Rest Day: Food for Thought


I'm in very reddish state -- one more reason to keep pushing play with P90X and Beachbody.com.

P90X | Week 1
Kenpo X & Ab Ripper X
Reps + Routine: 100%
Nutrition/Eating Log

A little Kung Fu P90X fighting to kick start the ol' Saturday, with some crazy-good Ab moves to kick things off. Easing back into the Abs routine, least-liked, and my arms were pretty arm tired from all the arm moves in Kenpo. All equals a good morning start.

Also proud of the near week-long nutrition tracking, keeping it real between 2,000 and 2,200 calories a day. Will assess results/weight loss in two weeks and adjust -- either keep as-is if the weight is coming off, or reduce to 2,000 solid or 1,800 (like Wes) to keep it coming off.

Also nearing the end of my Shakeology mix bag, so will thread in a serving until it's gone daily through next week.

All in all, P90X week one, round six = insanely great. I have the energy and fitness to get through all the routines, am seriously tracking my food for the first time, and feeling in control and proud.

On to rest day/Sunday, then making a serious run on Week 2...

P90X | Week 1
Legs & Back
Reps + Routine: 100%
Nutrition/Eating Log

Wall squats for the crazy-workout-win... Sweaty-city, made it all the way through, awaiting the usual sore-weekend-legs. Hope you have a productive Friday ahead!

Just realized, in looking back at some old posts, that this is technically my 6th round of P90X/P90X+ -- really had a setback doing ChaLEAN and NOT monitoring my food intake better.

The more time that goes by, the more I realize how critical it is to keep a food journal -- offline or on -- track calories, keep it -- for me at least -- between 2,000 and 2,200 calories a day -- focus on protein more than carbs in the balance...

Phew. It's a pain to keep track, but I'm betting my outcome of this fresh set of 90 days will be 40-60% better than my first round all those months back. Time will tell.

Hulu Desktop: TiVo for Everyone

Miss your favorite show last night? Don't have TiVo or a DVR from your cable company? Well, up until today, you'd need to head over to nbc.com, abc.com, etc. or -- even better hulu.com -- to watch your favorite shows on your computer.

Now our friends at Hulu have broken the shackles of the web browser and given us a small program we can install on our Macs or Windows machines to tap into everything Hulu has to offer. The interface is slick, the playback is smooth, and this site has all the free network shows and -- yikes -- movies -- you could ever hope to watch.

Install the new Hulu Desktop application here, then start your time wastin' in uber techno-nerd style...



Bailout TARP graphic: Must be nice to be part of a business that is 100% unaccountable to itself, the government, and the citizens of the United States. First you pay yourself millions each year to play with our money, get bored and deregulate yourself so you can play the system like it's Vegas, set up the housing bubble, make billions, watch that bubble burst, cry that you're about to lose billions, get the government to back your crazy-bad ideas with billions in bailout funds, pay yourself back 100 cents on the dollar, get a fat bonus, then sit back and pretend you'll pay us back/play lip service to real change or re-regulation. Why did I think of this?

P90X | Week 1
Yoga X
Reps + Routine: 96%
Nutrition/Eating Log

Yoga, old friend, I didn't realize how much I missed you. Sliding back into P90X post ChaLEAN Extreme = lots of muscle-building workouts, but no flexibility training for those 90 days.

So, heading into the very first salutation right out of the gate, I held my plank, then started down on my pushup move toward downward dog, and got a quarter of the way down and felt extreme tightness and soreness in my shoulders. Yeeouch.

I fumbled and grunted through the first 2-3, then the miracle of Yoga -- they got easier. I could go lower, lower, then lower... to the ground, then gently up into downward dog, finally, easily, about 1/2 way through the set.

Did I mention I missed you, friend Yoga? I did indeed. I nailed the first half of the moves (minus the usual Warrior 4/one leg straight down, the second straight behind and all variations = extreme hip crazy pain so skip, about 9 mins of the overall workout) then enjoyed the static positions, spine helpers, all that jazz.

Came out of it with tons of energy, a flexible body, calm mind, increased bloodflow, and all the rest. Ooooommmmmm indeed.

Onward -- editing the video I shot yesterday, ready to move into real editing on four new training videos for good ol' ProQuestK12.com. I love my job! (Click below to see the fruit of our labors -- the red items = the newest/using our new format/me on camera.)

P90X | Week 1
Shoulders & Arms
Reps + Routine: 100%
Nutrition/Eating Log

I'd lay odds that our friends at Beachbody.com used Shoulders and Arms as one source of inspiration for ChaLEAN Extreme -- lots of biceps, triceps, and shoulders in today's routine, which is 50% or more of CE. Felt great to hoist my 20 and 30 pounders to max out each of these muscle groups.

I think one solid proof of workout solidness is when you have a hard time snagging a cup or plate from the shelf after you're done. Lots of shakin' and quakin' = muscles are seriously tired. Good. Loaded up like a King for breakfast.

Will eat like a Prince for lunch, and end as a Pauper for dinner. (Thanks Wes, this makes sense!)

Headed down to the bike trail to shoot stand ups for a new round of ProQuest training videos -- SIRS Discoverer, ProQuest Learning: Literature, eLibrary Science, and even ProQuest Historical Newspapers British Isles and Ireland editions for my friends up in Ann Arbor. Should have one-ish done per week going forward, barring any crazy assignments coming down the pike.

Had some trouble on the trail -- I mean, folks. We're sharing the trail, right? You're running or biking and come upon someone in the distance who's obviously talking into a live camera, best to slow down, pause, wait, maybe? Naaa, plow on through, nearly elbow the guy and his camera to the ground, both nicely placed wayy out of your way off to the side. Thanks. Loads.

Ahh well. I'm anxious to be heads-down into video production for some time to come, and was the perfect excuse to tie on a lunchtime trail-crushing ride with good ol' Wes "The Skinny Guy" -- phew!

Wichita City Hall Drive Thru Remix


Apparently police in KS asked this guy to turn down the music in his car. His reaction? Drive through city hall, made somehow silly by adding music from Blues Brothers...

P90X | Week 1
Plyometrics
Reps + Routine: 100%
Nutrition/Eating Log

Surprised myself today -- nailed the super-cardio Plyometrics routine hitting on all cylinders.

Really excited to be re-focused on an excellent 90 days with good ol' P90X -- Tony Horton, you da man. I'm bringing it, pushing play, and pushing the weakness out of this body.

Also started tracking my food intake -- basically can take in 2,200 calories on the day I'm working out as a max, focus on protein as the larger % overall. Details will always be in the header for the next 90 days as Nutrition/Eating Log.

Onward with the short week -- raining here, really need to get outside to shoot some video!


Caption: Dear Tim, Tony Horton here. You rock. Keep pushing play. Five rounds = you get a signed One on One DVD. Enjoy! -- Tony

Yup.

One of Tony's past blog posts here, lots of truths in here and serious food ;) for thought:

Food. It's that thing that's killing you, slowly.

Fitness won't solve your problems. Getting free of your food addictions will. When it came to healthy living, exercise for regular people is relatively new. The average Joe and Joanne didn't really start exercising until the 50s and 60s. Guys like Joe Weider and Jack LaLaine started the revolution after WWII and it's been growing (too slowly) ever since. As the obesity trends began to rise in the 70s, jogging and nautilus became more popular. During this time various companies were selling goofy ways to lose weight. For some reason we quickly forgot that eating whole foods was the key to maintaining our weight. As food became more processed over the the past few decades we used other processed foods to help us lose weight. It was (and still is) a vicious cycle of addiction. The gain, lose, gain epidemic continues. I read a funny blurb the other day which clearly and plainly stated that if you avoided food with mascots you'll lose weight. Goodbye Count Chocula! Our grandparents didn't have gym memberships, spinning classes and fitness DVDs. They ate healthy whole foods and spent four times more time outside than we do. If your grandparents were obese it was a novelty for sure. Our behavior and habits put food-porn companies in business and we also have the power to destroy them by not eating their poison.

You control what goes in your mouth, no one else. Find ways to make healthy whole food taste good and eat it. Period!

With Love and compassion,

Tony Horton

P90X | Week 1
Chest & Back
Reps + Routine: 100%

Seems fitting to start an all-new round of P90X on Memorial Day. Dad and Kathy down for two days, reconnecting, Dad comes downstairs before 7 and catches the last 50% of the workout. Kept me honest in the second round, for sure.

Speaking of honesty -- did 100% of the routine today, really feeling the burn on push-ups and pull-ups. I'm actually pretty stoked about how hard it was -- there's lots of room for moving up, getting back into P90X form and rep count, and Day 1 *should be* harder than Day 90.

Post-workout, making breakfast for everyone, and realized the tag on my shirt was sticking up. I reach back with my left hand -- then my right -- both could barely get to the back of my neck to tuck it in. Muscles maxed out and quivering. Good times.

Looking back, realizing this will be my sixth full round of P90X/P90X+ -- and I want this one to be the very best, 100% completion on all the routines daily for six days a week, done on/around Aug. 22? All good.

On a personal note, I've been thinking a lot lately about my grandfather, Robert Reynolds. He was a Seabee in WWII, built landing strips on Pacific Islands, and was a member of the crew that made the runway on which the Enola Gay took off to drop the first atomic bomb. (He said they all watched the plane take off, all knowing something was up -- but not told exactly what was going on.) Boom.

When Will and I attended the Cherry Point Air Show last weekend, we stood in line at an Army booth. They were offering dog tags -- just provide your name and birth date. Punch. Done.

I've been wearing my tag daily since then (see photo below/here), and the interesting "tinkle" sound the metal on metal chain makes has been jogging my memories, and my gratitude, for both my grandfather's work in WWII and that of every U.S. soldier who's given their all for our country. And today I'll wear my tag again and say a silent prayer to Pop-Pop. Thank you, all. Thank you.

Myrtle Beach Trip 2009



Good times! From Beach walks to indoor pools to MagiQuest and Margaritaville, we did it all. All photos here...

P90X: Legs & Back
Completed: 65%
Why? Sunburned... Yikes.

Back from vacation and... well, not liking myself much in a bathing suit. While ChaLEAN Extreme did an awesome job of growing my arms and legs, it did little to budge my midsection. Even with calorie tests both high and low, this middle area didn't change. In fact, I'm pretty certain it grew. Some.

So, ChaLEAN, you're done a week early. I shall call upon your awesomeness for arm/leg work threaded into my upcoming routines.

It's been a full round and then some post-P90X. So it's back on the horse. Started with Legs and Back today, until I crashed pretty hard and couldn't stand my beard rubbing my chest that's thoroughly sunburned. Ouch.

So some cardio tomorrow, then start Week 1 of another (round 6?) of P90X on Monday.

100% of the moves, will employ the Ab routines as noted, and WILL use FitDay.com to track my calories.

Feels great to have a plan. Onward -- and enjoy your long weekend!

Review: $1.99 or $2.37 Anytime Dry Cleaner
(Guess they're confused, online under both names at this address?!)

Owner: John P. "Rich" (I Won't Ever Call You Back) Henderson (Review)
AnytimeApex@aol.com
AnytimeApex.com
Cell: 919.422.4906
Fax: 919.469.9176
800 W. Williams Street
Apex, NC 27502

The owner of this place, John Henderson, needs to take a management class. In Jan. I brought in three pairs of dress pants for drycleaning. When I came back to pick them up, I received three pairs of pants that were a full THREE sizes too small. (Right colors, different brand and size, too small to wear.)

Several conversations with the local "manager" who refuses to give me his name (another management class candidate!) resulted in a letter from the owner saying this was "impossible" and that he'd resize them for free. (Full details of the original Jan. events are here.)

I took him up on the offer, and got them back two MONTHS later -- not resized.

I now have 3 X pairs of pants I can't wear and no refund. Avoid this place. John does not deserve your business and will not ensure customer satisfaction. You can leave him as many voice mails as you like (I left more than 10 over four months, no joy), he won't call you back, and will tell the local employees he DID so.

Liar? Yes. His cell number = 919.422.4906. Cool thing, the recording says it's "Rich" -- since when is Rich short for John?

I'm 100% Unhappy in Apex, and I refuse to support such a poorly run business by someone who will not stand by his work, period. Even the local store employee agreed that if he'd brought in 3 X pairs of pants and got back someone else's that he'd demand a refund/resizing, but... they're washing their hands of it and refused to take responsibility.

Looks like I'm not the only one who's had this experience: (Review)

These clowns need to learn the difference between the words impossible and improbable.

My super-cool co-worker, Tammy Weisman, sent me this just as I was about to power down the laptop and head out the door. LOLCAT = good omen for the coming 7 days of relaxation! See you all on the flip side...

Want more LOLCAT images like the above? Click here. Prepare to laugh!

Rocked Friday: ChaLEAN Extreme Push 3

Used my monster 30 lb. free weights for nearly every move this morning. Love the thigh burn/lowers, and the chest press overhead lying down = awesome. Off for some camping this weekend, then the beach next. Enjoy your weekend/week to come! Signing off...

Goin' Heavy on Wednesday

Wednesday means crazy-good ChaLEAN Extreme Push 2. Hoisted my pair of 30lb free weights overhead, used the 20's elsewhere, and really, really felt the burn. Love it.

ChaLEAN Tuesday Break Day: Not So Much...

I know, I know... Mrs. Johnson wants us to take Tuesday's off. Something about lifting heavy weights on Monday, then giving our bods the rest of the day Mon. and all day Tuesday to recover, build muscle, etc. My many P90X rounds with their crazy Tuesday Plyometrics antics = I wanna sweat on Tuesday's, period.

So, I strapped on the 40 minute-ish Interval training DVD, put on my new Will Ferrell-style headband, and got my cardio game on. Pushed through my tired start and, as usual, ended the workout with 100% more energy and focus on the other side.

Working on a small series of videos/landing pages/related materials to support yet another all-new ProQuest K-12 research database launch. We've focused on the new eLibrary for many months, now it's time for another from one of our best-loved brands. Shhhh, you'll find out soon enough!

ChaLEAN Month 3: Grinding On...

...in a good way! Did ChaLEAN Extreme Push 1 this morning, then tacked on a new Abs routine from Men's Health using a stability ball. Note to self -- stability ball = much, much more intense Abs burning. All good.

Using mostly 20/30 pound free weights for the moves (follow the trainer on Twitter), excellent muscle fail in the 8-10th rep, love the extreme 3-rep add-ons.

Raining today -- blah -- will ramp up some cardio tomorrow, then onward this week.

Still looking for a blog sponsor to fuel a complete Shakeology review by me, Mr. Regular Workout guy who loves BeachBody.com. If you're a coach or beachbody product ecommerce reseller, click here.

Star Trek: Reboot Successful, Few Errors

Saw the new Star Trek movie this weekend -- probably the most intense, funny, watchable iteration of the entire series. The new actors are fresh, did their research, and pulled off an amazing feat. It's a movie anyone who's into action flicks will like, and sure there's a heap of things long time fans will recognize, but coming in cold with no previous experience won't be a hinderance to enjoyment.

In my mind, they captured the essence of the original characters more or less perfectly, and the timeline-breaking story set the stage to shed the old ST cannon/history and events that have weighed down writers and actors for 20+ years now.



Don't take my word for it -- here's one fan's response, General Chang, who says it best IMHO:

Saw it yesterday. It's a good movie. Everyone I know is going to see it, and most of them aren't Star Trek fans. I went because I grew up watching the original series (never bothered with the rest). I'm guessing a lot of people are in the same situation.

Obviously, if you make a good film with wide appeal, lots of people will pay to see it, whatever the subject matter. This happens to be a pretty good movie released at a time when movies in general are an ocean of tiresome shit.

It's a win for everyone. Even if you're a Star Trek purist who hates this film, a blockbuster Trek film will likely mean more future money directed towards projects more acceptable to the Trekocracy and more overall mindshare for the Trek cult.

Workouts & Rides

Great week back in the saddle -- three Tobacco Trail rides for 12-14 miles each, ChaLEAN right on schedule across the board, and Shakeology daily as a snack or meal replacement. Feeling good, lots of energy, and looking forward to next week -- just started the final ChaLEAN Push month, and have roughly decided to head back to P90X land for 90 days once this is over.

If I'm honest -- and I am! -- ChaLEAN is a bit too, well... wimpy for me. P90X pushes me hard, keeps me guessing, while ChaLEAN tries to mix things up here and there, but it's a pretty standard set of moves over the 90 days.

Adding some new vitamins/Acai berries (thanks GNC!)/other things to my food and fitness intake to help with the nutritional support. Summer is here, will keep active with P90X/ChaLEAN/biking and keep an eye on the remaining spare tire!

Truth In Maps



Parking Nightmare in San Francisco

Newspapers V2.0 = Kindle DX?



$489 to read an outdated, thinning, irrelevant, busted media source on an electronic screen? Newspapers should buy these Kindle DX's in bulk (more) and give them away free w/2-3 year paid subs up front and get their tech-savvy readers to go bits over atoms...

Shakeology Challenge: Sponsors?

It's amazing what passing a flu virus from a vital 7-year-old to a relatively fit, active 38-year-old adult -- Will, 3 days, in and out. Me? A week of fog, rest, a trip to the doc, all the rest. No joy. In any case, that bout is over, and I'm feeling strong again. Nailed ChaLEAN cardio yesterday and Push 2 this morning with my usual 12-20-30 pounders. Old self, back.

Quick note -- been experimenting food-wise, adding Shakeology as a meal replacement. What's Shakeology? It's a new product from our friends over at BeachBody.com, sellers of all things Tony Horton (P90X), Shawn T, and ChaLEAN Extreme. Read the full ingredients list here, and here's one review.

The pitch:

"This daily nutritional shake helps your body gently eliminate toxins more efficiently while allowing for better absorption of the essential nutrients you need. A proprietary blend of digestive enzymes and prebiotics helps your body progressively eliminate the toxins that build up over time from eating today's highly processed foods."

"At the same time, whole-food ingredients deliver the essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals your body needs to curb cravings, allowing your body to shed stored fat while the more than 20 different antioxidants and phytonutrients help reduce free radical damage that can lead to heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, and stroke."

"Even if you searched all over the world, you probably wouldn't be able to find all of the 70-plus, ultra-high-quality ingredients we've included in Shakeology. Not only do you get a wide range of essential nutrients, from the fruits and vegetables you should be eating more of every day, you'll also get the benefits of important foods from all around the world—foods that the latest scientific research has shown to be highly advantageous to your well-being."

When I saw the testimonial video (bottom right) and read the reviews, I knew I had to give it a go, consistently, just like my workouts. I've been looking for assistance with carving out the last 10-15 pounds wrapped around my midsection like thick-sliced bacon around a small filet mignon.

The hook > one gentleman in the video says that's exactly what it's done for him -- years of working out, watching his food intake, and not losing the last of the flab wrapped over his abs. Shakeology, in rapid fashion, made this happen for him.

Great, count me in for a test. I'm 15 days in of my 30 day -- expensive -- supply, and the results? No change in weight. Midsection un-budged. Workouts intense and regular, minus the short delay for the flu.

I'll report back in early June -- honestly, I'm betting a 60 to 90 or even 120 day test would be a better mark of Shakeology's effectiveness. Right now, 30 days seems to be a bust in terms of real physical and visible results. For me.

If any BeachBody coaches or online retailers of BeachBody workouts would like to sponsor a longer test with daily blogging here w/embedded links to your ecommerce page or coach page, I'd be happy to oblige.

This will help me provide a longer test for a regular Joe Six Pack Beachbody workout user, and give you uplift in Google results and cross-links to your site to increase business. I did this last year with a BeachBody reseller, and helped lift his search ranking to the top of the Google first page, and each individual post and cross links can help with yours as well.

I can be reached at timothymclain at yahoo.com.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Ever wonder how much sugar is in that?

Find out at this interesting site. I've sworn off all sodas, been a few months, don't miss them at all. Unsweet tea, hot tea, or, heck, WATER are fine, with an occasional light beer thrown in once in a while.

Virgin Galactic Takes Flight: Test



More here—sign up this tech lover/blogger for the maiden voyage!

Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat

Here's the idea -- someone gets caught on tape doing something funny (or borderline funny/crazy/unhealthy), then keyboard cat "plays him off" to cover the gaffe. Pretty crazy-funny videos made even more funny by adding keyboard kitty to the mix...