Workout Log 326 - Yaawwwn...Is it Victoria Day? Yes? I'm Sleeping In...

With a plan in place the previous night to get up in the early am to go for a blade, I continued to hit the snooze button till it reached 10:45am...

With regret painted all over my face, I had no choice but to accept defeat for the day as I was already late to complete a few errands along with working overtime later in the afternoon to late evening. I did however keep the meals healthy - so the day wasn't exactly  a total write-off.

Tomorrow it's gonna be 34 degrees outside and super nice....The pavement awaits me... ;)

Mission 4 Commitments - Status of the Day

 See here for last weeks picture and status results

Workout Log 325 - ISO Whey Protein vs Whey Concentrate

So for the past week I've been trying this new whey protien drink since finishing my last scoop of PVL Whey Maxx Protein.

The protien drink of choice that was recommended to me by a good colleague of mine was  Kaizen ISO Whey Protien(Vanilla Flavor) where we both purchased a 5 lb tub for 39 CDN(paid no tax) at Costco. Taste IMO is pretty good and does mix quite well. However as you might notice, it may froth a lot (when shaken).

The protien content of Kaizen's ISO whey packs a powerful punch of 35g of ISO whey protien, while the PVL Maxx only carries 24g of regular whey protien concentrate. So looking at the numbers and the nutritional content, the Kaizen ISO Whey is king...

But as many would ask, what is the difference between whey concentrate and ISO Whey?

These are the differences :

• ISO is usually more expensive(get it on sale when you can - like I did)
• ISO protien is a more purer protien(due to it's higher level of processing) than whey concentrate and will head to the muscles faster due to it's purity.
• Whey isolate usually contains between 90-94% protein while whey concentrate has a protein ratio of 70-85%
• More lactate tolerant than whey concentrate (less lactose than whey concentrate)
• Lower in fat and carbs (this can add up if your are taking multiple scoops per day)
• Less bloating, gas and better digestion (I personally didn't have a problem with this)  :)

Best time to take protien is no more than 30 min after a workout as your muscles at that time are in repair mode. Another good time to take it is to substitute for a meal or add to a small meal, especially if you are not getting enough protein in your meals.(I sometimes use it with cereal (Special K).). Another good tip is to shake it up with crushed ice for a nice chilling experience.

Now, with the above known and all, I'm not gonna knock PVL Whey Maxx off the table. I've been using the PVL Whey Maxx for the past 11 months or so (3 - 10lb bags complete) and have pretty good results so far, plus I like the taste(which IMO is most important for me). So yes, I would definitely still recommend PVL Whey Maxx as a 1st choice whey concentrate.

As for the Kaizen, I'm giving it a shot and we shall see if results improve and let you know of my progress.. ;)

Speaking of results, today's results of keeping it healthy was ruined later in the evening by chowing down on some ice cream and apple pie with the family. Couldn't resist this once in awhile treat as this is my favorite dessert. =) Also today is a scheduled rest day, so no workout for today.

Tomorrow I should have some time for a workout, but I'll see...I have to work a crazy shift and unsure if I'll be able to get in there, but will try. ;)

Mission 4 Commitments - Status of the Day

 See here for last weeks picture and status results

Workout Log 324 - Good Workout @ GoodLife Fitness

Today as planned, another workout complete - but this time I thought I would get a change of scenery. A few of my buds got me a free pass into their gym (Good Life Fitness) where we completed multiple sets working the chest and back as well as 20 min cardio on the treadmill.

I'll be frankly honest, I'm not a huge fan of this gym. It seems that the GoodLife staff could be a little more friendlier as well as less militant on their whereabouts of the dumbbells. I say this because I had a staff member ask me 4 times for a 10 lb dumbbell(within  10 minutes) which IMO would be labeled as harassment after the 2nd request for the dumbbell. My friends and I were pretty pissed off at the incident and definitely put a bad taste in my mouth from the 1 bad apple. Plus I wasn't too enthused about the layout either - very narrow and not enough equipment compared to the Premier Fitness gyms that I have been in the past. Not sure if I'll ever go back, but I'm sure my buds will as they have already prepaid for the year. Sorry Goodlife - yer gettin 2 thumbs down from me.

The workout was pretty intense though and my body needs to get some much needed rest from the total 4 hours of working out for the passed 48 hours. So for tomorrow, I'm gettin some rest... =)

Mission 4 Commitments - Status of the Day

 See here for last weeks picture and status results

Workout Log 323 - Week 45 in Review

Another week has passed and looking back at the week of battling the flu, I still managed to get things rolling by getting some exercise outside rollerblading instead of weight training in the gym spreading my flu juices.

Looking at the number's this week, my fat% increased a tiny bit bringing me back to 6% fat since I lost 2 pounds. My picture this week however does however reflect progression though...So, I think I'm gonna ignore the numbers this week. ;p

Week 45 Status Results

Week 45 - Pic 1

Week 45 - Pic 2

Today as previously planned, I completed an hour weight training working on all upper body and calves. Later on the day, I took advantage of the warm weather and rollerbladed around the city for about 1.5 hours. In the evening I had my reward meal where I chowed down on pizza and only had 1 beer.

Tomorrow, will be weight traning again and will try to get some extra cardio. Lookin forward to another step forward. ;-)

Mission 4 Commitments - Status of the Day

See here for last weeks picture and status results

Workout Log 322 - Back on the Blades...Enjoying the View ;-)

In an effort to get things started and with the sun shining to my advantage, I headed to the pavement and put in on about an hour on the blades.

The cough is still there, so I figured I would reserve the weight training for tomorrow as previously planned. Got enough sleep along with healthy eating today.

Tomorrow is weight training, abs and will fit in another hour of cardio. Lookin forward to it. ;)

Mission 4 Commitments - Status of the Day

See here for last weeks picture and status results
 

Workout Log 321 - On your Mark, Get set....

Ya...cough, cough....still a bit sick, but optimistic that I'll be ok tomorrow...At least today I can breathe....It's a good thing I got lotsa' sleep...hehehe.

My meals were all over the place today, with only 3 meals and unfortunately had a slight binge later in the night chowing down on peanut butter, crackers, toast and light cream cheese.

So looking at tomorrow, I should be at least 70%. Since I can finally breathe and the congestion in my chest is starting to clear up, I think I'll be good to go for a blade later in the evening(at least)...

Time is of the essence and I only have 27 days left till I reach my last and final milestone : 1 year from the day I started...So I have 27 days to get ripped as much as possible.  So tomorrow I shall be hitting the "GO" button, getting out of the sickbed and onto the pavement!  Cheyyaaa!

Mission 4 Commitments - Status of the Day

See here for last weeks picture and status results

Workout Log 319 & 320 - Less Than 30 Days Left & a Change in Goal.

O.k, as you gathered, I am still sick...But not I'm not dead. The body is resting as it still needs plenty of rest to rejuvenate and plus I don't wanna be coughing all over the gym equipment..Again, I don't want to be labeled as "that guy" spreading my flu juice everywhere... ;-p

But this period of rest has made me rethink my last goal for my last journey. Instead of just sustaining, I wanna put everything into this last 28 days and try to get as lean as possible. This will mean :

•  +2 hours / week of cardio
•  cutting the calories down from 1800 to 1500 / day
•  no alcohol on the weekends (this will be tough)
•  1 reward meal (1 only - not 2) / week
•  Lots of veggies and salads (instead of 2 salads / day - I'm going for 4 salads / day)
•  Back to 6 times a week in the gym instead of 4 or 5

Now, the only thing is....I need to start "now" (as time is ticking) and I'm still sick (cough, cough)...But I need to do this smart. So I'm gonna get my rest till Friday and will start then as I should be at least 90% by that time. The weather is also suppose to be really nice so I'll plan a workout in the morning and then a blade around the city in the afternoon.

So back to sleep for me... zzzzzz

Mission 4 Commitments(Workout Log 319 & 320) - Status of the Day

 See here for last weeks picture and status results