All of my blogs from my bodyspace.com page.

For anyone reading these blogs, let me say that I wrote them last year when I had gotten back into working, etc. I had a shoulder injury in April that pretty much made me stop working out. I also had just gotten lazy. Now we are in a new year and I'm ready for change. I just need some direction, a kick in the ass and some positive people in my life.

Please read through and leave me any comments. . .

Thanks,
Michael



Not a good day today
March 24, 2009
Today was not such a good day. I had to miss my Spinning class this morning because I had absolutely ZERO energy.

Here is a little background about me. I work mainly from 8:00pm to 4:00am. Occasionally I will work a 6:00pm to 2:00am shift. I stand on my feet for the majority of my shift. Every 80 minutes I get a 20 minute break where I try to eat something. Lately my diet has fallen and I really think that has a lot to do with my energy level.

Since I have Celiac Disease I am very limited as to what I can eat. I posted on the forum about having been diagnosed with CD and I have gotten a couple of good replies. I am hoping that I will be able to gain some better knowledge about CD and how to incorporate a gluten-free diet into bodybuilding.

This is not easy and I could kick myself in the rear for missing Spinning class today, but I would rather not go then to go and hurt myself because I have no energy.

I’m back…tired of making excuses
August 25, 2009
Well, after four months of making excuses, I am back. Back in May I injured my shoulder and stopped working out. My shoulder injury is not a valid excuse for me to completely stop working out though.

After stopping working out, I would go out to eat with co-workers every night. I ate some of the most unhealthy foods and I have gained every pound of weight that I worked my ass off to lose from Feb. to May. I am so pissed-off at myself for doing that!

I am now back and ready. I have a lot of work to do…

First of all I need to correct my diet and get my lazy ass back in the gym.

Workout partner
April 8, 2009
I really need a workout partner. Do any of you have any tips on finding one? There are guys at the gym that workout alone, but I don’t know how to approach them. I want to ask, but I don’t want them to get the wrong impression.

Any advice?

3 days, 2 dates, 196lbs.
April 2, 2009
In the last three days I have been on two dates that did not go so well.

In the last three days I am down to 196 lbs. If I drop below 193, my weight will be lower than it has in over 5 years.

I’m heading out the door to go to an hour of Spinning and then 30 minutes of core work…


More focused, educated and …
March 31, 2009

Well, I finally made it to Whole Foods Market and was I in awe. I met with the conceriege and she got me going on the right foods for a gluten-free diet.

Here is a breakdown of my diet today:

Meal 1 - Brown Rice Puffed Cereal and banana
Meal 2 - Pineapple and Coconut Protein Shake
Meal 3 - Grilled Garlic and Herb Chicken Breast, brown rice, 1/2 baked sweet potato
Snack - Banana
Meal 4 - Tuna, gluten-free crackers and green beans
Meal 5 - Grilled chicken breast sandwich and bowl of grits
Meal 6 - EAS Myoplex Orginal
Today’s workout was just spinning class and 20 minutes of core exercises.

I seem to be all over the place. I’ve got to get it together.
March 27, 2009

After about a 5 year lay off from the gym and years of making excuses, I am back working out… Since I work nights, my routines are slightly different. I usually work from 6pm to 2am or 8pm to 4am. My job requires me to work for 80 minutes, then take a 20 minute break. I do not get a lunch break, because we get so many breaks throughout the night. On my breaks I eat, which is nice because it gives me an opportunity to do so.

Starting Feb. 9:

6 days per week - 30 minutes on stationary bike & 20 minutes on treadmill

Every other day - alternate upper body / lower body

One day off per week for rest

Starting March 3:

Every Tuesday & Thursday morning - 50 minutes of Spinning class** followed by 20 minutes of Core Class

Every other day - alternate upper body / lower body

One day off per week for rest

Starting March 17:

Added 1 mile run before Spinning/Core** class No gym workouts

Diet:

Breakfast-fruit smoothie with two scoops of Optimum protein Snack-apple sauce, fruit or EAS Myoplex Orginal Lunch-Chicken breast with baked potato Snack-EAS Myoplex Orginal Dinner-Chicken breast

Supplements:

EAS Myoplex Orginal
BSN NO-Xplode-Pre workout
BSN Cellmass-post workout
Animal Pack Vitamins
Tried Hydroxycut Hardcore for a week or so, but stopped because I could not concentrate at work and kept making stupid mistakes. Also, was not able to sleep well. Kept waking up feeling like the inside of my body was extremely hot. Could not cool off. A couple of nights I had to lay on ice packs just to cool down. Should I be eating a post workout meal after class since I go to bed not long afterwards? I usually have a protein drink afterwards, but there are times that about 2 hours after I go to sleep that I wake up starving.
** My Spinning class are held at 5:15am and I get off work at either 2am or 4am. Is this a good idea to workout in that intensity before I go to bed? I’m usually in bed about 3 or 4 hours after the class. I usually wake up 4 hours before I go to work and go to the gym, but I am really thinking about stopping that and working out after I get off work so that my workout time is around the same time that I go to my Spinning class.

I want to add in some swimming and also in time increase the distance/time that I run before spinning class. What is the best way for me to incorporate a better workout program in the gym that will supplement the cardio I am getting in Spinning classes, etc? For me, my Spinning classes are Monday nights (actually Tuesday mornings). Hopefully my work schedule doesn’t confuse you guys. If you take a look at my bodyspace page you will see my weight loss/gain. Right now I am sitting at 198-200 pounds with 18% body fat. I know if I get on track better with my diet and workout routine, I will be able to achieve what I want.

My energy levels go up and down throughout the day and I think If I get my rest routine down along with a constant workout schedule things will really start falling in place.

SO.. I guess my questions are:

How can I better improve my diet?
How should I adjust my workouts to better suit my needs and my work schedule?
Should I be supplementing better?
Should I be having a post workout meal so close to going to bed?
I hope that I have been able to explain things. All comments and suggestions will be greatly appreciated. You can see my progress pictures on my bodyspace page as well.


First time for 135 in years
March 25, 2009
I know I may sound like a weakling, but I have to somewhere. Today after work I stopped by the gym and actually bench pressed 135 with no problem. Due to my varoius shoulder injuries over the years and my lack of working out, I wasn’t sure if I could do this. I put on the weight and I did it!

This sure gives me some motivation. This week has been such a blah week for me even though today was Tuesday. I am going to make an appointment with a nuitritionilist this week to help me with my gluten-free diet.

I want to say thanks to everyone that has been sending me such encouraging messages and comments. Keep ‘em coming!