A New Year a Continued Journey

Hi everyone…

Well for those who don’t know. This is an old blog that I had created years ago when I started my journey. I have been gone a bit and things have changed a bit. I will start doing more updates come the New Year. In  meantime feel free to browse what I have posted in the past and it will give you an idea of what my journey has entailed so far. In a couple more days I will do a new post to explain what I am currently involved in.

Thanks for all the support… Stay tuned.. this journey will be worth following…

More Change

Yes everyone, I am still here. I am about to do or say stuff that is going to change this blog and myself and hopefully you will all understand why I have to do what I am about ready to do. If that makes any sense.

I have had this blog here for about 3 years now, with a lot of ups and downs. Currently I am not at a good place. My weight has skyrocketed and I am not at a place were I want to be. When I look back at this blog I see  myself as becoming a total failure in my goals and journey and with what I wanted to accomplish. I know the past is the past and we move on and that’s what I am going to do. I have learned a lot and I greatly appreciate all your support through the years and I am hoping that support will continue.

But in  order for me to move forward I have to let go of the past and say good-bye to this blog. The blog will remain here, but I won’t be posting any new items.

What I plan on doing though is moving forward and starting  out fresh with a new blog, in the following weeks. I really hope you all will continue to follow and support my progress on this renewed journey to better heath. Once I get the blog going I will post the  new  Blog address on this blog here.

Thank you all so much for everything and I am getting really motivated to start fresh.

Till later…

I’m here

Hi there everyone..

Yes, I am back for now and thinking about restarting my Blog back up. I don’t know if there is anyone out there that still wants me back here, but I’ll be doing my best to start again.

I have had some major setbacks with my weight so I am back to square one. I’ll be putting new current weight and pictures and taking the other ones down.

I’ll be back tomorrow with my current weight and some not so good pictures.

What as happened, has happened and it doesn’t help by looking at the past. I am now looking forward to a brighter and healthier tomorrow and a better life ahead.

Take care everyone…

CrossFit Day #2 Lesson

First let me say a big thanks to all my fellow bloggers and friends for your awesome support and encouragement you have been sending my way in regards to me starting at CrossFit. I greatly appreciate it and just want to extend a BIG Thank you to you all!

I hasn’t been easy that’s for sure. These past 2-3 workouts have been real intense and at times I have become nervous and scared about the whole process. Though after talking to Vili those fears and the nervousness seems to be gone. I won’t go into details about it all but this new way of working out is something I have never experienced before and I was just afraid that I wasn’t going to be able to perform the way I desire. I have to realize that this is just the beginning and  that I am still in the learning stage of it all. Plus once I start losing the weight my stamina and energy levels will help me perform better than I am now. What’s important and I keep reminding myself is that quitting isn’t an option and I just have to push myself and Vili will help with that as well so that I perform to the level I am capable of.

The workout I did today was equally as tough on me and it’s the first workout that  got me feeling sick to my stomach. I was able to control it though and make it through it without given up and allowing a little queasiness to stop me.

So we again starting with a warm up that consisted of:

• 250 Meter Row
• Various stretching exercises

From there we went over some previous movements such as :

• Overhead Press
• Dead Lift

Then he taught me a couple other new movements such as:

• Push Press
• Sumo Front Squat
• Ring Row

From there it was time to put it all together in a workout and that work out went down like this. Now instead of writing it all down I will provide a link to the site were you can see the results. So click on the link Workout Day #2

With this workout we were only counting the total reps I did for the entire workout, not each exercise. For the entire 9 minute workout I did as you can see 140 reps, which personally I don’t think is good, but Vili said it was. Then again I am my worst critic.

I know I will be a bit sore tomorrow so I think in a few I’m off to soak in the tub for a bit. First though I think I do some blog hopping which is way overdue and I am sorry.

So have a great evening everyone and thanks for stopping by. You all are so great!



CrossFit Day #1

Sorry that I didn’t post this yesterday after I attended my First CrossFit training lesson. I was not only tired but a bit exhausted as well. It’s not always easy working the graveyard shift from 1 Am 9 Am and then workout out as intense that I did at CrossFit at 11 Am, for about an hour. I did do it though and I made it through Day 1. I do have to be honest it wasn’t easy and even though I knew it would be tough, I didn’t realize how hard it is until one actually does it. I am still a bit scared about the whole process, because after this first training lesson I realized how out of  shape I actually was. With the way CrossFit works though I am sure that won’t  last for long. I have a long road ahead of me with a lot of life lessons to be learned and a lot of obstacles, both mental and physical, that I have to overcome and I honestly believe that this CrossFit training  is the road I must take in order to improve who I am both inside and out.

So with that being said this is how it all went down on Monday.

I first had to start with a warm up that consisted of running for 200 meters. Then I was back in the gym where I stretched and then proceeded to do some walking lunges both forward and backward. All this was to loosen me up and help with my flexibility and stability.

From there, Vili, then proceeded to show me the proper form and technique of  how to do a proper Dead Lift and Push Press. Once we went over that lesson and some practice it was time to put a workout together with the thing I have learned thus far. This was a time workout and it consisted of this:

• 200 Meter Run
• 3 set of 15 Air Squats, 12 Dead Lifts and 9 push-ups
• Once those 3 sets were done it was back outside for another 200 meter run.

The workouts are basically non-stop unless you feel you need a bit of a break, which I did for about a minute, then i had to push forward and not quit till I was done. This workout was finished in  14.8  minutes. I am not sure if that was a good time but it’s at least a starting point for me. All my workout will also be synced from the gyms computer to my Facebook page if you ever care to pay that a visit. I say that because I am not sure if I’ll have the time or energy to post every workout  on this blog.

On a side not my arm is doing better and it didn’t cause me any pain or discomfort at all during my workout. All that was sure a blessing.

Now I am back on Wednesday afternoon for Lesson 2. I am not sure whats in-store for me but I know now matter what I will tackle the challenge head on and with the  passion to do my best.

I do like what one fellow Crossfitter said about a question that was raised to him and it went like this:

1. What advice would you give to a newbie or someone just joining CrossFit Las Vegas?
   There is no such thing as being last, just as long as you finish.

I loved that attitudes, the camaraderie, the encouragement and support that all the people at CrossFit give one another. It’s something that I have never seen and at commercial gym that I was ever a member of. It’s a place I feel real comfortable at just being me and they all accept me no matter what.

So on that note I must close up for now and get some sleep so I am well rested for tomorrow. I will do my best to visit all your blogs as soon as I can. just know that you all are in my thoughts and I hope everyone is doing well.

Nite..Nite….

My “Baseline” Assessment

Recently I had my “Baseline”  assessment with my trainer, Vili. This is the basics of this assessment:

The “Baseline”
Your first session!

The “Baseline” allows you to get a feel for CrossFit and our trainers, members, and facility.  PLEASE feel free to ask questions – our goal is to educate!  The session will also provides us with a general idea of your current fitness capacities, needs, and goals.  The session will take 30 – 40 minutes and involves a mini-workout, so please wear comfortable clothes and bring a water bottle!

In this session we started by just going over some basic things and a bit of a warm-up and stretch before our min-work-out.

We did:

• Jump roping
• Stretching and flexibility using a long  pole that we raised up and kind of maneuvered it behind the back and it other various positions. I’ll try to find a picture to give you an idea about this.

Courtesy of www.crossfitlasvegas.com

• Squats
• Rowing machine
• Push-ups
• Sit-ups
• Pull-Ups

Like I said this was just a warm-up to see how my flexibility is and just to give him and idea of what type of shape I was in. After that we did a timed set (a Mini work-out) just to see how I would do. We did the following in sequence with  very little rest in between. This is because  when I get to the classes this is what they do. They just go from one station to the next, all timed, with little rest in between each set.

So  I did:

• 400 meters of rowing
• 30 squats
• 20 sit-ups
• 10  push-ups
• 5 pull ups

I was basically told to not worry about the time. What was important is proper form and technique on each exercise.  In this work-out we used no weights. That will come when I have my first session with him  on Monday.

My total time was: 6 minutes and 30 seconds

Then starting Monday and for the next 8-12 sessions we will be working together on all the other types of things I will be doing at CrossFit and  here are a few examples:

• Box Jumps, 24″/20″
• Burpees
• Handstand Push Up
• Double Unders
• KB Swings, 24kg/16kg
• Wall-ball, 20#/14
• Sumo deadlift high-pull, 75#/55#
• Push-press, 75#/55#
• Power Cleans, 135#/85#
• Clean and Jerk, 95#/65#
• Running
• Tire Flips
• Sandbag runs

These are just a few of the things I will be attempting in the future. What I like about CrossFit is that every work-out is different and never the same. It will be intense and I know the staff will help keep me motivated.

So that wraps up my experience with my first session at CrossFit Las Vegas.

Then from there I went to Trim Care to get my InBody  520  Body fat test done. This gives me another starting figure and an accurate measure of my  Lean Body Mass, Body Fat Mass,  BMI and  %of Body Fat. This company uses current technology to get an accurate measurement. Though it’s not as accurate as the Body Submersion method. At least this gives me a starting point to base my future progress on, and here are the results:

• Weight @ 332.5 pounds
• Body Fat Mass @ 159.6 pounds
• Lean Body Mass @ 172.8 pounds
• BMI @ 47.7
• % of Body Fat @ 48%

None of this is good news but it’s my reality and it’s numbers that I will work my arse off to decrease.

That wraps it up for this long post. Hope I didn’t bore you all.

I do promise that on Tuesday I’ll be stopping by all your blogs to pay you a visit. On this note time for me to get some rest.

Take care and always remember…

Stay Healthy.. Stay Fit…..

PS>>> My knees and arm are doing fine as well and caused no problems. What a relief that was.

Life is About Change!

Imagine Compliments of www.Crossfitlasvegas.com

Well let me first say a BIG thank you to every one of you for your awesome. supportive and encouraging comments regarding my last posts, regarding CrossFit. It is so nice to have you all around and in my life. I greatly appreciate all of you for who you are and for the great accomplishment that you all have achieved and will continue to achieve in the years ahead.

With that being said another small change has occurred regarding me starting up CrossFit. I originally stated that I planned on starting up on April 12th. Well that date has been change due to all the self analyzing I have been doing. Sometimes that’s a good thing for me and at times it can be my downfall.

So that being said I have moved up my start date to April 5th. I feel that I am ready to get this all started and am so motivated to do this sooner, than later. While my arm might not be fully to where I want it to be, I also know that the people at CrossFit will adjust my routine to take into consideration of how my arm is doing and what I can and can not do. I know I will have my limitation on what I can do but I am sure that they will give me something even more challenging for me to do instead.

I do have to say that while I am looking forward to starting up on this, I am also so scared and nervous. I am not scared of failing, I will succeed and work hard at this.What my concern is my self-image. I am afraid that I will make a fool out of myself in some of the exercises. I know I should not be concern about that, but  I am. It’s something that I will work on and hopefully the people there will be as supportive and encouraging as you all are.  Plus I always get nervous when I first meet people and being in crowds as well. Just more for me to work on and overcome.  This all will surely make me a better person , physically and mentally.

So stay tuned  and I  look forward to updating how this all goes.

Thanks for stopping by…

Stay Healthy and Stay fit….

CrossFit date…

First  I’d like to thank everyone for your awesome support that you have given me in regarding to changing my program a bit and starting up a new one called CrossFit Las Vegas. It’s something I am really looking forward to once I feel my arm is good enough to start this program. The tentative date that I have set in April 12th. Of course that all depends on my arm and whether the instructor as that day and the time freed up. That’s just minor though and I am sure it will all work out. So for now I am just taking it easy, enjoying this beautiful Las Vegas weather and catching up on things that I have fallen behind on. That way when I do start up CrossFit I’ll have no distractions. Thanks again for all the encouragement and support. It truly continues to help motivate me forward and accomplish so much more than doing this alone. You all are a great bunch of people.

Click the link below to see a routine/workout from Crossfit las Vegas:

CROSSFIT LAS VEGAS VIDEO

Both Video and Picture are compliments of CrossFit Las Vegas

A New Adventure in the Works!

Well as time goes by things change and again things I hope will be changing again for me as well.  Many people who I have talked with, mainly co-workers, think I am crazy to take this next step. Mainly because they don’t think  I will succeed or have the ability to do this. Wow, what a great bunch of people I work with. There opinion really doesn’t matter though. I do what I want to do because I want to, not because of anything they have to say.

Ok, so this is whats happening… I’ll try to make this short and sweet.

As many of you know I have been having some problems with my arm. Mainly the doctor says I tore a muscle.  I think I have to disagree with him on that though. Personally I think I strained the muscle. I say that because it doesn’t hurt all the time and I can move it without any problems or pain. I just have some slight discomfort.  Either way I am still taking it easy with it and not doing any heavy lifting for awhile. So I am giving it the rest it needs.

With that news  what I have decided are two things.  I have decided to suspend my training with Chris and concentrate on healing the arm and getting my diet were it needs to be. I still will be doing some cardio in one form or another though. My gym membership contract expires at the end of the month and I don’t plan on renewing it, so that means no working out at the gym. This leads me to my other decision. Once my arm is better and if finances allow I plan on joining a gym and program called Crossfit. If you wonder what CrossFit is you can  check it out at : CrossFit

I do like their philosophy and the intensity of their program of which is like this and this reading is  compliments of there website.

• We are not a typical gym -  There are no treadmills here…we run outside.  We don’t watch TV while we workout…it is a distraction.  Clothing is worn for function and comfort – nobody cares what you’re wearing or how cute you look.

• Do not be intimidated; we train everyone and anyone willing — any fitness level, from any background.  Our members are our family, community, and posse.  These friendships are forged because you can only suffer next to someone for so long without learning who they really are.

• We want you to train here because it will make you better, but while CrossFit is for everyone, our gym might not be.  It takes a special person to be a member here.  What does it take?  Commitment.  Dedication.  A strong mind.  You have to realize that you will work harder in our gym than anywhere else.  You have to know this and accept it.
• The CrossFit Mindset:

1. I will promise to do my best.  My best will vary from day-to-day, hour to hour, minute to minute.  But in that minute, I will do the very best I can.
2. If I can run, I run.  If I can walk, I walk.  If I must crawl, I crawl.  And when I make it, I will rest.  And live to fight another day.
3. I fear no man, but I fear my workout.  If I don’t fear my workout, it isn’t hard enough.
4. I may puke.  I may cry.  But I will not quit.  Ever.
5. I will not cheat.  There is no honor in cheating.  I will call out cheaters if I see them, as they have no place in my gym.

• Everyone says they want to be fit, but very few actually want to do the work.  We don’t offer a ”miracle pill” or some “8 Minute Ab” DVD.  We only offer guaranteed results for those that want to work.

So this is what interest me and it’s something I feel I must and want to do. Yes, it will be hard but hard is what I need at this phase of my life. I am looking forward to this and I will make sure I keep you all up to date on my journey to CrossFit.

Have a great day everyone and.. Stay Healthy…Stay fit…

My recent Doctors Visit! 3/10/2010

I’ll try to make this brief and not bore you too much.  I am not sure if I ever mentioned this but for a few weeks I have been having some issues with my left arm. Just been having some constant pain and discomfort, especially when working out. I finally decided to go to the doctors and this is basically the results of the visit. I wasn’t sure if I was going to share everything, but I have decided that since I have been honest and upfront with many things that goes on in my life; why should I stop now.

So here is what happened:

1. I have a small tear in my arm.  I think he said the bicep muscle or tendon. I’ll be taking medicine for the inflammation and he wants me to wear a little brace/ace baggage on it for a month. Also he said that for a month I can’t lift any weights with that arm. So now that will limit my training a bit and when I see Chris on Monday I’ll have to see what type of adjustments to the program will be. Not happy about that!
2. He also put me on an anti-depressant because he thinks I am depressed. Based on a conversation I had with him regarding what was going on in my life. Again having issues with my Mom’s passing. A tougher time then I really thought.
3. I am also now on medication for high cholesterol and triglycerides. This is a first for me. Never had problems with this in the past so I am disappointed in these results. This is based on my most recent blood-work.
4. I weighed myself too and that result is a 25 lb. weight gain since my Mom passed away, even though I did lose last week. I still have a lot of catching up to do.

So that’s what I am dealing with. I am doing my best to stay positive. mainly because I know that everything I mentioned above is controllable and is only a temporary setback or issue I have to be concerned with. Plus it is all manageable. Time for me to step up to th plate and be proactive and start working on correcting what is wrong.

Time for me to get going. I am in the process of preparing this weeks meals. I do this on my week-end so I am prepared and all planned out with what I am eating for thee week. It also makes it easier for me to stay on track.

Have a great day everyone.

Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate that and all your support and daily encouragement.

Stay Healthy..Stay Fit!!!