How to Workout

First off I can make it to the gym about 3 days a week.
My main goals are:

1. Build my Endurance
2. Basic Cardio
3. Fat Loss

Why Endurance?: I want to build my endurance for snowboarding/wakeboarding. Last summer I would get so tired that I would be unable to complete more than one lap around the lake. My goal for this summer is 2.

Why Cardio?: I sit all day at work so I need to do something to get my heart rate up and at least move some blood around. This will also hopefully help with goal 3.

Why Fat loss?: I started getting a "beer gut" this last year. Basically my job involves sitting in front of a computer all day. My fat loss goal is to look reasonable with my shirt off. No big deal there.

For a three day program I have to do less isolation than I would like so I have split my workouts into two separate days

Leg Day:

• 40 minute cardio(in my case I like the elliptical)
• Quad Machine
• Hamstring Machine
• Calf Machine
• Full Leg Press

Upper body day:

• 25 minute cardio
• Biceps + Triceps (on universal cable machine)
• Shoulders (free weights)
• Chest press
• incline
• various back machines

I am still refining it and I should probally get the real names of the exercises but so far I have already lost an inch or so from my waist and feel great.

High Fiber Diet

As I research things that could be a good idea for my diet. Fiber has been an interesting topic. But of course for all the good stuff you hear, there is always an article to tell you that you are wasting time.

Now this is a difficult part, Fiber seems like it will be difficult to get to a reasonable level. I could supplement it, but I want to avoid making my "diet" cost me anything.

Well it seems that more good than bad comes from High Fiber diet. Nothing says it hurts you, the stuff that has high fiber is supposed to be healthy. So for now it is raisin bran, wheat bread, and peanuts for me.

Wheat Vs. White

Today I started one of the harder changes in my diet(at least for me). I bought wheat instead of white bread. I bought it because I need to eat a more fiberous diet and the wheat bread(not whole wheat just regular wheat) has twice the fiber. Also today googled around a bit and it seems that the refined grain used in white bread causes size gain in the waist area. So for me at least it is a start at being a little more healthy in the long run.

My second fiber aimed purchase was whole grain pasta. Basically from what I read on the box they blend in some grains into the pasta. So it has double the fiber of regular pasta.

What bothers me is that even with doubling all these small areas of fiber I am still going to be under 50% of what is suggested to be healthy. This might be a tough one without supplements.

Low Fat, High Sodium

While grocery shopping last night I came across something that may be of interest. I was looking at the nutrition of various things I was buying when I came across something interesting. Low Fat food has more sodium. So in my case my fat intake is not that bad, however my sodium intake is awful. So as appealing as something with half the fat is I went with the regular(in this case granola bars).

What I concluded from this is that no matter what a product says on the front, its the nutrition on the back that matters. Read the Nutrition facts for everything you eat, you might be surprised how much crap you are putting into your body!

So Far

I have been off of soda and on reduced salt for a few weeks now. The biggest difference so far, is that I am drinking a great deal more water. I am up to about 8-10 glasses a day(at work). Maybe my body is cleaning itself out or maybe it is just the weather.

The Biggest Bonus I can think of right now is that if I were drinking half as much soda it would be $5 a day. So my diet is saving me about $25 a week so far.

Another "Side Effect" is that I seem to wake up drinking the water. I am not having the sugar/caffine spikes I would get with other drinks. I do think water is the way to go, though I did slip and get a small gatorade with my lunch today.

I think the next steps are going to be:

1. More Fiber
2. More Fruit
3. More Veggies

Still, I want to do this without changing too much. If the change is too drastic I will never stick with it.

My Diet

I Decided I don't like any of the fad diets nor do I have a need for one. What I do need is to prevent myself from becoming your stereotypical beer gutted guy(and maybe look a little better in the long run). I also want to be healthier (maybe even getting sick less). I want to do all of this without buying slimfast or power bars. This blog is mostly just to keep track of what I am doing and if it works at all. If it works I should see improvement in a few months.

So Here are my initial goals:
1. Join a gym
2. cut my Sodium Intake down to under 100% of the daily value
3. Stop Drinking Soda

Why Join a gym?:

Now this is probally the most expensive part of my diet but that is part of why I wanted to join. Because I joined a gym(with another person) I will feel guilty if I don't go. I think going and getting some basic excercise will increase my metabolism and just generally keep me healthy.

Why Cut my Sodium intake?:

Pre-Packaged food(soups, raviolis..) are great for bringing to work and saving a few dollars on lunch. When I started "eating better" I just simply looked at the labels. I realized that some of the things I was eating were easily 50% of my sodium in one tiny cup of soup! In the context of my diet I realized 2 things. First my arteries are going to just turn rock solid and stop working. Second Sodium makes you retain water. So if nothing else I can probally lose a pound or two just by cutting back.

Why Cut out Soda?:

This is probally the hardest of my first three goals. Sugar to me is a mild form of crack. I am pretty sure I am going into withdrawl because of not having it so much. Now I suppose I could go to diet soda, but I dont need the caffine, and I don't really like it. So cold turkey it is, from probally 2-4 soda/iced teas a day to none. If nothing else this will save some money cause water is free! Soda is awful for my stomach, rotting my teeth and adding in the range of 500 calories a day to my diet of useless sugar.