Last post from my 20 ' s

Good Morning Team Captains!

I hope that all of you are well on this relaxing Sunday morning.  It has been a bit since my last post.  The Team Jake has had some wonderful accomplishments and a few hiccups.  Overall my team is still very successful.  How is your team doing?  Is your Captain doing all that can be done?  If not, it's not too late to begin. 

Since I last write, I have hit my 100 lbs milestone weight loss.  I began last fall at 385 lbs.  Now I'm at 285 and still dropping.  This has had the added benefit of being able to fit into very expensive clothes I purchased 5+ years ago.  I bought a blue coat back then that never fit but I wanted it anyways because I knew one day I could wear it.  Sadly, I won't be able to wear it long.  It's now looking baggy.  I think this is a problem I can deal with.

Overall, my health is great and I feel great.  Not bad as I'm turning 30 tomorrow.  I'm currently in Provincetown, MA celebrating this event.  This will likely be my last post from my 20s.  This celebration is actually two fold...I'm turning 30 and because last year on my birthday I woke with the inability to speak, leading to my diagnosis of MS.

Friends let's celebrate together.  What is working for you?  What are you struggling with?  Let's learn together. Let's share together. Let us win together!!!Good Morning Team Captains!

I hope that all of you are well on this relaxing Sunday morning.  It has been a bit since my last post.  The Team Jake has had some wonderful accomplishments and a few hiccups.  Overall my team is still very successful.  How is your team doing?  Is your Captain doing all that can be done?  If not, it's not too late to begin. 

Since I last write, I have hit my 100 lbs milestone weight loss.  I began last fall at 385 lbs.  Now I'm at 285 and still dropping.  This has had the added benefit of being able to fit into very expensive clothes I purchased 5+ years ago.  I bought a blue coat back then that never fit but I wanted it anyways because I knew one day I could wear it.  Sadly, I won't be able to wear it long.  It's now looking baggy.  I think this is a problem I can deal with.

Overall, my health is great and I feel great.  Not bad as I'm turning 30 tomorrow.  I'm currently in Provincetown, MA celebrating this event.  This will likely be my last post from my 20s.  This celebration is actually two fold...I'm turning 30 and because last year on my birthday I woke with the inability to speak, leading to my diagnosis of MS.

Friends let's celebrate together.  What is working for you?  What are you struggling with?  Let's learn together. Let's share together. Let us win together!!!

One week view of my fitness.

Good Morning Team Captains!

I hope that your weekend was filled with achieving many successes.  If it wasn't, well thats ok too.  Its a brand new week in a brand new month.  Take control of your team and make a plan for success.  Start small with simple achievements...i.e. to feel better, to be active 30 minutes 3 times per week, or to eat low carb for one month (Anything that you want to change that will help with your end goal).  With these small manageable objects we can all be successful and support each other.

This post is a snapshot of what my fitness week was like last week.  Periodically as my routine changes I will update you on what I am doing.  I hope that you will do the same for me and the other Team Captains.  Together we will learn.  Together we will win!

Monday: Extra Day

This day is not on my schedule for the gym.  Instead, it was nice out so I took a 4 mile walk with a friend.

Tuesday: Leg Day

4.1 Miles 63 Minutes Eliptical Machine Level 3

Leg Press Machine -  3 sets of 12 Reps @ 170 Lbs

Leg Extension Machine - 3 sets of 12 Reps @ 110 Lbs

Leg Curl Machine - 3 sets of 12 Reps @ 90 Lbs

Calf Extension Machine - 3 sets of 12 Repts @ 125 Lbs

Crunches - 1 Set of 20 Reps with 20 Lbs  (I should tell you that I'm very wimpy with my abs...I, likely, could break a leg and still cry less then if I did a normal day of ab workouts.  I tend to err on the side of caution and limit my ab workout until I get used to the pain.)

Thursday:  Chest & Back Day

4.58 Miles 65 Mins Eliptical Machine Level 3

Butterflys 1 sets of 15 Reps @ 70 Lbs

                 1 set of 12 Reps @ 90 Lbs
                 1 set of 10 Reps @ 100 Lbs

Row 3 sets of 8 Reps vertical hand placement @ 50 Lbs
         3 sets of 8 Reps horizontal hand placement @ 50 Lbs

Chest Press 1 Set of 8 Reps 60 Lbs
                    1 Set of 8 Reps 70 Lbs
                    1 Set  of 8 Reps 90 Lbs

Lat Pull Down 1 Set of 8 Reps 110 Lbs
                        2 Sets  of 8 Reps 90 Lbs

Crunches 1 Set of 20 Reps with 20 Lbs (See Tuesday)

Sunday - Arms and Shoulders

5.15 Miles 68 Minutes Eliptical Machine Level 3  (This one I'm especially proud of.  I started off just a few weeks ago looking to do a 5k.  I was able to complete just 3/4 of it.  I worked at it each time at the gym.  Finally I've exceeded that 3.1 Mile goal (5K) and I'm up to 5.15 Miles.  Maybe I'll work on a 10K next.

Curls 3 Sets of 12 Reps @ 70 Lbs

Military Press 3 Sets of 12 Reps @ 60 lbs 

Incline Chest Press 3 Sets of 12 Reps @ 80 Lbs

Crunches 1 Set of 20 Reps @ 20 Lbs

Where to go from here?

Good morning leaders!

When you hit a milestone where do you go from there?  As I stated in Monday's post, I dropped another ten pounds.  That puts me at a total of 50lbs dropped since August.

At any other point in time when I've lost weight or attempting to get into shape, I would have celebrated this win.  Today I feel different.  I am happy to have shed those pounds but I don't really feel like I did much to do so.

The biggest change, I made, to make this positive impact was changing my mindset.   In the past, like most people, I dieted.  This time I never dieted.  This was all about a series of small individual changes I've made to my life that, lucky for me, have made me drop some weight. 

This whole health regimine that I am on has so little to do with my weight and so much more to do with how I feel.  Right now I feel good but that's not my goal.  My goal, I want to feel great.  I will settle for nothing less. 

Don't get me wrong...I'm very proud of myself and my team, but I have even higher aspirations.

As I step off my soapbox, what are your goals for your team?

Jacob Normandeau

Team Captain

The Team Jake

We are all successful for taking the steps towards our goals!  JN