Category: Getting Fit

It’s been a rough couple of days. It all started Monday with the 4 AM trip to the airport to drop my wife off. I couldn’t get back to sleep, then tweaked my knee, then we were understaffed at work which meant I had to do more than my fair share. The dinner I prepared was horrible (I tried out hearts of palm pasta… I should have known better) and I was so ready for the day to be over.

Tuesday came and I was feeling better after a good night’s sleep, but things went downhill fast. The customers at my work wore me down and I became irritable. Traffic was horrible on the way home (and I have a super short commute) and by the time I walked in the door I was spent. I had all these big plans to get a workout in, but I was done. I walked the dog, sat down on the chair, and started to turn on Bosch Legacy. Then I thought about it, you know what sounds good right now? You know what will make everything better? A pizza.

I love pizza. I don’t have it all that often because my wife does not like pizza, but whenever she’s gone or working late, it’s not uncommon for me to slam down a frozen pizza. Of course, with my calorie counting, pizza isn’t usually on the menu anymore. I made a naan pizza over the weekend, and I’ve created some pizza-like bowls using cauliflower, but it’s not the same.

I rarely ever have a pizza delivered due to all the fees, but there was no way I was getting back out in that traffic. So, I went to Domino’s website and decided to go as healthy as possible with a thin crust pizza. Then, I realized I might as well get the two mediums for $6.99 each. I mean, I’m busting my calories, I’m angry, tired, and frustrated, so I just went all in.

Twenty-five minutes later, I had two hot thin crust pizzas at my door. One with chicken and pineapple and the other with green peppers. I did the math in my head, if I eat one whole pizza, I’ll end up 300-500 calories over my calorie goal for the day. Screw it, I thought.

I tried to eat slowly, but it’s been a while since I had pizza and I was hungry. I ended up eating a pizza and a half before finally putting the box away. Then I started thinking about all the hard work I just pissed away.

I shouldn’t have felt guilty. This is life. I’ve been incredibly disciplined, and this was a rare occasion, but I hate that I comforted myself with food (I’m sure that’s part of why I’m overweight to begin with.) and I hate that I couldn’t restrain myself to just one pizza. It just goes to show I’m better off in situations where I’m limited to just a couple of slices.

However, something did happen after I ate my pizza. I felt better. My energy came back, and my mood improved. Maybe having a bit more substance in me helped, and I decided that I needed to work for what I just ate. I went down to the garage and went nuts on the punching bag. Then I tested out my Walmart knockoff TRX which worked surprisingly well for $15.

I grabbed the kettlebell and did some one arm pickups and some basic swings, before hitting the mat and going the McGill Three. Then, I rolled over and decided to give the knee pushups a try, something I struggled with just two months ago, and despite my arms feeling like Jell-O after the punching bag and kettlebell, I was able to rip quite a few pushups with relative ease. That’s a big win for me! Signs of improvement!

I went back upstairs sweaty and exhausted, but I needed more cardio. I pulled out my dusty aerobic step and found a beginner video on YouTube. She may look sweet, but she kicked my butt all while smiling and encouraging me.

[Note: I don’t know much about Jenny Ford, other than I’ve seen her videos online and her energy gives me Melissa Joan Hart vibes. This was my first time watching any of them, and I got to say, she is by far one of the best aerobics instructor I’ve ever seen. I’m not coordinated and have no rhythm, but her directions and timing were almost spot on. I never felt lost, which is saying something. So, if you need someone who doesn’t just assume you have a dancing background and are great at mimicking what you see, give her a shot.]

Overall, I went to bed satisfied. Satisfied that I earned my pizza and got a great workout in. I also felt better after completing the stress cycle thanks to the workout.

Not every day is going to be a win. Every day is not going to be easy, but I’m showing up and putting in the work.

So, I’ve been thinking about weight loss incentives. According to some recent studies, having a little incentive goes a long way in encouraging folks to stay committed to working out. I’m very much a self-motivator, but I thought it might be fun to give me something to look forward to.

A pot of money or paying myself sounds dull. I’ve considered an Apple Watch which is something I’ve wanted for a while, but I’m not quite ready to make that commitment. Then today, I was browsing, and it hit me… I want a wrestling belt.

I’ve wanted a wrestling belt for years. I’ve only owned one replica belt (sometime around 2008), which I only owned for a few months before selling it to pay some bills. Back then, belts were crazy expensive, but these days there are dozens of companies making knockoff belts of varying quality. You can easily find most belts for under $200 if you aren’t too picky about thickness of plates and detail.

I could never spend more than $300, and honestly, since it’s a totally unnecessary purchase to begin with, I’ll struggle to spend any money on it. That’s why it’s so perfect for this experiment.

I pretty much know what belt I want: The current Impact World Heavyweight Title. I love the design and I think the red looks great in it.

My dream belt for many years was the NWA World Title, but recent events with the NWA has really soured me on the belt. I think I’d pick up an AEW Heavyweight Belt over the NWA one at this point.

So, that’s my goal. If I can get down to 200 lbs. (around 25 lbs. or so), I’ll buy a wrestling belt. It’ll be a bit symbolic, and I think would look good hanging up in my garage or living room. There’s a good chance I’ll change my mind on which belt (I kind of like the belt from Rocky) I want by the time I hit my 200 lb. goal, but maybe that’s part of the fun. I can browse and keep myself excited.

This morning, I woke up at 4 AM to take my wife to the airport. I don’t have to be at work until 7:30 AM, so I assumed after I dropped her off I’d just go back home and sleep a couple of hours. Of course, my body wasn’t having that, so instead of playing on my phone, I decided to be productive. I put on my workout shorts and went down to the garage to get my Pump workout out of the way.

Things were going great. I recently bought some wrist wraps, since my MMA gloves needed more wrist support for my punching bag. This was only my second time using them, but they allow me to hit so much harder for so much longer, which is great since this is usually how I warm up.

Today, marked the beginning of phase two of my Foundation: Starting from Scratch workout and that meant new exercises including a basic lunge.

With Paul Engemann’s Push It to the Limit from the Scarface soundtrack booming through my Aftershocks, I was working up a sweat. I was in the zone, and then after about my fourth lunge, I felt my left knee explode in pain.

I should have known better. When I outlined my plan of attack for my workouts, I concentrated on some of my weak spots (such as my lower back and wrists), and I’ve been doing additional strengthening exercises to build up those muscles. I just forgot about my knee. It’s not something that bothers me often, but it has been enough of an issue in the past that I own a knee brace and even bought an aerobic step seven or eight years to use to strengthen my knee. Guess, who hasn’t been using that step?

I sat down on the mat and realized I had just screwed up. It was too much pressure and too much weight on a weak joint and I was paying the price. I was determined to get my reps in, so I tried a few modifications, and ended up finishing the reps with a one-legged hip raise from my back.

Afterwards, I dragged myself up the stairs, found my knee brace in the closet, popped some ibuprofen, and made myself some scrambled eggs.

I was frustrated with myself. I really shouldn’t have tried to go so hard, but I’ve mentioned this in the past, it’s just weird getting older and not realizing your limits. Some things are just so much more difficult and while I have shedded some pounds, I’m definitely not a small guy.

I think my knee will be fine in a few days or maybe a week. I’m going to have to modify my workout and be patient with myself, which will be the hardest part. I’m pumped and ready to go, and with my wife out of town, I figured I’d get extra workouts in. But my almost forty-year-old self decided I should lunge all the way down to the floor on a weak knee and now I must pay the price.