Check in

Hey everyone!
Just checking again this week. I've been to the gym twice this week, and I'm feeling great. I've actually missed the gym...I forgot how good my body feels after a workout. I've been following the schedule I posted Monday, and hopefully tomorrow I'll be back with an update on my weight training.

Debrief Sample Presentation

Last Tuesday the WISE student body, his family members and friends watched Luke Mendola take on the courageous act of presenting his project to us in York Lecture Hall. I definitely think he set the bar for the presentation season and there were a few aspects of his project that I liked. I liked his confidence throughout the presentation. He had a strong sense of belonging in the room, and really captivated the audiences attention, and I hope I can borrow that for my presentation. I would say some strengths he had was his ability to talk with limited note cards. He did rely on his powerpoint to speak, but the slides had limited text and he knew what to say for each slide.
I think I will have note cards that I can carry around to keep me on track for the 30 minute presentation. Although he spoke well and rarely went off track, I know I can't keep all that information inside my head and in a coherent manner, so having that type of guideline along with my powerpoint will be helpful in my presentation.

My Last week of Field Work

Well, never thought this day was going to come, and yet here it is..
I must apologize. Last weeks workout plan was an absolute fail. Between pain from my teeth and total lack of motivation, I only made it to the gym once. But this week I don't have to work, which means 35 hours to do whatever I want (by whatever I mean go to the gym.. a lot.)  Anyways, I'm taking last weeks plan and translating it this week. I'm back up to 229- I'm assuming that weight I "lost" as a result from having my wisdom teeth out was water weight. I need to lose four pounds in 2 weeks to reach my goal, but I only have one week of blogging left. I'll be back later this week with some other posts!
Happy Memorial Day everyone!

What is the FITT principle?

It just occurred to me that I vaguely touched on what the FITT principle is, but I should show how it can be applied to my project:

In reality I only have the rest of this week and next week to work out to reach my goal because my materials are due to my evaluative panel a week before my presentation. In the next week and a half I will be following the F.I.T.T. Principle.

Frequency
Intensity
Type
Time

Frequency- How often am I working out? Typically it is 4-6 days a week. I always like a day or two off to rest and let my body catch up to the added muscle (Catching up on sleep is always nice too).

Intensity- How hard am I working out? Am I really giving it 100% and reaching my max heart rate, or am I only putting in half the effort? Following this guideline will be great- today was my first day back to the gym in a week and I went harder than I ever have.

Type- What type of exercises am I completing to achieve my goal? Anything that can get my heart rate up. I always try to mix it up with cardio and weights. Like I learned earlier in the semester, too much of one exercise or machine will produce less and less benefits because my body will acclimate to it.

Time- How long am I working out for? Typically an hour each day I workout. This has been a challenge for me because I can always find a reason to leave the gym early. Luckily for the most part I can counter that reason to leave with one to stay.

Following this FITT principle will definitely push me the next week and a half. I'm less than 2 pounds away from my goal, and having this principle in the back of my mind pushes me harder than ever.

http://exercise.about.com/od/weightloss/g/FITTprinciple.htm

This article lays out the FITT Principle piece by piece and explains each section.

so close..

I stepped on the scale again today, and I'm officially 1.7 pounds away from my goal for my project!! 226. 7 is my weight as of today, and I couldn't be happier. I may have to contribute this recent weight loss to the fact that I haven't been eating much because I had my wisdom teeth out, but every little bit counts! On that note, I had my check up at the oral surgeon and I'm cleared to workout on my own. (Apparently working out could cause some problems with blood clotting but I'm good to go.) Since I haven't worked out in almost a week, I'm going to go as hard as I can starting tomorrow, but I won't be where I was a week ago. I'm planning on rotating through these machines about 3 times tomorrow:

Bike 5 minutes
Jacobs ladder 5 minutes
Elliptical 5 minutes
-These are all at high intensity; following the FITT principle (I for intensity)
3 times through and that brings me to 45 minutes of cardio, and then I plan to end with weights:


Leg press- 135lb

The Chest Press- 80lb

Seated Row-80lb

and I'll add in the Bench press, T-Raise and Straight Arm Pullover.

and I'll stretch when I get home.

Presentation countdown: 20 days

Elite Athletes Article

Today in class we read an article from the Huffington Post that talked about how elite athletes work together with their coaches on an intense level to help better themselves, and take their coaches or mentors advise in a constructive and useful manner. This can be easily applied to WISE. The whole second semester, us students are in control of our project and overall our grade for the course. We set our goals and measure our accomplishments with our teachers and mentors in the background watching, and giving feedback when they see us getting off course. The only problem with giving seniors in high school advice is that they most likely won't take it, and may feel as if they are failing because their way isn't working out. I'll be the first to admit it. Senior year is like the top of the world, and having someone come in and say "maybe try this instead of this" can feel like a huge punch in the gut. Heck, even my mentor and I had that conversation, and I was a little mad that she felt I needed help but realized within 24 hours of her and I talking that her help and advice only enhanced my project, and I wouldn't be where I am today in this journey without her giving me that push. (Thanks Ms. Maddren!!)

Last Post for a few days

I'm having my wisdom teeth out in an hour, so I am going to be out of commission for a few days. I'm hoping to be back to the gym by Monday which I think is feasible. I just wanted to share one more piece of research with all of you before I head out the door.

At my mentor meeting with Ms. Maddren on Tuesday we discussed reasons I'm not losing weight(the plateau theory) and she actually found an article for me that pretty much says it all. It pretty much put all my worries the last two weeks at bay. I urge any of you readers to check out the "consistency" portion of this page, because I think that's my biggest weakness.

 

Here's the link:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=8_reasons_why_youre_not_losing_weight

Today's Mentor Meeting

Today Ms. Maddren and I met, and we talked about how I'm feeling, especially about the plateauing aspect of my project. We haven't met in 2 weeks because she's been out with a fracture in her foot (Feel better soon!) We're beginning to drum up presentation ideas and I hope to have some materials to show her for next week regarding the set up of my presentation, which is June 10th. We also talked about ways to avoid this lull in my project and ways to be successful from here on out.
I really can't believe Senior year and my WISE project is almost over.. This 16 week period really has been flying by..its crunch time!

Hitting a Plateau

Hey everyone. Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Over the last couple of days I haven't been feeling too motivated to hit the gym. Although I've been going almost daily, my mind isn't always with me at the gym, and  I'm beginning to plateau. I haven't lost any more weight in two weeks, and now I'm back to research plateauing in terms of working out, and how I can help change it.

Essentially, what I've found is stuff I already know: The more of the same movement or exercise one does, the more their body acclimates to it, using less energy to do it the better one gets and therefore burning less calories. But it seems too simple to just say that I need to change up my workout routine again. Also, how? Island health at Community Corners is tiny gym with limited offering of classes and machines, so what else can I do? It may be time to incorporate running or jogging back into my life. I can also starting using the FITT Principle, something we learn in P.E. FITT stands for Frequency, Intensity, Type (of workout) and Time (length of workout). I think following these guidelines will really push me to shed these last nine pounds to reach my WISE goal, and I want to get going on that soon. For now, here's the article I found!:

http://www.workoutsforyou.com/article_plateau.htm

Something I Should Have Done Long Ago

My presentation for this project is in a month. 31 days away....what.... Seems long, but I know it will be here before I know it, and I want to be as prepared as I can be. Anyways, something just occurred to me that is vital for my readers to know, and I haven't shared with you. I'm always talking about my back problems and how it can limit me (like when I want to erg but know I shouldn't, and with running). But I've never gone into detail about what the injury is, or what type of surgery I had.
I have a herniated disc in the Lower Lumbar region of my spine (essentially my lower back, where the spine curves inward towards the tail bone.) Turns out I had broken my tailbone when I was younger, and it healed incorrectly (Because I didn't know I had broken it..), which led to my lower spine having too much pressure on it.
Finally, my L5 disc essentially slid out of it's pocket, losing the jelly-like center in it that helps with compression. When it slid out, it started digging into my sciatic nerve, and so began the shooting pain down my right leg (Called Sciatica). So, after 6 failed treatment plans with some doctors here in Ithaca (I won't mention names to save them from clear embarrassment)  I went to an orthopedic spine surgeon in Rochester, NY. After 15 minutes with him  he had me correctly diagnosed, and had a full treatment plan laid out for my parents and I to deliberate over. Ultimately I took it- the pain had caused a bout with depression for me and I became someone I did not recognize. I needed that surgery to gain my life- and some friends- back.

The surgery I had was called Microdisectomy with/and Laminectomy, and it was performed in June of 2012, and I was able to go home the same day. Essentially they took away a small bony covering over my spinal canal, (laminectomy) and then they took the part of the bulging disc out of my spine that was hitting my sciatic nerve, to let the nerve heal(discectomy) That disc in my back will always be herniated. The jelly- like center can never come back and it's not fixable, but what matters is that most of the time I am pain-free now, something I never thought imaginable. Yeah, I had to quit Crew, a sport I fell in love with. But it was crew or my health, and crew was something that would eventually end, but I have a long life to fulfill. Here's an article that goes into more detail about the surgery I had:

http://neurosciences.beaumont.edu/lumbar-discectomy-laminectomy

New Workout Plan

The internet has some amazing benefits, yet I find nothing I like when it comes to workout plans. So I'm leaving myself to my own devices in planning out my next week in workouts.

Cardio:
Warm Up on the treadmill, light jogging 5-10 minutes
Jacob's Ladder(I'm beginning to like this machine..) 5-10 minutes
Interactive bike or Elliptical on harder resistance/height settings-30 minutes
Cool down- Walking, 5 minutes, treadmill
Stretch


Weights:
I will continue with:

The Chest Press- I'm up to 75lb

Seated Row- 75lb

Seated Dip-80lb

Leg press- 135lb

But I want to add in:

T-raise (Something my trainer showed me with their ropes. Essentially I start at an angle from the floor, with my legs in a stance, and I pull myself up and make a T shape with my arms and body using the ropes.)

Bench Press

Incline fly

Straight Arm Pullover

Here's a website that explains these exercises if you are curious:

http://dumbbell-exercises.com/exercises/chest/index.html#7

The Home Stretch

This week I've been following my workout plan, with my alternating cardio/weight days. But, like I said earlier this week, I'm getting too comfortable and somewhat bored with my routine and I know I need to change it up ASAP. I have until June 10 to shed these last 9 lbs. to meet my goal, and I know while that is achievable I may blow it on losing my focus.
With that said, I think I may start taking some of the awesome classes that Island Health offers. If I can't fit it into my schedule, my new workout plan will include more weight lifting, especially with free weights. I can also ask the trainers on duty to give me some tips of workouts I can do. Along with that, I want to add running back in, but mainly for warm ups or cool downs. It aggravates my back when I run for extended periods of time, and I want to avoid that while still getting the benefits of some running. After I post this I'm going to research some different workout plans that I like, and actually try out one. (With that said, I'm going with my mom to Wegmans Saturday morning (when she typically shops) to get food for one of those diets I found..be on the lookout for which one I choose!)

More Research

Thanks to Julia John, a good friend of mine, I have more research to share! She found me an article that goes into detail about six different diets that are designed for men. This article gives an overview of each diet, and then has a link that will take me to the diet plan. I definitely will check these out and see what they entail. I'm still going to do that diet I mentioned last week, so stay tuned for that as well. Thanks Julia!

Here's the link if you're interested:
http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/articles/2012/02/10/6-diets-for-men

A lull

I feel like I'm beginning to hit a lull. While losing the 20 lb. was gratifying, and I'm loving the planning and working out that I'm doing, I think I need a different workout routine. Essentially, I feel like I'm becoming too comfortable with the workouts I've been doing, and need to change it up.
As most of you know I changed my project goal to just personal fitness and weight loss, and cut out the running. I wasn't good at running and realized losing weight was far more important to me. But, out of curiosity, I feel like it would be neat to see where I would be today if I had kept running. On the other hand, I wouldn't want my project any other way, and am really happy I stuck with the weight loss.
Updates to follow soon!

Workout Partners

I've recently realized that subconsciously I've been going to the gym in the morning, every morning, which I love. I loved rowing in the morning too, mainly because it got my workout out of the way for the day and I could enjoy whatever else I may need to do after school. The other day the weather was iffy, and Molly P., a fellow WISE student, texted me asking if I was going to the gym. I had planned on staying inside all day and taking the day off, but once I found out she was going I decided to go too and meet up with her. I don't mind working out alone, but when I have someone to meet up with it makes going to the gym that much easier, and more fun! Also, like Molly said it's awkward being the only person at the gym so having a friend takes the pressure off of being there alone.

Food Food Food

I've been craving something sweet all day here at work, so foods on my mind. I just came across this awesome meal plan that I want to try for at least one day. It is all really awesome food that I would eat, minus the dessert. I'm trying to get away from food after dinner, so cutting out dessert is a good way to achieve that. Anyways, here's the link to the page:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/515089-healthy-lunch-for-men/
Check it out!

This Week's Food

I forgot, I haven't posted anything about my diet this week! It hasn't changed much from last week, but here's what I've been eating typically:

Breakfast: Cereal with milk (Although a couple days a week I have eggs for the protein instead of the cereal)

Mid-Morning Snack: Some type of fruit

Lunch: switching between salads and lean cuisines. Suggestions on healthy lunches that don't get boring are welcome.

Mid-Afternoon Snack: A non-fat blended Wegman's Yogurt

Dinner: Varies, although it typically consists of some type of meat with a side of vegetables