Monday, February 13, 2012

DAYS 7 and 8

DAY 7

Sunday was spent recovering from all of my 13 hour nights at the shipyard. I got off work around 6:30am and decided to stay up until about 11:00pm in order to get back on my normal sleeping schedule. My body was incredibly achy from the first week of workouts and all of the running around at work. It was nice to sit at home and finally get some rest.

DAY 8

Phase 1 (Strength), Week 2
DAY 1, 178 lbs
DAY 8, 178 lbs

Today is my start of week 2 and man, what a day.  My body is definitely still used to sleeping through the day and working at night.  My hamstrings and abs were still really sore from last week's workouts and unfortunately, today was leg day.  Just like several exercises on the last 3 workout days, I lowered the amount of weight I normally lift and made sure I was using perfect technique. Next week, I start a new 4-week strength workout routine. I'm incredibly happy to have these leg days behind me.  I get them done, but I'm definitely not a fan of leg days! I always remember that if the workout hurts really bad then it must be working.
DAY 8 Workout

You may see some improvements in my body since Day 1, but it is definitely a slow process. The fact that I was not able to eat enough food last week really set me back too. The good news is that I am getting groceries tomorrow.  I'm also learning how to use Fit Day to record all of the food I eat each day.  Soon, I will be able to give you insight on my daily nutrition too! Look for this within the next week.


Just some quick info on my workout spreadsheet: The tempo I use on each lift is very important. You may have heard of 'muscle confusion.' Your muscles get used to doing certain exercises, so you try to change them every few weeks to avoid plateauing. You can also change the amount of reps you do on each exercise. Doing more or less repetitions will force your body to recruit different muscles for the same task, thus keeping you from plateauing. So, I also vary the amount of reps for certain exercises at least every few weeks. So, about the tempo! The 3 digits provided give me the speed at which I complete each lift. Picture a bench press. With a tempo of 311 I would lower the barbell for 3 seconds, pause for 1 second, and raise it back up for 1 second. Got it? I vary my tempos just like my exercises and amount of reps to continue to 'confuse' my muscles. Lifting slower will allow more tear in your muscles while letting you to focus more on your technique. I advise using 311 when you are starting any exercise.


Let me know! How are you exercising this week? Do you hate leg days as much as me? Do you like to incorporate different tempos in your lifts?





Invest Now!

You probably already have a good understanding of basic finances,
right? Then you know about compounding interest - earning interest on top of interest.  Wait, isn’t this a health blog??? Yes. Bear with me!

Let’s say someone is planning on retiring at 65.  If someone puts $1,000 in a retirement account when they are 25, that $1,000 would turn into $45,000 by the time they get off the job. If they wait untilthey’re 35, they would only have $17,000. Delaying the investment by only 10 years led to barely getting one third as much at retirement!

You probably see where I am going with this.  Your body is much like an interest-bearing account.   It is incredibly important to develop
healthy habits as early as possible.  People that do not take time to invest in their body early in life have a lower life expectancy, are generally less happy, and are often much more prone to diseases. You save money so you can live a comfortable life once you have retired. There is little point in saving this money if you are not going to be alive and well when you’re done with work.  If you wait to exercise and eat healthy, you are doing your body a horrible disservice.  If you are older, however, don't make excuses. It is never too late to start! Take time to develop life-long healthy habits today.  You will be thanking yourself later in life!



Here's a list of a few healthy habits you could work on tonight:
1) Exercise at least 3 to 5 hours a week (elevate your heart rate!)
2) Eat only lean meats, whole grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables 90% of the time
3) Be less sedentary (find hobbies that let you get outside and move around)
4) Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night
5) Eliminate clutter so you can focus on the people and things that you love
6) Surround yourself with people who also want to live a long, healthy life