Thots

Hey Now!!.. I haven’t written anything in a while, I miss it actually, I made a few new friends lately who have helped me stay motivated as I am trying to participate with the site more. 

I am about at the halfway point of my little challange with myself.  I started out ok, hit a lull, then had a great last week.. only to post no changes.  Well, down a pound but I don’t count that as progress.  The progress I made more was a few great recipies and stocking up on the good stuff in my fridge…

I tried a few new things with cardio which I felt awesome about, got my diet good and even too good where I would fall way under my cals for the day.  I figured with the cardio in the morning, the diet in line, and doing weights in the afternoon that it would yield some sort of result this week..  I had a day that I slid on the diet, but counted that as a "high carb" day.. lol  wasn’t enough to cause catastrophic failure… I hit a few days where I felt fatigued so I think the too low calorie days caused that.  I had intense cardio sessions, and great workouts through saturday. 

I have now 14 days until I weigh again so we’ll see if I can get things a little smoother this segment.  I really think it was more diet than anything, my efforts with training have been up there.. Oh and now I’m seeing all these people revealing their abs from the winter workout hibernation, I always wait until spring to say I need to get into it for summer.. lol  I’ll spend the summer training and reveal in the winter, how about that.. lol 

Thanks guys!!…

This is a concept I really do not understand at all.  I have contemplated possible scenarios for the inclusion of a newspaper in ones progress photo, to no avail… 

At first I figured it was to indicate the date one started their venture to produce an after picture.  I am perplexed with this particular motive because without my 400X microscope I cannot read the date on the paper in the pixelized pictures.  In contradiction to this theory one usually adds the date of said progress picture to the title and/or some comment attached anyway.  I’m not buying it…

I have heard.. it is supposed to be the same paper, USA Today, for some reason.  I’ve seen more local papers being used over a specially purchased paper on the day you start that no one can read the date on in the photo anyway… Should there be a constant in the type of paper, the date is still not readable.   I’m not buying it…

I have heard the front page and a headline will indicate the date.  Ok… that would be just fine for those who happen to collect the exact local paper used in the photo and can reference the exact issue used in the photo and thus produce a date, providing they come in contact with your progress photo that is.  For the rest of us, I guess we have to guess within 6 months to a year or so providing it was a national headline… I’m not buying it…

Then I thought since no one can ever read the paper, maybe it’s the paper in terms of size we are supposed to be looking at.  Everyone knows how big a newspaper is right?  We know in relation to a newspaper how big the person holding it is.  The problem is..  there are subtle variations in a paper’s size and how it’s photographed that are an unknown to viewers of the picture.  For instance a New York Times would make someone like like a hobbit while the aforementioned USA Today or a local paper would in contrast make the person look normal.  The same paper would have to be held at the same position at the same distance from the camera in order to make this theory even plausible.  I’m not buying it..

Maybe it’s a personal thing.  Could it be that the newspaper a person holds in the before picture represents a sentimental artifact from ones past signifying the date said person changed their life.  Plausible indeed, but that brings up the question of the after picture newspaper and it’s meaning, but that’s another show… I could almost believe the newspaper is a sentiment of a change in ones life.  I also believe there are far better artifacts to use than some newspaper.  Maybe the picture itself!  With a date on the back and a comment!  I’m not buying this theory either…

With the inclusion of newspapers in progress pictures that continue to this day I cannot help but ponder their meaning.  Am I missing something?  Something so complex that it eludes common sense, or something so simple that it is completely overlooked… My guess is that someone many years ago started it, with good intentions I’m sure, and everyone follows this tradition without really knowing it’s true meaning, like many holidays…  One grabs a paper, noting the date I’m sure, and displays it proudly next to their bare physique in what will become the infamous Before Progress Picture for all to see…..

Well, you’ll be happy to hear this isn’t another story about some situation I got myself into…then again, in a way it really could be..

so I haven’t worked out in a few days.. saturday i was under the weather (something I ate maybe) and let that go to today as I have been getting organized and packed for my trip (leaving friday morning 2AM for 12 days) once my training goes, so does my diet.. then my head.. though I haven’t lost my desire yet.. not entirely anyway.. I spent the last hour or 2 reading others blogs and stuff.. and it really made me think, why am I here..?? not in a bad way really, but it’s also not like I’m the only one to struggle with mental and physical aspects of fat reduction and training and diet.. (naturally mint looking people excluded:) I just get into these little ruts of some low energy days and missed clean meals or training sessions.. I think it has more to do with outside factors as I haven’t lost my desire to be fit.. I let a little of the outside worlds depression get in and they do battle in my head.. haha ok that sounded weird.. I’m not a mental case.. lol  Anyway.. I am leaving for Florida in 2 days.. this trip happens every year, and it motivates me so much to train that I come home so energized and excited about getting fit.. seeing people out, actually fitting in their clothes with comfort and looking good.. couples doing coupley things.. friends out and about…. being able to enjoy the beaches.. well, every year I want that too.. so.. since I can’t get in shape in 2 days, I will take this trip as what it is, motivation to go hard on the other side.. when I get back I have to reassess my current program (which has been half assed lately) and really get back in the iron game..  I will then have a couple more months of winter here to get ready.. I always dreamed of unvailing a fit, "transformed" body from my winter coat in april.. maybe May..lol   I am also going to take a before pic, because I have read that a ton of people found it a super positive aspect of their results… I always wanted the after pic.. lol  I just hope I don’t end up with a Before and a Way Before pic… 

well, wish me luck on my return, because I have gotten nothing but derogatory comments about it so far from the few friends I have that train.. so much so that I almost keep my training a secret..  which I hate having to do.. I’ve stopped training before for periods of time (injuries and personal reasons) and have lost all faith from my friends… We’ll see how things go, I just have to make it through the next 2 weeks first..!!! 

Ok, Ok, I know this really doesn’t have anything to do with the gym.. but again this person owns a gym.. so it’s close enough, and too funny not to share.. in fact, being the occasion it was (super bowl party) it is the exact opposite of fitness really..

Anyway.. same person that stared in my previous 3 blogs.. and then this is it.. I’m done with it, and off to Florida.. So I go to this "party"… walk in.. there are a few bottles rum and vodka.. bottles of beer, and 2 cases of wine.. (mostly for personal use on her part I’m sure)  bunch of food, wings, mac salad, turkey and roast beef wraps, meatballs and sauce, chicken fingers, and fruit salad…  ok.. not bad fare.. catered of course.. so I get sucked into getting the food ready.. needs to be warmed up.. of course this woman puts the broiler on.. sure why now.. after all she wasn’t going to "bake" something!!  after changing the setting on the range I get everything else opened.. I was thinking to myself, as you might be now.. what about plates and utensils and the like.. haha well.. at just about every other super bowl party in the country there are paper plates, plastic cups, and plastic utensils abound.. not this one.. so can we assume entertaining isn’t this persons strong point?…

She gets out a wood case, opened it up, and bam.. brand new silverware in a felt lined case.. ok, well personally I prefer not picking plastic pieces of fork out of my macaroni salad… that’s just me.. I’m cool with the "real" silverware if she is.. only I felt bad because it wasn’t even the everyday stuff it was the once a year stuff.. the impress the GF or inlaws set..  I said at that point.. I need a drink.. rum, ok.. rum and Diet coke sounds good right about now.. ohhh you are wondering where the glasses are.. me too!!  well, in the cabinet of course,, which one.. well after learning her kitchen inside and out, they are in the second one over from the range..  take your pick, all the best high dollar stuff is in there.. cool because just as with the plastic forks I prefer glass when I have a cocktail.. I’m cool with this as well.. even though I feel bad because I really don’t think she knows how to use the dishwasher.. which I will end up doing later.. I assume because of the huge stack of plastic take-out containers saved up in the corner.. 

I look for ice.. haha, ice.. who would have thought anyone would need ice at this gathering..  I find this woman (curled on the couch watching tv) "oh, I don’t have any ice just what’s in the freezer"  ok 2 ice trays 60% frozen.. that should be plenty.. get that into my glass pour the rum. then I look for coke.. haha.. you didn’t really think she had mixers at this party did you.. there were 2 cases of wine, some on the counter, a case of beer and ketchup in the fridge.. that’s it.. well, it’s off to the store at like 5pm to see if I can get mixers.. how many people are coming, so I can buy accordingly.. maybe 5, maybe 25 was my answer.. ok, close enough.. ugh.. I give up my awesome parking place on this dead end road to do this.. get a few bottles, get my place back.. make my drink and just get to sit down for a minute.. people come, food comes out.. everyone is looking for plates.. do I even have to say it.. well, they are in the cabinet right of the fridge of course.. all the nice china too, the stuff with stenciled stuff on the edges..

I guess I can’t really say much about that, in a way it was nice to not fight with cheap paper stuff, just don’t buy the cheap stuff… but also, we completely filled the dishwasher and have like 2 loads..  I would have prefered the cleanup properties of paper and plastic..  The big moment of the night came when a guest asked for a glass of wine..  sure no problem, she had 2 cases, anything you like, sparkling, red, white. you name it.. the wine glasses are in the cabinet left of the range.. "oh Andrew"…  how do we open the wine.. upon entering the kitchen.. I say, with a corkscrew of course..  now.. someone who buys over 2 cases of wine.. and doesn’t own a corkscrew.. well, you know there are going to be problems in every aspect of that persons life.. I understand everything now, it all came together at that exact moment.. this past week, actually made sense.. for not making sense, if that makes sense.. anyway.. I was not going home to get mine, as I wouldn’t return.. so she called someone who was coming to bring one.. they brought the one that slides down either side of the cork (not a screw) so a guy tries to do it, and destroys the cork.. "Andrew!!"   of course I remember reading about this device and it’s use in my wine books (I’m somewhat skooled on wine, you see) so I again come to the rescue.. open the bottles to the amazement of all in attendence (8).. there was an icecream cake for this person, who never had an icecream cake.. and thought there was cake in ice cream cake.. "where’s the cake?"  "How do you bake it without melting the ice cream?"

At the end of the evening, I end up taking home all the mixer stuff I bought and all the leftovers.. stuck with pounds of food and drink, and having entertained and hosted someone elses party.. an adventurous evening..  and I don’t even like football!!!

Ok, I know my last couple of posts haven’t been related to fitness or the gym, however, the person involved owns a gym..and I go to a gym… close enough!

This woman is unreal (see The Mattress and The Other Gym below) She calls me up to go get the mattress on friday.. fitting it in between clients.. already I’m rushed.. I head out and get in my truck, realizing that it’s raining..  well, I tried calling to abort, no such luck.. so I head over to the place.. she is there with this look on her face like what the hell did I do..  it’s raining.. ok.. at this point I really just want this ordeal to be over with..  she buys the thing and I take the frame with me.. to her place we go.. now she cant decide which room to put it in.. I was able to get out of there before I ended up rearranging her whole house..but not before she had me try to diagnose her new TV… that’s a whole other story.. I ended up getting the mattress the next day and taking it there on my own, in and out with the quickness.. frame set up, rooms changed.. IT"S OVER..

Not so fast.. I get a call "Andrew, my tv doesn’t work can you come fix it"  what’s wrong with it.. "I don’t know I hit something it doesn’t work now, it’s blank, you might have to come look at it.."  I said it’s the input button, just hit it again and it will come back on.. "oh, uh, I don’t know, you might have to come do it"  do you believe this… I said try it.. Calls me back in like 15 mins, "the tv doesn’t work, i don’t know what’s wrong, can you just come fix it.." in a panic " i need it for sunday, the game, blah, blah" ok there is no way in hell I am going to drive to her house to hit one button on her remote control and leave, you mean no one can do that!!!..  I called her back, left explicit instructions on her phone what to look for on her remote (input button) and what to do with it.. not what I really wanted her to do with that remote mind you..

I get a message a little while later, it worked, thanks for the info.. see you sunday, so if I failed to mention, I inadvertently allowed myself to be invited to her super bowl party.. for which she wanted to have "healthy" food.. no bread, just salads, rice, veggies and the like… wtf kind of party is that.. a yoga party (not that there’s anything wrong with that) not a football party.. lol  The reason I say inadvertently allowed, is that once again I can’t say no.. they are like "you’re coming sunday right" "oh we’ll talk about it sunday when you come"  I don’t even like football.. I know I just lost a few friends right there with that comment..lol   I am going to go, for a bit anyway..until about 6-7.. if there are a lot of people I will be able to sneak out.. if not, I’ll end up fixing something.. while I gnaw on broccoli spears..

Ok, I have to be done with this saga soon… it’s eating up my blogs, though I know some enjoy them (Janet)…  I lost 2 pounds last week, but saturday I was a little under the weather, thinking I was getting the flu, luckily it lasted only the day.. gee I should have weighed after all that.. could have been 4 or 5 pound..lol  anyway.. I have been running around today so if I can slip out of this party I will workout later.. if not well I have 4 days before my trip.. I won’t make my goal but I think I at least got a good start and was able to get in it mentally which was the boost I needed from this site and the support… I got awesome straps for doing front squats so i will be employing them this week..

Thanks for letting me rant.. this is a great place for that… everyone can relate in some way or another and throw all sorts of support out there.. nice one!!!

First let me sort of add to my previous blog (see The Other Gym, below) My friend the gym owner/trainer..  well..  she doesn’t have many people around her like friends who could help her out.. that’s where I come in I suppose… and because of my friend I now have this friend..

anyway..the back story… about 2 weeks ago I had to help a friend move (another friend) and he needed my truck to move his mattress (about 40 miles) and a few other things… I never thought in a million years that I’d be "that guy" transporting a mattress on the roof of my truck down the highway..  I said no way I am not going to do that…  So I’m driving down the highway with this mattress on my truck.. I did stipulate that there are to be no arms out the window holding on to it, and no bungee cords at all.. we need ratchet straps and at least 2 of them.. box spring on top of mattress.. that’s it.. well it worked great, I drove alone…(hunched down in my seat) made it the distance without it moving an inch… the one time I had to do that is now over.. hoping the whole time no one saw me… naturally..

This is where the new friend comes in.. while I was there yesterday morning.. she asked if I would help her transport a mattress to her place for her spare room.. No way am I doing that again.. once is enough, I can’t be doing that all the time, get it delivered… so I had to pick her up at 1 today to get the mattress..  in the span of less than 2 weeks I am now in the mattress business.. wtf.. so it was scheduled for today.. no chance of avoiding it, she called my cell like 4 times in a row on the minute we agreed on until I answered.. luckily I don’t have the ratchet straps, my other friend still does, so I dodged that bullet!!!

I now have to go get the straps (about 25 minute drive one way) then move this mattress, and return the straps (hopefully another time…) Did I mention it’s being transported in the same posh town she owns the gym.. I’m now a "servant".. 

Why don’t I say no..  very good question.. I am too good hearted.. I love helping people.. but..  I equally love ranting about this stuff as well.. it’s really funny the situations I get myself into.. she is really a sweet person and is appreciative.. I’m doing my good friend duties that’s all.. so don’t be so quick to bust on the guy with the mattress on the highway (as long as it’s properly strapped down to an adequately sized vehicle) it just might be you someday…

Oh i almost forgot.. I had an awesome training session this morning.. at home too, which i generally don’t have good sessions, unless it’s just cardio, but that’s another blog..  anyway.. Bi’s and Tri’s.. blasted them..I use a 2" bar sleeve so I train my forearms really well durring the moves.. I did a little cardio cooldown after and  feel awesome.. you know the Bi/Tri day makes you feel jacked all day.. and I have to go into the city (nyc) tonight too.. looking forward to tomorrow.. (except for the mattress transport of course)

I happen to have acquired a friend, through a friend, who owns a small gym in a snooty town next to mine.  Well, on occasion I go to visit my friend and get to see all these ritzy people training..(who think they are training) not many maybe 5 or 6 max at a time in this place.. I’ve seen anyway..

So one guy was doing some light cable stuff and light medicine ball stuff and kept saying "I’m tired, I’m getting tired, how much longer" to his trainer (my friend) "how many more things do I have to do, I think I’m getting tired" oh and the funny one.. "this feels heavy, is it heavier" "no" the trainer said "it’s the same weight we’ve used" "maybe it’s because I’m getting tired" the guy said…  Then there is the older woman with white sunblock on her face (ok, it’s about 28 degrees today and cloudy) doing circuit training.. all decked out in gym garb.. I mean it’s great she is there doing something, being all dusty… but she just sat on each machine.. a rep or two, and then moved on.. she said to the guy on the cables "I’m getting tired" 

Ok, by this time I have had it.. all the while I was talking to my friend who is the owner/trainer of these people..  then came in the hardcore dude.. prancing in, straight to the squat rack.. I thought he was there to fix the apparatus because he and his cronies had jeans on.. nope they jump right in to squatting.. yelling loud and slamming plates.. mind you, this place is filled with money is no object people with butlers, $200,000 cars and stuff..  so I look over.. he’s got the bar loaded with like 4 plates, hanging from chains off the rack just a few inches lower than his shoulder height…and doing I’d say 1/4 reps.. nowhere near a squat..more like the move you might make standing up after leaning in to the mirror in your bathroom.  Standing up, then slamming the bar down into the chains.. obnoxious let me tell you..over and over again.. But the yelling and plate slamming continued.. so, in order to drown that out, the guy training a girl with boxing goes over to turn the music up.. then one of the other trainers didn’t like the music so he changed the station.. In comes a mom.. takes off her fur coat and gets a bottle of water from the fridge.. and proceeds to say hi to everyone in the place, little pecs on the cheek all around.. so Mrs. Priss gets together with her trainer and they start on legs, only not so fast.. her hair was a little out of place, and her shirt was too klingy..after that is fixed she does a set.. then another, and as she gets of for a break she says "it’s warm in here can someone turn the heat down.."  I nearly lost it..

My friend got pulled aside by the boxing trainer who needed more floor space to train this woman..so everything and everyone using the floor had to relocate so she could throw a few punches..the next Ali (the daughter) why couldn’t they use the full size boxing ring installed in this place you might ask.. well it was occupied by a trainer and trainee doing stretches on the mat…

I am really glad I am not a member at this gym.. I was offered workouts anytime for free.. but with all the politics and antics, not to mention the type of people I hate, ones that think their shit doesn’t stink who give you the looks while you are sweating doing a set of whatever… 

I just had to tell someone the morning I had.. this place is great for socializing but definitely not for training.. at least no one uses it as such..

It felt good to get back to it after not being able to train this week..  11 days until I leave.. I almost don’t want to go (not really) because I am on such a roll with training.. but…. those high temps, golf courses, dinners out.. well, you know.. it’s Florida

My workout today was at home.. chest and I hit traps because..well… I need traps.. chest was good though I have a sore tendon or something in my delt keeping me from getting nuclear… What does one do for a torn or irritated muscle/tendon like that.. I mean besides rest.. I tried all sorts of creams and rubs.. muscle relaxants…. I don’t know, it’s really affecting my golf swing too.. went to the range today.. damn I am in mid-season form and I haven’t picked up a club in like 2 months.. I was shocked..

My dilema.. I want to be huge.. wait.. I don’t want to be huge..everyone is huge… I want to be giant.. yeah.. anyway.. this is a major problem with a golfer.. you can’t be big and swing a golf club.. well, and be a decent player anyway..  I have not persued my gigantism as much because I love golf so much..  ugh.. it’s a major clash of two sports…  muscles don’t help you in golf.. a tone physique and flexability will, but not big muscles.. which is funny because now they might be testing for roids on the PGA tour..  not that I will be on a tour anytime soon.. (and not on the juice either for the record)

I joined a new gym but have only been able to go on weekends with a friend.. I hope to go a few days this week before the weekend.. I want funny gym stories like the rest of the blogs I read.. gyms are really a funny place.. the things people do.. buuuut.. that’s another show!!

Yeah, I made it to the gym.. I felt pretty good so I decided to give it a try, the back held out so far, and I did 10 mins on the treadmill, 25 on the stepper (split 10-10-5) ugh, and another 10 on the TM.. felt awesome.. I haven’t done the stepper in a while especially with my back.. it’s death!!.

The funniest thing about the stepper is once you enter your criteria for the workout it flashes "Enjoy your workout!"  What’s that!!!.  yeah, what a blast I’m in for..what a barrel of monkeys being on that thing!! I almost get pissed like the machine developer did that on purpose as a joke.. lol 

At least I had a friend with me and we suffered together.. oh and why do they have to put the stepper in the area of the floor with the lowest ceiling, I wanted to remove the ceiling tile so I didn’t have to duck the whole time or hit my head.. my last gym had a huge 10" waste pipe run right across the 3 steppers.. you have to be like 5′5" to use them.. and heat rises so it’s like 20 degrees warmer up there for me…  not to mention being on display for everyone to see what death looks like!!

What an awesome workout that was!!! I can’t wait to do it again tomorrow!!

I discovered a great remedy, well otc type anyway, for my back..  it’s excedrine’s back and body..  it has an anti-inflamatory along with a pain killer.. together they work really well.. I have a script for a more potent one but as much as I hate relying on any meds, this otc is great.. without the high from the control substances in the other… AF’s alone like say in advil doesn’t work as well..

Anyway.. all week I have been unable to train or do much due to reinjuring my back earlier this week.. I discovered the B&B two days ago and it’s been great.. however my weigh day came too soon and this morning I am up 2.. which is ok I suppose for not training and having a few slip ups on my meals.. working out alone gets me on track with a diet but the two need to be together…. otherwise when one faulters the other suffers.. I hope to get a good week in this week.. I’ll start back working out, but I just have to tell myself to take it easy early on..

Gee I just joined a new gym too like a couple months ago..I must like paying for things I don’t use…

oh well..  until next time…