Long Time No Anything

It has been a long time, too long since I have updated or done anything really to help myself out. I have joined a website called weightlosswars.com. The short and long of it is people can set up their own competitions be it private or public. I have joined a fairly large competition, 86 people and it has a substantial pot that goes along with it.

I have tried to find the motivation for a long time now to get off my butt and do something productive, but nothing seems to really get me going. I am married so I am not looking for anyone. I do not play sports any more. I am not trying to impress anyone, only myself I suppose. There are really only two things that motivate me, money, and my daughter, not necessarily in that order.

I want my daughter to grow up and be healthy. I want to be able to play any and all things/sports with her for as long as she wants to play them. I don't want to be the dad on the sideline who is out of breath simply by cheering for her when she plays. I want to be the example for her by showing her that she needs to be fit and healthy, not just by telling her.

I am also motivated by money. I mean who isn't? People like money and I am a person, so therefore, I like money. I want to do this to be healthy, and I want to do this for my daughter, but a little money doesn't hurt.

With that being said I am going to try my best to post as often as I can.

I have been doing the Daniel fast for the last 16 days. I have lost around 15 pounds so far. Today was my first sort of workout. I am following the program found at iwantsixpackabs.com. This program will take me through my competition and I plan on sticking with it, unless I need to change it up for something better. I was tired, and I was weak during it. I finished most of the workout, but was lacking big time. I also know myself and I know that when I first start working out after a time being gone, I have to walk that fine line of pacing myself and overdoing it. I tend to error on the side of over doing it and I feel miserable for a while. Tonight I just did what I could so that I wouldn't feel horrible, and so that I would feel like I accomplished something. Give it a week, and I'll be able to push myself once again.

Motivation From Competition

I know I have been on again off again in my own journey to weight loss. I know that I haven't been setting the best example to the people who read my blog. I know I can do better, and I think I have finally found a good way to go about it.

Spite.... I don't like to lose. I like to compete. Did I mention that I don't like to lose? I started a competition with one of my college buddies to see who can drop 20 pounds first. Prior to this competition I felt lethargic, sluggish, and every other adjective to describe a lazy person. If nothing else I am getting up and moving because I don't want to lose, health and fitness aside.

Maybe that is what everyone needs, a little competition. Or at least something that will motivate them. What motivates you to get up and do something healthy?

365 Fit For Life

How Did I....

How did I? That is a question that I am sure every person on this planet has asked at some point. How did I lose my job? How did I gain so much weight? How did my marriage end? How did I become so lazy? I have been asking myself these same type of questions. Since this is a fitness blog, I have asked myself, How did I get so fat?

I suppose we would need to decide what fat is? Is fat what other people say about me? Is fat what society deems me to be? or... Is fat what I have decided for myself? Fat, is as subjective as you want to make it. A girl that is 100 lbs may think that she is fat, while everyone else around her thinks she is too skinny. Fat might not be 300 lbs to some, but extremely obese to others. Fat has to do with a lot of things. How tall you are seems to be a big factor. While media and other outside sources have a great deal of influence on what we decide is fat, it ultimately boils down to what you decide for yourself. At various times through out my life, I have decided I was fat. Today is one of those days. I am not at the heaviest I have been in my life, but I am close enough to it to not feel good.

People always seem to ask themselves, when did I get this way? Or, How did I let myself go like this? People know the answer, they just never want to say it. I know why I feel this way. I know how I got to where I am right now. It is by doing all the things that I know I'm not supposed to. I hid behind my own pride that no matter what I do, I will always be able to bounce back.

I am definitely at the crossroads once again in my life. Down one road I can live with my foolish pride and see how long I can go without doing anything about it. On the other road I can swallow my pride, and do everything that I know is right. I am going to try and choose the latter. I went to the gym the other day and that is for a new post, but I will leave you with this: It is never too late to do the right thing.

365 Fit for Life.

Viva La Spring Break

Ahh spring break. A timeless tradition full of debauchery and booze. I have never really had a "typical" spring break. I spent one in Fargo, ND, sleeping on the floor of a college dorm room of one of my high school friends. I spent one spring break in Arizona at his Uncle's house picking up a car. That about sums up my spring break experiences. How does that tie in with fitness? Good question.

Every year that I was in college, right around the middle of January when we got back from Christmas break, I noticed a huge shift. There would be tons of people in the weight room trying to tackle their New Years resolutions. This would last for about two weeks and then it would thin out a little. It would take about another two weeks for people to give up and not be seen again, until.... You guessed it spring break time.

There was a magical two week or so where people would again flock back into the gym. At the beginning of March you would see the same type of people come back to the gym. They are usually the guys who think they can push some weight around for two weeks and get all buff for spring break. I can not say that I am not one of those guys, though I do think I had a little more effort than that.

The sad fact is that people love vanity. Vanity is what makes people do stupid things, or makes people do great things, depending on how you are looking at it. If guys want to try to get a six pack to impress the ladies for spring break, then more power to them. The only problem is that instead of waiting until March, they should have started the day after they got back from spring break when they realized after they sobered up, that they weren't as hot as they thought.

Spring break is coming up for me. Even though my college days are behind me, I still want to look good for spring break, I mean, who doesn't? February is right around the corner and while I am not making any promises, I am feeling a little more urgency to get back in the routine so that when the magical week arrives, I'll be at my best, well, my kind of best.

Fitness is a journey, not a destination. As cliche as that sounds, and as cliche as me saying it is a cliche sounds, that is the reality. Sure, events, places, people, are all good reasons to get in the gym. People just need to plan a little better to get to there. I have found that if I make too many goals, such as the obvious, I want to be in better shape for spring break, I am just setting myself up for failure. Instead I am going to set this goal. Tomorrow I want to make one choice that makes me healthier that I didn't make today. What is your goal for tomorrow?

365 Fit for life.

A New Look Might Be Just What You Need

I think for most guys a hair cut is just a haircut. I personally don't really like getting my haircut. I am also one of those people who doesn't really want to do anything because I'd rather be doing something else. Kind of confusing I know, but now is not the time or place for such talk. Anyways, I had put off my haircut for quite some time, probably close to two months. My hair grows really fast, so I was looking kind of shaggy. I go through phases with my hair. Sometimes it looks good, sometimes I just have to deal with it looking sort of bad. When I went to go get my haircut I assumed it was like any other haircut, I'd go in, get it done, and think nothing more of it. While I was getting it done, it started out the same and then about 3/4 of the way through it begin to change. I noticed that my face got a little thinner and taller, and that my overall sense of well being crept up a little bit. Now I do not think that any sort of magic was involved, although the jury is still out. I do however think that our appearance is a big part of our health, not just good nutrition and exercise.

My recommendation on a haircut is find someone you like and stick with them. It is annoying having multiple people cut your hair. Everyone does it a little differently and you never quite get what you want with new people. If you can get the same person every time then you will get what you want every time. It might take a little bit of trial and error in the beginning, but once you find a good barber/stylist, stay with them.

365 Fit for life

The Longer We Wait, The More We Deteriorate

I read somewhere that as we get older the longer we do not workout from the time that we did workout the more our muscles deteriorate. Now that sounds like common sense, as we get older our muscles need more push to get the same results. Yes that is probably common sense, but how many people have ever really thought about it? I am not old by any means, but I am still older than when I started my working out adventures. When I was younger it was way easier to recover from workouts and I could go a lot longer in between workout stints and not lose any strength. Now it seems like if I miss for a day or two I have lost any and all gains that I have made in the previous week. I can only assume that the majority of people reading this are in the older but not quite old category and here is my advice for you. Keep doing something. It is very simple but it holds very true. There will be days and weeks now and in the future when you will not want to do anything. You will be swamped with school or work, or in laws or vacation or whatever it is that you think is more important than your health. If you do not have time to go to the gym then do some prison style workouts. Google it if you want more in depth stuff. The simple version of it is do push ups, crunches, and body weighted squats, or any other body weighted squats. Take 10 minutes out of your day and get it done. It doesn't have to be anything major just something to keep your muscles engaged and doing something. Trust me, you will regret that week you let slip by because of something else.

My last thought for the day is that while you might think things are more important than going to the gym, remember that you only have one body. Treat it right.

365 Fit for life

Skinny Bitch

I recently semi started to read a book entitled "Skinny Bitch". I have only read a couple chapters but it seems like a good book so far. The content is the same that I have read and have known before but there is one key difference in this book. The book yells at you. It tells you to get off your lazy fat ass and do something about it. Now for the most part I am all about taking a nicer approach to fitness. You need to do things on your own time, or at your own pace or when you are ready. This approach will definately work for some people and it will definately not work for others. For those others that's where Skinny Bitch comes in. Those are the people that need someone to kick them in the pants and really tell them whats up. Oh sugar isn't overly good for you, so maybe, you know, if you want, you should probably not eat that, you know if thats ok with you. Skinny Bitch tells you, quit your overindulging habits, throw away all that shit you are eating, and get healthy.

Some people need a little more blunt, and some need a little more subtle. The bottom line is to figure out what you need and get it. If one approach doesn't work then try the other. If you have tried the moderation and being nice to yourself cause you didn't want to burn out or over do it or whatever, then try to be mean. Yell at yourself, tell yourself that you are fat and disgusting and that you need to change. Do whatever you need to do to get the results you want.

365 Fit for life.

*Disclaimer - I am not promoting a book nor am I telling you to go buy this book.
*Disclaimer 2 - I am not telling you to make yourself have a lower self-esteem by yelling at yourself. Before you try that approach, know yourself enough to know if you can handle something that critical.

All I Want For Christmas Is My First Two Abs

Six pack, washboard, abs, whatever you want to call them, we all want them. The six pack is one of those elusive things that seems like it will always just be out of reach. Even for those that are in good shape they may not be able to see their abs. For the next few posts, however many I feel like posting, I will be writing and discussing abs.

I know that I have always wanted abs for as long as I have worked out. You see them in movies, you see them on tv, and every now again you see them in real life. I want to be able to look in my mirror and see my own abs, not abs of another dude.

I'll start with the basics, and get this first one out of the way, though I might come back and touch on it again later. We all have abs, just most people can not see them. Crunches and any other ab exercise while good, will ultimately not give you the six pack that you want. The only thing that will reveal your abs is getting rid of the fat that is covering your abs, enough said.

In order to see your abs you need to get your body fat % down in the single digits. At about 10% you can probably flex and see your abs, but in order to actually see them, you need single digits. At about 9% you can probably see the outline of your top two abs, closest to your ribs. At between 7-8% you can make out the next two of your abs. Finally at around 6% you can see all six of your abs that make up your six pack. These numbers are of course averages of what it will most likely take to see the abs that you want. Some may need to get even lower percentages to get the same results, others might be slightly higher. Also some may be down that far but not see anything at all. This could be just from body composition on where you store your fat, or else it could be an error in your body fat calculations both of which mean you need to just work a little harder.

I hope this gives you a little motivation to do what you need to do to be 365 fit, and to get that set of abs you've always wanted. In my next few posts I'll be covering some different areas of your abs and give some examples of things I've found that have been helpful or informational to me.

*Note - I know that I referred to your abs as a six pack even though you have 8 abs, but for the purpose of this post, 6 pack abs will suffice, more on that later.

Strong Mind Creates Strong Body

This article goes hand in hand with a previous article, Pain and the fine line it creates. It said that you should be present in the moment and be mindful to what you are doing. This will hope to go a little further and explore what goes into having a strong mind and a strong body.

Mind over matter. This is a common saying that people use, but what does it really mean. Your body is built to do amazing things, but like everything there are limits. The things that separate people from one another physically are not always the physical but rather the mental. If two people are running a race and are both matched well physically it will be more often than not the one who has a stronger mind. They will force their body to push themselves harder and longer to do what they need to do faster and better. This is the key to success that most people fail to realize.

Sitting underneath that bench press bar is often an intimidating moment. To some it is the motivation to do something great, and to others it is what is going to make us not. Here is where we need to find the mental fortitude to push our bodies beyond itself and make us better.

The last time that I was in the gym I tried something to help get me mentally fit to lift. I closed my eyes for a second and took some deep breaths, to get as much oxygen to my muscles as possible. I visualized my lift and told myself, I can do it. Getting yourself prepared to do the task is half the battle. I am not sure how much it helped or even if it helped, but I know that I had a much greater chance of success with a positive outlook than a negative outlook.

Strengthening your mind is just as important as strengthening your body. Most people neglect their mind when they work out. So educate yourself, be mentally prepared, and as always, 365 Fit for life.

Consistency Leads To Amazing

This is something that everyone struggles with. Unless you are a super type person, then you have had a problem with consistency at one point or another. I know that I among many individuals have had my fair share of hardships trying to stay consistent in all that I do. It isn't about running a marathon or being an iron man or anything that dramatic it is about doing what you are capable of doing a little bit every day or every other day or however much you feel you can do and still be pushing yourself a little bit.

Everyone starts out with a bang. Monday morning roles around and for once Monday's are a beautiful thing. For most people we dread when Monday happens because it is the start of a new week and the farewell to another short weekend. But for those who are trying to be fit, Monday is a new start, a chance to be that person you always knew you should be, but for whatever reason havn't. Monday is the day that everyone seems to say, this is the start of my new week. I am going to the gym, I am eating right, I am going to take care of myself. So maybe you go strong for that first week. You eat right, you exercise daily, and you generally feel good about yourself. Then the weekend hits and willpower, gone, motivation, gone, laziness, kicking into overdrive. If the weekend didn't kill you than arguably the next Monday usually does. Then it is no longer awesome Monday I get to start over, because you already are on this fit plan, and it is oh great, Monday, I have to go to work. Then meetings happen, life gets in the way, plans are made, and boom, all your hard work from the week before is gone. I have gone over this scenario dozens and dozens of times and I am sure that I will go through it again.

Here comes the good stuff, and a little less of the negative stuff. Consistency leads to amazing. Remember you do not have to hit it full throttle right out of the gate, this is the downfall of a lot of people. They use it all up in the first week, and have nothing left in the tank for the long haul. That is why we start slow, a build up. I was reading through a little bit of the couch to 5k program. It gives some good words about starting slow and it being a process that take time. They went on to say that even if you feel that you are able to do more you shouldn't. This works for those people that are just starting out. One day you feel great and are like I think I should do more. Or it is for people that feel like they haven't done enough. In both cases doing what the program suggests is a good thing. For those people who feel great that day will probably end up over exerting themselves and end up not doing anything good for themselves. If you are one of those people that feel like they haven't done enough, then chances are that no amount is going to be enough, and you like the first group will end up doing some harm to yourself. You should just feel good that you are sticking to a plan and be happy that you got your tasks accomplished.

Starting slow allows you to better accomplish your goals. It allows the consistency that you need to be successful. If all you can do is two days a week, then do two days a week, but do it every week for an extended period of time, like at least three to six weeks. Consistency will get you to where you want, killing yourself for one week will not.

Keep on keeping on, 365 Fit

Pain And The Fine Line It Creates

I have been asked this question before, and I have also asked this of other people. Are you hurt, or are you injured? To most sports people they will know what that is, but for those who do not, I will try to explain. Most people will think of being hurt and injured are the same thing, and to some extent they are the same. The difference lies in the severity. If you are hurt you can probably work through it and continue whatever it was you were doing to hurt yourself in the first place. If you are injured you most likely will need to seek medical attention, and not continue with your activity.

I want to give credit to 24 Fit Club for indirectly giving me inspiration to write about this topic. You should go check it out as there are some good things there to read.

Pushing through the pain is a common thing for me. I have been told that you can do it and even though it hurts you can still do it. This philosophy will not work for everyone as every person's idea of pain and pushing are different. I like to watch a show called Made on MTV. The short of it is this, a person who isn't good at something wants to be good at something. They get a coach and usually five or six weeks to get good at what they want and at the end they enter some sort of contest to show that they are now good at whatever it was they were trying for. The majority of the people on that show that want to do something athletic, snowboard, play basketball, or any other sport, are not usually that in shape or athletic. I most recently watched a girl who wanted to be a ballerina. She was put on a training schedule and to her it was pretty intense. There was one scene where she was using a step machine and basically had a panic attack because it got to hard and she quit. This is where pushing through the pain needs to take place. That girl on Made was not injured, she was just hurt, and by the standards that I set earlier means she could have continued with her workout. That episode got me to thinking how do you push pass the pain.

I was always under the assumption that to push past the pain you just have to tough it out and do it. Like all advice, it is one thing to say it, and another thing to know how to do it. The first time that you get hurt you are more likely to quit than you are to keep going. I know that when I was swimming I would get a sort of leg cramp or in basketball I would say my toe hurt or some other excuse because I didn't want to continue. Looking back on that it seems odd that I would rather lie to not do something than to simply say I do not want to. I digress... Toughing it out seems to be a learned response. You get injured and you either move past it or you let it stop you. You might not always push past it, but the more times that you do, the easier it gets for you to do it. Yelling and berating someone for not being able to push past the pain, especially when it's their first opportunity to try to, is probably not the best solution to get them to try harder. There is a difference between taking a little time to be able to push past the pain, and just giving up. Most people never give the chance to allow the time it takes each individual to push past the pain and therefore they quit either by their own accord or by the actions of others.

My take on this is simply to do what your mind and body are telling it to do. Your mind and body are both amazing resilient things and when pushed, it will deliver the results that you want to see.

Keep on pushing and don't let a little pain slow you down. 365 Fit,fit for life.









It's sort of ironic that when the girl from made quit cause she was hurt actually continued after she was injured. Just goes to show you can do anything if you want to.

Intensity, Never Just Go Through The Motions

Intensity has always been a pretty major buzz word in fitness. The only problem is it is hard to define making it hard for people to know what it means to be intense. To some it means grunting loudly, nostrils flaring, veins popping. To others it means going as hard and as long as you can possibly go. I hope to cover something in the middle of those two examples.

For this purpose, intensity refers more to how hard you are pushing yourself, whether it be cardio or strength training. As the title states, more often it seems that people simply go through the motions. Oh, I was at the gym for 45 minutes I must have done something good. I just did 20 reps that must mean that I did it right. People simply go through the motions of working out. They hop in their car, drive to the gym, and spend their allotted time. Few people in the casual group of fitness really focus on what it is they are doing.

To get the most benefit out of your cardio workout, it isn't about going longer it is about going harder, or more intense. You will burn more calories running/biking going nine mph for 10 minutes as opposed to doing the same motion but only getting up to five mph. The point is to push yourself just hard enough to make sure you are focused on what you are doing. This means, put down your magazine, stop the chatter with your friends, and for 15 minutes focus on what you came to do in the first place.

I like the idea of interval training and there are many different types to do. The basic premise to all of them is, go hard and then ease up and repeat. I typically like to do a minute of as hard as I can go, followed by two minutes at about 70%. Other way's to do it are short 30 second sprint bursts followed by 10 seconds of a slower speed. Whatever you choose to do, just make sure you are present in your workout meaning your thoughts are on is this too easy or should I speed my pace up.

Lifting weights follows the same concept of cardio intensity. Looking back on how I started my lifting I can remember trying to lift too heavy of a weight and only getting in half repetitions. I thought I was doing something good since I was there and I was lifting a decent amount of weight. Now after all I have read on lifting I know that I was doing myself a disservice. I wasn't getting a full range of motion nor was I using good form in my lifts, I was just going through the motion. This is where intensity fits into the equation.

First for most guys, check your ego at the door, it doesn't belong in a gym. After that, for your lifts, find a weight that you can actually lift, all the way through your repetitions, and with good form. This is where being present will benefit you as well. Lift with intensity meaning thinking about good form, powering through your entire range of motion getting the most benefit from each movement that you do. Like with cardio, doing 10 solid reps with the proper weight and good from will be much more beneficial than doing 10 half reps with a weight you can not lift.

Intensity is what will get you through your plateaus. If you aren't happy with your weight loss then run harder, faster, you will see improvements. If you aren't getting stronger, lift with a purpose and you will see improvements.

Keep on going no matter what, good things are just a day away, 365 Fit will always be along for the ride. Good things.

The Snooze

I am writing this to you today, well this should have been my Tuesday post, so you will get two lovely postings today to makeup for me not doing anything yesterday.

No the snooze is not some ultra cool person that everyone should know. Although it is an ultra cool something that everyone does know. I am sure that every person at some time in their life has hit the snooze button, again, and again, and again, unless you don't own an alarm clock, or were somehow blessed with some waking up ability that I am not. The snooze seems like a necessary evil that no one really wants to have as intimate relationship with, and yet ultimately we do.

I have read a few different articles concerning this snooze button and whether or not we should use it. Like my water article there is no real good answer. Physically I know that it does us no good. Getting that 9 minutes or however long your snooze is set for, is probably more detrimental than helpful. Psychologically however the snooze button can be a god send. It gives us that little chance for hope that our day is going to be that much better or we will somehow be that much better by preserving our present state of comfort and mostly unconscious state.

I hit the snooze button way more than I should. Lately, and by lately I mean the last three days, I have been doing a better job. I know that isn't very long, but at least its a start, and like all good things it has to start somewhere.

I have also read some tips on the snooze button. Namely for me the ones I like are having a reason to get up in the morning and getting enough sleep at night. I have been getting up at five in the morning to go workout. I lay in bed and I want to hit the snooze button, i truly do, but I do not hit it because I know that I need to get up and go workout.

A viable alternative to the snooze is using two alarm clocks. The first thing you do is find out when you should get up. You can figure this out by using this general rule. Your body goes in sleep cycles lasting approximately an hour and a half. So with that in mind you plan accordingly. I need to get up at 5 a.m.. I want about eight or so hours of sleep. So if I go to bed about 9 p.m., I would set my first alarm for about 4:30 a.m. which would be in the seven and a half hour range of sleep. I set this alarm really quiet in the hope that at that time I will be ready to wake up and the little noise from the alarm will be enough to wake me up. The second alarm you setup farther away from you at the absolute last time you can get up and use this as your last resort. This system is supposed to help you wake up naturally and allow a safeguard to make sure you get up in time for your day.

One last thing that I saw that intrigued me. I am not sure how effective it works but it is an alarm clock that has wheels on it. Named, Clocky, it is literally an alarm clock with wheels. It allows you to set the length of your snooze from 0 to 9 minutes. If it is set for 0 you have no snooze and it just will get off your table and start cruising around your room. Again, I am not sure how well it will wheel around, but the notion that you have to get out of bed to chase this alarm clock sounds comical at least.

The snooze is great, but for us here at 365 Fit it needs to be done away with. I will leave you with this thought taken from an interview over at ESPN with Tiger Woods. He was asked how he is able to have done so many great things but doesn't feel like hitting the proverbial snooze button and take a break or a day off. His response was, the way I look at life is: the greatest things about tomorrow is that I will be better than I am today. That is some powerful words and if that doesn't motivate you to be 365 Fit, I don't know what will. Good things.

Just A Little More

I have been playing around with the notion of, "just a little more." Lately it seems like if I just gave a little more I would be more productive in all areas of my life. If I would just stay on task at work a little more, or if I would cleanup after myself just a little more, or if I would be fit, just a little bit more, who knows where I would be today.

It is easy to be lazy. I am not sure why it was made that way, but for most that is true. Now I know that there are people out there that will go crazy if they have to sit still for more than five consecutive minutes, but it seems like to me as a whole that most people are inherently lazy. If we would take a couple minutes on a daily basis to be just a little bit more, fit, productive, or what have you, that we would all be better off.

I end with this as I have done just a little more. I know that this is just the beginning of 365 Fit, and no one has read this but people I know, but if I am able to give advice, then I should be able to take my own. It is late, or at least later than I would like it to be and I could have gone to bed instead of writing today's post ( even though it is Sunday now, this is Saturday's post ), I took it upon myself to be diligent in my efforts and post something. I feel better now that I have and it took just a little more effort on my part to do the right thing.

I hope that all of you fictional readers take this to heart and every day do a little bit more. I hope this finds you well, and will help you get a little closer to being 365 Fit. Good things.