Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border...

Some of you may be familiar with the title of this blog. It comes from the prayer of Jabez. When on a diet, this is not the prayer you want to pray. Actually, it would go something like, "Oh that you would bless me and shrink my borders...." Though in a completely different context, you get the point.

Today officially begins week 1 of this diet. So far, I can say I stepped on the scale this morning and I have lost 4.2 lbs since January 1. I know all of that is not fat (if any of it is), but the number seems to be heading in the right direction. I definitely need to get a bit of meal prep going for tomorrow, but with some changes in diet and getting back into the gym, I am happy to see by total poundage decrease.

Today I came in the house and cooked a good bit of chicken breast to eat with my meals this week. I am going to prep some vegetables as well. Looking at my meal plan, I need a really big lunch box to take to work with me. :-) Basically, I'll be working, eating, and drinking all day. Fun stuff.

Here in Missouri, we are having some pretty frigid temperatures, accompanied with a lovely little thing called snow. I remember as a young child growing up in Alabama, I would love it when it snowed. Everything would shut down and no one went anywhere! So we would hang around the fireplace, watch TV, and talk. Here, it's a completely different story. You go about life as usual. With temperatures this cold though (expecting some overnight lows to go below 0), I don't know how normal things can really be. That being said, I am going to do my best to workout on a daily basis and my diet shall CONTINUE! I'll keep everyone update on the process....

Peace!

Man shall not live by bread alone...

...we need spinach, beans, and other good foods for us too.

Today was the first day of this new endeavour. Let me tell you now that I did get a meal plan developed and will rotate various foods in and out of it for the next six weeks. Since there are only 2 days in this first week, in order to allow myself time to adjust, I am using today and tomorrow as something of a preliminary diet. Basically, I'm getting in 2 extra days that "don't count."

I made it to the gym today and followed the exercise routine established for Fridays. At least I tried to follow it. Let me start off by saying that circuit training seems to be very effective. At the same time, you are constantly on the go, more than I have been moving in the weight room. I worked on the first circuit. During the first week, I will work on doing each circuit twice. Though I was up past 2:00 AM celebrating the New Year, I awoke at 8 AM and got to the gym about an hour and a half later.

While working out, I could tell it had been a few weeks since I had been in the gym. I got a little light-headed and felt like I wanted to throw up. I didn't though. I haven't broken a sweat that fast while lifting before; it was pretty cool. To say the least, that's the effect I want (minus the nausea). Just given how the day has been, I have not had 6 meals. I had 3. I'll definitely have to beef up my meal numbers if I want to do this thing the right way.

I'll go back to the gym tomorrow in order to do some interval training. Gotta keep that heart pumping and my legs moving!

On a personal note, I have decided to take body measurements (besides my weight) in order to gauge my progress. I'll go ahead and say right now, I am NOT going to post these measurements. No one besides me and God will know how big my butt actually is. I will be willing to note how many inches I have lost/gained (hopefully all in the right places) at the end of the 6 weeks.

I hope you all have a blessed New Year and meet the goals you have set for yourselves this year!

Bodily training is of some value...

I hope all the readers of this blog have had a Merry Christmas. Celebrating the first coming of Christ serves as an assurance of His second coming.

As we approach the beginning of a new year, many people will embark on a journey to get in better shape and lose weight. Though I wouldn't consider myself to be gym rat, I must admit I generally abhor the month of January in the gym. I understand this month can be a great one for personal trainers and fitness corporations, but for clients, it can be a bit frustrating.

At the beginning of the year, numerous people make a resolution to get in better shape. For many, this means getting a gym membership. What you find is an overcrowded fitness facility with the "regulars" discussing who they think will "make it" in the world of fitness and muscle building. Amazingly, you see all kinds of people with various goals coming in at the beginning of the year---people who want to lose weight, people who want to gain weight, people who want to look like they eat small children for dinner, and those who wish to look like they simply live on water. Despite all these people with all their goals, the gym usually gets back to normal in a matter of weeks.

As a person who is somewhat frugal in his spending (some would call me cheap), paying for a gym membership encourages me to go to the gym. I don't like to lose money, so a gym membership helps me go to the gym, even if I don't feel like it. Frugality can be extremely beneficial in situations like this.

One of the biggest problems I have seen is that most people don't have a plan. When I don't have one, I find myself floundering around the gym like a fish out of water. SO... this time, I have 6 weeks of exercise plans already developed. I simply have to print them and place them into my notebook. Six weeks of six days of alternating between aerobic and anaerobic exercise should help me reach my goals. We'll see.

During the first 6 weeks of the year, I hope to not only meet my own goals, but to maybe encourage someone else in theirs. Now on to meal planning!!!

Merry Christmas! May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all!

The vision is for days yet to come...

Well, I decided to take the time today to go ahead and make my schedule. My class times are established; my work schedule is setup; and my workout times are in place. Just to be safe, I even scheduled in food preparation time. All I have left is establishing my workout routine and my diet.

Since I am basing my workout schedule off of The Abs Diet workout, that part should be very easy (at least for the first 6 weeks). I plan to workout 6 days a week. That may seem like a lot to some people, but I have done it before and found it to be pretty cool. Even if scheduling prevents a workout or two, I hope make it to the gym at least 4 times a week. For example, I plan on hanging out with some guys a couple of weekends from now. We will see how that works out. Even though I won't have internet access, I'll try to update everyone about that experience upon my return. I also need to remember this weekend will also affect my diet. I hope it doesn't set me back too much, but I'm willing to risk it.

Getting back to the idea of exercise, I will not simply exercise. I will push for progress. Looking back, I think I would have made much more progress in my fitness endeavours if I had pushed myself. So, I will go to the gym with a log. I will note the amount of weight used, as well as the number of repetitions and sets completed. I also hope to record how much time I spend doing cardio workouts. Hopefully, this will help me push myself beyond the mediocrity of physical fitness. I hope workout logs will be completed tomorrow.

Make preparation for it...

As a person who tries to make plans as soon as possible, I find it important to make preparations for these new changes upon which I am embarking. Over the next few days, I plan to develop meal plans, exercise plans, and my schedule. I hope this attempt at foresight for my goals pays off.

Besides the use of my book, I have also gotten a couple of links from friends of mine to help with exercise planning and diet (Thanks Octavio and Evan!). I understand the body can become extremely accustomed to exercise routines after so and not respond accordingly. I know this usually begins as one approaches the 6 week mark. So, I'm going to go for a 6-week regimen and will begin go incorporate variations in exercises at the end of this first 6 weeks. In order to maintain consistency, I will stick with the program found in The Abs Diet for the first six weeks. At the end of that period, my goals may change and I will possibly have to modify everything. We will see.

At this moment, I see the easiest thing to establish will be my schedule. Knowing my class schedule and having a pretty consistent work and church schedule, I will arrange my daily preparations around these "fixed" components of my day. Though I will not post my schedule, I will have those who hold me accountable with my schedule. I will also establish a schedule in which I schedule 8 hours of sleep and will make efforts to abide by that as much as possible.

Acknowledging I have a problem keeping the fourth commandment, I am going to schedule a 24 hour period each week in which I will not do any work. The goal here is not legalism; this action is to serve as a continued lesson in learning not to depend upon my own strength. Publicly proclaiming this, I have plenty of people who can hold me accountable for this. I pray for God's grace as I work out this area of discipline.

In the beginning...

As the year 2009 comes to a close, I realize there are a number of changes I wish to make in my life. Despite popular opinion, living a healthy life is about much more than losing weight or obtaining a six-pack. Admittedly, that is a great bonus!

Reflecting on my past behaviour, I see how it has negatively affected my present health. Planning on a career that can be highly satisfying, yet has a potential for high levels of stress, I find it necessary to make these changes now! Being challenged in class and by friends about my lifestyle, I have noted a few bad habits I have had in my life.

• Not getting enough sleep. More than most people I should know about the horrible repercussions of such activity. As a tenth grader, I was rushed to the emergency room due to my immune system breaking down. I got an infection (which the ER doctor kept saying was the result of an STD -- idiot doctor) in my knee. After a week of hobbling around like an old man, I should have learned. Thank God for his grace that has kept me.

• Eating junk food when I'm running low on time or just plain old tired. Looking back at the past number of months, I think I wouldn't have put on the bad weight I have if I had not eaten so much junk food. I've been through this before and I know better by now. Taking some extra time to prep my food each week may be worth it.

• Always running in high gear. I must admit I live life in high speed and have a hard time stopping to simply relax. When I came home for Christmas, I did the least amount I have done in a LONG time. There were a number of days at which I did nothing school or work related. It was nice. There was some time where I didn't really know what to do with my time and I still struggle with that, but I hope to work my way through this process and learn to relax a bit.

Given this desire to change some long-term practices, I hope to begin the process of preparing myself for this endeavour and officially beginning on January 1, 2010. I will follow the plan presented in The Abs Diet by David Zinczenko. Over the six-week period prescribed in the book, I will record my experience through this journey, including any changes my body undergoes. If anyone out there wants to help hold me accountable during this period, please feel free to do do so.