Getting PUMPED for the Super Bowl!

Well here we are folks, Superbowl eve.  After two looooooong weeks the game is finally upon us and I couldn't be happier.  I've been enduring the taunting of Giants fans and suffering with a smile daily as they smugly declare how easy it will be for Big Blue to be victorious in tomorrow's game.  All I know is karma is a bitch and I always enjoy when the other team tosses gasoline on Tom Brady's fire.  No matter what happens tomorrow we should be in for a heck of a game.

Consistency is King

The key to finding and maintaining your energy is consistency, something I have been sorely lacking lately. My exercise bag sat in my car for 3 full days this week before finally making it to the gym today.  I'm realizing with my new schedule that if I want to be consistent with my workouts and start seeing some real results the only time to do that is in the mornings before work.  Some days this will be easier than others and I have been training my body to get used to waking up earlier but I need to push it a little farther and make sure I don't miss any workouts!  I have to set a schedule and stick to it.  My new bare minimum gym schedule is now going to be lifting weights Tues/Thurs/Sat and at least 1 more day during the week of cardio.  I really want to start swimming and plan to try to throw that into the mix next week as well.  I haven't lost any weight in the last week or so but I haven't gained any either and I definitely feel myself growing stronger so I guess that puts January as a generally positive month but it's time to take it to the next level and really start doing some work.

Back by popular demand...

...we have the New England Patriots and the NY Football Giants facing off in a rematch of Superbowl XLII in just under two weeks.  I couldn't be more excited to see these two behemoths face off again.  Neither team looked dominant this past Sunday so it's anyone's game.  The Patriots will have to contend with a fearsome pass rush and a potent offense.  The Pats need their secondary to finally show up and play a full game if we are going to try and contain Manning, Nicks, and Cruz.  One thing I know is that Tom Brady will have nothing but ice cold revenge surging through his veins come game time.  Will he get his Inigo Montoya moment or will the Giants yet again snatch that fourth Superbowl victory from his grasp?  I for one can't wait to find out.

Best laid plans...

No matter how much we plan sometimes things just don't go the way we want or expect them to.  For example I have been trying to write this blog post for at least a week now and I just haven't found the time to do it.  Thankfully I have been finding the time to go to the gym.  I was there 4 days last week and have already put in 3 days this week.  My plan for the new year was to go 5 days a week.  Monday, Wednesday, and Friday would be cardio and Tuesday and Thursday would be weight lifting.  I got close to that last week but couldn't get motivated Monday morning hence the 4 days.  This week I am on track for 5 days after a surge of energy at 9:30pm last night had me heading over to the gym for some late night lifting.  All in all I have been putting in some hard work so far this year and I feel better than ever.  What plans did you guys make for the new year?  Now that we are a little over a week in how have those plans worked out so far?  I would love to hear about it in the comments below.

First workout of the new year...

...and in over a week!  I can't believe it has been that long since I have been to the gym.  My body really starts to let me know once I haven't been to the gym for a while.  My knees start to ache and I just get generally sore all over.  When I don't go to the gym that means I don't end up stretching which I think really effects the way I feel.  I was trying to have my first day back be yesterday but that fell by the wayside in lieu of an increased work schedule for the new year.  I'm firing up all engines in 2012 and I WILL reach my goals.  I hope everyone had a very enjoyable holiday and I was so happy to see so many good friends and of course my amazing family.  I couldn't do any of this without all your love and support and I truly appreciate it.

Merry Disco Eve!!

When I went to the gym with my mother today this quote struck a particular nerve with me.  All I have been doing for the past year is lying on the tracks and waiting for the train to come rolling through.  Fortunately for me with the passing of each new year, month, day, hour, minute and second there is an opportunity for change, a time to do the right thing.  I have been neither wise nor brave over the past year.  This is something I am going to change.  Something I must change in order to survive.  I will no longer lay on the tracks.  I will be the conductor of my own destiny.  I will be brave.  I will be wise.  I will not let myself be derailed from the path I have set forth for myself.  This is a particularly tough week to get to the gym and put in work but I made it happen 2 days.  I feel like that is something to be proud of during the holiday season when fitness can so easily fall by the wayside.  As I constantly preach on here, consistency is key, and for me anything less than two days, is not only inconsistent, but is also considered a failure.  We didn't have a lot of time for today's work out, and I woke up with my shoulder hurting like a motherfucker, but some movement is always better than none and I have to say after working out my shoulder feels much better than it did earlier in the day.

The Golden Rule

"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you"

These are words to live by and ones that I use to govern my daily life and interactions.  This is the best way I have found to bring the positive energy of other people into my life.  I also have a golden rule when it comes to the gym.  Test, test, and test again.  Now when I say test, I am talking about testing your range of motion(ROM) and letting your body tell you what exercises you should be doing on any given day.  After stretching and my cardio warmup I bend over like I am going to touch my toes.  As soon as I feel the littlest bit of stretching in the back of my legs I stop moving and see how far down I have reached.  This then becomes your baseline for the day.  You then go through the motions of the different types of exercises in your repertoire.  Just for example if you wanted to test bench press you would stand straight up and do a chest press motion 3 times.  Once you do this you again test your ROM and see if it has gotten better, worse, or stayed the same.  Depending on a variety of factors inside and outside of your body, certain exercises will test better on any given day.  The whole I idea is to listen to your body and do the exercises and movements that it is most inclined to do on that given day at that time.  My own personal baseline usually rests in the middle of my shin.  It is really amazing to see how much your ROM changes as you test the various exercises.  Depending on the day certain exercises have me reaching to my ankle or the top of my foot before I feel the stretch in the back of the leg.  I know this idea can be a little confusing at first but you can find a wealth of information on this website or please feel free to message me and I can explain the concept further.