Are you deliberate in you planning?

Rant and Tip for July 31, 2012

Quote: “I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.” Audre Lorde

The way I like to take this quote is to let myself be deliberate in my planning and efforts, and yet not be afraid if I stray from the path. Eating properly seems to be my biggest challenge lately. Oh I follow my own rules pretty much but there are days where I will consume to much of a good thing and then pay for it the next day. Cheese can be one of those foods for me sometimes. I have written before how macadamia nuts can be a down fall for me and I have stopped purchasing them for that reason. I just love those too much to eat one serving. So I am deliberate in my efforts to eat well. I will not be afraid to succeed again to get my body fat down to single digits. That is all it is going to take for me to make my weight class for Nationals at the end of August. It really is only 5 pounds that I need to lose. As I continue to get stronger it is harder and harder to make the weight class of 74 kg. Not that I cannot. Heck last two meets I did I weighed in 2 pounds light. I just need to be a little more deliberate. You may find that is all you need to do as well to break a stall in weight loss or even just to get started. Be deliberate and do not be afraid of what lies ahead.

I listened to my body yesterday and gave it a day of rest. My shoulders were sore from benching on Sunday and my body, to put it simply was spent. I needed the rest and took it. Squats will be the call of the day and I am looking forward to them. Each rep must be below parallel and meet worthy. Tonight it will be cardio before bed. Cardio will benefit me greatly in losing the last 5 pounds for the meet. I am very comfortable walking around between 168 and 170 and cutting for a meet does not bother me at all. The other benefit of cardio is that my strength training session go better as well. If you have a well conditioned heart the oxygenated blood can get to your muscles more efficiently and keep the muscles pumping for a stronger workout. The last thing you want is to be winded with 400 pounds on your chest.

Have a great workout!

Tip: You can do cardio most days of the week - With strength training, your muscles require rest to recover and grow stronger. Cardio can be done most days of the week without worrying about injury or overtraining.

You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.”

Rant and Tip for July 30, 2012

Quote: “You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.” - Charles Buxton

This quote ties into a lot of what I think it takes to be successful in achieving a healthy fit body at any age. First off it really takes time to plan your diet out for the day week and maybe even the month. It seems to me that many of us have become not lazy but find ourselves in situation where we opt for the easy way out when it comes to food. We go for the fast food joint or throw something in the microwave instead of taking the time to pre-cook a healthy meal or just make time to cook a fresh hot meal. We run out of time to do these things and usually it is because we just did not make the time to do it. If you want the time to be successful you need to make that time. Get up a little earlier in the day and plan you meals for the day. Or if you have to be up very early do it the night before so you have a plan for the next day. Once you have a plan you can get you new eating habits implemented.

Exercise is the same way. How many times have you or one of your friends made the statement that I just don’t have time to work out. On most days I work out during my lunch hour at work and then eat at my desk. This is a choice of mine and before I get to the gym I have a plan on what I will be working. I know that time is valuable and I need to make use of it in the best way that I can. I would love to be able to spend a couple of hours in the gym but that is not a possibility at this time in my life. So I schedule what I can, and I make time to do it. Make time for your exercise schedule and if you only have half an hour start with that and work towards a full hour of strength training and cardio. When I first started on the journey to lose fat and get fit I would strength train for half an hour and then perform cardio for another half an hour. I lose a lot of fat quickly this way. It made me stronger and burned fat very quickly. I think the trick was having the strength training first and then the cardio. If I could have made time for an hour of strength training and then the half an hour of cardio I think that would have been best. However I took what I could make time for and it worked for me. Maybe it will work for you.

Have a great workout!

Tip: If you are looking for a workout program you can do at home with little equipment try one of the routines I have set up.

·  Beginners Work Out

·  Intermediate Workout

·  Advanced Workout

Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.

Rant and tip for July 27, 2012

Quote:  “Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” - Truman Capote

This is so true. Have you ever noticed the things that you struggle the most with, are also the things that gave you the greatest satisfaction? I am always thrilled when I achieve a new goal, whether it is in weight loss, muscle gain or fat reduction in my body. None of these things are easy, they do not happen overnight.  They take work and dedication. The more effort you put into it the better the results and the increase in satisfaction you will feel. Rome was not built in a day and better health through proper diet and fitness doesn’t happen in a day either. Put the effort in and enjoy the rewards.

Yesterday was back day for me and it went well. A lot of pulling, and lower back work which meant more back extensions and stiff leg deadlifts. I have been told on several occasions I have a large back for a man my height and size. However I have noticed the erector muscles in my lower back need to become as strong as the rest of my upper body if I intend to be successful in my Powerlifting goals. So I will work my weak points to make them strengths and when they are stronger I will bask in the flavor of that success.

For those of you focusing primarily on your diet, you need to be prepared for stalls in weight loss as well as long plateaus. This is going to happen as you shed weight. The key is to not get discouraged and to bask in what you have already lost. Work the new lifestyle of eating and take notes on what works for you. This dedication will pay off in the long run.

Every once in a while I like to talk about something a little off the beaten path of my blog, but usually health related. I have worked in the health insurance fields for the past 18 yrs. When I first started I actually had to manually type medical billing forms into the payment system. A lot of this has change. Now there are electronic billing formats. Also many Doctors offices now outsource their billing process. I remember one co-worker that actually started her own company doing just this. She uses the ub04 claim form. She is able to simplify the claims billing process for the physicians and this allows the doctors to spend more time with their patients. I recent go to thinking about this and decided to do some searching on line. There is actually ub-04 software that makes this even easier. It is compliant with all the federal laws including the HIPAA act. We all know about HIPAA now since every time we go to a new doctor or specialist we have to sign the HIPAA form. Since the office I work in is also a medical building and I know there are some docs out there reading this blog, I thought I would dedicate the above paragraph to you.

Have a great workout!

Tip:

 If you are having trouble getting your butt out of bed to get your cardio in, try having a friend give you a call to get you in gear. For me it just makes me get out of bed sooner because the last thing I want is to give friend ammunition to bust my ass about missing a workout. LOL

The past has no power over the present moment.”

Rant and Tip for July 24, 2012

Quote: “The past has no power over the present moment.”
― Eckhart Tolle

The mistakes we have made in the past may have affected where we are today, but at the present moment you are in complete control of what happens next. It is at this very moment you need to decide what you want to put in your mouth or at this very moment that you decide and follow through on your exercise program. My past was filled with Little Debbie snack cakes and pasta and other foods that just were not good for me. The past when I use to purchase these items, have no power over me now. They are not the foods I choose to eat now. 

When we go out to eat, even though we may seem to eat on plan it is possible to put on a few pounds from that meal. It can be a shock when you step on the scale the next day. I like to go to a Chinese buffet occasionally and inevitably every time I step on the scale the next day I am up two pounds. I do not use a lot of salt on my food and truly believe that it is the sodium in the food that bloats me up a couple of pounds. Of course I am drinking at least two large glasses of water with the meal as well and all of that gets retained. My point here people is do not panic over one meal that seems to have added weight on your body. It may just be water that is being retained.

Training in the bench shirt went pretty good last night. Not as well as I wanted but pretty well just the same. Today I am thinking a little shoulder work and some cardio. I have to get my cardio in on a regular basis and get my body down from 11.7% body fat to around 9 or 10% for the meet August 25^th. I have some hard work ahead of me but I will get there. I always do.

Have a great workout!

Tip: If you are a beginner try this workout schedule and let me know how it works for you. 

 Beginners Workout

Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending

Rant and Tip for July 23, 2012

Quote: “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”  Maria Robinson

I am not sure if I have used this quote before or not but if I did it is worth repeating. We all have a beginning that has already happened. Sometimes that beginning is powerful and strong and is exactly what we need at that moment and time in our lives. Then someplace along the way it becomes apparent you have traveled down a path that does not coincide with the beginning and the plan you had in mind. I was not born fat and certainly when I wrestled way back in High School I was not fat either. Then marriage, kids a home and never allowing myself to be me any more I put on weight, too much weight. It was not anyone thing that lead to me becoming overweight, but I can tell you that once I took control of my life and started a new beginning I was happier. I began eating properly, and exercising and still had time for my children. I have started rewriting my ending and have been much happier since.

Squats went well yesterday however my last set of 5 I rushed myself and from the video that was taken I did not quite hit depth on a couple of them. I have to concentrate and make sure I break parallel. It is funny though. I did have a man come up to me and comment about how deep I squat. He knew right away that I was a power lifter, stating that only power lifters squat that deep. To all of you I say squat deep, break parallel and make each squat count. Lead with your butt and keep your knees from going over your toes. If you need to drop the weight down a bit then do it. It is better to do the exercise properly than to do them halfway. Now I will tell you this I will do a half squat or ¾ squat if my goal is to get use to a much heavier weight. I do this only after I have already done my workout and want to get a little crazy. The goal is to get that heavy weight below parallel at some point.

Had a great dinner last night, portabella mushrooms caps stuffed with spinach, cheese and Italian sausage. It was delicious. All of it on plan and was a nice change to the bland way I normally eat. Dieting does not have to be boring but it can become boring if you let it. As many of you know I follow a low carb lifestyle and for me it works. At this point in time the main things I stay away from are simple sugars, or simple carbohydrates. No breads, no pasta and nothing with more than 5 grams of sugar per serving. 

Have a great workout!

Tip: There are many successful dieters out there with their own list of recipes on their blogs. Please visit some of my friend’s links they are masters of recipes that follow plan. Baylor's Living Atkins Daily Cori's Recipes Rebecca Latham at My Low Carb Road to Better Health Susan's Diet Page LowCarb Wahooo

The one way to get thin is to re-establish a purpose in life

Rant and Tip for July 20, 2012

Quote:  “The one way to get thin is to re-establish a purpose in life.”  ~Cyril Connolly

I have found this to be true. The first purpose for losing the extra weight I was carrying was to get my blood work in line. Once I had done that through proper diet and exercise that purpose was gone. Now this is where I think many of us fail, because the original purpose for weight loss has been accomplished and we do not have a purpose in front of us to maintain the eating style that got us there in the first place, we go back to our old eating habits. Inevitably the weight will come back on. Many a person on weight loss websites that have forums will have posted, “I am back” or “Round 2 and this time I plan to stay” I am still on round 1 and do not plan on leaving. What makes it easy for me to remain committed to watching what I eat is my desire to compete and be successful. If I wasn’t competing it would simply be the desire to get stronger in all my lifts. Setting personal goals after you have lost the unwanted fat is still very important to maintain all the hard work that got you there in the first place. I encourage you to continue to make goals after you have achieved the level of body fat% that you desired. Remember to re-establish a purpose with each achieved goal.

Trained the back yesterday and today will be shoulders and triceps. I will not be able to workout in the bench shirt on Sunday as I had hoped so instead I am going to destroy my triceps and work the supporting muscles around the shoulders. A lot of shoulder presses are in my schedule for today and heavy ones at that.

Have a great workout!

Tip: Dumbbell Shoulder Press

·         Keep your elbows rigid without locking them at the top of the movement.

·         Press your back against the back support without flattening out the curve in your back.

·         Bring your arms and elbows down, keeping your elbow joints in line with your shoulders.

·         If the bench is tall enough, keep your head against the back rest.

·         Don’t wiggle or squirm in an effort to press the weights up.

From my very first meet. January 2011

The tools that allow for optimum health are diet and exercise

Rant and Tip for July 19, 2012

Quote: “The tools that allow for optimum health are diet and exercise! “

As the quote states above it really takes both diet and exercise to achieve a weight loss goal. If I had a dollar for every person who said I want abs like yours, I would not need the donate button on my blog. They always want to know what exercises I do. I have to remind them although they may not be as developed as mine they already have the abs. They are just covered by a comfortable layer of fat and diet will bring them out. This always leads into a conversation about their diet and if they truly would rather have that bagel and donuts or the abs, sometimes they choose the bagel and donuts and that is fine. It is their choice. I have said many times to make the changes in your life you truly have to be ready.  Are you truly ready?

As I was benching yesterday some weight that I should have locked out easily for 5 on my last set of 5 felt heavier than it should have. This tells me I may be over training a bit and may need to back off and train smarter. I have not been sleeping well, except for last night when there was a break in the heat wave here in Upstate NY, and lack of sleep can really mess with the body’s ability to recover. Recovery is just as important as training. When you lift weights, you're actually tearing down muscle fibers. It's only after you've completed your workout that your muscle tissues begin the rebuilding process. To allow that process to unfold properly, give your body adequate downtime in between workouts. As a beginner, don't lift more than three or four times a week, never work the same muscle group on consecutive days, and never train a muscle group that's still sore from a prior workout. For optimal results, you also need to maintain a proper nutrition program, which calls for five or six nutrient-packed small meals a day (four, at minimum).

Have a great workout!

Tip:  You need to get enough shut-eye--at least eight hours of it. Adequate sleep keeps you mentally and physically sharp for your workouts, and the act of slumber itself accommodates the release of growth-inducing hormones.

Worrying about tomorrow’s problems stalls today’s solutions

Rant and Tip for July 18, 2012

Quote: Worrying about tomorrow’s problems stalls today’s solutions. – Unknown

Good morning all!

भारत से गुड मॉर्निंग मेरे दोस्त.मैं अपने समर्थन और पाठकों के लिए एक विशेष आप के लिए शुक्रिया कहना चाहता हूँ.वहाँ दिन है कि मेरे भारतीय दर्शकों संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका में अपने दर्शकों से भी बड़ा है.

Now back to the quote of the day. To often when we fall off the wagon in regards to our eating plan or our exercise plan we dwell on it to much. Do not get me wrong here it is important to understand why it happend, but do not beat yourself up about it. This just creates stress and when we stress it releases the hormone cortisol. This hormone can actually make it more difficult to lose fat. Instead look ahead to today and do not make those same mistakes. Every day is the start of the rest of your life. Every day is a new beginning to your journey to health and wellness. Afterall we change our diets and prepare a workout schedule for the purpose of being healthier in the future. Not for our past.

Some people when dieting will slip up during the day by eating something off plan and then decide to throw the towel in for the day and start again the next day. Do not do this. Once you travel down that slippery slope it is harder to come back the next day. After you realize what you have done make a point at that moment to stay more focused on the rest of the day. Again do not beat yourself up over it, just apply yourself to your goal and don’t do it again. If you doctor told you, your son or daughter had an allergy to a food, you would not eat it. Treat sugars as an allergy to you. I once read a quote off the Atkins forum. The woman stated “I am allergic to sugar, it makes me break out in fat”.  I love this quote and use it whenever I am offered cakes, cookies, ice cream or some other sweet food.

Training went well yesterday and the back extensions felt great. I need to keep working them along with good mornings. I really want develope a stronger lower back to get big numbers in the dead-lift and squat. Today the plan for me is benching. Last Sunday I benched in the shirt. Today will be raw. I feel I need to do this to stay strong raw. My training before the world meet was all shirted and it affected my raw strength negatively. I am getting that strength back now and hope to hit some raw numbers soon that will put me in the world record range for a 50 year old man. My training needs to be both smart and consistant.

Have a great workout!

Tip: Be sure your activities are compatible with your age and physical condition. To many times we want to jump right into an exercise program only to be too sore to walk the next day. This is defeating and can lead to giving up completely.