In addition to being sick, I’m faced with an injury that prevents me from lifting any weights. I will have surgery to fix the tendon on my right thumb next Thursday. Recovery will take SIX WEEKS! Argh! That means more downtime.

Oh, really quick, let me tell you about my MRI last Thursday. Most MRIs are about 15 or 20 minutes. Mine had to be 35 minutes because of the complexity of the hand. So, get this, I’m lying there perfectly still with my arm above my head when the tech says, “I don’t like the way the scan is going. I’m going to have to start it again.” Seriously? So we start it again and I shift positions, only to find that the way that I put my arms the second time around was more uncomfortable than the first. So, I’m lying there counting seconds, and counting, and counting. Two fingers on my left hand, which is under my right bicep, are falling asleep. Then I hear, “only 11 minutes left!” I’m counting seconds again. Lying in an uncomfortable position and trying to lay perfectly still is like torture. I think that I hear, “okay, one minute left.” One minute? I think that I can handle that. I count down 60 seconds. Then another 60. Then she says, “you’re are doing great. Only four and a half minutes more.” What?!? I though she said one minute. My left hand is completely numb. At this point I’m not sure if I can do another 4.5 minutes. I think that doing 100 miles on a bike was much easier than this MRI. The last few minutes was pure hell, but I pulled it off. I’m going to think twice before I engage in an activity that can land me in the MRI machine again. Okay, let’s get back to my current mental state.

Working out is kind of like my natural alternative to Prozac. STRESS - WORKOUTS = DEPRESSION.

I feel like I am on the way to recovery from this latest cold (or flu), so I am going to re-start and continue my cardio routines in the next week or so. I’ll keep you posted. I need an outlet for my stress so that I can feel good again.

Talk about stress! My cortisol levels must be off the charts. I haven’t been able to get better so I’m on Azythromycin and prednisone (steroids). I haven’t been able to work out at all.

Today I had enough of feeling bad. I am on vacation in Palm Desert and I am feeling slightly better. So, I went to the fitness center and did some HIIT training. I did a 3 minute warm up on the exercise bike, 6 intervals (treadmill, eliptical, weights), and then about 15 minutes of the exercise bike again, varying the intensity. I felt great! I needed that so bad.

After the workout I hit the hot and cold pools. I was completely relaxed, and now I’m ready to go back tomorrow. I can’t wait to get back into the swing of things and start making some more videos.

As an aside, the thumb that I thought was broken just over a month ago may be a ripped tendon. I may have a UCL injury that may or may not require surgery. Woo hoo!

Alright, it’s time to relax. I’m on vacation!

I think that I over-did it on Sunday with the 100 squat challenge. I haven’t worked legs consistently since I tore up my leg muscles a couple of years ago. I think that Sunday was a blow to my immune system. Now I’m completely sick with a sore throat and major body aches

My legs are hurting from the 100 squats that I did yesterday. I had to work them a little so the pain wouldn’t be to bad (a little lite exercise can help you recover a bit).

My workout consisted of:

10 minutes on the eliptical

10 minutes of the crunch machine

10 minutes of the stationary bike

I have a slight sore throat this afternoon. I hope that I am not getting sick.

The holidays are a tough time for everyone. I’m fighting the cold weather, holiday treats, and my appetite. I had an extra plate of food and 3 beers last night. That’s all. I’m not binging too much. But it’s still a struggle to keep my weight in check. Today I am going to do at least 2 workouts to try to get this under control. I have a holiday party tonight, so there will be even more temptation.

Workout #1 (morning)

Today I did high intensity interval training… 3 minute warm up, intervals between the stationary bike and with weights, and a 3 minute cool down.

Workout #2

I decided to search youtube for video challenges and as a way to find a new workout. I found a 100 rep squat challenge! Took me longer than the challenger (8 minutes as opposed to 6 minutes), but I’m happy with the results and the workout was great!

Today I went to the gym on my lunch break. I did interval training… 3 minute warm up, 6 intervals of running on the treadmill from 7.0mph to 8.5mph with rest periods at 5mph.

Workout #2

When I came home I did a quick biceps workout. I stayed pretty light because of my hand injury and I did 9 sets of standing curls and alternate hammer curls.

Since my thumb is still sprained badly after three weeks, I did an easy weight workout. I did chest and delts for some light weights. It didn’t hurt too bad, and I took care not to overdo it.

With a cold I was going to do some light cardio for 20 minutes, but once I started to warm up, I felt really good. After the warm up I did intervals (all on a stationary bike) and then a 3 minute cool down.

I actually felt better and less sick after my workout! Woo hoo!

Here is my video from Sunday’s workout (I finally found the time to finish editing it):

SIX BOWLS LATER, I stopped myself. Then the guilt set in. But, I figured that I had been so good with my cardio lately, that the cereal wouldn’t make a difference. WRONG! I hopped on the scale that night only to see that my progress had been compromised. But, it sure did taste yummy at the time! Oh how good instant gratification feels, if only for a minute or two.

The good news is that I was able to get my video from my mini-dv camcorder to my laptop last night, so I can go full speed ahead with the youtube videos again! Stay tuned for some sick cardio as I punish myself for binge eating.

HIIT

I was also video taping with my good camera to start up my youtube channel again. Unfortunately, I bought the wrong firewire cable (I need a 4pin/4 pin and I bought a 4 pin/6 pin by mistake). I will pick a new one up on Monday.

Weigh In: 218.5 lbs today

I seem to have plateaued at this weight. I am still nursing a hurt hand and a slight cold, so I am not working out as intensely as I could be.

1. I ACHIEVED MY GOAL WEIGHT. I am down 34 lbs from where I started.

2. I changed my weight lifting routine.

3. I turned my cardio routine upside down.

Today I am 219lbs. I can see the start of a six-pack slowly being uncovered… Very slowly.

I was primarily lifting weights like I always had, to gain strength. I have changed things up. I have even invented different variations of exercises to work multiple muscle groups at one time. I’m using “super sets” and “giant sets” for all of my weight workouts.

I have stopped running for 30-45 minutes at a time, and I do only high intensity interval training (HIIT). It WORKS! The weight stays off.

To jump start my weight loss efforts again, I went vegetarian for a while. I lost weight rapidly, but I had a hard time getting enough protein. Now that I am eating meat again, my veggie and fruit intake is a lot higher.

All of the aforementioned changes have helped me reach my goal weight, but it isn’t over yet. It’s time to set some new goals. Now that I weigh what I want to weigh, it is time to weigh what I should weigh. I’ll be redefining my fitness and weight loss goals soon.

My road has been a difficult one. I still play like I’m 18 and I frequently injure myself, which hinders my progress. But I have to be me. I have to feel like I’m living. Right now I have screwed up my right hand from boxing with my brother. The X-rays were negative for a broken thumb, but it is extremely painful after two weeks and I can’t lift weights at all; so I’m focusing on intense cardio.

I’m glad to be back and I will get back to blogging!