Good news, I have been LOCKED IN fitness wise for the past 3 weeks. Workouts have been fantastic, diet has been perfect, and a fresh cortisone shot in my shoulder at the end of June has worked wonders along with my PT exercises. I'm not ready to announce the whole program but will talk about it when I complete it. The only time I use kettlebells are for 2 hand swings, farmer walks and double front squat. I don't press overhead anymore. There's no reason to, and it hurts. I don't do Turkish Getups anymore or snatches. The goal is not to get hurt.
Exercises: Safety Bar Squat, Leg Press, Hack Squat, Kettlebell Front Squat. Deadlift, 225-275. Two hand swings 24-48 kg. (A 48 kg set of 10 two hand swings makes a set of 32 kg swings feel like a toy), Machine chest press, cable chest press, Iso-Max Chest Press, Shrugs, Machine Pulldowns and Rows, Machine and cable triceps and curls, HIIT with the StairMaster (10 rounds) Push prowler (180 lb.) Low bar and vertical bars. 10 rounds.
Total body workout 3-4 days a week. 3-5 sets of 10-15 reps.
What works for me.
1. Don't eat until Noon
2. Weigh yourself no more than 1 x per week.
3. Let me put this in bold capitalized letters LOGGING MY FOOD
4. Drink a gallon of water a day
5. Take Metameucil, one TBS with 2 TBS of lemon juice and 2 TBS of Apple Cider Vinegar with water. Chug.
6. No alcohol
7. A 45–60-minute walk daily which leads to the title of this blog.
Why these steps have worked.
I usually finish my dinner by 7 PM. This means, I am fasting for a minimum 16 hours. I work out fasted, so it sets up some good fat burning.
Whether it's golf, fasting, sales revenue or weighing myself. When I chase numbers, I make myself miserable. I put no stock in the scale, because it depends on how much water I'm holding. The best measure is the tape measure around the navel. If I eat clean and practice good habits, I'm getting healthier.
Logging food and water is a game changer. I use the MyfitnessPal app. Simple, just input what you eat. You can also link it to your GoogleFit. You can log your water as well. It works because it holds me accountable. I'm not going to log, ate 1/2 bag of Cape Cod Chips. Or drank 4 scotches and had a Five Guys for lunch the next day.
The gallon of water a day can be overkill and can be a pain in the bladder. It helps wash out your body and keeps you full. Especially if hunger pangs occur around 9:30 AM. First thing in morning before coffee, I drink 14 oz. of water. Dehydration from the night before is immediately eliminated.
I've praised the wonderful effects of Metameucil on this blog. It's a great mid-afternoon snack, if you have the 3 PM pangs. It fills you up. If you don't want to drink it, you're not really hungry. Plus, it clears you out beautifully.
Alcohol doesn't love you back. It makes you fat and leads to poor eating decisions that night and the next day.
Walking is awesome. Low impact, good for everything.
My son was able to get me unlimited Spotify. When I go to the gym or walk outside, I don't wear headphones. I like socializing and hearing what's going on around me. Plus, they're really not so great for hearing. I have a little ringing in my ears from time to time and my doctor mentioned. they're starting to believe it's the brain making up for hearing loss.
I walk with my phone in my pocket and blast music. Currently, I listened to Pet Sounds and now I'm going through the Beatles catalogue.
Let's review Pet Sounds Released 1966
Rating 10+/10
Pros: Best album of all time. Absolutely brilliant, Especially the 2nd side. Has the greatest love song ever "God Only Knows." Unbelievable instrumentation and production. Best listened to with, gulp, a good set of headphones. Beautiful vocals, great material
Cons: Beach Boys didn't play most of the instruments. The Wrecking Crew did.
I listened to this for the first time six months ago in Florida and was blown away by it. Wouldn't It Be Nice, kicks it off, and then the next 3 songs are probably the weakest on the album. They're good songs, but not great. You Still Believe In Me, That's Not Me, and Don't Talk. I remember thinking, "it's fine, I don't get it though." Then, I heard Waiting For The Day with the percussion banging away, and I thought, this is good. Followed by an instrumental, Let's Go Away For A While, which sounds like background music to a love excursion in the 1960's. Then comes Sloop John B, great song. Then, God Only Knows which is sung by 19-year-old Carl Wilson. The greatest love song ever opens up with the lyric, "I may not always love you." Unreal. Next is I Know There's An Answer which is about Brian Wilson dabbling in LSD. The song is extremely catchy with the sleigh bells, and carnival sound. It's like being at a Christmas festival. Here Today follows and is my favorite song on the album. The horns, organ, bass are amazing. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times is an autobiographical song by Brian Wilson trying to figure out where he fits in. He had quit touring with the Beach Boys and was creating this masterpiece while they were on tour, at the age of 23. Unfortunately, it was a sign of these to come regarding his mental state. The second instrumental and title track Pet Sounds is next. It's pleasant enough and the album ends with Caroline, No about a girl who has changed. Finally at the end of the album there is a bunch of sounds, that the Beatles would copy on later songs and albums. You can really hear the influence that this album had on the Beatles' later albums.
I'm a HUGE Beatle fan and this is better than any album they put out.
Next Post will be Please Please Me, With The Beatles and A Hard Day's Night.
