two years ago I was on a slippery slope, focused on getting my career started, working hard and long hours and on weekends too. The long hours also meant that I had to eat on the go which translates into whatever is available and as much of it as I could because I did not know when I would get the time to grab another meal.
Then I met a friend from high school who had always been a bit chubby, but she was different, she was in an amazing shape, me not so bad a shape at the time. We talked about fitness and eating right, then I realised that I am on the wrong road to living a fulfilling lifestyle in my terms. I mean I have always known that I do not want to be out of shape but I did not do much in terms of being committed to be actively conscious about living a healthy lifestyle.
So after my chat with my friend I started going for a jog once a week, I can remember how out of breath I was and I had barely left my house. Still I soildered on for another two miles walking every now and then in between.
I used to feel exhausted by 11am at work, my was getting bad I could not find the energy to play with my nephew and niece so I was becoming a boring uncle.

Then I discovered bodybuilding.com, my life changed for the better!!! So far this was the best thing that has ever happened to me so far, hooking up with people who are so positive and motivated about working out, eating healthy and generally living an active lifestyle. The motivation I have had by seeing the progress pictures of bodyspace members just gave that last kick I needed to whip my butt back into shape. And I am in shape though I feel I need to do more to reach my ultimate goal. I am however, very pleased with the results. The obvious ones are that I have lost a lot of bodyfat and some weight since the year 2010 and I have had to add a few notches on my belt. The one that are not easy to observe are that my energy levels are forever on high and I am always in a good mood. I play soccer every weekend with my nephews. I am much stornger so I get to help out a lot more nowadays at the farm.

Just thought I would share

It has been a full year since I joined bodyspace and a full year since incorporating workingout and eating healthy as my lifestyle. There were a few ups and downs in the past year. It has been great fun altogether and generally being a member on bodyspace has really given me the motivation to make that life-lasting switch towards being conscious about what I eat and how much of it and staying focused and committed to workout regularly. I do admit I knew a lot about workingout and nutrition long before I joined bodyspace, the challenge was to simply practicising what I knew.

Joining bodyspace has really given me the motivation to stay committed to living a healthy and active lifestyle. A few days I ago I came down with some flu and fever. Normally it would take me weeks to fully recover to a point where I can start workingout but this time I was good to go again and just this morning I had my second workout since the illness. It was kind of a tough session, I have gained a bit of weight and some bodyfat but I am confident that I will be back in shape in no time. I am actually looking to get in a better shape than I was before falling ill.

With the support and motivation of my friends in bodyspace I am confident that I will continue to make great gains. So now what is left is for me to encourage my friends in this country to join bodyspace and connect with good people who are members here to get some motivation.

A few days ago I was away due to work, I ended up in a hotel that had a gym in it. So I figured that I should get my workout in the gym and stay in shape. The gym was reasonbly equipped, the only issue is that they did not have a squat rack. Anyway the following day a friend invited me to a her gym out in the town, me being me I obliged. We got to her gym and it was well equipped with a squat rack and smith machine. I thought to myself eureka, I have hit the motherload. So I got warmed as usual and ready to go. It was also great that we got in when it was relatively empty. So I started my workout in earnest hoping to really push myslef to the limit, so I went heavy as soon as my muscles were warmed up. I pushed and pulled with all I could but for some reason I did not get the same intensity I usually feel when I am workingout at home. After 30 minutes I stopped and asked myself what is it that I am doing wrong? My form was perfect and the weights were pretty heavy. I then realised that the time I take to change the weights made my body think its a rest and so it did not feel like my usual workouts. So it made me wonder if I will ever join a gym if one were to open in my town or will I be content with my no break circuit sessions.
One thing I noticed as the crowd started to come is that sweating a lot is frowned upon in our gyms. I know I really sweat a lot but I just wondered if gyms of our days do not encourage sweating then how the hell are people going to get in the best shapes of their lives. Just a thought, if I ever open a gym my slogan will be ''if you aint sweating then you waisting your time''.

Anyway I am back home to my super amazing and awesome kettebell workouts, this morning I did a leg workout just to be sure that my knee is all good. And it is 100%, so I will go for another sprint, this time on the hill just to be safe.

Here is what I did this morning.

Warm: Body weight squats 12 x 3
Jump rope 20 seconds x 3

Workout:
Weighted squats 20
Kettlebell swings 20
Weighted lunges 20
Deadlifts 20
Calf raises 40

I reapeted the above 5 times with no breaks, I was also using 30 pound kettlebells. In my last set I really struggled with squats and the swings but it was awesome as I finished all this in 35 minutes, it used to take 45 to 50 minutes.

I had it tough the past few days, I fell ill more than once, I went away on a work trip and could not get my regular dose of working out. This morning I decided to take my workout out outdoors and it was pretty great. I had a very tough workout by my standard, I can tell so because the last time I sweat this much was in my teen years when I was in boxing. My t was wet including my shorts from the sweating. It got me thinking as I was on my way to work, I am either really unfit or the workout was pretty tough. Either way I really enjoyed working out outdoors it really boosts my mood. By the way I did not pitch for work yesterday, I was not well again but I managed to do a light workout before visiting the doctor. I went home after seeing the doctor and just took time off. I figure if I do not look out for my health no one will.

have a great day all.

Here is what I did for my workout this morning.

Warm up: push-ups, sit ups and body weight squats (12 reps x 3 sets without rest)

Workout:
Jump rope 60 seconds
Burpee push up 10 reps
Vertical jumps 10 reps
Lunges 15 reps each leg
Kettle bells swings 30 reps
Weighted calf raises 40 reps

I repeated this three times without any rest in between the exercises and the circuits as well. I completed the workout with a half mile dash which i unfortunately did not time, it was a spur of the moment thing so I just bolted out of my yard.

I have been working regularly since April 2011, I feel better and I look better than when I began. The only issue is that my upper body has responded very well but my lower body is not responding at all. A typical week for me consists of a 5 to 6 day workout cycle depending on whether I have energy. I do upper body workout twice a week and lower body workouts twice a week. Fridays are usually a full body workout, then Saturdays are cardio days or rest if there was a lot of communal work in the mornings. I do not workout in gym but I have a set of 26 pound kettle bells which I use to add resistance to my workouts, jump rope, an exercise ball. I workout early in the morning just before going to work. My leg workout consist of lunges, squats, calf raises and deadlifts. I do reps of 20 and 4 sets, on the fifth set I usually do to failure. Cardio is usually jogging for about 5 miles and then jump rope for about 5 minutes. My cardio is not intervals of high intensity, I just try to beat my own person 5 mile best everytime. I need advice on what I can do to get my legs to respond and get in shape. Should I get heavier kettle bells or do leg workouts more times in a week? Or maybe i should be patient and keep working out? Someone please advice! I will add pictures soon to show you guys what I am talking about.

When is it best to incorporate stretching? Before and after working out or just after? I usually do a light cardio to warm up then I stretch after a full work out... what can I do to get the full benefit of stretching? Does yoga count as stretching?

Its early winter here, that is why I have been battling with flu. I am feeling better already though. I was thinking the other that I may not be in a great shape yet as I have just started working out recently, but what would be the best workout for winter??? Do I bulk up or do I keep working to at least not gain fat in winter. One thing I will do is mantain healthy eating habits this winter. But I really need advice on what to do this winter so that I do not be one of those who hit the gym in spring wanting to shed the winter weight. Please help! Anyone!

I live in a small town without a gym and all I have at home is a set of dumbbells and a physio ball, I do a lot of resistance training and cardio. I always wonder if I will reach my goal without having access to a proper gym. Is it possible to gain lean muscle and get bigger arms on resistance training and set of dumbbells?