197

I've been weighing myself a lot at different times of day. I was as low as 193 this week. I guess it is just water weight, when I've had food in my stomach, or my bathroom patterns. I did pretty good on the week with exercise. Monday was Chest & Back, Tuesday I did some Plyo Legs and Ab Ripper X and a 1.1 mile run/walk. Wednesday I played basketball for like 3 hours with co workers and thought I was have cardiac arrest which I guess is good, Thursday I did Shoulders & Arms with Tyler, and today I did 32 minutes of Yoga X, Ab Ripper X, and I will soon be heading to Tropical Park to play some basketball with strangers.

Things I did good this week: Had absolutely no rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta. Only had bread once. Did not eat any sweets. Cut down on coffee and the sugar that goes with it dramatically.

Things I could have done better: Finish the rest of Yoga X, try harder on all my exercises, avoid eating late, even if the food itself is OK.

Also, my knees have been bothering me. I've been taking Glucosamine, but that has never done anything for me. I do not want to wear knee braces to play basketball; I'm only 25.

198.6

Approximately two hours ago I completed P90X Chest & Back. I have not seriously exercised in many months and felt a little winded during the 4 minute warmup. I had to do some push up sets on my knees and had to use a chair assist for nearly every single pullup I completed. I feel a little bit of muscle fatigue even now though, so I'll take that as a sign that I accomplished something. I really wanna stay consistent. I'm an all or nothing kind of guy, but when results don't come quickly, I tend to lose interest.

I am the heaviest I have ever been. One pound and six ounces short of 200lbs. In 2010 I once saw 149lbs on the scale. True that my family thought I just emerged from a concentration camp, but I was eating like 3000 calories a day and had made friends with 45lb dumbbells. Now 15 and 20 pounders are more in my comfort zone and I look like Jasmine's dad from Aladdin. I'll post some pictures up later, but I was pretty disgusted with myself and my Day 1 pictures look even worse than my Day 1 pictures in June of 2010.

Food to cut out: white rice, potatoes, pasta, bread, yuca, candy, cookies, sugary cereal, cake, icecream, brownies, ramen noodles, taquitos, alcohol. In my exercise glory days, my pristine eating was the predominant factor in my rapid weight loss and under 10% body fat. My entire mindset was transformed and at one point I sincerely thought that I would never again know the taste of chocolate. Now, two years later and 40lbs heavier I find myself having eaten not one but two left over Dove chocolate bunnies from Easter.

Tomorrow calls for Plyometrics, but I want to substitute for an Insanity cardio or maybe a Tony Horton One on One DVD.

On the Bandwagon

Earlier today I did Tony Horton's One on One series: P90 Road Warrior. I must confess that I hadn't done a workout in quite some time. What made me get off my butt and do it was some inspiration from a Beachbody corporate event last I attended last night. There were people there who had survived cancer and lost over 150lbs. I realized that though we may not want to exercise, it will ultimately save us from impending crises in our life. By exercising I reduce my risk of injury, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol. I know I'm only 24, but I imagine that establishing a healthy habit like exercise only become more difficult as one ages. (Some of you older people can let me know)

I've seen myself go from a 160lb 6-pack wielding endurance machine to a 175lb love handler over the past few months. Even my students have observed some of my food choices and have rightfully accused me of "relapsing". I decided that maintaining a level of fitness is easier than attaining a certain level of fitness. What I mean is that I have not yet given back all the gains I got from doing P90X and INSANITY last year. When I started last June I was around 190lbs and couldn't even run 2 miles to save my life. If I start exercising now and get serious about a program I can be in even better shape than I was at my prime.

Exercising today did not feel good. I was sweaty after the third set, wanted to quit after the fifth set, and started feeling a little dizzy after the tenth. I was watching the DVD on mute 'cause I was listening to something else, but every time Tony started a new set I hoped it was the last. But anyone who has done any of his workouts knows that it only gets more grueling as you go. It wasn't pretty, but I finished and felt better because of it. Not just because I worked out, but because I exercised my will. By doing something you do not want to do, you build self-discipline that flows over into every area of life. Besides the obvious physical benefits, this exercise in will power is how I improve the most through rigorous workouts. My advice is: just start the workout. Even if you attempt an hour long workout and can only get through half of it, you are doing way more than millions of fat indolent people nationwide! That's why a common Beachbody slogan is "keep pushing play" and not "keep doing pushups even after you're done and the credits are rolling". They know that if you determine to at least START you dramatically increase your chances of finishing.

~ Andy

insanemiamifitness.com

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From Tony Horton's personal chef :)