the december challenge

[rubthebuddha]

sevenstar and i were talking, and we decided that this is a bit of a cut month for us. he's going to be fighting again in the future, and while i doubt i will soon, that shouldn't stop me from being at a closer-to-fighting weight. here's the skinny: seven is going from 230 to 220, and i'm going from 188 to 180 by the end of the month. thing is, i know we're not the only ones who should have some goals this month, nor are we the ones who could use some suggestions on how we hit 'em.

for seven, he's gonna do more cardio and watch his diet better.

to get there, i'm going to a lot more intense cardio, plus continue my focus on my badly lacking leg strength. plus i'm gonna watch my diet better (sounds familiar).

anyhoo, toss in some suggestions for us, or better yet, toss in your goals and we'll all suggest/motivate away. i know iron should work on not being out of breath when he gets up to get a glass of kool-aid, and i know oso's goal is to eat pie, but what else do we have? :)

[Becca]

Am working on an idea I got from the rossboxing thread... I have been working my leg strength with the 12 lb medicine ball, squat-&-toss, things like that. I have noticed an improvement, especially in my kicking power, but have platued with jumps in general. So I have added burpies. I'm doing them more as a sprint, but with the jump up part being more of a fluid take-off rather than a seperate count. I am also exagerating the jump hight and turning it into a moon jump. I'll say this much, There is absolutly no part of my body that is not burning after 45 seconds of this!!!

[Vash]

1. Get 15 unassisted neutral grip pullups

2. Get at least one, pain-free pistol off of a bench on each leg

3. Avoid hyperextending any more joints (mild muscular injury around both elbows right now. Nothing serious; getting hypnotized today, so that'll take care of that)

4. Stay at a solid 200lbs whilst losing about 3% bodyfat

[IronFist]

Originally posted by Vash
getting hypnotized today, so that'll take care of that)


wtf?

[IronFist]

Originally posted by rubthebuddha
i know iron should work on not being out of breath when he gets up to get a glass of kool-aid,

Pretty much. However, if my KB comes I'll show you guys what cardio is all about. I bet I'd even be able to get up and get two glasses of kool-aid without getting out of breath. :D

[Vash]

Originally posted by IronFist
wtf?

I've found hypnotism has had an amazing effect on recovery from injuries. That chest injury I had? On the 15th month and 6th day, I got hypnotized. On the 15th month and 8th day, I could bend over and twist without pain/tearing more muscle.

[IronFist]

^ For real? Did you just got to a regular hypnotist? How did he hypnotize you? Was he all like "you're getting sleepy" while waving a pendant in front of you or what? Is it true that you have to want to be hypnotized for it to work? How did you find him? Is "hypnotist" in the yellow pages?

[Vash]

Originally posted by IronFist
^ For real? Did you just got to a regular hypnotist?

Yep. Just look for "hypnotherapist" in the yellow pages.


How did he hypnotize you? Was he all like "you're getting sleepy" while waving a pendant in front of you or what?

Basically it's a series of relaxation techniques. Eventually, you get to a "day dreaming" state. She does use a pendant, but more for a focus tool and to test sensitivity to suggestion.


Is it true that you have to want to be hypnotized for it to work?

Yes. Otherwise, you're going to ignore what the hypnotherapist is saying.


How did you find him?

Well, my mother is a hypnotherapist.

[IronFist]

What are the limitations on hypnotism? Is it true you can't make someone who is hypnotized do something they wouldn't normally do?

[Vash]

Limitations:

Apparently, the dead cannot be raised, immortality cannot be bestowed, and amputated limbs reconnected (most hypnotists hate to sew). Aside from that, there's much correlation between hypnotism and the achievement of the desired effect.

As an example, my grandmother has smoked for the past 50 years (she started when she was 10). After one session, she stopped. No physical cravings, though the physical habit and oral fixation remained for some time.

Behavioral Modification:

Even in deep hypnosis, the therapist is only making suggestions to the subconsciuous, without interference from the conscious mind (think of fighting ability in the state of "no-mind" - reaction and instinct in place of word-formation). it is not mind-control; the client will not behave in a manner in which the normally would not, at least as relates to actions with moral consequences. Behavioral and physical actions seem to be subject to subconscious suggestions.

Sorry for the hijack, RTB.

[FngSaiYuk]

That reminds me of a couple of times in my life when I'd use the technique of defining a goal/want very specifically and writing/printing the goal/want in detail on pieces of paper and leave them laying around places in my personal areas where I'd be able to read them often. Places like the bathroom mirror, bedside table, fridge, wallet, computer monitor, etc.

Anyways, every single time, I'd end up somehow getting what I want, achieving my goal. Kinda like self hypnosis w/o the deep relaxation stuff - tho' I do like to stay relaxed.

Thanks Vash, for the memory trigger - I'm gonna start using my technique again...

[Vash]

The way it's been explained to me, it's the same principle, just different method.

[IronFist]

Could you use hypnotism to:

Remember fighting techniques (ie. you've been out of class for a year and are forgetting things)?

Get someone to do the sex with you?

Conquer fear (ie. you're not afraid of spiders anymore)?

Give someone a phobia (ie. you will be scared of elevators forever from now on)?

Improve foreign language skills?

This is interesting as hell. Do you know of any good websites where I can learn more?

[FngSaiYuk]

Originally posted by IronFist
This is interesting as hell. Do you know of any good websites where I can learn more?
You may want to google for NLP, neuro, linguistic, neuro-linguistic programming. NLP is a fairly new study in how the brain works when learning and conditioning responses. You'll find info on hypnotism, how to read body language, how to figure out common responses in people who are raised fairly similiarly, etc.

[Vash]

Originally posted by IronFist
Remember fighting techniques (ie. you've been out of class for a year and are forgetting things)?

I dunno.


Get someone to do the sex with you?

Unfortunately, no.


Conquer fear (ie. you're not afraid of spiders anymore)?

Yes.


Give someone a phobia (ie. you will be scared of elevators forever from now on)?

I dunno.


Improve foreign language skills?

To increase your retention of foreign language lessons, yes.


This is interesting as hell. Do you know of any good websites where I can learn more?

Nah. The most I've read on it is through my mother and the newsletter of the hypnotherapists organization.

[IronFist]

Can your mom hypnotize me over AIM? :D

[Vash]

. . . :confused: :eek: :p

[Oso]

1 - Keep doing Workout #1 at least twice a week.
1a - attempt to do it thrice a week as often as possible.
2 - get back to doing cardio twice a week.
3 - drop another notch on the belt. I'm staying off the scale till the first of the year and just looking for improvements by way of how my clothes fit.

4 - save money to go to Costa Rica for two weeks in late March.

[Toby]

Originally posted by IronFist
Is it true you can't make someone who is hypnotized do something they wouldn't normally do? I think you've gotta want to do it. My sister-in-law tried it for smoking and it worked for a short time but not long. She didn't _really_ want to give up though. Another example - it couldn't make you do cardio exercises ;).

Rubby, what about HIIT 4-5 times a week? If I really had to cut, that's what I'd do. As long as I didn't care so much about LBM, that is (or puking 4-5 times a week ;)).

[rubthebuddha]

tobers -- i mix up the cardio. more runnies, more kb swings, plenty of tabata funness (usually done with wt in mind), etc. what's lbm?
loose bowel movements?
long-bearded munchkins?
late-blooming meningitis?
lusty bladder monkeys?
locally boobed mitochondria?

come on, explain what lbm means and how it applies to HIIT. ;)

[Toby]

While I prefer your explanations, lbm == lean body mass (aka lean muscle mass). IIRC Taku's intervals posted on Scrapper's site advise against more than 2-3 times HIIT a week or you'll lose LBM, whereas you have a greater chance of maintaining LBM if it's 2 or less (so Iron should be alright ;)).

[rubthebuddha]

gotcha. i don't really wanna lose any large-balled manicotti. i know that doing what i mentioned will make the difference i want. i do so little true, consistent cardio right now (i don't consider walking, even long distances, to be cardio) that any significant addition will bring about significant change in just how that leafy brown mullet appears.

however, do mention what kinda hiit workouts you pick. i don't wanna get settled in any one routine for cardio -- i'd rather hate something new than hate the same old thing. :D

[Toby]

Well, you know I row. But I struggle to get my HR to hit 170 these days. In fact, I'll usually only hit mid 160s. Lazy old *******, my heart. Is that from complacency? Don't think so, 'cause I still hit the verge of puking every time. OTOH, I found sprinting to be harder on me despite not using the upper body nearly as much. I used to get a higher HR running. Not that I'm gunna take it up again, but that'd be my pick for hardest. Then again, maybe my HR is just lower in general now and if I went back to running I'd hit the same limit. I used to be able to get in the 180s sprinting, which is significantly more than now. You already run anyway, don't you?

[rubthebuddha]

You already run anyway, don't you? only slightly more frequently than ironfist. :o

i went for my first proper run last thursday since i moved to houston, and it got me in a rnc at 5:14 in the first round. i ran as much as i could, then came home and did mountain climbers in something resembling tabata until i was interrupted. that was after squats and deads, so i was pretty much worthless the rest of the evening.

[FngSaiYuk]

Originally posted by rubthebuddha
that was after squats and deads, so i was pretty much worthless the rest of the evening.

Heheh, don't you just LOVE that feeling? My wife hates it when I get to that point...

[norther practitioner]

1. Get down below 180 in the winter

2. Get 20 lbs more on the bar for squats and benches

3. Get 2 full ROM pullups (which I should be able to do if I can get #1).

4. Do some more cardio so I can come closer to keeping up with StarChaser when he comes up here in January.

[FngSaiYuk]

Only real main goal for me this month is to work on the cardio so I can last more than 2min of full contact in the muay thai class w/o looking soooo winded.

[Oso]

3. Get 2 full ROM pullups (which I should be able to do if I can get #1).

DITTO

[Chief Fox]

My December goal is to just be steady with my workouts. I've been so spiratic the past 8 weeks because of a shoulder injury. My shoulder is starting come around so here's what I plan to do.

Monday:
Swim at lunch (500 to 1000 yards)
Parallette training at night (static holds and pushups)
30 minutes wooden dummy training.

Tuesday:
Run 4 miles at lunch
Kung Fu Class at night.

Wednesday:
Forms practice and Full body workout at lunch.
Parallette training at night.

Thursday:
Run 4 miles at lunch
Kung Fu class at night.

Friday:
Forms practice and Full body workout at lunch.
Parallette training at night
30 minutes wooden dummy training.

Saturday:
Tai Chi
Kung Fu Class

Sunday:
Long run in am (6 to 8 miles)

[IronFist]

Originally posted by Toby
whereas you have a greater chance of maintaining LBM if it's 2 or less (so Iron should be alright ;)).

What if it's 1 per year, and that's only cuz I need to get to the fridge and back before the commercial ends.

[Toby]

You need that matter transporter from "The Fly" episode of the Simpsons. Then, like Homer, you can set up the other end near the dunny, fridge, whatever. Just as long as you don't **** in the fridge.

[norther practitioner]

Originally posted by norther practitioner
1. Get down below 180 in the winter

2. Get 20 lbs more on the bar for squats and benches

3. Get 2 full ROM pullups (which I should be able to do if I can get #1).

4. Do some more cardio so I can come closer to keeping up with StarChaser when he comes up here in January.

OK, I've been doing bench, Curls, Upward rows, squats, hitting the bag, and just started kung fu (for real) again. Somehow I went from 185 to 189 in a week, and I thought I was eating OK, not great, but not real crappy. I guess I'll add in some bag work again. Blech, I did add 10 lbs to the squats though.

[Ming Yue]

ok I jumped in with you guys.

1. drop from 143 to 135 (already down two of those pounds)

2. complete 12 pushup pyramid entirely on fists/toes (currently completing, but on palms/toes)

3. get one full ROM pullup

4. finish learning my latest form



I cut refined sugar and white flour from my diet entirely on the first of the month. Otherwise am making sure to get full protein and 5 servings of fruit/vegs a day. Seems like i'm eating constantly, but it's working.


NP, I usually see a temporary weight gain when I really step up my workouts and change my eating - I bet it comes off pretty quick.

[norther practitioner]

I look at 2 oz of food and gain weight..:confused:


lol

Yeah, my chest and legs are more solid than two weeks ago (barely), but now that I'm doing kf and wushu 2x a week I'm sure it'll slide off a little easier.

[Zbloff]

Hi,
I'm joining in for this one.
My goals are to lose weight while maintaining muscle mass and strength as much as possible.
Another goal is to improve my endurance.

My plan is to do weight training 2 days on , 1 day off.
On weight training days I'll end it up with HIIT on the bag or a bike.

I weigh 80-81 kg right now.. and noticed that there is some jiggly stuff going on in the midsection... and that'll have to go :p

Just bought some good food for this period, and now I'm off for the gym.

[Chief Fox]

Last week was a good week.
Monday: swam 500 yards
Tuesday: ran 4 miles
Wednesday: 20 min of forms, full body weight workout.
Thursday: ran 4 miles
Friday: 20 min of forms, full body weight workout.
Saturday: 1 hour of tai chi training and form practice. 35 minutes of line drills, 3 rounds of sparring, 10 min of form work.

My food intake was bad bad bad. There's so much food available around the holidays.

The plan for this week is:
Monday: swim 750 yards.
Tuesday: run 4 miles, kung fu class at night.
Wednesday: 20 min of forms, full body weight workout.
Thursday: run 4 miles.
Friday: 20 min of forms, full body weight workout.
Saturday: Tai chi and kung fu class.
Sunday: run 5 or 6 miles.

[Ming Yue]

another pound gone and down 1% BF. woohoo!

did the BW workout w/Oso and others sat, hiked yesterday. Will train 3 days plus get in another two strength workouts (weds and sat).

I'm surrounded by holiday food. Today I have heroically passed up peanut butter truffles, chocolate chip cookies and maple fudge and it's only noon. I don't know how much longer I can hold out. :)

[rubthebuddha]

186ish a day or so ago. had a quick series of medical tests yesterday. turns out i have high blood pressure. :( admittedly, i was nervous as it was part of a job interview/assessment, it was noon and i had zero food in my system, a ton of water, little sleep, etc.

i'll weigh myself in the morning if i remember and see what the fresh number is. i know i'll get 180 by the end of the month, but the recent news kinda has me a bit down.

[MoreMisfortune]

skinny people and their delusions of greatness

[Ming Yue]

139.

stepped up workouts and reduced overall calorie intake is leaving me with muscle soreness and fatigue for longer than I should have it... I'm also under mucho holiday stress at work.

I'm pulling about 90g - 110g protein a day, grains, fruit, veggies...almost no simple carbs...

any supplement or diet suggestions to combat the soreness/fatigue? I'm wiped out.

[Toby]

This is why I took up PTP ...

Maybe not for you, though.

[Ming Yue]

RTB,

do you do any qi gong/meditation?

[FngSaiYuk]

Try sleeping more, drinking more water and eating more.

[Becca]

I practice Qi Gong pretty religiuosly, (Toby got me started on that track) and it definantly helps with sleep deprivation and a bit for fathigue, especially the mental kind, but not so much for muscle soreness. Have you tried a good long soak in epsome salt bath with the water as hot as you can stand it? I have found much releif with this. Also with hanging a posset of eucalitis and lavender on the shower head, so the steam can activate it.

[Ming Yue]

oooo hadn't thought of the epsom salt bath... gonna do that tonight.

have been doing some qi gong on the days that I do my big BW workout... maybe I'll add a couple more days...

[Oso]

rub, that sucks bro. real high or just kinda high?

i'm more than a candidate for that myself and recently adopted a **** it attitude at work regarding the admininstration's policies that prevent me from doing the job I know I need to do. I used to get worked up about things and would lay awake at night stressing over them. not any more.

you just moved too, that's a big stresser and trying to find a job to boot...pick your favorite thing in the world and indulge in it for a short while no matter what the supposed bad effects of it are.

:D I'm kinda like the stereotypical woman: I like to shop and spend money when I'm down. :D

[rubthebuddha]

my -- some qigong, but it's been sporadic. this'll get me doing it daily now.

oso -- 145/100 or so. and you're right about the move. going from beautiful, healthy bellingham (65,000) to dirty, nasty houston hasn't been my most favorite move. think about going from a town like beaufort (nc, not sc) on the coast to raleigh/durham.

fsy -- i sleep enough, i drink 64-128 ounces of water each day (2-4 litres for you metric hosers), and i eat plenty. that day was the exception to the first and last of these three. trust me -- with all the water i drank and no fuddha in the buddha, i was peeing every hour. :o

the good news is thati i'm giving up mountain dew. i simply love the stuff, but i drink it for/with breakfast most days, then one later in the day. i'll still have one on the weekends for the goodness of it, but it's back to tea for me for the rest of the week. i did the math, and cutting dew out will yield about a 2500-3000 caloric loss each week, furthering my original goal stated in this thread.

[FngSaiYuk]

Originally posted by rubthebuddha
fsy -- i sleep enough, i drink 64-128 ounces of water each day (2-4 litres for you metric hosers), and i eat plenty. that day was the exception to the first and last of these three. trust me -- with all the water i drank and no fuddha in the buddha, i was peeing every hour. :o


Good for you! Altho' my comment was actually a response to MY. ::grin::

And as far as the blood pressure goes, my method of stress relief is to account for EVERYTHING in my life and my ideal actions for the worst case and most likely case scenarios. Once I have all that figured out, I end up with no stress whatsoever.

Another note on anti-stress methods. I find that repetitive and strenuous labour is great for keeping the mind from stressfull thoughts. Especially outdoors. Chopping and stacking firewood is one of my faves.

[Oso]

rub, they say moving and changing jobs are the two most stressfull things you'll do in your life.

when I moved from Boone to Asheville 3+ years ago I had been in Boone for 11 years and on the same job for the last 5. the stupid little girl I was with then couldn't understand why I was so stressed about moving to another town and leaving a good job (best I've had)...luckily your move was for the girl. :)


well, I don't feel so bad about my BP. it was 125/75 yesterday when I went to get some drugs for this sinus infection. how's your Cholesterol?

and, I'll just say that I feel that moderate alcohol intake is not a bad thing...as long as everything else is aok....tried to get my dad to follow the doctor's advice after his bypasses and have a glass of wine or a drink of whiskey every once in a while but his wife had a conniption about it so he wouldn't.

[rubthebuddha]

dunno what the cholesterol is. i got the job contingent on passing a battery of tests, and the only one i didn't pass was bp. i gotta go get a proper physical from a doc now and have him/her sign me off on the bp. i'll probably learn my cholesterol then.

i think it's pretty good -- i eat mostly well, avoid fried food, eat fast food almost never, and i take flax oil regularly. however, i assumed my bp was acceptable, and look where that got me.

regardless, healthy changes are in the mix. :)

also, to add to the stressness, the reason i moved when i did -- i'm getting married near the end of april, so i have less than 4½ months until tying the knot. ah well. the things we do for love. and queso.

[Toby]

Originally posted by rubthebuddha
i eat mostly well
Originally posted by rubthebuddha
i drink it (Mountain Dew) for/with breakfast most daysThese two statements are supposed to be not mutually exclusive? :D


Originally posted by Oso
they say moving and changing jobs are the two most stressfull things you'll do in your life.Rub beat me to it - I'd say marriage would be up there. Weddings are for friends/relatives - there's a huge sense of relief when they're over. The actual day/night is a blur and you don't get to speak to half the people you want to and all conversations are flippant. I just wanted to get to the honeymoon suite on mine ;).

[rubthebuddha]

These two statements are supposed to be not mutually exclusive? you notice did the qualifier of "mostly," right? :D


I just wanted to get to the honeymoon suite on mine similar thoughts have crossed my mind once or thrice, i must admit. ;)

[Toby]

Unfortunately, you're obliged to hang around for quite some time. In hindsight I saw the attraction in eloping. Big money difference too.

[Oso]

yep, it's a big peeve of mine that the wedding is all about the MOB.

While they can be basically nice, they become obsessed about the wedding, often more so than the bride herself.

I used to work at a resort (in charge of the maintenance staff) that would do at least 4 weddings a weekend between may and sept. We had a 40x80 tent and a 20x40 tent that were both wired for lights & sound which is where i came into the picture. The topper one day was when the MOB showed up the friday before and asked if we could rotate the 40x80 tent 90 degrees.:rolleyes:


since we segued into overall health, I have a new *****:

Since i'm on my second course of antibiotics to try and knock this sinus infection out I'm trying to get at least one thing of yogurt in every day.



Why the fugg is yogurt only marketed at wimmen?????

Why is there no pie flavored yogurt?

Why is there no meat flavored yogurt?

Why is there no sauerkraut flavored yogurt?

I would eat the hell out of some saurkraut yogurt after 5 days of flippin' Strawberry and Bananna!!

And Zod forbid that somebody say "Hey, you know, a chocolate stout flavored yogurt would taste pretty **** good."

[Ming Yue]

Stir fry one big chicken breast, cut up smallish, in olive oil with oregano, lemon and black pepper. put it in a pita or two with chopped napa cabbage, diced tomato, some fresh chopped parsley, and plenty of feta cheese.

mix a cup of plain yogurt with chopped cucumbers and red onion. I know you, so put a dollop of ranch dressing in there for good measure.

dip sammich in sauce or slather sammich with sauce, eat.





hell, it's not meat flavored, but it's something.
:)

[FngSaiYuk]

Originally posted by Oso
Why is there no pie flavored yogurt?
Why is there no meat flavored yogurt?
Why is there no sauerkraut flavored yogurt?
[/rant]

There's pie flavoured yogurt - but d00d ... meat & sauerkraut? That's like boiled pork flavoured ice cream!! BLECH!

[FngSaiYuk]

Originally posted by Ming Yue
Stir fry one big chicken breast, cut up smallish, in olive oil with oregano, lemon and black pepper. put it in a pita or two with chopped napa cabbage, diced tomato, some fresh chopped parsley, and plenty of feta cheese.
mix a cup of plain yogurt with chopped cucumbers and red onion. I know you, so put a dollop of ranch dressing in there for good measure.
dip sammich in sauce or slather sammich with sauce, eat.
hell, it's not meat flavored, but it's something.
:)

mmmm... replace the chicken breast w/roasted lamb... GYROS!!!! Yum!!!

[Oso]

wellll...I was mainly working for comedic affect.

but, as pointed out...middle eastern and indian cuisine makes use of yogurt a lot so why not meat and yogurt...and just for kicks I'm gonna get some kraut and plain yogurt just to see...

[FngSaiYuk]

Originally posted by Oso
...and just for kicks I'm gonna get some kraut and plain yogurt just to see...

::shudders::

[Ming Yue]

Originally posted by Oso
wellll...I was mainly working for comedic affect.

but, as pointed out...middle eastern and indian cuisine makes use of yogurt a lot so why not meat and yogurt...and just for kicks I'm gonna get some kraut and plain yogurt just to see...


please PLEASE wait at least 24 hours after eating that to train with me.

[rubthebuddha]

forgot to post it, but 185 yesterday morning, and i've been five days without a dew as of today.

[Oso]

:D I haven't been 185 since my senior year of HS...in 1985:D

hang in there on the dew fast, dude.


Did the workout this AM.



Still not there on the 12 pushup pyramid. Going up fine. Getting the set of 12 on the way back down but I'm still failing at 7 or 8 for the 11,10,9 and 8 sets but I'll complete 7 and down.

Still doing negatives on the pullup pryamid. I'll go back to regular after I get '1'...which i'm still about 2" short of.

[rubthebuddha]

thanks oso -- a tip:

find your weakest part of a pullup, and see if you can do a static hold at that spot. statics only tend to work 15 degrees plus/minus, but if that's your weakest part, give it the extra attention it needs.

[Oso]

cool. during the week I kinda do that. I'll try 4 or 5 times a night during class to catch '1'. I'll do a 6-8 count at the top failure point.

[Becca]

I know I haven't been posting my progress, but mainly cause I am not trying to loose weight. But I have made some gains...

I have worked myself up to doing the continuouse burpee thing for about 1:15. This has really shown in class via my endurrence. Sifu loves to have us do silent jumping jacks till no one can do them silently anymore, and for the first time ever, I'm one of the last still being quiet.

Also found a new way to work fore-arms. I got to move a 55-gallon fishtank up 3 flights of stairs. Some eeyot (Me) discided to put all the gravel in one 19-gallon bucket. Even with a good dolly that was a very strenuiouse work out. And not so much for my sholders and legs. I actually felt it in my fore-arms the most.

[fa_jing]

Originally posted by rubthebuddha
186ish a day or so ago. had a quick series of medical tests yesterday. turns out i have high blood pressure. :( admittedly, i was nervous as it was part of a job interview/assessment, it was noon and i had zero food in my system, a ton of water, little sleep, etc.

i'll weigh myself in the morning if i remember and see what the fresh number is. i know i'll get 180 by the end of the month, but the recent news kinda has me a bit down.

ROFL. A ton of water, eh? Good luck beating the test ;) (J/K)


Hey, even if you lose a little weight, it has a huge impact on lowering your blood pressure. Also, try to avoid excessive salt in the diet.

[Ming Yue]

137.6
:D




I celebrated by eating two pieces of chocolate fudge for breakfast this morning.

[rubthebuddha]

fajing -- pretty much everything's going hand in hand. dropping weight is needed for every reason, but losing 8 pounds from 180 is about 4 percent lower. that means my heart'll have to work 4 percent less, which is nice. i'm paying much more attention to sodium, and as everyone else says, i'm surprised as to how much of it is in stuff, even protein shakes.

my fiancée's mom did some research and gave me a list of vitamins and minerals that influence blood pressure. the biggest one was potassium, and i checked my intake, and unless it's a heavy melon day (no comment from the peanut gallery), my potassium intake is pretty much crap. i had been thinking it was higher than normal, but on average, i've been getting around 250 mg of the 2-2.5g daily recommendation. so it was shopping last night for lotsa good fruit and such like bananas, raisins, etc.

this is all a wake-up call for me in several ways, and i'm treating it as such.

MY -- nicely done. two points for you. :)

[rubthebuddha]

well, i didn't hit 180, but here's the good news:

1. 181 -- i was one pound shy. considering my hesitance at the time to do any really nasty HIIT, 7 pounds in a month was ok in my book.

2. checked my blood pressure last night -- 130 / 76. mucho better, says me.

3. caffeine addiction is gone. i still like soda and may have one with dinner on the weekend if we're out, but otherwise, i'm golden.

not quite the results i planned, but i'm not complaining. neither are my family and friends. :)

[Toby]

Well done rub. Good to see you did so well. I guess your recent quietness on the forums was because you were training so hard ... ;)

[Oso]

I didn't get my one pullup either, close but no cigar.

i got video of my failure and will probably post it at some point to get critique on technique....but mostly I look like a struggling fat guy....

good news is that I had to pop another hole in the belt to cinch it down tighter...still haven't stepped on a scale yet and not sure I'm going to for a while.



sooooo, yea for us !

:)

[MoreMisfortune]

way to go buddha, you the dude :cool:

hey kids, what is a pull up?

[Toby]

Originally posted by MoreMisfortune
hey kids, what is a pull up? Not what you're thinking about, Xebs ;) :D.

[MoreMisfortune]

what, its just an inocent questow :D

[rubthebuddha]

I guess your recent quietness on the forums was because you were training so hard not quite. my fiancée and i spent some time up at the folks' house in washington state. i only signed on to read and mod. my training hasn't necessarily been harder -- just much more efficient. squats, dls are the mainstay for my legs, with a few sets of high-rep cleans, then tabata sets of mountain climbers or bw squats for fun at the end. upper body is just a fun variation of one-arm pushups i do that focuses more on the chest than anywhere else, then bent-over row and upright row. beyond that is just supplementary stuff that i do for ****s and giggles, like triceps stuff or yoga or whatever else.

regardless, i'm getting better. i'm going to drop another 5-10, then maybe add in a big leg-strength period of some flavor or another. maybe a couple ptp serieseses, if i can get enough plates. then who knows.