Tough Mudder F***er In Training

Have you ever held the desire to run for 10 miles through mud, ice cold water, fire and electricity? How about scaling walls and jumping over logs? Or sprinting up a double black diamond slope? I do. And that's only part of what Tough Mudder is all about. It's an obstacle course from hell, and I'm determined to finish that shit.

Unlike my previous attempts/desires at competing, I actually registered for this pain. It costs so much money that I better damn well do it ($155 registration fee!!). So today I'm moving up from just "working out" into "training" mode.

I know I'm definitely in the best physical shape of my entire life right now, but I need to be better. Harder. Faster. Stronger. It's time to pump up the volume on my running distance and endurance. I want to SEE my abs and be able to do a real chin-up by the time April rolls around. I've been working hard at all of the above this past year, and now it's time to work harder.

The thought of circuit training makes me want to vomit. I don't even really know why; I just have this deep-rooted fear of it. I'm going to have to get over myself and start it. My plan is to spend the next month upping the mileage on my sneakers and continue my weight training. I'm going to incorporate a HIIT session at least once a week between the lifting and running. After that I'm going to put a lot more attention on HIIT and circuits. BodyRock.TV is a kickass circuit program that'll make you bleed sweat and tears.

The Tough Mudder website recommends this minimum fitness level:
"At a minimum we recommend that you are running regularly (2+ times a week, working up to 5 miles per run), able to do 15-25 push-ups in a row, able to bang out 6 pull-ups in a row (especially the dudes), and able to swim 50 yards without stopping (although you can skip the water obstacles)."
I'm actually not too far off from those stats! I can't do a solid pull-up yet, but I will.

The drudgery takes place on April 29th in Pennsylvania. Wish me luck!

Training Day (And Free Pizza)

"Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." -Will Rogers

It's time to get more serious about my running. Goals make you work hard, but obligations make you work even harder. I've decided it's time to turn around my "exercise" into something more serious: training. Rather than envisioning a fit version of myself as motivation, I'm going to slap a great big finish line in front of my eyes. My Couch To 5K training will be completed with the anticipation of participating in my very first 5K race! Finishing first isn't necessarily my goal; finishing at all is more realistic and still a great motivator.

I picked out the event I'm going to compete in, and it's going down on July 20th. I figure that gives me more than enough time to get up to par. The Downtown Westfield 5K and Pizza Extravaganza is a local event that benefits the community and involves delicious free pizza! Who doesn't love pizza? Well I suppose the pizza isn't free considering there's a $27 sign-up fee, but let's not worry about the logistics. It sounds like a great time and ends with a big party and live entertainment. What makes this even more exciting is how I've inspired a few friends to partake in the 5K! Hopefully they come through and sign up with me, but if they don't I'll be just as happy knowing they are cheering me on and supporting my efforts to better myself.

I've even opted to take this new-found drive and push myself to train even harder. I'm going to enter a half marathon in September. Now here's why I expect to be more than ready for a 5K in July --a half marathon is 13 miles (a 5K is about 3 miles). It's not going to be easy, but I didn't set out on this adventure with that expectation. Go big or go home is more like it. The event is the Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon. How cool does that sound? And it really is cool. There are live bands playing every few miles on the course and a big free concert at the close of the race. This year Brett Michaels is headlining! The race comes with an $85 price tag, so if fitness isn't motivation enough, getting my money's worth certainly is.

So, February 28th marks the first day of my impulsive, capricious-yet-serious training. I am really super excited about participating in my first 5K and half marathon. It's not something everyone does in their lifetime, and from what I hear it's a huge rush to complete one. I have a seasoned partner for the half marathon, but if anyone else out there is willing to make the training commitment it would be great to go with a group! Same goes for the 5K. I hope to find some more recruits for that considering the training is not too demanding and a little less eccentric (and there's free pizza, hellooo!). Otherwise, wish me luck! ;-)

Back In The Saddle

First, I'd like to apologize for the impromptu month-long hiatus. Life got a little crazy, and I had to kick a few things to the sidelines. Well, it actually hasn't gotten any less crazy, but I'm learning to manage it better now. A whole slew of my coworkers decided to quit at the same time —guess who's left picking up the pieces? Yea. However, I'm trying to put a positive spin on this and think of it as an opportunity for career advancement, rather than the reality that it equals 10-12 hour days and triple the workload. Anyhow, let's jump back into fantasy-land where I can pretend I actually have a life outside of work.

Coupled with that hiatus, I totally fell off the workout horse. I came down with a cold and managed to sprain my left shoulder at the same time. And how did I manage to sprain my shoulder? Well, I fell asleep at a kitchen table one night while resting my head on my arm. Please note I was not drunk. I just have this talent where I can fall asleep anywhere, in any position, regardless of the world around me —earthquake, fire, driving, Guns N Roses tribute concert, social gathering. Three of those are true stories. (Hint: We don't have earthquakes in New Jersey.)

Although I fell out of my exercise routine, I was able to successfully maintain my diet! Well, except for a few select days due to circumstances totally out of my control. My 25th birthday at the end of January was met with good cake and great food, and then my girlfriend's birthday followed a week later, which was met with more cake and goodies. Oh, and then Valentine's Day came a week after that, but my love was kind enough to give me only one giant hunk of chocolate (thank you! xo). So, I have to say, I think I did pretty damn good under the circumstances. I didn't put on any weight, and I even lost a few more pounds. I'm now 10lbs down from when I started!

Needless to say, I felt like total crap during these past weeks. Work started to wear on me, I was stressing out left and right, and my body was revolting against the poor nutrition and lack of movement. I had enough of this low point, and so Tuesday I opted to jump back into a rigorous 5-day workout routine. I was met with some opposition that day, but I managed to overcome the negativity and start busting my ass. I'm continuing the C25K running plan from where I left off (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) and sprinkling in a killer ab workout in between with some arm toning. I downloaded a newer, better, and absolutely free food and exercise logging app. It's called MyFitnessPal and has a way bigger database of food and activities than the LoseIt! app. It's also available on Android, Blackberry, and the web, so my Verizon friends can download it and join in the fun! Within the app you can add your friends (like Facebook for getting fit) and watch each others progress. I think this is a great motivational app due to the ability to encourage your friends and family to stick with it. I texted everyone I know with a smartphone, but I'm still waiting on them to download it. Get to it, people! My username is x1daydreamer6x. Add me! ;-)

Lucky Number Three

In the Middle Ages they had guillotines, stretch racks, whips and chains. Nowadays we have a much more effective torture device —the bathroom scale. -Stephen Phillips

Sunday morning I decided to face the most judgmental, torturous device ever devised —the scale. I gently slid it out from its hiding place and set it carefully on the bathroom floor. Taking a deep breath for composure, I placed myself on the cold plastic base one foot at a time. I closed my eyes and imagined myself light as feather, floating by on a cool autumn breeze (as if the powers of my mind would influence the painful accuracy of the truth). And then it happened... I lost three pounds! What a glorious feeling it was to see all of my hard work and effort pay off at the end of the week! I was overcome with joy and proceeded to skip around my bedroom in celebration, and I even kept a wonderful little pep in my step all day long.

I know the numbers on a scale shouldn't be worshiped like the God of health and fitness, but no one can deny the bliss of watching it drop. Unfortunately, we've all been brainwashed by the masses to believe that number is the absolute truth in how good one looks and feels. Body fat percentage, BMI and inch measurements should be the true judges. Well since I've finally come upon some insurance coverage since graduating college (thank you, Obama!), I'm going to schedule an appointment for a checkup and physical. I've never had my fat percentage calculated, so I'm somewhat curious as to what that number is (hopefully I don't cry, faint, develop anxiety or all of the above). The truth hurts, but it's time to face it! However, I think I'm going to wait another week or so and burn off some more fat before I take the hit...

Yesterday I decided to check out the information on Dr. Oz's website. Now I'm not usually one to follow the word of a "celebrity expert," but so many people regard this guy as the ultimate health guru. I have to say, this guy is pretty smart. He gives out information in terms that common people can understand, and I kind of like how goofy and excited he acts. He's sort of like Richard Simmons without the gay. I think I overloaded on information by reading like 10 articles in an hour, so I may have to revisit it and try applying some of his tips one week at a time. We'll see... I still have a stigma against these celebrity-types. Feel free to pass along any of his articles/information that were effective in real life! Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

So, today I started my first toning/non-running workout. It was terrible, to say the least. I downloaded this amazing free Nike training app that provides a ton of workout routines for women trying to lose weight, tone up or build strength. I opted to start with a beginner "get lean" routine, even though I thought it looked extremely easy to get through. Girl, was I ever wrong! It's only a 30 minute workout consisting of mostly squats, push-ups, lunges and abdominal moves. I could barely get through it, stopping early on many of the moves and just about skipping the last 10 minutes entirely. Talk about a reality check! Apparently I'm way more out of shape then I thought. My body is feeling a little weak right now, but I have a feeling tomorrow is going to hurt really bad. Hopefully my legs recover before I hit the treadmill in the morning.

One more thing! A quick note on my diet.... It's still going really well! I survived the weekend temptation like a champ and went food shopping on Saturday to stock up on healthy snacks and meals. I even cooked a delicious chicken dinner on Saturday night with plenty of veggies and made a low-fat broccoli cheese soup from scratch (that tasted amazing, mind you). Go me! ;-)

There's An App For Fat!

I really don't think I need buns of steel.  I'd be happy with buns of cinnamon.  -Ellen DeGeneres

It was a slow walk up the stairs to the train platform today. Since Monday, I've thoroughly convinced myself that stairs are the Devil's creation. I completed Day 3 / Week 1 of the couch to 5k workout this morning, and my legs have been rather unforgiving. Ironically enough, although they're wobbling like jello as they carry me around, they somehow feel stronger at the same time. Maybe it's all in my head, but I'm feeling really good.


I managed to make it to Day 3 of the workout plan with the aid of a fantastic little $3.00 app on my iPhone by the name of C25K. It tells me when to run and walk and even when I'm halfway through. I'm considering this $3.00 as a good investment, because I would totally cheat if I had to rely on myself to command my jiggling thighs to pick up the pace. I also downloaded an awesome free app called Lose It! that I use to log my daily food intake. It's easier to make smart meal decisions when I'm forced to stare at the calorie/fat count in big red letters, making me feel guilty and silently chanting fatty, fatty, fatty! Both apps also let me log my weight (among other stats), which hasn't been much of a motivator since the number hasn't budged one fucking decimal.

I've been doing really, really great with my diet this week. I've safely avoided temptation numerous times, and I have to give myself a pat on the back for that. It hasn't been easy watching other people consume the greasy deliciousness that I love most in this world. There's even a bag of potato chips still in the cabinet that I've fantasized having an affair with one too many times, but thankfully haven't touched. My self-control was really tested last night when we had a few friends over. Unbeknownst to me, there was a pizza ordered. I looked onward, biting my lip as the offenders chowed down on the heaven-sent combination of cheese, sauce and crust without a care in the world. But that was nothing! I wasn't even hungry since my love brought home my favorite baja chicken soup for my dinner.No, the real kicker was when that enticing, seductive potato chip bag sprang from the cupboard and made its way to the couch. It taunted me, begging to be touched as my friends reached inside and pulled out crisp pieces of deep fried potato. I almost cracked a couple of times, envisioning how good it would feel to let the salty snack dissolve in my mouth, but somewhere inside I found the will to resist its lure. In yo' face!

Most addictions take a good three weeks to get over. That means I only have two more weeks of suffering before I can confidently say "no thank you" and no longer have to feel like pull of temptation.I know it will still be out there, and the chocolates and chips will still call out for me, but I'll be just a little bit better at tuning them out and picking up a carrot stick instead.

I also need to start adding in some more exercises to my routine than just a 3-day run each week. I'm going to use the off days to work on my muscle tone (or lack-there-of) and crunch my abs back into existence. I know they're still in there somewhere. I also want to set a new goal: being able to do at least one chin-up by the end of February. My upper-body has always been my weakness, and I've never done a single chin-up or pull-up in my life. I'm determined to make this happen. I'll have to start with gaining the ability to do a normal push-up, which usually takes me about a week or so, and then build up that strength until I can finally succeed in pulling my chin over that damn bar. Hoorah!!

Please leave your words of encouragement and/or advice below. I always welcome a second opinion. ;-)

Chocolate Chip Cookies and Bananas

Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands - and then eat just one of the pieces. - Judith Viorst, author of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

I visited my family yesterday. They were all really supportive of my plan to get in shape, but of course only after breaking my balls. After all, it was my last day of junk food, so why not go out with a bang and add another 5lbs to the total?!

The first stop on the tour was McDonald's for brunch. I strategically chose my last grease-laden meal, a McDouble and nuggets, and waved my goodbyes to the Golden Arches as I drove away. I was careful to order my cheeseburger with no onions, because since it was going to be my last, it better damn well be made my way. It was perfect. The savory combination of meat, cheese, ketchup and pickle rolled over my tongue and tickled my taste buds with delight. This is going to suck. I said a silent farewell to my cheesy friend as I came upon the last few bites and washed it down with a Vitamin Water.

The next stop was my girlfriend's parents. In celebration of my "last day" she decided to break out the most delicious cookies ever created by man. They may have been a total ripoff of the Girl Scouts' Samoas, but they were damn near identical in taste. After I housed down half a box, she decided to take out her pendulum and ask it some questions about ours lives, if Natalie Portman and the Black Swan would win the Oscars, and some other silly and serious things. Then she decided to ask the spirits if I would actually begin my new diet and work-out plan on Monday like I planned --and they said NO!! Can you believe that? Even the spirit-world is trying to bust my balls! So, now I really have to go through with this today, if even just to prove my angels wrong. Thanks for the support guys!

The third and final stop was dinner at my parent's house. The menu included chicken, fettuccine alfredo, potatoes, corn and green beans, and it was absolutely fantastic. My mother then decided to bake some two-dozen chocolate chip cookies out of the blue, and we once-again celebrated my last day. Now do you understand where the extra 5lbs are coming from? Before I left, I was presented with a lovely parting gift of bananas. Thanks, Mom! Fill me up with cookies and then send me off with a bunch of bananas... It was a much appreciated gift though, considering I decided to start my diet today without taking into consideration the fact that I haven't gone shopping for any healthy food yet. This week might be a bit rough, but at least I'll have bananas.

Well after all of that ordeal, I managed to start off my day pretty O.K. I really wanted a banana for breakfast (ha!), but they were still green so I'll try again tomorrow. On my way to work I opted for a non-fat yogurt & fruit parfait to accompany my grande chai latte. I was really proud of myself for ordering a grande (medium), since I've been on the venti (large) size cup for some time now. Cutting down to the smaller size not only saves a few calories, but some money as well. Maybe one day I'll be able to kick my Starbucks addiction, but that's kind of difficult when I pass five of them on my way into work (literally). When I get home I plan on hitting the gym and starting my new running routine. I was offered some really helpful advice from a friend who showed me the "couch to 5k" training program. After looking it over I immediately decided this was perfect for me, considering I was sitting on the couch when I clicked that link.

Here goes nothing... ;-)

"Sorry, we only carry sizes 1, 3, and 5. You could try Sears."

Gretchen: Growing up female in this world is not easy. In China, baby girls are routinely put up for adoption. And in parts of Africa, women are still made to live in tents during the time of their menses.
Karen: Ew!
Gretchen: And even in fancy countries like the United States and England, seven out of ten girls have a negative body image.
Regina George: Who cares? Six of those girls are right! 
-Mean Girls, 2004

For the last two years I've been steadily gaining weight. It sucks. I'm not going to jump up and proclaim that I'm fat, but I am overweight and out of shape because I've allowed cheese fries and milkshakes to take over my body. It's just not fair that they put the pudding cups right next to the carrot sticks!

I have a serious sweet tooth. I mean, I seriously crave sugar like a crack addict gone wild. I will trek through a cold winter night, shaking from withdraw, until I find a chocolate bar or a pint of Ben & Jerry's to sooth my dependence with. The pure bliss of those first few bites is about as close to heaven as I'll ever get, and I'm floating on cloud nine as I delicately inhale my vice. Then comes regret, usually in the form of a nasty bubbling in my stomach that makes me want to jump out of my seventh-story apartment window. My tummy voices it's angry protest, loudly declaring how my taste-buds are fools and should be severed off so this never happens again! Hmm... that might not be a bad idea.

Ok, getting back to reality now. It's about time I overcome this little addiction and start doing something positive for my health and my body image. It took a really bad hit last year when, quite suddenly, all of my pants started ripping on a daily basis thanks to my monster thighs. Within a month I managed to lose 80% of my wardrobe and had to go shopping for **gasp** bigger sizes. (What made matters worse, I was unemployed and really didn't have the money to buy new jeans. God bless the love of my life for being not only my rock, but my knight in shining armor and helping me purchase some new gear.) I also insisted the whole time that the numbers on the scale were clearly lying, and I even bought a new one to prove it. Well... lets just say the new scale must be broken too. Either way, the numbers aren't really what's important to me, because they don't dictate how I feel when I look in a mirror. The mirror is my truth, and my eyes have never been that critical. I know I'll never be a size 4, and if I ever happen to become a 4 I'll probably look sickly. Besides, curves are sexy.

One thing I would really like to accomplish in the next month is the ability to sprint after my train without feeling like I'm going to collapse on the stairwell. Running has never been my strong point, and I'd really like to turn that around. This won't be easy since I absolutely hate running, so I may need to go as far as dangling a Reese's cup in front my face to chase after like a dog--inspiring, no? Seriously though, that's going to be my goal for the next two weeks. I'm going to haul my ass downstairs to the gym every single day, hop on the treadmill for at least 30 minutes and track how far I can get in that span of time. I figure watching those numbers rise every other day should be a little motivation to keep trying harder. Lord knows that watching the scale every day doesn't help, since our weight fluctuates constantly. I'll leave the scale to motivate me at the end of these two weeks when that number hopefully drops a bit.

As far as eating healthier is concerned, I need to perform some major surgery on my dieting habits. I did pick up a copy of Skinny Bitch, but I'm not sure I can handle that "vegan" commitment. Being a vegetarian is something that sounds great in theory; however, giving up fish is definitely not a sacrifice I'm willing to make right now. So, let's start small and try to overcome the chocolate issue first. Years ago when I successfully lost a good 15-20lbs I would budget out my chocolate supply. I used those mini candies that people hand out for Halloween and allowed myself one piece each day. It gave me something to look forward to and helped prevent late-night binges. I'm going to implement this back into my life starting Monday and hopefully succeed in curbing the cravings. It's time to get off the pipe and take control of my taste-buds once again! By cutting off the sugar and starting to run, hopefully my bigger size jeans will start fitting a little looser and I'll be able to breath again when I wear them. Wish me luck! ;-)

Back At Square One

So I suppose the proper way to start a blog is with an explanation of why the hell I'm here and what I plan on doing about it. For the attention-deficit crowd, here's the short story: I've been out of college for over a year without nearly as much career advancement as a 25-year-old would hope for, I'm waste deep in debt with NO savings, I haven't been taking very good care of myself, and I'm using the promising year of 2011 to change all of that (Sound familiar!? That's because it's the story of nearly every damn college grad in the last 5 years). For those of you looking for the long story (or at least trying to further relate yourselves to my troubles), please read on.

From the above laundry list of "areas in need of improvement" I gather three major topics: Success, Wealth & Health. Some of you may notice one tragically important thing missing... Love. Well I'm happy to report that's the one section of life that I have under control!

My plan is to tackle each of these areas step by step, little by little. Each week I'm going to declare a goal in each of the 3 areas and fulfill it to the best of my abilities. I've never been one to fail at any project thrown my way, so I'm going to take a lesson from myself and stop failing so hard at life. By blogging about my endeavors I'm hoping it'll be the kick in the ass I need, the pressure that pushes me to succeed. I can't just tell the world I'm going to do something and then leave them hanging! I don't want to call it an "obligation" because that has a nasty negative connotation to it, and I want this to be a positive experience that will force me to grow into the individual I know I can be --strong, confident and successful.

I'll provide more background story (and those fun little anecdotes) as we move along, but for now I have to get to sleep! Goodnight ;-)

- Posted in bed from my iPhone (so please forgive any terrible spelling/grammar errors)