Just Super Busy

It’s been a great week so far.

A great week but very busy!

I haven’t had much time to post between work, school and workouts. Keep checking in for updates. I will post a Fourth of July blog on Friday to wish everyone a fun, safe weekend.

Hope everyone is well, stick with your fitness and leave a comment if you’re looking for a little extra motivation.

Quote: “What we love to do, we find time to do.” –– John L. Spalding

~ John

Monster Curls on the Squat Bar

As I entered Body-N-Motion yesterday, I was unaware of what was to come.

It was arm day, so I expected we would be doing some curls. What I didn’t expect was how we’d do them. As I’ve mentioned before, Rob’s technique involves power + endurance. How does this technique transition to curls?

He uses the bench bar! Yeah, no dumbbells or curl bars. I thought the man was crazy. He took down the squat bar and put 25-pound weight on each side. I did some quick math –– 95 pounds.

Are you kidding me?! - He wasn’t.

We started with one set of 10 reps wide-grip and then 10 reps close-grip. We did this twice and then added weight. The cycle continued for five circuits until my arms were Jell-O.

I’m pretty sure he lifted 90 percent of my final two sets. That didn’t bother me because I really felt stronger and more confident just seeing myself move that much weight. We finished at 135 pounds.

Oh, and did I mention we had to wear a weight belt for the curls? Haha. I’ve definitely never done that before. That was only the start of our workout, and it didn’t get any easier. But hey, it’s not supposed to be easy.

The moral here is, just because something seems impossible at first doesn’t mean you can’t achieve it. Sometimes you just have to let it happen.

Here’s a little quote about confidence: “It ain’t what they call you, it’s what you answer to.” –– W.C. Fields

A SIDE NOTE: A co-worker asked me the other day how much weight I had lost. I thought, Maybe I should share this with my readers, so... 35 pounds since March, and 20 pounds since I’ve been writing this blog.

I’m going to have Mike take some photos, and I’ll unveil the first before and after photo in a post sometime next week.

Rain, rain go away!Come again anoth- ... wait! Just stop raining!!

As I told you in the previous post, I went out to the Dave Matthews Band concert over the weekend. For me, this is an annual tradition of entertaining and epic proportions. To be honest, my memory of these “memories” is a little foggy. Although I think it’s to be expected in that environment. This weekend however, I remember clearly.

As I’m sure you’re all aware, we had CRAZY thunderstorms on Friday! It just so happened I was outside and standing in them — for an hour and a half. That’s right. My friends and I braved the weather and waited for the show to start. It was the best DMB show I’ve ever been to! Rock on stage and lightning in the air, you could say the atmosphere was... electric (Bad joke, I know).

How does this relate to fitness? Well really, it’s a stretch... but I stayed warm during the rain, so I would say I’m pretty healthy. Also, when we got back to our tents, which were filled with rainwater, I was able to pick mine up over my head and pour the water out, so I suppose I’m strong.

And now… back to Body-N-Motion material. Yesterday, Tuesday, I worked out with Rob. My hamstring is now fully healed and it felt great to get in another intense workout. Honestly, I had been missing it but I think the break was good for my body. It was chest day and we hit it hard! A total of 150 reps between bench, incline and decline, whew… I was spent, but not finished. We still had champagnes and flies.

I felt great after my workout! A few days off, combined with Mike’s “applied ice healing” technique, really refreshed me.

Moral: Sometimes you just have to enjoy yourself and take it easy (but not for too long).

My quote for the day: “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” —Katharine Hepburn”

John, Day 33

Pop goes the hami

Yea, I pulled my hamstring on Wednesday. It sucked!

It had been a long day and I was so ready to get in the gym. We were focusing on the back, but my legs were still tight from the previous Wednesday. I bent down to do a dead lift and felt a pop in my leg. I instantly dropped the weight and began a slow hobble around the gym.

Chris, my trainer that day, said I should probably just go home, take it easy and throw some ice on it. But that would’ve been too easy. I was there to train, and I was going to train!

I hobbled over to the freezer, found an ice pack and strapped it around my throbbing hamstring and limped back out to the gym floor. Since it was back day, I figured I could do that rest of my workout sitting down.

It wasn’t fun; I was very frustrated. But at the end of the hour, I had gotten in my workout and left feeling good about that.

Upon arriving home I got the ice out again... as well as the next morning, afternoon and evening.

By the time I got to Body-N-Motion on Thursday (the next day), my leg was staring to feel better. I went through an arm workout with Rob and then hit some cardio with Pete. The cardio helped stretch me out a lot.

Friday it was pretty much feeling back to normal, which is a good thing because I spent the weekend camping and dancing at the Dave Matthews Band concert.

Moral to this story? If your legs are really sore, give them some ice and a good stretching. It’s not worth the injury!

While I don’t think this quote is talking about the same type of injury, it’s still a good one: “Write your injuries in dust, your benefits in marble.” —Benjamin Franklin

John, Day 32

Pain before pleasure…?!

Have you ever had a day at the gym when a part of your body just feels weak?

That happened to me on Monday. I was running a little late to my workout. I slipped right into a set of decline and close-grip bench press. I handled those pretty well. It’s actually the first time in years I’ve been able to lift the bar with a 45-pound plate on each side.

That felt rather inspiring.

Then we moved onto dumbbells. The exercise was butterfly-press, regular press and “skull crushers.”

Now, I’m left-handed; however, my right arm is much stronger than my left. The weird thing was, I couldn’t lift anything with my right arm. My arm didn’t hurt or anything, I just didn’t have any strength on that side. Mike, aka “Mr. Motion,” asked if my arm hurt. I said it didn’t, but I felt unbalanced. I also mentioned my right wrist and forearm had been sore from working too much (i.e., too much time on the computer).

Mike stopped the workout and transformed into a massage therapist. He investigated the problem all the way from my neck to my wrist. He commented that I was probably overusing my right arm (controlling the computer mouse). This overuse was causing my wrist and forearm to swell up, which in turn caused my shoulder’s discomfort. He continued to move things around and several pops and painful pinches later my shoulder was back to where it should be.

My moral to this story –– it’s cool to be tough, but I’ve never seen a tough guy with a separated shoulder. Also, never fear telling your trainer something hurts because they probably know how to fix it.

Quote from anonymous: “No one ever choked to death swallowing his pride.”

John, Day 25

A New Trainer, A New Theory

(Sorry my post is late, it's been a busy week - this is from Monday.)

Power + Endurance = Rob Rayford. Rob is the newest trainer at Body-N-Motion. Chris was out sick most of the week and I had the opportunity to work out with Rob.

You’ve probably read my blog abut completing a 30-minute run and making it through a cardio-crazy workout, but Rob has a different take on training. His workouts are designed to enhance your power and endurance.

At first I thought, Ahhh! Enough with the weight lifting! I want to run!

Now I’m sitting here at my desk, and my whole body is sore: legs, back, arms, shoulders … maybe even my face. Ha ha.

Why am I so sore? Because Rob pushed me hard all week long. Nearly all our exercises were 5 sets of 10 reps. I’ve never lifted like that before. Usually it’s power sets or the classic 3 sets of 10. Rob’s version not only included more reps (endurance), it also included more weight (power). That’s right! He would actually add weight as we advanced in our sets.

Don’t get me wrong, I still like the feeling of completing a grueling 30-minute run, but I’m really excited to see the results from this new style of training. Whatever your style, Body-N-Motion has what you’re looking for in a personal trainer.

An Old Italian proverb, “After the game, the king and the pawn go in the same box.”

*Enjoy the week!

John, Day 24

Looking for Inspiration

Ge-Ge-Ge-Get your body in motion! If you’ve ever been to Body-N-Motion.com with your computer speakers on, then you’ve heard this little ditty.

Yesterday, when I walked in the gym I thought to myself, “That would make a great entrance sound.” A little more inspiring than the beep beep beep you typically hear when walking through the doors of a business.

I’m really enjoying blogging my experience at Body-N-Motion but I’m very curious.

What inspires you?

In a world chalk full of distractions, stress and work, do we still take the time to sort through life’s little moments and discover what inspires us? Maybe you’re a mother and you want to be healthy for your kids. Maybe you have a health issue and you’re motivated to stay alive. Tell me what inspires you.

Now I’ll tell you what inspires me.

I try and take a little time each week/day— however it comes — and consider my place in my own life. How is my relationship with my family, friends and coworkers? Am I taking care of myself?

When it comes to taking care of yourself, it can be tough. In the aforementioned world of distractions, I often find it’s hard to make up my mind about where to eat, let alone what’s best for me.

I try to use some time during my day to figure out what motivates me. And it’s different every day. Today it’s the weather, tomorrow … who knows? Whatever it may be, make sure you take a little time to discover that one thing that’s going to inspire you each day.

You never know where you will find inspiration. Maybe it’s a good quote like this one: “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” — George Eliot

John, Day 23

*Please post a comment and share what inspires you.

Epiphany: Life can suck

This is me on Spring Break 2010
I'd say I'm at my heaviest there.

Life can suck. That’s part of what makes the great moments seems so good.

For me, it’s been a crazy, busy week. Business is busy, school is tough, and my personal life is definitely going through some, let’s say … changes. Normally, at this point I would let my fitness fall by the wayside.

Typically, I could suppress sadness with a cheeseburger and some french fries! Mmmm. That still sounds good, but I’ve found a more productive outlet: EXERCISE!!

On Monday, my workout wouldn’t come soon enough. It used to be I would dread it and try to construct a good excuse to skip it. Now I make sure there’s nothing to interfere with my workout.

The reason?

You can dump all that negative energy into your workout and leave feeling good about yourself. Have you ever finished running a mile and thought, “I’m lazy” or “Now I’m fatter”? No! You feel good!

I wanted to share this because I know some people get stressed about their workouts, put pressure on themselves to maintain a diet, etc. I think it’s very important to remember you’re making these choices to better yourself! And the more you make these good choices, the better you’ll feel.

So the next time you’re thinking to yourself, “Life sucks today,” remember it can always get better, and exercise is a great way to boost that esteem and create positive change.

This quote is by Sam Walton, founder of Walmart: “Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.”

Believe in the power of you!

John, Day 21, 22

Sir, Yes Sir!

Attention! Now move, move, move!

I attended a Body-N-Motion boot camp on Saturday. It wasn’t strict in the military sense but it wasn’t easy!

Chris was the trainer in charge, and he doesn’t really believe in breaks between sets. The first half of our boot camp consisted of shoulder presses, curls, arm lifts, rows, jumping jacks, running in a circle and push-ups. Now, as individual exercises, those would make a pretty good workout for the day. However, in typical boot camp fashion, those exercises only counted for one of three sets!

Yeah, we had to do all of that three times!

Now, I’ve been doing the Body-N-Motion thing five days a-week for about a month now, and this boot camp really made me feel out of shape. There’s a big difference between running on a treadmill and sprinting in a circle. The running in a circle thing sucks!

I want to offer my recommendation that you come and try out this boot camp. It’s only $10 and a great way to work off some of that “weekend guilt” we all seem to acquire.

In my case, I felt better about my Friday and eager to celebrate my Saturday after having that good boot camp workout.

Finally, don’t think it was easy to wake up on a Saturday morning and show up! I definitely wanted to stay in bed, but more than that, I want to achieve my fitness goals.

I think this post’s quote explains it best: “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” –– Frederick Douglass

John, Day 20

On My Hands and Knees

(It's been a very busy week so I've squeezed the whole week into one post...)

So part of personal training is your willingness to be uncomfortable.

If you enter a gym with the mindset that you’re not going to embarrass yourself a little, then it might be tough to get the job done. This thought occurred to me as I was on the stair stepper yesterday.

The words “stair” and “stepper” led me to believe that I would be using my legs. Never would I imagine I could use my hands on a stair stepper. Sure enough, seconds later I found myself on my hands and knees pushing through floors with my arms.

Honestly, it was a great exercise. Part of what I really enjoy from my experience at Body-N-Motion is the creative workouts and the thought that goes into them. Sometimes I’m power lifting one muscle group, sometimes burning out on cardio and sometimes jumping, lifting, running and staying balanced all at one time.

Though it’s fun, it can feel pretty stupid sometimes.

On a number of occasions, I’ve found myself incredibly frustrated because I couldn’t actually do one of these creative workouts. Like doing squats while balanced on a medicine ball and chest pressing dumbbells. But it’s not supposed to be easy. My rule in that situation is to try as hard as I can and take my time. In the end, it never fails. I can complete the workout and eventually I find myself becoming good at those ridiculous exercises.

And that feels oh-so-good!

Plus, who cares if you look stupid doing it –– it’s all to make yourself better.

My quote is from Dr. Seuss: “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

Day 17, John

I fell off the horse!

My initial thought for this post? Three days at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is not healthy! My second thought: Beer is not a food group.

This isn’t my quote for the day but it’s true that all things are good in moderation. This weekend I exchanged moderation for celebration. Friday was Carb Day. Now I did my fair share of being unhealthy, however, going to the track does involve a lot of walking!

I probably made four loops around the infield and two more around the outside of the track. When I finally made it back to my car my legs were almost too sore to push the gas pedal down. Saturday was another long hot day with lots of walking. Sunday — race day— I did the least walking and most eating. Not a healthy decision, but it was nice to be off my feet for a few minutes.

I was among the several thousand crazy people standing in the middle of 16th street at 5 a.m. hoping to make the drive into the infield. We made it! Needless to say, the race was great. Beautiful weather, interesting people and a series of unique experiences. Now that the weekend is over, I’m going to climb back on my horse.

I think what I really learned this weekend and that staying healthy makes being unhealthy less enjoyable. When I was eating hot dogs, I was craving a turkey sandwich. While tossing back a few beers, I was craving cold water. And of course, after lounging around for three days, I couldn’t wait to get back in the gym.

Thanks Indianapolis 500 for another great event and beautiful weekend. And to Body-N-Motion, sorry I took three days off. But something tells me you will definitely make sure I make it up!

Herschel Walker, who’s over 40, just began a new career as an MMA fighter. Over 40! I have no excuses.

Quote: “My God-given talent is my ability to stick with training longer than anybody else.” — Herschel Walker

Day 14, John

I had a busy weekend!

I still made my Thursday and Friday workouts, but only due to predetermined guilt. I knew that I would be spending Friday, Saturday and Sunday down at the track for the Indianapolis 500 — the greatest spectacle in racing and a nightmare for a health enthusiast or nutritionist!

On Thursday, Chris pushed me through a brutal cardio day. Fifteen minutes on the treadmill, 15 minutes on the row machine and 15 minutes on the stair stepper, then six minutes live boxing and weighted bench pushing. Chris usually joins me, but he had some severe knee pain that kept him immobile. Let me say, you get a little bitter going through that while your trainer isn’t breaking a sweat. Still, he made sure I didn’t quit and, let me say, “It wasn’t easy!” On Friday I caught an early morning workout with a friend of mine. I call this friend “Johnny 6-Pack” because he’s in great shape. At least I thought so.

I’m going to say thank you to the trainers at Body-N-Motion! I didn’t realize the progress I was making until I brought my friend along. He started out lifting more than me. By the end of the workout, we were lifting the same weights. This reminded me that patience is a virtue!

I feel like sometimes we get caught up in the immediate, superficial results of working out, like stepping on the scale every night and saying, “I still look fat!” Or constantly asking, “Can you tell I’ve lost weight?”

The truth is we should measure our results against overall health. Are you sleeping better? Do you have more energy during the day? Is your brain working fast? Do you want to take the stairs? You will gain more from concentrating on these types of results than waiting for the perfect body to reveal itself.

If you want that perfect body, it takes time! So be patient, count the little things and use those to continue moving forward.

Quote from French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau: “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”

*I’ll let you know how the Indianapolis 500 and track festivities went in my next post.

Day 13, John

My legs are burning

Wow! I forgot what a real heavy squat felt like. Back in high school I always dreaded Wednesdays. They were always leg days and that’s never fun. Now my Wednesdays at Body-N-Motion are leg days.

For most people, it seems like a waste of time to work out your legs. I don’t mean running, biking or working out on an elliptical. I’m talking about weightlifting with your legs. You would think it’s only important for body builders and prime-time athletes. The truth is it’s good for everyone.

Your legs have the largest muscles in your body. Just think: If your biceps were as big as your thighs, you could probably do a lot of push-ups. Because they’re the biggest, they also hold the biggest potential to cause positive change in your body.

So keeping this in mind, “I put my best foot forward” (pun intended) and made it through my leg day. At one point I found myself lying in the leg-press machine and staring at the weights. After counting them, I thought, “Does Chris know he just put 500 pounds on there?!”

He did. I tried to lift the weight and couldn’t push it up. My trainer wouldn’t accept that. I believe his exact phrase was, “You got some big legs. Don’t tell me you can’t do it.” Three sets and 30 reps later, I did it! It wasn’t easy, but I stayed motivated and pushed on through.

I didn’t think I could do it, but sometimes you just have to go for it!

Quote: “Leap and the net will appear.” — Jason Mraz

Day 12, John