Fitness Update

Progress
Weighed in this morning at 219. I was as low as 211 in October, but this month has been sporadic for training and diet. My favorite diet tracking website www.nutritiondata.com changed the way that you can enter food tracking. Now it takes 5min to enter one meal. Way too much clicking for a 5 item entry. That has hurt me a little because the tracking is so critical to keeping my mind focused on how much and what I need to eat or not eat on a daily basis.

Morning Workouts
I have come to a conclusion with my morning workouts. Just Do It. I have a theory about the morning mind and the evening mind. The eveing mind is very rational, but just as lazy as the morning mind. Your evening mind rationalizes so many things that seem so important for you to get up early for and get done in the morning. When morning rolls around those things do not seem so important anymore. I have evidence now that I can use against myself for my morning workouts. I try to wake up by 4:30am so that I can be to the gym by 5am. That way I can get in 20min of stationary bike and 30-35min of circuit training weightlifting. I feel so much better when I do get a chance to workout in the mornings. I stand taller, have more energy, sleep better, etc.

Circuit Training
One of the most effective things to help me get in an effective weightlifing session is circuit training. Circuit training involves mixing sets of different muscle group workouts and cardio in the same session. I do my cardo workout first to help increase my metabolism and my heart rate to get ready to lift. The cardio workout varies from 10 to 30min with a 15min average. I then break into the different weightlifting sessions for the muscle groups I am working on. The circuit part comes into play when I finish one set of one exercise I switch to a different muscle group without taking anymore rest than it takes to get to the other machine. The following is an example of this mornings workout:

• Bike 20mi
• Sit ups 20 reps
  
• Incline Bench - 8 reps - 90lbs
• Sit ups 20 reps
• Incline Bench - 8 reps - 110lbs
• Sit ups 15 reps
• Incline Bench - 8 reps - 130lbs
• Side Bends - 9 reps - 110lbs.
• Triceps pull downs - 10 reps 90lbs
• Side Bends - 9 reps - 130lbs
• Triceps pull downs - 8 reps 110lbs
• Side Bends - 9 reps - 140lbs
• Triceps pull downs - 8 reps 120lbs
• Etc...

I also alternated ab crunch machine, chest fly machine and then finished off with iso bench. All done within 60 minutes from the start of the biking.

Health Update 4-22-08

Time for a health update.

I have instituted two new programs into my nutrition and exercise routine. The first is the web site www.nutritiondata.com. The second is an exercise/weightlifting program from BodyFortress.com.

Nutrition Data.com

I found this site two weeks ago while looking for information on a food (I don't remember which one). I was trying to keep a food log. This site has helped me immensely. It has an extensive database of common food items which you can add to your "Pantry". They even have some fast food places. You can create a recipe from ingredients and have the site "analyze" it for nutritional value. You can also enter your own custom food entries if you have the Nutrition Facts label available. The log can keep track of all of your calories, carbs, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. You can let the site fill your daily values based on your weight, height, age and activity levels, or you can adjust your own. It even has a fullness factor, protein quality, nutrition wheel, glycemic index and inflammation estimator. I have been able to judge and rate my diet and note the areas I need to cut back on or areas I am lacking in nutrition. I use the site several times a day to help me plan my next meal ot snacks. I have been able to stay satisfied and still keep below 2000 calories a day along with increasing my protein, reducing my fat and sugar intake.

Body Fortress.com

I found this site as I was looking for additional nutrition data for my food log. The exercise routine they suggested is great. It allows me to lift four days a week, while giving each muscle group at least 3 days recovery in between lifting days. I use the following schedule:

Week 1

• Monday - Chest-Shoulders-Triceps
• Tuesday- Back-Biceps-Abs
• Thursday-Legs
• Friday- Chest-Shoulders-Triceps-Abs

Week 2

• Monday- Back-Biceps-Abs
• Tuesday- Chest-Shoulders-Triceps
• Thursday- Legs-Abs
• Friday- Back-Biceps

Every day that I lift I first hit the stationary bike for a 15-20min warm up at moderate effort. I then stretch the muscle groups I am going to be using that day.

On the weekends I have tried to include a short and long bike ride. My short rides usually last between 5 and 7 miles. I am currently going around 10miles for my longer rides. I would like to push that up to 20miles, but I need to get a different bike for that. I am using a $99 10yr old Schwinn mountain bike. I need to move up to a hybrid or road bike to really get a 20-30mile ride in.

I will continue to give updates occasionaly.