Lose those Manboobs

One day you just wake up, look down, and suddenly you are faced with these things on your chest. You get dressed and go about your business until suddenly you look in the mirror and realize that your young chiseled physique has slowly, gradually been transformed into a middle aged pear.. with chest bumps. Damn, how'd that happen?

I dunno about the rest of you guys but another year of looking in the mirror at manboobs is too much. It's time for me to start fighting back. If you'd like to fight back also, and want to try a training program that is truly remarkable, then I'd first like you to read the article How to Lose Manboobs by Craig Ballantyne.

Through childrens eyes

This came to me the other day through a friend who sends us jokes regularly. I normally have a good laugh at her jokes and then move on with my day. This one actually made me sit back and think a little harder about how I often take my children for granted. Take the time to recognize that they are precious parts of our lives for only a short amount of time.

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When I look at a patch of dandelions, I see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over my yard. My kids see flowers for Mom and blowing white fluff you can wish on.

When I look at an old drunk and he smiles at me, I see a smelly, dirty person who probably wants money and I look away. My kids see someone smiling at them and they smile back.

When I hear music I love, I know I can't carry a tune and don't have much rhythm so I sit self-consciously and listen. My kids feel the beat and move to it. They sing out the words. If they don't know them, they make up their own.

When I feel wind on my face, I brace myself against it. I feel it messing up my hair and pulling me back when I walk. My kids close their eyes, spread their arms and fly with it, until they fall to the ground laughing.

When I pray, I say thee and thou and grant me this, give me that. My kids say, "Hi God! Thanks for my toys and my friends. Please keep the bad dreams away tonight. Sorry, I don't want to go to Heaven yet. I would miss my Mommy and Daddy."

When I see a mud puddle I step around it. I see muddy shoes and dirty carpets. My kids sit in it. They see dams to build, rivers to cross, and worms to play with.

I wonder if we are given kids to teach or to learn from. Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.

I wish you Big Mud Puddles and Sunny Yellow Dandelions!!!

Turbulence Training - Shake up your workouts!

I have been working out at gyms on and off for the past 3 years now. The first year was great. I lost almost 65 lbs of total body weight. In all likelihood, I lost more than 65 lbs of body fat, but gained a considerable amount of it back in the form of newly added muscle. Overall I went from 263 lbs down to 204 lbs. Staggering? Yes. Exhilarating? Indeed.

So why is it that I was recently climbing back over 230 lbs once again? Honestly, it's because I got so tired of the same old routines, day-in-day-out. Getting up every morning at 6:00am, heading to the gym at 6:30am, running on the treadmill for 20-30min, working out at the same machines for an hour or more, showering, then heading back to start the work day. Sound monotonous? Exactly... and that's exactly what happened to me. Boredom. And with boredom comes dislike. Ever heard the saying, "Familiarity breeds contempt"? Performing the same routine every day, getting stuck in the same 'ol rut eventually led me to dislike what I was doing. Wow, what a difference from 3 years ago when I started. I absolutely loved my workout routine. But that's what happens. We change as time changes. And if we don't "shake up" our workouts, then we are doomed before we even start.

And that's where Turbulence Training comes in to the picture. A little over 6 weeks ago, I was reading an article on MensHealth.com about the amazing Spartan-300 workout. For anyone that has seen the movie Spartan-300, you will undoubtedly remember the chiseled physiques demonstrated by the actors. The Spartan-300 workout is a good piece of how the actors were able to develop such a superior physique for this movie. I was intrigued. So I did more and more research on the subject, read many articles, client testimonials viewed videos, etc... At the end of day I was still very intrigued and felt that this sort of workout was exactly what I needed to get me back into the mode of fitness training. So I purchased the Turbulence Training program and decided I would give it a shot.

It's been just over 4 weeks since I actually began the program. In fact, I just finished the Beginner portion of the program this weekend and started the Intermediate level yesterday. I have lost at least a full inch off my waistline, and the need for loosening the belt has subsided! I am starting to see significant loss of fat from my torso. In terms of actual weight loss, I haven't stepped on a scale since I started the program. I was at least 230 lbs when I started and probably one or two pounds more. I plan to weigh myself this coming Saturday and will post an update on actual weight loss at that time.

If you have any interest in knowing more about this workout program, and what it can do for you, feel free to check out the Turbulence Training website and forums as well as the above links to MensHealth.