Working Out

Yes, parking out in BFE is part of my every day exercise, every bit of walking helps.  When I go to the gym I will stretch for a half hour and then do one of two workouts that the Rebound Fitness Center has provided me.  Most of the workouts I do are core workouts.  Some examples are the plank position:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH3jnWuJ2xE, medicine ball squat with a dumb bell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27QGm31PCHk, and the push up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcVOQSAZJuk. 

My goal is to be Fit-4-Kili obviously, but its more work than I expected.  I have set a goal weight of 185 before I leave and to have a body fat percentage below 15%.  I weight 199 right now and my body fat percentage is at about 27%, so I have much work still to do.  My diet has changed dramatically.  I quit smoking on 3/3/09 of this year.  I have quit drinking energy drinks as well as soda pop or any carbonated drinks.  I no longer eat pizza, fast food, or anything that isn’t organic, well at least I try to eat everything that is organic, but it can be hard.  If I do need to get something for lunch that isn’t organic I will always get a salad with no dressing and nothing on top of it that is fattening. 

The hardest part of my new routine is finding time to make it to the gym everyday while still having a life.  When I work for 9 hours a day, sleep for 9 hours, workout/stretch for an 2 hours a day, and blog for about an hour.  If you total up all of the above hours that put me at 21 hours a day of free time to make dinner, do laundry, take a shower, etc. Why is this hard, well I haven’t worked out for 12 years, so it’s hard to get motivated to work out.  Pretty much my entire day from when I wake up to when I close my eyes is consumed with work and this project, but it’s worth it.  I’m going to Africa!  As for changes in my life from being picked for this great adventure; I feel amazing.  My family and friends are so proud of me.  I have more dates than before…I think that it is because in losing 40 pounds in the past six months I’ve become more confident as well as happier.  I hope this answers your questions.  Please feel free to ask more.

-Zackamanjaro