I did about what I expected. Here is a tally on how I tested at the beginning and then again Yesterday:

Body Weight Start 191      Now 174      Goal 170

Waist Line Start 38.25       Now 34.50    Goal N/A

Chest Line Start 41.0         Now 42.50    Goal N/A

Pushups Start 17              Now 39        Goal 50 

Chin-ups Start 8               Now 13        Goal 16

5k Start 29:12                   Now 22:18   Goal Under 22:00

Despite the fact I did not make it to a single one of my goals I ended up in much better shape so I have no complaints. Well I have one, that stupid Spinal meningitis at the start is the reason that I did not make it. Not that I am making excuses, just the fact that lying in the fetal position in agonizing pain for a week tends to slow down the ol’ training progression just a tad.

Let me know if you set any resolutions and if so how you did. I am brainstorming my next goal. If you have any ideas I would love to hear those as well.

Oh and based on the fact I did not make a single goal I felt I only deserved the second place ribbon this year. 

ShareThis

Incredible as it seems, water is quite possibly the single most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off. Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can reduce fat deposits. Here’s why; the kidneys cannot function properly without enough water. When they don’t work to capacity, some of their load is dumped onto the liver. One of the liver’s primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body. If the liver has to perform a portion of the Kidney’s work, it is unable to operate at the level necessary to metabolize the fat, thus preventing fat loss in the body.

 The overweight person needs more water than a thinner person. Larger People have a higher metabolic load and since water is the key to fat metabolism, it only makes since that the heavier you are the more water your body will need.

Water also help to maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles their natural ability to contract and by preventing dehydration. It also helps to make the muscle definition by keeping your cells buoyed by water so the skin stays tight, clear, and resilient as opposed to loose and saggy.

Water is the bodies main transport system of waste products. During vigorous exercise the body has a higher level of wastes and toxins in the body. Proper water in the body helps it to be flushed out of the system.

How much water should you drink? The easy answer is as long as your urine is clear your body is hydrated. Try to have about 3 quarts a day as an athlete. One in the morning, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. One of the quarts should be during your exercise routine. If you are not drinking enough the body will see the lack of water as a threat to its survival so it will hold on to excess water and make you feel lethargic and weak.

ShareThis

So try to do something like this. First set your initial short term goal of hydration. You make it through your 5 days and then to reward yourself you go out and purchase a nice accurate scale to weigh in on. Lets Say Monday mornings right when you get up will be the big weigh in day each week. To make this as consistent and accurate as possible we will set up a Sunday Schedule. Each Sunday try to eat the same breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Try to eat them at about the same time as well. Also ensure you are drinking the same amount of water each Sunday as well. Finally attempt to go to bed so you get the same amount of sleep. All these things should help keep things as organized as possible. 

Now as far as short term, do the same thing I showed you in the running example, come up with all of the components of losing weight and list them out. 

1. Water/Hydration, 2. Cardiovascular Exercise, 3. Strength Exercise, 4. Nutrition, 5. Vitamins/Supplements, 6. Sleep, 7. Proper Workout attire

Ok so it is late and i only came up with seven. Still it makes for an easy task of setting up smaller goals that will help to reach the long term ones. My long term goal is to lose 50 pounds. I will accomplish my first goal of consistently drinking 75 ounces of water for 5 days. My reward is a nice scale to use for my first official weight check. From there you can set a significant number of smaller goals based on all the different components. 

I will give more example of these in the next few posts.

ShareThis

For my 5k goal I am going to attempt to establish a time.   It may be ugly but go out and run. Make sure you do a proper warm-up which I will give to you in a few posts. Since I followed my own advice I have already worked on a few short term goals so I have been fully hydrated now for about five days so I am off to get my brand new pair of running shoes. 

So I finish my warm-up and I am off. I have not run in awhile so I have no idea about pace so just go for it. Even if you have to walk try as hard as you can to finish your run. Record you time when you are done. 

Now you have your initial time with which to work with. From here we can do several forms of testing and recording to help us along the way. 

Ok next post I will give you a similar example with a weight loss goal.

ShareThis