Day 90'ish - Milestones

We are officially through with the formal 90 day Peak Condition Project as led by Patrick and Chen. Thank you gentlemen for your leadership, support and knowledge. Thank you for the combination of exercise and example by you and all former PCP'ers including Gwen Bell for representing the project so well. It made the tough days and challenges bearable. Both fun and tough days were a blast with my group, Denise, Emily, Naomi and Shelly. The all girl PCP Team Rocked it!

So the formal project is over, but I totally feel like I am at another milestone. When you climb the peak, are you done with mountain climbing? Most people will stop, admire the view, rest for a bit, then eventually... start looking for another mountain to climb. Heh. I don't exactly know what is next, but I do know that PCP has given me the foundation to build a stronger lifestyle than the disorganized parts of pre-PCP. Oh sure, I went to the gym, ate healthy, enjoyed life, but the relationship between diet, fitness and health were somewhat precarious. Lots of instant gratification with consequences. You know... if you have too much rich unhealthy food at a party, then you work out a little longer the next day. Or not. Now, I know what it takes to maintain both an enjoyable life with a good perspective on how food, diet and fitness are related. I get to make the choices and know the consequences. Looks like the good choices are now habits since I find it hard to recall exactly what I ate and did for a workout routine before PCP. Here is a short list of changes to my lifestyle.

Food Choices:

Organic, Local, No sodium (not low, but no), more vegetables than carbs. I now LOVE fruit. We shop at a local farmer's market and will be growing more of my own food this coming year. Most foods have shifted in the way they taste as my palate has changed. I am starting to incorporate more raw foods and will continue exploration of clean, natural flavours.

Fitness Choices:

Cardio - I have always enjoyed the gym and loved lifting weights. Cardio is hard for me. But, I have made allowances and we will continue our budding relationship. I finally found an adjustable jump rope I like, and will trade off now and again with the rowing machine, brisk walks and more consistent activity. My rope is always portable and I have come to begrudgingly appreciate it's versatility. It works.

Strength - My body weight can be used to train? I knew this and knew it was possible, but didn't quite have all the examples I needed. I always thought isometrics, but this is real strength development. The exercise program taught me how to work my body to develop itself. I feel a bit of freedom knowing I don't have to use the gym to develop my body. I will keep my membership for now, but I love knowing I can go to a playground, park, or my own yard and workout any time I want.

Health Challenges:

Back injury - I have a blown out (herniated) disc in my lower spine, it bothers me sometimes. I modified some exercises in the beginning until my core was stronger. Now I can do any of the back and torso related exercises without injury. What did I modify? Early leg lifts with bent knees instead of straight legs, floor jumps (compression on the spine) were short sets or replaced with lunges. A few others I can't recall, but they all seem to have caught up after the first 30 days.

Flu - Out for a week+ with the flu. I was upset for the distraction, but recovered several days shorter if not weeks shorter than others in my local area. I attribute quick recovery to my body being stronger and free of unhealthy foods.

Dental - One root canal near the end of PCP. There is no fighting a toothache. It caused me to circumvent jump roping and then most exercises for nearly a week. Arggh. But, the project also taught me muscle memory exists. A quick deep dive back into the project, and I could pick back up on the same schedule as everyone else. The first workout or two after a week off were taken as short sets, but after about two mini workouts, I could do the sets and reps of my counterparts.

What does all this mean? Here is the summary:

Peak Condition Project Results:

Pounds lost = 14

Pants size = 2 sizes smaller

Shirt size = some don't fit shoulders and biceps any more if the fabric is not stretchy

Skin & Nails = in better condition, free of blemishes and nails grow like crazy

Immune system = stronger than colleagues at work

Diet = Eat healthy and feel full without ups and downs ( zero craving for energy drinks, sugar or energy bars)

Energy = no afternoon crashes after lunch, sleep deeper at night

Extended health = I don't know, but I am sure that my later years of life will be more like my great-great grandparents rather than my parents. Largely, this was my biggest motivation for the project. I have seen so many friends of my parents as well as mom and dad age somewhat ungracefully. I know this is preventable, but requires action now, with little immediate reward. Vanity helps for the moment, knowing I look better when working out consistently. But, deep down, my eye is on the ageing process. My great grandparents and grandparents lived lives full of activity until they ripened with age and good stories. Living well has its consequences and I am counting on it!

Gratuitous inspirational shot! Arms?! Even triceps!

Day 1 vs. Day 90

For now, thank you again to Patrick and Chen for the leadership and to Denise for going on this adventure with me. We did IT! To everyone, I look forward to seeing how we all continue and to a reunion of Complete PCP'ers as we all age gracefully!

It's that time of year

Busy, busy, busy! Parties, obligations, end of year deadlines, and... wrapping up the Peak Condition Project! Wow, how did we get here? Full post and photos to follow this week, but a short update from Day 89.

Even though everything is busy, we had to stop on Day 89 and take a nap. A sleep like none other. We did a monster morning workout on Day 89 with supersets and gave it all we had. More grunts, squints and clenched teeth than I remember in a long time. We crawled back towards a few egg whites and fruits to start rebuilding the fibers we just attacked. Then, a quick nap. The quick nap turned into an hour and half of deep sleep. I woke up groggy, but with the satisfaction that my body was growing and I had pushed myself for the past 3 months. I may not have been able to accomplish everything to 100% for the Peak, but I know what my body can do and it inspires me to more. Like many, I feel this is not an end, but a milestone in a continuous project. But, I now an expanded toolset for the road ahead.

A coworker had a holiday open house for the evening, so we dressed and headed out to see how the rest of the world had been operating for the last few months. It felt good to take a break and relax knowing I have a much more centered place to operate from. Several comments on appearance and a few new outfits, and the holidays are not looking so crazy. In fact, there are a few more upcoming parties that I am looking forward to with snazzy new (and smaller) outfits.

To Denise, Shelly, Emily and Naomi... Congrats! This has been more than expected and I look forward to hearing everyone's final comments as I organize my own thoughts. Patrick and Chen, you have been our gift this year.

Day 87 - Cold Weather Dehydration

Woke up the last few mornings with my muscles a bit more sore and stiff than normal and very lethargic. I first chalked it up to the last push intense exercises, old man winter and a bit of Emily's Senioritis. But, I think I realized this morning I haven't been getting enough water.

Less fruit in our diets has dropped some of the natural water intake and the cold weather seems to conspire as a trickster. Step outside into the cold and the moisture is immediately pulled from my lungs and throat. Get to the office and the building's heaters dry everything up. Sweat during a workout and the cold drys it quickly not letting me realize how much fluid I am using. Get home and bundle up in warm clothes and stay near the heater. I realize this is a real problem for people in extreme outdoor sports, but a slight case of winter dehydration must have slipped in to the daily routine. The daily deficit I am running is not a big deal, but definitely something I can improve. I drank lots of water when we started the Peak Condition Project, now I have focused on diet and workouts to the extent I was taking water for granted.

Today. Focus on drinking water and tea.

Day 85 - What it takes to be great

A short video. Explains some of the reasons we want to rock so hard.

Day 83 - ToDo list

Even on a weekend, the PCP routine has become that, an everyday part of life. It seems like after nearly 90 days, the habits we have created have become ingrained. The weekend's morning coffee coincides with steaming vegetables and boiling eggs for the day. We will be out of the house some today, so eggwhites go into a ziplock bag and vegetables in another. Add a piece of fruit or two, and we have lunch on the go instead of trying to find a healthy restaurant or worse.... going without until we get back home.

I find it kind of hard to sometime remember what I ate before PCP. Really? I know I ate stuff and probably lots of it. Hmmm... I know I didn't eat at restaurants much. Seems like I remember semi-healthy things I thought were healthy. Natural peanut butter and my backpack always had cheese sticks, and energy bars. Notice how not all of those are really natural? Wow. I think my difficulty in remembering what I ate indicates I have formed a solid habit and change in my outlook toward food. I do know what I will be eating going forward. Much of the same including my slightly embarrassing new love of egg whites and apples.

Today will include: hopping at the Holiday artisan market, errands and then since the weather has turned bitter cold for us warm weather birds, off to the gym this evening for a solid workout before we start the last week. Bad part of a gym? trying to regain enough energy to pick yourself up off the floor and drive home after the planks.

Day 79 - Food Recovery

It has taken a few days, but I think I finally recovered from our last food indulgence. No easy task. When we were told about the final indulgence, one of my first thoughts was... "can I give it back?" I already knew any of my pre-PCP foods would have me feeling sluggish, and it seems my taste buds have even changed and those things don't taste as good anymore. But, in the true spirit, I knew it would be good to play fairly and see really how my body and mind reacted to a full overblown meal of richness.

We chose some doozies. The restaurant was good, serving organic and locally grown foods when possible. We watched Food, Inc. over the holiday and that is a whole other blog post. So, a minimum was making sure the food was local when possible. Here are a few descriptions and picture from the menu.

Appetizer, Pan Boracho = Torn baguette, prosciutto, fresh thyme, garlic and yellow onion soaked in a savory white wine custard with gruyere, mozzarella and grana padano cheeses - all baked until bubbly and gooey. Wow... I am so glad I don't have to clean that dish. The cheese was truly gooey and crusty melted at the edges. We only had a few bites, but it was yum! Ugh.

Entree, Kobe Beef Burger = 8oz. Texas Kobe beef burger with mushrooms, caramelized onions and gruyere, in-house pickled jalapenos, Texas tomato and organic bibb lettuce on a fresh-baked bun, served with famous frites. Yep, that about sayz it. I didn't eat all the bread, but did try for all the burger. I had been craving a bit of beef, but I was surprised the flavour was not as intense as I would have liked.

Dessert, Big Brownie = you knew it was coming. We couldn't finish them, but decided to be fair, we should have a sweet bite at the end. Bad move. I had a brownie with ancho chile in the chocolate and a scoop of Dulce de Leche Gelato.

Included one glass of wine where I would have normally had two or more. I ordered a glass of cabernet I really enjoyed in the past. It tasted different. About half way through the meal, it opened up and I got used to the flavour again. But it still left a little lacking. (Note: Dang it Patrick, What have you and Chen done to my taste buds?)

This was Sunday evening. I woke up Monday with a food hangover and puffy tummy. Not fun. It has taken a full two days or more, but I finally feel like the sluggishness is out of my body. A steady diet of clean non-greasy foods has helped. Even boiled egg whites felt heavy up until this morning (nearly three days later).

Summary: Good local food, still too heavy. Taste buds whacked out, but somewhat recovered by half way through the main meal. Body recovery 2-3 days minimum to lose heavy feeling from too much rich food. Whew.

Admittedly, this would have been a rare indulgence even in the past, but not without precedent. I could have easily ordered this meal when out with friends about once or twice a month. Future meals out will be choosing from the lighter side of the menu.

Day 73 - Thanks

This morning, Denise and I hopped up after a very enjoyable day yesterday with extended work family. Where I work, we traditionally have a potluck where we invite our families to the office for the afternoon and then enjoy an exciting tradition of pre-Thanksgiving Plasma Car races on the parking garage roof. We are a bit competitive. (don't let the picture fool you, I won that race). The food was great, and the company better. I found the food mostly inappropriate for PCP and enjoyed walking around and talking to people without having to balance a plate and wine glass. Nice. It was a really great day. Now, I have a few days to be devoted to my own schedule, workouts and errands.

Today, we also headed to the Whole Foods store for fixin's to make a healthy pumpkin pie and small cornish hens for some protein. Thanksgiving needed some recognition, so I am going to make a #raw crust of walnuts and dates, then a pumpkin filling of organic pumpkin puree, flaxseed, tofu and spices. We are pretty excited. Then we threw everything in the refrigerator and treated ourselves to the gym for some gravity defying pull-ups before they closed. A few pics uploaded, and we are getting ready to create a healthy meal where we know all the ingredients and can choose our portion sizes.

Today, I am thankful for our health and how we are so fortunate this year to be able to workout, enjoy healthy real food, and share a little joy with others. I hope everyone is having a great day with friends, family and loved ones. Happy Thanksgiving PCP'ers and Patrick.