40 by 40

Labor Day Weekend – Healthing it Up

by matt on September 3, 2010

in 40 by 40

Given that this weekend looks like it’s going to be pleasurably slow and uncomplicated, I’m going to try to do two things in the next 96 hours:

1) I’ve already planned to eat at home this weekend. My goal is to eat as close to the close-to-Paleo diet I’ve been aiming at following.

2) I want to be sure I get in a single good, solid workout each day. That’s three (or four, depending upon timing) workouts, without making any compromises.

I’m going to update this entry with my progress (or lack) rather than make new ones over the weekend… Wish me luck!

Sunday update: Mixed bag so far…I’m eating much healthier except that I’m meeting friends for dinner each night and that’s throwing things off. Exercise has been good and positive – feeling good from getting active each day for three-in-a-row. I’ve also been getting up early each day so that I’ll be more likely to stay in the groove once work starts again on Tuesday.

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The Good, The Bad, and The None-of-the-Above

by matt on August 31, 2010

in 40 by 40

The Good
Since starting my 40-by-40 effort, I’ve been working out more and more regularly and feel some new routines being established. The brain is starting to re-wire itself in good ways. This has been shown by my body composition scale that indicates I’ve gained four to five pounds of muscle since starting. Excellent!

The Bad
For every pound of muscle I’ve gained, I put on an equal amount of fat. This is the exact opposite result that I intended. I would have been happy keeping my muscle mass constant and losing only fat. I’m really concerned about body composition more than I am about bulking up.

The None-of-the-Above
This isn’t as bad as the start of my quest-for-health. I really tanked at first, so it’s possible that I’m really just looking at weight I put on at that time

The upside is that extra muscle mass means it will be easier to lose the fat as my metabolism is some fractional bit higher. If I keep with the workout routine, other good physiological changes will also kick-in making it easier to lose the fat.

I just need to remember that I can’t workout and then eat anything I want because…I’m not 16 any longer. Bummer.

Also: Any experience with these?
I have several friends who are absolutely hooked on one of two workout systems. One group loves the CrossFit stuff. The other group loves the PX90 stuff.

Anybody have hands-on experience with these? What makes you love them?

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No Habit

August 26, 2010

During my 40-by-40 effort, I’ve been struggling with some behaviors that I would normally call habits and that are the key obstacles to reaching my goal. One set of these habits are small and subtle things. They are almost reflexive actions that I perform before I realize I’ve done something that deviates from my intentions. [...]

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The Problem(s) with Paleo

August 13, 2010

In in my fifth week of my self-proclaimed “40 by 40″ program. So far, this hasn’t been a disaster but it also hasn’t been successful by any measure. I’m not going to whine about making almost no progress towards my goal because I’m no fool. Any complaint I have points back at one root cause: [...]

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Week One: Total Failure!

July 14, 2010

I’m pretty weary. My first week of pursuing the 40-by-40 goal has been a failure. I changed almost none of my diet. I added no new exercise to my normal routine. My weight went up, not down. I’m also on the road nearly every day this week, with working lunch meetings substituting the chance I [...]

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Zen Body, Zen Mind

July 8, 2010

There’s a Zen saying: Where the body goes, the mind follows. Often, this is said in the context of meditation. By practicing zazen, you encourage and train the mind to be still. The message is that the mind and body are connected and what one does will alter the other. The goal of Zen practitioners [...]

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The Paleo Diet

July 6, 2010

There are a bazillion diet plans. Of them, almost every one either offends me or seems like such torture that I don’t want anything to do with them. Of what remains, many seem like good ideas turned bad, like Atkins. Worst, every diet can be grouped with some fad that makes me question the validity [...]

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40 by 40

July 5, 2010

The problem Sunday morning, I stepped onto the scale for my regular weekly weigh-in. The news was not good. I didn’t gain any weight but I also didn’t lose any, either. I’m heavier than I like and heavier than is healthy given family history. My scale reports on both weight and body fat percentage. I [...]

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