65 Challenge Day! 12-15-11

Today is the day!

So, how about you? Will you challenge yourself to do [insert your age] pushups, situps, pullups, chinups, and then walk/run for 65 minutes? You can if you put your mind to it, decide, commit, take the appropriate action (which means eat right and exercise) and train for it.

I encourage you to do your own age challenge and I'd love to hear how it goes for you.

If you have health and fitness goals but haven't had success reaching them before, let's talk. My passion is working with people helping them reach their goals and I'd love to talk with you.

65 Challenge Day 21 12-14-11

Is this the calm before the storm? Tomorrow's my 65 Challenge. I've been preparing since Thanksgiving Day and I am pumped!

65 Challenge Day 20 12-13-11

This is Christmas party season! Three this week plus networking events 3 days as well. Having fun AND taking it very easy with desserts. I want to stay on track but allow myself to enjoy the parties - so making choices - like, OK, I'll hold off on the cookies but will try the meatballs! Yeah, life is tough.

Getting ready for Thursday's big challenge day. Today (Tuesday) I did the P90X X Stretch, then a 5K Walk/Run (third best time so far), and then Zumba class. I'm glad I'm doing  all three as each adds something special to my workout routine. (And I'm grateful my business allows me to do all this!)

65 Challenge Day 15 12-8-11

Another running day, another good time. Today was a walk/run day in my 5K series. My time wasn't outstanding, at 35:03, but it was my second best overall time. I have reasons (excuses) for the slower time - it was about 10 degrees colder, plus the delay between my 50 minute P90X stretch was more than a half hour, rather than getting right to it as I did on Tuesday, when I had my best ever (so far) time, but the greatest win for me is that I am consistently getting the 5Ks in my routine and I'm totally enjoying them. After the 5K I also went to a Zumba class and was into it so much someone asked me if I was going to fly out of the room! LOL.

I have a week to go on this Challenge, till the 15th, and I'm really looking forward to hitting ALL the numbers that day.

65 Challenge Day 14 12-7-11

The 14th day (of 22) of my 65 Challenge was a good one for many reasons. One reason was that my early-ordered copy of P90X2 arrived (I'm starting that program January 1st!). Another pretty cool thing was I had my annual physical yesterday afternoon and my cholesterol, after being off cholesterol meds since May, are better than they were even when I was ON the prescription drugs! My LDL (the good cholesterol is waay up), my ratios are great, and my overall cholesterol is only 128! Right on Shakeology and P90X!

So now to today's walk/run 5K. I had a walking day, and the time was 47:58 - loads more than yesterday's 32:36 when I ran a little more than half the way. That's okay, though, because Thursday I'll run again, unless it's raining, and my time should be under 40 minutes again (if not a new personal best ... of course I'm hoping for that!).

65 Challenge Day 13 12-6-11

Had another personal best in my walk/run 5K, 32:36.

See the video for deets:

65 Challenge Day 12 12-5-11

I realized over the past few days that I've been adjusting my P90X workouts in favor of my daily 5K walk/run.

That's not good, not the plan. P90X has been, is, and remains my primary workout regimen and it certainly has cardio, so I'm not lacking that. The walk/run thing is fun and a little variety, but it's not my primary deal.

What I found was I was not pushing quite so hard during P90X workouts, not really "bringing it" because I wanted to save energy for the upcoming walk/run.

So here's how I'm going to change that from now till December 15th (when this Challenge ends). Monday, Wednesday and Friday are my heavy workout strength and muscle building days with P90X, so on those days I'm going to do a fast walk. That's what I did today and my time wasn't all that hot, 45:44, just under a 15 minute mile.

On Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday I'm going to do the P90X Stretch (which is one hour of very active stretching) and then do the Walk/Run working for time by running as much as I can.

On Saturday, which is when I do P90X Kenpo X (a martial arts/boxing cardio workout), I'm also going to walk fast.

Of course on Tuesdays and Thursdays I'll also go to a Zumba class, so that will be a load of fun (I LOVE THAT MY JOB ENABLES ME TO WORK OUT SO MUCH!).

After the 15th I think I'll pretty much stick to the same routine, walking fast on MWFS and walk/running TThSu. Sounds like a great plan to me.

Oh yeah, one more public statement - I am not going to walk/run or even walk/fast in the rain - I just don't enjoy it. At this point I'm also planning that I'll only walk fast, not walk/run, when the outside temp is 35 degrees or lower.

65 Challenge Day 11 - 12-4-11

Well today was a beautiful day, and I had my best-yet 5K walk-run. It was 46 degrees (F.) when set out and about 50 when I finished. I didn't actually warm up or stretch much before the 5K, which isn't wise, but I started gradually and walked the first 2/10ths of a mile as sort of a moving warmup. My finish time was 36 minutes and 47 seconds, 2:08 better than my previous best time.

I'm a grateful, happy guy.

65 Challenge - Day 10 12-3-11

Had a great 5K walk today, but it was mostly a walk because when I started running, I felt a couple things I didn't like. May be overtraining a bit, or maybe a little too much too soon. So except for maybe 100 yards I walked. I moved along pretty fast, though, completing the 5K in 43:06.

65 Challenge - Day 9 12-2-11

So today I didn't wait till the end of the day to take the shot above (or the video below). I captured both immediately after I finished my 5K walk/run.

Mostly walking today, largely because I was on two pretty long phone calls during more than half the distance.

My time suffered, of course, finishing in 43 minutes and 45 seconds, but that's OK, I actually needed to recover a bit from yesterday's run.

Tomorrow I suspect I'll get a better time with more running than walking. I'm looking forward to it.

65 Challenge - Day 8 12-1-11

Another personal best on my 5K Walk/Run today. Maybe it helped that I started with an hour of stretching with Beachbody's P90X X Stretch. Whatever, it was a little chilly, but I just kept my head down and kept going.

Today I didn't stop to take photos with my iPhone or post Facebook Check-ins or read email. I just kept trucking. I finished in 38 minutes and 55 seconds. Since my previous personal best (just yesterday) was 41:18, I'm pretty happy. I shaved 2:23 off my time, which means of course that now I'm going to have to work even harder.

After the 5K I went to a Zumba class and had a blast! I had to hurry because I was running a bit late and didn't stretch right after running, so I stretched just before the class. Not really enough, I suppose, but it was OK. I sure was warmed up for the class!

Can't wait to see what happens tomorrow! My focus right now, of course, is less on weight or body fat, but on speed, performance, and endurance. Nice to switch it up.

65 Challenge - Day 7 11-30-11

OK, so no cart-pushing today, just me walking and running. Even though I had to stop to tighten the laces on a shoe, plus take some photos and upload them in a Facebook Check-in (lol), I still cut 2 seconds off my best time. So I'm pleased.

During the day I noticed that my quads and hamstrings were feeling it a bit, but in a good way, not tight, but just feeling exercised! Cool.



I love that I'm able to incorporate exercise and healthy eating and living in my job. Being a Team Beachbody Coach starts with taking care of yourself and sharing what works with people who care or notice. If you'd like to see how some other TBB Coaches feel about it, check this site www.BeACoachWithUs.com.

65 Challenge - Day 6 11-29-11

Oh-oh, it rained this morning.

I'm a big fan of rain, and I love to walk in the rain in cities and don't mind it when I'm hiking. However, I don't choose to run/walk in the rain, so today I bagged the 5K run/walk.

Instead, I did a P90X stretch workout and then went to a class.

Watch the video to see what kind of class I went to.




I'm really grateful to Marty and John Kosmeh who introduced Marge and I to Team Beachbody. As Team Beachbody Coaches our health and fitness is our business and we get to help lots of other people, too! Love it!

If you'd like info about Coaching with us, go to www.BeACoachWithUs.com to see what some other people like us (and like you?) say about being a Team BeachBody Coach. And then call me!

65 Challenge - Day 5 11-28-11

Well today was pretty funny, actually. After yesterday's successful 5K run/walk, I decided today it would be fun(?) to rig a video camera up to a golf cart (minus golf bag) and push it along in front of me while I ran/walked.

Well, the good news is I did it and now have a video of my run/walk.

The first not-so-good news is that running jarred the camera mount so it wouldn't stay steady. So I walked. Which played havoc with my time. Plus I just had to take some photos of the rig and then of course I had to post them to Facebook, like right off, so that all took more time as well.

The second issue then was my time. I went from  41 minutes 20 seconds yesterday to 50 minutes and 43 seconds today. (ooops).

The third sorta glitch is that the resultant video file is too large to upload to YouTube (it's almost 4GB in size). So I've got to figure out a way to convert it or something - and that of course even assumes anyone would care to watch it.

65 Challenge - Day 4 - 11-27-11

Hey, it was better! Today I was actually able to run again! And I had my best time yet!

I was concerned a little when I was getting ready to do my 5K this morning because yesterday my shins burned so much and my hamstrings were so tight I literally couldn't run more than a step. 

But today I maybe even half the distance. My time was 41:20, my best time yet by 30 seconds, so the pace was 13 minutes 30 seconds average per mile. (And yes, I know that's not to great, but remember, I'm not a runner and doing this as an extra challenge on top of my usual P90X workout. 

So I'm a happy camper. Looking forward tomorrow when I'll try to meet or beat  today's time. 

Here's a video summary:

65 Challenge - Day 3 - 11-26-11

Today was the 3rd day of my preparation for the 65 Challenge. I'll come right out and fess up that my time was dismal. I took 56 minutes and 20 seconds to do today's 5K. That's just over an average 18 minutes per mile (ouch).

And "ouch" was what I said when I tried to start running today. Clearly I started this little Challenge without enough  preparation, I guess. Too much, too soon, too fast for a non-runner. This morning I had painful shins and extremely tight hamstrings from the past two days.

So I just walked the whole thing. I also paused along the way to take some photos with my iPhone and upload them, plus I confess I read a couple of email, too. So it wasn't that I was totally trying for time. I just wanted the movement over distance.

So I got that goal in, finished the 3rd day in a row and had a good time (if you don't count the shins).  My hamstrings were so tight (even after a decent warm up and lots of stretching) that the time was pretty bad, but I'll deal with that in the days to come.

Here's a short video (notice I've been working on improving the lighting) recapping  the day.

65 Challenge - Day Two 11-25-11

Today was Day 2 in my 65 Challenge.

After completing the P90X X Stretch workout, which is a  58 minute stretching routine, I got ready to run again.  I headed out and started running and immediately felt it in my shins. Now yesterday, after the first run, I cooled down, stretched for a good while, and then had a recovery drink to replace glycogen and rebuild muscle, but because I've not been a runner for (many) years, this new form of exercise took its toll.

After running for just 2.5 minutes I figured I'd better play it safe so I fast walked the rest of the way. My time was worse then yesterday, but I still finished the 3.1 mile (5K) course in under 50 minutes. Yesterday, when I ran about 1/3 of the way, my time was 41 minutes and 50 seconds (or a 13.46 minute average per mile). Today, with almost all fast walking, my time was 46 minutes and 31 seconds, which corresponds to an average 14.97 mile. So at least I'm (barely) under a 15 minute mile.

Now I know these numbers aren't very good, and likely (right?) I'll see some good improvement in the first week or so and then I'll hit a plateau. Since I'm only doing this for 20 days before the Challenge date on December 15th, I don't expect miracles, and I definitely don't intend to cut back on my morning P90X workouts or the twice weekly Zumba class I like a lot but haven't attended in 3 weeks due to travel and a cold!

I'm having a ball with this challenge and looking forward to how my numbers improve during the next few weeks. I'm also looking forward to my shins not aching. The good news is that my wind is ok, so the cardio I do with P90X and the Zumba classes obviously pays off.

Marge and I were laughing at how tight my hamstrings were this afternoon after the 5K this morning. That will improve, too.

Here's a short  video that basically covers the same info. Oh  yeah, and I'm still looking for a sponsor for running shoes - I'll trade daily mention in the blog post and video as well an ad in the blog including a live link.

Why I Go Public

It's pretty noticeable that as I work on my health, weight, and fitness goals I'm making it all very public. Not everyone is so open about their before and after shots and their continued progress, of course, and I don't claim that it's necessary, or even a good thing, but it is something I do and it works for me in several ways.

Here's the latest photo I posted:

The major reasons I publish photos of myself with my shirt off and with my weight and body fat numbers are:

• It helps keep me honest in my fitness journey - if I know I'm going to put up a photo monthly, that's another reason for me to stick with it.
• The support I get from family and friends is not only gratifying, it also encourages me to keep to it.
• Fairly often I get messages from people (some in person, some on social media, some on the phone or by email) that I've inspired others to make changes for better in their lives by being public with my efforts.
• I like to connect and keep in touch with people including sharing photographs of what folks are doing, so this lets me be very personal - these aren't the only types of photos I post, but probably the ones that get the most (positive) reactions.
• It's also true that as a Team Beachbody Coach I get business by being out there with my results, but that's fine with me as long as I'm open about it and not endorsing something in public while benefitting in private. So yeah, I do make money if people buy Beachbody products via my website: www.BrucetheCoach.com. I'm using (and selling) the products because they have worked so well for me and I'm healthier and stronger than I've probably ever been ... so why wouldn't I want to share that with people I care about?

So that's it. I'm out there with my photos and progress. I know it doesn't work for everyone, but as I wrote above, it works for me.

A Quick Video Look at Team Beachbody

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The First 100 Days of My Fitness, Health, and Weight Loss Challenge!

Well, I made it.

Finished my interim 10 day challenge and now have results for the first 100 days..

Met both goals, weight down to 154 (lost another 7.5 pounds for a total weight release of 27.5 pounds) in 100 days and body fat down to 17%, from a start of 25%. Thanks, blog readers, you've been unwitting (maybe in some cases unwilling) accountability buddies in this journey so far, and I appreciate your role in this journey. And now tomorrow I start P90X!

Below is my last day's activity post:

Day 101 - 154 pounds, 17% body fat, resting pulse 67
Exercise: 50 minute Shakeology workout
Intake:
- Several (3) cups of black coffee
- 2 oz OJ with vitamins and supplements
- lots of water
- breakfast (after workout)- Shakeology with 1% milk, frozen strawberries and blueberries
- lunch - Shakeology with 1% milk, frozen strawberries and blueberries
- dinner - Chili with Romaine salad

Comment: Okay, I made it! I've met my goals. Feels good, and it's interesting how much more weight I've lost in just a short time by upping my exercise and doubling up on Shakeology. I'm looking forward to starting P90X tomorrow, I fully expect to be humbled by the exercises but intend to have a good time and do the best I can.

Overall Progress so far (first 100 Days):

Bruce's Progress Chart	1/20/2011	4/30/2011		Change
Weight (pounds)	181.5	154.0		27.5
Body fat %	25%	17%		8%
BMI (Body Mass Index)	27.6	23.4		4.2

If you want to join me on my Shakeology program, go to this link to order Shakeology. Please note that I am an independent distributor with Team Beachbody, the folks who make and sell Shakeology.

My goals:

I'm 5'8", medium frame, male, 64 years old. 
As I start my weight is 181.5 pounds, with 25% body fat, and a BMI of 27.6.

There are lots of opinions on weight ranges and ideal weight and acceptable and ideal body fat and BMI.

Here's what I'm considering for my sex, age, and height. (Your mileage may vary, so please don't take my numbers or statements on this as right for you or as medical facts or advice, they are just what I'm using for myself and what I'm comfortable with after some personal research - check it out for yourself and with your medical professionals if you have questions about yourself.)

Bruce's Healthy Range:
Weight 125-158 pounds
Body fat 14-20%
BMI  19-24

Bruce's Ideal (please remember, this is my opinion only)
Weight: 145 pounds
Body fat: 15
BMI: 22

Bruce's Target Goals for this 90-day program:
Weight: 150
Body fat: 18
BMI: 23

So that's the program I'm on and the goals I've set.

If you want to join me on my Shakeology program, go to this link to order Shakeology.