In water we trust...

Since I have started back on my quest I have been making sure to drink plenty of water.  This has always been key to me for weight loss success.  My trainer Ryan H. must have been reading my mind as he started talking to me about how essential water is for us.  "They" say we need at least 8 cups of water a day.  I have found that the more I drink the better I feel.  It helps with everything from my energy levels to digestion as well as constantly cleaning toxins from my system.  One of the greatest aspects of water is appetite suppression.  There are times where your body may think you are hungry but you are actually just thirsty.  When I start to get hungry, I chug a bottle of water.  A lot of times I will find that my hunger will subside.  If you are truly hungry after drinking the water your hunger will return and then it's time for a nice healthy meal complimented with plenty of water.  This will help control how much you need to eat to feel full.  Before my workout today I had a nice protein fueled breakfast balanced by plenty of water.



Today's session with Ryan was absolutely fantastic.  He ended up showing me 3 new exercises I haven't done before.  We started with an assisted pull up where I used my arms as much as possible to pull myself up but augmenting that with help from my legs as I am not quite ready for a real pull up yet.  One day I will be though!  After that we did some dead lifting with the bar with 25lb weights on each side.  The most I have done consistently has been a kettle bell weighing in at around 70lbs so this was a big step up.  It felt really good, worked well for me and I look forward to having another exercise to do when I am at the gym.  We then did some work on the "Captain's Chair" as Ryan likes to call it.  I'm not quite sure what the official name for it is but it is the machine where you hold yourself up by your arms and then pull your legs up for crunches.  This was MUCH different then the crunches I did yesterday and a lot harder.  Once I got the hang of it I enjoyed it and look forward to working it into my routine.  Finally I did some calf presses on the 40 degree sled to keep building strength in the ankles.  Still working with 90lbs on each side of this bad boy.  Luckily I had some good tunes pushing me through to the end of my workout.

Since I was working with my trainer today I was not able to listen to music for the entire workout as while lifting I was speaking with Ryan and learning from his vast wealth of knowledge.  During stretching and warm-ups/cool downs I was rocking a great mix by my main man Bottin.  Bottin hails from Venice, Italy and is one of my absolute favorite producers/DJs.  This mix has a wonderful deep funk imbeded within it's soul, which is broadcasted with bouncing baselines that will give you some great energy to keep you moving along at a nice clip.  At 37 minutes long it's perfect for a quick jog or cardio workout.  I hope you enjoy it!

Bottin 4 We Love 2011 by BOTTIN>

-Ian

PS:  Just finished watching the Bobby V. press conference and I have to say I feel very hopeful.  To me he came off as very honest and open and ready for the ginormous challenge that is facing him.  It really seems like they found the right man for the job.  Good luck Bobby we're rooting for you!