Boy, I'm amazed at what I can accomplish when I put my mind to it. Recently, I put on an extra 15 pounds just by eating a lot and with lower intensity workouts. My midsection became puffy and soft, my energy low and my desire to change or improve decreased significantly. This can be a real turn off to my wife, so I decided to make a BIG change.
I can always live with myself; with the way I look and feel, but when it comes to pleasing the woman I married, I spare no expense. After all, this is the woman I fell deeply in love with, so why wouldn't I want to do anything less.
Thankfully, I have the knowledge, skillset and resources to get myself to my goal weight and look. So, I ran head first into my goal of dropping 20 pounds over the next 2 months.
First, I had to focus on what and how I was eating. I acquired a penchance for throwing back all things convenient...so out that had to go. In with fresh and whole foods, such as, lots of green vegetables, complex carbs (i.e. grits, yams, oats), legumes, nuts and some eggs. And, I needed to stay fairly consistent with eating every 3-4 hours without fail.
My other consumption issue was the lack of hydration. Being in the desert, we need to throw back more than our fair share of water, so I decided to commit to 2 full glasses (16oz. each) of water per meal/snack. Man, I think my plumbing bill may go up, but the great news is my frequent flyer miles in the bathroom have to! That means, I will have 1 less trip to the doctor/hospital anytime soon, haha!
Next, I had to go in to my workouts with a purpose. No longer could I just go in and "just get it done." No, I needed to go in with a game plan, a definite end-result in mind and a drive that could possibly break me. So, I'm up to weight training (with prioritization on legs and medial delts) every other day with cardio interspersed between those days. The sessions will last no longer than 1 hour with weights and 20-30 minutes with cardio. Most important, the glue that binds the house together, is the rest and recovery. I committed to 10-20 minutes of stretch time post workout so that my muscles could return to their restful state and prepare for the next day's onslaught. My sleep schedule will include 8 hours sleep per night, set at the same slumber to rise times.
Lastly, I have been diligent in my nutrition, workouts and rest, but any great person still has faults, holes or small bits of scarcity. So, I naturally tap into some supplementation. Right now, I am on my 5th day of the herbal cleanse and I'm feeling better than ever. I've tried this product before and I don't cheap out on some bargain basement, shelf-clearance item that'll keep me running to the toilet every 2 minutes. I'm okay with having to empty my bladder from time-to-time, but having to release explosive bowels is NOT a good thing. So, I'm relieved (haha pun intended) that the supplements I take do NOT create dissension in my GI tract. Gentle, uneventful, yet results driven! Loving it. Of course, throw in some fish oils, Spark, and BioTools (for my achy wrestler joints) and that pretty much wraps up what I have going for me.
Five days in, almost 4 pounds down...I think I'm track. So, are you with me?!
-Dale