The diet and exercise portion of the morning routine was an important one. I find that exercise, particularly, is a habit that begins a windfall of other healthy activities. Charles Duhigg, in his book The Power of Habit, describes these types of habits as keystone habits.
I naturally begin to focus on what i'm putting into my body. I get better sleep. I simply live a healthier lifestyle.
In addition to the morning strength training sessions twice a week, i also used my 15 minute breaks at work to go to the company gym and do pullups and situps. Over the 21 days, i did 238 pullups -- probably more pullups than i've done in the past 3+ years combined.
In regard to overall health and wellness though, diet is the most important aspect. This is why meal prep is so important. I don't have the desire to come home after work and begin a meal from scratch. Cooking large batches twice per week and creatively using leftovers has been very helpful. So has keeping hard-boiled eggs around. I like to eat them plain, with a touch of salt, or blended into an egg salad.
Although, i've only lost 5 pounds in the last three weeks, this is just the beginning. Scale weight isn't the best statistic to measure, anyways. I should've used a tape measure or at least taken photos. I don't necessarily need the motivation though. This is something that is going to stick with me for the long haul. No excuses.
Showing posts with label Diet/Exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diet/Exercise. Show all posts
Morning Routine: Diet/Exercise - Days 17 thru 21
Day 17 - Meal prep. Chili in the slow cooker for dinner on day one and lunch on day two. Mixed in some spaghetti sauce and threw it on some noodles for dinner on day two. Also boiled some eggs.
Day 18 - Strength training. Workout "B". 2 rounds of: 1-leg romanian deadlift, chinups (4 seconds on the lowering part), hamstring curls, and good mornings. Removed the planks and instead did situps on an exercise ball at work while doing pullups.
Day 19 - Mobility. Spent 15 minutes rolling around on the lacrosse ball and stretching. Good way to start the morning.
Day 20 - Cardio. skipped the workout. I have an excuse, but it's just that. An excuse.
Day 21 - Meal prep. Pork tenderloin in the slow cooker equals dinner on day one and lunch on day two. Leftover tenderloin was re-purposed for dinner on day two. Also boiled a dozen eggs to have on hand to eat.
Cardio, since i didn't do it the day before. Ran a shorter distance but at a much quicker pace.
Day 18 - Strength training. Workout "B". 2 rounds of: 1-leg romanian deadlift, chinups (4 seconds on the lowering part), hamstring curls, and good mornings. Removed the planks and instead did situps on an exercise ball at work while doing pullups.
Day 19 - Mobility. Spent 15 minutes rolling around on the lacrosse ball and stretching. Good way to start the morning.
Day 20 - Cardio. skipped the workout. I have an excuse, but it's just that. An excuse.
Day 21 - Meal prep. Pork tenderloin in the slow cooker equals dinner on day one and lunch on day two. Leftover tenderloin was re-purposed for dinner on day two. Also boiled a dozen eggs to have on hand to eat.
Cardio, since i didn't do it the day before. Ran a shorter distance but at a much quicker pace.
Morning Routine: Diet/Exercise - Days 12 thru 16
The "diet and exercise" portion of the morning routine challenge continues. Here's what's happened over the last 5 days:
Day 12 - Mobiliity work. Stretching and lacrosse ball.
Day 13 - Cardio. Ran 1.25 miles around my neighborhood. I know that it was 1.25 miles because i tracked it via MapMyRun.
Day 14 - Meal Prep. I made a big batch of beef stew and boiled a dozen eggs for the next couple of days.
Day 15 - Workout "A". 2 rounds of: Dumbbell front squats to overhead press, 1-arm 1-leg dumbbell row, walking lunges w/ sprinter knee raise, wide-grip pushups, kettlebell swings.
Day 16 - Lacrosse ball treatment. Worked on sore spots, mostly my back -- sore from the pullups (see below) and kettlebell swings.
I'm beginning to find my routine. I'm focusing more on my health and using [some of] my breaks at work to do pullups and ab exercises. The weight hasn't fallen off as quickly as i'd like but i'm just being impatient. The focus is on the long-term.
Day 12 - Mobiliity work. Stretching and lacrosse ball.
Day 13 - Cardio. Ran 1.25 miles around my neighborhood. I know that it was 1.25 miles because i tracked it via MapMyRun.
Day 14 - Meal Prep. I made a big batch of beef stew and boiled a dozen eggs for the next couple of days.
Day 15 - Workout "A". 2 rounds of: Dumbbell front squats to overhead press, 1-arm 1-leg dumbbell row, walking lunges w/ sprinter knee raise, wide-grip pushups, kettlebell swings.
Day 16 - Lacrosse ball treatment. Worked on sore spots, mostly my back -- sore from the pullups (see below) and kettlebell swings.
I'm beginning to find my routine. I'm focusing more on my health and using [some of] my breaks at work to do pullups and ab exercises. The weight hasn't fallen off as quickly as i'd like but i'm just being impatient. The focus is on the long-term.
Morning Routine: Diet/Exercise - Days 8 thru 11
The journey continues. Here's an update of the last few days.
Day 8 - Strength training. Or -- should've been. As mentioned in the previous post, i overdid myself last week and was forced to take a day off. I used the time to do some extra mobility work.
Day 9 - Mobility. The typical "roll around on a lacrosse ball" stuff i've been talking about.
Day 10 - Meal prep. Made an entire chicken in the crock pot. Used the breasts with rice for dinner and lunch the following day. The rest of the meat will be shredded and turned into chicken noodle soup using the stock from the bones.
Day 11 - Strength training. Workout "B". 2 rounds of: 1-leg romanian deadlift, chinups (4 seconds on the lowering part), hamstring curls, planks, and good mornings.
Day 11 - Strength training. Workout "B". 2 rounds of: 1-leg romanian deadlift, chinups (4 seconds on the lowering part), hamstring curls, planks, and good mornings.
Morning Routine: Diet/Exercise - Days 4 thru 7
Here's how the last four days of the diet/exercise challenge have gone:
Day 4 - Strength training. All exercises were performed for 2 sets and 10 reps. Planks were 30 seconds (to failure) and chin-ups were to failure.
Single-leg romanian deadlift - 15 lbs
Chin ups (4-sec negatives) - bodyweight
Hamstring curls - 25 lbs
Plank - bodyweight
Good mornings - 45 lbs
Day 5 - Mobilility. I focused on the sore spots from training the day prior. Just rolled around on the lacrosse ball.
Day 6 - Cardio. The weather was nice for the first time all year. Perfect time for an outdoor run. Probably only ran a mile but it was enough. (more than enough)
Day 7 - Meal prep. Made this meatloaf that was dinner, lunch the following day, and dinner again that night. I change it up so i don't get bored. It was meatloaf and potatoes for dinner/lunch and i mixed the leftover meatloaf with some rice for the next dinner.
My shins are in tons of pain from running and i threw my back out standing up too quickly. That type of shit happens when we try to do too much too soon. Now i'll be forced to miss at least one workout. I should've been smarter.
Aging is difficult.
Day 4 - Strength training. All exercises were performed for 2 sets and 10 reps. Planks were 30 seconds (to failure) and chin-ups were to failure.
Single-leg romanian deadlift - 15 lbs
Chin ups (4-sec negatives) - bodyweight
Hamstring curls - 25 lbs
Plank - bodyweight
Good mornings - 45 lbs
Day 5 - Mobilility. I focused on the sore spots from training the day prior. Just rolled around on the lacrosse ball.
Day 6 - Cardio. The weather was nice for the first time all year. Perfect time for an outdoor run. Probably only ran a mile but it was enough. (more than enough)
Day 7 - Meal prep. Made this meatloaf that was dinner, lunch the following day, and dinner again that night. I change it up so i don't get bored. It was meatloaf and potatoes for dinner/lunch and i mixed the leftover meatloaf with some rice for the next dinner.
Aging is difficult.
Morning Routine: Diet/Exercise - Days 1 thru 3
Diet/Exercise challenge is a go. I lifted weights on Monday, did mobility work and stretching on Tuesday, and prepped meals on Wednesday. Here're the details:
Monday - Strength Training
I plan to loosely follow a workout outlined in Tim Ferriss' The Four Hour Body called Critical (M)Ass: The Kiwi’s Complete A/B Workout. I say loosely because i haven't yet figured out how i'll accomplish all of these exercises in my home gym, particularly, the swiss ball exercise and the reverse hypers in the "B" portion of the workout.
Anyways, i started slow. All exercises were performed in order, not resting until the circuit was complete. I did 2 sets and 10 reps of everything except the kettlebell swings, of which i performed 20 reps.
Dumbbell (DB) front squat to overhead press - 15# dumbbells (limited by left shoulder)
1-arm 1-leg DB row - 10#
Walking lunges with sprinter knee raise - bodyweight
Wide-grip pushups - bodyweight
Kettlebell swings - 35#
Tuesday - Mobility
Took time to stretch and work on my sore areas with a lacrosse ball. Basically, i roll over areas of my body until i find a sore spot. When i do, i relax and let the ball penetrate deep into the muscle tissues. The goal is to get the muscle to fully release itself. I'm not a doctor, but it works.
Wednesday - Meal Prep
I woke up to find that i hadn't set the dishwasher to run overnight so the crockpot was dirty. I whined, sulked, and went back to bed and watched the news on tv. Talk about self-sabotage. Anyways, i ended up baking the chicken thighs instead of using the slow cooker. Threw it on some rice.
Monday - Strength Training
I plan to loosely follow a workout outlined in Tim Ferriss' The Four Hour Body called Critical (M)Ass: The Kiwi’s Complete A/B Workout. I say loosely because i haven't yet figured out how i'll accomplish all of these exercises in my home gym, particularly, the swiss ball exercise and the reverse hypers in the "B" portion of the workout.
Anyways, i started slow. All exercises were performed in order, not resting until the circuit was complete. I did 2 sets and 10 reps of everything except the kettlebell swings, of which i performed 20 reps.
Dumbbell (DB) front squat to overhead press - 15# dumbbells (limited by left shoulder)
1-arm 1-leg DB row - 10#
Walking lunges with sprinter knee raise - bodyweight
Wide-grip pushups - bodyweight
Kettlebell swings - 35#
Tuesday - Mobility
Took time to stretch and work on my sore areas with a lacrosse ball. Basically, i roll over areas of my body until i find a sore spot. When i do, i relax and let the ball penetrate deep into the muscle tissues. The goal is to get the muscle to fully release itself. I'm not a doctor, but it works.
Wednesday - Meal Prep
I woke up to find that i hadn't set the dishwasher to run overnight so the crockpot was dirty. I whined, sulked, and went back to bed and watched the news on tv. Talk about self-sabotage. Anyways, i ended up baking the chicken thighs instead of using the slow cooker. Threw it on some rice.
Morning Routine: Diet/Exercise - Introduction
If you've been following this blog or know me IRL then you know that my health and fitness is always in a state of flux. After high school (where i was a 2 sport athlete) i went to college and gained 40 pounds (where i was a 0 sport athlete). I eventually lost all the weight, only to put it back on again. I lose it, i put it back on. I lose it, i put it back on.
I want to get off the roller coaster and make a healthy lifestyle an everyday, all-the-time thing. Therefore, I'm making a part of my morning routine to ensure that being healthy is a regular part of normal day.
After waking early, drinking an organic hemp protein shake in water, and "creating," i will dedicate time to my body. I will prep meals on Sundays and Wednesdays. I will strength train on Mondays and Thursdays. I will do mobility work on Tuesdays and Fridays. Cardio comes on Saturday.
The idea of cooking only twice a week is something that interests me. I rarely want to come home after work and begin preparing a meal from scratch so this will allow me to get around that. Large batches of crock pot meals and "freezer friendly" foods will make up the majority of my dinners and lunches. Repurposed leftovers are integral as i don't want to simply eat the same meals over and over again.
I currently weigh around 180. My ultimate goal weight is between 155 - 165 pounds, unless my body fat is super low -- then the sky is the limit. I'd walk around at 220 if i was under 12%.
I want to get off the roller coaster and make a healthy lifestyle an everyday, all-the-time thing. Therefore, I'm making a part of my morning routine to ensure that being healthy is a regular part of normal day.
After waking early, drinking an organic hemp protein shake in water, and "creating," i will dedicate time to my body. I will prep meals on Sundays and Wednesdays. I will strength train on Mondays and Thursdays. I will do mobility work on Tuesdays and Fridays. Cardio comes on Saturday.
The idea of cooking only twice a week is something that interests me. I rarely want to come home after work and begin preparing a meal from scratch so this will allow me to get around that. Large batches of crock pot meals and "freezer friendly" foods will make up the majority of my dinners and lunches. Repurposed leftovers are integral as i don't want to simply eat the same meals over and over again.
I currently weigh around 180. My ultimate goal weight is between 155 - 165 pounds, unless my body fat is super low -- then the sky is the limit. I'd walk around at 220 if i was under 12%.
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