My Personal Fitness Project: Ground Zero

by koby on December 27, 2010
in Health, Musings, My Personal Fitness Project, Self, Work

3 Comments

It’s time. I officially started the project today. Below are the facts.

The Diet

My diet will consist mostly of the following staples:

Meats and Proteins

Salmon
Chicken
Beef
Tuna
Turkey
Egg Whites

Carbohydrates

Oatmeal
Broccoli
Onions
Mushrooms
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Beans
Mixed Veggies

Fats

Avocado
Guacamole
Olives

Liquids

Water
Tea
Coffee

Supplements

One A Day Vitamins
Protein Powder

(Theoretical Six-Pack goes Here)

I will improve upon and refine this list of foods over time as I continue to establish a routine.

Why This List?

I’ve lost weight and have been in shape in the past. However, I did so when I was able to spend several hours per day in the gym. These days, that’s not very practical for me. I decided that I wanted something that was fairly easy to follow. This means, minimal time spent in the kitchen and no rigorous calorie counting requirements. My other concern with calories is that this information isn’t always reliable or readily accessible. This makes eating simple: stop when I’m full.

The foods needed to be highly accessible not only in the grocery store, but also in a restaurant. I eat out at least once per day. Typically I will consume one item from each section (with the exception of Supplements) with every meal. Sustainability is an important requirement for whatever plan I follow. I will not get any less busy as life goes on. With this system, I don’t have to think much about my next meal.

Working Out

For the time being, my workouts will last a minimum of 30 minutes per day, six days per week; cardiovascular exercise for three days and strength training for three days. Each exercise will target a specific area. On strength days, I will focus on either Upper Body, Lower Body, or Core exercises. On cardio days, I will switch back and forth between running, biking, and rowing. To provide variety, I will experiment with the kettlebell also.

The Research

Most of the data I am operating on comes from this book and this book, with modifications. Body-for-Life worked for me in the past and Four Hour Body has referenced bits and pieces from the BFL brand. Most of all, it’s backed by what I believe to be verifiable data and it made sense. I know BFL works because I’ve seen the results for myself in the past.

Measurement

I cannot legitimize progress if I do not measure results. Here are the baseline Stats:

Basics

Weight: 256.5 lbs.
Body Fat: 29%
Stand Heart Rt: 50 bpm

Size Measurements (inches)

Biceps: 15.5 Left 16 Right
Chest: 58
Stomach: 44
Waist: 42
Thigh: 29.5 Left 30 Right

Total Inches: 235

Strength

Pullup/Min: 3
Pushups/Min: 35
Situps/Min: 21

Endurance

1 Mile: 12m34s
Avg Heart Rt: 143 bpm

Flexibility

Fingers to Toes Stretch: Zero inches over feet

(Sex Appeal Goes Here)

The Fun Part

One day per week, I can eat whatever I want in however many quantities that I want, provided that I have followed the plan for the previous six days. Hello pizza and pancakes!!

For specific questions about my diet or my exercises, simply make a comment and I will respond.

I will perform the test again on January, 24^th 2011. If I’m not working at all, it will show. If I’ve done well, it will show. Numbers don’t lie, (un)fortunately. Until then, stay tuned via Email or RSS. Thank you for reading.

Tags: better body, exercise, fitness, get into shape, Health, my personal fitness project, Personal Fitness

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Comments

3 Responses to “My Personal Fitness Project: Ground Zero”

Csbjork says:

December 29, 2010 at 6:34 pm

Koby, that sounds like a solid plan and one that I know you will succeed at.

Also, here are a few things that have helped me maintain healthy eating habits within a corporate environment (I’m pretty convinced that most corporate environments are NOT conducive to your overall health…stress, back pain, eye strain, carpal tunnel, lack of excersize/movement, temptation to develop poor eating habits, etc…):

-Drink lots of water. Less calories/sugar than a soda (and yes, still better for you than Coke Zero). It also will diminish your appetite a bit. Oh, and it’s free!

-Keep fresh fruit at your desk. Rather than snacking on chips, candy, or the sweets your coworker brought in, have an orange or a banana. Grapes are great finger food when you have the munchies, and apples have a natural caffeine that will wake you up just as well as a cup of coffee when you hit the afternoon slump.

-Don’t eat the food your coworkers bring in. Donuts. No. Kolaches. No. Bday cake. No. Cookies. No. They’re all unnecessary calories that you weren’t planning on eating anyways. If they hadn’t brought them in, you would have been just fine without them. You’re only eating it because it’s free. :>)

Everyone has a different body and digestive system, so every health plan does not work for every person. I just listed a few things that help me out.

Also, I think so much of the whole health battle is PSYCHOLOGICAL. It’s about planning, self-control, decision-making, will power, etc… Which is where you’ve got it right with this blog, Koby. Some much of the human experience (and indeed, what makes the human experience different than the experience of any other animal) seems to be about the intersection of mind and body. How do the decisions of the mind affect the life of the body?

Reply
- kobyackie says:
  
  December 29, 2010 at 8:11 pm
  
  You got me on the eating foods that my coworkers bring in! I can’t tell you how many cookies, donuts, and kolaches I’ve eaten in the last two weeks! Not to mention the number of birthdays that we’ve had.
  
  The psychology is absolute correct in my opinion. This is part of the reason I’ve decided to make all of this information public. I risk embarrassment if I don’t deliver.
  
  Reply

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