Don't give up, just keep trying. Its not over til the fat lady sings, so there is no point in quitting until time is up.
Over the weekend following a food treat my old friend Gout raised its ugly head. Making walking painful, let alone jumping, lunges and fighting stances. But instead of deciding it wasn't possible to carry on, I saw a challenge ahead and decided that it was time to fight harder, not retreat and admit defeat.
Thankfully the training schedule allowed for me to take it easy on my feet. Saturday was Kenpo, on not easy on the feet but better than Plyo for sure, so I managed to navigate my way through that. Then training with the girlfriend and hitting back and legs also. Taking it easier on things that would hurt my foot.
So here I am Monday, ready to give it my all again, and of course the routine again allows me to take the strain away from my feet. Chest and Back today. Avoiding the dog walks, not wanting to aggravate my foot any more than I have to, and save myself for Plyometrics tomorrow instead.
So how was todays session. One word says it all really, amazing. Not for any other reason than digging so deep, for a moment I thought Tony was talking in an Aussie accent. Deeper than ever before, and finally returning to a training ethos I have missed for years. Train to failure. Regardless of the movement, keep going until the body physically screams out and CANNOT do another single rep at all. Collapsing with push-ups, arms giving way on pull ups, and so on.
Todays words of wisdom are simple.
Train to failure NOT failure to train. If you can only manage 5 of what everyone else is doing 20 of, DO IT... Just make them good, clean, and your best ever. Keep going til your BODY says stop, not your mind thinking you can't do any more. Challenge yourself, and defy your mind and negative beliefs.
YOU can do it, if YOU want to!
Right now I'm sitting on the train in the sunshine, reflecting positivity, thinking the best thoughts of my life, and embracing life. My body feels great and alive, my mind is looking for the next challenge.
Speaking of challenges, I have realised I am in sync with the guys of Jaces Warriors, and as they start their 90 day challenge today, I am on the same page of workouts as them. Determined to jump back in with them all on Week4, I find myself rushing towards the finish line on my own challenge, and racing towards the team challenge start line.
With Clare and Carly starting with the group this week I have even more fire inside of me. As more and more friends jump onboard the P90Xpress, I realise how positive and amazing it all is, and am inspired by their drive to take the challenge on like I did.
What's down the line, well, as well as joining the group challenge in a few weeks time, I kinda feel I could take my nutrition a little more seriously, and am interested to see what differences that can make to my results on the next round. Time will tell, and watch this space. In the meantime I have not forgotten my interest in Tai Chi, and am still finding a way to fund and start Tai Cheng at the end of my first round on P90X.
In 8 weeks or so I jet off to Florida, so what better motivation to be in the form of my life. I can do this, YOU can do this. So what are we waiting for, Bring It people X style!
Big things lay ahead, and I for one am stoked!
Sent using BlackBerry®
Showing posts with label fit4forty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fit4forty. Show all posts
Monday, April 30, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Is it really Day 30 already?
It sure is! Who would believe it, not only have I endured thirty days of hard training, I have also stayed on track with my food intake. Upping my calories when needed, and the occasional treat here and there. But for the majority of the time I have stayed right on track.
This week I return to the proper high intensity workouts, weights, bands, and Plyometrics just to name a few routines I will be following over the coming three weeks, but I love it! No seriously, I really do love doing it. Pushing myself to my limit, and then beyond. Driving myself to near destruction, and most of all, feeling the rewards for my hard work.
This isnt a work hard, see no results program. This is quite the opposite, with results being felt at the end of every session, and seeing results on an incremental basis. Suddenly realising a muscle group is firming up, finding more strength in an activity, or just feeling how tight you have become. (physical not financial). Triceps, glutes, quads, deltoids, the list is endless of the muscle groups that are reaping the rewards of my body's hard work.
The hardest thing for me right now is coping with the reality that getting my stomach in shape is a BIG job. Underneath all the hoardings the work is sure in progress. My ability to do crunches, leg raises, scissors etc is much improved. If it feel how toned everything is becoming its evident. However on the surface things are not quite as rosey, well not yet anyway. Much reduced, and pulled in tight the difference is obvious, but getting rid of the last pockets of fat, and hoping there is elasticity left in my skin at my ripe old age, well that's a waiting game. However, that said, my determination is strong, and another 60 days are ahead of the P90X program alone, let alone how ever long I want to maintain my diet for. In time, as things progress I can look more at my diet as well as increasing activity to attack the flab. However for now I remain positive about it all, and the stomach toning (not getting a 6 pack) is the last of my worries.
Over all, I am delighted, motivated and excited about the coming SIXTY days ahead of me. What can I achieve, how different can I look, and how much can I increase my fitness by. I am not expecting massive differences in my first 30 day pictures. Maybe a little definition appearing in my arms and legs, and a small reduction around the waistline. Other than that, I don't know, and don't expect much. However I am really looking forwards to seeing the difference by Day 60.
The only problems I have encountered along the way have been absence, as in having to go away for a day, or miss morning training due to an appointment, and the biggest scare was this morning, waking with issues with my Plantar Facsia (muscles/tendons on the bottom of the foot). After a long spell of fast walking last night, I woke this morning with a lot of pain in my right foot, which I have recently had issues with. Fearing I would not be able to walk, let alone train I put some anti inflammatory gel on my foot, relaxed for a bit, then walked the dogs at a steady pace. After an hour of that I was ready to train. Training which just to happened to be Plyometrics (jump training). However it would appear the worry was over nothing, and I flew through my training with no ill effect. I might however be paying for it in the morning.
So, for now I guess that's me, well on P90X it is. Im sure I have more to say, but I will save that for the bath later lol.
So here is to everyone out there working hard on their training programs, diets, and other keep fit regimes. The gains are there to be made, you just need to knuckle down and commit. A little motivation is needed, and an element of willpower, but it is in all of us. Competing against friends, setting goals, or just having the desire to feel better about yourself. Whatever your motivation, keep at it, and lets get results together.
Noel, Baljit, Laura, Ivan, Clare, and everyone else ................. come on!! Race you to the finish!
This week I return to the proper high intensity workouts, weights, bands, and Plyometrics just to name a few routines I will be following over the coming three weeks, but I love it! No seriously, I really do love doing it. Pushing myself to my limit, and then beyond. Driving myself to near destruction, and most of all, feeling the rewards for my hard work.
This isnt a work hard, see no results program. This is quite the opposite, with results being felt at the end of every session, and seeing results on an incremental basis. Suddenly realising a muscle group is firming up, finding more strength in an activity, or just feeling how tight you have become. (physical not financial). Triceps, glutes, quads, deltoids, the list is endless of the muscle groups that are reaping the rewards of my body's hard work.
The hardest thing for me right now is coping with the reality that getting my stomach in shape is a BIG job. Underneath all the hoardings the work is sure in progress. My ability to do crunches, leg raises, scissors etc is much improved. If it feel how toned everything is becoming its evident. However on the surface things are not quite as rosey, well not yet anyway. Much reduced, and pulled in tight the difference is obvious, but getting rid of the last pockets of fat, and hoping there is elasticity left in my skin at my ripe old age, well that's a waiting game. However, that said, my determination is strong, and another 60 days are ahead of the P90X program alone, let alone how ever long I want to maintain my diet for. In time, as things progress I can look more at my diet as well as increasing activity to attack the flab. However for now I remain positive about it all, and the stomach toning (not getting a 6 pack) is the last of my worries.
Over all, I am delighted, motivated and excited about the coming SIXTY days ahead of me. What can I achieve, how different can I look, and how much can I increase my fitness by. I am not expecting massive differences in my first 30 day pictures. Maybe a little definition appearing in my arms and legs, and a small reduction around the waistline. Other than that, I don't know, and don't expect much. However I am really looking forwards to seeing the difference by Day 60.
The only problems I have encountered along the way have been absence, as in having to go away for a day, or miss morning training due to an appointment, and the biggest scare was this morning, waking with issues with my Plantar Facsia (muscles/tendons on the bottom of the foot). After a long spell of fast walking last night, I woke this morning with a lot of pain in my right foot, which I have recently had issues with. Fearing I would not be able to walk, let alone train I put some anti inflammatory gel on my foot, relaxed for a bit, then walked the dogs at a steady pace. After an hour of that I was ready to train. Training which just to happened to be Plyometrics (jump training). However it would appear the worry was over nothing, and I flew through my training with no ill effect. I might however be paying for it in the morning.
So, for now I guess that's me, well on P90X it is. Im sure I have more to say, but I will save that for the bath later lol.
So here is to everyone out there working hard on their training programs, diets, and other keep fit regimes. The gains are there to be made, you just need to knuckle down and commit. A little motivation is needed, and an element of willpower, but it is in all of us. Competing against friends, setting goals, or just having the desire to feel better about yourself. Whatever your motivation, keep at it, and lets get results together.
Noel, Baljit, Laura, Ivan, Clare, and everyone else ................. come on!! Race you to the finish!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Its Week 3 already!
And I'm on fire. I am addicted to P90X like no ones business, and as I sit here writing this, I can just feel a surge of energy inside of me bursting to get out, the drive to do something active and physical is insane.
The dieting has been going on for a few weeks longer now, and the change in me is something quite crazy. Weight loss is happening, and at a nice steady rate now. While the initial loss was quite rapid, now through choosing carefully, and maintaining a fair calorific intake, I have managed to slow the loss to a crawl. A pound here and there, rather than a whole bunch of weight a week. Not to say that rapid loss isn't a good thing, when I did Lighter Life I was thankful to get all the excess weight off me in one quick hit. But this time around is different. Both my goals, and my methods are very different.
Ketosis is an amazing and quite natural occurrence in the body, but not one I would call upon too many times in my life. This new approach for me is about fitness, flexibility and lifestyle, rather than BMI and target weights. When I started this time around I was approx 245-250lbs, feeling the strain a little, and really wanted to shed some weight while building on my weaknesses. A few weeks into the dieting I heard about and took up the P90X challenge, and my god I'm glad I did.
Week 1 was without a doubt a very sharp learning curve, and by Week 2 I was starting to understand the commitment that P90X would require. By the end of that week I was sure this was what I wanted to do, and now here in Week 3 I really cant get enough of it. Finding myself almost in a state of exercise deprivation, and with the urge to do more with my day.
I love that feeling of 'I just worked out'. The tired muscles, the slight ache, and energised feeling that you get when you call on your body for more energy. The following morning, that tightness, and the reminder that you trained as hard as you could the day before. Without a shadow of a doubt my 2 favourites of the Weeks 1-3 routine are Arms, and Plyometrics. The reasons are quite simple, they feel the best and have the highest impact on my body. However the most surprising one for me, and I have to say pretty pleasing too has to be Yoga.
Yoga is something I have wanted to do for years, but as part of a routine, not as a stand alone exercise, and thanks to P90X, there it is, right in the middle of my workout week. Balance, posture and core strength are all hit, and far harder than I ever realised yoga could. The most pleasing part for me has to be flexibility though. Never have I challenged myself like this, but it is something I have always craved. Being able to bend in directions I never knew I could. Its a strange feeling, that after just a couple of weeks I am already enjoying the freedom of movement I have found, and the stiffness that always seemed to possess me has gone. That's not to say there are not still some aches and pains around my body.... My god there are !
So all together, a lower calorie, low fat and carb intake, and I have to say a somewhat limited and sparse diet, put with a decent increase in general cardio exercise with the dogs (6-10 miles daily), and the introduction of P90X 6 days a week, that's one heck of a sudden change of lifestyle. A change that is both positive, and quite simply life changing to me. When I started out with my tag of #Fit4Forty it was always serious for me. However I didn't realise how tightly it would grip me, and how much drive i would find within myself to come this far, let alone to still feel SO motivated at this point.
Seeing ab muscles starting to appear, realising that definition is back in my arms, and feeling the tightness in my bum and legs like I have never done before are not things I was expecting. However all of them drive me on further, and challenge me to find out just how far I can go with this all. Wondering how much further I can go, how much definition I can get out of my body is a real driving force with me now. never have I been particularly vain about my body, but today I can quite honestly say vanity is taking me over, just a little bit.
So here I am right now, Day 2 in Week 3 of a pretty gruelling yet somehow rewarding program, and all I can say right now is, if you don't have a proper routine, you NEED P90X in your life.
I cant wait to post up some progress pictures, and more info on how I am doing.
What I can say for now is, 2 trouser sizes dropped almost now, and approx 30lbs. I am reaching my first proper weight goal of 220lbs, and from there I will consider if I want to lose much more weight in itself, or if the physical gains of P90X will start to cancel out the fat loss with increased muscle bulk and tone. Time will tell. For now, at just 1lb away from the goal, my intention is to just consider 220 my ceiling, and aim to stay below it. If more weight is lost, so be it, but if I start to gain again I will just need to be sure its for the right reasons. 220lbs is my new mooring post, and I shall try and stick around that the best I can.
Roll on the next 10+ weeks, and keep reading, one day I might write something interesting.
For more info and updates, I can be found on Twitter @therealslimsnaz
The dieting has been going on for a few weeks longer now, and the change in me is something quite crazy. Weight loss is happening, and at a nice steady rate now. While the initial loss was quite rapid, now through choosing carefully, and maintaining a fair calorific intake, I have managed to slow the loss to a crawl. A pound here and there, rather than a whole bunch of weight a week. Not to say that rapid loss isn't a good thing, when I did Lighter Life I was thankful to get all the excess weight off me in one quick hit. But this time around is different. Both my goals, and my methods are very different.
Ketosis is an amazing and quite natural occurrence in the body, but not one I would call upon too many times in my life. This new approach for me is about fitness, flexibility and lifestyle, rather than BMI and target weights. When I started this time around I was approx 245-250lbs, feeling the strain a little, and really wanted to shed some weight while building on my weaknesses. A few weeks into the dieting I heard about and took up the P90X challenge, and my god I'm glad I did.
Week 1 was without a doubt a very sharp learning curve, and by Week 2 I was starting to understand the commitment that P90X would require. By the end of that week I was sure this was what I wanted to do, and now here in Week 3 I really cant get enough of it. Finding myself almost in a state of exercise deprivation, and with the urge to do more with my day.
I love that feeling of 'I just worked out'. The tired muscles, the slight ache, and energised feeling that you get when you call on your body for more energy. The following morning, that tightness, and the reminder that you trained as hard as you could the day before. Without a shadow of a doubt my 2 favourites of the Weeks 1-3 routine are Arms, and Plyometrics. The reasons are quite simple, they feel the best and have the highest impact on my body. However the most surprising one for me, and I have to say pretty pleasing too has to be Yoga.
Yoga is something I have wanted to do for years, but as part of a routine, not as a stand alone exercise, and thanks to P90X, there it is, right in the middle of my workout week. Balance, posture and core strength are all hit, and far harder than I ever realised yoga could. The most pleasing part for me has to be flexibility though. Never have I challenged myself like this, but it is something I have always craved. Being able to bend in directions I never knew I could. Its a strange feeling, that after just a couple of weeks I am already enjoying the freedom of movement I have found, and the stiffness that always seemed to possess me has gone. That's not to say there are not still some aches and pains around my body.... My god there are !
So all together, a lower calorie, low fat and carb intake, and I have to say a somewhat limited and sparse diet, put with a decent increase in general cardio exercise with the dogs (6-10 miles daily), and the introduction of P90X 6 days a week, that's one heck of a sudden change of lifestyle. A change that is both positive, and quite simply life changing to me. When I started out with my tag of #Fit4Forty it was always serious for me. However I didn't realise how tightly it would grip me, and how much drive i would find within myself to come this far, let alone to still feel SO motivated at this point.
Seeing ab muscles starting to appear, realising that definition is back in my arms, and feeling the tightness in my bum and legs like I have never done before are not things I was expecting. However all of them drive me on further, and challenge me to find out just how far I can go with this all. Wondering how much further I can go, how much definition I can get out of my body is a real driving force with me now. never have I been particularly vain about my body, but today I can quite honestly say vanity is taking me over, just a little bit.
So here I am right now, Day 2 in Week 3 of a pretty gruelling yet somehow rewarding program, and all I can say right now is, if you don't have a proper routine, you NEED P90X in your life.
I cant wait to post up some progress pictures, and more info on how I am doing.
What I can say for now is, 2 trouser sizes dropped almost now, and approx 30lbs. I am reaching my first proper weight goal of 220lbs, and from there I will consider if I want to lose much more weight in itself, or if the physical gains of P90X will start to cancel out the fat loss with increased muscle bulk and tone. Time will tell. For now, at just 1lb away from the goal, my intention is to just consider 220 my ceiling, and aim to stay below it. If more weight is lost, so be it, but if I start to gain again I will just need to be sure its for the right reasons. 220lbs is my new mooring post, and I shall try and stick around that the best I can.
Roll on the next 10+ weeks, and keep reading, one day I might write something interesting.
For more info and updates, I can be found on Twitter @therealslimsnaz
Monday, February 20, 2012
And so it begins... the P90X lifestyle.
On Saturday I went to Southend with my good friend Noel, it was only a flying visit, but on the way conversation got going. Telling him my new motto of #Fit4Forty, and how I planned on sticking to my routine. Weight loss is still going well, and the next thing to do is increase my fitness levels. On liking the idea, but having a little less time than me before hitting 40, Noel mentioned two routines he has been looking into recently, Insanity and P90X. Going into a little detail on both I was immediately interested in following one, as it sounded perfect for my current goals.
So over the weekend I did some more research, and decided that out of the two, P90X was the one for me. Insanity being more the cardio trainer, I want to deal with and attack aggressively the whole physical conditioning thing. In general my cardio is still pretty good. I'm active every day with the walks to and from work, as well as the walks with the dogs twice a day, so I'm happy with that. So P90X was chosen and obtained.
To follow P90X a couple of things are required, in the form of equipment. Free-weights and door bars, or resistance straps. I have a long history with training, and over the years I have dipped and peaked in levels of fitness and strength. However throughout those years one thing has remained, and been an issue for me. I can train heavy, and I mean heavy. For someone of my build and not using any juice etc, I have made some cracking achievements in the free-weight circles. However this has all come at quite a cost, and I have had 3 arm/hand surgeries to date, all to repair damage to tendons etc. All specialists agree that heavy training in earlier years are the most likely cause.
So resistance straps are the chosen weapon of choice for me. Being able to vary the resistance used is invaluable to a broken body like me. So they are on order now. Til then I am making do with what I have at home, and trust me, its working.
I am under no illusions that I am in any way some Adonis who can bench my own body weight, nor plan to be a lean mean fighting machine. I am instead realistic, and want some strength to return to my lazy body, and trim down a little, to return to a fair level of size and definition. So today is the day. Today is the day it all started. From today onwards I will probably make a few very short entries on here, saying how the day has gone and how I am feeling, so for anyone wanting to follow and mock, these will be for you lol.
In the meantime Twitter will be my update source, so if you want some updates on my P90X routine, and how I am coping / progressing feel free to follow @therealslimsnaz or search for my hashtag #fit4forty
So the update for today.....
OMG! I started my day the usual way with walking the dogs for an hour or so, covering 4.5 miles which is the norm for us. Then got home and got straight into P90X while my body was still warm, and heart still pumping. Following back and chest for my first outing with the routine. The warm-up got a lovely burn started, and the following routine really attacked the areas of my body it promised to. I'm not going to pretend that I flew through it all, and didn't struggle. I managed the first cycle of the routine (routine repeats for 2 cycles). At that point I decided to stay true to myself and not push too hard. As my body started to rest, the nausea arrived lol, that signal from the body that it really has had enough for the time being.
For tomorrow I need to get my nutrition sorted out, and make sure i am giving my body what it needs to repair and build. But the after work out feeling is as ever amazing. I forgot how great you could feel after pushing yourself.
In the coming weeks I plan to be out on my Hardrock Pro (MTB) more, and to start challenging myself in more and more ways. Its great to feel so alive!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Fit 4 Forty
That's my new tag-line, motto and goal.
Let me start by saying in really not that bothered by age, its just a number and nothing more. A lot of stigma it attached to that said number, so such milestones beg attention. For me, 40 does.
Not because I believe it marks the beginning of the end, or even the beginning of the beginning lol, but because its considered by many a milestone that you should acknowledge by going a little wild, so indeed slowing things down a bit. For me, its the going wild that appeals to me.
I really really want to have done a parachute jumps, if not obtained my AFF license by my next birthday. Florida this summer would be the perfect time, but its a matter of getting the money to do it, but I'm sure gonna try anyway. Also I have already set the bar for my birthday.. I WILL be on a Canadian piste on my 40th birthday, hopefully with friends.
But more recently the Fit 4 Forty has come to the front of my mind, and I have decided that the one thing I want more than anything by the time I am 40 is my fitness. Now I know my cardio can be good, and I know my stamina levels are pretty high. I have a good frame to work with, and a history of being in good shape, albeit some time ago... So I am setting myself the goal of being in the best shape I can manage for my 40th.
The hardest part of this goal is to achieve muscle tone and get rid of the loose stuff from the corners of my body, WITHOUT causing myself anymore injuries. With my recent history with tendons etc, I can't afford to over do it, so any weight training will have to be considerate of my frail condition lol. The best option to me is to get something for home. Long has been the plan to have a treadmill and multigym at home, and in reality that still is the goal.
The other thing I really need is to tax my car. With the weather warming up I really could do with getting out at weekends on the mountain bike again and shredding up some easy trails for the time being. My body is craving the activity right now. After walking 14 odd miles the other day I know my body is ready for the next challenge, all I have to do is find and face that challenge.
I think this is something that has really taken a hold of me recently, the drive for Fit4Forty is pretty darn high right now, and I'm ready for the challenge.... BRING IT ON!
Sent using BlackBerry®
Let me start by saying in really not that bothered by age, its just a number and nothing more. A lot of stigma it attached to that said number, so such milestones beg attention. For me, 40 does.
Not because I believe it marks the beginning of the end, or even the beginning of the beginning lol, but because its considered by many a milestone that you should acknowledge by going a little wild, so indeed slowing things down a bit. For me, its the going wild that appeals to me.
I really really want to have done a parachute jumps, if not obtained my AFF license by my next birthday. Florida this summer would be the perfect time, but its a matter of getting the money to do it, but I'm sure gonna try anyway. Also I have already set the bar for my birthday.. I WILL be on a Canadian piste on my 40th birthday, hopefully with friends.
But more recently the Fit 4 Forty has come to the front of my mind, and I have decided that the one thing I want more than anything by the time I am 40 is my fitness. Now I know my cardio can be good, and I know my stamina levels are pretty high. I have a good frame to work with, and a history of being in good shape, albeit some time ago... So I am setting myself the goal of being in the best shape I can manage for my 40th.
The hardest part of this goal is to achieve muscle tone and get rid of the loose stuff from the corners of my body, WITHOUT causing myself anymore injuries. With my recent history with tendons etc, I can't afford to over do it, so any weight training will have to be considerate of my frail condition lol. The best option to me is to get something for home. Long has been the plan to have a treadmill and multigym at home, and in reality that still is the goal.
The other thing I really need is to tax my car. With the weather warming up I really could do with getting out at weekends on the mountain bike again and shredding up some easy trails for the time being. My body is craving the activity right now. After walking 14 odd miles the other day I know my body is ready for the next challenge, all I have to do is find and face that challenge.
I think this is something that has really taken a hold of me recently, the drive for Fit4Forty is pretty darn high right now, and I'm ready for the challenge.... BRING IT ON!
Sent using BlackBerry®
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