“One Step Backward,Two Steps Forward” – The basic tenet of Weight Loss

Over the past one year that I have seriously training, or rather seriously trying to train, I have realized that I am lacking that one skill which is making all the difference to my efforts. This one skill is applied honestly can change your results dramatically. The key word here is “consistency”. I need to give credit to the MuscleHacker – Mark Mcmanus for this idea. I read it in one of his newsletters.

Without sounding too preachy, I want to state that if had consistently worked out, pushed myself for those 3 workouts per week, pushed myself to have reasonably clean diet, I perhaps would have got better results.

But there is also an another set of rules, which each one of must also understand and that is Excellence versus Perfection. The credit for this one goes to my idol- Robin Sharma. Try to be excellent in whatever you do, your workouts, your rest, your diet. But don’t beat yourself down if you are not perfect. No one’s perfect. The only key to progressing onwards on your fitness journey, is to realize that your growth will never be perpendicular or linear. It’s always going to be one step backwards and two steps forward. What you need to realize is that one step backward is the foundation for leaping two steps forward.

Keep pushing yourself consistently. Don’t be worried about being too perfect. Just be excellent in whatever your do.

My Six Pack Journey – Week 2 roundup

Hey Folks,

It time for a lookback at week 2.

I had promised to improve upon my performance in week 1. I believe I have. Perhaps not so much as i would have liked but definitely better than week 1

Nutrition – again was probably something at par. So perhaps here i would again rate myself at 2/5.

Cardio – This was perhaps my greatest improvement over week 1. Last week I didnt get any cardio workouts. I was determined to change this somehow during this week and i sure did. Had two cool cardio workouts. One of them manufactured out of a dance party. Adversity turned into opportunity. Check out my post on Day 12. 4/5 rating here. Didnt do any intervals. Can you consider dancing as an interval workout. Pehaps you can, but still i would go for the full rating here.

Weight training – Here i had kept up the enthu during the earlier part of the week. Got through 1 workout early in the week. But somehow didnt keep up during the rest of the week .

Motivation – Have been working on this throughout the week. I somehow tend to believe that this is perhaps the most important part of getting fit. Whenever i require motivation, as you would know by know – I revert to my favourite author – Robin Sharma

There is this particular book from Robin Sharma called Daily Inspiration. This book has got 365 days of inspirational quotes. I keep this book along with me and make it a point to read it atleast once during the day. It keeps me filled with inspiring thoughts throughout the week. Daily Inspiration really helps you with thought provoking insights and helps you to keep your batteries charged all day long.

And i sure did make the most of in week 3. Check out my next post for my exploits in week 3. I am also going to post some pictures. That should give us some idea of the progress still to be made.

My Six Pack Journey – Day 13

 Week 2 – Day 13 – October 4, 2008

 

Second day in a row – I was dreading the evening.More since it was a family outing and I wouldn’t be able to say no to eating. So I decided not to pressurize myself too much. I had a clean breakfast & lunch and protein shake.

The fun actually began at night. Ate a heavy dinner. But then felt very guilty about it and I went for a walk. What started out as a 15 minute walk – slowly got better and better and by the time I came back home, I had walked for about 40 minutes and a very brisk pace.

Got back to reading my favourite books before bedtime – before I dozed off. Come to think of it I had managed two cardio workouts and 1 weight training workout during this week. So in a sense this was better than last week. I understand that when we are immersed with our daily chores, working out really takes a backseat. But i think what’s important is to always be aware and lookout for an opportunity.

 

Nine times out of ten, its only a matter of starting.  I remember reading this line in one of Robin Sharma‘s books or blogs – that a spacecraft/rocket uses more fuel during its take off than it does during its entire journey. It needs all the energy to overcome the force of gravity. It works absolutely the same with us. Most of it is in the mind. If we try to convince ourselves that we will do only five minutes of activity – it seems a very painless thing to do. Once you start doing something and start enjoying those moments, the 5 minutes will soon turn into 10, 20 or 30 minutes without even realising it.

 

The key is to just go for it. Start small – think small and then grow upon it.  If you are just like me and think you have No Time to Workout  – these posts might be of help to you.

 

Cheers

My Six Pack Journey – Day 12

Week 2 – Day 12 – October 3, 2008

This was probably a day that I was dreading – but somehow I managed to wade through this day without getting hurt too much. I had taken the day off work. So they was a chance to workout in the morning, but blew it.

I had a dance party to attend later that night and it here I was afraid that I might waver a bit. So I was extra cautious, had a good breakfast and lunch. What I did in the evening was fun.

Before I left for the party I decided that that I am not going to eat too much at the party. But then I would be hungry – so what should I do. Peanut Butter Sandwiches to the rescue. Got 4 slices of whole wheat bread with a dash of peanut butter thinly spread and gobbled them down. This way I was atleast half full before I entered the party.

The party by the way was our annual end of tax season bash. It was organized at Tendulkar’s. If you are familiar with cricket, Sachin Tendulkar is our God and this is actually his own restaurant. A lovely place, very close to the sea and another monumental delight of Mumbai – the Gateway of India.

My eyes lit up when I looked at the appetizers. They had chicken tikka – this a charcoal oven grilled version and not fried. This was something exactly what I was looking for. Throughout the evening, I mostly devoured only this item on the menu. Now my mind did wander a bit and did take a few bites of the other crisp fried chicken. But I didn’t eat anything else except one wee bite of the desert. No drinks, diet colas nothing whatsoever. I didn’t want any liquid calories to ruin my evening.

Apart from that, I made the most of the dance floor. For two hours, I had a whale of a time dancing. It was infact an unscheduled cardio workout and I think probably the most fun workout I had in a long long time. Really chilled out throughout the nite and by the time to clock struck midnite – I was totally spent.

So what I had imagined to be a disaster actually proved to be a blessing in disguise. A little planning and lots of commitment really helped.

Cheers!

My Six Pack Journey – Day 11

Week 2 – Day 11 – October 2, 2008

Its been quite a backlog. Let me update you on my antics.

Thursday was a below average day – was out the entire day – on my wedding shopping. I am getting married in January and yes, that is one of the motivations to get fit as well.

Had a good breakfast. Lunch got delayed though and dinner was just a sandwich – a low cal day almost.

I was at Gloria Jeans Cafe for Lunch and had a Chicken Sandwich and a Cocoa Cold Coffee. Yup did give in the coffee stuff there – but come on folks – can’t be perfect all the time.

Managed to catch a movie at a local theatre in the evening. Stayed away from the popcorn and colas there. That was the only saving grace. Went back home and continued reading on Small is the new big. Its been an amazing journey. The sheer number of ideas and thoughts addressed in the book make it a total don’t put me down kind of book.

To come to think of it. I wasn’t looking for this book. I went looking for Seth Godin’s other book – The Dip. The Dip – is a book about when to quit and when not to. It is about that juncture in life, when there is a lull after initial sucess and you are unsure whether to invest more time and go the whole way or quit and do something better. I feel i am at similar crossroads in my career and i wanted to read about it. However sinceThe Dip wasn’t available in my local bookstore, had to settle for this one.

Life has its own amazing coincidences. This was one and it introduced me to this lovely book.My friends always ask me how i keep discovering new authors and new books. My answer to them is Keep Reading.

Robin Sharma led me to Squidoo.com

I’ve built a few lenses on squidoo and i am totally addiction. You can build your own lens on any topic your desire.

Squidoo was founded by Seth Godin. That’s how i came to know about him. Once i started reading on him – i learnt about The Dip.

One thing just leads to another. Just let your life flow, keep your eyes and ears open and just let go!

I only hope I don’t spend all my workout time on reading. Havent got a workout for a while now. Hope to get one soon.

I’m in for serious trouble, since i had to attend back to back dinner parties on Friday and Saturday. Look out for my next posts and how i navigated these days.

Cheers!

My Six Pack Journey – Day 10

Week 2 – Day 10 – October 1, 2008.

Its been quite a while since my last post. But this is a perfect sunday morning and i wanted to let you guys know about the past 4 days in this week.

Day 10 – was kinda regular day at work.

Had a good breakfast – my regular. For Lunch – i stepped to one of my favourite restaurants near my office area and had a nice bowl of stir fried veggies with Chicken and wheat noodles.

Had my share of almonds as a mid-evening snack. However on the way back home – caught a little bite of the traditional indian junk snack – the Vada Pav – the indian burger. But was stuffed, so didnt have anything more that night.

But what made this day interesting was the books that i had picked up the previous day. I love reading and all this education on fitness and diet, have come solely through reading. Now there is this famous blogger or whatever you may call him – Seth Godin. This guy has written several books and is the found of the Social Databasing Site called Squidoo.com. If you havent been to this site, then probably you are missing out on what the new age internet has to offer. Check out some of the Lenses as they call it – that i have built on Squidoo. In fact i was referred to this site when i was browsing through the recommendations of one of my favourite authors – Robin Sharma.

If you are looking for motivation – check out one of my earlier posts – Six Pack Motivation from Robin Sharma

The book that is picked up is called Small Is the New Big: and 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas. A very novel way of writing a book. This book is a collection of business ideas. 184 ways to stimulate the nerve cells of your brain. Seth Godin advises you not to read more than 10 ideas at a time, or you will surely get a headache. A brilliant book, for someone who doesnt want to read long winded philosophies but something that is straight and direct to the point.

Now this hasnt got anything to do directly with my six pack. But thats the point i’m also trying to make. Dont mortgage your life totally to fitness only. Read, travel, work. Enjoy your life for all that its worth. It also helps you keep motivated to go after your goals. I bet you’ll be itching to start your own business once you read this book. Small Is the New Big is simply irresistible.

Cheers!

My Six Pack Journey – Day 8

Week 2
Day 8 – September 29th, 2008

It was a heady mix of Monday Blues plus guilty feelings of having pigged out at the weekend. Just didnt feel too good today. Oh!! didnt feel like eating anything today. Hardly ate anything after breakfast until evening. My metabolism must have taken a nosedive today. Not Good. For all you friends reading this. I would not advise doing this. You tend to be extremely low on energy and highly prone to cravings – which happened to me in the evening.

Phew not a very good start to Week 2. But i am going to pick it up and be resilient. In times like these i turn to these lines from Rudyard Kipling

If you force your heart and nerve and sinew,
to serve your turn, long after they are gone,
And so hold on, when there is nothing in them,
Except the will, which says to them, “Hold on”

Yup so i’ll be holding on and so should you. Each day must be better than yesterday.

I also keep reminding myself about another saying from a person, i truly admire – Robin Sharma

Its all about making 1% improvements everyday. Being 1% better than you were yesterday. Before you realise, at the end of the month, you would have improved by 30%.

So Hold on Friends, I promise to be at my best on Tuesday!

Cheers!

My Six Pack Journey – Week 1 Roundup

Well, I am the end of Week 1. So How did i do on the Four Pillars of Six Pack Abs

Checkout the above post to understand my MINDCARE philosphophy.

MIndset –  Motivation – I guess i’m starting to get into the groove. My mind is focussed on the goal, but it tend to waver a bit due to social pressures. So i would rate my self at 2.5/5

Nutrition/Diet – Had a pretty mixed bag here. Some Good days, some not so good days and i did pig out at the weekend – so this would be 2/5 for me.

CArdio  – didnt get any cardio workouts this week – so this would be 0/5…oops.

REsistance Training – Although i didnt get all the 3 workouts as per Vince’s Program did manage to nail the one workout I did. So this would still be 2/5.

Based on the above score, I would average a measly 1.63 on the MINDCARE philosophy. But no fret. This is week 1 and I only have to improve in the next week.

Would love to have feedback from all readers as to how they would rate me on each of these parameters.

Cheers!

Six Pack Abs for Dummies

If you are probably new to training, working out, dieting – like i once was, perhaps the most common myth about abs are that you must do 1000 ab crunches a day to get a flat stomach. Yup i believed that. After all everything i saw on television perpetuated that belief. The ab roller, Ab wheel, Ab machine this and ab machine that and ab sauna belts.

I did try doing that and every time a felt a slight burn in my belly after a set of sit-ups or crunches, i used to think..wow..my blubber is melting.

When finally nothing was working, i decided to get an education. I turned to my teacher – the one and only master – Google.com and started reading up all the information that was there on the web regarding losing weight. I didn’t even think of six pack abs then. I just wanted to reduce my pot belly, which had become a subject of ridicule. Partly i was also scared of falling prey to the lifestyle related diseases such as diabetes (since i have a family history) and other heart related illnesses.

That’s when i heard the bell go off in my head. That’s when i first read about Body Fat % and later on finally understood what it meant.

So simply Six Pack Abs for Dummies – lesson 1 is basically very simple. If you want to get six pack abs, all you have to do is get your body fat percentage down to single digits 8-9% or less. That’s when its going to show. Every one has abs. It’s only hidden behind that layer of fat. You’ve gotta burn that belly fat through cardio, diet and weight training and then you will finally see your coveted set of abs.

It’s not as easy as i have made it out to be. It will require hard work. But its achievable.

So there you go. If you need Six Pack Abs – you have got to get your Body Fat percentage down.

But for starters check out my Ten Commandments for Six Pack Abs

Cheers!