So today I started writing this Fitness Journal with inspiring thoughts on ways to motivate others to dig deeper to find the strength they need to battle through too the next stage in their fitness journey.  Hep you guessed it I don't have the brain power to be so wise this evening.  So all I can do is share my story with you in hopes that it might ignite some desire that will over power the burden of procrastination that we all have to face in society today.

It's April 11th, 2011 and I believe I'm not exactly where I was hoping to be in my fitness journey.  I've had to overcome some mild injuries that caused me frustrating set backs, but this is not my excuse for not reaching the overly ambitious goals I set for myself..  Actually my excuse is lack of knowledge.  My journey started with my head filled with knowledge of fitness practices that i've read online or in a magazine.  The knowledge I'm talking about is the knowledge of trial and error.  Doing the work that either provides you with results or doesn't.

Gathering knowledge in fitness is finding out what works for you and your body.  The knowledge you gain from failing is just as important as the knowledge you gain from success.  We all must fail and we don't then were not trying hard enough.  With success comes failure and we all need to find the balance in our lives so we can embrace failure and learn from those mistakes. The workouts that work for me today, most likely will not work for me in a week from now.  My fitness goals are evolving continuously.

I realized today that I'm ready for the next step and I'm ready to be more prepared before my workouts.  Preparation is keep to my success in the gym and at home.  Finding alternative workouts to maximize each and every workout is key for me.  I'm feeling healthier and a little more lean;  I now just need to stay consistent to reap my reward.

I'm still pushing every muscle group to failure and I have stepped up my cardio another notch.  I haven't yet hit the point that I can claim myself a success yet, but I'm getting real close.  I've lost needed inches of fat and now I'm really starting to feel the difference. 

It's time for me to make smaller, shorter term goals.  Like, one day at a time kinda goals.  I need to start making my goals each morning and when I accomplish that goal, I will celebrate that success and not get burden and frustrated by failing for longer periods of time.  

I'm driven and my two hour workouts each day are proof of that.  Now I just need to make those two hours more efficient to my fat loss goals.

Tom Barbee

Today's shoulder workout was FANTASTIC!  I achieved the ultimate burn and muscle failure that I've been seeking for sometime.  I realized today that my progression has been slow and slightly frustrating.  As I check stock within myself and my workouts;  it's become clear that I'm making greater gains then I lead myself to believe.

Knowing that YOU are your worst enemy and your worst critic; it makes it hard to look at yourself in the mirror and see positive results.  The Journey to good health and fitness is much more then your vain view when you lurk upon yourself in the mirror. It's about getting a better understanding of yourself physically, mentally and emotionally.  It's much easier to see the physically improvements and much harder to be aware of the mental and emotional improvements you've made.  The fact is without the mental and emotional improvements you wouldn't have the physical improvements.

I have come along way since my Fitness Journey began and I have to honor my successes and realize that I'm exactly where I wanted to be.  I have finally got to the point in my journey that I can say I'm reasonably pain free and can challenge my body 5-6 days a week without 2-3 days of rest in between.  My body is responding to the increased intense interval training, and I ache each and everyday for my next workout.  Yes I've become an addict of the gym and the emotional spike I get from pushing my body to the limit.

In the past few weeks I have changed my workouts considerably.  My workouts now include daily interval cardio training and each muscle group is pushed to failure by decreasing rest time between sets and alternating upper and lower body exercises.  This spikes my heart rate increasing my overall fat burn.

My food intake has been consistent and reasonably strict.  I'm providing my body a sufficient amounts of protein and good fats and carbs.  Yes, I do eat artisan style breads more often then I should, but I'm learning the importance of portion size and moderation.  I happily can say I haven't eaten fast food in sometime and feel confident that I won't; till I reach my goal weight.  I do reward myself with good food, but I believe I'm doing well not over indulging or splurging out of control.

I have an unhealthy size appetite and have been using high amount of fiber supplements to help control my portion sizes.  Food isn't an enemy, food is my friend and I will find a way to enjoy my diverse pallet without the need of guilt.

I'm looking forward to my upcoming progression picture on the 11th of April and confidently know that my results will show.  I'm building more muscle, my skin has loosened considerably the past few weeks; so I have to be losing more fat.  My strength in my workouts are increasing, my cardio isn't as tedious, and I need half the time to recover from a hard workout.  I'm really excited to see how many inches I've lost around my waist and to do another inventory of myself so I can move swiftly into the next phase of my fitness journey.

I want to thank Shannon for the love and support I get from her everyday, allowing me to push harder and longer at the gym. If it wasn't for Shannon I wouldn't be where I am today in my fitness journey.  Men will be men (I suppose), but one thing I want to change for myself is to show and express my appreciation for what Shannon does for our family each and everyday.  Thank You!

My warrior dash training is part of my fitness journey, but I realized I was on the wrong path and needed to make critical changes to my regime to allow my bodies joints and connective tissues to catchup before I continue to abuse myself with high endurance training.  I figured it was more important to build a foundation for my house to sit on before I put the roof on.  Put the horse before the cart kind of theory.

Tom Barbee

My topic for this Fitness Journal entry is about Fitness Injury Prevention.  It's become apparent in multiple conversations I've had this past week; more often than not people are getting injured repeatedly while trying to better their health.

The truth is these are people that have had proper fitness direction, people that are just getting started on their fitness journey, and people that are just plain pushing themselves to hard to fast.  

It doesn't matter the fitness level your starting at that determines if your going to get injured or not, it's the amount of preparation for  the level of fitness, that determines if you get injured.  It's fact that we all will get some form of injury at some point in our fitness journey, but the most important thing is to realize that prevention of injuries is simple and a life-long goal.  You will never get to a point in your fitness journey that stretching and properly warming up shouldn't be your first priority before working out.

I'm sure I'm not alone when I see lots of people enter the gym and going straight to working out without warming up or doing any form of stretching.  Yes, I will come clean and say I have been one of those people, but have realized the hard way (the painful way) of the importance of warming up and stretching.  I'm not getting any younger that's for sure, but by taking care of myself I can feel younger.  

I'm a great example of constant injuries that are hindering my fitness goals.  It all started with my lower back and a pinching of my Sciatic Nerve, which for the most part limited me from almost every kind of physical activity.  Second, it was a calcium deposit in my left shoulder that when I lifted my arm cause unforgiving pain.  Third it was  re-occurring inflammation in my right knee that kept me sidelined from almost every kind of cardio and knee bending exercises.  Fourth it was my lower back and hip joint that limited my mobility to preform even simple athletic tasks.

The point here is that all of these injuries could have been prevented by me.  I was ambitious but not cautious. 
 
Under the care of Dr. Ryan Nienaber I have been educated that my lower back pain is due to a weak and unconditioned hamstring and underlying muscles in the hip joint.  My back pain flares up when I over due any kind of squatting motion.  So now I'm slowing down and doing more and more squatting endurance workouts to help build up and strengthen those muscles.  More like a therapy kind of workout.

As for my knee well it's just as simple.  As long as I keep my Quadricep muscle stretched and proper warmed I don't have any pain or discomfort.

I have been able to manage most of the pain in my shoulder by doing higher intensity type workouts, like flat, inclined and declined pushups to failure.  These workouts are proving to help build the supportive muscles and connective tissues, not to mention being a huge stabilizer for the chest workouts.

I am the first person to say that ICE is your friend.  Yes the frozen water in your freezer.  When your over ambitious and over-eager to see results we tend to temporarily push our bodies to a point of no return.  

When we were younger we could push hard each and everyday and only suffer mild OMS ( Onset Muscle Sorness).  As we age we realize that our bodies start having a louder voice when we overdue it.  Our hangovers from that third glass of wine, or the grueling squat workout just hits us harder and harder the older we get.

So it's very important that we all stop and make a game plan for our future in fitness and make choices that will allow us to grow and progress and not put us in a state of neglect and dormancy.  

As Adults we need to make choices to better our health and by doing so we become the most powerful role-model to our children and children's children.  I was reading a blog posting today from Abby Rike former contestant of the Biggest Loser and motivational speark; who said one of the most motivational things you can do is seek a group that will keep you active or find a online forum where it's possible to receive and share fitness advice.  Read more at www.abbyrike.com

It's important we aren't alone in our fitness journey, being healthy isn't easy and well very much a day to day challenge for most.  Don't be afraid to share your story with others, listen and share the knowledge you've gained so far in your fitness journey.  The only way were going to make America a better place is by improving the health of the future, our kids.  We are the role models and we must fight for a better life for today and tomorrow.  Start now by doing something productive and encourage your kids to be active, eat healthier and most importantly build their self esteem by giving them motivational compliments.  Do the work, run the miles, and cherish each moment as our gift of life.  Make a commitment to get outside by yourself and with your kids for at least 15 minutes a day of some form of physical activity.  Go for a walk, hike next to the river, ride your bikes, kick the soccer ball, etc.  Doesn't matter just be involved with creating a habit and you and your kids will reap the rewards of a higher self esteem, more confidence , better eating habits and good ole happiness.

Good luck and remember you must BELIEVE TO RECEIVE....

Finding Balance in my workouts has been a chore at time, but I must say it's paying off to stay consistent with both my dietary intake and my gym workouts.  

I was talking with our family Chiropractor Dr. Ryan Nienaber of Boones Ferry Chiropractic and Massage on Monday and we were comparing workouts that actually stress the muscles to encourage growth.  Dr. Nienaber suggested that I should add a fly motion exercise into my chest workout when I'm taking my chest to failure.  Oh damn does it make a difference.  I have been sore as hell.  

I know that I have been doing the work in the gym, but knowing that simple changes to your daily workout routines can really make such a difference.  It's not just my chest that's sore, but my front delts and triceps and aching for a break.  No break I can do that on my day off.  This little change that Dr. Nienaber was generous to share has made me realize he's much more then a Chiropractor, but a doctor of results and solutions.  I'm blessed to have such an inspirational person in my life.  Thank you Ryan for all your advice and motivation.

I'm surely now at a new level in my fitness journey and I look forward too what my next workout will bring.  I enjoy structure, but I love results much more.  

So the point I'm trying to make today is variety and commitment is the solution to your workout lows.  Mix it up and mix it up often to see and feel the results that you desire.  The human body can take a punishment day in and day out.  We're only limited by what our mind limits us too.  Get advice from people in your life that are a living example of results.  

I have read so many books but the best knowledge I gain is from people that provide support, motivation and inspiration through doing the work themselves.  

March is coming to an end and I'm looking forward to hitting the scale to see how all my hard work has paid off and it's nearly time to post my next progression picture.  

I'm feeling wonderful and my clothes are starting to fit me as they should.  I know that I've gain a significant amount of muscle mass and as for how much fat loss I've melted away has become harder to measure.  I don't have the luxury of high tech instruments that give me an accurate measurement of my true BMI, I have to make an educated, scientific guess.

Keep reading great news in closing in for me.  Wish me luck in this journey and let me know if i can be of any support to anyone who needs help with creating a healthier life for themselves.

It's a tough getting to the gym at 5am, I must say that it's much easier working out then getting out of bed.  Today's workout was good.  We completed a full back workout and 20 minutes on the stationary bike.  It was a high intensity workout, but hopefully I will get accustomed to the time and be able to kick things up a bit.  I have been working hard on my food intake and replacing more protein shakes for actual food.  

I'm an eater, so it's hard to drink my food.  So far I haven't been overly hungry, but hopefully I'll be able to keep my lean muscle and drop a few pounds.  I'm eating a small lunch and a sensible dinner and everything in between is a protein shake filled with protein powder of course, yogurt, fiber, coconut oil, and lactose free milk.  

I'm currently not taking any other supplements besides protein and vitamins, so I hope to stay that way till I hit a plateau.  Short and sweet blog tonight, cause frankly I'm tired.