Buffalo Boy's Blog
Giving You More Than Just My Two Cents
Recently in Working out Category
Low On Bloggage
I've been away for a bit from the bloggage thing. Work has been busy, swimming is in high gear and well baby life is exhausting.
Im also going to start back up with my weight loss plan....I started last year in January and have written on here about it before but to say the least it is an easy habit to get out of.
As easy as working out and losing weight can be to get into the habit of, its probably twice as easy to fall off the bandwagon. I was going good up until last April, but then my shoulders started acting up, I started therapy and ended up not getting my workouts in, well by the time I was done with therapy, I had gotten out of the habit of hitting the gym.
Looking for a house became a precedent and working longer hours at work, baby came closer and closer and working out became secondary.
Well, now for my health and the fact that I want to live a long life and see my daughter through into her adult years, I am embarking on the workout bandwagon and this time its to stay.
I am going to use Buffalo Boy as a way to A)post my eating habits daily B) give weekly weight loss updates and C) readers can leave me words of encouragement to keep me focused.
Im starting tomorrow, yes I know its Thanksgiving Day, not the best day to start a weight loss program, but lets face it, what better landmark day could there be?
Next Thanksgiving I will be on here giving thanks for losing 75 pounds and enjoying a day off from the gym and my weight loss program.
My plan:
1. I will avoid all food that is served through a drive through window
2. No more sugary, carbonated beverages.
3. No more pizza. Unless it is made by me with healthy choices.
4. No more deserts
5. Juicing once per day
6. at least 30 continuous minutes of exercise per day.
7. Weighing in once per week.
8. Every day I will post what I have eaten so that A) you all can see it and B) I Can see it and gain some feedback.
I don't know if Ill make it but I can say that its time to make some tough choices. Losing weight is like quitting smoking, both are extremely hard to do. Both involve breaking habits that are ingrained, but once you get into new, healthier habits, it snowballs, but like smoking, if you go one inch in the negative direction, you can fall off the wagon hard.
Category: Blogging | Working out
A Minor Setback in the Comeback
Today was my appointment with the orthopedic specialist and it was pretty much as expected. After some X-rays and some tests it was confirmed that I have bilateral shoulder impingement syndrome and acromioclavicular arthritis in both shoulders especially on the left.
As I was going through the tests with the Doc he was hitting the same spots that have been causing me irritation now for the last 10 years or so. I am only getting to it now because I never had the itch like I did back then to restart my swimming career or at least include it as a part of my fitness regime.
My hope was to race in a couple of 50 meter races at the Stingrays long course meet this summer, I may have to push it back to short course season in the fall.
Above is the X-ray of the anterior view of my left shoulder, you can see some involvement at the acromioclavicular joint.
6 weeks of therapy, then back to the Doc, hopefully all goes well, I got a shot of cortisone in each arm which are now aching right now.
Category: Swimming | Working out
Workout Update
Since mid January I have been consistently back in the gym and since then I can't say I have lost a ton of weight though I have taken off a good 8-10 pounds which actually is just about right for that time span. It may be more like 15 considering for the first week I didn't look. Now I look everyday and write it down in a notebook.
The eliptical is no longer so scary. I slowly have increased the time and now my cardio workout consists of 35 minutes on the bike and 20 minutes on the eliptical. I have had a few rough days this past week where my legs felt like lead and on Thursday I felt just tired and not so right, but I took yesterday off and got back at it today and was back to 35/20.
I hit the weights too, mostly work my way around and do 1-2 sets of 20 on flys, tricep pull downs, lat pulldowns, military press, bicep curls and bench press.
Tomorrow I may get in the pool for a 1000 yards or so in addition to. The biggest thing I am noticing is looser clothing and toning up a bit. I noticed it yesterday in my face. Its slimming down. My goal is about 8-10 pounds per month and about 30-40 pounds by June.
I have also been trying to go mostly in the morning again. 6 AM is a tall order but I have been averaging around 6:45-7 AM arrival at the gym which gives me about a solid hour, 50-55 minutes for cardio and about 10 minutes to hit weights.
The ultimate goal is to return to competitive swimming and race in a meet by the fall if not sooner.
Category: Working out
Working Out
Working out is habitual, the more you do it, the more you can't go without doing it. The trick is getting into the habit. Once you get to a certain point you feel bad if you miss. The last few weeks I have gone 3 times each week and its starting to become automatic. Granted I can't get that 5:30 AM thing going again but I have been going in the afternoons and that is good for now.
Its amazing how good it feels too. More energy on the days I do work out. The secret is going to bed early and getting the sleep in too. Without sleep regardless of the time, your body doesn't recover or respond well when you go to do the workout.
I am amazed at how good my cardio is at least on the bike. I have been doing 30-45 minute rides and going about 10-12 miles on the stationary bike. I then lift weights for about 15-20 minutes and Im done. This is first phase, second phase is re-entering the pool. I will provide updates as I re-enter the swimming part. Stay tuned. That should begin sometime in October.
Category: Swimming | Working out
