The Peak Condition Project - Sean Anderson

Over one Year Later

2010-09-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Remember Me? Just kidding. Of course you do. Well, here I am. It's been one year and some since I completed the PCP. Guess what, things are great!

Do I still exercise?

Yes I do. I completed Patrick's new program the Kung Fu Body this year--although I'm ashamed to say with no where near the gusto I had for the PCP. Why did I join this new program, you ask? Because, in February of this year I fell off the exercise wagon. I was so tired after a workout in January that my body and mind just said no--for almost two months. I joined the Kung Fu Body to get back in the rhythm and now I'm doing just fine. I don't exercise everyday, nor do I push myself as hard, but I keep it up just enough to maintain my weight and health. I don't need to be Superman--I just need to be a healthy me. Oh, and I still love my jump rope. It's seen me through two programs now, and I'll keep it until it breaks.

Am I still mindful of what I eat?

Yes--every frickin' day. Do I eat junk food? Yes. Do I eat things that are not good for me? Yes. However, I do this with nowhere near the frequency I used to. And, I'm mindful. Everytime I pick up something that's food or is masquerading as food, my PCP trained brain immediately tells me what it is (carb, protien, veg, fat, fruit, or junk)--and what it is going to do to me if I eat it. My PCP mind wins out over my cravings--which I still have--85% of the time. And, I still haven't eaten a bag of doritoes.

Am I still on the diet?

As goes the advice, At breakfast, I eat like a prince; At lunch, I eat like a king. At dinner, I eat like a pauper. My family still subscribes to the three meals a day thing, but I set it up so last night's dinner is saved for me and becomes today's breakfast. I eat a big lunch with a super salad and whatever I want in terms of carbs--usually a sandwhich, but sometimes pasta or something like it. And, for dinner zero carbs--no rice or bread, but as much vegetbles as I want and some protien. Also, I still drink my low fat milk almost every day. Of course, I don't follow this 100%. I let my guard down almost completely on weekends, when someone buys a special dessert, or when I go out for dinner, but during the work week I'm pretty solid. I still snack when I can in my PCP snack times, and these snack vary between the healthy and unhealthy.

Have I been sick since the PCP? Am I back on any medication?

No and No! Wait, I think I might have had a small cold at some point, but otherwise I'm fit as a fiddle. No medication. No trouble breathing. No horrible cough. And, I still have tons more energy than I used to. When my family is ready for bed, I've still got energy to spare. Heh. I do take the odd antihistamine when someone decides to burn leaves in my neighborhood or the pollen gets wild, but these occassions are rare. And I try other solutions first, like my Neti pot.

Do I still see Patrick?

You bet. We are good buddies indeed. I think we spend more time playing Super Street Fighter IV against each other than working out together now, but the life lessons he has given me will stay with me for life. It's beacuse of the new man Patrick helped me become that lets me enjoy our games together and everything else I do in my life so much more.

And finally, what's my weight?

Yeah, I know it's just a number but...

I was 98.5 kg when I started the program. I was 83.2 kg when it ended.

I'm 79.0 kg now--a year later. And, my life is mine!

Photos one year later!

Heh, I've still got those sunburned arms.

And now, of course this blog entry would not be complete without a little something special in the world of Street Fighter:

Part 1:

If you need any more proof the PCP works after reading this blog, then you're not ready to change. If you are get a message to Patrick, get your J-rope, and get with it.

Sincerely,

Sean

Day 93: That's All Folks!

2009-08-31T15:23:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Well, we've come to the end. The PCP is over and done, and my life has been changed forever. Now, only one thing remains--to let go of this Blog.

The Beginning and the End

Out of all the things that have given me motivation throughout this project, this blog has been number one. Sometimes I would get an idea for a blog post, and it would carry me through an entire workout with a smile of anticipation on my face. I loved reading comments on my blog and commenting on my teamates blogs as well. Am I going to disappear for good? No. I'll be back to comment now and again on the blogs of people working their way through the PCP, to give them advice and support. But now, it's time for me to redirect all this writing energy back where it belongs--to my dreams of writing a novel.

Patrick, thanks again for everything you've done for me on the PCP. Thank-you for your blog comments. And, thanks for teaching me how to post videos on this blog. It made it that much more fun.

Next I want to say thanks to all the members of my team. I couldn't have done the PCP without you. Your words, simple or verbose, gave me strength at times when I needed it the most. And to read about your struggles on your blogs while you read mine, really helped me feel a sense of community even though we were so far away from one another. This sense of community kept me on track. Know you all have a friend in me when you need one.

Next, to my friends and family who have followed this blog. I really appreciate your support and comments--every bit of them. I've never been a big e-mail writer or telephone caller, and this blog made me even less so. Thank-you for your understanding while I went through this program and gave it so much of my attention. I was in a bad place three months ago, but now I'm better than ever, and, because of all my hard work, I get to enjoy more time in this life with all of you. That's the best reward of all.

Finally, to a stranger or potential PCPer reading this blog. This blog is my gift to you. If you're here, you're likely on a quest for better health. Maybe your overweight. Maybe you just need to put on some muscle. Or, maybe your health has put you in a desperate place like mine did me. Whatever the reason, the PCP is here as a potential solution that offers a sense of community and accountability that can really help you reach new heights of health and lock it all in when it's over. You don't have to be sporty or belong to a gym to be in this program. You don't need a bunch of large equipment in your basement. You don't have to compete with others. You can be an entertainment lovin' fool like me who would much rather see the latest Batman movie than climb a mountain. The point is, the PCP Diet and Exercise program is for everyone, and that's what makes it so special.

Oh, and by the way, I will be finished with all my allergy and pneumonia medications at the end of this week and have a completely clean bill of health. Allergy medications have been part of my life since high school, and I thought they would be with me every day of my life forever. How that for change?

Well, that's all folks. If your looking for me. You'll often find me day to day in Muzuki park jumping rope, doing elevated tricep-dips on the jungle gym, or any number of simple but effective exercises. Not because I have to or need too, but because I want to. And, this, perhaps, is the greatest change of all.

THE END

Sean

Day 92: In house! And, a few more pics

2009-08-30T17:39:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Today, I woke up with plans to got to the park as usual and workout, but the rain from a nearby Typhon was coming down hard. I was contemplating going out into the the rain like I had before on the PCP, but I realized it was time for me to take control and plan a workout for myself when I'm stuck indoors with no room to do J-ropes. So, I did Pistol Squats, Lunges, (Curl & Tricep Dip supersets), Push-ups and Planks. I'm going to add Davinci's next time. Oh, the possibilities! However, I have to make sure I challenge myself each time and don't ignore exercises like pull-ups just because they're still hard or annoying for me.

My son joined me in the curls today as best he could with my medium tension band which was too long for him. He was also my little coach. He counted for me during the V-sits and cheered for me during the Tricep Dips. It was so wonderful, not to mention cute.

And, finally, a personal victory today. I worked out because I wanted to, not because I felt I had to do so.

Now, here are a few more pictures from my last day on the PCP.

Barrel Shot!

Looking Tough!

I actually have triceps!

The biceps chest muscles, and abs make an appearance!

Retake!

Nothing to hide!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 91: A Day of Rest and some Pictures

2009-08-29T15:58:00.000-07:00

"And so, the whole PCP was completed. By the ninety-first day Sean finished what he had been doing and rested. He honored the ninety-first day and set it apart as a special day, because by that day he had completed the PCP and rested." Sean's Genisis: 1-3

Before/After

Ryo Saeba and Sean Anderson.

No workout today.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 90: The View from the Top of The Mountain

2009-08-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

Hey Faithful Readers--and anyone who just skipped to the end of this blog to see how it all turned out. ;-)

In my first year in Japan, I climbed Mount Fuji. It was hard work--damp, dangerous, and suffocating. However, when I got to the top and saw the sun rise out of the clouds like a sphere of molded fire, I knew it was worth it. And, to this day, I still consider my Fuji-climb to be one of the greatest achievements in my life. And now, I have conquered one more mountain. This mountain is not the thing of natural beauty Fuji-san is. It is the horrible mountain of my own ignorance and lack of self-worth when it came to my own body.

Back on Day 1, I wrote I thought I was a little crazy joining the PCP program, but it turns out joining the PCP was perhaps the most sane thing I've done to date. Before meeting Patrick and joining his his program, I was truly crazy. I embraced ignorance regarding food and an absence of regular exercise. I overate. I ate salty chemically-enhanced junk food with reckless abandon. And, worst of all, I believed my own bullshit for the longest time that I did not have the inner strength or time to get out of the grave I was slowly eating myself into. I was blinding myself to the real truth. If you don't have your health, you don't--or you very soon won't--have anything.

It took pneumonia and the thought of losing my time with my wife and son, and all the other people and things I love to make me see clearly enough to want to change. I just thank God Patrick was standing there when my eyes were finally opened.

Yes, while, at my core, I'm not much for church and its ceremony, I believe in God--fiercely. I believe he guides us through the events and people around us, and sets up opportunities for us at every turn. Gosd was there for me when NOVA GROUP was about to start its fall. He gave me a good friend who appeared just in time and helped me move to Senzoku Gakuen High School. Senzoku lasted just long enough for there to be an opening at my current school. And there, I met Patrick. God bless Patrick. I hold him among the best of my friends, and I hope one day he will hold me in the same regard. Is Patrick responsible for my change? In part, yes. He showed me a path--a path he has worked hard (with Chen) to create. However, It was up to me to stay on that path and walk on it to the end--all up to me.

Was my PCP perfect? Did I follow the diet 100%? Did I do every single exercise the way it was supposed to be done? No. But, I know this: I did my best evey day against the imperfect human being I know I am, and for me that is a triumph. The biggest challenge in life isn't someone else or something. It's you. It's always you.

So, here on the last day, I went to Patrick's studio at 5:30 P.M. for my workout and, in order to emphasize how far I had come, Patrick had me do my Day 9 workout. Let's go back a bit in time shall we and look at my Day 9 post, shall we?:

Day 9: Rope Revelations!

Today I was given the greatest gift I could have asked for: the solution to my jump rope problem. As I said before, my rope is not too short, but I thought it was, even today, as it hit me in the head and feet. And, now I know why! God. Finally, I know why! I feel idiotic and elated at the same time.

After I finished skipping for the first time at Patrick’s yoga studio, I just tossed my rope in my bag. Since then, I have been outside trying to skip successfully in the early morning. What happens to a plastic skipping rope when it has spent the night just tossed in a bag? It ends up tangled like an old phone cord. And what happens when this same plastic skipping rope is taken outside into the cool morning? It maintains its tangles! The air is cool, so the rope cools and loses its slack (Insert appropriate chemistry term here). Basically, I was trying to jump with a rope that wasn’t straight. And, when I would start jumping, it would tangle up worse and seem shorter! God. Eureka! So, I spent the next ten minutes heating the rope with the body warmth from my hands until it was nice and slack and guess what?

The rope flew around me like bloody wind itself. I did 150 jumps without screwing up. Man, I don’t know why I didn’t see it before.

And now, todays’s stats and stuff.

Weight: 96.4kg (-00.8). Go baby go!

Fat percentage: 27.0 (-00.7)

Jumprope. 600 complete! See above. God.

Lunges: 16 x 4 sets. My legs feel really worked out after these.

Rowing: 12 x 3 sets. Gently down the stream! Complete!

Standing Ovation: 12 x 3 sets. Complete! Hold the applause-heh.

Triceps Dip: 8 x 3 sets. Complete! This went smooth, too smooth. I think I was using my legs too much. I will straighten them out the next time I do this exercise as per Patrick’s advice.

Forward Shoulder Raise: 10 x 3 sets. Complete!

Leg lifts: 12 x 4 sets. Complete. I did these on the grass in the park. Fun, but not as nice as the tatami in my house.

Diet is rolling along, although I’m lagging a bit in the protein. I just have to coordinate my shopping with my wife’s shopping better.

Breakfast, same as yesterday except I had pasta instead of bread this time, and I didn’t have the egg white because the wasted egg yolk would have annoyed my family. Patrick, Team, any other way to get egg white short of drinking them on the sly at work?

Lunch: two subway chicken salads—for the protien, no cream cheese this time, but did have their red wine vinegar sauce. This may have salt, so will stop using it and switch to an alternative Patrick introduced to me. I ate four pieces of whole wheat bread for my carbs. Then, I ate bananas to round out the fruit requirement at lunch and snack time.

Dinner: Fish with seaweed soup, tomatoes, a bit of cheese, lots of sliced pumpkin, and bamboo rice. There were small blocks of tofu in the seaweed soup. I hear tofu is seriously processed, but I don’t know for sure. Should I be eating it?

And finally, I have a cold. WAAAACHOOO! Sniff. Sorry. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends with the PCP, work, my novel, and this blog. I guess my body decided to tell me I need to slow down a bit. I will, but don’t worry team. My PCP will not suffer. WAAAACHOOO! Sniff. Sorry. I’ll just cut back on my novel writing a bit—save it for the train and the weekends. I have to take of myself. As Count Rugen said in The Princess Bride, “If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything.”

Love to all!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Hmmm, I guess this day went pretty well then, and it went well again once more. But, to a healthier stronger Sean, this workout was about as difficult as a walk in the park. Oh, and the cold I mentioned on Day 9 turned out to not be a cold at all. It was just an allergy attack.

So, tonight to celebrate my last day on the PCP, I joined Patrick, his fiance Kasue, and former PCPer Kazuhiro for my end of PCP party. We went to Beer Gardens atop the Star Hotel in Yokohama and were treated to a lovely view as we threw caution in the wind and ate an assortment of the unhealthy. We also went to another restaurant for pizza and eneded with dessert at Starbucks. However, the special food event for the night was:

Patrick asked me to buy my usual jumbo bag for this evening, and I have to confess when I bought them on day 89, I felt a little bit dirty. I had not touched these chips in three months and now they represented everything I used to be. Before the PCP, I used to be able to polish off a bag of these in about ten minutes. What would happen to me on Day 90 when I ate them?

We popped the bag open alongside the rest of the food we ordered at Beer Garden and...

They were salty as hell and tasted like greasy nacho cheese soap. I ate about three.

However, when we left the restaurant, I took the still loaded bag with me thinking I might have more later. Doritos was an old friend. I couldn't just abandon them and the money I spent. But, as the night went on and I consumed pizza and a Starbucks Short Vanilla Frappuccino, I started to get a little woozy. At the end of this feast, a feast I would have thoroughly enjoyed prior to the PCP, I felt so ill that I looked at the bag of Doritoes in a plastic bag on my wrist and did something I have never ever done in my entire life. I threw a full bag of Doritoes in the train station garbage. I'm still having trouble believeing it myself, but there it is.

So, here I am at the top of the PCP mountain. Am I in peak condition? No. but I'm in far, far, far better health at 35 than I was at 30, and I now have the knowledge to keep improving my health for the rest of my life. I've lost a ton of weight, and I am no longer embarassed to look at myself in a mirror. I've got my life back in more ways than one, and it's wonderful. Fat Sean is forever dead and healthy Sean will live as long as God will let him. That's a promise.

The PCP is finished, but this blog won't be for a day or two yet. There is an Epilogue still to come and the matter of some pictures to wrap everything up. I hope you'll stay with me to the end.

I did it! I blogged every single day on the PCP. Way past cool.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 89: BANG!

2009-08-27T16:29:00.000-07:00

My god. Today was a mountain of a workout. It was like almost every exercise we've ever done came out of the PCP files to have one more go at us before the final day--and they were in supersets. But, at 6:00 am this morning, I got up and...

Let's do this! Com'on!

I got through it. There were some reduced reps in the last few sets, but otherwise everything went well. Even my J-ropes were great. But, boy, am I tired. Mentally, I'm wide okay, but--on top of the drain from yesterday's workout, my body feels like it's been in a wash machine. There was one more small victory today too. With help from something Patrick said yesterday, I think I've finally figured out how to deal with some of the pain that comes with working out, the pain that tries to get you to quit and makes you think you can't do one rep more. Don't take your mind off it. Dive right into it. Pain wants you to avoid it, that's how it wins. But, if you dive into it, take it head on, use it, you can get that little bit more out of your exercise before failure. I still have a long way to go before I perfect this technique, but I hope I'm on the right track.

More tomorrow--my last day on the PCP.

Sean

Day 88: The End--Not!

2009-08-27T06:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, here we go:

Weight: 83.2 kg (-0.6 kg) Well, my weight dropped again.

Body Fat: 18.8% (+0.2%) Body fat up???

Visceral Fat: 8.5% (-0%) No change???

Basal: 1849 (-12) Yeah!

Muscle Mass: 35.8% (-0.3) Huh???

Subcantaneous Fat: 12.1 (+0.1) What???

BMI: 24.7 (-0.1) Whatever.

Body Age: 39 (-0) What happened???

Today was to be my last visit to PAtrick's studio as a PCPer, but we have made plans for me to go on Saturday, my official last day on the PCP.

Now, to the stats above. This week I'm afraid I did not improve as much as I have in weeks past. Why, you ask? Well, the fact was I was pretty tired this week. I was back at work after a long holiday. my private lesson schedule got mixed around. I went to the Kawasaki Robot Festival which was fun, but really draining. And, the end result was tired body that, while healthy, just couldn't fight the fat battle as effectively this week. When you workout nearly 90 days straight as I have, sometimes your body just doesn't have the energy to make more muscle and process more fat. You plateau for a bit.

So, am I depressed? No way! The good news is if you keep working out after this point, you see dramatic results again very soon. And, since I am going to keep exercising well beyond the PCP, as well as visit Patrick's studio as a former PCP'er from time to time, I've still got many dramatic drops in fat and rises in muscle ahead of me. The battle to get healthy took three months, but the battle to stay healthy is never-ending. The good news is the PCP has definitely made this never-ending battle easier. Knowledge is power and the PCP has given more knowledge than I could have hoped.

I should also note that I turned 35-years-old last week, so that affected my stats a bit as well.

In other news, Patrick took my final pictures for the PCP today. Wait until you see those! They'll be up on here soon enough. Also, I had the honor of meeting Chen. Chen and Patrick are the two halves that make the PCP whole. Chen is a well-built encouraging man with a good soul, and a pretty baby daughter. It was an honor to meet him.

So, while today did feel a bit like my last day, I still have a couple of days to go, and I will have one more super-stat weigh in on my last day. Wish me luck.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 87: J-rope Juice: "Odoru Ponpokorin" with a little "Footsteps"

2009-08-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

As we count down to the last day, I'm looking for whatever I can get music-wise to give me a little more juice when I'm working out. A good song can take your mind off your pain and body and let you get through an exercise smoothly. Well, today, thanks to these two songs, I was able to J-rope and do the rest of exercises extremely well today.

First up, Odoru Ponpokorin:

Odoru Ponpokorin is from an animated series called Chibi-Maruko-Chan. And, don't let this wacky intro fool you, this show was and still is very popular in Japan. Based on the 5th top selling Shojo Manga of all time, this series depicts the simple, everyday life of a little girl nicknamed Maruko and her family in suburban mid-seventies Japan. The series is set in the former city of Shimizu, now part of Shizuoka City, birthplace of its author, Momoko Sakura.

Chibi Maruko-chan originally aired on Fuji Television. 142 episodes were broadcast, from January 1990 to September 1992. The series attained a TV viewer rating of 39.9%, the highest rating ever attained by an animated TV series in Japan at the time.

The theme song Odoru Ponpokorin became a hit and was interpreted by several artists including the Kinki Kids and Captain Jack.

I encountered this animated series early on in my arrival in Japan, and enjoy watching it (or just listening to the opening credits) whenever I happen to see it on TV. I've always found the song quite cheerful and uplifting and am happy to finally add it to my PCP soundtrack.

Next up, "Footsteps"

"Footsteps" is a song from City Hunter Season II. It is played whenever Ryo leaps into action. I watched an episode of City Hunter yesterday with my lunch, and I decided right then and there this song needed to be on my PCP soundtrack. Nothing like a liitle musical encouragement from my PCP hero as I fight to the finish.

Tomorrow, my last visit to Patrick's studio while on the PCP--Can you believe it?

Sean

Day 86: Super Sets!

2009-08-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Check out this super set!

Today marked the first day of Super sets. A Super set is where you alternate between two different exercises from set to set instead than completing all the sets in one exercise and going on to the other. And, I must say, I loved them. Oh, they were hell to complete, but they made my workout go so quickly compared to other days in the past. The Supersets kept me from extended rests and I really liked that. Also, the Supersets gave me more time to spend on the V-sits and Plank which called for failure instead of a set number this time out.

J-ropes were good today. There was still a little bit of trouble from the ol' left leg, but things are definitely getting better. I hope this improvement continues.

No big revalations or anything to report today. I'm just happy to be healthy and alive. And, sometimes that's all you need.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 85: Better Jumps, Dizzy Crunches, and Old Cravings

2009-08-23T17:42:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Well, it looks like the day of rest yesterday did the trick. My left leg was back in the game. It wasn't perfect, but there was a definite difference. Yes, much more success on the J-ropes today. Thank God. The J-rope, as it is the first exercise I do everyday, really sets the tone of my workout for the day. If the J-rope session sucks, the workout is harder. If the J-rope session is great, the workout is easier. Patrick has said the days when the workout is mentally difficult are often the days the workout does the most good for our body. While that may be true, it doesn't make the workout anymore enjoyable on these days--heh. ;-)

Now, while the J-ropes we far better than they have been in days, I had to cut my side cruches short today. I just kept getting dizzy. I think it might be from dehydration. You see, I have no water from the time I go to bed until my workout is finished (I'm usually sweating buckets by then, especially now in the peak of summer). I take no water so the water does not affect my ab workout, but if my dehydration theory is correct, I may have to take a little water after all. The V-sits were just fine, however.

In other news, My wife and son went on a small trip to see my wife's sister and her family, so it's just me and the PCP for the next few days. You know, I remember on some nights when I had the house to myself, I used to head over to Mcdonalds, get two Big Macs and an order of large fries, dump them all on one plate and eat myself silly. And, even now, here at the end of the PCP, I'd be lying if I said that did not sound really good. But, now there is a big place in my mind that also makes me think of the health level I would be trading for one night of Mickey-D's, how the fast food would quickly go to work to undo all the good I've done for myself. And then, the Big Macs and fries don't sound so good after all. In fact, the thought of eating all that fast food at one sitting actually fills me with a deep sense of dread.

"Care to join your old self for dinner tonight, Sean?"

Shudder.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 84: Unexpected Strength

2009-08-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I wanted to tell this story yesterday, but I didn't want anything to take away from my "Left leg" issue. And, yes, my left leg gave me trouble today. No pain, just no juice to jump rope--too tired and weak. So, I did most of my jumps on my right leg today to give my left leg a rest and things went much better. But, I digress.

The other day, the first of my two trains home from work was delayed for one reason or another, so I was late getting to my transfer point. As I walked towards my trasnfer station, I saw my connecting train was already there waiting. I checked my watch and there was only about a minute before it was about to leave and leave me standing at the station for another 30 minutes. So, I ran for it.

Got to get that train!

Now, prior to the PCP, running to catch my train in this situation would have left me gasping for air, sweating like a pig, and, more often than not, still without a train. But, to my suprise, I moved like a bat out of hell. I guess that's what happens when you lose weight equal to a small child in killograms, and you workout everyday. And, when I got to the station, I was breathing a little quicker, but that was it. Patrick said we would sometimes discover our new strength unexpectedly. I guess this was one of those times.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 83: My Left Leg.

2009-08-22T06:18:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Today, in order to attend the Kawasaki Robot festival, a super-cool event where people of all ages design battery-powered 3kg robots that resemble the offspring of insects and kitchen appliances and battle it out one on one, I got up at 4:30 A.M. to do my workout in the park. And, let me tell you, it was a whole new experience doing my workout from dark to sunrise. Of course, the fact I pretty tired from a busy day at work on Friday didn't help matters. However, I got through the workout with only a little trouble. And, the trouble came from my left leg.

My left leg is very weak these days when I jump rope. My right leg does just fine, but my left leg is almost dead weight and frequently trips me up. To see if this problem was just in my head, I did some one-leg jumps with my J-rope over the last couple of days, first with my right leg and then my left. My right leg was fine until it tired out. My left leg, however, could barely get itself off the ground from the start. In fact, there was one time I jumped and my left foot didn't even leave the ground--it was that weak, no pain, just no juice to jump. I think, with all the jump-rope, the weakness in my left leg, the weakness that started years ago when I broke my left leg by foolishly jumping off a snow hill--don't ask--has finally caught up with me.

Of course, I will do my J-ropes tomorrow--frequent left leg trips not withstanding, but I think I'm going to do my best just to sit on my ass for the rest of the day. My left leg needs a serious break.

Team, is anyone else feeling weakness in just one of their legs? Patrick, any thoughts? I'd appreciate some input (or comfort) here.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 82: A Superman Story

2009-08-20T17:43:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I have a little story for you, but first a couple of things about the workout today. Everything went fine until I got to the leg-lifts. Ever since my Day 74 visit to Patrick's studio,which included an intense session of the Creep exercise, the muscle pain in my upper legs has returned. It's muscle pain from exercise, nothing I can't handle, but it made for a moment of complete muscle failure today. I know the leg-lifts are a lower abdominal exercise, but the effort does creep into the legs after a while. And, right in the middle of my fourth set, my muscles failed. It wasn't painful. It just felt like my aching muscles suddenly unplugged from my brain, and I felt nothing but my legs drop. Everything was fine immediately afterward, but it was a rather funny sensation. I always thought muscle failure would hurt like hell. This was more like an off switch. The body works in mysterious ways sometimes.

Also, I completed the new 1:45 planks sets, all four of them, without a drop. Of course, there was an earthquake's worth of shaking and buckets of sweat, but I held on. My arms may not be houses of power, but my core sure seems to be--as of late anyway.

And now to my story....

When you enjoy the world of comics as I do, it is only natural to want to wear some of the T-shirts that come from that world. As such, I have a Superman T-shirt like the one above, and I enjoy wearing it, but as my weight grew and grew to where it was pre-PCP. I felt a certain degree of embarassment when wearing this shirt in public. I wore it less and less, save in the house where no one could see me and to movies which celebrated favorite comic characters of mine. I mean let's face it, when we take into account the healthy-looking guy this T-shirt represents, seeing it on a fat guy with a big spare-tire is just wrong. The fat guy might as well scratch the S-shield off and paint the words Super-Loser on in its place.

However, today with my new found health, I took my Superman T-shirt out of the closet and wore it this morning during my PCP workout out in the park for all to see. And, for the first time, I felt I was someone actually worthy to wear such a shirt in the public eye, not just because I am a fan of the character in question, but because I have become a Superman in my own way in body and in mind through this program. Am I at peak condition? No. I still have a ways to go, but for the first time in a long time, I actually feel and look pretty darn super.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 81: Just the stats, Ma'am.

2009-08-20T06:37:00.001-07:00

Hey all,

Well, another tough workout at Patrick's studio today, and then I got on the super scale. Here's what the latter had to say.

Weight: 83.2 kg (-0.4 kg)

Body Fat: 18.6% (-1.8%) Dropping like a stone!

Visceral Fat: 8.5% (-0.5%) Lowering my risk of cancer everyday!

Basal: 1861 (-22) I need less and less calories just to sit on my ass for a day. Ain't it great?

Muscle Mass: 36.1% (+1.2) Another round of super muscle growth, which accounts for my only slight weight loss this week. I'm exchanging fat for muscle, which will in turn burn more fat. Yeah!

Subcantaneous Fat: 12.0 (-1.1) Skin fat dropping too!

BMI: 24.8 (-0.2)

Body Age: 39 (-2 years) I went right past 40. Awesome!

Once again, another PCP victory week for me. And, with one week to go I may or may not make that 80 kg mark. I can only stick to my diet and hope. Of course, if I just keep building muscle and dropping fat, without really dropping my net weight, that's just fine too. It's the body fat percentage that needs to keep dropping and the muscle mass that needs to keep rising. If this is happening, the kgs don't matter so much.

WAY TO GO. SEAN!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 80: Um...Street Fighter Salsa?

2009-08-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Things are going well. I got a shower of compliments from some of my students who hadn't seen me in a while yesterday, which was nice. They were amazed at how thin I was and said I looked pretty handsome--always a nice thing to hear.

Today, I don't have anything particularly thought provoking to share, so I thought I would share a video I found a while back. Street Fighter Salsa Dancing! Another example of geekdom having fun and staying fit at the same time. Enjoy!

Love to my Family!
Love to the team!
Love to the readers--wish I had more for you today.

Patrick's studio and more tomorrow!

Sean

Day 79: A Plank Victory and a Call to Arms.

2009-08-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

One of the toughest exercises I've ever done.

Today's J-ropes were not very good, and the chest dips took a lot out of me, so my push-ups were mostly on my knees, but if there is one victory I'm extremely proud of today it is making it through all five of the 90 second planks today! I did it. I can't believe it. In the last plank set, my body was shaking like there was an earthquake going on inside me, but I held on and completed it. This is absolutely fantastic. I'm one happy planker.

However, now, I'm wondering why I'm having such a hard time putting muscle on my upper body--specifically my arms. Yes, I'm losing my gut and I'm so pleased with that--super pleased! But, now that I've been on the PCP for a while, I find myself looking beyond weight loss. I'm doing my exercises and eating more protien then ever before, but I feel I don't look any bigger arm and back muscle-wise. Is it my imaganation? Are the changes so gradual in my photo stream that I just don't see them? Is it genetic? My father was a star athelete, but never a "big" muscle-bound guy. Is it mental? I know I tend to give into weakness a bit more when it comes to exercises like the chest dips and push-ups. Hell, I still don't have the strength to do more than one or two pull-ups. I'm still doing inclined ones just to get some sense of acomplishment. Yeah, I know as I write this, I'm confusing back muscle performance with arm muscle performance, but one thing is for sure. When the PCP is over, I intend to continue working on my arms and back muscles until I see some kind of definitive change like I have with the rest of my body.

"It's times like this I wish my arms were bigger," thought Spider-man

And to think, a few months ago, just writing a post like this would have tired me out. ;-)

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 78: Know your Friend/Enemy

2009-08-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

My jump rope, "J-rope" for short. I love it, and I hate it. But, how well do I really know it? That's something I thought I would remedy today. So, I did some research on my good friend/enemy--the jump rope.

While many people associate jump roping with children on a playground, the fact is that jump rope history goes back to early human history. From the earliest days of rope jumping to today, the sport has evolved considerably and is now a competitive sport. Known as jump rope, skip rope, rope jumping, and skipping, the activity dates back to ancient civilizations.

The Egyptians used to jump over vines, aborigines jumped over bamboo, and paintings from the medieval period show images of children jumping hoops. Many people associate jump roping with girls' play, but history indicates that jump roping was originally a man's game.

No one knows the exact jump rope history. There are a number of versions of the sport's history. What is known, however, is that the practice originated a long time ago, and eventually traveled around the world to become a popular pastime, a favorite form of exercise, and a competitive sport.

The movement of jumping is a natural one. People jump for sport, fun, and even survival, such as jumping out of the way to avoid a bite from a dangerous animal. Most jump rope history researchers seem to agree that jump roping dates back to about 1600 B.C., when Egyptians used vines for jumping.

Some also date jump roping to ancient China; however, the Western versions probably originated from Egypt. What is known is that jump roping, in some form or another, spread through Europe to the Netherlands, and eventually to North America.

Early Dutch settlers were some of the first jump ropers in North America. Not surprisingly, one of the more popular jumping games is called 'Double Dutch.' In this game, two people hold two ropes and spin them in opposite directions. Jumpers then jump into and over both ropes.

In the early 1940s and 1950s, many children in inner cities used jumping rope as a form of play. It only required a rope, and anyone could play. From the late 1950s until the 1970s, however, jump rope history took a back seat to radio and television.

In the 1970s, an increased interest in physical fitness and overall health emerged. From programs promoting jump roping to keep kids from other unhealthy activities, to organized jump roping events made jump rope history evolve into a jump rope craze.

Since that time, jump roping has been recognized as a great way to get exercise. It is a fun activity, almost anyone can do it, and it requires very little equipment. Serious jumpers have developed a number of intricate jumping moves and combinations. All forms of jumping, from individual jumping to multi-person Double Dutch jumping, involves highly technical moves and amazing stunts.

Jump roping organizations and clubs can be found almost anywhere. Jump rope competitions are serious business, requiring specific timing and a high level of skill. With the ongoing interest in jump roping as an exercise option and as a sport, jump rope history may be a thing of the past.

You will Jump rope with me!

Well, now I know my jumprope a little better, but, somehow my relationship with it has stayed the same. Heh. One thing though, I'm never giving it up. I wouldn't dare give my jumprope the satisfaction.

Day 77: Spidey and the X-men vs. Smokin' and Doritos

2009-08-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

My wife went to her 20-year junior high school reunion, and I was on my own for the evening. So, I had a Spidey Night. I watched Spider-Man II and III back to back--good parts only, while munching on my PCP evening snack. In this case, some baby tomatoes and a glass of low-fat milk. Tasty. As I watched the movies, I was reminded of an episode from the old Spider-Man Animated series from the 1990's. In it, Spider-Man meets up with the Animated X-men from the 90's. All the proper voice actors were on deck, and it made for one sweet two-part episode. I found it and posted it below for anyone looking for a Spider-Man X-men fix at the same time.

Now, like I said, my wife went to her twenty-year junior high school reunion. The thing that suprised her the most at this event wasn't how much the people changed, but rather, how many people were smoking. One of the reunion participants brought their baby with them, so this poor child was exposed to the hazy smoke-filled room for several hours. Sigh. Smoking has a pretty good grip on Japan, because the cigarettes are very cheap, cheaper than the U.S. or Canada anyway. Also, from what I've been told, the cigarettes in Japan are not as strong as their North-American counterparts. Sigh, the things we do to our bodies in the name of insecurity. Of course, as we learned today in PCP education, abusing yourself with junky food full of High Fructose Corn Syrup and/or Partially Hydrogenated Oil (the latter made from unsaturated fat) is not much better.

On that note, submitted for your disapproval, the ingredients of my favorite pre-PCP snack:

Frito-Lay Nacho Cheese Doritos

Nutrition FactsServing Size 1 oz. (28g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 140 Calories from Fat 70

% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 12%
Trans Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 1.5g 7%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 180mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 17g 6%
Dietary Fiber 1g 6%
Sugars 1g

Protein 2g

• Vitamin A 0%
• Vitamin C 0%
• Calcium 2%
• Iron 2%

Ingredients: Whole corn, vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following: corn, soybean, and/or sunflower oil), salt, cheddar cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), maltodextrin, wheat flour, whey, monsodium glutamate, buttermilk solids, romano cheese from cow's milk (part-skim cow's milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), whey protein concentrate, onion powder, partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil, corn flour, disodium phosphate, lactose, natural and artificial flavor, dextrose, tomato powder, spices, lactic acid, artificial color (including yellow 6, yellow 5, red 40), citric acid, sugar, garlic powder, red and green bell peppe powder, sodium casinate, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, nonfat milk solids, whey protein isolate, and corn syrup solids. Also Contains milk and wheat ingredients.

I'm guessing here, but the partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil must be made from saturated fat instead of unsaturated fat, and therefore allows this snack to have "Trans Fat 0%" in it's nutrition facts.

Food for thought, if not for your body. Sigh, I guess I'm going to have to find a new favorite snack.

Anyway, here's that great Spider-Man/X-men two parter. Enjoy:

Part I: 1 0f 2

Part I: 2 of 2

Part II: 1 of 2

Part II: 2 of 2

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 76: The Final Golden Key

2009-08-14T05:07:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Talk about luck. My wife's sister's family came to visit us this weekend to celebrate my birthday, my nephew's birthday, an my wife's twin sisters' birthday--all of which fall in this month--and, of course, that meant a nice big Mokichi dinner in our future. From the day of our first indulgence, I hoped and hoped my final indulgence, my final golden key on the PCP, would show up in time.

It did! So, here is my super-duper final PCP indulgence, at Mokichi, of course.

First, a veggies, seafood, and ham plate!

Next, some chilled avacado soup! Man, I love avacadoes.

Next, another thinly-sliced ham and veggie dish, with cheese!

My first beer since I started the PCP.

Some fried onion wedges, some four-types of cheese pizza, and some fried chicken. There was also a piece of Margarita Pizza with this (not shown). Objects in the picture below are smaller than they appear. ;-)

Some nice mushroom cream sauce spaghetti.

And finally, a piece of baked cheese cake.

All this food was shared, I didn't eat a single whole plate of anything--save the cheesecake. That said, this was one sweet meal! I know we were supposed to have something we really loved, or used to love, but I just wanted to eat with my family without worry as we celebrated my nephew's birthday. Thanks PCP, great timing!

No, it's not my birthday yet--not until next week. This was just our early family celebration. However, when I started the PCP, I thought I would have to miss my family birthday dinner this year, or at least postphone it. But, I guess I got to have my cake and eat it too!

Being healthy rocks!

More tomorrow, Sean

Day 75: The Balsam Pear

2009-08-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

My workout today wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible either. My J-ropes were garbage, trip after trip after trip. So, I just did my best to embrace it and used it as a patience exercise. Yes, Day 75 and I still have a dubious relationship with my jumprope, but my knowledge of it's benefits on good days or bad days is what keeps me from giving up. All my other exercises went reasonably well, but I used my medium strength tension band all the way through instead of my heavy. I decided to take it easy today because my core was still feeling pretty beat from my workout at Patrick's studio yesterday. I should be back on top of my game tomorrow.

I tried a new vegetable today. A balsam pear, also known as the bittergourd or bitter melon. It looks like a cucumber with a serious case of ugly (a cucumber with a chronic case of goosebumps). It's bitter as heck, and a good source of Vitamin C, or so I'm told.

I ate it in small bits in a tofu salad and found myself asking why God seemed to go out of his way to make so many nutritious things that taste terrible as he did nutritious things that taste good. It's things like the Balsam pear that make me absolutely sure God has a sense of humor.

Heh, now that I thnk of it, the Balsam pear would be a great prop to bring into a boy's sex education class. Hold a few of them up infront of a bunch of teenage boys and say. Have sex without protection and this will happen to you!

DUN! DUN! DUN!!!!

HA! That's it. I'm done.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 74: Another Bunch of FAT gone!

2009-08-13T01:10:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Well, here we are again. I spent the day with Patrick, which included another one of his awesome workouts, and here's what I have to show for it. I'm so close to my new target of 80 kgs.

Weight: 83.6 kg (-1.7 kg)

Body Fat: 20.4% (-0%) This "0" still means I lost fat, it's just this percent is relative to muscle gain.

Visceral Fat: 9.0% (-0%) As above.

Basal: 1883 (-30)

Muscle Mass: 34.9% (+0.2) Again, it's all relative.

Subcantaneous Fat: 13.1 (-0.1)

BMI: 25.0 (-0.5)

Body Age: 41 (-1 year) Man, I've never been so excited about the possibility of turning 40!

After the workout, Patrick and I threw down in a little Street Fighter IV, and later his fiance Kazue joined us for a little 3-player Bomberman, all on Patrick's X-box. It was a real good time! And, of course, I got to try some of Patrick's Mexican cooking, which, of course, ruled. I have rarely been treated to such wonderful hospitality.

I'm absolutely thrilled with my new stats today, and all these numbers make me want to push that much harder to the finish line, which I can't believe is only two weeks away. Patrick even asked me today where I would like to go for my day 90 party. I'm that close to the end.

Wow.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 73: Friends, Fellow PCPers, Geeks! Lend me your Ears!

2009-08-11T21:03:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

My heart was not in my workout today. I got up and got right to it, but it took a bit to get from set to set and exercise to exercise. I was still stiff after 10 minutes of stretching, and J-ropes were a hodge podge--probably more trips than reps. heh. I did all I had to do at the park and went home. In fact, that's been my feeling for most of the day. I just wanna curl up in a ball and do nothing. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, there will be days on the PCP that suck. But, that's part of the fun.

Why do I have these days? I really don't like them. Aw heck, I probably just need a nap. A nap is the best thing to do when you feel like a whiny five-year-old.

But, before I nap, I want to write a couple of things.

First, thanks to everyone who has been reading and has commented on this blog from my trainer Patrick and teammates, my family, and friends, right down to any stranger who happened upon it accidentally in a web search. I mean it. Having an audience, at least in the blog sense of the word, has been really helpful in keeping me on track. I'm not done the PCP, of course, but having you all around sure has made things easier.

Next, I want to reiterate something I hope has been evident throughout my entire blog. If you came to my blog expecting health insights and PCP secrets, you've got the wrong guy. I'm a fanboy (an otaku?). I love animation. I love comics. I love video games. I love to play pencil and paper RPG's. I would prefer the latest Street Fighter IV soundtrack to the latest hit song. I think The Dark Knight is a zillion times better than Slum Dog Millionaire, and so on. You get the idea. However, a person can still love all these things and still be healthy. Just becuase alot of my hobbies have me sitting down, doesn't mean I can't be healthy. I have a job, a family, and I'm still out there busting my ass with my jumprope and tension bands, and doing my best to stick to my diet. Why? Not because I want to play any sports, or kick anyone's ass at something. Who needs that? I'm doing the PCP because I want to live longer and enjoy the things I love longer, especially my family. For the longest time, I sat on my ass, enjoyed my unhealthy food in large quantities and look where it got me--pneumonia road. Readers out there who have yet to take care of their health, don't let what happened to me happen to you. Don't lose everything you have because of your own slothfulness. We think we can't change, but we can! I'm proof.

A funny thing. I have a person very close to me who is overweight. We talked about the PCP and he stopped taking as soon as he heard about the amount of money it costs to join. And, of course, when I first talked to Patrick, the price made me think twice too. But, look at me now. And, if I hadn't spent the money on the PCP, I'd be spending the the same amount and more, albeit more slowly, on overeating, allergy medication, pneumonia medication and eventually, but much sooner than planned, this:

I had to pay alot of money over time to get my fat ass. Is it any wonder I had to pay some significant coin up front to get rid of it? You get what you give. Besides, the cost helps lock you into completing the PCP. If you don't you waste the money. That can be a big motivator for some people!

I'll tell you right now, and you can take this to the bank, the PCP beats the hell out of any gym I've ever been a member of.

Anyway, what started out as something perhaps thoughtful, has turned into a rant. So, I'm done here. Just remember, If you're fat, and you don't get off your own ass and find a way to fix it. You're going to have no one to blame, but yourself when they bring that extra wide coffin to bury you. Don't wait to get sick like I did. I'm just damn lucky, when I joined the PCP, I wasn't too late. Morbid, but true.

Oh, by the way, I went for a walk with my three year-old son today, and we stopped for a snack on the way home. No more donuts or small packs of cookies for us. We shared two egg whites and a low fat strawberry yogurt. And, you know what? He loved it, and our little snack time together was just as nice. I'm through ignorantly putting junk into my son's system. I loved myself enough to get on the PCP, and I love my son even more. So isn't it logical to take extra special care of him too? Don't worry, I'm not gonna cramp his style and be some kind of food nazi. After all, he hasn't lived until he's tried my mom's cooking!! But, I'm definitely going to make sure he's as health savy as I am as he grows up, not to mention a kick-ass jump-roper in his free time. ;-)

And, one more thing (the last one, I promise), my mother-in-law got a package in the mail today that weighed 10kgs. I went over and picked it up and it was pretty heavy. Then it occurred to me. Prior to the PCP, I was carrying that much extra weight on my body and more. Scary!

Patrick's studio tomorrow!

Yawn.

I'm going to go nap now.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 72: Rain, Earthquakes, RPG's, and Bionic Six

2009-08-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Today it rained even more than yesterday. My park was practiclly a swamp. So, I had to spilt my workout between inside the house and at the park, and I had to do the exercises somewhat out of order. Plus, I felt kinda tired today so my workout was a bit slow. On the plus side, the J-ropes are still going fine. Although, I did give myself a good wack on the back of the neck during one of my speed bursts. Ouch.

We had an earthquake yesterday and again today. They were three and four respectively on the "shindo" scale. The Shindo scale is commonly used in Japan rather than the Richter scale. Shindo refers to the intensity of an earthquake at a given location, i.e. what people actually feel at a given location, while the Richter scale measures the magnitude of an earthquake, i.e. the energy an earthquake releases at the epicenter.
The shindo scale ranges from shindo one, a slight earthquake felt only by people who are not moving, to shindo seven, a severe earthquake. Shindo two to four are still minor earthquakes that do not cause damage, while objects start to fall at shindo five, and heavier damage occurs at shindo six and seven. So, there you go.

And, here's something else. Possibly starting in October, I will be helping to found the Shonan Gaming Group. It's a few other people and myself who will get together one Sunday a month for things like Dungeons and Dragons, other RPG's, and games. I hope it works out. I was a pencil and paper RPG player for several years. I loved pencil and paper RPG's because they were a step beyond just reading a story. You were actually in it, and anything was possible. And, of course, it was a way to get all my friends in one room, which was beyond awesome. So, it would be nice to touch base with it again, for old times sake, even if it will be with different people.

Finally, last night as I was surfing, I stubled upon a couple of episodes of an old show I used to like. It's called Bionic six. It's kind of like if your everyday family situation comedy combined with the Six Million dollar man and animated.

Here a couple of short cool videos to give you and idea of what I'm talking about.

First, the Bionic Six intro--one of the coolest theme songs from the 80's:

And last, the Bionic Six team transformation sequence:

Cool.

See, you can enjoy all this stuff and still be fit!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 71: Rain, Billy's Boot Camp Abs, and Jumping like the Wind!

2009-08-09T17:20:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Japan's rainy season was out in full force today as I went outside to my park to do my exercises. I managed to get through everything, save abs exercises outside, so I came inside and finished up. Then, I still had some power left, so I decided to join my wife in a session of Billy's Bootcamp Abs. I did this workout prior to the PCP and it was pretty hard then. So, I was curious on how well I could do it now, expecially after my full PCP workout for the day. I'm pleased to say it went very smoothly. It made me smile.

Also, today, my J-ropes were a thing of beauty. Sure, there were still trip-ups as I reached failure in my arms or legs, but up until then I was going at super-speed. Lately, I've been trying to go as fast as possible for as long as possible when I do my J-ropes. I can do a little bit of one-foot J-roping (more on my right foot than my left), but. personally, I don't find hopping as impressive as someone who can go really really fast. To what do I owe this J-rope success after having so much trouble not so long ago? Well, I shortened my rope a bit. I find this hillarious considering the shortness of my rope was my top complaint back around week 1 and 2, but the shorter length really forces me to use my wrists and makes me feel a little less crooked. Am I right? I don't know. But, it's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 70: Are Unhealthy Eaters Ugly?

2009-08-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

Lately, as I work my way through the PCP, I find myself doing health related web-searches from time to time. Here's a post I stumbled upon as I did so.

Are Unhealthy Eaters Ugly?

You walk into a room. You see two people eating. One is consuming a large greasy pie, the other a small salad. What are your first impressions of these people?

New research concludes that unhealthy eaters are viewed as "less physically attractive, less warm, less intelligent and less studious" than healthy eaters.

On the flip-side, fast food eaters are perceived as easygoing and more sociable.

In one study, test subjects were presented with a single sentence describing a person who ate oatmeal for breakfast and another person who had a slice of pie instead.

Researchers determined that "oatmeal eaters were perceived as being more physically attractive, more intelligent, more responsible and more moral, but also less humorous and more boring than pie eaters."

Other Perceptions
More feminine: those who eat “healthy” foods and smaller meals.

More masculine: those who eat “unhealthy” foods and larger meals.

People who are thrust into a conversation with a "desirable" member of the opposite sex are less likely to snack on candy or peanuts than people who are speaking with an "undesirable" member of the opposite sex.

Just something I found. Thoughts? Comments? Emotions?

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 69: Another Smooth Day

2009-08-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I got up and started my workout before 6:00 A.M. today, and, save the J-ropes, everything went pretty smoothly. I swear, ever since I hurt my shoulder while back, I feel like the tower of Piza when I'm J-roping--all off center. However, I am battling back. Since I'm off all this week, I added a good twenty minutes of stretching to help myself out. It makes the J-rops go a little smoother than if I don't bother to stretch.

Anyone want a piece of Pisa?

Now, I'm going to spend some time with my son.

Look for more tomorrow,

Sean

Day 68: Mega-Extreme Star-powered Ways

2009-08-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Today's workout was enjoyable. Sure, the J-ropes were hodge-podgy, but everything else seemed to go so smoothly, and I was in the right frame of mind. I was still feeling worked from Patrick's studio yesterday, but it didn't seem to drown out the star-power (as I call it) inside me.

Star Power Activated!

I particularly enjoyed the elevated push-ups today, not because I was able to complete a full set of them, but rather they made the regular knees- off-the-ground push-ups seem easier. So, I did as many of the elevated and standard push-ups I could until my muscles failed. And, just as I was about to collapse from my last set, the song below from my PCP soundtrack popped up in my I-pod shuffle sequence and gave me the boost I needed to do a couple more. I didn't finish all the reps, but I'll take what I can get. The song is the intro song from Sega Saturn's Megaman 8. I really like it. Enjoy

Of course, the last exercise of the day was the 90 second plank. So, to help me get through them, I...well...sang. Another song from my PCP soundtrack, Extreme Ways by Moby (from the Bourne Identity Soundtrack) popped up and I sang along to keep my mind off the muscle pain. It worked pretty well. And, no, there was no one else in the park as I did my little sing along. If there was, I probably wouldn't have done it. Then again, maybe I would. Perhaps singing would keep the dog walkers that pass through the park from trying to talk to me in the middle of my workout and make me lose count. Heh.

All in all, a good rockin' workout on the PCP!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 67: The Groom has Returned!

2009-08-06T06:20:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

I went to Patrick's studio this morning for my workout, and we managed to get everything done in an hour. One of the great things about working out with Patrick is he never lets you rest too long. And now, for the super stats. Please note my weight difference is compared to my number one week ago on Day 60 whereas my other stats are compared to my numbers from the last day I visited Patrick's studio, Day 53

Weight: 85.3 kg (-2 kg) lost in 1 weeks time

Body Fat: 20.4% (-3.3%) lost in 2 weeks time

Visceral Fat: 9.5% (-1%) lost in 2 weeks time

Basal: 1883 (-44) lost in 2 weeks time

Muscle Mass: 35.1% (+0.7) gained in 2 weeks time

Subcantaneous Fat: 13.2 (-1.2) lost in 2 weeks time

BMI: 25.5 (-1) lost in 2 weeks time

Body Age: 42 (-2 years) lost in 2 weeks time.

So, I've lost over ten killograms and over ten years! I have now officially passed my wedding weight of 86.0 kgs by a whole 0.7 kgs. Any weight loss from this point to the end of the PCP is bonus. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm going to take it easy. I'm going to be pushing hard all the way to the finish line! Man, I can't believe I did it. I thought I'd never see a number this low on a scale again. And I still have three weeks to go. Isn't it great?

Look! My pants don't fit me anymore!

The PCP: fitness and education to help maintain that fitness, with more yet to come. Best money I ever spent.

More tomorrow!

Sean

Day 66: The Bicycle from Hell

2009-08-04T17:41:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

I got to my workout a little earlier today and tried my best to really work my muscles. The tricep dip was particularly difficult in the last two sets, but I managed to do at least 9-10 in these last sets if not the full 14.

In accordance with some advice given to me by a person who has completed the PCP, through my whole workout I'm trying my best to only think of the exercise I'm doing at the time and not the next one to come. This makes my workout a little less stressful and feel shorter.

Also, I'm slowly coming to terms with muscle failure and trying not to take the fact I can't always hit the max numbers on the sets as a negative. I understand now these high numbers of sets we are doing lately are meant to produce muscle failure. The exercise is about pushing muscles to their limit, not necesarrily doing every single rep.

Now, this all said. My bicycle exercise was, as Bryan my fellow PCPer said in a recent post, fail-tastic. The whole exercise was a big start-stop-start-stop extravaganza. In the last few weeks we've been pushing our legs so hard, I don't think my legs have ever felt completely rested in this time. And, they definitely weren't there for me today. To be more precise, it was holding my legs up in order to do the bicyle that was the most difficult. Oh well. I'll just keep at it. Tomorrow, I'm off to Patrick's yoga studio for my workout. I'm looking forward to it.

In the meantime, here's another song from my PCP soundtrack. It's the intro to a very popular Japanese anime called Death Note. It's pretty rockin'. Enjoy!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 65: The Road not Taken

2009-08-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Today, I was thinking about why I never had much interest in sports in school. I mean, there I was surrouned by a variety of athletics and nothing grabbed me. I even had a father who was a star athelete in school. And yet, I took the road of chess, gaming, and yes, even the library club.

I didn't even quite qualify for nerd because I wasn't particularly exceptional at science or a great piano player or something like that. Sure, I could read by the time I was three, but the rest of the world catches up, well most of them anyway.

I'm not being down on myself. I like who I am. I'm just trying to figure out why I'm on the road I'm on in relation to sports. Even now, I find very little pleasure in watching professional sports and think many of the athletes could be doing something better with their time and the world could be doing something better with it's money. But, I know with these thoughts I'm not being fair to professional sports which has brought much joy and challenge into people's lives.

I used to think it was the people that drove me away from sports, but I'm not so sure. One thing I do know, It was impossible to find a jock at my school that wasn't a jerk--at least to me. Jock... Jerk... perhaps it's not a coincidence these two words are spelled so similalrly. But, of course, looking at the other side, I did things--whatever they were, perhaps it was simply existing--that made these jocks uncomfortable. So, they lashed out. And of course, it might have been the crap in their own lives that made them jerks so they would be jerks to anyone regardless of who they were. There are so many variables to consider.

Now, here I am doing the PCP. It's not sports. It's not competitive--except with myself. And I find it worthwhile, challenging and absolute hell sometimes, but worthwhile. Perhaps it's because my goal isn't to score points, but to improve myself so I get more of the thing I love so much--time to do the things I love.

Sorry, this is a bit or a ramble that goes nowhere, but, like I said, I'm still figuring it out. The PCP has brought this to the surface and I'm wondering if, by not embracing sports, I'm missing something. Maybe, maybe not. I don't know. I'm still thinking. One thing, I do know for sure. Back in highschool, I might have welcomesd the invitation to play a sport for fun, now, I'm not so sure I would. I just want to be healthy. I don't need to put myself in a place where I can get injured. I have a family to think of. Hmmm. I have a friend who plays pretty serious American football with no salary here in Japan. He recently got married. I wonder if he will give up the sport he loves when he has a family to consider. The other side of the coin I'm examining perhaps?

Funny where the mind goes when you're web-swinging...er...I mean exercising.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 64: Long Workout and Dead Fantasy 3

2009-08-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Okay, first, let me set something straight. I over did it on the jumpropes yeserday. My mind told me 5 min. x 5 sets, but it was actually 5 min. x 3 sets. So, I went overboard on the J-ropes yesterday, but no matter. I enjoyed the extra.

Now, that said, today's work out took a long time--almost two hours. This is because I have to keep fighting with myself to get moving between sets. I use a timer, but there is still some arguing between mind and body. Why is does it seem to be a universal truth that we have to fight with ourselves to do what's good for ourselves? All this exercise, all this good food, makes our body stronger and healthier, right? So, why do our body's and minds put up such resistance? It boggles the mind. On the plus side, I got back on my horse with the floor jumps since last time and completed them all today.

Also, I'm starting to realize the wisdom in the small dinners we eat on the PCP. This week I'm down to pretty much a banana and milk, but I know now that that's really all I need. I mean, com'on. How much do we actually do in the evening? Most people after a big dinner just sit and watch TV, then go to bed. No way do you need a full course meal to accomplish that. Now, if you were going to go out and shovel snow like my father does some nights in the winter, a little more food before heading out would be a good idea, but with my writing evenings, I just need enough food to keep my mind clear, that's it. Also, I find I'm not as hot during these Japan summer evenings because I'm not eating so much before bed. Cool--literally.

Now, something I know I have been looking forward too. Dead Fantasy 3, by Monty Oum. See my Day 2 post for parts 1 and 2. Enjoy.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 63 Driving through the J-ropes

2009-08-01T16:18:00.000-07:00

Hey Team and Readers,

I tried something different today to ease my J-rope stress. Instead of sets, I just set my timer for thirty minutes and jumped flat out. The exercise today actually only required only twenty-five minutes of jumping. (5 min x 5 sets), but I kicked the time up another five minutes because I felt pretty good today and to compensate for any brief breaks I would take after tripping or just getting tired. Then, I did my best to ignore the timer until it beeped and told me time was up. I think this method is the closest I'm going to get to zoning out while jumping rope. The best thing about this method was it saved time because I didn't have to fight with myself to get started again between sets. The clock kept the pressure on me to get moving.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 62: Mind vs.Stomach and Leaving Medicine Behind.

2009-07-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Something interesting happened to me today. After my morning workout, I was filled with a craving for greasy pizza. Of course, I didn't have any and went straight for my PCP breakfast, but the craving stayed. Of course, in the past, when I had a craving, I just went and satisfied it or planned to satisfy it sometime during the day, and did so. But, now, after I finished my PCP breakfast, I was so full that my stomach and mind were in conflict. My mind said, "I want pizza." My stomach said, "Hell, no! You put anything more in here and I'll blow apart, I promise you!" And, of course, the part of my brain that is pro-PCP was busy reminding me of what would happen to me if I ate greasy pizza.

It was so wierd. Pre-PCP, when my mind craved something, my stomach did not even require consideration. I just ate the junk food and that was that. But now, well, it's like a part of my mind hasn't realized I'm not a big junk eater anymore. I had to spend some time telling the craving part of my mind that this isn't how we do things in Sean-land anymore, and I have the stomach and body now to prove it.

The craving for pizza persists as I write this, but my stomach and pro-PCP mind still say no. Man, what a wacky feeling.

In other news, since my health has improved I've been working to get off my allergy and post-pneumonia medication. I had a word with my doctor today, and he said if my condition is as good as it was today, I can stop the post-pneumonia medication. As for my allergy medicine, I've ceased appointments with my doctor, and use the remaining medicine I have only if I really need it. And, I haven't needed it for quite some time.

Pre-PCP, when my allegies ran wild hindered only by medication. The most annoying part of it all, besides the sneezing and runny nose, was my sinuses draining into my throat. This draining resulted in me clearing my throat every thirty seconds or less. It happened so much, I just got used to it. And, while I eventually just did it without noticing, it sure bothered the people around me. However, a couple of weeks ago, my father and I were talking on the phone and he commented I hadn't clearned my throat much at all during our conversation. I was shocked.

I still get a bit of an allergic reaction when the sun comes out after a rainy day and all the flowers get happy, but nowhere near what I used to experience.

So, there are lots of great things happening on the PCP, but I just wish the cravings for junky foods would quit for good. Post PCP, I want to eat fun food for fun and the decision to eat it to be completely my choice, not because my mind thinks I need it to feel good.

As for medicine, while I'm beyond grateful it exists, post-PCP, I hope to do without it for as long as I can.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 61: Home Sweet Home

2009-07-31T00:53:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

The rest of my company's English camp was a success. However, if there is one thing I would wish for it would be a volume control remote for my students on the last day. They get noisy as all heck and it can grate on the nerves a little. Other then that, the camp was alot of fun. I'll maybe talk about the camp in more detail down the road, we'll see, but, right now, I'm just happy to be home where I can get back to normal on the PCP, rest, and be with my family.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 60 Come’on, It’s only Once a Year.

2009-07-31T00:51:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Well, as I knew would happen when I worked at my company’s English camp, today, my PCP diet got really messed up. For our first dinner, we went to a Chinese restaurant where we had a pre-ordered course meal. So, I ended up eating Ramen with two geoza. Fortunately, there were a lot of veggies in the Ramen, but a lot of oil too. Not exactly the apple, banana and milk I’m supposed to have.

The next day, I got to my PCP workout, and all went fine. I could even jump rope in my big room. However, when I was doing my shoulder-flies, my band came loose from the door and smacked me just above my boys leaving a nice read mark. Sweat shorts aren’t much for protection when a tension band is looking to smack you.

Breakfast after my workout was doable, since we ate at a buffet, but I had to have sausage for my meat ration. I also piled on the scrambled eggs because there was no way I was going to be able to get any of my seven egg whites today except that way. Oh, and I really wanted some greasy hash-browns, but I didn’t touch them. And, my bosses were surprised at how little I ate at breakfast compared to the camp last year. Score!

At lunch time, we went to Wendy’s. So, I just ordered two Caesar salads with no dressing and had some water to drink. My bosses couldn’t believe it.

For dinner, we went to Sizzler. No Apple and Banana there. So, I settled for some pineapple…with a bit of soft cream ice cream on top… after I ate two small veggie-meat burritos and some corn chips with salsa. Yeah, I know. I can hear you all gasping, but I decided to take these hits because I really wanted to have them. I only go to Sizzler once a year, and it’s during this camp, so it was truly a treat. Also, I left Sizzler hungry, and I absolutely did not pig out. A definite first for me.

We’ll see what tomorrow brings,

Sean

Day 59: Almost there, and off to Camp.

2009-07-28T18:51:00.000-07:00

Due to a very tight schedule with an English camp that starts today, and my only chance to watch my son at swimming school, I was unable to go to Patrick's Yoga studio today for my workout and super-scale stats. I do, however, have my new weight: 86.5 kg (-00.8)

Only a little more to go, and I'm officially at my wedding weight. It looks like I'm going to make it. I blame the slow weight loss on having a bit of a downer week (see last post).

Well, I'm off to my English camp for the next couple of days. I'l be teaching nine kids intensive English while spending my nights in the luxurious Yokohama Panpacific Hotel. Woo-hoo! I'll be writing my blog entires on my laptop computer and will post them all when I return in a couple of days.

More ASAP,

Sean

Day 58: FWAAABOOOOOM!

2009-07-27T17:10:00.000-07:00

There, I feel better. Boy, venting on the blog yesterday really helped me get through a rough patch. I had a tough day at work the Monday before last, and it set me on another downward spiral. I'm glad it's over with, for the most part.

My workout was good today, even the J-ropes seemed to want to play along. There were trips of course, but I handled it. Sometimes you just need to let off some steam or, in my case, some hot scorching lava.

Now for a tidbit from Patrick's e-mail today, I found rather inspiring:

Do not worry at all about looking cool. This kind of training will have you gnashing your teeth and screaming at times, even though you're just moving a few inches. That's ok. That means you're really working. Don't be shy about it. A cool dude pumping iron without breaking a sweat isn't doing anything. At the end of the day you're the cool one!

Nice eh? It's funny how Patrick's e-mails almost always tell me what I need to hear.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 57: A New Low

2009-07-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

Today was hell. There's just no other way to describe it. I had trouble getting out of bed and the thought of working out made me want to stay there. My subconscious joined in and made me forget things like my timer and key, so I had to go back when I got half way to my park.

Once I got started on my workout, my J-ropes were garbage. 5 jumps--trip, 29 jumps--trip, 2 jumps--trip. It was sixteen minutes of patience-challenging hell. Twice I came close to snapping my jumprope in two. I would have hated myself afterwards, but boy it would have felt good to do so.

I had to claw my way through my lunges and pistol squats, and after them I was going to do my floor jumps, but a bunch of junior highschool boys had gathered in the park then and the thought of being embarassed jumping in front of them won out for the first time ever...Grrrr! I skipped the exercise. I tried to go back to them later, but after seven jumps I threw in the towel. I managed to get through everything else, but, god, it was horrible. I felt like my adult self was trying to drag my whinning crying kicking screaming junk food addicted, couch-potato inner child self through a busy shopping mall and everyone was staring at me and laughing. I absolutely hated my workout today.

Replace "go to school" with "exercise"

Well, you can't win 'em all, and I'm glad I have this blog to vent. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.

Sigh...

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 56: Mortal Kombat vs. Street Fighter!

2009-07-25T17:25:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I got to the J-ropes right away this morning, and I had some smooth patches in the hodge podge, but they was not as smooth as i would have liked. I have yet to be able to zone-out as I jump. The second I do, I trip. Sigh. It seems I'm back in a love hate relationship with my jump rope, but I just keep reminding myself how much better I am from when I started.

And now, because I'm totally out of stuff to talk about, Ryu vs.Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat at it's finest! This one's for you Shelby. Enjoy the story! Enjoy the fight! Oh, and while I don't agree with the Ryu Sakura pairing. If it helps, Ryu is only nine years older than Sakura.

And the sequel!!!!!

And now, Ken & Chun-li vs. Raiden!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 55: A Gentle Rain

2009-07-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

My workout went okay today for the most part. My J-ropes were hodge-podge again. I just couldn't straighten myselfself out, even after a good stretch. Of course, I have to keep in mind I get up and go straight to my workout, so I begin my stretching and jumpropes in a bit of a zombie state and every muscle is a bit stiff. My workout did have a nice little ending though. As I began my third set of Sit-ups (the last exercise on the workout sheet today) a very gentle rain began to fall. It gave me the little cool down I needed to finish up. Sweet.

In other news, today I thought about a couple of things I really love about the PCP. First, I love the fact we don't need to go to the gym. I've been to the gym a number of times and, to be honest, I didn't enjoy it very much, except of course when I went with my good friend. I love my park. And, I love that the only weight we work with is our own body weight. In terms of fitness, I've always thought a man needs to be able to lift himself before he starts lifting anything else.

And now, the next one of Patrick's questions:

Why do you steam vegetables? They taste yummier if you fry them in a pan!

What the hell are you talking about? I don't steam anything. I eat my veggies raw. And, I'm not about to start frying them either--at least while I'm on the PCP. When you cook something, particularly veggies, they start to lose their nutrients. So, if you really want to get top nutrition from your veggies keep them as far away from cooking heat as you can. Oh, and if you're worried about taste, a little low callorie dressing can help with that.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 54: Exercise Victories and Indulgenge #2

2009-07-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I woke up this morning with a star in my spirit. You know, that little something extra that tells you can work a little harder today than you have before and still feel good afterwards? Anyway, with this little bit of joy inside, I headed out into the rain to begin my workout.

Today, my J-ropes were...wait for it... AWESOME! Why? Because, I stretched! Ever since my shoulder trouble a while back, my left trapezius muscle has been extra stiff in the morning. So, I spent the first five minutes of my workout stretching my trapezius muscles and my calves to see if the stretching would make a difference. Boy, did it ever. I was blasting through my sets today. Now, of course, my sets aren't perfect. There are still trip-ups. So, I've added an additional 30 seconds to all my J-rope sets to make up for these trip-ups (and moments when I need to catch my breath). This way, I make sure I get my full three minutes jumping--give or take.

Also today, I did two and a half sets of standard push-ups! Do you hear me? No knees on the ground! What a victory. I finsished 25 push-ups with no knees on the ground! WOW! Yipee! I'm so pleased. The rest I wrapped up on my knees, but this is definitely the start of something better.

The last exercise on the list today was The Plank, but by the time I got to it, it was raining pretty hard, so I went in the house to finish up. Do you have any idea how much harder the plank is to do with my three year old son crawling under me and then climbing on my back and laughing? I was laughing too, which didn't help matters. Heh, what a good time.

And now, to indulgence #2.

Again, I stayed awy from the junkfood I've loved over the years. Instead, I joined my wife, son and mother in law for an Italian course-lunch at our favorite Itallian restaurant, Mokichi--which, incidentally is a five minute walk from my house.

First up on the menu was a seafood salad with an oil-based dressing. It was pretty tasty, but something interesting happened when I finished. I reached for my bread intending to mop up the dressing with it, but I remembered my oil-trouble when I ate geoza a while back and stopped. I left the dressing alone on the plate and just ate my bread. That's a definite first for a sauce/dressing lover like me.

Next up was a fire-baked, thin-crust, pumpkin, eggplant, tomato pizza. This was devine, and a pretty far cry from the large thick crust pepperoni and double cheese pizzas I used to eat. This pizza was oily too, but wow what a tasty main course.

Dessert was a small piece of fruit cake with a touch of whipped cream and a cup of panacota (sp?) pudding, both were subtly sweet and tasty.

My beverages were iced tea and water.

A tasty indulgence indeed, but not as junky as one would expect. As for side effects, I had some of the runny shits afterwards, and was a bit tired, but that's all. To my suprise, I wasn't sweating oil in my workout this morning as I thought I would be considering my geoza experience. And, after consuming this feast, my weight only jumped up 00.1 of a kg, so that was nice too.

Now, as a contrast, I offer the Mokichi kids plate. This was the meal my son had. Note his hand in the picture. On the plate, there is one fried breaded shrimp, french fry wedges, a salad with a dressing my son doesn't like (so he gave the salad to me). Two korokes full of potato and some mystery meat, a sausage, and some ketchup-white rice. I felt weird watching my son eat this. Before the PCP, I wouldn't have given it a second thought, but now, for some reason , I felt a bit guilty. Why am I letting all this fried food and oil go into my son's system? Why does Mokichi offer such a dish to children? Kai eats very healthy food at home, but this Mokichi meal made me think. Team, any thoughts?

Well, that's all for today.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 53: A little more Weight Gone.

2009-07-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I've been doing my best to do my workouts before breakfast in the morning, and today was no exception. Unfortunately, since Patrick was out of his studio today, I had to settle for my house scale. So, my new weight is: 87.3 kg (-1.3). Another drop, WoooHooo! Once I reach the 86.0 mark, everything from there will be bonus.

J-ropes were a little hodgepodge on the third and fourth sets. Sometimes, I get in my groove. Other times, I'm crooked.

I look like a tired old man trying to be a Rockette when I'm doing the pistol squats. I still can't get back up without two hands on my support bar. And, it's a challenge to keep my foot perpendicular with the bar. Oi!

They make it look so easy.

And, again, the side crunches gave me trouble. I got dizzy after a couple of sets. So, I wrapped-up my workout when I couldn't stand it anymore. Thank goodness the side-crunches are the last exercise on the list.

I'm going out for Itallian food this afternoon. My second indulgence. I'll give a full report in my next blog entry.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 52: Rained Out, Sorta

2009-07-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I remember one of my students telling me her husband bought a telescope because he wanted to see the eclipse today. Well, I think he's out of luck because there sure are alot of clouds in the way, not to mention a bunch of rain.

I got up this morning and headed right outside into the pouring rain to get my work out done. There's a small gazeebo/bench in my park, so it gave me some cover during my J-rope and tension band exercises. However, my pull-ups were almost a washout. I had to settle for sets of inclined pull-ups on the side of the drinking fountain at the end of my workout. The area where I usually do my pull-ups was flooded with ankle deep water, so I was kind of out of luck. Currently, I have no where to do my Kung-fu pull-ups, so I've been doing extra sets of push-ups and inclined pull-ups in their place. I've talked with my family regarding a portable pull-up bar, but they fear the house doorways wouldn't be able to take it. So, I do what I can outside. In short, inclined pull-ups.

Here's a good question. A while back, Patrick sent us an e-mail which told us what exercises we could do in place of the J-ropes if necessary. What about the pull ups? Is there an exercise that can take their place? Anyone know? Everone's life is different, we can't always accomodate everything. If my family was more pro-fitness, perhaps they would take more chances and reap the rewards of things like pull-up bars, but, for now, I'll just have to make do with the ol' incline pull-ups.

Okay, now on to Patrick's third e-mail question.

Why don't you eat more spaghetti at dinner? Why so many veggies?

The callories from veggies are easier to burn than the callories from pasta. Also, the energy you get from vegetables is released slowly in small bursts over the course of your day, whereas pasta energy is released in larger amounts more quickly. If you need energy for a full day, which includes a regular workout, eat alot of veggies. They will keep you going. If you need alot of energy to do something intense but short like running a race or fighting a saber-tooth tiger, eat alot of pasta before hand. Oh, and veggies help clean out your system too, Pass the corn, would you?

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 51: Old Exercises and an Old Story

2009-07-20T17:43:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

My workout this morning went well. It was nice to see an old exercise like leg-ups on the list again, but boy, was there a lot of reps and sets in each exercise today. It took me an hour and a half to get through everything.

My jumprope form continues to be off. I feel like my arms are some kind of jammed see-saw with my left arm stuck down and my right arm stuck up. It get's better in the later sets, but the first couple of sets try my patience as my rope hits my left side. Oh well, at least I'm not getting smacked in the head so much anymore--knock on wood.

I got a nice little compliment yesterday, nothing to do with the PCP mind you. Last year, I wrote the first book of a Justice League Unlimited Fanfic. I've had to leave the second book on the back burner because of my current 1st novel project, but the work is still floating around on a couple of sites. Anyway, I got the follwing comment in my e-mail:

Oh, please do continue! I'm dying to see what becomes of Chimera. Not tomention that pesky situation with Huntress. This is one of the best JLU stories I've ever read, and I hope you decide tocontinue it (and soon!)!

It's nice to know my work is appreciated. Any JLU fans reading this blog, you can read the novel here:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3365635/1/A_Temporal_Anomoly

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 50: Another Golden Key and other Stuff

2009-07-19T17:29:00.000-07:00

Save keys to open doors!

Hey all,

I had a real wierd experience. After a nice afternoon of shopping (I got my new and proper tension band) and video games with one of my good friends and my son. We three went to Denny's for lunch where I ordered a tuna salad and some rice to meet my PCP requirements. But, after I left, my cravings started to kick in. I wanted ice cream, cake, anything! I managed to work through this craving gauntlet, and, when I got home, I found out my family had just feasted on ice cream. Sob! Feeling kinda bad I had to miss out on the first ice cream feast of the summer, I went upstairs to read my Patrick Mail for the day and found out I could have another indulgence--another golden key was in my pocket! Talk about timing! There was still some Cookies and Cream ice cream in the fridge, so I went downstairs to have some. But, after one tiny pink spoon full, I couldn't eat anymore. It was just too damn sweet. I couldn't believe it. I used to be able to put away at least three cups of this stuff and now???? I handed the rest over to my son and marveled. So, I'm still thinking what I want to have for my indulgence, and it sure as heck isn't ice cream. What a wacky PCP world.

In other news, my workout went fine today save at the end (Although J-ropes were still a bit crappy). I started to do the side crunches and began to get nauseous. I tried to fight it, but in the end, I did just one more set and called it quits lest I tossed my cookies all over the park lawn. What the hell? I think maybe I was just dehydrated or something. I did my workout right after getting out of bed from a hot night's sleep, so I could be right.

Now, for Patrick Question #2

Why do you have to do the jumprope everyday? Why only a few minutes? If you jump for an hour you'll be even stronger right?

Jump rope is the number one fat burning exercise on the program, but your body gives up it's fat better if you do this exercise everyday in small amounts instead of pushing yourself to exaustion. Consistencey with your exercise and not overexertion is the key!

Okay, just a few more exercises, then I'm going home. I don't want to overdo it!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 49: Bad Jumprope Day

2009-07-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

This morning I was suprised to see our jumprope reps listed as 2 mins x 7 sets, instead of a solid number. Oh well, change is good.

I got right out of bed and to my J-ropes, and boy did I suck ass. It was like being back on day five. I tripped up after as little as four reps. I was groggy and, of course, I didn't sleep at all the night before last. It all adds up to poor jumprope performance. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. One good thing though: Since I was under the clock today I pushed my self harder during the J-rope sets. In the long run, I think this will reap benefits. Sorry, no time for one of Patrick's questions today. I have an appointment with a friend.

All the best.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 48: No Sleep

2009-07-17T15:41:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I didn't sleep a wink last night because of an air conditioner induced sore throat, so I ended up getting to my work out at 5:00 AM. My leg muscles felt a little gummy during the squats. Otherwise, I got through my workout today faster than expected. I bought some surgarless throat candy. I hope it will help.

And, now here is the first question Patrick gave us and my 8-year-old appropriate answer (I'll do one every day):

1. Why do you eat so much fish and chicken and hard-boiled eggs and stuff?

Fish, chicken, and egg whites all have what's called protien. Protien is what your body uses to build muscle. Fish, Chicken and Eggs have little or no fat. And, when you're trying to lose fat, the last thing you want to do is put something with alot of fat in your mouth. Right?

Homer sleep now.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 47: Ryu, Rain, and Bad Crack

2009-07-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Well, today and on Day 45, I did my workouts pretty much after breakfast. I found this to be a good move. While, as Patrick says, this timing doesn't burn as much fat, my morale was much better and both workouts were more enjoyable.

Now to the news. It decided to rain today, so I was outside pounding out my J-ropes and guess what? I actually managed to do several sets of 100 without messing up. I contribute my success to my after breakfast timing and this song I added to my PCP sound track. I had it set on repeat for all of my 1500 jumps. The song is called "The Road". It's Ryu's theme from Street Fighter Alpha 3. Have a listen below.

Ryu had a hand in helping me get through another part of my workout today. I've been having trouble getting through all my lunges lately because, of course, I've been doing J-ropes and Floor Jumps before them. Usually my form in all over the place, or I end up putting my hands on my knee to help me up. Well, today, to get through my lunges, I started using Ryu's hadoken pose. We did a bit of this during our squats at Patrick's studio yesterday and it made the exercise fun for a fanboy like me.

Of course, I went lower to the ground than Ryu here, but focusing on the hand movements really helped me to push past the burn in my legs. keep my hands off my knees, and finish the lunge sets. I was very happy. Whatever works right? I am such a geek.

Who says you can't be a geek and fit too?

And finally, a little trip to the place where the sun doesn't shine. My sit ups have caused somre rawness at the top of the crack of my ass. The skin is peeling and it's rather red. Ouch. So, it's messing with my form a bit. Anybody else having similar problems?

Sorry to end on ass, but, well, it is an ending.

Man, my ass burns!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 46: I'm a Child of the 80's again!

2009-07-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

Since it's Thursday, I headed out to Patrick's studio and look at the suprises I got!

Weight: 88.6 kg (-2.2 kg) WOW!

Body Fat: 23.7% (-1.6%)

Visceral Fat: 10.5% (-1%) Going down!

Basal: 1927 (-24)

Muscle Mass: 34.4% (+0.9) Looks like I kicked the 0.6 muscle growth limit in the can!

Subcantaneous Fat: 14.4 (-1) This is another big drop!

BMI: 26.5 (-0.6)

Body Age: 44 (-3 years) A three year drop in one week! Can you believe it!

I did it! I'm down in the eighties again. I'm only 2.6 kg away from the weight I was at when I was married. Of course, I'm in much better shape. I was actually sick for a week or so before my wedding. I had an EB virus. It's a cold virus that, if you get tired enough, will attack your liver and mascarade as hepatitis. It drained me. I went into the hospital at 100 kg and came out a day or so before my wedding at 86 kg.

If I get below 86 on the PCP, I will set a new personal best in so many areas!

Thanks, Patrick! Thanks Team! This Rose is for you!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 45: Broken Katanas and Thunder Thighs

2009-07-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

They just don't make katanas like they used to.

Broken before its Time

I forgot to mention, on day 35, my tension band came apart during my Double Katana exercise. The plastic ball inside the tubing shot out and the washer flew off. The latter got lost in the park somewhere. Fortunately, my mother in law had a replacement washer and was able to fix it. So, the band was holding together fine until, today, once again, during the Double Katana, it broke for good. This time the tubing broke, so the whole band needed to be replaced. I went and got a heavy and a medium tension band, or so I thought, before work today. However, when I got home, I found out i got a heavy tension band, and something else. I don't know what it is, but it's damn small. So, this weekend, I'll be making a trip back to the store to return it and get the medium tension band I intended to buy in the first place. Dumb. Stupid broken Katana.

In other news, I was thinking about what Patrick told us: big strong leg muscles burn alot of fat. If you've ever doubted this information, I direct you to the picture below Note her figure.

Any questions?

And now, for all you Street Fighter Fans out there. A cool little Chun-Li video with kick-ass music! Enjoy!

Day 44: Struggling ever Onward

2009-07-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Weeks ago, when I would finish a PCP workout, I felt refreshed, but these days I feel like I'm enduring a ten mile hike every day. My aching muscles are back, especially in my legs. Although nowhere near as bad as day four, I am back to no longer looking forward to climbing or descending stairs. In short, I feel I'm enduring the exercises, not enjoying them.

I'm trying real hard, but with exercises like the floor jumps and the creep, I end up having to argue with myself to get crouched down to get sets started, which results in too long of a rest. The voice that wants to go home and relax is a bit stronger these days than my 'Com'on let's exercise!' voice. The former voice hasn't won a battle, but it definitely slows me down, and my workouts from start to shower end up being close to two hours.

My jump rope form is off. I rarely have an uninterrupted set of 100 these days. It's a bit disheartening after having set a record of 300 uninterrupted. I'm thinking maybe my aching and stiff left-side trapezius muscle may have something to do with this. I think I'm protecting my left arm too much, not raising it as high as I need to do. I'll have Patrick check my form on Thursday when I hit the studio.

Also, I seem to have less energy during the workouts then before. Maybe I need more sleep? But, I've always had problems going to bed early. I just lie there and end up thinking until midnight and beyond. I'm not one of those guys who can just fall asleep when I hit the pillow. My father was. My brother was. But, my mother and I--no way.

Also, I've been coming up a bit short on the fruit portions of my diet. This may have something to do with my low energy during exercises. It's just, I get so full so quick now, I don't feel like shoving another apple, orange, peach, or whatever down my throat. Of course, it doesn't help that I've never been a big fruit fan to begin with. To be honest,I have yet to find my perfect fruit in life. They're either too sour, or too sweet, the list goes on. Maybe someday. I've never found a fruit I can just munch on happily. There's always a bit of mental effort required to get it down. Although, now that I think about it, bananas and I get on pretty well. But, they are not a part of my PCP diet, so the quest goes on.

What really sucks is I can't seem to use my postive experiences on the PCP to give me enough extra juice. Yesterday, I got a flash flood of the greatest compliments I could have asked for. My junior high school students gushed over how good I looked. They repeatedly said the Japanese words for cool and good-looking while commenting on how uniform my body looked. I also got an ego boost when I told them I do 1500 J-ropes in sets of 100 every day now and other exercises. They couldn't believe it, and I felt great knowing it was all true. And, I thought, as I listened to it all, I was going to use this high for my workout the next day. But, all I eneded up focusing on today was. "Com'on, one more set." "Com'on one more set." over and over again. This mind set of setting small goals to finish the big ones works, but it doesn't do much for the exercise's entertainment value.

But I will endure. I'm sure this is just my body and mind getting used to a tougher regime. Soon, I'll be feeling like a new man all over again. I hope.

Day 43: Not my Best Day, but Not my Worst Day Either

2009-07-12T17:50:00.000-07:00

My exercises today were so so. J-ropes were completed, but it took a a while to get into the rhythm. Getting through one set of 100 has become a bit of a challenge again, but that's only because I'm really working hard on getting my wrists to work their best during my jumps. There was not too much trouble from my left leg today.

I came up half a set short on my lunges today, and my form was all over the place on my last complete set. You'd think with all the leg exercises I've been doing, my legs could handle a few more lunges. But, these did come after my J-ropes and floor jumps, so I don't feel too bad.

Chest dips were fine. I miscounted and did one more in each set than the number on the sheet.

Push-ups were good, but still on my knees. They are going much smoother now though. I always start my first set without my knees to assist, but I always end up on them.

Standing ovation went okay, with just a bit of fail in the third set. I didn't get to the ovation right after my push-ups. It was time to walk my son to the school bus, so I got to the ovation right afterward.

Shoulder press was a complete fail, which is too bad because I like this exercise. I've nicknamed it "The Superman" because it's like Superman taking to the sky from a standing position. My back left trapezius muscle, which had been aching the entire workout and I've mistaken for shoulder problems the last few days, just wouldn't let me do it. My right side was all for it, so I tried, but I just couldn't make it happen without my left side complaning and stiffening up. So, moving on.

Plank was fine, but again my trapezius muscle treatened to drop me to the ground on the last two sets.

And the side crunches,well, I did them, and I probably got more out of them today than any other, but I still look and feel like a fat suffocating fish on the park grass. I hope that changes soon.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 42: Oil Slick

2009-07-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I got to my jump ropes today. My left leg is still giving me trouble, not being as springy as my right, but it'll get there. I can do about fifty jumps without messing up on my right leg alone. I can do about eight on my left. Also, I helped my mother in law out in the garden today--hot, sticky, buggy, work.

Last night, my mother in law made geoza. A Japanese food like fried perogies, except they are stuffed with vegetable and pork. It was stupid, I know, but my mother in law had worked so hard making them, and we only have them like once every three months, so I had four of them in place of my carbs and meat.

And, boy did I pay. A half hour after I ate them, I felt oily all over. And, when I did my jump ropes today,the oil was just coming out of me. my sweat tasted like geoza. It was icky. I felt like a toxic waste dump. Sorry for the fall guys, but sometimes it's hard to say no to people, especially when they've worked so hard to make a nice dinner for everyone. On the upside, this meal had tons of fresh vegetables, so I put back about two tomatoes and half a cucumber with this meal, so it wasn't all bad.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 41: Exercise, Diet, and Robin?

2009-07-10T17:07:00.000-07:00

I got up early this morning and got right to my workout. J-ropes were better today, but still hodge-podgy. It's my left leg. I haven't been getting as much spring power out of it lately. There's no pain, just weakness and it trips me up. Also, my left arm with my aching tricep muscle hasn't helped either. But, this too will pass. I need to do more stretching, I think, but it's hard to fit in stretching and the workout in the same time window, especially since the workouts have been getting longer.

My diet goes well--basic and boring: raw eggs, raw vegetables, condimentless whole-wheat bread, egg whites, apples and peaches. I say this with a smile because, like I've said before, I want to not make food such a big deal in my life. I'm still trying to put together the ingredients for Shelby's Doritoes recepie, but I haven't been able to find salt-free Mexican spice as of yet. I've got a store a friend of mine recommended to try yet. If that fails, I'm going on-line shopping. On the up side, if and when the time comes for another indulgence, all this bland food is priming me for another taste explosion. I do have a little fun though. On Thursdays, after Patrick's Yoga studio, I treat myself to a sushi lunch,which is quite nice. God, I love tuna norimaki.

And now, something completely off topic. While I was doing my V-sits, I remebered my first fictional hero when I was little was Robin--you know, Burt Ward from the old 1960'S Batman show. "Holy flashbacks, Batman!" Strange what occurs to you when you workout. I remebered a friend of mine used to have a full Robin costume, and I was so jealous. Anyway, here's a video where the rest of the Teen Titans dress up like Robin. They say imitation is the best form of flattery. See for yourself.

Well, that's all for today.

Love to all.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 40: Hard Work

2009-07-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

It sure was hard work today to get through the PCP exercises. I needed to use two hands on the bar to get myself back up after each pistol squat. My push-ups are still on my knees. I had to use my toes like emergency landing gear during the chest dips, and I really felt like a rag doll after the Da Vinci. Plus my shoulder ached. As for my J-ropes, they were a major hodge-podge. I just couldn't get my rhythm, and the wind didn't help. And, while I did managed to do some of my J-ropes hopping just on my right foot, my left foot just wouldn't get in the game. I find my left leg to be considerably weaker than my right.

Oh well, they can't all be great days.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 39: There's Abs in Them Thar Mounds!

2009-07-09T07:06:00.000-07:00

I went to Patrick's yoga studio today for my workout. Here are the stats from the super techno-scale:

Weight: 90.8 kg (Look at that weight fall!)

Body Fat: 23.7%

Visceral Fat: 11.5%

Basal: 1951

Muscle Mass: 33.5%

Subcantaneous Fat: 15.4

BMI: 27.1

Body Age: 47 (Another year down! I'm getting younger by the tick!)

Also, today, for the first time someone saw, and I felt my abs. My topmost abs below my ribcage have started to show ever so slightly. Patrick pointed them out ot me today. I couldn't believe it, but when I touched them they actually had some hardness to them. God, there has been nothing but soft fat there for so long. I was elated. There might actually be some muscle under my mounds of tummy fat after all.

Well, it's getting late. I'm off to bed. I need to power up for tomorrow's workout. Look out abs! Sean's about to get serious!

Oh, and by the way, one of my complaining students called to comment on her lesson the other day. She said it was really good. Yeesh, what a world. ;-)

Love to all.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 38: A Shower of Compliments, and Little Victories

2009-07-07T18:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, after my last class of adult students, the students stayed behind to comment on how healthy I looked. They were really impressed with how much weight I had lost and started looking with frowns at their own guts. I reminded them I still have a spare tire for a compact car and need to keep working on it. Just like me to blow off compliments. I take criticism to heart, but I blow off compliments. Something wrong there.

I woke and spent most of last night with a sore throat, but it died down considerably during my workout today. J-ropes were a hodgepodge, but my side crunches were much better because they did not follow V-sits today. I still fit the whale on the beach metaphor, but I felt better about it and actually had the energy to twist during the exercise. All that said, my best exercise today was the tricep dip. The last two sets fell three reps short, but the second set was amazing. I actually felt my triceps wanting to work and not wanting to quit. They didn't want to just shut down like before. It was so great!

In other news, I finally finished the homework I was assigned after the English Teacher's Training Seminar I attended on June 14th, 2009. In the end, it was an eleven page document consisting of four individual reports and a bibiliograpy. I learned alot of things during the exercise, but I am glad it is done so I can get back to my novel. I mailed the report to the sponsoring organization this morning before my workout. Yay!

Also, yesterday marked the first day of teaching the students who complained about my lesson quality last week, feedback that sent me into a downward spiral for a few days. And, you know what I did. I worked to give them the best lesson ever with some time consuming homework for them to do! I had to go against a number of things I've learned about meeting English as a Foreign Language student needs (e.g. communicative tasks, high student talk time with low instructor talk time, etc), but what the students want, the students get. And, to be honest, this "new" lesson execution method is a lot less preparation than my usual methods, which is fine by me. Although, now that I think about it, since I had to talk more than usual in this lesson, this method was likely responsible for my sore throat last night and this morning. Oh well, no pain, no gain.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 37: Whale on the Beach! Or, rather, in the Park

2009-07-06T17:06:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Lately, I've been really trying to move from one exercise to another quickly. However, as a result, I meet with more failure. Today, I started with the jumprope and managed to complete a run of 300! without messing up (new record) so, I felt pretty good. Then I got to the creep and it went fine.

Call me...The Creeper!

But then I got to the chest dip and I eneded up having to let my toes touch the ground for all but the first set, and knees down for the push-ups.

Everything else went fine until I got to the side crunches. After the V-sit, I had so little power for the side crunches, I ended up only doing a set of the crunches because I was basically pulling on my neck and looked like a suffocating fat fish on the park grass. I know. It's a funky image.

Yeah, I know. Whales are mammals and not fish. You get the idea.

I guess what I need to focus on is the fact I am working out. Sure, I may not get through all my sets or to the maximum number all the time, but I am working to that point where my body feels it's been worked hard--I think. :-) I've come a long way from the couch potato I used to be. I'll just keep pushing along.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 36: We're not Leaving Until this Christmas Ham gives me a Pull-up!

2009-07-06T06:24:00.000-07:00

The title of this post is a line from the Kamp Krusty Episode of The Simpsons. One of the characters, a fat kid named Martin, has been sent to the camp to lose weight and finds himself danglish from the pull-up bar at the mercy of a drill sergeant camp counseller.

Pull-ups have replaced push-ups as my nemesis on the PCP. I'm still doing pull-ups with my feet on the ground. My latissimus dorsi in my back seem to have only two modes: on and off. there is no setting for struggle and burn. I keep at it, but, boy, does it seem like I have a long way to go. I think back to high school when I could not even climb a rope under my own power.

I do have some good news to report today. I did my first set of two hundred straight with my jump rope. God, it was a boost. Below is 'Sakura Kiss', the song from my PCP soundtrack that was playing when I completed the two hundred. It's the intro theme of a manga based anime called 'Ouran High School Host Club'.

The anime focuses on Haruhi Fujioka, a scholarship student, who is immediately mistaken for a boy when she arrives at elite private school Ouran Academy. Searching for a quiet place to study, she stumbles across the Host Club, and, in an attempt to escape, accidentally breaks a ¥8 million vase. To pay back the debt, Haruhi becomes a member—needing to be "requested" by at least one thousand customers before she can leave. However, one by one the Host Club members discover her true gender; all except Tamaki, who has to see her in her underwear before he gets the hint. The anime basically spoofs everything that makes manga directed at female audiences popular.

It's a great show. I loved every second of it. And, in my opinion, Ouran is a must see for any anime fan. Below is a taste, enjoy.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 35 Feeling a bit better

2009-07-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I did my jump ropes today and threw in the leg exercises I missed yesterday. I'm feeling better and my head is clearing. I'm going to get some work I have to do out of the way tonight, so I can do some long overdue writing this week.

I saw Slumdog Millionaire last night on the big screen. I'll talk about that in a future post.

Right now, I have to get ready to go to a conversation lounge. I work there once or twice a month for a little extra money, a chance to get out of teacher mode for a while, and just talk with people. It's a nice change.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 34: Anger will get you Nowhere Fast

2009-07-04T02:31:00.000-07:00

After a year of success at work at my new job, I became complacent. Consequently, I messed up, and it cost my school a couple of adult students. I learned about this during a meeting at work on Wednesday, and it's been eating me since then. I've been so angry at myself, it has infected everthing I do, even the PCP. My cravings are up--although they are not specific. My urges to just quit and go hide under some coats until I feel better are up as well. My bosses were disappointed, but still support me. Me, I feel like dirt.

I know we all mess up sometimes, and I think it's necessary, but it doesn't make it hurt any less. I've never been good at taking criticism or accepting my imperfections as a human being. Who is? But for me, screwing up like this and finding out my shit stinks as much as the next guy is a poison that takes so long to get out of my system. I haven't been hungry. I haven't had the focus I had prior to the incident. It all sucks. Plus, I have to teach these students until the end of the month all the time carrying the knowledge I failed them.

My wife came to my rescue yesterday, and helped me slow down and get out of the angry place I was in for a while. However, my PCP efforts are or at least feel substandard. I couldn't finsih my leg lifts today or yesterday. However, I find some peace in my jump rope. The rhythm, the counting, and the music, gives me some temporary calm.

Am I giving up on the PCP? No way. But this is definitely a low point for me. I'm just glad the PCP has nothing to do with it.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 33: Need to chill out

2009-07-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

I'm tired. I need to chill. I'm going to do just that.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 32: Maximum Muscle!

2009-07-02T07:24:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I went to Patrick's Yoga studio today, and I got to meet some of the other PCP members here in Japan. They were very nice ladies, indeed. I've only got a few minutes tonight, so here are my stats from Patrick's super cool scale.

Weight: 93.0 kg

Body Fat: 23.9%

Visceral Fat: 12.0%

Basal: 1986

Muscle Mass: 33.6%

Subcantaneous Fat: 15.7

BMI: 27.8

Body Age: 48

I only lost 0.5 kgs this time because I had some good muscle growth this time out. Patrick said the new muscle (0.6%)is the maximun amount of muscle the body can grow without steroids. Cool huh?

And, team, just wondering, but during the 'creep' exercise we do now, does anyone else feel like one of those AT-ST's (All Terrain Scout Transport) from Return of the Jedi? Just asking. I keep expecting a couple of logs to come out of nowhere and crush me.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 31: At Confession

2009-06-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

At the PCP Confessional:

Sean: Forgive me, Father, for I have cheated. It's been nine days since my last confession.

Father Saeba: Hmm? Oh yes, when you ate the Karokes.

Sean: Yes, Father.

Father Saeba: So, what did you do this time?

Sean: My trip to the pasta restaurant yesterday. It was a cheat, plain and simple. I didn't crave the food I ordered, I was just lazy. I could have gone somewhere else or, at the very least, I could have ordered something healthier than I did. I was weak. I screwed up. I failed.

Father Saeba: Did you learn something?

Sean: What?

Father Saeba: Our mistakes are only truly failures if we do not learn from them. Did you learn something?

Sean: Well, yes,what I said about the food's effect on me was true, but the 'experiment' idea was a complete fabrication.

Father Saeba: You lied.

Sean: Um...yeah, but you make it sound so dirty.

Father Seaba: Just helping you clear your conscience.

Sean: Thanks, Father, I think.

Father Saeba: Are you going to do it again, this cheating and lying?

Sean: No, sir.

Father Saeba: Good, because you really suck at it. God bless you, my son. Add two more sets to all of your arm exercises today, say a couple of Hail Patricks, and be strong.

Sean: Thank you, Father.

Father Saeba: One more thing.

Sean: Yes, Father?

Father Saeba: Try not to think of your PCP diet as a 'diet'. Diets are destined to fail. Instead, think of the food requirents you get every week as new eating habits. It may help.

Sean: Thank you, Father. I will.

Father Saeba: And, make sure you bring me some of those 'Healthy Shelby Doritoes' when you make them. I'd love to know what they're like.

Sean: Of course, Father. Goodbye.

Father Saeba: Goodbye.

We forgive you, Sean. Just make sure you forgive yourself.

More tomorrow,

Happy Canada Day!

Sean

Day 30: Truth and Consequences

2009-06-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Ever since I went to 'Eat More Greens' for my indulgence, I felt like I cheated a bit because I ate organic food. The point of the indulgence was to show me how the food we used to crave affects our system now that we have spent so much time away from it. So, tonight, I decided to try an experiment. I had to meet with a friend to discuss some of the elements of the homeowrk I'm still working on from that English Teacher's Seminar (I sent him the first draft of my work, and asked him to give me feedback). So, to conclude our business, I decided we should go to my favorite pasta restaurant.

Once there, I orderd a true indulgence: shrimp spaghetti in tomato sauce, a Caesar salad and later, when we moved to Starbucks, I ordered small a carmel steamer. I was fine after the spaghetti and salad, but Patrick told me two tablespoons of Caesar dressing equals one apple worth of Kcals, so that bugged me the whole time I ate the salad. Thankfully, the dressing was used sparingly, and I didn't clean the dressing off my plate like I used to do.

The carmel steamer, however, made me feel strange. Unlike the organic sugar I ate at 'Eat More Greens' this sugar went straight to my head. After the 'Eat More Greens' food, I felt super-energized. After the steamer, I felt like I had just swallowed some strange chemical. The steamer tasted great, but, afterwards, my head felt weird and my stomach turned a little. Even now, more than an hour later, my head still feels icky. In the end, the food was no fun at all.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 29: Let's Talk about Sex, Baby!

2009-06-29T06:28:00.000-07:00

Today, was a half and half day. That is, I did half my exercises inside, and half outside. I know it's not best to have a break between the exercises and to do them out of order, but I like to do some of my workout where my son can see me, before my wife and I take him to the bus stop, so he can go to kindergarten. My son was very helpful to me today. He pressed the button on my timer for me at the start of each of my plank sets. He was a great help. I even saw him doing a sit-up or two in the livngroom.

In other news, I've noticed something. I thnk about sex alot less, and I mean alot less. Yeah, I know abrubt topic switch, but hey, it's where my head decided to jump to next. I knew Patrick said this would happen to us, but I didn't really believe it until the last few days. The summer season of beautiful Asian women walking around in the tightest of shorts is having far, far less of an effect on me than it has in the past. And, to be honest, I really like it. Before the PCP, it seemed like my libido was on all the time in one form or another,even to the point of distraction. It's really great to be over that. It's like someone cleaned out my head, and now I've got all this room now to think about other things like my writing, which is where I really want my head to be in my free time anyway.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 28: Organic Food, Where Have You Been all my Life?

2009-06-28T04:26:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I got up early this morning and did my 1300 jumpropes. I was really off today, not a smooth set of 100 in the bunch, but notice I have moved up to sets of 100 now. Also, I forgot to wear my hat, so my head took enough wacks to try my patience. I just could not get my left and right hands to play nice together, and I felt out of synch. Oh well, there's always a next time on the PCP. I also added a little walk after today's J-ropes. It was nice to just walk around the neighbourhood and listen to my PCP soundtrack as the morning air cooled me.

Then, as planned, I went to see Transformers II, with some intention of having theatre popcorn as my indulgence, but my friend, Phil, who came with me to the movie, a vegeterian, said, "Do you really want to waste your indulgence on that?" Especially since my friend was going to take me to a really good restaurant later with some great desserts. I agreed with him, and settled for my bottle of water during the movie.

Then, as a gentle rain fell, we wandered around Roppongi Hills a bit, until we finally reached our destination. The name of the restaurant was, get this, 'Eat More Greens' The slogan inside the place was 'All you need is love and vegetables.'

Now, usually, when my friend and I get together for movies, it's fish and chips at 'The Hub', an English bar chain (arguably the only time my friend eats animal products), but since being on the PCP, I have been eager to go into a healthy restaraunt like this. And, boy, was I glad I did. Did I stay in the realm of 400 calories, probably not, but boy did I enjoy myself. Here's what I had, and all of it was 100% organic.

Taco Salad, complete with black rice, potatoes, and a meat substitue most likely made from beans.

A piece of soybean milk cheesecake.

And, a piece of wonderful apple pie.

This meal also included a tiny complimentary purple pudding, some organic orange juice, and a few glasses of water.

The whole meal was a taste explosion! I really felt like I could taste everything in the food, and it was all great! This meal is definitely in my top ten of the best restaurant meals I've ever had. After weeks of low flavor, highly nutritious food, this was down right amazing. I ate until I was full. And, how did I feel after the meal? Like a million bucks! I'm still riding the high of it. I ate my PCP meal tonight hapily and was amazed how both meals only left me feeling slightly sleepy afterwards, and only for a short time. I know I owe my restored sense of taste to the PCP, and my drive to stick to the program has become stronger than ever thanks to this indulgence. Before the PCP, you would have had to twist my arm to get me into a place like 'Eat More Greens', but now I'd rather go there than anyplace else.

I didn't have any junkfood--no salted popcorn, or those cheese and cracker Ritz-Bitz I crave from time to time. Instead, thanks to a great friend, I played it healthy and, boy, am I glad I did.

Love to team!
Love to the readers!
Love to my buddy, Phil for taking me on one awesome organic ride! Let's do it again in August when we go see Wolverine! SNIKIT!

More tomorrow,
Sean

Day 27: When You Gotta Go....

2009-06-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

My neice and nephew are over today, so I took my nephew and my son out to the park while I did my PCP workout. My neice had homework, so she could not join us. It was hot as heck outside today, but we managed to stay cool with the help of the water fountain in the park. I managed to get my workout done smoothly, save my jumpropes. I finished them, but was intereupted at my 721st jump because I had to rush my son home. He had to take a dump.

Speaking of which, my system seems to be running smooth now. No problems. I hope it stays that way.

And, tomorrow, I will see Transformers II. I'm really looking forward to it. And, for those of you into Transformers trivia, here's something I bet you did not know.

More tomorrow.

Sean

Day 26: Keep it under your Hat.

2009-06-25T18:39:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I was heading out to do my workout today and, since it was pretty darn sunny outside, I decided to put on a hat. Not only did the hat keep me cool, but it was a shield against my skipping rope when it decided to wack me in the back of the head.

I had so much more patience today because I didn't have to feel the sting of fifty lashes to the back of my skull. I'm telling you guys, throw on a bucket hat when you J-rope. You may look a little silly, but if your skipping rope is letting you have it a little more often then it should because you still need to improve your J-rope form, a hat is the way to go.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 25: A Little Golden Key

2009-06-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Today, I headed out to Patrick’s Yoga studio and after sweating through my Day 25 workout I got on Patrick’s super-tech scale and here are my stats:

Weight: 93.5 kg

Body Fat: 25%

Visceral Fat: 12.5%

Basal: 1986

Muscle Mass: 33.0%

Subcantaneous Fat: 16.3

BMI: 27.9

Body Age: 49

93.5 kg! Man! I never thought I’d get this low under my own power ever again. For so long, all I’ve been seeing are the 98-103 numbers. Let’s have a moment of noise to remember the lost fat!

SO LONG FAT!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!! JUST KEEP ON GOING!!!

It looks like I’m body de-aging at a rate of a year a weak. I love that too! And, I finally did one complete set of nine regular push-ups. No knees on the floor. I had to use my knees for the following sets, but when this started I could barely do two! I am getting stronger bit by bit.

And now, something new has been added to the mix. Patrick announced in our e-mail today that we get to have an indulgence, a special treat to celebrate our success on the diet.

Well, guess what? I feel like I’ve been give a little golden key and now I have to choose which one of a million treasure chests I will open with it. Consequently, especially as I left the yoga studio, all my cravings cried out to me like a sort of psychic assault. I wanted cookies, cheese crackers, cake, all at the same time. But, at the same time my willpower showed up and said, “Look, do you really want to waste your only indulgence on something as quick as a cookie, something as simple as cake or cheese crackers? No way! So, I pushed on past all the cookie, cracker, and cake shops, and I am now taking time to think of what I really want to have. I’m going to see Transformers II with a friend at Roppongi Hills on Sunday. Maybe I’ll use my indulgence then. Maybe.

Love to the team!
Thanks to the readers!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 24: Um...Ryan vs. Dorkman?

2009-06-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

Nothing major to report today other than I had to do my jumpropes by pretending to jumprope in the house because of the rain. On the upside, not one trip up in the whole bunch! Every other exercise I was able to find a way to do in the house. When you are a former pneumonia sufferer like me, you don't risk spending a long time outside in the rain if you can help it.

Now, since I don't have much more PCP stuff to share, I thought I'd share with you a couple of fan videos I've enjoyed in the past. Here's Ryan vs. Dorkman #1 and #2

Enjoy.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 23: Rufus

2009-06-23T06:25:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

First, I want to write a big thank-you to Bryan, Shelby (my fellow members on the PCP), and Patrick (our wellness trainer) for their advice and humor in the comment section of my Day 22 post. Combine that with the fact, for the first time in weeks, I didn’t feel lethargic during my big break between classes at work today, and I find myself in a pretty good mood, at least compared to yesterday.

THANK-YOU!

Okay, now that that’s done, today’s exercises went well, but I don’t think I’m pushing myself as hard as I could be, so I’m trying to slow down my pace. Monday and Tuesday are busy days for me, so I know I speed through my PCP workout a bit. The workout still takes me over an hour or nearly and hour to complete, but sometimes it still feels rushed. I’ve got to work harder at getting up early on Monday and Tuesday. Is it going to be early to bed for me on Sunday? We’ll see.

And now, to today’s topic. I’ve introduced you all a bit to Ryo Saeba A.K.A. City Hunter, my hero for this project, but now let me introduce you to my anti-hero. Earlier last year when Street Fighter IV was released in arcades in Japan, I was excited to play it. I’ve been a fan of Street Fighter since the first game was released in 1984 and have played every sequel since then, but when I sat down to play Street Fighter IV for the first time, I saw this guy.

Rufus is his name and, as strange as he is, he would become a cornerstone of what eventually led me to join the PCP.

My bout with pneumonia was still to come, but I was already starting to feel seriously dissatisfied with my appearance. When I looked in the mirror before or after my shower, I thought I looked pregnant, but after I saw Rufus, for some reason, the thought of him increased how horrible I thought I looked ten fold. I started to compare my body to Rufus’s, and I saw them as exactly the same shape. Rufus, was, through the magic of the gaming world, a big fat couch potato who could fight. Me, I was just a big fat couch potato.

Rufus in action in Street Fighter IV

I’m a casual gamer, and there are characters in games I love just like the characters I love in my favorite books, but this was the first time a video game character had a profound effect on my self-perception. It got to the point where I felt bad every time I sat down to play any video game. The games’ powerful characters just reminded me how badly I had let myself go and how much of a physical mess I was becoming.

We are never as fat as we think we are. Rufus isn’t real, and my run in with Rufus hasn’t turned me into some kind of freaky video-game-triggered-anorexic, but I can’t deny the fact that seeing the big fat tub that is Rufus acted like a ghost of Christmas Present for me (Pneumonia would be my ghost of Christmas Future) and moved me significantly towards wanting to change. I will continue to enjoy the games and books I love, but I don’t want to look like Rufus does—ever.

You know, I’m actually looking forward to my next workout.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 22: Cocoa Pebbles

2009-06-22T06:40:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I tried to get up early to my workout to day, but I failed miserably--too tired. I also, unfortunately, have to report my first slip on the diet. I ate a couple of korokes—potatoes and corn surrounded in deep fried batter. My family had prepared dinner and included these on my plate. Everything else fit the PCP except these. However, if I removed the karokes from my plate it would have caused some disharmony at the table since my family had put so much work into dinner. This combined with my cravings as of late made me keep my mouth shut and eat them anyway. I spoke to my family later, thanked them for the korokes, but reminded them gently I cannot eat anything cooked in oil. So, there you are. Do I feel bad? Yeah. Ultimately, it’s my fault. It won’t happen again. On the upside, I didn’t eat a desert treat that showed up yesterday and refused some McDonalds French-fries and deep fried tempura that were offered to me today.

So, now, let’s talk about health.

How do I feel at the end of the third week of the PCP?

I have more energy in the evening, my outlook on life is much better, and I have more patience than before, but my bowel movements have been an on and off problem. I feel like I’m passing large clusters of pebbles. However, I think I know why. Before, when I ate salty food with reckless abandon, I drank a lot of water. But now, with the salt almost completely gone from my diet, I don’t crave water like I used to do (The korokes I ate turned me on to this logic). With the exception being after my workouts, I actually have to remind myself to drink water during my day, because I just don’t feel thirsty. Low water intake means hard dry cocoa pebbles in my bowels. Sorry, to be gross, but I think that’s what’s happening.

I’m also a bit depressed, but I think this is mostly from lack of sleep. I pushed myself a little bit last weekend to finish the first draft of the post-task work I got from that English teacher training seminar I attended on Day 14. Add this to the fact I can’t reach for the comfort foods I crave from time to time, and I’ve been too tired to write save this blog, and, well, there you go. But, you know what, I’m glad I’m suffering. Food has been such a centerpiece in my life, and I don’t want it to be anymore. In order to accomplish this, I need to suffer through and make food less of an event in my life. I want food to be a side-dish in my life, not the main course. Ultimately, I hope I’ll be able to find the joy and comfort I presently take from food in other things like my family, my new found fitness, and my writing. This would be a real triumph. I want an extra-large pepperoni pizza dripping with cheese on a table to be as exciting to me as a coaster on that same table. Maybe this is a bit over the top, but it is how I feel right now. Although now, I'm not so sure I'm going to make my self-imposed Christmas deadline for the first draft of my novel--sigh.

Tomorrow, my anti-hero: Rufus!

Love to all,

Sean

Day 21: Over Egg-sertion

2009-06-20T22:56:00.000-07:00

I just got back from pounding out my 1000 J-ropes today. At the start of this program 1000 J-ropes would have seemed like a grueling task, but it's nice to see I've improved enough so that is not so. It is still a challenge, yes, but one I'm glad to take on. There were at least four or five sets of fifty with no trip-ups this time.

The diet goes well, but, like some of my team, I'm getting tired of eggs, especially since I can't put ketchup on them. Today, I downed my egg rations raw because I just couldn't be bothered to cook them. I'm also really welcoming my PCP snacks between meals the last couple of days as my hunger between meals seems to be growing.

On the up side, I'm adding pepper and nutmeg to my chicken, and I find I really love the combination. I look forward to my chicken everytime I cook it.

Now,I need a nap.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 20: My Rising Son

2009-06-19T21:10:00.001-07:00

Today had a couple of special treats. First, I got a compliment from my mother in law. She said I look slimmer and more fit. This really gave my spirit a boost.

Afterwards, I headed to the park with my exercise gear, and my son Kai.

Kai played in the park as I did my workout. During my J-ropes, he wanted to try the rope himself a few times. It was cute watching a little three year old trying to jump with a skipping rope meant for his 183 cm tall father. He got tangled, but kept on jumping. He also came over and watched me as I did my push-ups for a moment.

"Daddy, what are you doing?" my son asked.
"Push-ups," I said.
"Push-ups?" he said and then headed back to the jungle gym.

Then, it hit me. I'm really setting a positive example for my son when I take him out during my workouts--something I will continue every weekend from now on. For the longest time, I was worried Kai would see me a no-exercise guy, but now, thanks to the PCP, I worry no more. Who knows, Kai may even join me someday.

Love to the team!
Thanks to the readers!
More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 19: Brave New World

2009-06-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

Nothing major to report today. I just thank God for the sunny day and get outside and do my workout in the park. My attitude today was much better than when I started yesterday. I also managed to do two 50-sets of my J-ropes clean today.

Speaking of J-ropes, I found this song to be pretty effective in helping me keep my J-rope rhythm. It's called 'Brave New World' and is part of my PCP soundtrack. The song is the opening for a currently Japan-only released RPG game called Namco X Capcom (although some fans are working on an English translation). I've never actually played this game, but the trailers were cool. Gamers, see how many characters you can ID in this video! Enjoy!

Love to the Team.
Thanks to the Readers

More Tomorrow,

Sean

Day 18: A Day of Rest, Kinda

2009-06-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

Hey team,

Don't worry, despite what the title above suggests, I did my workout, all of it. However, I stayed home and did everything at the park instead of joining Patrick at his studio today. I've been going at superspeed ever since the PCP started and I just wanted to take five. So, after I write this, I'm just going to chill out until I have to go to work.

J-ropes continue to improve, and I'm back in the swing of things with my leg-ups. I managed to do two regular pushups today before going to my knees again. Man, I hope I can do a normal push-up by the end of the program.

Now a little bit of stats:

Weight: 95.5 kg
Fat Perentage: 26.3%

Nice, eh?

Well, I'm going to go ask my wife to take my picture for this week. I'll post it later today. Until then, here's another piece of my PCP CITY HUNTER soundtrack for you to check out. "Get Wild and Tough" It's my favorite City Hunter Song. I always play it at the end of my workout. It gives me something to look forward to.

Here's the full "in stereo" version. Mind the band members. It was the eighties, after all.

Love to the team!
Thanks to the readers!

More tomorrow.

Sean

Day 17: A Dream

2009-06-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, guys. Shulky's in a bikini. You just can't see it. There is a comic's code after all.

I went to bed early last night, around 11:00 P.M. (Yes, for me, this is early), and I got a pretty good sleep. I had a wacky dream though. I was back on the prairie in my home province of Saskatchewan (It’s amazing how I can live in Japan for the last eight or so years and still buy the fact I’m back in Saskatchewan in my dreams). Anyway, an old girl-friend of mine (I use the hyphen to indicate the fact there was never a romantic relationship between us) was upset about something so she asked me to drive her to the next town. We got about halfway there when my car broke down and we had to walk. While we walked, we came upon some people throwing heavy rocks at each other. My girl-friend joined right in and nearly hit me with a large rock. When I looked at her, she had a gleam of madness in her eye, so I told her she could find her own way home and left her there with the other crazies. I found a small auto-repair garage in the middle of nowhere and went in to get directions home. They said they were too busy to help me, but that I could use their phone. I picked up the phone and was suddenly pushed ahead in time. I was dressed up an at a party in a large white-walled mansion celebrating the success of my novel. Everyone at the party was holding a copy of my book. I actually held the finished book in my hands, saw the title, flipped through it a bit, but I don’t remember the text inside the book. I even cried a bit, I was so happy. Then, suddenly, I was back on the prairie, apparently called away from my book party by the police. They wanted me to identify my girl-friend’s bloated body as the cops took it out of a small river. It was the last thing I saw before I woke up.

So…um…there you go. Heh. Having been so focused on the PCP these last couple of weeks, I expected a dream more like the image above, except the person doing the jumping above would…y’know…be me.

But after I woke up today, I really didn’t want to do my work out. I wanted a day off! But, I sucked it up, went out anyway and…

I DID MY FIRST SET OF FIFTY JUMPROPES PROPER WITHOUT MESSING UP!

God, it was such a rush. I went through the rest of my workout, and it was a pleasure. I am really improving in the J-rope area. My arms and wrists are finally under control. Sometimes I get the rope moving faster than I can jump and get a bit out of synch, which results in a trip-up. I just need a little more strength in my calves, and I think I’ll be going even faster. As for the other exercises, I made sure I wasn’t ‘cheating’ as per Patrick’s advice. I got a lot more work out of the standing ovation exercise today. I am so looking forward to jumping rope tomorrow.

Love to the team!
Thanks to the Readers!
More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 16: Japan always has Eggs-actly What I Need

2009-06-16T05:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I realized, as I got to work, I forgot to pack an egg for the egg-white my new lunch diet requires. I thought, what am I going to do? The supermarket near work only sells eggs by the dozen. So, I took a chance and went into a Family Mart convenience store. There, I found half-dozen eggs. I was just about to give up when I looked on another shelf near the half-dozens and saw exactly what I was looking for: an individually-packed hard-boiled egg.

I don’t remember seeing these in Canada! Mind you, I never had to look for one until today. I got to work, tossed the yolk, and chowed-down on the rest. Way past cool. In other egg-related news, today I downed another raw egg and egg-white to speed things up this morning. A definite time saver!

Exercise Summary:

To save even more time from now on, I’m only going to write about the exercises that I had any trouble or thoughts about. The rest you can assume were complete—and you’d be right. ;-)

J-rope: 800 complete. Getting faster, but not smoother. Still no complete smooth sets of 50.

Push-ups: 8x5 sets. Sadly, despite my best efforts to do a regular push up, I ate floor after completing one. The push up gods kept me on my knees for these. So, I added two more sets. Not being able to do the exercises as shown in the picture was a bit of a downer. I hope I get the push-up strength I need soon.

Leg-ups: 13x4 complete, but a hodgepodge. I lost my momentum in the middle of my second set. I couldn’t believe it. It was like climbing a mountain to complete the last two. I did it, but not as smoothly as my sets on past days. Again, another downer, but likely caused by my overworked abs in my battle with my bowels over the last couple of days. Things are fine now in that department by the way.

Today was the first day, I felt a little down on myself for my lack of success. I completed everything, but not at the standard required. Oh well, can’t win ‘em all. I’ll get right back on the horse tomorrow. Don’t worry.

Love to the team!
Thanks to the readers!
And, a little love to myself. The family had curry tonight and I couldn't have any. :( Oh well, I'll get through this.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 15: How about a Taste of Adamantium for Old Times Sake?

2009-06-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Let's get right into the exercise summary:

J-Ropes: 900 done in sets of 50. Not a smooth set in the bunch, but way faster today. I was done in twenty minutes! Thank heaven for small victories.

Incline-pull ups 7 x 5 sets. (tried a full pull up, but not ready yet). Also, I took a little too long of a break between the third and fourth set because I was watching a lady who had decided to walk her dog in the park without carrying a bag to pick up her dogs crap. I watched her like a hawk until she left. I hate people letting their dogs dump where my son plays.

That's right, darlin'. Just keep movin'.

Standing Ovation: 15x3 sets

Outside Curl: 12x3 sets

Davinci: 14x3 sets. I'm right handed, so my right arm is stronger than my left arm, but, in this exercise, my left shoulder is stronger than my right shoulder. Go figure.

Sit-ups. 20x4 I had to do the last two sets as full sit-ups. I think my hard work the other day which marked the end of my constipation had me work my guts a bit hard and that's what's caused the weakness in my abs muscles right now. Just need a few more good night sleeps and I'll be right as rain.

UPDATE: D'oh! I did the day 19 workout for day 15. God, shows you how awake I was. Well, I'll just keep motoring along proper.

Here's my new diet this week:

Breakfast: Carbs-160g Veg-180g Protein- 1egg 1egg white 250ml milk

Morning snack: 160g fruit

Lunch: Carbs-180g Veg-200g Protein-150g meat 1egg white. Looks like I'm going to be hard boiling more eggs.

Afternoon snack: 160g fruit

Dinner: Carbs-120g Veg-180g Protein-130g meat

Night snack:120g fruit 200ml milk.

I'm actually happy to be eating less, finally.

Also, I've been enjoying a little blast fromt the past over the last couple of days. The old 90's X-men Animated series is slowly being released on DVD. I have the first two sets and have been watching episodes as I eat my breakfast. Anyone remember this one? Cool eh?

And, did you know when the show was aired in Japan, they redid the opening--twice. Check it out. X-men: Anime style!

Everyone have a great day,

Sean

Day 14: I Guess the Yolks in Me!

2009-06-14T05:32:00.000-07:00

I got through all of my 800 jumpropes today, still in sets of fifty. Not a smooth one in the bunch, but one set came close. I'm also pleased to report my rope hasn't come apart since Patrick fixed it--knock on wood. I was really glad for this short workout today as it allowed me to get to the rest of my day quickly.

As I wrote yesterday, I attended a teacher training seminar in Tokyo. I won't bore you with the details, but the presentations were great to excellent, and I was given much food for thought in regards to my own classes and teaching methods. Because I had to sit through five different presentations, my first packed lunch, made the night before, was very basic: egg, rice, super salad combo. I chose scrambled egg over meat because I didn't want to be super lethargic after eating lunch. I had presentations to watch, after all, and I'm pleased to say my choice worked.

One thing, I was short on time this morning so I did something a little crazy, for me anyway. I drank my 1 egg + 1 egg white raw. I thought it was going to be disgusting, but it wasn't. I may do it again. It sure saved me time.

Oh, and look at this way past cool diet sheet Patrick made for me, readers. Isn't it a hoot?

Love to the team.
Love to my friends and family.
Love to the readers.

More tomorrow.

Sean

Day 13: Sport Billy!

2009-06-12T20:53:00.000-07:00

It’s funny how memory works. I was at the park reaching into my bag to get my jump rope and I remembered an animated show I saw when I was just a wee lad of six called Sport Billy. The story revolved around a young boy named Sport Billy who was from the planet Olympus which was populated by god-like beings. Billy himself had a cool magic size-changing gym bag which produced various tools (usually super-powered sports equipment)as he needed them. He traveled to Earth on a mission to promote teamwork and sportsmanship. Described by the show's theme song as a "hero from another planet", Billy battled the evil Queen Vanda and her gnome-like henchman, Sipe. Vanda's mission was to destroy all sports in the galaxy since fairness disgusted her.

Billy was assisted by two faithful companions, a girl named Lilly and a talking dog named Willy. The trio traveled around in a time traveling spaceship, which resembled a giant wind-up clock, complete with a ringing bell, and mounted on two rocket engines.

In each episode the trio traveled through time to save a different Earth sport from Queen Vanda's grasp.

This show is crap by today's standards but does this ring any bells with anyone besides me?

Exercise Summary:

Jumprope: 700 complete. I broke these up into more manageable sets of fifty, and only messed up once or twice in each set. Things went much smoother today. I’m using the finger rests on my jump rope now. My hand position being off clearly contributed to my poor skipping. Dare I say it I think I’m starting to get the hang of this jump rope thing, emphasis on the word ‘starting.’

Lunges: 16x4 sets complete.

Rowing: 13x3 sets complete. I had a Wile E. Coyote moment today. I put my door anchor for my tension rope in a door to do my rowing, but the door wasn't closed just right. So, after row number two the tension rope launched right at me. I saw it clearly as it came for my chest. I felt like I had enough time to hold up a 'HELP' sign.

Nothing injured but my pride.

Standing Ovation:13x3 sets complete.

Tricep Dip 9x3 sets complete.

Forward shoulder raise: 12 x 3 sets complete.

Leg-ups: 12x4 sets complete.

My diet goes great. My family has really started to help me out. However, it’ll be a bit of a challenge tomorrow. Tomorrow, I’m attending a English Teacher’s training event at Toyo Gakuen University in Tokyo from ten until five. So, I’m going to have to pack a lunch for the first time. I’ll let you know how it all goes.

Love to the team!
Thanks to the readers!

SPORT BILLY!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 12: I got Schooled while Embracing my Destiny

2009-06-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

Today while I was working out in the park, a group of elementary school children entered the park with their teachers. It was kind of fun exercising while a bunch of kids ran back and forth around me from the park’s swing set to the jungle gym.

Exercise Summary:

Jump rope: 700 complete. Hodgepodge, about ten stinging head hits, probably going to have a nice scar on the back of my head when this is all over.

Squats: 18x3 complete.

Incline pull-ups: 6x3 complete

Push-ups: 12x4 complete

Curl: 13x3 complete. Still moving my elbows now and again. Gotta watch this.

Davinci: 13x3. Last set was hard. I felt like some kind of deformed marionette

Sit-ups: 18x4 complete, but I did the last two sets as a full sit up. The second set got hard for some reason, perhaps the uneven park ground I was exercising on. I had to do full sit-ups just to finish otherwise I might have quit on set two.

Just a note: It was hard work, but my bowels are moving again, yay! . Moving on…

Patrick mentioned in his e-mail today that this is the time around which the enthusiasm for the program starts to wane. I’ve felt it a little, but then I focus on my hero and think about the following written by a comic book writer named Tony S. Daniel (modified a little to suit me, of course).

I’m trying to save myself from a life that has me feeling twenty-some years older than I actually am, so I can be there for my wife and son for years to come, but of course that means change, and changing is always harder than staying the same. It takes courage to face yourself in the mirror and look beyond the reflection, to find the you that you should be. The you who got derailed by events that took your life’s natural trajectory and twisted it. It’s up to you to find this courage, overcome these events and embrace your birthright, your destiny, and finally realize that with some hard, but not impossible work you can be truly awesome.

I had some great 5KCAL dressing on my pasta for lunch. Yum!
Not steaming. I'm taking my veggies raw. God, I love tomatoes.
Missed my morning snack, and my lack of hunger does nothing to remind me. I won't forget again.

Love to the team!
Thanks to the readers!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 11: A Little Less Number Crunching

2009-06-11T07:06:00.001-07:00

I returned to Patrick’s studio for my day eleven workout today. We worked on my skipping form and rope which were both giving me trouble. I had a set of 650 today, but I had to just jump in place for my last three hundred or so jumps because my rope came apart. Patrick, however, managed to get it up and working again.

As of today, I will no longer be recording my weight everyday. It’s such a subjective number as it is continuously affected by hydration, muscles mass increases, and other factors. So, I will post it once a week after my visit to Patrick’s studio for my workout and weekly photo on Thursdays. Speaking of which, you’ll notice I’m in different shorts for this photo. No, I’m not going for a sporty look. I packed everything for my trip to Patrick’s Yoga studio except my shorts, and I had to borrow some from Patrick. D'oh!

Homer runs out the front door (for some reason) forgetting he’s not wearing any clothes.
Lisa from the living room: “Dad! Hide your shame!”
Ned Flanders spots Homer while working in his yard. “Homey, I can see your doodle.”
Homer (mumbling): Shut-up Flanders.

Here's today's stats from Patrick'sawesome scale:

Weight:95.9
Body Fat: 27.1%
Intra-Organ Fat: 13.5%
Basal Calories: 2038
Muscle Percent: 31.8%
Subcantaneous Fat: 17.7%
BMI:28.6%
Body Age:51

Remember, it's important not to get caught up in the numbers.

Here’s today’s workout.

Exercise Summary:

Lunges: 16 x 4. I’m feeling a little pain in my right knee in the later sets because I’m have trouble keeping my back foot straight during the lunges. I think this has something to do with the time I broke my leg. I foolishly jumped off a pile of snow when I was in elementary school and some older kids had to carry me home. Not one of my best moments. What was worse was I never got a walking cast. So, I had to learn to walk again once the cast was off six months later. And, of course, when your leg is in pain, you tend to favor it. The end results were my feet being a little off centre when I walk and a habit of walking on my toes which I had to break—although I had some really ripping calf muscles when I did walk like this. I’ll keep working at it using my push-up bars as visual aids to guide me.

Rowing (for those who like to get nowhere fast): 13x3 sets complete.

Standing Ovation (something new for those who like to pat themselves on the back): 13x3 sets complete. Patrick corrected my form for this exercise.

Tricep Dip (goes great with carrot sticks): 9x3 sets complete. I learned where my triceps actually were today. And, I learned that the triceps are what make your arm look good when you relax it.

Forward shoulder raise (my shoulders weren’t happy with their current salary.): 10 x 3 sets complete.

Leg-ups (try to get as many of these as you can in life): 12x4 sets complete.
My meals continue along the diet guidelines. I’m pleased to say I’ve held tight to my no salt, no sugar diet. Today Patrick educated me on some basic points regarding KCALs and helped me put together my lunch which included sushi, a whole lot of salad, and some rice combine with some tasty 5KCAL dressing. I missed my afternoon snack though. I got busy teaching and forgot about it. Nuts.

Love to the team!
Thanks to the readers!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 10: The Usual, with a Side of Supermarket Scouting

2009-06-10T07:46:00.000-07:00

Weight: 97.1kg (+00.7). Nuts.

Fat percentage: 27.9 (+00.2) Going up.

Exercise Summary:

Jumprope. 650 faster, but still a hodge-podge.

Squats: 18 x 4 sets. Complete

Incline pull up: 6 x 3 sets. I did this exercise using the rail on the side of the park drinking fountain. I get exercise and refreshment all in one place. However, I still have to bring my knees up and keep my feet flat so I don’t slip on the pavement and end up swinging. I going to try to get a piece of wood I can put down so the heels of my shoes can get some grip. If not, I’m going to have to go bar shopping.

Push-ups: 12 x 4 sets. Complete. First two sets are so much smoother and easier now.

Thumbs-up Curls: 12 x 3 sets. This went smooth for the most part, but I had to concentrate on not moving my elbows.

Da Vinci: 13 x 3 sets. Complete. Last set was hard. I had trouble keeping my arms straight.

Sit-ups: 18 x 4 sets. Complete.

Breakfast
1 egg + 1 egg white hard-boiled.
Three pieces of whole wheat bread.
Lettuce with Pumpkin slices.
250 ml of milk.

An apple was my breakfast snack—a really big one.

Lunch: My subway days are at an end. I had plain macaroni, a cucumber, a tomato, and water. And, I had some bacon. I want this to be a no-no, but I didn’t have any other meat in the house I could use. This will no longer be a problem tomorrow.

A banana was my lunch snack.

This afternoon, I went and figured out what I could buy at the supermarket near work to meet my diet requirements instead of going to Subway. I was pretty successful. I found several possibilities and will use them on Monday and Tuesday, and Thursday because I’m going to Patrick’s Yoga studio and then work right after.

Dinner: Chicken, spaghetti with no sauce (I’m really starting to like straight pasta), and a salad.

Night Snack: Sliced Banana, 70 ml of low fat yogurt, and 80 ml of low-fat milk.

Some side notes. I haven’t really been hungry and I haven’t had a bowel movement in two days. I feel fine, but I just wanted to make a note of it. I hope the yogurt I ate today will help.

I’m going to Patrick’s Yoga studio tomorrow, so I’ll get to try the super-scale again. I wonder if my body is any younger than 52 now. It sure feels that way.

Love to all!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 9: Rope Revelations!

2009-06-09T06:53:00.000-07:00

Today I was given the greatest gift I could have asked for: the solution to my jump rope problem. As I said before, my rope is not too short, but I thought it was, even today, as it hit me in the head and feet. And, now I know why! God. Finally, I know why! I feel idiotic and elated at the same time.

After I finished skipping for the first time at Patrick’s yoga studio, I just tossed my rope in my bag. Since then, I have been outside trying to skip successfully in the early morning. What happens to a plastic skipping rope when it has spent the night just tossed in a bag? It ends up tangled like an old phone cord. And what happens when this same plastic skipping rope is taken outside into the cool morning? It maintains its tangles! The air is cool, so the rope cools and loses its slack (Insert appropriate chemistry term here). Basically, I was trying to jump with a rope that wasn’t straight. And, when I would start jumping, it would tangle up worse and seem shorter! God. Eureka! So, I spent the next ten minutes heating the rope with the body warmth from my hands until it was nice and slack and guess what?

The rope flew around me like bloody wind itself. I did 150 jumps without screwing up. Man, I don’t know why I didn’t see it before.

And now, todays’s stats and stuff.

Weight: 96.4kg (-00.8). Go baby go!

Fat percentage: 27.0 (-00.7)

Jumprope. 600 complete! See above. God.

Lunges: 16 x 4 sets. My legs feel really worked out after these.

Rowing: 12 x 3 sets. Gently down the stream! Complete!

Standing Ovation: 12 x 3 sets. Complete! Hold the applause-heh.

Triceps Dip: 8 x 3 sets. Complete! This went smooth, too smooth. I think I was using my legs too much. I will straighten them out the next time I do this exercise as per Patrick’s advice.

Forward Shoulder Raise: 10 x 3 sets. Complete!

Leg lifts: 12 x 4 sets. Complete. I did these on the grass in the park. Fun, but not as nice as the tatami in my house.

Diet is rolling along, although I’m lagging a bit in the protein. I just have to coordinate my shopping with my wife’s shopping better.

Breakfast, same as yesterday except I had pasta instead of bread this time, and I didn’t have the egg white because the wasted egg yolk would have annoyed my family. Patrick, Team, any other way to get egg white short of drinking them on the sly at work?

Lunch: two subway chicken salads—for the protien, no cream cheese this time, but did have their red wine vinegar sauce. This may have salt, so will stop using it and switch to an alternative Patrick introduced to me. I ate four pieces of whole wheat bread for my carbs. Then, I ate bananas to round out the fruit requirement at lunch and snack time.

Dinner: Fish with seaweed soup, tomatoes, a bit of cheese, lots of sliced pumpkin, and bamboo rice. There were small blocks of tofu in the seaweed soup. I hear tofu is seriously processed, but I don’t know for sure. Should I be eating it?

And finally, I have a cold. WAAAACHOOO! Sniff. Sorry. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends with the PCP, work, my novel, and this blog. I guess my body decided to tell me I need to slow down a bit. I will, but don’t worry team. My PCP will not suffer. WAAAACHOOO! Sniff. Sorry. I’ll just cut back on my novel writing a bit—save it for the train and the weekends. I have to take of myself. As Count Rugen said in The Princess Bride, “If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything.”

Love to all!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 8: IT HAS BEGUN!!!

2009-06-08T07:10:00.000-07:00

I'm sure he means the diet, not MORTAL KOMBAT!

Here it is, my personal PCP Diet:

Breakfast: Carbs-200g Veg-180g Protein-1egg 1egg white 250ml milk

Morning snack: 180g fruit

Lunch: Carbs-200g Veg-200g Protein-180g meat

Afternoon snack:180g fruit

Dinner: Carbs-150g Veg-180g Protein-150g meat

Night snack: 150g fruit 250ml milk

Today for breakfast I had 1 egg +1 egg white scrambled, the majority of a large carrot, one baby tomato, and two slices of white bread (it was all the bread we had in the house), and 250 ml of milk. Have whole wheat bread for tomorrow though!

All my snacks were bananas near the weight requirements of my diet.

Lunch: a cream-cheese chicken sandwich from Subway, sans the bread. I don’t know about the rest of the world, but in Japan, Subway gives you the option to have all their sub ingredients as a salad. Probably shouldn’t have had the cream cheese though. Or should I have? I don’t know. I won’t have it next time, just in case. Forgot to eat carbs with my lunch, although, to be fair, I’m not exactly clear on what food has carbs.

Dinner: Cooked my first piece of chicken ever and had it with rice, a monster fresh veggie salad, and some seaweed soup. Then, I followed up right away with my night snack (banana) and 250 ml of no-fat milk--had to got to bed soon you see.

FRIENDSHIP!!! I will make this diet work. But, team, any help you could give me in terms of recipes and other advice—in layman’s, not experienced health guru English, with the assumption I do not have ready access to a health food store—would be much appreciated. I know Patrick will take care of us, but I could use the support.

Weight: 97.2kg (-00.4). Com’on 96!

Fat percentage: 27.7 (+00.4) This is such a weird number.

Exercise Summary:

Jumprope. 700 complete, but a hodge-podge. Nowhere near smooth yet. Rope came apart three times because I stepped on it. I’m really trying to control my form. I think I’m going to start watching skippers on YouTube to help me get it right.

Squats: 17 x 4 sets. FLAWLESS VICTORY!!!, even my upper leg pain is gone.

Incline pull up: 6 x 3 sets. PLAYGROUND WINS!!! FATALITY!!! This was a mess. The bar at my park was at a good height, but the sandy playground dirt refused to let my heels grip the ground, so I kept swinging forward. So, in the end, I had to place my feet flat on the ground to do the pull ups. I’ll have to find a better spot in the park to do this if I can.

Push-ups: 11 x 4 sets. FLAWLESS VICTORY!!!.

Curls: 12 x 3 sets. FLAWLESS VICTORY!!!

Da Vinci: 12 x 3 sets. BABALITY!!! The first set was smooth, but the last two sets were a struggle to get all the way up. After the curls, I figured this one would be easy. Wrong. But, I’ll get better.

Sit-ups: 17 x 4 sets. FLAWLESS VICTORY!!!

The biggest news today is all my muscle pain, save for a slight ache in my calves, is gone. It’s downright amazing. Finally, my body feels like it’s ready to play. I have a lot more energy in the evening too, which is nice.

Love to all!

More tomorrow,

Sean WINS!

Day 7: Two Old Men Together

2009-06-07T05:36:00.000-07:00

Weight: 97.6 kg (+00.3) Up,down,up,down,up. I feel like a two floor elevator.

Fat percentage: 27.3 (+00.2) See weight comment.

Exercise Summary:

Jump Rope: 500. Complete. Was I ever surprised to see this as the only exercise for day seven. Despite my trouble jumping rope the last few days, I thought: Oh well, Bring it on. I headed for the park at 6:30 A.M. and got started. I screwed up every two jumps until I got to around forty-five. My rope came apart once because I stepped on it. The idea of giving up entered my head, but, thankfully, I didn’t listen. I sighed and decided I didn’t care if I screwed up every two jumps all the way to five hundred. I was going to finish this. As I struggled my way towards the first hundred mark, I was seen by a junior high school student who probably thought I was out of my mind—I could see it in her eye.

After the student left, I was alone for a while until an old man sat down on a bench nearby. He lit up a smoke and smiled at me. He asked me how many jumps I had to do after I had just messed up again. “Five-hundred” I said. He was amused. I didn’t make a face at him. I just got back to my jumping. Then, after watching me for a while, smiling when I messed up (I just smiled back), he got up and left. I was somewhere around 450 when the old man suddenly came back and offered me a sports-drink from a nearby vending machine. I thanked him and right after this kind thoughtful act, I found my groove. I made the last fifty or so jumps with no problem. Then, I jumped once more as daytime fireworks filled the sky with their sound. They were being launched from a nearby shrine. I asked the old man what he thought the fireworks were for since it wasn’t a national holiday today. He said he had no idea. I offered that maybe the shrine was celebrating the fact it was Sunday. Yay Sunday! Bang! Bang! He laughed. I smiled, but not at my own joke. I smiled because part of me, as silly as it sounds, thought the fireworks were the powers that be congratulating me on completing my five hundred jumps and not giving up. If that isn’t a reason for a few quick fireworks, I don’t know what is. Heh. Of course, the fireworks were to celebrate the start of an Omikoshi festival, but I still think what I think.

I sat down next to the old man and popped open the sports drink, while he sat beside me and smoked. We talked as best we could, him with his near non-existent English and me with my limited Japanese. I found out he was 80 years old and lived nearby. I told him as best I could about the PCP and what I was trying to do. I also told him about my trip to Patrick’s yoga studio. The old man had a really good laugh when I told him I was thirty-four, but Patrick’s scale said I had the body of a fifty-two year old. We sat and talked a while longer, two old men together, and then he put his hand on my shoulder, wished me luck. I asked him what he was going to do today. He said, "Nothing, just rest." Then, he left. I sat there and watched him go, and I hoped I would see him again. I slowly finished my drink, looked up at the sky, said a quick thanks, asked for the strength to get through the rest of these ninety days, and headed for home.

Oh, and my rope is not too short. I know that now. My arms are just all over the place and my calves stiff. Patrick knew this all along. After all, he cut my rope. I just had to find the form. Will I mess up tomorrow? Probably. But, I’ve been in the skipping zone. I’ve felt it. It a place where your arms barely move and your skipping rope moves under you like you and it are one. I will find the zone again and, in time, I will come and go from it as I please.

As for my ‘last’ meal before our upcoming controlled diet on Monday, nothing special. I just had a caramel cookie with my 6” avocado-veggie sub at lunch. I usually have two cookies, so one was half. For dinner: broccoli with diced bacon, rice, kim-chee, a few small potatoes, and a small piece of pork.

I really enjoyed the cookie.

Love to all!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 6: When Skipping, Think Location, Location, Location!

2009-06-06T04:03:00.000-07:00

I got up at 6:00 A.M. this time and went straight into my workout. I don’t use an alarm clock. My son tends to make his way to my wife’s and my bedroom around this time, and needs me to wake up so he can get into bed with us. So, he gets in, I get out. And, while my wife and son get some much needed rest, I went out and enjoyed the morning air. I went to the park today, and it made such a tremendous difference in my skipping--so much smoother! I also broke out my old white inside-only gym shoes, bought back when I did the gym thing) and turned them into outside-only PCP shoes. Like yesterday, it was drizzling rain today but a little faster and with a touch of wind. I skipped into this wind which helped me get my rope under my feet a little faster. Is my skipping rope too short? The jury is still out on this one. I’ll see how I feel at the end of next week.

Weight: 97.3 kg (-00.5) Weighed before breakfast!

Fat percentage: 27.1 (-00.1) This number reminds me of my grade in High School Geo-Trig. Heh.

Exercise Summary:

Jump Rope: 70/70/70/70/70. Complete. Yeah, I messed up several times, but I made it to sixty on set two before tripping up. Yeah! Now that I’m not unintentionally skipping out on skipping, my calves are stiff and have taken the place of my thigh muscles in making getting up, sitting down, and going up and down stairs difficult. But, this too will pass. Tomorrow, I will give my calves a little stretch before jumping rope—one of the few useful things I remember from high school gym class.

Lunges: 10/10/10/10. There were no problems here. My legs are almost back to normal. Yay! Okay, well, the last one in the third set was a hard, but I just remembered one of Seabass’s comments. Seabass is the nickname of one of the other members who started the PCP the same time I did and is part of my PCP group: group garnet). Seabass mentioned his half diet to a friend of his, and his friends asked him what he was conditioning for. Seabass said he was conditioning for AWESOME! The laugh got me through the pain. Thanks Seabass! I’m conditioning for AWESOME too.

Push-ups: Set: 9/9/9/9. This is getting easier (knock on wood).

Leg Ups: 12/12/12. It’s nice to see my feet without having to look over my gut. Okay, my gut is not that bad, but still…

Love to all!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 5: Son of Man, Look to the Sky!

2009-06-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

I got up at 6:30 A.M. today and went straight into my workout. For the first time, I went outside. It was drizzling rain at about the speed my sweat dripped off my face during the push-ups. It was difficult to tell which was which. I think I might start making this early rise work out a regular thing, sans the rain of course.

Height: I think we’ve seen this enough. Heh.

Weight: 97.8 kg (+00.3) Gotta stop weighing myself after breakfast.

Fat percentage: 27.2 (+00.6%) Now that I’m using the jump rope, this should drop a little faster next week.

Exercise Summary:

STUPID JUMP ROPE! HULK SMASH!!!

Jump Rope: Supposed to do: 70/70/70/70/70. Did: 50/50/70/70/70/40. God, I messed up every fifteen jumps or so. My rope came apart twice. Grrrrr. I think my rope might be too short now, but it’s more likely my arms are too tired right now to keep straight enough for my rope to get over my head. Also, I did my jumping on a slightly slanted driveway. Tomorrow, even if it’s raining (which the weather repost said it will be, I’m going to the much more level park just a minute from my house. If I continue to have these problems come next weekend, I might get another rope. In the meantime, frustration burns fat too. ;-)

Squats: 15/15/15/15 (one more set today)

Push-ups: Set: 8/8/8/8 (one more set today)

Sit ups: 17/17/17

Today I thought I’d share one of the songs from my PCP soundtrack.
‘Son of Man’ by Phil Collins from Disney’s Tarzan Soundtrack. I find it to be quite inspiring, especially when you’re trying to do those last few sit-ups. I think the song and video illustrate the change were trying to make fairly well. Soon, we'll be the best apes ever! Enjoy.

Love to the team!
Thanks to the readers!
And Mom and Dad, cause I know you’re reading this, love you to you too.

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 4: D'oh!

2009-06-04T06:38:00.000-07:00

All this time, I thought my jump rope training had not started yet. No. I just did not see it on the sheet. You see, I use my lap top and not paper to see my exercises for the day. When I load the picture it starts at 50% magnification. I push it to 100% and it cuts off the top. So, I never saw the jump rope requirements. D’oh! So, today was my first time using the jump rope on the PCP. I have to work on form. I move my arms too much and I double jump for some reason. Also, I had to have the rope cut a bit more (Thanks, Patrick).

And now, today’s super summary brought to you by Patrick’s yoga studio’s cool electronic scale.

Weight: 97.5 (-00.9)
Body fat% 26.6 (-1.8%)
Intra-Organ fat% 14.0%
Basal calories: 2038
Muscle percent : 32.2%
Subcataneous fat : 17.6%
BMI : 29.1
Body Age : 52 (My actual age is 34)

Exercise Summary with number done in each set:

Lunges: 10x2/10x2/10x2 My legs were sore during this exercise, but much better since yesterday thanks to sleep. Also, halfway through the lunges my legs started to feel better. Oh, there is still pain, but it’ll go eventually. I also learned my knee doesn’t need to go to the floor in this exercise. I’m happy about that, and so are my knees. I saw Patrick put his hands behind his head for a set, wonder why? I forgot to ask.

Push-ups: Set: 8/8/8/8 I’m glad I’ve got these figured out (One more set today).

Leg ups: 10/10/10: Patrick’s pro tip: put your hands under your buttox for this exercise, and if your buttox goes of the ground a little during each leg-up, it’s okay, but only a little.

Jump Rope 60/60/60/60/60. Oh yes, these were not perfect sets in terms of form and flawless execution, but I almost completed the last set entirely without tripping up.

It was nice exercising at Patrick’s studio. Having other people there really helped, although there were only four of us. The work out went faster. A real treat, besides meeting Patrick’s lovely lady-friend Kazue, was meeting Kazuhiro Ono. He’s completed the PCP and maintains his connection with the program. His blog is here:

http://thepeakconditionproject-kazu.blogspot.com/

Oh, and Patrick took my week 1 complete photo. Have a look.

After leaving the studio, every snack shop and bakery called out to me. I could smell the sweetness in the air, see the sweetness in the bins and on the shelves. Sentences starting with’Well, Surely Patrick wouldn’t mind if I….’ passed through my mind, but I’m glad to say I resisted. I got to where I was going, stiff legs notwithstanding. I’ve had my 6” avacado-veggie sub, and now, although hungry, I’m going to work on my novel for a couple of hours before starting work. Life is good.

Love to the team!
Thanks to the readers!

More tomorrow,

Day 3 All Pain. 00.4 Gain?

2009-06-02T18:39:00.000-07:00

Hey Team and readers!

Height: 183 cm
Weight: 98.4 kg (+00.4)
Fat percentage (according to electronic scale): 28.4% (+2.6%)

Exercise Summary with number done in each set: 1/2/3

Squats 15/15/15 Complete! Knees ached through the whole exercise, but the pain dropped a bit halfway through the second set once my blood got flowing and my muscles realized I wasn’t going to quit.

Push-ups, 10/10/10 Complete! I did two more than the max required in these sets to celebrate the fact my modified sit ups on Day 2 were actually the correct way to do the exercise. Thanks, Patrick. I goofed and didn’t see Patrick’s knees were on the floor in the picture. However, to be fair, there is no ground in the picture to see, so Patrick looks like Superman flying through the air (compliment intended).

Sit ups: 15/15/15 Complete! Pain here too, but because of the pain, I felt my ab muscles. I’ve had pudding for a gut for so long, I wasn’t sure I had any muscles left to feel. ;-)

Weight up just a touch, but don’t worry. I haven’t cheated the half diet. I know from word of mouth the weight dips up and down a bit until the body figures out exactly what you’re doing to it. Not worried.

Today will be my first day back at work since I started the PCP. I’m just coming off a four-day-weekend. Here’s where the real test of will against snacking begins. I’m looking forward to my half lunch. a six inch veggie avacado subway sandwhich. (Update: Oops, wait, it's Wednesday. I'm eating lunch at home. Guess the veggie avacado fix will have to wait.)

No cool video today because I couldn’t think of one that fit the post.

Love to the team!

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 3 Update: Working Through The Pain

My legs hurt. The lunges on day 2, as much as I enjoyed them, have really given my underused thigh muscles (rectus femoris?) something painful to think about. I move like a stiff old man now. The worst is sitting down. I pretty much have to drop into any seat I take. I actually used the train rings to lower myself into the train courtesy seat today. I'm writing this more for posterity than to actually complain about it. I can handle it. I'm just worried I'm not going to beable to the next round of lunges to come. Fortunately, I have a little help. Tomorrow, I will visit Patrick's Yoga studio, and, hopefully, he can give me a few pointers to work through the pain.

Day 2 When the Going Gets Tough, The Weak Modify?

2009-06-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Team and Readers!

I was reading over the PCP website again yesterday, and I don’t know if I missed it the other times I read the site or what, but I saw that some of the PCP exercises are based on basic kung-fu training techniques. I shouldn’t be surprised really since Patrick, our wellness coach, is a Bruce Lee fan. Heh. But, the kung-fu reference reminded me of something a friend found for me on the internet a few weeks back. If you’re a lover of either the Dead or Alive Fighting Game Series or Final Fantasy, or if you just love great CG action, these are the videos for you. These are the first two parts (third one still being made) of a series called Dead Fantasy where the ladies from DOA and Final Fantasy go at it in a super chop-socky battle. It was done independently by a programmer named Monty Oum, and the series is considered one of the greatest fan-created works out there. The reason I bring it up in my PCP blog is, not just because it’s cool and can hype you up before a work out, but it’s an excellent example of how some things, like a super healthy and fit body, only happen if you do them yourself. A DOA/FF is something the respective owners of the two franchises would have ever done, so a fan stepped up and did it himself. No one is going to hand me a healthy and fit body no matter how long I sit on the sofa and wait. I need to get off my snack-lovin’ ass and make it happen!

Enjoy the video! Monty Oum's Dead Fantasy Parts 1 & 2:

And now for today’s summary.

Height: 183 cm (still not taller) Maybe I should start measuring my…nah!
Weight: 98.0 kg (-00.8)
Fat percentage (according to electronic scale): 25.8% (-3% Huh?) Oh well, Patrick mentioned once that we shouldn’t put to much stock in the fat percentage calculations of electronic scales (although they do beat the heck out of your Physical Education Teacher measuring your fat with that pincer-proctractor thing. I’ll keep posting the number, but take it with a grain of salt.

Exercise Summary with number done in each set: 1/2/3

Lunges: 10x2/10x2/10x2 Complete! These were fun in spite of the fact I had trouble climbing and going downstairs afterward. I felt every one of the 13 stairs up to and down from my bedroom. Ouch. I should also mention I also had some trouble keeping my fists on my hips from time to time. My arms wanted to swing to give me support, but I fought the urge as hard as I could and was 98% successful. Oh, and yes, I did lunges for both legs three times, hence the 'x2'.

Push-ups: 0/0/0 proper 20/20/20 modified! I got set up to do the push ups, sweat dripping off my brow from the lunges, but, each time I started, my arms promised to give out and make me eat floor. My arms, you see, were still weak from yesterday, and my chest still hurt. I tried everything. I moved on to the leg-ups and then came back and tried again, same deal. I put on the most rockin’ music I had, same deal. I sat there looking at my computer with Patrick’s picture doing the push-ups and thought about how I didn’t want to report failure (points to the power of the blog as motivation). So, I decided to do the only thing I could think of. I did the push-ups with my knees on the floor. With my legs out of the equation, I was lighter. It was tough, but I still managed to work the same muscles, and I pushed the number up to twenty for each set to make up for the missing weight. My arms and chest still hurt, but I feel much better than I would have if I had done nothing. Patrick, I hope I did good. Please advise me in this regard.

Leg-ups: 10/10/10 Complete! With this exercise, the only way I could put my legs straight up was to lift my butt off the floor, either because of my lack of flexibility or my twisty skeleton displaced by years of poor posture. So, after a few like this, I decided to lift my legs as high as I could, but keep my but on the floor like Patrick in the PCP picture. My legs weren’t exactly straight up, but I did my best.

The ‘eat only half’ diet goes well. Without thinking, I took a few steps toward the family snack basket last night. I resisted easily, but not without some longing. I was surprised at the habitual move. Snacking behaviour hiding out in my subconscious? Yipe! Don’t worry. I will resist. My hunger—our team’s hunger--is a badge of honor. In our Day 2 e-mail Patrick wrote: At first it's easy but around Day 4 your body might say, "I've had enough of this crap, hand me a cookie!"

Um…anxiously awaiting day 4. ;-)

More tomorrow,

Sean

Day 1 And...Here...We...Go!

2009-05-31T16:13:00.000-07:00

The Joker seemed like an appropriate picture to start off this blog since part of me thinks I’m insane for joining this program, but like SEAL said in his song CRAZY, “We’re never ever gonna survive unless we get a little crazy!”

Now, a little bit about me for anyone who reads this blog.

My name is Sean Anderson. I’m a 34-year-old Canadian from Regina, Saskatchewan Canada, but I have been living in Japan for pretty much nine years now. I live in Kagawa, a town just outside Chigasaki city. I’m an English Teacher for a small but stable little English school called English 1st. I’ve worked for NOVA (got out just before the fall), and I’ve worked in a Japanese all-girls high school, and I find I much prefer the small intimate environment and work schedule of my current school.

I’ve had zero wellness goals in the past. For years, I relied on my height to (183 cm) to keep people’s eyes off my slowly expanding gut. I did the gym thing once with a friend, but I gave it up when my friend had to quit. For me, this weekly trip to the gym was just an excuse just to spend time with said friend. I’ve been do a semi-regular Billy’s Bootcamp—Abs program starting a couple of months ago, but the only goals with this are to spend time with my wife who does the workout regularly, and to build my willpower in terms of getting off my butt and exercising in preparation for the PCP workouts.

For my inspiration figure, I have selected Ryo Saeba of City Hunter Anime fame. Yeah, I know, he’s not a real person, but, to be honest, no real person has ever inspired me in terms of fitness, made me envious yes, but never inspired me. I chose Ryo because he represents all the things I want.

First, Ryo has an achievable healthy body that will help me take care of my loved ones and myself. I had a bout with pneumonia last year and it really shook me up. It was a wake up call. I need to get healthy if I want to be there for my wife and son whenever and however they need me.

Second, as a fiction writer struggling to write his first novel, Ryo is a prime example of what I hope to create: a character which endures in the hearts and minds of fans long after the author has finished the work in which the character exists, and a work which fans of the work’s genre consider a ‘must watch/read’.

Third, Ryo’s a, albeit largely unsuccessful, sex maniac in his off hours, which represents the fact, while I do not wish to reach for Ryo’s extremes, I’m hoping to improve my overall stamina and, as a fringe benefit, improve the sex life in my marriage. Things are good for my wife and I in this department, but there’s always room for improvement!

Finally, Ryo, when he’s on the job, has a coolness about him that feeds my spirit both as a person and a writer. All you have to do is watch an episode or two of CITY HUNTER to see what I mean—Animated, not the Jackie Chan Movie, The Jackie Chan movie sucks harder than a vacuum cleaner, even Jackie says so!

Here's a little taste of the Ryo I know and love. Pump up the volume and enjoy!

And now for today’s summary.

Height: 183 cm (I don't think the PCP will make me any taller)
Weight: 98.8 kg
Fat percentage (according to electronic scale): 28.8%

Exercise Summary (with number done in each set)

Squats: 15/15/15 Complete!

Push-ups: 7/6/0 Tried to do one more set after my sit-ups for ego sake and only managed to do four before kissing the tatami mat.

Sit ups: 15/15/15 Oops! Did these as full sit ups instead of partial like in the PCP picture. So, did a fourth set the right way for education’s sake. Also, put fingertips on the sides of my head to keep pressure off my neck (Advice from Billy’s boot camp ;-)).

An hour later, after the above work out, my arm and upper leg muscles felt tired, so I moved a bit slower for the rest of the day, but no pain. The weakness is probably just the result of working muscles that haven’t been worked much before.

And, I’m hungry. Yep, only one day in of eating half my usual food, and I’m hungry. But you know what? In a strange way, at least today, the hunger feels good. It means I did everything I was supposed to do today for my first day of the PCP and that makes me feel good. And, one more upside from eating less today is I was not as tired after my meals because my stomach had less to digest. My wife joked when we went shopping today. She said I’m down to a normal person’s meal size. Also, because I’m only eating half my usual food today, My wife and I were able to save a little money when we went shopping—smaller package of chicken.

More tomorrow,

Sean