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.
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.