No Pizza For Me

I didn't eat pizza today. That is the beginning of a healthy day...

My wife and I were pressed for time tonight at the gym because we wanted to take our daughter to the pool for the first time before her feeding and bedtime. So I was able to run for about 21 or 22 minutes. I ran very hard - I knew my time was limited. Though something strange was happening. When I was running, my lower back was hurting really badly. Any suggestions? Perhaps because I was running faster I was leaning forward too much? To help with this, after about 10 minutes, I would run hard and then bring the pace down for about 2 minutes just to relieve some of the pressure.

It wasn't a cramp - like a breathing cramp. It felt like something different. I am still not exactly sure. It has happened one other time. Perhaps I'll hit it up on google and see what I can come up with.

For dinner my wife and I made some home made falafel. We ate it with pita, mayo, lettuce, and pickles. It was really good!

By the way, my little one loved the pool! She is only 3.5 months old, but I think she is a natural swimmer and all around athlete!

Tomorrow should be an Insanity day.

Cardio Recovery

Today was a "moderately" healthy day. It wasn't bad - but it wasn't amazing. Tuesday's at work are now "Pizza Tuesdays" where the staff eats pizza together for lunch. Pizza - especially take out - just is not good for you. So my entire day was working against that.

My wife and I did not go to the Y but did Insanity's "Cardio Recovery." It is a very different sort of exercise. Lots of stretching and slow moving exercises. For example, slow squats, then holding it, and then pulsing. Slow lunges, holding it, pulsing. Etc... So it was not intense and high impact like the other work outs. I did sweat. I did burn. But it certainly was not cardio and definitely will not make up for the pizza I had for lunch. We had a healthy breakfast and dinner so hopefully that will help (chicken sandwiches on home made foccacia). It was really good.

If I am going to eat pizza, I have to also be in the gym and run, run, run. Today was just "ok."

Going to the gym

This will be brief as I just want to quickly post about what I accomplished yesterday. I had begun a post but was unable to complete it for some reason on my iPod. I am not exactly sure why.

Yesterday my wife and I went to the gym in the morning. It was a really great work out there. I walked for 30 minutes (pushing my daughter in the stroller) while my wife worked out. This was a really great warm up. I walked probably about 2 miles. And then after my wife was finished, it was my turn. I felt really loose and was excited to stay on the track. So I decided to run the whole 30 minutes I had for "my time." I ran really really hard. I got really into my breathing and rhythm of the music and lost count of my laps after half a mile or so. I am guessing I ran about 4 miles. I really felt like I was booking it.

Very healthy day yesterday.

Max Cardio Conditioning

Another intense work out with Insanity. Tonight my wife and I did, "Max Cardio Conditioning," and it was amazing. To be completely honest though, we did have to take breaks to hold the baby because she was feeling a bit fussy. Nevertheless, the work out was super hardcore. I'd guess I burned another 800 calories in this work out. No joke either.

Something I noticed tonight. There was no questioning doing Insanity tonight. We were going to do it. And I think tonight there was no question because we did it last night. My point is that tonight was much easier to work out because we hit it hard last night. This is part of the work out process - each routine gets easier and easier - where the mind gets stronger and stronger.

The more you work out, the easier it is to continue to work out.

And it is extremely important that you stay in this groove. I have found that it is very difficult to pick up where you left off. What I mean is that if you have spent 12 months working out really hard, and then take 6 months off, it is more difficult to get going again. In fact, it is HARDER to start up again than when you first began working out. I don't know why, but it is.

That is why you must push. Keep it going.

Report again tomorrow.

In The Groove

I am back in the groove.

Honestly, it has been an extremely busy past few weeks. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, and regular weekend services kept my schedule full. I wasn't able to work out to the same frequency as I had been, but I was able to get in a handful of intense work outs in.

Yesterday I went to the Y and hit up the treadmill. It was hardcore. I ran for 20 minutes, increasing the intensity every 2 minutes - upping the incline, then speed, then incline, then speed, etc... It was really tough. I also got in an awesome core work out as well.

Tonight my wife and I did the, "Max Interval Plyo" work out from Insanity. Wow. 55 minutes long. Talk about hardcore. It was seriously intense. I must have burned 1000 calories - no joke. It really was difficult. In fact, my heart is still pounding from it.

I was not excited about working out less the past few weeks. But it is what it is. The important thing is that I did not neglect health or exercise altogether. I was able to continue with the momentum that I hard already begun to build.

It is extremely important to be sure you at least prioritize health enough, that you do SOMETHING during a busy stretch of life.

Never give up.

I learned a really sweet exercise tonight. Its called "side push ups." Get into a side plank position. So outside part of right foot is on the ground, left foot and left leg are together with the right, and your right hand is against the ground with your left arm straight. Just right hand and right foot are touching the ground. It is important to keep your body straight. Then, put both hands on the ground as if you were doing push ups. Do the same on the left side.

These will really build muscle.

Extremely healthy day for me. Here is what I ate:

Cereal

Fiber one granola bar

String cheese (x2)

Sandwich with roast beef

Strawberry yogurt

chicken, broccoli, and mashed potatoes

64 oz of water

Keep It Rollin

I will not lie. I did not work out yesterday. Here is the bottom line: it just didn't happen.

Of course it is my fault, but I blame it on the fact that I did not make a specific goal for that day. On Sunday I thought, "I'll work out tomorrow." And that is as far as my preparation went. I did not say to myself what kind of work out, how long, when, and where. It was open and vague. And like other disciplines in my life, if I am not specific, it does not happen.

I had not mentally prepared.

Today was totally different. I was completely mentally prepared for my "Pure Cardio" work out that I did this evening. IT WAS AWESOME! It was extremely painful and difficult, but it also went by so fast! During my day I was thinking about working out. I avoided the dreaded Reeses desk multiple times because I was thinking about working out and I did not want to do anything to screw that up.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of mental preparation. To be successful in any work out journey, you must first conquer the mind.

But because I did so well with this today, I can sense and FEEL it carrying on through tomorrow, as well. I am really pumped up about working out tomorrow. I am going to do the Insanity DVD that I missed yesterday tomorrow morning and then do tomorrow's DVD in the evening.

Christmas is just a few days away and this creates more reason to stay excited and engaged in the work out process. I cannot let my mind get soft and eat poorly and neglect my work out just because it is "that time of the year."

I must continue to push. And push really hard.

Lazy Saturday

It isn't really lazy. I am just allowing time for my body to rest up and heal to prepare for next week. I know that I will have to push myself much harder if I want to begin seeing any kind of results.

But that is where it gets to be really fun.

It is really fun when you begin to push harder and harder. It is all about perspective. Once you get into a pretty solid rhythm of working out, it gets easier and easier to push yourself to the next limit. You have to enjoy competing against yourself if you want to be successful in exercise. And if you don't, you have to be able to learn to like it. You have to thrive on competition and challenge.

The greatest momentum builder and motivational factor is accomplishing something you previously should not have been able to do.

Perspective is everything.

But because you have been working out, it IS possible to run 5 miles. Or 10 miles. You CAN do it. I think we forget that our bodies our built to survive. You just need the mind the survive. You must enjoy competing with yourself. And you must enjoy that challenge.

I am already beginning to prepare mentally for next week. I worked hard this week - and the result I have is soreness. But that is a good thing (read my last post). So today, I went on a simple 20 minute run just to keep the progress rolling. I will take tomorrow off completely as I give my body one more day to heal before Monday.

Push it!