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