Making Statements, Not Excuses

I created a group for people over 40 years of age and older and want to keep a healthy lifestyle. I actually created two different groups. The one i want you guys to join is "Age-Defying Bodybuilders"….anyone can join as long as you come in and be active.

I have been on this site for a year now and have met some awesome people. People who are in excellent shape and who are happier than they have ever been. A lot of these people who i have befriended have something in common with me. They at one time had been overweight and felt really ugly at one time. Well the truth is you never really were ugly at all. The fat that was on you hid the beautiful person that you had always been. The fat was and is what’s ugly. Fat to me is like an illegal drug. It slows you down, it depresses you and it makes you , well literally sick and tired. You hate to even look in the mirror. I weighed myself  yesterday at the gym and my current weight registered 233 lbs. What is significant is that i have not weight below 235 in about 5 years, what’s even more significant is that I weighed damn near 250 a year ago when i joined bodyspace. So in a year’s time i have dropped 17 lbs of that ugly fat. The road has not been easy. It seemed like my workouts had been doing nothing for me for months. Then i realized I was my own worst enemy. I realized why the fat was not leaving and immediately took steps to solve the problem. It was as simple as knowing that what was good was not good for me. I changed up my eating and cooking habits and just finally said no to some things that i loved but knew were bad for me. There is no majic pill but before i knew it my energy was through the roof and what i used to consider a chore,is now my life essentially. I make excuses to go to the gym now and i can look at foods I thought i couldn’t live without and walk right past them as  if they aren’t there. I’m so excited about the coming year because i see the changes in my body, my clothes are starting to fit better and for the first time in about 10 years I will take my shirt off at the beach and feel great about it. I have commited myself to the healthy lifestyle i have been wanting to acheive for so many years. If you are overweight, please read this and look at all the profiles of people that have fought this battle. Its not too late and me and most of my friends here are proof that you are not to old to live vibrant and healthy. I’m still a long way off from being where i want to be, but i’m much better already than I used to be.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 to 6 tilapia fillets
• 1 cup soft fresh bread crumbs
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• Pinch dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Dash black pepper

Preparation:

Heat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a large shallow baking dish. Arrange fish fillets on the prepared baking pan. Brush with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter with the bread crumbs and seasonings. Sprinkle the crumbs over the tilapia fillets.Bake the fish fillets for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fish is cooked through. Fish will flake easily with a fork when done.

Carefully remove the fillets to plates with a spatula.
Serves 4.

For years i’ve been making resolutions for the New Year. Well 2009 is the year that Wayne will stop making resolutions. I’m making New Year commitments. I commit to living a much healthier lifestyle. I will honor this commitment by keeping a journal of my workouts, preparing meals in advance and trying to educate myself and others on eating and living clean and healthier. I decided to do this after i took on the task of starting the sugar fast i’m on. I also see where so many people like me on here who’s lives have been completely changed by their decisions to change their lifestyles and bodies. I want to thank everyone who has supported me and befriended me since i joined this site. I wish nothing but success for you guys in ‘09. You deserve the best in life and i look forward to reading and hearing more about your success.

Ingredients 

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
about 6 ounces each, sliced into strips
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or peanut oil
3 cups broccoli florets
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups snow peas
1 large red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/8 teaspoon (or to taste) hot pepper flakes
2 tablespoons rice vinegar or sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

Cooking Instructions

1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.2. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a nonstick wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook, tossing with a wooden spoon, until the chicken begins to brown. Turn off the heat and transfer the chicken to a plate.

3. Blanch the broccoli in the boiling water until the stems just begin to get tender, about 1 or 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

4. Add the sesame oil and garlic cloves to the wok. Turn the heat to medium and cook until the garlic is fragrant and lightly golden. Remove the garlic, add the ginger and cook for another minute.

5. Turn the heat to high, add the carrots and cook, tossing with a wooden spoon, for 2 minutes. Add the peas, red peppers and hot pepper flakes, continue tossing with the spoon and cook for 1 minute more. Add the chicken, broccoli, vinegar and soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes more. Serve immediately over a bed of rice.

Serving Size: about 2 1/2 cups of chicken and vegetables

Barbell Curl : 4 x 8

EZ Bar Drop Set : 4 x failure

Skull Crusher : 4 x 8

Cable Pressdown drop set : 4 x failure

Concentration Curl : 4 x 10

Hammer Curl : 4 x 10

Dumbbell Kick Back : 4 x 10

I usually a laid back guy and i don’t complain about much. But everyday i see these people who come on here and ask for votes for the model search and then when all you want from them is a response to a post on their page, you get totally ignored by these people. Well i got news for you. If you choose to ignore me, then when i got to vote, i’ll promptly ignore YOU. Part of being a spokesperson means having a personality and if you are so damn snobbish that you won’t even accept a member’s friend request ( oh i love those too) then don’t expect anything in return. I know we all get busy and some of you get probably over 100 post a day and can’t answer tham all, but when someone gives you a compliment three or more times and you never bother to even say a simple and painless "thank you", you deserve what you get if you don’t win. Think about the round 1 winners…all 10 of them respond to their post and all of them have a lot of mutual friends. I’m sorry but if you want a "fan club" get famous first. Every one of you know who you are too. Now i’m getting off my soapbox. Sorry if this offends anyone, bujt while i’m known for being a sweetheart, i’m also known for being totally honest.

 The back is probably the most important yet most underworked muscle group in the body. I realized this when i went to pick up a relatively light weight box of Christmas decorations the other day. So i implemented a new back workout. Her it is for those who want to follow it.

Upright Rows….4 X 8

Deadlifts….4 X 10

Bent Over Barbell Rows…4 X 8

Pull-Ups….4 X 10

Cable Pulldowns….4 X 8

Seated Cable Pulls…4 X 8

I treat back exercises the same way i do shoulders. You don’t need to do a whole lot of weight. Proper form, especially with back exercises IS A MUST! You can injure yourself really quickly and for a long time if you don’t take back workouts seriously. Well I hope this is helpful and if you have anything to add please feel free to do so.

P.S. I also recommend no other body parts be worked out on back day. These exercises are taxing enough.