After completing my fastest 5km time ever at 26 minutes and 44 seconds, I have decided to go further and challenge myself on a higher level. In the coming weeks, I will be training for either the half-marathon or a full marathon -- I just haven't decided as of yet. It all depends on the training results!
MENTAL CHANGE:
Mentally, I am having the greatest summer ever by the opening of my art exhibit, meeting fantastic people and being extremely happy with myself and where I am at in life.
PHYSICAL CHANGE:
I actually felt that 170lbs was a good weight, but my body thinks otherwise! For some strange reason I lost another waist size (32) and dropped 3 lbs! I fit into clothes that I haven't worn in 5 years! I actually had them in a bag to throw out when I just tried them on and they totally fit!! Physically, I'm still getting better, and focusing on my cardio and legs.
MY DIET :
Summer is being very generous to me. With my metabolism kicked into high gear, I am eating all the summer foods we like: burgers, fries, funnel cakes!! Ya ya, well... its summer!! I'm not overdoing it!!
SPIRITUAL CHANGE:
I have had some enlightened conversations regarding my spiritual self. Seems to be working!!
Current Weight:162 lbs - Waist Size - 32 - Body Fat - 14.8%↓1.2%
The last few updates, I was making a silly mistake in my measurements. Apparently I wasn't doing it right and at my last fitness evaluation with my trainer, I was corrected. I knew that my waistline was going down during all the rigourous training, but I kept measuring my hips and not my waist! Silly me! Anyways, to my surprise, I'm a 33 waist size!! I threw away my old 42 waist size belt and now fit loosely into my size 32 jeans!
I actually was trying to level off and stay at 168-170 lbs, but it seems that metabolism is in full gear and I've still managed to burn off another 3 lbs bringing me down to a morning weight of 165. My "heavy" days see me at 167 lb sand even that is still mind-blowing to me! Especially since I have been eating ice cream, burgers and movie popcorn with lots of butter! I have no idea what would happen if I was sticking to my original diet!!!
MENTAL CHANGE:
Meditation and yoga exercises have been very beneficial to my mental state. I feel more calm and relaxed.
PHYSICAL CHANGE:
I am arguably in the best shape of my life where I can now perform my trainer's gauntlet workout with ease! I'm not huffing and puffing or pleading to stop, now I am ready and take whatever he dishes at me. I cleared the entire 500 lbs of the leg presses and did 20 repetitions without breaking a sweat. Now I'm moving onto using plates on a heavy squat machine. I tried it and definitely enjoyed it. I feel my legs are getting better and better, I would like to focus a little more on my chest and arms. You can see from my progress photos that my body is getting more tight and firmer. Compare to the weeks before and there is definitely a difference!
MY DIET :
As I mentioned before, I have been indulging in a lot of fatty foods and such, however it has not shown on me physically. I do think that it has raised my cholesterol and that might concern me. I will take a test to get an idea of what's going on in that department.
SPIRITUAL CHANGE:
I have not gone to a church in a while, or have seeked any spiritual guidance. I have read and watched some interesting religious documentaries that have intrigued me.
Current Weight:165 lbs - Waist Size - 33 - Body Fat - 16.0%↓2.1%
It seems even though I'm enjoying all the great things about summer, I am still managing to keep off the weight and maintain a physical fitness. Although, the burgers and milkshakes are making my body fat percentage creep back up!
After an evaluation with my fitness trainer, Amar -- it appears that I am in fantastic condition and to lose any more weight would not be good. So does that mean I should be celebrating? Yes! I have made my goal! Although, I still would like to lose a few more inches on the waist! Is that possible? I am going to find out in the coming weeks. I can't express enough how excited I am that I broke the "160's" weight barrier! I am just so impressed with the progress! It was not easy, I actually spend late nights at the 24 Hour LA Fitness from midnight to about 2:30am working out. No pain, no gain. (or loss, depending on how you look at it!)
MENTAL CHANGE:
I have actually started taking more time to meditate and exercise. When I meditate, I sit in a room, very still, and quiet -- listening to my body and actually trying to slow down my heart rate. I'm trying to control my breathing and heart rate while I work out.
PHYSICAL CHANGE:
My legs are getting stronger and stronger. I can do almost all the weight at the gym on the leg presses (350-400lbs), about 12 reps with ease. I have been also focusing more on my core as I'd like that to be the big improvement for July. At one time, I was at 15.4% body fat and was hoping to maintain that, get even lower -- however my summer diet so far has been making it go in reverse!
MY DIET :
Ahh.. .well Summer has been very good to me. (or bad to me) Everyone is inviting you out to bbqs, and summer type picnics. Most of the places just have beef burgers and very little vegetables!! I feel that I have to eat whatever is presented to me or else I offend them! Argh!!
SPIRITUAL CHANGE:
I touched on my mediation practices above, and I feel that is helping me on my spiritual path.
Current Weight:168 lbs - Waist Size - 36 - Body Fat - 18.1%↑0.7%
I have been doing quite well in reaching my fitness goals, and I have my frequent visits to the gym to thank for that, however I was fearing what would happen when I flew off to Europe for a bit? There was no time to go to a gym nor eat the set cuisine that my trainer set up for me, what was I going to do?
Well, when I did arrive in Europe, I maintained a jog in the evening to keep my heart active and although I did eat some junk food, it was quite minor and the food I did eat were in small portions. I drank some beer, stout but was introduced to cider, which was a much better alternative! I weighed myself every day and I actually sunk for the first time to 169lbs! I'm currently at 171lbs when I returned home, so that is the weight I'm stating for this update. However, I LOST weight as opposed to gaining, which I was terribly afraid wouldn't happen!
MENTAL CHANGE:
The more I speak with people about my mental state and where I want to be, what I want to do, I feel much better about myself and find that I'm very positive. Definitely a complete turnaround from where I was mentally 9 months back!
PHYSICAL CHANGE:
I feel that my leg muscles are increasing and getting much stronger. While in Europe, I did some sprints with my friend who is taller than me and has longer legs, yet I managed to leave them in my dust! I was quite impressed as usually after the sprint I would have been very winded, although this time I was not!
MY DIET :
During this last update, I was veered off my diet plan a little drastically eating more "regular" food such as rice, fish & chips, and pasta type dishes. I have been making sure to have my whey protein shake daily and a chicken or tuna daily for protein.
SPIRITUAL CHANGE:
I tried sitting in one place for a while and meditating. It doesn't work so well when you live in a busy area. Somehow I have to find a way to block out the sound around me so I can focus.
Current Weight:171 lbs - Waist Size - 36 - Body Fat - 17.4%↓2.2%
I was very skeptical about joining a gym. Especially since I had the assumption it was just all one big Bally's Fitness commercial. You know... like all young and fit and attractive people all working out and flirting with each other. However, I've found out that its not that, and its a really positive and friendly environment aimed to get you to the perfect you! I haven't been at the gym relatively long, but in the short time that I have been there, I have seen amazing results!
I hope none of this sounds cliche or fake or whatever, because I have actually been sticking to a set diet and working out at the gym at least 3 times a week. The last week I bumped it up to 5 times a week. I've gotten more familiar with the equipment and have a set routine -- mondays I work on chest/core/shoulders, wednesdays I work on my legs and fridays I work on my back. When I first came to the gym, I was told to run on the treadmill for 20 mins at level 4 for a warmup. By the 13 minute mark, I was gassed out and had to press the emergency stop. I was really out of shape! This last Sunday, I ran 50 minutes on level 5 making a distance of 4.37 miles burning 532 calories! I still felt that I could have gone longer.
Yesterday, my trainer, Amar told me to do the 5K setting and aim to get under 27 mins. So I tried that and completed the 5K in just over 32 mins. Still not the intended goal, but it is my personal best! I know I can and will do better! Today was my fitness evaluation, only because when I started, the original evaluation was not recorded! So we have to start over again, even though I have improved drastically since April. After getting my body and weight measured , it appears that I have already lost 8 pounds bringing me down to 175!! My body fat is also drastically reduced into the "good-fair" category at 19.6%. The target for me is to be at 160-165 weight and a bodyfat percentage of 14.5%. A number that before seemed impossible, but now doesn't seem so far out of reach!
MENTAL CHANGE:
I met with the career counsellor and did an assessment. There are now new possibilities for my new career as of which I will let you know after the next meeting! Other than that, I realized how sometimes I get extremely frustrated and lose control of the situation. Recently my frustrations were getting the best of me and I needed a break from it, once I cleared my head and had some time to myself, I realized that I have to learn to choose my battles and just take it easy!
PHYSICAL CHANGE:
As for weight -- I'm now down to 175 lbs and 19.6% body fat! You can see a little difference, but its still a ways to go before I start throwing a celebration party! In my last evaluation, I was able to do 41 pushups in a minute, and 41 squats in a minute. Sounds good, but by next month, I should be aiming for about 50 for each!
MY DIET :
It's next to impossible to fend off all the temptations. My friends invite me out for drinks and wings, and there I am ordering Perrier water and a salad! It's hard, but everyday it gets easier!! I have not cheated ONCE, unless you count eating popcorn with butter on it when I watched Star Trek!
This is the STRICT DIET given to me by personal trainer, Amar to follow EVERY DAY:
BREAKFAST:
1 1/2 cups of whey protein with 1 cup water
salad
cereal
11:30am
6 egg whites
apple
LUNCH
1-2 roti, daal
chicken or tuna
salad
4:30-5:00pm
6 egg whites
apple
DINNER
vegetable soup
daal
salad
AFTER WORKOUT
1 1/2 cups of whey protein with 1 cup of water
BEFORE I SLEEP
1 1/2 cups of whey protein with 1 cup of water
SPIRITUAL CHANGE:
I think that adding meditation to my daily routine will help me more, so I'm now looking into that.
Current Weight:175 lbs - Waist Size - 36 - Body Fat - 19.6%↓7.8%
After my last update in December, I went on 2 cruises and partied in Florida, Bahamas and Mexico. I was eating a lot of junk food, drinking lots of beer and going totally off my diet. Needless to say, I gained weight! My self-discipline was totally lacking and the amount of biking and at home exercises I was doing wasn't going to help me catch up to where I should be in my physical goals right now. So I have contracted the services of LA FITNESS to get me where I want to be!
I hired a personal trainer who is kicking my butt back into shape and giving me nutritional advice while I'm on this quest for total fitness. His name is Amar, and he has been amazingly helpful and inspriational. In fact, the whole staff at LA FITNESS is very encouraging and helpful. I was never a gym person, and I hate the idea of working out with people around you, but I wanted to make the effort and try it out. I have discovered its not all that bad. It's definitely not how they convey gyms in those Bally's commercials! Where its like a nightclub of all twenty somethings working out and flirting with eachother as I assumed a gym would be. It's just all sorts of people going for a workout. So for the next 3 months, I'm dedicated to LA FITNESS and their brand new facility. After my initial period, I'll either stick on with them, or have eduated myself enough to start working out again from home. As of right now, I'm leaning towards staying with the gym, as there are so many workouts and machines I can use there. The only downfall is although the gym is really huge, it seems that its getting filled up really fast. Lots of people in the area are flocking to the gym to do their workout! If they doubled the size of the gym now, they would still have people using all the space! I'm very sure of that!!
On my first day at the gym, they put me through a gauntlet of exercises and cardio workouts to see where I was at. I gassed out a little earlier than expected. Sure, I had strength, but the cardio needed much improvement. Amar helped me work out my chest and arm muscles and by the end of the day, I was very sore. This is all just the beginning!
MENTAL CHANGE:
As for my mental health, I am going through a career crisis -- trying to figure out what is the next step in my career. As a web designer for 10 years, I think I'm done with it. Next week I meet with a career counsellor to discuss possible options.
PHYSICAL CHANGE:
As for weight -- I billowed up to 184 at a point during my traveling and pigging out time. However, I've brought that back down to 180 and now while I'm on a very very strict diet, along with hitting the gym 3 times a week, I should be able to shed maybe 2 pounds per week.
MY DIET :
This is the STRICT DIET given to me by personal trainer, Amar to follow EVERY DAY:
BREAKFAST:
1 1/2 cups of whey protein with 1 cup water
salad
cereal
11:30am
6 egg whites
apple
LUNCH
1-2 roti, daal
chicken or tuna
salad
4:30-5:00pm
6 egg whites
apple
DINNER
vegetable soup
daal
salad
AFTER WORKOUT
1 1/2 cups of whey protein with 1 cup of water
BEFORE I SLEEP
1 1/2 cups of whey protein with 1 cup of water
SPIRITUAL CHANGE:
I am at more peace with myself and have attended a few church services.
PLAN A - Self Discipline & At-Home Workout The previous entries are from October 2008 - December 2008. There was progress made, but by January
I failed to reach my fitness goal due to the holiday season and eating a lot of fast food.
Either a complete setback or I have hit a plateau. For the last 2 weeks I was sick with a very bad dry cough. It made me unable to do any hard respitory activities making my main core of cardio and hard work outs next to impossible. Instead of losing more weight I gained 2 pounds. Not a good thing, however, mentally and spritually I am stronger and have spent more time building on those areas.
MENTAL CHANGE:
At this point, I am more focused and have a clearer picture of who I am. I have more precise career goals and have a plan to acheive them.
PHYSICAL CHANGE:
I have not been able to work out in the same extent as the last few weeks. However, I have learned a new push-up technique that is giving me more results at a better pace. I learned from Scooby's Workshop on how to do this and other great at-home fitness techniques.
80 - 85 slow push ups
So if you want to try out what I have done so far, view the following video:
MY DIET: 9am - Green Tea, Danone probiotic drink
12am - Green Tea, Activia yogurt
1pm - Green Tea, Banana
3pm - Green Tea
8pm - Baked Chicken, Baked Fish, Green Tea
Changes: I consume about 10 cups of Green Tea a day. Drastic reduction in eating the consistent meals I have been eating the other weeks.
SPIRITUAL CHANGE:
As of this point, I will no longer refer to Ken Wilbur's program until I actually DO IT! It's still sitting on my desk collecting dust waiting to be used. I'm so sorry, Ken! In the last 2 weeks, I attended a church service.
It really is amazing what a little exercise and discipline does. I'm already one month and a half into the transformation, and I have dropped 2 pant sizes and lost a total of 12 pounds! Thanks to the daily calisthenics, my upper body is more stronger and I'm gaining muscle. My abdomen area is tightening and bit by bit, I'm seeing that belly go down. I increased my daily push-ups from 75/day to 100/day, same with the ab crunches. I jogged 4.4 km in 1 hr 5 mins. I know I can do better because I didn't push myself as I could have. With a little more running practice, I should be able to break a 5km jog in less than an hour.
MENTAL CHANGE:
I have read materials on improving my personal mental health and now have a clearer picture of who I am. I am at peace, and very optimistic about the new career I am embarking on.
PHYSICAL CHANGE:
I have increased my exercise routine adding more reps and focusing on other areas.
60 minutes of cardio bike
50 minutes of morning walk
100 push-ups
100 ab crunches
1 hour jog
MY DIET: 9am - Green Tea, Danone probiotic drink
12am - Green Tea, Activia yogurt, Salmon/Tuna with crackers
1pm - Green Tea, Banana
3pm - Green Tea
8pm - Baked Chicken, Asparagus, Baked Fish, Green Tea
Changes: I have added a lot of Green Tea to my diet, drinking up to 5 times a day. It helps to keep me hydrated and also is helping with my weight loss. I have also been eating a lot of canned sardines and crackers for cheap lunches.
SPIRITUAL CHANGE:
I have yet to start Ken Wilbur's Integral Life practice kit, as its still collecting dust on my desk. I aimed to have started the kit by this update, and it keeps eluding me. Hopefully, I will have started by the next update. I have attended a church service and was spiritually enlightened.
The first month of my "transformation" is over. I look back and see the progress I have made. After introducing a steady exercise and healthier diet, I have lost 9 pounds and decreased my BMI by 5% ! I have not used any weight loss drugs and am abstaining from quick fixes. Mentally, I am more sound and introduced 8 hours of sleep to my daily routine. I go to sleep at 10pm, wake up at 6:15am and do a 30 minute walk. This has given me a better rest for both my mind and body. I'm not so wired and irritable anymore. I don't fall asleep on the bus or in the middle of the day. Being well rested definitely makes you LESS jumpy! I find myself calmer and easier going.
Losing weight has also allowed me to fit into my "skinny" jeans! They are a size 33, so I'm not sure how that is possible. When I tried to wear them in the summer, I couldn't button it up or fit into them, now I definitely slide into them and they feel great! I still have to flatten my tummy more to make the jeans look to their optimal level.
MENTAL CHANGE:
I have seen a therapist working on my mental health.
PHYSICAL CHANGE:
I have increased my exercise routine adding more reps and focusing on other areas.
60 minutes of cardio bike
30 minutes of morning walk
75 push-ups
75 sit ups
50 chest dips
40 bodyweight squats
MY DIET: 9am - Danone probiotic drink
11am - Quaker instant oatmeal, Activia yogurt
1pm - Salad with sliced chicken breast
3pm - banana
8pm - baked chicken breast or baked fish
Changes: I spaced my eating to every 3 hours or so. The first week I was eating an avocado a day, but I stopped eating an avocado the next week. Also, during the last week there was a lot of stresses that led me to eating outside of my diet, slowing down my weight loss.
SPIRITUAL CHANGE:
I have yet to start Ken Wilbur's Integral Life practice kit, as its collecting dust on my desk. By the next update, I should have inserted it into my daily practices. I have not attended any church services since the last update.
Soooo.... it has been pretty much half of October, and have I seen progress?? Yes I have!! I feel way better, my mind is more at ease and I feel that I am improving a lot. I lost some weight and I dropped a waist size. That's pretty good since now my jeans are not stressing my waistline! It really is hard to start out the exercise and diet, but the challenge is to maintain it.
MENTAL CHANGE:
I have seen a therapist once, and have an appointment to see them again in the coming weeks.
PHYSICAL CHANGE:
I have been doing my exercises regularly.
40 minutes of cardio bike
40 push-ups
40 sit ups
I have been eating the same thing pretty much everyday and spacing it out....
9am - Danone probiotic drink
10am - Quaker instant oatmeal, Activia yogurt
11am - Banana
12pm - Salad with sliced chicken breast and a whole avocado
9pm - baked chicken breast
SPIRITUAL CHANGE:
I haven't applied Ken Wilbur's Integral Life Practice as of yet, but I have gone to a few churches and have been seeking a spiritual connection.
It was like a wake-up call for me. I wasn't who I used to be. I was once strong, athletic and full of energy. I became a resentful, upset, depressed person who let himself go. The smallest things would stress me out and previously I was known as the guy who didn't stress and smiled at everything.
What happened to me??
Somewhere down the line, I lost focus and forgot about who I was. It could have been many reasons - work, finances, life -- whatever it was, it was taking a toll on me physically and mentally.
After a talk with my boss and co-workers, I had this revelation...an epiphany!!. I CAN be someone better. I am not living up to my FULL potential! I want to be better, and see how better I can really be!
So I started looking at the three areas I would need to improve. They are:
MENTAL HEALTH:
Why am I so upset all the time? Why am I constantly arguing and irritable? Why am I only focusing on the negative? These are things I have to address and work on through mediation and counseling.
PHYSICAL HEALTH:
My current weight is 190 lbs. Im pretty solid and not really fat, however after injesting years and years of junk food, I'm sure that many of the body fat I can do without. I want to get to my body's optimal weight and then add muscle. Currently my Body Mass Index is 28.9. That falls into the category of an "overweight" BMI. I optimally would like to have a BMI of 19 to 24. So pretty much, I have to aim to weigh at 160 lbs.
SPIRITUAL HEALTH:
I haven't prayed or been to a church in ages. Not that I have to go to church for spiritual health, it just helps with the mindset. I haven't stopped to smell the flowers, I haven't stopped to look at the clouds and appreciate my surroundings. I have been in a constant rush to do this and that. Implementing a spiritual element in my life will remind me to slow down and how to respect those around me.
So what am I going to do improve? I am performing my own "SELF-RENOVATION". From top to bottom, I will be re-wiring my mind, exercising my body and enlightening my soul with everything I can to be the best Kelvin I can be.
MENTAL CHANGE: I will see a therapist and work out my issues with them. I will document my progress in a diary to review to see where I was and where I'm going.
PHYSICAL CHANGE:
I will exercise regularly.
40 minutes of cardio (jogging or bike)
40 push-ups
40 sit ups
I will eat a strict high protein diet and avoid all junk food.
SPIRITUAL CHANGE: I purchased Ken Wilbur's "Integral Life Practice" that combines some of the best self-meditation practices out there. I will implement the program into my daily life. I will visit a church service every Sunday or every other Sunday to get a perspective.
I hired a personal trainer who is kicking my butt back into shape and giving me nutritional advice while I'm on this quest for total fitness. His name is Amar, and he has been amazingly helpful and inspriational. In fact, the whole staff at LA FITNESS is very encouraging and helpful. I was never a gym person, and I hate the idea of working out with people around you, but I wanted to make the effort and try it out. I have discovered its not all that bad. It's definitely not how they convey gyms in those Bally's commercials! Where its like a nightclub of all twenty somethings working out and flirting with eachother as I assumed a gym would be. It's just all sorts of people going for a workout. So for the next 3 months, I'm dedicated to LA FITNESS and their brand new facility. After my initial period, I'll either stick on with them, or have eduated myself enough to start working out again from home. As of right now, I'm leaning towards staying with the gym, as there are so many workouts and machines I can use there. The only downfall is although the gym is really huge, it seems that its getting filled up really fast. Lots of people in the area are flocking to the gym to do their workout! If they doubled the size of the gym now, they would still have people using all the space! I'm very sure of that!!
On my first day at the gym, they put me through a gauntlet of exercises and cardio workouts to see where I was at. I gassed out a little earlier than expected. Sure, I had strength, but the cardio needed much improvement. Amar helped me work out my chest and arm muscles and by the end of the day, I was very sore. This is all just the beginning! 
