How A Picture Can Change Things

This is not a photo of me. I will explain it's relevance in a moment.

A friend messaged me this question yesterday...

"Ok... this is a burning question I've had for a while...  How do you stay in shape? We're the same age, but you have the body of a 25 year old."

I gave him the link to my blog here, which gives pretty good detail on what I've done to get fit for myself, and I think it's been a winning plan - for me. But the more I think about it, we each work and achieve in different ways, and Google is full of great ideas and tips, many of which I have stolen and adopted as my own. Amazon, too, is full of good books with winning plans and ideas.

In reality, though, the how happens automatically (and your how to accomplish it might be a lot different than mine) when you can clearly see a picture of what the final desired result is. 

That's where the photo above comes in.

I don't know who the photographer or the guy in the pic is, otherwise I would credit them both here. But, I found this picture several years ago, and said to myself, "I want to look and feel like that!" I looked at it often, visualized in my mind what it would be like to look that way, and what it would feel like to be in that kind of health. 

Keeping that mental picture always near, concentrating, visualizing, seeing myself looking and feeling that way, is probably the single-biggest factor in my current physical condition. I wish I could find this guy and the photographer, for I would shake their hands, and offer my sincere and profound thanks! It is this photo that struck a nerve in me, and helped me really identify what I wanted.

I still analyze this image, because there are elements of this guy's fitness that I continue to strive for.

Find your picture, and then own it. The rest will take care of itself.
Cheers!
Marty

OLDER POSTS

What I Eat to Get Ripped

I'm working on hitting some lofty goals for myself in the next month or two, which will be achieved primarily by strict adherence to my nutrition regimen. Since my muscle tone is adequate for my lifestyle (being fleet, and moving well for racquetball and running) the rest is mainly just aesthetics, (being cut and defined) which will be achieved by general lean-ness.

Currently, I am somewhere in the range of 8%-10% body fat, if the skin fold caliper, and my use of it are correct. (And whether I'm using it perfectly, or not, I do try to use it exactly the same every time, so at least the benchmark and relative progress are trackable.) My goal is to hit (by my calculations, at least) 6%-8% body fat, and/or get my belly skin fold measurement to 6-7mm, currently at 10mm, (See my earlier post on that measurement) without losing any lean muscle mass, currently 165#. From where my weight is right now, 181#, I need to lose five pounds of fat, while I retain my lean mass.

That means, a lean, high-protein diet and keeping up with my lifting regimen. In other words, my normal routine - except with no cheating.

With that in mind, I'm going to post here a "day in the life" of my eating plan, just to help remind/clarify my focus and motivation. Much of this plan is from the Tim Ferriss book, The 4-Hour Body, where he highlights what he calls the "Slow-Carb Diet". I generally eat at two-hour intervals, starting at 6 a.m. This plan has become my normal routine, with some minor adjustments and variations, for the last three to four years now. Snacking - especially sweets - is my Achilles heel, so I'm going to maintain a little extra self control and adhere to my plan as it is laid out here, nothing more, nothing less.

The Plan - 6 Days a Week:

6 a.m.
Boiled Egg, Coffee
On lifting mornings: A protein shake mixed with coffee.

8 a.m.
Egg Whites, coffee, teaspoon of Coconut Oil

How I Cook Egg Whites

10 a.m.
Hunk of Raw Cabbage, Snow Peas

12 p.m.
Protein Bar or My Lean Concoction
-Grilled chicken breast, cubed
-1/3 can of black beans
-2 TBSP diced tomato
-1 TBSP olive oil
-heaping TBSP shredded bacon
-Sriracha or other flavoring
High in protein, good carbs, and fiber @ about 550 calories.
A pile of naked spinach or kale goes well here, too.

"Concoction" Ingredients

The finished product ready to eat

2 p.m.
Protein Bar or My Lean Concoction

These are the ones I like

4 p.m.
Handful (about a dozen) of Raw Almonds

6 p.m.
Sensible Dinner (Lean and Green - to steal a term from the Medifast people)

Grilling is my favorite way to eat lean

One "Free Day" per week, (Friday supper, through Saturday lunch) when I get to eat anything I want. Carbs, yay!!!

That's pretty much it, and has been the core of my diet for the last three years. When I am disciplined with it, and keep physically active, the results are great. When trying to add more lean muscle mass, the protein intake needs to be bumped up significantly. This plan as-is comes in under 2,000 calories, so there is room to add things, and still be okay. Up to 3,000 (good) calories will work for me.

VIEW OLDER POSTS

Overdue Update and Progress Report

50, and going strong!

Since my last post, life has certainly included it's share of ups and downs. For various reasons, I've experienced emotional stress like never before.

Thankfully, I'm "over the hump" and in a better place now, and optimistic about better and better times ahead. The support of good friends, family, my faith, and the ability to visualize happiness, have made all the difference.

With all of the upheaval, sorrow, stress, and dismay that was on my plate, one of the things that always made things better, and helped keep me centered and sane, was (and is) physical exercise, and the rewards of good nutrition. Whether intense, focused lifting, the calm of a meditative run, or an all-out competitive match of racquetball with old friends, the effect is always release of stress, and the kind of deep relaxation that gives way to peace and a sense that everything is going to be okay. The simple process of goal setting, and then working for achievement of such, has been a great tool for taking the focus off of difficulties I might otherwise be prone to fret and even obsess over. Also, practicing meditation has been a blessing, and has me always refining my visions of the future.

Speaking of achievement, I have made some notable physical accomplishments in the last couple of years... In 2014, I ran in a half marathon (finished in 1:43, at a pace of 7:55/mi - same as the pace I ran a 10k in the year before) beating the goal I set for myself. Then, I have won two doubles racquetball championships in Des Moines, (with a doubles partner, of course) most recently at the Iowa Open in early March 2016. Also, I set a goal to do 50 consecutive (and strict) pushups by the time I turned 50. I passed that up, and am able to do 60. In the bench/squat/dead lift, I'm lifting heavier than ever before, all while keeping my body fat at, or below 10%, feeling and moving great.

I'll be 51 in about six weeks, and look forward to reaching still more levels of personal achievement. I'm always gratified, too, when I'm able to offer assistance to someone who's journey includes the desire and drive to reach for their own personal achievements. If that's you, I'd be happy to help.

SEE OLDER POSTS

Breathing Squats - Week Two

I completed my second week of the 20-Squat program this morning, doing 20 reps of 220#. I make it to 15 just fine, but the last five are killer! Apparently, my strength is increasing, as I have been able to complete the routine at ever-increasing weights.

One thing I have noticed is that my veins are becoming more prominent, even when I'm not pumped from a workout. I snapped a couple pics right before bedtime last night of the veinage in my arms. I had done absolutely no lifting, or exercise of any kind all day yesterday.

That change, and my appetite has been noticeably increasing. I guess that's to be expected, but it requires a little higher level of discipline to resist the bad snacking. Grrrrr.

Breathing Squats & A New Measuring Tool

It's Time To Change It Up
My First Impressions Of 'Breathing Squats'

After many months of the same lifting routine, I's time to switch things up a little. While Occam's Protocol has been a really good lifting regimen, I think I am at a plateau with it. I have seen good results in the muscle tone, strength, and vascular response it has helped to achieve - and all with just two 45-minute weight training sessions per week.

So to find something that will give as good, or better results on a tight schedule (I'm giving a 1hr time limit) is a tall order. It must also be challenging, build strength, muscle tone, and enhance vascular response (i.e.: poping veins - admittedly, which is purely vane!).

June/2012

Then recently, I heard a friend talking about a lifting routine he was doing called "Breathing Squats" involving, among other things, doing 20-repetition sets of (free weight) squats, and progressively increasing the weight each workout for six weeks. For a long time squats have been a part of my workout regimen. As much as I value my cardio time (racquetball and running) I believe there are great benefits to weight training, and especially squats.

From multiple sources, the information I have read credits weight-bearing exercises for increased bone health, overall strength, elevated metabolism, and increased hormonal response (especially important to us older guys for muscle growth and other areas of performance - wink, wink). The benefits are many, but let's face it, doing squats, especially 20 in a row, sucks! I think that's why most people shy away from them.

As I researched this 'breathing squats' program, it seemed to meet all the criteria I was looking for. Most of the information talked about a 3x/week workout plan, but there was one I found which was adapted to two per week. Perfect. I won't bore you with the program details, you can Google those for yourself. (Or click here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/irontamer5.htm)

I'm now starting my second full week on the new plan, and it is definitely challenging! By the end of the sixth week I am supposed to be able to squat 20 reps of my old 5-rep max weight, which is 275#. We'll see, but I'm already up 10 pounds from where I started. Today, by the time I hit the 15th rep with 215# I could hardly catch my breath, hence "breathing squats". I barely eeked out the last 5 repetitions, with several gasping breaths in between. I can't wait for Friday's 220#!

Measuring Results (A New Tool)

For the last several months my goal has been to stay at the same weight, but to lose 5 pounds of body fat, while gaining 5 pounds of muscle. According to my calculations using a body fat caliper (see earlier posts) I have gained the muscle, but losing the fat has been a bit more of a challenge. I've become a little sloppy with my eating plan, and my snacking weakness is having it's effect.

Recently, I started wondering what else I could use to track this, something that would give a little quicker feedback for my efforts. Tracking total body fat percentage is good, but it takes a while to see measurable results, as my experience has been that seeing a noticeable change in the numbers is more of a monthly thing, at best. I needed a way to get a little extra motivation and encouragement seeing results more frequently than once a month.

So I reasoned that since my ultimate goal is a lean belly, why not just use the caliper to measure my belly fat at more frequent intervals? And, glory be! It worked. Measuring my belly fat at the navel as often as weekly, I've been able to see the results of my good (and bad) eating behavior.

All I do is use the caliper to measure, in milometers, the skin fold at my navel, and voila! I have a way to track performance weekly. It's cool to see the numbers go up or down, and know that they correspond pretty well with how well I stuck to my eating regimen. (As of 3/18/16 my belly fat skin fold is at 10mm, and was as low as 8mm last summer.)

My Run In The Rain

It seems like about once a year I have a run in the rain, and yesterday was this year's glorious installment.

But before I talk about that, I am grateful to report that I am back to running short distances (four mi. or less, for now) since the plantar pain (heel) is almost completely gone in my left foot! The regimen I describe in the previous post, plus a special anti-inflammatory prescribed by my foot doctor have really been doing the trick. Yay!

Now, about the rain run: Yesterday (Sunday) was one of those days with little, intermittent showers coming through, in between periods of bright sunlight. One shower had just passed by, and a quick look at the radar showed another one on it's way, but not for a while. I'd been wanting to get a run in, and thought this might be the opportunity to do it.

So I threw on my gear, (runners, shorts, -no shirt- hat -just in case it did rain- and GPS watch, to track my performance and distance) stretched good, then off I went after another quick glance at the radar. The rain was close, but I really thought it would miss me.

The conditions were great with temps in the mid 70's and calm. There were a few little puddles on the trail, but the concrete was already starting to dry.

About a mile in, the clouds started to thicken (no surprise), and I could hear a little thunder in the distance. I was prepared to get wet if it did rain, but was ready to turn back if the thunder got any closer! Getting struck by lightening has never sounded like a pleasant experience, especially if I could prevent it.

At about a mile-and-a-half it started to sprinkle, which felt kind of nice, as I was starting to get a good sweat on. Then at at little past half way the sky opened up, and buckets of huge drops came straight down. It was awesome! The temperature was just right, and it was oh-so refreshing. The hat proved to be useful keeping the rain out of my eyes, too.

It was full-steam ahead with new energy, just me, the path, and the rain. There's only one drawback of note, and it's that my shoes got soggy-squishy. Other than that, it was an amazing experience, perfectly timed. Had it been raining when I was ready to start out, chances are that I would have not gone for a run at all. The way it turned out, though, I had a chance to get warmed up so when the rain came it was very welcomed.

Then, as suddenly as it had started, the drops stopped coming with about a half mile to go. By the time I walked back up to the house, the sun was trying to peek out again. I will remember this as one of the easiest 3.5mi runs ever. And it felt like I could have just as easily gone twice that far.

Plantar Update

After shots of Cortisone the pain in my foot actually got worse, and two weeks later I was still limping around the house in the mornings. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

My pain is almost gone now after using some new and old techniques combined. It seems to have been pretty effective, and I have continued to play racquetball 3x/week.

I'm now icing (heel submerged in ice cube water) 15 minutes twice a day. The second icing is combined with 800mg Ibuprofen an hour or two before bedtime. Also, while I'm at my desk at work I roll a tennis ball around on my instep, giving it a nice massage and stretch. And, of course, all of my footwear has good instep supports in them.

So far, so good. I got out of bed this morning and almost forgot about my heel. If this keeps up for a few more days I'm going to try a trial run.

#!%%*#$%^!!! Plantar

Okay, this is the second summer that I have had foot pain enough to keep me from running (I'm still playing racquetball, though)! Fortunately, it has been mostly less intense than last year. Now, after a second round of hydro cortisone shots (three injections in two weeks, one in the right foot, two in the left) I am optimistic that this issue will be finally resolved once and for all.

I had it fixed last summer after one injection from Dr. Lantz, my podiatrist, and was good through the winter, that is until I got too cocky on the treadmill and over did it. Lesson learned!

5/22/12 177#

Starting to notice the pushups

3/10/12 180#

3/10/12 180# at 47y/o

Really, 100 Push Ups!

I saw this Android app in the Waterloo Courier, and thought I'd try it out. It will train you to do 100 push ups. And since I have never been able to do more than 40-or-so push ups at once I thought I'd give it a try.

I like push ups because you can do them at home, and easily fit them into a busy schedule. Plus, when I am faithful to do them, the results are noticeable pretty quickly.

UPDATE... 10/25/16
My goal had been to do 50 consecutive strict push ups by my 50th birthday. I surpassed that, and did 60 really good ones, and can now consistently do 60-65. My pushup workout is typically five sets of 40 reps with a 90 second rest between sets, but sometimes I'll do more sets of fewer reps. And it all started with this Push up App.

Ab Vac Video

Blue Zones

http://www.bluezonesproject.com/ Go there.

The Blue Zones Project is the first movement I have seen that will actually elevate the action for happiness and fitness of an entire community - Mind, Soul, and Body.

I could write more here, but you really need to go check it out.

http://www.bluezonesproject.com/ Click on "I'm A Citizen".

Pills

The three elements of physical fitness are exercise, diet, and supplementation. I have opted to focus on exercise and diet only. I'll leave the supplements to those who have a lot more disposable income. (Disclaimer: I do take glucosamine to support joint health, and vitamin C because I don't eat much fruit right now.) I believe 80% of my fitness results depend on what I eat.

But as far as bulking pills or fat burners, I steer clear and get my results the old-fashioned - albeit slower - way.  Besides, pills feel a little too much like 'cheating' to me. That's not to say that I am totally opposed to implementing that strategy at some point.

Four years ago if you would have told me the eating habits I'd have adopted at this point, I may not have believed you. I used to look at people that eat this way as a little fanatical.

Yet, here I find myself eating like a fanatic! It really does just get to be a way of life, and the old cravings subside. The upside is that I feel great and I am progressing toward my fitness goals (see earlier posts). Though, when I hear myself telling someone my eating routine it does sound a little far-out, or at least unconventional. I have been following the "Slow Carb Diet" (as described in the book: The 4-Hour Body - see link at right) which you can easily find by Googling "Slow Carb Diet".

Basically, it is a high protein, high fiber, and "only good carb" regimen. I would say I have had good results with it so far. In eight weeks I have gained four pounds of muscle (in combination with Occam's Protocol weight training routine), and had a small reduction in body fat. Slower results than I had hoped for, but I'm in this for the long-haul.

I don't anticipate making any changes to this eating routine anytime soon. It is a healthy diet, and I don't feel deprived (except, maybe wanting a bowl of my Honey Nut Cheerios, which I have to wait until 'free day' to eat), really getting to eat about as much as I want, as long as it is on my approved food list.

The changes I have been making are to the weight training and running routines. I have been putting off the urge to train more (the book describes why less is more), but I am really feeling like I need to ramp up a little at a time now. The fact that I have seen gains while backing off so much is interesting, and as I ratchet up, it will be deliberate and metered, constantly evaluating, and measuring as I go.

Park to Park 5k 9/11/10

The last week or two I've been stepping up running on the treadmill (yuck!), in hopes that I will have a head start on a good running season. It would be fun to enter my first 10k race, having completed two 5ks last year, and maybe shoot for a half marathon late in the season. Right now I'm running five to seven miles at a time.

I feel so blessed to have the good health to be able to run this way. Two years ago I was mostly just walking, and could barely run a mile without stopping. So, just considering doing a 13-mile run is still amazing to me.

The slow carb eating regimen (Tim Ferris book, The 4-Hour Body) is going well. In six weeks I have gained three to four pounds, while maintaining the same body fat percentage. I'm hoping the increased running will help me lower the fat, but not drop any lean mass.

I have also adjusted the weight training routine. As mentioned in a previous post, I have adopted the regimen known as "Occam's Protocol". It calls for one set of each lift performed. I have upped that to two sets each, but maintain the same number of rest days in between protocols.

As mentioned before, I am still trying to get up the guts to post monthly belly pics here, as an extra bit of motivation to reach 7%-8% body fat goal. Maybe I'll start by at least taking the pic. That way if a moment of weakness hits and I post, it will be done.