Pre-XMAS
The plan is going good though lately my buddy and I have been having a little bit of a challenge to hit the gym with the holidays. The gym is closed today until the 27th of December and then I’m off for my Thailand/Japan trip on the 3rd of January.Ugh…my bro and I have been going hard for the last few months and have been seeing significant strength and fitness changes.Ah well….I’ll be doing a fair amount of walking, hiking, and swimming while my buds and I tour around. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to hit the gyms at any resorts we stay at as well but just in case, I bought some travel bands (tension bands) that I can use if there is no gym or fitness place around.I got these from Fitness Depot for about $20CDN for each band – not bad. 
Got a book on using these things too…one way or another, I want to stay on my plan...then again, I got two X-Mas dinners this weekend….<groan>….it’s going to be so fattening…..Harvey
Welcome to the EDGE
Welcome to the “EDGE” BLOG.So what is the Edge? Well, I’d like to say it was my idea but it isn’t. It’s actually from a personal improvement program by Anthony Robbins. I know, I know….some of you may think “freakin’ Anthony Robbins?! What the hell man!”. Well, I kinda thought about that until I listened to his CD program. You know, Robbins doesn’t talk about “magical” or “unreal” things that are full of fluff. He articulates what we all think but never say out loud or write down. It’s essentially the simple things in our life that we take for granted but just never focus on.That’s the piece that, at least for me, that I got out of the Edge program. Finding Focus, finding Drive, and finding those aspects for me that I find are Exciting and Fun.This is and has been a great program for me and I’ll share with you on how you may be able to use it for your own self improvement (FYI - I’m not affiliated with AR and am not selling this, you can make up your own mind if you want to try this and if it will be helpful for you):http://www.anthonyrobbins.com/Solutions/ProductsDetail.aspx?ProductID=621&SubCategory=MultimediaSo for me, the Edge encompasses a number of different areas that I’m working on, from what I have defined as Personal, to Business, to Health.This specific BLOG is about Physical Health.So here it is. The goal for me was and is to trim down.I used to be a big guy, about 240lbs big. That’s changed! Today, I’m 192lbs and working on trimming down to 185lbs. I'm on the plan man, I'm on the plan!!!For the longest time it was hard to drop in weight as I was doing a lot of heavy weight-lifting and not focusing on cadio or diet; that has since changed. I’m doing more cardio and most importantly, I’ve changed how I approach my daily diet (which I know has never really been based on a sensible or healthy plan).My buddy and I have a “get the Edge agreement”. I’m a cheap guy by nature. I’ll bitch and moan about paying $2 for a coffee but then can turn around and will have no issue on paying for big ticket items; yeah I know, sounds silly but it’s true. Anyway, my workout buddy and I have this deal where if I cheat on my diet plan (all my plan consists of is to eat sensibly – ie. Cookies, chips, deserts, fried stuff, etc… I know are bad so I’ll stay away from them), then I'll pay up for cheating. I have one free day a week to enjoy these “bad” items. Beyond that, if I cheat, I pay my buddy $10 per infraction. I’ve only cheated a few times and it’s been super hard to pay up; I make it a point to stay on track (it bugs me to no end to have to pay).You might be thinking “why say anything, just cheat and don’t pay-up; forget this guy!!”. Well, that's not the point. I wouldn’t be really cheating my friend, I’d be cheating myself. To keep honest and motivate me on my plan, I have to be upfront. Especially if I want to get to my goal.Where I am physically today includes muscle development so I’m not too sure exactly how much fat I’ve actually dropped. The great thing is that I’m feeling stronger and healthier today than I have in years.Anyway, some great info on physical fitness can be found on these sites:http://www.bodyforlife.com/http://www.eas.com/Searching the net (Google will find something), you can find an application that will help you log your progress in the gym (ie. How much weight you lift, next stages, etc..).The goal is 185lbs. I’m heading to Thailand and Japan for about 6 weeks in January 2006. I just need to stay focused and motivated on a good plan and make sure I’m active while I’m there.Harvey
