I'm addicted

I want to work out morning, noon and night if time would allow me. I'm currently working out in the a.m. but if I can figure out how to get away for lunch during my busy schedule and get a good cardio routine in before going to bed, I think my fitness appetite would be satisfied. At least I hope. As Val mentioned in a previous post, we are running a mile nonstop, plus stadium steps. We are currently working on running a mile and half nonstop. Yes, it may sound like baby steps to some but this is a big accomplishment within itself. Eventually I want to go to the next level and get in 2 miles nonstop and eventually making it a 3 mile run every other day. It seems as if the more I put in the more I want to do. I almost feel like some type of lean mean running machine. Bottom line is I'm excited with how I feel and the results I'm seeing.

Halfway home

We are halfway through our training for the Fit For Life competition. It's clear all three of us here at The Times can see progress, as I'm sure the other contestants can.
Thanks to the wonderful folks at Schumpert, I just spent my first day kicking my own butt. For the remainder of the competition, on the days Supermann doesn't get me, I will spend my time at Schumpert's Wellness Center. It's a great place with everything you need.
Next week is a big week with Supermann. With my abdominal injury healing, the bench press has been the recent focus. I came within a sliver of 200 last week and was incredibly disappointing I didn't get it. Mind you, 200 isn't exactly powerlifting, but considering where I was a month ago, it's a nice round number to signify progress.
Tuesday is going to be the day 200 goes down. Then it's off to the next number. Supermann has some crazy idea of me doing 275 in the near future. Umm, doubt it.
This has definitely been a great experience so far. The commeraderie of Val and Nishia has been a huge help. And of course Supermann is the man!
We're coming down the stretch and making big progress. Hopefully we'll give the TV folks a run for their money. They had a HUGE head start, but hey, that is definitely to their credit.

One Mile!

After about a month of working up to it, me and Nishia can now run a mile. Nonstop. If that's not amazing, I don't know what is. We've even thrown in the stairs (all 73 of them, on the home side) of Lee Hedges Stadium. Ah, progress.

1/2 Mile

Nishia and I ran a 1/2 mile the other day without stopping. Once again, even though some of you could do that holding your breath, it was major progress for us. When we started this challenge, neither one of us could make it across the room without huffing and puffing. And we still have over a month to go...

Fired up the grill

Despite today's weather, I decided to grill some meat and vegetables for Team Times. How much baked fish or chicken can one eat? To avoid becoming burned out on using the oven for meals, I suggested to Val and Roy that we get together for a cookout to add other alternatives to preparing our food. Salmon, chicken and turkey were the meats of choice and asparagus and corn were the vegetables to accompany the smoked meat. I also threw in some dirty rice (brown rice and ground turkey) as an added bonus. These efforts were made to help us with preparing our meals for the week. I have found coking my food in advance has helped me stay on track with the meal plan Supermann prepared for us to following while training. Bon appétit Val and Roy.

Getting fit ain't cheap!

Ok, so things are going pretty well on the fitness line. I'm improving in all the area I'm working on. However, I conned myself into believing this health kick would be cheaper than eating out all the time.
BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
Wrong.
Good lord, eating healthy takes some dough AND a lot of time at the grocery store.
Of course, the expenses multiply greatly if you choose to take supplements, which I am. Dang it, I should just go visit Roger Clemens or Barry Bonds and get the good stuff. A little HGH should help down those TV folks!
So, spending about $150-200 on supplements per month isn't out of the question. I really have to relay on Supermann to help me pick and choose what I REALLY need. But for this two-month competition, I'm going all-out.
Fresh fruit, natural foods and "fat free" things are generally expensive. Throw in fresh fish and it gets pricy.
Of course, I also spent money on an exercise mat and push up bars, two blenders -- one for just the protein shakes and a fancy-shmancy one for veggies and stuff.
That being said. I have to thank Robert "Supermann" Blount for taking the time to train all of us for free! That's incredible.
The other menacing thing is going to the store ALL THE TIME. Dang, you can't just go buy 20 boxes of hot pockets, pasta and frozen pizza. This fresh thing make trips a weekly deal!
This has truly been a lifestyle change -- and not just regarding what goes in my shrinking stomach!
TV hacks, you're goin down!!

Inspiration

It is a few weeks into the challenge now, and the going is tough. I decided I needed some inspiration, something to really keep me moving. So I rented the movie Rocky. I'd seen it before, but that was years ago, and I could hardly even hum the theme in my head anymore. The time had come to see it again. It didn't give me the pick-me-up I thought it might, though I liked it well enough. It probably would've worked better if there were Philadelphia Museum of Art steps to run up around here so I could measure my fitness progress.