Day 11
I've resolved to get two full weeks of daily workouts under my belt before I start any real weighing or measuring of progress. I wanted to actualy be underway before I really talked much about it. But I'm reasonably happy that I've come this far and I'm actually starting to feel a bit better about the effort.
My first success marker is that I'm at that point between belt settings -- the tighter one works for walking/standing, but sitting I need a bit of extra room. (Midsection flab is my enemy.) Today I was at the smaller setting all day, perfectly comfortable. I'm down about 2-3 pounds but there's a LONG way to go.
Basically, I'm gradually adjusting my diet, cutting back overall and reducing the crap-to-nutrition ratio; I'm not worrying too much about lapses but rather about overall nutrition, and working out every day. The main rules are "eat less and better", and "work out every day for at least 30-45 minutes".
Typical routine is:
* quick stretches
* 40-60 crunches
* 30 side crunches each side
* 20 leg extensions
* 20 leg lifts
* 20 squats
* 20 front kicks
* 2 sets 12-15 sitting bench presses (bowflex)
* 2 sets 12-15 butterfly
* 2 sets 12-15 dumbbell bicep curls each arm
* 1 set 10-12 triceps extensions
* 1 set 10-12 shoulder shrugs (half each rotation direction)
* 1 set 10-12 straight arm side extensions
Get at least 6.5 to 7 hours of sleep. Work out in the mornings.
Overall, my target is "being less flabby and in better shape" rather than any particular weight target.
My short term goal is to get to the point where this level of effort is no longer a strain and I'm able to handle more complex exercises. I want to get in the habit of daily (or at least almost-daily) workouts.
My mid term goal is to drop at least 1 pants size by March. By summer, I'd like to be swimming again.
Long term, I'd like to lose at least 30 pounds and 2 pants sizes by the end of summer, and perhaps in the fall get back into Taekwondo or something similar.
....but at the same time, I'm not going to deny myself everything I enjoy, or severely restrict my diet. I was sort of counting calories for a while primarily to pay closer attention to what I'm eating.
I'm not expecting miracle work here -- it took a while to get this fat and it'll take a while to get slimmed down a bit -- but I'm pretty optimistic right now!
My first success marker is that I'm at that point between belt settings -- the tighter one works for walking/standing, but sitting I need a bit of extra room. (Midsection flab is my enemy.) Today I was at the smaller setting all day, perfectly comfortable. I'm down about 2-3 pounds but there's a LONG way to go.
Basically, I'm gradually adjusting my diet, cutting back overall and reducing the crap-to-nutrition ratio; I'm not worrying too much about lapses but rather about overall nutrition, and working out every day. The main rules are "eat less and better", and "work out every day for at least 30-45 minutes".
Typical routine is:
* quick stretches
* 40-60 crunches
* 30 side crunches each side
* 20 leg extensions
* 20 leg lifts
* 20 squats
* 20 front kicks
* 2 sets 12-15 sitting bench presses (bowflex)
* 2 sets 12-15 butterfly
* 2 sets 12-15 dumbbell bicep curls each arm
* 1 set 10-12 triceps extensions
* 1 set 10-12 shoulder shrugs (half each rotation direction)
* 1 set 10-12 straight arm side extensions
Get at least 6.5 to 7 hours of sleep. Work out in the mornings.
Overall, my target is "being less flabby and in better shape" rather than any particular weight target.
My short term goal is to get to the point where this level of effort is no longer a strain and I'm able to handle more complex exercises. I want to get in the habit of daily (or at least almost-daily) workouts.
My mid term goal is to drop at least 1 pants size by March. By summer, I'd like to be swimming again.
Long term, I'd like to lose at least 30 pounds and 2 pants sizes by the end of summer, and perhaps in the fall get back into Taekwondo or something similar.
....but at the same time, I'm not going to deny myself everything I enjoy, or severely restrict my diet. I was sort of counting calories for a while primarily to pay closer attention to what I'm eating.
I'm not expecting miracle work here -- it took a while to get this fat and it'll take a while to get slimmed down a bit -- but I'm pretty optimistic right now!