From grandpa to teenager ...

Tuesday 4 November. I probably could have chosen a less symbolic date - today's the day that Barack Obama is expected to wipe the floor with John McCain. Can't wait to see those results ...

Am quite chuffed about my own. I'll post all the measurments in the sidebar, but the main ones are quite encouraging:

Weight went down from 92.7kgs to 83kgs. It would have been more if it weren't for the fact that my muscle mass has increased by 3 kgs and my body water % from 50.8 to 57.6%.

The biggest shockers, though, are that my body fat percentage went to from 24.7% to just 12.4%, and my 'body age' went from 48 (ouch, and ouch again!) to 14 (yes, you read that right, FOURTEEN). So I went from grandpa to teenager ... That was the big surprise of the day!! When Des told me about my body's virtual age 12 weeks ago, I came close to depression. Now, it's the exact opposite ... I still struggle to contain my excitement.

So, in summary, if anyone is in doubt whether it's worth going for the USN challenge, I'd say it's an unequivocal yes from me. It wasn't always easy. The getting out of bed early. The sore muscles. Just the whole sticking to a routine thing (which is so not me) ... The chicken and broccoli ... The drinking water when everyone else is having a beer or a glass of wine. The not eating sweets ...

So yes, it's challenging at times. I got sick for 2 weeks and wasn't able to really push myself during that period. That may happen to you as well. Just don't use it as an excuse for quitting. Keep going to gym, even if you're only there for half an hour ...

As for me, I'm not going to stop here. I reckon I still need to lose 2 to 3 kgs - mainly tummy fat. I really want a six pack for summer, and luckily, the summer hols are still 6 weeks away, so I'll get there.

Des also told me that from now on (now that most of the excess flab is gone), the focus will shift from losing weight to building muscle. He especially intends to focus on the chest, shoulders, back and arms. Pretty much the whole upper body then ...

I think I'll ask him to do another assessment just before the summer hols, and will then also post another picture. One of the big questions that I had when I was investigating whether I should or shouldn't bother with the USN challenge was how easy it was to maintain that lifestyle, and keep that new body in shape.

That's exactly why I still intend to keep Des on as my personal trainer ... I wouldn't trust myself to stick to the plan if left to my own devices. This way, I'm forced to go to gym at least 3 times a week ... which can only help.

Over the last 2 weeks, I've definitely returned to our old lifestyle when it comes to eating out and drinking the occasional glass of wine. And you know what, I don't feel guilty about that at all. My wife and I should love doing that sort of thing, and any routine that doesn't allow us to do that, would simply not work long term. For the first 2 months or so, I'd definitely recommend sticking to the chicken and broccoli though - it helps you see results quickly and teaches you a more healthy way of eating. Even now, when we go out, it's usually for salads, or chicken, and only very rarely will I have a pizza or something ...

Alright, that's it from me for now. Will post the pic when my wife's home and will also post the final measurements. Leaves me to wish you best of luck on your journey to a healthier body!

OK, here it is ... the results of 12 weeks of hard labour :-)

Monday 3 November

Just one day to go! Tomorrow, my 12 weeks are officially over. I feel like I've been celebrating all of last week - it's definitely party season and we've been eating out so many times, I don't think I've lost any more weight since last week. But hey, if it wasn't for the regular exercise, and the fact that my metabolism is now a lot faster, I would've probably gained a kg or two, so am not complaining.

And all in all, I'm pretty happy already with the transformation - hard to believe it's the same guy as 12 weeks ago.

Had a really good cardio session today. Pushed hard on the bicycle as well - will need to step that up if I don't want to blow up at the 94.7 Challenge, which is now less than 2 weeks away. Still have to get a bike ... very organised, as usual ...

And now, we just wait until tomorrow night. My wife will take the pic when she gets home from work ... am really curious to see the results. Oh, don't expect me to look like some sort of Stevenegger - I've made good progress but I'm not going to be winning any Mr Universe competitions any time soon. And neither would I want to, that was just never the goal ...

Saturday 1 November

Definitely feeling a bit strained. We did do a full hour of weights, and it went well according to Des, but I felt like I was doing everything in slow motion. I probably was ... Did some cardio afterwards to make up for my lack of exercise yesterday, so all in all, today was a lot better, even though I didn't feel particularly strong.

It's weird really; it seems to be a bit of a trend that the body (or is it the mind?) longs for that day of rest. It's probably not for no reason that everyone always says that you shouldn't exercise 7 times a week ... I can definitely feel the need for that day of rest come Saturday, and always feel a lot fitter and stronger on the Monday ...

Friday 31 October

Eish, today was hard. Heart rate went bezerk almost straight away. Just didn't have any juice. Didn't get much sleep last night as it was so warm, and we have been eating out a lot all week so maybe that doesn't help either. Whatever the cause, I was pretty much knackered from the start, and didn't even complete the full hour of cardio. Bit disappointed ... but ja, there have been days like this before.

Thursday 30 October

Today went really well - another good workout. Definitely stepping up the pace now ...

When I first started, I could barely manage a 40 minute weights session with Des, whereas now, we definitely manage to push hard for the full hour. Getting value for my money :-)

Also did some cardio afterwards, always nice when you've still got something left to give after the weights session ...

Wednesday 29 October

Great cardio session this morning, even though my body was hurting a bit from the workout yesterday. Struggled to get out of bed at 5, so only made it to gym just before 6, but once I got going, I had so much energy ... great feeling.

I'm definitely getting a heck of a lot fitter ... can push harder and for much longer than when I first started. There's this ski-step thingymajiggy machine that I used to really struggle with ... 20 minutes on that thing used to be torture. Now it's dead easy. Even at level 10, my heartbeat doesn't go higher than 135bpm anymore ...

Have started to do a bit more cycling as well now, want to get ready for the 94.7. A quick calculation based on my speed on the stationary bike tells me that the 94.7 will take me between 4 and 5 hours to complete. What was I thinking? And I still don't even have a bicycle!

Tuesday 28 October - nailbiting finish!

Not liking the scale at the Virgin Active much today. After sending me very encouraging messages for the last few weeks, today it decides that my weight's gone up by over 2kgs in a week. I know that that's not the case, but now I'm starting to wonder how accurate the darn thing actually is ...

Oh well, arranged with Des (my trainer) that he'll do a full assessment next week Tuesday, to end the challenge.

He says I've been doing reasonably well so far, all things considered. He's trained other USN Challengers before, and some have even made it in the top 10, but he told me that usually those people have been working out for a while before they started the Challenge, or were already quite muscular but just a bit overweight (or have been 'pigging out' as he puts it) and that's why their results are at times so spectacular.

Me, on the other hand, I haven't been fit in over 20 years. Used to play a bit of soccer as a kid, but that's about it. So I think my progress is fairly representative for someone who's been a couch potato for many, many years, and then decides to do something about it.

I'm most definitely a lot more happy with the way I look now. It's not yet at the stage that I'd like to be, but I know I'll get there. We're leaving on holiday on the 12th of December so I've already told Des that he's stuck with me until at least then ... I'm afraid that if I just stop after the challenge is over, I'll go back to my old bad habits, as there won't be anything to spur me on and keep me motivated. I read once that for something to become a habit, you have to do it daily for at least 3 months. So the plan is to just go on after the challenge has ended, and make sure that I've got some sessions scheduled after the hols to make sure I get back into the saddle in Jan. Obviously I won't be posting daily updates then, but perhaps I'll post an update and a pic once a month or so, just to keep me focused and motivated ... We'll see how it pans out ...

Monday 27 October

Thought I was going to be sore from all the walking yesterday, but felt fine. Got up early, went to gym at 5 and did my hour of cardio and 20 mins of abs exercises. I'm definitely getting fitter, my heart rate doesn't go up all that high anymore and comes down a lot quicker than it used to when I first started - 11 weeks ago.

Sunday 26 October

It's official. My wife and I are idiots.

We thought it might be a good idea to go for a walk, so we walked up to the nearest Mugg & Bean for breakfast. Got there, had a nice light breakfast, then decided to walk to the nursery. Now that's a few kays away. And we're on slops. Got there, did our rounds, then walked back home, by which time it was almost 12. Time for lunch, so we decide to walk to Bell Air Mall, another few kays away.

Got back home at 6. Long story short, all we did was walk and eat out all day ... Not a bad way to spend a Sunday :-)

Saturday 25 October

Last work out of the week and not a day too soon. Gym's incredibly busy. Apparently the Virgin Active at Cresta is out for a few days so all their members are here at the VA Randburg. Chaos!

Really pushed myself today - seeing as the challenge is nearing its end, but I think I really need to get some sleep. I'm buggered.

Friday 24 October

Dunno why but felt a bit slap today. Haven't been sleeping very well this week and can definitely feel it when I work out. Oh well, just another weight session tomorrow and then it's Sunday and I'll get some rest.

Thursday 23 October

Woke up in the middle of the night ... turns out we forgot to switch off the stove so our chicken soup evaporated and the carcass had started to burn. Quite a nasty smell ... I reckon if I hadn't woken up, we might have accidentally set the house alight ...

Thought I'd do something useful whilst I was up so I got some work done. Then off to gym at 9AM for a workout session ... According to Des, it showed in my workout that I was a bit sleep deprived ... so not the best session ever then. Got 20 mins of cardio in afterwards nonetheless, so didn't feel too bad about myself.

Wednesday 22 October

Another good day today. Got to gym at 5, did cardio and abs exercises for about 1.5 hours. It's nice to be up so early, makes for very long days ...

Had a beer chicken braai at night, which probably didn't help with the weight loss :-(

Tuesday 21 October - just 2 weeks to go

Muuuuuuuuch better today. Slept well, gym was nice and fresh, and the whole workout just went a whole lot better. Even did 30 mins of cardio after the weights session.

Also weighed myself and I don't want to let the cat out of the bag now - and I'd rather wait for Des' final assessment as that will be very comprehensive - but it does look like I'm well on track to achieving my goal of a target weight of 80kgs. Just 2 weeks to go now though, so I'm going to have to be disciplined cos I've still got some flab to shed.

Monday 20 October

Feeling very rough today. Had a bit too much to eat and drink last night, so had to visit the porcelain telephone during the night. Got up at 5 to go to gym but just didn't have any vooma ... Just went through the motions and did about 55 mins of cardio but with no conviction. Felt flat the rest of the day. Aircon seemed to work though ... or maybe it's just because I was there so early ...

Saturday 18 October

Joh, it was another scorcher at gym - can't wait for the aircon systems to be fixed.

It really has an effect on how well I do. First of all, I struggled with weights that I normally don't struggle with. This may also be explained by the fact that this week, I'm off the Testo X and the Creatine ... seems like those things really do work.

Worse though, is that after the weights session, I'm so buggered that I don't have anything left to do any cardio. This I blame on the heat ...

Hopefully come Monday, this will all be sorted though ...

Friday 17 October

Joh, can't believe it's the weekend again (OK, well, it will be in a few hours). Got up early this morning - woke up at 3am and couldn't sleep anymore, so finally got up at 4:30 and was at gym at 5. It's actually quite nice to be up that early. By the time other people get out of bed, I've already done over an hours exercise.

What a difference in lifestyle this challenge has made so far ... I hardly recognise myself :-)

Thursday 16 October

Struggled a bit during the weights session. At first I thought Des had put some extra weights on without telling me, but he said they were actually lighter than usual. So it's one of two things:

1) the extreme heat (aircon's still down at the gym)
2) the fact that I'm off some of the supplements (TestoX and Creatine) this week

Aircon should be fixed on Saturday so we'll see how it goes then ... If it's the supplements, then that'd be proof that they really do make a difference ...

Went for a pizza and some wine with the missus ... finding it hard to stay on the straight and narrow at night, especially when it's this hot at night and all you want to do is sit outside on a terrace/balcony overlooking Joburg, with a glass of the good red stuff in hand.

Wednesday 15 October

And another cardio session ... went well today, had some vooma left at the end to do my abs exercises as well.

And went for an hour-long walk with the missus in the evening, so I've definitely burnt some calories today. It was such a wonderful evening ... it's really strange to see that out here in the 'burbs of Randburg, no one's outside after 9pm, even on a balmy evening like today. Must be the crime that keeps people indoors ...

Tuesday 14 October

Had a good workout today, but just couldn't get myself to complete 20 mins of cardio after the weights session. It was a scorcher today, and the gym's aircon is down, so after the weight training, I was just buggered. I did try but after 2 mins on the stepper, my heart rate went over 160bpm ... whereas normally, it would hover around 130-140 for the full 20 mins. I guess it was just a lack of oxygen, or the heat ... I'm sure I wasn't the only one suffering there ...

Monday 13 October

Stressing a bit (workwise) so my heart wasn't in it this morning. And my head sure was some other place too ...

But I went through the motions, 60 mins of cardio, 20 mins abs. Total 996 calories. And a heartbeat that stayed under 155bpm even at the end of 60 mins of cardio. Am definitely getting fitter.

Saturday 11 October

I started on 12 August, so tomorrow it will be officially 2 months. Sunday being my day off, I think I'll celebrate a bit :-)

Des is introducing more and more new exercises, which is a nice way of keeping it interesting. I think the me of 2 months ago would be quite amazed by what the me of today can do already ...

I was supposed to go and pick up the camera today, but that didn't happen. Ang and I just didn't fel like it. So no pic this weekend either. Which got me thinking ... if I only get the camera next week, I'm going to be deep into my last 3 weeks, and then the difference between the second picture and the one that ends the challenge is probably going to be quite small. So I'm not going to post another pic until the end of the challenge. Hoping to make a big impact between now and then.

And I think I'm well on track. This week, my 6 workouts together totalled just under 6000 calories, and 7 hours 40 minutes. That's 2 days' worth of calorie intake. Not bad ...

Friday 10 October

Another cardio session. Nothing special to report really ... Sticking to a 60 minute cardio routine followed by about 20 mins of abs 3 times a week - the other 3 times I'm doing weights with Des.

Thursday 9 October

Aaaah, slept so well last night. Definitely makes a difference at the gym as well. And this time, I decided to have a protein shake at 7 AM - usually when I go to gym at 9, I haven't eaten yet. Which usually leaves me ravenous when I come out at 10. And pretty much buggers up my diet for the rest of the day (as all the meals now move backward).

This felt better. I didn't get hungry at all. Came home at 10:30AM, made my oats with a scoop of protein, and then just had lunch at 12:00. So swapping the protein shake and breakfast in the morning definitely makes sense ... think I'll be sticking to that from now on.

Des says my strength is finally picking up ... He says that on some machines, I'm now doing double the weight that I started at 2 months ago. That was nice to hear ...

Can definitely see it as well ... my body's starting to shape up. A bit more muscle now, and lose another 3-4 kgs (especially around the waist) and I should be ready for the beach.

Wednesday 8 October

Sorry, was going to put up a picture of the new, improved Steven last night, only to find that our camera's gone missing.

We found the culprit though - stepson staid during the school holidays last week and took the camera to Vodacom last week when the Blue Bulls where there to sign autographs. He forgot to take the camera out of his bag and then took it home with him. We're going to go fetch it on Saturday so instead of a '8 week' pic, it'll be an '8 1/2 week' photo. Not that I mind, gives me the chance to work on the tan a bit :-)

Oh, and lose some more weight, and gain some muscle ...

I think I'm well on track to my target weight of 80kgs. I've definitely stepped up my exercise this week, and am expending about 1000 calories per session. Over 6 days, that's probably 2 days' worth of calories ... So I should be able to accelerate the weight loss again to 1 kg a week ...

Cardio went well today, though I was starting to feel a bit woozy towards the end. Didn't sleep all that well for the last 2 nights, so that might have something to do with it.

Met my dad at the airport - he'd come up from the Cape for the afternoon as he had a business meeting at the airport, so I thought I'd go say hi. He hadn't seen me since before I started the challenge, and although he didn't say anything at first, when I asked if he saw something different about me, he said he hardly recognised me at first. Nice to hear that people do see the difference :-)

Tuesday 7 October - 8 weeks into the challenge!

I started the challenge exactly 8 weeks ago. And what a ride it's been ...

The first 4 to 5 weeks went really well, with quite rapid weight loss. Then I got sick and really didn't have any energy for a week or two. I kept doing the 3 weight training sessions during that 2 week period, but just needed more time to recuperate so had to skip the cardio sessions in those 2 weeks. Once the stomach bug and flu were gone, I could really push again, which is what I've been doing for the last week.

I'm now back on a 6 workouts a week, and with the finishing line in sight now, I'll plan to push harder than before.

Today's session went well. It looks like I'm getting more comfortable with the heavier weights. That's relatively speaking though, if you see what some of the other guys are pushing, I'm still pushing fairly unimpressive weights. But I can feel that I've progressed a lot in those 8 weeks, and I suppose that's what matters.

I also weighed myself: 84 kgs now. Down from 92.7 kgs 8 weeks ago, and 87.2 kgs 4 weeks ago. So on average, I've lost over 1 kg a week, but the rate at which my weight is dropping is declining. That's probably fairly normal, but I also feel that in this 4 week period, I didn't push as hard as in the first 4 weeks.

Being sick didn't help, and forced me to cut back on my cardio sessions, and there were a lot of birthday parties, and restaurant visits, all of which can't have helped.

I've still got quite a bit of fat around my waist, and I'm determined to get rid of that. I think if I lose another 4 kgs and gain some more muscle, I should be pretty close to my target. So there we have it; that'll be the goal for the last 4 weeks - lose 4 kgs and end up at a target weight of 80kgs.

Can't wait to see how yummie I'll look then :-)

Monday 6 October

Mondays are definitely good days. Not sure if it's purely psychological, or whether it's the day off on Sunday that ensures that I've got plenty of energy on Mondays.

Slept a bit later than normal, and since my new business requires my attention at 7AM, I thought I'd go to gym after 10AM - at that time, I've got plenty of time.

Was a good decision; as I didn't have to rush to get back to the office, I could do a full 20 minutes on the treadmill, stepper and bicycle, and push hard on all 3. On top of that, I did 3 sets of 15 reps of 3 different abs exercises. In total, spent about 80 minutes at the gym, and burnt over 1200 calories. That's a record in one day, as far as I can recall.

Went for a sunbed session afterwards as I hadn't been in a while and tomorrow is a big day - it marks the end of week 8 of the challenge so I'll have to have a new pic taken and I want to look my best.

Saturday 4 October

Great session today ... definitely getting stronger. Des says we still have quite a bit of work to do on the biceps, he says the fact that they're not stronger yet is holding me back at the moment.

But hey, I'm in it for a nice, lean, muscular body - don't have the slightest intention of ending up looking like bionic-man.

He's also told me to pay special attention to my diet and push the cardio - we need to get rid of that tyre that's still sitting around my waist. I reckon that that's still a good few kgs that I'll need to lose. Hopefully we'll get there over the next 4 weeks. More chicken and broccoli it is then ...

I'm not as strict with my diet as I was in the beginning, we have been eating out at restaurants more often again and they don't always cater for people on a diet. Even menu options that look 'healthy' usually come smothered in some or other sauce or basting ... Shame really, and weird that restaurant owners don't cater more for people on a diet.

Friday 3 October

Weights session went very well today. I did notice that on Tuesday, I had trouble recuperating afterwards, and I reckon that was because I didn't allow myself enough of a break between sets - my heart rate was just high all the time.

Bearing that in mind, I tried to give myself a bit more of a break between exercises today, and it worked wonders ... I can do the exercises better, use more weight, and I don't feel lethargic afterwards ...

Thursday 2 October

Weights session went very well today. I did notice that on Tuesday, I had trouble recuperating afterwards, and I reckon that was because I didn't allow myself enough of a break between sets - my heart rate was just high all the time.

Bearing that in mind, I tried to give myself a bit more of a break between exercises today, and it worked wonders ... I can do the exercises better, use more weight, and I don't feel lethargic afterwards ...

Wednesday 1 October

Cardio went well today, but not as well as on Monday. I hit my 160bpm heart rate target a lot quicker. Maybe it's just that on Monday, I was well rested and therefore could take more punishment, whereas after a few consecutive days of exercising, the heart rate just shoots up quicker?

Tuesday 30 September

7 weeks into the challenge, only 5 to go. Bit of a wake-up call ...

I told Des not to spare me today. I'm back on top of my game, so no more excuses. And he did make me suffer! But it felt good to give it my all again. One thing's for sure, working out is definitely a whole lot more enjoyable when you're feeling OK.

With the finish line in sight now, I'm definitely going to have to up my game. I still have a tyre around my waist, and my chest and arms are nowhere near strong enough yet, so lots of work ahead ...

Monday 29 September

Confirmation of last week - I am indeed getting fitter. Struggled to get my heart rate above 135bpm on the stepper, even at level 10! Wow, what a change! Only got to 160 bpm about 40 minutes into the training, at 9% gradient on the treadmill.

Did some abs exercises, and then 10 minutes on the bike at level 6. Again, that's quite an achievement, level 6 at 75rpm used to also make my heart rate shoot through the roof. Not anymore apparently ...

Really feel rested after the weekend. Am 100% better, back on top of my game, so can fully dedicate myself to the challenge again. Only got about 5 weeks left and there's still a lot of room for improvements.

Over the last 2 weeks, I only did 3 training sessions per week. And yes, there were mitigating circumstances, but that's just not good enough. Now that I'm well again, I'm going to have to make up for that 'deficit' in training.

Friday 26 September

Giving my body some more rest. We're going to go away for the weekend for my wife's birthday so want to feel 100%. The last 2 weeks have not been great. Felt sick. Didn't eat right. Drank too much and didn't exercise enough. Only things I'm happy about is that I managed to lose some more weight and didn't completely quiet even when I felt too weak to go to gym. I did have to drag myself there but at least I did it.

But now that I'm getting better, it's time to get back on track. I'll allow myself this weekend of, but then I'm going to fully focus on the challenge again. Eat right, cut carbs, cut the booze, take the supplements and stick to the training programme.

Thurday 25 September

Another session with Des and the break yesterday was definitely a good idea. Starting to feel stronger again, but not yet there ... Was still struggling with weights that I know I have lifted before ... But at least, not feeling so utterly 'kak' (pardon the pun) anymore ...

Wednesday 24 September

Slept for 12 hours. Bad stomach bug. Still got a bit of a cold. Just felt worn down so decided to give it a break today.

Tuesday 23 September - Half Way!

6 weeks into the challenge! Woohoo!

Just had to weigh myself: 85.6 kgs, so I've lost just over 7 kgs in 6 weeks, whilst I'm sure that I've gained some muscle as well. Well, I sure hope so, all that hard work can't have been for nuffink ...

Still struggling though, really not on top of my game.

Went to the Barnyard theatre at night for my wife's birthday and had to run to the bathroom every 20 minutes. Even though it was a great show, I thought I was going to fall asleep. My body is screaming out for rest ...

Monday 22 September

Yay! For the first time, I managed to do the cardio session the way Des wants me to do it, without having to scale back towards the end just to keep my heart rate within bounds.

The stepper - that ugly thing that used to cause me to break into a sweat of note within 2 minutes - was now causing no bother whatsoever. Did 20 minutes on it, doing 2 minute intervals between levels 6 and 10, and heart rate never went as high as 160 bpm (used to struggle a lot to keep it below 160).

That was followed by 20 minutes on the treadmill, at 6kmh, with gradient intervals varying from 3% to 9% (in 1.5% increments). This is usually where I don't even make it to 9% - especially towards the end of the 20 minute session, but no such problem this time around.

Definitely getting fitter!

Sunday 21 September

Most of the day was spent recovering from the party ... and this being my usual 'day of rest', nothing to report on the fitness front.

Saturday 20 September

Another not so great day. Still feeling flu-ish and got a stomach bug as the cherry on top.

Went to gym but without much conviction.

Had a party at the inlaws at night, with lots of booze ... not likely to improve my overall fitness ...

Friday 19 September

Eish, a week to forget. I've been needing so much sleep this week, it's not normal. Must be the flu meds.

Got up too late to go to gym (and wasn't 'feeling it' in any case) so I skipped. Rather focus on getting the bookings in today, and giving my body some rest. Tomorrow is another session with Des and then big party at the in-laws ... so I'm going to need my strength.

It's the mother-in-law's 50th bash, and the theme is 'Gods and Godesses' - we were thinking of going as dogs (dyslexic gods) but the idea of being dressed in a hairy, sweaty bearsuit all afternoon wasn't that appealing after all. So now I'm going as Thor. And what with my cough, I'll probably sound like the God of Thunder too :-)

Thurday 18 SEptember

Today's session was slightly better, but I'm still far from OK. Can just feel it that it's not going as well as last week - body's just not the same. No respite for my calves either, Des insisted on 'loosening them up' ... hurt at first but perhaps it was the right tactic.

Ang took half a day off so we went off to Harties after a hectic morning at the office. This new online venture is demanding much more of my time than I'd reckoned and Tanya doesn't seem to have much time to help out either. But hey, not complaining, it's providing some seed capital to play with and put the right structures in place ...

Wednesday 17 September

Skipped gym today. What with not feeling well (at all), not having slept much, being on flu meds, calves buggered and stressed out to the max because my new business had suddenly exploded at the beginning of the week - to the point where I had to shut down GoogleAds at 11 in the morning yesterday as we weren't able to keep up - I thought maybe going to gym wasn't the thing to do today. Didn't feel bad about it either.

Tuesday 16 September

Sick today ... started yesterday and got progressively worse, to the point where my wife begged me not to go to gym as I was in no state.

But bugger that, I don't want to miss a session with Des - I'd rather skip one of my private cardio sessions as I reckon they have less of an impact in any case.

It seriously hurt though ... I was short of breath, and on flu meds, so it wasn't the best of sessions. Also buggered up my calves again ...

Monday 15 September

Don't know what it is today. Hangover from all that wine yesterday? I definitely have a cold as well ... maybe the combination of the two ... have no energy today and feel sleepy.

Went to gym this morning but it was a fairly lethargic cardio session. I cut it short after 45 mins as there was just no juice in my legs ...

On the plus side, signed up 10 new clients today for my new business, and Tanya - my dad's secretary - agreed to run the business for me for a 10% cut of turnover. Since the costs are low, I should still end up with about 75% of the profits, after deduction of all the costs. Will be a nice money-spinner for a while to come, especially as the sign-ups are increasing quite dramatically.

10 in 1 day! Last week, it was more like 1 or 2 a day ... Not bad after just a week and a half in business ...

Sunday 14 September

Gone off the rails again - Ang really wanted this to be 'our' day, and do like the good old days, so we spent the whole afternoon at a Indian restaurant eating and drinking wine (2 bottles of Zevenwacht for just the 2 of us) so the diet went completely out of the window today.

I did, however, register for the 94.7 cycle challenge (to be held in Joburg on 16 November 2008) so that'll be like a week after the end of my 3 month USN challenge.

From one challenge to the next then ... especially since I've never done anything like this before. Heck, I don't even own a bicycle. Will have to scrounge around and see if I can borrow one for that day ... It's going to be fun :-)

Saturday 13 September

Eish, if I thought Des was going to go easy on me because it's the weekend, I was sorely mistaken. But then again, that's why you get a personal trainer, I suppose ... to help you explore your limits, and then go beyond those limits to establish new ones. And next time, you do it all over again.

This was my first full 1-hour session, and at high intensity too. It feels like I'm making good progress and Des says so too ... Can't wait for the next assessment.

Anyways, it's been 4 weeks now of working with Des and I know that without his help, I wouldn't have made a quarter of the progress that I have now. My body's shape is really starting to change quite nicely, I can lift/push/pull a lot more weight, and I can work out (even the cardio) a lot longer now. And we're not even halfway ...

Friday 12 September

I'm definitely getting fitter and stronger. On top of my 60 minutes cardio, I now also fit in about 15 minutes of various abs exercises. My abs are getting stronger as well, but then again, we started from below ground zero, so the only way was up.

My first real cheat during this challenge came on Friday night ; had half a pizza at Cappucinos. And it wasn't exactly a lean one either. Most pizza places here seem to focus on stuffing as much as possible on top of a pizza, and then sweaten it and make it extra-greasy. Ang had a pizza at Colcacchio last week and that was nice and lean. Thin base, minimal toppings, but all the taste. Not anything like these super duper American style pizzas ... I much prefer staying closer to the original Italian ones.

But anyway, after half a pizza, I was more than full, whereas before, I would have easily clapped a whole one by myself.

Thursday 11 September

Not only is it my mom's birthday today (not that I remembered, my dad had to remind me - shame on me) but it's also a fairly glorious day all around.

Sun's out, my new online venture is doing well, and I think I've had my best weights session so far. Des was happy with the progress. We did a solid 50 minutes session, with heavier weights than usual, and with very little rest in between. I felt strong too ... Probably still on a high from seeing what just 4 weeks of eating right, training, and taking supplements have done for my appearance.

Been walking around half-naked ever since :-)

Wednesday 10 September

Yoh, after seeing the difference in that picture last night - and that in just 4 weeks, still can't believe it - I was super motivated to get cracking at the cardio.

Did my usual 60 mins combined treadmill/stepper/bicycle but on top of that, quite a bit of abs exercises. Going to make that a habit. There's still a bit of a 'tyre' around my waist and that's got to go ASAP.

Went out to celebrate at night - really felt like a pizza, but had grilled chicken breast, greek side salad, and - yes, sangria! You gotta give yourself a little treat from time to time hey, especially if the results are there.

Tuesday 9 September | 1 third behind us

Another hard work-out with Des. Afterwards, I actually felt a bit strange - like I'd pushed too hard. This lasted well into the afternoon.

But it's now evening and my wife has just taken some pics, which I'll upload in the side bar to your right, and boy oh boy, has it been worth it. What a difference!

And yes, that tan is thanks to the sunbed, and it does help, but it's clear that I've lost weight and that my body is getting some definition. I did weigh myself this morning at the gym and I now weigh 87.2 kgs. That's a whopping 5.5kgs less than 4 weeks ago - and I'm sure I've gained some muscle in the mean time, so my body fat percentage should have dropped quite a bit.

I'll only know for sure once Des does his next assessment. I believe he said he'd do one after 5 weeks. Since I started the challenge a week before I started training with Des, that'll be right around the halfway mark then ... Here's to looking even better by then :-)

Monday 8 September

Don't know why I need so much sleep. It's weird. At night I just can't keep my eyes open. Went to bed just after 9 PM and struggled to get out of bed at 6.30AM. I don't normally need this much sleep.

Maybe it's the combination of working out and the excitement of starting a new online venture ... yeah, that must be it.

Workout went really well today. Did my 60 minutes of cardio and did 2 x 3 sets of 15 reps ab exercises on that 'high chair' thingy (where you sway your legs upwards in front of you) and 3 sets of 15 reps of ab exercises on the rubber ball (crunches the upper abs).

Although I know I've lost a fair bit of weight in these (almost) 4 weeks, there's still a bit of a tyre around my waist so want to get rid of that ASAP. As Des says, you can never do too many abs exercises.

So on the days when my cardio sessions go alright, I will add some abs exercises from now on.

It will have been 4 weeks tomorrow since the start of the challenge ... so I'll weigh myself, check bodyfat, and upload updated pics. Can't wait for the results :-)

Sunday 7 September

As usual, Sunday was a day of 'rest'. USN recommends that you work out for a maximum of 6 days a week. Had a birthday party so strayed a bit from the usual diet ... had some potato bake, chops, wors and what have you. My taste buds almost exploded :-)

Also had a few glasses of wine. This was my first real 'cheat day' since I started the challenge, and all in all, I don't think I overdid it at all.

Saturday 6 September

Got to gym at 8am, and the parking lot was starting to fill up quite nicely. Joburg day today!

We went last year and I got horribly smashed, so it was quite a contrast with today. Seeing all the partygoers getting ready to get shitfaced whilst I'm looking after my body and my health.

Don't get me wrong, I still like a glass of wine now and then, but now it's limited to 1 or 2 glasses a week, whereas before, I'd easily polish off a bottle of wine by myself when we went for dinner. And sometimes even when we just stayed at home. I think I was starting to get some alcoholic tendencies, which is another reason why I felt I needed a clean break. This challenge is just what I (and my body) needed.

Tried the Voltage for the first time today, and I don't know if it's because of that, or because I rested yesterday and had a good night's sleep, but the weight training went a whole lot better. Des still wore me out though - had to rest a bit when I got home just to get my energy back, but that didn't take very long. Had a Protein Plex shake and then lay down for a while and after that I was fine again.

Checked my Polaris heart rate monitor - it had gone up all the way to 187bpm - probably about the maximum for a guy my age. I can feel it too when I work out - it's really pumping and after some of the exercises, I really need to catch my breath. Fortunately, my heart rate seems to come down faster as well after every exercise, so that's a step in the right direction.

According to Des, this will definitely get a lot better as I get fitter, it shouldn't spike that high anymore.

Friday 5 September

Slept badly again, and wanted to finish the website that I'm working on (www.licencebookings.co.za) so decided not to do cardio today. Felt like the right thing to do; I don't suppose there's any point in just going through the motions when your body is telling you to take a break.

Decided not to feel guilty about it and just focus on getting the website done, and give my body some rest. Asked Ang to sleep upstairs so she could cough away without bugging me as I really, really need some sleep.

Thursday 4 September

Another sleepless night. And it was very noticeable at gym. I was flat ...

Des also told me that we're not progressing as well as normal. He was expecting me to get stronger sooner, and suggested I start taking USN's Creatine X 4 and Voltage. Should help me get to a higher level sooner.

Going by today's 'performance', I suppose he's right. I did feel like I was lacking energy and that's apparently what Voltage does - helps get your energy levels up. And the creatine should help build muscle.

When I mentioned it to my wife, she was against it. To her, it sounded like taking steroids. Now, that's something I'd never do. Yes, I want a nice body, but I don't want to look like one of those beefcakes that you see at gym ...

Googled 'creatine' and according to Wikipedia, there doesn't really seem to be any adverse effects to taking it, and it doesn't sound anything like steriods, so I'm going to give it a try.

I know I've lost weight but I also know that I could have done that regardless. What I want to get out of the USN challenge is to get a nice, lean, muscular body. So I need to build some visible muscle as well ... (without ending up looking like He-man).

Wednesday 3 September

Cardio today, and I really struggled. Felt listless. Did 20 minutes on the stepper, than 20 on the treadmill, and hardly made it through 20 minutes on the bycicle. Had to lower the difficulty level all the time just to keep going.

Didn't sleep well last night, maybe that's why. The wife's got flu and lies there just coughing all night, plus I've been working hard on launching a new website, and can't seem to switch off my brain.

Oh well, ups and downs are to be expected I guess ...

Tuesday 2 September

Three weeks into the challenge and today went really well. My workout schedule has changed, now I do weights with Des on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning (early - I like it!) and do cardio on the other days. Sunday is a rest day, as before.

It's nice to get to gym early every day now. I get the 7am time slot on Tuesday and Thursday and 8am on Saturday. Much better than only starting at 11, which sort of breaks your day in half.

I felt very energized, and we did a full 50 minutes. Intensively. Felt good afterwards.

Monday 1 September

Spring Day!

And after 2 weeks of really nice warm weather, I was greeted by a spine-chilling cold wind when I got out the door this morning at 5:15. Yikes!

Did my hour of cardio, lost about 830 calories. That's less than before. I wonder if - as one gets fitter - one loses less calories for the same amount of 'work'? Seems to be counter-intuitive. Maybe I just didn't press on as much as I should have.

Cheated a bit and went to weigh myself at the gym. I'll have to see if Des' scale confirms these measurements but if they are correct, then I've lost over 4 kgs and 4% body fat in just 3 weeks. That's a nice boost.

Des will probably only do a second assessment after 4 weeks of weight training. As I started the challenge a week before I started doing weight training with Des, I'll be in week 5 of the challenge by then. Can't wait to see how I've progressed by then.

The whole 'going to gym' thing is starting to become routine. The really fit people at gym seem to be there every day so it probably just becomes part of your lifestyle after a while ...

Saturday 30 August

Calves still felt a bit fragile so I just did 2 x 20minutes treadmill and 20 minutes cycling. Works out to about 900 calories so that's a nice calorie deficit to start the day with.

Ang and I went to the driving range for our second lesson. Even though she hasn't practised since last time, her swing is better than mine. Dammit.

Went out for supper and had sushi. That's a lot better than last night - ordered the 'waist watcher' special at the Grill Shop at the Rock Cottage (in Radiokop). The 'grilled chicken breasts' came in a 2cm thick basting and the greek side salad was drizzled in some sort of sauce. Not good!

Friday 29 August

Another work out with Des. It went quite well. Seemed like we're getting closer and closer to the magical 60 minute workout. I must be getting fitter ...

Not all that much stronger though. Still struggling a heck of a lot to do 3 sets of 12 reps with most of the weights that he's handing me. Even if they don't look all that heavy ... I never thought of myself as 'weak' but if you see what some of the other guys there are lifting and pushing, I feel like a wimp. But ja, as Des says 'we'll make you strong'.

It's a process, so you can't really expect miracle results from one day to the next I suppose.

Thursday 28 August

Now I know why my calves hurt so bad last week ... we did some calf exercises yesterday - same as last week - and this time my calf muscles really burnt. Last week, I got no such warning, and foolishly spent 20 minutes on the stepper the next day, which completely buggered up my calves.

So today, I sidestepped the stepper quite nicely and instead spent 2 x 20 minutes on the treadmill and another 20 on the bicycle.

Went to the driving range in the afternoon to work on my swing. It needs work. A lot :-)

Wednesday 27 August

Yoh, Des made me work this morning.

After Monday when I really didn't have any energy, I felt good this morning. And made the mistake to tell Des ... shoo, what a workout!

Last week, we started off slowly (that's according to Des) with 35-40 minute sessions of weight training. 'Just to get the muscles used to the idea that they're going to be hurting' ...

Today, we did a 50 minute session. And despite the fact that most of the weights that we use look like their kiddie-size, they damn well start hurting after the first set of reps. And now we're doing 3 sets of reps as opposed to just 2 last week.

The idea is to quite quickly get to 1 hour sessions, at full tilt (high intensity). Des says that weight training burns less calories than cardio, but keeps your metabolism higher for a lot longer. About 4 to 5 hours after the training, whereas with cardio, it drops after about an hour or so.

We'll have to see how this develops. I reckon that as I get fitter, there will be less need for cardio, so I may step up the weight training from the current 3/3 ratio (3 days cardio, 3 days weights) to 2/4 or maybe even 1/5.

Another thing that I've noticed now that I've got my Polaris monitor is that my heart rate goes beserk when I'm doing weight training. I regularly hit over 170. Luckily, this is just for short bursts and it drops just as quickly after every set of reps, but still - it shows that it really was time to start doing something about my physical condition. And this too should improve as I get fitter.

Two weeks into the challenge

Tuesday 26 August

Cool, we're two weeks into the challenge. Do I feel a difference? Yes, I do have the impression that my body is just that little bit 'tighter'. My domestic said today that she can already see a difference.

I don't want to weigh myself just yet - or take any measurements. I plan to do updates (weight, measurements & pictures) every 4 weeks. Mainly to make sure that the difference is really noticeable (or so I hope).

Did 60 minutes of cardio work today. According to my Polaris heart rate monitor, that equates to 940 calories. Sounds like a massive amount of calories to burn in just one session. Especially since I'm basically on a diet of porridge, brown rice, fish and veggies - plus a whole lot of USN supplements.

By all rights, I should have lost a bit of weight after 4 weeks. Will just have to be careful not to overdo it on the weekends. As long as nothing special happens, it won't be a problem, but I've noticed last weekend that it's tough sticking to the diet when you're driving around doing the touristy thing ... You just forget to eat and then when you do get a chance to eat, you're just starving and eat whatever. OK, the 'whatever' in my case was 3 bread rolls with camembert, lettuce and tomato. That was my big sin of the weekend. But still, I'd hate to undo all the hard work at the gym and during the week by not paying attention to what I'm eating in the weekends.

I'm also starting to see the effects in other areas of my life. I'd been working on this website for a while - on and off - without making much progress. Today, I decided to do that and just that and I got the job done. The site is live, Google Ads is all set up and we're as near as makes no difference ready to start trading. Great feeling!

Energy levels way down

Monday 25 August.

Got to bed after 12, and had to get up early to take my mom and cousin to the airport. So by the time I got to gym at 11, I felt listless. Just no energy.

We did a 50 minute workout and Des says I did well, and that he could see an improvement over last week, but I just didn't 'feel' it. Need a good night's rest now.

What's clear is that this is going to be a slow process. Those 'before' and 'after' photos on the USN transformation pack may imply that gains are quick and effortless, but it doesn't look like that's going to be the case. It's going to be a hard 12 weeks and I'll have to stay focused and on track to achieve meaningful results.

Starting from below zero (cos that's what it feels like) probably doesn't make it any easier ... Wish I'd stayed more active over the years. I'm definitely paying for those years of laziness now ...

Sunday - time for some wildlife

No exercise today either. We chilled at Izintaba in the morning and then headed for Entabeni Private Game Reserve for a game drive. Had lunch there as well. Not easy to stick to the diet when you're going away ... but trying my best. Also out of the carb block pills which doesn't help.

Left at Entabeni around 8 at night for a looong drive back to Joburg. Knackered! But what a great weekend :-)

Giving it a rest

Was supposed to go to gym to do some light cardio (cycling) this morning but as my calves still hurt, and we were going to go to the Waterberg for the weekend, I decided to give it a miss.

We stayed at Izintaba, near Vaalwater. Beautiful self catering accommodation. What they call a 'cottage' there is really a bit of a palace.

Ouch! My calves ...

Friday 22

Don't know what I did to hurt my calves so badly yesterday. We did do specific calves exercises on Wednesday but I didn't feel any pain. Ditto yesterday when I was doing my 1 hour cardio session. But afterwards - man oh man!

And to make matters worse, I had to entertain my mom and a cousin who'd come over from Belgium to celebrate her 18th birthday. She'd been staying with my parents for 2 weeks down in the Cape, but now she and my mom were up in Joburg for a long weekend.

Which means I had to show them the sights and walk Joburg flat. By the time we sat down for dinner at the Plaza in Montecasino, I could hardly walk anymore ...

Fortunately Des was understanding so we didn't do any exercises that would make matters worse, but instead focused on arm, chest and upper-legs.

10 days in ...

Thursday 21 August - 10 days into the challenge

After my first 2 days of weight training (consecutive days too), I was a bit sore this morning. But not as bad as I would have expected.

Got to gym at 6 and decided to just do some cardio.

20 mins each on the treadmill, stepper and bicycle proved yesterday's theory wrong. You do expend more calories when doing cardio than weight training (as one would expect); this morning, the tally was 969 calories, over a hundred more than yesterday.

That's according to my Polaris heart rate monitor. Which strangely gives me credit for a lot more calories than the Technogym equipment at the gym ... Not sure which is more accurate, I'd tend to believe my Polaris more.

Will have to read the manual (aargh!) and see if I've got the settings correct.

2 in a row!

Wednesday - 20 August

Yikes. My left arm was seriously sore this morning. Woke up in the middle of the night and thought I'd been lying on my arm or something, I could hardly move it.

Did 40 mins of weight training again. This time targeting different muscle groups, but my half-lame left arm didn't help much.

Des says the first couple of weeks are going to be hard on my body. It really needs to be shocked into shape right now, but that in a few weeks time, I'll be laughing at the weights that I'm training with now. The barbells that I used did look ridiculously small indeed, compared to what the more 'in shape' people at the gym were working out with.

Ah well, in a few weeks' time, I'll be one of them :-)

Did another 20 mins cardio afterwards. And the Polaris heart monitor sure came in handy. Whereas before I'd have to rely on the heart monitors on the equipment, now I have my own, and I know exactly how many calories I've expended, and when I'm getting out of the fat burning and into the cardio range (trying to stay just under that).

Looks like you lose a lot more calories by working with weights than by doing cardio. At the end of the 60 mins, my Polaris showed that I'd lost 843 calories. Only about 200 of those were during the 20 mins on the treadmill. Which means I've lost about 650 calories during 40 minutes of weight training.

Going to check that with Des on Friday ... sounds unbelievable.

Last night, I had my first 'treat'. Ang and I went out for supper. Had some sashimi with a greek side salad, so I think I pretty much stayed within the diet. It's nice to see that one can still lead a 'normal' life too, even when on the USN challenge.

First proper workout

Tuesday - 19 August

Tuesday was my first proper workout with Des, my personal trainer. After a week of focusing on shedding weight, now was the time for some weight training.

I expected to be sore afterwards, and I didn't get disappointed on that front. We only worked out for 40 minutes, which felt like enough. My arms and shoulders were burning. Boy, did I need that ...

I'm glad I decided to get a personal trainer. I don't think I'd push myself this hard. And at the same time, you have the peace of mind of knowing that you're being effective. And it's just safer. At times, after 8 or 10 reps, I just didn't have the strength anymore, which is when Des 'assisted' ever so gently so that I could complete the exercises.

I've sure got a long way to go. I'm so totally unfit and there's more flab than muscle, so it's going to be a long, uphill battle to create that perfect bod. And I'm not sure if I'd be able to do it by myself. I don't think I would.

I feel very comfortable with Des. He pushes me, but in a gentle way. Not at all macho. I was afraid I'd get one of those drill sergeant types : 'come on loser, PUSH!'

Fortunately Des is not like that at all. I think I'm in good hands here.

After the weight training, I still went for my 20 mins of cardio. Just want to get rid of the flab ASAP.

Despite the initial soreness, I wasn't actually crippled for the rest of the day, as I'd half expected. Don't know if it's the supplements I'm taking ... the L Glutamine andt the HMB are supposed to help you recover quickly and that's what they seemed to be doing for me ...

Des suggested I get a decent heart monitor so went shopping and bought the Polaris F11. Looks like a cool gadget. Will get to try it out tomorrow.

In the evening, I went down to the driving range. My wife and I had taking our first golf lesson on Saturday so I thought I'd go practise my newly acquired golf skills. It's kinda fun - never thought I'd be the person who'd enjoy a game of golf. Need lots more practice though, it was a bit embarrassing to sometimes hardly clear the 35m flag.

First day of rest ...

Monday - day 7 - no workout today

Consequently, a pretty quiet day on the USN challenge front ...

Noticed that even with the weight loss diet, you still need to take Pure Protein, so went and got that. The guy at Dischem recommended 17 Testo X. Says it helps you recover a lot quicker. And boosts your testosterone. It says on the bottle that it also boosts your libido. As if I needed that ... Ang is not going to be well pleased when she finds out.

A bout of 'powershopping'

Sunday - day 6

This was supposed to be my first session with Des, my personal trainer, but he'd double booked and suggested we start on Monday morning.

Unfortunately, I couldn't make that, as I'd already booked meetings for Monday, so the plan is now to start off on Tuesday. Probably a good thing as I'd been working out for 6 days in a row ... the maximum according to USN.

My leg muscles were a bit sore from Saturday's work out so I took it easy and only worked out for 35 minutes - treadmill, stepper and cycling.

The wife needed all kinds of stuff so we did some power shopping in the afternoon. Don't know if that counts as exercise but it sure felt like it@ 5 malls in the space of 3 hours.

Apparently there's an economic crisis. Wherever that crisis is, it's not at the malls .. they were all packed and people were spending as usual.

I also had one errand; I was almost out of Pure Protein and couldn't find it anywhere ... my usual Dischem at Northgate was already closed by the time we got there. Went to Clicks and they didn't stock Pure Protein. So I thought, well, I really need to lose weight first, and the USN diet is pretty similar whether you're on the weight loss or the muscle gain programme, so why not just focus on losing weight first, then build muscle?

Seemed logical, so I bought the Diet Fuel instead of the Pure Protein. So now I'm officially on the weight loss diet. USN says not to change your mind along the way, but seeing as it's still the first week, and I am also taking muscle building supplements (and will soon start doing weight training with Des), I thought 'what the heck'.

I know from experience that if I really commit to a diet, I'll lose the weight quickly. And this time I'm working out as well. And taking weight loss supplements.

Speaking of which, I think it's the CLA caps that keep me awake at night. I'm fine as long as I stick to 1 cap per meal, but as soon as I up the dosage to the maximum dosage allowed of 2 per meal, I have trouble sleeping. Going to go easy on the CLA for a while then ... see if it makes a difference.

What's with this getting up real early on the weekends?

Day 5 - Saturday

The gym only opens at 7 am on a Saturday, so I was there way before it opened. Can hardly believe it myself ...

Kinda fun though, work out for an hour, and then come home to find the wife still fast asleep. Like many other people, I presume. Made me feel good about myself: I'd already been working on my fitness and improving my health whilst a lot of other people just slept the morning away. I know, I know, I'm weird ...

I decided to push myself a little on Saturday and focus exclusively on cardio. So on top of the 20 mins treadmill and 20 mins stepper, I also cycled for 20 mins. Burnt well over 500 calories in an hour. What with this diet that I'm on at the moment, that should seriously help me lose weight quickly.

Seeing the Springboks go down against the All Blacks at Newlands was a bit of a downer, but taking my first golf lesson ever right after the game was a blast. Ang (my wife) and I had booked a lesson with Darren from the Pro Golf shop in Weltevreden Park.

It's amazing what progress you can make in just half an hour if you're being taught right ... Darren was great so by the end we actually managed to nicely launch (probably not the correct jargon) some golf balls.

All fit and revitalised

Day 4

After taking it easy yesterday, and a real good night's rest (decided to cut back on the Phedra Cut and the CLA caps - seems to have done the trick), I hit the gym again at 5 this morning. It's kinda nice to be up that early ... and quite surprising to see how many others are up as well.

The roads are very quiet that early, but once you get to the gym, the place is buzzing. Joburgers obviously like to work on their fitness levels ... or is it the whole 'getting ready for the beach' thing?

Did 20 minutes on the stepper, and another 20 on the treadmill. It's still challenging, but starting to get a bit easier. After that, I did some rowing, cycling and weights. USN recommend to work out for no longer than 60 mins a day so I'm trying to stick to that maximum. Some days, I just feel like I'm not doing enough though ... will have to chat to Des about that on Sunday. See if it would make sense to perhaps hit the gym again at night from time to time ...

So far, I'm finding it fairly easy to stick to the diet, which consists of not much more than an apple and oats in the morning, hake or chicken fillet with veggies and sweet potato or couscous for lunch, and again hake or chicken with veggies at night.

There are 'meals' in between but these are really just protein shakes. Although my first priority is to shed some weight, I also really want a more defined, toned and muscular body, so I'm on the 'muscle gain' diet whilst my work outs are leaning more towards weight loss.

I have no doubt that I'll lose the weight, I just don't want to make that my only focus. Another reason why I can't wait for Sunday so we can properly start working with weights and maybe shift the accent away from just cardio.

I've booked Des for 3 times a week, so I reckon that's when we'll be working with weights, and I'll do the cardio by myself the other 3 times a week. My first cycle of 6 consecutive days training ends on Sunday. I think we'll only monitor progress on Tuesday though, as that's when Des took my measurements. I'm already starting to feel a bit lighter, so will have to see if the scale confirms that ...

A difficult day

Day 3 (yesterday) was not easy

I hadn't slept much for the previous two nights. I'm guessing that the 'fat burning' supplements (Phedra Cut and CLA) may have had something to do with that ... they're probably just so stimulating that if you're a bit of a light sleeper, they just keep you awake ...

To top of it off, I decided to start going to gym early, so when I got there at 5 in the morning, I was just so tired I didn't have the energy to do just cardio ...

So just 20 minutes on the treadmill, and playing with some weights was more than enough. One thing's clear though, I'm not going to be a professional weight lifter any time soon ... there's girls there that push more weights than me :-)

Can't wait for Sunday when I'll have my first session with Des ... I think he's going to make me work but I reckon that if you want results, you need someone to push you to your limits (I know I do)

Blame it on the booze

Day 2

It's a bit weird taking all those pills and supplements. I never get sick so popping all those pills is a new experience ...

Des (my personal trainer) recommended also taking the USN Fat Block and Carb Block as apparently I need to lose some weight quickly. No kidding! And not surprising either: since our wedding this time last year, I've gained about 12 kgs. Life's been good :-)

When Des took my measurements yesterday, he took one look at my proud wine belly and asked do I perhaps like a drink now and then?

What does one say to that? Yes, I'm fairly passionate about my wines, and the missus and I have been known to klap a few bottles in one session, but that's going to have to stop.

According to Des, alcohol completely messes up your metabolism. And he warned that if I'm serious about losing weight and getting a fit bod, I'm gonna have to say adios to my old friend El Vino. So that's it, no booze for the next 12 weeks.

It will all have been worth the sacrifice if I can prance around on some tropical beach looking supremely fit this summer. Just cos a guy's married doesn't mean he doesn't want the ladies to notice him anymore ...

I guess I am being noticed from time to time, just not for the right reasons. I'm feeling really good about myself - it was high time to take action and I did. Kudos to me. Now it's a matter of sticking with the programme and really giving it my all ... Can't wait to see what progress I'll have made a month from now.

Steve starts the USN challenge

Today's the day! I've started the USN Body and Lifestyle Challenge.

Last week, I was on a trip to the Cape, part business, part visiting the folks. I took a good look at my old man, and realised that I was well on my way to following in his footsteps. Not fit, and a bit of a boep (even though he's fairly slender - me not so right now).

And it hit me, either I do something about my physique now, or it's probably never going to happen ...

So I decided to take action. Whilst still in the Cape, I phoned Lauren from USN and asked her to recommend a personal trainer. She suggested Des Coetsee at the Virgin Active in Randburg. I spoke to Des and we set a date for an initial consultation to take measurements and what have you. That date was today.

And it wasn't pretty. Almost 25% body fat, and the physical age of a 48-year old (I turned 36 just 2 months ago). Not good.

But at the same time, plenty of ammo to keep me motivated. I don't want to look like this anymore, so now's the time to take action.

I got the transformation pack last week Thursday, and started following the diet and taking the supplements this morning. And Des immediately gave me some cardio work to do, so the challenge has officially started. Just tried to register on the USN challenge website but had a bit of a problem - perhaps because my transformation pack is still a 2007 version. Hopefully they'll sort that out soon.

Watch this space for updates.