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

Healthy Me: Soon to be - Part Two

Good evening team captains!

I hope that all of you are having a great time reaching for the stars trying to better yourselves!  I stated two days ago that I would complete part two of Healthy Me: Soon to be.  Here it is.  It's better late then never.

This post would not be complete without acknowledging that I was able to run a 5k yesterday and a follow-up 5k today.  It is my goal to do these 5-7 days per week until the 5k Road Race that I am running on April 5^th, 2014.  This single achievement is evidence of my aspiration to feel better, live better, and be better.  All it takes is incremental steps…

As I stated in my first post, I became most committed to making changes this past August.  After months of feeling terrible and living a stagnant life I knew I needed a change.  With my diagnosis of MS, now months behind me, I went into action trying to find physical and mental outlets.  My first task became organizing a team for a MS Society Walk in October.  This was very successful; nine of Team Jake teammates walked after having raised more than $1500.00.

Though this was an important step for me in my goals of feeling better it wasn’t where I ended.  I hiked more mountains and trails this past fall than I likely had my entire 29 prior years.

While improving my activity levels I also began watching my food consumption.  I followed a weight watchers diet for about three months.  This was boring to me as it was so regimented.  By November, 2013 I was off Weight Watchers but instead making smart food decisions.  I eliminated as many starch and flour based carbs as possible.  If I didn’t have to eat bread then I wasn’t going to.

As this progressed I became slightly more militant.  I started following the philosophy that if it comes in a bag or a box at the grocery store you probably don’t want it.  Obviously, this wasn’t easy.  I am still not 100% with this but I make every effort I can.

My final dietary change came at the end of December.  Up until this point every document I read on the subject of Multiple Sclerosis pointed to diet change up to and including a Paleolithic diet.  The Paleo diet seemed too structured and without any glory for me.  While researching alternative ways to cut out bad things I found even more damning evidence against dairy and beef.  There I had my answer…With the overwhelming evidence that Dairy and Beef are bad for inflammation within the brain of MS patients I was done.  I gave up beef and dairy.  This was the single hardest change I’ve made.  This was also the single greatest change I have made.  I feel so much better already in just the month I’ve been without it.

Lastly, I made a vow of becoming even more active and physically fit.  For one month now I’ve been going to the gym three to four times per week.  I focus on cardio for 30-50 minutes each time and the rest weight training.  I have no idea if I’ve lost weight.  I refuse to jump on a scale.  In fact, my father and I, shot our scale over 100 times (I know…guns…but we are from Maine after all).

I don’t know precisely how much weight I’ve lost.  Honestly, I don’t care.  At the end of the day I feel so much better!  This is worth more than anything else.  As this blog progresses I will let you know in greater detail the things I do for myself and the things my teammates do for me.  Until then…Captains gear up…Its an all hands on deck game tonight.

Completed my first 5k!

Congratulations to me on completing my first 5k Run

My goal today was to complete part two of "Heathy Me: Soon to be".  Unfortunately, this didn't happen.  I'm going to pat myself on the back anyway...I completed my first 5k Run today, albeit at the gym rather then the street.  Regardless of the location, for the first time in my life, I ran a 5k.  This was part of my training to run an actual 5k Road Race on April 5th, 2014.  Whatever your goal in life, we all get there the same way...STEP BY STEP.  What did you achieve today?  Lets together celebrate our wins!