MilesJ’s BodyBlog

It’s been 3 months since I was hitting the weights on a consistent basis and so this evening I decided to get back in there and get acquainted with the iron again and begin getting back on schedule again. Since I hadn’t been in for a while I kept it light with low reps and weight and a minimum number of sets. I did get in 32 minutes of cardio splitting time between the treadmill and the ellipitical. It’s the most cardio I’ve done outside of hiking as of late. So tomorrow I am getting up early to go at it again with a little more intensity.

I just finished a new cardio routine. 20-25 minutes of cardio in my apartment building. I just used the stairwell that leads to the garage. 15 sets total.

1 set = jump or skip rope 20 times, then do a running step up, step down on the bottom step 15 times.
Resting 15-20 seconds between sets.

It’s been said that it doesnt matter how many times you fall, what matters is that you get up again. Well I have fallen again over the last 2-3 weeks in my diet and exercise and it was a hard fall. Not just a snack here or there but a lot of binge eating around the clock almost. Cookies, candy, fast food for breakfast, lunch and dinner and all times of the day. The source of my fall is an unhappiness in the personal and professional aspects of my life. So how will I rebound? I’m not sure exactly, but I am going to get back up again with the refocus of my energies to my diet and exercise again and also to rediscovering what makes me happy. Easier said than done I know, but starting again by correcting my eating and exercise habits seem to be the easiest thing for me to work on first. Stay tuned.

In what was a difficult week that just past, I really needed the gym more than ever. I got a call earlier in the from my dad telling me that one of my siblings had tried to attempt suicide and was sent to a facility to get treatment. Luckily the attempt to do away with one’s life was disrupted by my mother and a friend who were able to wrestle away the knife. I cant begin to explain what thoughts went racing through my head, but they werent pretty to say the least. I probably needed the gym more than anything else this week to break my mind from the thoughts I was having, but I couldn’t bring myself to go and workout. So after a few days off with a racing mind with lots of questions and fewer answers I made it back to the gym this morning to feel better about myself, as my sibling is beginning to feel that brighter days are ahead for them as well.

Being on vacation can make or break you in trying to reach your goals. I just returned from vacation earlier this week and I will admit that getting back into my normal routine has been a little difficult. I had planned on working out while I was away, but that didn’t work out the way I had hoped. The free time I thought I was going to have to hit the gym just wasn’t there. I ate foods my body hadn’t been accustomed to in a while and I could tell by how I felt after each meal. So I gave in to the proverbial, "You’re on vacation, you can splurge." So I did, although when I look back at what I ate, I really could’ve eaten a lot worse than what I had. Nonetheless the damage has been done and the work ahead is going to be difficult. But I’m up to the continued challege. I’ve already hit the gym this morning for the first time since vacation with a lighter workout and I will hit it again even harder tomorrow. Vacation was fun, but now it’s back to the grind of the gym.

This week I’ve been a little off with my eating and with training. I dont know exactly why it happened, but it did. But as of yesterday I got back on track with eating and this morning hit the gym for the first time since Monday. Not a great amount of missed time between workouts, but it was enough. I am guessing that maybe I was off this week mentally by not staying focused more than anything. Focus has been regained and I’m happy it was only a temporary lapse.

I awoke this morning with the intent of going to the gym at some point today and I was able to follow through, putting in a light workout, since it has been a couple of weeks since the last workout. It’s funny how little things like the weather outside or something on television can influence a person from doing what they know they need to do to reach ones goals. The weather was sunny and cold out and though the television was on most of the day, neither was an obstacle in my getting in a workout today. In getting a workout in today my immediate short term 2 week goal is to get my endurance and strength back to have a great day on the slopes in a couple of weeks for the first time this season without having to cut my day short. Notice the amount of lower body work done today. Since today’s workout was light I plan to turn it up a notch or two tomorrow.

This is my first blog entry in a little more than a month, but to borrow from the title of an Ice Cube song, "Today was a good day." Really. I made it to the gym for a really good workout this morning despite turning the clock back. I can make up for an additional hour of sleep another time. My workout lasted an hour and a half. 20 minutes on the treadmill with the rest of the time hitting the weights. The overall intensity of my workout was pretty high at times, and after a layoff I was pleased with what I accomplished this morning. My goal this week is to train 4 times. My eating habits are getting better as I am referencing back to a meal plan printed in the July/August issue of Maximum Fitness magazine. And I just received my first shipment of Lipo 6 this weekend. My plan is to begin using Lipo 6 in about 3-4 weeks. I would appreciate it if anyone could let me know how this supplement worked for them. Thanks in advance for your responses.

Well I guess I’m trying again to get this right and to get to where I want to be with my body. Since my last post which has been over 2 months ago, I have gone into a tailspin and I am looking to work my way out of it again. I can blame no one for my past failure but myself for my not sticking to my meal plans and not working out as much as I should. Sure the stresses of working 2 jobs, 14-15 hour days sometimes is rough, but it began to wear on me and I stopped eating properly and I stopped going to the gym. Instead I ate more fast food than the law should allow. Couple that with the late night snacking of cookies, chips, taquitos, candy, and sodas and I look and feel horrible. Clearly I let the stress get to me and maybe became a little depressed, but as I looked at myself today in the mirror I was not happy with what I saw and also not happy with how I’ve felt the last two months. Clearly eating the wrong foods does have a negative effect on your body and your mind. I’ve been nothing but tired every day and that has affected my attitude at work and just in an overall way. I’d come home in the afternoons and do nothing but fall asleep on the couch, wake up and then stay up later that night sometimes until 2 in the morning. I admit, I fell off my horse. I wasnt on my game. This not who I am or who I aspire to be, so once again I will get back on the horse and do my best to train my body and eat properly to attain the goals I have set for myself. The second job is gone now, so I can put more time in at the gym. I look to the guys and girls here on bodyspace for inspiration and motivation as I will also look to myself and lookin the mirror each day and tell myself to be better today than yesterday. Wish me luck.

I started a new meal plan this past Monday and so far I’ve been able to maintain it. I found the plan in this month’s Maximum Fitness magazine. It’s a three week plan to lose 15lbs of fat. I was able to pass up the weekly offering of office doughnuts on Fridays, and the pot luck lunch earlier in the week, so that’s a good sign. I’ve hit the gym 5 days this week and I already do feel better than I’ve had in a while. I dont know what I’ve lost so far, but at the moment the numbers dont really concern me. it’s more of how I feel and what I see in the mirror. This plan has allowed me to eat somethings that I wouldn’t normally eat, like asparagus and summer squash which is really not that bad. It’s also kept me more focused and determined on making sure I eat every 2-3 hours and that no outside temptations (office food, and the haters) would creep in and mess things up. Plus it’s kept me from visiting Burger King across the street and saving me money. Part of the reason for my determination is that overthe last few months I’ve gained about 10-15 lbs and eventhough I was in the gym, it wasnt often enough and my meal plan wasnt working. Then I got sick a couple of months ago and wasnt able to train and my eating really went south. So now I’m feeling much better and I am more focused on my training goals. Bring on Week 2 of this meal plan, which for me starts on Monday!