My abs are going to be INSANE!!!

Inspired by Jason's goal to do 100 push-ups, I am going to do 200 sit-ups! He mentioned that they have some different 6-week training programs on the site and I think the sit-ups one will be perfect for me! Plus, it's more fun to work towards a goal together, right? :-)

The program starts off with an initial test and continues a couple days later with week 1. When I completed my initial test I could do 51 sit-ups. This (barely) puts me in the 'good' range. I'm actually pretty surprised by this number; I would have guessed I could do around 30 sit-ups.

Initial thoughts: It's more difficult than I thought to exhale when sitting up and inhale when going back down... and count at the same time! I'm going to have to work on that.

Only 149 more sit-ups to go!!! :-D


PS - Programs on this site include 100 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, 200 squats, and 25 pull-ups (which is coming soon!)

Weigh-in Wednesday

Sam:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 179.6 pounds
Last week's weight (6.16.2010): 168.8 pounds
Current weight (6.30.2010): 169.4 pounds
That is a gain of 0.6 pounds for a total loss of 10.2 pounds!
What I did: What did I do? Well, a whole lot of nothing is the answer. I feel like I've been slightly under 170 for a while now and I need to get really serious about this if I want to see results. Yes, I've lost 10 pounds so far, but my goal weight is still 25 pounds away! Just keep swimming... just keep swimming...

Jason:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 216.6 pounds
Last week's weight (6.9.2010)197.0: pounds
Current weight (6.30.2010): 199.2 pounds
That is a gain of 2.2 pounds for a total loss of 17.4 pounds!
What I did: Weight gained = beer consumed / no exercise x 2 weeks
My leg has been feeling a lot better and I'm planning to go for a run this weekend. I've done day 1 of my 100 push-up challenge and I'm hoping for better results next week.

Yup, I'm totally doing this and then the pecs and I are going cougar hunting...

I decided this morning that I am going to do 100 push-ups! (all at once, not like over 6 months or anything like that) I remembered reading somewhere about a training program for this so I looked it up and found, hundredpushups.com. (An interesting sidenote, when I typed 100 and a space into google, "100 push-ups" was the first suggested search so apparently I am not the only person looking for this.) The hundredpushups.com site outlines a 6 week training program to work up to 100 pushups. While I think it will likely take me more than 6 weeks, I am psyched about having a new challenge and a new goal. I'll keep you updated on my progress and I plan to post a sweet video of me doing half-a-bazillion push-ups when I reach my goal. Stay tuned and wish me luck...

Health vs. Dieting

To me, a diet is:
- Depriving myself of foods I love
- Eating badly one day and ruining all my hard work
- A temporary solution

To me, healthy is:
- Redefining the foods I love
- Having a bad day (or week) and knowing that it's just part of the process
- A permanent lifestyle change

I've been on diets before and I didn't like it. How many of us can actually say that we have enjoyed being on a diet? It's not fun. What is fun is feeling good about yourself and knowing that you have control of the way you feel in your own body. That is what I'm going for here. I want to love the way I look and feel in my own skin.

I am on a journey that will take a lifetime. There is no quick fix and there is no easy way out. Knowing this is half the battle. I am changing myself and my habits in a good way.

So, tell me... Are you on a diet, or a journey?

Weigh-in Wednesday

Howdy blog readers! It's that time again -- Weigh-in Wednesday!

Two things before we get to the numbers:

1.) We really need to be better about not letting a week go by without posting! I have all these ideas in my head for posts... I just have to make them happen!

2.) Jason is in Florida and I am not. (Jealous Sam!) So this week it's just me weighing in. I think next week we are due for a measurement update too!

Sam:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 179.6 pounds
Last week's weight (6.9.2010): 169.4 pounds
Current weight (6.16.2010): 168.8 pounds
That is a loss of 0.6 pounds for a total loss of 10.8 pounds!
What I did: Not much different than other weeks. I need to make it to the gym more for sure. This past week I was a no-show. I'm going to blame it on the fact that I've had a headache since Thursday. Frustrating. It will get better though because I want to go to the gym and I want to run.

Weigh-in Wednesday

Sam:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 179.6 pounds
Last week's weight (6.2.2010): 170.8 pounds
Current weight (6.9.2010): 169.4 pounds
That is a loss of 1.4 pounds for a total loss of 10.2 pounds!
What I did: Whoa! I am SO excited to hit the 10 pounds lost mark, and be below 170 pounds (which hasn't happened in a while!) Yay! I feel like this is a big win for me since I wasn't expecting to be down so much today. It gives me a lot of confidence for the following week. If I can do what I did this week and loose, I know I can do a lot more and loose more. I know it's not all about the numbers, but when the numbers are good, it feels good. :-)

Jason:
Starting weight (1.4.2010): 216.6 pounds
Last week's weight (6.2.2010)198.6: pounds
Current weight (6.9.2010): 197.0 pounds
That is a loss of 1.6 pounds for a total loss of 19.6 pounds!
What I did: Wow, I feel like its been several weeks since I've actually lost any weight. I think a lot of my weight loss this week can be attributed to my activity level this weekend. Um, I don't know if I've mentioned it yet, but I ran my first half marathon.:-) (Post Forthcoming...) Based on the distance and my current weight I believe I burned around 2200 calories (kind of insane, don't you think?)

50 Marathons in 50 Days

Tuesday night I watched an episode of 20/20 (a program I don't watch enough but almost always find interesting). The episode was titled "Superhumans" and showed interviews of people who defied their fears and put mind over matter to do things that would be impossible for most.

A woman who can hold her breath underwater for five minutes... A man who has trained his body to endure sub-zero temperatures... A man who can become fluent in a language in one week... and a man who runs, a lot.

Dean Karnazes runs marathons. He ran 50 marathons in 50 days. He started running one day and never stopped. It's pretty incredible but also pretty insane. He gets up early in the morning and runs a marathon distance before going to work. He runs a quick 10 mile endurance run in the afternoon, and in the evening... yup, you guessed it, more running.

An interesting quote from his interview: "I guess what I'm doing is a little bit extraordinary, I just don't think of myself as being extraordinary. I think the human body's extraordinary."

I want to feel like my body is extraordinary, no amazing, no really awesome, no, just good. I want my body to feel good. Right now it does not. I want to run a marathon, or 10, in my lifetime. I want my body and mind to be able to accomplish this together and I want to be able to call myself "a runner."

Wouldn't that be cool?

I'll get there... I swear I will.


PS - To learn more about Dean Karnazes visit his website, check out his book, or read the ABC News article.