Easier to be a glutton

So today marks the one-month anniversary of this middle-aged man buttoning up his eating and eating “clean” - yup, I started being disciplined one month ago today.

So like the hypocrite that resides deeply in all of us if we’re rigorously honest, I had gotten a little sloppy with my eating.  

It began I’m not so sure how long ago but, more likely than not, the sloppiness had a start and stop again pattern to it.  In any event, one month and one day ago today, after returning from a short trip to visit my grandsons, I returned home alone while my wife stayed behind.  I made a promise to myself that the following day I was going to reclaim my dormant disciplined eating lifestyle.

What did I do?  I did a couple of things that I’ve done every day since, all with the purpose of taming my undisciplined eating beast.

For starters, I eliminated my seven forbidden C foods that I wrote about here:

My seven forbidden C foods

Second, I eliminated all beverages with calories with the exception of a protein shake that supplements my nutrition that costs me 120 calories but gives me 23 grams of protein.  But other than that, I don’t drink any other calories – nada!  I really haven’t been drinking alcohol lately for no other reason that I have no burning desire to do so.  I’m keeping up this adult beverage abstinence during my current disciplined clean eating journey. 

Third, I’m just eating less and more slowly which gives my gut-to-brain signal more time to kick in and tell me that I’m full.  I wrote about this in The Pierini DIET.    

Click here to learn more

And finally, although unrelated to nutrition, I’ve been a bit more disciplined in my fitness training focusing on both short-duration/high-intensity and long duration/ moderate-intensity bodyweight and kettlebell training. 

How is it going?  Glad you asked.  It’s going pretty good, the beast has been tamed and we’re slowly getting back to where we want to be.  I’ll have more to share in another month.

What I’ve learned, particularly during the early days of my current disciplined eating journey, is that it’s easier to be a glutton.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

How about “Shut up and live!”

Kevin (BLS) Rodriguez

Today, on the 7th anniversary of Pierini Fitness, we have a guest blogger. 

Kevin (BLS) Rodriguez is a 40-something middle-aged man wannabe who lives in Westfield, MA, a small city about 90 miles west of Boston.  Born in Florida, he's a Marine veteran (semper fit) of the Operation Desert Storm vintage.

Kevin works in the medical supplies manufacturing industry and in his free time enjoys playing the guitar, reading, writing, cooking and being the proud father to his 17-year old daughter who's on her high school's honor roll.  And like every other guest blogger at Pierini Fitness, he chases physical fitness and maintains his manly size and strength by lifting weights following various time-tested protocols that work for him.

Sit back for a great read and enjoy Kevin (BLS) Rodriguez's guest blogflection for today.

When the chief executive blogger of Pierini Fitness graciously invited me to be a guest blogger here, a few thoughts went through my head.

“What the heck is he thinking?” I thought and “What the heck am I going to write about?”

I still don’t know what he was thinking and honestly, I still don’t know if what I’m going to write will add much value in the grand scheme of things.

Anyhow, without further ado, here goes.

I’ve perused more than my share of fitness sites over the years and participated at more than a couple. I’ve found some great ones, some bad ones and some downright yawn-inducing ones.

Truthfully, the boring ones are the absolute worst of the lot. Nothing but post after post about set and rep recommendations or links to 10 page “studies” proving the effectiveness of whatever the flavor of the day might be. Or worst of all – the guys or gals (No discrimination here, ladies) that talk about absolutely nothing other than their training or their success on the Pine Cones and Dirt Diet©.

At least the bad ones are entertaining in some fashion.  Either the advice is so mind-numbingly stupid you can’t help but laugh or the threads veer off the rails into something truly amusing.

Yeah, I know…So what?  What do internet fitness sites have to do with training, life or anything else?

To put it bluntly, cut me some slack. I’m drawing a parallel here.

In my simple mind these sites are nothing more than a virtual mirror of your typical workout enthusiast.

Brilliant deduction, I know.  So what’s the point?

Well, I am getting to that, grasshopper.

The point is, in my travels around the internet I’ve met a good number of fitness buffs. The majority are good, helpful folks. But I’ve also met an alarming number that seem to have ZERO interest in anything but working out. Even if you see them in a non-fitness related topic, they somehow manage to shoehorn a comment about their workout or diet into said topic.

“I saw the new Avengers movie last night after my workout at Big Bad Bodies. It was okay. Thor looked good but imagine how much more ripped he’d be if he had followed the Pine Cones and Dirt Diet©? I’ve been on it a month and I feel great!”

Is this an exaggeration?  Maybe it is; but not by much.

Look, I get it. I’ve been there too. But truthfully, when you shake that mindset off you realize you were nothing but a horse with blinders on and you missed out on a lot of good stuff.

If it’s somehow your bread and butter, cool. I can understand the obsession to a degree. But let’s face it; most of us aren’t competing for gold medals, cash prizes or huge endorsements.

If, however, you’re making vegan birthday cake with carob frosting for your kids or friends because Dr. Dandelion says a slice of the good stuff is poison and brings instant death, you might need to reassess your priorities.

“Shut up and train?”

How about “Shut up and live!”

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

To do the things we need to do

Earlier this week, I was asked to share my thoughts on the subject of flexibility and specifically about forward-bending and backward-bending flexibility exercises.

Opinions from the “experts” are all over the place such as those who warn how we shouldn’t put our spine into flexion positions – such as forward-bending stretches – during or after training.

Well I’m not one of those experts but I do have my own thoughts about this from many years of training that included dedicated flexibility exercises to counter tight hamstrings caused from running and to improve my ability to kick high when I used to train in karate.  Those days are now part of my yesteryear training past.

While I can appreciate the flexibility of those who practice yoga, Pilates and other fitness activities and who can do amazing things with forward-bending and backward-bending movements and postures, I wish them well while knowing such feats and their pursuits are not for me.

So with precious hindsight from many years of training, this 60-year young middle-aged man’s opinion is that we should only be as flexible as needed to do the things we need to do.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Middle-aged man behind prison bars

It wasn't hard for me to not take a liking to Jared Fogle and his amazing story of how an obese young man lost over 200 pounds of bodyweight.  With his weight-loss success, a star was born known to you and me as The Subway Guy.

Fogle accomplished his remarkable weight loss by making healthier food choices with smaller portions that were free of fattening condiments and eating a daily dose of Subway sandwiches, or so the story goes.

Fogle’s story was a rags to riches fun read delight of the weight loss variety but economic prosperity followed him with a 15-year stint serving as a spokesperson for Subway.  According to several internet sources, Fogle had a reported net worth in the $15 million range.  Not bad for a 37-year young man who wasn't even old enough to be crowned a middle-aged man.

I’m sure Fogle’s nerdy-like character and seemingly-humble persona resonated well with many middle-aged men besides me.  It was easy to consider him an A-OK guy.

Until recently that is and now no more. 

About a week ago, every which way you looked on the internet, reported about a Fogle who had a different dark character and who lived a very sordid secret life.  He was addicted to child pornography and, by his own confession, engaged in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.

Fogle will spend a lot of time behind prison bars; his life of fame as he knew it is now long gone.  In its place will be a creepy legend in which he will no longer be remembered as famous but infamous.

In less than 8 years, he will be a middle-aged man behind prison bars.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Dear Pierini Fitness is coming soon!

Most middle-aged men may have never read but probably know of the former syndicated advice-columnist known as “Dear Abby”. 

Dear Abby was founded in 1956 by Pauline Phillips using her pen name of Abigail Van Buren.  Her column was known and liked by all who read it for the sound and compassionate advice she delivered with the straightforward style of coming from a good friend.

Dear Abby was written by Mrs. Phillips for over 40 years until 2000 when it was then taken over by her daughter who announced that her mother had Alzheimer’s disease.  The column still exists today although its founder died a little over two years ago on January 16, 2013 at the ripe age of 94 years.

An internet version of Dear Abby exists to this day.

I don’t know for sure but in my yesteryear memories of quickly glancing at the column when I used to read a print newspaper, it seemed like the Dear Abby audience primarily consisted of women.  Thinking about this and fast-forwarding to the present makes me realize there’s a now void of something similar for the middle-aged men of the world.

Until now that is.

Pierini Fitness is pleased to announce the debut of “Ask Pierini Fitness” as a go to place for all middle-aged men of the world for advice about how the thoughts on your mind related to living and dying, gracefully aging and trying to live a good and honest life.

And it’s also a place to ask your questions about middle-aged man diet, fitness and health stuff too.

For some of you, this may be an answer to prayers, a breath of fresh air, a star shining bright in the darkness of night, or a place to visit for a good reflective thought and perhaps a private laugh or two.

In any event, drum roll please, write down your deepest thoughts and questions and send them to me at pierinifitness@gmail.com and look for your answers here in a coming soon to a cyberspace location near you.  Dear Pierini Fitness is coming soon!

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Like a breath of fresh air

Unlike what you sometimes read at other internet fitness forums or in the blogosphere, what appears here at Pierini Fitness is content-rich, current and strives to be original.  While cutting and pasting and mentioning of what others have to say sometimes occurs here, it’s the exception rather than the rule.

If you like reruns and the same old stuff, go watch old episodes of your favorite television program or the evening news.

Pierini Fitness has learned one secret to having a great fitness blog is to have occasional, yet rare, guest bloggers to share their unique middle-aged man reflections about living and dying, gracefully aging and trying to live a good and honest life.

In Pierini Fitness’ distinguished history of over 750 blogflections cyber-published thus far over the past (almost) seven years, there have only been nine guest bloggers.  So a guest blogger is an elite one percenter of sorts here at Pierini Fitness.

Well it’s time for number 10 – guest blogger that is. 

The most qualified middle-aged man on the face of this earth to have this honor of being number 10 has been identified, aggressively recruited and secured under contract with a big fat signing bonus.  As former professional wrestler Ted “The Million Dollar Man” DiBiase once said, “Everybody has a price.”

One week from today, next Friday, August 28, 2015, on the 7th anniversary of the cyberspace-birth of Pierini Fitness, guest blogger number 10 (known by a user name that begins with the initials BLS at some internet fitness forums) will appear and grace you and me with another original and thought-provoking middle-aged man reflection about living and dying, gracefully aging and trying to live a good and honest life.

His guest blogflection will be like a breath of fresh air.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

7-second isometric contractions

Sometimes it seems like there's not enough time in the day to get in a fitness workout so on those days, I need to remind myself that something is better than nothing.

There's always time, no matter how busy you and I are, to squeeze in a few maximum effort isometric contractions. 

Maybe a minute is all I have. That gives me plenty of time to perform 5 sets of a maximum-effort isometric contraction.  

The following circa-2007 vintage video comes from the vast archives of Pierini Fitness and demonstrates a maximum-effort pectoral isometric contraction.  While this one primarily works your pectoral muscles, it will also work your whole body if done correctly. 

So here's your one minute workout on a day when fitness training time is nowhere to be had.  It consists of 5 sets of a 7-second isometric contraction followed by 5-seconds of recovery. 

That's 12 seconds x 5 sets equals 60 seconds or one minute.

Hey middle-aged man - got a minute to spare?

No matter how busy you are, there's always time for some rounds of 7-second isometric contractions.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

SMART fitness goals

Searching around the internet the other day for some financial planning tools, I stumbled across something that caught my attention and decided to borrow an acronym for use in a fitness goal-setting context.

Our middle-aged man gracefully-aging journey can best be a memorable one if we are physically fit and having smart fitness goals is one way to help us achieve our physical fitness.

You can develop your own smart physical fitness goals by making use of the following SMART acronym in laying out your middle-aged man physical fitness game plan.

SMART stand for the following words:  specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timetable.

Specific – What are your specific goals?  Grab a pen and paper and write them out or go to your computer and prepare a document listing them.  Then read them back to yourself or someone else.  I find that this process helps me be specific rather than internalizing them with brevity in my mind because “I know what I’m talking about.”

Measurable – How will use measure your specific physical fitness goals?  If one of your goals is to lose weight, then you can use a weight for a measure such as to lose 20 lbs. in one year.  To increase your likelihood of success, you should have short-term, intermediate and long-term measurements such as to lose 2 lbs. a month, 10 lbs. in six months and 20 lbs. in the next year.

Attainable – Ask yourself if other people have been able to achieve the fitness goal you desire because if others have then more than likely so can you if you’re willing to put in the work.  Ask for feedback from others, particular those who have achieved the success you desire and ask them how they did it.

Realistic – Does your fitness goal pass the “smell test” and realistic?  For example, if you’re a recreational runner and run 2-3 miles at a 10 minute mile pace, is setting a goal to run a marathon at a 7 minute mile pace within the next 6 months a realistic one?  It’s probably not realistic.  But to set a goal to run 5 miles at a 9 minute mile pace in 3 months probably is realistic. 

Timetable – Set goals for short-term, intermediate and long-term horizons.  And since if you’re like most middle-aged men, there’s never enough time in your day and life to achieve all your goals so set priorities.

Middle-aged man physical fitness goals are best achieved when you and I have SMART fitness goals.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Waiting for my heart rate to subside

Yesterday I shared about a recent workout using what I call “dueling ladders” to provide a varying yet predictable prescribed number of exercise repetitions for a circuit workout.  

Today I’ll share with you the workout I did two days earlier. This one also used ladders but it was different in that the recovery period between rounds was not based on time. 

Most circuit workouts I do having a prescribed number of rounds have me generally playing to beat my performance clock.  In other words, complete the prescribed workout as fast as possible.  Sometimes that can be overwhelming and some recent workouts have been.  So I decided to do something different.  It’s not anything I invented.  Serious endurance athletes use this method all the time.

So the workout I decided was a count-down and count-up of repetitions performed of two exercises making one round.  Using a 20 kilogram kettlebell, I did the following workout that I describe as a single KB snatch/swing/snatch up and down the ladder complex.

Snatch right	Alternating swing	Snatch left
# of reps	# of reps	# of reps
10	2	10
9	4	9
8	6	8
7	8	7
6	10	6
5	12	5
4	14	4
3	16	3
2	18	2
1	20	1
2	18	2
3	16	3
4	14	4
5	12	5
6	10	6
7	8	7
8	6	8
9	4	9
10	2	10
109	200	109

So the entire workout consisted of 218 snatches (109 with each arm) and 200 swings.

What was different about this workout was that rather than starting a new round at a fixed interval such as every two minutes, I waited until my heart rate (HR) dropped to 130 beats per minute (bpm) which is roughly 70 percent of my maximum heart rate (MHR).

This took patience for me because of my proclivity of wanting to beat my performance clock.  It also meant that the workout took longer to complete but I wasn’t beaten up in the cardiovascular department after the long workout ended.

Here are some stats to drive home my point.

It took me 58:48 to complete this workout that consisted of 19 rounds.  That’s an average pace per round of a little over three minutes. 

My starting HR was 90 bpm or 50% of my MHR.  My average HR was 149 bpm or 81% of my MHR.  And my highest HR was 169 bpm or 91% of my MHR.

According to my HR monitor, this nearly one hour workout burned 1,040 calories. 

My shortest round time was the first round at 2:06 and the longest was the 17^th round at 3:55.

As you can see, I still worked pretty darn hard but it felt more like an enduring gentleman’s pace compared to the workout I shared with you yesterday.  That one felt like I was working like a “pit bull on crank”.

It’s good to mix up grueling cardiovascular and conditioning workouts and work at various levels of intensity.  This workout I liked but, again, it did require patience waiting for my heart rate to subside.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum