and ride the spin bike for 1/2 an hour, all before 9AM. Today I got this accomplished by around lunch. I wasn't pleased.

This pushes my workout later in the day. I like to train around 10AM if at all possible. I feel better. I train better. I like the people in the gym at that time. Today I trained at 2PM. The people in the gym were fine (the 3 that were there), but I wasn't. I was so tired I almost didn't even stop at the gym. I started to just drive back home. I manged a better run today. 3 miles in 25 something. I didn't necessarily feel any better, but at least I manged to run the full 3 today. My leg workout was, well, puny. 3 sets of leg extensions and then 3 sets of leg curls. That was it. My legs were already tired from the run and spin bike this morning. Plus I missed last weeks leg workout, so I didn't want to cripple myself today.

Food on the day has been good. Muffin and granola bar for breakfast. A few more granola bars during the day. Veggie frozen Indian for lunch. A bowl of granola cereal post workout. Dinner was chick peas in a tomato gravy.

Tomorrow I plan on running, training abs, spinning, walking, and watching UGA!

Having to Ease My Way Back

I finally returned to the gym today. Yesterday was devoted to catching up on work, and returning to a normal eating routine. I did manage to ride the spin bike for 30 minutes and go on an evening walk last night.

Today began with more work, bookwork, and banking before I could hit the bike for half an hour. Afterward I made my way to the gym and trained arms. 3 sets of press downs, 3 sets of overhead presses, and 3 sets of rope presses for triceps. Biceps began with 3 sets of rope curls, then 3 sets of incline dumbbell curls, and finally 3 sets of standing hammer curls. I had planned on running 3 miles of hills. I ended up running/walking about 2.9 miles of hills. I wasn't necessarily hurting during the run, but I never could get into a groove and felt very weak. So I'd run for a few minutes, walk a little, then run some more, then walk again, etc. 7 days off, I guess this is better than what it could be. Tomorrow I'm gonna try to run with no incline, earlier in the day, and see how I do. Before dinner JJF and I walked around the lake for my final cardio of the day.

Food today (and yesterday for that matter) has been good. Muffin for breakfast, protein shake after the bike, granola bar as a snack, shake after the gym, LC for dinner, and finally dessert of a granola bar and granola cereal.

Tomorrow is leg day. I'm gonna spin first, then run, then train. I think I'm gonna wait a few days before adding Insanity back into the mix. Maybe next week.

Back Home

We're back home from vacation. Back to a new modified routine starting today. Back home, newly motivated, ready to run, train, spin, and go Insane. Back home, ready to eat healthy, be healthy, and get leaner.

We witnessed some of the sickest, heaviest, unhappiest people while at the beach. Once we noticed and began to actually people watch, we were shocked by how many (most) people were significantly over weight. Terribly overweight. I'd guess on average most people were more than 60 pounds overweight. That may be on the low side too. After about the 2nd day I was itching to get back to training and eating properly.

So back to it, starting NOW!

Trying for a Quick Week

After training chest Monday, I've been trying to hit two body parts per day (complimentary parts, anyway) so I can finish up on Thursday and get out of town late that night. Back and biceps went well on Tuesday, and today I got in shoulders and triceps.

Tuesday's workout began with 3 sets of pull-ups, 3 sets of t-bar rows, 3 sets of seated rows, and finally 3 sets of lat pull downs. Biceps began with 3 sets of seated incline dumbbell curls, and ended with 3 HEAVY sets of standing biceps curls. Wednesday's workout began with 3 sets of shoulder presses, then 3 sets of side lateral raises, and finally 3 sets of cable upright rows. Triceps began with 3 sets of press downs, then 3 sets of overhead presses, and finally 3 sets of rope press downs. Cardio on Tuesday was terrible. My phone kept ringing, I kept getting emails, and never could get into a groove with my run. I finally quit after about 2.5 miles. Wednesday's run was much better. 3 miles in 24:30, barefoot. Not bad. I finished off the 30 minutes by walking uphill slowly. Now the bad news. An hour or so later my left foot is hurting. I don't think it's injured, just 6 days worth of barefoot running has taken its toll. It feels like i just need to rest and maybe adjust/pop the outer (pinky toe) bone in my foot/ankle. I've gotta train legs tomorrow anyway, so I might not run. Or if I do I think it'll be back in my Mizuno Waves. Some nights this week we've been able to walk, others not. I have been on the spin bike each day though. 30 minutes per day, typically in the AM. Gotta get back in the habit of riding during the Braves games.

Tuesday I got up, set up the living room, and started my Insanity workout. I only have 4 left to do. I finished the warm up, looked at Shaun T for a second, and it hit me. I couldn't stand doing any of these workouts again. I'm SICK of it. I need a break. Don't get me wrong, I've loved the workouts. I'm just burnt out. Maybe after we get back from the beach I'll start doing a couple of Insanity workouts each week. I'll have to come up with some sorta schedule. Like not doing any on or near a leg day. I won't be doing many of the 2nd month's workouts either. I really never liked them as much as the first month's. They seemed to be power kinda moves (jumps, power jumps, diamond jumps) and things that were not as cardio intensive (that's relative, the entire thing is cardio intensive). I loved Pure Cardio and Max Cardio. They'll be in the rotation pretty heavy. I did notice while doing the core cardio and balance workout that my balance has improved dramatically. I couldn't stand on one foot and stretch with out falling when I started. Now while doing hip flexor burners I don't have to hold on to anything for balance. I was kinda shocked.

Food all this week has been good. I really don't remember what all I've had, but it's been good and on plan. Muffins or cereal for breakfast. LC or a shake for lunch. Shake or muffin for snack. LC for dinner one night and a little roast with my parent's the other night. Muffins for late snacks. I've gone Muffin Nuts!

Don't Eat Chinese Food Before Running

Busy day today. I spent hours this morning working on some computer/work stuff before finally being able to start my Insanity workout around 10AM. About an hour later I was finished and had to hurry to make it to lunch with my mother, sister, and nephew. We ate at Drena's favorite place, Peng's Pavilion, a local Chinese joint.

After lunch I went directly to the gym. I lifted first today. 3 sets of flat bench, 3 sets of incline bench, 3 sets of decline bench, 3 sets of incline dumbbell curls, and finally 3 sets of push-ups super sets (regular push-ups followed promptly with push-ups done with my feet balanced on a large workout ball). After the lifting I jumped onto a treadmill. Again today I ran barefoot style in my Vibrams. I learned to never run after eating such a large lunch. D'oh. I felt terrible every step.

The final evxercise of the day was a walk around the lake with Kim and JJF. The temps are much better here now. Another week or two and we can start taking some big dogs with us on walks.

Food today was good. Muffin for breakfast, Chinese for lunch, muffin for snack, LC for dinner, cereal and a muffin late. Not to bad at all.

Tomorrow I'm gonna hit Insanity early, do some book work, run, and double up muscle training at the gym. I'm gonna try to do back and biceps together so I can shorten the workout week down a day and train legs on Thursday. I don't want to miss a leg workout this week and be in an ill mood because I did.

Sunday Leg Day

Since I'm running 2 days behind this week, I got to train legs today, on Sunday. Usually I like to just walk the dogs or get in an easy run. I did take it easy with the workout sine I had to miss last week's leg workout altogether and really don't want to be freaky sore this week.

When I arrived at the gym I began with a slow paced, barefoot (Vibrams) hill run (program) on the treadmill. I got in about 3.3 miles before slowing to a walk for a few minutes to cool down before the workout. I only did 2 exercises per muscle group today. 3 sets of heavy(ish) leg extensions followed by 3 sets of moderate true squats for quads. Hamstrings began with 3 sets of heavy seated leg curls and ended with 3 sets of heavy hyper-extensions.

The rest of the day was rest. I tried to do an Insanity workout, but my calves were exhausted from the barefoot runs of the past few days, so I gave up and decided to call it a day.

Food in the AM was good. A muffin for breakfast, protein shake before the gym, red curry chicken after the gym (kashi), and then the last of the left over chana sag. Dinner was awful. A Tombstone pizza. I suck. It was awesome!

I made some muffins late tonight to have for breakfast this week. I used a new measuring cup while preparing the mix. I didn't pay attention to the actual markings and used pints instead of cups. The muffins suck. At least I won't be tempted to eat them all day long now. I'm gonna plan out next week's meals tonight and tomorrow so I can have a good week before leaving out for the beach.

Chest, 3-4 mile run, Insanity, and a dog walk are on the schedule for tomorrow.

6 Miles in the Terra Plana

Yesterday I had a decent day training. I began the morning with an Insanity Workout, Core Cardio and Balance. It was easy, as far as Insanity goes. I didn't remember which particular workout I had to do, so it was a nice surprise to discover it was a milder workout for the day.

After the Insanity, I went to the gym to train arms and run. The arm workout was typical, maybe just a little heavier than usual. 3 sets of close grip triceps press downs, 3 sets of heavy overhead presses, and 3 sets of rope press downs began the workout. I finished up with 3 sets of rope curls, 3 sets of seated incline dumbbell curls (heavy), and ended the biceps workout with 3 sets of very heavy standing dumbbell curls. I had planned on running 6 miles when I left the house. By the time I got on the treadmill I had decided I'd just run 60 minutes and see how far that got me. I had a decent pace (for me) and had 6 miles in just under 50 minutes. I was gonna keep going, but I had developed a NEW blister from the Terra Plana shoes on my left heel. So I slowed at about 51 minutes, walked another minute or so, and then stopped altogether. The run in the TP's felt good. Occasionally I could tell I was landing to much on one side or the other of one foot, but I almost immediately corrected it. A day later, other than the blister(s) the only issue I have is possibly some tenderness (bruising) on the pinky toe side of my foot. I think I ran about 10 miles in the TP's in a 24 hour period, so I guess the blister and tenderness are to be expected. Here's a pic of the new Terra Plana shoes below.

Food on the day was great, until dinner. Breakfast was a bowl of cereal, lunch was some left over chana masala (chick peas) and chana sag (chick peas in spinach). Dinner was a bust. I had a small, meaty pizza from this new FANTASTIC pizza place, which is unfortunately very close to our house. Like the closest restaurant in existence to our house. I can see having a small pizza during UGA games happening a lot this fall. Damn. Anyway, small, delicious pizza for dinner along with a couple of bread sticks. Then I really ruined the day with some ice cream for dessert. The sign outside the ice cream place said it all, "Treat Yourself". I saw the sing and agreed wholeheartedly. In actuality (the past week would be an exception due to the fact I was out of town in Atlanta two days) I follow a very good, healthy diet Monday through Friday. I do relax it on the weekends to keep my sanity. Once we set a date for our wedding I'll go back to full time "on" diet.

Sunday is leg day. I think I'm only gonna run about 3 miles of hills at a relatively slow pace to start the workout. It's supposed to be my off day from Insanity, but I'm thinking about pushing ahead and starting the final week a day early. If I do (and I skip the ever hated Max Recovery workout) I can FINISH the program sometime Thursday! I desperately want to be done with it then because I think we're headed out of town for the weekend and I don't want to bring Shaun T. and his Insanity along with us. No offense, but I need some time apart from him and his crazy, that was bananas stupid hard workouts.

Ruined The Day With an Indain Feast

Today was strange. I began the day with a yogurt, some coffee, and bookwork. After a couple of hours I finished my work for the day and decided to get my Insanity Workout in early. I did the Max Interval Circuit. Doing it first makes it so much easier. I'm not wanting to collapse into a coma the entire workout. I'm actually able to complete most of the exercises. If I do the workout later in the day I fail out on every set.

After Insanity I went to the gym and trained shoulders. 3 sets of shoulder presses, 3 sets of side lateral raises, 3 sets of upright rows, 3 sets of rear delts, and finally 3 sets of shoulder shrugs. Next I ran 4.3 miles on the treadmill. The first 3.something miles were on the random hill setting. The remaining was on a flat surface. I ran in my new Terra Planar shoes today. They too are a "barefoot" shoe. I think I'm gonna like these shoes as well. No issues with regards to blisters as yet either.

I had planned to walk this evening, but Kim and I had to go to work on a leak at one of our properties so the walk never happened. Since we were half way there already working, we drove on to our favorite Indian restaurant for dinner. I ruined what was otherwise a pretty good day with my diet. I had a chicken curry dish is a tomato cream gravy, along with a mango lassi, some chai tea, puri, and a sweet coconut naan. Delicious. Of course I had my usual dessert as well, GULAB JAMUN! We brought home chana sag and chana masala. Tomorrow's lunch/dinner!

Tomorrow is another round of Insanity, then an arm workout, followed by a run. Might run 6 miles tomorrow. I've gotta train legs on Sunday, so I know I won't be running much then.

Crappy Luncy Followed by a Crappy Run

Crappy. That sums up my day.

Breakfast was ok. A muffin and some granola. Lunch was no good. We ended up at the Cheesecake Factory. Blah. I tried the fish tacos. I should have just gotten a slice of cheesecake instead. They were blah. I ended up eating bread with butter afterward, which was delicious.

Once home from my day riding around in Atlanta I went on a run OUTSIDE. The temperature felt great. My new Vibram Bikila's felt great. I ran a decent pace from the house out to the end of the big dam of our lake (.94 miles) and stopped to return a phone call (I heard my dad's ring tone and knew I needed to call back or else I wouldn't have stopped). Once off the phone I noticed my right heel was hurting a little. I slipped off the back part of my shoe to find the blister which I thought had already healed to be bleeding. Lovely. I had to walk home with my right shoe half on/half off. Maybe a few more days and I'll be able to run in the Vibrams again. Blisters suck. I thought I was gonna get lucky with these new shoes. This seems to always happen to me when I get a new pair. Oh well, a few days of blisters, then a year or so of good use.

TOMORROW I make my return to the gym and Insanity. Two days off and I'm hating it. I could tell this evening I was in a bad mood (partially from the terrible fish tacos). I should be all better in the AM after a good workout. Maybe I'll even get up and run (wearing socks and shoes) before running at the gym.

Nothing

Nothing. That's basically what I've done since Tuesday. I managed to walk around the lake last night, but that's it. I've been busy with work for the past 36 hours and it continues today. Hopefully I'll get back home by the middle of the afternoon so I can get some sorta workout in. My new shoes, the Terra Planar (not sure on the spelling) came in. All I've done in them so far is walk to the mail box. Pics and notes from my first run in them tomorrow. Shaun T is gonna try to kill me when I do my next Insanity workout tonight. I'm almost scared....

Running In the new Vibram Bikila

Last night I only got to walk the dog around the lake to break in the new Vibram Bikila shoes. Today I got in a little 3 mile run on the treadmill and I was thrilled with them. Much more comfortable than the Vibram KSO's I've been using from time to time. The material is a little different, the fit is more snug and cushiony, and much more padding/gripping material on the front of the foot. I had a few people stop me and ask about them while I was training. 1 guy even knew what they were and had been trying to find a pair. I got lucky finding these (at the 10th place I tried). Maybe not so much lucky, just determined to find a pair....

My workout to day was very fast paced. I began with 3 sets of pull ups, then 3 sets of t-bar rows, then 3 sets of hammer strength pull downs, then ended with 3 sets of lat pull downs. I finished the workout in under 10 minutes, so I was moving quick with little rest. I was in such a hurry so that I made sure I had time to run for 30 minutes before having to get ready to meet my mother and sister for lunch. The run was great. No pain, no issues with the new shoes, just a good, decent paced run. I didn't push at all (making sure I was comfortable in the shoes) but by running after the fast workout, my heart rate stayed pretty high the entire workout. I guess the real test of how I fared will come tomorrow when I find out if my calves are wrecked or not.

I spent the rest of the day either working for my father after my lunch with Joyce and Drena. I had a chicken, spinach, shrimp, curried peach dish over rice. Very good. Really good considering that I forgot to eat breakfast for the first time in over a year. I guess I just got busy trying to do some bookwork and getting ready to train. Crazy. I wondered why I was so hungry before lunch.

My only other training on the day was a walk around the lake. I developed a very painful blister on my foot after the walk. Every time I get some new shoes I always get a blister or two.

Tomorrow is already wrecked. I've gotta work for a bit in Atlanta, deal with the blister, and try to train before the gym gets crowded tomorrow evening. Might have to skip the gym entirely and just spin, walk, and do Insanity.

Feeling Better

After a weekend of being sick I'm back feeling better today. The only exercise I managed over the weekend was the most difficult 3.5 mile run I've ever done. Don't think I'll try running while sick much more.

Today I changed the order of my training. I began the day with the Insanity Max Cardio workout. MUCH easier doing it first. I completed almost every set at a good pace. Amazing what training fresh will do for you.

Next up was the gym. I trained chest first instead of running first. 3 sets of incline presses, 3 sets of decline presses, 3 sets of machine flies, and 3 sets of seated chest press. I ran at a moderate pace and finished about 3.6 miles in 30 minutes. I walked a little more and ended up with 3.85 miles total.

After working some this afternoon I came home and finished up my Insanity for the day with Cardio Abs. 16 minutes of a decent ab workout.

One of my new pair of running shoes arrived today. The Vibram Bikila's are specifically designed for running (whereas my other Vibrams are designed for general use). The fit is a little different and some of the materials are different (these are more comfortable feeling, at least so far). I'll try them out when we walk JJF later this evening. Just walking at first tonight and maybe I'll get to run in them tomorrow at the gym.

Bad

Today's plan was to do my Insanity workout this morning, then go to the gym to run and train, then home to rest and watch the Braves play. It wasn't even close.

This morning I spent a few hours doing bookwork instead of Insanity. I readjusted my plan and went to the gym around lunch. I began the workout with a 3.5 barefoot hill run. My arm workout followed the run. 3 sets of overhead presses, and 3 sets of triceps press downs. Biceps began with 3 sets of seated incline dumbbell curls and ended with 3 sets of hammer curls.

Back at home I rested for an hour or so before I attempted Insanity. I didn't make it through the warm up. I felt tired, weak, and knew I just didn't have it in me to do the workout. At the time I thought maybe it was because it is the end of the week & I'm tired, or tired from running extra earlier in the week, or maybe because I knew there was a baseball game on, but for whatever reason, I was very unimpressed with myself for not pushing and getting the workout in. An hour later the reason became obvious. I have some sorta stomach virus (guessing). I've been nauseous, sick to my stomach, weak, and unable to eat. I'm also not thirsty, which is usually a sign that I'm sick. I'm forcing down water, but I know I need more. Hopefully I'll be better in the morning and can have a good weekend. I'll be in a horrible mood if I can't run, workout, and find something fun for Kim and I to do tomorrow because of this....

Quick Post a Day Late

Thursday

Workout - ran 3.5 miles barefoot (well, I was wearing my Vibrams), trained shoulders, Insanity Max Interval Plyo (sucked as bad as always), walked dog.

Food - muffin & yogurt, protein shake, frozen Indian meal, turkey sandwich, almonds, muffin, rice cakes.

I'm a day behind on everything this week. Workouts, posting, work....

Tomorrow is arms (should be legs), another barefoot run, Max Cardio and Cardio Abs, and a dog walk.

Another Fit Test

After pushing yesterday's Insanity Fit Test and Workout back a day due to the 10 mile run, I had to suck it up and do it today. I am a little sore from the 10 miles. My quads and hams feel like I had a really good leg workout about 4 days ago. My ankles and calves fell somewhat fatigued and weak, but otherwise I'm not hurting too bad. Last night I was TIRED though.

I started the day with a muffin and some granola cereal. The muffin was a new cinnamon type muffin I baked last night. Each muffin has a little under 200 calories so when I combine a muffin with something else I get plenty of calories to get through my morning workout.

At the gym this morning I began with a 3.5 mile hill run on the treadmill. I kept the pace slow and incline moderate. My body responded nicely to running again. I was afraid my feet and calves would cramp up on me. After the run I began today's back workout (I'm a day behind this week) with 3 sets of pull-ups, then 3 sets of lat pull downs, followed by 3 sets of heavy T-bar rows, and finally 3 sets of seated rows. My post workout meal was a protein shake with a room temp banana mixed in. NEVER AGAIN. I must have frozen bananas! Thus I'll be going to the grocery store this evening.

Next up (after a small amount of book work so I could rest a little) was the Insanity Fit Test. This is my 4th time doing the test. It never gets any easier. Actually, it gets harder every time because I can push myself harder each time. Ugh. Results below:

Exercise	Day 1	Day 15	Day 36	Day 50
Switch Kicks	59	68	76	77
Power Jacyk	56	69	71	72
Power Knees	85	120	125	130
Power Jumps	35	57	65	72
Globe Jumps	7	12	13	13
Suicide Jumps	13	21	23	25
Push Up Jacks	35	45	55	59
Low Plank Oblique	40	60	72	74

Marginally better in everything except Globe Jumps. Maybe in two more weeks I can get one more jump in. I'm kinda tired by that point though.

After the fit test I rested a bit (creating this post and updating my results) before going back for more Insanity. Today is the Max Interval Circuit. This is day 50 of the program. The Max workouts are still kicking my ass. I fail out every time. Maybe at the end of the next two weeks I'll get to where I can stay in every set. I do think doing Insanity has increased my overall cardio/endurance/stamina. Pushing hard for an hour (or 45 minutes the first month) really helped me with the run yesterday. Today's actual workout was just as bad as usual. By the time I got to the final set of intervals I was exhausted. I ended up cutting it a set short. The only other workout of the day was a walk around the lake with Kim and JJF late this evening. BodyBugg has me burning over 4700 calories on the day. Pretty good considering I didn't ride the bike today.

Dinner this evening was jerked Salmon, sauteed mushrooms with green beans and onions, and some scalloped potatoes. Dessert was a protein bar and a muffin.

Tomorrow is my shoulder day at the gym. I'm gonna have to alter my cardio a little tomorrow. My ankle is sore from having on my running shoes all day (they were tied too tight). Maybe I'll run in my Vibrams tomorrow!

Celebrating With a 10 Mile Run.

To celebrate my 1 year anniversary of The Diet I decided to do something I've never done before....I ran 10 miles.

Before the run I had a quick chest workout with mom. 3 sets of flat bench, 3 sets of incline bench, 3 sets of decline bench, and 3 sets of machine flies. Then I made my way to the treadmill. I've never attempted to run much more than 6 miles before. I've run 6 quite a few times, and then would walk the remaining time I had on the treadmill (until I hit 60 minutes). The first 7 miles were easy. I finished in under 60 minutes. I then had to stop and reset the treadmill (it will only allow you to use it for a max of 60 minutes). I then started my final 3 miles. No problem at all. I did slow my pace somewhat during the last 3 miles, finishing the entire run in around 86 minutes. So that was 7 miles in just under 60 (like 59:40 or something) and then the final 3 miles in around 26 minutes. The only bad part of the run was during the last mile and a half. My socks and shoes were soaked with sweat and I could feel my feet sloshing around in my shoes. But overall it was great. Very rewarding. Last year, I would have been unable to do anything near 10 miles. If someone was chasing me with a gun and was going to shoot me if I quit running, I'd be dead. I don't think I could have run a VERY slow mile last year. So again, very rewarding...

As a result of the longer run, I'm skipping Insanity today. Well, not skipping it, just pushing it to tomorrow. I've felt pretty good all afternoon, I just know there's no way I could possibly do one of the workouts with good form. Plus I'm scheduled to do a Fit Test as well. No thanks. I am gonna walk around the lake with JJF when it cools off a bit.

Food on the day has been good. Muffin and a NS scone for breakfast. Protein shake after the run. A NS lunch soup a little later. Dinner was a frozen Indian entree. Snacks were a sugar free jello pudding and a small cup of Greek yogurt. My last meal of the day was a bowl of granola and a muffin (I made a fresh batch and had to try one).

One Year Ago (before and after with pics)

One year ago today I began my effort to get back in shape. At the time I weighed somewhere between 280-290. The scales stopped at 270 so I'm really not sure what I weighed. I know my heaviest was around the 290 mark, but that may have been a little earlier. Anyway, here's a photo of me the day before I started (@280+) above a photo of me from a few days ago (~200).

I began the endeavor by using NutriSystem. From August through the end of February I ate nothing but NS foods (except for Thanksgiving and Xmas). It was the easiest thing I've ever done. Simple eating plan and it worked great. NS wasn't the only thing I was doing. I was working out as well. I had been working out for a year or so before beginning the diet, but I hadn't lost a pound.

When the diet began I thought I was really doing a lot of cardio. I was walking on the treadmill for about 30 minutes a day, and a couple of nights a week I was walking the dogs with Kim. As I started to lose weight I started to enjoy the cardio more and more. I joked with Kim one evening that maybe a good goal would be for me to get into good enough shape to run around the lake one day. The urge to attempt to run kept getting stronger and stronger and after a few days of running on the treadmill I ran a little one evening outside. 2 nights later I ran the entire route I'd hoped to complete one day. Before this I couldn't run from the living room to the kitchen. Now I could run ~2 miles! Today I run at least 3.5 everyday. Some days I run 6. To celebrate the one year anniversary of the diet I'm gonna run 10 miles. Along with the weight training and running I now also typically ride a spin bike around 30 minutes a day. For the past month and a half I've been doing Insanity Workouts as well. All that plus a 2 miles walking of the dogs most evenings makes up my daily workout.

I no longer drive myself crazy with trying to weigh and make sure I'm still losing weight. I've slowly transitioned from being all about losing weight each week to being healthy, fit, active, and happy. Now if I miss a day of training or eat unhealthy I feel bad. I feel almost sick. I can't eat the way/things I used to either. I've become a part time accidental vegetarian. Kim doesn't eat meat, and when I was eating only very restrictive foods it was easier to eat fake meats with her and I kinda grew to like them. Before the diet I would eat multiple steaks each week, maybe some BBQ ribs, and lots of fast food. I can't really eat steak anymore. It makes me sick. I haven't had ribs in over a year (sorry Dubs). About once a month, or while on vacation we'll have a bite of fast food. I'm never happy afterward, usually looking forward to getting back to my healthy eating. My diet is pretty clean and any greasy fatty food doesn't sit well with me. That's ok. I really don't miss it at all. I now enjoy lots of fish, grilled chicken, turkey, some salads, cereals, protein shakes, etc.

During the past year my body fat has dropped around 13%. Total pounds lost are somewhere around 80. I wore a size 40 waist, now a 32-33. I was having to buy XX-XXXL shirts. Now I wear L or XL. Crazy. I've gone from my workouts being mainly resistance (lifting) to now a good variety of intense cardio, pretty intense lifting, INSANE interval training, and enjoyable outdoor activities (like walking the dogs in the summer heat).

One of the main things that motivated me to start a diet was when Kim and I were on vacation in San Francisco last summer and she had to help carry some of my camera gear up a trail. She was afraid I was gonna have a heart attack. That along with the fact I saw a photo I was in and didn't recognize myself. Now I'm confident I can outlast Kim hiking and playing around outdoors. I'm really amazed at how much happier I am doing anything outside in the summer now. Last summer I just simply stayed indoors. This summer has been different. I'm not saying I love the crazy hot humid days we've been having, but I'm ok with it. When fall gets here I may go outside, start running and playing out with the dogs, and not come in until winter.

This spring Kim and ran in the South East Warrior Dash. I NEVER, EVER thought I'd run in any kinda race. Now I'd like to find a few different 5k or 10k races to run just so I can have something to motivate myself to train for. The Tough Mudder, USMC Mud Run, and Black Foot Mud Run (night run) all look fun too. Well, the Tough Mudder looks awful, but something to shoot for.

Here's a few more before/after photos.

And the after...

But here is my favorite new photo....

Of all the things that have happened over the past year that I'm so happy with (losing weight, running, being more fit, more healthy, etc.) the one that blows them all away is of course our engagement. Maybe when the wedding rolls around I'll push harder and "dig deeper" and get in even better shape! I'm so thankful that I'm in better overall health and look forward to a long, happy, healthy life with Kim!

So to any of you that are just starting your journey to better health, it can be done. If you're interested in following my daily exercise blog (and all of my past posts over the past year of eating and training) check it out here.

Weekend Fare

This weekend was about average as far as exercise goes. 4 mile run on Saturday. Dog walk, bike ride, Insane Abs, and rest on Sunday.

Eating was weird.

Saturday I got and had a bagel before the gym. Kim had planned to work all weekend, but her plans changed. Once I got in from the gym on Saturday we decided to go out for the evening in Chattanooga.

We ate dinner at 3 different restaurants, plus ice cream afterward. If you're interested in our Great Eating Adventure, check it out on our non-exercise blog here.

Sunday we ate at Harvest Moon Cafe in Rome for brunch. That was basically all I ate all day. Probably still ate too much on the day though.

Tomorrow's workout schedule is already altered. Kim & I have to go to Chattanooga in the AM. I'm sure we'll have Indian for lunch, then back home in time to workout (I hope). If not everything gets pushed back one day.

Woke Up Tired On Leg Day

I woke this morning a little before 8AM, checked my email (I'm waiting on a few important emails for my father), checked twitter, and decided to rest for just a minute more before getting breakfast. A moment later when I opened my eyes it was 10:30. WHAT? I felt exhausted still. Not really a great way to start the day. I ran downstairs, kissed the Pug, drank some coffee, had my breakfast of a muffin & a NS apple scone, forced down some water and got ready to train.

I'm already sore in weird places (like the inner and outer portions of my lower calves?) before the run and workout. Not really a good sign of things to come. Once at the gym I ran 3.5 miles of hills on the treadmill. I kept the pace relatively slow and steady for the entire run. The leg workout began with 3 sets of smith squats, then 3 sets of hack squats, followed by 3 sets of leg presses, and finally 3 sets of leg extensions. Hamstrings work began with 3 sets of lying leg curls (heavy) and then 3 sets of weighted hyper-extensions. The workout overall wasn't that bad today. I did have one terrible calf cramp in the middle of the workout, but otherwise everything felt pretty good.





Back at home I tried to slow down and drink some extra water as I let the dogs inside and took the Pug on a walk. It's hot, crazy hot here. After tending to the hounds I had a protein shake with a banana as my post workout/pre-Insanity meal. My workout got pushed a few hours later than I wanted due to some work I had to finish. Kinda ended up being a good thing as I was much more recovered by the time I started. Today's Insanity workout was Max Cardio Conditioning. It was again very hard. I failed out on lots of sets. My form was much better today on football drills and suicide drills. All in all a good workout. Tomorrow is Core Cardio and Balance.

Dinner this evening was tortilla soup, NS veggie fajitas and veggie chorizo served on lite bread. We shared a small amount of ice cream after dinner. No walk this evening as rain showers have moved in.

I plan on running tomorrow, as long as my legs aren't freaky sore (they're already a little sore tonight). The run, plus a ride on the bike, a walk, and Insanity should make for an eventful day.

6 Miles & Crazy Sweat

No Insanity today. Luckily that was the plan all along. I had a good bit of bookwork to do this morning and an appointment late this evening, so I knew it was gonna be hard to squeeze it in. My only workout of the day was done at the gym. I ran 6 miles in around 53 minutes, then I walked for about 15 more minutes trying to cool off. After the run I trained arms. 3 sets of triceps press downs, 3 sets of rope press downs, and 3 sets of reverse grip press downs. Biceps was 3 sets of seated incline dumbbell curls & 3 sets of standing dumbbell curls. I noticed while doing my seated biceps work I had perspired so much I was leaving little (large) puddles everywhere I stood as I trained. I was actually sweating so much the puddles of sweat had suds/bubbles (for lack of better term). That's an impressive amount of sweat, even for me. I was a good gym person & mopped up all of the sweat with my gym towel. I might sweat like crazy, but I'm not nasty and rude with it.

Food today was not so great. Breakfast was a muffin and yogurt. Lunch was a protein bar and post workout meal was a frozen Indian Dinner. Late afternoon I had part of another muffin before going to my meeting. After the meeting my first dinner was 4 small Real Mexican Tacos! Al Pastor, Cabeza, Barbocoa, and Lengua! My second dinner was a little (or a lot) of some type of baked spaghetti my mother made. My third dinner was a bowl of cereal and a protein bar after I got home tonight. Plus another 1/2 muffin. I was crazy hungry tonight.



Tomorrow is another good run followed by a leg workout. Then Insanity later in the day. Somewhere during the day I gotta squeeze in a bike ride and a dog walk. Hope I sleep well...

Exhausted

I had a decent run around lunch today to begin my training. The first two miles were in just under 15:20, and then I slowed a little for the third mile. After the third mile I walked a bit to cool off before starting my shoulder workout. The workout began with 3 sets of hammer strength shoulder presses, then 3 sets of side lateral raises, followed by 3 sets of rope pulley upright rows, then 3 sets of machine rear delts, and finally 3 sets of shoulder shrugs.

The next part of my daily routine was the Insanity Max Interval Plyo workout. I did good for the first 1/2 of the workout. The next 10 minutes I ground to a halt. With around 20 minutes left I had to stop, hit pause, and rest in the floor. I thought that maybe if I waited around 5 or 10 minutes and recovered I could finish the workout. I tried and made it about a minute. I felt completely drained. I'd had about 64 oz of water just before and during the workout, so I wasn't dehydrated, I was just tired. I decided I needed food and ate a frozen Indian dinner.

When Kim got home this evening we went grocery shopping before going on our evening walk with Jumping Jack Flash. The walk was my only other exercise of the day. I skipped the spin bike all together.

I'm probably gonna skip the Insanity Recovery workout tomorrow. I think I'll run a little more than usual instead. I have a good bit of work to do tomorrow, so it'll be hard to squeeze in the Insanity anyway.

Full Hungry Day

Today has been one of those days where I have been hungry all day long. I've manged it well, to a point. I've eaten healthy foods all day, just too much of them.

My day began with a muffin and yogurt. I then rode the spin bike for thirty minutes before my morning conference call. Afterward I had half a granola bar and got ready for my daily visit to the gym. A 3+ mile started my workout before training back. I began with 3 sets of pull-ups, followed by 3 sets of pull-downs, then 3 sets of hammer strength iso-lateral rows, and finished with 3 sets of T-bar rows.

Back at home I had a turkey sandwich before my Insanity workout. Today was the Max Interval Circuit. Very hard. Again I did better than last week, but still hard. I drank 4 pounds of water during the workout (and nearly vomited the last half right at the end). After the Insanity I had a protein shake (with a banana thrown in) to recover.

For dinner I basically started eating (after I could stand again after the Max Interval Circuit) and didn't stop for hours. I first had some left over chana sag (spinach and chick peas) with rice. Not much, but it was good. Then I ate a frozen Mexican meal (around 400 calories). Then I ate a large bowl of granola cereal. So now for dinner I've had well over 1000 calories.

I made myself stop eating and go on a walk around 8PM. JJF and I walked about 2 1/2 miles around the lake. Once back home I continued eating. A muffin, a NS cinnamon bun, a little cheese, and finally a NS brownie. The bad thing is I'm still hungry as I'm finishing up this post and going to bed. At least I can eat breakfast when I get up in the morning. Which may be very early, 'cause I'm STARVING!

Catching Up

So I missed an Insanity Workout over the weekend. I knew my schedule today was gonna be altered due to a conference call at 11AM, so I decided to catch up on my missed workout this morning. Around 9:30 I started Max Plyo and finished up just as my father arrived for the call. We waited around for 30 minutes before contacting the other party only to realize the call was actually scheduled for Tuesday at 11. So we'll be meeting again tomorrow morning for the call. The good news is the Max Plyo workout was easier today. Not so much easier, well not at all really, but I handled it much better. I did fail out and need rest on some of the exercises, but overall I did fairly well.

I didn't make it to the gym until around 1PM. It felt considerably hotter than usual inside. Not sure if it really was or if I was just already hot from earlier. It really doesn't matter, it's so hot outside here (96-98 today) you can only cool a building so much. Anyway, I started with a 3+ mile jog (varied speeds between 6-8mph) then walked about 10 minutes to cool down. My chest workout today consisted of 3 sets of flat hammer strength presses, 3 sets of incline presses, 3 sets of decline presses, and 2 sets of machine flies. After my second set of flies I felt like I was pretty well spent and called it quits one set early.

Back at home I readied myself for the second round of Insanity on the day. Max Cardio. Again, MUCH better this time than last week. I was really a little worried about how poorly I preformed last week with the new workouts, but now I feel much better after doing better on both workouts today. This is how I'll do the Fit Test from now on as well. Fit Test in the AM, workout in the PM. Kim, JJF, and I walked around the lake as the sun went down and the temps dropped for my final exercise of the day.

Diet was pretty good today. Muffin and yogurt for breakfast. Granola as a snack before the gym. Left over chana sag after the gym. Turkey late in the afternoon. Dinner was a tiny bite of fake chicken, green beans, squash, and salad. After dinner I had some granola cereal and 1/2 a muffin. The BodyBugg has me burning over 4500 calories on the day. Not too shabby.

Tomorrow is Max Interval Circuit for Insanity & a back workout at the gym.

Weekend

This weekend I ended up skipping my Insanity workout. I was a little tired on Friday evening and planned to move the Insanity from Saturday to Sunday.

Saturday morning I got some breakfast for Kim and I at a local little burger stand called Big Dang Burgers (& Biscuits). They have some big dang biscuits.... I brought our breakfast home so Kim could have breakfast in bed. Later in the afternoon I went to the gym for some cardio. 6 miles later I was finished. I now have a new rule concerning running; never run after eating gravy and biscuits. Back at home I later rode the spin bike for half an hour before walking with Kim and JJF around dark.

Sunday I decided not to do Insanity because my left knee was bothering me. I did make it to the gym for 30 minutes of cardio. I ran for 15 and then hit the elliptical for 15. I made myself leave after the 30. I felt like I wasn't doing enough, but I really wanted to rest my knee. The only other exercise on the day was a walk around the lake this evening with Kim and Jumping Jack Flash.

All in all not a bad weekend. Much better than last. Eating wasn't great, but again, better than last weekend. Friday night we had Indian, Saturday night was grilled chicken with my parents (Kim had a grilled veggie burger), and Sunday (our only real meal) was at the Chinese Buffet. I actually showed some self restraint at the buffet and left not feeling so miserable.

Back at it full tilt tomorrow.

Run & Skunk

Today began with me actually waking up nearly on time. A muffin and some granola cereal for breakfast then I was off to the gym.

I had been arguing with myself all night as to what I would do for cardio today and I hadn't come up with an answer when I stepped onto the treadmill. I decided I'd just start running and stop when I got tired, train legs, then run some more. I ran nearly 6.7 miles before I stopped. I finished 6 miles in ~51 minutes then slowed a little at the end and walked a little to cool down. Legs began with 3 sets of leg presses, then 3 sets of true squats, followed by 3 sets of leg extensions. Hamstrings consisted of only 2 exercises. 3 sets of seated leg curls & 3 sets of weighted hyper-extensions. While at the gym I took in 4 pounds of water.

Back at home I had a protein shake, rested a little, then got ready for Insanity. Today was Max Interval Circuit. I did decent with the workout. Towards the end I was quite tired, but pushed through as best I could. The full body drill at the end kills me. It's a combination of 4 various drills in the plank position, done in one big set, 3 times each interval. After that I'm just spent.

Once I finished up with Insanity for the day I cooled off yet again, I decided I had time to get on the spin bike before Kim got home. I made it 15 minutes. I gave up on any more cardio and decided to eat some turkey as a snack. I was trying very hard not to eat too much during the day.

We went out for dinner this evening. Sitar in Chattanooga. It's our favorite little Indian place. Kim had fish tikka masala and I had chicken tikka masala. Of course I had to have a mango lasi and some chai tea. We also ordered some garlic naan and puri. I also ordered some chana sag to bring home and eat tomorrow. Dessert was a few bites of Ice Cream back here in Ctown.

Just as we were pulling in the driveway on our way home, the horrible, powerful, sickening smell of wet skunk hit us (in the car with the windows rolled up!). We got out of the car and were greeted by our Jack Russell. Yep, he'd been sprayed by a skunk again. This is the second time in as many weeks. You'd think he'd learn to leave skunks alone....

Max Recovery

Thursday again began with me oversleeping a little. I beginning to think I'm just exhausted from training. I began the day with a muffin, yogurt, and a NS Cinniamon Bun Bar before heading to the gym

I decided to do something different with my cardio. Instead of just 30 minutes and then training, I'd do 30, train, then 30 more. I started off doing 1/2 of the 10K personal training program on the treadmill before training arms. The lifting started with 3 sets of overhead presses, then 3 sets of dumbbell overhead presses, and finally 3 sets of press downs for triceps. Biceps began with 3 sets of seated incline curls and ended with 3 sets of standing hammer curls. I returned to the treadmill for 10 minutes, then moved on to the elliptical for 20 more.

Once back at home I had my lunch of a turkey sandwich and a NS oatmeal cookie before resting for a bit. Then it was time for Insanity. Today's Insanity Workout was Max Recovery. ~ 50 minutes of stretching, light cardio, and somewhat difficult plank/push-up/squat work. The most difficult part of any of the workouts for me (other than the initial shock of the workout in general) has been trying to do push-ups while already being sore, and being sure of my footing/hand positions while jumping/pushing on the floor. I've caught myself twice falling (almost face/nose first) because I've perspired so much my hands are slick while doing push-ups. I need a yoga mat or something.

After Insanity I had some left over veggie meat hamburger helper and a NS Brownie. After finishing some bookwork and a little more rest I rode the spin bike for 30 minutes. That was the end of my cardio for the day. Storm clouds moved in and I didn't get to walk.

My other meals on the day were a NS Lunch Entree of Pasta with Beef (I'm trying to eat as much of the NS stuff as I can, just so we can finally get rid of it all) and a LC Lasagna dinner.

Tomorrow is leg day.....I'm gonna try to do a split cardio thing again. 30 before, train, 30 after. Not sure how my legs will cooperate. I'm trying to get myself used to doing more than 30 minutes of running at a time. Just in case I ever want to try to run something longer than a 5k. Like the USMC Mud Run, or the Tough Mudder....

Max Cardio

Today began much like yesterday, with me oversleeping. I guess I'm just exhausted and need the rest. I have been staying up a little late as Kim works on her computer, but not much past midnight. Anyway, once I got up and had some coffee I had my first meal of the day, a muffing and a half, and a cup of yogurt. I think it was around 400 calories total.

My workouts for the day began at the gym with a flat, faster paced run. I varied the pace constantly and finished 3 miles in 24:25. Not bad considering I'm only doing quicker paced runs once or twice a week. After the run I cooled down by walking for the rest of my 30 minutes of allotted treadmill time and then got ready to train shoulders. 3 sets of hammer strength military presses, 3 sets of cable upright rows, 3 sets of Bodymaster's machine side lateral raises, 3 sets of shoulder shrugs, and finally 3 sets of Bodymaster's rear delts.

After the gym I returned home for a protein shake and some rest before having to help my family move more furniture. After loading a moving van/trailer full of furniture (in 95 degree/105 degree heat index temps) I came home and had a turkey sandwich. Once I finished my sandwich I began pacing the floor, trying to get motivated to start today's Insanity Workout, which is Max Cardio & Conditioning. It was AWFUL. I failed out on every exercise following the warm up. Some were kinda easy, but because of the other KILLER exercises, I failed out on the easy ones as well. I hope I react to it like I did after the first time I did the Pure Cardio workout. I had a lot of trouble at first with Pure Cardio, but it ended up being my favorite workout from month 1. I don't know that Max Cardio will ever by my fav. Following the workout I collapsed onto the floor where the Pug attacked me with her incessant licking of my face (she loves sweat). Once I was able to stand I grabbed a cold bottle of water from the fridge, drank a few long gulps, and thew up. Cool, I know. I actually kinda almost passed out during one of the water breaks in the middle of the workout. I had to grab the side of the sofa and hang on for a sec. Like I've always said, if you're vomiting and passing out during/after a workout, that's a sure sing of a decent workout.

Once the sun began to set a little Kim and I called for JJF and took off on a walk. Did I mention it's crazy hot here? Just a little humid too. I was soaked (my 3rd change of clothes on the day) after about 1/2 a mile. I can't wait for some cooler weather. I may jog all day long once the temps stay in the 60's.

Dinner tonight was feat. Fake meat mixed into hamburger helper. Plus a small salad and some pineapple. Dessert this evening was a muffin and a NS cookie!

Tomorrow is arm day and Max Recovery. I feel like I need some recovery....

Max Plyo

The day began with me oversleeping a bit. I was exhasuted from yesterday. Once awake and coffee'd up, I had granola cereal and yogurt for breakfast.

Since I arrived at the gym a little late (like 45 minutes) mom had already finished up her cardio. We jumped right into a back workout. 2 sets of pathetic pull-ups, 3 sets of pull downs, 3 sets of hammer iso-lateral pull downs, 3 sets of hammer rows, and 3 sets of t-bar rows. THEN I jumped on the treadmill. I ran the Hill program again. 6mph until the program more or less was over and then 7mph for the final few minutes of the 30 minute run.

After the gym I had a turkey sandwich before heading out for some errands and a trip to the grocery store. I needed to stock up on chicken and turkey. Back home again I chilled for a minute while trying to get mentally prepared for the Max Plyo Insanity Workout. For me, it was the most difficult workout so far. I actually had to stop and rest at the end. As luck would have it, my mom dropped by just when I needed the rest. We had a Ninjaed Ice Crystal Light Thingy. She liked it so much she ordered a Ninja this evening! I finished the final few minutes of the workout a little later. Not my finest exercise moment, having to take a break. I realized that while the people on the DVD were jumping in the air during an exercise, I was not. I was trying, I just wasn't really leaving the ground on my jump. Kinda pathetic.

After recovering from Insanity, I had a NS lunch meal of cheese tortellini and a blueberry muffin. Sounds great, I know. I just was still very hungry after the NS. Following the meal I turned on the TV and watched an episode of The West Wing (currently being replayed on Bravo) as I rode the spin bike for half an hour.

Dinner this evening was a LC Baja Wrap of some sort. Pretty good. After dinner I grabbed JJF and took off on our evening walk. Kim had to work late, so again it was just the dog and I.

Later, while watching the Braves game I had my final meal of the day. Another muffin and some jello pudding!

Fit Test Number 3

Sunday = REST. I had planned to run & do Insanity. My right foot was sore (from the 6 mile run) late Saturday night and all day Sunday. Rest was required.

Monday began my 6th week of Insanity. This week everything moves to the MAX portion of the workouts. Max circuit, max recovery, etc. My Insanity workout this afternoon began with the Fit Test. This is my 3rd time going through the test. I again did better on each exercise. I'm actually doing better than the numbers indicate. The first time I took the test, it was the only thing I did that day. Today I had already run, trained, and moved some furniture with my parents. So here's the latest fit test results:

Exercise	Day 1	Day 15	Day 36
Switch Kicks	59	68	76
Power Jacyk	56	69	71
Power Knees	85	120	125
Power Jumps	35	57	65
Globe Jumps	7	12	13
Suicide Jumps	13	21	23
Push Up Jacks	35	45	55
Low Plank Oblique	40	60	72

I made the mistake of doing the Max Circuit workout immediately following the Fit Test. Doh! The first month's workouts are around 40 minutes each. This one was 60. I was dead by the end. Actually, I was in pretty bad shape during the warm up....During the workout I drank over 70 ounces of water. That's over 4 pounds of water. Crazy.

Prior to the Insanity Workout this afternoon, I trained around 11AM this morning. I began the workout with an easy 3 mile run using the Hill Program on the treadmill. Next I moved on to my chest workout. 3 sets of flat presses, 3 set of incline presses, and 3 sets of decline presses.

Late this evening JJF and I headed out on our evening walk. Kim has been feeling a little under the weather, so she didn't join us for the stroll.

I did get in some other non-training exercise today. I helped move an old bedroom suite that belonged to my grandmother. We loaded it up, moved it across town, then carried it up a flight of stairs at my parents' house. Later in the afternoon I was surprised to discover my father and our friend Robein cutting down an old, dead tree in my back yard. I gathered the hounds and brought them inside, and went out to help them get rid of the fallen tree. The work wasn't hard on either occasion, it's just very humid and warm here.

Food today has been terrific. Granola and yogurt early this morning, A turkey sandwich with a single slice of cheese for lunch (I've now given up low-fat mayo). For snacks I had some chocolate PB, a NS cookie, and 1/2 a NS granola bar. Dinner was a LC Thai Style Chicken and Noodle dinner. I also had some granola later to get in enough calories for the day.

Tomorrow I'll train back at the gym, Insanity during the afternoon, walk and spin as usual. I'm excited (terrified) to see what the next Insanity workout is. As I'm finishing up this post, my BodyBugg has me already burning over 5000 calories and it's not quite 11PM. I blew past my goal of reaching 5K one day this week. Maybe I'll get close every day!

6 Miles of Hills

Today began with Kim and I having a lovely breakfast together at home. We had facon, fake eggs, and a bagel. Actually I had a bagel, she had tomatoes.

I decided not to do my Insanity workout today. Instead I ran 6 miles. I kept the pace relatively slow, but ran hills the entire time. BodyBugg had me burning over 1100 calories. I'm not gonna say the run was easy, but it sure wasn't hard. Just long. After I finished up on the treadmill I did another mile on the elliptical to cool off. Back at home I rode the spin bike for 15 minutes, then went on a walk with JJF. Kim walked a little bit with us, but turned back after about 1/2 a mile. She's been feeling bad (sore throat, etc.) all day.

My other meals on the day consisted of a turkey sandwich for lunch, 2 low fat apple muffins, and a few olives during the day. Dinner was jerked salmon, au gratin potatoes, and squash Dessert was Skinny Cow! Decent with my meals today.

Tomorrow I'll get in an Insanity Workout for sure, probably a run, and then a walk. That's my plan....

Legs, An Attempted Pug Party, Beef Tongue, & Ice Cream

Another Friday and that means it's LEG DAY!

I began the day with a muffin and some yogurt before heading to the gym. I arrived about an hour later than usual and ran 3+ miles using the Hill Program on the treadmill. Next came the leg workout proper. 3 sets of smith squats, 3 sets of true squats, 2 sets of leg presses, and 2 sets of leg extensions for quads. Hams began with 3 sets of seated leg curls, 2 sets of very light stiff leg dead lifts, and finally 3 sets of weighted hyper-extensions.

After the workout I had a protein shake before grabbing the pug and heading back to the gym for a Pug Party. Unfortunately, Belle (my pug) was scared of Emma (L's pug). That combined with a minor disturbance at the front desk at the gym made me decide to give up on the Pug Party a little quickly. Belle was actually terrified. I don't know why. She actually jumped (as well as a pug can) up into my arms. One home all was well again in Pug Land. She immediately began to battle with JJF.

Next up I rode the spin bike for 30 minutes before having a bowl of granola cereal.

A little before Kim got in from work I got in my Insanity Workout for the day. Again, it is the Core Cardio & Balance workout. Still gotta do it twice more over the weekend before starting the second 30 days of the program. Excited to get at it next week. With the longer Insanity workouts coming up, I think I have a real chance to have some 5000+ calorie burn days. I've come close quite a few times, even 4900+, but I've never hit 5k. Something to shoot for.

Tonight for dinner we went to a local Mexican place so we could grab some tortas. I wanted an Al Pastor torta. They were still out of Al Pastor, so I opted for Lengua (beef tongue). It was pretty good, but I only ate about half. I also had a very small (Mexican style) chorizo taco. Before all that we split some flour chips with cheese dip and salsa. After dinner we again had some ice cream. It was crazy good.

Tomorrow is all cardio, with maybe a few sets of abs at the gym. I think we're gonna grill out for dinner. Maybe some jerked salmon. Sunday is Rest Day! I think I'm still gonna do something. Insanity and a walk? Sounds good.

Almost Broke My Ankle

I began today with a little longer run than usual. 4.5 miles at various speeds. Up to 9MPH for a bit. Nearly broke my ankle in the process. Afterward I trained arms with my mother. 3 sets of press downs, 3 sets of overhead dumbbell presses, and 3 sets of rope press downs for triceps. Biceps began with 3 sets of seated incline dumbbell curls and ended with 3 sets of standing heavy hammer curls. Once back home from the gym I rode the spin bike for 30 minutes and got in my Insanity Workout late in the evening. We tried to walk late, but only got in about a mile before some large storms moved into the area.

Breakfast was a muffin and yogurt. Post workout I had a protein shake plus a banana. Late afternoon I had a turkey sandwich. Dinner was a LC Pizza. After dinner we had a little Ice Cream ('cause it was still like 100 degrees outside). During the day I also had a NS cookie, a Skinny Cow bar, and some rice cakes. Probably around 2200 calories on the day (a little high) and I burned ~4700.

Tomorrow is legs! Yippee! I'm gonna try to eat very light all day (breakfast, shake, and maybe a light snack, basically keep it under 1000 calories) and then eat an Al Pastor Torta for dinner. That's my goal anyway.

Shoulders & Baking

I've been on a muffin kick for a while. I love the Isabella Bakery Low Fat Blueberry Muffins, but I have a hard time finding them at the local Kroger. I LOVE the Kroger Double Chocolate Chip Muffins, but they have ~500 calories. I've decided to bake some muffins myself. Nothing too difficult, just store bought mixes. First I'm trying some chocolate chip muffins. I'm using egg beaters instead of real eggs and otherwise following the directions. Each muffin will have ~200 calories. Next time I'm trying some low fat Blueberry.

Today began with a NS Double Chocolate Muffin and a bowl of granola. Once I arrived at the gym I joined DJ & L on the treadmill for a 3+ mile run. Seemed very easy today having someone else there. I ran the hills program & they did different stuff (5x5x5, I think). After the treadmill I trained shoulders. 3 sets of military presses, 3 sets of side lateral raises, 3 sets of upright cable rows, 3 sets of rear delts, and 3 sets of shoulder shrugs.

After the gym I had a Lean Body Protein shake with a banana before jumping on the spin bike for 30 minutes. Afterward I had one of my favorite LC meals, Chicken Carbonara. After eating I baked my muffins and crossed my fingers. I was also a little bored, so I took some pics of the muffins....












I had to try one after they cooled off. Pretty tasty & ~200 calories. They should fit into my breakfast menu well.

After my Betty Crocker moment, I got in my Insanity workout for the day. All week I have the same workout. Core Cardio & Balance. Easy and I still burned around 400 calories. I'm excited/nervous about next week. I think the workouts get longer and harder. It'll be fun though!

All that's left on the day is a walk with JJF. Kim has to work late so it'll just be the two of us. If he chases a skunk and gets sprayed again, he might get to sleep in the outside dog house....

A Day in the Car

Tuesday I spent the majority of the day driving around Atlanta. From around 10Am until after 6PM. We viewed 9 different properties during the day. Before the trek began, I went to the gym and ran 3 miles on the Hill Routine and then trained back. 3 sets of pull downs, 3 sets of hammer pull downs, and 3 sets of hammer rows. I didn't have time for anything else.

Not so great day eating. Before the gym I had a lowfat blueberry muffin and afterward I had a bowl of granola cereal. During the drive I had a large Supreme Protein Bar, a Kellog's granola bar, and 2 Blue Rockstars. Dinner was Mexican. Cheese dip, flour chips, a chorizo taco, and 2/3 of a torta.

Around dusk, Kim, Jumping Jack Flash and I took our usual evening walk. It was lovely, until we got home. Near home we began to smell a burnt smell. Kinda like an electrical fire. After we got back to the house left out to go to the grocery store (and Jack ran in as we walked out) the smell was much stronger. Like a chemical weapon. Once back home and inside the house we realized it was a skunk & Jack was rotten with it. He smells awful & now so do we. So does our house. So does our lake. He smelled so bad when we got home he hid in the fire place. This is possible the worst smell I've ever come across and it'll be with us for days....

Recovery Week

Sunday = Rest Day (still burned almost 3400 calories).

Today begins my Recovery Week on the Insanity Workout. 6 days of Core Cardio and Balance before starting month 2 of the program next Monday.

My actual training today began with a 3 mile run on the Random program on the treadmill. Following the treadmill I trained chest. 3 sets of machine presses, 3 sets of incline machine presses, 3 sets of decline machine presses, and 3 sets of cable flies. Back at home I rode the spin bike for 30 minutes and then washed our old 4runner we use in lieu of a 4wheeler. Insanity followed later in the day. No walk this evening (due to thunder storms and torrential rain), so I may end up spinning again late.

Good day with my food intake. Breakfast was a low fat blueberry muffin, & post workout meal was a protein shake. Post spin was 1/4 of a protein bar, a NS chocolate chip cookie, and a turkey sandwich. Dinner tonight is fake meat steak (fake steak), mashed potatoes, and later on a little NS granola bar.

Tomorrow will be an altered day. I'm headed out with my father for a long day of looking at some properties. My job? Navigation. I'm the only one who can operate a GPS device. So I'm planning on running and training at the gym early (for me that's around 8) and then spinning and Insanity whenever I make it back home. Don't know what I'll do about eating while gone. I need to plan that out tonight.

Legs On a Saturday

Still being a day behind I had to train legs on Saturday.

My morning began with Kim and I making breakfast at home. She had a zucchini & onion, fake egg omelet. I had a facon, egg beaters, and cheese sandwich, a slice of bread with my new apple cider jelly, and a cup of yogurt. Yum!

After dreading, moaning, and crying about having to go to the gym I ended up having a great workout. I started out the treadmill running the hill program, at 6mph, for 30 minutes. After the run I decided to alter my usual exercises. I began the workout with 3 sets of smith squats, then 3 sets of true squats, and finally 3 sets of leg presses for quads. Hamstrings began with 3 sets of seated leg curls and the workout ended with weighted hyper-extensions. I burned 900+ calories at the gym.

I came home and had to grilled jerked chicken breasts before starting my Insanity workout for the day. The workout was the Plyo Cardio Circiut. I decided to try the workout in my Vibrams. The workout is always hard, but with the FiveFingers shoes on I had an extra tough calf workout.
My Vibrams pictured below.


I rested during the afternoon until the sun went down a little and the temps dropped. Kim and I walked our usual route around the lake. It was still hot. Like 85 with a heat index of 93. After we got going it was actually kinda pleasant. Really muggy, but not oppressive like an hour earlier. No spin bike on the day. I was just to tired.

Dinner was fake meat (we now call it Feat, sounds delicious, right?) tacos. So it was Feat Tacos for me and Kim had crab legs. I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but I'm starting to prefer the veggie meats to real meat. With the feat there's no chance I'll end up feeling bad from to much grease in the food.

We tried a new treat late last evening. Kim decided to try putting some Ice into the Ninja and then add some crystal light. It made a nice little slushy/snow cone. I made one using my favorite orange crystal light flavor. Basically a 0-20 calorie dessert.

As I write this on Sunday morning, my legs are already sore. Cardio will be an adventure today. I'm gonna try to run, spin, and walk. At least I don't have an Insanity workout to do. All next week the Insanity workouts are Core Cardio and Balance during what the program calls the Recovery Week. I think since starting Insanity my body fat has dropped over 1.5%. I don't want to give all of the credit to Insanity, but it sure didn't hurt. During the past month, while during Insanity, I've also run 3 miles, worked out, rode the spin bike, and walked almost every day. I hope over the next 5 weeks of Insanity I get similar results. If I do I might just restart the program after finishing.

Trainin Hard and Throwing Up.....

After my lost day yesterday, I made sure I trained hard and ate well today.

The morning started off with me having to work a little, which put me getting to the gym about an hour late. No problem though. I began my gym time with a fast(er) run than of late. The first two miles were in under 16 minutes and the third was finished under 24:30. I did run a few low intensity hills with the quicker pace, but then really increased the incline the final 5 minutes. By the time I had 30 minutes in I was very hot and almost dizzy feeling. I rested a minute and then began my arm workout. 3 sets of press downs, 3 sets of overhead barbell presses, and 3 sets of overhead dumbbell presses for triceps. Biceps began with 3 sets of straight bar curls, followed by 3 sets of seated incline dumbbell curls, and finally 3 sets of standing hammer curls. I couldn't go as heavy as last week with the hammer curls, but was within 5 pounds. I was so exhausted and borderline sick during the workout that I kinda vomited in my mouth between sets while training biceps. Who pukes training arms? I guess being exhausted from the run and combined with the general soul sucking heat we've been experiencing here in GA, I'm lucky I'm not puking and passing out every workout.

My Insanity Workout today was Pure Cardio and Cardio abs. Lots of running, jumping, twisting, and kicking during the Pure Cardio portion. The abs workout is pretty quick, but leaves me lying in the floor, in near whole body cramps at the conclusion. I burned around 800 calories from the Insanity session today (workout time plus some cool down).

Kim and I walked as soon as the temps dropped from the afternoon heat index of 105. Crazy hot here now. We walked without Jumping Jack Flash tonight because he has gone to visit with my parents and their dogs.

My spin session came later in the evening than usual. I was just too tired to ride when I initially came in from the gym. I climbed on during the Braves game.

My eating was much better today. I had a NS blueberry muffin, facon, and yogurt for breakfast. Post workout I had a protein shake (Labrada Lean Body, calorie free caramel sauce, a frozen banana, and a spoon full of chocolate peanut butter), and it was fantastic. After Insanity I had another yogurt, a few olives, and a sugar free jello pudding. Dinner tonight was veggie sailsbury steak (it was good!), carrots, and green beans. After our walk I had a final bowl of cereal. ~1800 calories on the day. BB has me burning 4800+.

Since I'm a day behind, I get to train legs tomorrow. Oh Joy! At least I get to have a nutritious breakfast with Kim first.

Lost Day

Well, I knew today had the potential to get wrecked, and sure enough, it did. No gym, no run, no walk, no insanity, no spin. Good breakfast of granola and yogurt, good lunch at Subway. Afternoon meal of a frozen Indian dish and 2 NS cookies. Dinner sucked, nutritionally. It tasted great. I had a Al Pastor Torta, along with some flour tortilla chips & cheese dip. Yup, by dinner I had resigned myself to a lost day and ate out. Finally, late this evening I had yet another NS dessert and some more granola. Pretty bad day overall. I did manage to secure some flooring for Kim's parents. It was supposed to be wood, but ended up being some kinda weird vinyl laminate. I did get a little ab work out in during the day. As dad & I were walking through an abondened warehouse we're interested in purchasing, in the dark, without a flashlight, dad managed to avoid the hole in the floor I noticed and pointed out, only to stumble into the largest, black water, nastiest, knee deep hole in the entire building. After I realized he wasn't hurt and was in fact already laughing at himself, I doubled over with laughter. I laughed so hard my abs cramped up on me. It was classic. He had to wear his golfing shoes the rest of the day. Good times.