SparkPeople again

Over the past couple of months I've been slacking in the health and fitness area of my life. Now I can see and feel the effects on my body. So last week I decided to get back on track. I started using SparkPeople again and I've already lost 5 pounds. It feels amazing when that happens.

Hopefully next week I'll have finished planning my fitness routine and I'll be back on track and in decent shape.

Right now I'm just trying to stay within the food boundaries I've set for myself. The hardest thing I've had to deal with so far is not drinking any beer and not eating as much bread. I'm finding that vegetables are a great way of filling me up as a snack versus having a couple slices of bread with butter.

Anyway,

SparkPeople is a free tool that helps you do things like track the food you eat, calculate the total number of calories you've consumed, track the amount of fitness you've done, and track your weight. It will also chart your progress so you'll have a visual representation of how well you're doing.

The best things about the site is it's free to use. It's definitely worth checking out.

Improved Body Relationship

I apologize for my late entry. I know I'm slacking but I'll be sure to make it up to you guys somehow.

Here is the workout routine for week 14.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Equipment:

Rope and a weight backpack. The weight backpack is just a sturdy you can fill with weight plates, books or whatever you kind find that's heavy can you can fit comfortable in a backpack. You might also want to put a small pillow in the backpack to if you some padding between the weights and your back.

Instructions:

All exercises are done in a superset between upper body and lower body.
Do NOT rest within the superset, but rest for 30 seconds after the lower body before repeating the superset again. Repeat for a total of 2-4 rounds total. Proceed to the next superset.

Aim for lower reps: 8-15 reps
Aim for 4-5 rounds for each superset
Again, take no more than a 30 second rest in between.

A1: Spiderman Pusups with weighted backpack
A2: Squat with weighted backpack and plate
*Aim for 4-5 rounds

B1: Pushups with weighted backpack
B2: One Leg Squat with rope and weighted backpack
*Aim for 4-5 rounds

C1: Pull-ups with weighted backpack
C2: Forward Lunges with weighted backpack and plate
*Aim for 4-5 rounds

D1: Recline Pull with weighted backpack
D2: Squat Hold with weighted backpack
*Aim for 4-5 rounds

E1: Bicep Curl with rope
E2: Pushup Plank with weighed backpack
E3: Reverse crunches

*Aim for 2 rounds

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

Walk for 40 minutes and interval carido for at least 10 minutes.

Improved Body Relationship

Here is the workout routine for week 13.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Instructions

All exercises are done in a super set between upper body and lower body.

Do NOT rest within the
super set, but rest 30 seconds after the lower body before repeating the
super set again. Repeat for a total of 2-4 rounds total. Proceed to the next
super set.


A1: Ball Push ups with hands on the ball (with band to add resistance)
A2: One Leg Squat (Pistol Squat style)
*Aim for 4-5 rounds

B1: Elevated push ups with resistance band
B2: Plate Swing (watch the video)
*Aim for 4-5 rounds

C1: Pull-ups with weights (you can use a backpack with books in it for weights)
C2: Squat with weights (Small range of motion)
*Aim for 4-5 rounds

D1: Recline Pull with feet elevated
D2: Hip Bridge (on the chair)
*Aim for 4-5 rounds

E1: Tricep extension with rope or using the jungle gym (using your bodyweight for weight)
E2: Stability crunch with resistance bands
E3: Ball Plank with feet elevated

*Aim for 2 rounds

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

30 to 45 minutes of walking and 10 to 15 minutes of interval cardio.

Improved Body Relationship

Here is the workout routine for week 12.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Instructions

All exercises are done in a super set between upper body and lower body.

Do NOT rest within the
super set, but rest 30 seconds after the lower body before repeating the
super set again. Repeat for a total of 2-4 rounds total. Proceed to the next
super set.

Aim for lower reps: 6-10 reps
Aim for 2-4 rounds for each super set
Again, take no more than a 30 second rest in between.

Here is the routine for the week:
Make sure to watch the video several times and observe my form

A1: Push ups with hands on the ball (with band to add resistance)
A2: Jump Squat with weights
*Aim for 3-4 rounds

B1: Spiderman push ups with bands
B2: Alternating Split squat jump with weights
*Aim for 3 rounds

C1: Pull-ups with weights (you can use a backpack with books in it for weights)
C2: Squat hold with weights (hold for as long as you can)
*Aim for 3-4 rounds

D1: Recline Pull with the rope (one leg up)
D2: Calf Raise with weight
*Aim for 3 rounds

E1: Bicep curl with the rope (using your body weight for weight)
E2: Stability crunch with bodylastic bands
E3: Ball Plank

*Aim for 2 rounds

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

30 to 45 minutes of walking and 10 to 15 minutes of interval cardio.

Improve Body Relationship

Here is the workout routine for week 11.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday I will do the following:

Instructions:

All exercises are done in a superset between upper body and lower body.
For example, push-ups with feet on the ball (with bands to add resistance)
are in a superset with a one leg squat with the rope. Do NOT rest within the
superset, but rest 30 seconds after the lower body before repeating the
superset again. Repeat for a total of 2-4 rounds total. Proceed to the next
superset.

Aim for lower reps: 6-10 reps
Aim for 2-4 rounds for each superset
Again, take no more than a 30 second rest in between.

A1: Pushups with feet on the ball (with band to add resistance)
A2: One leg squat with rope (both sides)
*Aim for 3-4 rounds

B1: Spiderman pushups
B2: Deep Squat with plates
*Aim for 3 rounds

C1: Pull-ups with weights (you can use a backpack with books in it for weights)
C2: Squat hold with rope (hold for as long as you can)
*Aim for 3-4 rounds

D1: Recline Pull with the rope
D2: Forward Lunges with weight
*Aim for 3 rounds

E1: Tricep extension with the rope
E2: Weighted Ab Crunch
*Aim for 2 rounds

F1: Right Side Plank
F2: Left Side Plank
*Aim for 2 rounds

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday I do 30 to 45 minutes of walking and 10 - 15 minutes of Interval cardio.

Improve Body Relationship

I'm going to stop counting the days of improving my body relationship. I feel I have come to point where it's just second nature to me now.

I will however continue to count the weekly progression of the 16 week workout routine I'm going through right now. After these 16 weeks I'll share with you my regular work out routine and 4 week exercise rotations.

There is the new work out routine for week 10.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday I will do the following:

Instructions:

All exercises are done in a superset between upper body and lower body.
For example, push-ups with bands (pushing) are superset of Pull ups (pulling). Do NOT rest within the superset, but rest 30 seconds after the lower body before repeating the superset again. Repeat for a total of 2-3 rounds total. Proceed to the next superset.

Aim for lower reps: 6-10 reps
Aim for 2-4 rounds for each superset
Again, take no more than 30 seconds rest in between.

Superset:
A1: Push-ups with Bodylastics band
A2: Pull-ups with medium size towel
*Aim for 3-4 rounds

B1: Staggered alternating push-ups
B2: Lat Pull-down swimmer with Bodylastics band
*Aim for 3-4 rounds

C1: Squat and Press (use any weights that you can find) For example: rocks,
C2. Alternating Split Squat Jump. (use any weights that you can find) For example: rocks,
*Aim for 3-4 rounds

D1: One Leg Calf Raise with weights.
D2: Bicep Curl:
*Aim for 2 rounds

E1: Weighted Abdominal Crunch:
E2: Plank with leg lift:
*Aim for 2 rounds

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday I will to 30 - 45 minutes of walking and 10 - 15 minutes of interval cardio.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 154

Health and Fitness Monday's. It's time for the new workout routine. Week 9.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday I will do the following:

Procedures

All exercises are done in a super-set between upper body and lower body.
For example, explosive push-ups (upper body) are a super-set of squats (lower body).

Do NOT rest within the super-set (between the upper body and lower body), but rest 30 seconds after the lower body before repeating the super-set again. Repeat for a total of 2-3 rounds total. Proceed to the next super-set.

Exercises

Explosive Push-ups
Wall Squat with resistance
Chest Fly with Tubing
Single Leg Curl (on ball)
Chin-ups
Bodyweight Reverse Lunge
Seated Row with Bands
Front Raise with Band
Stability Ball Crunch

Off-days

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays I walk for at least 30 - 45 minutes and interval cardio for at least 10 - 15 minutes.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 147

It's Monday and that means it Health and Fitness day. Since I missed last week I'll continue this week as week 8.

Here is the updated work out routine for this week (week 8).

Monday, Wednesday and Friday I'll do the following:

* Note: All exercises are done in a superset between upper body and lower body.

For example, elevated feet push ups (upper body) and 1 legged ball squats (lower body) are one superset. Do NOT rest within the superset (between the upper body and lower body), but rest 30 seconds after the lower body before repeating the superset again. Repeat for a total of 2-3 rounds total. Proceed to the next superset.

Aim for higher reps: 15-20 reps
Aim for 2-3 rounds for each superset (upper body to lower body)
Again, take no more than 30 seconds rest in between.

— Elevated feet push ups
— One legged ball squat
— Push ups (both feet on ball)
— Single leg hip extension on ball
— Pull up
— Wall Sit
— Upright Row with band
— Calf Raise
— Bicep Curl
— Knee Lift

Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday

I will walk for 30 minutes - 45 minutes.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 140

Health and Fitness Mondays. It's time for new work-out routine (week 7).

Monday, Wednesday and Friday I'll do the following:

Jump Squat (30 reps)
Staggered push ups (30 reps)
Alternating Split Jump (30 reps)
Explosive push ups (30 reps)
Prison squat (30 reps)
Hindu push ups (30 reps)
Kneeling Band Row (30 reps)
Burpees (30 reps)
Pull ups (30 reps)
Double Crunch (30 reps)

Do these exercises in any order just complete 30 reps of each for a combined total of 300 reps.

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday I'll do the following:

30 minutes to 1 hour of cardio exercise.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 133

Good afternoon. It's Monday and that means it's time for new work-out routine (week 6).

Monday - Wednesday - Friday I will do the following:

Circuit Training Exercises

Band Press
Box Jump:
Band Row:
Step up: w/o band
Bench dip
Walking Lunges (w/ weights)
Tricep Extension (behind head)
Toe Touch (Ab crunch)
One arm standing concentration curl

Beginner:

- 30 seconds per exercise

- 30 second break in between:

- Total number of circuits: 2-3

Intermediate:

- 45 seconds per exercise

- 15 second break in between

- Total number of circuits: 3-4

Advance:

- 60 seconds per exercise

- 5 second break in between

- Total number of circuits: 3-4

Tuesday - Thursday - Saturday

I will walk for 45 minutes and I'll do interval cardio for 10 minutes.

Wish me luck.

Can you get hot in 30 days?

Every time summer rolls around there are a lot of companies out there make you more aware of your body image. The media does a great job at making people thinking about their body image and how you might compare to some of these images.

I feel that as long as your comfortable with your body and you're healthy then you have no need to compare yourself to what the media considers as healthy or beautiful.

With that being said I was checking out Canoe.ca new site design when I came across this article, Can you get hot in 30 days?.

I'm linking to article because it reminder that if you want to improve your health, fitness and lifestyle that you're the only one that can do it. This might be one of the options you may consider when looking for methods to improve your lifestyle.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 127

Here is the next workout routine (routine 5 / week 5).

Monday, Wednesday, Friday I'll do the following:

Circuit Training Exercises

Ball Pushups (feet on the ball):
Band Squat and Press:
Standing Bent Over Pull Down
Hamstring curl w/ stability ball
Kneeling Tricep Pressdown
Bicep curl (w/ band attached to the door)
Ball Transfer (arm to leg exchange)
Superman (with alternating arms and legs)

Since it's a circuit you have a limited about of time to do as many of these exercises as possible. Just remember to follow these guide lines.

Beginner:

- 30 seconds per exercise

- 30 second break in between:

- Total number of circuits: 2-3

Intermediate:

- 45 seconds per exercise

- 15 second break in between

- Total number of circuits: 3-4

Advance:

- 60 seconds per exercise

- 5 second break in between

- Total number of circuits: 3-4

Tuesday, Thrusdays and Saturdays:

I'll be doing cardio. A mix of walking and interval cardio. I plan on doing that for at least 30 - 45 mins.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 120

It's Monday. That means it's time for the next workout routine.
Today I'll start routine 4 (week 4).

You'll need resistance bands and a stability Pilate's ball to do this routine.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday I'll do the following:

Circuit Training Exercises.

Ball Push ups
Ball Squat
Seated Band Row
Hip Bridge
Side Lateral Raise w/ band
Triceps Extensions
Ball Crunch
Superman

This circuit training format utilizes a group of 8 strength exercises that are completed one exercise after another with little or no
break.

Each exercise is performed for a prescribed amount of time before
moving on to the next exercise. The exercises within each circuit are
separated by brief, timed rest intervals, and each circuit is separated by a longer rest period.

The total number of circuits performed during a training session may vary from two to six depending on your training level (beginner, intermediate, or advanced), your period of training (preparation
or competition) and your training objective.

Beginner:

- 30 seconds per exercise

- 30 second break in between:

- Total number of circuits: 2-3

Intermediate:

- 45 seconds per exercise

- 15 second break in between

- Total number of circuits: 3-4

Advance:

- 60 seconds per exercise

- 5 second break in between

- Total number of circuits: 3-4

Example for a beginner: Do ball push ups for 30 seconds (whatever amount you can complete), followed by 30 second break.
Next, perform Ball Squats for 30 seconds (whatever amount you can complete) followed by a 30 second break. Repeat until the last exercise (superman) and go back to ball push ups again; for a complete a total of 2-3 rounds.

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday:

10 - 20 minutes of interval cardio.

Have fun and enjoy.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 113

It's the start of a new week. That means it's time for the next circuit / workout routine. I started circuit / routine 3 (week 3) last night.

This new routine ups the intensity of the workout. Instead of just body weight resistance I'm adding in resistance bands.

Here is the routine I will be doing on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays:

Squat with Resistance Band
Sets: 3
Reps: 12 - 15

Standing Chest Press with Resistance Band
Sets: 3
Reps: 12 - 15

Stationary Lunge with Resistance Band
Sets: 3
Reps: 12 - 15

Standing Row with Resistance Bands
Sets: 3
Reps: 12 - 15

Standing Shoulder Press with Resistance Bands
Sets: 2
Reps: 12 - 15

Bicep Curl with Resistance Bands
Sets: 2
Reps: 12 - 15

Standing Rotations with Resistance Bands
Sets: 2
Reps: 12 - 15

Hip Thrusts
Sets: 1
Reps: 12 - 15

On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday:

15 - 25 minutes of interval cardio

Wish me luck.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 107

Last night I did my interval cardio. It seems like I still have some work to do for my interval cardio. I feel so burnt out after 10 minutes. But I did some reading and they say it'll take time before your body gets use to doing interval cardio for long periods of time.

I had a good sleep last night. I feel asleep around 1am. I was woke up at 7:30am. 6.5 hours of sleep is just enough to keep me energized the whole day. I'll probably fade fast after my work-out though.

Today is my second day of circuit two. I'm going to try and push myself a little harder today. Maybe I'll add a few more reps in each sets. It all depends on how much energy I have after work.

Tomorrow is my weigh-in day. I'm sure all of this hard work will pay off with a couple more pounds gone.

Wish me luck. Cheers.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 106

I know I said I would post this yesterday. I'm sorry it's late.

Here is the work out routine I will be following this week.
Monday, Wednesday and Friday:

Dive Bomber Push-ups
Sets: 3
Reps: 20 per set

Squat Jump
Sets: 3
Reps: 15-20 per set

Chin-ups
Sets: 3
Reps: 20 per set

Alternating Split Squat Jump
Sets: 3
Reps: 15 per leg (30 per set)

Double Crunch
Sets: 3
Reps: 30

Single Leg Plank Pose
Sets: 3
Reps: 45 sec holds

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday

10 - 20 minutes of interval cardio.
14 minutes of walking.

Cheers and Enjoy.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 98

For the past couple of months I've been keeping a regular routine of exercise and diet. I have reached a plateau.

Today I started my new exercise routine.

This week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday I will do the following:

Warm-up for 5 minutes
Stretching
Jumping Jacks
High Knee Drill
Burpees
Straight Leg Bounds
Ankle Bounces

Standard Push-ups
Sets : 3
Reps : 20 per set

Body weight Squats
Sets : 3
Reps : 20 per set

Stationary Body Weight Lunge
Sets: 3
Reps : 15 - 20 per set

Pull-ups
Sets: 3
Reps : 15 - 20 per set

8 Count Body Builders
Sets: 3
Reps : 15 per set

Plank
Sets: 3
Reps: 45 Second holds

During my off days Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday I'll be doing interval cardio for at least 10 - 20 min.

On June 11th I'll post the next exercises routine that I will do to boost my metabolism and move me to the next plateau.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 94

It's been taxing week and a half but I have good news. I weighed-in this morning and I have lost some weight. All the exercising and dieting has paid off. Even though it's only two pounds it still feels great to know that hard work and will power does make a difference.

I do have to take a moment and say thank you to my lovely girlfriend, my friends and my family who have helped and supported me on my "Improve Body Relationship" adventure. Thank you very much. If didn't have your help I probably wouldn't have come this far.

I'm going to save the celebration of my success for next week. A good friend of mine wants to go to the pub and have a night out with this brother who's visiting from the UK. Since I'll really want to enjoy myself I'll celebrate on that night with loads of beer and one of my favorite pub meals, Fish and Chips. Until that night I will stick strickly to my diet.

Cheers.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 84

Today was great.

I had a wicked sleep. 8 hours of solid sleep. I felt very refreshed this morning. I woke up relatively early and walked for about 10 minutes and then had some breakfast. Coffee and a bagel with butter is about 300 calories so the day started off right.

For lunch I had a croissant, cheese, apple, and some water. That was close to 500 calories. Another great meal.

Before dinner and I had another chance to go out and walk for 20 minutes.

Dinner was pretty big. Bruschetta, a light Cesar, chicken breast stuffed with cheese and ham, asparagus, and baked potatoes. That meal was close to 800 calories.

In total I had about 1600 calories today and 30 minutes of walking.

That is prefect. :D

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be closer to 1300 calories and 45 minutes of walking.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 81

My sleep was pretty good. I haven't had a lot of sleep this week so if I get 6+ hours of sleep then it's been a good sleep.

I've been really good the past couple of days food wise. I think the worst thing I've had is the Tall Mocha Frappuccino® Blended Coffee with Whip Cream drink I had last night. There's like 300+ calories in those drinks.

Tonight hopefully I'll manage to get some walking done.

Cheers everyone. I hope you have a good long weekend.

Metabolism-boosting Tips

I've been reading up on how to increase my metabolism and I stumbled upon this.

It looks like the people over at Tesodiets have done some of the research for me and have some suggestions to help boost metabolism.

I'm going to repost the tips here but be sure to check out the orginial site because they do have some good information.

Speed up your fat loss!

- by Raphael Calzadilla

1. Increase your meal frequency: That's right, I want you to eat more often, but don't increase your total calories. For example, split the main meals on your plan into five or six smaller meals and eat every three hours. Food can actually help burn body fat when it's used strategically.

When you eat a large meal such as a big bowl of pasta, you raise your blood sugar levels and the body increases its level of insulin. This only serves to make you fat! If you break your meals into smaller ones it helps to control blood sugar - this puts you in a better position to lose fat.

2. Break up your workout: Many people are pressed for time and the thought of exercise becomes another stress in their lives. With family responsibilities, work, financial pressures, etc., the thought of exercise is like a weight on their shoulders. However, research has proven that two short bouts of exercise per day will actually stimulate the metabolism more than one longer bout.

Go for a brisk 15 minute walk first thing in the morning before work and then another one at lunch time. Do this five days per week and I know you'll see progress at the end of 30 days.

3. Eat breakfast: Although this is an obvious one to me, I'm always amazed at the amount of people who think they're doing the right thing by skipping breakfast. I always stress to my clients to think of the body from the inside-out. The human body's main goal is survival. If it senses any type of emergency, it will do everything in its power to keep you alive.

If you sleep through the night and then deprive the body of food in the morning, what do you think the body is sensing at this point? That's right, it senses a potential famine and then holds onto stored body fat to keep you alive. I'm not exaggerating this point - this is exactly what happens. Remember, calories from food represent heat. Use the heat to rev your metabolism.

4. Cycle calories: This is a technique I've used on several clients with amazing success. For three days, consume your minimum calorie requirement based on your height, weight and goals. Then, on day number four, increase your calories by an additional 400 (nutritious foods only).

For example, if you're losing fat by consuming 1200 calories per day, simply raise your calories to 1600 on day number four. This technique can actually get the metabolism racing and stimulate additional fat loss. Just remember that the additional calories come from good sources of protein, carbohydrates and fats - not pizza.

5. Drink lots of water: Remember what I said about thinking of the body from the inside-out? Muscles and other tissues are made up of approximately 80 percent water. If you limit your water intake, the body will retain water and make you feel like the "queen or king of bloat."

We all know how absolutely awful it feels to be bloated. It doesn't take much for this to happen - the body only needs to be dehydrated by approximately 2 percent for this to take place. Staying hydrated will release some excess water trapped in the body and most likely reduce your weight by a few pounds.

6. Exercise in the morning: If you can fit it into your schedule, exercise in the morning. People who exercise consistently in the morning find that exercise at this time regulates their appetite all day long. They don't get as hungry and they start the day with a boost to the metabolism.

7. Perform cardio interval training: Cardio interval training is simply short bursts of high-intensity exercise combined with more moderate intensity within the same workout. Studies have shown that people who perform interval training twice a week (in addition to two other days of lower intensity cardio) lose twice as much weight as those who do just a moderate cardio workout.

You can easily incorporate interval training into your workout by inserting a 45-second burst into your stationary bike workout every four to five minutes. You can also add a 45-second super brisk walk to your treadmill workout in the same timeframe. Your body will be working harder and will be forced to burn more calories. In addition, you won't need more than 25 total minutes for your workout. Try to get two additional days during the week of lower intensity cardio as well.

8. Boost your metabolism by reading instead of watching TV: Researchers at Memphis State University monitored 32 girls as they watched a half-hour television program. They found the metabolic rates dropped as much as 16 percent below resting metabolic rate. In other words, they burned fewer calories watching TV than they did just by reading!

9. Drink green tea: Green tea is a popular tea from Japan that has numerous health benefits, including weight loss. It's not 100 percent certain how green tea helps one to lose fat, but it appears to increase the amount of calories the body burns - not necessarily because of the small amounts of caffeine it contains, but due to a compound abbreviated as EGCG.

10. Practice hydrotherapy: This could have been placed in the "drink lots of water" section but deserves its own section due to its efficiency. First thing in the morning, drink a glass of very cold water on an empty stomach. Don't eat breakfast for at least 30 minutes. The cold water will force your body to raise its core temperature, thereby stimulating your metabolism and excreting any excess water.

You may find that you lose two pounds the first month you try this. If you want to take it a step further, do the same thing at lunch. Just make sure to wait the 30 minutes prior to eating. Remember though, if you're consuming excess calories each day, this tip won't work!

Improve Body Relationship - Day 77

Good Afternoon.

My sleep was great. I had a solid 6.5 hours of sleep. I wish I had a little more but then I wouldn't have had the time to eat, press my clothes and get to work on time.

Regardless of the amount it was still a good sleep.

I'm feel more and more tempted to exercise first thing in the morning. To kick start my metabolism for the day. I'm thinking that walking for 15 minutes in the morning and eating a 300 - 400 calorie breakfast might be the trick to raise my metabolism. I'll have to try it out for a month a see if works for me.

Today has been great so far.

Currently I have consumed 548 calories. That's breakfast and lunch. He's the calorie break down.

Breakfast:

3/4 cup of Bran Flakes - 110 Cals
1/2 cup of 1% Milk - 51 Cals
Tim Horton's 10oz (medium) coffee with 1 sugar and 1 cream - 75 Cals

Lunch:

Mr. Sub Smoked Turkey 6" - 230 Cals
Diet Coke - 0 Cals
Medium size Apple - 81 - Cals

Not bad considering if my day is already more than half over. Plus, I have already burned off some of those calories. I went for a mid-afternoon walk for 15 minutes just to clear my head an help boost my metabolism.

Tonight I'll probably have 2 turkey sausages, a cup of rice and a salad for dinner. That sounds tasty. You can't go wrong with sausages. I'll also write up a mock meal plan and run it by Tamara so decide we can start that meal plan routine.

My exercise for tonight will be to stretch and walk for at least 45 minutes.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 73

Today was another weight-in day. I woke up this morning step up the scale and to my disappointment I have gained another pound and a half. I wasn't shocked, I wasn't surprised, I was just disappointed.

Now it is time to recover.

First of all

I forgive myself for not paying attention all the time to food I eat.
I forgive myself for not making the time to exercise properly.
I forgive myself for giving into my vices and eating out a few times.

Now that I have forgiven myself for the above actions I can clear my head of any negative thoughts and make a solid plan that I will stick to that will help me achieve my goals.

Here's the overview of my plan:

1. Exercise five days a week

- Do 30 - 45 minutes of cardio exercise each of those five days
- Do strength training exercises every other day

2. Observe and count everything you eat

- Include your beer consumption
- Include dinning out
- Drink lots of water
- Create weekly meal plans

3. Keep track of your progress

- Use Sparkpeople.com everyday
- Weigh-in and take measurements twice a week

4. Rewards

- Reward yourself for small milestones achievements
- Big rewards for larger milestone achievements

5. Lifestyle Changes

- Make the changes that are necessary to keep health and active
- Take time to enjoy your renewed health and fitness

I believe that I can work with this. Wish me luck.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 67

Neighbour can be so stupid sometimes.

When it's the middle of a work / school week and you're blaring music or blasting your TV till 1:00 - 1:30 in the morning you're going to get a noise complaint. It's just that simple.

Regardless of the noise I had a decent sleep. I slept for about 7 and a 1/2 hours. Not bad considering last week I wasn't getting to much sleep.

I weighed-in this morning. No change. That's good. At least I didn't gain anything. It's probably due to the fact that I'm a sucker for chips and "Hell-of-a-Good-Dip."

But I had a good breakfast this morning. Bran flakes and 1% Milk again. Yeah I know it sounds like it gets boring but when it's under 200 calories in the morning I can't complain.

Tonight I'm going to walk for about hour.

I should probably start planing my meals weekly. Maybe that's what I'll do this weekend. Write up a meal plan.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 65

I can't believe I've been doing this for over two months now. I'm really happy with myself and my progress. I will continue to inform you all about my progress but I will also start sharing some my recipes, meal plans and exercise routines.

Now on with my regular entry.

Yesterday I didn't do my strength training and I didn't walk. It's alright. If I miss one day it's not the end of the world. I did eat well for most of the day but I wasn't in the mood to cook last night so I dropped by Dominion and picked up a couple of Panzerottis for dinner. They were so tasty.

Today has started out OK. I had a good 8 hour sleep. For breakfast I had a cheese scone with a 1 tsp of butter and a large glass of water. Now I'm relaxing with a coffee.

Hopefully the rest of today will be just as good. Tomorrow is my weigh-in day. Wish me luck.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 59

Last night I didn't walk. I got home and crashed for the rest of the day. I really should have gone out for a walk.

This morning I weighed-in and had an unexpected result. I gained another pound? Interesting. That wasn't what I expected but its still a result.

I've recalculated my program using my current weight vs. my weight goal and I have come to the conclutions that I need to stay within the ranges of 1350 - 1650 calories a day.

I wonder how my body will change after a couple weeks of this?

Wish me luck.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 58

My stomach hurts a little today. But it's a good kind of hurt. It's the hurt that tells me I have to keep on doing more crunches and crunches with a twist.

Last night I walked for 30 minutes and I did 20 regular crushes and 20 crunches with a twist and then a bunch of push-ups. It was a fairly good workout. I feel a lot more energetic today.

This morning has started off pretty good. I had a decent sleep. About 7 hours. I had an alright breakfast. 3/4 cup of Bran Flakes and 1/2 cup of 1% Milk and a big glass of water.

I haven't figured out what I'm going to do for the rest of the day food-wise but I'm sure it'll come to me soon.

Tonight I'll be walking again and it the mood strikes me, I may do some more crunches and push-ups.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 57

Today has started off ok. I didn't get enough sleep last night. Thanks to my lack of will power when it comes to World of Warcraft I was in bed around 1:00am.

This morning for breakfast I had 3/4 cup of PC Bran Flakes with a 1/2 cup of Milk and a big glass of water. Currently I'm working through my second cup of coffee.

For lunch I'm thinking about having either a small turkey sub from Mr. Sub or a Falafel Supreme Pita from Fit For Life.

Tonight is strength training and cardio. Instead of getting off the TTC a few stops early I'm going to head home frist and change into something more "sporty". I'll be walking for at least 35 - 50 minutes today because yesterday I barely walked at all. Also I'm going to double up on my sit-ups to work my stomach a little harder. I'm finding that 50 crunches is starting to get easy.

Two more days until weigh-in. Hopefully I have lost some weight.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 53

The rest of yesterday wasn't to bad.

I stayed with consumption ranges and I walked about about 30 minutes. I was at the higher end of my calories range but that was about it.

Today I'm going to do my best to stay within my calories ranges and I'm going to walk for at least 30 minutes.

The biggest test will be tonight. I'm going out for a few drinks tonight. I'm going to have to stop after two beers and switch to diet coke or water. I looooooove my beer. Which makes nights like tonight hard because I wanted to drink more. But if I want to lose the weight I have to cut back on the amount of beer I drink.

Ohh the sacrifices I have to make.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 52

The weigh-in this morning had different results than expected. I have gained three pounds. I was expecting a pound maybe a pound and a half.

Now I'm thinking what could have caused this weight gain.

Well there are a few factors.

1 - Last week was very busy and I barely had time to count my food and exercise
2 - I have eaten out / ordered in a few times in the past week and a half
3 - I'm not exercising as much as I need to

All of these factors are a part of reason I gained 3 pounds. Well here is how I'm going to deal with it. Double up my walking. Instead of walking every other day. I will walk at least fives times a week. Also, instead of walking 15 - 30 mintues for each routine I will walk for at least 30 - 45 minutes.

Cardio is the only way I'm going to be able to reduce my weight and keep it off.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 51

Let me recap the past couple of days.

Monday.

I was pretty good. I walked and I stayed within my consumption ranges. A great improvement over the weekend.

Tuesday.

I wasn't feel that great. I took the day off. I watched what I ate. Stayed within my consumption ranges again. I barely exercised. Not a horrible follow-up to Monday but if could have been better.

Today.

I missed my regular breakfast. I had a Timmy's bagel and coffee instead. That wasn't too bad. I have a couple burritos for lunch. That starting to push it. As long as I have a light dinner. Then I should be ok. I do play to do a double dose of exercise today. I'll be walking for at least 30 minutes. Depending on how much energy I have I might jog for 15 - 30 minutes. If I decide not to jog then I'll walk for another 30 mintues. Maybe I'll be brave enough to do some push-ups tonight.

My weigh-in is tomorrow so wish me luck.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 49

Last week was a wright-off. I just couldn't stay on top of everything health-wise. I didn't exercise enough and I didn't calculate all of the food ate. I just could handle that plus all of the personal stuff that came up mid week.

Now that everything is sorted out I can assure you that I'll have better handle on things this week. Take today for instance, I've calcuated all of the food I'm going to eat today and I'm still within my consumption ranges. Also, I know it's cold, rainy and windy outside but I'm still going to get off the TTC five stops early and walk the rest of the way. It's just more motiviation for me to get home.

I can't wait to see the results on Thursday. Weigh-in days are starting to become more and more exciting.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 46

Well I guess last night was a bit of a right off.

Well maybe not a total write off. I had dinner and drinks with a few friends from work last night. You know just for the sake of having dinner and drinks to being sociable.

Anyways,

My dinner was great. I had a grilled chicken sandwich and a house salad with vinaigrette dressing. Normally when I'm out at the pub I get fish and chips but since I'm trying to be good I didn't do that. The write off party would have to be the 5 - 6 pints that followed dinner. They were tasty too.

This morning when I weighed-in I didn't lose any weight but I didn't gain any either. I expected this result because of the lack of exercise due to personal matters this week. It's not a big deal. I'm just going to have to double up on my exercising.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 45

I slept like a baby last night.

So much so that I slept-in and only had time to eat breakfast and quickly get ready for work. I didn't get a chance to weigh-in or do my measurements. I'll have to do those tomorrow.

This week has been somewhat of a challenge. Why? Well there have been a few days that personal stuff took over my regular routine and I didn't have the time to focus on food and exercise. I ate whatever I felt like and I had low impact walks. I guess all the cleaning I did would be consider exercise but that's not the point. The point is my goal my again be extend by another week. Well I guess I could double up the time and amount of my exercises which could increase the number of calories worked off.

Maybe it is time to re-examine my exercise routine to see if I can increase my efforts towards a healthier body and mind.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 43

My project to "improve my body relationship" is really starting to pay off. It has kept me aware of my body and the way it warns be about sickness, rest and energy levels.

Well yesterday my body was very lethargic. Kind of like when your body slow moving when you're sick or feeling unwell. Normally I would shake this off and drink some caffeine and force my body through it. Well I took a different approach.

I decided to get some extra sleep. It worked much better. As soon as I got home I talked with Cakebaker for a bit and started resting on the couch. She asked me if I wanted to take a nap and I thought that was a good idea. It turned out to be a really good idea because I slept for the rest of the night. I got about ten hours of sleep.

Today I feel well rested, refreshed and over most of the sickness that had been feeling for the past few days. My sinus feel a little bit stuffed up but another night of good sleep and a good dinner will get rid of that.

I think tomorrow I will get back to my walking routine if my body is feeling better than it does today.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 38

This morning I woke up and I still feel kind of sleepy. I went to bed at a decent time last night but my body seems to be fighting off the cold so I think I needed at least another hour of sleep.

I didn't do my strength training yesterday. My motivation to exercise was washed away in the rain. Plus, I was comfortable on the couch watching Leafs beat the Flyers. But tonight I'll have to double up on my exercise. I'll walk for at least 15 minutes and then do the strenght training routine that I missed. Hopefully lunch will give me the energy I need to do all that.

Speaking of food. I'm proud to say that I stayed in the low end of my consumption ranges. I'm going to try and keep it that way for the rest of the week. Maybe it'll help me achieve my goal faster.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 37

The past few of weeks I have been conscious of what I'm eating and how much I eat. It has become a regular practice for me. It's almost so routine that it's becoming second nature.

Well I haven't eaten any fried for about three weeks. Yesterday I went to Thai Bowl for lunch. I had there very tasty and spicy General Thai Chicken. My stomach couldn't handle it. The rest of the day was a "joyful" experience of running to the bathroom. It just goes to show that once you've started on the road to good health your body will reward you with feel great about eating the proper amount of good food. But if you stray from that road your body will let you know in its own way.

Yesterday I consumed too much food. I went outside of my ranges. But I did walk for about 15 minutes. So yesterday wasn't a total loss.

Tonight is my strength training. I will hurt tomorrow but it'll be worth it.

Here's my routine for tonight:

Crunches - 2 sets - 15 reps


Crunches with Twist - 2 sets - 15 reps


Push-ups - 2 sets - 15 reps


Lying Leg Curls - 2 sets - 15 reps



I'll probably do this routine for the rest of the week. I'll have to change it up to surprise my body. Maybe I'll add another 15 minutes of walking. I guess it'll depend on the weather.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 36

I had a wonderful sleep last night. I actually went to bed at a decent time and now I feel all refreshed and well reseted.

Since I had a good sleep I woke up on time. That means that I got to work at a decent time and I'll be able to leave work early. So tonight I'll be able to walk a little longer.

I did not weigh-in this morning. I also did not do my measurements. I don't want to become obsessed with my weighing-in everyday and taking my measurements everyday. I have decided that Thursday will be my weigh-in and measurement day. I figure once a week is good enough.

The weekend wasn't to bad on my body. I abused it with alcohol a bit but not to bad. But I did manage to get some exercise and walking done so I consider this weekend very good.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 33

I hurt a little today. Last night I did all of my strength training exercises. My arms are getting better at handling my push-ups but my stomach is still getting used to the exercise.

This morning I weighed-in and I'm still the same weight. I also did my measurements and my waist and hips have gone down an inch in size since I measured last. That is incredible.

Today hasn't been to bad. I've been on kind of hungry but that's because I haven't had any water to drink. I really should drink at least two glasses (4 cups).

Tonight, after my friends birthday celebration, I will walk. I think I'm going to double the distance because of the beer I'm going to drink.

Cheers and have a good weekend.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 32

A much need retail therapy session had me walking all over the Scarborough Town Center last night. I must have walked for at least a couple hours. I used that as my walking exercise for the day. Fantastic!

I weighed-in today and I'm down three more pounds. But remember, I had gained a pound back so technically its two pounds but who's counting.

Today I'll be doing some strength training. Push-ups, crunches, modified crunches, lunges and then more push-ups.

Tomorrow morning I'll have to do my measurements.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 31

Yesterday I was support to do my strength training exercises. But that didn't happen. I decided to finish my taxes and watch The Pursuit of Happyness instead.

I did stay inside my consumption ranges and I had somewhat of a decent sleep.

Today, I'm going to walk for 20 - 30 mins and then after I had some dinner I will be doing the strength training exercises I missed yesterday.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 30

Today I feel kind of sleepy. But I think that has something to do with the fact that Sunday I didn't sleep well. I woke up a couple times and it took awhile to fall back a sleep. So when I woke up I didn't feel as rested as I normally do.

Last night I walked for about 15 minutes. Not bad considering it was Monday and I had like no energy. Then I had a great dinner with Tamara. To my surprise I stayed with in my consumption ranges.

I did recently recalculate my consumption ranges based on the weight I lost. They have decreased a bit. Which is good because the past few weeks have felt like they've been a bit stagnant.

Today after work I will be doing my strength training.
Stretching, Push-ups, crunches, Leg Lifts, and Lunges are in the routine today. Tomorrow I will hurt. But it'll all be worth it.

I'm slowly closing in on my goal of become fit.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 26

My triceps hurt today. That's what happens when you haven't done any arm exercises in a long while. This just tells me that I have to do more of them. A lot more of them.

My push-up routine is as follows:

Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays

Push-Ups:

Two sets of 12 reps
Two sets of 10 reps
Two sets of 5 reps

Rest for 30 - 40 seconds between each set.

It's a slow start but I have to start slow so my body gets used to all of this activity.

Improve Body Relationship - Day 25

Last night I had a great sleep. Thanks to Tamara I slept soundly. I got a solid 7 hours of sleep. Definitely needed.

Yesterday I did manage to get off the TTC a few stops early and walk the rest of the way. I got about 15 minutes of walking. Today, as long as the rain lets up, I will get off a few more stops earlier and walk the rest of the way. I need to do at least 30 minutes of walking every other day.

Since I had a good sleep I woke up on time. I weighed-in and measured. Seems like I've put on a pound and my measurements have gone up. Not a good sign. It's probably due to the fact that I haven't been counting every single thing I eat. Well that has to stop. I'll be counting / measuring everything. Down to the cream / sugar I put in my coffee.
On a more positive note I did some push-ups this morning.

A bit little disappointment but there is new hope.