Workout Summary: Day 49

Haha, I should have really changed my workouts up after Day 42.

This week's workouts felt dull and less inspired than my previous ones. I was talking with my girlfriend, Jenn (who doubles as my personal expert in all things fitness-related), and she's comforted me by reminding me that it's a good idea to change up my workouts every 6-8 weeks anyways, but even though this is Week 7 (well within the 6-8 week target), I still feel like I haven't taken as large of a stride forward this week.

It could be my mental focus as well. This week was centered on final exams, grading, and summer school planning, so admittedly, my mind has been elsewhere. I found myself planning while cycling, constantly looping back to ensure that I had thought out my summer school curriculum completely.

In any event, I will be starting to train with several students to prepare for the "Live" project beginning in the coming week. Since it's "summer vacation" for them, and many have commitments at work, summer classes, and family events, it will be more of a "drop-in when you can, but come often" type of format. That's going to shift up my training (and theirs) in a number of ways:

First off, I'll be implementing weight training into my routines. Low weight, but high rep for toning. That's going to be the focus of my Monday/Wednesday routine. Some of this will happen with my students, some at the gym, and some at home. Doing it this way means I'll be getting two mini-workouts after my group workout. Should be neat.

In addition, I'll be doing a weekly hiking and training session with my students on Saturdays. We'll be covering a lot of ground, going up and down big hills. I like hiking. It's going to burn really nicely. :)

Also, I'll be condensing my martial arts workouts into Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Much of my focus will be on basics, forms, and advanced kicking, with some bag work on Sundays. I've received some invitations to train with friends in various locations on Sundays, and I may add that in eventually, with hiking as a backup in case I am unable to attend their workout.

Fridays will become my new "free day", effective tomorrow. It'll give me two back-to-back free days this week, but it'll also provide me with an opportunity to get my head on straight with my other work.

Tally for the week:

• Running (elliptical): 6 miles (Sat, Mon, Wed - 2 miles each)
• Cycling (stationary): 60 miles (10 per day Fri-Wed, not today)
• Pushups: 600 (100 per day)
  
• Crunches: 600 (100 per day)
• Squats (no weights): 300 (100 Fri, 100 Sun, 100 Tues, 4 sets of 25)
• Lunges (no weights): 300 (100 Fri, 100 Sun, 100 Tues, 2 sets of 25 - each side)
• Form repetitions: 30 (10x Fri, 10x Sun, 10x Tues. Each day consists of 5 traditional, 5 contemporary)
• Kicks: 1800 (600x Sat, 600x Mon, 600x Wed. Assorted kicking techniques.)
• Bag work: 12 rounds (60 sec rounds; 4x Sat, 4x Mon, 4x Wed. Assorted boxing techniques.)

Total since Day 1:

• Running (total): 56 miles
• Cycling (total): 366 miles
• Hiking: 18 miles
  
• Pushups: 3650
• Crunches: 5800
• Squats: 1800
• Lunges: 1800
• Form repetitions: 200
• Kicks: 10300
• Bag work: 72 rounds (72m total)

Mission Accomplished, Almost

Tomorrow, I will complete a commitment that I made to my students at the high school: writing one blog entry per day until the last day of school. Since I will be posting a workout summary tomorrow, that should be relatively easy.

Doing daily blogging has been a useful exercise for me. Just like a good martial artist requires regular practice, and being fit requires regular exercise, becoming comfortable with writing requires that you regularly put your thoughts into words.

I'd recommend this to any student who is preparing to "Live Like A Champion" next year, and also as preparation for classes in the fall: write often, daily would be best! Scribble at least half a page into a journal, diary, notebook, blog, whatever. Reflect on your day, focus on a moment or an idea, consider your future, or more.

Just be sure to write.

P.S. Now that I have fulfilled this commitment, I may post less frequently. It'll still be more than once a week, but it won't be daily. Don't worry, I'll use the extra time for training. :)

Time Out For What Matters

I visited my cousin in the hospital today. She's begun treatment for Type-B large cell lymphoma, and it's tricky because she's also six months pregnant. Today, I set aside plans and made sure to stop by to comfort her and to help her pass the time as she waits in bed for the stream of medical personnel to perform tests and observe her reactions.

She's in good spirits, and for this, I'm glad. However, I think a part of me also realized that I often get too caught up in my daily routines and forget to share time with family and friends. Holidays, weddings, illness, and funerals shouldn't be the only times that I see my relatives.

In my own process of developing myself, I need to expand my awareness and my consciousness in layers. This begins with myself and expands outwards. I cannot skip layers of social consciousness and claim that I'm some kind of role model, if all I've done is to support noble causes by sacrificing quality connections with family and friends, or by ignoring my responsibilities at work, etc. I need to balance all of these things.

I need to evaluate the way I prioritize my time so that I can begin to share more time with those who are closest to me. That's what this boils down to.

Update 6/7: My cousin was discharged from the hospital today. She gets to go home. Yay!

Spicy Plan Backfires

In a mild effort to reduce my consumption of cheese, I started replacing any cheese in my meals with jalapeno jack. (and using less)

There's a short story behind this, though.

You see, spicy food is like kryptonite to me. I'm very sensitive to it. As I was growing up, the mild sauce at Taco Bell would bring me to tears. For a while, even certain kinds of pizza sauce would have the same effect. As a result, I've stayed away from many spices because they might be 'too hot' for me, and endured the amused jabs from friends who were more than entertained by my vulnerability. My girlfriend insists that I improve in this area, and I simply haven't gotten around to it yet.

Back to the cheese: I switched cheeses because I figured that I would use less of it that way. It was intended to be a subtle way of using my own aversion to spicy stuff towards my own benefit.

It backfired: it turns out that I like jalapeno jack cheese.

Back to the drawing board. :)

Workout Summary: Day 42

It's almost time for me to shake up my workout.

I've been reconditioning myself for the past 6 weeks, and I feel like I need to add some martial arts training into the mix. I've begun looking for places which will help me fulfill my UBBT goals of receiving 20 hours of pro-boxing instruction and 100 hours of jiu-jitsu mat time. Both of these will be "white belt" experiences for me, but I'll be able to work out while I learn.

I'll keep you all posted and let you know what turns up in my search. The cool thing about San Jose is that the city is full of martial arts schools, but the bad thing is that the city is full of martial arts schools. I'll stick to this program for another week or two until I commit to a new workout facility.

Tally for the week:

• Running (elliptical): 6 miles (Sat, Mon, Wed - 2 miles each)
• Cycling (stationary): 60 miles (10 per day Fri-Wed, not today)
• Pushups: 600 (100 per day)
  
• Crunches: 600 (100 per day)
• Squats (no weights): 300 (100 Fri, 100 Sun, 100 Tues, 4 sets of 25)
• Lunges (no weights): 300 (100 Fri, 100 Sun, 100 Tues, 2 sets of 25 - each side)
• Form repetitions: 30 (10x Fri, 10x Sun, 10x Tues. Each day consists of 5 traditional, 5 contemporary)
• Kicks: 1800 (600x Sat, 600x Mon, 600x Wed. Assorted kicking techniques.)
• Bag work: 12 rounds (60 sec rounds; 4x Sat, 4x Mon, 4x Wed. Assorted boxing techniques.)

Total since Day 1:

• Running (total): 50 miles
• Cycling (total): 306 miles
• Hiking: 18 miles
  
• Pushups: 3050
• Crunches: 5200
• Squats: 1500
• Lunges: 1500
• Form repetitions: 170
• Kicks: 8500
• Bag work: 60 rounds (60m total)

Workout Summary: Day 35

Ahhh, back to the grind.

I shouldn't call it that, but sometimes it feels that way. Maybe it's a sign that I need to spice things up in my workouts. At the very least, it's a sign that I'm beginning to feel complacent, which I'm recognizing as a good thing because I've made some progress.

For now, I've decided to stay the course and exercise some discipline to maintain my current workouts. I'll need to step up the intensity eventually if I'm going to get serious results, but for now, I can rest assured that my new workout regimen is becoming a regular habit.

Been taking care of blisters on my feet recently. Feels yummy. Neosporin is my friend.

Tally for the week:

• Running (elliptical): 4 miles (Sat, Wed - 2 miles each)
• Cycling (stationary): 50 miles (10 per day Fri, Sat, Sun, Tues, Wed, not today)
• Pushups: 500 (100 per day Fri, Sat, Sun, Tues, Wed)
  
• Crunches: 750 (150 per day Fri, Sat, Sun, Tues, Wed)
• Squats (no weights): 300 (100 Fri, 100 Sun, 100 Tues, 4 sets of 25)
• Lunges (no weights): 300 (100 Fri, 100 Sun, 100 Tues, 2 sets of 25 - each side)
• Form repetitions: 30 (10x Fri, 10x Sun, 10x Tues. Each day consists of 5 traditional, 5 contemporary)
• Kicks: 1600 (800x Sat, 800x Wed. Assorted kicking techniques.)
• Bag work: 8 rounds (60 sec rounds; 4x Sat, 4x Wed. Assorted boxing techniques.)

Total since Day 1:

• Running (total): 44 miles
• Cycling (total): 246 miles
• Hiking: 18 miles
  
• Pushups: 2450
• Crunches: 4600
• Squats: 1200
• Lunges: 1200
• Form repetitions: 140
• Kicks: 6700
• Bag work: 48 rounds (48m total)

Gentle Reminder Received - Thanks!

This morning, one of my students caught me doing my squats only half-heartedly as I supervised the group and called me on it. I wasn't paying attention as I was scanning the class, and I heard a friendly, "all the way now!" come from the front line. It was a good reminder. Thanks John! I needed those squats.

Earlier this week, one of my students saw me wandering through the group during an independent practice session, and reminded me, "aren't you going to train with us too, sir?" I smiled and joined them. Thanks Barnaby! It was a great opportunity.

Even black belts need to be reminded sometimes. As often as I try, sometimes I have my moments, and I'm glad that I have a good support team with me. In my younger years, I thought I had to save face in front of my students and avoid making mistakes. I like that my students can keep me honest without sacrificing anything from our relationship. If anything, it deepens it because the support goes both ways, and they appreciate that I acknowledge my own human imperfections and strive to work on them - just as I expect them to do.

Workout Summary: Day 28

(One of my students jogging along the beach.)

This week's workout has been modified, due to my Week Without Walls group and black belt testing activities, so it will appear irregular compared to my previous routines. I've made a concerted effort to participate with them when possible, so I've been exerting my leadership through personal example. I've found that by serving as their role model, I can accomplish many things nearly as well as I could when I was roaming the lines and making corrections! (Not that I shouldn't stop doing that - there's room for both.)

Most of the workouts came from hiking, conditioning, and training exercises. Working out on the beach was amazing, but I've noticed how much I've missed hiking after spending most of the week hiking with my students. I'm going to fit in some more hikes this summer, while the weather is great.

Tally for the week:

• Hiking: 18 miles (4m Mon, 4m Tues, 6m Wed, 4m Th; beach & hilly terrain)
• Running (beach): 2 miles (total of short sprints along the beach each day)
• Running (elliptical): 2 miles (Sat)
• Running: 7 miles (Sun - yay B2B! It's technically 7.5, but the beginning was a crawl. Also, I'm not going to count all of the walking to/from Caltrain.)
• Cycling (stationary): 30 miles (Fri-Sun; 10 miles each)
  
• Pushups: 800 (100 Fri, 100 Sat, 100 Sun, 50 Mon, 100 Tues, 150 Wed, 200 Th)
  
• Crunches: 1300 (100 Fri, 100 Sat, 100 Sun, 100 Mon, 200 Tues, 300 Wed, 400 Th)
• Form repetitions: 20 (10x Fri, 10x Sun. Each day consists of 5 traditional, 5 contemporary)
• Bag work: 4 rounds (60 sec rounds; 4x Sat. Assorted boxing techniques.)

Total since Day 1:

• Running (total): 40 miles
• Cycling (total): 196 miles
• Hiking: 18 miles
  
• Pushups: 1950
• Crunches: 3100
• Squats: 900
• Lunges: 900
• Form repetitions: 110
• Kicks: 5100
• Bag work: 40 rounds (40m total)

Discipline and Diet, Part 2

Last month, I began discussing the first of several new food habits that I've been working on. I've been introducing this in stages, rather than all at once. It's time for me to begin stage two, which I've progressively been implementing already, just at a lower degree.

In this stage, I will reduce my soda consumption by 90%.

Soda is a major source of the empty calories in my old dietary habits. I used to consume 2-3 cans each day, sometimes more on the weekends. I'd get myself jacked up on caffeine and sugar, and then when the inevitable crash came, I'd reach for another one. On average, I'd say that I would consume about 20 cans of soda per week. Even at 100 calories per 8 oz serving (according to Coke), well that's still 150 calories per can, and 3000 extra calories per week. That's a LOT of extra calories.

I'm dropping it down to 2 per week, at most.

Instead of soda, I've been drinking bottled water, and having some Vitamin Water after workouts. In the mornings (yeah, I used to drink soda in the morning), I've been drinking green tea, mixed with either lemonade or apple juice as a sweetener.

Additionally, my meat consumption has gone down significantly. Instead, I'm turning to soymilk for protein. I used to dislike the taste, but Kikkoman (yeah, the soy sauce folks) makes an outstanding soymilk. I usually have a glass with my lunch.

At restaurants, I've been ordering strawberry lemonade instead of soda, but I need to be careful since a lot of places accomplish this with syrups, which aren't really helping me with sugar content. I'll have one occasionally, but I'll be ordering water more often when I'm out. Might even save me a couple of bucks!

More on this later. I'm not done adding new habits yet.

Discipline and Diet, Part 1

Mealtimes are among my favorite times of the day. They are the times when I reward my senses for a job well done. At times, I indulge myself and try something new, but on most nights, there are several favorites which I never tire of sampling.

This is an area where my self-discipline is most challenged. In the past few years, I have conceded many battles and paid a heavy price (literally) for being inconsistent.

I also know that this must change.

Therefore, I intend to spend the next few months creating new food habits. I'm not going on a "diet", at least not in the mainstream sense where I make a radical adjustment for a short-term period, experience some results, and then return to my old ways. I want to implement lasting changes, achieve stellar results, and in order to accomplish this, I plan to rebuild my habits in stages.

I began the first stage of this today: better meals at work.

I am fortunate that my school provides complimentary staff meals from our food service provider, an independent company that delivers fresh-made, organic lunch items every weekday. It serves as an excellent alternative, and tastes quite good! So, I'll be standing in the lunch line more often, whenever I'm not brown bagging it.

More on this later.