Ashley kickin my gluteus maximus!

So I started week 3 with Ashley on Monday. Each week the trainers had been in contact with each other to update them on my progress, what I had been doing and anything else they should know. Its super professional and allows us to get straight to business. And that is exactly what happened. After a warm up on the rower, we went outside. I see a tall staircase and a huge tractor tire. I should also add that its hot, Tennessee hot. Ashley explains how she likes to do routines of essentially hard sprint type movements and then some motions that keep you moving but allow rest.

Before I know it I am running up and down stairs and flipping tires. The different versions of stair climbing and some dips. There was sweat literally pouring off me! We continued combinations of this and after a move that I was sure was going to make my gluteus maximus explode we moved inside. Ashley put me through my paces, lunging dipping, curling, and more. By then end I good lift no more muscles. The team here always assists you with stretching and I am really starting to see how great that is.

I discussed briefly nutrition and as I was already in the groove, Ashley suggested I keep a food diary to see if there is anything on there that I think is ok, that isn’t. I thought that was a great idea! It was a great workout and I’m looking forward to Wednesday.

Just as a side note, its also apparent to me, the more I do and the more I progress the more fun this all becomes! Its just a matter of taking that first step.

Russ has a last minute suprise!

So on Friday I had my third session with Russ. He pushed me through some more familiar moves focusing on push up and abdominal work, except with some great new variations that really worked to focus on specific areas. He liked to use the half shell medicine ball to work on stabilizers the whole time. It really caused me to use my core and again I felt my whole body being worked. Its great to have someone to really keep an eye on form, which I know is so important and when solo you never really know how you are doing. Then just as I thought we were done, he said “just one thing in the gym then the pool.” Well that one thing was suicide runs! Russ put me through my paces and when we reached round 3 he put the clock back on me, which really did make me push myself. I was exhausted. We hit the pool and its amazing how it makes you feel instantly energized. It had been a great week!

I continue to walk/jog/bike/swim on my days off. Nothing too crazy to ease my body into this and so I can give as much as possible on my sessions with the trainers. That’s where I am getting most. I am starting with Ashley on Monday and I’m excited (read: nervous) to see what she has in store for me!

A morning at the park with Russ - ha i wish!

Yesterday was my second session with Russell and half way through week two. First of all, I can’t explain how much better I feel already! There are still aches and pains and I am still at a very low fitness level, but I am seeing results and feeling good levels of improved mood and energy! Go see the guys at Life Fitness Academy and get your 12 weeks 2 Life started!

So Russ asked me if I was alright meeting him at our local green-way/park for our workout. I love being outdoors and the weather is great, so I jumped at it. Plus I was intrigued to see what he had up his sleeve. So at 530am we took a deep breath of fresh air and then using the park and trees went through a new set of interval style moves. Again emphasizing the use of body-weight exercises. Russ reiterates this and its importance, especially in the beginning stages. “It builds the stabilizer muscles that will help you achieve power and strength. This will really help avoid poor technique and avoid injury.” And of course they are all making me sweat my ass off!! By the end of the session my muscles burn, my legs are jelly and I look like I have taken a shower fully clothed. But I feel amazing.

As I sit on the bench, glad its over J Russ pulls out a recovery smoothie for me. It was full of berries, mango, banana, kale, spinach, egg and flax-seed. It was delicious. As I drank that he talked through my nutrition questions and offered some of his own advice and experience. We discussed portion sizes, regularity of meals and the types of foods to be eating and avoiding. By the end of that I felt the smoothie give me a renewed energy so I spent another hour split between walking on an incline and swimming. It was a great start to my day and a fun workout and nice to be outside to do it!

Week 2 - The age of Russel Hickman!!

So after a good first week, I was excited and a little anxious to see what Russ had in store for me. He called me on Sunday to chat a little about the week ahead. We agreed to keep going as I had been on the nutrition, and to sit down together to discuss some more detail and to offer me some more advice on Monday. Then came those dreaded words “so meet me at the gym at 5:30 am and we will get going”; gulp.

I decide to get to bed early but I was wide-awake! I have too much energy it seems. So finally by 11:something I nod off and at 1230 pm my 3-year-old son decided its time to get up. I don’t manage to get him to stay in his bed until 2:30am!! I think about texting Russ to ask for leniency, but I refrain. Then at 5:20am I am awoken by a text from Russ, saying he is on his way. My alarm had not gone off! But I will not be deterred, or rather the inspiration of meeting a trainer is enough to make me jump out of bed and get my ass to the gym. Lets face it, if I had not been working in this program; there is no way I would have been there.

So I arrive, just a few minutes after and am surprisingly energetic. Russ takes us through a warm up then to begin our workout. Russ encourages me through a good system of circuit training type moves. Russ is keen on using body weight as the resistance, and it works! I am thoroughly surprised at how effective I am finding these circuit style workouts that hit the full body throughout the whole time! As we hit the second set of moves my strength is noticeably fading and Russ helps guide me into modified versions of some of the moves to help me get to the end. Sometimes I feel like I need to be yelled at by a drill sergeant, but I will take the constant encouragement and motivation as I come to the end of my sets.

By the end I had jelly legs and sweat pouring. Russ likes to end these sessions with some time in the pool. So we do a stretch and then head to swim. We do a few laps which really helps stretch out the whole body and then tred water for about 5 mins and chat. As I got out the water I felt great! We are on a Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat schedule and days off doing some good walks. I did a 2 hr hike at Radnor Lake this morning and it felt great to stretch out, sweat and burn some calories surrounded be beauty! I’m feeling so much better already in just eight days!!

R&R – “Its ok to enjoy yourself!”

So after my workout Friday with Clay, he charged me with taking good walks over the weekend. That night I had planned to have dinner at my house with a bunch of friends. Some of them are the LFA crew. It seemed a great opportunity see if we could eat a healthy balanced meal and it still be delicious! I would say we knocked it out of the park, and everyone brought something to offer. We had a feast of salmon, chicken, peppers, cauliflower, carrots and quinoa. And with a decedent coconut macaroon at the end – I know it was healthy as the Bargas made it, but it certainly didn’t taste like health food! It was great to enjoy a meal with friends and to not have that bloated, lethargic feeling at the end. Eating better is more enjoyable; we just have to remind ourselves of that once in a while. And having a good group of friends that support a healthy lifestyle makes it all the more enjoyable!

The weekend was good; I could definitely feel some strains in my chest and hamstrings. So I took a long walk Saturday. Sunday I hit the gym and walked on an incline for one-hour then about 30 mins in the pool to stretch out my chest, and really, a great full body stretch.

I called in to Russ on Sunday to see what he had in mind for schedule. It was not what I wanted to hear! J

Days 3,4 & 5 - Clay the punisher! (haha - not really)

So after my night of sweats and sickness I turned up for my second workout with Clay. He had a different routine for me, using a set of movements and exercises in a similar circuit format. It’s amazing how tired I get so quickly. I know this is of course due to my low level of fitness. But it is also evident that this style of workout hits hard, in the right way. I am doing strength work, cardio and fat burning, in short high impact workouts. Today is day 5 and it was the same story. New moves but with the same result: a tired, sweaty but happy, me. I have definitely felt every muscle in my body being worked and triggered this week. I have been limited by my poor fitness but i am definitely feeling an immediate difference. I have been sticking to the nutrition list i have been given and am finding it easy to make meals and they taste good!
These first weeks can really be a frustrating time for people coming back from a long break from exercise. I can’t help but think it sucks that I can easily remember me much further along the road than I am today. But I am totally focused on the end results and each day i tell myself this will be the last time I let myself lull. This IS the beginning of a new, lifelong lifestyle. I'm really thankful to Clay; he was supportive and encouraging when needed and conscientious of my own levels and knowing where to push and where to guide me back from hurting myself. I’m aching and sore but it feels great. A nice reminder that there are some muscles under there and they want to be used! I have the weekend to walk a lot, which I will be wheeling my two boys around, and then starting Monday I will be beginning my week with Russell Hickman.

Day 2 - struggling.

So Day 2 almost threw a spanner in the works right away. I woke up with a very sore throat and drainage. My body also felt like it had been used as a trampoline for a hoard of angry toddlers. I knew I was going to feel the workout, but I could not distinguish what was that and what was the ache of sickness. I ate a good breakfast of 4 eggs and lots of water and pushed on. I figured I should go right ahead and get the vitamins and probiotics that Clay had recommended. For the sake of ease they sell them at the gym, so that's nice, that way you can be sure you are getting the right thing. As the day continued I could really start to feel the aches in my thighs and back. But my neck and shoulders ached and i felt that was sickness.
I was determined that I would not be thrown off. I went to the grocery store to build my arsenal of super foods. As I strolled through I checked in with Clay who was more than happy to advise on some of my choices. I went away with a cart full of fruits like, strawberry's, blueberries, pineapple and grapefruits as well as bundles of spinach and lettuce. I picked up some wild caught sockeye salmon and some steaks. Clay had suggested walking as much as possible on the days between our meetings. So i had called my wife and told her to strap in the boys for a stroll around the neighborhood. It was a great idea and I could feel my muscles start to stretch out and feel better. After we got back I could feel my sickness really starting to heighten. I cooked some steaks and ate a steak salad. Then had a super hot shower to try and ease the muscles and burn out the looming illness. However as I sat on the couch I could feel the chills. Honestly mixed with the muscle pain from the workout I felt pretty terrible. I put on some thermals, told myself to think positively and went to bed to let this thing ride out. It was a rough night and I had to keep telling myself I was not going to let this happen now. And by this morning I felt considerably better! Another hot, hot shower, a freshly squeezed grapefruit and four eggs cooked in coconut oil and I feel back on track!
Now my muscles do still ache and I will be taking walks throughout the day to prevent stiffness. I will probably take it a little easy tonight with Clay to try and prevent a relapse. But I really, really want to do this right and to get healthy. I don’t know what was the most effective thing that helped, but the one very noticeable effect was the change I felt when I changed my own attitude. I will have to remember that tonight when Clay is putting me through my paces!
On to day 3 - and my second workout.

Day 1 Nutrition & Workout (with Clay)

I met with Clay this evening for our first session. We spent sometime discussing what i currently eat, drink and take in as far as medications etc. I told him i am erratic with my foods but can be extremely healthy and also quite unhealthy. I do not take any medications. We also discussed vitamins and probiotics. Clay gave me a list of foods on varying lists - these tell me what i can eat. Clay is beginning to wean me down to a 3-day green smoothie fast, which they call the reset. Then they intend to build me back up from there. I need to get better vitamins and start taking some probiotics. Clay also personally thought removing grains for me might help with my intended fat loss so we are going to explore that. I could tell Clay not only knew his stuff, but was also genuinely excited about it and sharing it.We also took all my measurements to see where i am now.

Height: 5,8"
Weight: 204 lbs
Body Fat: 23.6
BMI: 30.4

We then wasted no time and moved to the gym. In the past when i wanted to cut some weight i would run, run and run some more. It eventually worked, but i was never left with a great over all muscle tone. The workout i just did to begin the fat burning process was light years away from a jog around the park. Clay took me through a set of 10 different exercises that i did back to back for one minute, doing as many reps as possible. The moves were a combinations of squats, thrusts, lifts, and generally full body movements that seemed to trigger every muscle in me. It was hard, but doable and Clay encouraged but also made me feel comfortable to go at my pace. I managed to do the first set and only began to feel nauseous about 3/4 of the way through it. The second way through i lowered my weights i was using and pushed through to almost the end. I was a sweaty, burning, happy mess by the end. I knew that this was the kind of workout i would not do on my own. I could tell it is what i needed. I was triggering so many more muscle groups and obviously burning calories like no run i had done before.

My legs now burn and my body is adjusting to working out again. Clay told me to try and get in some good walks on the days off and i think my body will be glad for that today. I am now going to post my Day 1 picture and also mark on my list of 7 key points:

1. Mood - overall im good, excited about this change. But i do have problems with consistency of mood.
2. Energy - Im pretty sluggish most of the time.
3. Sleep - I sleep on and off ok - i do have a baby and a toddler though. I do think i get tired from fatigue rather than exertion.
4. Joints/pain - I have neck and shoulder pain regularly. I would also say ankles sometimes and i had a hip disease when i was young and have occasional issue with it. I will be interested to see how this is effected.
5. Weight - Well at 202lbs this is by far the heaviest i have been. I look forward to doing all i can to start dropping this.
6. Stress - I would say i feel a fair amount of stress. I am coming into a more upbeat time in my life so that mixed with this new start with LFA is certainly helping. I think again i am hoping for a more steady control of stress and energy.
7. Digestion - My digestion has always been erratic and frankly thats irritating to me. I am really hoping to see improvement here.

The Beginning of '12 Weeks 2 Life'

Two weeks ago I approached the team at Life Academy Fitness with a challenge. That challenge was me. I had managed to reach the heaviest and most out of shape, i had been in my 30-years of living. I had a laundry list of excuses, but i knew they should not prevent me from being healthy. So yes i have a job, two kids, a big house to maintain and not to mention a strong affinity for beer. I have always fluctuated in levels of fitness, i have never used a personal trainer, and i have been pretty sure i did not need one. But somehow that inconsistency and my self-assured ability to do this alone did not seem to add up any longer. So i went to Terry, the owner and head trainer at L.F.A. to ask if he thought in 12 weeks he could not only turn my health, habits and fitness around, but set me up for this change for life. He looked me up and down nervously (not really - that's for dramatic effect) He jumped on it excitedly! And thus was born the "12 Weeks 2 Life" experiment.

I have agreed to follow all instruction on exercise and nutrition. I will be working with as many of the L.F.A team as possible and using their classes and facilities to experience as much as i can. I will try to be as honest as i can and to give an insight into the journey. I am extremely excited to begin, i am nervous about what is ahead but i am very ready to be healthy again!

Over the next 12 weeks i will be photographing myself and some of the foods and workouts along the way. I will write blogs about my days and i will also be monitoring changes in 7 main areas:

1. Mood
2. Energy
3. Sleep
4. Joints/pain
5. weight
6. Stress
7. Digestion

Tonight is my first session with Clay. I will be posting my "before" photograph tonight and giving a run down of Day 1 on my 12 week journey - I look forward to sharing it with you all!

If any of this has resonated with you be sure to contact any of the team at L.F.A. they will be ready to encourage and support you on your journey to improved health.  http://www.lifefitness-academy.com/

Mark aka The Guinea Pig