Pre-workout chat? I have none today, time to go to put in some work…

It is official, I am all the way back. I’m not talking 2008 back, I’m talking summer 1995 back for those of you who may know me that long. I took the day off yesterday to rest my body and that was cool but I woke up today feeling almost guilty that I didn’t go yesterday, weird. I made up for it though, I made sure to do my cardio before the weights because we all know how that can be after weights. Today was weird because about three quarters of the way through my weight training I had a feeling of being totally out of energy but yet I was still able to keep going. Needless to say the feeling passed after about a half minute or so. One thing I am trying to do is not become obsessed with the weight loss because as long as I continue to do what I am doing  the weight is going to keep coming off. If I obsess about it then the days will get long. I just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and take one day at a time. Tomorrow will be interesting because I need to wake up early enough so that I can go outside, I’m not into hanging around in anything over 105 degrees. I have to say though the early morning 86 degrees is very pleasant. There was nothing interesting going on in the gym today except a bunch of hard work and the fact that I realize people here don’t workout on Friday’s or something. That’s cool though, champions are made when no one is watching. We’ll do it again tomorrow.

I don’t know why I’m writing this right now but this is a blog about me and my journey so I feel this is my outlet to get some things off of my chest. I’ve learned some hard lessons over the last couple months with the last month or so probably being the toughest. There are two ways I could have gone, the right way or the wrong way. For a while I was choosing the wrong way and then some things started to click and Ihave made the turn towards the right way. I have had a me against the world attitude for the last 10 or 11 years, not surprisingly this coincides with the weight gain. I have to think that played a part in the way I have acted over these years. I was blind to it even though it was brought to my attention on numerous occasions. The light bulb in my head has finally gone off and it leaves me asking myself, “What the hell was I thinking?” I’ve burned a few bridges over this time and starting today I am going to start working on burning those bridges back up. I wish I could say it is going to be a hard thing to do but it is long overdue so the only hard thing has been realizing the mistakes I have made. Change is coming for me, not only physically but mentally. I’m a work in progress. I’ve been up since 3am in deep thought, it is 6am now. I am going back to sleep for a while then I will get up and clear my head in the gym for my second leg day of the week and my second blog session of the day. I’m feeling very positive and hopeful right now, better than I have felt in a long, long time. Who would’ve thought I would get all of this out of exercise?

Well the second leg day didn’t happen today, I woke up feeling just too beat to do anything and I feel after seven days in a row it is a good time for a break. I still have Friday and Saturday this week so no worries. I had to come back  and blog though because I said I would. One very brights spot in my day today was talking to Mom. We haven’t had a talk like that in probably over a decade, at least not one that sunk in for me. I know she will never stop talking to me, I just have to listen. Something I will end with that she told me that I will think about whenver it is needed. “The only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude.” I think that says it all.

Okay, I promise tomorrow will be about exercise.

You know what, I haven’t even worked out yet today but I felt like blogging a little before I headed to the gym. I’m just in an all around good mood right now. I’m happy for everything that is going on in my life right now. I had been viewing my circumstances as a negative for quite a while but I have come to realize that it is actually a huge positive thing. I can’t explain why it is positive you just have to trust me on that one. I am pretty sure Iam sounding cheesy but I don’t care, there is just no time to worry about the wrong things. Focusing on what can be instead of what could’ve been is what I think we should all do on a daily basis. That is what I am doing, I am asking myself, “What can it be?” Even though I don’t know the answer at least that gives me hope for my future and when you do that it usually turns out well doesn’t it? I know this blog is supposed to be about my workouts and things but sometimes it needs to be about working it out and today I feel that is starting. I have to say I owe a lot to speaking with my brother Dr. Bob lately, it is good to hear things that you need to hear to help you confirm you’re moving in the right direction. It is also good to hear a couple things that will help you grow as a person that you might have not thought of otherwise. Sometimes people step up to the plate to help you for no other apparent reason except to help move you along in the right direction even if they may not realize they are doing so. I’m thankful for it and with that it is 10am here on the west coast and it is time for me to go to the gym and work out while I keep working it out on my mind throughout the day. It’s going to be a good one and I’ll be back to blog my workout in a few hours. Until then…

Back after the workout and it was a good one. I worked so hard I had to do my cardio on the bike today, it was awesome. Even the bike was hard after all I did today. I need to get into the shower but right now the floor feels very, very relaxing. Right after I wrote the first part of my blog my mom in law gave me a ring. Talk about adding more positive to positive. I’m glad we spoke, it just reinforced some of what I was thinking earlier in the day. I went into the gym and had one of my best workouts yet. I don’t know how to explain it, I do my thing there, I think a little, then I do some more. I’ve hit all body parts when it comes to the weights so far this week so tomorrow I will be doing legs again, not the crazy Monday leg day but enough to let them know I didn’t forget about them, then Friday I will be doing the rest of my body parts, probably one exercise per body part except legs. As for Saturday I want to get in my first long run in quite a while but I don’t know how long I should do. I would love to throw eight miles out there but I feel I would be lying to myself if I said I was going to do that so I will play it by ear, go out there Saturday morning and do what I feel is best, stay tuned.

Woke up earlier than normal today and it was just the right time to go get my workouts in. What can I say, it was another great day. i guess I am in what they call a “zone”. Not much to write about today except that most things are great. I may need a good nap here shortly though. also, maybe that scale wasn’t too off yesterday because Itried on some pants I couldn’t fit before and they fit wonderfully with room to spare. That is a win in my book. I will keep it short and sweet today and if i think of anything later on i will add to it but write now the stars seem to be aligned for me and I am going to take full advantage.

Today was a day to test my committment. Not only am I aching all over, but for whatever reason I was suprised to hear it was Monday. I thought it was like Wednesday or Thursday, that will tell you where my head is. That was just the beginning. When I went out to my car I had a flat tire, GREAT. How does that just happen out of nowhere? I had a decision to make so I decided to get my tire taken care of and take it out on the gym. Today something was just telling me to go, go, go. In just starting my third week on this routine, which I felt was a strict one when I started, greasy food makes sick to my stomach and I have this urge to workout no matter what. Last week if I would have been feeling like I was this morning I would have taken the day off but today it was different. Even though I am hurting, it’s the kind of hurt that lets you know that whatever it is you are doing, it is working. I know I am not supposed to be getting on the scale but today I couldn’t help myself and I am not going to say what it was but only because I necessarily don’t believe it myself. I can feel it but I don’t believe it. One of the thoughts I had while driving to the gym was that I am lighter than I was yesterday and tomorrow I will be lighter than today and as each day passes I will never be as heavy as I was yesterday. Yea, I’m weird.

I’ve had this blog page up for almost an hour now. I have been looking at different exercises to do for different body parts on a website I just found. I have the time right now so I am going to take advantage of the time and do everything the right way. While I wanted to put in 5 miles outside today I never made it early this morning after tossing and turning all night long. I was finally able to pull myself out of bed around noon and hit the gym at around 12:30pm. I did want to get some cardio in after the weights but the straight leg deadlifts I did today cancelled all of that out. I have a leg day tomorrow and either way I will get a good 3-4 miles in before I do that whether it be outside or inside on the treadmill. After the gym today I went grocery shopping and it amazes me what I get for $60. Not only do I get enough food that last me probably about 2-3 weeks but that is also what I could spend on one meal back in the day, Crazy. I am starting to think I am where I need to be on with this routine, last night I was pretty hungry and I decided to have a bowl of oatmeal. Just a bowl with nothing else in it, now that just isn’t the old me and I am glad i have turned that corner. Also today at the grocery store after my workout I was in need of putting something in my system and passed by the Gatorade, boy did they look good. I broke down and bought two bottles of water to hold me off until I got home and had a few strawberries along with some almonds. For each day that goes by and I eat and exercise the right way I get deeper and deeper into the routine. I can’t say when the last time it was I wanted to eat some junk food. I was also sitting at the gym today and I looked in the mirror and I noticed that my forearms in these last two weeks have become absolutely shredded then I looked at my calves and they were really shredded too (can you tell I am starting to admire myself). I mean shredded to the point where it didn’t even look like it was on my body. I know I am losing weight possibly quicker than I ever have before and I am starting to see it in different areas of my body. The places with the least body fat I assuming is showing first (forearms, calves) and my thighs are starting to get a little shape to them too. It has been two full weeks now and I am feeling pretty confident to say there has been a lifestyle change. Alright, enough about me.

It’s one of those days today. I woke up really early to start out on the right foot and it did but I am thinking I didn’t eat enough yesterday and this morning before the gym. I’m not sure why I don’t have much of an appetite but I don’t and it really caught up with me today. I should have eaten some oatmeal before going in today but it isn’t the most appealing thing in the world when all you put in it is blueberries which seem to have no taste what so ever. I probably should eat some oatmeal now to take away this sick feeling but…

Today, I was shooting for a 4:30am wakeup but I kept tossing and turning it seems and the last I remember looking at the clock was 2:38am. I am pretty sure I got some sleep in here and there as I went to bed at like 9pm but I also remember waking up at 11pm and 1am also. By 6:30am I figured it was just time to get up. I also thought more people worked out in Phoenix than this, I may as well have been in Wisconsin on a Saturday morning. I must workout in the old person section of town. The only person I see is this guy who never wants to workout, all he wants to do is talk to me, even though I have on a hat and headphones in my ear. Now don’t get me wrong, I am one who likes to talk but wow. I think he has a tracker on me so when I go to the gym he goes, I really do think that. How else could he be there if I am there at 4pm on a Tuesday, 11am on a wednesday, and 7:30am on a Saturday every time after I get there. I’m not complaining, I think it’s pretty funny, but if he calls me Lester one more time.

Even though I think I didn’t eat right and my stomach and head aren’t feeling their greatest I did get a good one in today, I managed to squeak out 5 miles on the treadmill after doing weights (which always seems harder to me) so I am pleased with my day. I know I said I was going to do the bike but by the end of the treadmill I literally thought I was going to fall out, I was looking for a gel pack after today. One thing I can say is that either my legs are getting much stronger or I’m carrying around a little less of myself everyday, probably both. It could also be the fact that I cut my hair yesterday. Speaking of that, these crazy things only happen to me. I have cordless hair clippers and the charge ran out while cutting my hair down before I use the razor to finish it off, well, for whatever reason the charger cord is broken. Yup, it took me forever to cut the back of my head with a razor.

Good day today, tomorrow will be better, if I can get to sleep I’m going outside tomorrow to push out 5.

Today is the first day of my workout weekend stretch I have decided to challenge myself with. Today (mission accomplished), tomorrow, and Sunday I have decided to spend a lot of my time in the gym. I’m home alone this weekend and I need to get my Sun for these days so I may as well get out to the gym and spend some time, a lot of time. I’ll be doing weights, some treadmill work, and I’m going to get on the bike for a while and just zone out on the IPOD so I can kind of push my body to the limit a little. I seem to have tons of energy lately and I can feel and see the changes happening to my body already. It is happening a lot quicker than I ever thought it would. It really is all about what you eat. when I took the day off yesterday I came up with this idea for the weekend. Everything is going perfect for me right now except a couple things and hopefully in the near future I can get all of that sorted out as well. I’ll be working just as hard on those things as I am everything else. Sometimes you push yourself so far back in the corner it almost seems impossible to get out. In time I guess we will see but at this time things are awesome and I am thinking about taking in my video camera to the gym, the only problem is I don’t have a camera person. I will figure something out. One last thing, with my eating habits these days I have to remind myself that I need to eat. It is a big difference from wanting to eat everything in sight. I am really pleased with how my diet has been going and I can’t believe how much of an effect it seems to have on my workouts and well being. Until tomorrow.

Today was a rough one today. My legs are killing my after the leg workout on Monday and it definitely made things tough today. The biggest thing it did to me was cause me to do my cardio inside on the treadmill instead of outside on the road. I just couldn’t get up to go outside this morning and once the Sun comes up it is way to hot. I guess I am getting used to the heat but I don’t think I am ready to do a bunch of miles outside in it yet. It is already hot enough early in the morning, I couldn’t imagine doing anything when it is 110 degrees out. Not too much to write about today, it was a typical workout after dragging myself to the gym. I honestly didn’t think I was going to make it. I would prefer to get all this stuff done in the morning though instead of the afternoon. Tomorrow I will try for the morning again.

Monday is in the bag and it was a pretty decent one. I had a leg workout today as I figure I should work them out on days when all I have its weights and since monday is the only day, it wins. I have to say after the lunges I was totally beat and my legs were feeling like jello. I had to play it off in the gym though so I didn’t look too nutty. It’s 9pm on the west coast here and I totally forgot to blog after I got back from the gym. Better late than never I guess. I took a few days off at the end of last week to let my body catch up with what I was doing. It was an awesome first week and the second week is starting out very well. I am actually impressing myself with what and how I am eating. Two weeks ago if you would have told me I would be functioning on what I am eating now I would have said you were crazy. Honestly, I guess this is how we are supposed to eat, not all that junk that’s thrown in our faces everyday on TV. Now don’t get me wrong I still see these things and they do still look tasty I have just made the decision to not have them be a part of my daily life. As I will be weighing myself for the videos shortly I did buy a new scale that does not go as high in weight as my old one. Therefore, I will wait a while before I step on it. It goes as high as 335 and I don’t think Iam there yet. With my current routine it won’t take me long to get there and well under. I am going into my second week with having carbs only from fruit and I can’t say I miss all the carbs I used to eat before. I’m just excited about this whole thing, if you can’t tell already, and I can’t wait until I start with the races again. I have a few to make up and luckily I am in a part of the country where there will be plenty.