Pride and Fall: 12 Weeks 2 LIFE!

Re-Cap: Terry & the crew at LFA, agreed to take me through a 12-week course to show the progress I could make in that time. I was dedicated to that period, but new the ethos behind this was a full LIFE-long change. At about 10 weeks I was feeling fantastic. I had dropped a bunch of weight and was seeing a big leap in strength and fitness. I had, at about week 8, seen Tim the nutritionist, as I was having some issues and saw a great breakthrough after his consultation. Everything was on track. Then in the middle of a great workout, I crunched my lower back. It was quickly apparent I was seriously hurt. By that afternoon I could not stand up. I made a slow recovery, seeing a chiropractor and massage therapist. But I steadily slipped off in my diet, my workouts were non-existent and when I did try I got set backs with further injuries. I became pretty depressed.

I was in contact with the Life Fitness crew and getting encouragement. They knew I needed to ease back physically, but would have kicked my butt if they saw my dip in eating habits. I know for me, it’s always so much easier to eat well, when I am being active. Another reason I know I need to be working out and eating a good diet! The longer it went on, the more I regressed. I put back on weight, my fitness dropped and I felt worse and worse. My back had pretty much worked its way out; I was feeling some neck pain (a residual effect from the injury) but I knew I could get back into things. Now I just had another major issue to hurdle: pride.

I had been on track to show a perfect transformation. I was going to be the poster boy holding up my fat pants at the end of my course. But this is not a Hollywood ending, and this is no miracle diet pill. But what I did sign up for was a 12 Week 2 LIFE course with my new family at LFA. So I called Terry to ask what we should do with this experiment. I felt terrible that I was not going to be able to display the great stats we had been on course for, and part of me felt like I had let them all down. I had been a huge waste of their time. But Terry was not fazed at all. He was incredibly encouraging “don’t worry! Lets just pick back up!” During our conversation I realized the potential in this set back. The opportunity to show my resilience and to not allow a set back to be the final word.

So today I am not letting my pride prevent me from getting back up. I will not let my set back define my story. I have an incredible team at LFA and I know they will be there to pick back up with me. I want to be back on track, I know I am happier when I am exercising and eating well. I know I like the achievement that comes with all of this. Its time to shake off the dust, and take the first step back. I have green smoothies and home made broth ready to eat. I have a training session booked. But most importantly I have a group of encouragers around me. They may allow me to trip and stumble by myself, but they will always be there to help me back up. And that’s exactly what I am going to do.

What Happened? Where did I go?!

So my 12 Weeks 2 Life challenge hit a major road bump about a week and a half ago. I had enjoyed about three days of vastly improved nutrition and digestion and I was working out harder than ever before. I was really pumped up and enjoying the new energy! Then during a fairly routine exercise and also a low weight lift, I leaned back and crunched my lower back. What I thought was a twinge rapidly deteriorated and despite stretching it quickly became apparent I was hurt. I went home, laid on the floor and tried to interchange some heat and ice. At the point I realized I could not stand up by myself the icing ended (as I couldn’t get to the freezer) I was in extreme pain and when I did finally get assistance standing my torso was seriously jacked out to one side. It looked weird.

After a rough night and no improvement over night, my wife insisted I went to a chiropractor. Now I don’t have a great opinion of such practices (no offense) but with my pain level and immobility I was willing to try anything. After some scans and examination I was diagnosed with a bulging disc. I have since then been getting aligned and having some sports massages to keep working on this. My pain and mobility has been improving. I have however not been able to exercise for the whole time and frankly I am going a little stir crazy.

I have decided today that my pain level is low enough to get back into the swing of things. I have dipped a little on my nutrition too, as so often happens without exercise. I do not feel great. I am however super excited to get back on track. What does this mean for 12 Weeks 2 Life? Well it means this process is for LIFE. So this hurdle is just that, something to be moved over and to continue on as before. I would much rather get an injury from being active than straining myself during a reach for the TV controller. I am going to restart the process and give myself a couple more weeks to fulfill the 12 weeks. But due to this set back I am going to extend my goal and this study. I will after the 2 weeks check back in every 4 weeks to show the continued progress and to maintain the Life goal in all this.

Back to it tomorrow!!

The Power of Nutrition!

My last few weeks have been plagued by some fairly disheartening moments. As you can remember I hit a plateau and felt like things were not all meshing as I had expected. I had been working out everyday and still eating pretty darn healthy. But I still felt like my digestion and body was not feeling the way it should. I am sure that depleted some of my energy and no doubt affected my exercise. I mentioned this to Terry and he said it was time for me to meet one of LFA’s big guns: Tim – the nutrition specialist.

I was of course excited to speak to someone, but also not sure there would be much answer. I am pretty knowledgeable on the subject of what to eat and what not to and knew I was doing fairly well. So when I told Tim I was eating whole foods, nothing processed, cutting out grains and had smoothies and was taking probiotics; I expected him to have nothing left. He was of course glad to hear all that I was doing and encouraged me to continue that. But having so much experience with dealing with folks with hard-hitting illnesses, my poorly working digestive system did not faze him. We discussed my habits and food purchases and Tim came up with a few good suggestions. For me it was making a grass fed beef broth, taking gelatin (again from grass fed beef), taking an Enzyme supplement and upping the amount of probiotics. Tim also pointed me to particualr sourdough bread that is top of the list of grains that can be digested most easily. I was stoked – I eagerly ordered my gelatin and enzymes and began cooking up my beef bones to make a broth (which is delicious by the way! – 20 hrs of bubbling goodness!)

It has been less than a week and I am already seeing a BIG effect. Today I felt the closest I have to what I imagine a well working gut and body should feel like. My mood was elevated because of all of this and when I got in the gym to workout with Terry today I was fired up! It makes the workout more enjoyable and I’m sure enables me to do more.

I feel like LFA has given me all the pieces of the puzzle the past 10 weeks and today is when I can see them all falling into place.

I now have two full weeks with Terry – everyday! I am totally stoked about it! A HUGE thanks to Tim Nollam – “The nutrition specialist.” I highly recommend meeting with him and the trainers at LFA to get a full reboot back to health.

8 Week Update - pictures and statistics

Ok So its the 8 week mark and time to see the progress. Its definitely been slower and not for lack of effort. But its been great to be involved in this to help me keep going! I feel GREAT and am loving the whole journey! Thanks everyone at LFA!! Im hoping to really push myself for the last 4 weeks!! here we go!

Day 1.                          Week 4                       Week 8
Weight: 204 lbs              Weight: 197 lbs            Weight: 190 lbs   
Chest: 43                       Chest:39                      Chest: 38
Waist: 42                       Waist:37                       Waist: 35           
Thigh: 23                       Thigh: 22                      Thigh: 22   
Arm: 16                         Arm: 16                       Arm: 16            
                                                                                         
Body Fat % 23.6              Body Fat % 21.7
BMI : 30.4                       BMI : 30.4

So more weight dropped - def slowed down and the slump was hard to battle through. But the drop in inches feels good! I forgot to do they Body Fat and BMI so will update those on Friday!

Surviving The Plateau

Anyone who has embarked on the daunting challenge of losing weight through exercise and healthy nutrition knows that at some point you hit a plateau. This is the moment that many find, frustration, disappointment, and confusion and for some this is the point when they fall off the wagon for good. The past week or so I have started to feel that. It has probably shown in the drop off in blog posts. I have continued to work out every day and in some instances harder off days, sprinting up hills for example. I still feel good, although I have had some inconsistencies in my digestion, which leaves me irritated at times. I am fitter, stronger and enjoying my workouts. So what happened? Well the simple answer is I stopped losing weight as I had been. In fact at one point I checked and I have gone up 1 pound. Now I am a big proponent of weight not being the best gauge of success, but still something inside me felt the slump from that.

So I decided I would not check my weight and just keep doing what I was doing; so I don’t really know where I am right now. I do know that it has taken a toll on me mentally; I cannot deny that. That niggling voice of failure, which instills doubt in myself. The idea that I am letting people down or not succeeding as I had hoped. Its all part of that sensation, that quitting is just much easier.

It is that moment when I am glad I am on a journey with Life Fitness Academy and that falling out is not an option. I know that each week I am going to show them and everyone following me, I am still going. It also helps as I write this to realize that I DO feel well, I DO love working out, I DO eat well and that my weight is not a indicator of my success. So I look forward with a renewed, uplifted spirit to continue and am thankful to have my trainers and supporters to have helped me past the slump. Yet another moment on this journey when having LFA has been vital to my success.

This week I am doing as many classes as I can. So I will be writing up some reviews of those this week! Tonight “Fitness Rave!” – come join me!

Green Smoothie Weekend - The Reset Button

So this weekend marked the half way point in the 12 Weeks 2 Life program AND the crunch point in the nutrition course. A two-day period of ONLY green smoothies as prescribed by Terry. This recipe has kale, avocado, banana, berries, spinach and either some kefir or coconut water. It’s actually a pretty hefty thing to consume; I did not really feel hungry, but its still def a challenge. I personally do well with fasting and strict nutrition (for periods of time) so when this morning came I decided to roll one more smoothie and then just a very easy day of vegetarian diet. Terry explains this smoothie fast as a reset button for the body and I feel GREAT for it. I am dead on for my expected weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week, at 6 weeks and exactly 12 pounds down.

I had a killer workout with Ashley today and I am seeing a good improvement in fitness. I came back and had lettuce spinach and boiled egg and frankly, food never tasted so good!

This week I am going to highlight some of the classes offered at Life Fitness Academy each week. They are high quality workouts and for those who need a good routine, this is a great way to go!

Back on track! Lumber-jack workout and more!

So I have neglected my blogging a little the past few days. But most importantly, I have not let up on the nutrition and exercise. After a few ups and downs last week, Terry tried to bring me back into gear with what he called “the lumber-jack workout.” He had me throwing around a 55lb-boxing bag. It’s cumbersome to say the least. I was flipping, juggling, lifting, pressing, throwing, and squeezing that thing. Interlaced with some swinging of a sledge hammer and I was pumped up! It was a fun workout for sure and I felt like I shook off a couple of bad days. At that time I decided to delay my weekend of green smoothies for next, as I wanted to have a solid week before it. I knew I had Russ this week and that meant 5:30am starts; so my days have a good early start!

Russ did not disappoint. We kicked off Monday morning with a predominantly chest and shoulders circuit. It’s amazing what those extra reps will do for you, and with a spotter, encourager and dictator (ha) I know every workout I push harder. Russ did a good mix of low and high weights so I could really feel the burn. We always hit the pool after and it’s a great way to unwind, stretch and get a little extra cardio. On Tuesday we met for a run at the green way in our neighborhood. It was at this time I realized in almost 6 weeks of training I had not been on one run! It occurred to me how many people don’t like to exercise, or try to lose weight, because they think they have to run a lot to do so. Its not true – come work out with these guys; you will see even better results! Then Wednesday Russ put me through my paces, running stairs and laps. Then outside into the humid, Tennessee heat. He pushed me through some super hard circuit work on the benches in the fields. It always feels so great to dip and jut and sprint around. Leaping over things and feeling every muscle work, dripping in sweat and always trying to catch my breath. It feels like being a kid again!

It’s been a great turnaround since my last post. I have been sticking to a strict diet this week. Terry told me to stick to phase 1 of the makers diet list of foods. This is in preparation for the weekend of green smoothies ahead. I am also going to be taking Russ' class STRABS this evening so look for my post on that tomorrow. Check it out HERE.. why not come with me!