Holding Steady and facing one of my Demons!

I have held from the onset of this blog that this is a process and not a quick fix program or see how much weight I can lose program. But you know when you get on the scale and you haven’t lost a pound… that little feeling inside of you, your ego, says, “What’s going on? What’s wrong with you?”

That’s hard for me to fight. I want to make progress every week and tell you about it but I guess there are going to weeks that you may not see the scale drop. So what?

Are we in a competition here? No, I don’t think so. But it sure would be nice to have those cool before and after pictures some people put up. ;-) But I resist the urge for now.

2002 Chicago Marathon

So I didn’t lose any weight this week.  As a matter of fact I am up a little bit. I weighed in last week at 187 but now find myself back up to 190. But I did get a lot accomplished. I had a workout every day last week except for Friday and I managed to do a little running last week as well. Something I have not done in a long time... Kind of a demon of mine.

I ran the 2002 Chicago Marathon in about 4 hours and 15 minutes and then swore never to run a marathon again. And I think, but for a few times here and there over the last 10 years I really have not ran much to speak of.

I liked running. I still like the idea of running, but the marathon messed me up. I hurt more after that marathon then after any workout I have ever done. And that has stuck with me. As a matter of fact after both of my runs this week I was sore.

The irony is that they felt good doing it but my legs were sore the day after my run last Wednesday and Sunday morning I woke up with a little backache from my run on Saturday.

Now understanding progression as a trainer and if a client of mine were telling me this I would say to him or her, “You just did too much. And your body wasn’t ready to handle it. Instead of a two mile run maybe we should have started off with a ½ Mile or even a ¼ Mile?”

Progression with control is the name of the game. Time to back off, reassess and then take my workouts to another level.

Health and Happiness!

Bill

Meditate on your day! And make it a good one!

30 days into this journey I must tell you that every day I take some time for meditation. I visualize what my day is going to look like and pray that I give it my most passionate effort.

This is another piece of the puzzle that has faded with every other attempt at a happy and healthy lifestyle.

I can’t tell you what or how to meditate and pray on but I can tell you, for me, to meditate on being present in every moment of my day brings me a peaceful feeling and all worries about life disappear, if just for a moment when I take the time to be present.

I was reading Deepak Chopra's Book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success and it hit me when he quoted Franz Kafka, an Austrian philosopher and poet who said, "just learn to become quiet, and still and solitary."For me the quiet moments of my day, even when I am driving all over the place to see clients or pick up my kid, are great times to meditate and allow the things I want to happen... happen.

Had another great week of SMF™ workouts, resistance training and got in a great bike ride on the lake front of Chicago this past weekend.

I am 14lbs lighter, and the inches are peeling off everywhere! Happy, Healthy and Enjoying the process!

Thanks so much for all the positive comments coming in. My intention remains the same to inspire you to stay healthy, happy and fit!

 

Health and Happiness!

Bill

Its good to take the day off for someone you love!

I took the day off yesterday and concentrated on being with my son. Sat and watched his whole 3 and ½ hour Goalie Camp, had a delicious lunch with him, took him to go see the Dark Knight Rises (We love Super Hero Movies… Go Figure!), and then started a Lego project at home we have been talking about doing all summer.

So… consequently… No blog yesterday and no workout. No big deal.

It was good to take a day and really enjoy something else… in this case… My son!

I don’t think people do this enough. It’s one thing when you give loved ones an hour or two here or there, it’s another when you can give a whole day.

I peaked at my weight on Thursday and was down to 187! 14lbs down in almost 4 weeks!

It’s not the weight that this is all about it will be about enduring and maintaining the lifestyle I love. Healthy, fit and happy! Remember as I pointed out in my blog on Monday that this is a process not a program!

See you Monday!

Health and Happiness,

Bill

My Workouts!



Every week for the past 3 Sunday’s I have taken measurements: I was down 2lbs from last week, bringing me to 190lbs (12 Total!), down almost 2 inches in my waist, 1½ inches in my hips and an inch in my thighs!

So what are my workouts like? The emphasis is “my workouts” by the way. They are different every day!

To me working out is a process, not a program. And believe me… I have been on and tried many programs. This time however the majority of my workouts have come in the form of isometrics. As I posted last Friday the 13^th 2012, last week I did a 164 move Still Motion Fitness™ workout that took me to another world. The best part is I woke up the next day, and the day after, and felt great! No soreness!

I have also utilized resistance training with weights, push-ups, pull-ups and an occasional bike ride.

But the Still Motion Fitness™ Workout is based on the idea that you can put your body in different positions and contract muscles without a lot of joint movement except to get into and out of the position and to transition of one position to the next. For example if you wanted to train leg, hip, spinal and abdominal muscles in a series of moves you could go from what I call a jack knife(pictured above) to a hip lift(pictured below) back to an opposite arm and leg jack knife (on both sides) then back to a single leg hip lift (on both sides).

The possibilities are endless and the results… well, fantastic. I am not sore from my Still Motion Fitness Workouts and I can make them last from 10 minutes to 50+!

I have to admit… since this is the way I have been training people for the past 3 years, it comes easy to me as I have been perfecting moves and sequences of moves. But none the less with a mostly plant based diet and the will to listen to my body every day I have been able to do what seems appropriate and not get hurt.

I may get into lifting weights more or changing to different endurance training as the weeks and months go on but I like the isometrics because I can do them any time… any where!

Be sure to visit my other blog Wednesday The Still Motion Fitnes™ Workout Blog for more information about the isometric workout!

And don't forget to comeback Friday as I answer more of your questions!

Health and Happiness!

Bill

Questions and Some Answers

Happy Friday the 13^th!

It was a challenging week but good one! Busy! Busy! Busy!

I was able to get in a couple good Still Motion Fitness™ Workouts… (One with 164 isometric moves that lasted almost an hour… I think I attained "Runners High" doing it!). But I have to admit, between business, single parenting and a social commitment I found myself running around fitting in my “workouts” and struggling to eat right because I was so busy!

None the less… the week is over and I look forward to a great weekend with my family.

This weekend I plan to include my kid with me on my workout activities. Maybe he will enjoyed doing some of the SMF™ moves with me? And shhhhhhhh… Don’t Tell… but I am buying him a bike so he and I can start doing some riding together as he gets older. In the meantime maybe a tandem on the lakefront together will be a fun way to hang out together!

Interesting comments and questions are coming in:

I received a message on twitter from a guy that said, "a support system is essential"… Of course it was with a direct link to his website selling something… But I have to respond that I don’t deny that it is great to have the support of others but again, as I alluded to in my blog on Friday July 6^th, everyone has an opinion and they may or may not agree with what you are doing. Sure it would be nice to surround yourself with people that are supportive and stay away from those who don’t… but you may never get out of the house in that case.

I went to two July 4^th parties last week and both served either chicken or fish. I ate what was served and enjoyed. I still managed to lose almost 10lbs in the first two weeks of this program. The questions I am getting asked are “how much animal protein am I getting in?” Right now with total calories I am averaging about 3 to 5% of my protein calories per week with animal products. That is probably up because of the parties. We are early in the process so I expect that percentage to go down.

This week it was probably about the same, as I could not say no to all the delicious food served at Chicago’s Green City Market Chef’s BBQ. Nor did I want to! A great event featuring all the top chefs of Chicago to benefit a great cause… Chicago’s only Certified Organic, Local and Sustainable Farmers Market!

And finally... Yes I know... People are asking what are these Still Motion Fitness™ Workouts you are doing? Come back Monday for some answers!

Health and Happiness!

Bill

The Plant Based Diet! Well… Kind of!

Spelt Tortillas Pizzas!

Goal Reached and then some! I weighed in at 192lbs exactly Sunday Morning! 9.6lbs down in two weeks and I feel like I have only just begun. My energy level feels pretty good although here in Chicago it reached 100 degrees just about all week.

With the July 4^th Holiday coming in the middle of the week and invites to a few parties what the hell was I going to eat?

Last year I watched a video called Forks over Knives and proceeded to read many of the materials associated with the book. Now I have been what I considered a healthy eater since my bodybuilding days when I was in my late 20’s and early 30’s… Lots of vegetables but always accompanied by a portion of protein… because that is what everyone needs right?

Heck, there have been times in my life where I ate almost all protein in a day. Start off with 6 to 10 eggs, yolks and all, go to tuna, chicken and steak for the rest of my meals those days and took in only small amounts of carbohydrates to get me through the day… Crazy! But effective... so I thought!

Well since I watched the video and read all these books I have dabbled in the plant based life style. I have spent two separate month long stints (September 2011 and January 2012) with being only plant based and at one time got down to 187… but there I was, crept back to 205lbs… 210lbs two months ago after a vacation I took at the end of January. It wasn’t the vacation that put the weight back on it was what I did after the vacation… which was stop the plant based lifestyle.

When I eat mostly plant based I feel great. But I like a good steak, I love pizza and every now and again you can catch me with a delicious plate of Chicken wings or a Reuben sandwich! While I am being honest, two of my favorite dishes are biscuits and gravy with sunny side up eggs over the top and something called a cheese burger wrap. Both are from this awesome pub (DeLux) near where I live here in Chicago.

So how do I eat delicious foods that are good for me? Easy… I just do. One of the things I love about my girlfriend is that she enjoys eating. I mean enjoys! There is no calorie counting, there is just enjoyment! That has taught me a lot about eating right… more so than the science behind eating plant based. Enjoying it is most of the battle. Or as Yogi Berra would have put statistically... "90% of this game is half mental"

I have done hundreds of food intake questionnaires of clients since 1985 and witnessed weight loss using all sorts of different eating plans. The one thing that sticks out the most is that the people that lost the weight and kept it off enjoyed the process. They didn’t feel like they were depriving themselves of anything.

See you Friday! Enjoy the week. Enjoy your food! Just Enjoy!

As always please keep the questions and comments coming in. I will address a few of them on Friday!

In the meantime, look for my Still Motion Fitness Workout Blog on Wednesdays!

Health and Happiness!

Bill

Do you have a good support system?

One of my biggest supporters in life died 17 years ago. My Dad was one of my biggest fans. He really was! I don't think the man missed a ballgame I played in as a kid. Not easy to do, most parents would agree. He was a true supporter in whatever I did. I dedicate my thoughts today to him and know in my heart and soul he is still here cheering me on!

I use to think that I needed a good support system. You know, girlfriend saying, “I support everything you want to do, no questions asked and won’t be disappointed when I need your attention and you go off to the gym.” 

I wanted my kid to look at me and not be upset that I was sitting on my spin bike while he waited for me to play or read to him. But guess what? That may or may not happen. People do get disappointed when you don’t give them what they want. The fact of the matter is, I can’t control what they feel nor should I try to!

I love it when people say… “You make me feel (Insert Adjective)” My response now is… “No, You feel that way… You control how you feel”

I believe at any time you can control how you feel in any given situation. If I disappoint you, you might want to ask yourself why you feel disappointed before blaming me. That’s not to say I didn’t follow through on a task you asked me to do. But that is my responsibility. The reality that you are disappointed is yours, not mine.

Call it fear… call it what ever you like… It is what it is and there is no way you can know or control what the people in your life are going to say about what you are doing.

You need to follow your own inner guidance system and not worry about what everyone else’s opinion is. One of my favorite sayings I heard from Dr. Wayne Dyer is… “Be independent of the good opinions of others” A saying I think he got from Maslow, but none the less, I give him credit because I heard it from him first.

That doesn’t mean you can’t juggle all of the responsibilities you have as well. Sometimes all those responsibilities get easier when you put yourself on the top of the list.

This week was a little lighter with clients and business because of the July 4^th Holiday in the middle of the week but I was excited at the opportunity of time to get to my workouts and tweak my eating plan… although it got tweaked on its' own with a couple of parties I attended.

So what am I eating and what are people going to say when they find out you are on a diet and working out more? I will let you know on Monday July 9^th, 2012.

Health and Happiness!

Bill

What does it take to stay on track?

It’s for you.What does it take to stay on track with a healthy lifestyle? Some say Purpose. I could give you all kinds of reasons… I am 47 years old, I want to be able to play with my kid when I am 57 without feeling like I am not able to keep up with his energy or I am sick and tired of feeling bad!

I could give you a real ego-based excuse and say I want to turn heads again… as if I ever did. I am not sure those drive me this time… Maybe to some extent but not for the most part any more!


As my Dad used to say and perhaps he got this from someone else... but I like to quote him... "Check your Ego at the door kid!"

So this journey to stay in a healthy life style is not necessarily for me this time. It’s for you or what I can give to you. 


Many of the books I have read over the last decade or so... speak to doing things not for myself and self improvement but for the greater good. If my insights give you hope, promise or inspire you to be better… that is what is driving me.

Sure there is no doubt I want to look and feel better… but not for the sake of myself. It has to be for others. I can see no other reason to do it.

What else does it take to stay on track? Find out Friday!

And keep up with my Still Motion Fitness Blog on Wednesdays as we dive into the benefits of Muscle Activation Techniques™and why I use it!


FYI: Down 3 pounds and feeling good!

Health and Happiness!

Bill