First, some advice from my friend at the gym:

1. One of the most important things he told us is that “It’s all Mental” meaning we are each stronger than we think we are. There are several times he would increase the weight on a machine without telling us and we would be able to complete several reps.

2. If it doesn’t burn where you are working it and experience soreness the next couple of days, you’re not doing it right.

3. Keep your heart rate up. If you need to rest longer, make sure that you speed walk around the gym, hop on a treadmill for a minute, or do some Ab work in between.

4. If it hurts (not burn), stop immediately.

5. Don’t try to move your body in a way that’s not the natural movement. For example, twisting a way that your body doesn’t normally move.

6. You should always have a person to spot for you if you are working with heavy weight for your safety.

Here are 5 keys that have helped me maintain the Six Pack Ab Habit…

1. Develop Friendships at the Gym – They will notice when you’re gone and ask, “Where were you?” It helps keep you in check.

2. Change Things Up – When you feel bored or like you’ve hit a plateau, use the elliptical machine instead of the treadmill or swim laps in the pool.

3. Choose a Healthy Diet – Most people think “diet” means to “starve yourself” of certain foods. The way it will be talked about here is actually defined as “a: food and drink regularly provided or consumed b: habitual nourishment”. The healthier you eat, the higher the desire to workout and the more you workout, the healthier you will want to eat.

4. Keep a Positive Attitude – Your Mind is a powerful thing. Don’t get discouraged by others around you that may be in better physical or cardio shape. Everyone is at a different level and it is very rare to feel positive when we begin to compare ourselves to others. Remember, you are doing this for YOU, not them. Focus on you and your goals.

5. Study Good Health – The more you read the better you will be at accomplishing your goals. It is so important to go to more than one source since there are many different opinions when it comes to good health. Choose what makes sense and feels right. (One that I have found to be very helpful is “Body For Life”. This book is great overall, putting together a good nutrition diet as well as a good workout program).

1. Gym membership – If you’re paying for it, you’re going to want to use it!

2. Kid Care – Make sure that you have someone else watching your children. This allows you to focus and get the best out of your time.

3. Set realistic Goals – These don’t have to be where you want to end up. Just where you think you can start.

4. Set aside a specific time for your workout – Treat it like a doctor’s appointment where you would have to pay a $25 “No Show” fee if you decided not to go.

5. Track your workouts and progress – Length of time, what you did, calories burned…all of these things will help you see the progress before you see it in your appearance. (DO NOT weigh yourself as a tracking procedure…this will only frustrate and discourage. If you wish to measure your success, use a tape measure to record your waist, hips, thighs, etc.)

People that I haven’t seen for a while have also made comments about how much thinner I look or how much more defined I am.

It’s amazing…after working with this program for less than a month, I can already see some results! The best part is that I can also feel those muscles.

So here is the diet I am currently following:

1 Gallon of water per day

7am Breakfast – 3 egg whites & 1 yolk scrambled, 4 oz. cottage cheese, ½ c. strawberries or peaches

9:30am – 8oz. Protein Shake (1 serving Whey Protein)

10am-12pm Workout

12:30pm Lunch – Chef Salad w/ Raspberry vinaigrette dressing (2 c. Romaine Lettuce, 2 Hard-boiled

eggs, 1 slice of turkey or ham cubed, shredded cheese, carrots, tomatoes, etc.)

3:30pm Snack – Yogurt & ¼ c. nuts (Pecans, Cashews, or Almonds)

6pm Dinner – 1 serving meat (Salmon, Turkey, Chicken, Ahi Tuna), Long Grain Wild Rice, and 1 serving veggies

8pm Snack – 1 String Cheese Stick

About a year ago I started with a goal to workout at the gym 3 times a week for an hour. At this time, I weighed 130lbs. which is 15lbs. heavier than my “pre-pregnancy” weight. Don’t let that number fool you…muscle weighs more than fat! It’s the body fat percentage that counts and mine was high.

6 months to make a habit:

I was told somewhere that it takes a good 6 months to make good intention into a good habit. At the 6 month marker I was making it to the gym 3 times a week on a regular basis. My workout consisted only of running on the treadmill and I had begun the “Fat Burn Marathon”. I ran about 9 miles a week. This has always been the best way for me to lose body fat. I did end up losing 17lbs. by the 10 month mark (unfortunately, along with that went most of my chest-oh well). At this point, I thought, “I’m on the right track. It’s time to add strength training.”

Cardio burns calories while you work, strength training burns calories all day long:

Where do I start? I haven’t lifted weights in over 8 years. I had no clue what to do so I went to a friend of mine who is in amazing shape. She used to compete in fitness competitions and recently tried out for American Gladiators. Anyway, she was nice enough to write up a simple 3 day workout targeting each major muscle group (Legs, Back, Biceps, Chest, Triceps, Shoulders, and Abs) to get me started. I was sore after each workout. Thank you, Marla.

New Goals for a New Me:

While this was working well, I had also begun making friends at the gym. One of which used to be a personal trainer. He knows a lot about strength training and good eating habits. He enjoys seeing people work hard and get in shape. He began working with me and 2 of the other friends I met that have the same goal to get a strong, lean body.

Because of all of our dedication, we began going to the gym 2 hours a day/5 times a week. I never thought I would be one that would spend 2 hours a day at the gym but since I began working with them, we do circuits and if one of us is not there, the program has to be adjusted. Not only do I feel a responsibility to be there but I look forward to it!

So along with the goal to go 2 hours a day/5 times a week. I am also on a 6 meal a day diet that is balanced and much healthier than the pre-packaged food I used to eat.

I will be sharing with you the meal plan and strength training program that I am currently on for one month that is supposed to produce faster results for lean, tone muscle. Will it get me closer to my Six Pack Abs? We’ll see!

I have recently begun my own journey towards a body in good health and lean definition. For the past 8 years I have experienced 4 pregnancies (one every 2 years). I wouldn’t trade them for the world but boy did they do a number on my once young, thin, carefree body.

It’s true what Jonathan said about not having much motivation before with my body blowing up and deflating (like one of those air mattresses) during pregnancy. Although, have you ever noticed the deflating doesn’t happen quite as fast and the mattress never fits back into the package as neatly as it did before you started? So, what’s the point, right? I kept thinking, “I’m just going to get huge again.”

Ladies, I know you know what I’m talking about - the discouragement of having no choice but to gain a ton of weight in such a little amount of time only to be left with a lot of work to take it back off.

Well, as Jon said, after our 4^th child (having a 6 yr. old, 4 yr. old, 2 yr. old, and newborn) I decided it’s probably best for my family if we stop here so mommy doesn’t go INSANE. Along with that decision was a new found desire to get into really good shape. In my next post, I will share with you my journey up until now.

Two weeks ago, I had a physical.  The doctor told me I need to lower my cholesterol and fat intake.  He said, do it, get tested again in six months, and if I’m better then great, but if not, he’ll give me a pill.

That’s all fine and dandy, I wouldn’t really heed that warning except for try to eat better.  However, about 3 years ago, I was told the same thing from a different doctor.  That’s not good news.  What’s even more shocking to me is that after 3 years, I’ve apparently shown myself that I’m not willing to change in this area.

This is where Lorra comes in.  Lorra does most of the meal preparations around our home.  Occasionally, I’ll cook a very cheesy egg omlet wrapped inside a grilled tortilla and smother it with chili.  (See where it’s coming from). Or sometimes I’ll cook some burgers on the grill outside.  But for the most part, Lorra takes care of us throughout each week.

Lorra has been very consistent in her workouts in the gym.  She has made some friends there and is on a workout schedule.  She’s even bringing home Muscle Milk and got us some other supplements.  She’s living the life that I’ve been wanting to live for so long now, yet, I’m not taking the time to do it myself.  I’m excited that she has kicked in with a spark on this.  She has had four children and even though she’s always look great to me after having each child, she is now looking even more fantastic.  What’s important here is that she is feeling fantastic.  We knew we were going to have more children and in Lorra’s mind, she was always fighting the battle of a changing body due to pregnancies.  It was difficult for her to get excited about working out because her body was always so far out of balance.  Lorra has decided that we are stopping here with our 4th child - and I’m following her lead.

Back to the topic…

Not only has Lorra developed a great workout routine, she has also been studying nutrition.  Now we’re eating healthier.  With the news from my second doctor about lowering my cholesterol and fat intake, I’m confident in getting the added support from my wife that I can change my diet to hopefully get me off the "pill" radar.

In addition… I’m happy to introduce Lorra to you.  She has taken interest in this site and will be sharing her ideas with us now too.

The other day, I was talking to a friend of mine who owns a karate gym in Scottsdale Arizona.  He teaches classes himself so he is in real good physical shape. We were discussing goals when he stated to me that his goal is to do 50 push ups within 4 minutes. He says he feels he will be at his optimum physical strength when he achieves this goal.

At first, my mind was thinking that would be an easy task, especially for a guy who teaches karate.  He informed me that he hasn’t obtained that goal yet, but is working diligently to get there.  I started thinking more about this and realize that 50 push ups in 4 minutes is extremely difficult to accomplish.  I’m not sure I could even to 25 push ups in 4 minutes. 

I don’t know anyone who can accomplish this task.  Are you someone who can?  If so, leave a comment here to let us know.

THE BALANCE …

… is off right now. I’m doing well at other areas of my life, but keeping that routine of exercising often, well… not so well.

My wife, however, is doing extremely well.  She is defining her Six pack.  She has been faithfully going to the gym about 4 - 5 times per week.  She is eating better also.  What’s changed?

Here are a few things that I can identify:

1. Determination - she is determined to reach her goals.  This determination is giving her motivation.  It must be the most important factor in keeping her going.  However, I think there is another factor that works very well.

2. Workout Buddies - my wife has found some friends at the gym. Together, they’ve developed a workout plan.  They see eachother everytime they go.  Truly, together, they are doing more than they can do alone.

3. Trainer - another factor in my wife’s successes, is that she has found somebody that is taking the time to help her set goals and develop eating and exercise plans to obtain those goals.

One thing for sure… my wife is on a speeding bullet, racing to the finish line.  She’s achieving her goals much faster and better than I am.  I’m ok with this right now, obviously.  One of the reasons is because I’m off balance, paying more attention and dedication to a different area of my life.  The key is to MAKE TIME. 

Coming next, I’ll post some stomach exercises that my wife has recently obtained and is implementing now.