Joe’s BodyBlog

Had to buy a new pair of workout shorts today.   Size small waist 32.  Last time I wore a 32 waist was 18 years ago. I have been having problems with my shoulder and have been giving it a rest but focusing on Hit cardio, abs and legs and it is paying off.  Since the scale at the gym has been broken I haven’t bothered worrying about what I weigh- I am going by HOW I FEEL instead. I have concentrated on quality workouts instead of quantiy workouts and they are paying off.  Still want to get my bodyfat down and that will come with time.  

I have realized that there is no real end to all of this and that is a good thing.  It is a constant ongoing endeavor and a life change. Goals are not final -they are new beginnings.

I got up early today and had to head out fast to have the oil changed  and the tires rotated on my car.  Didn’t have time for breakfast and I reluctantly had a free doughnut at the auto shop.  It was one of those cake doughnuts with the white filling.  First one I have had in a long time. I ate clean for the rest of the day. But having that doughnut made me feel like like crap  along with a lot of guilt afterwards.  I was determined to burn it off and I think I succeeded.

This is the price I paid for one doughnut: 

THE STEP MACHINE: 1 hour, 10,027 steps, 585 calories burned.  This will serve as a good reminder of the price I will have to pay if I cheat.  It won’t happen again.

After taking a few days off, it felt great to get back into the gym again.  Took 5 days off to have a much needed rest from over training.  There, I said it,  OVER TRAINING.  This is a fact that I have learned to face and deal with.  Sure, I felt guilty about not working out but I am learning to listen to what my body tells me. My shoulder is still a little sore so I will take it easy on it. I started up again full force last night with 90 minutes of ass kicking cardio followed by bicep and calf work and some martial arts. Slept like a rock.

Today abs and legs and sticking to the diet.  18 egg whites over the course of my day along with boiled chicken breast for lunch and green beans.  Started taking my BCAA’s again and will do some muscle milk and later my N.O. Explode before tonight’s workout.

Yesterday the CEO of our facility yelled at me down the hall I am getting too skinny.  I guess people are noticing.  I am going to break down and then build back up.  I am lucky that one of my coworkers is a body builder and she is giving me a lot of helpful advice on diet and exercise.

The scale at the gym was broken and taken away.  The hell with it.  I know what I am capable of doing and am getting tired of playing the numbers game.  It will happen when it happens.  As  many of my bb.com friends have faded away, I have remained consistent and focused on my goals.  I have come this far over the past 10 months so why the hell worry about  numbers on a scale.  I am not going to let numbers on a scale to dictate my life.  I am going to get my body fat down no matter what and will focus more on quality workouts. I will get there when I get there. 

Decided to have a few more days off to rest from over training.  Intended to start up again today but am learning to listen to what my body is telling me. Taking a break from training for a few days is something new for me. I have trained so much in the past several months that I definately put my body into shock from not training.  I want to give myself a chance to heal up and rest will start up again on Monday. Then watch out!

Took my 3rd day off from the gym.  Feels good to relax and gives my body a chance to be well rested. Shoulder is doing better.  Back to work tomorrow and then back to business at the gym.  It is going to feel good to get into my routine again rested and refreshed.  I didnt realize how badly I was beating myself up from overtraining.  Probably doing more harm than good.  I was sore all the time and in my time off from the gym I got more sleep than I have in a while and got centered again.  Quality workouts, not quantity is my new rule to follow. It is going to be a good week ahead.

Today i was off from work and i decided to take another day off from the gym.  It is rare occurance that I miss the gym for 2 days in a row. My shoulder is 80% better and I didnt want to push it. I have been training really hard and doing a lot of cardio. I really push myself.  Once I put my mind to something I stick with it. But what I often fail to realize is that there is a limit.  There are times when I need to step back and take a break.  Patience is not in my nature but I"m working on that.  At this point in my fitness goals, dropping these last 17 pounds, losing bodyfat and getting toned is my number one priority.  I have listened to what others have told me  to slow down and not overdo it. They are right.  It is better to give my body a break now in order to have better quality workouts later.  I do feel the void and the guilt but that will pass.  It just makes me want to get back into the gym that much more.  It gives me something to look forward to better rested.

Worked out for the last 6 days. I did a lot of cardio along with ab and legwork. My work schedule has been pretty hectic. I am physically tired and sore and am dragging alittle today. Weather here in Pa is unseasonably sunny and warm. Beautiful day here.  Decided to take a night off from the gym and give my body a much needed rest and a chance to recouperate.  Sometimes pushing myself too much can do more harm than good. I have the next 2 days off from work and will resume my workout routine tomorrow or on Friday. I am trying to learn to be patient and listen to what my body is telling me.  Another contributing factor is the guilt that I put on myself.  Sometimes I set my standards too high and have to learn to chill out alittle.  A good nites sleep and a day off from the gym should put me right again.

Had a great workout tonight.  90 minutes of ass kicking cardio in a double spin class. Have been doing a total of 6 spin classes each week and the weight is dropping off of me and I am finally starting to get the tone that I want.  Have stuck to my diet but was told by one of the trainers that I should eat some carbs before doing my cardio so that I can retain my muscle mass while burning off the carbs.  Ok, sounded reasonable.  I was skeptical but I made 6 ounces whole wheat pasta with a tablespoon of olive oil and some mushrooms thrown in. Felt guilty eating it.  First pasta I’ve had in 10 months. However, 2 hours later, I found out that it was good fuel for my workout. Whole-wheat pasta is a slow burning carb and it carried me through. I know that I burned off every ounce of it. Those spin classes burn off between 700 and 1000 calories per 45 minute session. Since I did a double session I’m pretty confident thatI burned off that pasta. 

 
Damn scale at the gym was broken again and they told me that tomorrow it will be fixed so I will wait and see. Before my cardio I did 400 ab crunches and then calf raises with 510 pounds x 20 reps x 4 sets. Shoulder is still sore and I learned that it a rotator cuff problem.  Was given exercises for it using very light weights.  Tomorrow is leg day and I will work on re-habbing my shoulder as well Right now I am waiting for time to pass.  I’m getting antsy and impatient. I want my shoulder to heal soon so that I can get back to doing upper body work. I have a goal to make.    83 pounds down with 17 to go.  I am getting closer to my goal each day.  I just have to be more patient.

I have been nursing a sore shoulder for over a week so I’ve concentrated on my cardio and a lot of legwork.  I have remained good with my diet and am determined to lose these last 20 pounds and get down to my goal weight of 170 pounds.  Today was weigh day at the gym but unfortunately the scale was broken.  I’ve noticed how many of my bb.com friends have faded away over the months.  No more entries into their profiles and no idea of how they are progressing. Their intentions started out good but they faded away with time. It is a shame that things like this happen for whatever reason. In addition, there are a few members in my family who believe that I have gotten too thin and that I should stop losing weight.  They keep asking me when am I going to stop. What I am losing is fat and what I am going to put on later is muscle.  They don’t seem to understand that but they will when I make it happen.

Tonight I did 90 minutes of spin class (ass kicking cardio) followed by 20 minutes on the step machine and worked abs and calves. Had fat free cottage cheese for dinner and a few boiled egg whites.  I am gonna get my body fat down one-way or another.  Tomorrow I will work legs and abs.  Will not lift for upper body until my shoulder heals.

I am completely enjoying this lifestyle change and it has benefited me in every way possible.  It is more than a physical change, it has been a psychological and emotional uplift and put me in a great direction after my long recovery from my broken back and ruptured disk.

As I continued to lose weight things started happening for the better. I landed a dream job, bought an awesome new car and a wardrobe 10 sizes smaller to go along with it. No more medications, no chronic pain, no insomnia.  I feel empowered, focused and in control.  I have accomplished a lot in the past 9 months and am looking forward to hitting future goals in the upcoming months.  It can only get better.