?

all right so I haven't checked yet. whatever.

(here's hoping i can organize my thoughts tonight...)

um. hello new year (soon)! new possibilities, etc. resolutions, anyone? mhm. i know you're out there. well i had a mini new years this past weekend that's fortunately stuck for the most part, barring days of absolute laziness with very little accomplished. it's been a so-so week.

let me tell you, i am of a different mind as of late. i have a new appreciation for those who struggle to get into the routine of the elusive active lifestyle. because life is busy, and not only busy it can be tiring (so much worse). i can handle the busy. the tiring is new. this past term was brutal, and as of late, my ability to get up at 4am for a good workout is gone. yes, i used to get up at 4am.

so, if i ever suddenly become some form of a motivator or personal trainer (oddly, a career i'm considering on the side), i've definitely benefited from these struggles. i did have a pretty relaxing summer and as a result i was able to program myself with ease. however, lately it's been rough.

furthermore, my home gym moved out back in november, so i've had to switch up my training routines to make up for a lack of a full set of equipment. let me also point out that the routine i used to follow took me five months to fine tune. i don't consider it a blow necessarily, but it's been a challenge. there is the good news that i believe i have figured out the routines for the upcoming months (ultimate goal being birthday in three months), but it's been difficult determining my new limits (very tired). turns out a lack of equipment usually means a more basic approach to fitness, so the workouts were relatively easy to plan. where i struggled was the when.

when do we exercise? oddly, through my exams, i was aiming for twice a day, morning and night. yes, that worked never. it was weird to aim for. so if you were to do it once a day, when would you choose? i used to preach morning cardio for ages, as it is technically the most efficient way to burn fat calories, because your body is out of carbs.

however.

the truth that i've come to discover (also, let me point out that i went most of the summer without cardio, so this is relatively new territory), is that the best time to do cardio is whenever you can.

if mornings don't work, then who cares. do it later. i've discovered that my favorite time is right before bed. possibly weird, yes, but it works for me. in fact, last time i mass (/excessively) dieted, i remember that my cardio was always in the evening. i also didn't eat. ever. another story for another time.

so. do it when you can. just do it. and if it feels horrible, then try another time of day.

there. go be cardiovascular.

FITNESS TIP: i cannot claim ownership of this wonderful idea, as it's existed long before my time (in the guise of sweat yoga). whenever i do my cardio on the exercise bike, i set up a space heater next to me to raise my body temperature even more. since biking doesn't really take much endurance, it's not so much torture. just sweaty.

193.8

so.

falling off the wagon sucks, and i seem to be wallowing in laziness. i am sadly putting this project on hold until after christmas. which is in 2.5 hrs.

now, it doesn't mean giving up on a healthy lifestyle! i'm just going to be researching practical ways to get back into the rhythms of being an active individual, because it's been a challenge getting back into things (and getting out of bed in general!)

i shall return, my love.

i shall return.

?

so awful, i know.

i am the worst inspirational blog fail ever. yes, i fell off the wagon, consumed by education and the family drama that always arrives this time of year.

but, we get back on people!

194.8

no joke.

alright, so it's been a couple of days. so the daily thing isn't QUITE there yet. but to be honest, i don't think i could have chosen a worse time of year to refocus on a tailored fitness/diet plan. for two reasons.

A. hello holidays. i don't think you know what it's like to live with a piano teacher. take the typical respectful student, knowing it's a nice gesture to bestow upon your instructor a token of your esteem. something that caters to the season, but is not over the top and gaudy. what do we have that falls in the $8 range?

chocolate.

now multiply that by forty students.

we are the chocolate family.

B. hello finals! worse yet, i'm busting my ass finishing final projects and cramming for delightful exams. have you tried dieting while reading the building code? i think you should. i think you should suffer with me.

so i ate pizza for breakfast. alright, i ate A pizza for breakfast. with ice cream.

bite me.

(no one said this would be all sunshine and puppies.)

and the cherry on top: my lower back has decided to take a few days off. and when your lower back says no, it means no. consider this a freebie tip, folks. lower back pain = STOP EVERYTHING.

unless you can pull off the wheel chair look.

so. the number is still miraculously the same. i have this uncanny ability to sit on the same decimal point of the scale for days on end, i guess. so at least it didn't go up, but what a waste of a few days!

but we embrace, and move on.

FITNESS TIP OF THE DAY: always stretch targeted muscles before you challenge yourself with a new exercise! i recently returned to chin ups, which i had avoided since august. it's wonderful when you feel the burn. it sucks when the burn incapacitates you.

DIET TIP OF THE DAY: stop eating. no. i had a real tip that i thought of on the treadmill two days ago. and it's gone. i'm sorry.

EATING DISORDER TIP OF THE DAY: (is this wrong to offer these...?) i'm just kidding. well, only kind of. I actually have things to put here. which i will not. for now.

hm. that is all then. my journey has taken an unfortunate turn into the valley of insanely busy, but i can resume my discipline post exams, which is mercifully in three days.

so. embrace, move on. be thankful for the miracle of metabolism; not every disastrous meal will necessarily undo your determination.

cardio onwards, folks.

194.8

well.

welcome? to another area of my life. i do have an existing blog elsewhere, however it focused mostly on the personal side of things. and i could never make my random fitness quips fit in nicely. ergo: new blog!

the point? accountability, motivation, and a place to hopefully rejoice in my future successes. i like to talk about things, i guess. or even just share. you can live life learning new things for yourself, but the real reward is passing on your secrets to others. hopefully you can embrace a trick or two?

about me? tall, relatively active, and busy! there will be no talk of "finding time" to be active in this blog. i'm not saying i'm the busiest person around, but i balance a full school schedule and four work days in a week and can still squeeze in an hour of exercise every day. there is no excuse!

goals? are few, to be honest. as a GUY, the mirror speaks louder than the scale, which is mostly unfair, i find. i prefer the hard facts (like numbers), as opposed to observations. as you follow along (or, if you choose to), you'll come to find that i believe in small goals, or one at a time. i don't see the reality in commiting to a goal that spans beyond the scope of a few weeks. it's hard and frustrating. not a good recipe for success! so, all i am focused on right now is getting below the 190 mark (starting from 194.8lbs). that's only a loss of 4.8lbs. do you see how easy that sounds?

considering i was also at 195.6lbs as of yesterday, i'm flying!

now, i do have one goal that i'm looking forward to. overall, one day i hope to fully embrace the lifestyle where i don't have to concern myself with eating habits and an exercise schedule. i will always enjoy going for a run periodically, but i want to get to a place where i do it for fun, not to get back into my favorite jeans.

(you'll also come to know my complete lack of organizational skills!)

hopefully along the way in this journey, i'll get to talk about some of the issues that i've been dealing with for four years now. sadly, weightloss is so much more than physical. the mental battle is probably even harder, to be honest, and as most of you are well aware. i'm just hoping to one day find myself in a place where i can be satisfied with the way i am. and to be realistic, i am getting pretty close!

(ps. there might be pictures!)

START: 194.8 (despite the fact that i want to put yesterday's number!)
CURRENT GOAL: 189.9

STEVO'S CURRENT TIPS: (lord knows there are more that i have forgotten for now)
- pick one goal at a time, and keep them small and realistic. you should be able to complete it in less than 21 days.
- weigh yourself daily! even the smallest of successes can be great motivators.
there are more, of course. but i think i'll save them for blog material.

so, i guess that's it. welcome to what i hope will be the final journey to a more confident me.

ready, set.

go.