Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Day 3 ....Still kickin
So here we are folks, day 3 and still alive. I feel pretty good, a little soar from the workouts. This is seriously the first time in years that I have worked out, so Im feeling pretty proud of myself. I hope everyone that is reading this decides to workout along with me. We can all use some support when trying to lose weight. My wife Brenda is also joining in on this endeavor, so we both are each others biggest supporters. It's not easy to lose weight, I've done it before and it wasn't easy, but you get used to it. As you keep going you get stronger mentally and physically and you will start to be able to accomplish things in life you never thought possible, all because your confidence and self esteem is boosted. It's well worth the little aches and pains that come along with working out.
So, today I ate pretty much the same as I ate on day 1. The slices of toast in the morning, the sandwich in the afternoon and some chicken tonight for dinner. I can seriously eat those things everyday and not get tired of them. I am different than a lot of people though. I know some people that can't eat the same thing twice in the same week. I don't understand it, but people are strange. Anyways, when trying to lose weight, it becomes even harder to be able to explore all kinds of different foods, because you are trying to watch your intake. Although, there are a million different low fat, low carb, low everything cookbooks on the market with enough recipes inside of them to allow you to eat a different meal everyday for a month. CLICK HERE to find a good cookbook on EBAY.
I did the same exercise routine as I did on day 1, and I am feeling pretty good. My diet has been excellent so far, so I have no feelings of guilt. I am going to continue on this journey of fitness and health because I know I can and because it's time to make a change. Please join me.
Until tomorrow folks. Goodnight.
Get cookbooks at yard sale prices HERE ON EBAY
AND, If you don't like eating sandwiches everyday, but still want a brainless diet...CLICK HERE to try the Medifast Diet. You can get 1 week free, and lose up to 20 Lbs in 30 days.
Tips for Flawless skin, pimple free.
I saw a great article today and I thought I'd share it with everyone. I used to suffer from bad acne when I was younger, and there really wasn't anything good to help clear the face at that time. So, I thought I would share some really good insight on how to keep your skin and face looking great.
We live in a world today, where one's overall appearance has reached a level of ungodly importance. We are constantly looking for new drugs, pills or surgery methods to aid us in boosting our appearance and ultimately our overall self esteem. I think it is a sad reality, but a real one nonetheless. The pressure for kids and adults alike to have beautiful looking features such as hair, eyes, lips, body, and skin has reached new heights and isn't coming down in the least bit. People are paying ridiculous amounts of money for anything they can get their hands on to look younger than their peers or counterparts. The cosmetic and beauty industries are booming, making billions of dollars each year with new chemicals, and solutions that promise the world to consumers. In an age of high advancements and technology, I offer a few natural and easy ways to make sure you look as young and beautiful as you should, without making surgeons and doctors even more rich in the process.
My Tips for flawless skin - zit free
Eat a good amount of fresh vegetables and fruits daily. The more colorful the better. Watch what you eat closely as it plays a big role in your complexion and overall health. Also, try and consume some whole grains and lean meats. Try to avoid too many trans fats, and purchase foods in their most natural, unprocessed form. Need recipe ideas? Here are some fantastic ideas for low carb, low fat meals that are easy to make.
Get at least 7-9 hours sleep every single night. Your body needs to recharge and sleep does wonders for skin complexion. Less sleep leads to more stress, and more stress is very bad for the skin as you may already be aware of. Too many men and women are not sleeping enough, and their skin tells the tale. Also, to prevent wrinkles, sleep on your back (if possible) and use a satin pillow case to prevent creases on the face.
Try to take a Daily multi-vitamin to aid your overall health benefits. Ask your doctor which one is right for you.
Wash your face twice a day. Once in the morning and once before you go to bed. Use a cleanser of some kind, to whatever fits your skin type -- oily, normal or dry-- and in lukewarm water (never hot). Try to remember not to skip a face wash, as this is a very crucial part in keeping your face flawless all the time. It's important in the morning to remove any kind of dirt, oil, make-up or residue that may still be on your face from the night before. Ladies, wash your face before you apply your make-up. This is important and should be carried out everyday. The same can be said for not washing your face before bedtime. DonĂ¢€™t miss this important step either! Remove oils, daily grime (pollutants and toxins) makeup and clogging oils from your face before you rest. Your skin rejuvenates while you sleep! Your face will thank you for keeping it clean.
Try to exercise regularly. Exercise improves circulation through your whole body including the skin on your face. Even walking 3-4 times a week can make a huge difference. Better circulation gets your skin glowing and flawless.
Put limitations on how much you drink alcohol and caffeine. Alcohol and caffeine can ruin your sleep patterns in turn making it tough to get regular beauty sleep. Stop drinking completely if you are a pimple face, and limit yourself if you have mild acne. This might be the deal breaker for your face. If you do drink alcohol or caffeine, avoid them four hours prior to bedtime if possible.
Try to not get so stressed out, emotional and environmental. Emotional and environmental stresses can destroy the complexion of your skin. Emotional stress produces an elevation in the hormone cortisol. This hormone is unhealthy long-term for your body and skin. Environmental stress like putting yourself through extreme weather conditions, pollutants, chemicals and germs can create major breakouts. Environmental and emotional stressors trigger acne, eczema and shingles, as well as wrinkly skin.
Don't smoke drugs and tobacco. Smoke from cigarettes eliminate vitamin C in your skin, which is needed for maintaining healthy collagen and a smooth, youthful looking complexion. Carbon monoxide combines with hemoglobin (the blood's oxygen carrier) and reduces the blood's capacity for carrying oxygen to the organs and, your skin as well.
Drink Plenty of water. Water is essential for healthy looking skin, and a shortage of water could bring on some major pimples. This tip could be a deal breaker in acne removal, so make sure to drink up.
Keep your hands washed and off your face. Lets admit it, your hands aren't always so clean and touching your face when your hands aren't clean is definite no if you want flawless skin.
Keep what you put inside of your body healthy. As you can tell from reading this article it makes a huge difference in your complexion. Stay out of direct sunlight for long periods of time, and always remember to wash your face twice a day.
You don't have to get surgery to look great, you just have to live a healthy life style, and looking great will be icing on the cake. Don't stress over skin problems, instead try to live a healthier lifestyle in general. It's not just the overweight population that needs a healthy diet anymore. Everybody can benefit from a good diet and exercise.
Thanks for your time.
Other recommended reading on this topic:
To learn more about preventing acne and other skin blemishes, CLICK HERE.
Check eBay for medications
For insanely good deals on ProActive Solution at Ebay, CLICK HERE.
To see the program I used to quit smoking cigarettes a few years ago, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Day 2, Cardio.
Tonight is cardio night boys and girls. Let the fun begin. Try not to think of cardio as such a bad thing. Try to have fun while you do it, because if you are pessimistic about the whole ordeal, then you will have that much worse of a bad time. Trust me. After about 2 weeks of doing cardio at my house, I am going to start rotating in days where I go to the racquetball club, and play some ball. Racquetball is probably one of the best ways to burn calories while having a blast. I change my shirt after every game I play because it is always drenched in sweat, always. Even when I was a little skinny guy back in the day, I still could sweat with the best of them. Sweating is one of the best parts of working out. There is something about breaking a good sweat on the racquetball court that I love.
The very first thing I'm going to do tonight is stretch a little bit. Stretch my legs the most because I'm going to be using them the most. My calves will also receive a good stretch. Get nice a limber before jumping on the treadmill.
So like I said in the previous post, the next thing I'm going to do tonight is hop on the ol' treadmill and start a nice walk/jog pace for about 20-25 minutes. Really make sure you get in some good warming up time on the treadmill before we get into the exercises.
To start a 'knee up', put both your hands in the air, then in one motion lift your right knee and touch it with your left elbow immediately followed by your left knee and right elbow. Do this for a good 30-45 seconds.
When 30-45 seconds is up, immediately follow with some running in place. Nothing crazy, just a nice jog/run pace to start with. I know it seems a little "wussy" for me to be running in place, but I find the results to be anything but.
After I run in place for 30 seconds, I immediately go to jump roping. I am going to jump rope at an easy pace. I am not going to try to set the world record for jump roping. I just want to do them good enough to feel a great burn in my whole body. (which I did) The burn felt great and I'm ready To repeat the last two exercises.
When I'm done repeating said exercises I'll throw the rope down and get in a ready position. The 'ready position' (see picture) in this case, is like this: right leg in front of the left leg, knees bent, back straight raise your right leg and do a front kick and bring your leg back to its original spot. Thats 1 rep. Do 30-45 seconds worth of reps.
After I do that, I immediately go into knee thrusts, they are like 'knee ups (see above paragraph) but you start from the ready position when you do Knee thrusts. You would start standing upward doing 'knee ups'. Get the difference? If not, hit me up and I'll give you better details. Ok so, Knee thrusts, they are great. They are like sit-ups standing up. They work nicely.
Next I go to side kick, just like front kicks, except you are kick to the side. Keeping your arms up in the ready position (see picture). When you do sidekicks, focus on really working your side abdominals. They are a great workout for that area. Abs are so incredibly key in racquetball. They stronger the abs, the harder you will hit the ball. I'ts all about abs, legs and back in a racquetball swing. I don't swing with my arm when I play racquetball, my arm just follows as my body whips it around and I snap my wrist at the very end. Thats a full blown racquetball forehand, in a nutshell.
Remember, I am doing these at a very low impact pace. I am not trying to over exert myself in any ways shape or form. I just want to get a nice sweat and get my heart rate going at a pace it hasn't been at in years. That, along with my new eating habits are they keys to helping me lose the most weight.
After I am done repeating the front kicks, knee thrusts and side kicks 3 x, I am ready to stretch it out. Let your body stretch and your heart continue to pump while you stretch, aiding to your losing even more weight. When your heart rate has gone down, and you are done stretching, you are done with cardio for today. Cardio is going to be like this every other day for the next 6 days or so. I will take a day off for rest. Racquetball will also be incorporated into my cardio routine at some point, but right now I'm starting out slowly and doing these exercises mentioned. Well, I am going to get ready for bed. I did have some pretzels, and a banana to snack on as well as ate some rotisserie chicken, same as I had last night. was very delicious. What did you have? Let me know. Comment me if you are actually reading this. I would like to say hello.
See ya tomorrow, bright and early. Later. Feesh
Some good stuff to check out while on your diet:
If you are looking for a low carb, low fat cookbook for some ideas, try the one I use. Click here
Get everything you need to start playing racquetball RIGHT HERE.
Day 2...a little sore this morning.
So, needless to say I was sore as hell this morning. I had forgotten what a workout doing push-ups could be. I'm not going to dwell on my being sore though, because this was the first workout and it's probably going to just get worse over the course of the next two weeks. Oh well. If you are in the same situation as me, you should take some time and stretch it out in the morning. I just did some light stretching as soon as I peeled myself out of bed. It makes you feel a little better, and it gets your heart going early a bit, which is never bad. I had some water after I stretched and I grubbed 2 pieces of toast and a banana for breakfast. I would probably eat more, but I just don't have the biggest appetite in the morning, so I don't fight it too much. I do however make sure I eat something in the morning to 'break the fast' between last nights dinner and todays breakfast. Get it? Alrighty then. For lunch I made myself a sandwich, because they are delicious and they don't ever get old to me. If they don't have the same appeal to you as they have for me, try something else. If however, you can take a little repetitious eating, then by all means join me. I go light on the mayo, and thats about it. Add all the veggies and condiments at your hearts desire. Mind you, don't put a block of cheese, and a stack of bologna on your sandwich. Turkey, a little ham, chicken and so on. You get the drift, just nothing fatty. So thats what I've eaten so far today, and I'm really not hungry at all at the moment. I'm sure when 3 o'clock rolls around at it's usual time, I will start to encounter some hunger issues. Until then I'm good.
Today is cardio day. I will start after work but before I eat dinner. That is just the way I do things. I am going to start by taking a mild jog on my treadmill. I purchased one last year around christmas time on ebay, and unfortunately I am barely starting to get any use out of it. Better late than never I guess. If you don't have a treadmill, I really would recommend you getting one. They are sort of big and bulky, but mind folds up to save space. They make all kinds. Here is a link to Ebays treadmills, they have great deals year around. After I lightly jog for about 20-25 minutes. I am going to do some low impact exercises that are easy to do, but gets your heart-a-pumpin. It will be nice and easy, your soreness will probably subside for a few while your body is pumpin, but probably come back as you cool down. Be aware that being sore is a good thing, and if you feel this way it means you actually succeeded in working yourself out properly. If you don't feel sore, you are a either a finely oiled machine that is way too advanced for this workout, or you didn't do the exercises right or to your maximum potential. If you are on either side of the 'not sore' spectrum, find ways to fix this issue. Ok folks, until tonight.
We are not going to cover abs for a week or so. If you would like to get a jump start on abs, then Click Here and get the ab routine that I will be implementing.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Day 1 workout, not so bad...feeling pretty good.
So at this point I commend anyone who is actually following my routine in any way shape or form. That means that you are somewhat serious about continuing this venture. Before I go into the exercises I did tonight, I just want to let you in on what I ate today. This morning, like I said before, I ate some toast. Just plain rainbow Iron kids bread toast. No butter this morning, just because I wasn't in the mood, but if you like a little tiny tiny tiny bit just for a little flavor, then I guess. I'd really rather you not though. Maybe some low fat, or lite butter or something like that would be better. For a snack at around ten o' clock in the morning, I had a banana and some pretzels. Pretzels are low in fat and can really curb the appetite. For lunch, I had a delicious foot long subway sandwich. I had Turkey and ham on white bread. No oil or vinegar and easy on the Mayo. A perfectly healthy lunch, and I was quite satisfied. I didn't have any chips but every now and again I throw in some baked Lays for a little extra. It doesn't matter. You may just have to workout extra hard that night. So, for dinner I had a rotisserie chicken from the Super Market. They make delicious whole chickens spiced up and ready to eat for like 5 bucks. They are healthy and contain large amounts of protein which is good for you. They also don't have much carbs at all, which is good because we all know Carbs are better consumed in the morning, not so much later. With the chicken I had some pretzels and some vegetables. Thats it. The pretzels have some carbs but I don't care. If I snack on anything from now until I go to bed, it will be some more chicken or nothing at all.
My exercises. I did a quick 30 minute long workout with my resistance bands.
Round 1.
*Please do these exercises at your own risk. If you're smart enough to get on this website, you're smart enough to know whether you can handle an exercise or not. Use common sense here folks, if you feel faint or dizzy, then please stop. Get some water, and take a long walk or something.
Stretch. If you don't know how to stretch, I would consider looking it up online. For all of you that were born on this planet, let continue. Stretch nice and long. Don't be rushed. Feel a nice burn. Stretch your legs real good as well as your arms. If you people absolutely need a picture on how to do this, email me and I will literally send you a picture example of me or my wife doing the exercise as soon as possible.
Next exercise Push-ups (standard). I started with some push-ups. Easy one's, nothing crazy. 8-10 of them to start (because I'm way out of shape) Start with at the push-up position - go down slowly touch your chest to the ground and slowly come back up. It's a very deliberate motion. No 'herky jerky' movements going on. These are standard push-ups. Place your hands about 6 inches wider than your shoulders when doing these. Breathe out on the way up, and in on the way down on these.
Next exercise Back flies. I grab my resistance band, I grab both ends with my hands, I twist the band to make it a shorter motion. I step on the loop and I do back fly's. Back flies are easy. You bend the legs a little bit, hold the handles with your palms facing each other and pull back to utilize your shoulder blade. Really try and feel your shoulder blade pulling the resistance, and doing all the work. It's important that you get maximum resistance on your back. Pull back, hold it for about a second then slowly bring your hands back to start. Your going to stand with one leg slightly in front of the other on this exercise. Remember to keep your legs bent and your back straight on this exercise. Breathe out on the way up and in on the way out on these. Do 8-10 of these, whatever you feel comfortable with.
Next Exercise shoulder flies. Stand holding the to handles. Stand on the cable that is on the ground. Position your arms so that they are parallel to the ground, and life up till your wrists are even with your shoulders, hold it for one second, and bring your arms back down. You may have to twist the resistance cable and stand on the loop to get good resistance on this exercise. You be the judge of that. Keep your head up and your back straight on all of these exercises. Do 8-10 like I did. You'll start feeling good soon.
Next are standard curls. Step on the cable with both feet. Grab the two ends with each hand, and do your standard curl motion. Working your bicep muscles and isolating them as much as possible. You want to go ALL THE WAY UP, AND ALL THE WAY DOWN when you do this exercise. No herky Jerky motions, your body should stay completely still when doing these. The more your body moves, the less isolation on your muscle, leaving you to remain a weak sauce. Like the tortoise and the Hair taught us long ago "Slow and steady wins the race". They were exactly right on the money. The slower you do these exercises, the more you'll get out of them. Don't rush, you have to do them correctly to see any kind of result. So, if you're confused..email me now, I'll send you a picture or a movie of me doing them. Not hard though.
Next exercise are One arm kick backs. These are a triceps exercise. All you do is throw one end of the cable on the ground, hold one end in your right hand hold the cable palm facing up right by your ear and elbow bent in front of your face. In this position, you now raise the handle up using your triceps muscle to do this, hold for a tick, and bring it back down. 8-10 times. Do them slowly and correctly.
Next Exercise, Lunges. Lunges are easy stand straight up, arm at your sides. Take a big step with your left foot right in front of you, and stand back up where your left foot left off. Turn around and repeat with right leg. Easy. Simple. Lunges are tried and true and really really work your legs if you do them correctly. None of these work if you don't do them right. It's difficult to just describe these exercises to you, and the internet just isn't that cool, so like I said before I would have to send them to you via email, so get at me.
When you are done with your lunges, take a 30 second water a towel break and then repeat all of the steps 2 more times. Don't kill yourself doing these...It's day 1. If you can't picture the exercise in your head, don't make up an exercise, write me and tell me to clarify. All right. When you done with all 3 circuits, stretch again for another several minutes, then your done. For today. It was so so easy wasn't it. No brainer stuff.
Well kids, its time for me to say goodnight. I'll see ya in the morning.
Feesh Out.
Getting back into Racquetball. "Tricks and Secrets"
So, I've decided to start writing a weekly article on Tricks and Secrets to winning racquetball. I figured since I played for so long and at such a high level, might as well share some of this tips I learned along the way. So, I will be posting those articles on this site as well, so that you all can benefit from the tips as well as the article readers. I will also link the article for you so that you can read those if that what you so desire. So here's the first lesson called "The down the line shot"...If you (my readers) have any questions on any of these lessons, feel free to comment me and I will address your issue. Thanks,
Drilling the 'Down the line shot'
Drilling or 'practicing' different racquetball shots and variations of those shots is a crucial part of becoming a great racquetball player. Knowing what to drill and how to drill is so important for beginners that are trying to succeed in racquetball. Remember, Practice alone doesn't make perfect. Rather, Perfect Practice makes perfect. Write that down. Ingrain that quote in your mind. I am going to now tell you one of the most basic fundamental 'shots' in racquetball in this lesson, and later lessons cover more advanced shots.
The Down the line shot
When I was competing at a high level, I would practice this shot first of all my drills. This shot is one of the best and most important shots in the game. (you can screen legally) This shot when done correctly is virtually 'un-gettable'.
To practice this shot, first go stand on the first solid line in the court.(the one closest to the front wall)Face the sidewall square to assume the correct racquetball swinging stance. Next, stand an arm and racquets distance away from your forehand sidewall wall. Hold the racquet up ready to swing with your racquet hand, and hold the racquetball in your other hand. Now, gently underhand toss the ball in front of you so that you have to take a step into it to hit it. Don't swing until the ball is in between your ankle and your knee. Strike the ball flat with your racquet so it hits the ball no more than 5 inches above the ground at the front wall. The ball should return off the front wall and bounce AT LEAST two to three times before crossing the first solid line. Do this drill and the first solid line, the middle solid line, the dotted line, and the back wall 50x's forehand and 50x's backhand. That is called a 'down the line kill shot'. Remember, you don't have to hit the ball hard. Try these drills first with a nice easy swing and a nice follow through. I will cover how to hit the ball hard in later lessons.
Once you have mastered this shot, try it from other spots on the court. Start playing around with different angles and shots to experiment different shot types. Racquetball is a very geometrical game, and knowing where the ball is going to end up is key in winning. The 'Down the line' shot is the 'foundation' swing for every forehand shot in Racquetball. The backhand shot is quite different but the technique behind the swing stays the same. Don't use your arm to swing the racquet. It is all about hips, legs, abs, back and wrist snap. If you can practice enough to acquire some of these qualities then you are on your way to becoming a great competitor. Your forehand swing should become second nature to you, and you should be able to utilize the same swing from anywhere on the racquetball court.
I used to hit 50 of these perfectly before I would move on to the next drill. If you mess up at all before you hit 50, start back at 1. It's tough, but it will give you a flawless 'down the line shot' on both forehand and backhand.
Note: If your backhand is weak, drill it more strictly. Allow fewer mistakes to train it.
Lesson #2 will be 'the pass shot'
Click here if you are looking for racquetball gear. It's where I get all of my Racquetball stuff
The time has arrived....Day 1
So, I had 2 pieces of toast this morning with some water. Thats right I ate bread and water for breakfast. ) It was actually wheat bread and it was tasty. I don't usually add anything to the bread I just toast it. I have been known to put a little tiny bit of margarine on it, but thats it. If you can get some low calorie bread you can have more than just two slices, maybe 3 or 4. I have no intentions on starving myself on this diet. I am going to eat every meal, and snacks in between, because if I didn't I wouldn't lose weight. It's plain fact. Too many people starve themselves thinking they are going to 'lose hella weight' quickly. Contrary to that belief they are actually setting themselves up to fail because as soon as they cheat or fold the pounds are going to come back 10 fold. Take my word on this, because it has happened to me. Anyways, I am going to Subway for lunch and I'm going to have a Turkey and Ham foot longer. Light on mayo, and no oil and vinegar. Everything else is cool to grub on. I'm not getting chips, instead going to have some pretzels to curve that craving. Day 1 of any diet usually sucks. Actually the first 2 weeks are going to be real bad. You are going to want to give up. You are going to want to cheat and eat some Christmas goodies. I would advise not to. I am not going to. So, you shouldn't either. Later, today I am going to describe the exercises I am going to be doing tonight when I get home from work. They are going to be real easy at first. It's going to be low impact just getting started, nothing crazy. We wont be doing anything you haven't done when you were in P.E. in high school. This should really be a breeze even for an impatient Fat guy like myself. Alright Folks. I will plug in some more later. Mean while, it is DAY 1 so stick with me.
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