20 Pound Goal Hit, Onward to 30

I had a good moment this morning, as I finally hit a 20 pound loss mark on the scale since my doctor visit back in late February.  It has been a good process since then to keep dropping some weight steadily.  

One of the big keys has been dieting correctly and watching the calories, plus also factoring in my activity levels of cardio and strength training and the calories they burn as well. 

I've noticed kettlebell swings and early morning walks have been working well for me.  If I don't have time for a run, a swings workout does quite well in fitting the need and also churning up the calories in a short amount of time.  Early morning walks are a great way for me to get in a half-hour or so of activity right away and also burns up some calories as well, about a rate of 10 per minute for me.  Its nice to start the day with a 300 calorie burn from a 30 minute walk.  Walking briskly is a great way to get the heart rate in the training zone and not fatigue you a lot as you're starting your day. 

Brief workouts have been a big part of this journey and will stay as a part of it too.  Find a lot of brief workout structures with the Fit XT program I've developed.  

Another Good Week and Finally a Ride

 This last week went pretty well with doing some swing workouts and morning walks to keep my activity levels up.  I had a really physical day at work on Wednesday with raking up a large area that had a lot of garbage and chunks of tar ripped up from snow removal.  That day really wiped me out good, but I was back to walking again the next day.  

After a bit of rest day on Saturday, today I finally got my new tires on the bike and went out for a great ride.  There is a nice 5 mile route I usually do for an out and back to make it a 10+ mile ride, this one ended up being just over 11 as I went a bit farther that I usually do. Another good calorie churner and it doesn't take up a lot of time.  My data had it at 656 calories for me on the total ride, completing it in about 41 minutes.  

The nutrition side of things is going well, weight loss was pretty minimal but going in the right direction.  As I'm doing more physical work outside for my job, and get outside more after work with nicer temperatures, more weight loss should be coming nicely soon. 

My Plexus products have helped me out a lot on this 'get back to where I should be' journey in exercise and health.  My weight is down, my blood pressure is way better, and I'm certainly more active each week than I have been in the past 2 years.  You can check out the products at this site.

Run, Swing, Walk, Lift, Repeat!

Greetings everyone,

The journey is still going strong as I was able to get in a nice steady run on Sunday, a good Swings workout on Monday morning and another nice brisk morning walk done this morning.  I added a backpack this time with sand weights in it, basically 4 ankle weights inside the backpack.  I found the weights at Five Below for only $10 total, so if you are looking at a cheap fitness hack, there you go.  Eight extra pounds in an old backpack and boom: you have yourself a handy fitness hack to change up your workout a bit. My backpack had a slim pocket inside the size of a laptop, so I was able to fit in the weights vertically and closer to my back, instead of just dead weight at the bottom of the pack. 

I've also been getting in my Total Gym workouts too, adding that to the plan at least twice a week.  My main focus is boosting the cardio workouts like runs, walks and swing workouts.  Two times a week on the Total Gym helps me maintain my strength as I try to get more cardio added to my daily routines. 

I have intentions on doing a kettlebell swings video soon.  Some people have been asking a lot about adding swings to their routines and want some additional tips on how to do that. 

The weight loss journey is still going well, I've hit a stalemate of sorts on the scale but I feel my body changing for the better.  Watching dietary intake each day is still a key part of my process.  

Til next time, Stay Strong!

Coach Rick