I'm finally over my week and a half battle with my sinuses so I'm back on hitting the weight training and cardio full speed today. Even though I've had to miss several workouts over the last 2 weeks, I've continued eating consistently healthy and working out as I felt up to it, my results were STILL positive. Here they are...
I'm now down to 15.6% body fat and have lost 14 lbs total. I can't say enough about the Body for Life program and how well it works if you just follow the plan. WOW! 5 more percent down and I should be able to start seeing abs under there!
Today's workout is upper body and I plan on hitting the weight hard tonight. I feel like I have some making up to do since missing so many workouts lately, but I know today is a new day and I'll be back on track as far as exercise goes now.
Some may wonder what type of cardio I'm doing so I'll give you a layout of how it normally goes step by step. I use a treadmill as my cardio equipment. My cardio is what's referred to as High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT. For the first 2 mins, I'm walking at 3.0 mph. Then I start my intervals. 1 minute at 6.5 mph, then 30 seconds back at 3.0 mph. Next min at 7.0 mph, then 30 seconds at 3.0 mph. I continue this cycle 6 more times, then the last min, I run at 8.0 mph for a min, then I'm done. Cool off for a couple of mins back at 3.0 mph and my HIIT is complete. Total time is about 15 mins. Good stuff!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Starting Week 4 - Body for Life
Today is the first day of week 4 of the challenge. My results over the past few weeks have been positively consistent, which is fueling my motivation even more. I took pics on Saturday and compared them to my first set of pics and you can see a significant difference starting to happen in the re-shaping of my body. I believe taking progress photos is vitally important because the mirror might deceive you into thinking not much is happening, since you see yourself in it daily, but pictures don't lie. So take pics!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Week 3 Results - Body For Life
I'm so pumped at how well this program is working. The results I'm getting are really amazing to me. I didn't think I'd do well this week because I missed a cardio and a weight training session in the middle of the week due to sinus and allergy issues. Not fun and was kind of discouraging. But I hit the weights hard Friday night and was able to have a really good HIIT cardio session Saturday morning. Hopefully I'll be back 100% by Monday. Enough about that...now to Week 3 results!
Lost another 1/2 inch off my waist and 1 1/2 lbs.
Here are my totals.
Total weight loss - 11.5 lbs
Total Body Fat % loss - 7.3% (23.8% to 16.5%)
Waist - 4.5 inches off my waist
I'm totally sold on the Body for Life program!! Check it out. www.bodyforlife.com
Lost another 1/2 inch off my waist and 1 1/2 lbs.
Here are my totals.
Total weight loss - 11.5 lbs
Total Body Fat % loss - 7.3% (23.8% to 16.5%)
Waist - 4.5 inches off my waist
I'm totally sold on the Body for Life program!! Check it out. www.bodyforlife.com
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Want to know what to eat?
Ok, this has been my issue with so many so-called diet plans, healthy eating plans, etc. is what do I eat. Most plans either use pre-packaged meals, or there are so many ingredients involved to make the meals, prep time becomes way too long for me. This is one thing I absolutely love about the Body for Life plan. The eating plan is easy and simple. Here are some things I may eat on any given day, either as a meal, or a snack.
- whole wheat english muffin w/ 1 tbls natural peanut butter or fat free cream cheese
- tuna (sandwich ready) Starkist makes a sandwich ready tuna spread that's awesome.
I either spread it on whole wheat bread, or whole wheat tortilla as a tuna wrap. I also use low-carb tortillas (whole wheat), to keep the carbs down.
- Kashi cereal
- fat free yogurts
- fresh raw broccoli and spinach for salads. Sam's has a huge tub of ready to eat raw spinach for less than $4 and a big bag of raw broccoli for about $3. This will last Tina and I an entire week.
- pork loin, chicken breasts, and salmon are mostly what we eat for meat proteins. Throw a bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts in a crock pot with fat free, low sodium chicken broth and fat free italian dressing and by dinner time, you have chicken ready that will last several days. Eat it on salad, wrap it in a low carb whole wheat tortilla, or with brown rice, sweet potato, or baked potato. Throw in a serving of veggie and your dinner is complete!
- We also use Myoplex protein shakes and Myoplex bars for snacks or meal replacements.
- WASA brand whole wheat crackers with a low fat laughing cow cheese spread on it makes an awesome snack.
- grab a handful of almonds for an on-the-go snack.
As you can see, none of these are difficult meals or foods to prepare, which is one reason I love the Body for Life plan so much. It basically teaches how to make healthy choices but keeps it simple at the same time.
Hopefully this will help someone who might stuggle with knowing what to eat to get fit and healthy.
Take care of your body. It's the only one you've got. (and don't forget to exercise!)
Mike
- whole wheat english muffin w/ 1 tbls natural peanut butter or fat free cream cheese
- tuna (sandwich ready) Starkist makes a sandwich ready tuna spread that's awesome.
I either spread it on whole wheat bread, or whole wheat tortilla as a tuna wrap. I also use low-carb tortillas (whole wheat), to keep the carbs down.
- Kashi cereal
- fat free yogurts
- fresh raw broccoli and spinach for salads. Sam's has a huge tub of ready to eat raw spinach for less than $4 and a big bag of raw broccoli for about $3. This will last Tina and I an entire week.
- pork loin, chicken breasts, and salmon are mostly what we eat for meat proteins. Throw a bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts in a crock pot with fat free, low sodium chicken broth and fat free italian dressing and by dinner time, you have chicken ready that will last several days. Eat it on salad, wrap it in a low carb whole wheat tortilla, or with brown rice, sweet potato, or baked potato. Throw in a serving of veggie and your dinner is complete!
- We also use Myoplex protein shakes and Myoplex bars for snacks or meal replacements.
- WASA brand whole wheat crackers with a low fat laughing cow cheese spread on it makes an awesome snack.
- grab a handful of almonds for an on-the-go snack.
As you can see, none of these are difficult meals or foods to prepare, which is one reason I love the Body for Life plan so much. It basically teaches how to make healthy choices but keeps it simple at the same time.
Hopefully this will help someone who might stuggle with knowing what to eat to get fit and healthy.
Take care of your body. It's the only one you've got. (and don't forget to exercise!)
Mike
Monday, March 15, 2010
Week 3 - Body for Life
Today was the start of Week 3 and I've figured out what foods I need to eat to hit my goals everyday. I think I've come to the place where eating healthy food is really taking effect on how my body feels. I'm starting to have a lot more energy and just feel really good all the time. It's cool to see your body changing by what you put into your mouth.
Today's workout was upper body. I worked my chest, shoulders, back, triceps and biceps. Another good workout.
Now to results - I lost another full percentage of fat, putting me at 17% now. (that's down from 23.8%). Lost another 1/2 inch off my waist but gained 1/4 inch on my chest and arms. I'm excited to see myself losing fat but gaining muscle.
Can't wait to see what Week 3 brings!!
Today's workout was upper body. I worked my chest, shoulders, back, triceps and biceps. Another good workout.
Now to results - I lost another full percentage of fat, putting me at 17% now. (that's down from 23.8%). Lost another 1/2 inch off my waist but gained 1/4 inch on my chest and arms. I'm excited to see myself losing fat but gaining muscle.
Can't wait to see what Week 3 brings!!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Week 2 update
So Monday was lower body workout day and it was a good one. My workout consisted of Dumbbell Squats, Leg Extension, Deadlifts, Dumbbell Lunges, Dumbbell Calf Raises, and my abs routine. Workout took about 35 mins.
Just to give some ideas as to what I'm eating throughout the day, I'll list everything I ate yesterday.
6am - 1/2 whole wheat english muffin w/ 1 tbls natural peanut butter
8am - Myoplex Carb Control chocolate shake (multi-vitamin)
10am - apple
12pm - Starkist Tuna Sandwich Ready pouch on low-carb whole wheat tortilla (wrapped)
Fresh spinach salad w/ 2 boiled egg whites & balsamic vinegrette dressing
2pm - Myoplex bar
4:30pm - 1/2 cup Kashi cereal (dry)
7:30pm - Grilled pork tenderloin (4 oz)
Steamed broccoli
Sweet potato w/ tsp of Splenda
8:30pm - Workout
9:00pm - Whey protein shake (small)
I also try to drink 5 bottles of water daily. (85 oz)
Today's workout is CARDIO!! I enjoy doing HIIT(High Intensity Interval Training) on the treadmill. 20 mins and done!
Just to give some ideas as to what I'm eating throughout the day, I'll list everything I ate yesterday.
6am - 1/2 whole wheat english muffin w/ 1 tbls natural peanut butter
8am - Myoplex Carb Control chocolate shake (multi-vitamin)
10am - apple
12pm - Starkist Tuna Sandwich Ready pouch on low-carb whole wheat tortilla (wrapped)
Fresh spinach salad w/ 2 boiled egg whites & balsamic vinegrette dressing
2pm - Myoplex bar
4:30pm - 1/2 cup Kashi cereal (dry)
7:30pm - Grilled pork tenderloin (4 oz)
Steamed broccoli
Sweet potato w/ tsp of Splenda
8:30pm - Workout
9:00pm - Whey protein shake (small)
I also try to drink 5 bottles of water daily. (85 oz)
Today's workout is CARDIO!! I enjoy doing HIIT(High Intensity Interval Training) on the treadmill. 20 mins and done!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Body for Life - Week 2
Ok, week 1 down. I don't remember without going back and reading my last blog if I mentioned this, so I'll do that now. I started toying with the Body for Life program at the beginning of February and since then I've had pretty good results. In these 5 weeks, I've lost a total of 10 lbs, 4 inches off my waist, and 5% body fat. Not bad for just toying around with this. I've been experimenting with different food choices along with weight training and cardio. I'll try to start going into more detail as to what exactly I'm doing food wise as well as exercise.
As I mentioned, last Monday was my official Body for Life Challange start day. My week consists of Monday, Wed, & Friday performing resistance training, and Tuesday, Thursday & Sat doing cardio. Monday was upper body, Wednesday was lower body, and Friday was upper body again. Cardio consisted of what is called HIIT (high intensity interval training). I did this on a treadmill. The entire workout last about 20 mins, but it's an intense 20 mins for sure! And the latest research shows that short, intense interval-type cardio is the most effective for burning fat efficiently and quickly.
Now, you may be wondering what I'm eating. The eating plan is probably the easiest I've ever tried. Basically you make healthy choices. Lean proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats.
Lean proteins consist of skinless chicken (baked, broiled, grilled, crock-pot, etc.), salmon, tuna, lean ground turkey, and pork loin (pork chop...just don't eat any fat around the edges).
Complex Carbs are things like baked potatos, sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole wheat products such as bread, english muffins, pasta, etc.
Healthy fats include nuts such as almonds, walnuts, olive oil, canola oil, natural or organic peanut butter (just be sure it has no hydrogenated oils). Smucker's Natural PB is what I buy. Also make sure you're not getting "too" much of these fats in your daily plan, but you do need some.
Ok, now to portion size. This is EASY!! Proteins need to be the size of the palm of your hand. For instance, if you have a piece of grilled chicken on your plate, imagine it being the size of your palm (fingers and thumb not included), and that's a correct portion size for you. Your complex carb can be the size of your balled up fist. The other food you'll need in at least 2 of your daily meals is vegetables. Portion size is not limited on veggies. Fruits, however, need to be watched a little closer since they have sugar.
A couple of examples of meals I had last week are a palm-size piece of grilled chicken, fist-size sweet potato (with a spoon of Splenda), and steamed broccoli. YUMMM~ Another meal was grilled lean pork loin, steamed asparagus, and fist-size baked potato. (no butter though...sorry folks!). But I put things like low-fat or fat-free cheese, salsa, jalapenos, etc. to spice it up.
I eat every 2 to 3 hours during the day so this is definitely not a starvation plan! It's awesome. But eating small meals or snacks every 2-3 hours keeps your metabolism running faster so you continue burning fat.
Post comments of any questions you may have. I'll try to help as much as I can. I'm going to enjoy this 12 week journey and can't wait to see my results at the end of it! Anyone else who wants to do this with me, I say BRING IT ON and let's do this thing!!
Mike
As I mentioned, last Monday was my official Body for Life Challange start day. My week consists of Monday, Wed, & Friday performing resistance training, and Tuesday, Thursday & Sat doing cardio. Monday was upper body, Wednesday was lower body, and Friday was upper body again. Cardio consisted of what is called HIIT (high intensity interval training). I did this on a treadmill. The entire workout last about 20 mins, but it's an intense 20 mins for sure! And the latest research shows that short, intense interval-type cardio is the most effective for burning fat efficiently and quickly.
Now, you may be wondering what I'm eating. The eating plan is probably the easiest I've ever tried. Basically you make healthy choices. Lean proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats.
Lean proteins consist of skinless chicken (baked, broiled, grilled, crock-pot, etc.), salmon, tuna, lean ground turkey, and pork loin (pork chop...just don't eat any fat around the edges).
Complex Carbs are things like baked potatos, sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole wheat products such as bread, english muffins, pasta, etc.
Healthy fats include nuts such as almonds, walnuts, olive oil, canola oil, natural or organic peanut butter (just be sure it has no hydrogenated oils). Smucker's Natural PB is what I buy. Also make sure you're not getting "too" much of these fats in your daily plan, but you do need some.
Ok, now to portion size. This is EASY!! Proteins need to be the size of the palm of your hand. For instance, if you have a piece of grilled chicken on your plate, imagine it being the size of your palm (fingers and thumb not included), and that's a correct portion size for you. Your complex carb can be the size of your balled up fist. The other food you'll need in at least 2 of your daily meals is vegetables. Portion size is not limited on veggies. Fruits, however, need to be watched a little closer since they have sugar.
A couple of examples of meals I had last week are a palm-size piece of grilled chicken, fist-size sweet potato (with a spoon of Splenda), and steamed broccoli. YUMMM~ Another meal was grilled lean pork loin, steamed asparagus, and fist-size baked potato. (no butter though...sorry folks!). But I put things like low-fat or fat-free cheese, salsa, jalapenos, etc. to spice it up.
I eat every 2 to 3 hours during the day so this is definitely not a starvation plan! It's awesome. But eating small meals or snacks every 2-3 hours keeps your metabolism running faster so you continue burning fat.
Post comments of any questions you may have. I'll try to help as much as I can. I'm going to enjoy this 12 week journey and can't wait to see my results at the end of it! Anyone else who wants to do this with me, I say BRING IT ON and let's do this thing!!
Mike
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Body for Life - Week 1
So I decided to do the Body for Life Challenge this year. Official starting date was Monday, March 1, 2010. This is my first time to do the Challenge and I know it's going to work. Funny thing is, I've said that before when I've started other programs, but this time...it's different. I have drive...I have confidence...I have what it takes to use this program to completely transform my body. The Challenge is 12 weeks long.
I started playing around with the principles taught by Body for Life 4 weeks ago and during that time, I've already lost 3 1/2 inches off my waist, 4% body fat, and 7 lbs. But...I've gained in muscle measurements during this time as well. So I'm losing fat, but building muscle at the same time, which is my goal.
I'll try to update my blog regularly. This will be fun!
I started playing around with the principles taught by Body for Life 4 weeks ago and during that time, I've already lost 3 1/2 inches off my waist, 4% body fat, and 7 lbs. But...I've gained in muscle measurements during this time as well. So I'm losing fat, but building muscle at the same time, which is my goal.
I'll try to update my blog regularly. This will be fun!
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