Sunday, August 1, 2010

HIIT

Looking into High Intensity Interval training... looks very similar to the run intervals I have been doing already. It's just a little shorter and more structured. I am making my new workout plan for fat loss and I am going to incorporate this after lifting.

Bodybuilding.com - What Is The Best HIIT Workout? - Workout Of The Week

Learn About Interval Training & What Makes A Serious Athlete

Friday, June 11, 2010

Weight Loss Tips

I have written this to pass on to people that need help getting started with weight loss. I decided to publish it on the blog and I will update it here as I make it better.

I say losing weight is 80% diet, 20% exercise... but that is probably reversed for keeping it off. Lifting weight in particular, since adding muscle increases your resting metabolic rate and burns more calories all the time. Doing cardio all the time can actually hurt you in the long run by burning up more muscle. The idea is to make your body lose fat but not muscle when it would probably rather do the opposite.

Here's an interesting article on that effect, but it may be overstating it a bit. Some of the pictures on the site are somewhat questionable for work. The content is good though.
http://www.t-nation.com/article/performance_training/dieting_disasters

- Take measurements and go by those instead of by the scale. You can track measurements here, and it includes instructions on how to take each measurement: http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com
- From measurements, you can estimate your percent body fat http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html
- There is a lot of great info in the www.bodybuilding.com forums as well. I particularly like the 'Over 35' board, there is also a diet board.
- Calculate your Resting Metabolic Rate http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/par8.htm (though going to Step 3 is probably not necessary)
- You can start by subtracting 7000 calories per week from your total as a pretty good goal to lose 2 lb/wk (it takes about a 3500 calorie deficit to lose one pound)
- Track food somewhere that splits things down to protein/fats/carbs%. Maybe start with 50% protein, 30% carbs (from whole grains as much as possible, little sugar), and 20% fat (try to get in good fats like almonds, avocado, olive oil, etc)
- If it isn't working, make adjustments to calories or %s and try another week. Shake it up a little every couple of weeks anyway.
- One cheat day a week will help keep you on track and reset your body so it doesn't go into starvation mode and lower your metabolism
- Exercise! Do whatever you can do, and particularly what you like to do.
- Eat more, smaller meals… every 2 to 3 hours to keep blood sugar more stable. Include protein with each meal.

If all of the tracking is too much, an even easier start is to cut out all fried food, sugar, and highly processed carbs like white bread.

Good choices are:
- lean meats like chicken and tuna (light tuna, not albacore… the albacore has 6 times the mercury)
- lots of vegetables
- whole grain carbs like oatmeal, whole grain bread, long or brown rice.. But in moderation
- Good fats like almonds, avacado, olive oil
- Egg whites are almost pure protein, the fat is in the yolks. Some of the fat is good but not too much. I used to make eggs with one yolk and 3 whites, which seemed to work well.
- Low fat dairy is great: 2% cheese sticks, milk, cottage cheese. I eat cottage cheese with Splenda and vanilla at night. Cottage cheese is mainly casein protein, which digests very slowly so it can fuel your muscles while you sleep
- The Men's Health 'Abs Diet Power 12' has a good list of healthy foods to include http://health.msn.com/nutrition/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100215758&imageindex=1

More good reading here:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/articles
http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2009/02/the_2_pounds_per_week_rule_and.php
http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=finally_the_diet_to_end_all_diets

And if you want to see some of my sample food tracking, you can see my food log here. I haven't done it in a while though. Use the left arrow by the date to go backwards.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Crazy Day

What a day! I started out with a bike ride, giving the new William Cycling 30X wheels a more proper test than last time was the idea. I had 2.5 hours before Donna had to leave for a swim clinic, so I was on it! I stuck my head outside and it was very still. No Wind! Wha? Oh yeah!


Off to a good start (even though there really was wind of course) I looked down and kept seeing 18 and 19 mph on the GPS! Yes!

Then after about 15 mins and a few back-offs to keep the heart rate down... BAM! The back tire blew. Not just went flat but blew off the rim! I don't think I have ever had that happen! I had brand new Continental Grand Prix 4000S tires on the brand new wheels... and this time I went without the Mr Tuffy tire liners, maybe that was not such a good idea. I also went with some Continental Race Lite tubes... maybe not a good idea either?

Anyway, I pull over and notice my rim got a bit dinged around the edges from the tire coming off. Crap! And the tire was so hard to get on initially it took me a long time fiddling with it even.

I changed out the tube, struggled a little to get the new tire on, put on the CO2 cartridge to re-inflate and... BAM! Crap. Must have been pinched! I didn't have a second tube because my next to last time out I had a flat too, so I called the wife to come get me.

On the way home, someone rolls down his window next to us an yells that the wheel is about to fall off my bike. It was just hanging on the chain! Thank God for good samaritans!

Anyhow, home safe from all that drama I decided to go for a run instead. I only went 2 miles, and walked most of the second one because my leg tendon was acting up a bit. Hopefully I can re-strengthen that without injuring it again!

Darren

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Commitment

Commitment: "
'Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.'

- William Hutchinson Murray (quoting Goethe)
"