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.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
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!
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!
Monday, August 25, 2008
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 ...
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 :-)
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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.
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.
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.
Monday, August 18, 2008
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.
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.
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.
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.
Friday, August 15, 2008
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 ...
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)
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)
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
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.
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.
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