2010 Dietary Guidelines

The United States Department of Agriculture released their 2010 Dietary Guidelines this morning. I have no idea if they realize this is 2011 already or maybe this is just a case of them being human and still writing 2010 on everything like we do with checks until about the 2nd week in January.
Anyway, they finally noticed that two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese and one-third of American children are also overweight.

Here are some of their recommendations, there's nothing there that most people don't already know, but putting this knowledge into practice is another thing.
-Increase vegetable & Fruit intake.
-Eat a variety of vegetables, especially dark greens, reds, and orange colored veggies.
-Make half your plate Vegetables. 
-Eat Whole Grains.
-Switch to Low-Fat dairy products
-Choose a variety of protein foods such as Lean Meats, fish, beans, soy products, eggs, peas and unsalted nuts.
-Use oils in place of solid fats.
-Drink water instead of sugary beverages.

Like I said no new knowledge here, but maybe since it's from the government, some people will listen. Oh yea, they said there's a new next generation Food Pyramid coming in the next few months. Personally, I can't wait to see it.
They should add somewhere....  "French Fries are not considered a healthy vegetable", since that is the number one "vegetable" eaten by Americans.

Life is Energy,

People always ask me where I get my energy. (some people get annoyed at my energy, LOL). But the very definition of "Life" is energy. The more energy you have, the more alive you are. How can you live your life if you have no energy. People walk around like zombies, just going through the motions. They're missing out on so much walking around in a fog.

Where do I get my energy from? Several things actually:
Daily exercise, some cardio and some weight training.
My diet, lots of fresh fruits and leafy vegetables (as much raw veggies as I can.), lean meats and fish, and healthy fats....  And plenty of water.
Rest & Sleep, at least 7 - 8 hours of sleep and 2 or 3 short rest periods during the day.
Positive Mental Attitude gives me energy as well, the negatives just bring you down and drain your energy from you... Try to avoid negative people as much as possible, they'll suck the life right out of you.

But the most important part is your fuel, what you put into your body determines what you get out of it. Eat what nature has put on this earth for us, all the natural stuff, and you'll have plenty of energy to get through a whole day. If man or machine made it, don't eat it.

Sore Joint

I got a chance to walk last night before work, it was about 30° with no wind. So I got a half hour walk in. I'll get them in when I can... the 10 day forecast has a lot of cold nights in it.

I did a Chest Workout as soon as I got home this morning. I decided to use lighter weights and just do more reps because I'm feeling a little pain in my left shoulder. It's not the muscle soreness that you get after a workout, but it's definitely a pain. It might be a common body builder injury that I was reading about. Inflammation of the Acromioclavicular Joint. It says it is not really serious, but it takes a long time to heal. So I'm going to go with the lighter weights for now and see if it gets better, the other recommendation is to stop working out the upper body for 2 weeks to a month. That, I don't want to do if I can avoid it.

I also did my German lesson for today, so a very productive day for me.

Stalled

I took my weekly measurements today and except for gaining 4 lbs. the stats were the same as last week. Stalls happen now & then, sometimes you can figure out the reasons and sometimes you can't. Sometimes there are no reasons. Whatever it was, there are no making excuses, you acknowledge, you adjust and you move forward.

For me this week, there are a few possibilities... I only walked once last week and not all of my work-outs were as intense as they could have been, in particular my Leg session was less than stellar, but everybody knows by now, I Hate Leg Day. No Excuses though, this week I will punish my Legs. (c:

As for the 4 lb. weight gain, if you remember last week I had a 5 lb. loss for the week. I think that was due to some dehydration. Not counting coffee, I only drank about a quart of water the day before. So my actual weight change for the past 2 weeks would be a 1 lb. loss. This is why I keep detailed records of what I eat & drink, and also of my workouts. This way, if something out of the normal happens, you can usually figure out what it was or at least eliminate what it wasn't. So if you're really serious about your health and how you are affected by different things in your life, I would recommend keeping detailed records as well. There are great web sites that will help you, and once you get a system set up, it will take you seconds a day to keep track of things.

For me, I find the old pen and paper work best for my work-outs, but for my nutrition, where you need to figure out calories, carbs, proteins & fats and percentages of each, I find Fitday.com makes it very painless. I can usually add a food by typing the first few letters and voilà, it is listed and added to my days food log, along with all the calculations needed. Fast & Simple. You can also track your weight and body measurements on there. They have a free  iPhone App. I just found also.

Winter Workout

Today's workout consisted of 3 hours in the snow. In that 3 hours I'd say I did a solid hour of shoveling. There was also cleaning off a couple of cars. I probably burned about 600 calories from shoveling and maybe 200 calories from all the other stuff.  It was a good cardio workout.
I might have to go back out there tomorrow and re-dig our cars out again after the snow plows come by and undo all the hard work I did today. But as you can see by the picture above, Our street is in desperate need of a plowing. My street is the one where the cars are parked. They kind of plowed us in while cleaning the street that I'm standing on to take the picture.
I'm tired now, I need to go make some lunch... I missed a couple of meals today, but I'll make up for that I'm sure. Later and have a great day all.

Weather Report

We got 4 inches of snow this morning that took every one by surprise. Not one weatherman predicted it.... and it's not even part of the storm they are predicting for tonight that will bring 8 - 12" of snow into our area. I am so ready for Spring and bike riding weather... but we still have February to get through, and March can be a funny month also. Oh well... patience. Or maybe I need to get into a Winter sport, like cross country skiing.

It wasn't as cold tonight as it has been on previous nights, so a buddy and I did a quick 2 mile walk before work. It was good to get out there again after being kept in by the freezing cold temperatures and minus degree wind chills. It was still cold last night, I felt it on my ears and face, but it was bearable for a short 30 minute walk.

Oh well, I think it's stopped snowing now, so I have to get out there and shovel a bit. Just another workout.
See you tomorrow

Jack LaLanne's Best Fitness Tips

If man makes it, don't eat it.

Eat natural foods whenever you can-six servings of raw vegetables and five pieces of fruit everyday!

The only way you can hurt your body is by not using it.

Do high intensity cardiovascular exercise, and keep it short unless you're trying to lose weight and need to burn off extra calories.

Change your fitness routine every 30 days. Do something different!

For absolute beginners: start with weight training and exercising in a pool.

Keep your rest periods between sets very short. Only take the minimum time you need to catch your breath.

Everything in your body manifests through circulation-your memory, sex life, skin, hair, everything-and you can improve your circulation by exercising.

Exercise makes you happy!

Try supplements-get everything as natural as you can and start using herbs, enzymes, and more.

Get a physical exam once a year-no matter what shape you're in, little things can happen and you should be aware.

Three things make you tired: lack of exercise, empty calories, and nervous tension.

Scales lie! Use a mirror and a tape measure to make sure you're making progress, toning and re-shaping your body.

The Godfather of Fitness

Jack LaLanne   (September 26, 1914 – January 23, 2011)
Rest In Peace
I'd like to dedicate today's blog to Jack LaLanne, a pioneer in the fitness industry. He invented a lot of the machines that you see in Gyms & Fitness Centers today, including the first Leg Extension machines and the predecessor of the Smith Machine. He's written tons of books on fitness and just released one last year titled, "Live Young Forever"
He is generally believed to have opened the first Health Club in the country in 1936. He was the first to advocate weight lifting for women. His TV exercise show was on for 34 years.
He is quoted as saying, "I can't die, it'll ruin my reputation"
Rest In Peace
http://www.jacklalanne.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_lalanne

Some Days

Some days you just don't feel like working out. You've had a hard day at work. You're too tired. You're just not in the mood. You'd rather be doing something else. Or what ever it is that is making you think twice about getting in the gym and working out. I had one of those days today... I just didn't feel like doing anything after coming home from work.

So you know what I did? I got into my gym and I started my warm-ups and then I got into my regular work-out and before I knew it, the work-out was over... and I felt re-energized... and I felt good about not skipping a work-out. And since I didn't give in, I got mentally stronger too.

It's the same on those days that I didn't feel like getting on the bike and going for a ride. I got on anyway and within 5 minutes, I was enjoying the ride and never even thought of turning around to go home until I had gotten a full ride in.

Don't listen to your inner demons that tell you it's OK to skip one work-out. If it's OK to skip one, then it'll be OK to skip two. Then when you're having a really bad week, it'll be OK to skip a whole week of work-outs. Stay strong mentally, show your mind who is in control. If you show weakness, your mind will take over and before you know it, you'll be sitting in front of your TV eating chips and sucking down cola after cola, or beer after beer, trading in one 6-pack for another. And your self-esteem will be shot to hell, also. LiveStrong.

Pills, Pills and more Pills

A little less than 10 years ago, I was struck with a Back Pain so severe that it had me immobilized. I could hardly make it to the doctors office. Every movement was painful, I needed help getting into and out of the car. The doctor looked me over, asked a few questions, felt a few things on my lower back, wrote me out a prescription, told me to take off of work for a few days and sent me on my merry way.
Although I was obviously overweight with my belly hanging over my belt, he never once mentioned anything about maybe losing a few pounds. Doctors are all about cures, but not about prevention. I took my pills like the good patient that I was. But I think around that time, I stated realizing that I wasn't as young as I used to be and what that really meant. I could see my future... a pill for this and a pill for that. Also I would sit in the cafeteria at work and watch my co-workers, some my age and some a little older, line up pills like they were the pre-meal appetizers. One for high cholesterol, one for high blood pressure, another for back pain, etc...  I always wondered how many of those pills they could have gotten rid of with a proper diet and some exercise. I'm betting around 90% or more. I think that planted a seed in my mind that would eventually grow into a desire for something different. I was in my early 40's and not yet ready to make a commitment towards better health. But little by little I started to see the writing on the wall.
I did start walking and cycling around 5 years later, lost a lot of weight back then too. But as soon as I felt better I fell back into old habits and the weight was back in no time. I definitely don't want to fall into that trap this time around. That's one of the reasons for this blog. Accountability, so keep an eye on me and my stats.

Weekly Measurements

I took my weekly measurements this morning... for some reason I was down 5 lbs. from last week and I can't figure out why. Not to worry, I'm sure I'll be back up this week... My waist was down another half an inch.. this also brought my Body Fat down close to 14%, which is a good thing. Body fat is what I want to lose, not the weight. If my body fat is going down and my weight is the same, or up, then I know I'm gaining muscle. But if I'm losing weight also, I might not have gained any muscle this week. As always, my measurements are in the box at the top right. ---------------------------------------------------------->

I think I can now safely declare that my back pain and my knee pain has gone away. It’s been a few months since I’ve felt any discomfort in my back, besides the muscle soreness from the work-outs, but that’s a good kind of pain. And my knee used to bother me also at least a few times a month, that has also seemed to have disappeared. And come to think of it, I don't get the stiff necks any more either. I used to feel those driving, when I had to turn my head to check my blind spots. Gone, Gone and Gone. If that's not enough motivation for me to keep eating right and working out, there would be no hope for me. Just to be pain free is awesome.

 

Look Both Ways

There are so many toxic things, literally millions, in today’s modern world that can do you harm. From the stuff they add to the foods, to the air we breathe outside, to the things we touch on a normal basis. I recently read about the receipts that you receive when you make a purchase has the toxic substance BPA in the ink of thermal paper that seeps through your skin if you hold it for too long. My point is… you can’t avoid everything that is out there, and you can’t be overly worried or consumed or paralyzed by fear either, because stress will also make you sick. But you can minimize your exposure to a lot of bad things by just being aware. 

It’s like if you are crossing the street, you wait for a green light, you look both ways, you make sure it’s safe to cross, something unforeseen might still happen to you while you are walking across, but odds are you’ll be crossing the street for many more years to come. But if you’re approaching a crosswalk without stopping, without looking to see if you have the right of way, without looking both ways to see if it’s safe, you just go… the odds are your street crossing life and life for you in general might be quite a bit shorter.

So limit your risks to a sustainable level without going insane about it. Find a healthy balance. Don’t forget, it’s about enjoying life. That’s why I’m doing what I can to be fit and healthy, so I can enjoy life for as long as I'm here.

Positively Negative

I've been writing about toxic foods that could set your health goals back, or even ruin your health altogether. But there are also toxic people who try to derail you. They mock your efforts, they tell you you're wasting your time. They never have anything positive to say, you know the ones... they try to suck the life out of you.
Try to avoid these negative people as much as possible. Some you can't avoid, like relatives or co-workers... but you can detach yourself somewhat.
If you are trying to eat healthy and exercise and these people have nothing good to say, it's because you are doing something that they are too lazy to do for themselves. They know they should, but they don't have the will power. So they will not encourage you to succeed, they will only try to drag you back down to their level. Stay positive, keep your eyes and your mind on your goals. Ignore their comments, and detach yourself from them. Or use them as motivation to work even harder to get to your goals.
Your life is yours to create or re-invent in any way you please, you don't need anybody's approval. Stay positive, hang around positive people. And check yourself for negative thoughts and get rid of them. Live positively, see the positive in every situation. And sidestep the toxic, negative people.

Bad Beverages

Some people who know me and have seen me heavy and now 40 lbs. lighter always want advice on how to lose a "few" pounds. They tell me they don't eat a lot, or they just eat a salad for lunch, or they give me a total run-down of what they eat in a whole day. And they're right, it doesn't sound like a whole lot of excess calories, but they never tell me about what they are drinking. A lot of people drink more calories than they eat. some beverages have enough calories for a whole day.
A bottle of Starbucks Frappucino has 290 calories
A 20 oz Sunkist Soda has 320 calories.
Tropicana Twister 20oz has 340 calories
23oz can of Arizona Rx Energy or the Kiwi Strwaberry has 345 calories
Starbucks White Chocolate, Venti has 660 calories
DQ Caramel Moolatte has 870 cals.
a Margarita at Red Lobster has 890 cals.
Baskin Robbins Ice Cream soda 960 cals.
McDonalds Triple thick Chocolate Shake 1160 cals.
& the winner is Cold Stone Creamery's PB&C 24 oz a whopping 2010 calories... that's more calories in one cup than I was eating in a full day while I was losing weight... and I was eating 5 or 6 times a day.
In the old days Soda was a treat, not something you drank all day, every day. Soda's, Juices, fancy coffee drinks, slurpees, etc... they all add lots of calories to your diet, not to mention the sugars and other "bad" ingredients they contain that will also harm you.
You can't go wrong with water, or if you prefer, green tea, or other unsweetened tea, black coffee, seltzer, but water is most important.

Reading Food Labels

Taking more responsibility for your health involves knowing what goes into your body. It's either good for you or it's not. It involves reading labels and knowing what to look for and what to avoid.
Avoid anything if on the label it says "Hydrogenated" or Partly Hydrogenated".  These are Trans-Fats, even if it says 0 Trans-fat on the label, if it lists Hydrogenated, it has Trans-Fats... the government allows companies to say zero trans-fats if it's less than .5 grams per serving, so companies decrease the serving size on the label to get around that.

Sugars are another thing to avoid and they have many disguises on the labels... usually if an ingredient ends in "ose" or "itol" it's most likely a sugar. Avoid foods with these things on the label:

• corn syrup
• high fructose corn syrup
• sorbitol
• maltitol
• isomalt
• maltodextrin
• dextrose
• glucose
• fructose
• maltose

Avoid Sodium Nitrates  
BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydrozyttoluene)
Food Colorings: Blue 1,2; Red 3; Green 3; Yellow 6 (all have been linked to cancer)

 This is just a partial list, if you educate yourself I'm sure you'll find more... all the above items are responsible for promoting Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc...
There's an easier way to eat healthier than studying labels and learning to pronounce 25 syllable chemicals. Stick to meat that came from farms, not factories.
Wild fish, not farmed fish
Eat only 100% Whole Grain foods. The label must say "100%"
Eat dark green leafy vegetables and other FRESH vegetables every day. (French Fries are not vegetables)
Stay away from as much processed food as you can. If it didn't grow, walk or swim, it's probably not good for you.

A Brief Brief

Hey everybody, no planned blog today, so I'll just tell you about my boring day. It started out with a 2 mile brisk walk, emphasis on the brisk, although it wasn't as cold as the night before. Good to get the blood flowing. Your body burns more calories when you're cold and shivering, it burns calories to stay warm.
When I got home I did a Back workout that included 12 sets of assorted pull-ups & chin-ups... narrow, wide and neutral grips... and I also did 5 pyramided sets of Barbell Rows & 5 pyramided sets of 1-Arm Dumbbell Rows and I finished off my workout with 4 straight sets of Dumbbell Shrugs.
That was about it for the day, but it is Sunday and the family is home so you'll have to excuse the brief update.
Until tomorrow.

Responsibility Rant

One of the most popular phrases heard back in the 70's was, "I know my rights." whenever there was a problem with the police or anyone in authority, the battle cry was always "I know my rights." It was all well & good.... it's great to know your rights,(most of them really didn't know them, they just knew they didn't want to be hassled by the "Fuzz") But I digress... the second part of that phrase that everybody ignored was... "... and my responsibilities." Because with rights come responsibilities, just as day comes after night, light comes out of darkness. If you know your rights, you should also be aware of your responsibilities.
This brings me to myself... I have the right to eat or drink anything I want, in any quantity I want. I have the right to spend my off days on the couch vegetating in front of the TV watching whatever mindless junk is on. But I also have responsibilities, to my self and my family... you can take that further, responsibility to the community, and even further, responsibility to the world, our world, our children's world, our children's, children's world... and so on and so forth.
But it all starts with me, I have taken responsibility for my health and wellness. I will not exercise my right to feed my body excess amounts of poison disguised as food. I will indulge once in awhile, but not as a matter of course. I have taken responsibility for keeping my body fit, so that I will not have to rely on somebody else to take responsibility for me. I don't have a right to knowingly become a burden on someone else's life, no matter how close they are to me.
It all starts with me (or you) and radiates outwards, whether good or bad. Positive people send out positive "vibes". Like Ghandi said, "Be the world you want to see."  < /rant>

Weekly Measurements

I took my weekly measurements this morning, and things seem to be slowing down. This is when you are in danger of losing motivation, and when you can get frustrated. You just have to stay focused and don't put too much importance on the numbers, they are just vague gauges to keep you on track and make sure you are not slipping backwards over time. If you focus too much on stats and numbers you will drive yourself crazy.
Just know, that if you are eating clean and consistently working out, you will head towards your goals and get there eventually. And if the numbers aren't changing fast enough or they are holding steady, that's ok too, they'll start moving again in the direction you've set for yourself. If they are at a plateau for too long though, you might have to make a few minor changes.

My scale weight was up 2 lbs. overnight, I'll be honest, I did get on the scale twice to make sure I read it right. But it's not devastating to me, or even unusual, I'm sure I'm just holding some water, from something I ate that was saltier than I expected. It happens quite often actually, this time it just happened to happen on measurement day.

As for some of the other readings, my waist lost .25" over last week, so that also brings my body fat reading down another .5%. My biceps & calves gained an 8th of an inch. My Chest and my Legs grew by a quarter of an inch. But these are too small of an increase to really shout about, and could just be the difference of how taut or how loose I held the measuring tape from one week to the next. You have to keep perspective, be happy for the small gains and forget about the small losses. But most important,  keep at it... have patience... be consistent and persistent... and in the gym give it all you've got... Intensity + Consistency = Density.

Diet Soda

I see a lot of people drinking Diet Soda’s instead of the regular soft drinks thinking that it’s better for them. It’s not. In fact, it might make you gain weight. Your risk of obesity increases with every Diet Soda you drink. Research shows that Diet Soda’s make you crave more sweets. It also increases your risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Osteoporosis’, and tooth decay according to research at Duke University. The New York Times reports that Diet Soda has been linked to cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and increases your risk of a stroke or heart attack.
I could go on and on, but I think just one of those things would be enough to make me switch to something healthier. Like WATER. You want carbonation? Drink Seltzer. You want flavor? Squeeze some lemon and/or lime into it. Drink Green Tea, without the sugar, use a bit of honey. Even milk will at least give your body nutrients it needs.
I can hear some people saying, “Every week they say something is bad for you.” One week coffee is bad, the next week coffee’s good. Eggs are bad one day, and good the next. That’s like the, “You’re gonna die anyway.” argument. And if I knew I was going to die next week, I might just fly to Germany and sit at a sidewalk café and stay there until I’ve tried every home-made cake & pastry they’ve got on display and then get my fill of Schnitzels, Wursts and Beer at a Biergarten as the pedestrians pass by going on with their lives. But hey, as far as I know I got some time left to live and I’m going to try and live as healthy and full a life as I can and I am going to do everything I can to live it with as much energy and vitality as my being allows. And I will get to Germany and have a little cake and some beer, but I’ll be back again to resume my life and healthy ways, so I can go back again and again and enjoy some more kuchen und bier…
like they say, I plan to live forever, and so far so good.

Snow Day

The snow wasn't as bad as expected, either that or the overnight highway snow plowers did one heck of a job. My ride into work was during the beginning of the storm and that was rougher than my ride home from work. The roads and streets were pretty much clear. And the best part was there were very few people using them, I guess they were scared into taking the day off from work. The 13 mile commute home took me no more than 10 minutes longer than usual.
I believe we got around 12" here... my walk-way that I shoveled as soon as I got home had about 18" in it... my wonderful neighbor was kind enough to use his snowblower to clear a path on our sidewalk, so all I had to do was the walk-way to my door... that was a great surprise after 8 hours of work.
I was the only one of 4 from my crew that showed up at work last night, but people from the previous shift volunteered  to do overtime and some even did a double shift... not me, it was my "Friday" and I couldn't wait to get outta there and start my weekend.

Winter Storm Warning

Quick Update: We have a storm heading our way, so I have to cut this short and start heading to bed. I know I can make it in to work, but coming home might be a different story. If driving home seems impossible, I might just pull a double shift, since I'm off the next 2 days anyway.
But then again it could go to the lighter side of the predictions and I'll just have a little delay on the roads. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. So if you don't see a blog update tomorrow, I might still be out there, somewhere.

Quick Lunch

Just finished a nice meal... had some stuff ready to go in the fridge and tossed them together. I cut up 10 oz. of chicken breasts into strips, tossed it in the pan with a touch of extra virgin olive oil, after that was heated,  I threw in a can of tomato sauce (without the can), and let that heat up, added some seasonings and spices... and then threw in some whole wheat pasta that was already prepared.... put it on a plate and voila, instant lunch... protein, carbs & healthy fat. While that was heating up, I made a quick salad with fresh spinach and plum tomatoes, tossed that with extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar and had a meal in less than 15 minutes.
It's great to keep foods in the fridge that you prepared ahead of time. It saves a lot of time... and if you have enough different things in there, you can come up with some great creative combinations some times. Eating clean is not that hard, if you are prepared.
Writing blogs is hard, especially since I'm never prepared, LOL.
Have a great day.

Fit to Retire

There's every reason to get fit and healthy. I can't think of a single reason not to do your best to at least stay healthy to the best of your ability. One reason that I think about is being fit for my later years. If I'm fortunate enough to be able to retire one day, I would like to have the energy, strength and ability to enjoy an active post-job life. I would prefer not to have to sit in one of those motorized scooters to get around, or walk with a walker or a cane. I would prefer to be able to get around and not have to spend my time at home in front of a TV all day waiting for someone to take me everywhere that I need to go.

And with the way things are these days, retirement might not even be an option. And if that's the case, I would like to be healthy and fit enough to keep working to support my family and myself without having to rely on others. Either way fitness is a plus.

I had a great 40 minute back work-out today, pyramided Back Rows  and 1 Arm Dumbbell Rows also, and Chin-Ups, Pull-Ups, & Shrugs. I also walked for 30 min. and I did my German lessons... plus the 8 hours work and I am ready to relax this last hour before bedtime.

Pecs on Deck

I started my new work-out routine today, one body part per day with Pyramiding sets. Today I hit the Pecs for 50 minutes...  It was a tough session, which is great and exactly what I was looking for. For each exercise I did 1 warm-up set and then 5 working sets. 3 Sets that go up in weight, the 3rd being the "Peak" of the pyramid, and then 2 descending sets. You'd think that when you're lowering the amount of weight on the bars that it would get easier or at least equal to when you were using the same weight going up... but that's not the case, those last 2 descending sets, after you've fatigued the muscles, can be harder than the "Peak" set to get through, because even though you're are using less weight you're upping the reps.

 Here's 2 more reasons to exercise:

 Men who reported vigorous activity for at least three hours per week had a 61% lower risk of a prostate cancer-specific death, compared with men who exercised for less than an hour per week.

Men who walked more than 90 minutes per week at a normal to brisk pace had a 46% lower risk of dying from any cause compared to men who walked less than 90 minutes per week.

From any cause? I guess they didn't include Natural Causes... I'm pretty sure that would bring the fatality rate to 100%. Life is Fatal 100% of the time, but there's no need to rush.
Good Day!

It's Over Already

For a weekend that took forever to come around, it sure ended quick... oh well, back to work tonight. I crossed off 6 of the 7 things on my "Must Do" list... the 7th item is on every one of my lists... Tweak Diet and Workout... it's a never ending "Must Do"... there's always room for improvement. The more you read up on nutrition, the more you learn what you could be doing better.
I have this coming week's workouts all printed up and ready to execute. Up the Intensity. Anybody want to join me, I'll be in my Gym at 8:25am and my work-out will commence at precisely 8:30am with warm-ups. Unless the messy drive home in the slush slows me down... at any rate I should be done by 9:30 the latest, then it's German time.
Time to cook up my marinated Ahi Tuna Steaks, yum. I'll check in with you guys again tomorrow... all you "normal" people have a nice weekend.

A Day Off Finally

Ahhh finally, a full day off, it felt good. Today was my first full day off from my job in almost 3 weeks, not counting that snow day. I don't consider shoveling snow a day off. It was a long haul, but I still got in my work-outs, my walks and my German lessons.
Now it's time to relax, recover and recuperate. From the physical stuff anyway, I still have to do my German lessons today and either today or tomorrow, plan next weeks work-outs.
I'm going back to my "One Body Part a Day" routine. I always liked working out that way. This way I can concentrate and focus on one body part, work it out fully and give it a whole weeks rest before I hit it again.

So it will be,
Saturday:         Chest
Sunday:            Back
Monday:           Shoulders
Tuesday:           Legs
Wednesday:      Arms

I might try a Pyramiding Routine also, for those that don't know, on a given exercise you're going up in weight on each set for 3 or 4 sets and then going down in weights for 2 more sets. So it would look something like this:
1st Set:      Warm-Up Set Lighter weight 20 reps
2nd Set:     Heavier weight for 15 reps
3rd Set:     Increase weight for 10 reps
4th Set:      Increase weight for 6 sets      "Peak Set"
5th Set       Decrease weight for 10 reps
6th Set       Decrease weight for 15 reps
A lot of people swear by this method... and it also helps to prevent injuries, because you are warming up the muscles before you get to the heaviest weight. And then you should get a nice pump on the way down the pyramid.
That's the plan.

Walk Fast, Eat Clean, Live Long

A couple of things I wanted to share with you today. I heard this on the radio as I was driving to work last night and I checked it out when I got home. Apparently, the faster you walk the longer you live... a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) which involved data from 9 other studies and 34,000 seniors found that people who walked faster tended to live longer. Some of the studies have been going on for 20+ years. So, I'm going to keep on walking, and I would suggest to others to start walking and build up your speed before it's too late.
Walking is an exercise anyone can do, just about anywhere and anytime, it's simple and easy and it doesn't require any fancy expensive equipment other than clothes and comfortable footwear. Actually, that is how my fitness quest started, with walking... then I went to bicycling and I threw in some weight training. I still walk, I'm waiting for dry roads and kinder weather to ride and I'm weight training 6 days a week... but it was the results that I first got from walking that motivated me to continue on my fitness journey and also motivated me to do more and try different things.

And the other thing was a poll of over 1200 people by Consumers Reports that found that 90% of Americans think their diet is a healthy one, but when questioned further, their "healthy" eating habits became questionable. 43% admitted to drinking sodas, coffee and tea with sugar on a daily basis.
A third claimed they were at a healthy weight when in actuality they were either overweight or obese according to their BMI (Body Mass Index).
Only 11% (from this poll) think of themselves as overweight, but government stats say 68% are overweight. Are we that far removed from reality? Are the majority of Americans in denial? or did Consumer Reports just happen upon a healthy portion of the populace? Hmmm, Food for Thought... Healthy food, that is

Legs & Lessons

I did my 30 minute walk today, we had to be careful because the temperature dropped to below freezing and all the melted snow turned to ice. But it was in patches and not all over, so we could still put in a good pace.

As for Leg Training Day, I muddled through the Lunges 4 X 12 (4 sets of 12 Reps), Squats 4 X12, Straight-Legged Dead-Lifts 3 X 8, Good Mornings 3 X12 and Calf raises 3 X 20, 20, 15 (1st & second sets 20 Reps and the 3rd set 15 Reps)
For those that aren't familiar with the "Good Mornings" below is a graphic... it's just bending at the waist with a weight across your shoulders... It's actually a Lower Back exercise, but if you use lighter weights and really stretch it, you're doing wonders for your Hamstrings and Glutes also.


And I also did 3 German Lessons today, I try to do 20 to 30 minutes of German every day. But a lesson could be anywhere from 5 to 40 minutes, depending on the type of lesson (Grammar, Pronounciation, etc.) or on how fast I click on the right answer. So if they are shorter I'll do 2, 3 or even 4 of them in one sitting. So I really should just write the time it took, rather than the number of lessons.
And that was my day today.

It's Monday, time to make good on your resolutions

It's Monday, January 3rd... I'm guessing today is the day a lot of people are starting their New Years Resolutions... so whether you are trying to lose weight or you are trying to get in shape, remember, diet is the most important aspect of any program. No matter how many times I go over this, people still only want to ask me about my exercises and/or workouts. Diet is 80% Exercise is 20%, you can't do enough exercises to overcome bad eating habits, it's impossible.
If you eat right, you can eat more. Think deep color fresh fruits and vegetables, Whole grain breads and pastas, lean proteins like Chicken, Turkey and 97% fat free Beef, Tuna, Salmon...  and healthy fats like nuts(unsalted, of course) Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and peanut butter.
Give your body what it needs and can use right away and your body will reward you. Give it junk like sugary cereals, hot dogs, white bread, etc.. it will revolt and make you fat, sick or worse. Did you know it takes your body 7 years to completely digest a Twinkie, does that sound healthy to you?
When you go shopping at the food market, stick to the outer aisles, that's where the good stuff is... the produce at one end and the eggs and cottage cheese at the other. Meats along the far wall and a few good aisles for spices, oil, and grains. But most of the aisles in between have all the bad stuff.

I'm already on my 3rd day for my resolutions... for my work-out I did 30 minutes of walking, 40 minutes of weight training... Shoulder's today... (you never know when someone might need a strong shoulder to lean on.)
I ate clean as usual and I did 30 minutes of German.
I still have to work on my slower driving though, LOL I am actually driving slower, but not as slow as I should, but it's a start.

Walk, work, work-out und wunderbar

The second day of the year. Nutritionally I started it with a bowl of Oatmeal, a tablespoon of Natural Peanut Butter, a banana, Whey Protein and Black Coffee. Protein, fats and carbs all covered... all clean. You know when you eat clean you can eat a lot more food and still maintain a healthy weight... I'm a hungry guy, so more food works for me, especially if I can eat 5 or 6 times a day. I've upped my calories from around 2000 a day to between 2600 and 3000 a day. I'll see how that works for building muscle. If I see too much fat in the mirror, I will adjust. Not necessarily the calories, but the proportions of the micro-nutrients.

For my physical activities today, I started with a 30 minute walk before work, about 2 miles. After work I did my Back & Biceps routine, about 18 sets for the back and 9 sets for the biceps.
It was foggy and drizzling this morning, so still no bike ride this year.
But I did do 4 short German lessons to make up for my lack of cycling.... exercising the brain instead of the legs.

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!!

I hope everybody made it through New Year's Eve celebrations unscathed and not too worse for wear & tear.
Now go sleep it off and get ready to get healthy starting Monday... of course, you really shouldn't wait, you should start right now... make a little change... if you make one little change every day, it'll all add up by the end of the year. Instead of soda with dinner, have a glass of water. Instead of white bread, eat Whole wheat... Instead of taking the elevator, take the stairs... There's a lot of little things you can change every day that can make you a healthier person.
Every action you take requires a decision. Every action you take is either going to make you healthier or make you sicker. Make it a plus or minus question, before you put something in your mouth ask yourself, is this a plus or a minus... is it adding to my life or taking away from my life. If you can't answer the question... do some research.
My little change today was a switch from a fruit to a vegetable. I eat a lot of fruits and not enough vegetables, so I switched out 2 servings of fruit for 2 servings of vegetables... that's one small change... I'll still have a few servings of fruit every day, but mostly in the mornings and I'll have more vegetables during the last 2/3 of my day.
I did my Chest/Triceps work-out today and I also did 2 German Lessons. Two because I could not ride the bicycle today. It was warm enough, but the melting snow has all the streets wet, and although more bike riding is one of my resolutions, a major bike clean-up is not.
ok, that's it for Day One.  1/1/11 is in the books.