Little Bit Of A Downer

Today Trainer told me that he's thinking of quitting the gym.  Okay, switching gyms.  He doesn't get many hours right now, and he's not getting a lot of new clients.  As someone who I know really likes what he does, I'm sure that's getting him down, and I don't begrudge him wanting to do what's best for himself.  I have heard that my gym isn't doing so well in general anyway, so it's bound to happen.

I'm just feeling sorry for myself since I've been training so long with him and am comfortable with his style.  I suppose I'd just have to carry on with a new trainer if it came down to that, but I kind of see it like losing a friend too.

The worst part is I went ahead and renewed my training sessions as well, so if I made some crazy decision to follow him to another gym (which I totally could because the gym he's looking into is the one my company has a corporate discount with), I'd be forking out a lot of dough to this gym first.  At least I got 6 months free membership out of this latest deal.  Trainer did say he'd stick around as long as I'd want to train with him, but the thing is he can't go train at another gym if he's working here.  As much as I want to keep him, I wouldn't want to hold him back.

In the end, it's his decision to make anyway, and I'll just have to get used to the idea that there may be some changes, and take it from there.  I know I can't train with him for the rest of my life, I just don't accept change very well.  We'll see how it goes.

Cosi Dei Pazzi (or Please Sponsor Me!)

I know it has been a while.  Everything is good, status-quo, same-old same old.

Except for the fact that I SIGNED UP TO CLIMB THE CN TOWER!  That is 1,1776 steps, people!

A couple of times a year they open the stairwells up for people to collect pledges and climb the stairs for charity.  I am sure I've mentioned that Trainer has suggested that I do this in posts past, but this time I decided to go for it.  Trainer seems to think that I can do it in 20 minutes.  I seem to think he's crazy.  I will just be glad if I can make it to the top without dying.  For sure he's going to put me on a stair-master-centered cardio program now, and that's fine with me.

Anywaysssss, if you would like to support me, please click the link below.  All the money goes to The United Way of Toronto, which is a great charity that the company I work for supports every year, and I always donate during our fundraising campaigns.  You'll also get a tax receipt.

Sponsor Caterina Valente

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support!

So Very True

You can't fix ugly.

Irony

Today I decided to have my tea iced.  That's no big deal usually, but the tea I used was this:

The 300 Workout and A Quest Completed

I had Thursday and Friday off this past week, and due to having plans in the evening, I rescheduled my Thursday night session with Trainer to Friday afternoon.  I guess the change bug bit him too, because we tried out a new workout, which he likes to do from time to time, to keep things interesting.  Only I sort of had some previous idea about how tough the workout would be because he casually told me about it before.

It's called the "300 Workout", and it was the workout used by the cast of the film "300" to get into shape.

I've seen some variations to the workout while looking it up, but I believe that the standard goes something like this:

25 pull-ups
50 standard deadlifts at 135 lbs
50 floor-wipers
50 pushups
50 clean and press at 36 lbs
50 box jumps with a 24-inch box
25 pull-ups

It's also a timed workout, so obviously the faster you go, the better it is, and you mark your progress with how much time you can shave off from your last go at it.

Of course, the standard workout probably would have been a little too much for my first time, so Trainer made it a little easier for me.  I did negative pull-ups for the first set, and used something called a "gravitron" for the last set.  I know what you're thinking; I don't mean this:

but this:



 I did the deadlifts at 70 lbs, the clean and press at 20 lbs, and the box jumps on one of those aerobic steppers with 5 steps.  I also failed at doing proper push-ups about 15 reps in, and had to do the rest on my knees instead.  All in all it was not as bad as I thought; what gave me the most trouble was clearly the push-ups, followed by the deadlifts.  I made it through in 32 minutes, give or take, which is a great time.  Trainer thought I'd get through in 45 minutes, so I sure showed him! 

It's not a workout you do all the time, so we'll probably repeat it in a month or so and see how it improves.  I don't anticipate him going as easy on me next time though, so I should keep that in mind!



On to another victory of sorts.  There is a little health-food store in the town where I live, and I hadn't gone in there yet, but after the "300" session I was out doing some errands anyway, so I thought I'd finally stop in.  Lo and behold, sitting on a shelf near the back, were a couple of bags of this:

I have been looking for them for some time to no avail, so imagine my joy!  I had some this morning with almond milk, flax seed, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and an egg for protein.  They're a little bland, but they do have a nice flavour too them, and the sweetness of the berries was sweetness enough so I don't have to add stevia.

Success! Well, it is, sort of.

Last night Trainer weighed me in, and for the very first time, my body fat percentage was under 20%!!!  This is a big milestone for me, because I've been working so hard for so long to see this!

Okay, it is technically just a psychological victory, because it was 19.9%, but still. 

Getting Noticed

When I go to the gym, I make minimal eye-contact with anyone, and unless someone strikes up a brief conversation, the only talking I really do is to Trainer or to ask someone if they're done with something.  I usually don't really watch anyone else work out either, unless I see them doing something really outstanding (some of the things I've seen some guys do on the pull-up bars is pretty cool) or annoying.  I like to focus on my own work-out to get through it as quickly as possible without injuring myself or losing my breath completely. 

I suppose, though, that it would be naive of me to assume that other people operate the same way.  I would never think that they'd be looking at me of all people there, but I was pleasantly corrected the other night.

I was in the middle of a circuit of Bosu-Ball burpees and step-jumps (11 risers!) and catching my breath when a girl who had come to the nearby water fountain for a drink asked me, "So, how much weight have you lost?" in a way like she knew me or we had already been talking for a while.  I answered her, still wondering to myself where she came from, and she proceeds to tell me that she's seen me around for the last couple of months, that I've leaned out even in that short time, and that I work pretty hard.  We had a little chat about why we started our regimes (she's getting married soon...isn't that a big motivator!) and she went on her way, but I thought it was nice that someone had noticed.

A little later on in the evening I was waiting to get on the leg extension machine, and the guy that was going to use it saw that I was waiting for it allowed me to get on instead.  He said that he'd let me use it because "you work hard, and you're busy".  That was really nice of him, and another example of someone noticing what I'm doing.

I have had other people tell me that I was dedicated before too, so I suppose I shouldn't have been too surprised, but this all comes from people who, I am sorry to say, I didn't recognize or haven't noticed before.  I guess I should notice other people more!

Raisins. Oh Rly? Ya, Rly.

As a kid I was never a huge fan of raisins.  Still, my mom would throw those little red Sun Maid boxes into my lunch once in a while, and I would begrudgingly eat them.

Gladly, they're one of the foods that I've grown to love over time.  I think my immature tastebuds just didn't like the certain sweetness that only a dried fruit has, but really, raisins can almost be tastier than some candies, and they're much better for you too!  Being fruit, they do have to be eaten in moderation, and probably not alone, but the nutritionist I saw at the gym told me I could use them instead of glucose tabs (the horror!) to raise my blood sugar level if it drops too low.  They'll keep it more stable whereas the tabs' effect may wear off and I'll get a sugar crash again. 

Part of the problem I had with raisins could have been the fact that they were too dried-out, if that's possible for a raisin.  When you buy those little snack-sized boxes, the raisins inside are exposed to the air, and that just dries out whatever moisture is left.  What I've taken to doing now is going to Costco, where they sell a big Sun Maid box with two resealable bags inside, and the raisins inside are so much softer and tastier.

The seed mix that I add to my salad at lunch has a few raisins included, but I've bought a similar mix that doesn't have the dried fruit added, so I may use the Costco ones for the extra kick once I start using that.

Update

Well, there isn't much to update you on, really.  I'm still plugging away, doing my thing.  The last couple of times I had a weigh-in, however, my body fat went up a few percent, and I'm not really sure why.  I didn't do anything differently.  Trainer says he's going to bring in his caliper set, and that's a more accurate way to check body fat percentage rather than a scale.

They have a few new toys at the gym, like a giant truck tire that Trainer already had me playing with.  I had to flip it over up and down the studio, and let me tell you, it's really good for the legs.  It's pretty similar to a squat, actually, but you're also using biceps and triceps to haul the thing off the floor.  Trainer also gave me a metal bar and I had to whack the tire with it repeatedly.  I thought I'd get more satisfaction out of that exercise after seeing other people doing it, but the bar was pretty heavy and I was concentrating more on not dropping it rather than getting my frustrations out!  There were also a few new kettle balls around, but I haven't used them yet.

A little (kinda) sad news to pass along: the cute trainer I like to keep my eye on when I see him around has quit the gym.  Oh well, everyone has to move on sometime, right?  But it's always the cute ones.

Still haven't heard back about that contest.  I asked Trainer a couple of weeks ago like I said I would and he said he hadn't heard back yet.  I'm sure by now they've picked a winner, but Trainer hasn't mentioned anything, and I feel bad to ask again.  Still, I think he would say something either way.  I'll ask again.

I went to the optometrist last Tuesday to get my eyes checked again, and finally picked up a new pair of glasses this time.  I also got the lenses in my sunglasses changed, since that prescription was even older than the glasses.  I got the sunglasses back, but the glasses still aren't ready.  Some places can make them in an hour; mine can't even do it in a week! 

I ALSO picked up a nice little cold from someone that night, and up to now I still can't shake it completely, even though I've been loading up on Vitamin C and have made a pleasant discovery in Echinacea tea.  My problem is I didn't rest enough to give myself strength to fight it off.  I never take sick days, and being a Tuesday night when I got it, I had 3 more days of getting up early for work before I could really sleep it off.  I threw in a few workouts in there too, and that probably didn't help, even if I didn't feel guilty later.

So that's it for now.  I guess I had more to say than I thought, but I didn't feel like anything has stood out the past little while.  I'll be back in a while. 

  

Another Yummy Tea Alert

I really like Stash brand teas because they're so flavourful, and many of them are herbal, meaning no caffeine! 

It's hard to pick a favourite, but I must say that their Vanilla Nut Creme edges in front of the others.  With a little almond milk and some stevia (which, if you don't know, is a sweetener that's made from an extract of the stevia plant, and better for you than some of the other ones), it's fantastic.

A Little Contest

Last week, before one of my training sessions, Trainer approached me and asked if I wanted to participate in something.  He's been a little quiet on the "you should run a 5K" front lately, so I thought he had one to suggest, and I would have even said yes to it because my biggest obstacle is picking one out of the many going on this year.

However, it turns out it was a contest for the trainers to pick one (or more?  I didn't get all the rules) client that they train, submit before and after pictures of them, and one of them would win some money based on whether the client lost the most weight or looks the best or still managed to not quit the gym after all the torture (the criteria was never explained to me).  The client would win some training sessions and/or membership time, and could end up on a flyer advertising the gym that gets mailed out to the public.  They'd have to write a little blurb about how the gym and their trainer has changed or helped them.  I agreed and he had his manager take a picture of me, and she asked me to email her a before picture. 

This was Thursday, and that was the deadline (nothing like waiting until the last minute, typical male!) so I am still waiting to hear who won.  I would think  Trainer will message me when he knows something, but I train with him again tomorrow night and will ask him if he's heard anything.

In a way I don't really want to win because I'd rather not have my fat-ass before picture spread out around the Greater Toronto Area and I hate writing things about myself, but I think it would be a nice reward.

I'll keep you posted!

Getting Somewhere!

I usually have a weigh-in with Trainer weekly or every couple of weeks.  My last one was a couple of days ago, and I was 2 lbs and 2 % body fat away from my goals, give or take.  That's pretty darn close!

I attribute it to my current abstinence from almond over-indulgence.  It's been hard, I know, but the only way is to turn a blind eye to them completely.  I know that if I don't, I can't control myself.

Hey, if it's working, I can keep it up.  I almost bought some last night, rationalizing in my head that if I've done this well, I can afford to have them, but I always have them after my work-out, pretty much negating all the work I've done.

Until I can figure out a way to stop at a handful or two, I need to avoid them.

Now if I can get to full-body pull-ups without help or crying, I'll be getting somewhere!

Counter-Productive Much?

The protein shake bar at my gym closed a while ago, and to replace it they've (finally) opened up a cafe/snack-bar type deal.  That's great, because I am sure some people will want to have some real food options rather than just a shake before or after a work out.

They've only been open a few days, so I am sure you'll forgive me when I say I haven't had the time to inspect their wares.  However, tonight as I passed by after a pretty decent cardio workout, I notice, sitting on one of those crystal cake pedestals, a bunch of donuts.  I'm talking glazed, cream-filled, you name it.

Don't you think that's just a tad inappropriate to have at a gym?  I'm not miffed because I want one and can't have it, because you know by now that I don't crave that kind of stuff anymore.  I just think that they could have done without such an unhealthy item at a health club.  However I am sure there are quite a few people there that WILL feel taunted.  It's like those jerks that eat a burger in front of the gym window just to sadistically laugh at those poor suffering people looking at it longingly.

Or maybe it's a test to see if these people can keep their will-power in order and NOT get a donut.  I must say that someone failed that test, because the tray wasn't exactly full.

All-around bad plan.

Bad Karma?

There are times when I think I must have robbed Trainer's lunch money from him in a past life, because I swear the man is trying to kill me.

Listen, buddy, just because I can manage to barely squeeze out the required amount of repetitions, it doesn't automatically mean I'm ready for more weight!  I guess the upside is that I can say that I am able to squat the weight of an anorexic supermodel now. 

A Revolution in Willpower....Sort Of

I have mentioned a few posts ago that I don't really miss a lot of junk food, and it's true.  There was a time my brain would jump around in my skull knowing there was a piece of chocolate on my desk, and I wouldn't waste much time taking care of it.  I'd stop in the chip aisle of a grocery store and it would be a crisis for me to decide which one thing I would choose.

Now I am amazed at how my desire for this stuff is non-existent.  Someone was handing out Hershey's Kisses today in honour of Valentine's Day, and I still have them sitting beside my computer.  I've even forgotten they were there!  I go to grocery stores and don't even bat an eye walking by the junk aisle.

The only thing I can't fight off is this:

I can skhoff these like no one's business.  I take some comfort in the fact that they're raw, no salt, no roasting, no preservatives, no nothing, they're a good fat, and really they're my only vice.  Still, I feel guilty and should really try to take it easy with them.

Anyway, this post was supposed to be how proud I am of myself for not tripping all over myself thinking about the chocolate on my desk right now, and I AM proud, dammit!

Yummy Tea Alert!

It's no secret that I love tea.  There are so many varieties, and it is much healthier than coffee.  I tend to stick to herbal teas now, and in looking to restock my stash at work, I have discovered this:

                                    

I must say that it's mighty tasty.  Still that's not even really why I'm enjoying it so much. The vanilla does really play into the flavour, but sitting here at my desk with the cup practically under my nose, I can really get a good whiff of it, and it's heavenly.

I usually take my tea with a sweetener (stevia) only, but if you have this with some milk and maybe a tea biscuit, it would be awesome.

A Really Neat Workout Smartphone App

People use their smartphones for pretty much EVERYTHING these days, so why not use it as a personal trainer? I've looked at a few fitness apps for my Blackberry, but wasn't sure which was the best one, until a blog post on my favourite Blackberry site made a list of the top 10 fitness apps for the phone (if you're interested, you can read that post here). The one I found most intriguing was FitDeck Mobile.

FitDeck is a company that sells flash cards with different exercises on them, and you can plan a complete workout by selecting the ones you'd like to do, or shuffle through the deck and see what comes up. They have different decks for different lifestyles, and some of them are pretty specific, including workouts you can do on the stairs, or if you're stuck at your desk or in an airplane chair. The cards name the exercise, which part of the body it targets, and pictures showing how to do it. Some of the cards include variations for if you are fatigued or you have a higher or lower fitness level. Some decks are body weight only, and others give workouts you can do with certain equipment.
I thought this was a pretty great idea for people who may not be aware of different exercises they can do, or just want to be able to plan a workout on the go. The mobile app unfortunately doesn't offer as many virtual decks as there are available, but I found I would use the Body Weight, Office, and Stairs decks the most often. The Body Weight deck was $9.99 CAD, and the rest were $6.99, and I think it's worth the money. I know I've already used the Stairs deck at work, and the Body Weight one will come in handy on those bad weather days where I won't want to leave my house to go to the gym.

Why not visit the FitDeck website to check out their products? The site still says that the Blackberry app is coming soon, but it does exist; just search for it in your Blackberry's App World.

And, as always, it's a good idea to check with a doctor before starting any fitness regimen, and to warm up before and cool down after working out. That disclaimer is everywhere, and it's there for a reason!

Exercise Ball Chair?

I'm contemplating bringing one of these into work:

Maybe I'll use it as a desk chair for most of the day.  Sitting on them helps with balance and posture, and keeps you alert.  Face it, if you start to slouch or doze off from staring at all those numbers, you're going to fall off!

I think I'm going to go for it.  I have a sort of corner desk so there'd be room to store it underneath without it rolling away.  The only worry I'd have is fending off the weird looks and comments I'd get from my co-workers.

It's a Good Feeling!

Lo and many moons ago I bought a blouse, but it never quite fit me the way it should have.  That is normally the point where one cuts their losses and puts it back, but not I!  I loved this blouse so much because it looks like mint-chocolate-chip ice cream (which, now that I'm reminded of it, I am craving so hard now!), so I bought it on faith that someday it would fit properly.

Now, what with all I've said in my last post, this blouse is actually a little loose!  I love the feeling and am glad I stuck with the shirt!  And as much as I still hate clothes shopping, at least it won't be as difficult as it used to be! 

Catching up...and how!

Wow. Just wow. It has been far too long since I've updated this blog, and this is the one out of my four that I really should have been keeping up with all this time.

What else can I say except I think I finally have it right. I have cut back on so much food and have gone back to resistance training at the gym, and it has really helped so much. I was never huge in the first place, but I have gone down about 20 lbs from when I started all this, about 5 or 6 lbs away from my goal, and I'm probably about 5% away from my ideal body fat percentage.

I guess this all really started when my cousin decided she wanted to rejoin the gym (we used to go together when I first signed up there many moons ago) to get into better shape for her wedding. This was in late June/early July last year, and she was getting married in September. Of course as they were finalizing her membership, they pushed sessions with a personal trainer on her, and on me since we were supposed to be going together. We were kind of reluctant, but decided that if we wanted to see some results by the wedding, we'd need a crash course, and personal training would get us there.

In time my cousin found that she was getting pretty busy with her wedding preparation and couldn't come to the gym as often, and eventually not at all. I, however, had a stubborn motivation to stick with it, and I kept going to the sessions, even renewing them as they expired, and doing more and more cardio on my own.

I also stopped drinking diet pop, juice, and milk, and drink tea sparingly. I no longer eat cereals or muffins for breakfast, bread, rice, potatoes or any kind of starchy carbs with my meals except for a few large-flake oats with breakfast and some quinoa (which isn't even really a grain) with my other meals. I never touch junk food anymore, although I miss the salty snacks dearly, and people think I am stuck-up or something because I won't eat their desserts. I stick to mostly chicken or fish, and veggies and salad. I usually only have a fruit a day with breakfast. I'm also taking whey protein (since I lift weights) and a calcium citrate/vitamin D3 supplement.

The only vice I still have is my new-found love affair with almonds, the raw, plain kind. It's hard to find nuts in the store that don't have a lot of salt on them, but I can get a nice big bag of them at Costco for $10. That and I like my glucose tabs just a little too much.

All of this has been a lot of tough work, and there are a lot of things I miss, but I've never felt better and I wouldn't change or stop what I am doing for the world. At least I hope so.