Reboot Diet: Day 4

Day 4 of the reboot diet started at 5Am with my early morning wake up. It was the first swim practice of the new year after about a 2 week layoff. I had a banana and apple before practice. The coach said, "happy new year, today we are going to do something special." Kick drills! Lots and lots of kick drills. I was exhausted by the end of practice.

Unfortunately when I have swim practice, I don't have much time afterwards to dilly dally as I have to jet off to work. I grabbed my fruit and headed for the door. Work was pretty good. I was feeling pretty awake and alive and I had some things to work on which kept me relatively busy. But I was HUNGRY! Swim practice really works up an appetite. I had another banana and orange in the morning before having another leafy green salad with lots of raw vegetables. It was very satisfying although I think I have eaten more salad in the last 4 days then I usually do it several weeks. It is a big change from the PB&J, chips, and a pickle that I used to have quite often.

When I got home from work, I did some short exercise in the form of one mile on the bike and then Ab Ripper X. Interestingly enough I felt very strong during Ab Ripper and got a nice core workout. And it only took 16 minutes. I also did some light stretching before getting to the task of making dinner. Pictured above is what we had for dinner. Leftover cauliflower mash from the night before, zucchini with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and spices (the cumin really brought home the flavor although I could have used more tomato) tossed in olive oil and then baked at 4:00 for about 20 minutes, some steamed Kale drizzled with Organic Ginger Soy, and a green salad with fresh avocado, carrots and red pepper. Melissa mixed up some oil and vinegar for the dressing which turned out very good.

After the feast and cleaning up I decided to take the advice of the Join the Reboot web site and do an Epsom Salt soak. A little King Crimson live from 1974 with the Fripp, Bruford, Wetton, and Cross lineup made for some good relaxation.

Today was another good day. I managed a vigorous swim and Ab Ripper X for exercise. My bike ride was cut short by the sun going down but it is encouraging to see that the days are already getting longer. Plus dinner was a success.

We have one more day of eating and then it is on to 5 days of juicing. It is going to be hard for me I think. I am going to have to get up early on work days to make sure I have time to make tons of juice to bring with me. I was joking with Melissa that it will be hard for me to not eat and if I cave, I might end up calling her from our favorite Thai place and saying, "I just woofed down some Drunken Noodles." I don't think that will happen but I am predicting some hunger pangs. I am so used to eating on a regular basis. It is actually a habit that I would like to break. I would like to be able to go without food every once in a while and still be able to perform. You never know what might happen and I might need that ability.

Melissa has done a fast before so I don't think she will have too much difficulty. I will have to work out some mantras to help me stay focused. I may even print out some pictures of my heroes to have at work to remind me why I am doing it all.

Now before I sign off, I want to give you a brief summary of my P90X results. The numbers don't actually convey the results. The mirror does and my 5K PR also is a testament to my advances. But people like numbers so here they are. The first numbers are from pre-P90X and the second are from after the 90 days. Also some of the measurements I will just say stayed the same.

• Body Fat 16% down to 14% (as measured by our scale-who knows how accurate it really is)
• Weight 144.5 down to 140.5
• Chest -stayed the same
• Waist -32 inches down to 30.5
• Hips - stayed the same
• Thighs and Arms-Roughly the same although they look a lot bigger so maybe our measurements were off.
• Pull Ups 6.5 to 9
• Vertical Leap - improved by 2 inches
• Push ups 18 to 28
• Toe touch - we sit on the ground straight legged and bed over and touch the toes. Before P90X, I could extend my fingers half an inch beyond my toes. Afterwards, I could extend them 6.5 inches beyond my toes.

There were a few more measurements but they are not too interesting. Not that any of this is all that interesting but I know some people who were curious about the P90X results (Rachel-http://dirtdivadynamo.blogspot.com/) so I thought I would go ahead and share.

No doubt P90X is for real and I plan to stick with the program in some fashion. I will be biking and running and swimming more but I still plan to also do some P90.

Day 5 tomorrow. Thanks for reading.

Thanksgiving Recap

I am a little behind the times but wanted to bring everyone up to date. This past Thanksgiving we continued with tradition and traveled North to PA to visit with Melissa's family. The whole gang was there with a total of 24 people for Thanksgiving dinner. Diane and Scott are such amazing hosts and really know how to make everyone feel comfortable and well fed. My thanks goes out to the whole family for their hospitality.

Besides the tradition of having Thanksgiving with Melissa's whole family, we also have another tradition that we followed again this year. On Thanksgiving morning we all go to the Gobble Wobble 5K run and 2 mile walk at a nearby YMCA. Last year, I was a spectator due to my knee issues. In fact, I remember being in great pain during the whole stay last year. But this year, I had planned to run the 5k. I was hoping to run it barefoot but did not get enough barefoot training in to make that happen. In fact, after the Shenandoah Mountain 100 at the beginning of September, I want on 1 long run and then only 2 or 3 very short runs. In the weeks leading up to the 5K, I did not run at all. BUT and this is a big But, I have been doing P90X and swimming so I knew I was in great shape.

As it turns out, I got a PR at the 5K. I ran the hilly course in 23.08 which is about a 7.27 pace. Considering I had not been running hardly at all and taking into consideration the hilly course, I thought that was a good accomplishment for me. Melissa also PR'd and ran the whole course with out stopping at all. She really burned up the course and I really proud of her accomplishments. The fact that both of us did so well is a testament to the benefits of doing P90X and swimming.

Since we got back from Thanksgiving, all I have been able to think about is training and racing. I have been pretty jazzed about my run time at the 5K and am looking forward to doing some triathlons this spring as well as the Shenandoah Mountain 100 at the end of the summer.

For the past several New Years, Melissa and I have sat down and put together goals and plans for the coming year. This year we will be planning our training and race schedule. We also are looking forward to a system reboot starting in the new year. After watching the movie "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" we have decided to try a juice fast.

The system reboot is really not a fast. It is a 15 day program of eating certain foods to help the body detoxify, give the colon a break, and reset the pallet so healthier foods are more desirable. During the middle 5 days, only fresh juices are consumed. Not the kind you buy in the store, but the kind you make at home with a juicer. I will post an example of the 15 day plan at the end of this blog.

Well that about wraps it up for now. We are continuing with our swimming and P90X for now. In future blogs, I plan to summarize the "results" of our 90 days of P90X, as well as lay out my training and race plans. Of course, I have lots of shopping to do too.

Here is an example "Reboot" plan from the jointhereboot.com website.

Day 1

Breakfast

Apples and Pears (raw or baked)

Morning Juice, at least 20 minutes later

Green Juice – Kale, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Apple, Ginger

Lunch

Arugula, Fennel, Avocado Salad

Afternoon Snack

Carrot Ginger Soup

Dinner

Reboot Green Salad*

Portobello Mushroom Caps (2) with Fresh Salsa and Guacamole

Steamed Kale with Garlic

Herbal Tea

---

Day 2

Breakfast

Grapefruit

Morning Juice, at least 20 minutes later

Green Juice – Kale, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Apple, Ginger

Lunch

Shredded Carrot, Fennel, Radish, Cabbage, Celery Salad with Fresh Dill, Lemon

Afternoon Snack

Steamed Cauliflower with Fresh Lemon, Sea Salt and Pepper, and/or Carrot Ginger Soup

Dinner

Reboot Green Salad*

Stuffed Squash with Mushroom, Leek, Red Pepper

Green Vegetable Soup

Herbal Tea

---

Day 3

Breakfast

Strawberries and Ripe Bananas (up to 2)

Morning Juice, at least 20 minutes later

Vegetable Juice – Cucumber, Celery, Apple

Lunch

Green Salad with Radish, Fennel, Red Pepper and Fresh Dill

Afternoon Snack

Green Veggie Soup

Dinner

Reboot Green Salad*

Roasted Beets and Sweet Potato

Steamed Kale

Herbal Tea

---

Day 4

Breakfast

Apples and Pears (raw or baked)

Morning Juice, at least 20 minutes later

Green Juice – Kale, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Apple, Ginger

Lunch

Seaweed Salad with Avocado

Afternoon Snack

Carrot, Celery, and Cucumber sticks with Guacamole

Dinner

Reboot Green Salad*

Baked Spaghetti Squash

Steamed Kale with Ginger-Honey-Soy dressing

Herbal Tea

---

Day 5

Breakfast

Strawberries and Ripe Bananas (up to 2)

Morning Juice, at least 20 minutes later

Vegetable Juice – Cucumber, Celery, Apple

Lunch

Cabbage Salad with Carrot, Cucumber and Fennel

Afternoon Snack

Veggie Broth

Dinner

Reboot Green Salad*

Roasted Sweet Potato

Steamed Kale with Garlic

Herbal Tea

*See recipes under HOW TO MAKE tab for a variety of choices.

---

Just Juice.

Day 6 – Day 10

• There are three main types of juices: Fruit juices, Vegetable juices and Green juices. Examples from each category are below. On a typical day of juicing, we suggest having 3-4 juices, at least 16 oz. each. Ideally, 2 of these juices will be Green. Take a look below for some combos and feel free to experiment!

• JUICING Tips *Have a cup of hot water and lemon first thing every morning, along with at least 16 oz. of filtered (if possible) water. *Remember to drink water throughout the day, in between juices. Juices do not replace water intake. *Apple/Pear is optional in all juices. Feel free to omit. It is permissible to use 1-2 Apples or Pears per juice. *Lemon, Lime and Ginger Root can be added to any juice. *Each juice should be at least 16 oz. *Have Celery juice or Coconut water after a workout or sauna, to replace electrolytes and re-hydrate the system. *Do not drink too much liquid before bedtime. *Keep fruit juices to a minimum until you know how your body reacts (fruit is the most cleansing of all, in other words, it passes through the body most quickly.)

  
  

  TYPICAL DAY OF JUICING

  First thing

  Hot Water with Lemon (gentle cleanser) plus a separate glass of Water, at least 16 oz. (for hydration)

  Morning

  Fresh Fruit Juice

  Mid-Morning

  Fresh Vegetable Juice

  Early Afternoon

  Fresh Green Juice

  Mid-Afternoon

  Herbal Tea or Coconut Water, fresh if possible

  Evening

  Fresh Green Juice

  Night

  Herbal Tea or Coconut Water, fresh if possible

  
  

  JUICE EXAMPLES

  Fruit Juices

  *Green Apple

  *Apple, Pear, Ginger

  
  

  Vegetable Juices

  *Carrot, Apple, Beet, Ginger

  *Cucumber, Fennel, Celery, Spinach

  
  

  Green Juices

  *Kale, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Green Apple, Lemon

  *Romaine Hearts, Kale, Spinach, Parsley, Celery, Lemon, Ginger

  *See recipes under HOW TO MAKE tab for a variety of choices.

  ---

  Day 11

  Breakfast

  Bowl of Fresh Pineapple

  Morning Juice, at least 20 minutes later

  Green Juice – Kale, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Apple, Ginger

  Lunch

  Arugula and Avocado Salad

  Afternoon Snack

  Vegetable Soup

  Dinner

  Reboot Green Salad*

  Baked Zucchini with Tomatoes and Herbs

  Herbal Tea

  ---

  Day 12

  Breakfast

  Apples and Pears (raw or baked)

  Morning Juice, at least 20 minutes later

  Green Juice – Kale, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Apple, Ginger

  Lunch

  Cucumber Salad with Baked Sweet Potato

  Afternoon Snack

  Vegetable Soup

  Dinner

  Reboot Green Salad*

  Roasted Brussels sprouts

  Herbal Tea

  ---

  Day 13

  Breakfast

  Grapefruit Wedges with Raisins (up to 4 oz. of dried fruit)

  Morning Juice, at least 20 minutes later

  Green Juice – Kale, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Apple, Ginger

  Lunch

  Arugula and Fennel Salad

  Afternoon Snack

  Raw Carrot Ginger Soup with Lime

  Dinner

  Reboot Green Salad*

  Steamed Broccoli and Spinach with Roasted Garlic Cloves

  Herbal Tea

  ---

  Day 14

  Breakfast

  Apples and Pears (raw or baked)

  Morning Juice, at least 20 minutes later

  Green Juice – Kale, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Apple, Ginger

  Lunch

  Seaweed Salad with Watermelon Radish

  Afternoon Snack

  Sweet Potato/Yams and Carrot "Fries"

  Dinner

  Reboot Green Salad*

  Herbal Tea

  ---

  Day 15

  Breakfast

  Bowl of Fresh Pineapple

  Morning Juice, at least 20 minutes later

  Green Juice – Kale, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Apple, Ginger

  Lunch

  Raw Mixed Greens with Cauliflower Mash

  Afternoon Snack

  Coconut Water, fresh if possible

  Dinner

  Reboot Green Salad*

  Garam Masala Collard Greens

  Herbal Tea

  *See recipes under HOW TO MAKE tab for a variety of choices.

  **********

  CONGRATULATIONS!

P90X Continues

It has been some time since I have posted anything and wanted to give a brief update on our progress with P90X. We are in our 6th week and I am really enjoying the program and have even started to see some results. I feel stronger and in pretty great shape. And I am getting into a sort of shape that I have never experienced before. Whereas before I could run, bike, hike, and play soccer at a pretty intense level, I have never had a focused program of upper body and core work like one gets with P90X.

The P90X program does focus a lot on appearance. Tony Horton talks about "getting the most ripped abs of your life" and the whole Beachbody.com franchise of which P90X is a part of is very much focused on-well, a beach body. The funny thing is, I find myself posing in the mirror to see if there are any discernible changes in my physique. The other day, the light caught me just right and I noticed that indeed, I could see a few small muscles that I had not seen before. Now I am even more motivated to bring it! I figure if I can see the results in the mirror, I must be doing something right. Not that I will be showing off at the beach in my lifetime. That is just not me.

Ultimately I know that all this hard work will only help me in my other athletic endeavors. For instance, swimming takes a lot of core muscles if you do it right and the P90X workouts are a great supplement to swimming. Regarding the swimming, this will be our fourth week of swimming with a coach on Wednesday mornings as well as on our own on Saturday mornings. It is a little tiring getting up so early to swim but it is such great low impact exercise, that I plan to continue.

The only downside to doing P90X is that it is time consuming and leaves less time to bike and run. In fact, I have not been on the bike for a while. But that's ok. By the time the new year starts, I should have a better idea on what I want to do as far as races go and I will have a great base to work from. After all, we are working out an average of 86 minutes every day. And I must say, I am loving it. We missed one Kenpo X workout although on that day we swam for an hour, ran 2 miles, and I did a 2.5 hour mountain bike ride. So while we missed out on the unique benefits of Kenpo X, it is not like we sat around eating donuts (something I don't ever eat since late 2009).

Another great benefit is getting the opportunity to workout with Melissa. She is also bringing it hard and is also doing great! She is getting stronger and in great shape! It is nice to be able to work out together and to share the power of hard work and sweat.

Doing all this exercise and working a full time job does leave less time for blogging so I imagine I won't be writing as often as I have in the past. I appreciate you reading and please feel free to leave comments. That way I know someone is reading. Thanks.

Am I in Shape or Not?

As some of you know, Melissa and I have been doing P90X for the last couple of weeks. I think we are doing pretty well all things considered. We even managed to wake up early one day to get the Plyometrics workout out of the way before work so we could go to a great documentary later that night after work. The movie was "Sick, Fat, and Nearly Dead. " I will talk more about the film in a later posting.

As far as P90X is concerned we are mid way through week 3 and so far have been bringing it hard. We are still sore although maybe not quite as much as during the first week. The workouts are pretty intense and require some serious self motivation to push through. But I am certain we will see results that will help us in many aspects of our lives so I continue to bring it. There is research suggesting that resistance training is not only good for the mind but can also ward off dementia. The way things are going for me, I need all the help I can get in that department.

In addition to doing P90X everyday, we are also doing small amounts of running mostly on the weekends and I did manage a 3.5 hour mile bike ride on Sunday in addition to a 2 mile barefoot run on the gravel track plus our 1 hour of StretchX. It is a lot for sure and so far I have enjoyed all the workouts and feel like I am in great shape. That is, I felt like I was in great shape - until this morning.

This morning, I threw a new workout into the mix. I woke up at 5Am to go to my first ever coached swim class. The class was tough-very tough. I thought I was in decent shape but clearly I am not. The other swimmers in the class were graceful, fast, strong, near perfect. I on the other hand was the opposite. The coach has me doing "Catch Up" which is a particular swimming drill. I feel so uncoordinated and 1 gulp of water away from drowning. And my heart rate races and my lungs heave as I make my way through the water. Picture Michael Phelps who I believe is pictured above. Now picture the opposite. That is me. Twenty minutes into the workout I questioned what I had gotten myself into. Here are some of the thoughts that went through my head.

"Do I really want to be a swimmer?"

"This is too hard."

"Forget this!"

"No way can I do this."

But at the end of the training session, I gave the coach my $130 dollars so now I am in. She is a great coach and gave me immediate feedback and corrected my mistakes. One thing is for sure. I am going to have to practice if I want to make it through these swim sessions. People in the class told me it would all seem easy soon enough. And the coach said I would see big improvements with each class. And finally my lovely wife gave me some very encouraging words later in the day when I told her about what I was thinking about the workout.

She was in the same position I was in when she started swimming with this coach. And I must say, seeing her all suited up with her swim cap and goggles, getting ready for the 7AM session was also nice encouragement. I probably would have been more down about the workout but seeing her and getting her words of encouragement later in the day were a huge help.

The best part of the swim was the effect it has on my knees. They felt great afterwards and have felt great all day. Strange how a certain type of exercise benefits my knees. Of course, that is one big reason I decided to swim in the first place.

After swimming and working all day, Melissa and I came home and did our P90X Shoulders and Arms workout followed by Ab Ripper X. We are now thoroughly pooped.

If you think you are in shape, go swimming and find out if you really are.