PXG

Friday 5/2 - Nada, nada, limonada. One of those "I'm going to work out, but gonna do this first. Ok, do this one more thing then work out. Wait, what time is it? How did I get here?" days. Saturday 5/3 - Hiking with my sister - 3.8 miles, 1 1/2 hours - I have a great trail loop that I really like, lot of elevation gains and losses (for Nebraska/Iowa), and no other people. Had to make up for skippping Friday, so double workout (10 burpees; 10 dumbell chest flys (15, 20, 20 ,20); 10 standing dumbell rows (20, 25, 25, 30); pushups (10, 10, 5, 5)) x 4 sets. Sunday 5/4 - "Ran" the trail loop - 3.8 miles, 56 minutes. Diet was fine until Sunday - running late to get my trail run in so only had a banana for lunch, driving back passed fried chicken place. Let's just say our politicians would be proud of how fast I changed the goal posts on the way home - (a) chicken is good, I won't eat the skin and breading; ( what's the matter with a little chicken skin, you had a great run; © yum red beans and rice, you need to refuel; (d) I didn't ask for the biscuits, but they put them in anyway *demolishes biscuit with honey*. Needless to say have had my sodium and simple carb intake for the week. So week 3 is in the books, feel like I am in solid B+/A- territory for the challenge, just need to keep on chugging along..

Yeah, I don't think running will ever be my main cardio. I like rowing for a more full body workout, but sometimes my shoulders/back are trashed from the day before so I need to do something else. On another note I went trail "running" on Sunday and that was much better - trees, sun, the knowledge that one wrong step means a fractured ankle, that type of thing.

So where were we - Tuesday (4/29) - Off day - i.e. went to a concert and the three gin and tonics and the extended encore were not conducive to my usual late night workout. Wednesday (4/30) - BBWW - 3 sets - 30 squats and lunges per set, doing better on squat and pushup form. Thursday (5/1) - Ran 2.6 miles, 30 min - shoulders/back were a little sore from BBWW so decided to forego rowing. Tried out the zombie run app - it's still running which I generally dislike, but a little better. Diet - very good so far this week. (The aforementioned gin is definitely paleo, right? It's basically just juniper berries ) On another note - new pants size and belt tightening this week!

I'm one of those late night worker-outers (definitely not a word) too. The only times I have been able to stick with a workout plan is if it is late at night. I'm lucky if I'm at the gym by 10:30. I know sleep is important, and I don't think the schedule I'm on is a long-term reality, but it's important to do what works when you are building habits. In my mind, it's better to stick with whatever makes it possible to get my a$$ in the gym and make that habit stick first, before I start changing my internal clock or my schedule. That's my two cents.

Update time - it's been a while. A good end to week 2. Wed (4/23) - Rowed interval program - 25 minutes - topped out at 34 strokes per minute for about 30 seconds. Heard some interesting sounds coming from my lungs, so I know it was a good workout Thurs (4/24) - BBWW - 3 sets - forgot the camera, but tried to focus on form and moving my hands in on the pushups. Made an improvised overhead row setup - lat pulldown bar over the treadmill arms. Worked ok. Trying to see if that is better than adding more weight to dumbbell rows. Friday (4/25) - Rowed interval program - 25 minutes - same as before, can't get up to 34 spm on the final set, but working hard! Saturday (4/26) - speed hiked 2 1/2 miles (ish) with good elevation gain; quads and hammies were feeling it (and the lungs). Good to be outdoors for a little while. Sunday (4/27) - rest day, it was intended, but mildly burned my left hand so definitely couldn't do anything with that hand Monday (4/28) - BBWW - 3 sets - brought the camera (nice that I work out late and there is no one else around at my office's gym); really need to focus on keeping my back more vertical on the squats, am hunching way forward. trying to move my hands down to my chest instead of up by my ears and closer to my body on the pushups - much better form, but fewer reps. Diet is going well - pretty good at sticking with paleo all the time; I've never eaten this many vegetables. Starting to be a little more mindful of how many calories I'm eating. Three egg omelet with ham and bacon may be paleo, but it's still a lot of calories to burn through. That's not part of this challenge, but will need to be added in in the future. My focus for the next few weeks is improving my form on the BBWW exercises - make sure I am doing everything correctly, am working hard and pushing the muscles to exhaustion, and don't worry about the number of reps.

Thanks for the comments and checking up on me! Thursday - Off day Friday - BBWW - 3 sets; 25 squats, lunges, 11ish pushups Saturday - 2 1/2 hours hiking, 1 1/2 hours yard work - think I may have worked harder raking than hiking. Pine needles are heavy! Sunday - Off day - did good at staying away from the candy, but had more than my share of starches and simple carbs. Monday - Off day - not a good choice and I knew it. Should have hit the gym or done something, but didn't make it happen. Tuesday - BBWW - 3 sets - focusing on form a little more, was starting to get sloppy. Next BBWW I'm going to set up a camera so I can compare my form/movement to the standard.

I've been lurking on NF for a while, but signed up a few days ago. Another Omahan here. A place I like to hike is Hitchcock Nature Center outside of Council Bluffs. http://www.pottcoconservation.com/parks-and-habitat-areas/hitchcock-nature-center/ I've lived here for decades and only recently found it. Good trails, with some good elevation (for Nebraska/Iowa).

My tip on getting through that 3rd set of BBWW - swear! My mantra is "F#%* you Steve and your stupid workout" It really makes the last pushups and lunges go pretty easily.

So I was out of town all week last week and didn't get back until midnight on Sunday. Thankfully, was able to pull myself together to keep up the program. Monday - BBWW - 3 cycles, about 25 squats and lunges per cycle, started holding a medicine ball during the squats Tuesday - Rowed through the 19 minute pyramid workout, couldn't do the full minute at 28 strokes per minute Wednesday - BBWW - 3 cycles (25 squats and lunges; 11 pushups) Diet is going fairly well; need to go to the store and start thinking of new recipes.

So I've been lurking around for a few months and feel that it's time to more actively join in. Main Goal: Change; Move; Stop simply reacting to circumstances and what other people do and take affirmative steps to have the life I want to live. Almost everything about my life is the same as it was 10 years ago - same job (with a little more seniority and stress), same friends, same skills, same body (+ 10 pounds), same house, etc. It's not a bad life, but it's not what I want for the next 30 years. So my main goal is to shake things up, take risks, don't settle for the same old options. With respect to fitness, I want to be strong (and look like I'm strong) and fit. I've always been height-weight proportionate (thanks Dad for the good genes), but could barely do a pushup or jog for 3 minutes without being out of breath. I'm on my way to changing that. Goals 1) Continue BBWW 3 cycles 3x week. Increase intensity and change out exercises as necessary. 2) High intensity cardio 2-3x week. Want to focus a lot on rowing - complete a 19 minute pyramid workout capping at least 30 strokes per minute. 3) Stick with the modified paleo diet (1 cheat day a week). Life Quest Find something to do outside now that snowboarding is over. Need to develop a summer outdoor exercise hobby - running, biking, tennis, etc.