120dayplan.com

I did amazingly well for the first 50 days of 120. I made my plans for exercise, nutrition and flexibility, checked in with my partner(s) on a regular basis, and did my metrics every other week. I managed to stitch together 50 days in a row without missing a single workout - averaging between 1.5 and 2 hours a day. As an experiment in finding out whether I was conscious of my eating, I even forced myself to create an account on SparkPeople and track my calories (consumed and burned) for two weeks. (As it turns out, I was pretty clueless that my morning breakfasts contained 1400 calories… no wonder I tended to skip breakfast.)

To sum up: I was on a bullet train headed for Sixpackabsville. I was kicking ass.Then I took a day off. Family was in town, after all, and I didn’t have time to work out. And of course I should go eat with them and have brandy manhattans. I resolved that I’d get right back to my 120 goodness the next day. The next morning, we all went dutifully to yoga. But then lunch came around and I just had to take them to Lucille’s… 

Things unraveled quickly after that. I think part of what happened was that, having already broken my 50-day streak of workouts, I didn’t have the same level of motivation to exercise. And having only made a promise to myself to do SparkPeople for two weeks, I didn’t have any structure to give me calorie accountability. Those things, combined with a drastic increase in my travel schedule, was more than enough to derail my sixpack train.

All of the above shouldn’t be read to mean that I have totally slacked off during the just-finished 120 days experiment. (Let’s call it 120.1) I’m in decent shape. I just got back from two weeks of kite surfing in the Dominican Republic. I’ve been going to Corepower yoga and have been climbing at the Spot… just not regularly or with a specific strategy in mind. Physically, I’d say I’m pretty much where I was at the start of 120.1. That said, I’d definitely say I was better off for the experience and that I’ve learned a lot about what it will take for me to stay motivated during 120.2.

Okay. Time to track my calories for today and figure out which yoga class to attend.Wish me luck!

: Rich

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So the 120 is officially over and although i wasn’t as disciplined in my focus and motivation, i did come away with overall improvements.   

My original goals centered around nutrition, strength, flexibility and cardio. As i reread my initial post, i had to allow for a chuckle for the cycling goal. i did get my bike fit and tuned up, but i am chagrined to admit that i have yet to go for a ride.   

however… my successes in the four main areas should be noted: 

nutrition. i learned how to cook chicken, beef, pork and have a fuller (although still small) repertoire of meals. i’m more aware of calories and their impact and have been much more diligent about not eating out so often. and although i didn’t plan to, i have lost about 3-4 lbs. 

strength. i did 10 pullups in one session last week (4 in a row; 3 in a row; 2 in a row and then 1). i did 20 full push-ups (10 at a time). i’m climbing 2-dot problems with confidence and am able to focus and work on 3-dots (the spot rating system). i am running far more uphills consistently (as opposed to walking up steep sections). oh… and i *think* i have the beginnings of a 2-pack appearing! whoo hoo!  

flexibility. i have been to yoga more consistently in these past 4 months (spurts of more and less), but still going. still focusing and not sure there’s been a lot of improvement in my stretches, i’m going and that’s good enough for today. 

cardio. training for a 40-mile run rather pre-disposes one to maintain cardio, so in this area, i’ve seen maintenance and improvement.  

all in all, i’m not sure if the gains i’ve made physically are the result of the 120 experiment, or if it would’ve happened as i continued to train. however, i KNOW it jump-started and motivated my interest in nutrition and cooking, and i’m looking forward to seeing what happens in the coming months as i refocus on cooking at home and trying new recipes. preferably ones that go well with red wine.  

and in addition, i climbed outside a lot, lead my first two routes, gained confidence in my abilities and have taken a lot more risks than i had before. i’m topping out at the bouldering gym, throwing for some moves, and actually just went on my first outdoor bouldering trip this past weekend and faced a new set of fears to begin working on (climbing high with no protection and lots of rocks below being the biggest).

cheers to an amazing 2008! 

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Here are my stated goals from the beginning of the 120 days:

1. I will increase my flexibility (lithe)
2. I will focus on nutrition
3. I will increase my power-to-weight ratio (spry)
4. I will get the rest and recovery needed to support my goals
5. I will increase my mental focus and calm in difficult situations

I pretty much fell off the 120 wagon pretty early on. However, being very active to start with, I’ve made some progress in each of these areas.

1. flexibility. After failing my “home-study” program for yoga and pilates, I signed up for 3 mos of yoga at CorePower. Though I’m not going as often as I’d like, I have seen improvement.

2. nutrition. Progress here isn’t great, but I’m doing a bit better - mainly because I’m eating at home more.

3. power-to-weight. As my training has ramped up for the 40 mile Mt Mitchell Challenge (running), I’ve dropped about five pounds (and kept it off during the holidays). Power gains were mainly from climbing at the Spot two to three times a week.

4. rest/recovery. By not working out every day, I did better with recovery :-). I still need to get more consistent z’s though.

5. mental focus/calm in difficulty. This is probably where I have made the most significant gains — from getting back my desire to push myself lead climbing outside, to zipping myself up properly in a mummy bag. The latter may not seem like much, but is to someone who has a tendency toward panic when all restricted in a small space.

So there you have it. And now for 2008 - the year of fun!

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Hey all you hot hunks of humanity!

How is it going out there? Still playing? Let’s hear how you are doing!!! The good, the bad, the ugly. Lets hear it! We STILL have 74 days left!!!! Plenty of time to create the best body of your life!!!

I have definately had some ups and downs. My schedule got the better of me for about a week there and I jumped back in today with an awesome workout and a wild splurge at whole foods.

Some major shifts for me over the past two months: I used to eat a candy bar (either Reeses Peanut Butter cups or Twix) almost every day from the evil .25 cent machine at work. I have only had one candy bar (a snickers) since we started! My idea of a bad food day now is if I didnt count calories and/or ate too late at night. I rarely eat junk food anymore. If I do, it must be worth it. Ya know, like tirimisu or a flourless chocolate torte!

I have lost a total of five pounds, and I have muscles (see previous post) that I didnt have before. I feel sexy as hell in my jeans and heels so bring ON the next round!!!

 The pitfalls continue to be not planning ahead, and eating when I am bored or restless. (at least the boredom eating is more like tomatoes and beets instead of microwave popcorn, but I still overeat sometimes.) Another pitfall is time. I havent been honoring my workout time. I let other things encroach.

Overall, this has been a great game, and I, for one, am taking it to the next level. Everything before now is in the past, who I am starting right NOW is Hard Body Beach Babe!!!!

Play on!!

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I was doing biceps at the gym last night and I actually felt my biceps doing the work. I have never felt that before. I have always HATED doing biceps because I couldnt feel anything happening. :) Now I am excited about doing them! Yippeee!   Someone pointed out that I am building a little bit of a booty too! Watch OUT J-Lo.  

I noticed recently that how I have been about food is totally entitled! I work out a fair amount and I think that I should be able to eat whatever I want. It’s like a five-year-old saying “but I waaaant it.” LOL. 

 Overall, I have lost two pounds, and my body looks different. I am doing lots of muscle poses in the mirror. :)  Now to trim some more of the fat (say NO to the five-year-old) and wooohoooo!

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Well… it’s been 3 weeks and i feel like i’m finally getting into a little more of the swing of this whole 120-day-thing. i was out of town last weekend and while i didn’t keep up as well as i’d wanted nutritionally, my workouts were consistent. and i think my body and intentions are catching up with my resolution to do this and make the commitment.

the first couple of weeks i felt a little disconnected… as though i was going through the motions and words of committing, but not actually committing. but now i realize i’ve done more climbing (and today, we went outside which rocked [heh - pun intended]) and more yoga then in the past months - and most importantly my eating (and my awareness of what i’m eating) has improved. and i made dinner last night for three… a salad, corn on the cob, broccoli, chicken and steak… with a little ice cream for dessert. all of it (but the broccoli), i prepped and cooked myself.

so what’s ahead for this week? a continued focus on the food i put into my body, with a refocus on calorie-counting and gaining a better understanding of how all that works. yoga twice this week (during the weekday) and continued consistent climbing. i also want to focus on weights and strength-training.running will be minimal as i should really be tapering for the Outward Bound Relay race i’m part of this coming weekend (the 21st and 22nd). i’m running 3 legs of 170-miles (a team of 10) with a total personal milage of 22. my goal for that will be to have fun, support my team and run gently.

here’s to an amazing week 4.

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Hi everyone,

I am noticing that I am dealing with my own cynicism and resignation in this game. There is something like I dont actually believe that I have it in me to create a totally hot, lean body. It is just so unreal for me. I build up momentum, I am doing great, and then I pull back under the guise, of “I got busy,” “my ankle hurts,” “I needed extra sleep,” etc. It’s a sneaky little thing and its all based on fear. Fear of failure, fear that when I do succeed (tada, I have arrived!) that my experience of life wont be any different than it is now (as long as I have “potential” then I can fantasize about what it could be like, someday, maybe!).

The intention of this post is to get all this OUT of my head because written down, it doesnt seem like such a big deal. Those are just my thoughts, AND all there is is to keep putting one foot in front of the other and being true to my commitment. My commitment is to inspire other “non-athletes” particularly those with asthma, which I have, that they can do anything in the realm of sports.

I am the BOLD and AUDACIOUS ADVENTURER of athletics!!!

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In retro-review of Darcy’s comment about going to the State Fair and not eating as wisely… AND the fact I did my own huge binge over Labor Day weekend, here’s something I think may be helpful for all of us with this ‘Nutrition’ in mind.

Go to: http://www.sparkpeople.com

Register NOW! I’m registered under 120.ALo

I used Sparkspeople.com for the first week and entered in all the food I ate.  And I entered in all the exercise I was doing on a daily basis. This gave me a HUGE idea of how many calories are in what foods, and it also made me more conscious on how my day was going as far as exercise vs. caloric intake. This is not only super helpful if you want to lose weight (Duh: Take Less calories in than you burn).  This also gives you an idea of what you’re really consuming and what foods are full of Fat, Protein, & Carbs.

I think if you try this and see the amounts of calories you’re intaking and in what categories this can be instrumental in reshaping your diet very easily. I am ALL about nutrition, but I realized I was getting my full days worth of fat in that handful of almonds! Plus I was looking at the amount of exercise I was doing in comparison to the calories I was intaking and this was very helpful in letting me know if I was maintaining my weight, on the track to losing fat/weight or gaining it. What’s more is you can see the multitude of food choices out there. So for example, you could likely have 4 apples to one handful of almonds.  Anita

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Two weeks in and I’m not sure if I’m on track or not. There are things I know I’m doing well and working towards… and then others that feel like I’m not really making significant change.

Like Anita and Bracken, I feel like my level of mental commitment could be more, well… committed. However, knowing myself as well as I do, I need to recognize that on my major goals, I’m definitely moving forward.

What’s working?

Nutrition. I sat down and made a huge grocery list of ‘kitchen basics’ and went to the store and stocked up. On good, fresh, healthy food. On some basics that will allow me to cook spontaneously. And… the best thing is I made dinner that *wasn’t* grilled ham and cheese or pasta! With help, I made a wonderful grilled chicken salad. And even better? I enjoyed it.

Strength. I’m still struggling with this. I didn’t get to the gym nearly as often as I’d hoped (like, um… once). I’ll need to work on this a lot more. I did, however, climb a lot and actually made it to a climbing gym in Southern California while traveling on business.

Flexibility. I made it to yoga twice. Once a week. It kicked my azz and I’m excited to up that to twice a week when I get back into town. Traveling is difficult (as many of you know!).

Cardio. Maintaining… this I’m not sure about. Part of me is recovering from Pike’s Peak. Part of me is tapering for the Outward Bound Relay that’s coming up (I’m scheduled to run a total of 3 legs, equaling 22 miles). And part of me is running about 1-2x week short distances/times. I think it’s okay, but after the relay, I want to get a more consistent schedule together.

Bike intensive? I haven’t been on my bike. BUT - I got fitted and my tire is in (will pick it up when I get home). So not *too* bad… but I need to get on the bike.

2-week metrics:

weight: 127
energy: 6.7
pull-ups: 2.5 overhand; 2 underhand
hang-time: 21 seconds
push-ups: 12/9
plank: 1:10 seconds

measurements: since i’m out of town and this isn’t a big goal for me (not anticipating much change in 120 days here), i will likely only do these once a month.

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After my first two weeks of focus, even a 5 day vacation setback, I’m right on track of where I should be.

The first week went really well, then I went to Texas where they have really tasty BBQ and took a few steps in the wrong direction. But when I returned I got back on the plan and was able to finish right where I needed to.

Metrics:
weight: 153.4
measurments: all the same, not change yet.

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