I hate Leg Day

Of all my workouts, my least favorite is Leg day, I dread it. It’s also arguably, the most important. After all it’s your legs that hold you up every day.   And of all the Leg exercises, the Squat is the best over-all exercise.  The squat works your Quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves and lower back. But Leg Day is so important that I make sure to do it every week.  Leg day is the most taxing on me. My heart is really beating heavy, I sweat the most on leg day and I’m totally spent after that workout.

I plan the following weeks work-outs right after my last workout of the present week. I set new goals according to what I did in the previous week. I either add weights or reps to each exercise or change an exercise.  Even with the goals & plans during most workouts I do extra sets or reps in addition to my goals or sometimes even add an exercise after I finished my planned exercises. But I dread  leg day so much that I just  stick to my plan and only do what I have written down.  I get in and get it done and get out. That’s the way you have to do it for exercises or workouts that need to be done but you don't particularly enjoy (or anything else that needs to be done, for that matter). Don’t even think about it, just do it.

One day I’ll learn to love Squats and Lunges, but right now for me, they are just a necessary evil. And hopefully they will help me with my cycling, come springtime.

Original Goal Met 1 Month Early

I reached my original weight goal a month early.  My original goal was 185lbs. by New Years Day, I hit that this morning, one month early. When I was 220lbs. that goal seemed almost impossible to me (35 lbs. by January 1^st, I must be dreaming) , but I was going to try anyway.  In the middle of October I realized it was a very attainable and passable goal. So I revised the goal to 180 lbs. by New Years.  Now even that goal is coming up fast. At my current rate of weight loss I will reach that goal by mid-December.  But I think I’ll just keep going until January 1^st  and then stop wherever I’m at, at that point. 

I might even add some calories to my daily diet now, to slow down the weight loss. But then again I would love to lose those saddle bags around my waist that seem to be the last to go. They are hanging on for dear life, and 175 lbs. doesn’t seem too bad of a weight.  Different  “Ideal Weight” formulas give you different ideal weights. I’m 6’ tall and depending on the formula I use I should be anywhere from  139 lbs. – 193 lbs. Most of these formulas don’t take different body frame sizes into consideration, or if you are muscular or not. So I take all the advice with a grain of salt. I go by how I feel and how I look, for the most part.

I’ve been losing an average of around 3.25 lbs. a week. But if you consider that I lost 9 lbs. the first week (mostly water weight) the average comes down to about 2.75 lbs. a week. I had 1 plateau where I was stuck at 211 lbs. for 6 days straight.  Otherwise it was mostly downwards.  So I’m going to celebrate today with a tablespoon of all-natural peanut butter before bed.

So now I have to start thinking about my goals for the New Years. I have a general idea of what I want to do, but I need to make a specific goal, with a specific plan and then act on it. I’ll keep you posted.

My Work-Outs & Gym

Today I’d like to talk about what I do for Physical Activity and Exercise. You don’t need a gym membership or even fancy equipment.  I have a basic set of dumbbells, with enough plates to challenge my muscles during a work-out. Weights are extremely inexpensive, around $1 a pound.  You can even find them cheaper if you search hard enough. I also have an EZ Curl bar, an adjustable work-out bench, and an, “IronGym” Chin-Up bar.

My work-out area is no more than 4’ X 9’,  a little small, but I can do everything I need to do in that limited space.  Lunges, Side Laterals and  Dumbell Flyes  need the most room, but I make it work.

Now for my work-outs… Every day I get to work 30 minutes early and walk 1.75 to 2 miles around the parking lot. Walking can get a bit boring, so I am lucky enough to have a friend to walk with…  It also makes the time go by faster.  It’s a good warm-up for your workday and if your body is warmed up, there’s less chance of an injury from pulling, pushing and lifting if you have a labor intensive job, which I do. Some days during down time at work, I can find a quiet corner and sneak in some push-ups, lunges or dips. Whatever I can do at work is a bonus, I figure.

After work I do my Weight Training, I’ll get into all the benefits of lifting in another  post, including Fat Loss while sleeping.  It’s usually recommended to do 3 Full Body work-outs a week when you are a beginner. I have to be different as usual, but I’m not a total beginner. The way I do it is I concentrate on one or two body parts a day.  This way I can focus my mind on that part before my work-out… the whole Mind-Body connection thing, that’s another post though.   

Saturday is Chest / triceps day

Sunday is Back/ Bi’s day

Monday is Shoulders & Abs… 

Tuesday is the dreaded Leg Day

Wednesday is Triceps/ Chest

Thursday  Biceps/ Back workout 

Friday is an off day.

Lately I’ve been trying to do each body part twice a week, once with heavy weights and less reps & once with lighter weights and more reps.  I usually do 4 sets on the main compound exercise for that workout and 3 sets for the remaining exercises. 4 or 5 exercises for each major body part and 2 or 3 exercises for the secondary muscles. My work-outs take 45 minutes at the most.

The heavy workouts are basically 3 sets of 6-8 reps, and the lighter workouts are 3 sets of 10–12 reps. When I reach the higher number of reps on the last set I know it’s time to raise the weight.

That’s my workout right now, in the Spring I’ll add Bike Riding into the mix for more Cardio. I hope this all made sense. I’ll elaborate more in future Posts, this one has gone on long enough, LOL

What I Eat

Losing weight is simple math, you need to eat less calories than you are expending throughout your day. Each pound of fat is 3500 calories, so if you want to lose 1 pound a week, you need to cut your calories by 500 every day. That could be 4 cans of soda, or one of those giant NY Style Bagels. Or you could do a brisk walk for an hour and cut 200 – 250 calories.

The best thing to do is for one week keep track of everything that goes into your mouth.  (And don’t forget the beverages.)  Then you can tell exactly where your calories are coming from and where you can cut them.  There are websites that can help you keep track and also tell you how many calories are in specific foods. A good one is Fitday.com.

Another good idea is, if you know how much you want to weigh, multiply that number by 10 and eat that many calories a day. So if your goal is 180 lbs. eat 1800 calories a day. Then after a month you can adjust the amount, depending on if you’re losing too much too fast, or not enough. You shouldn’t lose more than 1,  2 or 3 lbs. a week…  4 max. Of course the first 2 weeks you might drop 5 – 10 lbs. but that would be water weight and nothing to worry about.

This is what I eat during a typical day, and have been eating since I started back in September. So this is the plan that has worked as far as the weight loss goes.  It’s not perfect, it’s not even the ideal plan, but I was a little impatient.  I’ll have a new plan in January, because I will be adding calories, so I’ll be able to balance out my micro-nutrients a little better.

Meal #1-  Breakfast  when I get up is a bowl of  Oatmeal and a cup of Black Coffee. 

Meal #2-  4oz Turkey or Chicken on Whole Wheat (get the whole wheat sandwich thins, they're 100 calories less than regular whole wheat bread) and an Apple

Meal #3 – 4oz Turkey or Chicken on Whole Wheat and an Apple

Meal #4 – a Banana for some fuel before my work-out

Meal # 5 – Protein Shake after my work-out

Meal #6 -  8oz of Chicken Breast or some type of Fish like Tilapia, Tuna, or Salmon and steamed vegetables

My total daily calories count is usually between 1800 & 2000, if it’s on the low side… I might have a tablespoon of Natural Peanut Butter or if I need more Protein, I’ll have another shake before bed.  

So that's the basics of my nutritional part of my program, I'll go into more detail in later posts. Or if you have any questions you can always ask.

Intro To My Journal

The reason I’m starting this journal is because I have lost 30 lbs. (and still losing) in the last couple of months and I’m always being asked what my “secret” is… so I’d like to share my “secret” with anybody who is really interested… come a little closer and I’ll tell you… a little closer… ok ready? Here it is….

“THERE IS NO SECRET!!!”

 It’s a bit of work.  But anything worth having is not going to be easy to get… and my friends, Health & Wellness is definitely worth having  and definitely worth devoting some time to EVERY day. In fact it should be right near the top of your priority list, up near where you have Breathing. 

Now for the Why of what I’m doing. I noticed as I get older that every year my top weight is 5 – 10 lbs. more than the year before. In 2005 I was at a low of 178lbs. and this September, 5 years later,  I hit 220lbs.  that’s 42 lbs. heavier. Doing the math I'd be 262lbs. in 2015, YIKES!! So I have decided it’s time for a change.

I knew I was going to do something sooner or later, I was going to wait until the New Year after the holidays, then I said maybe I should start on the 1^st of October. It’s always some “significant” day like that for some reason, either the New Year, or the 1^st of something, or a Monday. And then one day, in the middle of September, the 16^th it was, I said why not now, why not today… tomorrow never seems to come, so why wait. On the 17^th I was 3 lbs. lighter, it was only water weight, but still very encouraging, LOL.  And this morning, I weighed 188lbs. My goal is to stop at 180 or New Years Day whichever comes first. Then I will concentrate on adding some muscle, without putting on any or very little fat.

My goal is not really weight loss, it’s really fat loss. The scale is just one device I use to gauge my fitness, I also use a tape measure and some general online fitness calculators to let me know some approximate fitness levels like how much body fat I have. But the best tool is the Mirror, the mirror does not lie, unless you lie to yourself.

Now for the How…  I start out the day by walking for 30 minutes before work, 5 days a week. At work sometimes I can sneak in some push-ups or other exercise. After work I do 45 minutes of Strength Training exercises 5 – 6 days a week. Now here comes the part where most people tune out, the nutrition part, but it’s the most important part, it’s 80% or more of any fitness program. It’s an old saying, but it needs repeating,  “YOU CAN’T OUT-TRAIN, OUT-EXERCISE, OUT-WALK, or OUT-BICYCLE A BAD DIET.”  

  Physical activity is not very good at burning calories, an hour walking burns about 300 calories, bicycling just a few calories more, jogging burns about 600-700, it all depends on your weight and intensity, but a breakfast sandwich like Bacon, Egg & Cheese contains anywhere from 450 to 500 calories or more… add to that a coffee or tea with milk and sugar, or a juice and you can see it’s a losing proposition.So a solid, healthy diet is a must. No and's, if's or but's about it. I eat 5 - 6 small meals a day, I get most of my Carbs from fruits, vegetables and whole grains, my Proteins from lean meats  and fish and my Fats from extra virgin olive oil, nuts and peanut butter.

In conclusion,I’m just going to blog about what I’m doing, what works for me, and things that didn’t work. It’s always good to find your own way, because everybody has different situations, for example I work nights so I have to schedule my workouts in the mornings after work, I eat breakfast at 10pm, Dinner at 11am… but no matter what your situation you can make it work, make it happen. My work week runs from Friday night until Tuesday night, so my weekend is Thursday/ Friday. So I take Friday off from everything except my diet, but I eat fewer but larger meals, but usually less total calories for the day.  

That’s where I’m at, so take what you want… if I help somebody it’ll be worth my time, if not, I tried. I am a work in progress and so are my work-outs and my diets they are always evolving and being tweaked. Everything is fluid and takes the shape of newly acquired knowledge and new experiences combined with the tried and true.

OK some facts and figures.

Sept. 16th: 220 lbs.       Waist: 44 "      Body Fat (Approximated) 29%

Nov.25th:  188lbs.        Waist  37 "      Body Fat (Approximated) 20%

I don't think my subsequent Journal entries will be this long, I don't think I'd have the time. Unless I give up my work-outs... just kidding, No Excuses!! LOL