Joe’s BodyBlog

I have enjoyed my stay in Atlanta and have gotten in my workouts and stayed as clean as I could with my diet.  I will be heading home on Friday morning and took a few minutes to reflect back on my stay here.

My luck has been better than expected.  Prayers went up and blessings came down.  My coach seat on the plane turned into a first class seat and that was awesome.  On the second nite at the hotel, there was a problem with my room and I was notified that I had to be relocated to another part of the hotel.  It was an inconvenience to have to pack up everything and move but it was worth it.  To my amazement, I was relocated to the top floor of the Sheraton to the Presidents suite complete with a jacuzzi, giant LCD TV and double terraces that overlook the city. 

My training classes for my job are going well but the days are long and the material I have to learn is grueling and sometiomes boring. However, i have met a lot of people from all over the country who are also attending the class also and that makes it interesting.  Among the other people in my class, there are two powerlifters (monsters) who are both into judo.  I couldnt imagine trying to throw one of those guys around but they gave me great advice on nutrition and workouts.  I have worked out each day over at Golds  gym on Peachtree street and it is a great gym.  Working out each day always keeps me centered and at times seems like the only normal part of my day.  It is always nice to connect with people from the bb.com family and one of the highlights of my visit here in Atlanta was meeting  Regina (AKA TuffGirl).   Regina is really cool and we had dinner at one of the best seafood houses in Atlanta.  Regina is an awesome lady who was also honored on bb.com as transformation of the week!  Her transformation story was amazing and it was interestng to hear her tell it firsthand. It was great to connect with someone who completely understands what it is like to stay strong and focused and achieve a goal.

In 2 more days I will be heading home and feel good that I have stayed strong and focused in my goals. I will leave Atlanta with good memories and great times. Each day is a victory!

I am in Atlanta for the next 10 days with my job and I have remained committed to my goals.  I have gotten a 2 week pass to Golds gym and have been working out there each day. Golds is a great gym and it is only 2 blocks away from the hotel.  Golds has everything and I have gotten in some killer workouts. Even though I’m 600 miles away from home, going to the gym and working out always feels like its the most normal part of my day.  It helps to keep me centered and focused. While in Atlanta I hit a personal best on the tricep cable pushdowns.  I figured I’d give it a shot and kept loading on more and more weights until I took on the whole rack.  I did 320 pounds on the tricep cable pushdown 3 sets x 15 reps. Burned like hell but felt great.  I have been doing very well with my diet.  I bought and prepared all of the food that I need to get me though the next 10 days and have eaten clean.  Even though my job gives me a meal allowance, I chose to spend it on healty foods that I prepared instead of going to a restaurant. Im still getting in my 200 grams daily protein and have had no trouble eating 6-7 small meals each day.  I dont really even think it about it too much anymore because eating those meals has become a habit and a regular part of my day.  I dont know what else to say except for the fact that getting in a workout no matter where I am puts me in focus and helps get me through the daily stresses and makes each day is a victory!

I had a successful first month on my new program.  I gave it 110% and stayed clean with the diet.  I worked harder than I ever worked before and have gotten used to the routine.

I gained 5 pounds and kept my body fat in check. I can definitely see and feel the improvements that I am after.  I am concentrating on the here and now and that helps me to remain focused.

I wanted to get some inspiration to help keep me on track and I was not disappointed. A highlight of the month was when I attended the NPC Keystone classic here in the beautiful town in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.  It was a nice ride up there away from the suburbs and it reminded me what a beautiful state that Pa really is.

It was an awesome event and I got to meet and hang out with Rick (AKA 100% beef) and he competed in 3 classes.  Rick is awesome and I made a cool new friend. Had some great conversations and we had lunch (we both brought along chicken and vegetables) and hung out after the pre judging.  It was great to get a firsthand insight in a day in the life a competitive bodybuilder. The evening event was great and it was cool to see all of the competitors in action. Rick got his first ever first place and that was awesome!  I left there more motivated and focused. 

Another thing I have noticed more and more often is that people dont recognize me anymore. I ran into 2 fellow scientists who I worked with for 10 years.  Havent seen them in almost 2 years. At first they didnt know who I was and they were shocked. The ironic thing is that one of them recommended the South Beach diet to me because he lost a lot of weight on it but unfortunately he gained it all back.  That was the diet I used when I first started out and lost about 70 pounds on it.  Well anyway, change is good.
 

Month 1 of new program-Mission accomplished.

Each day is a victory!