Falling Numbers

So, since I began my renewed effort in exercising and trying to get in better shape, I have dropped 9 pounds. I still have a long way to go, somewhere between 90 and 95 pounds more, but I am confident that as long as I give a consistent effort, I can accomplish this goal.

My legs are already starting to feel a lot better. I am even more comfortable playing basketball without a knee brace now. I am still cautious, as I don't want to end up on crutches anytime soon.

My appetite is curving some. Not only am I drinking more water, but I actually enjoy it now. I don't eat portions nearly as large as I used to... unless I am feeling unusually famished or starved.

Gotta keep plugging away.

Someone Call Security!

Bank vault makes money secure.

Okay, so, we have our images of what it may mean to be secure. A bank protects its money with armed guards, an armored truck and a huge vault constructed of concrete and steel. A near impenetrable fortress, there is only one way in and one way out.

What about us? What about humans? Wherein do our treasures lie? What is keeping us safe from those who are out to get us?

I have found that I am an emotional mess of a man; flawed; sinful; imperfect. While this discovery may not be a surprise to anyone who reads this blog entry, especially if you know me, it is not what I want to hear. I want to be strong. I want to be masculine. I want to be confident, both in God and in myself. I want to know that I am loved. I want to feel that I am needed. I want to feel like the contribution that I make to this world matters.

Down With The Sickness

A week has gone by with the sickness... otherwise known as the common cold. I think the worst is behind me at this point. This past Sunday was probably the worst that it has been. I had very little sleep, maybe 4 hours, and woke up coughing up a lung. I had to go to church, as I had committed to opening the church buildings for our building manager, so he could have some extra free time to spend with family that was in town visiting him.

After church, I had to go to Georgia State to work the last women's basketball game. I tried to be selective in the people I interacted with, as I didn't want to get other people sick, but had to talk with a few people.

Needless to say that I stayed up and watched the NBA All Star Game on Sunday, and finally got some really good sleep. I had a good 10 hours or more from Sunday night to Monday morning. I made the decision to just take some medicine and stay inside, bundled up and rest (or sleep) as much as possible on Monday, to ensure my body would be able to build up its immune system and fight off the sickness.

It must have worked, because, between Monday's rest and the 9 hours of sleep that I got last night, I feel a great deal better today.

My throat still feels a little sore from all of the previous coughing, but I haven't coughed at all thus far today. My nose isn't running like crazy. I haven't sneezed at all.

Lord willing, I can kick this cold soon, just like a bad habit.

Hope for Tomorrow

Trying to rest. Trying to sleep. Trying to rid myself of this annoying sinus cold.

Tomorrow (or rather, later this morning), I have a meeting with the Assistant Director of Athletics at Georgia State University to discuss my career path. I would very much like to be rested, healthy and full of energy for that meeting.

I limited my workout today to 90 reps of various crunches to work on my abs. Between yesterday's workout and this cold, I just didn't have limbs that were restful enough to do a full-body workout today.

Here's to hoping that this medicine will kick in and I'll be able to sleep without much problems from my sinuses.

Goodnight.

Refreshing Nightcap

So, for a day that has had me mostly bedridden with bad sinus problems, it turned out pretty good.

After having worked out this morning, I spent the better part of the day sneezing, dealing with a runny nose and failing to sleep off some of the symptoms. Then, this evening, I decided to head out for more fitness.

I had originally planned to swim, but my knees were feeling spry and the basketball court was calling my name. I ventured in. I shot around with a few other guys for a while switching between taking shots with my off hand and my dominant hand. Eventually, Jason showed up after he had concluded his cardio workout. We shot around for a little while longer, then we joined one of the other guys in the gym for a 3-man game of 21. He was dominant, hitting most of his jump shots, but he failed to make any of his free throws. I managed to make enough shots to stay close, but the freebies were my advantage.

Puttin' In Work

Just got home from the gym and grabbing a chicken sandwich for lunch.

Woke up today at 7:00am. Struggled to get up, because I managed very little quality sleep. My sinuses were rather active and kept me from sleeping well. But, I pushed through and made it through.

Started things off with a breakfast of 1-scoop of Muscle Milk© mixed in a bottle of room temp Deer Park© water. Followed that up with 2 eggs. All together, I began my day with 28g of protein.

Arrived at the gym and talked with a trainer. I got started with a warmup of 15 minutes on the Elliptical machine.

A Story I Relate To...

One of my close friends, who happens to be a sociology major, posted a link to an article about a marriage that seemed to be having difficulties. The husband had lost his way in life and had fallen on hard times. The wife was patient and gave him the space he needed to realize he needed to find his happiness in himself... I can't do the story justice, so, you'll need to read it yourself:
http://theweek.com/article/index/99512/the-last-word-he-said-he-was-leaving-she-ignored-him

Suffice it to say that, while I may not be in my 40s, I can relate to the husband.

Where my story draws its parallel is in my loss of happiness and pride. Being a creative type, I was once very confident in my abilities... confident to the point of arrogance, almost. But, after struggling to get through school (8 years for only a two-year degree), and 3 years of persistent applications (with regards to trying to get a job/career in my field), my confidence broke. Since then, I have been on a roller coaster of emotional unsteadiness and incessant battles with depression over the past year. I have been overwhelmed with unhappiness and disdain for where I am in life at my age. This was not my plan for my life. [Emphasis on "my"... since, "my plan" isn't necessarily or may not ever be God's plan. The two are definitely not one and the same.]

Things To Do...

So, as I mentioned, I have a list of things to do for my health. Here is a list of things that I have to do (in no significant/particular order):

Fresh Out The Box

A month and a half into 2012 and I am making a lot of changes. Some by my own design, and some by the hand dealt to me by my circumstances.

I am working on my health. I am seeing a therapist now to work on my mental, emotional and spiritual health. I have a gym membership that I have plans to start taking advantage of. I got a new laptop (because my HP laptop and my Mac desktop both died on me).

Slow Start.

Today is Thursday. I overslept my alarm (which was set for 8:30a) this morning and did not get up early enough (woke up at 10a) to go for my walk. I will have to make it up later in the day.

I still hope to go swimming, if permissible. I will write later to update how things go. As for now, cleaning to prepare for house guests.

Wednesday. Work Day.

Today, in an effort to reclaim any semblance of self-discipline that once was had and thence was lost with regards to fitness, I started my day with an hour long 2.1 mile prayer walk. The walk seemed long, although, that may have only been due to my insistence on rhyming my prayer to God. I made it through the first mile without problem, but, as I continued on into the 2nd mile, my knees took turns feeling pain; first the left, then the right. I trudged on, leaving behind any thoughts of quitting that were to be had.

Upon completing my walk, I took a moment to rest, only briefly, before starting the Sweat I cardio workout on the Power 90 DVD. The workout session was not without tiredness or total awkwardness. I was worn out before getting halfway through the workout. The awkwardness came when the DVD reached the kick portion of the work out. My hips were reluctant to open up whilst performing necessary side-kicks, which made them rather disagreeable.

I have since eaten a small bag of kettle chips and two halves of a turkey sub; one for lunch and the other for dinner. I also have had 2 bottles of water and a bottle of orange juice so far to drink. I remembered to take my daily supplements (multi-vitamin and fish oil).

That is all that there is to report for today. The plan for tomorrow:  Prayer walk and swimming.

Recuperation...

Today, May 19, 2011, was a good day to recuperate. I worked two straight days on location with the Locations department of Woodridge Productions on the television production of USA Network's "Necessary Roughness." Twelve and a half hours of work on Tuesday and fifteen hours on Wednesday, needless to say my feet are really sore today. I definitely need new shoes whenever I get some spare money. The support and comfort in my shoes is waning. But, it definitely felt good to be working. Aside from the plethora of assorted paper cuts adorning my hands, I feel pretty good.

I am looking forward to the possibility of working out tomorrow when my legs and feet are feeling better again.

Recovered... Recharged... Restarting.

So, after a week and a half of resting my knee it is not strong enough to start working out again. [No more basketball for a while... Not just for my knee's sake, but also due to the cold weather.] Yesterday was the first day back in the swing of things. I made it through the 40 minute cardio workout without pain, but was admittedly sluggish. I also restarted my diet yesterday, which I broke over some gummy bears and licorice. Even with the candy, I think I did good on my caloric intake, unfortunately, this week's diet is supposed to be no-carbs [candy has a lot of carbs], so I fell short in that regard on day one.
But today is a new day. I have no gummy bears or licorice to eat today. I slept in and had a late start to the day, but I plan to hit up my workout as soon as my afternoon-time salad has a good hour or so to digest.

Here's to a new week.

The Day of Rest.

Today [Monday] was deemed the day of rest, as Mike and I had just finished seven straight days without a break. Sunday, for a slight break in the program, due to good weather, we opted to go play basketball. That worked well for our cardio workout, unfortunately, that did not fare well for my physical health. I hyperextended my left pinky finger and tweaked my bad knee.

When resting, my knee feels fine. And it does alright when standing or doing minimal walking, but when constantly bending or doing strenuous activity it gives me trouble and a fair dose of dull pain. Nothing in it popped, and there were no sharp or intense pains when on the court, so I am certain that it is not serious, but it is going to limit my ability to work out.

Due to the holiday season, as well as my schedule this weekend, I will be delaying the completion of my 6-day diet/workout. I will try and do some minimal stuff, like an ab workout, some work with the resistance bands, stuff that is not too strenuous on the knees (or left pinky), and I will work to minimize my intake of carbs, particularly bad ones, this week. I have to give my body some time to heal where it hurts.
Tomorrow night I work a basketball game that will have me standing for 3 hours straight. And, this weekend, I work a basketball tourney (3 games on Saturday, 2 on Sunday), which will be all-day activities, making it hard to maintain my diet during that time.

Monday, Lord willing my knee is feeling fine again - with the aid of a brace, Mike and I will re-start our 6-day Fat Burning Express Workout and Diet.

On The Eve Of Destruction...

So, here I am at 4:57am. I can't sleep. I have a friend staying at the house who is snoring, and it is keeping me awake. Also, my body is SORE. I've been drinking plenty of water, yet I keep getting cramps in random places. Last night I was getting cramps in my calves and hamstrings. Just a minute ago, I got a cramp in my left ribs. Today marks the 5th straight day that I have worked out. Tomorrow is day 6, but only day 3 of the 6 day Fat Burning Express Workout/Diet, which means I won't get a day of rest until... Wednesday.
Perhaps I should rethink this?
It may not be the brightest idea for me to go 9 straight days without rest. Perhaps I should take Sunday off, and Re-start the 6 Day FBE on Monday. I shall pray about it and consult with my workout partner in the morning...
...As for right now, I think all these cramps are trying to tell me that my body is physically exhausted. Also, I think I may be catching a cold. I've been fighting off congestion and coughing for a better part of the night - rather than sleeping.
Well, I suppose I should try and get some sleep.

Day Two ... FBE

Today is day two of the Power 90 Fat Burning Express DVD workout and prescribed diet.

Yesterday, the diet was killing me. I felt so hungry. I eventually caved in and ate a banana for filler. The manual for the program suggests that if you are hungry to stick within the parameters of the foods in the diet, so, I didn't do too bad by eating a banana. I tried to sneak a second, extra, workout in last night, and made it only 10 minutes before I realized my muscles were way too exhausted to continue.

This morning I woke up to an annoying alarm clock. I geared up. Compression shorts, calf compression sleeves, knee jumper strap, knee brace and running shoes. Mike [my roommate] and I started the DVD and began with stretches and power yoga. After the yoga session came some fast paced sets of various cardio exercises (kicks, punches, knee raises, jumping, hopping, etc.). Halfway through the exercises, I had to take my knee brace off of my bad knee. I'm not sure if I put it on wrong or if it just wasn't helping, but it started to get to where it was hurting more than helping.

We finished the workout and did our cooldown and stretches. Afterward, we made our breakfast: Protein Whey + Banana Smoothie. It actually tasted good. Now comes the hard part... Sticking to the diet for the rest of the day.

Day One... (Coincidentally Day 11)

I wanted to start blogging on a daily basis, as I track my progress in my goal of losing weight and getting in shape. I was greatly motivated to want to write (tracking my progress; documenting my thoughts and feelings; keeping record of successes and failures) by my brother in Christ, Jon Sherwood, who has done an exceptional job of keeping record of his progress in his goal of competing in and completing an Ironman competition, which he recently did a couple of weeks ago.

My motivations to lose weight are many (to allow me to be more active again; to have a greater amount of energy; to better be able to serve both God, the church and the community; to be more attractive - Lord willing I should ever meet Miss Right; etc.), but the greatest motivation - being a man who has suffered many injuries, especially to my knees, and who has a family with a history of diabetes and heart problems - is that of health. I want to do my best to ensure that my body is not what prevents me from being a good steward of the gospel. I also want to have great health for my family; to be a motivation to my mother, grandmother and sister to look to and follow; and to be healthy for my own family, should the Lord see fit to ever bless me with one, because if I have kids one day, I truly want to be able to play with them and enjoy their company. [No one wants to be the father that's too brittle to throw a ball in the backyard or shoot some hoops at the park.]

Nearly two weeks ago, my roommate, Mike, and I decided to go in on a fitness program together. We had already been exercising together in the meager apartment complex gym, but our results were inconsistent and, to be honest, we really had no direction. We were clueless. A lot of people, both that I had met in person and had seen on television (ESPN and other sports networks) had been raving about P90X. Mike and I looked into and, upon investigation, we determined that it was too advanced for our level of fitness, but we liked the consistent positive reviews and the documented results that it had yielded for others. In reading up on it (on the Beachbody website) we found that P90X had a entry-level predecessor, Power 90, which we ordered.

We started the 90-day Power 90 fitness program 11 days ago. The workouts, which alternate between sculpting and toning the muscles and doing intense cardio, have been great. Unfortunately, results have not been positive since beginning. This is due to two reasons, which we are correcting. 1. We had not, until today, committed ourselves to eating healthily. 2. We, in retrospect, should have started with the 6-day Fat Burning Express program and diet (which comes with Power 90), as it is beneficial for jump starting the metabolism to ensure positive workout results.

Today, technically day 11, we began Day 1 of the 6-day Diet and Fat Burning Express program. This morning saw us start with the workout, which was very intense, 40 minutes of non-stop fast paced movements. The workout was taxing on the knees, especially for me - having one bad knee, but I wore my brace for support and got through it okay. The level of intensity was good enough that I continued to sweat 10 minutes after having completed the ending cooldown and stretches. For breakfast, a protein-whey and strawberry smoothie, followed by a couple multi-vitamins and some fish-oil. For the rest of the day, walnuts and almonds for snack. Spinach, mushroom and turkey salad for lunch. Apple for snack. Finish the day with chicken for dinner. And, of course, water, water and more water - all day.