You Can't Argue with Results: Journal Entry #10
Week of June 23rd

Another 6 weeks have passed and it's time to meet with Greg again for a fitness assessment. I've been feeling especially good recently, having continually re-tooled my diet based on Grace's feedback and I've been consistent hitting the gym. I really feel like I've really turned a corner - achieving that elusive balance I've been striving for. So going into my session I was anxious/excited/nervous as usual.
Some results highlights:
- Weight: down 3.5 lbs
- Hips: down 2 inches
- Body Fat: down nearly 6% since my first assessment and down by 4% since the last (6-week) assessment
- Other: improved blood pressure, flexibility, speed (the running test)

In addition to these measurements, Revolution Fitness also takes a photo during each milestone fitness assessment. They do say 'a picture is worth 1,000 words' - and these pictures are no exception. The difference between my original photo vs. now is quite compelling. I can clearly see that my body composition has changed and I'm clearly looking stronger and leaner - which is exactly my goal!!

As per the Revolution Fitness process, I'm now due for a new workout regime. Greg will be designing these workout plans, keeping in mind my goals for the next 6-weeks:
- Increase strength, muscle mass (in key areas)
- Continue to reduce body fat

In terms of my attitude - I'm feeling extremely motivated. I want to continue on this path and kick things up another notch or two. From a diet point-of-view, I'm more informed and better equipped to continue to meet my fat-loss goals. As for working out, I'm really excited to receive a new workout program from Greg.

Next Week…taking the weekend off for Pride…and managing a busy summer schedule

Turning a Corner: Journal Entry #9
Week of May 19th

So as you know from my last posting, I’ve been going through a bit of a rough patch. Everyone has re-assured me that it’s ‘normal’ and that ‘not all weeks can be good weeks’, but as I mentioned before, I’d like to be more consistent with diet/nutrition as well as working out. The good thing is, I’m starting to feel like all of the Revolution Fitness ‘tips and tricks’ are starting to sink in. I’ve noticed that each recommendation on its own is helpful, but collectively they have started to re-enforce each other and I have started to see the forest through the trees (at least more so than before). I actually feel like I may be on the cusp of a fitness revolution!

First of all, I have continued to travel a fair bit for work – but recently I’ve been trying hard to learn from past mistakes. This means, I’m making an effort to eat smaller meals throughout the day and ensure that I’ve come prepared with healthy snacks. I’ve also solicited support from my colleagues who I’m traveling with to ‘try to eat healthy’ on our journeys. I find, as a group, we’re only as strong as the weakest link, so setting small goals like ‘let’s try to hunt down a healthy dinner at O’Hare airport’ is proving to be quite helpful. I think the reality of the situation is: diet and nutrition is the key factor for achieving my goals. This is especially true since I’m already relatively fit – so losing another 1-2% body fat will be determined primarily by eating well.

Secondly, working out with the new program is feeling good. Not only do I feel stronger, but my endurance has clearly improved. Specifically, I have one workout that consists of a 40-minute circuit (of squats, lunges, push-ups and more) followed by 20-minutes of cardio. In the beginning, I would barely finish the circuit and then I’d be bargaining with the trainers to skip cardio. I would beg, lie and do whatever I could to get out of the cardio. At one point I started doing cardio and when the trainers weren’t looking I (shamefully) left. But recently I’ve been getting through the entire workout - weights and cardio. Granted I am completely exhausted at the end, but I manage to finish it all! For me, this type of progress speaks volumes.

Since I’m adjusting to this new workout program the trainers will (not surprisingly) change my regime all together. I believe I’m due for a check-in over the next couple weeks, where Nate or Greg will draft up a brand new workout schedule for me in addition to measuring my progress. Since there have been some ups and downs, I’m really not sure what to expect. But I do plan on moving forward with this positive momentum. Wish me luck!

Next Week…. A Few More Steps Forward (I Hope)

A Few Steps Backward: Journal Entry #8
Week of May 5th

I'll be honest - the past several weeks have been bad. I haven't been working out much (I've been traveling a ton for work recently) plus I've seriously fallen off the diet wagon…hard. I realize I need to take responsibility for what I eat, but staying healthy when on the road is extremely challenging. Plus I've been traveling to the U.S., which means that all portion sizes are the size of my torso. I went to Chili's an ordered nachos and the dish they brought out was the size of the table. I don't know what's more ridiculous: the portion sizes or the fact that I was eating at Chili's. And why am I ordering nachos? Like I said, the past couple weeks have been bad.
What I'm finding is that my mindset is very "on the wagon / off the wagon", which means that my diet is extreme (i.e. extremely healthy OR extremely unhealthy). When I made it back to Revolution Fitness, I talked to Grace to get some advice and perspective. She says, "…don't be too hard on yourself", because everyone slips from time to time. Also if you do indulge, don't treat it like a free for all. I need to stop having days where I'm "off the wagon" and my diet turns into a complete disaster. I asked her if I should consider going on a formal diet to add some structure to my eating (i.e. to help guide me). Her response was "Michael, you know what you should and shouldn't be eating" - essentially I just need to be more disciplined. This is a tough pill to swallow - but its completely true. Plus a formal diet tends to reinforce the mindset of "on the diet / off the diet", which I definitely don't need!
What I take away from this is: you can' be highly motivated all the time. I'm finding this process of getting into shape is very cyclical - I go through weeks of great progress - and I also go through weeks where I feel like I have reached a plateau. Or in the case of the past couple weeks I've definitely taken a few steps backward. My goal for the future is to manage the extreme nature of this process - I need to loose that "on the wagon/off the wagon" mentality and try to find balance.
One thing is for sure - I am glad I have somewhere to go where I can count on getting positive support, motivation and advice. Heading off to the gym now :

Next Week…. A Few Steps Forward (I Hope)

You Can't Argue with Results: Journal Entry #7
Week of April 21st

So finally the day has come - to find out the impact of all of my hard work. This Wednesday morning, at 6:30am, I met up with Greg for a fitness evaluation. The process was similar to my first visit to Revolution Fitness, except this time there's a baseline comparison (i.e. my original weight, measures, etc.). I'm really pleased to say, the results are definitely in the right direction. Some highlights:
- Body Fat Percentage: down 1.5%
- Shoulders: increased breadth by 2 inches
- Weight: no change
- Attitude: motivated!

Needless to say, I'm quite pleased. I'm by no means at my target, but I'm closer. And the most satisfying result for me is my weight - I've remained the same weight, but managed to change my body composition (with much help from Nate, Greg, Grace and everyone else). Also, the body fat % result is very encouraging, since the primary goal of mine is to be leaner. Realistically, this will be the hardest metric to move - given that I'm already within a healthy range for body fat - so I'm going to have to commit to improving my diet if I want to see my body fat % decrease another couple percent over the next 6-8 weeks.

I also have to say that my attitude has really changed since joining Revolution Fitness. When it comes to diet, I feel better equipped with knowledge and tips from Ms. Grace. I've reduced coffee consumption, started cooking for myself a lot more and I'm feeling a little less daunted by the idea of 'healthy eating'. And when it comes to working out at the gym, I'm feeling more confident. Since starting out a couple months ago, I've not only learned several new exercise, I feel like I really understand the purpose of each exercise and the proper technique/form needed to do it right. Very empowering!

What I'm really excited about now is the new routine that Greg has put together for me. Taking into consideration my goals (lose more body fat), my preferences (I have a low tolerance for stationary cardio) and Greg's wealth of knowledge, I now have a personalized routine that consists of 4 workouts a week:
- Day #1: upper body + 20 minutes of cardio
- Day #2: lower body + 15 minutes of cardio at the end of the workout
- Day #3: full-body circuit workout + 20 minutes of cardio
- Day #4: cord & 25 minutes cardio (run)
-
This new routine has definitely kicked things up a notch or two. I was feeling very accustomed and familiar with my old routine, which is definitely a sign to change things up. Well the change is here and I'm ready to continue with my Fitness 'Resolution'!

Next Week….getting into the new routine

Stretching My Results: Journal Entry #6
Week of April 7th

In the coming weeks I'm going to be meeting with one of the Revolution Fitness trainers to track my progress with a formal fitness assessment. My understanding is that this test will follow the same process as the original one I took when I started - i.e. track my weight, body fat percentage, overall measurements (biceps, chest, waist, etc.) plus some cardio metrics like standing heart rate and blood pressure. This entire week I've found myself wondering about my actual progress. I definitely feel a difference - I can tell that my body composition has improved - I guess the question will be: by how much?

To be honest I've been a little anxious about this 'check-in'. The optimistic part of me is excited because I'll know the results will be positive news - I can feel that I've lost some fat and increased some muscle in the past 8-10 weeks. The pessimistic part of me is worried that my measurements will be the same (or worse) and the Revolution Fitness team will cancel this blog and ask me to never return. So to set my expectations clearly, I've been probing the trainers on the floor about what they think. I asked Nate to give me a prediction - and he said I can probably expect to reduce my body fat percentage by about 1 to 2 % while maintaining the same weight. Good to know!

So aside from speculating about my fitness assessment, I've managed to workout consistently this week. I swam twice and worked out twice as well (quite intensely I must say) in addition to 1 good cardio session. But this week is like every week - there's a problem - major joint stiffness. My shoulders and elbows are feeling really uncomfortable, probably from the repetitive motions of swimming combined with the heavier lifting at the gym. In talking to both Grace and Nate it has become pretty clear that stretching (of the lack of stretching) is probably the main problem. Given how intense the workout regime has been, I need to really focus on stretching to avoid joint stiffness and to avoid potential injuries. So from this I need to approach my workouts a bit differently. Because I'm time-pressed, I typically run-in and run-out of Revolution Fitness and invariably skip the cool-down/stretching portion of my routine (pretty typical of most guys, I think). What I need to do is start thinking of stretching as investment. It will reap rewards during the next workout by helping me feel less sore/stiff.

Next Week….and the results are???

Back from Vacation: Journal Entry #5
Week of March 31st

It seems like every week presents a new set of obstacles preventing me from being consistent with exercise and eating right. Whether it’s vacation, traveling for work or an injury, there’s no shortage of potential ‘excuses’ for not working out. This week is no exception – it’s my birthday. So there were a fair number of festivities involving food and drink…and I’m not talking quinoa salad and water (if you know what I mean).

To stay on track, I’ve discovered that planning ahead is crucial. So on Monday I tried to map out my week to help ensure I could squeeze in the workouts required. And as usual, the solution was hitting the gym before work in the morning. Since I typically start work at 8ish, I need to wake-up at about 5:45am in order to hit the gym, shower and take the streetcar to work. I have to say, I’m normally a morning person (really), but 5:45am is bit ridiculous.

As far as the week was concerned, I think I did a pretty stand-up job. The weekend, however, was a bit of a write-off. Friday night was late night, which ended with a pizza (if I remember correctly). And the rest of the weekend I was feeling a little sluggish, so I tried to focus on diet instead of exercise.

In terms of eating, I decided to stick with the ‘planning ahead’ theme and cook some new recipes (care of Ms. Grace) to last me through the following week. On Saturday afternoon I hit St. Lawrence Market and picked up quinoa and couscous and tons of other fresh ingredients to make turkey chili, quinoa salad and some more tex-mex couscous. I’ve always really enjoyed cooking, so I’m really trying to embrace these new recipes and have fun with it!

Next Week….tackling more obstacles

Back from Vacation: Journal Entry #4
Week of March 21st

There's nothing like 1 week of not focusing on exercise/diet to leave me feeling highly motivated and ready to take my Revolution Fitness experience very seriously. Based on this, my goals for this week are to 1) continue tracking my food journal in detail and 2) follow the assigned workout schedule from Revolution Fitness (2 weight workouts + 1 cardio session).

As for the food journal, I've noticed that there's one clear problem - I am not eating a proper dinner. I manage to consistently eat a healthy breakfast, lunch, and mid-day snacks, but the good eating apparently stops there. At dinner I find myself starving and too impatient to cook, or I simply don't have anything to eat in my fridge. As a sad result, I either eat out or just eat very unbalanced meals cobbled together from things in my cupboards. As the week progresses I've started to feel a bit embarrassed that Grace will notice and assess these bad habits. I had to do something (something drastic): I went grocery shopping on Sunday (?) and bought ingredients for a healthy dinner. I actually ended making a Couscous Tex-Mex Salad which was easy and served as an obvious and ambitious reminder that I simply need to get organized in order to eat healthy. Hopefully Grace will find the Couscous meal a redeeming feature in the dinner section of my food journal.

As for workouts, I've had a pretty good week. I kicked off the week on Tuesday after work, when Sharlton (trainer) was on the floor. The guy made me work so hard, super-setting EVERYTHING!! Each time I felt like I was stretched to my limit, he'd make me do another set. I felt like I was laughing and crying at the same time. To be honest, I'm almost afraid to make eye contact with him because I know he'll come over and make me work every rep to my full potential, not allowing me to slack off even a little. I guess I'm used to a 'normal' gym where the trainers on the floor completely ignore you, but that's certainly not the case at Revolution Fitness.

Next Week….keep on, keeping on

"Resolution Fitness": Journal Entry #3
Week of March 17th

As I mentioned in the last entry, I've been on vacation for this week visiting my boyfriend, Geoffrey, in Connecticut. My main goals for vacation have nothing to do with fitness (i.e. spend quality time with Geoffrey, relax, visit the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, etc.), but I did want to start using some of Grace's advice from last week and maybe try to squeeze in a workout or two.

Overall, Grace's advice about staying hydrated has been easy for me to stick to. I've tried to limit myself to 1 cup of coffee per day (as opposed the unlimited amount of coffee I used to consume). And if I did have a caffeine craving, I tried to stick to green tea or at least a half-decaf latté. And aside from just coffee, I did find myself trying to make smarter food decisions (as much as one can expect while on vacation).

The food journal I've been keeping has really helped me to be more conscious of what I'm eating (and how much I'm eating). Mind you, I'm definitely not updating the journal while on vacation since it isn't representative (a convenient rationalization). But I've really noticed that the process of keeping a journal has, I think, helped me to be a bit more disciplined. I'm actually looking forward to getting into a routine (in Toronto) and working with Grace to fine tune my diet.

In terms of exercising while on vacation, I think I did what most people do. I packed my running shoes and exercise clothing only to use them 1 of out the 7 days. But I really didn't want to worry too much. Geoffrey and I walked all over Manhattan and I did manage to go for a 30 minute run before we went out for dinner one night. We had pretty active days, which I know doesn't substitute a good solid workout, but to honest I don't care. Overall, given that I was on vacation I did pretty well for myself!

Next Week…back in Toronto for a 'normal' week.

"Resolution Fitness": Journal Entry #2
Week of March 10th



This week has been fantastic. I've had a couple great workouts, I've managed to get to swim practice 3 times, and, most importantly, I met with Grace (Revolution Fitness' registered dietician).
Although I consider myself well informed when it comes to health and nutrition, I don't seem be applying my knowledge. As a matter of fact, I'm fully aware of the food mistakes I'm making - I just need guidance in making some realistic improvements. It's actually quite similar to working-out: I just need a little help.

In my first meeting with Grace, she was very understanding but also very direct about what I need to be doing. The big eye-openers for me were:
- Coffee actually impedes metabolism ' given the massive quantities I've been drinking, no wonder I seem to be stuck in a bit of a rut.
- Starbucks bran muffins are not an acceptable breakfast ' apparently I may as well be eating a slice of cake (note to self - start replacing bran muffins with chocolate cake).
- H20hhhh' Grace reminded that our bodies are 60% water, so we need to supply our body with what it needs. "Think of your body like a plant - it can't survive without water", Grace tells me.

So, based on a successful week of working out and a pretty insightful meeting with Grace, I'm feeling highly motivated. I've been instructed to start tracking EVERYTHING I eat in a food journal start immediately. I've also been provided with uber-healthy (and apparently yummy) recipes! I need to get into the habit of planning meals and choosing nutritious options.




Next Week…going away on vacation - does this mean I'll undo the past 2 weeks' hard work????

"Resolution Fitness": Journal Entry #1
Background
Like many people, I made a New Year's resolution to get into shape and so far in 2008 I've been trying to establish a workout routine and improve my diet, but with little success. I've realized that I can't do this alone - I need help! I consider myself to be in pretty good shape. I swim* several times a week, workout once in a while and I try to eat well. My goal for 2008 is to go from 'pretty good shape' to 'great shape'. I think I can achieve this by losing that last (and very stubborn) 10lbs, while increasing muscle mass. That said, I'm realistic -- I don't aspire to be hugely muscular or have 3% body fat. I just want to feel better about my appearance and kick things up a notch (or two).

Wednesday March 5th: Fitness Evaluation
Time: 7am
So there's never really a good time to step on a scale and find out your body fat %, so I opted for first thing in the morning (I think I was secretly hoping that the early morning haze would help numb the pain). Arriving at Revolution Fitness I woke up pretty quickly after meeting Nate - dynamic, outgoing and a Harlequin cover-model (no, seriously). He took me through all the standard tests/questions and I discovered I'm a little fatter than I was hoping. Nate's job now is to design a workout plan that will help me out. But I'm actually part of the process - the workout plan will work for my schedule and incorporates my existing activities (like swimming).

So far I'm impressed - I've met with personal trainers in the past, most of whom talk to me like I've never worked out a day before in my life (not exactly motivating). Nate engaged me in the process and was quick to point out that I'm already in pretty good shape (thank you). Talking to me like an equal really helps me to feel like I'm part of the solution.

Wednesday March 6th: Personal Training Session
Time: 7am
This was a pretty grueling morning. Nate took me through a one hour whole-body workout session. We're focusing on compound exercises aimed to burn fat and build muscle - sounds good to me. And Nate's been really good to keep the program tailored to me. I get bored easily, so Nate's developed a program that doesn't have a lot of idle time - lots of supersets that keep me focused on the task at hand! I also told Nate that I loathe stationary cardio - so the vast majority of the cardiovascular training will be done through my existing swim training. At the end of the session I have a workout plan for the next four to six weeks , after which we'll evaluate my fitness and revise the program together.

Next Week…Meeting with Grace to for the much-needed nutrition counseling!

*Toronto's Downtown Swim Club, www.dsctoronto.ca