Im 22 years old and Im in terrible shape, years of TV, doughnuts and pizza have put me into a condition I am not proud of. I have dreams to do all kinds of things, that will require me to be in peak physical condition. While I have no current medical maladies I have started down a path that will surely lead to some. I feel I have a responsibility to myself, my family and my friends to live a long healthy life.
So for 2011 I resolve to do better, I have spent the last half of 2010 researching diet and exercise options that I feel will work best for me. After a long and arduous process (thats what she said) I have decided to "go paleo" aka the caveman diet. At its most basic level the diet includes copious amounts of vegetables and meats and absolutely no pastas, grains, processed sweeteners (sucrose, high fructose corn syrup etc) or legumes. While dairy is technically excluded I will still have a glass of milk post workout of with dinner, other than that no cheeses of yogurts. I will be taking a fish oil supplement, resveratrol and a multi-vitamin. Some may say this diet sounds restrictive but it really isn't. I chose this diet because it seems to make the most sense, eating as close to the way our early ancestors (pre agricultural revolution) did. While I will strive for perfection, I know to err is human, if I get off track I will get back on as soon as possible. Its a marathon not a race!
Now for exercise, here is where the tough part will come in, eating better is as simple as saying no and buying healthy stuff. Motivating to hit the treadmill however is my weak spot. So to help me, I have a charged up Ipod with a rockin work out mix, I bought a gym membership close to my house and on the way to school so I have no excuse. I will work out in the caveman way (as I see it) this will include...
Cardio-Done daily with the exception of a rest day, this can include running, swimming, bicycling, walking, jump roping, boxing or anything that gets my heart pumping
Strength-Weight lifting 3-4x's per week, using dumb bells, kettle bells, and body weight. Im not trying to look like the hulk, just be truly stronger. I subscribe to the show as much as needed to have all go mentality
Stretching-Done everyday, whether it is yoga, pilates or just some basic stretches to loosen up in the morning. This will be done prior to and after every workout that I do. Flexibility is a big part of strength and definitely something I am lacking
Power-Improving this will be in conjunction with all the other workouts, going as hard as I can for a short period, ie sprinting
Sleep-I guess most wouldnt associate this with exercise, but I want to since this is when the human body and mind recover, I will when possible (I work in EMS) get 8-9 hours of sleep, getting to bed early and rising when my body tells me to
Goals
I will get back into fighting shape.
I will not pay that much attention to the scale as I will probably be gaining muscle instead I will pay attention to how my clothes are fitting.
I will not starve myself, I will not count calories
I will be as faithful to this routine as possible starting 1/1/11 and continuing for 365 days
I will post pictures on the blog to chart my progress and give regular updates to status (Im shooting for every 3 weeks)
How I will use this blog
I am not new to blogging I have had a couple but they have tapered off for the most part, I will however be using this one differently than the others...
I will post a daily meal log of what I ate that day (I will be completely honest even if theres a cheat in there)
I will post a summary of my workouts daily
I will post hours of sleep
I will post my overall feeling for the day
I may post recipes that I have made up
I may post new goals or exciting happenings
I hope this blog helps keep me honest and motivated, I want and need this change in my life, to feel and look better. Thanks for coming on this journey with me!
