Day 23 - Warrior Training Progress: End of Phase 1

 

Today marks the final 'work' day of my Warrior Training Phase 1. I still have a hockey game tonight, and an 'off' day tomorrow, but I figured I would give my readers a quick update on my progress so far as Phase 1 is essentially 'in the bag'.

Weight-wise, I am down a few pounds since completing my Mass Phase, but this was expected since I have included far more cardio in my training. Even though I am down a few pounds, I feel as though I have maintained my lean tissue mass (muscle) quite well while just cutting down on body fat.

I know many individuals exercise and change their diets to 'look good', but those are not my sole reasons for training, especially in my current program. My goals include increasing my overall fitness level, while maintaining my strength that I gained during my mass program.

So far, so good, in my opinion. I have noticed a pretty big shift, already, in my stamina and performance through my Phase 1 workouts.

One other thing. I have also made it a goal of mine to try and be as supplement-free during all of my Warrior Training. Sure, I still take a multivitamin, vitamin D vitamin, as well as a fish oil capsule daily, but I have cut out creatine and whey protein to try and meet my nutritional requirements with a wholesome diet as much as possible. I have been eating a LOT of fruits and vegetables throughout Phase 1 and have felt great, so I plan on continuing in the same fashion throughout.

I do plan on adding some creatine back into my diet in Phase 2, since that is my strength phase and my goals are to gain as much strength as possible during those 4 weeks.

Now that I head into my recovery/transition week, my goals are to do as much stretching and foam rolling as possible, while also allowing my body to recover from the stresses placed on it during Phase 1. My hockey schedule actually works out nicely, as next Monday (still in recovery week) is Victoria Day (holiday here in Canada) so I don't have hockey that day. Good chance to let the body recover a bit more.

Stay tuned for more updates after my upcoming phases.

Quote of the day:

"Above all challenge yourself. You may well surprise yourself at what strengths you have, what you can accomplish."
-Cecile Springer

Day 22 - Stretch to Succeed

Flexibility is part of your fitness too. There are central pillars to a happy and healthy body and flexibility is certainly one of them. Many people focus majority of their time doing cardio and even resistance training, but neglect their flexibility.

As we age, our muscles become more and more prone to injury because they lose their elasticity. Remember being a kid and bending over backwards at times and not feeling a thing? I am not recommending doing that any more, but I certainly advocate adding routine stretching into your fitness regimen.

I used to have pretty chronic lower back problems, which I eventually realized, probably stemmed from very tight hamstrings. I now stretch my hamstrings every chance I get (as well as stretching the rest of my body) and I have almost completely eliminated lower back pain!

By stretching, you help to increase circulation to your muscles, by allowing your muscle fibers to open up. This helps during recovery as well as increasing range of motion. By increasing your range of motion, you not only improve your athleticism, but you decrease your risk of injury as well.

Stretching to improve your range of motion also helps make your connective tissues (tendons, ligaments, etc.) soft and supple so that they can withstand the rigors of everyday life, not to mention intense exercise.

Quote of the day:
"Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure."
-Earl Wilson

Day 21 - Dare to be Great!

Motivation for you on this sunny Saturday. I have a busy day ahead of me, so it is a quick post today. But seize the day and get out there and get active! Enjoy the video (a bit graphic)

Quote of the day:

"Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize them."
-Ann Landers

Day 20 - "You're Gonna Have a Bad Time!"

I came across an interesting story today. The news story is actually from April 26th, and I follow health-related news as close as I can, but I somehow managed to miss this one.

Anyways, turns out, the creators of Nutella (you know, the spreadable candy sandwich topper?) is being sued by a group of parents from California.

A California class-action lawsuit that slammed the makers of Nutella for ads suggesting the spread was a healthy food was settled this week in favour of consumers. About $2.5-million (U.S.) will now be divided among folks who file a claim and join the suit, according The Consumerist.

Let's discuss both sides of this argument. First of all, I think that it is unfair for companies to use marketing to try and 'trick' or convince consumers into thinking that their product is something that it isn't. In this case, Nutella claims that their chocolatey spread is "healthy".

Blogger Annie Urban even undertook a nutritional comparison of Nutella and cheap chocolate frosting, finding that the frosting had fewer calories, less fat and more iron, of all things.

Having said that, let's face the facts here people, if you just wander through life listening to everything someone else tells you, you are going to get yourself into trouble (refer to photo above).

Every person has a responsibility to investigate and research the foods that they put in their mouths. If you have children, well guess what, the foods they eat are your responsibility too!

That is the most amazing thing (in my opinion) about structuring a diet around (whole) fruits and vegetables. Can you guess how many ingredients are in an apple?

Politicians can be corrupt, and companies are out to make a profit, so don't think for a second that everyone that wishes for you to purchase their product is looking out for your better interest. Instead, take an interest in your better interest!

Quote of the day:

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit."
~Aristotle

Day 19 - Enjoy the Journey (Because You Can!)

I know it may seem impossible at times, especially when you are in pain during exercise, but try and remind yourself at how much you are improving yourself. Exercising should never seem like a chore or something you hate, instead, you should be thankful for the opportunity you have on many levels.

If you are in a position where you absolutely dread your current exercise situation, do something to change that. A lot of people get stuck in these ruts where they either hate the gym they go to, or they dislike their exercise program. Rather than making excuses to just stop staying active, find something that you do enjoy doing.

Everyone should have a mindset that exercise and healthy living should be a part of their full-time lifestyle, similar to their jobs and other aspects of their lives. If there is something about your exercise regimen that you don't like, change it!

There are days that I have little to no motivation to workout as well. There are a few motivational tools that I use on a daily basis to help me not only start, but to get through my workout. Let me share these tools below:

1. If I am lacking motivation to begin my workout, I remind myself how great I feel when I am done. I blogged about this the other day. Also known as a "Runner's High", our bodies are flooded with 'feel-good' hormones when we exercise. This can give a euphoric feel, so I continually remind myself how that feels.

2. Before beginning a workout, I also remind myself that regardless how intense my workout is for that day, something is always better than nothing! Every single time I complete a workout, I am fitter, healthier, and happier than I was prior to my workout.

3. At least once during every single workout, I try and take a quick mental break to remind myself why exactly I am exercising. It is usually one of those times when I am gasping for air, sweat is pouring off of me, and I truly feel like I can't work any harder. At that point, I remind myself to enjoy the journey. If I am not in my home gym, exercising, and becoming healthier, what is the alternative? Sitting on my rump, watching mindless television? Some other pointless activity that is not benefiting my mind/body in any way? Exercise does not need to be a long, drawn-out experience. I know that if I dedicate that 45-60 minutes daily to improving myself, I enjoy that time to myself to improve.

4. Because I can. Now this may seem like a sappy motivational tool, but I honestly think about this all the time. Think of individuals who lack the ability to walk, or run, or exercise for that matter. You may even know someone like this. Maybe they have been injured in an accident. Maybe they have lost parts of their bodies to disease or war. If you have all of your limbs and body parts in tact, then use them! Stop allowing yourself to waste away, and for god's sake, don't waste this opportunity to use your body, because you never know how long you've got.

On the flip side of this argument, do NOT use your setbacks as an excuse. Take Arthur for example, who I blogged about the other day. Everyone has their excuses as to why they don't exercise. Maybe you have bad knees, or are overweight, etc. That is fine, but find a way to get active. If you have bad knees/ankles and can't run, do something that is lower impact like riding a bike or using an elliptical machine. Have limited mobility? Trying something that will improve your situation like yoga, or tai chi, etc.

For a few years now, I have been doing strong, exercising 5-6 days a week, every week. You can too!

Quote of the day:

"If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere."
~F.Clark

Day 18 - Foam Rolling Advice (Video)

Quote of the day:

"Success is not a destination, it's a journey."
~Zig Ziglar

Day 17 - Drug Party

What would you say if I asked you if you wanted to get high on a bunch of drugs? "No way, man, drugs aren't for me!" or "Sure, I try everything once!"

Well, despite what your thoughts/beliefs/concerns are about recreational drug use, the human body carries its own ability to flood your body with 'feel-good' hormones and endorphins. I personally am not a fan of recreational drug use, but I do in fact love the euphoric feeling that I can create on my own, naturally, within my body.

There is a great article that I read that discusses the phenomenon known as "runner's high". Now this phrase may be new to some, but I am sure that most of you have heard it before.

The article discusses the idea that the human body was built to be an endurance performer. We evolved this way in order to either hunt for our food, or to not become food for a predator.

By creating a natural 'feel-good' flood of hormones within the body, our own brain is signalling to the rest of our bodies that exercise is good, and that we should continue to do it. We call it exercise now-a-days, although our early ancestors call it "living".

I saw a documentary a while ago that theorized why humans evolved the way we did. We evolved as bipeds (two feet) for a number of reasons, one of which includes the fact that our brain is at the top of our bodies, for protection, rather than out front if we were on all fours.

The problem with being bipeds is the fact that when compared to other beings of comparable size, we are not very fast creatures. As it turns out, our early ancestors were not able to generate enough through two legs in order to chase down prey for food. However, we were/are great distance runners, so we would just out-endure our prey.

If we aren't very fast, then wouldn't our prey simply run away from us? Not exactly. Most animals lack the ability to sweat. Not only that, but when they switch from a trot to a gallop, their organs move in such a way that prevents them from panting. If they can't pant, then overheat. When they overheat, they need to take breaks.

So, because of this, our early ancestors would just simply need to keep their prey within eyesight, and run just fast enough to cause them to at least gallop. Eventually, the prey would overheat/become too tired to continue, then they would be easy pickings. If you wish to learn more about this, I was able to find the link to the documentary here.

So, as we have known for some time, exercise is good for you. What we now know, however, is that not only is exercise good for your cardiovascular system, lunges, muscles, connective tissues, and bones, but it is also good for your brain, and can cause a slew of 'feel-good' hormones in your body. Not only that, but your brain is trying to tell you something when you exercise. It is trying to reward you with these euphoric feelings because it wants you to get hooked an exercise more! Not ALL drugs are bad...

Quote of the day:

"Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there."
~W.Rogers