jessejack’s BodyBlog

So I got my membership to the Y today. Apparently all I have to do is go fill out the paperwork and I’m all good. The best part of all is that our membership for the whole family is $20 a month. That’s a steal considering all you get — weight room, pool, hot tub, day care for my daughter…all of which we will probably use.

Anyway, we’re going swimming tomorrow so I will probably fill out the paperwork then and start my training regimen this weekend. I’m stoked!

I took a good piece of advice and did some bodyweight workouts tonight to stay in the groove while I’m waiting for my gym membership to come through. I actually got a good pump just from that so I feel like I’m doing pretty good. I can’t wait to hit the gym though and start putting some real work into it.

I’m using my off-time to do some research into what kind of workout routine I’m going to do. I think for starters I will go simple: a machine-based full body workout 3 times a week instead of doing a "split". The main reason I’m leaning toward the machines is that I won’t have to worry about finding a spotter and I can focus on good form that way. The reason I’m thinking about the full-body workout instead of a split is that I just want to go simple and see how it goes. I will monitor the results and adjust my routine accordingly.

So, anyway, I’m super stoked about getting into the gym. Like I said, just waiting to see if I can ever get in touch with this lady to see if I can get a discounted rate or not. Also, I found my old friend Dan from back in Alaska. The last time I saw him we were both little scrawny punk rockers. I’m still pretty scrawny and I think we’re both into punk still but he is MASSIVE. I always ask him what it’s like to crush a skull with his bare hands because I bet he does it ALL THE TIME.

Alright. Going to bed. Gotta get some rest in. Thankfully the wife is letting me sleep in tomorrow. Then I have a big day of cleaning the garage =(

So I’ve come to my first major hurdle: running season is apparently over. I was about to go for my run the other night and, on the way to my car to fetch my iPod, I slipped on some ice and nearly ate it. It was at that point that I decided that there would be no more outdoor runs for me until spring.

I’m trying to turn this into a positive. It has accelerated my search for a gym which will allow me to start pumping the heavy iron. The problem in that arena is that I am broke as a joke and living off government cheese. Fortunately the YMCA gives subsidized membership to welfare people like me so I may be able to get in that way. I’ve put in an application but now I’m playing phone tag with the lady who will approve/deny it so until I actually get in touch with her my training is on hold.
The hardest part with these snags, in my experience, is staying motivated and re-starting once you’ve had a week off. So hopefully when everything comes through I can keep my eye on the prize! If anyone is reading this, don’t let me off the hook!

PORK CHOP SANDWICHES!

I’m changing my nutrient intake a little bit. I’ve tweaked it so that it to reflect the highest protein level, and the minimum fat & carb levels recommended by the American Dietetic Association. I’m shooting for 30% protein, 45% carbs and 20% fat.

This post is mainly a "note to self".

After I tallied up all my food yesterday, it turns out that my diet was actually pretty close to my goals.

The reason this is such a success is that yesterday was Halloween. This presents some challenges. First there is the obvious, that the main Halloween food is CANDY. The second challenge was that, in shuttling my daughter around from party, to the mall, to the neighborhoods, there wasn’t much time to cook something and the obvious temptation is to grab some fast food or a slice of crappy pizza at one of the places that are giving it away for free.

However, I managed to avoid it by preparing ahead. I would say that I kind of cheated, because in order to balance out my macronutrient intake I at almost all meat the rest of the day, which is something I wouldn’t typically be able to if we were having a family dinner. But, regardless, I managed to avoid the junk food bug by going to the store and picking up 1 lb of center-cut loin pork chops, cooking them up in advance, and then munching on them throught the evening.

So I think that is really the key. A lot of times that we end up eating junk are the times that 8 PM rolls around, we’re all starving and haven’t got anything cooked, so we cruise on down to Taco Bell. So the way to avoid that is to BE PREPARED!

Although, tomorrow is my "cheat day". I see Pork Chop Johns in my future!