McDonalds and I have something in common

McDonalds lost 4% profit and I have lost 4% bodyfat. I got my bodyfat tested this morning and and I am now 24.8% bodyfat. My first test last year was 28.6%. The cool thing is 3% was lost in the last 2 1/2 months.
One bad thing is that my BMR (basal metabolic rate) went down. Your BMR is how many calories you burn just going about your day without exercising.

One reason for this may because I've also lost 2lbs. muscle mass. I have not lifted weights in over a year. I do however, do yoga 4 times a week. The culprit may be my running. I'm doing so much cardio with my running and my spinning that I am burning fat AND muscle. I'm going to start adding in some resistance training.

I don't believe in free weights anymore so I will be performing body weight exercises. Yoga is a body weight activity as well as push-ups, pull-ups, air-squats, basically any exercise you do without using any weight other than your body weight.

Body weight exercises are safer than conventional free weights for people with back injuries like I have. The down side is I probably won't build muscle as fast as I would with free weights but that's ok. I'm not looking to get big anymore. I'm 41 not 21. I just want to look good naked.

When I got my results I was actually very upset. I thought I had lost at least 8 or 9% bodyfat. I've lost so much weight and waist sizes that I assumed I lost more. Because I lost muscle mass that I didn't know I lost, I assumed wrong.

I was actually depressed. I beat myself up hard this morning. I went to yoga and was so distracted by my results that I left early. I couldn't concentrate. I went home and sulked.

After I cooled down and ate something I realized, "hey dumby, you lost 4% of your bodyfat! You are going in the right direction. I got so mad because I didn't lose more that I lost sight of the big picture. I am losing bodyfat and am moving in the right direction and being successful.

It's like winning the 100 million dollar lottery and being mad about the millions you have after the taxes come out. YOU STILL HAVE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS STUPID!

So I'm going to continue to workout, eat right, drink water and shop for smaller clothes:)

Run Forest Run

Today's Long Run

Today's run was a little tricky.  The app told me to run for either 6 miles or 90 minutes, whichever came first.  Well I knew I could run 6 miles and I knew I could do it under 90 minutes.  When do I turn around??  I have to know when to turn and go back home so I decided just to choose a route and run until I got home.  I ran a loop and ran 6.3 miles in exactly 60 minutes.

When I first started to use this app it asked me what my running experience was.  Since I don't run I chose the "couch to run" option.  So I think it assumes that I'm out of shape and have never ran a day in my life.  I think I may have underestimated myself...Big Surprise.   I'm going to go ahead and stick to this training program.  If it works for a couch potato, it will work for me.

Also today's run is actually yesterday's run but I got too busy with a bathroom remodel.  Don't even get me started on that.  There is a little strife going on in this happy little household over that.  But like a trooper I just ran it today.

While working on ripping up tile on the bathroom floor I put alot of stress on my lower back.  It was an intense pain but it definitely made my back muscle very very stiff and tight.  I hot-tubbed and then slept on an ice-pak.  That and a little ibuprofen and I woke up just a little stiff.  I had to teach a 930am spin class so I stretched before class and then hung out and took a yoga class.  Wha-La! No pain.  I can't even tell you how much Yoga helps me.

I know, I know.  I keep harping on how wonderful yoga is.  Three months ago I was a stiff, unbalanced dude in a female dominated room.  Today I'm a freaking Yogi.  Not only am I more flexible, I can now do "binds."  For those Yoga virgins out there a bind is basically when you can get in a ridiculously weird contortion and wrap an arm behind yourself and grab your other hand in some other region of your body.  You kind of look like your iPod earbuds when you pull them out of your pocket.  A jumbled mess.  But at least I'm flexible as hell.

My recovery time has been cut so much that if I have a stiff back from a run or a spin, if I do a yoga class the next morning, I'm back to 99%.  It's amazing and I just can't say enough good things about it.

I'm getting really excited about my race is just around the corner.  I'm more than confident that I will be able to run a half marathon with no problems.

Tomorrow morning I am getting my body fat tested again.  I will post the results and compare them to the last one.  It should have gone down since I went down 2 waist sizes already.

Wish me luck!

GOAL!!

For the past month I have been teaching a core class twice a week.  It's a half hour class that is directly after my half hour spinning class. It's great cardio followed by an awesome core workout.

I'm never sure if the members who take my class like it or not.  I was a little rusty at first and they were used to an instructor who, quite frankly, was not the good.  One thing I've realized living here in western Washington is that people here don't always show their feelings.  Every one is very subdued and I can never read anyone.  I'm used to the mid-west where everyone is so open and friendly.  Here is seems there is alot of passive aggressive behavior.  People in the Seattle area are polite, but not that friendly.

So imagine my surprise when two members came up to me after core class to let me know how much the loved that class.  Then 10 minutes later they came back and asked me if I was still personal training and what my rates were.  The fact that I was dressed in head-to-toe spandex cycling gear my have had something to do with it but I digress.  Unfortunately I'm not really training right now so I directed them to the YMCA staff.

You see I was in the process of giving up that class because I didn't know if anyone was benefiting from it.  No one was giving me any feedback.  I realized I'm the type of person that needs feedback.  I need people to tell me if I am doing a good job or not.  Because of these two members positive feedback, now I want to keep the classes.  I started to wonder how many other places in my life where I may not follow through because I'm afraid of failure.   Am I not following through because I'm not getting feedback from people?  Am I good enough?

I started to think back. I am the only person in that class who is a personal trainer.  I am the only one in that class who really knows what they are doing technically.  I'm the one who is up front motivating and inspiring them to do a 3 minute plank.  What the hell?  Why do I feel less than?

This came up in my pharmaceutical job.  I was constantly feeling like I was less than because I knew the doctor is an expert in his field.  I forgot that I am an expert on the drug I was selling.  I was so intimidated and insecure that I let myself fail.

There is a modeling agency in Portland that only deals with sports related modeling.  They do fitness modeling for Nike, REI and other big names in the fitness industry.  In order to be considered you must be in a sport, have experience with a sport or have some kind of skill in the fitness industry.  Well guess what?  I'm a personal trainer, spin instructor, cyclist and now thanks to a half-marathon training program, a runner.

I am just a hop, skip and a jump away from submitting myself to be considered for this agency.  All I need is to be a little leaner and I'm in.  My headshots are great.  I went down another waist size and I'm in the BEST shape of my life!  I'm ready to show them what 42 can look like.

I've found that in order to accomplish something, I need a goal.  My running is a result of my goal of finishing a half-marathon in September.  I'm setting a goal to lose enough body fat so I can submit myself to this agency.  One of the requirements is that you have a candid shot (non-professional) of your body in just shorts.  They want to see how good you look without your clothes on.  After all I would be modeling sports gear.

I have to really think about when the goal date is.  I need to find out my current body fat and see how long I need to lose the body fat in a healthy way.  I'm getting my body fat tested the week after next.  I was 27% so I'm sure I've come down a bit.  I know to see my abs I should be around 10% body fat.

Time to pull myself up by my bootstraps and start hitting some goals!

No much to report.

I've been so busy that I haven't had time to write any posts.

I've still been running.  Yesterday was my longest yet.  Almost 8 miles for 1hour and 15 minutes.  Walk  one minute / Run 8 minutes.

Yoga is going well as always.  Can't say enough good about it.

Spinning is going well except I'm getting a little overwhelmed with all the classes I'm teaching.  I've asked to cut back on a few.

As soon as I get inspired I promise to write something soon!

Dressing for success

Today there was an article on MYNorthwest.com about researchers finding the "key" to dieting success.

 Seattle-researchers-find-the-key-to-dieting-success

I'm going to tell you why I disagree and agree with some of these findings.  

Key weight loss strategy number one: Accountability.  This means writing down what you eat including every calorie.   Basically keeping a food log.  If you really want to fail at losing weight, write down EVERYTHING you eat and see how long that lasts.  You are setting yourself up for failure.  If you ate healthy food you wouldn't have to write anything down.  Essentially the purpose of logging is for you to see how much crap you eat.  It guilts you into eating better.  No it doesn't.

Strategy number two:  advises dieters to not skip meals. I agree with this.  Everyone thinks that when you skip meals you will lose weight.  Yes in the short term you will lose weight.  You are also starving your body's metabolism.  You are slowing it down to a crawl.  You can't burn fat because your metabolism is too slow.  Think of your body as an oven.  You metabolism is the fire.  You have to feed the fire to keep it going.  When you feed your body healthy food it "lights the fire" that is your metabolism and you burn more calories.  Eating MORE actually burns more calories. Meaning eat small amounts of healthy food more times a day.  The more often you eat the hotter you're burning your fire that is you metabolism.

The third and final best weight loss strategy: Avoid restaurants.  Restaurants are HORRIBLE for you.  In moderation they are fine but if you are really trying to lose weight and you are eating out 2 -3 times a day, you are going to fail.  "But Rex I always order a salad."  That's great but look at how many calories are in the dressing alone.   Below is an example of just some of the dressings out there.

Calorie Chart for Dressings Calorie charts and fat tables with calorific values of salad dressing Calorie and Fat Content in Dressings Calorie charts and fat tables with calorific values of salad dressing Please note: all calorie values are approximate. Dressings Amount Fat  Calories Blue Cheese Dressing 2 tbsp 16g 149 Cocktail Sauce 2 tbsp 0 35 Dijon Dressing 2 tbsp 17g 150 Fat-free Dressing 2 tbsp 0 5 French Dressing 2 tbsp 20g 185 Garlic Dressing 2 tbsp 18g 155 Guacamole Dressing 2 tbsp 11g 105 Italian Dressing 2 tbsp 14g 145 Mayonnaise 2 tbsp 24g 220 Oil & Vinegar Dressing 2 tbsp 14g 140 Peanut Butter Dressing 2 tbsp 21g 200 Pesto Dressing 2 tbsp 14g 140 Ranch Style Dressing 2 tbsp 16g 160 Roqufort Dressing 2 tbsp 12g 120 Sesame Dressing 2 tbsp 16g 180 Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette 2 tbsp 3g 75 Tartar Sauce 2 tbsp 18g 185 Thousand Island Dressing 2 tbsp 18g 180 Vinaigrette 2 tbsp 18g 180 Yogurt Dressing 2 tbsp 2g 35 Calorie and Fat Content in Dressings Calorie charts and fat tables with calorific values of salad dressing Please note: all calorie values are approximate.

You may think you are eating a nice healthy salad but the salad dressing can add up to 500 calories or more making your total caloric intake of a salad around 1000 calories.  Helpful Hint:  Always ask for dressing on the side.  Do not pour it on your salad.  Dip the tines of you fork in before you take a bite of salad.  You will get a fraction of the calories and still get the taste.

DIET 101

Definition of the word DIET: 

Noun- 

1        food and drink considered in terms of its qualities,composition, and its effects on health:              Milk is a wholesomearticle of diet.

2.

a particular selection of food, especially as designed orprescribed to improve a person's physical condition or toprevent or treat a disease: a diet low in sugar.

3.

such a selection or a limitation on the amount a person eatsfor reducing weight: No pie for me, I'm on a diet.

4.

the foods eaten, as by a particular person or group: Thenative diet consists of fish and fruit.

5.

food or feed habitually eaten or provided: The rabbits were feda diet of carrots and lettuce.

verb (used with object)

7.

to regulate the food of, especially in order to improve thephysical condition.

8.

to feed.

verb (used without object)

9.

to select or limit the food one eats to improve one'sphysical condition or to lose weight: I've dieted all month andlost only one pound.

10.

to eat or feed according to the requirements of a diet.

adjective

11.

suitable for consumption with a weight-reduction diet;dietetic: diet soft drinks.

I have to say again that I don't believe in diets.  They do not work.  You may lose weight but a fad diet will always end and the weight will always come back.

Now the word "DIET" is thrown around in many different ways.  It can refer to the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet or the Juice Diet.  Nutritionists, personal trainers and anyone in the fitness industry will refer to the word "DIET" as the way it should be used.  For example, "You should be eating a DIET of lean meats, fruit and vegetables."  #3 from the noun definition above should never be used in my opinion.  You should never "go on a diet" to lose weight.  However, you should "go on a DIET OF lean meats and vegetables" to lose weight.

Never diet as a verb or adjective.  Always diet as a noun except for #3!

Remember you will always succeed if you know what you are putting in your mouth is healthy.  If you know that fork full of food is crap, you are what you eat.

Yoga and Success

Today I took a "gentle yoga" class this morning. It's like the name implies. It's more about light stretching and postures. After my run yesterday I was feeling very stiff this morning. I also taught 2 spin classes back to back and I'm glad I took a yoga class this morning because all my muscles were relaxed and ready to work!

I don't think I could train for this half-marathon with out doing yoga too. It's been so beneficial. Any soreness I have from running is quickly dissipated the next day after a good yoga class.

If you are training for an event and you really want to succeed, try doing yoga in conjunction with training. I have less injuries and have more endurance. The few times I have gotten injured the injury has gone away quickly after a couple of yoga classes.

If you decide to give yoga a try it will suck on the first visit. You have to give it at least 4 or 5 classes before you start to really see results. Sooner if you are in good shape.

Running Podcast

Today's run was a 40 minute, walk 1 minute / run 8 minutes split. I ran 4.3 miles with a 9:15 pace.

For some reason today was a little tough. I made the mistake of not doing my run this morning. Curt came home from work a few days early and we had to run to Seattle for a quick errand. Seattle is an hour away. We didn't leave until 1pm and didn't get back until 6pm with all the rush hour traffic and what not.

I got home, put on my running clothes and ran. I think it was because it was much later than I am used to. Running at night is always harder for me. At the same time I think running at different times of the day is good for me.

Running at different times of the day is the same to me as shaking up your workout and the effects that it has on your body. Like I said before, if you shake up your workout every few weeks or so, your body has to adapt. It adapts by changing.

I never run the same route more than 2 days in a row. If I do I will get burned out. Luckily for me I live in a rural area and the number or routes is infinite it seems. I think even little things like changing your route gives your body a little jolt and makes your workout more interesting. If I have to see the same things over and over again every time I run, I might as well be on a treadmill.

I listen to podcasts. Most people like to listen to music. I used to listen to my favorite playlist until the invention of the podcast. I have found that time goes by much faster when I am listening to a conversation. I like to listen to Adam Corrola. The problem with him is that I find myself laughing so hard sometimes that people who drive by me must think I'm going into convulsions. My most favorite podcast is Luke Burbank. He is local here in Seattle. His podcast is called Too Beautiful To Live or TBTL. (www.tbtl.net) If you know me than you know my sense of humor. Luke's humor is the same as mine. It's very sarcastic and very snarky. He's very "seinfeldian," meaning he is so gifted with gab that he can talk for an hour about nothing and it's the best hour of nothing I've ever heard. Just hearing him talk about his latest trip to Home Depot makes me laugh. Listening to podcasts make my runs fly by. It's like when you workout with a buddy and you are so vested in the conversation that by the time you're done, time has flown by.

The moral of the story is if you are like me and you get bored easily and burned out, shake it up as much as possible! Run a different route. Listen to different music. Run a different time of day. Anything you can do to stay motivated will keep you focused on your goal and you will succeed!

I'm going to be a heavy drinker.

Today was my longest, hardest training run yet. Today I had to run for 1 hour and 10 minutes and cover at least 4.5 miles. I was on a 1 minute walk / 5 minute run split. I ended up running for 1 hour and 12 minutes and covered almost 8 miles.

Today I decided that since I was running for such a long time that I would bring water with me. I wore my Camelback backpack filled with water.
It's one of the smaller ones so it's not too heavy. It was really nice to have. I stayed hydrated and it made my run a little easier.

I had one little problem. Halfway through I had to relieve myself. Luckily for me my route is very heavily wooded. That's just a problem that will eventually remedy itself once my body gets used to drinking so much water.

I also have another little problem and that is I drink way too much diet soda and I think that it may be affecting my hydration. I have become addicted to the fizziness of the liquid.

Diet sodas are made with artificial sweeteners. While they may be better for you than a regular soda, they still trick your body into craving sugar. They also fool you into NOT feeling full. If you're not full you eat more.

Here is a great article that explains the way diet soda can make you fat.
the-strange-reason-diet-soda-makes-you-fat 

My new goal is to drink more water. Drinking more water will not only hydrate you but it will clear up your face and your hair may be more healthy. You skin will look younger and who doesn't like to erase a few years from your face before your next high school reunion.

I'm hoping to become a heavy drinker...of water.

Bad Ass Unicorn

Today I went to Yoga class and got my ass kicked.  It was one hour and 15 minutes of the most intense stretching I've ever done.  I got my ass handed to me and at the same time I felt amazing afterwards.  

About half way through class I was seriously considering quitting and leaving.  Why?  It was too hard. Boo Hoo.  I didn't like that some of the poses were too complicated.  I did them but I sure as hell had to really try.  I wanted to give up and give in.  

One thing I've always been told in yoga class is that you have to put aside competition.  It's not about what others around you can do better than you.  It's about what YOU can do.  If your body doesn't want you to stretch as much as the guy next to you then listen to it.  I had to remember that I was in class for myself and if I couldn't finish a pose today, I will be able to in a few weeks.  It takes time.  I'm getting healthier and healthier and I don't want to do anything to mess that up. 

Remember when you are at the gym or on a run and you just want to give up and go home, YOU ARE A BADASS UNICORN.

Patti Lindquist 1971-2012

I just lost another friend to a violent crime. Patti was one year behind me in high school. Her sister Mary was one my best friends. After I graduated high school Patti and I would often hangout, go to movies, go on double dates but no matter what, one thing we always did was laugh our asses off.

Patty was killed by an ex-boyfriend. She had a restraining order against him. He killed her and then killed himself. Domestic violence is almost the worse way to go because the killer is someone you know and once loved.

I'm very fortunate to be in a relationship where domestic violence has never been an issue. We were just talking today about people who have restraining orders against them. Restraining orders are like gun laws. Gun laws are not a deterrent to criminals because they don't care about laws. That's why they are criminals. People who need restraining orders are not deterred from stalking because in order to have a restraining order against them one has to be unstable to begin with.

I didn't know this guy. I don't know the nature of their relationship. I do know that Patti was courageous enough to know when to end a harmful relationship. Patti did what some women (or men) find hard to do. She took responsibility and took charge of her life. Unfortunately that brave step cost Patti her life.

I hope what happened to Patti will cause women who are in a bad relationship to think about their lives and how they can make it better. Her outcome was not a desired result, obviously, but we still shouldn't stop striving to live the best possible life we can.

This is the second friend I have lost in the last 6 weeks due to a violent crime. I am not going to dwell on how they died or revenge. Those things are toxic to your mind and can only lead to more pain. I will learn from them and apply these situations to my own life. In each situation I can take away a valuable lesson or wonderful memories or even use their influence on me to make my life better.

One thing I hate about living so far away from where I grew up is the chance to stay closer to good friends I grew up with. I have to miss most good times and bad times. Luckily I have strong bonds with some of these friends and they think of me and keep me in the loop of all the things I miss out on. To those people I thank you.

Life is too short. Don't waste your time with negative people and don't put yourself in bad situations. It will only lead to your undoing.

I miss you Patti but I know I'll get to see you again.

I gots the Sugars

I was at Target today and say Paula Deen on the cover of People and she was 30 lbs. lighter. She looks amazing.

Paula was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes (the sugars) a couple of years ago and went public with it last year. I for one was not surprised. The few times I saw her cooking show she was cooking the most amazingly yummy yet fattening foods I have ever seen. She uses butter in everything! What did she expect?

"Deen reveals to People, she's been making a concerted effort to lose weight, eat healthier and even exercise. And that's important as diet and exercise are the two main treatments for Type 2 diabetes, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the body doesn't use insulin normally, resulting in dangerously high blood glucose levels. The first action after diagnosis is diet and exercise changes. If those don't work, medication -- including insulin shots -- may be added to the treatment protocol. Often, after significant weight loss, those on medication can go off of it, according to the Mayo Clinic.


Paula Deen has not revealed whether her weight loss has meant she can cease taking the drug she endorses, Victoza, which is used in conjunction with diet and exercise, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Obesity and lack of physical exercise are two of the most common risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, though according to the American Diabetes Association other risk factors include family history, ethnicity and age. "Most overweight people never develop type 2 diabetes, and many people with type 2 diabetes are at a normal weight or only moderately overweight," they write.

About 26 million Americans suffer from the condition, which makes up almost 95 percent of all diabetes cases in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "
-excerpt from HUFFINGTON POST

I used to sell diabetic insulin for type 2 diabetes for a living. I saw first hand how many obese people were suffering needlessly from a disease that can easily be controlled with diet and exercise. It not only effects the diabetic but it also effects the people around them. This is a disease that can result in leg amputations and can drive the cost of health care sky high. Family members now have to care for a diabetic family member adding stress to their lives.

Paula Deen is losing weight the way one is supposed to. She started working out and eating right. Some may argue that 30 lbs in 6 months is alot to lose and unhealthy. However, since I was a personal trainer, I've found that bigger a person is they seem to lose a large quantity right away. Their body has been shocked and it reacts by changing and conforming to the new energy source, healthy food, and exercise. Normal sized people will tend to lose 2-4 lbs a month. If the obese diabetics are diligent enough they will continue to lose more weight but eventually they will hit a plateau.

Everyone hits a plateau when they workout. Ever notice that there comes a time after you've been working out and losing weight that all a sudden it all tends to stop? No matter how hard you workout that few pounds you want to lose won't go away? My friend welcome to the plateau.

How do you break out of the plateau? Easy. Change your workout. You should be changing your workout every 6 weeks. It doesn't have to be a huge change. It can be something as sinple as adding another cardio day or lifting less weight with more reps or more weight with les reps. Just make sure you change it up every once in awhile. This shocks your body into changing. It's saying, "what the hell? what are they doing to me? I'm not used this this. I better conform and lose weight."

I've started my half-marathon training n addition to teaching spin class 4 times a week AND yoga 3 times a week.

One more thing. Girls don't get pissed off. Guys lose weight faster. It's just in the DNA. A guy gains fat cells twice in life, at birth and at puberty. A woman gains fat cells at birth, puberty and every time they have a baby. Yes, that kid is making you fat! Unfortunately the only way to get rid of fat cells is get them sucked out. The good news is that you can make them smaller which is alot cheaper than liposuction.

Remember, change is good. Change makes the world go round. Change your workout, change your life.