This is a video of me implementing my new workout routine called drop set.
End of 20Time Project Reflection As I progressed through each week, I've become more at ease at eating and exercising effectively according to my body type. Over the weekend, I had a family party and people that I haven't seen in a few months were complementing me on my weight loss so this definitely gave me a boost of confidence. It solidified that what I'm currently doing is working and to stay the course. I know this is the last week for our #20Time project but I'm going to continue updating my progress as this is definitely going to be a long term project. This will be going past the length of our class to achieve the personal goals I set out. However, taking my personal goals aside I do feel I can take what I have and share it with my school and teachers and see where that leads. It's very difficult to sustain a certain level of fitness and health with our busy schedules as teachers. In addition to being teachers, we're also fathers, mothers, husbands and wives. Oh, and we're also graduate students. It's a lot of things that we need to balance in our lives and stress also has a negative effect on our health so if we have a stressful week, it can definitely affect our habits. My habits and food decisions weren't perfect at all times and there were days where I was disappointed in the decisions I made. I tried my best to not put a lot of pressure on myself when I made mistakes and continued to stay the course the following day. I worked extra hard the following day at the gym. Fitness is a constant work in progress that will never end. Therefore, I really love the idea of starting a community or support group at our school with health in mind. I currently feel my project was a success since I've dropped 5 lbs as of Sunday July 26, 2015. I weighed in at 165 and my starting weight was 170 lbs. Shirts that didn't fit in the past, now fit. I feel like my energy and health has improved a great deal, I can't wait to share this for the upcoming school year.
July 31, 2015: This is me at the end of full week of professional training, there were many health challenges. Meals were given to us (high in carbohydrates) and lots of unhealthy snacks. I did ok but fatigue and stress got the best of me at times and went against my diet. I survived, this is me celebrating the last day of the professional development.
Week 4
As I learn and immerse myself in nutrition and fitness, I'm beginning to feel more at ease with it all. Balance is the key and the balancing of my personal life was a bit easier this past week as my wife began to join me at the gym. Low Carbohydrate, High Fat & High Protein This was the formula and plan I incorporated in week four. The difficult part was finding foods that are low in carbs, high in fat and protein. In order to accomplish this during the week, breakfast through dinner looked very similar every day with minor adjustments here and there. A sample meal plan looks like this: Breakfast: 3 eggs (I used to eat egg whites but I switched to whole eggs to get more fat) 2 pieces of turkey bacon 1/2 avocado Black coffee Snack: Protein shake 1 tbsp of Peanut Butter (great source of good fats & protein) Lunch: Chicken breast (about 4-5 ounces) Salad Snack: 1/2 avocado Dinner: (this is where I like to consume some carbs) Steak (rib eye, sirloin, carne asada, flank, etc.-pretty much anything I find on sale) Sweet potato fries (I buy sweet potatoes from our local farmers market and cut them up into french fries.) Measuring & Weighing Your Foods "The case for weighing food is accuracy. Weighing your food would prevent all the guesswork that comes with tracking your calories." (Richardson, 2011) If you notice my lunch in the sample meal plan I listed above, I mentioned I ate "5 ounces" of chicken. One of the biggest health issues I had growing up and throughout most of my adulthood was portion control. I grew up with parents that would supply buffet style meals throughout the day. My mom would make tons of food as if we were going to have company over but we didn't. I ate and ate until I could eat no more. It took reading a book when I was around 30 years old that taught me the importance of portion control. One of the recommendations was to purchase a food scale. (see picture below) I don't weigh everything but I like weigh anything that is meat such as chicken, steak, pork, and fish. My LoseIt app has most foods and calories categorized by ounces so it makes really easy to track. My wife doesn't like it when she serves me a plate of food and I strategically remove the meat, weight it and then place it back on my plate. Not the classiest move but when you have goals, you have to do what you have to do! Right? Changing the Routine During week 3, I began changing my eating habits and exercise routine. My meals contained a lot more protein, very little carbohydrates and a bit more fat (healthy fats) than normal. The screenshot below shows my macronutrients (fat, carbs & protein) for Thursday, as an example. I had 181 grams of protein, 84 grams of fat and 20 grams of carbohydrates. Based on my research for endomorphs (my body type) this is a successful day. However, carbohydrates give you energy and are essential for our day to day activities so I cannot do this everyday. Being consistently low on carbohydrates causes extreme fatigue and higher levels of stress. " Carbohydrates are used as energy by the body; they fuel our workouts, and provide ample fuel over the course of any day." (Wescott, 2015) Workout Routine I decided to change my workout routine every two weeks. The first 2 weeks consisted of a workout routine I used a few years ago when I read a book by the celebrity Mario Lopez called Knockout Fitness. I picked up this book a few years ago just because Mario was in really good shape and Mexican, so he understood our struggles with portion control and nutrition as a culture. It's a pretty easy book to follow and it lays out the workout routines with pictures. His workout routines are divided up into phases, a great variety of exercises that target multiple body parts in one day and it also lays out a meal plan. I did not use the meal plan portion of the book, just the workout routine. I highly recommend this workout routine for a beginner. I used it the first 2 weeks just so I can break out of my regular routine and do something different. For the next 2 weeks I will be doing my regular routine where I isolate body parts. For example, on my Monday I will workout my chest, Tuesday arms and shoulders, and Wednesday legs and back. Nutrition and Carb Cycling Since my body type is an endomorph, research suggests I should be consuming low carbohydrate meals so I decided to research how to apply this lifestyle without the side effect of fatigue. Introducing carb cycling. Carb cycling "is to have three low carb days, followed by two higher carb days, to aid in recovery, and to replenish glycogen. (Wescott, 2015) I was pretty successful applying this strategy this week, the weekend presented some challenges because it was my wife's birthday on Friday July 10. We of course celebrated by eating some Mexican food followed by a dinner with her family, unlimited slices of pizza. We closed out the night with some birthday cake. Saturday was a bit better but it wasn't the greatest, leftover pizza and cake were on the menu. Sunday was a bit more organized, my breakfast and dinner were mainly protein. However, our lunch consisted of tacos and tortilla chips, in other words tons of carbs but still somewhat balanced because of my high protein breakfast and dinner. Reflection and the Weight Scale I feel my body is changing and toning up a lot more with each day. The weight scale fluctuates between 169 lbs and I've dropped as low as 166 lbs so the changes are not drastic in this department (I started at 170) because I'm also lifting weights. "Muscle has a much greater density than fat, meaning it takes up less volume than an equal mass of fat. This explains why it’s possible to get visibly slimmer without a significant drop in weight." (Lockwood, 2015) I definitely do feel the changes in how my clothes fit so the scale doesn't discourage me if there isn't significant drops in weight. References Lockwood, Kristine. 2015. Does Muscle Weight More Than Fat? Retrieved July 13, 2015 from http://greatist.com/fitness /does-muscle-weigh-more-fat Wescott, Tim. 2015. Carb Cycling for Fat Loss. Retrieved July 13, 2015 from: http://www.bodybuilding.com Week 2 Week two was a lot smoother than week one. I struggled with balancing everything in week one, (marriage, school, fitness, nutrition, fatherhood) so in week two I learned from that. I began the week by creating a schedule that will meet the needs of not only myself but my family as well. During the school year, I would go to the gym at 4am because our school began pretty early in the day, 7:45am. I would do this so I would have the afternoon free for my family or anything else that may come up. Therefore, I began week one of my 20time project by doing the same thing, I would wake up 3:30am and head to the gym at 4am but I quickly realized I did not have to do this. I felt extremely exausted. I spend so much time in front of the computer throughout the day and at night that I was increasingly becoming tired. Sitting in front of the computer is something I'm not used to, I'm used to teaching and moving around so this brought a whole new type of fatigue I was not used to. Be Flexible I take a lot pride in waking up early. I love waking up when it's still dark outside just because I feel I'm getting a longer day and I could do so much more than someone who sleeps in. I had to drop the pride in week two. After talking to my wife, I decided to change my schedule, instead of early morning workouts I moved them to early afternoon. So, from 8am-12pm I try to complete as much as I can of my graduate work. From 1-2pm I go to the gym and get my workout in. The early afternoon and evenings are for my family and school. If we don't do anything as a family, I go in and out of my school work, whether I'm commenting on someone else Weebly blogs, catching up on my reading, posting my own Weebly entry or going to class virtually on Monday and Tuesday nights. I felt a bit stressed during week and stress is the biggest obstacle when it comes to reaching our fitness goals. Nutrition I felt like I was on roll with my nutrition, all of my meals were balanced. My carbohydrate and protein intake offset each other and the fats were low. Monday-Friday of week two, I did not go over my calorie limit of 1,600 per day. I was down from 170 to 166 pounds but then the holiday came. 4th of July I over did it. The 4th of July presented many challenges and they began early in the morning. I recently joined a men's ministry through the Rock Church San Diego and it involves having breakfast. I had a couple pancakes, eggs and bacon. Then we had a BBQ at our home and invited family over. I enjoyed a couple hamburgers, chips and dip, cake and the list goes on. The next day, I had gone from 166 pounds to 168. I had such a great week prior to this day that I did not feel too bad about it, I knew I could get right back on track the next day and beyond. I learned a long time ago that it's ok to reward yourself at times, especially during celebrations and with family. Just don't make it a habit to celebrate every weekend, just special occasions. Many people to punish themselves when they fail or get off track, don't. Allow yourself to be imperfect and keep going. "We all get off track every once in a while. Just remember, the track will always be there." I don't know where I heard this quote, maybe in some book, but it has stuck with me for many years and one of my favorites. Exercises & Body Type Some asked the type of exercises I have been doing based on the videos I posted. I lift weights and incorporated a bit of cross-fit. My goals are to get leaner, in order to do that, I needed to understand my body type: ectomorph, endomorph or mesomorph. See image below. "Many people think that “body type” just describes the way a person looks, but your body type can also provide information about how you respond to food intake and your hormonal and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) characteristics." (The Science of Eating, 2014) Your body type can also tell you what exercises you can do to maximize your workouts, be more efficient and meet your goals. I decided to research on the type of foods I should be eating and the type of training for my body type, endomorph. Unfortunately, endomorphs have a hard time losing fat, have a slow metabolism and muscle is not as defined. Ouch but understanding your body type is the first step to breaking through these obstacles. Food Intake "Endomorphs typically do best on a higher fat and protein intake with carbohydrate intake being controlled and properly timed after exercise, with their ideal intake around 25% carbs, 35% protein, and 40% fat." (The Science of Eating, 2014) This is an "aha" moment for me as I was eating 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat so I actually have to have more fat in my meals, it doesn't make sense, I know. For the following week, I will be adjusting and lowering my carbohydrate intake by limiting or reducing my portion sizes of white rice, bread, potatoes and sweet potatoes. Training "To keep fat gain to a minimum, endomorphs must always train using cardio as well as weights." (The Science of Eating, 2014) This is why I currently incorporate weight and good dose of cross-fit. Cross-fit is high intensity (cardio) workouts, constant movement and varying exercises. According to the Science of Eating website, I need to be working out 4 days per week but to be careful and not over-train. I can't wait to make these changes. "Much more than passion projects, 20Time projects serve a real purpose to meet the needs of clients, audiences, and customers. True passion follows purpose." (Brookhouser, 2015) Challenges After great feedback from fellow classmates, I decided to go with the fitness blog option. The purpose of this fitness blog is to come from the perspective of a teacher. Its about the everyday grind of teaching and how we pour into others while forget about ourselves. As I walk around campus and as we get together in the teachers lounge, I observe and listen to teachers talk about their struggles with weight. Many times it's blamed on the busy-ness of teaching and the constant snacking at school. At our school, we have many potlucks and ways to get teachers together through eating. We have taco Thursdays every week-teachers rotate and bring either beef or chicken to make tacos. Friday feast is every month where every grade level has a turn providing food and sweets throughout the year. There are days when someone out of the kindness of their heart supplies the teachers with doughnuts in the teachers lounge. Trust me, I'm not complaining but it can be very tough to stay healthy and feel good about ourselves when we're surrounded by all this frosted goodness. This is in addition to whatever is stored in our cabinets at home, holidays and family festivities where we tend to over do it.
I plan on sharing my journey with photos, blogs, videos and any tools I find that will assist me in reaching my personal goals, which is to be fit and healthy so I can be at my best during the day to day grind of teaching. I will be sharing my struggles, successes and hopefully a transformation by the end of week 5 but importantly tools I can share with others. Since we're currently off for the summer, I'm hoping this is the start of a health committee that can be incorporated into our school for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year as I truly feel the health of teachers is a priority. I can't wait to get started. 20 Time "Solving wicked problems takes time. It takes hundreds, even thousands of baby steps along the way." (Brookhouser, 2014) When I first heard hear of the 20 Time project through our graduate course, I immediately felt excitement. Ever since 2010, I've been diving into a lot of reading. Mostly self-development books such as the Power of Now, the Power of Positive Thinking, fitness books, finances, etc. I try to work on things or weakness I find within myself and I do my best to improve on those flaws. Since I've been doing this for a while and slowly but surely getting out of my comfort zone, I didn't know exactly what to do my project on. I know I want to help others with a certain project and I know I want it to be something that takes me out of my comfort zone. The Bad Idea Factory Then I began to read the 20 Time Project by Kevin Brookhouser to understand the concept thoroughly and help guide me toward a project. Initially, the ideas that came to me were good ideas I believe but I just didn't feel like it was time to pursue any of these. (See "Bad Idea Factory" below) I believe in trying new things and immersing myself but I also believe in timing. To get the thoughts flowing, I would go for a run or go to the gym just to get away and let the project come to me. Proposal #1
I As I was working out on a Sunday, I had another idea that I have had for some time. As teachers, we constantly pour into others and help our students to the best of our abilities. We invest so much time and energy into our craft that we tend to forget about ourselves. We stay in our classroom hours after that students have been dismissed just to grade papers, prepare for the next day, clean, decorate, make copies and many more responsibilities we have as teachers. Unfortunately, this takes us away from taking care of ourselves. So, my 20 Time Project is to create an awareness and the understanding that as busy as we are, there is always time to take care of ourselves. Not just during our vacations, during the grind of the school year as well. Personally, I've struggled with my weight my entire life. It wasn't until I began my teaching career that I was finally able to take some time to take care of myself and it was during my first summer vacation. I immersed myself into countless hours of YouTube videos about nutrition and workout regimens. I began with a lot of trial and error and still going through it as I type this paper. I feel healthy but I still have a lot of work to do to reach my personal goals so I want to share that journey with fellow educators. I am 5'7 inches tall and currently weigh 170 lbs and want to lose about 10-15 lbs but more than just losing weight, I want to reach goals that sometimes we feel are impossible due to our hectic calendar or profession. Questions 1. How do we find time to take care of ourselves in a profession that emphasizes putting students first? 2. How does stress impact our nutritional decisions and overall health? 3. Should I start a committee or a group at some point? 4. Is the lack of time the reason for choosing convenience over the best foods? 5. In a profession where we spend so much of our personal finances on our students and classroom, how does personal finances affect our nutritional decisions? 6. Teaching takes a lot of our time away from our family, does this balancing act affect our nutrition and physical activity? 7. Will people be accepting of a health/fitness community? 8. Will it be easy for teachers to accept that they need help? 9. Is there a lack of knowledge regarding health? 10. Is there a lack of support at home? Proposal #2 My second proposal is to start a toy drive in the community I work in. I work for a title 1 school, all of our kids qualify for free to reduced lunches. In the 5 years I have worked in this community, I've noticed the need for good news and hope. Our school has experienced numerous lock downs in my time there due the high crime activity in the neighborhood. I would love to create moments of joy for families by starting a toy drive for the Christmas season. Questions 1. Do I need to register or apply for a permit to hold a toy drive? 2. Do I need sponsors? 3. If I choose a church to team up with, will my school be open to that? 4. Will my school be open to a toy drive? 5. Do I go to the district first or ask our principal? 6. Are there start up costs? 7. Will I be able to get a toy drive started by this year? 8. What is the best way to advertise an event like this? 9. How do I go about asking for toy donations? 10. How do I get volunteers to help with the drive? Timeline Losing weight too quickly can be just as harmful as putting on the extra weight so I want to lose about a pound per week so hopefully in about 2 months, I will be very close to my goal. I want to lead by example because I believe people watch what you do, not what you say. I want to share this process with the use of technology, blogging, taking a before and after picture of myself and consistently post YouTube vlogs about my experiences, practices, trials and successes. References Brookhouser, K. (2014). The 20time project: How educators can launch Google's formula for future-ready innovation. San Bernardino, California: 20time.org. |
Jaime Gonzalez
This page is dedicated to my 20Time project for graduate class EDL680 at SDSU. Archives
August 2015
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