My BodyBlog

I’m going to make it a habit to blog at the end of every month about my progress.  I know some people evaluate themselves daily or even weekly, but that’s too frequently for me.  I’ll be working out for the rest of my life so if I can see slow but steady progress towards my goals from month to month, that will be fine with me!  I judge my progress by how I look to myself in the mirror, how many workouts I completed, how many days I did cardio, how I performed with food management, how I improved my lifting stats, how my wasteline measures, and anything else I think is relevant.  A lot of factors go into a lifestlye change and body transformation, and there are a lot of ways to measure success, which is why I’m not going to be obcessed with one measure of success alone.

Things I am happy about for February:

• Mirror tells me it was a good month for muscle growth, especially arms.
• I did not neglect any muscle groups.
• I fully recovered from sprained wrist and arm soreness from a skating fall in January.  I am lifting almost as much on bench and deadlift as before sprain.
• I did cardio before most workouts.  I am trying High Intensity Interval Training on the Treadmill since I’ve read it helps burn fat faster than static jogging.  This took a little to get used to, but I’m enjoying it more lately.
• I was consistent with eating a clean diet.
• I lost 1 pound on the scale, I am down to 210.  This comment could have been in the ‘Not Happy About’ section, since I went down 9 pounds in the previous 2 months, but I am trying not to be too critical of myself.  Scale weight fluctuates and muscle growth will offset fat loss.
• I worked out 14 out of 29 days of the month!

Things I am not so happy about for February:

• Mirror tells me I still have a lot of body fat to lose on my lower stomach.  It is hard to be patient but I know it will take time to lose it all.
• I did not have time and the weather did not allow for me to go for as many outdoor walks as I would have liked.
• I did not have as much time to go ice skating as I would have liked.

March will be more of a challenge since I have more travel for work and it is my busy season.  Going to be a really difficult to get to the gym 3 times a week for my usual 2 hours.  I will have to try some body-only exercises at home to compsensate for any missed gym time.  Eating clean is a habit for me now so I don’t see any great challenges there.

Overall, February was a good month! 

Couldn’t think what else to call this post.  Tonight I mopped our hardwood and tile floors, upstairs and down.  We have no carpet, so this was a lot of floor space.  I took about half an hour all together.  So what’s the big deal about this?  What prompts me to put such a mundane domestic chore in a blog?

I often find myself thinking about my life in terms of ‘Now’ and ‘Then’.  ‘Now’ being after 4 years of working out and improving my eating habits, which has resulted in fat loss, muscle gain and a tremendous increase in my overall fitness level.  ’Then’ being when I was an overweight & out of shape couch potatoe who ate like a pig.  It struck me tonight that ‘Now’ I can do half an hour of mopping without breaking a sweat or feeling the slightest bit fatigued.  ‘Then’, mopping the floors was a daunting task that left me out of breath, sweating, and needing to stop for rest breaks.  My arms would ache and I would feel sore the next day.  What a difference!!

Of course I haven’t changed my lifestlye so I could be a better mopper!  It’s just one of the fringe benefits LOL!  No one should ever forget that being fit and healthy impacts positively on virtually every aspect on one’s life, from the important parts to the very mundane.

No housework tomorrow, I’ll get my workout at the gym!

I started getting serious about deadlifts in November, when I learned the proper form.  I was progressing steadily, then had to stop for about 6 weeks due to a sprained wrist.  I’ve been back doing it a couple of times, and have had results similar to before the sprained wrist.  My PB is 303, and last night I was tired but still did 285.  So now I’m wondering what’s the best way to train to get better at this?

Once I reach a PB should I work with that weight until I can comfortably do several reps?  Or should I constantly try to improve my 1 rep max each week?  Should I stop training legs other ways so I’ll be always fully recovered on deadlift day?

I know the answers to these and a lot of other questions are to be found on this site and I’m going to look, but if anyone reading this post wants to contribute their thoughts I’d be grateful!

Yesterday was a planned off day.  I had planned a walk with my wife after work before it got dark, but that was put on hold until after supper since her sister and little boy dropped by for a short visit.  When we got the kitchen cleared away after supper, I was ready for the walk, but my wife didn’t want to go since it was a bitterly cold and windy evening.  Couldn’t blame her really, but to my surprise I was looking forward to the walk since it was the only exercise I had planned for the day.

I couldn’t bear the thought of sitting around the house all evening and not getting any exercise!  So I made up my mind to go to the gym for some cardio and lite lifting.  I just did some treadmill, ab work and bicep exercises, and I was home again after an hour.  I felt great after that workout!  I know it was good for my body but I think it was even better for my mental health and helping me maintain my positive attitude and motivation.

Back to my planned workout tonight, I’m doing deadlifts, leg press and some back work.  Have a great day everyone!

I’m leaving for the gym in half an hour.  I’m going to do chest, biceps and forearms, with some cardio after.  I’m starting the workout with bench press, looking forward to getting back to the weight I was lifting at the end of December.  I had to stop bench for a few weeks after spraining my wrist, and then I eased back into it while having aching and stiffness in my right arm.  I tried to ease off on anything to do with that arm for a couple of weeks and it’s paid off because the aches and stiffness have disappeared!  I’ve felt 100% for about a week now, and after doing deadlifts and a good triceps workout last week, the arm still feels great!  I’m looking forward to getting in some intense workouts again, not hampered by the wrist or arm.  I’ll always listen to my body though, can’t push it past what I’m reasonably able to do without injuring something.  I don’t know if I’ll get back to my PB on the bench press tonight, I’ll just do what I can and hope for the best.  I know I’ll get back to it soon, then break it and continue to improve.  Wish me luck!

If you’re one of the millions of people who will be buying a Valentine’s gift for your sweetheart on the way home from work today, do him/her a big favor and DON’T BUY CHOCOLATE!  You would never hurt the one you love on purpose, yet many people wouldn’t hesitate at presenting their loved one with a big box of fat and calorie-laiden chocolate!

I know I’m probably ‘preaching to the converted’ by saying this to readers of a blog on a bodybuilding site, but I’ll say it anyway.

Yes, even one box of chocolate can be harmful if it supports unhealthy eating habits that are standing in the way of long-term body and health improvement!  It’s a difficult thing for many people to change eating habits as part of a more healthy lifestyle, so don’t make it even harder by putting temptation right in front of their face!  And if your loved one is not trying to change poor eating habits, all the more reason to forego the chocolate.  Your loved one’s health should be the most important thing to you, and you can help by not making things worse.  Some would argue that ‘it’s only once a year, one time won’t do any harm’.  I say that it WILL do harm if its part of a continuous pattern of unhealthy eating, or if it provides an unnecessary temptation to someone trying to adopt a healthy lifestyle!  A small thing like cheating with chocolate on Valentine’s can cause such negative feelings inside someone that it will set them back tremendously.  I bet there will be more than one person out there who receives chocolate for Valentine’s for whom the act of eating that chocolate will lead to feelings of guilt, lower-self esteem, and will cause them to give up their dieting and exercise efforts.  Please, help avoid such a tragedy by avoiding Valentine’s Day chocolate!   

By all means celebrate Valentine’s Day, but show your sweetheart how much you truly care about them by buying flowers, jewelery, perfume, clothes, or any number of things that won’t have a negative impact on their body and health!

Went shopping in the city yesterday with my wife, her sister and our nephew.  We ended up at the mall food court for lunch, since there’s something there to suit everyone’s taste.  Before cleaning up my diet I’d eat whatever I wanted at the food court.  Yesterday I walked by all the food stalls, looking at the menus, wondering what I could order that would be good for me.  The unhealthy choices were endless!  French fries, poutine, burgers, onion rings, deep fried fish, chinese food, fried chicken, pizza, pasta…I don’t want to eat any of those food anymore, especially when I have no control over the ingredients or the cooking methods.  I’m determined not to let all of my hard work and progress be set back even a little by having an unhealthy food court meal.  I went to a stall that sold custom-made sandwiches and wraps.  I had a roast chicken breast (real chicken, not chicken roll) on whole wheat with lettuce and tomatoe, with a dill pickle on the side, along with a bowl of home-made turkey vegetable soup.  A pretty good choice considering what the alternatives were.  For dessert I had an apple that I brought from home.

I’ve had many meals in food courts over the years, either on a lunch break or shopping trip, alone or with co-workers, friends or family.  All those meals had a common theme of ‘eat whatever I wanted, as much as I wanted, regardless of the impact on my body’.  Those days are over forever.  It’s just not who I am anymore.  A lot of people (not into bodybuilding) would read this post and focus on what I am missing out on by not eating any of those delicious and satisfying foods anymore.  My focus is on what I am gaining by not eating that way….a lean and muscular body, improved mental and physical health, and an increased quality of life.  After years of unhealthy eating I’ve got my priorities straight, and it feels good.  

For the past week I’ve been feeling that my right wrist, which I sprained 5 weeks ago, is back to 100%.  I’ve been lifting heavy dumbbells again with no discomfort at all.  Before I spraining it I had been doing barbell deadlifts on a regular basis for two months and I was progressing steadily thanks to learning and practicing proper form.  My achievements on this exercise were very motivating and confidence-building!

Needless to say, deadlifts were out of the question with a sprained wrist.  I had to give it a good rest then slowly start to use it again.  I had to change my workouts, which in hindsight was not a bad thing since I tried a few new things and kept my muscles guessing as to what was coming next.  I was patient, but it was hard.  In the back of my mind I kept thinking about deadlifts, and wondering how the layoff would affect it.  Last night I was ready to find out.

After a good warmup, I started at 225 and did 3 reps.  Then I increased to 247 for 1 rep.  I then did one rep at 269, 291, and finally 302, which equalled my personal best!  I was pumped that I matched my personal best after a five week lay off.  That last lift was hard, so I decided not to push it any farther that night.  I didn’t want to hurt the wrist, a little more rest couldn’t hurt.  Next week I’ll try for at least 310.  I’m ecstatic I can do deadlifts again!

In my last post I talked about how, for me, the health improvement benefits of bodybuilding are ultimately the most important thing.  The benefits or lower body fat, better circulation, a stronger heart, better nutrition etc etc are obvious, but I think there are other, less obvious benefits.

I used to get migraine headaches several times a year.  I can’t tell you how many times, I didn’t keep track.  Those of you who’ve never had one, thank your lucky stars.  Mine would get so bad I’d have to take to the bed, shut out all light and noise, and pray for sleep.  Sometimes I’d have to throw up also.  Even touching me head in a certain spot would be unbearable.  Migraines are a funny thing.  Sometimes I could feel that one was starting to develop hours before it hit.  I knew my head just didn’t feel right.

I didn’t have them growing up, they started in my 30’s.  I blamed it on lot of things, certain foods, getting too warm, using the computer or driving too much (eyestrain).  I still don’t know for sure why they would start.  What I do know is that since I started working out almost four years ago, I can only remember having one migraine and it was a mild one.  All I can figure is that the exercise changed my body in some way so that I just no longer develop them.  Maybe it’s the stress relief factor.  If stress brought on migraines, then no wonder I don’t get them now since I find my workouts the best thing I have ever done in my whole life to relieve stress.

Anyone else out there get cured of migraines or other problems after starting to work out? 

When I started on my journey almost four years ago, it was with a general goal of ‘wanting to improve my health’.  In my mind I knew I could be a lot fitter, which made sense in terms of feeling better as I aged, and in terms of having a positive impact on my body so I could better avoid health problems, particularly type 2 diabetes, which is common in my family.  I knew that to get fitter I had to exercise and eat right.  I started going to the gym without any plan of attack, just doing random things hoping that it would have a positive impact.  I won’t go into detail about how I progressed over the last four years, I’ve talked about it in other blogs.  When I started, I thought working out was something that I had to ‘get through’.  If it’s good for you, it can’t be fun, right?  Wrong!  I had no idea that it could be so enjoyable and make me feel great too!  Going to the gym is now a central part of my life.  I can’t imagine it not being a part of my life.  It helps define me as a person.  Since beginning I have set many short-term goals that I’ve gone on to accomplish.  I have more goals I am working towards now.  But best of all, I feel I have improved my health tremendously by staying committed to this lifestyle.  I’m more active, have more energy, and just feel better about life in general than I have for many years.

By reading bb.com member’s profiles, I think I can safely make the general comment that the majority of those who start weight-lifting, cardio and dieting later in life do it for some reason related to health (on the other hand, many teens and young adults do it because they want to look good and be muscular).  It’s not an easy decision to make.  It often means a radical change in how we approach life on a daily basis, and that’s more easily done by some than others.  I’m sure many people have failed at their attempts once or more than once.  I sure did.  The most important thing is never to give up trying because your health means everything.  Your quality of life will be so much higher in every way if you are healthy.  And by healthy I don’t just mean ‘not sick’.  I mean doing positive things for your body that gives you strength, flexibility, stamina, energy, a strong immune system, and so much more.  Being healthy benefits you of course, but it also benefits those you love.  Do you want your life experiences limited by illness or physical limitations that could have been avoided if you looked after yourself?  Do you want the quality of your spouse’s life limited because you are not healthy?  As you grow older, do you want to be a burden on your children because of health problems that you could have minimized or avoided?  Do you want to lose your independence many years earlier than you should have to if you took care of yourself?  Don’t kid yourself, it’s weighty issues like this that you should be thinking about when thinking about your level of health.  Everything we do has an impact on how we are going to be able to live our lives in the future.

Unless you were one of the lucky ones who’ve been active and fit all your life, you, like me, started from a point in our lives when we were overweight (or underweight), and out of shape.  Some of us started with greater challenges than others, but the important thing to keep in mind is that we all started somewhere, and we all started off doing small things to improve our fitness and health.  Doing a ‘12 week transformation’ is too radical for many of us, we need to take it slower and gradually change our lifestyle.  Nothing wrong with that, take it slow as long as you are going in the right direction.  The more you learn about exercise and nutrition the better you’ll get at it, and the faster you’ll find that your body is transforming and your health is improving.  Knowledge gives you the tools you need to reach your goals and comes from observation, experience and reading.

Remember, it’s never too late to take steps to improve your health, and if you’ve tried to make a change and been unsuccessful, try again!  Never give up on yourself and eventually you will succeed.

Four years ago I was a 38.5 year old sluggish, inactive, junk food eating, fat-ridden, couch potatoe.  Now, I’m a 42.5 year old energetic, active, clean-eating, fat burning, fitness focused body builder.  Best of all, I’m healthy and I intend to stay that way.  If I can make that transition in my life, so can you!