Road to Financial Abundance – Week 54

Last week I said I would do the following:

1. Find and reach out to at least ONE website centered on film/movies, and offer my awesome writing services
2. Diversify my writing portfolio every day

Similar to last week, I have found it difficult to find time to do the above two tasks everyday, due to my sporadic schedule.  But actually, a larger factor is my poor quality of sleep these past two weeks.  I’ve been waking up exhausted, barely able to function after I do my morning workout, which makes it extremely difficult to add the above two tasks to my daily routine., let alone function properly.  I think I need to recognize this sleep issue first and find a way to solve it.

I’m sort of at a loss of ideas as to what to do while I wait to hear back on a potential job offer.  It would be a very opportunistic company, and I really hope I get it.

Next week:

1. Tap for better sleep
2. Find and reach out to at least ONE website centered on film/movies, and offer my awesome writing services
3. Diversify my writing portfolio every day

Body Sculpting – Week 47

Last week I said I would do the following:

Stick with following workout routine and monitor results:

M: 12 min tabata + chest/back strength training, myotatic crunches & cat vomit, pullups

T: 20 min tabata

W: 12 min tabata + biceps/triceps strength training, pullups

R: 20 min tabata

F: 12 min tabata + legs strength training, myotatic crunches & cat comit, pullups

Sat: 20 min tabata

Sun: REST

Well I’ve been doing a good job at sticking with the above routine.  It’s only been 2 weeks, so I haven’t seen massive progress yet, which is frustrating.  I’m still doing great about eating a balanced meal very 3-4 hours, so I feel good about that.

Not sure what else to add, as I just need to monitor my progress or lack thereof.

Next week:

Stick with following workout routine and monitor results:

M: 12 min tabata + chest/back strength training, myotatic crunches & cat vomit, pullups

T: 20 min tabata

W: 12 min tabata + biceps/triceps strength training, pullups

R: 20 min tabata

F: 12 min tabata + legs strength training, myotatic crunches & cat comit, pullups

Sat: 20 min tabata

Sun: REST

 

Body Sculpting – Week 46

Last week I said I would do the following:

1. Do full body workout before & after meals
2. Continually be on the lookout for a 20-lbs kettlebell
3. Eat 4-5 meals per day
4. Do myotatic crunch & cat vomit exercise 2X/week
5. Add kettlebell routine before breakfast, 3X/week
6. Do one of two love handles workouts from Kozak Sports Perform 2-3 days after core workout
7. Do pullups every other day

I have given up on doing a full body workout before & after meals, because doing pullups MWF is draining enough.  Plus, I believe results will come from doing more strength training in general, as opposed to doing it just before meals.  But, perhaps I just need to master strength training my muscle groups first, and then I can experiment with doing a full body workout before meals.

Been very good about eating every 3-4 hours.  What’s more, I’ve been doing great about ensuring I eat a dark green veggie (mostly spinach), protein, and a complex carb at each meal.  I’m really starting to believe that diet is a huge factor in getting results.  If it weren’t for the state, I would not be able to afford such nutritious food on a regular basis, so thank you, Washington state!

Been doing myotatic crunches & cat vomit exercises 2X/week.  After reading more and more fitness articles claiming that you can actually work the abs more frequently than other muscle groups, I’m brainstorming of an ab workout routine.  I’m thinking of doing what this really great fitness instructor, Davey Wavey, does – work on the upper abs one day, lower abs one day, and the entire core another day.

I discontinued doing a kettlebell routine because I think it was giving me lower back pain.  I think this is due to me using a dumbbell to do the prescribed kettlebell swing; perhaps the grip is too high on a dumbbell.  I have been doing more deadlifts as a sort of replacement, since those are great compound exercises.

I have been brainstorming about the best strength training routine, and I think I’m going to copy Davey Wavey’s personal routine, where he does chest/forearms one day, biceps one day, shoulders/back one day, then legs/triceps one day, with ab exercises peppered here and there.

Next week:

Stick with following workout routine and monitor results:

M: 12 min tabata + chest/back strength training, myotatic crunches & cat vomit, pullups

T: 20 min tabata

W: 12 min tabata + biceps/triceps strength training, pullups

R: 20 min tabata

F: 12 min tabata + legs strength training, myotatic crunches & cat comit, pullups

Sat: 20 min tabata

Sun: REST

 

Body Sculpting – Week 45

Last week I said I would do the following:

1. Do full body workout before & after meals
2. Continually be on the lookout for a 20-lbs kettlebell
3. Replace white carbs with beans
4. Do myotatic crunch & cat vomit exercise 2X/week
5. Add kettlebell routine before breakfast, 3X/week
6. Do one of two love handles workouts from Kozak Sports Perform 2-3 days after core workout

To be honest, these past two weeks have been one of the lower points in my life.  Instead of progressing towards a 6-pack, I seemed to have backtracked; I noticed my love handles and tummy were a bit bigger.  Probably the most annoying thing about progressing in fitness is that it takes so long (4-6 weeks) to see results.  So, you could be constantly changing your workout routine for over a year before you actually see desired results.  I guess that’s what I’ve been doing since I started successfully losing weight in 2009.  But, at least I was seeing progress.  Perhaps this is just a low point on my steadily upward-spiraling graph of success.

Regardless, everything seems to feel more heavy when you don’t have an income.  I equate lack of income with failing at life.

Seems that eating as many beans as you want doesn’t really help with fat loss/muscle gain.  I suspect it might be because I’ve gone back to eating three meals per day.  So yesterday I started eating four meals per day.

I’m at a loss for what to do now.  I’ve researched how to get a body like Zac Efron – slim & toned – and basically learned that high weight, low rep strength training plays a critical role.  That, and a high-protein diet.

Today I took a break from working out, because I’ve read that one should take at least one day of rest.  I don’t know.  I don’t know anymore.  I don’t know what to do.  I’m discouraged by all the fake, misleading spam shit on the internet promising to give you 6-pack abs.  I feel so immobilized as a result.

I realize this is a depressing post, and I debated whether or not to post it or talk about something else.  I think it’s important to showcase all aspects of a journey, including struggle and hardship.  For the first time since I started this blog, I’m at a loss for actions to take.  I figure dividing my lunch meal into two smaller meals will greatly help me increase my metabolism.  I’m also going to do pullups every other day, as I noticed that really helped strengthen my back and broaden my shoulders.

Next week:

1. Do full body workout before & after meals
2. Continually be on the lookout for a 20-lbs kettlebell
3. Eat 4-5 meals per day
4. Do myotatic crunch & cat vomit exercise 2X/week
5. Add kettlebell routine before breakfast, 3X/week
6. Do one of two love handles workouts from Kozak Sports Perform 2-3 days after core workout
7. Do pullups every other day

Body Sculpting – Week 44

Last week I said I would do the following:

1. Do full body workout before & after meals
2. Continually be on the lookout for a 20-lbs kettlebell
3. Replace white carbs with beans
4. Do myotatic crunch & cat vomit exercise 2X/week
5. Add kettlebell routine before breakfast, 3X/week:

1 set: 20 2-legged glute activation raises from floor

1 set: 15 flying dogs, one set each side

1 set: 50 kettlebell swings (start with weight of no less than 20 lbs)

Sorry for late reply, everyone.  I took a break last weekend after a week of hectic job hunting.

I qualified for food stamps, so I will now be able to get a steady supply of beans, spinach, and other nutritious food.

Been a bit disappointed with lack of progress here.  My love handles are still pretty obvious to me, and my newly modified workout routine doesn’t seem to be working (at least, not as fast as I want it to be working).  As a result, I think I will start doing more exercises targeting the lower abs and obliques.

I’ve been doing a lot better at remembering to do a full body workout before and after meals.  Now to see if it really makes a difference.

Not much else to report, other than I had a HUGE binge day yesterday.  Ugh.  I swear I’ll never eat that amount of food again (don’t quote me).

Next week:

1. Do full body workout before & after meals
2. Continually be on the lookout for a 20-lbs kettlebell
3. Replace white carbs with beans
4. Do myotatic crunch & cat vomit exercise 2X/week
5. Add kettlebell routine before breakfast, 3X/week
6. Do one of two love handles workouts from Kozak Sports Perform 2-3 days after core workout

Body Sculpting – Week 40

Last week I said I would do the following:

1. Read more of “The 4-Hour Body”
2. Do one of two love handles workouts from Kozak Sports Perform 2-3 days after core workout
3. Continue experimenting with 5 small meals per day
4. Keep doing one full body workout everyday; make it a habit

Been reading more of “The 4-Hour Body” and it’s been great but overwhelming at the same time.  The author, Ferriss, has some conflicting advice about weight loss/muscle building with that of the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle”.  Namely, that you only need to eat 4 meals per day, and that Ferriss promotes this diet where most carbs are replaced with legumes.  So, I’m a little torn about which advice to follow.  One piece of advice that I know I WILL try, is where Ferriss recommends doing some sort of strength training exercise immediately BEFORE eating, and then 1 hour AFTER eating.

Also, in Ferriss’s diet, he advises having one binge day a week, in order to offset/charge your metabolism.  This sounds pretty logical and fun, so I’m experimenting with that.

I made a new commitment:

By July, I will have a six-pack

Hold me to it, everyone!

I have not been doing any of the love handles workouts from Kozak Sports Perform 2-3 days after core workout.  I keep forgetting.  So I will do it this week.

I have been getting better at doing one full body workout.  In fact, I’m going to do it before and after eating, like Ferriss advises.  I worry that if I’m not fatiguing my muscles, I’m not building them.  So I’ll just make sure to fatigue them before and after eating.

Next week:

1. Read more of “The 4-Hour Body”
2. Do one of two love handles workouts from Kozak Sports Perform 2-3 days after core workout
3. Do full body workout before & after meals

Body Sculpting – Week 39

Last week I said I would do the following:

1. Read “The 4-Hour Body”
2. Read more of “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle”
3. Do one of two love handles workouts from Kozak Sports Perform every other day
4. Continue experimenting with 5 small meals per day
5. Continue experimenting with doing different full body workouts

I know this post is a bit early, but I’ve actually been trying to get back to posting on Sundays or Mondays, so it’s more consistent with a standard week.

Started reading “The 4-Hour Body” and it’s very well-written and entertaining.  The author, Tim Ferriss, writes in a very rapid-fire, concise manner and is definitely very engaging.  So far, one of the biggest hooks he has introduced is that of the Minimum Effective Dose (MED).  For example, “To boil water, the MED is 212 degrees F.  Higher temperatures will not make it ‘more boiled’.  Higher temperatures just consume more resources that could be used for something else more productive.”

Along these lines, Ferriss claims that his book is chock-full of such MEDs for different areas of health & exercise.  Exciting, but the too-good-to-be-true voice whispers in the back of my mind.  I’m excited to learn more about it, regardless.

Keep forgetting to read more of “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle”.  I think I’ll be devoting more time to reading “The 4-Hour Body” since I have to return it to the library soon.

Well, I did one of the love handles workouts from Kozak Sports Perform the other day, and my obliques were still burning two days afterwards.  So I might not be able to do these love handles workouts every other day; perhaps I’ll just do them 2-3 days after my normal ab workout, so I don’t overwork my core.  But it felt good to feel that burn on my obliques!  6-pack, here I come!

Been running out of steam about eating five meals a day, but turns out “The 4-Hour Body” also promotes this lifestyle, so I’m thinking I should revisit this possibility and see what I can do to make it work, if only for a week.  I think this will definitely be an easier transition once I have more money and can afford to buy an adequate amount of complex carbs & proteins.

Been experimenting with doing different full body workouts everyday, and so far, my body is fairly exhausted after doing my normal morning cardio + strength training, and just one full body workout later in the day.  So I think I’ll just stick to that routine.

Next week:

1. Read more of “The 4-Hour Body”
2. Do one of two love handles workouts from Kozak Sports Perform 2-3 days after core workout
3. Continue experimenting with 5 small meals per day
4. Keep doing one full body workout everyday; make it a habit