Two Hundred Sit-Ups

I took a week off from work to welcome our baby (as you should know by now) and for the most part took a week off from everything including my pursuit of 200 sit ups, 100 push ups and seeing 210.

On Monday night, I decided to start week 5 over. I did my first 4 sets easily (32, 38, 32, 32) then I had to do a max set. The max set for this day is 48. I started cranking them out and got to 48 before I knew it. I was shocked to feel little in my abs so I kept going. As I reached 100 I was getting a bit tired but pushed on, concentrating on my form so I wouldn't hurt myself.

By 150, I was stunned... a week off and here I am 3/4 of the way through and feeling good. I got a second wind and it honestly felt like I was just starting the set. I recalled a piece of advice from the two-hundred sit-ups website that said to make sure to breathe out on every rep (on your way up). I got into a rhythm and reached 200. I would've kept going but stopped out of sheer excitement and disbelief that I have beaten the 200 sit-ups challenge on my 5th week.

Still not believing myself I went back to the website to make sure I did the sit-ups correctly. Well, as far as my form, I was spot on. There is one small discrepancy... it mentions pausing for a second or two when you get to the fully contracted position. Damn. I guess it's back to the drawing board.

Last night I did day 2 of week 5 and finished off my set with yet another 200 sit-ups. Now, I have to do this with the 1-2 second pause... I will do it!

I lifted this image from the website of a proper sit-up according to them.

Morning Jog

This morning I was awoken by my lovely little 2 week old passing gas about 1 foot from my head. Not so pleasant. After changing her and taking her back to mommy to be fed I looked over at my alarm clock to see that it was just about 6am. Hmmm...time for a morning jog.

I geared up and hit the road. I gave myself a rude awakening by forcing myself to jog up a rather steep hill during the first half mile. After I was up it the rest of the jog was quite easy. I took a different route this morning and it was nice to see some different neighborhoods. It was also nice to go so early in the morning because there are less cars and it's a lot less hot out. Today it's supposed to be mid to upper 80's, maybe 90.

My last post was about how I'm easing back into things... I realized last night (hence the morning guilt run) that I'm still hiding from what needs to be done. I'm still making excuses for myself. Instead of easing in I've been standing on the edge of the pool contemplating, maybe dipping my toe every once-in-a-while.

This morning was another toe dip. Hopefully I can jump right in soon because I feel like the fat kid again and that's annoying. I've come too far to feel like that again!

For those of you who celebrate the 4th of July, enjoy, and have a safe one! For those of you who don't...have a great weekend anyways:)

Easing Back In

I've gotten the eating back under control...a hard thing to do when there are so many people bringing over such fantastic meals! Then, I woke up and knew what needed to happen. No more making excuses and hiding behind this little 8 lb bundle of joy... today I had to go jogging. I've missed the feel of the street and the dull burn of my legs, I missed that feeling you get just moments after the final big breath of the cool down and most importantly I missed moving. I just haven't moved much in the last 2 weeks.

From a tip I received from a neighbor of mine, Natosha, I set out on a new route. A new chapter in my life should be celebrated with a jog around town in a different direction. I'm easing myself into it...that run was 3.25 miles and took me all over the place. There is an interurban trail in North Seattle and it was great...hardly anyone on the path and if you can get past the cemetery on your right and the power lines on your left it's an absolute joy to run where you know you can't be run over by horrible Seattle drivers.

So, today I woke and thought I'd head out early in the morning. As the morning went on I realized it's going to be a late afternoon jog, no biggie. I then thought I might hit up old faithful...my 5 miler. I spoke to my father-in-law, Dennis, and he reminded me that there is no rush to getting back into it. Why push yourself so hard that you don't want to head back out? OK, I'm heeding his advice. I've dropped my jog down to a 3-mile loop this afternoon...it'll be nice to get a second warm-up jog before I hit the road for a long one.

Here is the loop that I ran yesterday...I will probably go on this one quite a few more times...what I also love about it is that it's very expandable...I can add a few miles easily without disrupting the natural loop. Love it!

A Whole Lotta Nothing

It's been a confusing last few weeks. I haven't done anything that is noteworthy but at the same time I've been doing a lot. I've been attending BBQ's and parties and have come away a little better off than a few weeks ago. I've continued the hundred push-ups challenge...now on week 6 and finished Day 1 last night...holy cow, that's a lot of push-ups.

I did a set of 40, a set of 50, a set of 25, another set of 25 and a max set of 50. Ugh. I did them all...it took me a little longer than they say to give yourself but I did them and that's HUGE and important in my book:) I have also continued the 200 sit-ups challenge... starting Week 3 tonight!

We went shopping last night and I found a mental hurdle I wasn't expecting. Before I lost all the weight it was all about finding shirts that fit in such a way that it didn't make me look fat. A horrible idea that never, ever works because when you are buying XL and XXL so that the shirt fits "loose" (read:baggy) then it's obvious you are hiding something, mainly rolls upon rolls...you get it. Anyways, last night while trying on size Large polos (the vintage style that runs small and more fitted) I all of the sudden felt self-conscious. I felt fat again. I looked in the mirror, nothing. I showed Sally and an old friend that still works at the store and they both said the Large is the right shirt and that it looked good fitted. Hmm. We (or rather THEY) decided that a Large Tall would work best for me. Since that size isn't carried in the store we walked away and it hit me. I was explaining to Sally how it's weird to see me fit into clothing this small and when it fits a little tighter I feel weird. She calmly explained to me that certain items of clothing should fit like that, such as the vintage style polo. The hardest part for me is accepting that maybe I do look good now, maybe I am this small. I know, I know...really "hard" problems I've got. I'm a smaller guy and after all those damn push-ups I'm actually able to wear some tighter clothing. I'm not talking about spandex tight, just fitted.

One last thing...the other night I went to a nice BBQ at my sister's. My older brother and his wife and 4 kids came down, too...I was playing with the kid's, throwing them around, lifting them up in the air, drawing with sidewalk chalk...I was pleasantly sore after that! Hmmm...there's got to be something out there that shows "workouts" you can get by playing with kids. I'll search around and let you know if I find anything!

10 to go

Today marks 10 days till the due date of our baby! As you can see by my lack of recent posts, I've got a lot going on!

Right now I've shifted to just maintaining as I sort these new things out in my life. I'm also still participating in the 100 push-ups as well as the 200 sit-ups challenge. Tonight I am on Day 3 of Week 5 for the 100 push-ups.

Look at the crazy amount I have to do tonight! (amount per set): 20, 20, 24, 24, 20, 20, 22 and a max set of at least 50! Added up that is at least 200 push-ups tonight. The kicker...I only get 45 seconds between each set...yikes! What I'm finding is it really pushes me mentally, almost as much as it does physically!

I'll keep pressing on and finish this and will let you know when I hit the 100 continuous push-up mark! My PR for continuous push-ups so far is 67.

I'm excited for baby to be here, in part because I can stop being anxious about what I think it's going to be like and move on to just being a father and learning my new role. I'm stoked for it!

Waking with the City

One of my favorite things in life is waking up early in a foreign city and getting my day started before the rest of the city wakes up. There's no easier way to get a feel for a city than walking around while the shop owners are sweeping off their sidewalks or the delivery trucks are unloading their goods.

Since I can't travel anywhere right now the best way to translate this feeling is to head out for a morning jog before anyone else. I wake up at 5:30 every day for work and sometimes on the weekend my body just forces me out of bed. I woke Sally so she wouldn't worry where I was then I left to go on a leisurely jog around the neighborhood.

I timed it a little wrong though. I love jogging by the stores to see it getting prepped or to see the earliest of risers enjoying their first cup of coffee, or jogging by the bakeries and smelling wonderful bread or pastries... not today, nope. NOTHING was open, not even the coffee shops. In Seattle, there were no coffee shops open at 6.

I'm home now and I'm about to make a fresh pot and wake Sally back up... what a great start to the day. A jog, Sally's company and a fresh pot of coffee... oh, and it's sunny out:)

Enjoy your weekend!

Down, Up times One Hundred

I’ve been beating around the bush and claiming that I’m about to start this, I’ve even started doing push-ups more regularly and did a burn-out of an awe-inspiring 67 consecutive push-ups the other day. But it’s time to start this for real and I’m ready for the challenge. I told Sally the other day that I’ll be able to do 100 consecutive push-ups before baby is here. I’ve got some work to do.

Thankfully there is a great site that has a 6 week program you follow and log in to that has been designed to help you build the right strength and stamina in order to achieve the 100 consecutive mark. Wait! But I have less than 4 weeks till baby’s due date… since I’ve tested out at 67 (just last week) I get to start on week 3. Perfect timing.

If you are at all interested in joining along, go to http://www.hundredpushups.com/ and sign in. I’ll keep you updated with my progress…wish me luck! And, if you’ve done this already let me know how it went for you :)

Feel Good Post-Prego Stuff

Shifting gears here for a little bit…talking about a sensitive issue here. As we get closer to the baby's due date, Sally and I have talked about our plans for our post-baby workouts. We have all sorts of walks planned which will be great for us and the little one to get outside but she is very interested in getting back to pre-baby weight as soon as possible. In addition to our planned outings, Sally has heard about and is planning on buying a post-pregnancy workout video. There are many of them out there but the one that keeps coming up in her searches is the Tracy Anderson Post-Pregnancy Workout DVD. The problem is it's so popular that it's nowhere to be found. Do a search on Tracy Anderson in Google and you are bound to see how she is the personal trainer for Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Yesterday we did a photo shoot of a friend, her husband and their 1 year old daughter. The day before she had done a 3.5 mile walk for the March of Dimes. I thought to myself, what a great way to get back out there…great exercise for a great cause! It also got me to thinking about an 8k coming up that's a really popular one for this area.

Beat the Bridge is an 8k which raises money for JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund). 2 mile's and 20 minutes after the last wave leaves the start area, the University Draw Bridge goes up…the idea is to "Beat the Bridge". I've volunteered a few times for this race and have participated in it twice. It is a blast. I'm looking at my schedule but would love to run it again:) They also have a 4 mile Family walk and a Diaper Derby.

It's great to know there are events like this to get us out of the house (with baby) and doing our part. I will be following up with more post-pregnancy ideas when I come across them!
Have a great week!

Life Happens

Everything is lining itself up nicely for a wonderful afternoon jog today and tomorrow.

70+ degree weather. Check.
Physically able. Check.
Emotionally ready. Check.
Motivation on high. Check.
Time to run? Not going to happen. Not today. Not tomorrow. Ugh. Life Happens.

Take today for example: Get home at 4, pay bills, mail off client's pictures, clean up from a party at the house yesterday, edit 5 photo shoots worth of material (over 1000 images), post on the blog (not this one), eat dinner, call the guy that hit our car (again!), grocery shopping, refinish the changing table (yes! Still working on that!), rehang the shelf in the baby room, patch 6 holes in the wall, hang a new light, work in the yard and then it's time for bed. Yes, you're right…too much!

I've been contemplating the morning runs now. I'm out of time, I have no other good time to get out there and take care of business…I've always been an afternoon/evening runner. I've gotten out on the rare morning occasion but it was usually around 9:30 not 4:30/5 like I’m planning now. If I time it right I will be getting back home right about the time I normally roll out of bed. I'm out of ideas because life is coming at me full force these days.

I've written many times about prioritizing your life and making time for a jog or a workout but the 30 - 1 hour blocks are very hard to come by these days. I'd love it if any of you have any other ideas how I can free up some time?!

Suckin' (warm & flowery) Air

I kept my promise yesterday and I jogged my normal 5 mile loop! Except that I was sucking air the whole way...and not to mention the trees are in bloom (pastel pinks and whites) right now so I was breathing predominantly pollen! Luckily I'm not allergic, well not that allergic to pollen... but it got to be a little overwhelming at times. It was one of the more uplifting and beautiful runs I've gone on in awhile but also one of the hardest mentally! Coming off of 3 weeks of nada (Spanish for nothing) I kept wanting to walk and almost talked myself into thinking it was smart to do so. But I persevered, I pushed on, wading through the thick, aromatic pollen blanket until I finally reached home.

My goal was to See 210 by the end of this month... at this rate that means I have about 1.25 pounds to lose per week...totally doable, especially if I'm working out regularly now too! I have a birthday party to attend tonight so it's a test. How badly do I want to make this happen? Only time will tell, in fact 24 days will tell.

I woke today feeling alive! It's that post-workout numbness that courses through your body that gives you a sense of purpose and excitement for the day to come. I love waking up early to watch the day take shape and feel like my body is doing the same! Wish me luck on the home stretch! I'll keep you posted with my progress!!!

Calling Myself Out

Here it is, I'm calling myself out! Since I tweaked my back (which actually happened), I haven't gone jogging once, I haven't lifted a single weight (unless you count my camera) and I have even skipped some of my nightly routines (push-ups and abs). I've been using the back as an excuse but now my back is fine. In fact, it's been fine for a week and a half. We shot a wedding last week for 14 hours...no problems with the back.

So I'm laying it out there. I'm writing with my tail between my legs and a red face just to let you know and to promise myself that today I will be changing my routine (again) today!

Tonight...I'm going for a jog. I'm returning to my roots or (routes) and will be hittin' the road around 4:30 today. I'm shooting for a 5 mile loop...then I'm going to come home, have a nice dinner and feel good and less hypocritical about my "inspirational blog". Sometimes, you just have to call yourself out. I haven't been slipping at all though, in fact, my weight has stayed the same and actually has dropped a little so I'm lucky...but adding the workouts back in will drop it even faster!

No more lying to myself... if you are living up here in the Pacific Northwest you all know this is rare weather...get your butts off the couch and get outside!!! Enjoy:)

A Different kind of Dumbbell Workout

If you search around enough for what to do with those rusty dumbbell's sitting in your garage, you'll undoubtedly come across this article. I've come across it numerous times, saw it on Men's Health's website (and magazine) and I even went as far as trying them out without a dumbbell (just to see if it was worth my time.) Ok, my time? Really?! Today I got home and couldn't decide what type of workout I wanted to do. I clicked on MSN for some inspiration (seems so illogical) and came across this, again. 

Today I decided to stop being lazy and give it a try. The whole routine is done with the same dumbbell, without stopping between movements...you get 2 minutes rest between the 4-movement set and then go at it again (3-4 times). 

I started easy with a 15 lb'er and realized that I was wussing out...I stepped up to a 20 lb'er and for my final set I busted out a 25.  I found it was actually easier to stay in form with a little more resistance...but that's me, do what works for you!  

The link to one of the many places you can find this article is HERE, I also attached the pictures for you, because, well...I like you guys;)

By the end of this I was sweating. Then a few minutes later my body just tightened up.  These are all very good examples of functional training (I'm not sure if it's called that)...but doing movements that you use in every day life to build up your core stability will help prevent many injuries! Try it out and let me know if you liked it! 

Do Your Chores!

Yesterday I concerned myself with the amount of time it would take me to burn the calories of a truffle I ate. Today I'm doing chores. Last weekend, there was a lull in my posting because I was working hard on getting our baby room ready. I painted. I painted the baby room on Saturday, then I painted our room on Sunday. 

This weekend, I escaped the big project list but am left with a house that needs a series of smaller chores done to make it look exceptionally clean. Just the way my prego wife loves it;) Right, honey..."yes, I know, just after I'm done here writing this post...I promise." Geesh, all those years of laughing at my dad's supposed "honey-do" list has come back to bite me!  

In an effort to ease my mind for losing a day of jogging or feeling guilty that I didn't do a proper workout, I set out to find any information on caloric burn potential for the average household chore. I was pleasantly surprised, actually. Lugging that vacuum up and down and all around this house can burn 658 calories for a guy my size in only 30 minutes! That's about how long it takes. I was also surprised to see that my painting effort while beautiful and renaissance-esque, was also a helluva good workout, 490 calories an hour!

Here's another chart that I found out there with some common chores and the burn potential. It hasn't changed my mind on doing them, I still don't love to do them, but if I can work in a workout while doing them then I guess it's worth it...plus it makes the misses happy;)

Soothing the Savage Beast

I've been having a hard time figuring out how to write this posting because it is of great importance to me.  Music helps me in so many ways but I'm not going to write a self-help on how music saved or changed my life, maybe it has maybe it hasn't, I'm just going to break it down into it's simplest meanings (for me). 

It helps me run. It keeps me moving. It keeps me company (on those long runs). It makes it so I can't hear myself breathe hard (which is helpful). It's mine. The music I like is the best music in the world, according to me. Therefore, music is personal. But today music is simply a tool for working out.

I want anyone reading this to share with me 3 songs that you love to listen to when you work out. Personally, I like songs that have a medium to high beat per minute. I try to mimic the beats to my steps. Here are my 3 recent songs I want to share that are on my playlist at this very moment:

Noah & the Whale - "5 Years Time" - it tricks me into thinking it's warm out [good for those long straight-aways]

Tokyo Police Club - "Be Good" - dunno, just like the beat [good during the 1st mile]

The Von Bondies - "C'mon C'mon" - an older song that I used to listen to when I "used" to jog [good for those damn hills]

***One last note, I am not a "lyrics" guy...I mean, sometimes I hear them but usually I just pay attention to the music and not what they are actually singing about (this has caused some interesting situations btw)***

Now share with me 3 of the songs on your playlist! 

Sweatin' to the Yogi's

Sometimes I write things off without trying them. Sometimes it's intuition and sometimes it's someone's advice that leads me to not try something; then there's yoga. It wasn't because of something that someone said nor was it because of this supposed intuition, it just never happened. It was more of an after-thought. I guess I was just indifferent to the whole thing. I never even gave it a second thought. People asked if I'd ever tried it or would like to try it and it was more just a shrug and a "nah, maybe some other time". Maybe I was put off by the names of the moves? Downward Dog?

One day, about 2 months ago, I was sitting at home and it was starting to snow which made my afternoon jog unlikely. I sat on the couch, moping about wondering what to do. I saw Sally's Yoga DVD staring at me and I thought "no one's home, I guess I'll see what this is all about, it can't be too hard?" I got my ass kicked that snowy afternoon by a very calm, blonde lady on our JC Penney TV. I was hooked.

Sally got me my very own DVD by this guy (Eoin Finn) that's a surfer (imagine that) and now I was doing it at least once, sometimes twice a week. I'm a believer now. I don't have too much to say as far as yoga goes because I'm still learning it and trying to understand it but what I can say is that makes you feel amazing. It feels like your body is functioning as it was intended. The blood flows unobstructed delivering all the necessities through your body. My posture is straighter, I want to eat better and I swear it makes you feel like a better person. It's not an easy thing to explain without sounding like a freakjob hippie but the word "centered" has never made more sense than it does after you do yoga. Plus you sweat, a lot, and that makes it feel worth-while!

There so many dvd's out there that it's hard to know where to start. I like the one I use…here it is at Amazon and pictured to the left.

(not) Blood, (maybe) Sweat and (or) Tears?

I Google'd it. Nothing. I found how to keep sweat out of the eyes but that's not what was going on. I also found information about "dry eyes" which is an ironic name btw but not what was really going on either. The best way to describe it is; I was sweating out my eyes or I was suffering from non-emotional crying in the left eye. Yeah, I know, weird.

When I got home yesterday I plotted out a jog that would change my course and give me a new long mileage to work on, 7.2 miles. I set out on my jog and my eyes were unusually blurry but I figured it was because it was starting to get dark and my eyes don't see well in that dusk light. By the time I got 2 miles into it I felt my left eye well up with "tears?" but I wasn't sad. Hmmm…I kept going. Then a tear or tear like fluid rolled all the way down my cheek…I couldn't keep my eye dry. This lasted the rest of my run.

I jogged right in to the office and tried to figure out what was wrong with me? The only thing I did differently today was drink a big glass of water before I left. Has anyone ever experienced this? I don't think it's possible to have eye sweat but that's the best way to describe it?!

I made it through my run pretty painlessly (other than the overproducing tear duct) which is exciting and I woke this morning with a new low of 217 on the scale.

Building in my Workouts

Here are 10 Things I do to take advantage of otherwise boring activities

1. When I need an elevator; I take the stairs (At work I climb 16 flights in 3 minutes.)
2. When I'm brushing my teeth; I do walking lunges or wall sits until my heart is racing or my legs give out
3. When I'm watching TV; I do a set of push-ups during the commercial break (max 4 sets, I'm still working on it!)
4. When I'm waiting for wife to come to bed; I do another set or 3 of push-ups or crunches and get all sweaty right before I hop in bed. Sal loves that.
5. When I'm walking around work; I walk with my abs flexed…builds core stability
6. When I'm carrying groceries; I do curls or hold my arms so they are parallel to the ground
7. When I'm putting on socks; I stand and bend at the waist pulling them on. (amazing core workout if done properly)
8. When I'm about to walk upstairs (at home); I do a set of incline push-ups
9. When I've turned on the TV and there isn't anything on for 8 - 9 minutes; no joke, I do a set of 8-minute abs (an oldie but a goody)
10. When I take the bus; I get off a few stops early and speed walk into work. It's actually comparable to walking normal speed from a closer stop. I've timed and tested it many times!

I'm always searching for new things I can do at the same time as a normal, everyday activities. 

If you have any to share please leave it in the comment field, I'd love to learn some more tricks!!

Back to the Basics

It's time to get back to the basics, folks! The good 'ol push-up…doing them is one thing and doing them right is a whole other thing. Today I'm reminded of how important it is to keep them in my daily routine. When I was first getting started last year I would focus on doing sets of 25. At one point I was doing 4 sets totaling 100 per night (quick math;). I have since gone in and out of having push-ups in my routine. I received an email from Dennis today that really got me thinking again.

I thought of reasons why I talk myself out of them…I mean, who really wants to do a push-up?! As I was trudging up the 16 flights to my floor this morning at work it hit me. Push-ups are synonymous with the Army and when I started thinking about the connection (an obvious one at that) my mind wandered to visions of trench warfare. Down in the dirt, muscles grinding, teeth gritting, exhausting…I knew then and there that my focus had to go back to the basics. There's a reason so many people don't do them. They are free, convenient and relatively simple (as far as motions go) but no one likes doing them.

As I was re-reading Dennis' email he was telling me how he eclipsed some of his last push-up goals. Inspired by me at one point, Dennis started keeping track of sets and has reported faithfully back to me on his progress. He's kicking my butt and is twice my age. I started looking up articles about push-ups and found one right away written in a blog named "Well" that is featured on NY Times' website. It's a great look at the push-up and how this basic movement can serve so many purposes and help us age a little safer, perhaps.

Check out the original article and video on the "Well" blog HERE

The Well blog is being added to my "Blogs to See".

My New Favorite Ab Routine

The other day I was telling Dennis (my Father-in-law) about this great article I read in Men's Health. To better explain the situation I got down in the plank (the first move) during a large family party. I got a lot of weird looks but thought I'd post this workout as it truly has made a difference in my "abs". And yes, I'm starting to see them! 

There are 3 pages you can click through...the first page is beginner, the next is the intermediate and finally the advanced. They are the same 3 basic movements with slight changes to make them harder. I'm in between beginner and intermediate at the moment.

Try them out, it takes just a few minutes! And let me know what you think:)

To get to the Men's Health article just click HERE!

When I Feel Lazy...

...I think of how much closer to my goal I can get if I just force myself out the door. Often when this happens I have found if I just come home and put on my running clothes without any emotion involved. 9 times out of 10 (no I haven't counted, this is just a guess) I end up going jogging. Once I'm out there and past mile marker one it's all good.

Yes, I'm having one of those days...thinking about how good it feels to have it behind me doesn't always help...sure I love how it feels, who doesn't. I find that tricking myself out of laziness can work. Wish me luck! My plan (even though at the moment I don't want to) is to jog my 5 mile loop and try to better my time again:)