Early 2014- Chubby daddy
I was highly motivated to kick this cholesterol thing. I made it through Thanksgiving and started a fitness program in December. It's a program that I had done several times in the past and had some success with. It's an ipod workout program called Fitter U and it's designed by a guy called Yuri Elkaim. The program is three months long and it starts you from a zero base level of fitness and progressively gets you into competent condition. The download to your ipod and the pdf files is $99 dollars and I feel like over the years I got my moneys worth.
I know, the picture is a little cheesy. I am not being paid to advertise for this program nor am I any way associated with the company. In my opinion, it's a good program for the total beginner. If you can't hold a plank for more than 15 seconds and can't do a single push up to start out, there's nothing intimidating about this program. The focus is on compound bodyweight movements and interval training. It's like a very approachable P90X program. Would I do the program again? It depends, if I let my health slip away or I have another debilitating injury I would start it up again. At this point even though I am by no means a fitness animal, I can safely say I'm beyond this program although the third month can kick your ass.
That said, there is rarely a fitness program out there that just doesn't work. It mostly an issue of whether or not you will finish it.
“The best program in the world is the program that you do.”
I finished the program barely changing what I ate and just staying dedicated to waking up early and fitting in the 30-45 minute workout before Monica had to leave for work.
In January I used my Christmas money to buy my first bike as an adult. I asked my dad for advice (he has some bike riding experience) and we headed down to Sports Authority to pick one out. We decided on a hybrid bike, a Diamondback Insight.
I had no idea what I was looking for as far as a bicycle. Like many people, I hadn't ridden since I was a kid. All I was looking for was something to ride around with on bike paths with my boy. This type of hybrid bike is a performance hybrid, which means that it has narrower tires than a mountain bike for street riding and commuting. It was a good choice. I picked up a front carrier for JP and we began riding on local bike paths. I quickly fell in love with the activity and once I discovered the bike path by Griffith Park down the LA river I was hooked.
Late January 2014- 215 lb.
By my 35th birthday I had finished the Fitter U program and discovered a new sport that I loved. Things were going good and I was looking for the next program to start. I was considering Crossfit or joining a local gym. Little did I know that fate was going to provide me with a guide and a guru that was going to change my entire direction in life.
Next time- Enter the Dragon