Working Out Hardcore Again

I lost 50 pounds the last four months of 2008. That was great! I slept better, felt better, and performed better in just about every way possible. Then, Christmas came, and I copped out - everyone cheats foodwise around the holidays, right? Well, the last week I've been hitting it hard again at the gym running. At home and at work, I stop and pop out push ups as often as I can. Hold me accountable!

I Love Working Out in the Morning

I got up at 4:30 a.m. and went to the gym. I seriously overloaded on lower body lifts - squats, leg press machine (did 90lbs more than previous best), etc. When I felt like I was going to fall down, I got on the elliptical and did cardio for 20 minutes.

I feel great now. The phrase "make this your best day possible"comes to my mind now. This is the kind of start to my day I want every day. Screw working out at night.
1. When I plan to workout at night, it just doesn't get done sometimes. Things come up. I'm in school. I work full time. I have a household to maintain. When I do it first thing, I control it. Something would literally have to come up overnight to make it not happen.
2. I feel better when I workout in the morning. I just do! More energy, better focus.
3. I have a sense of accomplishment to start the day.

Oh, for those keeping track, I was 312 on July 28, 2008. I now weigh 273. That's 39lbs gone. 33 more to go before I do a reevaluation.

Bike Comes in on Tuesday & Why Cool Downs Are Important

The bike that I ordered last Monday should be in and ready for me to pick up Tuesday... so eight days from ordering it. I'm not sure what to think about that, since I can have a used engine from New York to CA in about 3-4 days. I'm not complaining though. I'm really excited to get this bicycle. My fitness plan is really going well and this will only enhance things. As I get more fit, and as I keep on my plan, not only is my body feeling better but my mind feels much sharper. I no longer enjoy overeating either - it leaves me feeling bloated and regretful.

The dog and I went jogging today around noon. Again, we did 1.5 miles plus a cool off. I just want to take a minute to let you know why cool downs are important in fitness. Until recently I never understood this, so I didn't cool down after runs. Here it is in a nutshell: If you aren't in great shape and you don't cool down, your body will pool blood in your extremities. The last time I tried to get in shape, I didn't cool down and when I would do strenuous things, I would think, "Man, my ankles are swelling! It must be because I'm fat." Well, there might be some truth to that, but this time around as I am really keeping an eye on things and cooling down, I'm hardly getting any swelling. It's great. :)

I hope to hit the gym later today after I've had a chance to recover. In the mean time I'm going to head to the office and work on getting everything reinstalled on my computer.

I hope you have a great day. Again, if you have anything you'd like another believer to pray with you about, please just leave a comment and I will pray for you!