Workout Progress – Jan ‘08

January saw me starting the year with a new PT as my previous PT had decided to explore other job opportunities. At the point, we had already finished our 1st block of 24 PT sessions and we were talking about adding on more sessions to focus on muscle mass development. With him gone, I had to go through the process of selecting a new PT that fit best with my personality and workout goals. Thanks to his recommendations, I was able to quickly decide on my new PT and we set down to plan out a program that spans 24 sessions for me to learn the skills I need to start on the new phase of my gymming experience.

After focusing more on body conditioning and strength building in the last PT block, both of us agreed that it was time for me to get into a program that would help me achieve my goals of developing muscle tone and definition. This meant that I would be hitting the free weight section of the gym more often than before. While it may be blasé for some, it was a major move for me as I had to overcome my feelings of intimidation and self doubt when it comes to working out in that area. What I soon found out was that with the exception of a few, most who are there were actually quite supportive of free weight newbies as long as they don’t interfere in their own workouts i.e. hogging the weights and not returning them back to their proper place after use.

I have to admit that I still get intimidated around the people there but at least I am not actively avoiding working out there because of it.

Diet plan in Jan

Breakfast (8 am)
- 1 sachet of Quaker Oats Flavored instant oatmeal
- 1 serving of low fat yogurt
- 1 serving of protein shake

Brunch (10 am)
- 1/2 serving of plan fried rice with tempeh goreng or greens
- 1 hardboiled egg (alternate working days – 2 whole eggs total per week)
- 1 serving of fruits

Lunch (12 pm)
- 1 Spirulina cereal 3 in 1 mix.

Snacks (4 pm)
- 1 Nature Valley Granola bar (Apple Crisps, Almond and Pecan have lowest calories)
- Japanese Green Tea

Dinner (7 pm) – non workout days (Tues/Sat)
- 1 serving of protein shake
- buy something roughly less than 300kcal

Workout Days (M/W/Thurs/F: 8:30 – 11:30 pm, Sun: 4 – 8pm)
Pre workout
- 1 serving of protein shake
- buy something roughly less than 300kcal

Post workout - 1 serving of protein shake

Supplements : Protein Shake – 3 servings per day
21st Century’s HerbalLipo Tea – 1 serving per week day
GNC MegaMen Dietary Supplement – 1 tablet per day

I’ve given up bread as a component of my daily diet since I am already getting my carbohydrates from the other food stuff that I was consuming. I’ve replace it instead with a service of flavored instant oats which has the added advantage of cholesterol control. It’s cheap and convenient enough to have around the house and I usually can get them easily from the supermarket before I go to my gym. While most of the other components of my diet stayed basically the same, I have added 3 servings daily of protein shakes a day. Given that I need the protein for my current PT plan, this was potentially an expensive affair given that the usual protein shake that I used cost about RM300 for an 18 serving box. I was lucky this month to get a special deal on protein shake mix that was close to their expiry date (Aug 2008) and was selling for about RM135 per tub. It may not be my usual mix with it’s 56gm of protein per serving but it would do in a pinch given my tight budget.

A word on the dieting.

While it does seem that my diet plan seems a little of the harsh side, it does not mean that I don’t indulge myself occasionally. I love food and I love eating it more than cooking it so most of the time I would not really say no to an invitation eat out when it comes my way. I actually found myself eating out with friends more often in January than in previous months of the past year. The trick is to realize that you can still go out and eat healthy if you make the right choices for yourself. Moderation, as in all things, is also the key in eating out in a healthy manner. Food, both as sustenance and a social lubricant, was meant to be savored and not wolfed down in large quantities. Keep those points in mind when you eat out and you shouldn’t stray too far from a healthy diet. Of course indulgence mean that you do it occasionally. To do it on a daily basis (or more) would slide you into the hedonist category.

Looking ahead in February, I will be embarking on the next phase of my current PT training program where I would be adding on an extra set for each of the exercises that I am currently doing. No doubt that I am a bit apprehensive about the prospect but I have surprised myself before with what I thought I could not do at the gym so I’m looking forward for the challenge. While I have been talking about it for months, I have yet to try out any of the GX classes that they offer at my gym. I have actually short listed that classes that looked interesting for me down to either BodyPump or Spinning but I have yet to find the opportuinity to attend their introductory class. I’m putting a goal here that I would try to attend both classes at least once in the month of February to find out what they were about and if I would like to continue attending them. Most of these classes are held at the same time as when I do my PT sessions so I need to check if they are any that I can attend on Sunday instead. I would definitely be writing an entry for my first time in a GX class in my blog should I accomplish it this month.

As usual, my fitness adventure continue on with me now in more control of what I want to achieve. I’ve definitely started to reap the dividends from gymming as people start to notice the physical difference in my appearance. While that is definitely an ego booster, it should not be the only reason to go gymming because looks may fade with time but your health stays with you for much longer.