Continuing to Build Upon Success

Another week goes into the books.  I mostly stayed on point with my exercising for the rest of the week, since my "anniversary" post.

I ended the week with a good leg session.  The squat racks were in heavy use, so I hit the incline leg presses instead, working my way up to 360 lb. leg and calf presses.  The racks finally opened up by the time I finished doing the rest of my leg exercises, but my leg muscles were aching at that point, so I skipped the squats.

Zumba class has been better than normal, lately.  We’ve been working through more core and strength routines.  The room has been seriously motivated.

My appetite has been decreasing over the last couple of weeks, so my food intake has slowed.

I picked up the suit that I mentioned in my last post.  The alterations had been completed and I was anxious to see the final results.  The fit was excellent.  It almost felt strange to be wearing a suit that fit so well, after wearing my old, now too large, suits for so long.

I’ll be getting in some extra cardio, next week, in the form of dance practice.  My wife and I will be attending a large Latin dance event on the coming weekend and I want to polish my moves a bit.  We got in some East Coast Swing dancing this past weekend, which is a good start, as EC Swing uses pretty much the same timing as the Cha Cha.

I also have a class reunion picnic to attend next month.  It will be a tank top and shorts kind of gathering.  I’ll use that event as extra motivation as I work out in August.

I found another article that I wanted to share.  It discusses the levels and frequency of exercise needed to positively impact your health.

How Much Physical Activity Do You Really Need?
http://gizmodo.com/how-much-physical-activity-do-you-really-need-1589801744
"Physical activity has recently come to be seen as one of the best forms of medicine available. Studies have shown that simply getting on your feet can ward off all manner of ill health, from cancers to cardiovascular diseases. But how much do you need to do to reap the benefits?"

Adios for now!

18 Months Into My Personal Fitness Challenge

Sometime ya just need to flex!

Today marks eighteen months since I restarted my person fitness challenge.  I took the day off from work to “celebrate.”  I went in to the gym early, did a Zumba class and a workout.  After finishing up, I headed to a clothing store to do some shopping.

Since I have a wedding to attend and all of my suits are now too big, I finally broke down and bought a new one.  Now for the good part:  The regular fit suits didn't work for me.  The jackets fit, but the accompanying pants were too large.  I had to buy an athletic fit suit!  I haven’t worn an athletic fit suit since I was in my twenties!

Finished with the shopping, I went home to change and headed back to the gym for more weight training and a second Zumba class.

Looking back over this time, my initial feeling was that I’m not as far along as I thought I’d be at this point.  But, upon further reflection, I think that I've done pretty well.

• Staying committed to the process for eighteen months is a cause celebration in and of itself.  It hasn't always been easy, but I've managed to stay pretty consistent.
• I think that I’m more comfortable with how my physique is developing.  I’m trying not to put so much pressure on myself in the quest for my goal state.
• While I may occasionally stumble, overall, I continue to make progress.

One of the best things that I've done was to kick the scale to the curb.  Not worrying about “making weight” has been pretty liberating.  There are plenty of other, more motivating ways to track progress.

The “Little Things”

Sometimes, it’s the little things that provide the strongest motivation.  Here are a few.

• Sitting comfortably in an airplane seat.
• Buying a smaller belt.
• Catching my reflection and thinking, “Not bad.”
• Not shopping in the Big and Tall section.
• Handling heavier weights.
• Noticing females checking me out.
• Putting on old clothes and finding them to be too big.
• Being asked about how to lose weight.

…and the best one of all…

• Catching my wife checking me out when she doesn't think that I've seen her doing it!

Well, Day 730 will be the next major milestone for me.  I’m looking forward to getting there!

Closing In On Eighteen Months

This was another typical summer week, as far as exercise goes.  It started out spotty, but I was able to finish strong, hitting the gym Friday through Sunday.  Saturday’s workout went particularly well.  I think that I did pretty well with my diet this week.

I got back on the elliptical machine again.  I was surprised to find that I couldn't maintain my old pace.  Other than that, I was able to get through the session with no problem. 

I added some new tunes to my workout playlist.  It's amazing how much of a difference the right music makes when I'm working out.

Here's another fitness article that caught my eye.  It discusses a recent study about the negative health effects caused by the rise in inactivity in the U.S. population.  It also includes a video titled, “The Truth About Fat.”

Exercise Yer Body!

It’s Lack of Exercise—Not Calories—That Make Us Fat, Study Says

http://time.com/2964554/its-lack-of-exercise-not-calories-that-make-us-fat-study-says/

The Stanford University researchers looked at NHANES data over the last 20 years, and found that the number of U.S. women who reported doing no physical activity went from 19.1% in 1994 to 51.7% in 2010. For men, the number increased from 11.4% in 1994 to 43.5% in 2010. During the same time frame, the average BMI of men and women also went up.

Progress!

Wednesday, July 23^rd, will mark my eighteen month on this journey.  I plan on posting a critique on my progress so far. 

Hope to see you then!

Fresh Air and Free Weights

I didn't get in nearly enough strength training last week.  Some unforeseen circumstances cropped up that kept me out of the gym.  I only got in two exercise sessions last week.  Looking at my calendar, time in the gym will be sporadic in the early part of this week, but I should be able to make up for it towards the end of the week.

Knowing that my exercising would be inconsistent, I've been watching my food intake.  I've been planning more of my meals, particularly breakfast and lunch.

As I mentioned before, I’m getting most of my cardio outside of the gym during the summer months.  For instance, this weekend, I took time away from a picnic that I was attending and spent some time walking a newly mown path, through one of the local parks.  I also spent an enjoyable evening Latin dancing and then danced some more at an event the next afternoon.

Last week, I had my annual check-up.  My biometrics were all good.  I got kudos from my doctor for sticking with my program over the year since my last visit.  He also supported my decision to cut back on using the scale, stating that gaining lean muscle and reducing fat was a much better measure of fitness.

I came across another fitness article that I wanted to share.  In the article, “Fitness Crazed,” the author writes about trying various types of exercise, with little success, until he started consistently using free weights.  In my own experience I've found that I make my best gains with free weights.  Free weights engage the stabilizing muscles, as well as the main muscle group that I’m focusing on.  They provide a greater range of motion and force me to concentrate in a way that machines don’t.  I use both machines and free weights in my routines, but the best pump almost always comes from the free weights.

Fitness Crazed
New York Times
Daniel Duane
May 24, 2014

“I went to the gym and, per Mr. Rippetoe’s instructions, did three sets of five reps in the squat, dead lift and standing press. Then I went home and drank milk. Two days later, I did three sets of five in the squat and the bench press. I repeated this basic pattern, alternating the dead lift with the power clean, for a year, adding a little more weight to the bar in every lift, during every session.

Now for the astonishing part: It worked. I was able to lift a tiny bit more every single time.”

That’s it for now.  See you next week!

A Little More Progress

Not much to report for this post.  A got in a few sessions at the gym and a Zumba session.  I ate lighter during the week to bank some calories for the Fourth of July barbecue.  I did pretty well.  I didn't overeat and I limited myself to one dessert.

I did hit a minor milestone this weekend:  I replaced my belt.  The buckle was starting to come loose on my old belt from pulling it tight.  The best part is that my new belt is a size 36 (See “The Significance of Size 36”)!  I didn't try the belt on until I got it home.  I have to admit to having some trepidation as I was sliding it through the belt loops.  As it turned out, it wasn't necessary.

On a related note, you may remember my post “Fitmodo - The Science of Fat.”  Well, I came across another Gizmodo article on fat called, “The Science of Losing Belly Fat.”  It is a good article, with some useful information.  It also confirmed the training method that I've been following:

"The question of what specific type of exercise will give you a better chance of reducing the jelly in your belly was answered, among other studies, in April, 2014 in the Journal of Sports Sciences. Researchers found that aerobic training combined with resistance training was much more effective at improving the levels of visceral and subcutaneous fat, compared to those who did just aerobic training alone."

Well worth a read.

Four Weeks Later

It’s been almost a month since my last post. A lot has been going on since then.  Over the course of the month, I've had some realizations and made some decisions.

The month started out a bit slow.  I had some outside pressures that I was handling which became distractions, reducing my fitness focus and motivation.  Also, too many late nights of reading or watching TV resulted in less sleep.  After I settled those issues, my focus returned.

Realizations

I love to drink pop, Coca Cola in particular.  If there is a perfect beverage, in my mind, Coke is it!  Coke is probably the hardest single food item for me to resist.  When attending this summer’s parties and get togethers, I've managed, for the most part, not to overeat and to have small servings of deserts and snack foods.  Coke is a different story.  I know that if I took Coke off the menu, I’d be looking at much faster results.  For now, we have a standoff.  I rarely buy a bottle for home, but socially, it’s hard for me to decline.  The battle continues.

I haven’t weighed myself since my last post and I feel good about not doing it.  Weighing myself weekly was more of a de-motivator than anything else.  I decided to focus more of  my attention on the positives.  Last summer’s shorts were too big.  The shorts that I've bought for this summer have all been a size 36 or a men’s large.  I’ll explain why size 36 is important to me later in this post.  I’m also starting to more appreciate the progress that I've made.  Sometimes, when I’m out and about, I’ll glimpse my reflection in a window and think, “That’s a lot different from last year.”

I’m sure that I'll get back on the scale eventually, but I’m in no hurry to do so.

I've noticed that my resistance training workouts have gotten shorter.  Not that I’m doing less, it’s just that I've become more efficient with the routines.  During the summer I’m pretty active, so, I've decided to reduce my cardio exercises and focus more on building muscle.
 
 “Natural” Cardio

Olympic Cauldron, Vancouver, BC

I spent a few days in Vancouver this month for a conference.  I got a lot of cardio in, going back and forth from the hotel to the convention center, walking the exhibitor’s hall, and around the convention center itself.  In the evenings, I walked through the park and along the harbor.  As a tradition, the organizers host a dance / mixer.  As usual, there were more women who wanted to dance than available men at the event.  I kid you not, once I got on the dance floor, I danced with groups of partners and didn't leave the floor ‘til the lights came on.  I had one break, when the deejay had some technical difficulty, then it was back on the floor.  I also count walking from gate to gate in some pretty large airports as cardio.

My wife and I usually get out on the weekends and spend time in the parks, walking around the shopping villages, attending picnics, art walks, festivals and summer stuff like that.  Toss in the yard work and I think I get in decent cardio workouts.

I still get in some walks at work

The Significance of Size 36

Years ago, I used to sell men’s clothing.  This was the scale we used for men’s pant sizes:

• 28” – 30” = Small
• 32” – 34” = Medium
• 36” – 38” = Large
• 40” – 42” = Extra Large
• Above 42” = Big and Tall

Me, back in my 32" waist days

When I think of “in shape” and “out of shape,” I primarily think of waist sizes.  I think of 32” – 34” as the “fit” waist sizes.  In most cases, men wearing these waist sizes generally weren't carrying a lot of visible fat.  I see size 36 as the bright line.  If you’re approaching a size 36 from a smaller size, its a line that warns, “Turn back!  You’re adding weight.  Check your diet and exercise levels.”  If you’re coming to size 36 from a larger size, the line encourages you, “Keep going!  You’re on the low end of a size large!   Medium is just around the corner!”

I see size 36 as the mystery size.  If a strangers sees you for the first time at a size 36, it wouldn't be easy for them to judge if you’re a person who’s getting back into shape or one who's slipping out of shape.

So, for me, consistently wearing a size 36, when I restarted my fitness challenge at size 42+, is a big deal.

Wrap up

I've been ending the month strong.  I've been pushing myself with heavy poundage to promote muscle growth.  I've taken some exercises to failure, where I couldn't finish a complete rep.

I’m still receiving a lot of support and acknowledgement of effort and results, for which I am very grateful.

July 23rd will mark 18 months into the journey.  I plan on kicking things up another notch as I approach this next mini milestone.

Well, that's it for now.  I'll have to think of a new closing line for posts like this one, that don't have the weigh-in stats.

The Return of Hawaiian Shirt Fridays

Well, I reduced my calories a little more this week, by eating less bread, and wound up gaining another pound.

As far as my workouts go, this was what I've come to think of as an “average” week.  I got in four sessions.  As I've mentioned before, I’m working heavier, trying increase the poundage a little each week.  I don’t hit all body parts equally on the same day.  I usually pick one or two body parts for the heaviest work and use moderate weight for the others.

The gym has been getting crowded again, with the combination of people belatedly chasing their summer bodies and the promotions that the gym has been running.  As a result, I've reduced the time that I spend in the gym on most days, with the exception being on the weekend.  I try to work through my sets, with minimal rest between exercises.  Being flexible with the order of the exercises helps, too.

I was reminded that working out is not a competitive sport.  I’d gone over to the weight rack to grab a couple of dumbbells to do some shoulder shrugs.  I was feeling pretty good from just having finished some other shoulder work and decided skip my usual warm-up sets.  I grabbed a pair of 100 lb. dumbbells and got to work.  I have to admit to feeling a bit cocky, standing in front of the mirror watching myself banging out sets holding 200 lbs.  The feeling was fleeting though, as a guy stepped past me, easily carrying two 120 lb. dumbbells over to a bench where he proceeded to knock out some rather impressive chest presses.

I haven’t been getting my lunch time walks at work in lately, but I think that will change now that the weather has been consistently better.  Instead of walking inside, I’ll move it outside.  I think that will help to motivate me.

“Hawaiian Shirt Fridays” is an unofficial tradition at work that grew out of casual dress Fridays.  During the summer weeks, some of the folks started wearing tropical shirts on Fridays.  More people started participating and eventually, it became a “thing.”  I was looking through my collection of tropical shirts to decide which one I’d wear to kick-off the start of summer.  I came across one that I’d stopped wearing because the spaces between buttons had begun to gap.  I tried it on and there was no gapping.  I wore it to work and even got a few compliments!

At the gym, I've gotten comments on how I look fitter and more muscular.  I've also noticed (or at least think that I've noticed) increased attention from the fairer sex (…and yes, I know that I’m happily married, but it’s still an ego boost!).

Completely off topic; I saw the movie, “X-Men: Days of Future Past” this weekend.  I have to say that it was the best movie of the franchise.  Great acting, great story, and phenomenal special effects.  If sci-fi or action movies are your thing, this is the movie for you.  I highly recommend it.

Weight loss to date:  38.8 lbs.