Building a Body One Meal at a Time....

Continuing to crank out the meals that restore and fortify....

Piling on the fruit - bananas, mango, strawberries, grapes - along with spring mix, tomatoes, Avocadoes and lots of lean protein - ground turkey breast mix, chicken breast....

Changing it up with lots of veggies - sweet onion, poblano pepper, jalapeño pepper, asparagus, squash - with diced pork and venison sausage and another with scrambled egg to make a power packed frittata of sorts....

Yum and Power all in one!!!

Slept good woke up lean dry and ripped....

And weighed in at a new low!!!

Got up at 4 am everyday this week and worked 8 - 10 hours at my computer which killed my left knee and back but still managed to stick to my Paleo diet and knock out 4 brutal workouts -

2 CrossFit and 2 Boot Camp.

Did Body Pump this morning and stayed close to the weights I was using when I was 17 lbs heavier.

Doing more with less.

So less is more?

Yeah - when you are smaller and leaner, you look bigger.

So cut the bulk, work on the diet, get your sleep and mix up your workouts with intense cardio (Boot Camp) and high rep (Body Pump) and low rep (CrossFit) weight workouts for a month and see what happens.

My bet is you'll look in the mirror and see a smaller and more fit you looking back.

It's Thursday night and it's me and da Bull....

Tortilla Soup with all accoutrements and a Miller Lite at El Toro.

This is not Sparta.

Is it CrossFit or Sparta?

I love to work out but just can't get the hang of all these Okympic style lifts.

Tried to do push jerks yesterday and hit myself under the chin so hard it almost knocked me out.

Was so pissed off I couldn't see straight.

But gathered my senses and my teeth off the floor and soldiered on.

The workouts are fast, short and brutal.

I hate what it does to me....

Been tore up for 3 weeks now.

But what do you expect?

T H I S I S S P A R T A !

9 CrossFits done so far.

Haunting.... Dark.... Depressing.... No Hope

Love it....

Want some more of it!

The difference is....

Humidity!!!!

87% in Lake Jackson Tx

19% in Bozeman MT

I don't even know how to comprehend 19% humidity.... Have only been on it a couple of times.

Looking forward to it.

After my 3 mile ditch run....

Had only coffee and a banana and 2 big strawberries today to try to get below 180....

Did my 3+ mile ditch run on grass in 29:16.8 which is 11 seconds faster than I did it last weekend and BINGO!!!

Yeah I know it's a slightly dehydrated weight but it's the first time since September 2001 that the scale read below 180 and a goal I've been trying to reach since February 2011 when I changed my lifestyle of diet, exercise, stress control and recuperation.

Am I done going down in weight?

Probably not....I still have some fat on my body - probably at least 10 lbs.

So I'll continue to do my Paleo diet and mix CrossFit, Body Pump, Boot Camp and running and let my body tell me where it wants to go and what it's limits are.

Body talk?

Yeah, your body is saying something every second of everyday.

Are you listening?

A quick breakfast of...

Avocado, banana, grapes and a boiled egg....

Sounds strange - Tastes Great.

Wash it down with my mix of fruit punch Fortress Creatine (sold at Walmart) and Fresca.

Needed it cause I did Body Pump, Yoga and Zumba back to back to back.

Then tanned and hit my Saturday lunch at Ryan's.

Aaaah the atmosphere....

She be heating up here on the Gulf Coast....

And I'm still here with a 2800 ft2 Albatross hanging around my neck.

Oh well - I think I'll just

Up to my office and knock out a few hours of work.

Them's some ugly feet....

But they ain't holding up near as much....

Knocking on 180's door.

Ain't been here since 2001.

How'd I do it?

Pretty simple....

Don't eat!!!

And when you do -

Salad, veggies, fruit, lean meat and eggs.

No wheat, No rice, No pasta, No bread, No potatoes, No junk, No sweets and No alcohol.

So tell me punk....

Do you really wanna be fat?

I don't try anything....

I just do it!!!

Here's a big ole 6 am Good Friday smacker!

Making money.....

What else is there to life?

You don't have to be poor anymore....

Jesus is here!!

Very sore from doing so many Hang Cleans in yesterday's CrossFit....

But I had a nice salad today to help with the recovery...

With lots of protein...

Ground Turkey Breast and Holmes Pork and Venison a Sausage...

The King of Salads!

Yes I am.

Ok... I'll take a picture...

There.... How's that?

Ok. I'll take another one.

End of the Surfside jetties.

If Henry Ford built a salad...

It would probably go something like this....

Get all the parts and pieces laid out....

Salad, veggies, fruit, proteins and seasonings...

Dice the tomato, onion and jalapeño and add to the salad...

Get that beautiful 3/4" thick preseasoned pork chop in a hot cast iron skillet - 4 minutes on each side and 2 to rest!

Next with the grapes, strawberries and pear - I nixed the banana - enough fruit already...throw in the diced boiled egg for good measure.

Flip that Pig!!!

Finish the Pile!!!

Add a little honey mustard to porkie for a little extra flavor!!

Lemme get a closer look at that assembly line of fabulous flavors!!

Now that's a Man Salad!!!!

Where have you been all my life???

Shrimp and Mango Salad!!

With 2 sides of japs and a Miller Lite with salt and lime....

I think I'm in love.

After WOD then MOD

So what do you need after a WOD - Workout Of the Day?

Well... a MOD of course....

Meal Of the Day!!!!

How bout a bed of all that's good in the salad and fruit world?

Spring mix, tomatoes, avocado, red seedless grapes and strawberries with a drizzle of EVOO and red balsamic vinegar.

So what do you lay on that bed???

A beautiful pork chop!!!

Put it together for a wonderful MOD!!!

Now that's the kind of MOD that will get you ready for the next WOD!

Another day.... Another WOD

3rd CrossFit workout and I was sore from the Boot Camp workout yesterday but I did the deed anyway.

Did the following for time - as fast as possible in the following order.

Squats for 33 reps with 135#
15 Burpees
Deadlifts for 33 reps with 135#
15 Burpees
33 Kettle bell swings overhead with 53# kettle bell
15 burpees.

Did it in 15:02.

Need to work on the depth of my squats.

I was on the low end of the totem pole today. There were some guys in there doing the squats and deadlifts with 225#. But I stayed at 170 - 180 heart rate the whole time and put in the 2nd fastest time so I did my best and that's the way this guy rolls.

I wanna know who you're meeting in the cemetery!!

I don't have to tell you anything!!!

What?

Hard at work with Rob Zombie playing in the background!

If you gotta work, that's the way to go!!!

Dealing with AMRAPs and WODs

Sounds like some kinda covert military operation or government program right?

Nope.... It's CrossFit lingo for As Many Reps As Possible and Workout Of the Day.

Geez these guys must've went to the Sam's Wholesale Club for acronyms and filled up the basket.

Anyway yesterday's WOD began with Deadlifts for a 15 min period starting light and building to a 3 rep max weight. I ended up at 315 for 3 reps. Top of the class to ya.

The rest of the WOD consisted of 2 - 7 minute AMRAP rounds of the following with a 3 minute rest between rounds.

Round 1 was 7 kettle bell snatches and 7 - 24" high box jumps. I had problems on the technique with the KB snatches. I did 3 rounds with a 35# KB and 1 round with a 53# KB. Ended up with 56 total
reps which was the lowest total on the board. Oh - did I mention they keep score?

Round 2 was 7 goblet squats with a 53# KB and 7 ring pulls. This old man can squat and a goblet squat is basically a front squat where you are holding the KB close to your body at shoulder height. And I can do barbell rows and a ring pull is like an upside down barbell row where your body is the barbell.
Anyway knocked out 93 total reps which was the highest total.

First to Worst to First.... And done.

Not bad for an old beginner.

Being a Pig has it's advantages...

"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

I think King Albert had it right!

"If you follow the crowd, you will go no further than the crowd. But if you walk alone, and find your own way, you will
likely find yourself in places no one has ever been before."
- Albert Einstein

Kinda reminds me of one of my favorite songs....

"If you follow the crowd, you will go no further than the
crowd. But if you walk alone, and find your own way, you will
likely find yourself in places no one has ever been before."
- Albert Einstein

Kinda reminds me of my favorite song....

Ragnar Lothbrok is one bad dude...

Love the History Channel Vikings series.

From an age and era of Warriors, Adventure, a Ambition, Violence and Death.

My kind of show!!!

Watch and Weight....

Only a bowl of fruit and a boiled egg all day long....

Then to a 50 minute Boot Camp workout.

But it paid off with a 184.4 weigh in.

So I hit El Toro for a lite beer and a bowl of chicken tortilla soup with lots of veggies....

And of course lots of jalapeños....

Whoever said dieting couldn't be tasty and fun???

Hello World! Thought I'd let you know one of my Top 10....

Things that piss me off!

Good morning.

Was thinking about something from a recent conversation.

I really don't like it when people ignore me or my requests for info.

Cases in point.

Email requests to a person I have recently worked for requesting scope of work info.

Conversational texts to family members.

Communications to family members requesting counsel / guidance / discussion on important matters.

I would much rather have someone respond and say...

"Listen. I got nothing for you."

"I can't talk now."

"That is something I don't feel comfortable talking about".

That I can handle.

But f'g silence or no response.

That tells me...

"You are not even important enough to me to warrant a response".

And that pisses me off.

And, more importantly, it reduces my respect for those people administering the silent treatment.

It's obviously a model that is promoted and followed by today's tippy toe culture but I think it's stupid and disrespectful.

If you don't want to talk to someone or comment on something or provide help for a request....

JUST SAY THAT!!

I don't necessarily like being shunned at times but I respect the honesty and forthrightness in telling me that You are just not gonna respond.

At least that's a response.

Wish the rest of the World would do that....

Would make my life easier.

Project Lunch

Assemble the usual suspects....

Spring mix, tomato, avocado, pear, apple, grapes and a thin cut adobo seasoned chicken breast...

Make the bed of veggies and drizzle with good quality EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper...

Add the cut up fruit...

And then the chicken breast...

That's a multilayer Creation of yummy goodness!!!

Dinner and the Voice...

Ground turkey breast mix, pork and venison sausage and all the veggies and fruit you can pile up including a half a juicy mango...

Mix that pile up a little bit and throw in the workout recovery elixir....

Fruit punch Creatine mix, Fresca and a shot of Cab...

And of course the Voice....

Now that's the way to end a day!

CrossFit Core Elements 2

You have to go through 3 Core Elements classes before beginning the WODs (Workout Of the Day) with the rest of the troops.

This was my 2nd Core Elements class.

The warmup was a 500m row, 10 pull-ups, 15 kettle bells with 53# kettle bell (which is freaking ridiculous in my opinion especially on a warmup) and 5 Turkish get-ups.

Had to learn how to do the Turkish get-ups.

Imagine laying flat with a 26# kettle bell in one hand held vertical. Now sit up and transition to a standing position while continuing to hold the 26# kettle bell over your head. Once you get to a standing position, reverse the movement till you're laying flat again. That's one.

The 2nd Core Elements trio was 12 front squats, 12 shoulder presses and 12 sumo lift high pulls using just a 1" PVC pipe as the bar... Emphasis is on form and technique.

Then did them for time. As many as I could do in 12 minutes.

Ended up with 386 total reps which was 10 short of 11 rounds.

Was ready to do more so knocked out a couple of sets of 10 wide grip chins and then headed for la hacienda.

Not one I'm used to but sure that it will get a lot tougher when the WODs start.