My son tells me that my ex had a picture of me working out (I am assuming it is one of my pics from this site) and pasted her boyfriend’s head on my body.  On the one hand, I think it’s funny because he resembles my starting progress pictures.  Another part of me knows her sense of humor and that she is somehow making fun of me, though I have no idea about what.  The third thing is that I’m proud to know that women are enjoying me from afar.  Now if I could just get them within arm’s reach…(but not her, of course).

It doesn’t bother me if she’s making fun of me somehow, I’m used to it, and I have no shame in where I’m at versus where I was.  As a matter of fact, I’m quite proud.  If she wants to show her picture to all her friends and laugh, well the joke is on me (even if I don’t understand it). 

A woman’s perspective on the subject might help, so feel free to offer opinions…

Workout wise it has been a good month!  Loving the SP250 and SizeOn from Gaspari.  Changed up my workouts almost every week this month to get some extra stimulation.  It seems to be working as I’m getting more sore than usual and hopefully some growth.  I decided to go to a workout 2 days, off 1, rinse and repeat schedule that seems to be working better than my old 5 on 1 off deal.  Looking forward to Sept. to see what I can accomplish with my body next month! 

I’m no distance runner.  Furthest I ever ran in my life was 3 miles.  That was back in college.  No, I was built for football back then and short work was key.  Lots of sprints.  I still find it difficult to run outside, as when I am off of my treadmill pace seems to elude me.  I’ve got to find a runner to help me learn pace and there’s probably some cool breathing trick I am unaware of as well.  Anyway, I was pretty satisfied with the running I did and then hit the field again for 5 or 6 more sprints.  I say 5 or 6 because I was all wrapped up in doing what I do and kind of forgot how many I had already done, but ran one more to be sure I got 5.

Now for the extraneous non-fitness stuff that permeates my blog.  I don’t care if you don’t read it, it’s healthy for me to put it in readable form.  My therapy.  So, I went on a 3rd date with a lady this weekend.  We have a lot in common, maybe too much, so that was a negative going in.  I don’t want to agree on everything.  Went to the comedy club and had a few laughs, but I got tired and wanted to end the evening early.  I kept thinking that I needed to get rested for Cardio Sunday.  I had an ok time, but I’m just not feeling any chemistry there, so another one down.  After my beach trip in June/July, I was feeling really ready to have someone in my life, so I guess I’m pleasantly surprised with myself for not settling.  I used to do that.  Maybe I ought to pull back and re-examine some things.  Is it too much to ask that I be wowed on the first date, still wowed on the second date, and actually be amazed on the third?  Patience.  Good things come to those who wait. 

So, ever upward and onward I go.  Laying the groundwork for some great things in the future, thanks to the stock market offering some value and a fat dividend at reduced prices.  I still have a weird dream of sitting in a hot tub full of cash…

I didn’t have a lot of time last night, so I needed to hit back and get it done fast.  The answer was Supersets.  Basically the workout consists of pullups and chinups done with no rest between exercises.  Bodyweight only for as many as you can muster.  I think the workout called for 10 sets total, but that guy must be crazy.  I barely made 5 sets.  I was whooped.  I wasn’t as sore today as I thought I should be, as I forced some negatives at the end of set 5.  For some reason, sometimes my body waits until around lunchtime the following day to get sore.  Didn’t happen today.  Nope, waited until I got home.  Sneaky devil.  Just a little sore, but in places that I normally am not getting sore on my back.  Total workout time was @ 20 minutes. 

Like I said, it’ll do in a pinch, and as a changeup it was great.

Now for the Voodoo.  Melinda will probably like this one.  I had a health teacher in 9th grade who would always say, "You are what you think you are all day long."  At the time I was a cynic and smartass (not much has changed there), and believed this to be his "feel good b.s. voodoo."  As I grow older, I find his statement to be true.  When you think positive things about yourself, good things happen.  You have more confidence and are more productive.  Self-confidence and productivity are the keys to life.  Self-confidence is obvious as to it’s benefits.  Productivity is a wonderful complement, as being productive also means being successful.  Being successful in turn builds confidence.  No matter what it is you do, do it productively.  Actively seek to get positive results.  Whether it is love, work, or bodybuilding these principles apply.

So, Surf suggested a while back that I change my username from Bigjeff0065 to FitJeff065.  Today, I have done just that.  I am no longer that useless fatty that I used to be.  I am fit, not as fit as I’d like, but I am.  Positive thinking here.  It may seem silly, but if you’ve ever been obese, you know how hard it is to think of yourself as lean or fit regardless of your present bf%.  It is a small thing, but it can be a big thing mentally.  We’ll see how it goes.  Thanks Surf!

Hit shoulders last night, but left off the cardio to allow another day of healing, but I feel good and no pain, so will hit it again tonite.  I was told that it was ok that I missed cardio yesterday "because I had a hard body".  I’m definitely not used to hearing that.  Took me a second to grasp what was said and then wished it could be repeated.  Yeah, I’m that much of an egomaniac.

So, on to the great news.  Some of my boxers and jeans had been feeling looser and can tighten my belt up another notch, so I decided on Saturday to hit the store and try on a pair of 32 waist jeans.  Yup, fits.  A little tight in the thigh, and my thighs aren’t what they used to be, but just proves how clothes are made for either skinny or fat, not for an athletic body.  They fit.  So, even though I was just going to try them on, I had to buy 2 pair on principle.  So now my pant size is the same as when I was in 8th grade, except of course for the longer inseam. 

I guess I must like to be different since I am doing things backwards.  Normally people are fit in their 20s and then begin the long decline to the nursing home.  I declined in my 20s and getting lean in my mid-30s.  Guess I never have followed the crowd too much anyway.

Oh, the good news is that last night I measured BF.  Went down ever so slightly, but down again to 6.98 from 7.14.    Still don’t have the abs visibility I want, so it’s onward I go.  The good news is that there isn’t anyplace left for the fat to come off, so it should be coming (at least the majority) from the abdominal region.

So, for July I wound up having performed 11,975 jumping jacks, and 20 workouts on 19 days of work.  That’s a few more off days than normal, but I did have the first 3 days of the month on vacation plus a two extra days to recover from weekday dates that went way too far into the early morning.  All in all it was a good month, with cardio lacking at the beginning and middle, but I made it a priority towards the end.  Adding reps and/or weights on most exercises and changing it up pretty good.  Diet is spot on, probably need to relax it and have a refeed a little more often, but progress is good.  I like what i am eating and am pretty much dialed in.  Progress in loss of BF is slow but steady and I can speed it by hitting cardio with more regularity.  Seems like I always slow up a little in July, but just being aware of it has helped me push through.  Must be a summer thing because I’ve read about some others lacking motivation this time of year.

Anyway, July was a good month and August will be even better.

With these thoughts in mind, I planned my Sunday workout.  Time for a changeup.  Today I decided was going to be Cardio Sunday.  With my son at the beach with his mom, I have a free weekend.  I decided that part of my Cardio Sunday would be the treadmill for my bout of HIT, but needed something different.  My town has some great parks with walking trails which I never take advantage of because I like to walk through my hood and see my neighbors.  Sure, they are a bunch of old farts, but I really like old people and they take care of their yards.  Maybe we are kindred spirits…

Anyway, got prepared to head for the park.  Since it is July in GA, it is only in the 90s with some pretty good humidity, so I layered my clothing to keep from getting frostbite.  Ok, I really just decided to throw on some UA Heatgear under my BB.com Tshirt.  Figured I’d test out their claims about wicking away moisture and such.  I made sure to time my arrival to 2:30pm, so it would be hot and nasty.  Figure if I’m going to do cardio, might as well make it as nasty as possible.  So, I decided to take the 3.1 mile Orange trail.  I went about 1/2 mile at a brisk walk for warmup, then stopped at the football fields for some sprints.  I always feel stupid sprint training because here I am a 35 year old man, but I still get down in a 3 point stance to start sprints.  It just doesn’t feel right to do it any other way.  As I am sprinting the 40 yds, I can still hear my old coaches in my head pushing us harder, trying to get the best out of us.  10 sprints and then it’s back to the trail.  I alternated walking and jogging the rest of the way to the 1/2 way point, where you turn around and head back.  Jogged it to the field again and hit 5 more sprints.  I’m sure the people watching thought I was nuts, but who cares?  Then a brisk jog back to the start where I was checked out by a stunningly healthy young lady.  Go me!  I was sweaty and exhausted, but when she took off running, I swear I felt like I could do it again.  Then common sense returned and I headed home to catch some rest and a shower.

Going to hit the treadmill soon and do my HIT, then take old Catfish for a walk around the hood.  Cardio Sunday has been fun (and by fun I mean painful) and will be repeated in the near future.

My macros are 46-33-21 (P-C-F).  I need to study this subject  more as I have a vague knowledge.  I never paid much attention to Carbs, except to ensure that I get the good slow ones.  My protein is a little over 1.5 g per lb, so that’s about right where I want to be.  At least now I can research and test carb cycling and such.  Should be fun.

BTW- Thanks Trixter!