Doing What's Good

Have you ever exercised and thought, "I wish I wouldn't have done that."?

On the other hand, have you ever ate a Big Mac and thought, "I'm glad I ate that."?

Seems like a simple solution. Skip the Big Mac and go for a run.

Getting My Run in on a Sunday Morning

It's been a long time coming, but I woke up, got my butt out of bed, and ran seven miles this morning. It's noon on Sunday, and I'm not worrying about getting my work in today. That is awesome.

Now, it wasn't the best run. The Girl got up at the same time I did, so I was running on the treadmill and babysitting at the same time. Playing peekaboo with Kermit the Frog is a good way to determine if you're in an aerobic heart zone. Stopping my run a couple times to go potty let me fill up my water bottle. Watching Mickey Mouse Club isn't as motivating as a sports show, but the hot dog dance is catchy. It's all about perspective. Instead of being upset that I didn't do better than 9:30 miles, I'm happy that I did something. I know that will make me stronger the next run.

Back in the Weight Room and Loving It!

During my training for the Chicago Triathlon, I had stopped lifting weights in order to focus on the rest of my training. Fitting in three runs, three bike rides, two swims and two lifting sessions seemed a little daunting. Now that the tri is over, I'm ready to get back in the weight room.

I love lifting weights; it is my favorite exercise. Throwing iron around is a great way to relieve the frustrations of the day. Also, whenever I've had a good lift, I feel strong, fit and confident. I love that little bit of soreness that tells you you worked hard, and that your body is busy getting stronger.

Getting back into weights has been a problem, though. First of all, I had my finger incident, which is better now. It's still not completely healed, but can be bandaged and managed. The harder problem has been waking up in the morning. When we were on a regular lifting schedule in the spring, the Misses and I would wake up at 4:30. Once you get in the pattern of waking up early, it's not as bad as you think. Your body adjusts, you go to bed earlier, and you get used to the routine. When you aren't in that routine, whoa Nellie, it is not easy to get back in it. This morning was the fifth morning (or forth or sixth, I wasn't really counting) that the Misses and I turned off the alarm. I get cranky when I don't get my work in, and I know it. For that reason, I really try to wake up, but it just hasn't happened. I've tried making commitments to myself and going to be early. Anyway- I missed my morning lift today.

Normally, we try to make up missed workouts in the evening, but my folks are coming to visit tomorrow. The Misses laid out the prorities; 1) clean the house, 2) the Boy's homework, 3) bathe children, 4) set up the guest room, and 5) exercise. I got home and put on workout clothes to motivate myself to workout. Then I busted my ass getting one through four done. Since we got it all done, I was able to lift!

I'm gonna pay for it tomorrow. When I was on a regular lifting schedule, I wouldn't get that sore after a session. Now that I've laid off the weights for four months, I know that it'll be hard to walk tomorrow. It's worth it though, because I know that once I get through the initial soreness, I'll feel much better, and I'll get my body like Bond.

I'm also going to start setting am alarm across the room to make me get out of bed!

Post Race Blues - What to do after the event

After completing the Chicago Triathlon two weeks ago, I've been taking it easy with my exercising.  I've been running, but nothing more than five miles.  I rode my bike once, and I haven't been to the pool.  This morning, when I woke up, I didn't want to exercise at all.  So, what did I do?  I didn't do anything.

I know, it's not very motivating.  But I have spent the day trying to diagnose what I need to get back in the saddle.  I've decided that the only way to compensate for the post race lack of motivation is to sign up for a new race.  Since it's near the end of the triathlon season, there aren't any more real tris to sign up for. I figure this is time to accomplish a goal I've tabled for some time, I plan to run the 8 Mile YMCA Turkey Trot in Dallas.  When I first started running 10 years ago, the 3 mile race at the Turkey Trot was my big goal.  Although I did the Capital 10,000 back in 2002, I was never able to bridge the gap for the last two miles.  I figure it's time to give it a shot.

Hal Higdon's Intermediate Training Program for a race of this distance is a 10 week program.  Since the race in on November 24, the training program starts the middle of next week!  Perfect.  Time to get back to it, but only after I eat the brownies the Misses is making.  They smell delicious.

In Honor of NFL Preseason - Challenge 2 False Start

Yesterday, I announced my intention to start a second Body-for-Life Challenge.  Unfortunately, I didn't anticipate this:

It's kind of hard to bench press with a splint on your finger, so C2 will start tomorrow with Cardio.  Hopefully, I can take the splint off and lift on Thursday.

I'm betting you're wondering why I have a splint on my finger.  On Labor Day, about 9am, I was washing dishes.  I was trying to be real thorough and attack the rust on one of our kitchen knives.  The knife didn't appreciate this and attacked back.  The cut was so bad, it was still bleeding a bit this morning when I woke up.  I went to a Walgreen's Take Care Clinic, which on this page, says it treats "Minor Cut Closure with Skin Adhesive."  I didn't click through and read the fine print, "Skin adhesive is not used to treat minor cuts or wounds of the face, scalp, genitalia, joints, hands, or feet."  The nurse wisely recommended that I call my doctor instead of waiting around in an ER.

I was able to get an appointment with my doctor within the hour.  He took a look at it, cleaned it up, put some butterfly bandages on it, and told me to keep in immobilized.  Pending gangrene developing in the next few days, I should be able to save the hand.  The best part, he gave me some finger condoms to keep my bandages dry.

Of course, they're too small for my finger, and broke when I tried to put them on.

Body-for-Life Challenge 1 Recap

So, Day 85 for my first Body for Life Challenge was May 2...  Since it's September 5, I thought it was a great time to provide an update on how my first challenge went.  Here is what I wrote in my challenge entry kit back in May:

I had been working out and eating rather healthy for a few years now, but I had reached a plateau.  When I got the email announcing the 2011 Body-for-Life challenge, I saw this as a way to take my workouts to the next level.  Also, the Misses had been concerned about her weight and appearance.  I saw this as a way to challenge her to eat a well balanced diet and amp up her workout intensity. 

I am most proud that the Misses and I did not miss one workout during the challenge.  While we did some schedule re-arranging when we missed a workout, we always made it up that week.  With only two weeks to go in the challenge, I started getting headaches during weightlifting.  Instead of quitting the challenge, I went to the doctor.  He helped me with a combination of medicine and strategies to help manage the headaches.  I took my ibuprofen, got back in the weight room, lowered the weight I lifted, and focused on my form.  I was able to stay on track and complete the challenge. 

The nutrition aspect of the challenge was the most difficult for me.  While I was good at sticking to a BFL meal plan Monday through Thursday, the weekends were a different story.  The Misses and I had created a lifestyle where our fun activities revolved around food and drink.  As we adapted to our new diet, we were forced to find new pastimes.  We took this opportunity to play game with our kids, do yard work, and overall get more active.  We weren’t perfect, there were visits from grandparents and holidays that derailed some weekends, but this is an area I know I can improve.  The successful weekends gave me the experience of how much better I feel the morning after staying true to Body-for-Life really motivate me to stick to it. 

Overall, even though I did not reach all my goals, I feel the challenge was a great success.  I lost 2.5” off my waist, and I learned that I can push my exercise beyond the limits I placed on myself.  I know the strategies I learned during Body-for-Life will create a solid foundation for future successes.  Furthermore, I’ve got the Misses on board with this new lifestyle, and we both can keep each other on the right path. 

Four months later, I can report moderate success with keeping with the Body-for-Life plan after the challenge. The summer brought a lot of events that ended up being gorge fests.  I went to Holland, Texas, and the Wisconsin Dells.  I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything, but from Challenge 1 (C1) I know I have the potential to do much better in eating and exercising.

That's why tomorrow, the Misses and I will start Body-for-Life Challenge 2 (C2).  This time, I'm sure we'll be able to meet our goals!

Achieving a Goal - Completing the Life Time Fitness International Triathlon

Last year, as a challenge for myself, I completed in the Fleet Fleet Supersprint Triathlon.  Due to a flat tire, I wasn't able to beat my goal time, but otherwise, I had a great time.  After that race, I set a new goal for myself.  I would do the 2011 Chicago Triathlon International Distance.   With a 1500 meter swim, 40 kilometer bike, and 10 kilometer run, I knew it would be tough, but with a year to train, I was sure I could do it.  

The Swim Finish

On Sunday, I did.  Not only did I finish, I finished in 3:05:12!  My stretch goal was 3:00, so I missed that, but realistically, I thought I could do 3:15.  I was well under that. 
 
The swim was really hard.  They sent 150 people in each wave, and you swam in the marina.  For my course, you swam south along the marina wall for 350m, turned around a buoy, and then swam 1,150m north until you got to a staircase into the lake.  


At the start, you also had to get in the water and tread water for 60 seconds, surrounded by 150 testosterone laden dudes all jockeying for position.  I could barely kick to stay afloat because of all the other legs down there.  The first 750 yards were packed with people because there were two lanes of traffic.  I tried to find my own piece of water to get a rhythm, but it seemed like every 30 seconds I was getting run over from behind, bumping into someone in front of me, or getting pushed by a wave into another racer.  Once I get kicked square on the nose.  I ran into a traffic jam that was stopped by a rowboat taking a swimmer to shore.  The rowboat went straight through the race.  After the first 750, it got much better as the swimmers had a lot more room to spread out.  Overall, besides the beating from the other racers and the waves, I felt pretty good on the swim.  The wetsuit is so buoyant, you really only have to keep your arms moving to keep forward motion.  At the end of the swim, the people on the staircase reached out their arms and I grabbed hold expecting to get pulled up.  They didn't pull.  It was basically like jumping out of a pool.  I didn't enjoy that.
 
The transition area was 500 yards or so from the swim out; that is a long run in bare feet.  Once I got to my rack, my first transition was fine.  It took me a little bit to get out of the wetsuit (I really ought to practice that), but was much faster drying my feet and getting shoes on than I've been in the past.  After that, it was out on the bike.
 
The bike section was awesome.  Going north, we had a terrible headwind, but that meant going south we had an awesome tailwind.  I was going between 16-18 mph going north, but going south I was going 22+.  I managed to average 19mph for the whole 40k bike course.  Lake Shore Drive had a couple rough patches of pavement, but I was able to avoid the really bad pot holes and had no mechanical issues like last year.   Coming off the bike, I heard the Misses scream "Go!!!" so that was really cool.  
 
T2 is the easy transition, all you've got to do it drop off your bike, take off your helmet, get shoes on and GO.  But I ran down the lane in front of mine, and didn't realize it until I saw a chick in that lane.  I had to run back out that lane and into mine.  It probably cost me 20-30 seconds.  
 
Coming out of transition, I was able to see the kids and the Misses again.  The crowds in Grant Park, where the run started and ended, were incredible.  For the first kilometer of the run, there were people lined up on each side of the course, cheering and yelling.  I was getting high fives from random kids.  I really pumped me up to get out and do the run.  The run went fine, I was able to hold a real steady pace, even though I wanted to puke at mile 4 due to too much Gu and Gatorade, I was able to come in exactly at my goal time.  The Misses and the Boy had to hustle to see me at the finish, but they made it!  I was able to pick them out in the crowd after crossing the line.  I hobbled my way out of the finishing chute, and collapsed on the ground underneath a tree. Based on the race clock and my start time, I thought I had done a 3:10, but the official results came up as 3:05!  So awesome.  

It was so awesome to have The Misses, the kids, and some of my friends there.  Once we got home,  We had deep dish pizza and cookies for dinner, and crashed pretty early.


Yesterday, I was glued to the couch, with an ice pack on my ankle.  When I walked, I hobbled like an old man.  Now, less than 36 hours later, I'm planning my offseason training, and getting ready for next year.  I know I can knock off those 5 minutes and 12 seconds and get my time under 3 hours!

Average Dave's Upgrades - Weight Bench

I've mentioned my first weight bench here before.  A couple years after I got that bench, I had outgrown it.  The weight I was lifting plus my body weight was approaching the weight limit for the bench.  I went on the eBay and found a dude selling a weight bench in my area.  For $125, I bought a torn up piece of crap weight bench; but it came with approximately 400lbs of Olympic size weights and a bar.  At $0.03/lbs, the weight alone was an awesome deal.  This bench took me to a whole new level of weight lifting, now I was using equipment like the stuff in a real gym.

Since the Misses and I doing Body for Life together, this bench proved to be a real drawback.  First of all, it was bulky and hard to move around.  Average Dave's is in a small room in my basement with the furnace.  We do a variety of exercises, and the bench needs to get out of the way if we do squats or any standing exercises.  Also, the incline on the bench wasn't that sturdy and wasn't easy to set up.  You have to hold up the bench while trying to get a pin through a little hole in the bench.  So, I asked the finance committee (The Misses, and only the Misses) if I could buy a new bench.

I got a Bowflex SelectTech 5.1 Series bench a couple weeks ago.  First of all, it looks bad ass.  The black and red leather is a real upgrade from the ripped plastic like material.  Second, it has wheels and a handle. Compared to my old bench, it is super easy to pick up and move to a new second.  Third, it has 6 positions from 90 degrees to decline, and it is really easy to move between positions.  You just pick the bench up and let the arm fall into the slot you want it.  It feels much more secure than my old bench.  I love it.

One drawback I think this bench has is that it is pretty long, so it takes up a lot of room.  It is hard to transition from a exercise on the bench to another standing exercise because it is so big.  Really, this is more a drawback of Average Dave's limited square footage than the bench.  Also, I now use my squat rack to hold the bar when I am doing bench press.  It's taking me a little while to get used to racking the bar and not hitting the pins when exercising, but I'll get there.

Oh, and according to Play to Again Sports, my old weight bench was worth $12, $15 in store credit.

Body for Life Challenge Four Week Update

Monday was Day 29 of 85, which meant that is was time for my four week check.  I retook pictures and measurements.  The results were decidedly mixed.

First, the good news.  I dropped four pounds and I now weight 168 pounds.  I also lost an inch and a quarter off my waist.  After four weeks, this is a promising indicator of hitting my goal of a 30" waist.  Also, my pants are fitting a bit looser.  This is a real confidence builder, and makes me feel better at work.

The disappointing thing was my body fat results.  I only lost 0.4% of body fat, which is far from my goal of losing 6.5% body fat during the challenge.  I'll keep at it, and hopefully this accelerates over the next eight weeks.  I also have not made a lot of progress on the bench press.  I'm still only benching 155 six times on a good day, and usually I can only hit 155 four times.  I'm thinking that this is because doing pyramids is taxing my muscles before I get to the 155 rep, but I'm a long way from my goal of 185 six times.

I think the hard part of the challenge is still in front of me.  In the beginning, it was new and exciting.  Now I've kind of gotten into the groove, but the results are coming slower, and the end is not in sight.  I think these next four weeks will be the hardest of the challenge.

My Get Rich Quick Scheme: Fad Diets

With all those fad diets out there, I've always told the Misses I wanted to write a book called "Eat Less, Dumbass."  That's kind of what we're doing with BFL.  Eating less.  So far, it really hasn't been that bad. During the week, we're eating the same meals we ate before BFL, just not an over sized portion.  And since we're eating less, it means we have leftovers to bring in to work rather than a boring sandwich.  I'm pretty sure it's even saving us money.

The hard part comes during the weekend. In the old days, the weekend meant three days of gorge fest.  A typical meal was three servings worth of dinner, two sides of bread and a bottle of wine.  Three nights in a row.  No matter how good you are during the week, those weekend's will kill ya (or at least expand your waistband).  Now that we're on BFL, we get one "free" day rather than three.  Is it hard to cut back?  Sure it is.  We both miss the big pasta dishes on Friday, pizza on Saturday, and steak on Sunday with a dessert every night.  On the other hand, when we avoid gorge fest, we feel so good when we wake up Saturday morning, and Monday's seem a little more manageable.  No restless night from too much eating or drinking.  No staying up way too late to make more time for eating.  Don't get me wrong, I spend all week thinking about how I'm going to indulge on my free day, but I'm starting to get into the eating less, dumbass.

Body For Life Glossary and Key Terms

I'm going to be using several terms over and over again on this blog.  I'm putting this post up as a repository for links to the key principles I will refer to often.  I'm going to edit it as I add new posts.  Please forgive me if this post keeps hitting your reader.  Just tab through.

Body For Life (BFL) Glossary:
Small Frequent Meals (SFM)
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Lower Body Work Out (LBWO)
Upper Body Work Out (UBWO)

High Intensity Interval Training: Sixty Minutes of Hell

On Body for Life, you only need to work out four hours a week.  The catch is that each workout must be done at a high intensity.  You make up for quantity with quality.  While the program prescribes only three cardio workouts a week for twenty minutes a session, these three workouts include intervals as hard as you can go.  This method of training is referred to as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

I've been reading about the benefits of interval training since I started exercising regularly almost ten years ago.  Runners use interval training to increase speed and aerobic capacity, or VO2Max.  HIIT can also help rev up your metabolism more than lower interval cardio.  Beginners can even use HIIT, even if your high intensity interval is walking one block faster than the last.

The benefits are undeniable.  However, that's because it comes at a price.  HIIT is hard work!  If you are doing it right, at the peak of your interval, you are going as hard as you can.  You can't talk, you can hardly breathe, and your heart is pounding out of your chest.  The only way I get through the high points is reminding myself that it only lasts a minute.  It's wonderful when you can drop back down to a moderate level for your recovery periods.

I can tell I've been improving through my interval workouts.  When I started, my "ten" was in a 5th gear on the second ring on my bike.  Now, it's the fourth gear on the biggest ring.  I believe that HIIT really works, but I still think the best part is that it's over quickly!

Body Like Bond - Now on Twitter

That's right.  I am Tweeting.  Why?  Because I figure you want to know useless stuff like, "Dang, I'm hungry today", "Getting ready for my turkey sandwich!", "Hit all my high points today!".  So, check out the right side of the blog for my Tweets, or follow me on Twitter or add my Twitter to your RSS.

I am a Hobbit - Is eating like Samwise Gamgee going to make me look like Daniel Craig?

Eating is my job.  I'm serious.  I am on a diet, and I eat every three hours.  It's awesome.  On the first day, the Misses said, "I can't believe I am eating again.  This can't be right."  (I forgot to mention the Misses is on board with the program too!)

That's the beauty of Small Frequent Meals (SFMs).  A key tenant of the Body for Life Program is eating a balanced meal six times a day.  Every three hours, I get a serving of protein, a serving of carbs, and sometimes, I get to add vegetables.  Sure, there are "restricted" foods, but who in their right mind would think that eating fried chicken or McDonald's would be a part of getting a toned and fit body?

I have to admit, I'm a big fan.  I've been trying to implement smaller, more frequent meals for a while now.  I believe in the concept that by having food always available for your body to tap as energy, you encourage your body not to store food as fat.  Also, your body knows that it's next meal is coming shortly, and that it doesn't have to slow down metabolism to prepare for a famine.  The best thing about BFL is that since the Misses is on board, I've been able to make my dinners a little smaller allowing me to shift more calories to earlier in the day when my body needs them more.

I admit it, on this program, I'm a little hungry.  But the big positive of SFMs is that since you know you know your next meal is just around the corner, pounding 8 ounces of water, chewing a stick (or five) of gum,  or sipping a cup of tea will tide you over for the hour until your next meal.  Also, I'm sure that some of my hunger is just adjusting from my previous 2,200 calorie a day diet to my new 1,800 calorie a day diet.  It's nothing I can't handle as long as I remember my goals.

A typical day for me is a Myoplex Strength Shake after my workout in the morning, oatmeal and eggs as my second breakfast at nine,  leftovers for lunch, a Myoplex Strength Bar for afternoon snack, chicken and pasta or rice for dinner, and my yummy late night treat.  I drink about 12 cups of water a day.  So far, it's working pretty well.  13 days in and I have met all my nutrition goals!

Remembering Valentine's Day Past

For Valentine's Day in 2005, the Misses gave me the greatest give one could possibly give.  She gave me my first weight bench!

She got it at Walmart.  For $40.  I'm pretty sure it was intended for 16 year old high school boys.  It had a weight limit of 250 pounds, so If I was going to lift over 70 pounds, I would have violated the weight guide.  She paired it with a quarter inch weight set from Sports Authority.  It may have been the lamest weight set ever, but it was mine. Average Dave's was open for business.

It's hard to believe that this was six years ago.  It doesn't seem like I've been lifting weights that long.  I had to dig up the old log book just to make sure.  Here is the log of my first workout on 2/14/2005:

Pushups       13/8
                     7/8
                     2/8

(The backspace is when I couldn't do any more real pushups and I switched to pushups from my knees.)

Bench     40lbs      9 reps
              40lbs      12 reps
              40lbs      10 reps

Flys        30lbs      12 reps
              30lbs      12 reps
              30lbs      12 reps

Curls      30lbs      12 reps

              30lbs      12 reps

              30lbs      12 reps

Tricep Pushdowns

              25lbs      12 reps

              35lbs      12 reps

              35lbs      12 reps

Pullups   7 seconds

              7 seconds

              6 seconds

(That's right, I couldn't do a Pullup.  I would just hang from the bar to build up strength.)

Pulldowns  

             35lbs      12 reps

(I wrote "didn't like" here.  I remember the lat attachment on that bench was terrible!  I guess that's what you get for $40).

Rows     15lbs   12 reps

             15lbs   12 reps  

I miss that old bench.  I sold it and the weights to Play it Again Sports a few years ago when I bought an Olympic Bench and weights off e-bay for $125.  

AHHHH!!! It's not working! My body fat went up!

Yep, that's right, my body fat percentage increased from 20.5% on Day 1 to 20.9% on Day 8.  I also dropped about three fourths of a pound, which would normally be good news.  But corresponding with an increase in body fat, it means I lost more muscle than fat!!!  I know that the first week is really just setting the table for the weeks to come, and that this is probably just a blip with my Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Scale, but it's disconcerting nonetheless.

I've been doing all my workouts, and making sure I hit at least 70% of my weight in grams of protein.  I'm thinking that the key here is to relax and not worry about it.  This isn't a linear journey, there are peaks and valleys along the way.  Besides, the book tells you to not check progress until week 4, but I couldn't wait that long.  So, I will stay the course!

Happy Valentines Day, All!

My Apologies

Due to the overwhelming feedback I received from my last post, I will no longer be writing in third person.  It was not my intention to sound like Elmo or Kanye.  When the misses says that I sound pompus, well, then it's time to change my writing style before I sound even pompouser.

Body for Life Battles: Willpower vs Temptation

This is the first post in a what will be a continuing series, Body for Life Battles. This series will chronicle those moments during the challenge when the temptation to veer off the BFL path is great and willpower must overcome the desire to give in. Appropriately, the first such temptation for BLB was at a place called Fatman's.

BLB thinks happy hours to recognize a colleague moving to a new department are valuable. They are a chance to connect with your new co-workers in a more casual setting and to catch up with old co-workers that you haven't seen in a while. In the information age, when your network is everything, they are essential career building events. However, there are three problems with them when you are doing a BLF challenge; pizza, wings and beer.

What was BLB to do? Not going was not an option. These events are few and far between.  BLB already had plans for the Free Day on Saturday, and didn't want to waste the Free Day on this event.  So that left giving in or developing a plan to stay "BFL Approved".

First of all, BLB knew the layouts for the buffets at these events, and knew that no lean protein options would be available.  The spread was pizza, wings, and potato skins.  Therefore, BLB bought a new BFL approved lunch, and saved the packed lunch for a small meal right before going.  A full belly is powerful, it allows one to say "No, Thank You" to the delicious spread.  And that's what BLB did.

On top of that, when the waitress asked BLB what he wanted to drink, the reply was "Diet Coke, Please." It was like some other being had possessed BLB to help make the right decision to stay on the program.  Certainly, when one is used to drinking at these events, navigating them without a glass in hand can be daunting!  However, the night was just as much fun with Diet Coke as it would have been with a beer.  And by picking the Diet Coke, at least 200 calories were saved!

BLB made a graceful exit before temptation took another swing at him, and went home to enjoy his favorite night time snack, which will be revealed in a future post.

The score after round one?  Willpower 1, Temptation 0

What's my goal here?

First of all, I should probably lay out my goals.  I have three goals for this challenge:

• Decrease to 14% body fat from 20.5% today
• Drop to a 30" waist, from 33" today
• Bench 185 six times.  Currently, on a good day, I can bench 155 six times

Why these goals?  

For Body Fat, I'm not sure there is any good rationale for why 14%.  According to Livestrong, 19% to 22.2% is "normal" for my age group.  Clearly, I need to be better than normal or what's the point in all this. I've heard anecdotally that you need 12% body fat to get ab definition, but I don't know if that's manageable in these 12 weeks.  One of the main stories in the Champions Body for Life book that will be my guide is BFL Champion Mark Unger.  As a skinny fat man like me, I can relate to Mark.  Therefore, I figure if he can lose 12% body fat during his challenge, I should be able to do a little better than half that in mine.  Hence, 14%.

The waist goal is pure vanity.  For some reason, I've always held a 32" waist to be the waist of a thin man.  I have a 33" waist now, so 32" wouldn't be that much of a challenge.  Plus, I really like Banana Republic pants, and I think they cut them small.  If I have a 30" waist, I'll probably fit in their 32"s.

At the NBA Draft Combine, potential NBA players are asked to bench 185 pounds as many times as they can.  Before his rookie year, Kevin Durant couldn't do one rep.  Wouldn't it be cool to be better than the Durantula at something sort of athletic?   (Sure, after four years in an NBA weight room, I'm sure he can now.  Let's pretend that's not true, OK?)

So, there you go.  That's the targets.  Let me know what you think!

Starting Body for Life February 7

Here I am, 32 years old, a father of two, and a finance manager.  When looking for what's missing in your life, do you ever think, "six pack abs and chest definition"?  I know I sure do.  That's why when my company put out a call to start the twelve week Body for Life Challenge, I answered the call.  What is BFL?  Its a 12 week exercise and nutrition program designed to help you build lean muscle mass and burn fat.  It's a program to get six pack abs and chest definition.  In a way, it will help you look like the modern incarnation of James Bond.  

Alright, so, clearly this program is going to demand some intense workouts and a balanced diet of nutritious food.  But will I make it through the 12 week challenge?  Will I reach my goals?  Let's find out.