Tag: workout

Personal Good day checklist

If you are like me I you strive to have a good day everyday, instead we start our day with the dreaded to do list that hold us back from truly doing what we want to on our days off. Unlike my everyday checklists this checklist is made to help improve my day and allow me to get a short break from everyday chores and keep me healthy.

Checklist:

  • Creativity-
    • I enjoy doodling or painting, basically anything that involve the creation of something from a creative standpoint
  • Exercise
    • One of my favorites forms of relaxation is exercise
  • Relaxation-
    • Aside from exercise one of my two favorite forms of relaxation are reading and play video games
  • Sunlight –
    • I try to make sure I get some type of exposure to sunlight it makes my mood throughout the day more pleasant
      • I take my puppy to the dog park or even just for a walk
      • Summer time is when I get the most sunlight making it my favorite season because I spend so much time outside my mood is always a pleasant and happy one.
      • Winter, even though there is not much visible sunlight during the winter, outside exposure seems to help improve my mood.
  • Hydration-
    • HYDRATE!! The normal amount of water a person is supposed to drink per day is (1 oz water per 1 lbs) I weigh 230 lbs so I must drink 230oz one gallon of water is equal to 128 oz, but let’s face it I’m not going to drink almost two gallons of water everyday but I do make it a goal to drink one gallon per day

Meditate on this

By: Alejandro R.

Do you practice meditation? I haven’t always, let me tell you about my experience with meditation. When I was told about meditation I though it was a religious act like praying, I was wrong my lack of knowledge kept me from even trying it. As time passed my curiosity towards meditation began to grow, the more I heard people tell me about it the more intrigued I became. I did my research and I learned that meditation was not a religious act but a method used to relieve stress and how effective it is in the society we live in. A society filled with sensory over-stimulation that comes with the use of phones, watching television and our everyday busy schedules. When I decided to give it a try it was a bit difficult because I was not able to clear my mind, there was too much going on up there. I tried videos, music and a few podcasts but nothing helped I thought that meditation was not for me. I did not give up on it instead I continued to do more research and I found some information that stated that I should let all of my thoughts flow. The key was to let myself engage in the thinking process but not to judge the thoughts that were flowing through my mind. The way that I saw it was that it was a type of purge and that I was letting all of my negative thoughts out. I started to feel a difference in my energy level and in my thought process, through out the day I felt amazing. With the success I was having in the way that I meditated I felt like I had it all figured out, that is until I sat down with my sister-in-law and had a “conversation.” (More like an argument) Her claim was that the correct way to meditate was to completely clear your mind, of course I told her that it was impossible to and argued that we have to allow all of our thoughts to flow. This conversation made me question my methods, so I did some more research and I found out that she was right! And so was I, at this point I realized that I had just began to scratch the surface of meditation and that I knew nothing about the subject. It turns out that there are different types of meditation and that the one that a person does totally depends on them and what methods work for them. Meditation is in my opinion an amazing way to not only get rid of stress, but a way to get to know yourself, and a way to get closer to nature and yes I know that it makes me sound like a hippie, but it is true. I have tried a few different types of meditation other than letting my thoughts flow, I have tried a method where I focus on sounds of nature and my surrounding which is why I said that it helps you get closer to nature.

Here are some types of meditation that I have tried:

1. Letting yourself engage in the thought process- this allows me to watch myself engage in the process. I just let my thoughts flow without judging myself for having any types of thoughts.

2. Focusing on the sounds of nature-this allows me to forget about anything and everything that might be going on in my life and return to basics, this allows me to attack any issue with an open and fresh mind.

3. Picturing myself in a calm place-in other words go to my happy place, this allows me to escape my current reality and recharge. This method always has me feeling fully energized and ready to tackle any issue with a clear mind (this one is my personal favorite.)

There are so many types that I have yet to try but as I continue to create a meditation routine I plan on exploring other methods.

I think that everyone should meditate and yes I do understand that we all live very busy lives but all I takes is 5 minutes and trust me the difference will be felt immediately. I encourage you to do your research and find the method that works best for you.

Please enjoy the step by step list I have created for you it is simple and it takes 5-10 minutes the length is completely up to you. The method I share with you is the mental imagery method in other words, the one where you picture yourself in a calm place.

Meditation for beginners:

1. Find a comfortable place to sit I recommend a chair or you can sit on the floor (make sure you are not too comfortable so that you don’t fall asleep)

2. Set a timer for the desired amount of time you wish to meditate (I recommend 5 minutes to start with)

3. Close your eyes and picture yourself on a quiet mountain top on a warm day, feel the breeze softly hit your cheek, let the sound of it soothe you as you stare into the horizon now let your imagination start filling in the surroundings allow yourself to hear the birds chirping or the sound of the rushing water of a nearby river. Enjoy the scenery use this time to recharge and clear your mind.

Please leave me your feedback on here and on my instagram page @blankstare_blog all comments are appreciated.

The Struggles are Real: Weight loss

This week I have decided to once again share my weight loss story and the obstacles that I’ve had to overcome. Just as a reminder to myself of why I started in the first place because there are days that I cannot summon the motivation to get out and get to the gym.

There are so many social media pages where people share their weight loss stories, myself being included. The content of these pages are only before and after pictures and recipes used or workouts they do to continue their fitness story. The type of content that seems to be missing is the kind that talks about or depicts all of the struggles that comes with the journey. Whether it is with self, family and friends and in your professional life as well. I mean with all of the offers of doing good at work in exchange for a pizza party (like what are we, five?) ha ha, just kidding. Let us begin with the obstacles that we put on ourselves, for example, my biggest reason to not put in hard work was the excuses of being too “busy” or too “tired.” Once I came to the realization that these ideas were just excuses to justify the unhealthy lifestyle I was living, it became easier to start pushing myself to get moving and eating healthy. These are reasons that I see the most with people in my life, with my parents, siblings, in-laws and some co-workers. What people do not realize, and is something I learned along the way, is that working out and eating healthier makes us feel more energized and increases our desire to be more productive. Another type of mindset that holds us back is the idea that the working out can become repetitive or even monotonous. I have found that if a workout has become boring it just means that the intensity needs to be increased, in other words, it is a sign that we need to push ourselves harder. The beauty of working on our fitness is that it should be a never ending journey of growth and learning, this advice also applies to life. I am not saying that I know everything about fitness and living healthy, I mean come on there are days that when I am researching new meal prep recipes or creating a new workout plan as I am enjoying the fluffy carbs and sugars that come in the form of a donut or two. I just do not let those type of days hold me back I just keep pushing forward learning, working, planing and bettering myself.

Another obstacle that I have to overcome has been my family and friends. Now this one is a tough one because it is disrespectful to turn down food that is offered, especially in my culture. (I am Hispanic by the way) At first I felt horrible because at my in-laws’ my mother in-law would a cook an amazingly delicious meal. You know, the beans, rice, and either beef or chicken with sauce that was made from scratch, sometimes she would even have home made flour tortillas and OH BOY! Was that hard to resist. Then there was my mother’s house she would make some delicious stew with beans, bacon and strips of beef, of course everything is fried before it comes together in a warm stew, that I am pretty sure can only be taught to make by angels, ok I might be exaggerating a bit but still it is amazing. As everyone feasted on what can only be described as Hispanic cuisine glory, I would have to stick to my healthy meals that were made of veggies and low sodium chicken. When I say low sodium I mean pretty much tasteless, of course now I have grown to like my meals with no sugar, sodium, oils or pretty much anything that made food delicious but also unhealthy. Both my mother and mother in-law thought I was sick all of the time because I had stopped eating everything that they knew I liked. To this day they still wonder if I am able to eat what they made which of course the answer is duh! They still always ask because they don’t know if I am on what seems to them a “crazy” diet. One thing that I find funny is that when my family comes to visit they first tell each other that they should get something good to eat because at my place there is only healthy food that they don’t like. The best way to handle your family is by informing them that you want to live healthier and hopefully they understand. In my case they didn’t, so I just had to keep pushing myself hoping for the best, hopefully I have inspired at least one of them to make healthier decisions and to be more active.

Finally work the aspect of my life with the least importance and the easiest obstacles to overcome, well at least for me. The reason this was the easiest is because if they have food at work I make sure to moderate myself or I just politely say no thank you and go to where my five senses are not being drawn to the food. Working on your fitness and having a social life can be possible everything just needs to be with moderation. Currently I am down 120lbs from 350lbs to 230lbs and still working on my fitness. I know that this is a lifestyle and it makes me feel good in all aspects of life so I will continue to work on myself.

If you take anything from this today I hope it is this; the first step to bettering yourself starts with you! Get out of your head and get to working on yourself. I promise you will feel amazing and of course you do not have to start of working out and dieting like professional athletes. Just get moving, figure out what your body can do, find YOUR limits and push them it will improve not only your health but every aspect of your life.

Get up and get moving checklist:

1. Get out of your head just get moving

2. Ignore what others have to say about you even if it comes from your family and friends.

3. Have fun, find things you enjoy doing. (for example I found Jiu-jitsu but that is a topic for another day.)

4. If you go to the gym remember everyone is wondering if what they are doing is right! And DO NOT compare your progress to the progress of others.

And make sure to look me up on instagram and follow so that you may join me in my journey. @alejandro.gets.fit

Fit, In The Garage

As I mentioned in my last post, my wife and I just bought our first house and we had always talked about what we would do to it in order to promote our physical emotional, creative and mental wellness. We decided that we would designate rooms to help us improve on ourselves, we came up with design ideas for a space in the garage of our new home that will help us keep on track with our physical activity. Of course we do not want to go crazy and spend a bunch of money on exercise equipment besides that is why, we have a gym membership for, so we made up a list of what would be considered minimal essentials which are;

1. Mats for the floor- I don’t know about you but I do not want any equipment to destroy the concrete floor so We want to protect it also to have a clean space or stretching workouts done on the floor(eg..pushups, sit-ups, crunches, planks) 99.00 for 96 sq feet on Amazon

2. Jump rope/speed rope- I personally love jump rope it is easy to use and great time saver jump rope helps you get a good workout in a short amount of time. Since it’s so small it can literally be stored anywhere (great space saver) done correctly and at a steady pace it can burn more calories than running it also helps with the improvement of your running, promotes balance and coordination 7.00-20.00 online

3. TRX (total body resistance exercise)- This is great because it help you workout many different muscle groups core, arms and back I like using it for core workouts and it’s awesome for that. (I am a bit hesitant about getting this because it does have to go mounted on the wall or to the ceiling unless you pay extra for the bars it goes attached to but mounted correctly it can be a great tool) Depending in which one you get the price can vary between $15.00-200.00 online

4. Yoga ball- I don’t really use yoga balls but I do know it is a great substitute for the TRX when it comes to suspension based workouts it helps with balance as well. 8.00 on the Walmart website

5. Punching bag/heavy bags- I like punching bags they are great for cardio exercise but for me they also are also great for practicing some jiujitsu movements. It this helps with agility balance and coordination. 60.00 without stand and 109.00 with stand on the Walmart website

6. Battle ropes- this is the king of upper body cardio workouts well at least in my opinion, because there are so many different exercise variations with this type of equipment and they are all great for weight loss and improving on other cardio workouts. 37.99 on the Walmart website.

7. Kettle bells- once again there are numerous exercise variations with this equipment and the majority are full body workouts which are great this (probably would be the most expensive depending on where you get them my favorite are from onnit they are cool) price ranges based on brand and weight anywhere between 14.00 -200.00 online (onnit is more pricey but that is because they have awesome Marvel, Star Wars and primal kettlebells)

We want to make a small gym in our house for those days when we really don’t feel like driving to the our gym I mean Of course like I said we are keeping our membership for our regular heavy lifting sessions and other equipment we like using but it would be great to be able to just stay home and still workout.

Working out With Fresh Tattoos

This week I have been able to have a bit more time to work on posting so here is this week’s first of two posts (yay double the content!!)

Last week I went to get a tattoo and I thought it would be great if I posted some tips on going to the gym with a fresh tattoo. This was not my first tattoo I was have a few and the only one that I had a different experience was with the first one but that was because of cultural reasons and I was new to the whole being tattooed thing. To start off, I grew up in a house hold that was very religious and highly against tattooing or piercings, naturally I tried to hide it which was not the best of ideas because it did not help the healing process and it took longer to heal.

That was a mistake I was not willing to do any of the rest of my tattoos otherwise if I were to get any, and I did. The way that I schedule my workouts around the healing of my tattoos is by not working out for the first full day to make sure that the healing process starts properly. I also make sure that my workouts do not involve any thing that pushes pulls or rubs on it so any having abdominal workouts are not an option at least for the first week. As for jiu-jitsu, I take a whole week to a week and a half break that way the chances of getting infections are reduced skipping the week also reduces the risks of tearing it (yes I said tearing) because the skin is still tender during the healing process. For the week that I am healing I wear sleeveless shirts at first and long sleeves up until it is fully healed well depending on the placing of the tattoo mine starts on my shoulder and goes down half way down my bicep but also wraps around to my triceps.

Tips for working out after a tattoo:

1. Don’t workout for 24hr (take a rest day)

2. Don’t let anything rub on it and so make sure to choose your workouts accordingly

3. Do not let it get dry I use Aquaphor or Vaseline

4. If you do jiu-jitsu or any full contact type of activity wait at least a week before going back.

5. Wear loose clothes fitting clothing to avoid unnecessary rubbing on the tattoo.

Where I am>where I was

I’m still trying to work on my scheduling issue and it seems like it is clearing up so I apologize for the inconsistency when it comes to posting.

I have recently reached a huge milestone in my fitness journey which is reach an all time low weight of 222lbs and it feels amazing. Even though I knew that this whole working out and eating healthy was going to be a lifestyle for myself, never thought that I would reach this level of fitness, I currently am 2 lbs from my final weight goal and it feel amazing because I haven’t been in the 220Lbs since I was 15 years old. I also measured the percentage of fat that I am currently at and it was a total of 14%, another thing is that this last year has felt like I didn’t even have to try, exercise and smart eating has become a part of my normal life.

I have decided to repost the beginning of my fitness journey that way I can see how far I have come.

Weight Loss Journey: The Beginning

When it comes to changing from an unhealthy lifestyle to a healthy one, no one is an expert. In fact, it we all start not knowing what we are doing. Some would even say we enter this journey with a “Blank Stare.” For example when I started my fitness journey I had no idea what I was doing. I had no idea how to even start the machines let alone how to use them. The one thing that I did know was that I had to get started and that running was one way to get started. The treadmill became my best friend for the first part, 4.5 mph is where my challenge began. I would go to the gym every morning sunshine or not, you would find me there. I would either walk or run for half an hour on the treadmill. The process was hard to start off with but I knew I had to do it. I knew that this was going to become one of the most important decisions of my life. Being at the gym and seeing people there can mess with your head and your ego. At the start of this crazy journey I would look around and see other people that were running at a much faster speed than I was able to. Yes, this would hurt my ego like crazy, which made me increase my speed to try to match theirs. I was a beginner and there was no way I could keep up with them, this would make me feel so embarrassed. Now thinking about it this was such an ignorant thought to have. I never took into consideration the hard work that they had put into getting to where they were at. As time moved on this crazy thought started to disappear as I started to focus on myself and my progress. What I started to realize was that there is no better motivator than progress and the fact that I was starting to feel better about my image. It wasn’t long after this that I started to push my limits and not paying attention to what everyone around me was doing. As time moved forward, the more I worked at it the better I got and the faster I was able to go. I went from 7 mph for 30 seconds being my max speed. (and when I say max I mean struggling) Today I am able to run at 13 mph for a straight minute and of course this did not come over night. This took hard work and consistency in order for me to be able to reach this level. I am not saying that I was 100% consistent, I did give up a few times and when I was ready I went back 10 times stronger. This did not go on for too long when I realized that this needed to become something that I enjoyed instead of a chore. At this point everything became easier. How? You might ask, well I started to incorporate weight lifting which was something I realized I enjoyed more than running. The down side to changing my workouts was that I started from zero, meaning I did not know what to do or how much weight I was able to lift. I did not let this fear stop me from giving it a try. I started to research weightlifting and how to use the machines at the gym. My best advice for you is to do some research of your own and do not be afraid to ask for help.

DEDICATION ALWAYS BEATS TALENT. You do not have to be talented to reach your goals just be dedicated to them.

Paleo diet. So Easy A Caveman Can Do It: I hope 😳

To start things off I am proud to say that I have lost 7lbs this month so far which makes it a total of 128 lbs pounds lost woohoo!!!
From 350lbs
To: 222Lbs

Every now and then I get bored of the recipes that I cook for myself which makes me either change up the diet or look for new recipe ideas to try. Lately I have been getting a bit bored with the food that I have been eating and I feel like it is time for a change I have been looking for new methods of dieting and there is one diet that I have heard of before but have never really looked into, which is the paleo diet. I have decided that for the month of march I will be giving the diet a try to see what effects it has on my body and how it makes me feel. As of right now I am not on a specific diet I just count my calories and stick to similar recipes so that it does not get too confusing but with the paleo diet I feel like there will be more structure because of the foods that it allows me to have. So far what I have found out, is that the paleo diet or Primal diet basically is a diet based on what our ancient ancestors presumably consumed during the Paleolithic era, hence (paleo). This diet consists of consuming lean meats such as poultry, and red meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds basically anything that was consumed during the hunting and gathering era, making sure to keep the consumption of grains, legumes, dairy products and any processed foods to a minimal.

(what?!?, you mean I can’t have any donuts? how will I survive?)

My plan going into trying this new diet (well new for me) is that I will make sure to do my research and allow myself one cheat meal per week in order to avoid any diet burnout which trust me, exists I mean nobody wants to diet 100 percent of the time. I will also be trying to keep a journal on how this makes me feel that way I can compare where I started to where I currently am. As far as my workouts I will be doing the same on that I have been doing because I feel like it is very effective and I am seeing great results.

Tips on how to start off a new diet or anything:

1. Always start with a positive attitude that Is the key for success.
2. If you mess up and eat something or some things that you should not it is ok just make sure to get back on track because that is how we learn
3. Research is important, at least know the basics of what you are getting yourself into
a. You are setting yourself up for failure if you go in blindly.
4. Consistency is key, but also you are on your own schedule not on anyone else’s
a. If it takes you two months to lose 10 lbs that is ok progress is progress.
b. Don’t give up future you will be thankful for your dedication to becoming better.

Work it out

Trying to keep eating healthy and exercising during the holidays may be difficult, because it feels like everyone is having parties and making special dishes. What is difficult is getting back to a healthy mindset, I feel like we have one bad meal and we think we cannot start our diet or fitness routine until the beginning of the year. Just because you ate a bit too much for thanksgiving doesn’t mean that it is impossible to get back on track or even start living healthier. If you are asking how this is possible, well, there are 33 days between thanksgiving and Christmas which is plenty of time to get used to a routine or get back on track towards meeting your goals.

Here are some workout ideas that can help give you a great start to getting back on track:

1. Box jumps: 10-15 minutes at your own pace it does not have to be super intense but just challenging

enough for you to sweat.

2. Hiit cycling: start off with 2 minutes of a comfortable pace not too hard that way you do not wear yourself out then start gradually increasing the intensity every 10 seconds do this for 30 seconds and then reduce the intensity to a comfortable pace and keep it for another 2 minutes in order get back to a regular breathing pattern then repeat for a total of 8 times totaling out in a 20 minute workout hopefully you are drenched in sweat and you feel amazing.

3. Run/walk for 20-30 minutes

4. Jump rope for 15 minutes at your own pace if you mess up it doesn’t matter just keep going.

Remember to not let your ego get the best of you every workout needs to be at your own pace.

5k On Turkey day No way!

Thanksgiving day, a day when we eat until we can’t move and then we eat some more, it is also a day when we give thanks for everything good that has come to us and for what is yet to come, a day when everyone gets up and eagerly awaits for the time to dig into their glorious turkey feast. Just like everyone that is how my day used to go but this thanksgiving day my wife and I decided that we would do something different and well if you read the title and guessed that we ran a 5k, you guessed right. Yes we signed up for a 5k why? You may ask, well, we wanted to start a new yearly tradition and we enjoy participating in these types of events. This was a different experience because we have only participated in these during the summer, the weather was way colder and our old people joints were not having it. Even with all of our joints crackling and popping like fireworks during the Fourth of July, we put on our warmest exercising clothes and on our way we went. On the way there we saw that the temperature was in the high thirties with an even colder wind chill.

“why the hell did we sign up for this?”

I turned and asked my wife and continued to complain about how cold it was, she vaguely agreed and assured me that we will have fun. Still I was not convinced, To me it seemed like the temperature was a big reason for people to not participate, so I felt like the turnout was not going to be very good. To my surprise there were a ton of people, the turnout immediately changed my mind I went from let’s go home to let’s go do this. The start of the race was a bit slow but once the crowd started to spread out it became easier to run I turned to my wife and told her to let me know when she wanted to slow down and “shockingly” she didn’t, as I felt myself getting into the zone I realized that I could no longer see my wife out of the corner of my eye so I stopped and tried to find her. After a minute had passed I decided that I was going to keep going plus I figured that she didn’t want to really keep up with me because we always end up arguing at these types of events because I want her to keep running and she wants to do it at her own pace. Towards the end I waited for her until she could catch up and we ran the last quarter of a mile together and no more complaints about the cold weather. At the end of the race they had cookies, donuts and coffee, I must admit I did have fun and we managed to cut our finish time by four minutes, I feel like this new tradition is something that I will be looking forward to every year.