Customizing My Program

I'm halfway through Week 2 of my six-month program and I've taken stock of my starting point.  Assessing your starting point is an important step toward taking the most direct path to your goals.  Imagine mapping driving directions without having a point A to go with your point B!

My self-assessment tells me that I've maintained a fair amount of strength from last year's six-month stint in the gym.  Unfortunately, I've gained about 10-15 pounds of unwanted padding and have lost almost all muscle definition.  The silver lining?  The fact that I still have my strength means that I'll be able to build mass quickly and, with the proper diet, burn off the fat.  (Oftentimes, an initial lack of strength prevents early gains because I'm not strong enough to complete the training needed for growth.  Or I lack the supporting strength to complete heavy movements. For example, not having enough grip strength to crank out pull ups means my back can't grow because my forearms are weak!)  That's one important hurdle that I've cleared.

One Key to Success: Adaptation

"Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative." - H.G. Wells

I'm learning that staying fit with a new born in the house is all about flexibility and adaptation.  When I started this program I was going to the gym regularly in the early morning hours before my household was awake.  I was able to tightly control my meals -- both in what I ate and when I ate it.  I had set times for bedtime, waking and naps.

Now,  that's ALL out the window!  My household is a 24-hour operation.  Feedings and diaper changes happen around the clock.  My older daughter wakes up a random nighttime intervals to complain about growing pains in her legs.  Most of my meals are eaten standing up -- often while holding the baby or hassling our older daughter to please, please, please just eat one spear of asparagus in order to earn the reward of dessert.

Hiatus is Over

April and May have been pretty crazy around my house!  Throughout April we were busy trying to get ourselves organized for our new baby's arrival.  Then, on May 9th, we welcomed Baby Maya into our lives.  Since then, my enjoyment of our newborn has only been interrupted by a recent change in my work schedule that has me flying back and forth across the country on back-to-back red eyes, working 12 and 18-hour days, and losing sleep while I toss and turn thinking about my exploding "to do" list.

Throughout ALL of this, I am hanging on to my fitness goals by the skin of my teeth!  I'm making it to the gym only 2 to 3 days a week, so I make sure to give 110% when I'm there.  I haven't had a lot of control over what or when I get to eat, so I've incorporated a lot of intermittent fasting to try to span the gap between healthy meal options.  Overall, I'm still on track!  I'm still getting leaner week by week and definitely getting stronger.  I'm still motivated and I'm finding that I value my workout time more than ever as a chance to turn off my mind and experience the flow of movement and music that happens when I turn on my iPod and get to work.

I've really missed writing for you folks...really missed it!  But I'm happy to say, "I'm back!"  Please keep an eye out in the next few weeks for some great posts.  More workout ideas, more reflections, more photos and progress reports.  I'm sorry for the "radio silence" over the last few weeks and I hope we can pick up where we left off.

Week 1 Complete

I know it seems silly to celebrate the completion of just ONE week of training, but I read recently that studies show a higher likelihood of maintaining a new practice after you have engaged in it five times. Today was my fifth workout and this is my fifth blog post, so I'm thinking this is going to stick.

So far, I'm noticing major strength gains in the gym and my form is starting to feel natural. I'm seeing some muscle growth, but haven't been able to do my measurements or body mass testing, so this is just a subjective measure. I haven't been doing great with the diet...not horrible, I just know I'll need to tighten it up if I want to reach my goals.

I'm planning on completing this week strong, then trying to figure out how next week will work. Next week might be tough because I'll be a single dad while my wife is traveling to Las Vegas for a conference. If I can just manage to get my Wednesday-Thursday in I'll be happy.