Day 7

Well, it's Sunday night and I can honestly say, I MADE IT.  I know it's ONLY 7 days, but to some, this can mean over 160 hours of sacrifice. For me, these days have been hard but at the same time very rewarding.  Here are some results:

Weight Loss: 6lbs
Clothing: Noticed at least a 1-2" size difference
Energy: Up at least 60%
Body: Feels refreshed and am sleeping better
Mind: Confidence is up, felt better interacting with others this weekend

Workouts:

Yesterday I had a great afternoon Bicep/Tricep session at the Gym and ended it with a brisk 5 mile jog.  My energy was through the roof and I felt very good afterwards.  The only thing I did notice was that I was feeling some soreness in my shoulders which prevented me from going too heavy on the curls.  Therefore, this week I am breaking up my weight training days with rest/cardio.

Today, I completed a great P90X cardio session in the morning and some much needed stretches.  I felt that after a long week of weights and cardio, my body needed some rest so that the muscle fibers heal and my body gets ready for the week ahead.

Food:


As expected, the weekend was a test as there was plenty of good junk food to access as well as alcohol. I'm happy to say I abstained from from both.  Any time I can say no to a Guinness, some deep dish pizza and a snicker-doodle, I know I'm in a good place.  I still loaded my day with protein, vegetables and organic fruits with my only cheat being a chocolate chip cookie and a shot of Patron (day 7 is cheat day).  This week, I'm increasing my good carb intake & veggies as I plan on doing some circuit training and Yoga so I'll need energy to burn.

Overall, things are looking good. I noticed a change already and the rush you get from that pushes you to the next phase.  Week two is on the horizon, let's see what I can accomplish by next Sunday.

Until next time,

J

Day 5

Well, I made it through the week.  I'm feeling great, my workouts are well under way and I'm fitting into some clothing I found hard to fit into two weeks ago.  The biggest challenge is ahead of me. Can I really remain faithful to both my eating habits and my workouts?  Well, I don't have a lot planned other than house projects so that should keep me busy and out of the fast food arena.  However, I do need to plan some work outs so that my metabolism can remain active.

Highlights for this week include:

- 5 Mile continuous treadmill jog
- 3 P90X workouts
- A 400lb Freemotion Machine Squat session
- 20 mile stationary bike ride

This weekend I'm going to focus on some bicep workouts (Saturday) and some outdoor cardio (Sunday) weather permitting.

I will check back in on Sunday night and let you all know how I feel going into the week.  Until then, eat well and work hard!

-J

Day 1 & 2

Things are going well so far.  Everyone knows their body well enough to notice changes and in day 2, I already can see a change in my face which is the first place all my fat goes to!  This is what I've done so far:

Eating Habits


I've gone back to my low Glycemic Index (low sugar, low carb) eating habits so I'm eating lots of veggies, protein and cutting back my sugar to diabetic levels.  A sample of my meals include:

Pre Breakfast - 2oz of organic grape juice
Breakfast - 2 egg whites with vegetables and 3 slices of turkey bacon or turkey slices and 2oz of fruit
Snack 1 - assorted nuts or trail mix
Lunch - simple salad, no dressing w/ 3oz diced grilled chicken
Snack  2 - Turkey Jerkey or Fruit
Dinner - 3 oz lean meat or chicken, salad, steamed jasmine rice or veggies
Late Snack - 1cup of cheerios with skim milk or 2 sugar free popsicles

If you are not used to eating this kind of food, your body might feel off for a day or two, but eating this often keeps your stomach full and you avoid over eating at core meals.

Workouts


As soon as I woke up, I did a 20 minute cardio workout such as what I posted yesterday from youtube.  Here is what I did the rest of the day:

Mid morning: Office pushups and tricep extensions on my chair
Lunch: 30 minute stationary bike
After work: Resistance Band full body
Late night: Dumbbell chest workout

Every day I intend to do a morning cardio session as well as a lunch time cardio session while training different body parts every day with home weights.  I'm also incorporating 3 gym sessions to the week where I'll focus on Circuit Training to get my body moving and my metabolism up.

So far, I feel great. I woke up this morning feeling lighter and was able to sleep better last night.  I know 2 days isn't a lot of time to shout victory, but as I mentioned, everyone knows their own body best.  You will know when things are working and as of today, this is working for me.  One of my biggest challenge was my work from home day today when I usually enjoy a happy hour with wings at the end of the work day.  Today, I was able to push through that and instead incorporate a solid workout and a nice wholesome meal.  Next two challenges will be a day off on Friday and of course, the dreaded weekend (see: Weekend Weakness)

I'll keep you all posted in a few days and let you know how things progress.

Until Then,

J

New daily routine

Starting tomorrow, I will be incorporating this workout every morning before work.  If you notice, it takes about 25-30 minutes and can really lift your metabolism for the day.  I find it's best to do workouts like this on an empty stomach so that your body can start to burn calories early on.  Enjoy!

ATHLEAN-X Black Friday Workout

Forgive me for I have sinned...

I feel like one of those televangelists who gets caught with their pants down at a cheap motel with a one legged lady of the night.  Except my pants are bursting at the seam and my one legged lady is a beer and a hot slice of pizza.  Yes, forgive me, for I have sinned and have fallen off the wagon.

I've realized one thing about myself. I LOVE FOOD. And the fat guy I once was is itching to get out and give me a hard time.  Well, sad to say that he has half way succeeded and I'm starting to get really irritated.  A friend once told me to hold on to the fat clothes I used to fit into, because I might need them one day.  Little did I know that he was right.  Even after I swore that I would NEVER go back and threw away most of them, I still held on to a few pants and shirts that I once wore "just in case".  Well old friend, you were right.  I'm not saying I'm fitting into the size 42's and XL's, but I'm now wearing my in between clothing that I bought during my transition. Long gone are the days of my size 31 pants and Small sized shirts.

How did I get here and how can I stop?

Well, I have to admit...a big part of it has been the suds.  Oh how a nice cold draft can really soothe me after a long day of dealing with idiots at work.  But with that comfort comes hundreds of empty calories that I never used to put into my body.  On top of this, I'm no longer staying away from processed foods, sugars and carbs.  I'm not eating anything compared to before (4 items at Taco Bell and a slurpee) but I'm also not controlling my eating habits or staying away from high calorie foods.  Do I work out? Sure I do. I lift weights just about every day, but what good does weight lifting do when you don't have a cardio regimen to shed off the weight so you can see the results.  When I flex, I see what's underneath.  I can definitely feel the muscles and the density of them, but the beer and sandwiches are clouding their definition.

It's not often someone who has a blog dedicated to weight loss and fitness can sit here and type this, but I've come to terms that I will never be someone who can sit back and stop fighting.  I will forever battle obesity, it's in my genes.  Like a diabetic who once diagnosed always needs his insulin, I as a "fat man" will forever need to deal with weight gain.  Which means that I will need to eat better and workout until the day I die.

Sometimes I talk to people that are 120lbs and tell me "i WISH i could gain weight". Part of me wants to sock them right in the eye, but another part of me realizes that we fight the same battles.  We all want our body to look and feel different than it is.  Whether we are 100lbs or 300lbs, we strive to feel and look our best whether it be for others or for ourselves.  However, the obstacles are always present. Whether it be a metabolism that works too fast and burns all our mass and muscle, or one that works very slow and does not produce any results towards our fitness goals.  But whatever the obstacles are, we must stop making excuses.

My excuses have been everything from "I'll get on it next week", "I have a trip coming up", "It's too cold to go to the gym", "My back hurts", "I worked too hard to not have this beer and cheesy treat".  Well, it's time to go back to the old me and see what I can regain.  So tonight, for you followers out there who have read my blog in the past, I am going to make a pact:

Starting on Monday, December 5th, 2010, I will start back on my healthy eating regimen and constant workouts.  My goal is to lose 40lbs by March 25th, 2010.  That is roughly 10lbs a month and about 2-3lbs a week.  Hey, I've done it before and I can do it again. I will blog my progress as often as I can and will post some pictures and workouts.

I'm sorry that I have failed all of you, but mostly, I'm sorry that I have failed my self and my body.  However, here's to a new start and another journey in weight loss and healthy living!!

Yours,
J

Myths about working out!

GREAT article.


Enjoy!


http://health.yahoo.net/rodale/WH/fitness-fact-or-fiction

Jack3d

Tried a new supplement today called Jack3d by USPLabs.  VERY impressed with this stuff. 1.5 scoops is all I needed and I got great energy and awesome pumps throughout my lifting. This is like a gift that keeps giving because it doesn't wear out midway like N.O. Xplode. Very excited!

Harmful Drinks

Check out this link!  It's ALWAYS good to be informed!!!

Harmful Drinks in America

I'm BACK! (again)

After a few week hiatus, I am back on the saddle with this blog.  I've taken a couple weeks off my P90X routine because I noticed my body and energy was feeling way beat up.  Now I'm feeling great and ready to hit phase 2 with FORCE.

Meanwhile, I've been hearing some great stories from some friends that I'd like to share with you all.

One of my local friends Myra has lost over 45lbs since early this year when she decided to take her life back and start eating better and exercising.  Myra has dedicated herself to changing her eating habits and began to consume organic foods while laying off all processed and junk foods that were poisoning her body for so many years.  On top of that, she has made a valiant effort and incorporating jogging into her busy schedule and has accomplished several workout goals along the way.  Not to mention she has dropped several sizes in clothing and is looking great!  In talking to Myra, you can sense the energy and enthusiasm in her voice.  This life changing experience has really had a positive effect on her and her drive is pushing her to achieve much more in life.  She has very attainable summer goals and I KNOW she will be able to reach them.  Keep up the great work Myra!

Another guy is my friend Greg*.  Greg began a training regimen this year that has helped him shed many unwanted pounds!  He has incorporated a new weight lifting and cardio routine that has pushed his energy and strength to new heights.  Greg has been educating himself with ways to get his body to burn off load of fat calories while building his muscles to new levels.  He has been taking natural and other over the counter supplements to help him surpass his workout goals and most recently accomplished some superb calorie burning goals!  He has a lot of drive and a hard work ethic when it comes to hitting the Gym.  One thing to point out is that Greg is also a student and holds down a job.  And while some of his workouts take him into the late hours (or VERY early hours) he makes sure he can get it in regardless of what he gets in his way.  Greg has VERY big plans ahead of him so get ready to see a new and improved version of him.

Many of my friends are also undergoing life changing transformations.  Some doing P90X, others Insanity, others taking it one step at a time and becoming more active in life.  Whatever your situation is, DONT GIVE UP.  Keep working towards your goal of feeling healthier and better about yourself.

If you have stories to share, please email me and let me know!

~J

* The names have been changed until I can get approval from these individuals to post their real names. :)

P90X Chest & Back Phase 1

P90X Chest & Back Phase 1 is in the books!  Below are my stats for the first three weeks:

Standard Pushups Max

Week 1: 25

Week 2: 45

Week 3: 60

Wide Front Pull-Ups Max

Week 1: 15

Week 2: 20

Week 3: 30

Military Pushups Max

Week 1: 25

Week 2: 30

Week 3: 40

Reverse Grip Chin-Ups Max

Week 1: 15

Week 2: 17

Week 3: 23

Wide Fly Pushups Max

Week 1: 20

Week 2: 25

Week 3: 40

Closed Grip Overhand Pull-Ups Max

Week 1: 10

Week 2: 14

Week 3: 20

Decline Pushups Max

Week 1: 10

Week 2: 20

Week 3: 25

Heavy Pants Max

Week 1: 8 w/ 40lb Weights

Week 2: 10 w/ 45lb Weights

Week 3: 12 w/ 50lb Weights

Diamond Pushups Max

Week 1: 15

Week 2: 25

Week 3: 35

Lawnmowers Max

Week 1: 10 w/ 40lb weights

Week 2: 10 w/ 50lb weights

Week 3: 8 w/ 60lb weights

Dive-Bomber Pushups Max

Week 1: 10

Week 2: 14

Week 3: 20

Back Flys Max

Week 1: 0

Week 2: 10 w/ 30lb weights

Week 3: 12 w/ 35lb weights

How did YOU do??

P90X Update

Today marks day 15 of 90 of the P90X transformation program. In other words, week three, BRING IT! This week is a pretty crucial week for me because it is the last week of strength workouts for phase 1 so I need to make sure I maximize all my workouts! This week will be one that will show how much progress I’ve made in two weeks and get me conditioned for phase 2.

A few highlights from the last two weeks:

• Noticeable increase in strength and endurance
• Certain muscle groups are getting tighter and growing
• Increased energy
• Better sleep at night

A few drawbacks:

• Lower back pain has returned (Solution: will be seeing a chiropractor this week to get adjusted)
• No noticeable weight loss (Solution: I need to work on my eating habits and tighten them up more to ensure I’m eating more veggies and organic foods)
• Time: I’m working out very late at night so I need to find a way to get myself to wake up at 6am instead!

The drawbacks aren’t deal breakers to me. It just means I need to push myself a little harder and work on tweaking some parts in my overall fitness regimen. I plan on working pretty hard this week and using my recovery week to shed off some of this weight.

Changes for the week:

I’m incorporating a couple of weight lifting sessions at the gym this week in order to really push the blood into the muscles. Recovery week does not offer any weight lifting, so I want to make sure I have enough stored in there so the muscles recover nicely yet still grow. In addition, I’m looking to create a new menu for myself so I’ll be reaching out to some of you cooks and organic gurus for some tips.

Upcoming workout: Chest & Back

Hope everyone has a great week and is successful in anything you are putting your mind to!

-Jorge

P90X Day Three & Four: Arms/Yoga

P90X Day Three & Four: Arms & Shoulders / Yoga X

Arms: On Wednesday, I worked out my arms and shoulders and I LOVED IT. This by far is one of my favorite workouts as my favorite muscle to work is my biceps and triceps. I really noticed a lot of burn in my shoulders as well and since that is a connector muscle, I want to make sure I focus on that area as much as possible during these first three weeks.

The workout was not as tough as the first two, but I did notice that my triceps were still pretty sore from the Chest workouts from Monday. However, I pulled through and made sure I used a lighter dumbbell on my tricep extensions. One thing I will advise (as conceited as this may sound) it's always good to do shoulder and arm workouts in front of a mirror. You get to see the muscle fibers reacting to the exercise which in turn gives you motivation!

Overall, the workout was a success with very little set back.

Yoga: Today was Yoga day. For someone like me who is usually very active and likes to be challenged, Yoga can prove to be a challenge. Not only is it an hour and a half, but it also is a very calm, smooth workout. But don't let it fool you, you will be sweating bullets mid way and everything will be hurting.

Personally, I found some of the balance routines a bit difficult. However, as soon as I grabbed my Power Balance necklace, it made all the workouts much easier. Yoga X will really push you to the limits, but afterwards it feels SO good and your whole body feels relaxed. Another plus was that it really helped me stretch my quads which were still pretty sore from Plyometrics.

Overall, GREAT Yoga workout.

How is your week going?

P90X Day Two: Plyometrics

P90X Day Two: Plyometrics

If someone were to chase my right now to try and take my money, they would win.  WOW what a workout!  Day two of P90X proved to be just as tough as Day one, but this time I murdered my lower body.  However, I must say that the workout itself was easier to get through.  I hadn't worked on my legs in over 2 months, so this is quite a surprise!

I did notice that my stamina is a little low which means I may have to incorporate some cardio during the week so that I can keep my heart rate up and not get fatigued too quickly.  I should be good by next Tuesday during week two.  One thing I will say is that this workout will definitely have your legs hurting, but in a great way.  One look at the guy lead trainer and you will see that this workout is effective.  It combines a detailed leg workout with intense cardio and allows you to work on your foundation from toe to lower back.

Without strong legs, it is impossible to build a good upper body! So never neglect the legs!

I'm looking forward to my evening workout which will be a PowerBlock chest press both decline, incline and straight.  This will allow me to get the soreness out of my chest from yesterdays workouts and give me the flexibility I need for tomorrow Arm workout.

Overall, the program today was a success and I look forward to Day 3!!

How was your second day?

P90X Day One: Chest & Back

P90X Day One – Chest & Back

Equipment used: P90X Disc 1, Iron Gym Pull-Up Bar, PerfectPushups handles, PowerBlock Dumbbells, Chair.

P90X Day One is in the books!  Man I am tired but I feel GREAT!  However, after not working out for two complete weeks, I have to admit that this workout was the hardest I’ve endured in a very long time.  It’s amazing how your body can eat its muscles and fibers when you aren’t feeding it the right way.  I noticed that my strength was not where it was three weeks ago so it made it tougher to start big.  I had to start like a beginner which is not bad because I get to really start from scratch.

Areas I struggled in:  Wide Front Pull-ups, Decline Pushups and Dive bomber pushups.

Wide Front Pull-ups: I felt a twitch in my lats which told me I need to work that muscle out more in order to have more strength on my pull-ups.  Perhaps later I will incorporate some gym time to build up this muscle. 

Decline Pushups:  proved to be harder because of the stress you put on your outer pectoral muscles.  For me, this was possibly due to my chest muscle fibers not being stretched and loose as they used to be when I was doing Bench Presses.  Quick fix will be to do some additional chest workouts and get that body part conditioned again which I’m incorporating into my work out tomorrow. 

Dive bomber Pushups:  Since I was 16, I’ve had a nagging baseball lower back injury that comes and goes.  Over the last month, I noticed that I’ve been very sore on that region and it’s been hurting for a good 3 weeks.  Doing these pushups puts a lot of strain on the lower back so I was only able to do about 10 with good form and 5 on my knees. I am making an appointment with a Chiropractor soon to get adjusted.

Overall, the workout was a great one.  I do have a lot of work to do, but I hope by next Monday, I can surpass some of my initial reps for each exercise and get my body conditioned to kill the next 3 months! 

Notes:

• I was not able to complete Ab Ripper X after the workout (because I was exhausted!) but I will move it to my evening workout so I can complete all the reps with good form and stamina.
• Also, it depends on your style, but I noticed I don’t like to hear this guy talk anymore.  Hearing him count off on his pushups or talk to others can sometimes ruin your rhythm and make you try to catch up with him instead of working on your form.  
• Next workout, I’m going to use the “Cues only, no music no talking” option.

Sore areas: Arms!!

I finished with a 52g protein shake!


How was YOUR first day??

P90X Challenge

It's X TIME!  Spring is here and in full swing which means Summer is around the corner.  Not only is Summer near by, but I'm turning 30 in 5 months.  They say that 30 is the "over the hill" milestone and it is a fact that your body starts to change and "slow down" after that.  With THAT in mind, I'm going to make a valiant effort to get into the best shape of my life by that date.

I will be 30 on August 26th so that gives me a little under 6 months to complete this goal. Whether or not I attain the goal I'm mentally setting for myself remains to be seen, however based on my 30 day experience with P90X last Summer, I'd say it is very realistic.  Which is why starting tomorrow, April 5th, 2010, I am starting once again my P90X program.  This program will push me to the limit every day for the next 90 days and will be a great way to attain my fitness goals.  The following will be my weekly workout regimen for the next 3 weeks (phase 1).  You will see that I've added a 2nd daily workout as a way to push myself a little more and keep all my muscles warm day in and day out:

P90X SCHEDULE (Phase 1)

Monday AM: Chest & Back w/ Ab Ripper X

              PM:  Interval Training

Tuesday AM: Plyometrics
              PM: 30 Min. Chest workout with PowerBlocks

Wednesday AM: Interval Training
                   PM: Arms Workout w/ Ab Ripper X

Thursday AM: Bicep Workout with PowerBlocks
               PM: Yoga X

Friday AM: Interval Training
           PM: Legs & Back w/ Ab Ripper X

Saturday AM: P90X Kempo
               PM: PerfectPushup workout

Sunday AM: Stretch & Rest

As I've said before, these goals are always easier with support so I'm reaching out to all of you to do this with me if you have P90X at home or use whatever workout plans you have!  The objective is to be active throughout this Spring and Summer!  Let's make this the best year of your life and feel great!  Who is with me????

~J

I'm BACK!

After a brief hiatus, I'm back!!  I just got back from a 10 day vacation and must say, I did NOT practice what I preach on here.  But hey, sometimes you have to live a little and take a break from the workouts and routines. 

One thing I do want to share is I was on an 8 day Cruise filled with wonderful food and beverages.  Here is where conditioning really has it's advantages though... while I felt I ate enough to gain 10-15lbs, I only gained 2.5.  I've been back now for 3 days and have already burned off those added 2.5lbs and am back to the pre-cruise weight.  I remember when I was heavier, anytime I would gain vacation weight, it would be 5-10lbs and would continue to get higher as the weeks went by.  Making it almost impossible to lose weight and get in shape.  However, the better shape your body is in, the better you can burn off any added weight because your metabolism is working harder.

What's next for me?

The rest of this week I'm still taking some breaks from heavy lifting, but slowly I will be doing some cardio and getting my body used to working again.  However, I do have some goals that I will share with you all on a different blog post over the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, I'd like to hear from all of you.  What are your spring/summer goals?

~J

Interval Training

In a past post, I talked about alternate ways to do a good cardio workout and ways to make burning calories fun.  Well, tonight I tried a high intensity interval training that was able to help me get good cardio in AND build muscle at the same time.  Below is the routine I did.  Try it and let me know how you like it!

• 2min. Low Intensity Straight Punches with 3-5 lb Dumbbells or weight plates
• 1min. High Intensity Push-ups
• 1min. Low Intensity Straight Punches with 3-5 lb Dumbbells or weight plates
• 1min. High Intensity Two-Arm Dumbbell Row
• 1min. Low Intensity Straight Punches with 3-5 lb Dumbbells or weight plates
• 1min. High Intensity Upright Rows
• 1min. Low Intensity Straight Punches with 3-5 lb Dumbbells or weight plates
• 1min. High Intensity Dumbbell Curls
• 1min. Low Intensity Straight Punches with 3-5 lb Dumbbells or weight plates
• 1min. High Intensity Bench Dips
• 1min. Low Intensity Straight Punches with 3-5 lb Dumbbells or weight plates
• 1min. High Intensity Bicycle Crunches
• 2min. Low Intensity Straight Punches with 3-5 lb Dumbbells or weight plates

Don't be a hero with the weights on the high intensity exercises.  Pick a weight that you will be able to continue a high intensity motion with. (I used 25's).

This is a 15 minute total workout but I guarantee you will feel like you just worked out for an hour!  ENJOY!

Feeling Guilty? Don't!

Recently, I set up a poll to see what people had as their motivation for losing weight and getting in shape. The reason I did that was to see what goals people set in mind and what pushed them every day to accomplish their fitness goals. One of the answers I listed was “Looks” which so far has 57% popularity. I’m actually surprised that it did not list 100% because whether we all like to admit or not, a major part in our weight loss goals is due to wanting to look and feel different.

However, during a weight loss transition, at times you can begin to feel guilty for looking different. Sometimes this is due to others feeling threatened by the change, other times we have people around us that look down on people who don’t accept what they look like and sometimes the attention you may get from others who applaud your efforts, may rub people the wrong way. Unfortunately, we are surrounded by people that do not like when others get attention. In turn, they make comments that may misconstrue your efforts to change your life. Because of this, you may feel like you are doing something wrong and this can lead to a major barrier in your weight loss journey.

Here are my thoughts…

I’d be lying to you if I told you that as you start to look different, your “Swagger” isn’t elevated a bit. You start feeling more confident, fitting into new clothing, better looking outfits, your face changes, your muscles start showing (if you are lifting) and with this comes a few more looks from people and attention. This is very normal and you should not be afraid to feel good about it. You’ve worked hard for it! Imagine building a house from the ground up and putting in 20 hour work days for months, maybe years! Should you be ashamed that your house looks beautiful? Not at all! However, you have to keep a balance and not let it go to your head.

I remember during my weight loss journey, I was getting compliments every time I’d go to my Congregation meetings and those kept me going. People kept looking at my progress and it motivated them as well to make changes in their life. However, I never walked into the hall with my head up high and told people how much I lost or fished for compliments. Neither did I go around poking people’s belly and calling them tubby (people did that to me before). I was humbled by the attention, but instead of turning it into an ego boost, I turned it into motivation to keep going and working hard.

Over the months, there were some rumblings here and there and I heard comments of others that started criticizing what I was doing. Some said I was doing it because I was terminally ill, others said I wanted to impress people, others flat out said I was putting my weight loss and workouts in 1st place above family and religion (In reality, because of the energy I was getting, it allowed me to do MORE for God than ever before). Of course this hurt at the time, because in reality, I was only doing this for my health and to feel better, not to impress anyone else. But I never let it get me down. I realized that people will always have an opinion. The same people that criticized me are the ones that at one point had said I was letting myself go. So I guess it was a catch 22 and I realized that I was doing nothing wrong, so why stop?

So, as you continue on your life changing journey, I encourage you not to let anyone get in the way of your goals. Don’t feel guilty that you are taking care of your body and making changes in your life. As long as you keep a humble mind and attitude, do what you need to do in order to reach your goals. Don’t let anyone get in the way of you changing your life and embrace the changes! It’s ok to wear a smaller shirt or some slimmer dresses (women), as long as you keep a balance and remain respectable to yourself and others. Remember that the change does not make you better than anyone else, but rather makes you better for everyone who is trying to follow your footsteps and change their lives as well.


-J

Power Balance

Last year, a few co-workers of mine came into my office and asked me to stand up. Since these guys are constant jokesters, I figured they were going to somehow make me do something that would end up placing me in an embarrassing situation for their enjoyment. Either way, I still stood up. One of them asked me to stand on my left foot and extend my arms out to the side. So, me being a fool, did what he asked me to do. He asked me to push up with my left arm as he pressed down on it. When he did this, I tipped over and nearly fell. Then, he handed me a bracelet and told me to hold it with my right hand and try the same thing again. This time, when he pressed down with all his might, I didn’t tip over. In fact, I was standing perfectly on one leg. When he did that, I immediately looked at the bracelet to make sure it didn’t have the sign of the devil on it or some sort of witchcraft!
He proceeded to do the following tests on me:

http://www.powerbalance.net/test-video

The results I had were exactly the same as in the video. CRAZY!

So how does this work?
According to the Power Balance website, Power Balance is:

“Performance technology that uses holograms embedded with frequencies that react positively with your body’s natural energy field to improve balance, strength, and flexibility. Most everything has a frequency inherent to it. Some frequencies react positively with your body and others negatively. When the hologram comes in contact with your body’s energy field, it allows your body to interact with the natural, beneficial frequency stored within the hologram. This results in improved energy flow throughout your body.”

Immediately, I went on-line and ordered a bracelet of my own and was anxious to try it in other areas of my daily life and workout routines. The first thing I thought about was using it during Yoga. At the time, I was on a P90X program and Yoga X was always the most difficult program for me as it requires a lot of balance and flexibility. As soon as I got my bracelet, I did Yoga. I tried some of the exercises without the bracelet and then with the bracelet and WOW. It was amazing to see the people on the video shaking and nearly tipping over, while I stood there calmly and was able to have better range of motion, flexibility and balance. Not only that, but it also helped me with my dumbbell chest presses, pull ups, etc. It allowed me to have more control on all my workouts AND provided more endurance during my jogs or P90X cardio sessions.

Recently, I went rock climbing with a good friend of mine and he had a hard time climbing a wall which was next on his challenge list.

Alan Rock Climbing w/o Power Band Bracelet

Since I had the bracelet with me, I asked him to try climbing with the bracelet on just to see if it helped. Well, the next video will show you the results.

Alan Rock Climbing w/ Power Band Bracelet

A lot of people have been asking me what do I get for promoting this product and my answer is NOTHING. I’m not trying to promote a product to gain any monetary rewards. Instead, I am trying to spread the word on something that has helped me and other people I know. If you have poor balance like I do and need something to help you, I highly recommend a Power Balance product. Check out their website and see for yourself!

http://www.powerbalance.net/
Have a great weekend everyone!

-J

Tuesday Workout: Part III

My Afternoon workout before dinner was a P90X Chest and Back Routine.  If you have P90X at home, this is the first DVD of the series.  Since I'm not on technically on the program, I decided to throw in this chest and back routine on the same day that I did my arms an legs.  This way, I complete a full body workout.  The program alternates between push and pull motions.  My regimen was as follows:

60 Regular Pushups
15 Wide Front Pullups
50 Military Pushups
15 Reverse Grip Wide Chin-ups
50 Wide Fly Pushups
15 Closed Grip Overhand Pull-ups
35 Decline Pushups
10 reps w/ 50lb PowerBlock (Dumbbell) Arm Rows
40 Diamond Pushups
10 reps w/ 60lb PowerBlock (Dumbbell) Lawnmower (per arm)
10 Dive-Bomber Pushups
10 Back Flys w/ 25lb PowerBlock (Dumbbell)

Here is where the X comes into play on this program... I repeat the same exact routine TWICE.  Except the second time, I do all the back workouts first, then chest second.  For instance I start with Wide Front Pull-ups, then do Regular Pushups, etc.  As an extra challenge, I did all my pushups using the "Perfect Pushup" handles which gave me full arm rotation motion and worked out more muscle fibers in my chest.

Boy was I tired, but it hurt SO good!

For dinner I had 6oz lean flank steak, salad and some rice pilaf.

And yes, I still have one more workout to go later tonight.  The plan is either Kempo X or Wii Cardio.  We shall see!

-J

Tuesday Workout Part II

My next workout was a 30 minute Cardio session and it went like this:

12:00pm - Home Cardio

5 Mins - Neck, arm and leg stretches

100 - Jumping Jacks

100 - Crunches

100 - Pushups

5 Mins - Jog in Place

5 Mins - Jump Rope

5 Mins - Step ups (used porch steps)

Afterwards for lunch I had 4 oz turkey, handful of smoked almonds, some cheddar cheese and a 25g Protein Shake.

Tuesday Workout: Part I

Hey all, from time to time people ask me what a typical workout regimen is for me.  I wanted to share what my Tuesday workout regimen is.  Keep in mind that I work from home on Tuesdays, so I have more access to my home gym, however there are ways you can still work out in the office or during work hours (see 5 minute office workout).  Here goes my first workout of the day:

8:00am - Bicep Workout


Started out with one scoop of VPX N.O. Shotgun

- 3 sets of 10 reps: 50lb, 60lb, 70lb EZ Curl Bar (on this one, one set is doing 10reps on the wide grip and 10 reps on narrow grip so in reality, I do 20 reps per set.)

- 3 sets of 10 reps: 50lb EZ Curl Bar Skull Crushers (I do this one on the floor with my legs straight - BE CAREFUL WITH THESE as they call them skull crushers for a reason!)

- 3 sets of 10 reps: 35lb, 45lb, 50lb PowerBlock (Dumbbell) alternating curls (squeeze and hold at the top)

- 3 sets of 15 reps: 20lb, 25lb, 30lb PowerBlock (Dumbbell) kick backs (I do this standing up and leaning forward, both arms going back)

- 3 sets of 10 reps: 35lb, 45lb, 50lb PowerBlock (Dumbbell) Hammer Curls

- 3 sets of 25 reps: chair triceps dips (I do this with my legs up on a chair in front of me and alternate leg lifts every 5 dips)

- 3 sets of 10 reps: 25lb, 30lb, 35lb PowerBlock (Dumbbell) Single Arm Preacher Curls

Last but not least, I grab an Olympic Bar that weighs 30lbs (or add 30lbs to my home bar) and do 21 quick reps with a wide grip, 21 with a standard grip, 21 with narrow grip.  This REALLY gets the blood pumped into your biceps to finish off your work out.

If you did all of this right, you should not be able to touch your shoulders with your index finger!

I'll add my other workouts later in the day.

-J

Fitness Etiquette

When I was going through my weight loss journey, I remembered it was tough to stay on a steady eating program particularly when it came to eating outside of my house.  The reality was that most restaurants don’t have a health conscious menu and even those who appear to have one, aren’t always healthy. (Some places advertise “Salads” that can range between 700-1400 calories!)  But one particular area where I found it hardest was when I was invited to a friend/family member’s house and they had prepared dinner for us.

See, it’s easy to tell a co-worker you aren’t interested in joining the department for the 12 o’clock taco truck or burger run.  But what do you do when you are at mom’s house or a close friends house and you are offered something that isn’t on your new menu?  If you come from a Latin household like I do, you know that declining your mother’s home cooked meal is like taking a dagger and sticking it right in the middle of her heart.  You just don’t do that.  Even then, a TRUE Latin family will never let you skip a meal.  I’ve been to some households where they literally shove a fried drumstick into your mouth right at the moment you say “No” and there is that small gap in your mouth.

Well, here is where you learn two things: Etiquette and Portion Control.  Sure, you want to stick to your new eating habits 24/7, but one thing I learned is that you have to compromise.  It isn’t nice when someone spends time in the kitchen, prepares a meal for you and your spouse/family, only to have it declined.  And although it can be easy for us to give the “no thank you, I’m not eating that right now” reaction, it’s a good opportunity to practice portion control.

In one of my earlier blogs, I mentioned that part of my new eating habits didn’t mean that I would NEVER eat any good foods, but rather that I learned to control what I was eating.  So if someone offers you some home cooked food, take it.  It doesn’t mean that you need to request three servings of it, but a polite request for small portions is never a bad thing.  This way, you keep control of your eating habits while at the same time show respect for the person that has offered their time, home and resources to prepare a nice home cooked meal for you.

Keeping your eating habits in line AND keeping friends sounds like a win-win situation to me.

Have a great weekend guys.

-J

Diet vs Habit

Raise your hand if you have ever said this: 

"I once lost (insert number) pounds but gained it all back shortly after".

The word “Diet” is always thrown around a lot when people are looking for a way to lose weight. I always hear “I’m starting a new diet this week” or “I need to get on a Diet”. As we all know, the word diet simply means habitual nutrition so in away, we all “Diet” every single day in our lives regardless of how fit we are. The problem I’ve had with this word is that to me it is equivalent to something temporary. Think about it this way, when was the last time you heard someone say “I’m going on a two year diet”. Never. People use it as a temporary term, something they will do for a week, a month or a weekend.

When I was losing weight, people used to ask me what diet I was on. The look on their face was priceless when I would tell them I wasn’t on a diet. Of course that sometimes made people think I had a terminal illness or I was on drugs, but we’ll talk about that another time! What I would tell people is that I was not on a diet, but rather I was changing my life. As I said in one of my earlier posts, I used to diet all the time. I would lose 20 lbs during the summer, but one week away from the gym and that weight would hunt me down and find me again. Why? Because it was temporary. My body was involved, but my mind wasn’t. That was the biggest difference this time around, I was going to involve my mind and change the way I used to think about nutrition and exercising and change my eating habits.

The minute I stopped thinking I was on a diet, I started liking what I was doing and before I knew it, it became a habit. No longer was I just worried about looking a certain way or fitting into a certain article of clothing, but I was thinking of how I felt inside and my health. I made sure that I educated myself about what I should be putting into my body and what was going to help me become a healthy man. So as I started forming those habits, the weight started coming off and I started feeling better. Before I knew it, I no longer had to pull out a book or a cheat card to figure out what was in the food I was ordering at a restaurant. Knowing what kind of food to eat became second nature to me, like going to the bathroom when your bladder is full! It no longer was something I felt I had to do, it was part of my life.

The same thing happened with working out. I got to a point where if I didn’t go to the gym or do something at home to get my blood pumping and heart rate up, I felt sick. I felt almost disgusted! That was my body telling me that it needed to be active which meant it had gotten used to the constant motion every day. It was equivalent to what your stomach does when you haven’t eaten all day. That is when I knew that I could/should not go consecutive days without doing something to keep my body in motion. That is when it became a habit to work out. Sure, there have been some road blocks and there have been moments where I’ve stopped working out, but my body tells me sooner or later that I’m doing something very bad and it’s easier now to get back on a workout regimen than it was when working out was simply temporary.

Remember, all of these diets that are advertised on TV don’t tell you something very important… THEY DON’T WORK FOR EVERYONE. Therefore, get into the mindset of creating what works for YOU. Take the time to do some research on what the things you are putting into your body are doing to you personally. Then look up information on what you can do to change those habits and create new ones. A quick fix diet will do exactly that, change things quickly in your life. But think about this, would you ever put a piece of chewed gum on a tire with a hole in it? My guess is no.

So get away from using the term “Diet” and get into the mind set of making this a life changing experience. Not just for a weekend, a week or a month, but make it last the rest of your life!


-J

Schwarzenegger to host obesity summit - ContraCostaTimes.com

Schwarzenegger to host obesity summit - ContraCostaTimes.com

Wii Cardio

If you are anything like me, you absolutely hate Cardio.  When I hear people say how much they love running, I wonder how someone can love putting their feet and joints through that kind of torture?  However, I do know that cardio is an essential part of exercising and weight loss and is very much needed!  Some of us get bored with monotonous running or cycling and wonder if there is anything fun that can be substituted. 

When I was going through my weight loss, I encountered a few days where I just could not go to the gym and hop on a treadmill.  So one day I got up, and picked up my Wii controller!  I realized that I could complete a good half hour of cardio and at the same time have a lot of fun!  If you have a Wii at home, here is a sample of what you can do within 30 minutes and burn over 200 calories!

I used Wii Sports as my platform and completed all 5 sports during the 30 minutes.  Here is the rundown of what I played:

• 5 games of Tennis
• 1 game of Baseball
• 1 game of Bowling
• 1 game of Golf
• 5 rounds of Boxing

Depending on how long it takes you to get through this set, it should take you at least 30 minutes to complete.  The best workout that you will get will be the boxing rounds!  For best results, I use a stomach wrap and sweater (a leather sweat suit is another option).

And there you have it, a fun way to burn some calories in a short amount of time!

-J

$5 Heart Attack Box

Lately we've seen all of these commercials with the noticeably hefty Charles Barkley advertising Taco Bell's new $5 Buck Box. This is a perfect example of how overeating is often advertised as a cheap compact quick fix for our appetite. What they don't advertise on TV is how unhealthy this box is. Below is the nutritional information for the $5 Buck Box:

Cheesy Gordita Crunch Box

Calories: 1270

Fat Calories: 570

Total Fat: 63g

Saturated Fat: 21g

Trans Fat: 1.5g

Cholesterol: 120mg

Sodium: 2830mg (WOW!)

Carbs: 130g

Sugars: 20g

Volcano Box

Calories: 1380

Fat Calories: 680

Total Fat: 76g

Saturated Fat: 21g

Trans Fat: 2g

Cholesterol: 135mg

Sodium: 3000mg (WOW!)

Carbs: 133g

Sugars: 18g

This is not counting the 20oz drink that comes with it averaging an extra 250calories and 60g of sugar. Overall, this cheap box can total over 1600 calories, 50g of fat and 80g of sugar. Now imagine mixing two sticks of butter and 6 tablespoons of sugar into a bowl and eating it?

Cheap fast food saves us time, but kills our body and in turn takes minutes off our life with every bite.

Weekend Weakness

Weekend Weakness

In talking to many friends who are trying to lose weight, I find that one of the biggest obstacles is getting through the weekend without cheating on their diet. Personally, this used to be the biggest obstacle for me and to date still is at times. During the week, it can be pretty easy to keep a healthy diet and not over indulge yourself with fatty foods or junk. Particularly if you are like me and work in a Downtown Business area with no fast food chains and may have a cafeteria in your building that caters to your requests. The hard part is making it from Friday night to Monday morning and still keep the same habits in line.

Regardless of where we work, we all have stress. For some it is physical, for others it is emotional and for many it is mental. When the end of the workday rolls around on a Friday afternoon, something enters our mind that tells us “I’m FREE and I’m going to do whatever I can to forget the last 5 days and enjoy the next two”. For some, it is alcohol but for many it is food. The LAST thing you want to do is cook after a long week at work especially during your two days off. So what is left? Eat out, order in, etc. and usually this means eating thousands of empty calories full of fat, cholesterol and tons of carbs.


I remember one week, I had worked out every day so I decided to give myself Saturday and Sunday off. I had lost about 3lbs,was able to wear a shirt that I hadn’t been able to for a while, and had a lot of energy. Friday night came and after a stressful work week, I decided to have a couple of beers. As many of you know, Guinness is my favorite beer but at 20g of Carbs per bottle, it can be like eating a half loaf of bread after a fun night. By the time Monday rolled around, the one bottle of Guinness became 6 and along came Taco Bell, 3-Item Chinese food, Round Table Pizza, Sunday Donuts and a box of Lucky Charms. When I weighed myself Monday morning, I had gained back the 3lbs AND 2 more. What a waste…
So the question is, how can we stop from feeling like F, S & S stands for Fat, Sugar and Scrumptious? How can we still enjoy our weekend but not throw out all the hard work we did during the week?

Let’s start with Alcohol.

Click on this link to learn about what Alcohol does to your body in regards to fat:

http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/alcohol.htm

As you can see, how much you drink and the types of drinks you consume can have a great effect on your diet. Even if you think you aren’t doing anything to yourself by drinking that diet coke and Jack or Low fat beer, you are still dehydrating your body making it easier for any calorie you consume to stick to your body like putty. So my rule is, drink moderately and lay off the stout if you can. If you need to have beer, I’ve found that the best are Bud Light, Miller Light and Heffeweizen Wheat beer. If you are going to have mixed drinks, remember ladies that all fruity drinks are packed with high fructose corn syrup and empty calories. Opt for a simpler white rum and coke or cranberry and vodka. Although vodka is primarily a starchy alcohol, it contains less calories than an apple martini.

Now on to food.

Recently I read a very helpful article on About.com that centered on how we can eat healthy on the weekends.

http://nutrition.about.com/od/changeyourdiet/f/weekends.htm

One particular item I was very interested in is the “eating less at restaurants” point. And I agree! Who said it is illegal to cook on the weekends? I don’t know about you guys, but my wife and I seldom have time to cook during the week and we both LOVE to cook. So for me, the only time I get to really try new recipes and play with my taste buds is on weekends. We like to use Sunday as our cooking day and often invite friends and family to enjoy in our cooking. There are multiple benefits to this:

• You save money
• You learn to cook something other than pop tarts

• You get to make your own food and therefore control the ingredients

• You get to spend quality time with friends and family

• You can cook enough to have lunch/dinner for the rest of the week!


If you MUST eat at a restaurant, stay clear of chains that will offer you nothing but high calorie high fat fried foods. If you are not sure as to where to eat, this website offers some great insight into caloric data for your favorite restaurants.

http://caloriecount.about.com/restaurants-mc1

The truth is, we will all splurge from time to time and rightfully so! However, think about it this way… Imagine if you worked tirelessly on building a house and during the first week you put up all the frame work and at the end of the week, you take a sledge hammer and knock it all down. How long will it take you to build that house? It’s the same with your health and body. If you work hard with dieting and exercise, why would you knock it all down on a weekend?

So when Friday rolls around this week, have fun, but watch your waist line!

How it all started

One morning, I woke up, went to the bathroom to take a shower and was simply disgusted at what I saw.  For years I had always pretended I wasn’t “fat” and many would tell me I wasn’t, but the reality was that I was.  I know that people didn’t want to hurt my feelings, but the vibrations I felt in my heart, high blood pressure at the Doctors office, the constant knee problems and foot discomfort didn’t respect those feelings.  The deadly combination along with what I saw that morning told me I needed to make a change.

As usual, I took the 20 stairs up to the train platform on my way to work and was winded when I got to the top.  In my mind was the visual of what I saw that morning in the mirror and a determination to change it.  As soon as I got to my office, I thought of nothing else but to fix the problem right then and there and I would stop at nothing.  I searched on-line for anything and everything that could teach me how to lose weight but lose it fast.  My patience had run very thin and I had tried every pill, technique and scheme out there.  Yes, I was on the all bacon no bread diet like half of the world, I had drank the “body solution” before bed, popped the Xenadrine pills by the bunch, ab rolled, Hollywood dieted, ate the cookies, the juice, the shakes, the bakes.  Nothing helped.

So I typed in “Lose weight fast” and “healthy” on the Google search window and of course I saw all the pills and shakes again.  But as I kept scrolling, I ran into a link that said “How I lost 28lbs in 21 days”.  I thought to myself “surely this is a pill or something that will make me relapse within a week “.  So I clicked on the link and read the story of Chris Gibson. 

http://www.weightlossbythenumbers.com/

I read his story with a lot of skepticism especially since the website looked like a typical get rich scheme fake website like all of those “get ripped in 3 days” websites.  However, one thing that grabbed my attention was that this guy had been featured on lot of news stations and blogs.  So I did my research and found out that this person sold no pills, no shakes, no candy or weird potions.  He sold a book, a book that would educate me on the simple ways to eat better.  At $39, I didn’t have much to lose yet everything to gain.  I downloaded the e-book and began reading immediately and found how SIMPLE it was to eat healthier and lose weight.  In the beginning, I didn’t think it was that easy.  The basic formula of lowering my Glycemic Index, eating smaller portions more often and exercising seemed like it was too good to be true. 

What I loved about the plan was that it let me eat a lot of the foods I liked but taught me how to substitute certain foods for healthier ones.  I’ve never been the type to eat only vegetables or drink wheat grass smoothies or anything gross like that!  So this got me even more excited to try this plan out and see what happened. 

The first week was very hard on me.  I was used to eating everything and anything I wanted, and now all of a sudden I had to control my portions and eat breakfast! (Something I NEVER did)  However week two was exciting!  I had lost 8lbs the first week and was down 2 pant sizes (from a 42 to 40)!! WOW!!  So of course, that got me more excited to keep on trying.  I didn’t do any cardio or exercise during the 3 weeks because I wanted to make sure the diet was helping me lose weight and not the 2 hours of running on the treadmill.  By the end of week 2, I had lost 8 more pounds and was now wearing a size 38.  

Meanwhile, I was ALWAYS full, I had much more energy and was not winded at the top of the train stairs!  On my 21st day, I had lost a total of 24 pounds and was wearing a size 36.  I could not believe my eyes!  All of a sudden, I was wearing “new” clothing which was clothing I had stuck in my closet that I had not worn since College and was getting a lot of compliments.   Of course, there were the skeptics that thought I was starving myself or drinking illegal pills, etc.  However, nobody could deny that not only was I losing weight, but I looked healthy.

After those 21 days and 24lbs lost, I was hooked and did not look back.  They say it takes 21 days to form a habit, and those 21 days sure did help me form the healthiest habit of my life.  

The rest is history…