Day 1 is in the books! Let's see how it went.
It all begins -
On the left is the InBody Scan from Monday the 11th when I started the challenge.
Here are the specifics I am measuring:
Weight - 195
Body Fat % 10.6
Body Fat in LBS 20.8
Lean Body Mass 174.2
Muscle Mass 100.1
Visceral Fat Level 4
BMR (before body type calculation) 2077
Hydration - Good at 37.1%
BMI 25 (flawed but still measured)
Rule 1 Progress Photo
Day 1 Progress Photo
Like I said in my blog, the daily photo is perhaps the most challenging part of the challenge. We are always self-critical and see every flaw, every part of ourselves we do not like. However, it is always nice to see the changes as they happen.
One other thing to consider. Maybe the reason for the daily
photo is to learn to be comfortable with who we are and how we are. Life is difficult as it is, and only seeing the bad at times becomes the norm. Looking at yourself every day, looking in the mirror of change and seeing what is good and accepting that what we don't like we can often change.
Rule 2 Follow a Diet Plan
Using the Carb Cycling Nutrition Plan I mentioned in the previous blog, Here are my goals for a low carb day:
Protein - 260 Grams
Carbs - 130 Grams
Fats - 77 Grams
Calories 2253
The goal I am most interest in is Protein. Protein is key to keep and building muscle. I missed it by 2 grams so I consider this a win.
I did go over on my fats which caused me to be over on my total calories. I did end up under on my carbs. Overall I ended up 163 calories over for the day. All in all I felt this day worked out as I was still in a calorie deficit while keeping my protein very close. I did achieve 4368 in total calories burned so I was still well in a deficit for the day. I will explain the exercise for the day next.
Rule 3 Workout 2 times per day for 45 Min
Exercise is the single greatest option we have to influence how quickly we can change our body composition. Diet is absolutely essential and if you are not eating in a healthy manner, focusing on quality protein, health fats and moderate, high fiber carbs weight loss is difficult at best. Progress can be made but diet is essential to make massive improvements. Once diet is applied, our ability to lose weight falls on our shoulders and the amount of exercise we are able to perform.
Consider that should you rely solely on diet, it would take 3 to 4 times longer to lose equal amounts of body fat. Exercise is the great magnifier. So using appropriate exercise with a combination of resistant training and cardio will accelerate the process of losing unwanted and unneeded body fat. As you can see above, I was able to burn an additional 1008 calories. 3500 calories is a pound of fat, so consider that if the extra 1000 calories I burned came only from fat, I would have lost nearly 1/3 pound of fat in a single day.
I will now go through the two workouts I did today.
Workout #1 Weight Training - Pull Day 13 - 15 Reps Per Set with 90 Second Rest Periods
Pullovers - machine assisted 3 sets 15, 15,14 reps
Straight Arm Pullovers - Cables 3 Set 15, 15, 14 reps
Bent over cable row to standing position 3 Set 15, 15, 14 reps
Wide Grip Pull down 3 Sets 15, 15, 15 reps
Rear delt fly with resistance band - level 2 difficulty 3 Sets 15, 15, 15 reps
Band Resistance - Level 5 difficulty shrugs on 45 degree plane 3 Sets 15, 15, 15 reps
Palms up single dumbbell iso curl 4 Sets 15, 15, 15, 14
This workout lasted approximately 80 minutes and equaled about 432 calories burned.
Remember that while weight training does not burn as many calories in the same amount of time as dues running or some other form of cardio, it tends to create what is called an afterburn effect. The afterburn are calories expended to help your body recover from the exercise you performed. Weight training also leads to increased muscle mass which increases your basal metabolic rate. Always include resistance training to maximize your results.
Workout #2 consisted of running/walking outside on a trail for 45 min.
In that time I was able to run 20 of the 45 min which accounts for a larger portion of calories burned. It has been some time since I ran so unfortunately I was not able to run for the full 45 minutes.
Total Calories burned from this exercise was 576. One thing to be aware of is when you are burning a very large amount of calories in a workout or even in a day, you will begin to tap into your ability to recover properly.
When I was training with a Registered Dietitian he advised me that when creating a nutrition plan for athletes or others who train intensely to allow for recovery calories which are not computed into the caloric need of the client for the day. What this meant was that the client would ingest some kind of post workout nutrition, usually a protein shake with some fast acting carbs, immediately after a workout. There is some pretty solid science supporting the need and benefit from post workout nutrition with higher amounts of carbohydrates.
My post workout nutrition, which is not included in my calculations, consists of a supplement called ARM (Anabolic Recovery Matrix) sold at my Max Muscle Store. This product contains 25 Grams of high quality protein and 20 multi-source carbs. In addition to these macronutrients, it provides the proper electrolytes, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins needed for proper and FULL recovery. I drink this shake after my weight training session only as my body is recovering by allowing for new protein to be created in the form of muscle. After cardio, I typically will drink a protein shake which I do count in my nutrition.
Today day's workouts were very rewarding and I look forward to tomorrow's
Rule 4 Drink 1 Gallon of water
I did drink a little over one gallon of water. There is conflicting information which out there that states that the water must not include anything where something has been added like a protein shake or pre-workout. I do not subscribe to this idea. Now if I drink milk or (forgive me) diet soda, I do not include the water which naturally is in the product itself. If I got the water in it's pure form from a bottle, from a fountain or from the tap, I count it toward the gallon.
Rule 5 Cold Water Exposure
Rule 6 Wim Hof Breathwork
This morning I did perform 5 rounds of Wim Hof breathwork and was able to attain a 4 minute breath hold on my last round. This set the tone for the day as I did this first thing upon awaking. It allows for a moment of calm before you get up all while increasing dopamine and endorphins.
After I got out of bed, I took a very cold 44 degree shower for 3 minutes to awaken myself fully and to get my energy revved for the rest of the day!
Rule 7 Read 10 Pages in a Self-Development Book
The last thing I want to cover here is what I learned from the 10 pages I read in the Compound Effect. The book starts out discussing the importance of small consistent positive changes and how they compound over time.
The book explains that the Compound Effect is always working either for better or for worse. If you are not actively guiding your life toward the outcome you desire by making the small positive changes, you are more than likely doing small negative things which will compound over time.
The purpose of the book is to teach the reader of how the Compound Effect is a "tool" which should be utilized and used to maximize your life. One example provided in the book is that of the magic penny. The magic penny if you are unfamiliar is the following: Two friends are offered 2 options. Option 1 is to receive 3 Million Dollars while option 2 is to receive a single penny which doubles every day for 31 days. One friend take the 3 Million and begins to live a fantastic life all while the other friend opts for the single penny. The story explains that over the first 20 days the single penny friend only has $5000 while the other friend was having the time of their life. The real compounding doesn't begin until day 29, 30 and 31 when the total reaches $10,737,418.24, triple the original 3 million. Much like this story, some of us are offered the easy path and take it believing we are the real winners. And yet, those who take the slow and steady path always arrive at excellence.
The Compound Effect thus far is teaching me that the 75 hard challenge is a demonstration of the power of positive daily practices which will lead to the life you want and deserve.
See you tomorrow for day #2 of The 75 Hard Challenge!