How to Gain Lean Body Mass

This is a new feature I’m adding where under fitness I’ll have videos and other forms of tips to help in our fitness journey.

New Year! What now?

Happy New Year everyone! It’s 2012 and everybody as always happens is excited at the prospects of the days and months to come. In this year of the dragon what will we being doing differently to make this year successful? You’re going to make resolutions? Good for you? But what does that mean? Does it mean you make a list, get all worked up and weeks later go back to life as usual?

Year after year I try to set goals that will enhance my life even in small ways. This year is no different with a 13 goal spread (plus a few left from last year). This obsession started in 2006 when I set a list of 153 goals to do by the end of the year which I did accomplish. The excitement of that and the inspiration from reading Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People pushed me to make it a yearly ritual.

After doing it for some time I started to hone in on things that were really important to me and breaking those down into sub goals. Things like spiritual growth, health, career, and travel after a couple of years of building goal lists were separated and then broken down into accomplishable tasks.  I stayed as realistic as possible with my goals  as they were all based on bigger goals based on a five year plan.

This year starts the beginning of a new five years and I’m excited.  Even though my last five years were mixed because of unforeseen problems (like business endeavours getting robbed or extorted and world economy going to crap) I still am impressed by what was accomplished and I’m definitely looking to do it bigger this time.

As I mentioned before I have thirteen goals this year. I’ll share a few with you as I close this blog. One of my fitness goals is to run a 5K marathon in the summer or fall of this year. This means training starts now. Another goal in terms of my career is to get a job in Canada which utilizes all of the experience and skill I garnered while in Jamaica.  One of my spiritual goals is to spend time in the New Testament covering the letters to the churches and how it applies to me.

I”m excited and hope all those who have set resolutions or goals may move toward them with excitement and fervour.  I also did get a life goal done this year. On my bucket list I had to go to a hockey game and was given that chance this past week. Yes!

Looking forward to your feedback. Stay strong and focused!

Ainzlee

Note : Check out my trip to the Hockey Game 😉

Fitness, Looking Good and the Summer Body 3

It’s been a while since I put words on a screen and called it a blog but here I go again. This is the end of the summer and with it I think the last update for a while on my quest for a healthier life.  It’s been weeks since the last update so for those who asked here it is.

Bloggers Note : For those of you who haveno idea what I’m talking about feel free to click below links :

https://theainzlee.wordpress.com/2011/06/24/fitness-looking-good-and-the-summer-body/

https://theainzlee.wordpress.com/2011/07/19/fitness-looking-good-and-the-summer-body-2/

The truth is (you know what usually comes after that right?) I slacked off. I got caught up in summer and all the activities and neglected to do my work outs. Don’t get me wrong. I did do them but not as consistently as I should have. I kept going to bed very late and by the time I got up it was time to get out and do stuff. I did do alot of walking and some running because Mandeville traffic was crazy this summer. So i parked the car and walked everywhere.

My eating habits for the most part were good though. I am not one that deprives myself when I have cravings for anything but all in all I made good decisions as far as food and drink. I have never drank so much water in my life. I drank one or two sodas all summer and stayed away from fatty foods also called made sure the pork was all lean meat.

So at the start of the summer I was 200 pounds, a weight which I have been for the past five years which isn’t bad because I’m 6ft 3 but I was surprised when I jumped on the scale and saw it said I was 190 pounds. I feel lighter, leaner and ready for the challenge in terms of health and keeping fit. To me ten pounds is alot but I basically look the same as 200. I guess it has to do with muscle memory.

It’s a few days before school starts and I’ve started my workout slowly but surely. Getting in pushups, situps and kegel workouts and more to be added. I hear there is a gym on campus so I may do some weight training. To tell you the truth 200 is my goal but i want it the healthy way.

Peace.

Below is a flashback to my 200 situps challenge breakthrough. Consistency is the key. Going back for that too. Current pushups status : 102 str8!

Fitness, Looking Good and the Summer Body 2

This is my second update on my summer journey to build a better body through exercise and drink.  I’ll try to keep this as short as possible.

The last three weeks have been rough! Not because the workouts have gotten harder but because procrastination and improper eating has crept in.  i haven’t controlled my need for Burger King and the need for five meals a day according to the regimine I’m on I havent been able to keep up with it.  I do get in three meals most days and keeping them as healthy as possible while rehydrating is a job in itself.

I’ve been also waiting until after 11 at night to do my insanity.  Now anyone who has done insanity knows this is insane.  at the time of the day when you’re energy is the lowest.  Because of this by the time I finish the warm up you know who is ready for bed?  Yes, me!

Even through all that I have worked out during the days doing 200 sit-ups a day, 100 pushups (35 consecutive, going for 100 ) and pullups as well as a little work with the weights I have at home!

So even though I could have done better at concentrating on my goal I still am seeing results.  Starting after writing this blog I will be changing some of my workouts (doing the same workout over and over sucks) and spending more time with insanity while trying to consume 5 meals a dat with proper hydration.

I did go to play basketball once during this time but left my camera’s memory card so I didn’t get to videotape my attempt to dunk from under the rim. Next time I promise. Also was trying to find somewhere to run the 100M but for the life of me can’t find one place in my hommetown of Mandeville that has a track marked for that distance.  Now that’s sad.  I haven’t given up on that and will keep you updated in part 3.

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Here is the link to the previous blog, Fitness, Looking Good and the Summer Body 1            https://theainzlee.wordpress.com/2011/06/24/fitness-looking-good-and-the-summer-body/

Fitness, Looking Good and the Summer Body

The summer has started and with it the need to be ready for the beach, the party, the barbeque and the pool.  A big part of being ready involves the SUMMER BODY.  There is always that “itch” to look your best for the summer for which people storm gyms, start home workout programs, get into walking and running regimines and inhumane diets.

I too am feeling the need to scratch the itch and scratching I am.  But i want to go beyond the summer and I know a lot of people feel the same.  I want to make it a part of my life’s trek.  Earlier this year I created my life’ goals (different from my bucket list) and one of the goals is to die fit so I’m using this “itch” to get me started.

I did my research and decided to work out from home using a range of workouts to be done daily.  This is what it came down to after checking discussion boards, youtubing and listening to people’s experiences.

1. Insanity Workouts – I decided to do insanity after doing test workouts with both insanity and P90X. P90X requires weights and other accessories and even though I have weights too much improvisation would have to be done and insanity requires none so that for me was a no-brainer.
2. Walking – This I do only once a week and its usually leisurely walking but still works as i go walking up to 30 minutes to an hour each time.  Nothing like a good walk where you can take some pics….
3. Pushup/Pullups/Situps – I had 3 goals this yr to do a certain number of each.  I have already hit the 200 situps goal which now I do everyday.  The pushups have been hard and at this point I can do in the 30s off the bat and then finish with 20 each set after… my gaol is to do 100 without stopping.  For pull-ups my goal is only 20 of which i have done 3 so far.  Yes, three! Yeah i know but lifting 200 pounds on a 6ft 3 frame isn’t easy.  Below are the workouts I use for all three…               http://hundredpushups.com/ – PUSHUPS                                                                     http://www.twohundredsitups.com/ – SITUPS                                                             http://www.twentyfivepullups.com/ – PULLUPS
4. Free Weights – I use them every other day and alternate them with my pushups/pullups/situps workouts.
5. Diet – Insanity says I shoudl eat 5 times a day so I haven’t changed my eating habits.  Whether light or heavy I eat five times a day while trying to drink as much water as possible.  I haven;t eaten KFC anytime this year but BK has its hooks in me. My cravings for those are REAL!  I’ll tell you about that in another blog.  If i lived in Kingston, I know Pizza Hut would see me often too. Use to drive to Kgn. Just for that but anyways….

I have been doing insanity for two weeks now and the rest a little

 longer. I try to rest on weekends and might just play basketball or run on weekends.  I have set two goals as far as these two activities for the summer. To run 13 seconds in the 100M (that would make me the 123,987th fastest Jamaican on the planet) and dunk a basketball again (which I haven’t done since college).

I don’t have a before pic but just took a pic of my progress so far. I have made progress since starting insanity because I had a little jiggle and now its gone (TMI moment).  I’ll definitely have a video of my first attempt to dunk and my first attempt to beat the 13 seconds.  If anybody else is on a similar trek let us compare notes.

Peace.