I started doing the Insanity workout program on January 11th. Today, day 15, was a day to test progress with the fit test. I’m feeling good and making improvements.
| Move | Day 1* | Day 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Switch Kicks | 124 | 134 |
| Power Jacks | 55 | 64 |
| Power Knees | 80 | 94 |
| Power Jumps | 40 | 48 |
| Globe Jumps | 11 | 12 |
| Suicide Jumps | 10 | 16 |
| Push-Up Jacks | 15 | 24 |
| Low Plank Obliques | 36 | 46 |
* Some of the numbers for day 1 are too high because I was so tired I lost count a few times.
Started a new workout routine today. Took me nearly an hour before I could stand up or walk around without feeling sick. I should have jumped in a little slower since it’s been a couple of months without workouts.
Just got done putting together my new Power Tower.
A few months ago Jason Calacanis started a flatblogging revolution. He challenged bloggers to work on their health and fitness, writing about it along the way. Well, I’ve been working out consistently for over a year now and haven written about it in awhile. Back on February of last year, I wrote about my weight nearly hitting 200. Today I’m just shy of 175 and have been there consistently for the past 4-6 months.
Getting fit has made me a lot healthier in many areas of life. My total cholesterol was 191 and my HDL was 39 a year ago. At my last check 2 weeks ago, those numbers were at 154 and 48. On Friday I had my body fat tested with the caliper pinch things. They took a measurement from my chest, abs, and thigh. I only have 8.5% body fat which was pretty surprised to find out. My mom bought me a new scale for Christmas which tests body fat and that thing is constantly giving me numbers in the 18% range, which just goes to show how horrible they are.
So how have I dropped over 20 pounds and turned to a healthy life style? What does my routine incorporate?
Probably the biggest factor has been the change in what I eat. I used to eat out all the time. Two double cheeseburgers, a small fry, and a 6 piece nugget from McDonald’s? Sure, that sounded like a good lunch to me.
Breakfast
I will usually have one (or a combination) of the following:
Morning Snack
Almost always some type of fruit. Either 2 bananas, a couple of apples, pineapple. or cantelope.
Lunch
Either a turkey sandwich, leftovers from a previous dinner, or breakfast style burritos that I make on my own.
Afternoon Snack
Usuualy trail mix, granola, almonds, or walnuts.
Dinner
I eat a lot of chicken and fish these days. I cook it several different ways to keep it from getting old. Once in awhile I’ll whip up some pork chops, steak, or some other type of beef meal.
Night snack
This is usually where I cheat and eat something bad for me. Although I do try to eat some fruit at night as well.
Eating breakfast every morning and spreading food out throughout the day helps a lot. I try not to stuff myself during any one meal. You don’t have to be religious in your eating habits, you just have to realize what you are putting in your body. Eat something “fatty” once in awhile to keep yourself sane. I also use whey protein to get some of that extra muscle building power. I use it in smoothies (which I always have after weight lifting), milk, and oatmeal.
Workouts
Two or three times a week I lift weights which usually includes bench press, curls, triceps skulls, close handed bench press, and dips. Sometimes I’ll do a few other movements. Ab work is done three times a week for about 10 minutes each time. You don’t need to kill yourself doing thousands of sit ups a day. Make sure to use good form in your movements and target all areas of your abs. Keep rest periods short and crank out the workout to get it over with.
I do cardio 5 or 6 times a week with one of two of those days being some type of high intensity interval training (HIIT). I run, bike, and use my elliptical machine. I’ve also started to do a little swimming in preparation for a couple of summer triathlons I’d like to do this year. I bought Total Immersion after several recommendations and reviews, so I’ve been slowing going through the drills learning correct form and how to swim. I’m not so good at the whole head under water and breathing part.
So there you have it…this is how I do it. What type of workouts do you like? Any tips you’ve found useful in your own quest to become healthy?
Wow, three months without a single post on the blog. That kind of sucks. I’ve had plenty of material to write about. Looking back through my calendar, here are a few highlights…
January was a crazy month for me and February was pretty busy as well getting set in the new job. I love the house I bought and went with a pretty big one as a first time home owner. Go big or go home right? The new job is excellent. I don’t have to deal with the phones and stress of working at a Help Desk anymore. I’m kind of on my own which is a new challenge and very rewarding.
I’ve been working out like a mad man for the most part and really enjoying it. I feel so much better, both mentally and physically, when I workout daily. I want to “attempt” a couple of triathlons this summer, which I think will be an amazing experience and quite the accomplishment.
I still have that new design stashed away for MDV. Once I get my taxes done and a few other things done around the house I’ll try to pull it back out and get it finished because this site really needs a face lift.
“Caring how much fat is burned during training makes as much sense as caring how much muscle is built during training.” The Afterburn Effect
Back in February, I made a decision to change my life. My weight was up to 199.5 pounds and I wasn’t happy. I had never tipped the scales at over 200 and didn’t plan on seeing if I could do it. I started exercising on a regular basis and eating completely different.
In a little over 3 months I lost 20 pounds. I continued to my routines and eventually my weight dropped as low as 173 pounds. Around the end of July and through August I was golfing more than ever, so my exercise routine fell off, but my weight stayed around 175 the whole time.
A Sports Illustrated story about Dick Hoyt and his son Rick is one of the most inspiring stories I’ve ever read. Make sure you watch the video too.
Back in my younger days I ran quite a bit. I might have even enjoyed it once in awhile. During 8th grade and my freshmen year of high school I ran cross country. We had some fun during practices, but I can’t really say that I enjoyed the running aspect of the sport. I ran the distance events during my freshmen year of high school and just hated it. I was never a good long distance runner, which probably had something to do with it; I don’t like to lose.
At some point in every long distance (3+ miles) run I’ve ever made I’ve hit the wall. The wall is the point where you just can’t push your body any longer. Breathing would get hard and my legs would eventually give out. I’d either have to slow down or stop completely. As an athlete this was not fun. I don’t like to give up.
I didn’t hit 180 by the end of March as I had hoped, but a month and a half later I’m finally reaching that point. I’ve weighed in at 179.5 two of the last three mornings which puts me down 20 pounds in about 3 and a half months. Since my last update I’ve lost 7 more pounds and with the weather warming up I’m able to get outside and really enjoy the weather with golf, biking, rollerblading, and some tennis.
I’ve been sticking to healthier eating habits and working out almost every day in some way or another. Now that I’ve finally passed 180 I’m going to shift my focus to building up some muscle which should help burn the fat still left around my abs and upper chest. I actually wouldn’t mind getting down to 175 first, but my body needs a little change of pace.
Nick Momrik 